CELEBRITY WATCH DEATH MATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo Vs. Lionel Messi, and we're calling it a thrashing
Celebrity Watch Death Match is back, and we’re kicking off from the centreline with the watch collections of two of football’s biggest ever names – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. These two princes of the pitch have both been described as the GOATs of the modern era; however, if you’re going off stats alone, Leo wipes the floor with Ronaldo. Don’t believe me? Read this. Judging these footballers’ watch collections is not so clear-cut, though – we can’t go off something as dull and clinical as hard data that gives us nothing but the facts. No, to ascertain the MVP of this play-off, we’ve got to rely on our own instincts, and flagrant subjectivity. And also, we all should naturally take into account that both these big dogs have had commercial affiliations with watchmakers in the past. Let the games begin! Smartest Smart Watch? Lionel Messi – Porsche Design Huawei Watch 2 Leo Messi represents the absolute pinnacle of an elite athlete, so it makes perfect sense that the Argentinian ace has been affiliated with a smart watch manufacturer in the past. Unfortunately, though, the Atomic Flea decided to pair himself up with Chinese mega giant Huawei and rock a…
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OK, this legit feels like a Friday. It’s 3:30, and as we say in Australia, I’m absolutely stinging for a tin. Translation: a cold beer would be very pleasant if you happen to have one? I’m back in the house, out of my pimped-up pool shed that I now call home during the week while lockdown drags on and on. Why? Because it’s being properly renovated. If life throws you lockdown, pimp your pool shed is my new motto. A quick Australian COVID-19 update: we are still required to work from home, and business can be penalised if they breach the order. So, Steve McQueen on the garage door of our once-was-a-motorbike-shop HQ is lonely and grumpy, and I am – like the rest of the team – still contending with remote working. We’re still managing to do our thing, though, and it was another pretty memorable week for story twists and turns. The story I’ll never forget … We really agonised over it in the editorial meeting. Should we publish it? Was it off-topic for Time+Tide? It was about ‘the most inspirational watch in the world’. Which was Luke’s clever take on Jocko Willink’s digital watch face, which daily…
The Home Delivery Watch Fair, Watches & Wonders Edition was hands down one of the most ambitious and fun things we’ve ever attempted. And, judging by the comments, you seemed to enjoy it. That’s about all the encouragement we needed to take that positivity forward and tackle the big dance. So, we’re doing it again. For Baselworld. But this time, it’s bigger. Because it’s a virtual Baselworld, and everything is bigger in Baselworld. More watches — there are more than 40 in the full three episodes. More glamour — there are movie stars and adult entertainers. More hangovers — there are cocktails. If the first Home Delivery Watch Fair was a roast chicken with chips, this is a 10-pound turducken with a couple of pounds of double-roasted potatoes on the side. How much of Basel is enough? You’re about to find out. When does it start? Tomorrow! We have three episodes lined up for the next three Saturdays, starting with tomorrow at 10pm in NYC, 7pm in LA and midday in the home office of Melbourne, Australia. We tried to line up a cocktail hour for the whole world, and it wasn’t easy. Hit Instagram to put your timer on, or check your inbox…
Bremont may have only been around since 2002, but since its inception, founders and brothers Nick and Giles English have made sure that the hard-charging British watchmaker has been at the forefront of not only innovation but also military collaboration and integration. In fact, you can find a Bremont strapped to the wrist of a great many servicemen and women across the globe, and there’s a very good reason for this – the British watches offer a great level of robustness and tool watch real-life functionality that borders on being unparalleled in the horological industry. For this reason, Time+Tide is proud to stock a curated selection of the British marque’s timepieces at our market place. These are just some of the excellent timepieces we can now offer: Bremont Supermarine Type 301 This diver’s watch offers up the quintessence of a military-inspired amphibious timepiece, thanks to 300 metres of water resistance, highly legible dial with creamy Super-LumiNova indices, unidirectional rotating bezel and a highly legible dial, which is capped by an anti-reflective, domed sapphire crystal. Powering the rugged dive watch is Bremont’s Calibre 11 ½”‘ BE-92AE, a self-winding movement that offers up chronometer certification, 21 jewels, 38 hours of power reserve and…
Editor’s note: If you’re wondering, Battle Royale is a relatively new segment where someone in the team nominates a collection or, in this case, a category – Grand Seiko dials – and we figuratively fight to the death for our favourite from said group until there is one opinion standing. Well, not really. That would be bloody, time-consuming, fairly hard to adjudicate and likely to upset HR. So, why don’t we just make our case for our pick, and then try to eviscerate each other’s (clearly poor) choices in comments? OK. We have news. We may be officially entering a new era of Grand Seiko appreciation, which we’re suggesting might be truncated to simply ‘P.S’. Because, we have just done a blind call out (no answers were known) to the team for everyone’s favourite current Grand Seiko dial. And where that might once have resulted in a veritable blizzard of Snowflakes – be they white, blue or off-white – this time the weather forecast is different. We have clouds and we have mountains, but the skies are crystal clear. So, we may be living in a ‘Post Snowflake’ world, where Grand Seiko has escaped the formidable shadow cast by one…
