VIDEO: The mythical Bremont H-4 Hercules
The Twelve Labours of Hercules were impressive, sure, but not quite as impressive as the aircraft that provided inspiration for the new Bremont H-4 Hercules. Killing lions and hydras requires strength and focus, but building a plane in 1947 that makes a modern-day Airbus A380 look small, requires the unbridled ambition and enthusiasm of a Texan billionaire – Howard Hughes. The H-4 Hercules (nicknamed the Spruce Goose thanks to its wooden construction) inspired the most recent limited edition from Bremont that pays respect to the history of the aircraft. Limited to 75 pieces in Rose gold, we were fortunate to take a closer look at this very special watch, which holds something very special within its case. Inlaid in the watch’s automatic rotor are pieces of wood from the original H-4 Hercules, allowing rarefied owners to keep a piece of the historically important plane on their wrists. Bremont H-4 Hercules Australian price and availability Bremont H-4 Hercules in Rose gold has an Australian RRP of $31,995, and is avilable from Bremont’s Melbourne boutique. Made in partnership with Bremont. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
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Editor’s note: There’s a lot of hype around steel sports watches these days, with seemingly every watchmaker and their proverbial dog jumping on the bandwagon. And we get it: steel sports watches are not only great looking, they tend to be a fair bit more practical and versatile than most other types of timepieces. But there’s still something to be said for a great dress watch, and Breguet’s Classique 7147 is an exemplary example of the breed. Our man Felix Scholz was lucky enough to go hands-on with this classy timepiece a little while ago, and if you’ve got the time, it’s definitely worth a read. Last year’s slim Breguet Classique 7147 had a spectacular dial, with a central section in detailed engine-turned guilloche and a sub-dial in a delicate crosshatch pattern. It was, not to overstate things, the star of the show. It’s a very difficult art to master, but there’s no doubt that Breguet has the technique down pat. So, imagine our surprise when we were presented this year’s update of the 7147 and there was not a hobnail or brushed finish to be seen. In its place is a single piece of lustrous grand feu enamel – an equally…
TAG Heuer has unveiled the fifth and final iteration of its limited edition series of timepieces celebrating 50 years of the heroic Monaco wristwatch. Like the rest of the limited-run watches, which each celebrate a separate decade in the history of the Monaco since its inception in 1969, the 2009-2019 example will be limited to just 169 pieces. Taking styling cues from TAG Heuer’s design language of the last decade, the 2009-2019 Monaco looks rather handsome thanks to a dark slate grey dial with complementing black gold-plated indices and hands, while bursts of contrasting red can be found on the hands of both sub-dials, the seconds hand and the centre of the 12 o’clock marker. Housed inside the iconic 39mm stainless steel case is TAG Heuer’s venerable Calibre 11 movement, which offers customers a date and chronograph complication, 40 hours of power reserve, 59 jewels and 28,800 (4Hz) vibrations per hour. The 2009-2019 edition is paired with a perforated black leather band that harks back to the Monaco’s late ’60s/’70s stylistic roots. The stainless steel case, which is topped in domed sapphire crystal and water resistant to 100 metres, also features an engraving on the back signifying the limited nature…
It has been a stellar year for Grand Seiko, with the Japanese watchmaker releasing not only a bevy of new iterations of some of their most popular models, but also a completely new manual-wind dress watch, the SBGK series. And, as is always the case with Grand Seiko, the arresting dials adorning these new timepieces have been received with a fairly large amount of adoration within the horological community. So, with that in mind, we thought we’d whittle down all the new dial designs produced by Grand Seiko in 2019 and pick our five favourite examples: Grand Seiko SBGH269 We couldn’t make this list without mentioning the current hype beast of Morioka, the Grand Seiko SBGH269 ‘Autumn’. There’s no two ways about it – the dial of this watch is gorgeous, with a bright red centre bleeding into a deeper and darker almost-maroon around the edges. Then there’s the vertical pin striping in slightly brighter shades of red, giving the watch’s dial an overall aesthetic akin to that of a boiled candy. Contrasted with gold accents that can be found on the Grand Seiko logo, minute markers and second hand, the SBGH269 certainly deserves its ‘Autumn’ moniker and is…
Birth year watches are a pretty special thing, especially if you manage to find one in a watch model that you actually want. But here’s something you don’t see very often … or ever, really. Darren has gone and bought himself a gorgeous Rolex GMT-Master Ref.1675 “Pepsi” that was not only sold in his birth year but on his birth date! That’s pretty remarkable and, if I’m being completely honest, I’m exceedingly jealous. Where did you first see/hear about it? I purchase a lot of my watches from trusted dealers in Singapore, having lived there for a couple of years and regularly travel there for work. Recently I have been bitten by the vintage watch bug. One Sunday in August I was on WhatsApp texting Alvin, the owner of Monster-Time Vintage. I was inquiring about a vintage GMT he had, as I was chasing a birth year watch. He asked me my date of birth and I told him it was the 2nd of May, 1978. About 15 mins later he came back and said, “You’ve got to be kidding me … you’re freaking me out!” He sent me pictures of the GMT saying to check the date on the…
