The Enabler: How To Justify Buying Another Watch. (#4: "The Milestone Celebration")
NOTE: We understand that you’ve found a new watch to add to your collection (congratulations!). But rationalising this fact – coupled with the fact that it’ll cost a bucket-load of cash – may not always sit well with the less horologically minded. That’s where we come in … Use The Enabler’s advanced levels of sophistry to validate your latest acquisition. Phony enthusiasm. Beleaguered smiles. Rank insincerity. No, we’re not discussing politicians’ attempts to pass themselves off as genuine sports fans. What I’m talking about is why receiving Christmas presents leaves me increasingly cold. To explain this “bah humbug” mindset, a week or so ago, I accidentally discovered what my wife is getting me for Christmas. The answer: a pair of wellington boots. Admittedly, they’re pretty fancy ones and it’s true that I currently have none. So it’s a well-considered gift that genuinely ticks the boxes of both practicality and thoughtfulness. And yet … the prospect of having to force an expression of startled delight when I unwrap them on Christmas morning before a crowd of onlookers who’re already half-pissed, well, it just makes me feel very, very tired. Please understand, this is not my wife’s fault. The truth is that men of…
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Everyone’s first Rolex purchase is important — it’s a milestone that, for most, carries with it a great amount of pride and sense of accomplishment. And for almost all of us out there lucky enough to have bought their inaugural timepiece from the legacy watchmaker, it isn’t something that was entered into lightly; we have known for ages before the purchase which exact model we were going to buy. However, Joseph’s first Rolex purchase was … somewhat anomalous, shall we say. Rolex, I guess, is a staple in every collector’s stable. As for me, for as long as I can remember, I have been aware of the prestige the brand commands. The interesting part, though, is that I never liked them. And when I say them, I mean their “sports watches” (before y’all hyperventilate with the insane ridiculousness of this statement, you gotta realise that to me, uniqueness of a watch as a complete product — so dial, straps, lugs, pretty much everything visual about a watch — is what makes collecting interesting). This particular Rolex, a simple Oyster Perpetual 36, is something that I saw in a window display while passing by. I am sure other watch enthusiasts would agree, it was…
Omega recently released the hotly anticipated Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition, in association with Bond’s newest upcoming adventure, No Time To Die. It isn’t the first watch Omega has produced in partnership with the legacy of Ian Fleming, not even the first one in 2019, but with its under the radar brushed titanium case, it’s certainly one of the best-looking watches the franchise has ever produced. But while the new Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition was met with a crowd of cheers, there were inevitably a few grumbles about the watch (yes, generally in the Instagram comments), mostly focused on Omega’s use of faux-patina, in a sort of terracotta-tone lume for the dial and bezel markers. For me, I think it is aesthetically in line with the not-quite-jet-black dial and bezel, which has a grey tone that works well with the darker metal case and bracelet made from titanium, but it did get me thinking about the use of faux-patina, specifically in modern watches or even, more specifically, modern watches that are not vintage reissues. In contrast to many recent watches that have made use of faux-patina, the Omega Seamaster 300 was only launched 25 years ago. The Seamaster line…
Editor’s note: There are lots of ways that watchmakers like to decorate their micromechanical marvels, such as engraving, polishing, brushing or even Côtes de Genève inside the case. While all of these techniques are wonderfully effective when done well, one of the most visually impressive (and generally underrated) techniques to finish a watch is hammering to achieve a frosted look. Used predominantly in jewellery, Audemars Piguet have deployed the artisanal method on the cases of some of their Royal Oak references, plating up a visual feast that looks like it has just left the freezer. Frosted gold catches the light like a well-cut diamond, sparkling like a stone rather than a metal surface, which is a quality that certainly isn’t spoken about enough. So let’s take another look at when Italian jeweller Carolina Bucci worked her magic on a ladies’ Royal Oak. OK, we’re calling it: 1976 was one of the best years in history — for so many reasons. For a start, that’s when Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life was released. It was also the year Rocky and Taxi Driver hit cinemas, and superhotties Benedict Cumberbatch and Audrey Tautou entered the world. In conclusion: a very good…
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 timepiece it’s got to be special … and the new Longines Heritage Classic L2.828.4.73.2 is exactly that: special. Allow me to explain. Part of this raconteur’s role is to scour the interwebs and plethora of social media networks, and, to my dismay, sometimes read the comments. I am yet to witness a single negative comment, on any platform, about this new Longines; there simply hasn’t been a peep — it’s been nothing but applause and even adoration. And from the very first time you fasten it to your wrist, you understand why the response to this simple, time-only watch has been so profound – it’s a revelation. Now, that’s a big claim, but I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a fair amount of time with the Longines Heritage Classic L2.828.4.73.2, so let me walk you through how this conclusion has been reached. It starts with the…
