Ultimate transparency — Hublot's sapphire evolution, in 13 watches
Editor’s note: While Hublot didn’t create the first sapphire-cased watch (that honour goes to Alain Silberstein of all people), the big, bold brand has done an impressive amount of work in a relatively short time to make the ultra-hard, ultra-cool case material mainstream. Don’t believe us? Here’s Sandra’s 2017 timeline of how it went down … First things first, what is sapphire crystal? Essentially, it’s the same stuff used to make a watch ‘glass’ and display casebacks, formed by crystallising aluminium oxide at very high temperatures to create an extremely hard material. Roughly speaking, it mimics what Earth has taken 400 million or so years to do, to form natural sapphire gemstones. For sapphire-cased watches, the middle, bezel and back are milled from solid blocks of the material. Because it’s almost as hard and scratch-resistant as diamond (9 on the Mohs scale, as opposed to 10 for diamond), the task of milling it into the complex shapes required is much more easily said than done. Indeed, sapphire crystal can be cut only by diamond. Harnessing the knowledge it gained from developing a milling technique for Magic Gold (another hugely challenging material), Hublot works with a Swiss specialist as part of…
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Editor’s note: The other day I caught up with someone who’d recently picked up an A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down, and holding it in my hand — by golly gosh, those German guys at ALS know their way around a watch. This piece might not be their most complicated or most hyped, but it’s pretty perfect … Even though there’s no doubt that the darlings of A. Lange & Söhne’s lineup are the more contemporarily styled pieces like the Lange One and the Zeitwerk, there’s still a place for deeply traditional design in the catalogue of Glashütte’s favourite son – and that’s the 1815 collection. Named for the year of founder Ferdinand A. Lange’s birth, the 1815 family of watches takes as its inspiration early marine chronometers. First developed in the 18th century, these ship-bound timepieces were extremely accurate, and a vital tool in navigation. And while the design isn’t what we’d associate with tool watches these days, make no mistake, legibility and reliability were the name of the game. It’s logical that Lange, those masters of function and style, adopt this distinctive look as the trademark for their 1815 collection. With the blued sword-style hands, railroad minute…
You might not have noticed but we’ve hit the Omega Speedmaster pretty hard this week. Though, in our defence, we think it’s justified, what with the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing and all that. A few days ago, Felix asked the deep question of what actually makes a Speedmaster, and this morning we had a closer look at the new 50th anniversary piece. And tonight we’re taking some guests to a celebratory shindig at one of Omega’s Melbourne boutiques (spacesuit optional). To score one of the metaphorical golden tickets, we asked people (specifically subscribers to our newsletter) to tell us about their favourite Speedmaster. These are three responses … Jaye says … My favourite Speedy (as unexciting as it might be) is the Professional Ref 3572.5 that I own, from 2002. There’s so many great features in this timeless watch — manual wind 1861 movement, hesalite crystal (can’t beat the warmth it brings to the watch), sapphire caseback and the iconic black dial. It looks great on the Omega bracelet, any colour NATO strap, leather, canvas or perlon. I saved for four years through uni to get it as a graduation present and it was my first ‘proper’ watch. I…
Editor’s note: The Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Torpilleur is a very interesting watch — a mix of modern build and very, very classical design. It’s a winner. Story in a second The Marine Chronometer Torpilleur shows a new, focused and driven face of Ulysse Nardin. I’m going to start this review talking not about mechanical watches, but naval warfare. In the late 19th and early 20th century, naval dominance was all about massive floating fortresses, with thick plate armour and a massed battery of cannons. These ships, which culminated in the dreadnought class of battleships, were the undisputed masters of the seas. To counter these ungainly behemoths, the Torpilleur, or torpedo boat, was developed. Streamlined, fast and modern, the Torpilleurs were armed with the latest technology — the self-propelled torpedo. These low-cost boats were intended as battleship-killers and presented a real threat to the dominance of the big ships. Now, do you really think it’s a coincidence that Ulysse Nardin chose to name their new, streamlined Marine Chronometer the “Torpilleur”? The dial Of all the elements of the Torpilleur, the dial is the most traditional. It follows the established conventions of a marine chronometer or deck watch — early navigational…
Tudor S&G this, Patek 5172G that, but wouldn’t you rather have something … different? Year after year it’s the same story. News breaks in January and March, and all you hear about are these “hero watches” from brands X, Y, and Z time and time again. Sure, that’s cool, and there’s a reason there is immense buzz around certain pieces (another limited edition Speedmaster, oh my!), but this hype is precisely why so many cool watches wind up going unnoticed and underappreciated. Once again, that’s why I’m here. My tastes consistently run somewhere out in left field, leaving me to consistently appreciate those watches that seem to be either missed or simply unloved by the horological media machine. With that in mind, here are the pieces that have been on my radar so far this year. Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered Chronograph Why this watch got no attention this year is still beyond me. Though there have been other chronographs in other collections over the years, this is the first monopusher, as well as the first time in recent years that the complication has landed in their dressy Grande Seconde collection. At 43mm, she’s a bit chunky for a dress…
