LIST: The 12 best dive watches of 2017
It’s something of a truism to say that everybody loves a good dive watch, regardless of their scuba certification status. Watch brands know this, and their 2017 releases did not disappoint, offering retro to futuristic and everything in-between. Rolex Sea-Dweller Without doubt the biggest dive watch of the year is the hotly anticipated Rolex Sea-Dweller, with expanded case, improved movement and single red dial text. And while not everyone’s a fan of the added cyclops, it’s still one of the hardest new-release watches to track down right now. RRP $14,400 Rado HyperChrome Captain Cook At the opposite end of the size spectrum is the positively petite reissue from Rado, a 37mm limited edition that’s a virtually perfect facsimile of the 1962 original, only with ceramic and sapphire upgrades. If you can’t handle the smaller size, there’s also a more modern 45mm interpretation. RRP from $2475 Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC Rado aren’t the only brand embracing the smaller side of dive watch life, Blancpain’s latest tribute to their famous diver seduced plenty of wrists in spite of (or perhaps because of) its 40mm case. The fact that the moisture indicator on the dial makes for a very cool talking…
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There are certain times in life when one must simply dress up and don a suit and tie. Occasions when that sporty chrono or chunky diver just won’t quite look the part. Hopefully it’s for a fancy shindig like a wedding or an awards night, and not for something less fun, like a court hearing. But, if your wristwear hasn’t already been chosen by the boys and girls in blue, you’ll want to dress it up a notch. To do that in style you’re going to need something a little more elegant strapped to your wrist. Here’s our pick of 10 of the best dress watches of 2017. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface No list of dress watches would be complete without a Reverso. The stunning pink gold Tribute Duoface not only offers two separate time zones but also two separate dials with differing colours and textures to perfectly match your debonair threads. $27,500 AUD Seiko Presage Cocktail Time First released in 2010, this new Cocktail Time added a twist to the classic dress watch style, and captured well-dressed hearts the world over. This year it’s been re-released into Seiko’s Presage collection with a selection of top-shelf colourways added. Anyway, enough words, just look…
A few hours ago, watchmaking’s night of nights – the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – wrapped up (though we suspect the afterparties may still be in full swing), and 15 prizes, along with a special jury prize, were awarded by the jury. The GPHG awards are often hotly debated, but do, nonetheless, provide an interesting barometer of where the watch industry is at. This year’s winners are an interesting mix of bigger brands and niche players, haute horology and a more mass approach. I also think it’s great to see a focus on commercially minded innovation, which is perhaps indicative of where the industry’s mind is at right now. But that’s enough from me. Here are the winners. MEN’S WATCH PRIZE Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic This hotly tipped favourite is a worthy winner. Read our review here. “AIGUILLE D’OR” GRAND PRIX Chopard L.U.C. Full Strike Chopard has quietly been making excellent watches for years. It just paid off, big time. LADIES’ WATCH PRIZE Chanel Première Camélia Skeleton Chanel’s second manufacture movement is an attractive blend of brand motif and engineering prowess. LADIES’ HIGH-MECH WATCH PRIZE Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Papillon Automate Whimsical. Ingenious. Beautiful. When it comes…
“Girls just want watches that look pretty.” So we are told. Of course, most of us want things that look good (and, ah, don’t men want good-looking stuff too?). But “just” pretty? Please. The watch industry has patronised us with that old cliché for too long. For many of us girls, a fashion watch is anathema – and a diamond bezel is not the be-all and end-all either. Bung a bit of glitter on a boring watch and it’s still a boring watch. Assuming that an interest in mechanical timepieces means that we’ll settle for tool watches with zero femininity completely misses the point, too. Rather than saying pretty OR technical, Hublot has done both. First, it chose its well-proven mechanical calibre, the self-winding HUB1110, for a series of Big Bang watches (thus safely ticking one of the ‘technical’ boxes). Then it harnessed the most advanced materials research into developing the “pretty” part – the case, dial and strap – transforming what are normally considered fashion fabrics into high-tech substances that answer all the demands of fine watchmaking. A very clever play on “fashion watch” perceptions, no? So, while the tech is there – and this materials technology is seriously…
If, like us, you are madly into watches, then you’ve had today’s date marked in your calendar for the past few months. Yes, the 26th of October is the day (in America) that Phillips auction off Paul Newman’s actual Paul Newman Daytona. And given how crazy the hype is, we know that mere mortals like you and I aren’t anywhere close to even think about bidding on it. But that hasn’t stopped me wondering who will sign that winning cheque, with many experts speculating that the attraction of this watch extends far beyond that of your top tier watch collectors, given Paul Newman’s universal appeal. This is potentially not just the most expensive Rolex ever sold, but the most expensive wrist watch, ever. To most, the thought of dropping seven or eight figures on a watch is not only completely absurd, but financially impossible – but to a small percentile, it’s a drop in the ocean. For example, assume the hammer drops at say $10 million USD, to someone worth 300 million – you’re talking three per cent of their net worth. Doable. But why do we think a celebrity buyer is in the running? Well, given the publicity this watch auction has…
