VIDEO: Does the Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 126710 BLRO “Pepsi” really live up to the hype?
We all know that pretty much any stainless-steel Rolex sports watch is insanely popular right now. In fact, there’s an unrelenting groundswell of hype around these watches that is undeniable. But do they really deserve it? One of the most prominent watches in the Professional range is the Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 126710 BLRO, which instantly commanded a long waiting list ever since it was first released back at Baselworld 2018. Sure, we know it’s a good watch, but is it actually worth the premium that it demands on the secondary market? With a 40mm stainless-steel case, red and blue Cerachrom bezel and solid-link jubilee bracelet, the Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 126710 BLRO is a watch with a long history behind it. This history began in the middle of the 1950s when Rolex worked with pilots from the Pan-Am airline to develop a functional travel watch. Nearly seven decades later, the Rolex “Pepsi” GMT is still a watch in extremely high demand and its value continues to climb. Housed inside the Oystersteel case is the automatic in-house caliber 3285, which is Rolex’s most sophisticated GMT movement to date. With 70 hours of power reserve, an anti-magnetic Chronergy escapement and a temperature…
The post VIDEO: Does the Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 126710 BLRO “Pepsi” really live up to the hype? appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Surely this is a marriage made in motorsport heaven? Your inner petrolhead might be increasingly dormant at a time where there’s an increasing emphasis on soulless electric cars and less of the freedom and speed that motor racing traditionally symbolises. If so, consider this watch your re-awakening. To paraphrase TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault, TAG Heuer and Porsche share an attitude with both brands in constant pursuit of high performance. Certainly the connection between TAG Heuer and the German masters of speed, is a strong one – just think of Steve McQueen wearing a Heuer Monaco while racing a Porsche 917 in the film LeMans. The name Carrera, of course, is also deeply associated with both brands. It originated from the gruelling road race the Carrera Panamericana and served as the inspiration for Porsche’s most powerful engine following a famous win in 1954. In 1963, however, the name was also adopted by Jack Heuer when he launched the speed-infused Carrera chronograph. Today, at long last, the two brands are officially united with this new racing-inspired watch, the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph. First Impressions The design of the new 44mm TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph has clear vintage inspiration, but…
When you observe the collective offerings across conglomerate brands, many of the watches you find are familiar takes on the same old formats and profiles. This has opened some room for micro-brands to rise and introduce watches with more striking aesthetics – bringing refreshing and distinct timepieces to market that often deliver incredible value for the consumer. One such up-and-coming brand, CODE41, are quickly making a name for themselves by making complex case designs with heavily re-worked and regulated movements at highly accessible price points. Now they’ve released a new chronograph in two head-turning variations: the CODE41 NB24 Chronograph Creator Edition. According to CODE41: “The NB24 encapsulates the story of our ambassador Nigel Bailly and his dream of taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. When this young paraplegic driver shared with us his passion and determination in 2017, we were immediately drawn in and decided to accompany him in his adventure. After three years of relentless work, Nigel will take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2021, thus proving that nothing is impossible.” The case(s) The CODE41 NB24 Chronograph Creator Edition is available in two case materials: grade 5 titanium and a high…
To paraphrase TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault, Porsche and TAG Heuer share an attitude: both brands are in constant pursuit of high performance. TAG Heuer sees this alliance as a natural step after decades of friendship that we can visibly trace. All petrolheads appreciate the connection TAG has with motorsports, all the way back to Steve McQueen wearing a Heuer Monaco while racing a Porsche 917 in the film LeMans with a flat 12 engine wailing behind his back. As you will see in our video, the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph embodies this high-octane spirit and passion for speed. The name Carrera first came from the gruelling road race the Carrera Panamericana and served as the inspiration for Porsche’s most powerful engine following a famous win in 1954. In 1963, Jack Heuer launched the speed-infused Carrera chronograph, creating the parallel run of racing machines and wristwear that are formally united in this new chronograph that’s vintage-inspired but with a sharp, contemporary twist. The design of the new 44mm TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph oozes motorsports, the engine being the tough Carrera 02 calibre with its 60-hour power reserve resting behind a black rotor in the shape of a Porsche…
As a pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel that was 2020, a watch was released that sent murmurs of excitement through Seiko fans around the world. It was the King Seiko KSK SJE083, a reissue of one of the most important references for the brand, the King Seiko ref. 44-9990. This isn’t just any other reissue. This is a watch that celebrates a critical decade in the history of the Japanese watchmaker that deserves greater recognition – the 1960s. A brief history of King Seiko Let’s start with a little bit of history. Thanks to being so geographically isolated from Europe and the rest of the watchmaking world, Seiko had to do things a little differently than their continental colleagues. In Europe, the watch industry was generally very horizontally structured, with hundreds of watchmaking businesses only producing very specific parts. This ecosystem of watchmakers had its benefits. Every watchmaker could focus solely on a single part of the watch, and pour their energy into the craft of perfecting it, giving rise to the likes of the legendary bracelet-making firm Gay Frères and the celebrated casemaker Jean-Pierre Hagmann. Isolated in Japan, this was not an option for Seiko,…
