VIDEO: TAG Heuer’s latest releases from Baselworld 2019
TAG Heuer’s Basel 2019 collection had a particularly clear focus, and that focus was Autavia. It’s a watch inspired by TAG Heuer’s enviable heritage — Autavia is a combination of automotive and aviation, and dates back to when Heuer was making cockpit timers in the 1930s. This latest version is a clear nod to the past, without being a fully blown reissue. It’s got details to boot too, like Arabic numerals made from solid blocks of luminous material, a series in subtle rich colours that, thanks to their texture and airbrushed finish, are eye-catching and interesting. The insides are also notable, thanks to TAG Heuer’s brand new Isograph technology — the hairspring is made using the proprietary carbon process the brand first showed us in January on the Tourbillon Nanograph. That watch was on hand, too (and did not disappoint the second time around). For women, there was a bunch of new Carreras on offer — and it’s easy to see the appeal of this crisp design paired with a shimmering mother-of-pearl dial. And finally, there’s the Modular Connected Golf Edition, made for people who care about their putting game. TAG Heuer Autavia TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph…
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Prospex is Seiko-speak for “Professional Specification”, a family of professionally oriented tool-watches that was born in 1968 and built to last. And, Seiko being Seiko, that build quality is legendary. As such, these watches have attracted a cult following, in both the actual and desk-diving fraternities. Now, at their press conference at Baselworld 2019, Seiko just upped the stakes once more, with the Prospex LX. A series of (for now) six watches that are gloriously over-specced, premium Prospex watches. There are three watches in plain steel, and three blacked-out variants. Prospex LX — built around the timeless pillars of sea, land and sky — is a series that has the Swiss mainstream sports watches firmly in their sights. And they’re priced to match. Australian RRPs for the line are in the range of $7000-9000, which I suspect might have more than a few fans (and professional peers) doing a quick double take. For a Seiko-labelled watch, these are definitely premium prices, but does the quality match up? Well, from my handling of these pre-production prototypes, I’ve got to say yes. The cases have many of the hallmarks you’d associate with Grand Seiko, and the movements, well, they’re Spring Drive. But design-wise, these watches…
Bremont is a brand built, to no small degree, around meaningful collaborations — particularly those in the aerospace sector. And of these relationships there’s one that holds pride of place and speaks to the heart of the British brand – Martin-Baker. Martin-Baker has, since 1946, been one of the most important suppliers of ejection seats and escape systems. Their seats are used on more than 80 aircraft types and have saved 7595 lives. This year marks a decade of partnership with Bremont. The watch collection that is the fruit of this partnership is the Martin-Baker line, a decidedly modern take on the aviation watch, and one that’s proven a hit for the brand. Though getting your hands on an MBI is not so easy, as to be eligible you need to have actually seen the business end of a Martin-Baker seat in action. Thankfully for the civvies reading this, this commemorative MBIII is a little more accessible, limited to 310 pieces worldwide. The MBIII/10th is a GMT, with the second timezone hand tipped with a red triangle, a Martin-Baker icon that also appears on the internal GMT bezel and the dial itself (the dial version also features some cool DANGER…
If you’re looking for a watch that’s a little left-of-centre style-wise, look no further. Rado’s idiosyncratic DiaMaster takes many of the conventions of fine watchmaking and turns them, if not on their heads, at least a little bit sideways. And the resulting watch is, it must be said, quite charming. Of course, there are still some familiar Rado hallmarks on display, like the high-tech ceramic case. There’s also an ever-reliable automatic movement that isn’t content to be relegated to the caseback, instead taking centre stage on the dial side — to great effect. The case is hefty, at 43mm, and rated to 100 metres, which is a nice touch. There are four different variations on the theme, but we were most taken by this black-on-black option. Rado DiaMaster XL Automatic Australian pricing Rado DiaMaster XL Automatic, black ceramic case, $3850
If I’m being honest, this is one of the less “Breguet” watches Breguet has released in recent years. It’s an unconventional mix of traditional features, in a much more contemporary package. All the key design features are there: the fluted case, the hands and the elaborately guillochéd dial, but this watch is a world away from their Classique collection, while still being undeniably Breguet. It also — and this is a key point — doesn’t look too much like anything else in the crowded field of high-end sports chronographs. And make no mistake, this is a high-end sports chronograph. One look at the back side of this hefty 42.3mm by 13.85mm watch should make that abundantly clear. All 346 parts of this automatic calibre (at least the ones I could see) are gorgeous, working together in complex harmony. The rotor is now a skeletonised ship’s wheel affair rather than the wavelike shape of yore. Of course, being Breguet, you know that there’s silicon inside, particularly the escapement anchor and the balance spring — good things for a sporty chrono. The choice of white gold case leans away from sports and more towards luxury (don’t worry though, there’s a titanium option…
