Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeiko

GMT & World-Time Watches · Page 73

The Most Notable Watches of 2019 SJX Watches
Dec 30, 2019

The Most Notable Watches of 2019

Oddly enough, one of the year’s highlights is a quartz watch that costs almost US$17,000 – but it is the most accurate wristwatch ever, rated to run within a second a year and probably less in practice. The Citizen Caliber 0100 slightly plain but the technology within is mighty impressive. Also impressive is the thought and effort put into developing the movement; that is extremely Japanese. It feels slightly anachronistic given the alternatives that can sync with GPS or radio waves and keep just as good time, but it is still mighty impressive. The top of the line model is in 18k white gold, explaining the price tag, but fortunately there’s a titanium model with the same movement for half the price. The Citizen Caliber 0100 The 0100S movement Sporty-ish and value For almost exactly the same price, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph scores high in terms of value for money. It’s an ultra-thin – really, really thin – chronograph with a second time zone function that continues Bulgari’s streak of extra-flat Octo watches. Though the design is thoroughly modern, its slimness and proportions give it a graceful air. But at 42mm the case is verges on looking like a biscuit because it is flat and wide. And the thinness of the movement, combined with a rather small balance wheel, inevitably invite questions about its robustness. The Octo chronograph That is very flat More expensive but also strong value for money is the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus. Looks-wise, it...

HANDS-ON: The Longines Heritage Classic Time+Tide
Dec 7, 2019

HANDS-ON: The Longines Heritage Classic

Few watches released in 2019 have had the ability to garner nothing but praise. There are, of course, certain timepieces that are highly revered - think the new Rolex GMT-Master II ref.126710BLNR, for example. But that watch brings with it a sizeable amount of polarity. No, for the entire horological community to get behind a new … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Longines Heritage Classic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Hands-On: Greubel Forsey GMT Sport SJX Watches
Dec 5, 2019

Hands-On: Greubel Forsey GMT Sport

Even within the rarefied realm of haute horlogerie, Greubel Forsey has taken watchmaking to a level of craft few others can match – not just in terms of finishing, but innovation in chronometry while also establishing its own inimitable, three-dimensional aesthetic. And now, the brand has combined all of that onto its first sports watch – the GMT Sport. While nearly identical to the existing GMT in terms of function, combining a world time with an inclined tourbillon, the GMT Sport looks nothing like any other Greubel Forsey. And its movement is mostly made of titanium, having been reconstructed to fit into the new ovoid case. Despite being strikingly different, the watch is tremendously impressive on many fronts, especially in its finishing and construction. The new look Depth rated to 100m, the GMT Sport is a large watch that is organic in shape, with no right angles, a handful of edges, and only few flat surfaces. But it has a mechanical-looking style, with lugs secured to the case by visible screws and prominent pushers. The construction is complex and masterful, with the most unusual feature being the crystal and bezel, which are curved on multiple planes. When viewed from the top, the case appears circular, but it is in fact, tonneau-shaped with an oval bezel that is curved vertically from 12 to six o’clock. To fit the curvature of the case, the crystal is also oval-shaped and curved, which further highlights the architectural depth of the movement. The circ...

Hands-On: Vacheron Constantin Overseas “Everest” Dual-Time Prototype in Titanium SJX Watches
Dec 2, 2019

Hands-On: Vacheron Constantin Overseas “Everest” Dual-Time Prototype in Titanium

In early June 2019, American mountaineer Cory Richards embarked on his third attempt at scaling Mount Everest – after successfully reaching the summit twice before, including once without oxygen – but had to give up halfway due to dangerous weather. In fact, the year’s climbing season was one of the deadliest in recent years, with 11 climbers dead or missing. Prior to his valiant but unsuccessful attempt at Everest, Mr Richards worked with Vacheron Constantin to develop a watch for the occasion. He wanted something light, robust and able to track two time zones. Mr Richards at Everest base camp wearing the Overseas Dual Time prototype. Photo – Vacheron Constantin/Keith Ladzinski The beefed-up Overseas The result was the one-off Overseas Dual-Time prototype that looks a great deal more aggressive than the average Overseas. In fact, the designers at Vacheron Constantin managed to boost its presence and sportiness without bulking it up too much; the diameter remains the same. Mr Richards wore the watch up Everest, and now Vacheron Constantin has donated it to charity. Exactly as it was when Mr Richards left Mount Everest, with scratches on the case and fraying on the strap, the prototype will be sold at Phillips’ upcoming New York watch auction, with all proceeds going to the National Geographic Society. Though identical in size to the standard Overseas Dual Time – the case is 41mm in diameter – this prototype has a bulked-up case, primarily with the addition...

