A slightly smaller statement watch, the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 43mm
Editor’s note: I’m on record as being quite the fan of TAG Heuer’s contemporary take on the Classic Carrera, but I’m fully willing to admit that the original version was a beast on the wrist — 45mm is a big mood, and not everyone is up for that. Which is why the 43mm is such a great call. It’s still jam-packed with BWE (big watch energy), but slightly more manageable IRL. Winner. TAG Heuer’s avant-garde new take on the classic Carrera, the Heuer 01, has become an increasingly bright — and big — star in the brand’s firmament since its release in 2015. TAG Heuer have used the modular case as a vehicle to release everything from tourbillons to smartwatches. The only bone of contention thus far has been the size: 45mm is not small by any means, especially when you factor in the height of the Heuer 01 movement. The new (slightly) smaller 43mm version is a smart solution. Make no mistake, it’s still a large statement watch, but slightly less intense on the wrist than the mighty 45mm version. You might say this latest Heuer 01 offers the best of both worlds.
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Travel watches are typically seen as a rough-and-ready affair, a style dominated by hardy steel pieces that often seem to speak a language of adventure rather than luxury. But honestly, while this reflects a romanticised notion of travel, the reality, especially at the pointy end, is a much more civilised affair. If civilised travel is more your speed, you might be interested in this beautiful Blancpain, which brings dual time utility to Villeret’s dressy style. The 40mm red gold case is well-sized, and the double stepped design is sophisticated, as — it must be said — is the movement tech inside. The 5A50 movement looks good, and offers a very solid 100 hours of power reserve and a silicon balance. The Blancpain Villeret GMT Date makes a compelling argument for travelling in style. Blancpain Villeret GMT Date price Blancpain Villeret GMT Date, red gold on leather, $26,300 AUD Made in partnership with Blancpain. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
There’s a lot of discussion out there when it comes to the most recognisable watch design of all time. For many, that design is a Rolex (though personally I think the classic Swatch would give it a solid run for its money). The debate really starts to heat up when you ask the question of what model. Many would argue that the mighty Submariner claims the prize, while I’m of the school of thought that argues the humbler, more utilitarian Datejust deserves the gong. The Datejust has been around for a long time — it debuted in 1945. What’s amazing, though, is how little the design has changed over the decades — a point that goes a long way to ensuring the design’s longevity. The passage of time has allowed the watch to become enshrined in the language of good design. It’s functional and clean but clearly, and distinctly, Rolex. This model carries so many of those Datejust hallmarks: the fluted bezel, the Oyster bracelet, the Cyclops — not to mention the Oyster case itself. All these things are so quintessentially Rolex. As is the fact that this version is in Rolesor — steel and Everose gold in this case.…
Editor’s note: Baume & Mercier’s flagship dress watch, the Clifton Baumatic, got a deep blue makeover earlier this year, which, combined with the classic styling and impressive movement, makes for a compelling daily dress offering … Baume & Mercier’s foray into the world of in-house movements resulted in one of the biggest value propositions of 2018, the Clifton Baumatic. Well, this year the simple steel watch with an impressive five-day power reserve was the subject of a stylish makeover, in the form of a blue dial. But not just any blue. The cadran bleu, as it’s called, is a deep, dark graduated blue that veers strongly into black territory at its outer limits. It’s not as bold or flashy as some other graduated blue dials, but it’s also a lot more mysterious as black. Dial change aside, everything else is business as usual. The case is 40mm, and the watch comes either on leather (my pick) or a five-link bracelet. The movement is also offered in COSC or non-COSC variants. The COSC option features a sector-style crosshair on the dial. Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Cadran Bleu pricing Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Cadran Bleu, from 2400 euro, including tax.
