VIDEO: The Rado Heritage Captain Cook Tradition Mark II – when 37mm packs a big punch
Last year, Rado had a breakthrough, heritage-inspired hit with their Captain Cook, a slightly quirky 37mm diver. This year they’ve doubled down on the Captain, with the Mark II, a curvy, funky ’60s-inspired diver. The heritage look is really strong, from the super-polished cushion case, through to the super high crystal and the era-appropriate dial details, like the broad hour markers and internal bezel. Though I think what I like most about this Rado is, funnily enough, the bracelet. So often the bracelet is an afterthought, tacked on at the end. But Rado have clearly thought this one through. It’s a solid-feeling ‘beads-of-rice’ style bracelet, on a single fold clasp with a lovely vintage look. It looks the part and wears well on the wrist. The other major surprise about this watch was just how well it wore for a 37mm piece. I’ve got a fairly large wrist and 37mm is a size I typically wouldn’t go for, but in this case it works. So I’d say, if you like the look but aren’t sure about the case width, I’d strongly suggest trying it on for size. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Rado Heritage Captain Cook Tradition Mark II…
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Few things are as tactile and pleasing as manually winding a watch, and I’ve got to say the levels of satisfaction achieved in watching the power reserve indicator on this plus-sized Portofino are pretty intense. On one level it’s because there’s a lot of winding to be had, thanks to the eight days of power, but partially I think the joy is simply because this large 45mm red gold watch just feels great — heavy, substantial and downright powerful. At its heart, the Portofino is a dressy watch. Simple, refined, with a curvaceous case inspired by the pocket watches of yore. But the Portofino Hand-Wound Moon Phase is no diminutive dress option. It’s as bold as a Big Pilot, but still somehow delicate. The expansive dial looks wonderful in shimmering slate grey — a colour that pairs exceptionally well with the red gold hands, markers and case, and manages to encompass the diverse displays of moonphase, sub-seconds, date and power reserve without looking cluttered or busy. No mean feat. For me, though, what I like most about this watch isn’t visible from the front – it’s the big, beating heart of the watch, the mighty Calibre 59800, which makes the…
Quartz isn’t something that comes across my desk too often, so you know when it does that it’s something special — and this Grand Seiko is definitely something special. There’s a handful of truly exceptional, iconic quartz movements out there, and the 9F is amongst the finest. And now, with the addition of a GMT, the 9F just got that much cooler. So before we get to the watch, let’s talk about what makes the movement so special. This year, the 9F turns 25, and it is — in the best way possible — completely over the top. It’s super accurate (regular versions are within 10 seconds a year, though this specially regulated version is good to within five seconds a year), thanks to the in-house, specially aged quartz crystals to optimise the frequency, and thereby accuracy. There are numerous other smart micro-engineering features, like the backlash to ensure a crisp seconds hand function and a super quick date change. All this adds up to ensure the movement is a serious piece of horology. And it’s finished like one, too, with the sort of jewelling and striped perlage you’d expect on a fine mechanical. This new movement, the 9F86, takes the 9F…
The story in a second: The sportiest member of the Portugieser family is busy living its best life. IWC’s Portugieser family is, large diameter aside, a fairly dressy affair. Classic style, leaf hands, all that jazz. It’s the classic business watch. Except, of course, for the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph, a watch that is business casual at best. The Yacht Club Chronograph is a timepiece in tune with its fun side, the sort of watch that can transition seamlessly from business to party. And looks great doing it. The dial Slate grey, which is the formal name of this dial, hardly sounds exciting. But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. This dial is rich in detail and generally stunning. While the base of the dial is a rich slate sunburst, it’s all the other rich details that take it to the next level. The applied golden Arabic numerals, the printed white railroad chapter with luminous dots every hour, the deep black chronograph registers, and the classic leaf-shaped hands, which are — unusually for a Portugieser — filled with luminous material. I’m also quite partial to that red chronograph seconds hand, though I’d happily do without the ‘Yacht…
There are certain (and few) movements in watchmaking that truly define a brand. Seiko’s Spring Drive is one of them. Unveiled by the Japanese manufacturer in 1999, it was four years later – after the inclusion of an improved automatic winding system and longer power-reserve – that the smooth sweeping calibre was adopted into the higher-end Grand Seiko catalogue, laying the foundation for the GS brand that we know and love today. Two years later, they paired the precision of Spring Drive with the functionality of a second hour hand, adding a GMT and dubbing it the 9R66. The exact calibre inside this latest addition to the Grand Seiko Sport Collection, a limited-edition version of the ever-popular SBGE201, the Spring Drive GMT SBGE245. Made not just for travelling overseas but on seas as well, the 44mm wide by 14.7mm thick stainless-steel case is water-resistant to 200 metres. And built tough, with its crown safely set into its case at 4 o’clock – minimising knocks and damage – as well as an enhanced shock resistance, and that very special Spring Drive movement that’s also been adjusted to withstand a greater range of changes in temperature. As with regular versions of the…
Owning a tourbillon is a dream for many watch-loving folks. The little, eternally whirling cages, designed to counteract the effects of gravity on a timepiece’s isochronism, aren’t particularly practical, though they hold within them a charm that in many ways sums up the appeal of mechanical watches. But for many, the dream of strapping the pinnacle of watchmaking’s craft onto your wrist would always be just that — as, traditionally, tourbillons have come with a very high price tag. And while no one is suggesting that $20,000 is pocket change, when TAG Heuer introduced a Swiss, automatic tourbillon at this very aggressive price point, the industry as a whole took notice. It’s worth pointing out that TAG Heuer was able to achieve this by using more industrial processes in creating the tourbillon, as well as making them at a greater volume than other brands. But still, the Carrera Heuer 02 Tourbillon presents a very strong value proposition and, more importantly, looks great on the wrist, especially in that all-black ceramic case. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon Australian pricing and availability TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon, in black ceramic, $21,750. Available at TAG Heuer boutiques.
