EDITOR’S PICK: It’s all in the crown – the steel Clé de Cartier
Editor’s Note: While everyone’s been going crazy over Cartier’s Drive recently, we’ve still got a lot of love in our hearts for the cushiony Clé – especially in steel. Read below to find out why… The story in a second Cartier’s key collection of 2015 just became a whole lot more accessible. Much fuss has been made over Cartier’s manly new Drive collection, and rightly so. But the Parisian powerhouse also released another excellent, and highly anticipated, men’s watch this year – the Clé de Cartier in steel. It’s no secret that we fell pretty hard for the Clé when we first met at SIHH 2015. The only potential spanner in the works? It was only available in pricey precious metals. Well, if you’re less about the shiny stuff and more about the stainless, you’re in luck. The dial Cartier doesn’t often mess with their trademark attributes, and that’s a good thing when it comes to dial and handset. So, expect the expected: Roman numerals, blued sword hands and guilloché centre detail. Familiar and reassuring. It’s a simple design, but not boring. There’s enough detail here, from the multiple dial finishes, through to the well-designed date and the secret signature to reward…
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There are two reasons it is worth your while to watch this short video about Montblanc’s support of UNICEF. The first is purely selfish and very much in our/your wheelhouse. The watches in this year’s UNICEF collection are limited versions of the Orbis Terrarum, a watch ex-CEO Jérôme Lambert thought was the embodiment of the ‘new’ Montblanc. You know, the Montblanc that is a ‘contender brand’ in the watch world, with an increasingly visible presence at all price points, from high horology to compelling value propositions. The ‘Latin’ version, one of two – the other in Chinese characters – is as colourful, as curious and as eyecatching as ever, and there’s some gorgeous footage of it here. The second reason is that you might be moved by the cause here. It certainly struck a chord with David Bromley, who is one of Australia’s most collectible artists. We lay our scene in his studio, situated above a shop in a buzzing enclave of Melbourne – that swooping footage ascending the staircase is where the journey into the art of the space begins. As Felix said here, it is an Aladdin’s Cave of his and other famous artwork and artefacts. It was the perfect…
The story in a second Who expected a drool-worthy heritage reissue from ceramic focused Rado at Baselworld? No one, that’s who. While Rado is particularly well-known for their use of high-tech ceramic and hard metals, they’ve got a long history in water resistant and dive watches, launching their sporty ‘Green Horse’ series of watches (with a particularly cute seahorses logo on the dial) in 1958. In 1962 they released a simple little dive watch called the ‘Captain Cook’. Fast forward 55 years and Rado has released another series of watches named for the famed explorer. There’s a large 45mm version and a feminine white option, but our eyes were drawn to the brace of 37mm vintage reissues that are virtually identical to the 1962 original. The version with the sunbrushed dial and leather strap, limited to 1962 pieces, has received the most attention. But there’s also a regular production model with a matt black dial and a metal bracelet. The case The most remarkable thing about the case of the Captain Cook is the size – 37mm is quite petite by contemporary standards. The fidelity to the historic watch size is both a blessing and a curse. By sticking to their…
Andre Agassi’s response to the question, “Are you into watches?” didn’t exactly go to script. “Not at all. I have no interest in them,” he said. It’s not the first time we’ve spoken at length to someone who doesn’t identify as a ‘watch person’ per se. Mark Bouris is one, Mark Richards another. But this really was a first. An interview subject, at the start of a 30-minute interview, declaring our whole subject area a dead zone. Ok then? There was a five second pause, and I let it be because he looked like he was going to continue talking. “But I’ve come to appreciate what watches mean to people…” He was off. Andre ended up landing on one of the most elegant, eloquent descriptions of why people like watches that I’ve ever heard. And, spoiler alert, he does actually have pretty deep feelings for a watch in his own collection. Typical Andre, really. When you ask about any topic, you’d better be ready to go deep, because it’s a place where he – after a few minutes of feeling you out – seems to feel most comfortable. Abandoning certain conventions of conversation to answer as honestly, as unflinchingly as…
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s first Monaco Grand Prix victory in 1987, TAG Heuer is releasing three new limited edition watches in tribute to the driver. We all want a good nickname, and “Magic Senna” certainly had one. He is considered by his peers to be one of the greatest drivers of all time: three world championship titles (1988, 1990 and 1991), 65 pole positions, and 41 Grand Prix victories. Like TAG Heuer’s brand ambassador Chris Hemsworth, the Heuer-01 is a movement that is most impressive with minimal clothing. Most notably, this is the first time TAG Heuer’s new mainstay Heuer-01 movement is paired with the Senna design codes, including the highly recognisable Senna bracelet with S-shaped links, as worn by Senna himself. On the Carrera Heuer-01 model, each link is rounded on the top, bottom and sides for an exceptionally smooth feel on the wrist. The links are also solid, which means this watch is heavy with a capital H. You really have to ask yourself, are you ready for beastmode? The 45mm Carrera Heuer-01 chronograph in black brushed steel with red accents continues the Heuer-01’s naked tradition, with a skeletonised movement and sapphire caseback. This…