Editor’s note: A summer watch can be many different things, however, there is one prerequisite – it needs to be water resistant. I’m not talking about a mere 3-ATM either … a timepiece to wear December through February has got to be able to hang poolside or 100 metres below the deep blue. Panerai’s Submersible BMG-Tech is more than capable of these requirements, and it also shows off the Italian marque’s innovative new material “BMG-Tech”. Late last year, we went hands-on with the avant-garde amphibious timepiece, and these were our initial impressions. At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a 47mm Submersible much like any other. On second, or perhaps third glance, the truth becomes more apparent. This is a Panerai unlike any other, and that difference is thanks to the case, the BMG in BMG-Tech. BMG is short for Bulk Metallic Glass, and it’s what the case is made out of. When I learned this, it took a while to get my head around it. Glass is in the name, but this case is far from fragile. BMG is a glass-like alloy of zirconium, copper, aluminium, titanium and nickel. These components are formed at high pressure…
Owning a watch that has been given to you as a gift has a sentimental element that can get even more meaningful over time. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to have received a watch as a gift, a milestone or something to mark an achievement, will know what I’m on about – it’s an emotional thing, it becomes more than ‘just a watch’. …if you’re contemplating buying a watch for someone you care about, you should abide by one simple rule: keep it classic. But not all watch gifts are equal. What can make the experience slightly less nostalgic as the years go on is if the watch in question was made with a particular aesthetic or trend that is no longer en vogue … think the vast majority of fashion watches from the ’90s, for example. That’s why, if you’re contemplating buying a watch for someone you care about, you should abide by one simple rule: keep it classic. And the parameters set by Longines’ range of heritage timepieces are some very safe guide-rails indeed. Why? Because they offer tried and tested watch designs with a high level of refinement that’s verging on unparalleled in the price bracket. And,…
Editor’s note: In a recent discussion with a respected watchmaker who knows a thing or two about Rolex, I posited the question, “So what’s your next timepiece going to be?” Without a moment’s hesitation, he replied: “Bremont, definitely a Bremont.” When I asked why, he said that increasingly, he was observing more similarities between Bremont and, if you can believe it, Rolex. He went on to explain that a huge part of Rolex’s history was providing military-spec watches for armed forces across the globe, and while the Swiss marque had ceased doing so, Bremont had more than carried the torch since. Back when Bremont opened their Melbourne boutique, we spotted quite a few of these military-issue timepieces on some servicemen and women of Oz and beyond. Walking into Bremont’s brand new Melbourne boutique, it doesn’t take long to work out the brand’s military and aviation connection. If the spartan style of the watches didn’t give the game away, the pictures of planes on the walls, the hanging model biplane, and the actual, very battered looking ejection seat sitting front-and-centre kind of give it away. Not that all those fine details were too easy to spot last night, as the space was…
Here’s a question for you: how do you modernise something as traditional as a time-only dress watch? Do you utilise new-age materials? Or maybe blow-out the proportions of the timepiece? It’s a conundrum that Baume & Mercier faced with their understated range of Baume & Mercier Classima wristwatches. Their solution was to give owners the chance to physically see their mechanical watch in action, by skeletonising a portion of the dial and exposing the beating heart of its movement, the escapement. It’s a novel idea that gives the Classima a thoroughly modern aesthetic, and, perhaps more importantly, wearers a greater appreciation of the complexity of a mechanical movement. Speaking of the power source, the Classima utilises Sellita’s tried and true SW200 BV, which features self-winding, 38 hours of power, 26 jewels and an operating frequency of 4Hz. Shrouding the movement, the Classima’s traditional 40mm stainless steel case is quite slim, measuring just 8.95mm, and it’s also water resistant to 50 metres. The rest of the dial hosts all the standard accoutrements you’d expect of a dress watch such as this — Roman numerals, blued steel hands … it’s all present and accounted for. The conforming stainless steel bracelet features both…
I’m fortunate to be able to say I’ve met a couple of world number one tennis players in my time. Ash Barty, current women’s number one, is not like any of them. She has no star vibes as such. No X Factor. No celebrity aura. What she carries with herself, which comes across in person, is more powerful – and rarer – than that. It’s total ease with herself. And a level of self-belief, to back herself in every word she says. It’s borderline frightening. All answers are direct, honest, sincere. This one, for example. I’d asked, “Is Serena Williams intimidating to play against?” The response was instantaneous: “She is,” and with this a squint and a nod. “The first time. But not the second.” This answer frames exactly why the 23-year-old Australian is the best player in the world. She has a rock-solid self-belief. She has no doubt she is up where she belongs. The Number 1 seed for the Australian Open next month, who lists Alicia Molik, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin as her heroes, has steel in her eyes. Friend of Time+Tide and tennis commentator Miguel Seabra describes her this way: “She’s a great player. Or should…