The Enabler: How to justify buying another watch (#8. The Punctuality Excuse)
NOTE: We understand that you’ve found a new watch to add to your collection (congratulations!). But rationalising this fact – coupled with the fact that it’ll cost a bucket-load of cash – may not always sit well with the less horologically minded. That’s where we come in … Use The Enabler’s advanced levels of sophistry to validate your latest acquisition. Mahatma Gandhi whittled his life down to the barest possible essentials. When he died he owned fewer than 10 possessions. Captured in an iconic photo, these included his wire-rimmed spectacles, two pairs of sandals, a metal bowl and a plate. But the pick of the bunch was Gandhi’s silver pocket watch. This Zenith watch was the revolutionary leader’s most prized possession that he wore attached to his Dhoti with a safety-pin and a piece of string. Why was a man who shunned material items so fond of this particular extravagance? Gandhi was obsessed about punctuality. Gandhi woke at 4am sharp every morning and went to bed way past midnight. Desperate to squeeze the most out of every day, he wrote up to 350 letters a week. Being even a minute late for an appointment caused the anti-colonial nationalist acute distress. “You may…
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Selecting the best watches of 2019 with an unlimited budget is one thing. But those of us who aren’t hip-hop stars or oil tycoons have to comply with the tiresome reality of financial constraints. Which leads us to the challenge of selecting a $20K Fantasy Watch Collection from 2019. Here’s my hit list that sneaks in five watches just under the limit, to a total of AUD $19,785. Longines Heritage Classic The Longines Heritage Classic was one of the best watches of 2019, hands down. It felt like Longines listened to all of the complaints about recent heritage reissues, and made a watch that offered exactly what the enthusiast community wanted. It is a historically accurate reworking of a watch from the Longines archive, offers a 38.5mm case diameter, manual winding, and the best proportioned dial that we’ve seen in a while. If that isn’t enough, it’s priced at less than $3K, making it one of the best value watches released in 2019. Bravo Longines. Price: AUD $2900 Autodromo Group B Corsica Blue From the New York Fashion Week Streets to the inside of Fonda Mexican, pastels made a major play in 2019. Autodromo offered us a new design of…
Every year there’s a couple of timepieces that, for one reason or another, slip under the collective radar of us watch enthusiasts. There were more than a few examples in 2019: think the Citizen Eco-Drive Caliber 0100, Rado Golden Horse, Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic … the list goes on. But the watch that tends to sound out louder than any other is this — the Longines Master Collection Ref. L2.673.4.92.0. Quite how people aren’t screaming about this timepiece from the rooftops is nothing short of baffling and, much to my shame, I too didn’t really give it a second thought either. But upon revisiting this complicated timepiece and getting to spend some time with it on my wrist, I must say, boy oh boy, was I foolish for not being more excited about it. Why? Well, simply put, and much like several other timepieces that piqued the collective interest of the horological community – it’s down to the size of the case. You see, Longines already make a Master Collection with blue sunburst dial, but its stainless steel case measured a beefy 42mm. Now, however, Longines has seen fit to create the timepiece in a much more svelte and versatile 40mm…
2019 was an exciting year for Tudor, as the iconic Swiss watchmaker released several models that collectively surprised and even inspired the greater horological community. And while some of the novelties unveiled last year were contentious at the time, I think people’s attitudes have softened towards them and, more importantly, it’s just great to see a stalwart of the industry like Tudor push the boundaries of design and innovation. Here are the three Tudors that got everyone talking in 2019: TUDOR BLACK BAY P01 One of the most interesting and exciting timepieces released during 2019 was the Tudor P01. While not technically a remake, the P01 was originally designed in the 1960s and proposed to the US Navy as a potential partner for their military missions. As history records, the novel design, which uses a spring-loaded end-link to clamp the rotating bezel in place, was rejected, and the plans to produce it shelved. Thankfully this quaint curio has finally made it out of the archives for all to enjoy. Ref No: 70150 / Case size: 42mm / Case material: Steel / Movement: MT5612 / Price: $5450 TUDOR BLACK BAY CHRONO S&G The Black Bay Chrono gets the two-tone treatment with…
eBay, the largest online auction website in the world and, rather notably, the first site in the world to support peer-to-peer transactions, is of course a complete leviathan. In 2019 alone, there was nigh on 200 million active users across the globe and more than 1.2 billion listings. So, as you can probably imagine, to make the top 20 most expensive items sold on the platform in 2019 … they’ve got to be pretty special. The usual suspects were all present and accounted for – Lamborghinis, Porsches … a lunch with American billionaire Warren Buffet(?) – but, perhaps rather surprisingly, there were three watches that made the top 20 as well. Mind you, though, they were rather special timepieces: Rolex Pearlmaster 39 ref. 86285 Just sneaking into the list, in 20th spot, was this overtly opulent Rolex Pearlmaster ref. 86285 in solid 18k Everose gold with diamond bezel and full diamond pavé dial. First released in 1992, the Pearlmaster is perhaps one of the lesser-known models from the legacy Swiss watchmaker, but since its inception it’s been sought after and worn almost exclusively by the glitterati, Hollywood elite, jet set … you get the picture. This particular Pearlmaster sold for…
