Size is the prize: 3 seriously big watches
While there are many watch enthusiasts out there who consider timepieces with a case size of between 36mm and 40mm to be sitting in the “Goldilocks” zone, there are watches in existence that most certainly do not conform to this notion. These timepieces are made for enthusiasts who want something that has genuine presence on the wrist, something that may well struggle to fit under the cuff of a shirt but can be seen and noticed from a great distance. We appreciate that sometimes a great wrist flex is all about the mass, so here are three watches that can best be described as “Large and in charge”: Panerai Submersible Carbotech The Panerai Submersible Carbotech is a gargantuan timepiece, with its case measuring in at a whopping 47mm. This is a substantial watch, no doubt about it, but thanks to its case construction being made from mostly carbon fibre, it’s actually a lot lighter than you may think. There’s nothing light about the price though, as the Submersible Carbotech will set you back $25,100 AUD. IWC Big Pilot “Right-Hander” It may well be the quintessential “Big” watch on the market, with a case size of 46.2mm, but IWC’s Big Pilot…
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Back at the beginning of 2013, as a result of kissing goodbye to a couple of watches (mistakes) from my collection, I found myself in the rather fortunate position of needing a new daily timepiece. The buying criteria was fairly simple and straightforward: the new watch needed to be a diver, automatic, Swiss made and preferably fitted with a steel bracelet. Now I know what you’re thinking: “Well, James, you’ve got a veritable cornucopia of choice if those are the only sticking points for the new purchase.” Well, there was one other condition – I didn’t want to spend any more than 1400 bucks. This made things significantly more complicated, because, back in 2013, we weren’t spoilt for choice the same way we are today with the relative abundance of indie brands making great dive watches. I had almost given up on the endeavour, but one day I happened to be ambling down Collins Street in Melbourne’s CBD, and I walked past an authorised Longines dealer. I had always admired Longines growing up; my mum had one and talked endlessly about how good a wristwatch it was and that it had never let her down. So, I walked into the…
At the upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches auction, you can browse the catalogue and find all manner of incredibly rare and important watches and clocks from all the best watchmakers in the world. There is everything you would expect, and more, including a possibly unique red dial Rolex Daytona, a factory gem-set yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master, a Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona, and a Patek Philippe chronometer tested tourbillon pocket watch, all of which serve to make the Patek Philippe 5711 on offer look rather dull. But unless you’re so wealthy that the Panama Papers were of personal concern to you, almost all of these rarefied lots are probably beyond your reach, which left me wondering – are there any lots that might excite those of us who don’t speed because we can’t afford the ticket? As it turns out, there are some more modest lots on offer that have estimates below CHF 5000, the best of which I’ve put together below. IWC REFERENCE 5510 A LIMITED EDITION YELLOW GOLD OPEN-FACE WATCH WITH DAY, DATE AND MOON PHASES, CIRCA 1980 – estimate: CHF 2999 – 4998 A charming 55.5mm yellow gold pocket watch that not only offers you the time, day and…
SJX Watches recently published an in-depth look at Seiko’s prodigious and fabled 9F Quartz movements, which are now in their 26th year of production. And there’s no question the 9F is a genuinely high-end movement that has taken decades of engineering to perfect. It’s actually a remarkable feat of timekeeping when you think about it like this: the 9F will never lose or gain more than 10 seconds a year … that’s an absurd level of accuracy, and it laughs in the figurative faces of any mechanical movement on the planet. Take into account that every single 9F is assembled and decorated by hand, and it’s pretty easy to understand why the high-precision quartz movement is found exclusively in Seiko’s top-of-the-range Grand Seiko models. Anyway, if you’re a fan of Seiko and Grand Seiko, or want to gain a better understanding of the engineering and production of Seiko’s lauded quartz movement, this in-depth article is definitely worth a read, and you can check it out right here.
