Forget the Rolex Daytona on Antiques Roadshow, here are three watches to stash in your safe now
If you’re reading this, then chances are you’ve already seen the amazing video on America’s Antiques Roadshow of a US Air Force veteran and his mint Rolex Daytona Ref.6263. If not, stop reading this and watch the below video right now: I think we can all agree … this is a pretty staggering video. And it also got everyone at Time+Tide HQ talking about whether there were any watches that you could buy today and stash in your safe for the next 40 years that would net a similarly lucrative result. It ended up being a vigorous discussion (argument) among the team, with myriad mainstream and more quirky watchmakers and models being bandied about. While it’s impossible to know for sure the watches that’ll turn out to be popular in the future, we agreed on a trio that might have a better chance than others. In no particular order, here are three punts whose valuations might pay off your mortgage in 40 years’ time. Nick Kenyon – Citizen Caliber 0100 “The Most Accurate Wristwatch Ever Made” is a boast that all watch brands would love to claim, but it was Citizen who left jaws on floors in 2019 with the release…
The post Forget the Rolex Daytona on Antiques Roadshow, here are three watches to stash in your safe now appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Editor’s note: Hot on the heels of her imperious victory at the Adelaide Open, 2020’s Young Australian of the Year, Ash Barty, is continuing to carve her name into the annals of tennis legend, trouncing all of her competitors so far at the Australian Open with a spellbinding blend of grace and dogged determination. Barty is nothing short of a national treasure and an exemplar for how all athletes should go about their business, especially her fellow Aussie tennis players. Swiss watchmaker Rado recognises Barty’s greatness, and has been a long-term supporter of the tennis ace. The marque even created a limited edition watch in Barty’s honour to celebrate her meteoric rise to the rank of World No. 1. That watch is the Rado HyperChrome Ashleigh Barty Limited Edition, and in a very noble act of generosity, Rado has donated one of these limited edition timepieces, of which only 123 will ever exist, to Time+Tide’s “Watch & Act!” World Watch Auction in aid of the Australian wildfire crisis, and you can bid on that watch by clicking this link. The latest young star to join the ranks of Rado is the Australian tennis player Ash Barty, who despite being only…
If Zenith’s showing at LVMH’s Dubai Watch Week is anything to go by, 2020 could well be the year of the eccentric collaboration for the Swiss watchmaker. Not only were members of the press treated to the unveiling of the handsome, if slightly odd, Zenith DEFY El Primero 21 Land Rover Edition, but they were also shown this — Zenith DEFY El Primero 21 Carl Cox Edition. My oh my, is this an interesting “remix” of the regular DEFY 21 … I’m not even really sure where to begin. For a start, the 44mm case, as well as the bezel, crown, chronograph pushers, end links and even the head of the deployant clasp, are all hewn from carbon fibre, which has been given a matt finish. And if the aesthetic of all this matt baked plastic wasn’t inimitable enough, the bezel, and even the stitching on the black rubber and bright red Cordura strap, are treated with Super-LumiNova. This is, in my opinion, an incredibly outlandish novelty, and one presumably done to ensure that Mr Cox can flex on his audience in even the darkest of dens of iniquity. The dial is also rather … unique, as the running seconds sub-dial,…
Watches on bracelets are great for a multitude of reasons. They are both durable and comfortable, relatively easy to adjust and aren’t ruined if you go swimming with them … all pointing to it being hard to go wrong if you get a watch with a bracelet. Besides, it’s always better to buy your watch with a bracelet if you can, because leather straps are much of a muchness, but the variation in a bracelet that might suit your watch is endless. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the best watches on bracelets from 2019. AUTODROMO GROUP B CORSICA BLUE Colour can make or break a watch. With the Autodromo Group B Corsica Blue, the vibrant, summery dial design definitely makes this package a winner. Autodromo has been quietly improving their offering since launching. An integrated strap, a striking, sporty design, and automatic movement are all steps forward. The Group B also shows some material advancement. It is made of lightweight titanium, while the bracelet (which can be subbed out for a strap) is made of stainless steel. Ref No: Group B – Corsica Blue. Case size: 39mm. Case material: Titanium (strap in steel).…
The 2020 running of the Australian Open is well and truly into full … well, swing. And with the best tennis players in the world descending on Melbourne, we thought we’d take a look at watchmakers that have affiliations with the pro athletes because, after all, one of my favourite parts of the AO is seeing what the players have attached to their wrist. Roger Federer – Rolex Easily one of the most well-recognised partnerships between a sportsperson and a watchmaker, Roger Federer and Rolex are a match made in heaven. Federer is unquestionably the consummate professional of the tennis world — he’s never drawn into drama or off-court antics. Simply put, he’s just the best tennis player of all time. Federer has been seen wearing countless models from the “Big Crown”, and we can only imagine what his watch collection must be like. Ash Barty – Rado 2020’s Young Australian of the Year, Ash Barty, is doing what she does best at this year’s Australian Open – trouncing all of her competitors on the tennis court with grace and aplomb. I’m a huge fan of Ms Barty; she is a true national treasure and an exemplar for how all athletes…