Editor’s note: When you’re looking to buy your next watch, you want to know you’re getting great value for the money you’re spending. This Tissot Seastar 1000 could still be one of the best value watches on the market after its release at Baselworld 2018, and there’s no sign of that changing. Let’s take a closer look at this beautiful example of “bang for buck”. This is such a great watch. Honestly. I can’t think of many (if any) Swiss-made watches that offer such a punchy package for this sort of price. Not only do you get the impressive Powermatic 80 movement (more than three days of power reserve rocks) in a good-looking, well-made 300m diver, you get nice little features like the gradient dial and ceramic bezel. So much win. On top of that, it fits great on the wrist: 43mm is big, but not obnoxiously so, especially when paired with the height. Even the dial text and date placement is done right. My only possible quibble is the strap. Not the rubber strap itself, which I quite like — Tissot ‘T’ motif and all — no, it’s the slightly odd 21mm width. Given that I’m the kind of guy who…
Horological disruptors Hublot were on a veritable roll last year, releasing a great many new and innovative timepieces that once again show why they are making waves in the watch world. Here are a few special wristwatches that caught our eye. HUBLOT BIG BANG UNICO TEAK ITALIA INDEPENDENT TITANIUM Limited to just 100 pieces, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Teak Italia Independent Titanium 45mm is every teak-freak’s fever dream. With a bezel made of a mixture of teak and carbon fibre (peak ‘art of fusion’ right here, folks), this is the perfect watch for all yacht owners looking to recall the deck of their Sunseeker with a flick of the wrist. Ref No: 411.NQ.5129.NR.ITI19 / Case size: 45mm / Case material: Titanium / Movement: HUB1242 / Price: $31,100 HUBLOT CLASSIC FUSION FERRARI GT 3D CARBON 45MM And now for something completely different. Although Hublot is well known for pushing boundaries when it comes to case design and material science, it would be fair to say that the brand hasn’t really deviated from its classic case silhouette too much over the years. This year is different though. The Classic Fusion Ferrari GT 3D Carbon offers a more rounded bezel and case…
First of all, I think it is wonderful news for Audemars Piguet to have had such a strong run at GPHG and Only Watch, but to be completely honest, I expected it. The RD2 winning the Aiguille d’Or was no surprise to me as it is hands down one of the favourite watches in my collection, getting plenty of wrist time throughout the week (it makes the other watches jealous). The fact that the Audemars Piguet CODE 11.59 won such a crucial category in GPHG and then fetched 1,000,000 CHF (I believe that it was one of the most expensive Audemars Piguet ever sold) during the Only Watch auction that same week speaks for itself and the future of the line. I will admit that I had my reservations about the collection at first glance, especially on the time-only and chronograph dials. However, over time, I’ve learnt to appreciate the details of the watches and the sheer craftsmanship that goes into making them. I don’t think I can name another watch having reached that level of brand equity (or any mainstream watch brands), with a more complicated and beautifully finished case (sans engraving) for the same price (bearing in mind…
Putting on my Speedmaster Professional 50th anniversary this morning, I couldn’t help but reflect and smile on the huge announcement from Omega. The decade has just begun and Omega dropped a bombshell with the announcement of the Omega Speedmaster Caliber 321 in stainless steel. By now, you would have read that this particular watch was inspired by the third-gen style that astronaut Ed White wore during America’s first spacewalk in 1965 (often referred to as the “First Omega in Space”). Making a modern interpretation of a historically significant watch can be very tricky and contentious. We know that a watch can’t just be a carbon copy of the vintage one, but at the same time it needs to pay respect to the one before it. It’s a fine balance, with every detail potentially making or breaking the overall essence of the watch. Over The Moon This is one beautiful and thoughtfully executed Speedmaster and what I think many Speedmaster lovers have longed-for. The star of the show is, of course, the calibre 321. Unlike the Speedmaster Professional, this piece is 39.7mm, making it a perfect match for my slender wrist. I love the use of ceramic for the bezel, the…
2020 has barely begun and Longines has already come out swinging with this — the Longines Heritage Classic Chronograph 1946. Representing the latest addition to the Swiss watchmaker’s ever-popular Heritage Collection, the Classic Chronograph 1946 is a faithful re-creation of a timepiece Longines produced back in the ’40s. The pared-back aesthetic of this homage piece is refreshing to say the least, with the simple opaline silver dial providing an arresting blank canvas, which Longines has adorned with two no-nonsense sub-dials, located at three and nine o’clock and displaying running seconds and a 30-minute counter, respectively. As is the way with so many other models in the Heritage Collection (think the Heritage Classic “sector dial”), Longines has seen fit to bestow the new 1946 with a charmingly antiquated blued steel handset, which is complemented with raised Breguet-style Arabic numerals and a diminutive chapter ring – further adding to the handsomely sparse look. Another boon of the new 1946 is its stainless steel case – it measures in at a popular 40mm across, ensuring optimum levels of bandwidth and accessibility. Capping the case is a domed sapphire crystal that has been treated with several layers of an anti-reflective coating, which should make…