This morning a new generation of Omega Speedmaster Professionals were announced, but that was not the only legendary chronograph revival and rejuvenation introduced today. Zenith has unveiled a new tribute to one of their chronographs from 1969: the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 Gradient Dial. Game-changers in their day, Zenith produced three watches that were not only powered by a then rare high-beat movement, but they also had gradient dials – which Zenith claims was the first smoked dials for the industry at large. Today the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 brings back the smoked brown gradient dial variant of the initial trio. The Zenith El Primero movement is a horological legend in the watch world – it’s schematics, stamps, and fabrication machinery saved by Charles Vermot and his great defiance and foresight. What could have been lost to the quartz crisis was rescued and the El Primero triumphantly returned thanks to Vermot’s preservation (against orders) of the equipment needed to produce it once again. This meant modern collectors could enjoy watches powered by the first high-beat automatic chronograph movement – a movement so respected even Rolex used a modified version of it in its Daytona watches for some time. The movement…
When buying pre-owned watches online, there are two emotions that you feel after sending your money. The first is the heady excitement at the prospect of adding a new piece to your collection. The second is that queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach – a blend of terror and anxiety as you fear unboxing your watch only to discover what you’ve bought is a far cry from the real McCoy. We’ve all been there. We’ve all gone to grab our credit card and punch in the numbers, only for a quiet voice in the back of our head to say: “Imagine spending all that money on a fake.” And listening dutifully to that voice, you close the browser tab and try not to think about the fact that you’ll now never strap that watch onto your wrist. Much of this anxiety can be allayed when you buy watches on eBay, as the platform has just announced their Authenticity Guarantee program for all watches over $2000 US. Now, when you buy a luxury watch from eBay (only if from a seller with an Authenticity Guarantee badge) it will be sent from the seller to eBay’s third-party authenticator, instead of…
TAG Heuer’s Monaco has experienced a rather slow evolution in recent years, as the world’s most famous square watch shouldn’t be messed with too much. The new black dial TAG Heuer Monaco on bracelet is a further exploration into the watch’s roots, while keeping up to date with all the technical quality we expect from a modern luxury wristwatch. The good news: it’s simply great. The bracelet The particular star of the show on this model is the vintage-style bracelet, inspired by examples often found on models from the mid-to-late ’70s. The solid steel links are quite short, allowing for a great fit to be found, even though the butterfly clasp doesn’t allow for the micro-adjustment holes we’re used to. The H-links are all brushed except for polished chamfered edges, and the polished centre links give the watch its signature look of retro sporty-meets-dressy. Although the integrated look of the bracelet is part of what makes this watch so charming, the 22mm lug width does make changing straps incredibly easy, as well as the straight end-links meaning you could even put this bracelet onto other watches in your collection for a bit of experimentation and fun. The dial The cleanliness…
It’s not breaking any boundaries to say that Hublot is a relatively young brand, and that they’re not at all cheap. If you’re someone who insists that their watches have 200-plus years of history behind them with classic proportions and traditional construction methods, Hublot isn’t for you. If, however, you want lines crossed, bold moves taken, and innovation, then the Porthole brand has much to offer. There are few better examples of this than the in-house Hublot MECA-10 movement, with each of its 223 components epitomising modern-day luxury watchmaking. From a visual standpoint, Hublot’s MECA-10 is already a departure from the Swiss traditionalists. You won’t find any Geneva Stripes, engine turning, or hand-engraved balance bridges here. Instead, the skeleton movement displays its mechanical prowess with as much clarity as possible, showing off each part with the knowledge that it was built to be stared at, and scrutinised. The aesthetic benefit of the coated components is that the movement can be colour-coordinated with whatever the watch is, which in current Hublot offerings is in black, blue, or king gold. From the display caseback, the organised chaos of the dial is replaced with a clean, clinical display of thin and weight-reduced bridges…
I love this time of year. Not only because the weather is nicer and the Christmas break is on the horizon, but because it offers a chance to reflect on the year that has been, and think about the work that Time+Tide has done in 2020. In short, it’s been an extremely challenging year. Of course, hospitality, entertainment and travel have been some of the industries hardest hit by the Coronavirus pandemic, but the watch industry has suffered too. Rolling lockdowns have forced factories to close and storefronts to shut. Events to launch watches have been cancelled (such as Watches & Wonders and Baselworld) and events that showcase the cultural importance of fine watches (such as No Time To Die) have also not happened. But despite all this, the watch industry has rallied together and persevered. Patek Philippe allowed some of its retailers to sell online for the first time ever, Geneva Watch Days was held, as the only Swiss watch show of the year and WatchFest Australia went ahead online to bring the Australian community closer together. There have been a lot of lows throughout 2020, but also a lot to be grateful for and a lot to be…