LIST: 7 things Sandra hopes and dreams to see at Baselworld 2019
Following on from Felix’s crystal ball gazing, Sandra looks into the (not-too-distant) future and ponders just what surprises (or not) Baselworld 2019 might hold … Expect to see: A regular production Defy Lab from Zenith I’m expecting to see Zenith’s oscillator technology of Defy Lab in a series-production collection. It’s a great technical breakthrough that more people should have access to. And, as with any innovation, the proof of its validity lies in successfully scaled-up production, rather than just a handful of special editions. Expect to see: Independent women Only a few indies have so far offered really creative mechanical watches for women (mainly because their production capacity is so limited). But that’s changing. Already in the field: Moritz Grossmann and Fabergé; Christiaan van der Klaauw’s wondrous astronomical watches in 38mm; Kari Voutilainen’s 37mm case; Romain Gauthier’s Insight Micro-Rotor for women, introduced last year. It remains to be seen who’s next – but my money’s on MB&F. Expect to see: More fishy dials swimming upstream Salmon is in. That glowing pinky-peach colour – so beloved of vintage collectors – is about to burst from cult to craze. (But that doesn’t mean everything vaguely pinkish or apricot qualifies as ‘salmon’. For…
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I have a confession to make: In 2018, I, Cameron Wong, did not purchase a single watch for myself. Not on purpose, it just kind of happened. It’s not like I didn’t have any on my radar either, I just think that I was able to satisfy the itch all year long by having the luxury of being able to review watches for a living. At least that was until Christmas time rolled around, and my trigger finger began to twitch, and the golden tones of the Casio G-Shock Full Metal GMW-B5000GD-9 moved clear into my sights. Now I know I just confessed to not buying a single watch for myself all year, well, that’s still technically true, because this one was actually a “gift” — albeit one that I may have cleverly suggested to my wife. It was Christmas after all. My first impression was … man, is this thing gold — like really, really gold. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, but I’ve found myself coveting more and more gold watches. I’m not quite ready to take the plunge with a solid gold AP Royal Oak (I wouldn’t say no though), however I felt that the…
Hold onto your hats because Glashütte Original has just dropped another dose of exceptional colour, in the form of the 2019 edition of the Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date. In case you don’t recall last year’s version, it was a pretty exceptional green (here’s a closer look) and a very popular choice. It was also one of the greatest examples of green being a breakthrough trend for 2018. Now, we don’t think that this fiery orange will have broad cross-sectional appeal, but if you’re a fan of the colour, the chances are good that you will love this pair of limited production pieces. Before we get to those dials, a quick refresh on the basics of these pieces — the time-only Sixties is a svelte 39mm by 9.4mm high, and powered by the Calibre 39-52. The Sixties Panorama Date adds a few millimetres, clocking in at 42mm by 12.4mm, but that extra size comes with a big panorama date. Back to that dial, though. It’s a point of pride for Glashütte that they own their own dial facility in Pforzheim, and this facility still has original dial dies from the 1960s, which add a nice touch of heritage, as well…
Editor’s note: Basel is just around the corner, which means that I’m spending more time than is strictly healthy speculating on what configurations of complications we might be seeing from our favourite brands … like Grand Seiko. But you know what? It would be a hard task indeed to improve on the long tall drink of water that is this Grand Seiko GMT. If you were looking for a go-anywhere-do-anything type watch (and honestly, aren’t we all?), then a stylistically versatile steel GMT on a bracelet would tick a lot of the boxes. And as far as versatile steel GMTs go, there aren’t too many options that offer quite as much as Grand Seiko’s SBGJ203. It’s got the looks: a distinctive, angular and exceptionally well-finished 40mm case, paired with a rich dial that sets an exceptionally high bar for the competition. There’s fine detail at play, but it’s not a watch to peacock its virtues, or to sacrifice comfort and function in favour of style. And then there’s movement. Grand Seiko’s 9S86, released in 2014, is a connoisseur’s choice, a well-finished automatic that beats at an accurate 5Hz rate, with an antimagnetic balance spring and 55 hours of power reserve. Not…
Zenith is rather proud of the fact — and understandably so — that they hold the trademark for the “Pilot” name on watches, so it makes sense for them to proudly emblazon the name on the dials of their aviation-inspired pieces. This latest limited edition is extra special (also mentioned on the dial), because of its uncommon construction. The design of this Pilot is — well — pure pilot, with its large, classically shaped 45mm case, even bigger onion crown, stylised Arabic numerals and cathedral hands, replete with a suitably rugged calfskin strap (with an extra, somewhat mysterious, layer of leather on the bottom). Where things start getting interesting is the case material. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was steel, or perhaps even white gold. But no, you’re looking at sterling silver. Silver, while very traditional in jewellery, isn’t frequently seen in watches, largely because it tarnishes over time. However, in this age of forced patina, a silver case offers a dressier alternative to de rigueur bronze. The dial is also noteworthy. Made to resemble the riveted hull of a plane, it also features a very cool, randomised brush finish, again evoking the industrial finishing of early planes. It’s a…
Editor’s note: The other week I caught up with a mate who had recently come to the inevitable realisation that he needed a yellow gold Day-Date on his wrist. He struggled with the stigma of gold for ages (yellow gold AND a Rolex to boot), before finally reconciling that it was, by all metrics, awesome. And that got me thinking back to this instructional guide from Andy Green … You know who you are, and you know why you’re here — and it’s totally fine. You’ve found yourself at the inevitable crossroad that all collectors come to. You’re finally in the position to buy something that you never thought you’d like, but as your tastes have evolved, you’re struggling to resist it. When you first started collecting watches, you swore it was too obnoxious, gaudy and ‘flashy’ … yet, here you are, lusting after a gold watch — not knowing how to handle it. Firstly, it’s okay. Like I said, we’ve all been there, often without realising. Maybe it happened when you were at your local dealer, who only had that model you wanted in white gold. Maybe you tried on a friend’s piece and fell in love with the weight of the metal.…
“Living the dream” is how I’d best describe the two co-founders of microbrand watch company Nodus. The pair may be relative new recruits to the micro-watchmaking game, but Cullen Chen and Wesley Kwok have turned their passion for watches into their dream business, releasing their debut model, the Nodus Trieste, in 2017, taking its inspiration from ’60s dive watches. Since then, the young up-and-coming microbrand has gone from strength to strength, building itself an enthusiastic cult following on the forums, and Instagram and the like, as well as releasing brand new models quicker than an elephant running downhill. With each new release continuing the same dive/tool watch trend that kickstarted the brand into existence, before culminating in what is their most impressive offering yet, the Nodus Avalon. To see what makes the Avalon so impressive, you only need to look at the specs and, for that matter, its price. Available in several dial colours and starting at $625 USD, its case is CNC-machined out of a solid block of 316L stainless steel, measuring a goodly 43.5mm across with a lug-to-lug of 48mm and a thickness that measures 12.9mm from its caseback to the top of its double-domed sapphire crystal. It’s…