IN-DEPTH: The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 blue dial
The story in a second: The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 blue dial is a familiar face, which has been sleekly refined. If you know TAG Heuer, you’ll know the Carrera chronograph, a wristwatch that has been trackside at motorsport events for decades, offering those behind the wheel a functional timing tool. While some of the design detail has been adjusted over the years to suit the evolving tastes of the gentleman driver, the DNA of the watch has remained the same since its birth in the 1960s. Last year, we were presented with an interpretation of the Carrera Calibre 16 that while maintaining an under the radar presence on the wrist, popped with colour under closer inspection and stole not only our attention but also the industry at large for its boldness. This year we have the same blue dial, the same layout of date with three sub-dials, and the same options for both steel bracelet or perforated rally-style leather strap. But while last year it was a party of colour and celebration, this year we are offered a more subtle approach that speaks to the more serious collector as well as the automotive enthusiast. The dial The dial…
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The story in a second: The Bremont H-4 Hercules offers a tool watch, which could pair with a dinner jacket, and doesn’t lose any Bremont DNA. In any piece of design, there is a source of inspiration that is at least, in part, responsible for the final product that you are looking at. In the case of the Bremont H-4 Hercules, the source of inspiration requires a look back over 70 years into the history books. The year was 1942, and the Second World War was at a peak in the conflict, with fierce battles being fought across land, air and sea. It was the battle of the seas that the Allied powers were losing however, with the Nazi U-boat proving to be a formidable weapon against supply and troop ships, sinking 681 vessels by the middle of that year. Despite the war machine industrialising the ship-building process to improve the completion speeds of ship builds by more than 700%, the Germans were still torpedoing them faster than they could be made. In an example of the simplest solution sometimes being the best, American industrialist Henry Kaiser had the bold idea to simply get out of the water. His answer…
The partnership between Swiss watchmaker Hublot and Italian car marque Ferrari has resulted in some very interesting watches indeed, and I think it should be ranked as one of the most genuinely interesting design partnerships in watches. And while the Classic Fusion Ferrari GT, with its dangerous curves, was one of the real highlight releases of this year (in King Gold, please!), it was far from the only one. This big fella — one of a trio celebrating Scuderia Ferrari’s 90th anniversary (and called, appropriately enough, the Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Sapphire) — is a classic Hublot. We’re talking about 45mm of large, very much in charge, sapphire case, with a hulking great carbon bezel that looks like it might well be an actual brake disc off a Ferrari, rather than just inspired by one. On top of that, there’s a popping strap of woven Kevlar (one of the other case versions offers Nomex, which is also super cool). And that’s before we get to the case itself. Sapphire is incredibly hard, and looks incredibly cool. Though, interestingly enough, here the sapphire doesn’t dominate the show as you’d expect, but rather provides a frame and strong textural counterpoint for the…
The story in a second: The Doxa SUB 1200T offers a huge amount of legacy, technical capability and exclusivity. Let’s press rewind for a second: the year is 1969, and Doxa S.A., a storied watchmaker established 80 years previously, in 1889, unveils the first publicly available dive watch in the world with a helium escape valve – the Doxa SUB 300T Conquistador. Developed in conjunction with the doyen of deep sea diving, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the SUB 300T Conquistador became an instant must-have among the diving fraternity. And Cousteau believed in the product so resolutely that his company, U.S. Divers, became an official distributor for Doxa watches. The watchmaker’s now iconic orange dial became synonymous with deep-sea exploration, and, according to Cousteau, he favoured the arresting bright orange over any other colour due to its superior legibility in the murky depths of the ocean. Now, back in 2019, Doxa has created the Doxa SUB 1200T, a limited edition dive watch that pays homage to the eponymous SUB 300T Conquistador, while also introducing a host of new technological features and benefits. Time+Tide is proud to be the first ever official distributor for Doxa Watches in Australia and New Zealand, and as a…
Earlier this week, Felix took a closer look at a watch that has to be a frontrunner for nicest dress watch of the year, the blue dial Omega Trésor. While it’s certainly a good-looking watch, there are two other members of the Trésor family that might even beat it to the punch. The Omega Trésor has also been released in a yellow gold case, and a steel case with a diamond bezel, both with the same svelte case shape. Each piece brings its own character to the table, but these two options offer a little bit of something extra, with the respective warmth of the coloured precious metal case and a single row of diamonds. In the yellow gold example, the dial is cleanly refined without a date window to remind of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s quote: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” In the steel example with a diamond bezel, you have a watch that offers less of a sense of restrained minimalism (which is only slightly oxymoronic), and more of a self-assured confidence that is an attractive reprieve from the typically conservative dress watch. An expression…