RECOMMENDED WATCHING: How NASA tested the Omega Speedmaster Time+Tide
Dec 1, 2019

RECOMMENDED WATCHING: How NASA tested the Omega Speedmaster

There is a plethora of watches out there with an equally large amount of claims. First watch with a date complication. First watch with a GMT complication. First waterproof watch. However, of all the watches on sale today, the coolest claim surely has to be: “The first watch worn on the moon.” I’m sure that … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED WATCHING: How NASA tested the Omega Speedmaster appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 World Time Becomes Most Expensive Watch Sold in Asia SJX Watches
Nov 25, 2019

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 World Time Becomes Most Expensive Watch Sold in Asia

Just two weeks after the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime in steel set the record for the most expensive watch ever when it sold for US$31m at Christie’s in Geneva, the auctioneer clinched the title of most expensive watch sold in Asia, toppling the former record holder. It sold a Patek Philippe ref. 2523 double-crown world time wristwatch – with a blue enamel dial signed by Milan retailer Gobbi – for HK$70.175m including fees, equivalent to US$8.97m. The result yields a tidy profit for the seller, a noted Asian collector who purchased the watch in 2010 at Christie’s in Geneva for 2.675m Swiss francs. One of two known with a blue enamel dial and extremely crisp, the ref. 2523 was offered for sale in an unusual manner. Though it was part of the Hong Kong watch auction, the watch was instead offered as the first lot during the 20th century and contemporary art sale a few days before, presumably to appeal to buyers who regularly spend much larger sums on art. The watch was extensively documented by Christie’s in its catalogues, both online and offline, though it did not do the typical presale marketing tour around the region due to its insured value. The presale estimate of HK$55m-110m, or about US$7m-14m, made the ref. 2523 the most expensive lot to be ever offered at a watch auction – leading to some mutterings that the watch might not sell – so anticipation was high when the sale started at 5:30pm, especially since ultra high-value vintage watches are usual...

RECOMMENDED WATCHING: Antiques Roadshow and the Rolex “Tiffany” GMT-Master Time+Tide
Nov 22, 2019

RECOMMENDED WATCHING: Antiques Roadshow and the Rolex “Tiffany” GMT-Master

Let’s be honest, Antiques Roadshow isn’t always the most enthralling of television shows – it’s not going to goad you into teetering on the edge of your seat, hanging off every last word of the inevitably gingham-clad, stodgy presenter. However, sporadically, there are some complete gems that come up on the show for peeps like … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED WATCHING: Antiques Roadshow and the Rolex “Tiffany” GMT-Master appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Vacheron Constantin Introduces the Overseas Dual Time with a Black Dial SJX Watches
Nov 19, 2019

Vacheron Constantin Introduces the Overseas Dual Time with a Black Dial

Launched last year in steel with a blue or silver dial (and also in 18k rose gold), the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time is now available in the most obvious dial colour – black. Though not readily discernible in photos, the new black dial is made up of glossy, translucent black lacquer over a sunburst-brushed surface, giving it a slightly nuanced colour that’s similar to that found on the Overseas Perpetual Calendar with a blue lacquer dial. And because the minute track is printed on a matte, granular chapter ring, the result is a subtle, two-tone dial. Dial aside the watch is identical to the earlier Overseas Dual Time. Home time is indicated by a red-tipped hour hand in the centre, which is in turn linked to the day and night display at nine o’clock. The second time zone is set via the crown, but the quickset corrector for the date function is operated via a screw-down pusher at four o’clock. It’s powered by the 5110 DT, a variation of the brand’s workhorse automatic movement that is widely used throughout the Overseas line. As with all Overseas watches, the 5110 DT has a solid gold rotor cast in the form of a compass rose. The under-dial view of the movement, showing the levers and springs that control the day and night display (at 10 o’clock), and the date (at four o’clock) And the case includes the quick-release strap mechanism that’s standard across the Overseas range. A small tab easily releases the bracelet or strap, allowing for a rapid s...

