What Sealed The Deal – James' Vertex MP45 chronograph
Vertex is a brand with a wonderful history. Founded in 1916 by Claude Lyons, the brand produced watches for Allied troops in the Second World War, following the specifications of the British Ministry of Defence, alongside 11 other brands (a group of manufacturers now known by collectors as the Dirty Dozen). The brand continued to produce watches in the post-war years, until Vertex was forced to close its doors in February 1972, due to the quartz era which wreaked havoc on the watch industry. The brand remained the subject of history books until 43 years later, in 2015, when Don Cochrane, the great-grandson of Claude Lyons, revived the brand and produced their first watch in 2016. This watch was the M100, which was directly inspired by the Cal 59 watch that Vertex had produced for the military in 1944. The second watch to come out of the second-coming of the brand was the Vertex MP45 chronograph. A monopusher chronograph with similar links to military timepieces from the middle of the last century, it was a watch that James (@twentysix____) was so enamoured with, he bought it. When did you first see/hear about it? Military watches have always held a special…
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Getting engaged is an incredibly special moment in anyone’s life, as it spells the beginning of something that will endure to stand the test of time. What better way to celebrate than with a new watch, to match your fiancée’s new ring. This is the story of David and his Pequignet Rue Royale. When did you first see/hear about it? Nearly 10 years ago I read about a brand called Pequignet in one of France’s national papers. I could instantly tell their Rue Royale was a serious machine, with its classic good looks and multiple complications powered by an in-house calibre. The price was definitely right, too: not cheap, but certainly a value proposition compared to similar offerings from established Swiss brands. I realised soon enough that perhaps one factor behind the aggressive pricing was actually that it wasn’t Swiss Made. I’m half-French, so aside from the specs, what intrigued me the most was the inscription on the dial: “Fabriqué en France”. Indeed, these days, Germany and Switzerland get all the attention when it comes to European watchmaking, but few people realise that because of proximity, France also played a major role in the fabrication of watches. Unfortunately, the quartz…
While wandering the booths of Dubai Watch Week, any enthusiastic eye can spot Rolex, Patek Philippe and the rest of the usual suspects on the wrists of other attendees, but it was a surprise to see a flash of orange pass by one afternoon. Sure enough, after stopping and speaking with Julian briefly, I confirmed it was indeed a Doxa SUB 300, and that not only was it one of four in his collection but he was also a diver who happily used it while exploring the murky depths. When did you first see/hear about it? I first came across Doxa as a watch brand shortly after I decided to focus my small watch collection predominantly on dive watches. This made sense to me as I’m a scuba diver and this “DNA” for a collection had an authenticity that I liked. When reading up on the topic I discovered the very long and significant history of Doxa with dive watches. The fact that Doxa had both real credibility in the dive watch field (akin to Blancpain & Rolex) together with relative anonymity, even with “watch guys”, was an irresistible combination. Any story behind the purchase, and the deciding factor? I…
We’ve said it before, but if you ask a watch geek their thoughts on the humble G-Shock, chances are they’ll give it the tick of approval. Because when it comes to the G-Shock, not only are they incredibly robust watches that are basically bulletproof, but they also exist beyond the horizon of haute horology and have passed into the lands of a more popular culture, where a normal person who has never heard of a tourbillon or a GMT-hand will wear a G-Shock and be proud that it is both cool and comfy. In addition to their broader social recognition, Casio, the manufacturer of the G-Shock, are very good at making wristwatches. Every now and then they pull out all the stops to produce a watch that is still G-Shock at the core, but is finished to such a high standard that you couldn’t be blamed for comparing it to a five-figure peer. That’s exactly what Albert has with his rainbow Casio MTG-B1000RB, and this is the story of why he decided to seal the deal. When did you first see/hear about it? I was looking at the official G-Shock site just to see what the latest models were, as…
A relationship with a watch can be a complex one, fraught with the tensions between longing and expectation, and the quotidian reality that it is just an object, full of as much meaning as you are able to maintain within it. If you buy a watch brand new, you can bask in the pleasure of the boutique experience, but are inevitably faced with the anguish of the drawing of first blood as you notice a single scratch on an otherwise pristine surface. If you buy vintage, you inherit the imperfect character of the watch as you recognise that you are merely the caretaker of an artefact, rather than Smaug sitting on a pile of greedy wealth. But as the caretaker of a crumbling chateau understands, being responsible for an artefact of the past is to accept that its condition will never be as good again as it is in that moment. But the real question (which is what this column is really trying to get at) is why do you want this watch instead of that watch, and why. Time+Tide reader Gilbert articulately explains why he made the decision on a Rolex Kermit, over another collectible vintage Rolex. When did…
