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

Buying Guide – The New Luxury Sports Watches of 2020

The luxury sports watch… A genre defined in 1972 with a new category that merged elements from high-end watchmaking and sports watches, watches with integrated bracelets made from stainless steel. And almost 50 years later, it is still the most coveted category of watches, from accessible to ultra-exclusive. While the AP and PP models are […]

4 years ago

LONG READ: 12 life lessons with Black Badger, and a clapback to the "juvenile" response to his TAG Heuer coffee watch

TAG Heuer coffee watchIf you haven’t heard of James Thompson, aka Black Badger, you’ve probably seen his brightly lit work online. He’s done collaborations with independent watchmakers such as MB&F, De Bethune, and Sarpaneva, and has more recently been working with the King of Customisation himself, George Bamford. While much of what Black Badger is known for is his impressive work with different luminous materials, lighting up jewellery and watches like you’ve never seen before, his work with the Bamford Watch Department has seen a slight departure from these illuminated beginnings, focusing instead on exotic materials. In his first collection with Bamford they used fordite for the dial, a material that is essentially a buildup of layers of industrial paint on the floors of car manufacturers. These psychedelically swirling dials are all unique and handmade by James in his workshop. The most recent collaboration between Black Badger and Bamford is the ambitious BWD X Badgerworks TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 and features a dial made out of ground coffee beans. That’s right, the coffee. Black Badger credits his design school training for his ability to consider materials that those in the watch industry might overlook, and the results speak for themselves. While not…

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4 years ago