"Watch & Act!" Auction Item – Lot 11: The ceramic Bausele pilot's watch with a difference
The Bausele Pilot Automatic All Black features an unusual and eye-catching dial layout. The dial has been rotated, moving the 12 from where it normally sits to what is traditionally the two o’clock position. Built with the modern aviator in mind, it is a functional choice, allowing the time to be easily read without removing the hand from the controls. Taking a closer look at the dial, the hour markers are red numerals that have been applied onto carbon fibre discs. The hands and hour markers are lumed, making the watch easy to read. The altimeter-style date window is both useful, and adds a splash of white to an otherwise black dial. The standout feature of this watch is the 44mm matte black ceramic case, a remarkable inclusion for the money that houses the reliable SW200 Sellita automatic movement, visible through a clear caseback. On the wrist, the Bausele Pilot Automatic All Black is comfortable due to the lightweight ceramic and supple kangaroo leather strap. This watch is generously donated by the founder of Bausele, Christophe Hoppe. What we like about it Andrew – A ceramic case at this price point, with the added value of a story that will…
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In the world of Seiko diving watches, the collection of watches known as Prospex is actually a contraction of ‘Professional Specifications’, a reference to the very high standards that the watches are manufactured to. As a result, all watches in the collection are remarkably robust, water resistant and built with ultimate functionality in mind. In the Seiko Prospex SPB101J1, we are offered a stainless steel sports watch that’s not only water resistant to 200 metres, but also has workhorse automatic movement and an impressive build quality for the price point. The black bezel and dial create a high contrast canvas against the bright white hands and hour markers, which are also filled with glowing Lumibrite for low-light environments. The Seiko Prospex SPB101J1 is fitted to a comfortable stainless steel bracelet, which integrates smoothly into the watch case, and features a three-fold clasp to firmly secure the watch to the wrist. What we like about it Andrew – What can you say about this modern classic that we haven’t already said many times over? A quintessential alpha dive watch, this Prospex will complement any collection, even one that has multiple dive watches in it. Nick – I’m personally a huge fan…
This Oris jazz watch is an homage to the Australian jazz musician James Morrison. It features a gradient ‘dégradé’ blue dial and a caseback engraved with the Academy of Music logo, with contrasting Arabic numerals marking the hours. The golden seconds hand counterbalance is shaped like a trumpet hook, inspired by James’ favourite instrument. This watch – engraved #2 of 1234 – is the first numbered edition available for purchase, with #1 going to the museum as a matter of course. This watch is generously donated by Oris, with the enthusiastic support of the man himself, James Morrison. What we like about it Andrew – The first numbered model of James Morrison’s Limited Edition (#2 of 1234) available to buy, this handsome watch does everything right as a restrained dress watch that is kind of blue. Will be great to hack with lots of strap combinations, too. Nick – A beautiful blue dial, punctuated by gold hour markers and hands, and a link to one of the greatest Australian musicians of all time — what more could you want? James – This would be a great-looking dress watch in its own right thanks to its 38mm case size and gorgeous…
This unique piece, with a custom Australian-themed caseback and unique dial, has been conceived and created from scratch by the brilliant minds driving Zenith’s groundbreaking new era. It combines the slate grey dial of the brand new ‘Rescue’ series of Pilots, with a bronze case to dramatic effect. The blood-red crossed axe motif on the dial is another reminder of both its uniqueness and its mission. It is engraved with the words ‘Australian Rescue Edition – Unique Piece’ on the caseback. This watch is generously donated by Zenith. This Piece Unique watch from Zenith is based on the Pilot Type 20 Rescue released in January of 2020, with a charming slate grey-toned sunray-patterned dial; however, there are a number of differences. The 45mm watch is uniquely cased in a warm-toned bronze and features a unique “Australian Rescue Edition” caseback with a Canadair CL-415 water bomber flying over rolling hills and a backdrop of the Australian flag. This pilot’s watch pays homage to the aviation watches from the middle of the 20th century, including period-correct design cues, such as bold luminous Arabic numerals and hallmark cathedral-style hands. The large onion crown is designed to be fully functional for pilots while wearing…
This watch comes with a moving personal story. The first of a run of 200 ‘Mark 1′ models that are keenly being awaited by their future owners, it was actually a present from Sydney watchmaker Nicholas Hacko to his wife: “It is a very special watch for her, and she is parting with it in both sadness and joy that the money will go to a good cause.” The watch is in mint condition with a new kangaroo strap fitted. The Mark 1 is assembled from the components of 11 part manufacturers who make components based on Hacko’s design drawings. Once components are received, the MK1 will be completely assembled in the Nicholas Hacko Castlereagh Street workshop. Accordingly, the dial is proudly signed “Assembled in Australia”. The caseback is also signed ’67 Castlereagh St’ — a proud statement of the place where your watch was born and took its first breath. Again, each MK1 will be completely assembled by Nicholas Hacko, leaving only minor tasks to assistants (strap and buckle installation, water resistance testing, timekeeping checking, packaging, etc). The Nicholas Hacko Mark 1 is a Limited Edition production of 200 pieces, with this being the first piece from the production…
