SPOTTED! BY AG: Dispatch 19, November 2018 – the second edition
November was such a big month of watches for the Time+Tide crew, and, subsequently, an even bigger month of watch spotting for me. Jam-packed with watch events, magazine launches, and other fun activities, this month’s special second edition of #SpottedByAG is a bit of a mixed bag (you did read the first one, right?). First up … While out and about at Cars and Coffee, it was hard to miss this vintage piece on the wrist of Melbourne photographer Issey. Issey spent quite some time hunting this vintage Hamilton Chronograph B (ref 7723), before ultimately locating it interstate. Issey’s fantastic photography skills have overlapped into his passion for vintage automotive and watches, and we’re excited to see where it takes him. With a passion for vintage cars, a vintage chronograph makes perfect sense, and this isn’t the only one in his collection — nor is it the only one Issey’s got his eyes on. Now, I usually keep an eye out for nice watches when at car events, and lately I’ve noticed a pretty strong correlation between the two hobbies. Whether it’s new or vintage, there’s a strong connection between those who love watches and those who love cars. Speaking of modern pieces,…
The post SPOTTED! BY AG: Dispatch 19, November 2018 – the second edition appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Michael Woods loves travelling, playing basketball and is a proud dad. He’s also a third generation watchmaker who previously managed After-Sales for Rolex Melbourne. Hi Michael, what’s your daily watch? It depends on my mood, what inspires me, or what I’m doing for that day or week. It’s not uncommon for me to wear a few different watches in the same week. What does your collection look like? I have gathered quite a collection over the years, but I’ll mention the ones that mean most to me or the ones that get the most wrist time. I have an Omega Constellation Day-Date from 1972, which was left to me by my grandfather who passed away in the early ’90s. He was the first watchmaker in the family, so it’s a very sentimental piece. I also have an IWC Automatic in steel from 1962, which I actually found on eBay. I was attracted to its simple, elegant look, and it is very comfortable to wear, so I restored the movement and it’s stayed in the rotation. There’s also a Rolex Deepsea, which I purchased not long after the model was first released. I received training on the specifics of the case construction…
October was a fun month for watch-spotting, with no discernible theme, other than perhaps gold? Even then, we kept things real — here’s a look at some of the more random pieces that crossed my camera throughout the month … Kicking off October, I caught up with local pilot Dale (who goes by @MrAceKProductions on Instagram), who you might recognise from a recent interview we did. Well, Dale had recently acquired a pretty unusual piece, something I’d never seen before — a Breitling Chronospace, which he was appropriately wearing on a grey NATO. Like a lot of pilots, Dale has strong ties to Breitling, and puts a high value on the reliability of his timepiece. Dale landed on the Chronospace as he sought a robust and reliable watch to wear in the air, highlighting the constraints of a cockpit, and the endless corners to beat a watch on. Later in the month, I found myself attending an event hosted by Bulgari, to celebrate the Italian Film Festival. Naturally, I expected to see a few pieces around, but the piece that caught my eye was on the wrist of Alexandra King, Bulgari’s Marketing and Communications Manager who was sporting a Serpenti Tubogas. The…
September was very much a mix of cars and watches, which understandably go hand in hand. The strongest commonality between the two hobbies? The collectors — and their unwavering passion. To kick off September, I made my way down to the German Auto Show 2018, put on by the Volkswagen Club of Victoria. I know enough ‘car people’ to expect to see some nice watches, and this event was no exception. A piece that jumped out amongst the vintage Porsches and VWs was a 2018 Rolex GMT-Master II in two-tone Oystersteel and Everose gold (reference 126711CHNR). This piece was an instant favourite of mine, back when I saw it in Basel earlier this year. The warm rose gold works incredibly well with the steel, and it’s the kind of watch that photos cannot do justice — you need to see it in person. Later in the month, I found myself getting stuck in to another car event, which also delivered some interesting timepieces. I bumped into Daniel, who was sporting his prized vintage Omega Speedmaster Mark II Racing Dial. Being a car guy, Dan is naturally drawn to vintage chronographs, and the colourful racing dial on this Speedy was the icing on the…
Famous for her iconic straps, Erika has always been one for a new challenge or adventure. She’ll take any chance to jump into her roofless series 3 Land Rover and drive over small, preferably unpaved roads, exploring the beautiful Spanish countryside. Hi Erika, how did you find yourself making watch straps? It is pure chance that I ended up making watch straps. A few years ago, just for the fun of it, I started making custom leather sandals, initially because with my size feet, it is almost impossible to buy anything off the shelf. But when friends started raving about them, I soon was working full-time making bespoke leather sandals and eventually leather watch straps. So what’s your daily watch and why? I don’t have a daily watch. I wear a variety of new and vintage watches. When travelling, I like to wear my — which I’m almost afraid to admit — Apple Watch. I nearly got kicked out of Baselworld earlier this year for wearing it. It’s just because I can see all incoming messages and emails and, if necessary, I can act immediately without having to stare at my phone all day long. What else is in your collection? Have…