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s first Monaco Grand Prix victory in 1987, TAG Heuer is releasing three new limited edition watches in tribute to the driver. We all want a good nickname, and “Magic Senna” certainly had one. He is considered by his peers to be one of the greatest drivers of all time: three world championship titles (1988, 1990 and 1991), 65 pole positions, and 41 Grand Prix victories. Like TAG Heuer’s brand ambassador Chris Hemsworth, the Heuer-01 is a movement that is most impressive with minimal clothing. Most notably, this is the first time TAG Heuer’s new mainstay Heuer-01 movement is paired with the Senna design codes, including the highly recognisable Senna bracelet with S-shaped links, as worn by Senna himself. On the Carrera Heuer-01 model, each link is rounded on the top, bottom and sides for an exceptionally smooth feel on the wrist. The links are also solid, which means this watch is heavy with a capital H. You really have to ask yourself, are you ready for beastmode? The 45mm Carrera Heuer-01 chronograph in black brushed steel with red accents continues the Heuer-01’s naked tradition, with a skeletonised movement and sapphire caseback. This…
Given that 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Sea-Dweller, Rolex’s iconic deep diver, we were pretty confident that we were going to see an updated version at Baselworld. And the Big Crown did not disappoint, offering a brand new Sea-Dweller, the reference 126600, which quickly became one of the most talked-about watches of the fair. Now, any new, top-line release from Rolex will get people fired up, but the increased size, the single line of red text and – most significantly – the addition of a Cyclops really stirred debate. As is always the case with watches, it’s best to see them on the wrist, which is where our video review comes in… Rolex Sea-Dweller (ref. 126600) Australian pricing The Rolex Sea-Dweller, $14,400
Ulysse Nardin made their name way back in 1846 making marine chronometres – highly accurate ship’s clocks that were an essential navigational tool in the times before radio and GPS. These days the Le Locle-based brand still makes chronometre-style timepeices, but as a celebration of heritage rather than a practical tool. This isn’t to say that Ulysse Nardin has given up on the sea; far from it, as their new Marine Regatta demonstrates. Developed with the support and input of Artemis Racing – the Swedish sailing team the brand sponsors – the Marine Regatta is, as the name suggests, a regatta timer, one of the more specialised complications in horology. For those of you not familiar with competitive sailing, yachts don’t begin from a standing start, but rather jockey for position and aim to cross the starting line as soon as the starting gun goes off (boats are penalised for crossing early). So in the minutes before the race starts there’s a signal that lets skippers know that a countdown period (typically five to 10 minutes) has begun, and that they should head towards the starting line. Which is where the regatta timer comes in. In the simplest terms a regatta…
Aside from Big Bangs, Hublot is perhaps best known for their prolific, and occasionally surprising, partnerships. One of the most interesting, from a design and technique perspective, is Hublot’s relationship with Italia Independent and their famous frontman – Lapo Elkann. If you pay even the slightest bit of attention to the world of men’s style, you’re probably all too aware of Elkann. If you’re not down on the difference between spritz and sprezzatura, Elkann – grandson of billionaire industrialist and sartorial icon Gianni Agnelli – is a staple of the style and society pages. He’s also the founder and driving force behind Italia Independent, which is best known for producing high-fashion eyewear, but is also a fully-fledged design agency in its own right. It should come as no surprise that Hublot’s Italia Independent collaboration focuses on unusual materials. While we’ve previously seen Texalium-infused timepieces, this time around they’ve opted to play with more traditional textures – the classic cloth of fine tailoring. The full collection consists of six different Classic Fusion watches, each incorporating a different woollen cloth – tartan, Prince-of-Wales check or houndstooth – on the dial and strap. It’s a bold look, but one entirely in keeping with both Hublot’s ‘art of fusion’…
I don’t want to sound like a jaded watch journalist because – let’s be honest – those guys are the worst. But having said that, there were not too many surprises at Baselworld 2017. I knew we’d be seeing Speedmasters from Omega, a Sea-Dweller from Rolex and some crazy-but-cool collabs from Hublot. I didn’t expect to be blown away by a simple, smart little dress watch from Chopard. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a lot of time for Chopard’s fine watchmaking (and indeed their high jewellery – though I’m not the target market there), but the way the Chopard L.U.C XP managed to combine proper high horology, classical restraint and a youthful energy really struck me. It might not have made our Top 11, but it was very much in the running. Before we get to the good looks of the L.U.C XP, let’s talk about what’s going on behind the scenes. The slim (7.2mm) steel case houses a brand new movement, the L.U.C 96.53-L, a very neatly finished ultra-thin (3.3mm) automatic powered by a tungsten micro-rotor and boasting an impressive 58 hours of power reserve (compared to 44 hours for Piaget’s 1200P and 43 hours for the Caliber 896, which…