In the Haus with the new Bau Swatch Collection
To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Bauhaus design movement, Swatch have released the Bau Swatch Collection of 25 new watches inspired by the pre-WWII German school of design. The Bauhaus design philosophy has had significant impact on a number of watch designs over the years, including from Patek Philippe, Nomos and Stowa. Now Swatch have joined the fray, with an appropriately designed collection that celebrates the different elements of the design school’s ideas. If you’re interested in browsing the entire 25-watch collection, you’re able to visit them at the Swatch site, but before you do, these are our highlights. Sistem Bau The Sistem Bau is an automatic offering from the new collection, using the genuinely interesting Sistem51 movement (built totally by robots), which uses only 51 parts, and boasts an impressive 90 hours of power reserve. Elementary Referencing the school-time lessons of primary colours and blocky numerals, this one gives you everything you need, and nothing you don’t. SwatchID A post-modern expression of aggressive block lettering, the SwatchID would make Supreme proud of its liberal use of red and white.
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Look, full disclosure. We did not know (or indeed pay) Sherwood to give us this particular answer. But having said that, it’s quite nice to hear someone say they bought a watch off your review. And honestly, of the many (many) watches I’ve reviewed over the years, you could do a whole lot worse than the Grand Seiko SBGA211 ‘Snowflake’. It’s a real modern classic, and a watch that’s full of character and emblematic of what Grand Seiko is all about. Or, as Sherwood puts it: When I look at my watch it’s an immediately calming Snowflake presence that just reminds me of what’s not in front of my desk. And Sherwood’s absolutely right — it is an under-the-radar piece, and the Spring Drive technology is absolutely mesmerising. Well done on a great watch, Sherwood, and here’s to the next one. 
Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who died in May this year, stands as one of the country’s most colourful — and beloved — political figures. He also enjoyed a particularly long tenure as PM, from March 1983 until December 1991, winning four elections as Labor leader. And while his political legacy includes the creation of Medicare and Landcare, the floating of the Australian dollar, and his removal of any UK jurisdiction over Australian affairs, more popularly he’s remembered as a quintessential larrikin: a swearing, drinking PM who was famous for his ability to skol a can of beer and whose most famous line is arguably his statement, after Australia dramatically won the America’s Cup in 1983, that “any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum!” On August 27, Shapiro Auctions is holding the “Bob Hawke & Blanche d’Alpuget Mementos Curiosities Art and Design Auction” at Paddington RSL (an appropriate venue) in Sydney. Amongst the ephemera of a long political career and an obvious love of art, we were struck by four time-related lots: Lot 99 — Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos clock By far my pick of the lots is this Atmos clock. If any clock is indicative…
Editor’s note: Rado’s star is firmly in ascendance these days, and that’s thanks to watches like their popular Captain Cook Reissue. And while we’ve got a whole lot of love for the smaller versions, sometimes — no matter what people say — size does matter. So, how about 45mm of Rado Captain Cook goodness? Rado’s HyperChrome Captain Cook has made waves this year, mostly due to the nearly pitch-perfect 37mm reissue. And while there’s a lot to like about that watch, I suspect that the comparatively petite case size will be a deal-breaker for some people. But that’s OK because Rado has covered their bases by releasing a contemporarily sized 45mm version. It’s not just the case size that’s impressive, but also the construction – with ceramic bezel, hardened titanium case construction and a solid 80 hours of power reserve. Rado HyperChrome Captain Cook 45mm Australian pricing Rado HyperChrome Captain Cook 45mm, $3175 
If you’ve been reading what I’ve been reading over the last couple of weeks, you’ll have noticed I’m particularly interested in how the primary and secondary watch markets interact with each other, and what that looks like in specific contexts like an auction room. All that leads to is a question: does the collectible watch change over time? One Instagram account I’ve been following with great interest for a little while is @AuctionLytics, a page that tracks the watch auction market and shares their data-driven insights with followers. They also share longer-form insights on their blog, and while they’ve been a little quiet over recent months, one article caught my eye that tracks over the last two decades to see if collectible watches change over time. You can find the article right here, and while they are looking only through the lens of auctions at Antiquorum, it still offers insight (and hope) to those confused or frustrated by the current situation.