The Melbourne Cup Carnival holds many traditions, particularly around dress code. We caught up with Melbourne tailor Carl Navè to discuss a couple of key looks for this year’s Spring Racing festival, and to discuss one very important accessory: watch straps. Yes, it’s time to accessorise your accessory (think about it)! My number one tip, first and foremost, is that the Spring Carnival is (intended to be) a classy affair. So, with that in mind, when looking at strap choices, the golden rule here is that whatever you pick, please ensure it’s a high quality two-piece strap (see below). As much as I love a good NATO or Sailcloth strap, we’re going for elegance, not bulk. Derby Day Carl: Derby Day is all about black and white, but this year I’ve decided to break away from the norm and seek inspiration from the colours of the flowers nominated for each race day. Therefore, my Derby Day look complements the blue tones of the Cornflower, with a bold navy blue checked three-piece suit. The olive green and burgundy check makes a sharp statement that will ensure you don’t blend in. Andy: Carl’s selected two bold colours here, dark navy with burgundy accents, which would work…
I’m no prop master, but I know when I’d reach for a Reverso to dress a character’s wrist. It would be when they had a scene in a suit. It would be at a point in their character trajectory where they were at peak confidence, when their outward style is tapping into the classic, the iconic, the timeless. And also when the brand of badass they’re seeking to project is more brains than brawn. You suspect this was precisely the thought process of the art directors and prop masters that did just that with these kings of the screen. Pierce Brosnan. Ah, Pierce. He may have bombed as Bond but the man knows how to work black tie. The key is having an accessory in the mix that pops on the monochrome backdrop, and few accessories can compete with a gold dress watch with white face and black leather strap. The additional fact that it’s an unusual shape also catches attention. This is a five-star power play. Bravo, Brosnan. Leo. Damn, Leo! Has the boy put some thought into this outfit or what, pairing not only a dress watch and band to his formal attire, but also dial colour to…
There are some sweeping generalisations in the watch world when it comes to the watches preferred by professionals in different fields – Breitling for airline pilots, Hublot for NBA players, Nomos for architects… but reality doesn’t quite conform to prevailing watch-lover logic. The fact is those that leap from high altitudes don’t choose a Zenith as their wrist machine of choice, like Felix Baumgartner. Formula 1 drivers no longer don chronographs, they’re more likely to be painted on their gloves. We put our usual watch-only criteria aside to learn what these watch-looking machines actually do and why they are necessary. Luke Rogers – Australia’s leading wingsuit skydiver Brisbane-based Luke Rogers, one of the country’s top professional wingsuit skydivers or pilots, thinks nothing of flying through a 1,000-foot zone at 250 km/h. Sure, it might be one of the most dangerous sports on earth, but the exhilarating hit of the supreme glide ratio of 2.5:1 or more (or, in civilian terms, for every metre dropped, two and a half meters are gained moving forward) hooks anyone who has ever dreamt of flying. “That large watch looking thing on my wrist is my altimeter which tells me what height I am for safety,”…
This week Andrew has taken you through the options that most people wanting a TAG Heuer Monaco have to ask themselves – do I choose the blue Calibre 12 or the blue Calibre 11? However, the choice of a Monaco hasn’t always been this simple, as the brand has made a range of special and limited-edition models over the years. Some of these you will know. For example, the Gulf Monaco series and the heritage Calibre 11 models, offered with a grey or silver dial. Today we’re going to show you something different, with three Monaco models that we know you don’t know. Each of these date back to the first Monaco series in the late 1990s, early 2000s. The Monaco was brought back to life by TAG Heuer in 1998 after more than 20 years out of production. That 1998 design still forms the base for today’s Monaco (although the case has grown by one millimetre). And for those of you who see a Hublot influence in today’s Carrera Heuer-01 range, you might be interested to know that the designer of the 1998 Monaco Re-edition was none other than Miodrag Mijatovic, known universally as Mijat. His other famous watch design? The Hublot Big…
Sitting between the now nostalgia-laden ‘80s and the innovation explosion of the 2000s, the 1990s is seen as something of a watchmaking wasteland; a bold (and brash) period that’s currently out of fashion, but not far enough away to be viewed through the rose tinted glasses of history. But were the ‘90s really a write-off? Here are nine groundbreaking ‘90s watches that redeem watchmaking’s forgotten decade. 1991 – Audemars Piguet Star Wheel What is it? Watchmakers are, by and large, bound by tradition and stick to tried and true methods, like telling the time with hands. In 1991 Audemars Piguet proposed something new, using a series of spinning sapphire discs, all mounted on rotating star shaped wheels. An oddity, but a technically impressive one. Why is it important? Audemars Piguet were well and truly ahead of the trend on this one. Now we’re used to brands like Urwerk messing with how time is told, but 26 years ago, the Star Wheel was something out of this world. 1992 – IWC Doppelchrono What is it? The split seconds chronograph, used for timing two events simultaneously, is widely regarded as being one of the most prestigious complications available. It was a space dominated by…