For today’s review of Seiko’s Shippo Enamel watches (SPB073 and SPB075 to be precise), we’re doing something a little different, because, as it happens, two of the T+T team, Sandra and Justin, happen to own one of each. So, over to them on the how, the why and what they’re like on the wrist … First encounters Sandra: It started with Cocktail Time – no, not the Happy Hour when you sit around enjoying fancy drinks, but Seiko’s watch collection of that name. They had me at the dials – the beautiful texture, the gorgeous colours. Not to mention Seiko’s fantastic value-for-money proposition. But. Big but – the watch is large, my wrist is tiny. End of story. But this year, the 33mm version arrived. Perfect fit but none of ‘my’ colours. It had to be blue or green. Meanwhile, here at Time+Tide, my colleague Cameron had written about a limited-edition Presage with a blue Shippo enamel dial. It looked nice – really nice. But no, I was fixated on the non-existent blue-dial 33mm Cocktail Time. Surely Seiko would do it eventually? I would wait. Justin: My fascination with Seiko’s enamel Presage pieces goes back a few years to 2016. If…
When it comes to Vacheron Constantin’s SIHH releases, there’s no doubt the pieces that were the talk of the town (and rightfully so) were the epic Twin Beat and the slightly less epic but epically attractive Overseas Tourbillon. And I get it, they’re both great watches. The Twin Beat is a triumph of clever engineering and the Overseas Tourbillon is downright gorgeous. But the heart wants what the heart wants. And the Vacheron Constantin my heart wanted wasn’t really a new watch at all. But, instead, an existing piece on a new bracelet. And, boy, what a difference a bracelet can make. But before we get to that, a quick recap on the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. It was released last year on blue rubber and leather, and looks great. It had that sporty-with-a-very-healthy-dose-of-luxe Overseas look, which is dialled up to 11 in its 41.5mm pink gold case. And then there’s the opaline dial in a classic perpetual calendar configuration, all powered by the mighty 1120 QP/1. So the watch is already a heavy hitter, merely by virtue of being a gold perpetual calendar from one of the greatest houses. But, add to that a truly epic pink…
Over the last few years, Cartier’s watch releases have been consistently impressive, alternating between savvily commercial and outrageously stunning. This year we saw that strong trend continue. Cartier Santos de Cartier Chronograph The big news was the addition of a chronograph to last year’s wildly popular new Santos. In addition to complication, this model adds some not insignificant bulk. Cartier Tonneau Deceptively simple and unerringly elegant, this quartz-powered Tonneau is a real looker, and as someone with a fairly large wrist, I was surprised how good it looked on me. Cartier Tonneau Dual Time Skeleton This watch is a classic case of why you need to see real-life pictures of a watch (or even better, the actual watch). When I saw the press release renders I was a little underwhelmed. In real life? I was blown away. Cartier Santos-Dumont This simple, slender quartz watch was one of the most pleasant surprises of SIHH, eminently wearable and Cartier design at its most pure. Cartier Santos de Cartier Skeleton If you’ve ever wanted proof that Cartier is interested in growing its fanbase, this is the watch. On the one hand, it’s classic Cartier — the skeletonised Santos has been a staple for…
Grand Seiko has, in the lead-up to Baselworld, just announced a brand new movement for the Elegance Collection, four new manually wound, slender watches (three of them limited editions) that look very promising indeed. First things first, this collection is powered by a new manually wound caliber, the 9S63, the brand’s first in eight years. The basics of this hand-wound movement are that it’s got a reserve of 72 hours, and accurate to within +5/-3 seconds a day. More importantly, this movement opens up new design possibilities for Grand Seiko, with its current layout of balanced small seconds at nine and power reserve at three. The manual factor also allows for slimmer watches, with these new offerings coming in at 11.6mm. The cases are classic Grand Seiko: 39mm across and fairly slender. With narrow and powerful lugs, it possesses design codes that should be instantly familiar to lovers of Grand Seiko. The crown is screw-down (an interesting move on a manual watch), though you do only have to wind it every three days. Water resistance is 3 bar. For now, the watch is offered in steel (SBGK005), yellow gold (SBGK006) and rose gold (SBGK002 and SBGK004). The dials are, frankly,…
The talk of the Jaeger-LeCoultre booth at SIHH was the incredible (and incredibly well-sized) Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, but that rare bird was in hot demand, so we didn’t manage any quality one-on-one time with it. But that’s OK really, as there were numerous other exquisitely finished offerings on hand, from the Reverso and Master families. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel This watch and the two other Master Thins take several design cues from the grand daddy Gyrotourbillon, but in a package that’s in the realm of mortals. The dials are a rich and complex blue guilloché, and the movements in these three pieces have been revamped and improved. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Enamel Building on the same formula as above, this watch offers a significantly more complex perpetual calendar. Bonus points for a design that manages to balance complexity and beauty. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel JLC’s expertise with tourbillon is legendary, something that’s apparent to anyone gazing at that well at six. Gorgeous. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds Changing gears to the iconic Reverso, JLC offered a few snappy dial and case variations this year, including this rich and full-bodied Tribute Small Seconds…