Piaget is a brand that exudes class, and has style to spare. This was something that Time+Tide and our guests got an up-close lesson in on Wednesday night, when the brand showcased their ultra-thin masterpieces for us. For watches that look so slight, the Piaget Altiplano packs a punch — I had the pleasure of wearing an Altiplano Chronograph for the night, and I’ve got to say that the stark, slender lines of this watch made a welcome change from more sporty chrono fare, and I wasn’t the only person to think so, as I think it spent more time off my wrist, being passed around and photographed, than on it. But the Chronograph was far from the star of the show — there was a case full of diamond-studded watches, hand-painted enamel and delicate colours. But even these watches, in their precious splendour, were not the heroes of the night. After introductions from Time+Tide’s Andrew McUtchen, Pétronille de Parseval (Piaget’s Managing Director for South East Asia and Australia) and Marc Menant (Piaget’s Watch Marketing Product Manager), we got to see the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch. The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch is the world’s thinnest mechanical watch — at…
Editor’s note: OK, so ‘fight’ might be a touch hyperbolic, but back when the Hermès Slim d’Hermès was first released it caused quite a stir. The most ardent fans were Ceri and Felix, and this is an account of their slightly tête-à-tête over this elegant, well-designed watch … The story in a second With a slender profile, top-notch movement and a dial to die for, the Slim d’Hermès has a lot more going for it than just the name. Hermès might be better known for its much-coveted Birkin bags than high-end horology, but the Slim d’Hermès looks set to change all that. First unveiled in 2015, the watch has evolved this year with two new dial variants in slate grey and blue — and when we tried to assign this piece, both Ceri and Felix wanted it, and wouldn’t let it go. Our first solution was to let them wrestle it out on the office floor, which would have produced some compelling video footage, but then we remembered we’re grown-ups. So, instead, here they are comparing notes on how the French house’s confident, characterful timepiece might well be the start of a new chapter when it comes to fashion brands playing in the watch world. The case Felix Scholz: Hermès has made a few interesting watches in…
Editor’s note: People love seeing the insides of a Rolex. Perhaps it’s because of their popularity or perhaps it’s the fact that their insides are always hidden behind a solid caseback. Whatever the reason, people love the chance to get a glimpse at these industrially impressive machines. So, here’s another look at that time Peter Speake-Marin took the mighty Rolex Submariner apart. If you follow the world of independent watchmaking you’re likely familiar with the name Peter Speake-Marin. Until recently, Speake-Marin was the man behind the eponymous watch brand. After 17 years, the English watchmaker stepped away from the brand (which is still in business) and announced a new venture – The Naked Watchmaker — a site that bills itself as a sort of horological encyclopaedia, utilising Peter’s formidable watchmaking skills to strip watches down to their barest essentials, taking numerous macro photos along the way, with brief (not overly technical) explanation. It’s an excellent resource, regardless of where you are on your watch journey. The other day we spotted a watch deconstruction we suspect a few of you might be interested in — the mighty Rolex Submariner. Thanks to its solid back, you don’t typically see inside the Sub. But…
This week seems to be an appropriate one to ask what, as far as a product-focused watch news and review site goes, is a profoundly philosophical question: what is the Omega Speedmaster? Simple, non? Well, sort of. At the base level, the Speedmaster is Omega’s long-running family of professionally oriented chronographs. But it’s so much more than that. It is, in the truest sense of the word, an icon of both modern design and history. It’s the Moonwatch, immortalised in the Smithsonian Museum, in film and pop culture. Viewed through this lens, the Speedmaster quickly becomes more than a professionally oriented chronograph. The history of watchmaking is littered with such watches, but really, less than a handful stand out as historical objects and names with this sort of weight. And none, I would say, sit higher than the Speedy. And really, that comes down to the moon. As far as declarative caseback stories go, it’s hard to top, “Flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions” and “The first watch worn on the Moon”. But the Speedmaster is more than a nice story. It is also, to quote long-serving Omega President Mr Stephen Urquhart, “the hook that kept Omega going through the…
We’re on record as being fans of the Longines Legend Diver Black — in fact, we like it so much we’re selling it in our shop. The attraction is immediate: if you just look at these photos, obviously apparent. It’s stealthy, sexy and very, very sharp. In case you need a quick primer: 42mm, 300m of water resistance, PVD case, rock-solid automatic, glassbox sapphire and a sexy dual-crown super compressor style layout. Hotness. But pictures and specs only tell half the story. Luckily, we’ve got video. So, if you want to see what the Legend Diver is like on the wrist, hit play and see what it’s like on the wrist. Now, it’s worth pointing out that this watch comes on a rubber, Milanese-style strap, but because we’re such massive fans of the NATO (seriously, is there a more user-friendly, versatile strap out there?), we’re also including one of our black-on-black NATOs in the package. Click here to buy the Longines Legend Diver Black (with bonus NATO), for $3550 from our shop