Will the next 007 be a woman? And if so, will she wear a Seamaster?
Editor’s note: The other week, the Bond-centric rumour mill (which is an oddly specific, but proliferate sub-genre of the internet) went wild over (entirely unsubstantiated) reports of 007 being replaced by Lashana Lynch (note, she’s cited as being the next 007, not the next Bond). It seems like the sort of story tailor-made to drive the internet into a frenzy — flipping the gender switch on traditional masculine icons seems to be quite en vogue right now. And while a black, female 007 is something we can very much get behind, the real question is what would her watch be? Omega, obviously, but from what family? Well, history suggests it’ll be a Seamaster … James Bond is always running out of time. Every second that slips away sees the missile nearer to launching, the girl’s life slipping further away, global catastrophe looming ever closer. Time matters for Bond in a way few of us can understand, and this, along with his unfailingly suave style, go a long way to explaining why what this man wears on his wrist is such a big deal. Die Another Day Pierce Brosnan’s 2002 Bond swansong was the last time he slipped on the iconic Seamaster Professional…
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The new Call of Duty trailer was dropped last week, and it featured an interesting horological detail that was noticed by one eagle-eyed Reddit user. As discussed in an article by Kotaku, the time displayed on the wrists of the game characters will read the local time of the person playing, adding a very cool in-game detail. While here at Time+Tide we are less concerned with the “grave ludonarrative consequences” (yes, I had to look up what ludonarrative meant) and more interested in how this could add another way for players to customise their characters. So while we don’t anticipate that this will be infinitely customisable to allow players to be able to rock a Ref. A/6538 Rolex MilSub, we thought we would still add our suggestions for Call of Duty watches that would rise to the occasion. Casio G-Shock GMW-B5000V In a war zone, robustness is required. If something isn’t literally bulletproof, it had better be as good as, and that is what this full metal G-Shock offers. It’ll survive falling off a roof, as well as any underwater diving you need to do, and will do it all for about a decade without complaint. In addition, thanks to…
Chronographs are both one of the most popular complications on a wristwatch, as well as one of the most challenging to produce. That said, you don’t have to take out a bank loan to have a quality chronograph in your watch, so we’ve compiled a list of 10 great chronographs under $10K. BALTIC BICOMPAX 001 SLATE GREY Like many of the watch world’s latest start-ups, French brand Baltic had their break on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, raising more than €500,000 and offering customers the choice of two vintage-inspired models – a time-only and a dual register chronograph. Inspired by the step-case designs of the 1940s, the BICOMPAX 001 follows the lines and codes of the vintage school of watchmaking. Case size 38mm, Case material Steel, Movement Seagull ST1901, Price €541 LONGINES CONQUEST V.H.P. CHRONOGRAPH Longines’ achievements in quartz date back to 1954, when their first quartz mechanism set a precision record at the Neuchâtel Observatory. The latest evolution of the V.H.P. (Very High Precision) collection combines precision with the Conquest Chronograph’s instantly recognisable sportiness. It is accurate to an extraordinary +/- 5 seconds a year, and equipped with a Gear Position Detection system that resets the hands in the event of…
Next month, Sotheby’s Australia are hosting their Important Jewels Auction in Melbourne, with a catalogue that includes a small collection of watches. The focus of the offering is obviously heavily on jewellery, however it is great to see a large local auction house include a few interesting watches, too. After passing the catalogue around the office this morning, there are a couple of standout pieces that were T+T team favourites. Felix (Editor) – HEUER AUTAVIA AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH “JO SIFFERT” The classic, cushiony case and panda dial with just the right amount of pop. The motor sports legacy doesn’t hurt either. Emma (Marketing) – CARTIER SANTOS 100 REF 2656 I’m loving this Santos’ bold beauty for its dramatic contrasts of gold, steel and oxblood red — it’s a striking variation of a Cartier icon. Nick (Writer) – CARTIER TANK AMERICAINE REF 2483 Cartier are known for their timeless design language, but the Tank Americane is a standout for me. Yellow gold and dress watches go together like vermouth and gin.
