INTRODUCING: The Stan Smith Signature Watch by Maurice de Mauriac
Much as it shames me to admit it, until writing about this watch, I rather naively thought that Stan Smith was a shoe designer … how very Gen Y of me. As it turns out, Smith is rather more than a proponent of Adidas’s enduringly vogue white sneaker – he was a legend of the tennis court in the 1970s, with 100 professional tournament wins credited to his name. To celebrate this illustrious career, watchmaker Maurice de Mauriac has teamed up with the superstar of the sport to release this – the Stan Smith Signature Watch. Limited to just 100 watches each (see what they did there?) in green, blue and red, the Stan Smith Watch presents a clean and pared-back aesthetic, much like the sneakers that bear his name. According to Maurice de Mauriac, the timepiece is the result of two years of development between Smith and the watchmaker’s founders, Daniel, Massimo and Leonard Dreifuss. Additionally, Maurice de Mauriac reckon this limited edition timepiece can more than capably handle the rigours of a tense five-setter on the court, due to its tough and dependable build quality, as well as bearing the tennis star’s name. The traditional-looking case, which is…
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If you’ve ever been on the internet you will have noticed one million and one articles about the watches James Bond has worn throughout his long and many-faced career. If this is your first time on the World Wide Web, welcome and, trust me, 90 per cent of what you’ve been missing out on comprises James Bond watch articles and funny cat videos. But here at Time+Tide, we want to take you on a journey to an alternate dimension. Here, we pick nine of the best James Bond outings and outfit the famous British spy with a timepiece more suited to either the plot, setting, or our incorrigible whimsy. Without further ado, allow us to present the watches James Bond should have worn but never did. From Russia With Love – Konstantin Chaykin Russian Time Russia is massive. So massive it has seven time zones. The Konstantin Chaykin not only allows the wearer to access all seven time zones with ease, but the graphical display is also a thing of beauty. It might also help charm the KGB agents into going easy on him if he’s caught wearing an example of Russian craftsmanship rather than a Rolex, which, let’s face…
Unlike Ferrari’s frankly dismal efforts in Formula 1 this year, 2019 has been a great 12 months for the Italian supercar manufacturer in terms of their commercial and creative partnership with watchmaking vanguards, Hublot. The curvaceous and inimitable Classic Fusion Ferrari GT was not only one of my personal favourites from the provocative Swiss marque, it was one of my favourite watches of 2019. Period. However, the other big standout wristwatch to bear the famed Prancing Horse badge this year – the Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Sapphire – is by no means something forgettable. On the contrary, this leviathan of a watch perfectly demonstrates why Hublot is talked about time and time again as one of the industry leaders when it comes to material innovation. The gargantuan case, which measures 45mm across, is formed from solid sapphire with a polished finishing, and if that wasn’t impressive enough, the case is capped by a carbon-ceramic bezel. What makes the bezel not only interesting, but just downright cool, is that it’s been shaped to look like a Ferrari’s brake disc, and carbon-ceramic is the actual material the Italian marque uses for said brake discs. The dial is another standout…
Editor’s note: As the watch buying and horological community becomes more astute by the day, thanks in no small part to social media, in-house movements seem almost paramount to a brand’s sales success. But, as Sandra Lane posited earlier this year, do they actually matter at all? And does the phrase “in-house” really mean manufactured in-house? Personally, having been fortunate enough to own quite a few timepieces over the years, I can say that, anecdotally, the most reliable watches I have worn possessed movements from the likes of ETA and Sellita. It’s a horological point of contention that I think is going to rage on for some time, and Sandra’s deep-dive on the subject is well worth the read. If you’re considering buying a new watch, one of the least important questions you should ask is: “Does it have an in-house movement?” To be blunt: the mere existence of an in-house movement does not necessarily equate to a better watch. So why do we see the in-house claim being made by so many watch brands? Why do they use it like a badge of honour, a mark of prestige and exclusivity, a (strongly implied) guarantee of superior quality – and…