In what is a meeting of two of the most significant collections from the Franck Muller manufacture, the Vanguard Crazy Hours is an exciting offering, made even more exciting with the news of an exclusive collection for Asia. The Vanguard Crazy Hours is the first time the brand has housed the famous Crazy Hours movement inside a Vanguard case shape, offering a feel that is more sporty and relaxed, to a caliber that inspires a more leisurely approach to time telling. It achieves this with a dial layout that is less than conventional, where the hour marker numerals are out of order and appear haphazardly strewn across the face of the watch. In fact, the movement beneath the dial is calibrated for the hour hand to track the numbers in the correct order, despite them being out of place on the dial. The combination of Franck Muller’s trademark exaggerated numerals and this wistfully complicated movement forces you to pause for a moment when you look at a Crazy Hours watch, and appreciate that there’s more on offer than rushing to be on time as you hurry from appointment to appointment. Not to mention that it does take some practise to be…
Editor’s note: Panerai are known for many things – a rich Italian heritage in watchmaking that dates back to 1860, steep aquatic history providing watches for the naval forces of many countries, most notably Italy and Egypt, and a quintessential design language that has spanned the better part of a century … the list goes on. What Panerai is not known for is making watches to pair with a suit-and-tie combo. In fact, something like a 47mm Submersible Bronzo is about the farthest thing away from what we’d want to don at a black tie event. However, Panerai’s Luminor Due is a collection of watches that can do just that, thanks to a diverse range of case sizes that start at just 38mm. Anyway, Time+Tide’s own Felix Scholz went hands-on with the versatile timepiece earlier this year, and if you’ve got the time, it’s definitely worth a read. HANDS-ON: A Panerai for the suit and tie – the Luminor Due PAM00943 It would be easy to dismiss the Luminor Due — Panerai’s latest fully fledged line — as a collection oriented towards women. After all, it’s the collection that houses 38 and 42mm watches. But the fact that I am on…
TAG Heuer has unveiled its penultimate limited edition 50th anniversary Monaco, and this one pays homage to the wonderful era that was the noughties. This is the fourth iteration of the limited-run watches, which are celebrating 50 years of the fabled original Heuer Monaco, first released in 1969. We’ve already seen the eclectic mix of ’60-’70s, ’70s-’80s and ’80s-’90s, which have been introduced at various stages throughout the year and each have their own unique flair and style. Sticking to the basic formula seen on the rest of the limited-run models, the 1999-2009 edition still utilises the same 39mm steel case and perforated calfskin leather strap, now finished in black. Inside the familiar case is TAG Heuer’s tried and true Calibre 11, a self-winding movement equipped with a chronograph and date complication that offers customers up to 40 hours of power reserve. The 1999-2009’s biggest changes can be seen in the design of the dial, which now features a black opaline base with white opaline sub-dials and a white circular minutes tracking ring, which does a great job of further emphasising the iconic and distinctive square case of the Monaco. Splashes of red can be seen on the second hand,…
SJX Watches recently published a fascinating story by Brandon Moore that takes a look at the impact that Instagram and other social media platforms have had on the scrutiny and importance of watch movement finishing. Moore talks to former Patek Philippe watchmaker and founder of Akrivia watches, Rexhep Rexhepi, about the influence of the social media app and how it has affected not just Rexhepi’s business, but also the larger watchmaking community as a whole. The article also rather interestingly points out that intricate watch movement finishing is actually a relatively new phenomenon, as previous generations of watchmakers saw overly decorated movements as unnecessary and simply a method of marketing. Anyway, this is a very interesting read, and if you’ve got the time, we highly recommend giving it a read by clicking the link here.
There are certain watches out there in the horological ether that are not only lauded by loyal followers but also able to accomplish a hell of a lot for little outlay. Whether it is accuracy, toughness and dependability, innovation, or technicality, these cult-like timepieces are worth far more than the sum of their parts, and we are honour-bound to ensure that you know about them. So, much like a former Aussie cricketer did when he dated a British actress, here are three watches that punch well above their weight: Swatch Sistem51 Whichever way you look at it, the Swatch Sistem51 is a truly brilliant and innovative wristwatch and represents one of the most important technical advancements in horology in the last decade. This is a self-winding mechanical watch that can be had for less that $200 AUD, and it’s accurate to within five seconds a day, and it offers 90 hours of power reserve. How can the Sistem51 be so cheap? Well, the hint is in the name. There are only 51 moving parts in this watch, and the whole thing is assembled entirely by robots. Downsides? Well, the movement is sealed in the case, and if it breaks, it…
OK, we’ll skip the whole “shaken, not stirred” routine and skip to the salient facts. Omega has just released its latest Bond-themed timepiece, the Omega Seamaster 50th Anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – and it’s pretty awesome. Limited to just 7007 pieces (see what they did there?), the Bond watch pays homage to, as the name would suggest, the 1969 classic Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. There are quite a few unique styling cues that feature on this bespoke timepiece, and some of them are pretty impressive. For a start, the limited edition wristwatch is based on the standard steel 42mm Seamaster 300M Professional, and features a black ceramic and PVD dial with the signature Bond gun-barrel motif and 9mm bullet hole at its centre. At 12 o’clock, the 18k yellow gold index is stylised to look like the Bond family crest, and the rest of the hour indexes, as well as the hour, minute and second hands, are finished in 18k yellow gold. In addition, adorning the left-hand side of each case is an 18k yellow gold plate engraved with the watch’s individual number and the famed 007 logo. The limited-run timepiece also has a…