7 highlights from the Vacheron Constantin 2020 collection
Vacheron Constantin are a member of the horological holy trinity for very good reason. When it comes to technical innovation and craftsmanship, they are close to peerless in their capacity to not only create some of the most complex and interesting movements ever, but execute the design in an extremely well-thought-out wristwatch. They won the “Innovation” prize only last year at the GPHG with the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar, and continue to leave jaws slack with some of their 2020 releases, with new offerings in the Overseas, Fiftysix and Traditionnelle families. And while all of these watches are remarkable examples of design and engineering in their own right, Vacheron Constantin have outdone themselves with a Grand Complication being offered this year. So without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most impressive watches that make up the Vacheron Constantin 2020 collection. Vacheron Constantin “La Musique du Temps” Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Split-seconds chronograph This year, Vacheron Constantin have flexed their watchmaking muscle, with the release of a unique double-sided watch with a total of 24 complications housed between the the two dials. Powered by their new in-house caliber 2756 that delivers an incredible 65…
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Watches & Wonders, the second biggest watch fair of the year, has just dropped. And by dropped we mean there’s a website with some stuff on it, because this is 2020 and we’re all stuck at home self isolating. We found the concept of having to opt in to an interactive website a little too involved for a Saturday morning, so we’ve taken the legwork out of it by filming the first-ever feature length Time+Tide video – and it’s essentially an hour-long virtual watch fair that recaps all the major brands and their releases in a talk show format. Because, personally speaking, do you really want to read on a Saturday? Me, nah. And in case you’re wondering, by ‘feature length’, we ain’t gilding the lily. This is over an hour of analysis, banter and brand new watches – it’s the ultimate ISO-FIX for watch lovers. It’s called the Time+Tide Home Delivery Watch Fair. It does what it says on the tin. Delivers a fresh watch fair to you, wherever you are, for your viewing pleasure. Isolation is nothing. Pyjamas are everything. We have you covered and you can come 100 as you are. Why should I watch this video?…
We don’t want to cry poor, because boy have we had some good times over the years. But the hidden thing about watch fairs is that they’re utterly exhausting. Especially when you travel for over 24 hours to get to them. Somehow, I have managed to re-create this effect without leaving Australia. Because, wait for it, we have filmed the first ever feature length Time+Tide video – and it’s essentially a virtual watch fair! And by feature length, we’re not stretching the truth either. This is over an hour of analysis, banter and brand new watches – it’s the ultimate ISO-FIX for watch lovers. It’s called the Time+Tide Home Delivery Watch Fair. It does what it says on the tin. Delivers a fresh watch fair to you, wherever you are, for your viewing pleasure. Isolation is nothing. Pyjamas are everything. We have you covered and you can come 100 as you are. The video launches at 8am tomorrow morning. How did we do it? Running the gauntlet of Australian social distancing regulations, we have worked with a skeleton staff of filming crew (thank you Saxall for dealing with our insane deadlines) to capture ALL of the embargoed watches which will be…
Make no mistake, the Cartier 2020 collection is a cracker. Last year we were offered a smaller collection of watches that focused on the Santos and Tonneau shapes, but this year we get most of that and much, much more. The latest releases from Cartier are broken down into five distinct collections, but there’s also the welcome return of some of the earliest and most remarkable designs from the French luxury firm. The Santos-Dumont continues to shine as the backbone of the brand’s design philosophy with two revivals in the form of the Privé and Pasha de Cartier collections. The exceptional craftsmanship of the Métiers d’Art collection continues, and Cartier also launches a brand new collection in the form of the Maillon de Cartier. Here are some of the highlights from each collection. Cartier Santos-Dumont Limited Editions These three Cartier Santos-Dumont Limited Editions are the logical destination of the journey Cartier embarked on in January last year. Back then, they released the Santos-Dumont in a range of different sizes, but kept them affordable by using quartz movements. Last month they teased us with the release of the Santos-Dumont XL, powered by an ultra-slim hand-wound mechanical movement and housed in a…
We have been fans of H. Moser & Cie. for precisely as long as we have known about them. Which is why we are so proud and excited to announce that, from today, a capsule collection of our favourite H. Moser & Cie. models is available in the Time+Tide Shop. The backstory of Time+Tide and H. Moser & Cie. is one of deepening obsession. From the minute we laid eyes on their watches, which combine inimitable fumé dials with verticalised production that includes – like just a handful of manufactures can – production of the hairspring, we were intrigued. And then, just like the rest of the industry, we were amused and impressed by their campaigns. Afraid to shake things up this brand was not! Their campaigns may be about the lols, but their work – and their after sales service – is deadly serious. This becomes evident when you hold an H. Moser & Cie. watch in the hand. These are timepieces that can only be compared to the finest examples in the market, period. Personally speaking, I had to have one. And after a year of pining, I achieved my goal. What further impressed me, as I dug…
