XXXL: 3 of the biggest watches of 2019
One of the biggest trends for timepieces of the last decade has been oversized case dimensions that stretch well into the 45mm plus category. And while the inclination for producing gargantuan wristwatches is starting to cool as tastes in the horological community change, this year has still spawned some absolute doozies for those that like a wristwatch that can be seen from the next postcode. Here are our three favourite biggest watches of 2019: PANERAI SUBMERSIBLE MARINA MILITARE CARBOTECH While Panerai watches have been long-held favourites of the diving community for their no-nonsense approach to robustness and legibility, the enormous housings in which the brand’s attractive calibres reside provide the perfect playground for mad material scientists to experiment. The relative simplicity of Panerai’s signature look makes it ripe for reimagining. The Carbotech model is fascinating to look at, but even more interesting to wear given its hefty proportions, but surprising lightness. Ref No: PAM00979 / Case size: 47mm / Case material: Carbotech / Movement: P.9010 / Price: $27,200 FRANCK MULLER SKAFANDER CHRONOGRAPH 2019 The Skafander, Romanian for diving suit, is Franck Muller’s interpretation of a dive watch, and it bears all of the brand’s hallmarks: a hefty, modular case with…
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This year has seen countless examples of new and exciting dive watches flood the already perpetually popular sub-genre. And while most new entrants into the amphibious watch market have been successes, some have done far better than others. With that in mind, we thought we’d share with you our favourite five dive watches of 2019. LONGINES HYDROCONQUEST FULL BLACK CERAMIC The HydroConquest range is a too-often overlooked corner of the Longines universe. But you sense that the collection has grander plans to expand with some hot additions in the last 12 months. Chief among them is the HydroConquest in black ceramic, which gives this piece an undeniably stealthy appearance. Its 43mm case makes it viable as a powerful desk diver during the week as well as a fun watch for the weekend. Ref No: L3.784.4.56.9 / Case size: 43mm / Case material: Black Ceramic / Movement: L888.3 / Price: $4850 RADO CAPTAIN COOK AUTOMATIC 42MM The Captain Cook collection from Rado is one that hits particularly close to home for those who live in Terra Australis, thanks to its reference to the explorer James Cook. The Rado Captain Cook imbues the same spirit of adventure and discovery through its robust…
It’s that time of the year where we sift misty-eyed through the archives, getting nostalgic about the horological highlights from the past 12 months. From Instagram watch clichés to the “unholy shitstorm of hurt feelings” provoked by Audemars Piguet, this is my top five. Sandra Lane on why hype and high prices are killing it for watch collectors Decade-long waiting lists. Manufactured shortages. “Gentlemen dealers.” Steel sports watches being listed at 200 per cent of their RRP… The inimitable Sandra Lane takes aim at the money-chasing mania that is ruining things for genuine watch collectors. 5 Instagram watch cliches that need to be cancelled Are you guilty of these Instagram watch crimes? If so, you need to learn your lesson, change your ways and preferably delete your social-media accounts forever. Felix Scholz explains why. Seiko vs. Garmin – who will survive an ultramarathon? Are digital sports watches all they’re cracked up to be? Nick Kenyon put a Garmin Forerunner up against his trusty Seiko dive watch. Then he ran 100km to discover how they’d both measure up. How to react to the Code 11.59 The Audemars Piguet was one of the most widely panned watch releases of the year. Andrew…
Chronographs are, to this day, one of the most useful complications you can find on a wrist watch. They’re just so practical — whether you’re timing your next run, daily commute or next lap time around the Phillip Island Grand Prix track, a chronograph has got you covered. Thing is, though, because of its complexity, the exceedingly useful complication normally commands a higher price point than your standard three-hander. However, there are exceptions to this rule, and we’ve found three admirable chronograph-equipped wristwatches for under $1000 AUD: DAN HENRY ALARM CHRONO 1972 A specialist in “derivation mash-ups”, the Dan Henry brand takes what it believes to be the best bits of the past and cobbles them together in yet another attractive and cohesive package. The 1972 Alarm Chrono takes high-level design cues from all over the place, with a splash of Omega here, and a dollop of Porsche there. The result is an extremely wearable, weirdly timeless beater for not much money at all. Limited (as is the norm for Dan Henry watches) to 1,972 pieces. Ref No: 1972 / Case size: 41mm / Case material: PVD Steel / Movement: Miyota 0S80 / Price: USD$350 UNDONE SNOOPY STARLIGHT To mark the…
Just like new parents have a large number of bad photos of their children on their phones, watch collectors have a large number of bad photos of watches on their phones. The number of photos is large because we love watches like new parents love their children, and the reason they are bad is because it is actually quite hard to take a good photo of a watch. The myriad of polished surfaces catch every reflection you don’t want, and the lighting is either too bright or too dark, leaving you with about a 5% success rate of Instagram-publishable pictures. This is the reason (apart from the fact he’s a great bloke) that we love our photographer Jason so much, as he has proven himself more than capable of taking a very nice watch photo. While he’s captured literally tens of thousands of watch photos in 2019 — a fact that makes picking any favourites a challenge — I did some digging in the archive to find this modest selection that were my personal favourites from this year. TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Platinum Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT anOrdain Model 2 Vacheron Constantin Les Collectionneurs – Silver Pocket Watch from 1942 Hublot…
