Reggaeton superstar J Balvin recalls how declining a free Richard Mille almost put his life in danger
J Balvin is one the hottest Latin artists in the world with the Colombian musician commonly referred to as the ‘Prince of Reggaeton’. Selling over 35 million records worldwide, his status within the industry and high-income from his work allow him to engage with some of the most in-demand watches and brands in the world. His personal watch collection has received ample coverage on the internet, but his appearance on the latest episode of Hot Ones opened a brief window into his collector perspective – tackling topics such as the watch that was hardest for him to find, AP vs. Patek, and his views on “bussing down” watches. The most difficult watch for J Balvin to track down… Unfortunately for us watch enthusiasts he does not express the exact reference of Richard Mille he found the hardest to get, but perhaps the environment he received the watch in was tougher than finding the actual timepiece. J Balvin explains in his intermission between hot wings, “The most difficult one… It was a gift that someone gave it to me. A guy came to me, he was like, ‘Listen I respect you a lot and I want to give you this as…
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As we’ve previously reported, eBay are raising their game in the watch marketplace. One huge stride in the right direction came with their new eBay Authenticity Guarantee – a service where watches costing $2000 and above are eligible to be substantiated by an independent verification service before being shipped to the end consumer (currently only for listings in the United States). It’s clear this is no passing fad for the platform either, eBay are in it to win it. To show their dedication to watches, and the watch community at large, eBay has created their first ever product-dedicated Instagram account: @eBaywatches. We all have heard of eBay success stories, where collectors have found some pretty sweet bargains in the marketplace. I found my coveted 1999 Seiko SBWA001 Spring Drive First on eBay, and would have had a much harder time tracking the extremely rare (one of 500) Japanese domestic market model down without the platform. While that watch was one of many victories for me on eBay, including a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse ref. 3548, future winning buyers can feel even more assured thanks to the new Authenticity Guarantee and eBay want all of #watchfam to know about this new…
Over the last decade, the watch media has played an increasingly important, and intertwined, part in the watch industry. From increased coverage of newly released watches to publications becoming authorised retailers for brands, the landscape has shifted forever. And out of this paradigm shift, one of the coolest things to be born is the watch media collaboration watch. While it’s fair to debate how broad the definition of media collaboration watch might be (the Time Zone forum produced a limited edition watch with RGM back in 1999), the trend can be traced back as seriously gaining momentum in 2015 with the Hodinkee collaboration with MB&F. Even Time+Tide joined the party at the end of last year with our Bamford London x Time+Tide GMT1. So with more than half a decade in the rear window, enough time has passed to consider the question: what are the best watch media collaborations? Nick Kenyon – IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36mm Special Edition for The Rake and Revolution While I’ll admit I had a very soft spot for the Fratello Speedmaster “Speedy Tuesday” Limited Edition, there is something incredibly enchanting about this three-handed IWC. I think it’s the fact that, while there are lots of heritage reissues…
It’s no secret we are rather enamoured with the Bulgari Octo Finissimo and calling it a micro-technological marvel of the new century would not be overselling it. Following our article on Bulgari’s latest chapter of one-upmanship – where they managed to somehow engineer a tourbillon to fit the already infinitessimally optimised space inside the angular case – we are still none the wiser as to how they did it. Surely you too have wondered just what hides within the paper thin layers of cogs, bridges and small colourful pops of jewels in their caliber BV318. Rarely have we spent so much time looking at a movement through the clear sapphire caseback in the sandblasted titanium case, every so often turning the watch expecting it to be an optical illusion. Surely it is not humanly possible to fit a traditional mechanical movement with a chronograph complication and a GMT function within a case of 6.9mm? We are deadly curious and who better to educate us than Peter Speake-Marin of The Naked Watchmaker. In his Deconstruction series, an already fascinating journey into the inner workings of the mechanical wonders we obsess over, he has dedicated his workbench to the Octo Finissimo Chronograph…
