Six Valentine’s Day watches you can share with your partner
Valentine’s Day is nigh and it’s time to start hinting you want cupid’s clock as well as his arrow. But as some of us know all too well, some partners are easier to convince then others – especially if they’re not every bit the watch enthusiast that you are. Watches are also regrettably expensive which, particularly in these chaotic times, can be quite a deterrent. But what if you could share your next watch purchase? Would that make a new addition more feasible? To get you started, here’s a list of six Valentine’s Day watches, all 36mm in diameter, you can happily share with your partner. Tudor Black Bay 36 The Tudor Black Bay 36 is held by many watch enthusiasts as the Rolex Explorer alternative. It’s not so much that it is an homage – absolutely not the case – but that it also a great 36mm diameter watch. In fact, it actually has more to offer in some ways with greater dial colour variety, greater water resistance at 150 metres and, last but certainly not least, this snowflake-handed watch is less than half the price. Price: $2,950 USD. Breitling Superocean Automatic 36 The Breitling Superocean Automatic 36…
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Yes, maybe you use your watch mostly to tell the time. But how about the joys of using a good old chronograph to time your bike ride to the shops. Or flying into another time zone with a GMT on your wrist (it will happen again one day). Let’s tempt you with the best value watch complications taken from our NOW magazine watch buying guide. After all, time-only watches are all well and good, but sometimes a bit of extra functionality doesn’t hurt. Dan Henry 1937 Dress Chrono Dan Henry is possibly the world’s most generous watch collector, sharing his collection of incredibly rare and sought-after pieces in the form of his own eponymous microbrand. The 1937 Dress Chronograph, available in four different colour and dial configurations, is inspired by a range of art-deco examples from the 1930s. Keeping classic-friendly dimensions at 38mm, the watch also has the wallet-friendly VK61 mecha-quartz Seiko movement. Price: $375 USD Baltic Bicompax 002 Vintage-inspired and value-driven, this is a chronograph with a classic and compact design. Setting the tone, the high domed acrylic crystal and case echo distinct 1940’s vibes. Inside, the handsome sector dial showcases two distinct finishings, the outer chapter ring is…
Digital watches are generally overlooked by the tastemakers of the horological elite, but we don’t think that’s really fair. Not only do they provide an interesting way of communicating the time that is easier to read (just ask your child), but they’re also a little more unusual and cut through the sea of analogue watches that we are used to seeing everyday. Because while you obviously have a range of digital watches that tell the time via an LED screen, there are also some seriously cool mechanical digital watches. So with that in mind, we thought we’d take a look at some of the best digital watches of 2020, which range from a few hundred dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars. CASIO G-SHOCK DW5600 NASA LIMITED EDITION There’s no shortage of watches clinging onto a legacy of space travel, but if any of them would be relevant in a modern world, then it would be a G-Shock. This limited edition DW5600 is clinically eye-catching, with its pure-white case and integrated rubber strap, smoothing over the usual bulk of G-Shocks. Pops of colour with the NASA logo and US flag complete a package fit for any space cowboy. Ref No.…
Chamath Palihapitiya is a name you might not have heard of a week ago but, thanks to his very public support of the GameStop share trading controversy, it’s now significantly more recognisable. He began his career as an early senior executive at Facebook, before beginning his current venture as the billionaire founder of Social Capital, a venture capital firm established to “advance humanity by solving the world’s hardest problems”. If that wasn’t enough to be getting on with, Palihapitiya is also a part owner of the Golden State Warriors basketball team. But as his wrist game clearly demonstrates, the man knows his horological hardware too. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Open Worked Rose Gold 41mm When you enter the world of Audemars Piguet, it makes sense to start with the Royal Oak family. Maybe something time-only in steel or a more technical option if you’re attracted to the Off Shore arm of the collection. A reference that certainly isn’t your entry point to the brand is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Open Worked Rose Gold 41mm, a skeletonised tour de force hewn from a very attractive shade of precious metal. Palihapitiya was spotted wearing this…
Watch manufacturers usually get it right when it comes to their factory configurations. But people’s tastes vary a lot. Sometimes you might feel a design could use a touch more flair or may even need to be scaled back a bit. Buyers normally have to rely on their imaginations to play dress up with their strap monsters, often buying straps online and hoping when they arrive they live up to whatever they’d pictured in their mind. But Hublot is making this experience easier and a whole lot more fun. Through their Hublot Strap Customiser Tool, visitors to the Hublot site can now play watch designer and, if they like what they see, even purchase the configuration for themselves. I decided to try it out for myself, and here are three configurations I think really work (or at least make a great second option to the original configuration). Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium ref. 542.NX.1171.RX The Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium ref. 542.NX.1171.RX is 42mm in diameter, 50 metres water-resistant and runs on the HUB1110 self-winding movement with 42 hours of power reserve. The Classic Fusion is a nice daily wearer that works well for both casual and formal settings. It comes on…