Another watch conceived from scratch for the ‘Watch & Act!’ Auction, the Classic Fusion ‘Watch & Act!’ Unique Piece features a ceramic case, carbon fibre bezel and a shimmering blue dial. The case back is engraved with the words ‘Unique Piece’. Before we go on, here’s a quick primer on the Classic Fusion line: the collection, introduced in 2010, is intended as a slightly more subtle (dare we say dressier?) offering than the traditional Big Bang, while still possessing some of those indisputable Hublot hallmarks — the ‘H’ screws on the bezel, the solid end links on the strap, and those contrasting ‘ears’ on the case at three and six. It’s a softer Hublot, sure, but it’s still a Hublot. It’s also an incredibly stylish watch. The blue dial is lush, like a midnight sky. The satin-finished sunray dial is a wonder to behold, reflecting light all over the place thanks to the polished, faceted markers and hands, not to mention the rich texture of the dial itself. The colour is beautifully picked up in the rubber-backed alligator strap, with colour-matched blue stitch. And then there’s the case itself: 45mm of ceramic, a mix of polish and vertical brush ensuring…
The Heritage Diver 1967 was released at the first Basel we attended as Time+Tide, so it holds special significance. It was also one of our favourite releases of the year, with its heft, heritage-correct styling and dashing colour scheme, it photographed beautifully and remains a solid submarine option in the truest sense. This watch is generously donated by Swatch Group Australia. Longines have got a lot of things right about this design, particularly on the dial. Sure, the original watch was a bi-compax chronograph with no date, but other than that, the handset is perfect (so ’60s), and the indices and dial text are just right too. But the element of the dial that can go unnoticed to the untrained eye is that all three sub-dials are different. This mixes the dial up in a good way, and by having the hour register at six blend into the dial, the design preserves the two-register look of the original. Clever work, Longines. The bracelet, while solid, excellently replicates the sort of thin, folded bracelet you’d find on a vintage piece. And the aluminium bezel, with dominant elapsed minutes and smaller hour indicators, is a rich red, somewhere between oxblood and cherry.…
One of the key pieces in Bulgari’s recent resurgence, alongside the record-breaking 50+ award-winning Octo Finissimo, the Serpenti Tubogas represents the height of feminine elegance. Note the serpentine Tubogas bracelet that snakes sensuously around the wearer’s wrist. It is offered here in 18k yellow gold with a silver opaline dial. This watch has been generously donated by Bulgari. Merging two of the most iconic symbols of Bulgari design, the Serpenti Tubogas evokes both the shape of a woman and the fluid coils of the serpent. This watch marks a distinctive chapter in the constant evolution of Serpenti. It features a 35mm 18k yellow gold curved case housing a quartz movement, set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Note the 18k yellow gold crown set with a cabochon cut pink rubellite, silver opaline dial with guilloché soleil treatment and hand-applied indexes. It is attached to the wrist with a single spiral 18k yellow gold bracelet. What we like about it Andrew – The Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas is point-blank one of the most elegant feminine statements in watchmaking, and having spent so much time around the model’s designer Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, I feel even more appreciative of the design genius at work. The standout for…
Hodinkee’s extraordinary run of sold-out limited edition models only became more of a water-cooler conversation topic when the 250-run of the Oris Divers Sixy-Five Limited Edition for Hodinkee was released, to be sold out in less than 10 minutes. The team generously offer one of their own brand new archive models of the highly sought Limited Edition to the ‘Watch & Act!’ Auction. Modelled after a design originally created by Oris in 1965, the Divers Sixty-Five model was introduced in 2015 and has become a mainstay of the brand’s heritage collection, offered in a range of sizes, dial designs and bezel materials. The Divers Sixty-Five Limited Edition for Hodinkee pares down the design with a “balance of go-anywhere ability and always-on-your-wrist versatility” as a goal. The real talking points here, apart from the perfectly tuned overall vintage aesthetic — that ‘ghost’ faded grey bezel is just sublime — and the speed at which it was snapped up, is the fact that this is the first Divers Sixty-Five to be manually wound, allowing the case profile to slim down slightly. The Divers Sixty-Five Limited Edition for Hodinkee is fitted on a tapered rivet-style stainless steel bracelet but also comes with…
The personal watch of Adam Clayton, bass player of U2, this Pioneer Centre Seconds is one of only three Pioneer models in existence without a brand name on the dial. It has not been polished and is literally ‘off Adam’s wrist to the auction’ – light scratches and wear marks remain. Adam has been photographed extensively with the watch, including the attached photo shoot in GQ Magazine. This watch has been generously donated by H. Moser & Cie with the blessing of Adam Clayton. The Pioneer is an extremely curious hybrid of a sports watch and a dress watch. The size, 42.8mm, makes it bolder and more suited to Australian tastes than a sub-40mm dress watch. And yet, little else apart from the striking, masculine lines of the case, mark it as anything like the sports oeuvre. The elegant dauphine hands, partially skeletonised, gives a sense of lightness and delicacy. The mirrored, bi-faceted indices, the calligraphic brandmark, the gloss finishing of the rehaut … they are all wonderful, nuanced touches that fit it firmly into the most desirable category of considered dress watches. Oh, and did I mention the dial? A ‘funky blue’ fumé masterpiece that can make a fool…