Affordability is a difficult thing to pin down. What is easily affordable for one person may be eternally out of reach for another. So, to avoid making too many assumptions, this article will include five watches that each feature in a different price bracket. These are picks for five of the best affordable dress watches in their respective categories. Under $1000, the Hamilton Ardmore $650 AUD There’s been a rumour abounding for years that Richard Gere wears a Hamilton Ardmore. While the veracity of that claim is hard to pin down, it certainly wouldn’t look out of place on his wrist. While some would classify the Ardmore as a woman’s watch due to its relatively petite dimensions, it has been carried off with aplomb by many a man before, so it seems unisex would be a fairer description. What’s great about this watch is that it does pretty much everything you could ask of a Deco-inspired timepiece made in the modern world. Its quartz movement is ideally hassle-free, while the sub-dial seconds hand is small enough for a tick rather than an automatic sweep not to matter. The dial is clean and has its roots in the early part of the…
Here at Time+Tide HQ, the banter is fast, free-flowing and deeply uninteresting for anyone who doesn’t love watches. Sometimes this spitballing makes it beyond our four humble walls, such as when the team built a fantasy $20K watch collection, and this is another one of those occasions. The question posed to the team this time: “If you had to wear a watch marketed at a different gender, what would it be?” This isn’t to say that people can’t wear whatever watches they want (I love wearing a watch which could be argued is a women’s watch), but is just taking the lead from the brands’ positioning of their products. Here we go! Andrew (Jefe) – Piaget Limelight Gala The design of the lugs is just beautiful and creates a sort of flow to the case. The hammered gold bracelet is also spectacular and painfully handcrafted, too. In every way this is a considered watch, rich in nuance. Felix (Editor) – Chanel Boy.Friend Skeleton Chanel is becoming an increasingly impressive player in the “proper watch movement” space. And while the gorgeous from the bottom-up build of this movement is enough to win you over, I actually love the chic style. Plus,…
For as long as time has been indicated with hands on a dial, horologists have been hunting for different ways to communicate time. Contemporarily, this pursuit has taken some weird and wonderful forms, resulting in a few very clever feats of engineering to tell you what time it is. For those who are tired of tracking rotating spokes around a circle, who want something simpler (or more complex), these are the watches for you. Employing discs, screens, apertures and even revolving orbs, this is our shortlist of the best watches without hands from 2018. G-SHOCK GMWB5000D-1 35TH ANNIVERSARY SILVER ALL METAL MASTERPIECE Brainchild of Casio engineer Kikuo Ibe, the G-Shock DW-5000 was first introduced in 1983. And to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the legendarily tough resin-cased watch, the Japanese brand have introduced this version – which also happens to be the very first all stainless-steel 5000 series G-Shock. It supports all the standard functions, from a tough rectangular case and solar charging to Bluetooth connectivity. Ref No. GMWB5000D-1, Case size 49.3mm, Case material Steel, Movement Tough solar, Price $949 IWC TRIBUTE TO PALLWEBER EDITION “150 YEARS” Think “digital watch” and most minds instantly turn to thoughts of LED screens…
Gold watches are looked on a spectrum. This is typically between gaudy expressions of personal wealth, and precious metal celebrations of horological handiwork. Wherever your personal perspective sits on this scale, at some point in your watch-loving life, you will find yourself looking with adoration at a gold watch (Andy wrote how best to deal with this feeling). As John Mayer said once about the Rolex Rainbow Daytona, “When people see (them) in person, they all kind of give in and go, yeah I get it.” This (almost guilty) look down at the heavier part of the watch counter led us to consider: what were the best gold watches from 2018? TUDOR BLACK BAY S&G Originally released with a low-key black dial in 2017, the previous S&G took everyone by surprise with its luxurious two-toned demeanour and the warm sense of formality that it brought to the Black Bay family. This latest version ups the luxe even further, adding a stunning golden champagne dial to the mix, and reminding us that sometimes two tones are better than one. Ref No. 79733N, Case size 41mm, Case material Steel & gold, Movement MT5612, Price $5990 LONGINES RECORD Launched last year, the…
A brief history of luminous watch dials Murphy’s Law states, “A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.” In watch collecting circles this is invariably true, but the number of watches in a collection is likely proportionate to the mania of the addiction, rather than proportionate to how punctual the collector might be. It also seems to be true that you need to know what time it is most urgently when you don’t have a clock nearby. This seems to happen generally at night, when you wake in a panic, disoriented and wondering how long till you need to get up for work, and you can’t see your alarm clock for the simple reason you only uncover it once you turn on the light. I like to think this was the problem the Swiss boffins were trying to solve when they started producing watches with luminescent dials, tired of the drowsy confusion in the middle of the night and determined to bring clarity to this midnight mire. In reality, it was driven by the need for soldiers in WWI to have watches that were easy to read in low light.…
Editor’s note: Is this the coolest Rolex Day-Date ever? Regardless of how you answer that question, this is objectively one of the rarest watches Rolex has manufactured in recent years, with it being conspicuously absent from any Rolex catalogue or website. We spotted Mark Wahlberg wearing one on Ellen, but more excitingly, we also noticed Mirka Federer wearing one at the Australian Open in 2017. Given her husband is currently playing (quite well) at Wimbledon, we thought it might bring him some good luck if we reminded the world just how good Mirka’s taste in watches is. 430,000 euros of gem-set goodness While most eyes were on Roger Federer and the Rolex GMT Master-II BLNR he strapped on to hoist his 18th grand slam trophy at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Sunday night, there were other watches nearby worth noticing. Yes, there was the Richard Mille RM 27-02 tourbillon worn by Nadal throughout all five sets, but that’s not what we’re talking about. Our attention was grabbed by the exceptional piece worn by Mirka Federer, with its emerald bezel and diamond pavé dial. Now, this isn’t your regular stone-strewn Rolex. This watch is special — so special it doesn’t even show up…