A premier watch auction is an inspiring event. Last week, I joined the bidders at Phillips auction house on Park Avenue in New York. As we progressed through the 74 lots on offer, I was struck by the truly global nature of the vintage watch market. The auctioneer and impresario Aurel Bacs flawlessly switched between English, Italian and French while at one point saying to the phone bank, “I wish I could understand what you’re saying!”, as bidders from around the globe gabbled with house specialists. Earlier, Mr Bacs noted that the highest online bid in any watch auction had just arrived, north of $1 million, from someone on some continent somewhere. The Phillips Game Changers auction was a moment of many such firsts. It was the first time at a US auction that more than five timepieces sold for more than $1 million. We saw the highest valuations for a Rolex GMT-Master, Rolex Presidential, and two Patek perpetual calendar chronographs. And it is highly commendable that Phillips was so successful given the rumblings of global economic uncertainty which have slowly become louder. Over the past three quarters the major world economies have underperformed — a very different context from 2017…
As 2019 draws to a close and I get the opportunity to reflect on the year that was (as well as prepare for endless upcoming jokes on my 2020 vision), it’s impossible not to acknowledge that it has been a massive year for Time+Tide. The team has worked hard on a number of different projects, including Edition Two of NOW Magazine and the Time+Tide Club, all while delivering a very passionate family of watch lovers the news of the watch world every day. Naturally, there’s a feeling of huge thanks to the readers who give such positive (and sometimes passionately constructive) feedback about the stories we write, the rest of the Time+Tide team, and the watch world at large for continuing to be a strange and fascinating place. So, after some digging through the archives (we published a lot of stories in 2019), these are five of my favourites. OPINION: Forget men and women, watches don’t need genders – Sandra Lane The effervescent fount of knowledge that is Sandra Lane made a very strong case earlier this year for the abolition of genders in the descriptions of watches. I couldn’t agree more. The most common elements of a watch that…
It was only three short years ago when the first-ever Australian Seiko Boutique opened in Sydney, but the Japanese powerhouse has kept very busy, announcing the exciting news of the opening of the first-ever Australian Grand Seiko Boutique. This is a strong statement from the brand as they continue to drive the distinction of Grand Seiko being the premium offering compared to Seiko, which is reinforced by Melbourne luxury retailer Monards recently starting to carry Grand Seiko. While it is exciting news for fans of Grand Seiko to know there is a dedicated space for their favourite brand, it is also exciting that Australia will now have access to exclusive boutique-only pieces. These are three very cool pieces now available at the Grand Seiko Sydney Boutique. SBGA364 – The rose gold Spring Drive If you like the idea of one of the most innovative movements released in the last half-century cased in 40mm of pink gold with a matching bracelet, you’ll like the SBGA364. While most of the offerings from Grand Seiko fly somewhat under the radar, this is a more vocal expression of the brand that is known for their incredible level of finishing. Price: $55,300, boutique exclusive SBGZ001…
Much as it pains me to admit it, these days, haute horology is usually reserved for the rarified and uber-expensive micro-brands of the Swiss watchmaking world. It’s not that the heavyweights of the industry have completely given up on the idea of innovation – far from it – but it does seem as though there’s been a shift, that priorities have changed. A timepiece’s movement was once the perennial final frontier for the majority of the watchmaking industry. In fact, throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries there were countless new and innovative movements being spawned on a regular basis. However, now it feels as though most of the mainstays are largely content with the fairly antiquated fundamentals of movements, and are instead focusing on perfecting them, rather than creating completely new concepts – evolution over revolution. That’s why the TAG Heuer Monaco V4 was such a shock to the industry’s collective system when it was first unveiled in 2004. The Swiss marque again stunned everyone when in 2009 they unveiled the limited edition Monaco V4 in Platinum. And here are three reasons why it still conjures astonishment and awe in the horological fraternity: The Calibre V movement Designed to…
One of the best things about TAG Heuer is the Swiss marque’s remarkable history with motorsport — few other watchmakers, if any, have such a rich back catalogue of timekeeping devices purpose-built for the ultimate expression of man vs machine. And while many will immediately associate the angular Monaco as the most iconic wristwatch associated with motor racing, in fact, the real “racebred” timepiece that TAG made was the Autavia. An elision of the words “automotive” and “aviation”, TAG produced Autavia timekeeping devices from as early as the 1930s, and since then, the namesake and the pursuits of myriad forms of motorsport have never been far apart. Rather luckily, not too long ago, TAG Heuer was generous enough to let us have a look at some of their most storied and fabled Autavias, and our photog and all-round legend, Jason Reekie, shot some amazing photos. Heuer Autavia Dashboard Timer Signed Abercrombie & Fitch Co. While it would now merely serve ornamental purposes if it were still to be found affixed to the dash of an automobile, back in the day, these sorts of dashboard timing instruments were … well, instrumental in motorsport. This gorgeous example was originally sold through American retailer…