The Swiss maisons are at it again, bringing their entire arsenal of craftsmanship to celebrate the Chinese New Year. As we all know, the Chinese market is huge and a great reason for watch brands to bring out the big guns. By big guns, however, we really mean the opposite here, as tiny instruments and loupes are dusted off to bring artisanal handmade details to the forefront and start off 2021 with an artful bang. Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shi Chen Lustrous gold meets inky black framed in the classic L.U.C case from Chopard that offers a perfect balance of pebble-round comfort and swoopy lugs. The 40mm dial is a beautifully crafted surface of the Urushi lacquer we know from the best wristworn examples of Japanese craftsmanship, here delightfully integrated into Chopard’s design. The dial has a large crescent-shaped window in the upper half of the dial displaying the animals from the Chinese cycle of the Zodiac, with a balanced Chinese symbol in the centre. This large and engagingly symmetrical symbol of prosperity lends an almost architectural formality to the background. Arrowhead indices and the contemporary sword hands of the L.U.C series brings a sharp modernity that works,…
Within the world of sports watch manufacturers, TAG Heuer has carved its place in history as one of the leading brands. Best known for its racing chronographs, today the brand combines the best of both worlds, creating timepieces inspired by its rich heritage while incorporating the latest movement and manufacturing technologies. TAG Heuer has always had a strong presence in the minds of buyers (particularly in Australia), but 2020 presented some of their strongest releases of the recent era. Here are my top five TAG Heuer releases of 2020. TAG Heuer X Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Limited Edition Last year saw a lot of blue dial watches being released, undoubtedly establishing blue as the colour of the year. But TAG Heuer has been there, done that with their iconic Monaco chronograph. Instead, the Monaco received a refreshing makeover in the form of a limited edition for the Monaco Grand Prix. The TAG Heuer X Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Limited Edition is the Monaco watch we know and love, but with a red dial housed in its 39mm case that makes it stands out from the crowd. The bold red really catches the eye and freshens up the classic…
Grand Seiko and their meticulous artistry never cease to amaze me. Each watch has a rich back story with every dial tone, texture, case form and finish carefully selected in order to best convey the brand’s grammar of design. Their relationship with Japanese culture and the nature that surrounds their workshops really shines through in each reference – nothing they produce is ever random. Due to this thoughtful curation of design, the catalogue of Grand Seiko watches announced each year are anything but stale and continue to elevate and evolve the brand’s standing worldwide. Here are three of the most surprising Grand Seiko releases of 2020. 1. The 9SA5 debuting in steel with the Grand Seiko SLGH003 Limited Edition The SLGH003 was an incredibly welcome surprise back in October. The 9SA5 caliber is a new and revolutionary movement designed by Grand Seiko, introducing a full balance bridge, over-coiled hairspring, and most notably: a dual-impulse escapement and free-sprung balance. With the sixth and final chapter of the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Limited Editions, I do not think anyone expected yet another limited edition with a gorgeous blue dial – but boy were we all happy when we found out. Previously the…
In 2020, everything was different. The way we worked. The way we socialised. And even the way we wore watches. If you only ever got your dress watch out of the safe for a black tie event, it’s likely you didn’t touch it at all last year. I heard stories of people who used to wear a watch everyday in the office, who simply stopped wearing them when they started working from home. On the flip-side, I heard of people wearing three or four different watches a day, simply because they could just grab one from their case whenever they liked. It was probably the strangest year of most people’s lives. Personally, I still wore my watches while working from home if, for nothing else, the enjoyment I got out of them and the loose way that putting on a watch can inform your daily routine. But I did notice my habits changing a little. I wore less of a range of watches, gravitating instead to a few staples that I would return to each day. Maybe it was because the range of ways I could spend my time had shrunk so much during the lockdowns, the watches I wore…
DLC, or diamond-like carbon, is a great tool for watch manufacturers to leverage. It’s capable of not only changing the aesthetics, but also the durability of a timepiece. To get an idea of how tough DLC is, the material typically measures at 5000-9000HV on the Vickers hardness test. Essentially, this means that DLC is as hard, and possibly even harder, than a diamond. That these coatings can be applied to cases and bracelets therefore results in some serious added benefits for the consumer. To explore DLC further, we have put together a list of four great watches that use DLC coatings. Bamford x Time+Tide GMT2 Yep, I know, shameless self-promotion alert. But let’s be clear: of all the watches on this list, this is the most affordable. What’s more, it was made in collaboration with George Bamford who pretty much made black DLC coatings the hot commodity for modification. With 100 metres of water-resistance, the GMT2 features a 40mm DLC-treated 316L stainless-steel case and a matching DLC-coated steel bracelet (along with a black Cordura Strap with blue stitching). At just 11.7mm thick, the Sellita SW330-1 powered watch will also slide under practically any shirt cuff, it’s all-black look ripe for…