If variety is the spice of life, Bulgari are condiment connoisseurs when it comes to the Octo Finissimo collection. Available in titanium, ceramic, carbon, sandblasted gold and now stainless steel, the many faceted cases of the range offer a dizzying array of different finishes. These external variations are hardly superficial either, they make a profound difference to the overall look and feel of each watch. Of the 2020 releases, the show was stolen by the new satin-finished Octo Finissimo in steel, but an equally interesting new reference is the ceramic version, now with a polished case. This makes the ceramic Octo Finissimo the first time-only interpretation of the watch that has been finished in two different ways in the same material, begging the question: which is better? The silky sheen of the space-age polish, or the industrial chic of the sandblasted matte finish? Taking stock of the dimensions, both the matte and polished expressions of the ceramic Octo Finissimo are housed within a 40mm diameter case that sits only 5.5mm off the wrist. Yes, it’s extremely thin — in part, thanks to the award-winning thin movement inside, the Bulgari BVL 138 caliber (the thinnest time-only automatic movement in the world).…
“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” That line — from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the classic western starring John Wayne and James Stewart — nails the way in which some tales become impossible to resist. Certain details might prove apocryphal. Slabs of the narrative turn out to be completely made up. But we choose to avert our eyes from these exaggerations because, well, they get in the way of a cracking yarn. What’s all this got to do with Rolex? The brand’s position as the most powerful watchmaker in the world is founded both on horological innovation and a reputation for extreme dependability. Such attributes are certainly not in doubt. Yet, over the years, Rolex has reached such storied heights that it’s developed its own folklore, to the point that I’ve even been asked the question: “What’s your favourite Rolex myth?” I don’t want to imply that the following tales are fabrications. Some indeed, like Everest, are 100 per cent fact. But all of them cast Rolex’s watches in such a heroic light that they’re the stuff of legend in the most literal sense. Myth 1: Rolex inspired The Great Escape During WWII, British army Corporal Clive…
There is a lot to be said for a simple chronograph. Something clear, easy to read and a pleasure to look at. You don’t always want to strap a large, bulky watch to your wrist. One with more information on the dial than you will ever use, and with at least half the displays doing god knows what. Longines has spotted this gap in the chronograph game, and has capitalised on it with their latest addition to the Heritage collection, the Longines Heritage Classic Chronograph 1946. We first took a look at this watch a couple of months ago, but recently got to spend more quality time with it and get a better understanding of what it offers in a crowded market. The first thing to note — and arguably the core of the impression you get with it on the wrist — is the cleanly executed design of the watch. The highly stylised Breguet numerals in raised and perfectly applied paint, the blued steel hands and the balance of the two sub-dials make for a great-looking watch, only made more attractive by how accurate it is to its inspiration. As you might have guessed, the chronograph that inspired this latest…
Editor’s note: We’re running this story again for three reasons. One, because Sandra Lane stories can’t be read too many times in general. Two, because we still feel the same. And three, because it actually feels a little dated. The negative sentiment that might have existed around Hublot is abating year on year. Partly because it’s getting nigh on impossible to argue the toss when it comes to the quality and the care evident in their timepieces. A macro lens can be unforgiving. But it has a habit of loving modern Hublot watches. We captured the phenomenon here. So, perhaps more as a bit of archival trivia than a current news piece, we hope you enjoy once again Sandra’s wonderful piece. So, in some parts of the watchosphere, it’s fashionable to be a Hublot Hater. While I’m not a HH (professional detachment, there are other, better uses for my energy), I will admit to being in the “not loving it” camp for quite some time. It was the bigness, the brashness, the it-watchness of it all. Given the choice, I’ll take off-trend. It was the flashy image – the rappers, footballers and boxers. Which is ironic, really, since Hublot began with…
Smith & Singer (formerly Sotheby’s Australia) are hosting their first watch and jewellery auction of the year this week, featuring a smattering of interesting watches, with a few standout pieces. While the current circumstances mean a crowded room focused on a rostrum is impossible, the auction will be held virtually, with bidding allowed via telephone and online to enable the sale to go forward. While watches only make up a portion of the Jewels Department of Smith & Singer, there are always some interesting lots on offer, including a Heuer Autavia “Jo Siffert” and an Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI 1969 ref. 145022 69 in the last 12 months. This sale is no exception, with a few lots in particular that aren’t things you might see every day, and is due to take place on May 27 at 6.30pm. Lot #111: ROLEX ‘AMERICA’S CUP’ SUBMARINER REF 5513, A STAINLESS STEEL AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH BRACELET, CIRCA 1967 When it comes to buying vintage watches, provenance is one of the single most critical factors for many collectors. The origins of this particular Rolex Submariner are belonging to a member of the Australian contingent of the America’s Cup race in 1967, aboard the racing…