Unsung Heroes: 4 integrated steel sports watches that deserve your attention
For many of us out there, the dream of one day owning a grail watch, like an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15500 or Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A, is going to remain just that … a dream. And the funny part is, it’s got nothing to do with the amount of spondulicks in your bank account! No, chances are that even if you do have the cold hard cash to buy one of these wrist-worn idols, you’re still not going to be able to get your hands on one. But never fear, all hope is not lost, because there are some great steel sports watches equipped with an integrated bracelet out there that should definitely be on your radar. Girard-Perregaux Laureato Now we know what you’re going to say, but you’d be wrong, because the Gerard-Perregaux Laureato was actually released one year before Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. And it is a genuinely impressive watch, not least because GP has been creating timekeeping devices for more than 160 years at their headquarters in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This variant of the Laureato, complete with its wonderful blue “Clous de Paris” patterned dial, features GP’s in-house, self-winding calibre. GP01800 movement and is capable of a minimum of 54 hours of…
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Editor’s note: The dust has well and truly settled on this year’s watch releases, and they’re starting to filter out into the world and onto wrists. This is as true with Tudor as it is with anyone else. Though we haven’t seen any P01 watches out in the wild yet, we thought the timing was right to take another look at their 2019 highlights … It’s testament to the power and ongoing evolution of Tudor’s blue-chip Black Bay family that our top three picks from Baselworld 2019 are all Black Bays, and also — from a distance at least — look very different indeed. Without a doubt, the most discussed and most genuinely novel watch of the bunch (and perhaps of the whole fair) is the Black Bay P01. While the dial bears a lot of the hallmarks of the Black Bay, the case is Something. Else. Entirely. Long, with a blocky crown guard at four, and a steel bi-directional 12-hour bezel that’s held in place by the articulated bracelet end-link at 12. I’m pretty sure absolutely no one saw this coming, and people are taking their time to get used to the concept. I will say though, this watch is very…
People who care about watches enough to be able to drop reference numbers and movement names can sometimes forget that for some — even many — the act of wearing a watch at all is a foreign one. The shift away from wrist-based time-telling to using our phones has been a big concern for the watch industry, and the rediscovery of the wrist afforded by devices like the Apple Watch has been one of the big silver linings of that device’s sweeping popularity. This article, from one of Australia’s largest daily papers — The Age/Sydney Morning Herald — perfectly encapsulates this shift away from the wristwatch as a norm, and what it’s like to go back. Very relatable, and a nice reminder that a good wristwatch is about much more than the name on the dial. Read the story here. 
Editor’s note: Seiko is a brand with a pretty incredible history. And a lot of this history goes under the radar, to be honest. Which is why, when Sandra visited Tokyo last year we strongly suggested she make a detour to Seiko’s Museum. Here’s what she learned … If you’re ever in Tokyo, I strongly recommend making time for a detour to Sumida. Where? A residential area north of Tokyo Skytree – a bit of a backwater, to be honest. Why? For the Seiko Museum. Even if you’re not particularly a Seiko fan, it’s full of horological discoveries. And if you weren’t a Seiko fan before, you probably will be afterwards. Here are just a few of the many reasons why: The name Seiko’s founder, Kintaro Hattori, started his business in 1881; about a decade later, he opened his own factory – naming it Seikosha. The museum guide told me that Seiko is the Japanese word for “precise”. Wadokei – seasonal clocks Until 1872, timekeeping was based on seasonal variations, rather than the “fixed hours system” we are familiar with – where the length of a day is divided into equal portions, or hours. The “seasonal time system” used in Japan…
Hot off the heels of their last limited-run homage piece, the Astrographic, Zodiac has teamed up with the London-based luxury retailer Liberty to give us this – the Zodiac X Liberty Super Sea Wolf. Like Zodiac, Liberty has been around for more than a century, and has a brilliant history of providing Londoners, as well as travellers from across the globe, with some of the finest luxury fabrics and objets d’art that money can buy. Limited to just 30 pieces, the GMT-equipped Super Sea Wolf features splashes of Liberty’s signature shade of purple. The distinct purple can be found on the day portion of the 24-hour bezel, as well as on the GMT hand and centering arrow that sits atop the bi-directional bezel. On the back of the 40mm stainless steel case, in addition to a lovely engraved floral motif, customers will have the option to personalise their watch with up to 17 characters in both upper and lower case.The purple and black beauty will also come equipped with three different options to wrap around your wrist: a stainless steel bracelet, embossed leather band and a black and white NATO strap. The beating heart of the Super Sea Wolf is…
Two figures who I respect tremendously in their respective fields are H. Moser & Cie. CEO Edouard Meylan and Blamo! host (and man who can rock a soft yellow hat like nobody else) Jeremy Kirkland. So when the two got together on the latest edition of the podcast, I knew it was going to pop. Even though Edouard Meylan comes from a family with deep roots in watchmaking, his take on running the boutique brand (slash plucky upstart) is far less traditional than you’d expect. Kirkland asks the right questions about taking risks, failure, the American approach to business, and fostering a culture that allows your team to come up with crazier ideas than you. This pod isn’t about the watches of Moser, but it perfectly encapsulates the brand. Listen here (or wherever you get your podcasts). 
