LIST: 7 watches to check out at Melbourne Watch Week
For the second year running, Breguet, Blancpain, Jaquet Droz and Glashütte Original — The Swatch Group’s top-tier brands — are showcasing their latest and greatest at Melbourne retailer Monards Crown boutique. Melbourne Watch Week, as it’s called, is running from June 20 to 30 (slightly longer than a week, but who’s counting). It’s a great opportunity to get up close and (somewhat) personal with these pretty special pieces. Yesterday I was filming some watches and I took the chance to have a look around at these standout pieces, and these are my seven picks. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms releases are always strong, and inevitably popular. Amidst all the more modern interepretations (and the awesome Air Command), we were taken by this delicious (and limited) vintage reissue. It’s inspired by a watch made for Barakuda — a German diving equipment company (hence the name). This explains the retro dial design, and indeed the smaller 40mm case. RRP $17,650 AUD Glashütte Original SeaQ From one German-inspired dive watch to another. The surprising Glashütte Original SeaQ. Glashütte Original is not a brand known for their dive watches, even though they played a part in their history (the inspiration for this…
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Editor’s note: I met Adam for the first time recently at a Longines event, and was blown away when he produced a roll of five watches from his pocket. Apart from some stunning Enicar watches from the ’60s, he also had a rather large, time-only watch, with an interesting dial. We got chatting and he told me the story of his mid-century Longines double signed with the retailer Cuervo y Sobrinos. Adam found it in Havana after persisting with a watch dealer for three days to show him the most interesting pieces from the back of his safe. Adam also noted that Cuba was a unique location for luxury goods, as Fidel Castro’s regime locked all the country down through restricting imports, unintentionally turning the country into a time-capsule for mid-century collectibles. While that might be a small highlight in a troubled period of history, it certainly makes for a great watch collecting story. When someone’s watch story starts in the backstreets of Havana, you know it’s going to be good. In fact, it would be a good story, even if the watch itself didn’t match up to the tale. Luckily for all involved, Adam’s oversized mid-century Longines, double signed…
With the news that Omega has pushed the bar (pun obviously intended) to a record-breaking point with their new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional, we thought we would look at the best-performing deep diving watches on the market. Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller With a water resistance to 3900m, the Rolex DSSD is a strong contender for champion of the deep. Featuring the unarguably comfortable oyster bracelet, a case manufactured in the brands own Oystersteel, and a genuinely wearable 44mm on the wrist, it’s a fantastic watch for any dive enthusiast. Sinn Model UX The German manufacturer pulled out all the stops with Model UX, even manufacturing the case in corrosion-resistant submarine steel. It is also made unique as the case is filled with synthetic oil that is uncompressible (which acts to resist external water pressure), and allows the dial to be read without reflection at any angle underwater. The Model UX is water resistant to 12,000m, making it functional to the deepest known points of the world’s oceans. Blancpain X Fathoms The Blancpain X Fathoms is by no means a small watch, measuring over 55mm in diameter and 24mm thick; however, it packs a host of…
Editor’s note: Felix interviewed Anders a few years ago to discuss his journey as a vintage collector and what he looks for when purchasing watches. One thing he mentioned then was his motto to never sell, which got us wondering: If nothing ever leaves the collection, what else has been added since then? Have a browse through his Instagram to see an incredibly uncommon minute repeater, a trio of Gérald Genta designed beauties and one of the best Cartier designs of all time. Here’s the original chat Felix had with Anders: The world of watches is very small and very global. The story behind this interview is a case in point. Just before Christmas I received an Instagram notification saying, “Felix, you like watches – check this guy out”, from a friend who used to work in a café I frequent in Melbourne. She tagged me in the account of a regular customer at the café she now works at in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. After checking out @everydaycollector’s beautifully composed pictures of art, interior design and watches, I knew I had to get in touch with Anders and find out more about his careful and considered collection. Tell…