This week’s CWDM is going to be controversial and it’s going to be subjective. There’s no way around it. These guys are Hollywood’s high-end horologists. Their collections are pure class. So get ready for some of the craziest watches on planet earth and prepare for opinions, because we all have them, and when it comes to this selection, I certainly have mine. It’s a throwdown for the ages. It’s Kevin Hart Vs. Mark Wahlberg in the biggest Celebrity Watch Death Match ever staged so far. Soundtrack suggestion: *Hey Siri, play Eye of the Tiger*. These two leviathans of the silver screen have got some of the rarest, most expensive watches on the planet, and there’s a common theme amongst almost all of them: diamonds. And these are legit drippy delights – ain’t no aftermarket timepieces in these collections. If it’s icy, it’s coming straight from the factory’s freezer. So buckle up, because things are about to go turbo… Dress watch to die for: Kevin Hart – Patek Philippe 6102R Woah … we’ve always known that Kevin Hart has got an insane assemblage of timepieces, but damn! This is a major flex for a dress watch. For those who don’t know, the…
The Rolex brand is older than the city of Canberra, a fact that shows not only Australia’s youth, but, by contrast, just how old watchmaking really is. It also surely makes Canberra one of the least likely places on earth to find someone in their mid-20s making a tourbillon pocket watch. Enter Reuben Schoots … Hidden away in his workshop, Schoots is working on a project that has likely never been attempted before in Australia. He is creating a pocket watch following the George Daniels method. That means entirely by hand. His prediction is that the watch will take around 3000 hours to complete, a pace that probably outstrips the bureaucratic processes of the nearby Parliament House. What is most interesting about this likely to be first-of-its-kind mission is that it is being undertaken by a 26-year-old who seems to possess the patience of a Stoic philosopher. He has been interested in mechanics since a young age, helping his dad with the restoration of a 1961 Triumph TR4 when he was just eight. While there are obvious similarities between vintage cars and vintage watches, it was almost by accident that Schoots was introduced to horology. “I travelled to South America…
The more watches you see, the less likely it becomes that you see something you’ve never seen before. The Girard-Perregaux Absolute Rock, however, is absolutely unlike anything I’ve seen before. While the case shape and dial layout has been seen, in different references within the Laureato collection, the eye-catching element of this watch is the case material. The watch is constructed in a proprietary material known as Carbon Glass, a name that perfectly encapsulates the layered crystalline aesthetic on display. Carbon itself is not a new material in watchmaking, and has been used in countless watches. Carbon Glass, on the other hand, looks as though a carbon watch case has a current run through it, creating electric blue structures within the carbon that appear to be radiating with self luminescence. It’s one of the most remarkable materials you are likely to hear of today, so let’s take a closer look. Measuring up the new Girard-Perregaux Absolute Rock, we are met with a 44mm case diameter that is 14.75mm tall. Not small, but well sized for a modern sports watch. The matte black sandwich dial has impressive depth to it, and has been faintly radially brushed. The chronograph registers are arranged…
It’s a hard life being the watch of an action hero. For starters, you’re forced to put up with all the endless gunfights, speedboat chases and henchmen annihilation. Worse still, you’re always getting overlooked. The viewer’s eye rarely gets to appreciate the majesty of your Swiss-made dial, because it’s invariably yanked towards whatever kung-fu carnage or helicopter hijacking that your square-jawed owner is currently involved in. Yet these cinematic timepieces deserve their moment in the spotlight. That’s why we’ve decided to take a closer look at the watches on the end of the stunts. Hobbs & Shaw – Rolex and Panerai Dubbed “a fervently brainless delight” by The Guardian, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham battle against Idris Elba’s bad-ass cyborg in this spin-off of The Fast and the Furious franchise. The Rock, playing a tough federal agent who likes reading Nietzsche, wears a Panerai Luminor Submersible that looks positively dainty on a wrist the size of a redwood tree trunk. But this leaves his co-star in something of a horological quandary. Statham, as mentioned later on, is a big Panerai man. Now he was forced to change things up – but to what? Thankfully our resident watch spotter Nick Gould…
There have been several strange side effects of the rubbish situation we currently find ourselves in. Pushbikes, for example, are now more valuable than palladium. And because everything social (cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs etc.) is closed, it’s enabled some of us to save cash that we otherwise would’ve blown on boujee smashed avo brunches. Now that’s not much of a silver lining, but you’ve got to take the Ws where you can find them at the mo. And as watch enthusiasts, I’m confident that we all operate under this guiding financial principle: any significant cost savings we make must immediately be spent on watches, before we do anything too sensible with it. Not a major purchase or anything, just something to keep us ticking over, to make all this abject virus-related misery tolerable. The question is: which watch gets the nod? There are so many great timepieces out there that can be had for a grand (or thereabouts) … These are 15 fun options that make us feel good. And what price can you put on that? Undone Basecamp 420 Undone’s great sense of humour is matched only by its commercial smarts. What started as an April Fool’s joke, quickly escalated into production, because it…