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic: Timing Is Getting Pretty Thin Quill & Pad
Nov 17, 2019

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic: Timing Is Getting Pretty Thin

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic is the recent winner of the Chronograph category at the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and current world record holder for the thinnest mechanical chronograph. Joshua Munchow thinks that as such the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT deserves closer inspection to discover just how it achieved this feat while looking cool in the process.

Highlights: Christie’s Hong Kong Watch Auction Fall 2019 SJX Watches
Nov 15, 2019

Highlights: Christie’s Hong Kong Watch Auction Fall 2019

After a record-setting auction weekend in Geneva, the action moves to Hong Kong in the last week of November. Chatter about the Hong Kong auctions this year are dominated by one watch, the Patek Philippe ref. 2523 twin-crown world time in pink gold with a blue enamel dial, because it carries the highest pre-sale estimate in watch auction history of 55m-110m Hong Kong dollars, or about US$7m-14m. Instead of being sold along with the rest of the watches on November 27, it will be the opening lot in the evening sale of 20th century and contemporary art on November 23. With the top lot in the evening sale – Five Nudes by Sanyu – having an estimate of HK$250m-550m dollars, or about US$32m-70m, the twin-crown world time hardly looks out of place. The Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Equation of Time But the ref. 2523 aside, the rest of the Christie’s sale is made up of 239 more affordable timepieces, including an ultra-rare Patek Philippe ref. 3651 chronograph and a value-buy Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Equation of Time in platinum. Here’s a look at highlights from the sale. And the full catalogue can be found here. Lot 2298 – Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3800/108G in white gold, with diamonds and emeralds  This is shameless 1990s bling – a Nautilus ref. 3800/108G. The suffix means it’s 18k white gold, fully set with brilliant-cut diamonds and having 11 baguette-cut emeralds for the hour markers. The watch feels weighty in the hand, though the case is compact. An...

WATCH DISASTERS #1 – Ken’s prodigal GMT-Master II Time+Tide
Nov 9, 2019

WATCH DISASTERS #1 – Ken’s prodigal GMT-Master II

Watch Disasters is a new series on Time+Tide that describes, in chilling detail, incidences when owning an expensive watch goes wrong. This is not going to be comfortable reading, so prepare for the pain. Admittedly, this is a bit of a soft start. The ‘prodigal’ in the title gives it away. If you have a … ContinuedThe post WATCH DISASTERS #1 – Ken’s prodigal GMT-Master II appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Highlights: Phillips ‘Double Signed’ Geneva Auction Part I SJX Watches
Nov 7, 2019

Highlights: Phillips ‘Double Signed’ Geneva Auction Part I

Phillips’ thematic auction this season is titled Double Signed: A Celebration of the Finest Partnerships Between Manufacturers and Retailers, with a catalogue composed of watches with retailer signatures mostly on the dial, but occasionally on the case back. Though a retailer signature in itself does not make a great watch, many watches in the sale are already superb watches, but made even more special by the retailer’s mark, like the Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542 below. More broadly, Double Signed is more historically evocative than most other thematic auctions, because many of the retailers cited within represent a particular time and place that is long gone, even if the retailer remains in business. Examples include Serpico y Laino of Caracas, which no doubt prospered during Venezuela’s good times that are now long forgotten, or Le Palais Royal of Havana that was the island’s premiere retailer before the Communist revolution. Here’s part one of the roundup of highlights from the sale. (And part II is here.) Lot 11 – Vacheron Constantin tourbillon pocket watch ref. 92244 “Asprey” One of the most proper examples of haute horlogerie in the sale is this Vacheron Constantin pocket watch that contains an observatory-certified tourbillon movement from the 1940s, though the watch was only finished and sold in 1992. It’s believed that in the 1990s, Vacheron Constantin discovered a small number of tourbillon movements that had been tested and certified as chronomet...

RECOMMENDED READING: Exploding a Grand Seiko Hi-Beat GMT Time+Tide
Nov 5, 2019

RECOMMENDED READING: Exploding a Grand Seiko Hi-Beat GMT

We have recommended taking a look at the master watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin deconstructing various watches in the past, and that’s because how interesting it is to get a proper look into some of the most popular watches out there. What makes this deconstruction by Peter interesting is that it is with the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Exploding a Grand Seiko Hi-Beat GMT appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.