Hands-on – MeisterSinger Edition 366 – What’s Old is New Again

2020 is a leap year and MeisterSinger dedicates a limited edition model to this 4-year occurrence with Edition 366. Although we are used to MeisterSinger’s single-handed watches and its award-winning, cool German Bauhaus style, Edition 366 goes back one step further in time and recreates the elegance of early 19th-century scientific measuring instruments. Similar to […]

4 years ago

Everything you need to know about French brand Yema watches, and their four key models

Yema watchesIf you didn’t spend much time diving in the Azure Seas in coastal France in the late ’60s, chances are you may not be entirely familiar with the French brand Yema. With its most popular models having a subdued appearance, and not featuring ‘Swiss Made’ plastered all over the dial, it can be easy for the eye to wander past their offerings and settle on something with a much older name. Those who love to feel their heart lurch when seeing the price tag of a flashy piece won’t find that same pleasure with the competitive costs on display here, either. While some may confuse Yema with the Philippine custard lollies of the same name, what they truly represent is some of the best value-for-money watches outside of the Swiss and Japanese bubbles. With real vintage heritage, you can’t argue against their flair, highlighted by some of their unique and standout watches below. Yema Superman Heritage Blue Of course, you can’t consider Yema without eyeing up the Superman. The watch, which led Yema to be the largest French exporter of timepieces in the latter half of the 20th century, was occasionally rebadged under brand names such as Atrexa and LeJour,…

The post Everything you need to know about French brand Yema watches, and their four key models appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

4 years ago

The Longines Conquest V.H.P. Collection now comes on a leather strap, here's a collection review from the Sydney QVB Longines Boutique

Longines Conquest V.H.P.What a difference two years makes. In 2018, I introduced this until now unpublished video by saying that — shock, horror — we were reviewing a collection of watches with quartz movements: the new Longines V.H.P. Collection. I’d go as far as to say it makes me grimace a little to watch in 2020. Because since then, the advancement of quartz back into luxury watchmaking has been steady and it has occurred with less and less resistance. Grand Seiko has been driving the change, as some YouTube commenters have already picked up on. Personally, I now own two modern-era quartz watches. A Longines Conquest V.H.P. and a Grand Seiko GMT SBGN005G, which remains a spectacular experience, every time it gets on the wrist. So, moving on, we’re not quite sure how this “lost video” happened. Because looking at it now, it’s a long and detailed review about the highly feted Longines V.H.P. Collection that absolutely should have seen the light of YouTube. At the time, despite the preamble, we were quickly won over by the V.H.P. for its technical smarts. But a big part of the charm, for me, was the peculiar and bold colourway of the Commonwealth Games Edition.…

The post The Longines Conquest V.H.P. Collection now comes on a leather strap, here’s a collection review from the Sydney QVB Longines Boutique appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

4 years ago

Buying Guide – Cool, Accessible Watches that you Can Buy Online, Now

No need to remind you about the current situation and the gloomy atmosphere.  So how about cheering yourself up by treating yourself to a little something to fulfil your love for watches in these sad moments? And because you’re probably in the same confinement situation as we are (most of the MONO’ team is…), let’s […]

4 years ago

RECOMMENDED READING: Platinum is back, baby

A short while ago, Nick Foulkes, writing for How To Spend It, espoused that the last 24 months have seen a significant rise in the popularity and production of solid platinum watches. Foulkes postulates that this may be, to a degree, down to the relatively recent vogue of steel watches, as platinum — at least from a passing glance — does have a similar appearance to its far more humble, utilitarian metal brethren. It also has the distinct advantage of flying under the radar in a way that yellow or pink gold simply cannot. However, platinum’s resurgence in timepieces might also be the result of a more discerning watch collecting community; after all, platinum has long been revered as the pinnacle of precious metals used for wristwatches. Foulkes quotes Marc Hayek, the CEO of Blancpain, Breguet and Jaquet Droz, who said of the precious metal: “Platinum is among the noblest and most precious of metals. It has extraordinary properties that make it extremely resistant but also difficult to process and finish. Creating platinum watch cases requires special savoir-faire. It results in beautiful white/grey-coloured models that do not tarnish. Hence, platinum is the perfect match for exclusive and complicated high-end timepieces.” Hayek isn’t…

The post RECOMMENDED READING: Platinum is back, baby appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

4 years ago

What Sealed The Deal – Peter's Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570, "when I got it there wasn't a huge amount of demand"

Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570The Explorer II often does the rounds at the top of ‘the most underrated Rolex model’ list, and it’s not difficult to see why. In addition to many of the attractive hallmarks of steel sports Rolex models, it also has just a dash more personality – is it the pop of orange that catches your eye? The bezel? Or in this case the almost luminous white dial? Peter counts the ways he loves this model, and explains what sealed the deal for him.  When did you first see/hear about it? I’ve always been a fan of the Rolex Explorer II, and for the longest time I was ready to pull the trigger on this watch’s predecessor, the Ref.16570 … that is, until I tried it on. Once I did, I quickly realised that for my larger wrists, the 40mm case was perhaps a tad on the small side. So, I decided against the Explorer and instead went about shoring up my collection with other timepieces that didn’t bear the “Big Crown”. Fast forward to 2011, and the current Ref.216570 was unveiled at Baselworld, and as soon as I read that the dimensions had swelled to 42mm, I knew I had to…

The post What Sealed The Deal – Peter’s Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570, “when I got it there wasn’t a huge amount of demand” appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

4 years ago

IN-DEPTH: Grand Seiko Movements – Part II, the Spring Drives

Grand Seiko MovementsIf you haven’t yet read Part I, find the full article right here.  This year, to mark its 60th anniversary, Grand Seiko has introduced two new movements, representing each of the brand’s two pillars: Calibre 9RA5 is a Spring Drive movement while Calibre 9SA5 is a traditional mechanical movement. These are entirely new movements, with every element developed and produced in-house and designed to last for decades as the foundation for a whole new generation of watches. To understand their place in the Grand Seiko story, let’s look at the genesis of each in turn. In Part I we traced the genesis of Calibre 9SA5, and here we look at the evolution of Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive movements, culminating in this year’s new calibre. To understand the sequence of movement launches better, it’s worth noting that Calibre numbers don’t follow chronological order: for example, the first 2004 Spring Drive movement, Calibre 9R65, preceded Calibre 9R01 by 12 years. What is Spring Drive? Unique in watchmaking, the Spring Drive system merges the polarised worlds of electronic movements (powered by a quartz battery) and their mechanical counterparts (where the mainspring provides an autonomous power source). In the late 1970s, a Seiko engineer, Yoshikazu…

The post IN-DEPTH: Grand Seiko Movements – Part II, the Spring Drives appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

4 years ago