As far as cool watch names go, this watch has one of the coolest: I mean, the head of the viper — it doesn’t get much more rock than that. And while the story behind the name is less viper lounge and more viper observatory, the watch itself easily lives up to its rock star name. It’s big, it’s blue, it’s made of ceramic and has a freaking tourbillon in it. What more could you want? Not much. Even the strap, alligator backed with rubber, is cool. And while the watch is hardly an object lesson in subtlety, I was surprised at how well the whole package works together — no single element overpowers the others. I was expecting this watch to be all about that blue ceramic case, but the blue is refreshingly muted, which makes for a watch I would easily wear, even though I’m not a rock star … TAG Heuer’s Carrera Calibre 02 Tourbillon Tête de Vipère Australian pricing and availability TAG Heuer’s Carrera Calibre 02 Tourbillon Tête de Vipère, $26,750, available at TAG Heuer boutiques.
Few colours have the symbolic weight of black. It’s meaningful in pretty much every culture. It’s associated — naturally enough — with darkness, mourning and solemnity, and with endings and beginnings. It’s also a colour of power and authority. All these associations and emotions are tied up in Moser’s latest conceptual piece, the Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept Vantablack. Before we get to the greater meaning of this watch, let’s talk about the purely physical: steel case, 42mm wide, in the characteristically scalloped Endeavour case. A broad exhibition caseback shows off the HMC 801, manually wound, equipped with Moser’s interchangeable escapement and good for seven days of wind as shown on the indicator on the caseback. The strap is black alligator. All this has been seen before. What hasn’t been seen is the dial. Black, and stunning in its absence. Four hands sit upon a void of nothing. Hours, minutes and seconds marking time against an index-less dial. The stubby fourth hand serves as a day/night indicator, which you might think is redundant on a single time zone watch. But this little hand serves a purpose — accurately setting the phase of the moon. A moon that shows its face at…
Tantalum, what’s that, I hear you say. Well, allow me to explain. Tantalum is a highly corrosion-resistant bluish-grey metal with an extreme hardness and high boiling point. Which are the exact qualities you want in a dive watch, but also qualities that make Tantalum incredibly difficult to work with – and the reason why the material is not often seen in the watch industry. However, when Omega first released the Seamaster Diver 300M in 1993, their flagship model was a tri-coloured chronograph (ref 2296.80) that included a case made from titanium, tantalum, and rose gold. Twenty-five years later, the combination is back, only now it’s without the chronograph, and it features a host of modern updates. At quick glance, the limited edition looks quite similar to its regular collection siblings. But there’s a lot more going on here than first meets the eye. First of all, and most obviously, the bezel insert is 18k Sedna gold, with a frosted finish that tones things down and sets the stage for the muted grey titanium dial – with its laser-engraved wave pattern raised rather than etched into its darkened surface. There’s also no date, but there is a set of familiar 18k…
A few weeks ago I travelled to Rome to check out the Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting, a GMT not like any other. And in between the first-look video, horse racing and spectacular rooftop launches, we thought we’d do some sightseeing around Rome and put the V.H.P. GMT through its paces as a travel watch. Now, of all the ‘genres’ of watches, the travel watch is one of the most subjective. There’s no handy ISO standard to hold it against, nor is there a clearly established design tradition. There’s only subjective taste. With that little caveat out of the way, I’d be quite comfortable putting my money where my mouth is and saying that this Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting is a near-perfect travel watch for the 21st century. Why? Well, first of all, it looks good. It’s stylistically versatile — important if you’re on the road with one watch and need it to cover a range of sartorial duties. It’s also not too flashy. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be traipsing strange corners of the globe, in unfamiliar places where I don’t speak the language, in a watch that might stand out…