EVERY WATCH TELLS A STORY: Why Nick's Raketa Copernic is the ultimate quirky flex to impress collectors
“Is that what I think it is?” asked Aldis Hodge, Hollywood actor and horological designer, as I sat down for breakfast one morning at Dubai Watch Week 2019. “Yep,” I replied. “It’s an old Raketa Copernic; I picked it up last year.” “Nice, man. I’ve got one of those too,” he said. I had already been happy with the watch, mostly on account of the price I paid for it. But now, I smiled ear to ear. To have its coolness confirmed by a man who definitely knows a thing or two about watch design? That was something else. The Raketa Copernic was first released in Soviet-era Russia to commemorate the Polish astronomer and mathematician Nicolaus Copernicus. The strangely shaped hands were a specific ode to his work in astrology, with the minute hand representing the moon, being eclipsed by the hour hand that represented the sun once an hour. The watch was re-released by the still-operating Raketa in 2019, but without the old-world charm of the original. The larger 40.5mm blackened steel case and red dial highlights are attractive, but don’t give the same pared-back, roughly finished appeal of the original watch. While it doesn’t have sharply finished case…
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Ever since it was unveiled at Baselworld way back in 2012 (Fun fact: Andrew’s first Basel!), Tudor’s extensive and diverse range of Black Bays have represented some of the best value-for-money propositions on the market. Genuinely, every time anyone asks me what watch they should buy for around $5000 AUD, the answer is always the same – Tudor. Black. Bay. Trouble is, even though the formidable, heritage-inspired dive watch has only been around for a mere eight years, it has already gone through myriad changes and spawned several different models. So, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the most important iterations of the moniker, and give a ruling as to which one we think is currently the king. Tudor Heritage Black Bay Ref.7922R Here it is: genesis. The beginning of a legend. Styled to pay homage to the Ref.7922 Tudor Submariner of 1954, the Heritage Black Bay was immediately met with praise by the watch media and community alike. The burgundy bezel, gilt dial, small Tudor rose, and even the curved “self-winding” font on the dial, clearly marked this watch out as a winner. In fact, the watch was such a hit that it won the…
We have had some moments over the six plus year journey of Time+Tide, and this is certainly one of them. We have been asked by Zenith, one of the great manufactures, to help them launch this – the FINAL El Primero Special Edition in the 50th Anniversary year – the Chronomaster Manufacture Edition. Above is the edited video that does it. There is also a pretty epic feature length video that you can find on our YouTube channel. We’ll be talking a little more about this one over the coming days. But put it this way, we have a fair amount of time covered if you’re struggling for lockdown viewing as a watch lover. It features exclusive interviews about the new watch, and also includes Wei Koh from Revolution talking about the recent Revolution Limited Edition ‘Cover Girl’ A3818 Revival. Last, but certainly not least, because this feature length video is largely focused on the movement powering this, and many other Zenith models, we have watchmaker Michael Woods explaining what makes the El Primero tick. The watch is a 38mm Chronomaster, featuring a new configuration of blue subdials that was discovered in the attic of Charles Vermot. It is powered…
Young Queen of Cool Billie Eilish is known for her avant-garde fashion sense, firmly cementing oversized hoodies, fluorescent hair and dad sneakers into vogue. The five-time Grammy winner and two-time Guinness World Record holder also has a fondness for jewellery — and lots of it. She’ll regularly be snapped with fingers stacked with rings, wrists loaded with bracelets and watches, and a neck almost hidden from sight with boldly themed necklaces. She confirmed her passion for lavishly created jewellery and watches in a recent photoshoot with Kenneth Cappello, where she was spotted wearing a highly unusual Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with matching Cuban link chain and signet ring. A warning for purists: this watch cannot be unseen… (For the rest of us, buckle up, it’s wild) The watch was first revealed as part of a set called the Wild Coat collection at Art Basel Miami Beach, including the Cuban link chain, two rings and a lighter case. Each piece within the set is yellow gold inlaid with rose gold to achieve the different colours of the leopard spots. Art Basel Miami Beach is the North American arm of the international art fair that hold shows in Hong Kong and, of course,…
With the announcement that Omega will be the official timekeeper of the 36th America’s Cup comes the release of the brand new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 36th America’s Cup Limited Edition. The watch is presented on an eye-catching integrated rubber strap with red lining and contrast white stitching. The 43.50mm Planet Ocean is offered in stainless steel and ‘limited’ to just 2,021 pieces. The blue ceramic diving bezel is in-filled with white and red liquid ceramic to create a 5-minute countdown for racing. The sympathetic white date wheel should please purists and the red numerals at 6, 9 and 12 contrast sharply, reinforcing a summer-fresh palette of red, white and blue. The dial is in white polished ceramic, and incorporates the competition’s name above 6 o’clock. The America’s Cup logo has also been placed on the counterweight of the central seconds hand. Those fearing a solid engraved caseback – so common on commemorative editions like this – can relax. The America’s Cup logo is applied to the caseback’s sapphire crystal, but you can also see the Omega Master Chronometer Calibre 8900 through the crystal. The 36th America’s Cup is set to take place in March 2021. Competitors will sail in…
