Saving the Ocean with Seiko Prospex
I recently had the privilege of attending an event with Seiko that focused on their Save the Ocean collection, and the work that can be done with the funds raised. While the event itself was an interesting blend of experience and information, I’ll explain exactly what the Seiko Save the Ocean collection is first. If you’ve ever been in a boutique that carries Seiko, while you were browsing the cabinets packed with their latest releases, you might have noticed a range of dive watches in the Prospex family with gradient blue dials that have an almost metallic quality. If you looked closer again at these blue-to-black fading dials, you would have seen an irregular stripe pattern, which was inspired by the lines that run along the bellies of humpback whales. It is these watches with gradient blue dials that sit within the Seiko Save the Ocean collection, and are made separate from the rest of the Prospex family, as a portion of the sales are donated to ocean conservation efforts around the globe. Aligned with this, Seiko are working with filmmaker Fabien Cousteau as an official Save the Ocean ambassador, who is also none other than the grandson of the…
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In a city as affluent as Dubai, it isn’t a surprise to see some pretty wild watches come out to play at the city’s own Dubai Watch Week. While there are some of the usual suspects to be seen, such as Rolex and Patek Philippe, Dubai also showed its sophisticated side with some less common contemporary pieces and even rarer vintage watches. So while I wasn’t able to capture anything close to the full spectrum of interesting timepieces donning the wrists of those wandering the exhibiting booths, this is a small smattering that shows just how varied and articulate the tastes of Dubai Watch Week attendees are. A piece from independent watchmaker F.Rozon. A powerful A. Lange & Söhne duo on the wrists of @mjbiercuk. A collection of watches shown at the launch of the FERO 150 Steel Chronographs book, written by Andrea Mattioli and Franco Basile.
Dubai Watch Week is in its fourth year, and is hitting a scale that should be making the other watch fairs around the world take notice. In the context of Baselworld being in some of the worst trouble it has experienced in its 100+ year history and SIHH (now called Watches & Wonders in 2020) losing the commitment of some of its largest brands, and both of the fairs changing their dates in an attempt to make them more convenient to attend (though this was cited as the reason for both Seiko and Grand Seiko pulling out of the 2020 fair), Dubai Watch Week is gaining significant traction and attention. But what exactly is Dubai Watch Week? Is it a trade show like Baselworld or SIHH, where new watches are released? And if it isn’t, what’s the point in going, and who is it for? Baselworld and SIHH have always traditionally been trade shows, where brands can meet with their retailers, retailers can place their orders for the year having seen the new watches, and members of the press can attend to offer coverage and commentary on latest releases. They aren’t designed for members of the public (SIHH was an…
What a time to be alive for Melbourne watch lovers. The embarrassment of riches in terms of local brand boutiques has had another glittering jewel added to the CBD war chest as T+T welcomed guests to an evening at the brand new Vacheron Constantin boutique at the ‘Paris end’ of Collins Street. Last night we were honoured to host its launch.
MC-ed by myself and Boutique Manager Peter Kelly — formerly the Boutique Manager at Rolex Chadstone — the evening focused on Les Collectionneurs, a concept that sees vintage Vacheron Constantin pieces — acquired through ‘auctions and personal connections’ — masterfully and meticulously reconditioned by Vacheron Constantin watchmakers to their former glory. And to their former guarantee and warranty — all pieces in the collection come with a guarantee and a two-year warranty. Vintage watches with new-watch protections. And new-watch feels. I joked in my speech that you could walk past the cabinet thinking the pieces were gleaming new models; if you inspect them, I’m sure you’ll agree. They are in magnificent, practically mint, condition. As part of the formalities, we each spoke of the individual watches that remain for sale from the original nine — just six are still available. I gave a little bit away…
If history is anything to go by, we shouldn’t have been surprised at news coming out of Only Watch 2019 that Tudor’s entry into the charitable auction, the Black Bay Ceramic One, had sold for a staggering 350,000 CHF ($515,000 AUD). In fact, for Tudor’s third pièce unique entered into Only Watch to do anything other than command a crazily large bid would’ve been an abnormality. Why, you may ask? Well, the Swiss marque’s first “Only Watch”, the Tudor Black Bay One, was submitted for auction at the 2015 event, and while the estimate for the stainless steel diver was a mere few thousand Swiss francs, it ended up selling for a monolithic 375,000 CHF! Two years later, Tudor was back at Only Watch 2017 with the Black Bay Bronze One, and, just like its inimitable steel counterpart, it too sold for a whopping chunk of change – 350,000 CHF, to be precise. However, while the previous two Tudor Only Watches represented only slight deviations from the standard models they were based off, the Black Bay Ceramic One represents wholesale change for the Black Bay, and it’s all to do with the 41mm case. This is the first Black Bay…