Editor’s note: In the run-up to the horse racing season in Australia, we thought we’d have a look at a brand with a long history in the world of horse racing. Andrew had the opportunity to sit down with the then-VP of Longines Juan-Carlos Capelli to get to the bottom of Longines’ connection to horse racing, which was established more than one hundred years ago. Earlier this year, we interviewed the Vice President of Longines in the hours before the Queen Elizabeth Stakes horse race at Royal Randwick in Sydney. In the polite small-talk before the interview, we asked Mr Juan-Carlos Capelli — whose frequent flyer status would strike envy into the heart of even the most intrepid traveller — if he enjoyed watching the endless global parade of races and show jumping events as much as riding horses himself, which he has done since he was a child. “Sports and glamour,” he began, with a slow sweep of the well-dressed room, “what’s not to like about that?” Well said, Mr Capelli, well said. Why do you sponsor the Queen Elizabeth Stakes? We share the same values of elegance, tradition and performance. There is certainly a tradition of horse racing in…
Every year the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) provides a point of interest for the watch community. Long after the hype of SIHH and Baselworld has died down, it’s a chance to catch our breath, look back at the year that was, and assess how many good watches were made in the preceding 12 months. The entrants for 2019 were recently released, with 150 different watches across 14 categories, all self-nominating as the best in their class. As per tradition, a good portion of the watch media (including us) offers predictions on those that will be successful that year, so we thought we’d turn that on its head for once and offer a list of watches for GPHG 2019 we wish would win, but likely never will. Ladies’ – ArtyA Son of Earth Butterfly Target Offering a reminder of the mystery clocks from early last century, this piece-unique contains a fragment of a real butterfly wing. Ladies’ Complication – Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Zodiac Lumineux Aries watch Sensational gem-setting and enamel work, but time will tell if the judges appreciate the “light-on-demand modules”. Men’s – Citizen Caliber 0100 This was one of my personal favourites released this…
Watch collectors will listen, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, to stories about grandfathers in the ’60s wearing a Daytona while changing the oil in an engine, only giving the watch a quick wipe with a rag before dinner was served. This is so far from the present-day reality that a watch that was once a functional nice-to-have is now being traded by people who went to finance school. What happened to the everyday watch? This was the question posed by a quartet of men who couldn’t find a good-looking watch that didn’t cause the heart rate to rise when nearing a doorknob. Their answer was to make their own, giving birth to Serica. The first watch from the brand is the Serica W.W.W. (standing for Wrist. Watch. Waterproof), a well-considered balance of vintage-inspired design and a price point that is approachable for almost all. Taking cues from the military watches of WWII, the lacquered Serica dial prioritises legibility, available in either black or white. Another interesting feature of the dial is that it is unbranded, a decision driven to focus on “design, build quality and purpose” before brand. While still within the realm of a marketing decision, it is a refreshing one…
Patek Philippe are not known for hi-tech carbon composite case materials, skeleton dials, or really any enthusiastic contemporary flair. What they are known for is being the priest of the Temple of Classicism, considered and purposeful in any direction of development, refusing to bend to ephemeral market tastes. The clearest way this can be seen is how little the design DNA (yes, I know you think that term is overused, GaryG) of their watches has changed over the last century. This lack of dramatic change forces those interested into the trenches of granularity to ascertain the importance of any particular Patek Philippe reference, specifically in the Calatrava family. One watch that appears perfect initially, and remains perfect no matter how close you inspect it, is the ref. 2526. The ref. 2526 is, in my mind, less of a watch, and more the platonic ideal of a watch, something you might show to an alien to communicate the perfect example of what a watch should be. One of the best-looking examples of a Patek Philippe ref. 2526 is the one pictured above, in yellow gold with a black enamel dial. Fortunately for all of us, GaryG wrote an article for Quill…
Editor’s note: A couple of years ago, life got a lot easier for the Melbourne Rolex collector. Rolex Australia blessed the coffee-obsessed city with a shiny new service centre, a move that made the already appealing prospect of buying a Rolex even more appealing, with the knowledge that a repair would be as pain-free as possible. Let’s take a look back at when Felix got to visit the centre shortly after it opened. One of the biggest issues in this industry is what happens to a watch long after it leaves the boutique on the wrist of its happy new owner. Aftersales support and servicing may not be as glamorous as releasing shiny new watches, but it matters. A lot. There’s no quicker way to ruin goodwill towards a brand than with a negative service or repair situation and, from the anecdotal stories I hear, it’s happening all too often, with common complaints including long wait times, unexpected costs, and processes that can be baffling in their bureaucracy. Still, it’s easy to see why aftersales support doesn’t get the attention it deserves. There are no immediate returns to be had by investing in servicing. If you had to sign off…