It has been a big year for Panerai’s distinctive Submersible range, with the new and now standalone collection featuring heavily at the watchmaker’s 2019 SIHH showing. The amphibious timepieces, while varied, have been a great opportunity for Panerai to show off some of their newest innovative materials. Case in point is this Submersible, the BMG-TECH 47mm PAM00799. The monolithic timepiece is somewhat of a flag-bearer, not only for the Submersible collection but also two of the Italian marque’s latest and greatest resources – BMG-TECH and Carbotech. BMG-TECH is a complex amalgamation of things like copper, titanium, zirconium, nickel and aluminium, which form an alloy that is said to be highly resistant to magnetism, corrosion and shock while still maintaining a superior level of strength. Carbotech is a composite-like material that shares a great many similarities with regular carbon fibre. Compressing thin films of carbon fibre together at a controlled temperature creates the pioneering material. Panerai was the first watchmaker on the planet to use the material on a wristwatch. Both of these sci-fi materials have been used by Panerai on other models before; however, what sets the PAM00799 apart is it’s the first time we’ve seen these two materials feature…
Believe it or not, somehow there are just 23 short days left until Christmas, and if you haven’t bought your presents yet … you’re in a bit of strife. Thankfully, however, if that special someone in your life is fond of a timepiece or two, then Longines has got you covered with a great many different tool watches for any occasion. With this in mind, we thought we’d take a close look at three distinct wristwatches that each serve a handy and unique purpose, and maybe one of them will be right for you. Longines Legend Diver L3.774.2.50.9 We’re very fortunate Down Under, because unlike a fair chunk of the rest of the world, our Christmases usually have the same thing in common from one year to the next – they’re complete scorchers. Because of this warm weather, it’s fair to say that quite a few of us will be spending time at the beach over the coming holidays. With this in mind, we can’t think of many better watches for the warmer months than this all-black Longines Legend Diver. Apart from the blacked-out PVD treatment making this watch a serious looker, the Legend Diver range is one of our…
When you’re buying a new car, there’s usually some key criteria that dictate whether or not said automobile will make the cut. You know the sort of things we’re talking about – fuel economy, safety rating, 0-100km/h times … that sort of stuff. Oh, and of course, price. But is this same buying style employed when you want to take the plunge on your next watch? Or do you just go off aesthetics and which brand made the watch? If we did buy our watches like we buy our cars, then the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic ref. 10467 would be an absolute no-brainer. On paper, this watch offers a shedload of technical prowess, features and capability … and exceptional value for money. Take, for example, the movement. Calibre BM13-1975A is made in-house by the Swiss marque, and it benefits from a range of features that would make certain timepieces worth three times as much blush. We’re talking a gargantuan five days (120 hours) of power reserve, chronometer certification (–4/+6 seconds per day), and, according to Baume & Mercier, service intervals of no less than seven years. And, in addition to having two years of international warranty, Clifton Baumatic owners…
Editor’s note:Benvenuto Cellini was an Italian goldsmith and sculptor born in the last year of the 15th century, who would go on to become one of the most important precious metal workers of his time, finding employment with the royal families of Europe and the Vatican. It is this talented artisan who was the inspiration for the Rolex Cellini collection we know today, with clear links between the Mediterranean metalworker and the timeless designs seen throughout the family of watches. While the “W” word has persistently dominated almost all mention of Rolex in recent times, it is worthwhile to take the time to step back from the global obsession with steel, and take a closer look at the Cellini collection, which is every bit as compelling as its Professional sibling, and reminds us that Rolex continue to make exquisite dress watches. When the Rolex Cellini range was relaunched by Rolex in 2014 – including the Cellini Time – the General Manager of Rolex Australia, Patrick Boutellier, chose a line of poetry to announce the news: “The sleeping Prince has been awoken,” he said, or words to that effect, as Felix and I pored over the new range, not quite sure what…
There is a plethora of watches out there with an equally large amount of claims. First watch with a date complication. First watch with a GMT complication. First waterproof watch. However, of all the watches on sale today, the coolest claim surely has to be: “The first watch worn on the moon.” I’m sure that you will already know a fair chunk of Omega’s history with NASA and the fabled Speedmaster. But what you may not know is that the Speedmaster was actually one of four watches vying for NASA’s business. As former NASA engineer Jim Ragan describes in this great video made by Omega, the Speedmaster had to jump through a great many hoops in order to qualify for NASA’s storied space program.