Let me start this review with an admission: I thought the Big Crown was going to turf many of its current models in 2020. The Milgauss, for example, is well past due for an evolution from its current form, if it remains at all. Likewise, the Air-King – which stylistically borrowed heavily from a set of dash clocks made for a land speed record car that Rolex no longer has any affiliation with – was also rumoured to be disappearing for good. In my opinion, though, the model that was most ready for a reboot was the divisive Explorer II Ref.216570. Here is a watch that has been in production for one year shy of a decade and, until recently, hasn’t exactly been a fan favourite. In fact, before stainless steel professional models escalated in value, the Explorer II, in either the black or white dial, was readily available from your local AD. I should know – I used to work for one. Why was it never as desirable as something like a Submariner or Daytona? Well, the large 42mm case size has been off-putting for many, considering that its predecessor, the Ref. 16570, was a more agreeable 40mm. Then…
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is one of the most well-known watches in the world, but there are some references within the family that remain relatively undiscovered. While they are extremely rare, Royal Oaks with stone dials are as beautiful as you would imagine from the Le Brassus-based brand, with lapis lazuli and various other textured hard stones used in recent decades. Audemars Piguet have added to this legacy of exotic dials with the brand new Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin, available in platinum and rose gold with a black onyx dial and diamond indexes. The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo”, in its ultra-thin case, measures just 39mm in diameter and only 8.1mm tall — well and truly living up to its slimline name. This lithe presence on the wrist is allowed by the Audemars Piguet automatic caliber 2121, which is only 3.05mm thick, pretty impressive for an automatic movement that offers 40 hours of power reserve. The reference in platinum is reminiscent of the ref. 14700BC Royal Oak from 1991, with black dial and diamond markers cased in 36mm of white gold, however the newly released rose gold looks suitably differentiated. These watches are special, not only because they are…
** It is mandatory that all readers of this post be listening to this song while they do it. Thank you for complying.** We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – G-Shock are losing the plot, and we’re loving it. And now, to cut straight to the chase, as direct as a frickin laser beam, they’ve created a watch that’s been fully etched by one. How did they do it? Did they drop it into a pool with sharks with laser beams on their heads? No, it’s called the ‘Grid Tunnel’ effect. But we won’t kill the suspense here, read on. Their latest weird and wacky creation is the all-new GMW-B5000CS-1, a full-metal digital beast that looks like it’s been ripped straight from the world of Tron: Legacy. Seriously, just one glimpse of this watch is enough to conjure memories of Daft Punk’s epic electro soundtrack, which you’d have to listen to every time you wore the watch, surely, and which should be pumping away now. This isn’t just some cheaply painted on, haphazard effect either. No, this G-Shock has been hewn from stainless steel that’s then been given a deep black IP treatment, and then its geometric pattern…
Editor’s note: There are more micro and independent watchmakers out there than you could possibly ever discover in one lifetime – literally thousands upon thousands of different brands, all vying for your hard-earned. Ascertaining which makers are the successful ones is pretty simple. If they’ve been established for anything more than two years and they’re still solvent, chances are they’re doing OK. And if you want to figure out which small watchmakers are excelling, you need only look at their back catalogue. If the watches made so far have sold out, then guess what? This is a successful watchmaker. That’s why for today’s Micro Mondays feature, we’re once again taking a look at the Milan-based Unimatic. More specifically, we’re taking a look at five of their limited edition models that have sold out; in some cases, in a matter of minutes. Why? Because these models exemplify the breadth of abilities at making watches that are not only good but, more importantly, desirable. Unimatic X Massena LAB Modello Uno Ref.U1-ML6 Perhaps the most widely known model from Unimatic in recent memory, the Italian watchmaker’s collaboration with industry luminary William Massena was a resounding success. Want to know why we think that? Because…
The watch industry has a remarkable way of pulling together when times are tough. We see it every other year with the Only Watch auction raising money for muscular dystrophy. Jack Nicklaus auctioned his Rolex Day-Date last year to raise money for unwell children, and John Goldberger did the same with his unique white gold ref. 6265 Daytona in 2018. In response to the Coronavirus Crisis that is sweeping the world, and hitting America particularly hard, our friends at the Horological Society of New York have put together the Working Watchmakers Grant. It is a fund to support watchmakers around the US who are struggling because of the pandemic. Supporting the local industry in this way is well within the mission of the HSNY since they were established in 1866. Funded through donations, the Horological Society of New York Working Watchmakers Grant is a USD$100,000 fund that would be offered in USD$1000 amounts to 100 watchmakers around America. When considering the HSNY’s response to the pandemic, President Nicholas Manousos said they looked into their own history to realise their next steps forward. “New York watchmakers came together in 1866 to ensure their colleagues were taken care of,” said Manousos. “The…