There’s a tension and drama in Grand Seiko’s dial work that is … compelling. Colours, textures, patterns: Japan’s premier watchmaking brand offers it all. Two exciting new limited editions that demonstrate this point are SBGH269 and SBGR319. The former is an attention-seeking stunner, with an incredibly rich and vibrant red dial. The inspiration for this lush, textured dial is very Grand Seiko — the hues of autumn leaves in the Japanese mountains. SBGR319 is a bit of a different beast — a regular, rather than high-beat movement made for the Asian market, its dial is frosty white, bisected with seemingly irregular lines. It’s a subtler, but no less stunning offering. So, would you go with ice or fire? Grand Seiko SBGH269 and SBGR319 price and availability Grand Seiko SBGH269, limited to 900 pieces, $9000 AUD; SBGR319, limited to 350 pieces, $7500 AUD Made in partnership with Grand Seiko. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
You might have missed the slick new updates to Omega’s dressy Trésor line amidst the cavalcade of Speedmaster and Seamaster releases this year but, trust me, they’re worth closer inspection. For one thing, steel joins the family this year, across a few versions. Of particular note is this gorgeous bleu number. Not only is the 40mm steel case an exercise in classic, everyday style of the old school variety, with a slender case and truly top-notch mechanical movement, but the dial is something else. For starters, the thin, long hands and hour markers are timeless. And then there’s the dial itself. It’s domed, which adds complexity and depth, and then there’s the pattern, a printed cross-hatched pattern that brings to mind the ‘linen’ dials of yore. And while it’s fair to say that the Trésor will never be the main arrow in Omega’s quiver — the Speedmaster and Seamaster families are far too strong for that — it’s an excellent, impressive take on a classic genre, and certainly one worth considering if a flexible dress watch is in your future. Omega De Ville Trésor 40mm Co-Axial Master Chronometer price Omega De Ville Trésor 40mm Co-Axial Master Chronometer, steel on leather, $9250.…
Often we talk about emblematic or iconic models or shapes in a brand’s line-up, such as Franck Muller, with their distinctive Curvex line. Less often do we talk about a brand’s trademark complication, as it is much less likely that a brand has such a strong association or identity with a particular function, but again that’s something that Franck Muller can lay claim to, with their Crazy Hours. The Crazy Hours complication, the invention of the eponymous watchmaker, was born in 2003. It’s as ingenious as it is simple. The complication consists of a regular automatic movement with a jump hour module stacked on top. This cunning combination means that the hour hand jumps on the hour around the dial at seemingly random intervals — hence the ‘crazy’ hours. And while the hours don’t follow the traditional, incremental clockwise arc, the hand does follow a logical progression around the dial, as each sequential number is placed at a roughly 150-degree arc from its predecessor. The effect, though, is seemingly random. It’s a clever and fun take on traditional timekeeping, and a distinctively Franck Muller take on the passage of time. This limited edition ‘Blue Tones’ model is from a series of pastel…
We knew it was coming. To paraphrase former PM Paul Keating, this is the upgrade we had to have. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph. But before we dive into (sorry, can’t help it) what makes this watch special, a quick update for those not up to date with the news from Biel. Last year, at what would be their last Baselworld, Omega announced a major upgrade to the (genuinely) iconic Seamaster Diver 300M, AKA the James Bond watch, with an evolved, refined case, a new dial and a host of other crowd-pleasing bells and whistles. For me this watch was one of 2018’s standouts, and we knew it was just the beginning. We were right. Earlier this year, much ink was shed extolling the virtues of Omega’s Apollo 11 anniversary pieces, and rightfully so. Alongside these limited edition Speedmasters we were treated to a chrono of a different flavour – the mighty, and muchly anticipated Omega Seasmaster Diver 300M Chronograph. And the best part is that at Time to Move, where this watch was announced, we weren’t drip-fed a single model but rather a full range, from precious metals to steel, with bi-metal in between. So, we were spoiled…
The story in a second: The anOrdain Model 2 is an unbelievable dial at an unbelievable price. From where I’m sitting, 2019 has been a fairly quiet year on the watch front, thanks to a more fragmented release schedule than usual and a general sense of reticence on behalf of many big brands to push the boat out in what is euphemistically called a soft luxury market. Which is why the headline-grabbing hits have been few and far between. Don’t get me wrong, I think this is actually a pretty good state of affairs. The generally conservative slate of releases has been pretty good for the wearer: smart, incremental design upgrades benefit more people than brand new tourbillons (or whatever). It also means that people like me — professional watch reviewers — have to work a bit harder for their stories. I mean, there are only so many words we can write on a minor dial upgrade of an existing model. All this is a particularly long-winded way of saying that the anOrdain Model 2 is a watch I’ve been SUPER excited to get on my wrist since I first caught wind of it. Before I go into why I was…