Editor’s note: OK, I’m guessing that 99 per cent of people reading this are already well aware of Rolex’s eponymous Daytona … and, admittedly, it’s hard not to be. Here is a watch that is deeply desirable, seemingly unobtainable, and a cashed-up speculator’s veritable dream timepiece. And, of course, it’s not just the modern iterations of the Daytona that are so revered, with some models from years gone by now commanding price tags that would normally be associated with three-bedroom homes. Just a few weeks ago, for example, Ellen DeGeneres purchased an incredibly rare, solid 14k yellow gold Daytona ref.6241, and while we can’t know for certain how much she forked out for the uber-rare timepiece, the last similar ref.6241 that sold at auction went for well over one million Aussie dollars. However, the Rolex Daytona is so much more important than its sizeable aftermarket value – this is a timekeeping device that is steeped in the history of motorsport, and has been utilised by several doyens of the car racing world, like Enzo Ferrari and, of course, Paul Newman. Earlier this year, Alan Seymour wrote a history of Rolex’s famed Daytona for Sotheby’s. If you’ve got the time, hit…
Bremont brand ambassador and former British Special Forces serviceman Nirmal “Nims” Purja has destroyed the world record for scaling Earth’s 14 tallest mountains, completing the amazing feat in just six months and six days, eclipsing the previous record, which stood for more than eight years. Project Possible kicked off in April this year, and Purja proceeded to scale, in order, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Kanchenjunga, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, Broad Peak, Cho You, Manaslu and finally Shishapangma. All 14 of these mountainous peaks tower more than 8000 metres above sea level, which means that every single one of the summits is well and truly qualified as sitting in the “death zone” – an area in which it is said human life cannot survive. Speaking about the astonishing accomplishment, Purja said, “I believed in this project and I made sure to surround myself with people who believed in it too. This was never just about me, which is the reason I’ve been able to overcome some huge obstacles on this journey. By achieving this goal, I knew I could inspire people from all generations, across the world. I hope to have shown that anything is possible when…
Editor’s note: An attractive neo-vintage diver is a de rigueur part of any self-respecting watch brand’s lineup in 2019, and Bremont is no different. In fact, these days the brand has a few offerings in their stable. And one of the first options out of the gate was the handsome Supermarine S301 … Bremont is a brand fuelled by avgas and the spirit of Icarus. The fledgling British brand has their roots in the sky, as it were. But that doesn’t mean they’ve neglected other spheres of influence, including motorsports and, as we can see here, diving. The Supermarine (even their dive watches have an aviation tie-in) first entered the catalogue in 2010, in the form of the Supermarine 500, a large 43mm steel piece with a distinctive ‘crown-at-two’ case design. This year the Supermarine has evolved, with several new references joining the family — the S300 and the S301. These divers — while still having plenty of Bremont DNA, such as the Trip-Tick case — are much more traditional. They’re smaller, at 40mm across, and slimmer, with a 13mm height. And if the proportions are constrained, so too is the style. The S301 plays the vintage card, with its…
As the 1960s drew to a close, the Swiss watch industry found itself entering one of the most significant periods of turmoil it would ever experience. Its response to the accurate and affordable watches coming out of Asia was not to compete in a race to the bottom — instead, the Swiss took the high road, and doubled down on the fact that watches would remain status objects even in the face of cheaper, practical quartz versions. The largest manufacturers in the world began producing luxury sports watches for the first time, and in the process they eschewed precious metals, preferring steel. Girard-Perregaux made their offering, among some famous company, in the form of their Laureato model, which debuted in 1975. A robust and recognisable watch, the Laureato has formed an important pillar of the Girard-Perregaux collection for several decades, with examples in a range of configurations. Here, we take a look at the steel time and date Laureato on a leather strap, which offers sportiness with a dash of dress watch that would see it comfortable at both the beach and in the boardroom. Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm price The Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm is $15,600 AUD Made in partnership with…