The tide seems to be shifting in the auction world towards scarcity and craftsmanship, rather than scratched-up provenance and movie-star affiliations. We could see results of this theory already in our story on the latest Antiquorum auction here. In Monaco, the auction darlings of the last five years, steel sports Rolex, did OK, whereas the rarity value of a few references from F.P Journe smashed through the proverbial glass roof of the reserves. Are Philippe Dufour and F.P Journe the new auction stars and have steel sports watches peaked? In this article on industry insider Watchpro, Simon de Burton argues that is an indication that the previous auction scene duopoly of Patek and Rolex is in fact slowly crumbling. Is that a fact, or is it a mere shift in the market towards rare luxury that sets buyers apart from the usual Rolex collector out there? The bigger question should perhaps be whether the bidders are following their personal taste or market trends. A handcrafted case in point was the 2004 F.P Journe Octa Calendrier – that we covered in this story on Antiquorum’s Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces in Monaco – which more than doubled its already high estimate, going under…
Many of us, myself included, have the 5711 steel Nautilus cemented onto our watch grail wish-list. Now, the infamous eight year waiting-list you’d have to endure after ordering one is no more. Patek Philippe’s top selling reference is being discontinued, and many a collector on an exclusive AD list will return to square one, with the prices of pre-owned pieces skyrocketing (as covered in our recent story here). At first glance, the decision to abandon the 43-year-old Nautilus 5711 looks seriously counterintuitive, But as Entrepreneur.com explains in this story, the move makes sense if you look at it through the glasses of Patek Philippe CEO Thierry Stern. You’d assume the surging popularity of the 5711 in recent years would be a good thing, right? But as one of the brands in the so-called Holy Trinity of Swiss watchmaking, Patek has a legacy to nurture and that means having more than one sports watch of iconic status. As Jason Feifer writes in the article: “The watch had become so popular that its meaning changed. People were flashing it around Instagram as a sign of wealth. Others were surely buying it just to flip it. And it was distracting attention from the…
Last week it happened again. I was standing in line at a coffee shop and, of the seven people queuing, I was the only one wearing a proper watch. There were four naked wrists, one Garmin and one Apple Watch constantly buzzing and flashing. Now if we have any chance of turning this sad situation around we desperately need an injection of youth into the watchmaking industry. Is Norifumi Seki the answer? Yes, that’s serious pressure laying the entire future of the watchmaking industry on just one man. But hear me out. How many independent Japanese watchmakers do you know? In addition to Hajime Asako and his Art Deco panache, you’d be hard pressed to find many, which is one of the reasons why this story is important, especially considering the enormous power of the Asian marketplace in horology. So who is Norifumi Seki? Hailing from Tokyo and still only 23, he attended the Hiko Mizuno Jewelry College and burst onto the international scene last year as the first Asian to win the esteemed F.P Journe Young Talent Competition. Seki’s delicate Model II is the precursor to the pocketwatch that won that competition and is a brilliant example of quirky…
Rectangles, what do they mean? According to whiteriverdesign.com, these shapes represent stability. In fact, the rectangle is the most commonly used area shape in logo design. The reason for its popularity, apparently, is that it is a trusted familiar shape that represents honesty, solidity and stability. As squares and rectangles have straight lines and right angles they have a very mathematical, balanced feel. These shapes scream rationality, practicality and conformity. Rectangles are neither flashy nor attention-seeking – some may even venture they are boring – but clever designers will twist or turn them to add interest to a design. Enter the Reverso book from Jaeger-LeCoultre. That final idea of added interest is poignant when we are considering the Reverso. The fundamental concept of the Reverso rectangular case being able to turn, makes it in addition to its balanced design, a talking point. And not to mention a space for interpretation, complications and case art, from a simple monogram to lacquerwork and miniature art, something JLC has shown us over the years. Though starting out as a purely protective measure for polo players in the early 20th century, the Reverso presents another face that can remain minimalist, decorated or even surprise…
George Bamford is about as passionate and enthusiastic a member of the watch community as you’ll ever find. His boisterous energy is infectious whether he’s discussing his Ferrari 275 GTB or the Bamford Watch Department x Time+Tide GMT1. And it’s this energy that is set to be the driving force behind his new podcast GB Talks, where George will interview watch experts as part of a deep dive into underappreciated watches of the past. In his first episode, George speaks with journalist, writer, editor, speaker and consultant, Robin Swithinbank on what he considers to be one of the best sleeper watches on the market today – the Omega Seamaster 200 “SHOM”. First released at Baselworld in 1973, the Omega Seamaster 200 “SHOM” ref. 166.177 got its nickname after being used by the Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine, a division of the French Navy. Featuring an aggressively angular case that oozes ’70s style, it immediately reminds you of the more well-known Omega PloProf that spelled the beginning of the brand’s journey into the deepest parts of the ocean. The “SHOM” also helped pave the way for Omega’s close collaboration with the French Marine Nationale and was itself qualified for…