The only thing thrown around more often than the word iconic by watch media is watch media cleverly saying how often the word iconic is being thrown around. But despite committing both sins in one paragraph, Sunday confession would be a comfortable one if you were talking about IWC pilot’s watches as iconic. With designs unchanged for decades, it is the archetype of the pilot’s watch, with large luminous hour markers and hands that contrast against a dark dial, and essentially offer everything the modern world is looking for in an everyday watch. Chris was kind enough to speak with us about his own experience of pulling the trigger on his IWC 3706 Fliegerchronograph, and how it almost ended in heartbreak. When did you first see/hear about it? I first saw my 3706 Fliegerchronograph in the window of my local vintage watch store, right in the heart of Perth, Western Australia. I’m an expat kid, and I grew up around in-flight magazines and duty free all through the ’80s and ’90s, so I know an IWC when I see one, but I’d never come across the 3706 before. It was sitting in the display right next to a beautiful Mark…
Watch Disasters is a new series on Time+Tide that describes, in chilling detail, incidences when owning an expensive watch goes wrong. This is not going to be comfortable reading, so prepare for the pain. Admittedly, this is a bit of a soft start. The ‘prodigal’ in the title gives it away. If you have a watch disaster with less of a happy ending, feel free to tell us about it at nicholas@timeandtidewatches.com I actually lost this watch. I have a collection of watches, and I hide them in different places. This watch, I forgot where it was for a good three years. I turned my house upside down, and I couldn’t find it. I reached a point where I had to emotionally detach and move on from it. But because I didn’t realise it was lost for a few months, that somehow made it better when the realisation came that I couldn’t find it. That’s fine, I thought, I’ve lost it. OK. Then I had a brainwave. Before I hid it, I was going away on a trip. It will be in my travel bag! I ransacked the bag, but no watch. Some time later I was actually going on…
Nothing raises the heart rate of a watch enthusiast faster than the story of a tool watch being used in the environment it was originally designed for, which was why I almost needed to call an ambulance when Nic told me the story of his Bremont ALT1-WT made for his RAAF squadron. Nic’s job is flying the fuel tankers of the sky, Australia’s KC-30s, which are able to refuel other aircraft while mid-flight. In his squadron’s collaboration with Bremont, they customised a number of elements of the original watch, including striping the GMT hand the same colours as their refuelling boom, editing the world timer ring to reflect the airport codes of locations they’ve operated out of, and adding their unit crest to the sub-dial at 9 o’clock. It’s one of the coolest custom watches I’ve ever seen, so without further ado – what sealed the deal on Nic’s custom military Bremont. When did you first see/hear about it? I first heard about the Bremont Watch Company when I was undertaking my pilot training. One of our flying instructors had ejected from an aircraft the previous year and was in the process of purchasing the MBI he’d become eligible for, telling…
The move to put an Omega on James Bond’s wrist in GoldenEye stands as one of the greatest watch marketing moves in the history of watch marketing. Dimitrios was not the first, and certainly won’t be the last person to buy into the brand because of the fictional super spy. But even if it was Bond that pushed Dimitrios over the edge, the quality of the watch shouldn’t be dismissed. If the SMP was less of a watch, I’m pretty sure that Dimitrios wouldn’t be sitting in front of our camera, waxing lyrical about it. It’s also a watch that’s held up remarkably well over time (just like Brosnan TBH). It wears its age well, and can hold its own against the most recent generation of Seamaster 300M Divers. So, Dimitrios, here’s hoping you keep wearing it for another 25 years, and thanks for being a part of #everywatchtellsastory. Stay tuned for the next one.
Travelling with a watch fan is always a fraught affair. You’re always pulled into random vintage shops or glittering boutiques, in search of the elusive, the rare, or the unique. It’s a lesson that Teesan’s wife learned … It was our last night in Venice, and I happened to walk past the boutique … Teesan isn’t new to the watch collecting game (25 years and still going strong, apparently), but it’s still a hard call when you’re suddenly confronted with the object of your lust in a Venetian boutique. Luckily, everything aligned for Teesan, and he walked away with one of the coolest Speedies of recent years, the CK2998, which, with its blue colourway and Alpha hands, is a real winner. Props also to Teesan for swapping out the stock strap for a mesh. Not a call we would have made, but it looks great.