Category: List

I asked Jason, Time+Tide’s resident photographer, if he could tell me his favourite watch photos from 2019 that he had captured, without quite realising the sheer scope of the work that he had done this year. I soon found out.  “Hey Jason, how many photos have you taken this year?” “How many have I edited, or how many have been published?” “No, how many times have you pressed the button on your camera?”  “Oh, that’s a big number. Tens of thousands, easy.”  So out of the tens of thousands of shutter clicks that happened since we last lapped the sun (these were my favourites), these are Jason’s favourites, in no particular order, for reasons he articulates below.  Franck Muller Double Mystery Symmetry, colour and diamonds. So many diamonds. And such cute jewelled indices. Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph I spent time over this shot (I hope it shows). Itʼs crisp where it should be crisp, smooth where it should be smooth. The light shines beautifully off the brushed metal. Itʼs everything I like in a watch shot. Seiko Prospex SRPD50K Black on black is one of my favourite styles of shooting: just catching edges, reflections and highlights to bring the watch out…

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Some boardroom discussions would be fascinating to observe. The brand decisions presumably make sense at the time, but can appear a little odd to the rest of us. Every so often, however, a brand makes a bold play to distinguish itself from its price-point competitors and it kind of works. Sometimes because the brand chose credibility and congruity over celebrity status, and other times because it’s so wacky, it’s hard to forget (and thus achieving its objective). So, let’s get to know a few watchmaking ambassadors from lesser followed sports. How good a fit do you think these men and woman are for the brands they represent? Breitling: Luke Bannister – Drone pilot It would be easy to treat this appointment cynically, but it seems likely that as little as drone racing had to do with watchmaking’s past, it may well have a fair bit to do with its future. As aviation evolves, so too must aviators. Luke is Breitling’s spokesperson for the next generation. Chamberlain: Stuart Bingham – Snooker This partnership is enough to put Chamberlain on the map (even if it is just for Bingham’s adorable mug shot on the website). The 2015 World Champion may not have…

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Many people who I respect in this industry have opined that 2019 hasn’t been a particularly exciting or fruitful year for watch releases … and I couldn’t disagree more. This, the final year of the decade, has given birth to an absolute plethora of new and innovative timepieces that have captured the imagination of many a horological enthusiast. And while I could wax lyrical for hours about said cornucopia of new releases, I’ve had to whittle down all of them and pick my five favourites. Here they are (in no particular order): DOXA SUB 200 130th Anniversary One of the biggest shocks of 2019, DOXA’s sublime GPHG-nominated SUB 200 caused quite the stir when it was unveiled at Baselworld, and it’s very easy to understand why. Here is a fit-for-purpose dive watch that looks great, offers a shedload of heritage, genuine water-resistant credentials and is powered by one of the most bulletproof movements in the game – the ETA 2824/2. This particular example, the limited edition 130th Anniversary, caught my eye immediately. Everything about it was just inherently right, and I adored the playful splashes of DOXA’s signature orange on the second hand and “130 Years” text emblazoned on the…

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As one of the most important model series in the world today, the Rolex Daytona is used to living life in the spotlight. What that means is that there are very few things to say about the Daytona that haven’t already been said, but here’s a rundown of five milestone changes to how the Rolex Daytona is built, which may or may not have popped up on your radar at their time of release. The Daytona was released in 1963 It all began in the early ’60s when Rolex decided to nickname one of their new Cosmograph chronographs (reference 6239) after the Daytona race track in Florida. It would go on to become one of the most famous and sought-after models the company has ever produced. The Daytona didn’t always use an in-house movement We take Rolex’s status as an in-house brand for granted, but it wasn’t always the case. Amazingly, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that the Daytona had a movement to call its own. Before that, it had used movements made by Valjoux and Zenith (which themselves had been updated several times over the years). The subsequent Rolex calibre 4130 set a new benchmark for the brand…