Editor’s note: Panerai has been on a real Submersible kick this year, along with the lighter Due models — but it’s hard to go past the watch that started it all. And this watch, the Panerai Luminor Base Logo 3 Days (PAM00775), really demonstrates why, as Sandra explains … Not a Radiomir to be seen this year at SIHH; lots of new Luminor Due variations (including a very good 38mm). However, with Angelo Bonati retiring in April from the brand he built from almost-zero to quite the hero, the halo piece has to be that most “Panerai” of all Panerais – the Luminor. Full-fat version, not the slimmed-down Due. A lot of the new PAM00775 is quintessential Luminor and quite a lot is not. There’s the chunky 44mm brushed steel case – as hefty on the wrist as a tool watch should be; a design so strong and confident that the crown guard alone has made Luminor a modern icon. Engraving on the closed caseback includes 100m – reference to the water-resistance. There’s the classic numerals font – the “closed 6 and 9” version – and the simple white printed dial, devoid of all decoration except the OP logo (in blue…
Last night, Time+Tide, along with IWC and Kennedy Watches & Jewellery, hosted an intimate gathering at IWC’s Melbourne boutique. And even though it’s officially ticked over to spring, the evening was brisk, so the horological faithful were truly faithful. But once ensconced in the warm, well-lit space, the cold melted away in the presence of some serious watchmaking heat, in the form of IWC’s 2019 Pilot’s collection, which has been a real standout this year. After some initial opening words from Brand Director Florian Gutsmiedl, Andrew and I did a quick flyover (if you’ll pardon the pun) of the history of IWC’s Pilot’s watch, this year’s highlights (more on that in a second), and the impressive expedition that is The Silver Spitfire’s Longest Flight — which sees a single Spitfire, made in 1943, and two pilots making a 44,000-odd kilometre trip of more than 100 legs, covering off more than 30 countries, all supported by IWC. Sadly, the Silver Spitfire isn’t making it to Australia, but we’ve got the next best thing — the watches. I had the pleasure of wearing the new, time-only Top Gun in Ceratanium, an eminently wearable bit of uncomplicated kit that I deeply regretted taking…
We don’t hear too much about Alpina, but the new Alpina Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph line is one of the more exciting vintage-style releases this year. This is why. Aside from having three equally appealing dial colour options, the monopusher movement and case geometry adopted by Alpina for this release is particularly noteworthy and makes for a refreshing change from the more common, round-case chronographs that dominate the scene. All three models boast wonderfully angular case profiles and lugs, the lines of which are reminiscent of a high-performance concept car (yes, I know we’re talking about a pilot’s chronograph, so what). However, the combination of polished and satin finishes helps temper some of the aggression of the case, bringing the design comfortably into classy-sporty territory. There’s a lot to like about the price, too. At 2895 euros (that’s over four-and-a-half grand in Aussie dollars at the time of writing), these new Alpinas are playing within a hyper-competitive price bracket. So aside from being very attractive, vintage-inspired pieces, what else is being offered? Encased within the stylish exterior is a new “in-house” AL-727 calibre: an automatic monopusher chronograph movement designed specifically for Alpina by La Joux-Perret. Owner by Citizen (which also…