Dale is an airline pilot, with a love for all things cars, watches and photography. He unwinds by going for a cruise in his 1971 Datsun 240z and spending time with his family. Hi Dale, what’s your daily watch and why? I don’t have a daily watch per se, though I have my eye on a particular piece right now, so that may change soon! I bought all my watches to wear, so I tend to rotate them as much as possible. When I’m working, I tend to gravitate towards a GMT, as all our flight planning, Dep/Arrival times, weather forecasting etc. is all referenced to Zulu (GMT) time. So, generally, I most likely throw on my Breitling Avenger II GMT or Citizen Nighthawk (great grab and go). I’m a Breitling tragic, and I love the aviation history behind the brand. The original Navitimer 01 is such a classic and beautiful piece, and I have lusted over one since I started flying! One day I would like to add a vintage Navi to the collection. What else is in your collection? Have you got a favourite? I’ve finally realised I’m not a dress watch guy, so a majority of my…
This month was an interesting one as far as spotting goes, including an unexpected Rolex Submariner, a rare vintage Tudor, an obscure Heuer chronograph, and a very special limited edition Autavia — amongst others. Let’s get cracking. In case you missed it, this month Time+Tide hosted an Autavia Collectors’ Lunch, here in Melbourne. Guest speaker David Chalmers, of Calibre 11, is an authority on TAG Heuer ( and Heuer) and had recently collaborated with TAG Heuer on a very limited Autavia ‘Jo Siffert’ piece. David joined a select group of Heuer enthusiasts to share industry insights and war stories. As he shared the recent success of his first ever watch sale, I couldn’t help but notice he’d kept number 11 for himself. As we enjoyed David’s presentation, I couldn’t help but notice the guest next to me was wearing a very unusual vintage Heuer. So unusual, in fact, I’d never seen one in person before! It turned out that Damian was sporting a vintage Heuer Chronosplit, which was released in the 1970s. They actually have a pretty fascinating and important history, which David’s well documented over on his site. Damian’s a pretty big Heuer guy and often finds himself trawling the…
Chris Alexander, also known as Creo Design, is a professional artist and designer who has worked across multiple media, with a focus for watch dial art. Hi Chris, what’s your daily watch and why? An Omega Speedmaster Pro 3570.50. This watch means an awful lot to me even though it has only been in my possession for about three months. The story goes way back to when I was around 4-5 years old and spending time with my late father. He was a qualified astrophysicist and taught me all he knew about space. And the clearest and fondest memory I have of him was spending hours looking at the moon and hearing about all the facts and statistics. My father was also a keen horologist and collected several clocks and tinkered away with them in his spare time. Fast-forward 30 years, and I found myself falling in love with watches all over again while painting them. My appreciation for horology was of a keen outsider — someone who admires them in a store window but never purchased. So spending a lot of money on a watch just didn’t make sense to me until I started working on them. Then it all made sense,…
Brisbane watch collector Donald has steadily established a name for himself as a prolific vintage watch lover. We dive a little deeper and find out there’s more to the Don than just vintage Rolexes … Hi Donald, what’s your daily watch and why? I really enjoy wearing my Blue WG Submariner on a daily basis. Apart from being a great-looking watch, it also has a substantial weight to it; you know it’s there, which is something I particularly like. It also “flies under the radar” — I believe you need to know something about watches to understand what it really is. With the flat blue dial, blue ceramic insert, and the Glidelock clasp, all these factors add up to being a great daily watch for me. What else is in your collection? Have you got a favourite? My collection consists mainly of Rolex, Omega, Zenith and Tudor, with a mixture of modern and vintage between these brands, with most of the vintage being from the 1970s/80s. I also own a gorgeous Patek Philippe 5726A Nautilus Annual Calendar, which is one of my favourite watches. I have a few favourites in my collection, so I can’t say there is a particular watch…
If you love dive watches, we probably don’t need to introduce Jason Heaton. He’s a man living the dream, a freelance writer who writes about watches only as an excuse to go out and have fun with them — be that hiking, skiing, kayaking or diving … Hi Jason, what’s your daily watch? As for a daily watch, it’s usually some sort of Doxa (I have a bit of a problem …) or a Rolex Submariner, but I also have a number of other favourites, like two Bremonts, a vintage Speedmaster, and smaller brands like Unimatic and Halios. I don’t really call myself a “collector”, since I have no real strategy for accumulating watches. To me, they’re all extensions of gear, and all have to earn their place in my watch roll. With only a couple of exceptions, all my watches have been on my wrist diving, flying, climbing or on some other adventure, even the vintage ones. My philosophy is: once you view these things as “precious” there’s something wrong. Do you have a favourite? I have a Doxa SUB200 T-Graph Sharkhunter I got a while back that I consider a favourite. I got it from the original owner, who bought it…