Editor’s note: Christopher Ward is a name that pops up whenever someone is looking for a watch that offers a solid value proposition, and this remarkably well-priced worldtimer proves the point. Stylish times, no matter where you are in the world … Worldtimers — which allow you to, at a glance, quickly determine the time anywhere across the globe — aren’t the most common complications. And typically, this level of mechanical wizardry comes at a cost. Typically. This handsome fella, the C1 Grand Malvern Worldtimer from UK-based outfit Christopher Ward, bucks the trend. Before we delve into the details, it’s worth a quick recap of the major types of travel watches. A GMT or dual time watch is simple enough — displaying a second time zone in either 24 or 12-hour time respectively (if the latter, you typically get a day/night indicator as well). And then there’s worldtimers, which rock 24-hour display AND a city disc to help make international travel and telephony a cinch. This system was initially developed in the 1930s by Louis Cottier, and is a complication with quite a prestigious pedigree. And then there are watches that have the city ring, but only show two time zones (but…
In their latest joint venture, IWC Schaffhausen and surfboard designer and entrepreneur Hayden Cox have teamed up to create a unique concept – the world’s first floating surfboard design studio. This very Australian activation was also designed to highlight the brand’s recent efforts to reduce their environmental impact, by – for example – using 90 per cent less plastic in their current packaging. Members of the press were treated to a scenic flight around Rose Bay in NSW in a seaplane emblazoned with the IWC logo and watch motif, before landing on Palm Beach and disembarking onto the floating design hub, aptly named ‘Remote’. Hayden Cox then treated guests to a masterclass in “upcycling”, a process in which manufacturing waste, such as glass fibre, chopped carbon, bio-epoxy resin waste, foam dust and an upcycled custom fibreglass cloth made from factory offcuts, could be fashioned into lightweight accessories like tail pads and fins for surfboards. Cox’s surfboard label, Haydenshapes Surfboards, and IWC are both steadfast in their goal to reduce manufacturing waste, and both organisations are constantly striving to find innovative ways, such as upcycling, to make their products more environmentally ethical. “There is still a lot of work and research…
The history of aviation is full of famous planes. For better or worse, planes like the Spirit of St. Louis, the Enola Gay and the Southern Cross are landmark machines in the evolution of the flying machine. But few vehicles loom larger in popular culture (or indeed reality) than the epic H-4 Hercules, popularly known as the Spruce Goose. With a wingspan measuring an incredible 97.5 metres across, the H-4 Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built, and a result of the passion (some would say obsession) of aviator, engineer, film director and billionaire Howard Hughes. Originally conceived as a World War II heavy-lift transport, delays meant that the plane wasn’t completed until after the war ended. But the scale of the H-4 Hercules cannot be understated. In addition to its massive wingspan, the tail was as tall as an eight-storey building, and powered by eight radial Pratt & Whitney engines generating 24,000 horsepower required to lift the 400,000 pound, fully loaded plane. What’s even more remarkable is that, to keep the weight down, the entire plane was built around a birch (not spruce) frame. Numerous other innovations were developed to deal with the scale of the Spruce Goose, including…
Cartier is a brand that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but instead gradually evolves their designs over decades, refining and purifying their core look with each year that goes by. For their latest collection, released at SIHH 2019, the focus was the Cartier Santos-Dumont, a dress watch that is both classically sized and slim, offering one of the most refined pieces of Cartier design we have seen in recent years. The new Cartier Santos-Dumont is available in two sizes (38mm x 27.5mm for the small model, and 43.5mm x 31.4mm for the large model) and both have managed to stay rakishly slender at 7.3mm. This is made possible by the high-autonomy quartz movement (with a strong battery life of six years), which not only keeps the watch well under the cuff, but also makes it available at a price point that is pretty uncommon for Cartier. Inevitably, there will be some who won’t have their pulse quickened by mention of the word quartz, but for others looking for access to an icon not just in the Cartier archives but the history of watch design, it is now easier than ever. In terms of design, the Santos-Dumont is distinctly Cartier with a…
Editor’s note: I think most people reading this fully appreciate just how dire things were in the 1970s as a result of the notorious “quartz crisis”. Myriad Swiss watchmakers seemed to just disappear overnight, succumbing to a battery-powered onslaught led by Seiko, who inundated the wristwatch market with inexpensive, accurate timepieces. It was an interesting time in horology to say the least, and perhaps one of the most fascinating things about the quartz crisis, looking back at it now, is studying how the established Swiss marques dealt with the problem and tried to keep their proverbial heads above water. Cartier, in particular, were quite innovative in their solution to the crisis – create a range of inexpensive timepieces to pay tribute to its most popular timepiece, the Tank, but use more economical materials to produce it. The result was the Must de Cartier Tank, and a range of wristwatches that went a fair way to saving Cartier from a particularly calamitous era in watchmaking. Writing for troisanneaux.com, George Cramer chronicles the history of Must de Cartier, and if you’ve got the time, hit this link – it’s definitely worth a read.
On the face of it, Blancpain’s elegant Villeret Quantième Complet 8 Jours — or, if you don’t parlez vous, Complete Calendar 8 Days — is exactly the sort of thing you’d expect from the dressier family of one of Switzerland’s old marques. But once you get past the numerous traditional points — the day/month apertures, the smiling moon, that idiosyncratic waving pointer date and double-stepped case — you’ll find a watch that’s much more modern than it first appears. The great thing about this Blancpain is that the innovations are very under-the-radar, and made with the wearer in mind. The calendar complications are all adjusted via ingenious under-lug correctors, which can be manipulated with your fingernail. This means you don’t need to worry about unsightly micro-adjusters on the otherwise smooth profile, or indeed losing the special tool needed to adjust them. Additionally, the calendar complications are secured, which is quite a big deal, as with many more complex calendar watches, if you manually adjust the functions when they are in the process of changing (typically around midnight), you risk doing serious damage. That Blancpain has circumvented this issue is smart, and just the sort of not-so-flashy watchmaking that shows they have…