INTRODUCING: The Hublot Big Bang e, a truly left-field smartwatch, including the only way you can (currently) buy it

Hublot Big Bang eHot on the heels of the launch of the latest TAG Heuer Connected watch in March, their LVMH watch sibling has launched the new Hublot Big Bang e. And while it’s not surprising in itself — Hublot already play in this space — its execution has some genuinely eccentric touches. But first, the specs, because they’re far more palatable for average-sized wrists than the first smartwatch Hublot released. This new 42mm smartwatch, 7mm smaller than the original model, is available with either a ceramic or titanium sandwich-style case, and features the same overall design as the first-ever Big Bang way back in 2005, keeping its core aesthetic consistent with the rest of the existing collection. It was two years ago, for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, that Hublot first threw its hat into the luxury smartwatch ring, when they released the Hublot Big Bang Referee to be worn by officials during the games. It was a smart advertising play, with the brand proudly displayed at every player change on the substitution board, and showed another indication of LVMH’s intention in the smartwatch business. The first Hublot smartwatch was seriously large, however, measuring a gargantuan 49mm across and 13.9mm thick. This was…

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4 years ago

IN-DEPTH: Remembering the OG Seiko Samurai 'Save The Ocean' SRPC93K

Editor’s note: The Seiko Samurai ‘Save The Ocean’ feels like it’s been around forever. It probably has claims, as much as practically any other modern watch, and certainly on any other diver, on being something of a modern icon with its striking ‘ventral pleats’ horizontally striping the dial, and its top to bottom blue graduation designed to emulate the ocean. It has seen many variations on a theme that is perfectly set out with the SRPC93K. This was first published midway through 2018, and boy, does it look as good as ever two years later.    The story in a second: Same great watch, brand new dial. The centrepiece of Seiko’s 2018 Prospex collection is, without doubt, the brand new and very blue ‘Save The Ocean’ series, offered in Turtle, Samurai and solar variants. It follows on from the recent Black Series and Blue Lagoon. But while last year’s limited edition was purely a cosmetic update, the Save The Ocean release has an element of social responsibility. Seiko has teamed up with Fabien Cousteau (grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau), who is himself a marine conservationist, to raise funds and awareness for Cousteau’s Ocean Learning Centre. Part of this awareness-raising involves prominent displays of what…

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4 years ago

Independent Watchmaking – Winnerl, a Historical Name Revived in the Vallée de Joux

Winnerl might be a newcomer but this independent brand bears a historical name, that of a 19th-century Austrian horologist, recently revived by an Austrian watchmaker, Bernhard Zwinz. After having worked for some of the greatest brands and with some of the most respected watchmakers, Zwinz now manufactures watches in his own workshop, inspired by the […]

4 years ago

MICRO MONDAYS: Serica watches, the revival of the affordable good watch

Serica watchesSerica was born only late last year when they were announced to the world as a brand that would offer a well-designed and robust timepiece at a fair price. They delivered in spades with their first watch, the Serica W.W.W. (standing for Wrist. Watch. Waterproof), inspired by the watches of the Second World War, where legibility and reliability were a priority that could not be compromised. The idea behind the brand was seeded when its founders — including the magazine magnate and Instagram influencer Matt Hranek (who spends his days jet-setting around the world with a Negroni in hand, living a life that many dream to pursue) — found themselves unable to find a good-looking wristwatch that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. In response to this frustration, they looked to the middle of the last century for a design, arriving at a cleanly executed military-inspired form that was both customisable and without branding. That’s right, a watch launched in 2019 without a logo on the dial. An unusual approach, but one that works beautifully with the no-nonsense philosophy that was the driving force behind its development. Cased in a vintage-faithful 37.5mm stainless steel case, the watch can be altered according…

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4 years ago

Introducing – Tutima Grand Flieger Airport, Now With Coloured Ceramic Bezel

Founded in 1927 by Dr Ernst Kurtz, Tutima has a long tradition of manufacturing pilot watches. The Grand Flieger Airport is a collection inspired by one of the brand’s 1940s chronographs. The line’s distinctive hallmark – a bidirectional rotatable bezel with a 60-minute scale and a red marking point – is now made of ultra-hard […]

4 years ago

Introducing – HYT Soonow Instant Rainbow (Live Pics & Price)

With Soonow and its ‘Drop’ collection, HYT reminds us of the transience of time. A rainbow-skull watch, the latest limited edition released by the brand is meant to convey the brand’s unique perspective on time, in particular in relation to recent events and the global lockdown. Exuberant or audacious? You won’t remain neutral about its […]

4 years ago

5 ways to impress a woman with your watch

Editor’s note: Few stories in the Time+Tide back catalogue get the comments section humming quite like Ceri David’s piece on how to impress her with your watch. Also, Ceri extrapolates, women in general. But reading this back, and knowing Ceri well, this is very much her voice, and her kind you’ll be striking the right chord with should you take the – overall quite excellent – advice. Who is Ceri, and why should you listen to her? She was only the second woman in the world to be a longstanding editor of GQ. Trust us, she’s the bomb.   Firstly, let’s not delude ourselves: your timepiece is going to impress more men than women. That’s a given. Unless, of course, it’s awful. If that’s the case, you’ll be slaying precisely no one — and also, how did you find your way to Time+Tide? However, there are a few ways you can maximise your chances of making an impression on the fairer sex with your choice of wristwear, at least a little. Listen carefully. Step 1: Choose something less obvious Less obvious than what? Less obvious than the one you’re most likely to choose, obviously. Because even though that un-aerodynamic chunk of metal on your…

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4 years ago

IN-DEPTH: The Zenith Chronomaster El Primero 38mm

Just a few short weeks ago, Time+Tide had the distinct pleasure of globally unveiling the last of the 50th anniversary special edition Zenith El Primeros. Called the Zenith Chronomaster Manufacture Edition, this gorgeous watch was the result of a surprise discovery that the team at Zenith had found in a dusty old cupboard in their fabled attic at the watchmaker’s manufacture in Charles Vermot. It’s a great story … in fact it was so good that we made an epic 35-minute video about it – the second episode of Watch & Chill.  So, why am I telling you all this? And what’s it got to do with the Chronomaster El Primero 38mm? Well, in case you still haven’t seen the above video, Time+Tide’s fearless leader, Andrew McUtchen, was given this watch by Zenith to wear on the show. Sadly, a few short days later, it had to go back to Zenith. But before it did, I was fortunate enough to temporarily purloin the stainless steel chrono, Ref.03.2150.400/69.C713 for a IN-DEPTH review, and these were my impressions. The dial I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one – the dial of the Zenith Chronomaster El Primero 38mm is pure horological…

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4 years ago