“Forecasting future events is often like searching for a black cat in an unlit room, that may not even be there,” wrote Steve Davidson in The Crystal Ball. The art of predictions, in other words, tends to be an absolute mug’s game. When you’re trying to make forecasts about Rolex – a company that shrouds its plans with MI5 levels of secrecy – it’s even more of a challenge. But these lousy odds haven’t stopped YouTuber Jenni Elle from peering into her crystal ball to predict Rolex’s new releases for Baselworld 2020. What’s more, she’s created an impressive concept video that “reviews” the three “most wished for” new Rolex models. Thanks to some whiz-bang special effects, Jenni’s video introduces an all-gold “Hulk” Submariner, a “Coke” GMT-Master II and a Steel “Smurf” Submariner. Yes, these are fantasy watches, but the production values are slick enough to make them larger than life. Here we review Jenni’s bold predictions and rate the likelihood of them making it out of fantasyland onto a wrist near you. Stainless Steel ‘Smurf’ Submariner Date The Oystersteel Submariner Date is currently only available in the classic black bezel/black dial iteration or the green bezel/green dial “Hulk” combo. If…
As is always the way on Australia Day weekends, I went to an endless succession of parties and barbecues. These shindigs are a great opportunity to go watch spotting and I was fortunate to stumble across a few exciting timepieces that had one thing in common — they were all vintage. So without further ado, here are my top three spots from the weekend: Ash’s Tudor Oyster Prince Ash only recently started getting into watches, but her appetite for vintage timepieces has grown rapidly in the last six months, and now you’ll find her on most weekends scouring markets, garage sales and op-shops for her next antiquated fix. This Australia Day, she chose to wear her early ’60s Tudor Oyster Prince. A gorgeous gold-capped number with a complementing champagne dial, Ash says that she was fortunate enough to pick this one up at Camberwell Market for a steal. It’s not an absolute minter but, as she explains, “It’s just for the weekends, and I like that it’s not perfect, because I can wear it out on days like today and not worry about clattering it on something like a door jam.” A very nice vintage piece indeed that gives off…
Last year, fans were delighted with the release of the DOXA SUB 200 T.Graph, a steel cushion-cased chronograph with an iconic DOXA orange dial. Based on a historical reference from 1969, the SUB 200 T.Graph is part of the brand’s revitalisation over recent years, which included the release of the same chronograph, except in solid gold rather than steel. What is particularly interesting with the release of both the stainless steel and gold examples is that DOXA has chosen to furnish them with vintage manual-winding Valjoux 7734 movements. Preserved by the brand for decades, before being restored and updated to include a 45-hour power reserve, the Valjoux 7734 is a charming nod to the long legacy the brand has built for well over a century. WatchTime magazine recently took a closer look at the DOXA SUB 200 T.Graph, and the whisking of contemporary and classic elements to produce the diving chronograph. You can read the full article right here.
Editor’s note: It’s certainly refreshing to witness a timepiece that breaks the archetypal aesthetic tendencies of a fit-for-purpose dive watch. Thing is though, new and innovative divers don’t come around too often … most watchmakers tend to play it pretty safe when it comes to making an amphibious timekeeping device. However, Bell & Ross certainly did buck the trend when they unveiled the BR 03-92 Diver a few years back. We were fortunate enough at the time to go HANDS-ON with the square divers watch, and you can watch the video review below. Enjoy. Some people say that a leopard can’t change its spots, and you know what? Some people are wrong, as the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver clearly proves. The French watch brand earned their stripes with an impressive array of aviation watches, centred on the square, cockpit-inspired BR 03 case. Well, it turns out that this large, striking design works just as well at depth as it does at altitude. The BR 03-92 Diver is a remarkably smart underwater repurposing of the brand’s famous form. But really, not too much had to be changed. A bezel was added, as was a screw-down crown. The trademark Arabic…
If you’re just getting in to watches, you don’t have to spend a lot to have a diverse and interesting collection to choose from. Here are some of the best affordable watches, that will still turn heads among your watch friends. Swatch Sistem51 You could easily argue that any Swatch on this list would be a good shout (with the possible exception of the curiously priced Flymagic), but the Sistem51 takes the crown because it is not just a great model from a world-famous, incredibly credible brand, but also because it is mechanically interesting. It is pretty darn hard to get any kind of technical conversation starter at around $300, with the best of the rest capable of dividing aesthetic opinion. With an automatic movement, optically dazzling “mystery rotor” and a raft of colourful, engaging styles, the Sistem51 collection is hard to beat. Q Timex Reissue 38mm Reissues tend to go one of two ways. They are either a massive success or a crashing failure. Chalk this one up in the former column. Here, Timex has nailed the design. Employing enough restraint to let the original style speak to a modern audience was a smart move. This update benefits from…