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For lovers of Haute Horlogerie, the term “fashion watch” is often akin to a cuss word. But one doesn’t have to dig very far into the history of fine watchmaking to realise just how much we have to thank fashion labels for, and how the best fashion watch brands are serious watchmakers. In the 1980s, following the darkest period in luxury horology’s history, during which time quartz watches had threatened to extinguish the craft entirely, it was fashion brands that changed the way watches were seen and worn. Although it seems a bit counterintuitive these days, the idea of a watch as a throwaway accessory helped the luxury industry prosper, simply because it suddenly made watches seem desirable when, in the past, they’d just been viewed as necessary. And rare as it is, there are some excellent watchmakers in the world today that began life as fashion brands, before making a huge investment in proper manufacturing. These are some of the brands that successfully crossed the divide. Bulgari When it comes to transforming a reputation, Bulgari wrote the book. With some of the most impressive manufacturing feats of the past decade to its name (who can forget the Bulgari Octo…

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I’ve certainly had less turbulent years. In 2019, I quit a stable job, hurled myself into start-up life and lived with my in-laws for 10 months (!) before moving into a house that can euphemistically be described as “a renovator’s delight”. I changed a gazillion nappies and failed miserably to persuade my two sons — aged one and two — to sleep through the night. Over the last 12 months I’ve rarely worked so hard or slept so little. That’s probably why I was particularly drawn to vintage-inspired pieces this year. Their nostalgic designs hark back to a simpler time that, we imagine, was calmer, kinder and marginally less batshit-crazy. But I’m also now living right by the beach. That means that for the first time in my life, I’ve suddenly found myself hankering for a diving watch, something rugged and waterproof that can stand up to building sandcastles and retrieving small children from rock-pools. GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL SEVENTIES CHRONOGRAPH PANORAMA DATE Bow-chicka-wow-wow! That’s the sound this retro-tastic chronograph would make if it could talk. Sadly, it can’t. But we’re prepared to overlook that minor disappointment on account of the wondrous green fumé dial — made at Glashütte’s in-house facility in Pforzheim – housed…

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What’s the single most important component that dictates whether a new watch will be lauded or loathed by enthusiasts? Personally, I think a timepiece’s dial is the ultimate barometer of whether or not it’s a success. It’s what we look at most, and a beautiful dial has the ability to capture the imagination. There have been a bevy of wristwatches released in 2019 with gorgeous dials, and while we’d like to mention all of them, these five stood out as some of the best: ANORDAIN MODEL 2 TORR BLUE Scotland is not a location that immediately comes to mind when you think of watches with handmade enamel dials, but that is exactly what anOrdain offer. There is a reason you don’t see many watches with enamel dials, and that is because they are so challenging to produce. With each dial that anOrdain create taking a minimum of 12 hours, they are as rare as they are beautiful, with a glossy depth that only grand feu enamelling can achieve. Ref No: Torr Blue / Case size: 36mm / Case material: Steel / Movement: Sellita SW-210-1 / Price: $1970 MING 17.06 COPPER For a brand that has only been producing watches for…

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For many years now, watchmakers on all levels have tried to separate themselves from the pack by experimenting with different watch case materials. Nowadays, we’re used to seeing some highly impressive materials make their way onto our wrists. Ceramics, plastics and carbons are all enjoying their day in the sun, but how do the older, more traditional metals stack up against one another? Here’s a quick guide to the most popular metal cases on the market today. Stainless steel Stainless steel is a common, highly resistant, easy-to-machine alloy that comes in a few types. The most common (by far) is 316L stainless steel. This is hypoallergenic, surgical grade steel that is favoured by many manufacturers for its ease of use and affordability. Although 904L steel (the kind used by Rolex) has the potential to be more resistant to corrosion and to hold a high polish better, the margin for error in the performance of these two types of steel actually overlaps, so in practical terms, while 904L is generally regarded as superior, the difference is minimal (and could theoretically be non-existent).   Bronze Bronze is far from a traditional material for watch cases but is currently very much in vogue.…

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