VIDEO: It’s a kind of magic – Hublot’s Big Bang Red Magic
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” I’m fairly sure Arthur C. Clarke didn’t have Hublot — or even watches — in mind when he made the now famous futurist statement. But it’s certainly something that rings true for Hublot’s latest ceramic marvel. Because while most watch fans are familiar with the use of ceramic in horology these days, there’s still an aura of power and mystique around this oh-so-red watch. We’ve seen polished ceramic before, and we’ve seen red ceramic before (though none-so-vivid as this), and we’ve certainly seen Big Bangs before. But the combination of all three is a little overwhelming and, for me at least, awe-inspiring. Hublot, for all they seem to delight in their role of watch brand provocateur, are showing us glimpses of the future here. And it looks bright. Hublot Big Bang Unico Red Magic Australian pricing and availability Hublot Big Bang Unico Red Magic, limited to 500 pieces, $33,800
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Here at Time+Tide we have a soft spot for smaller brands that are built on passion. Oak & Oscar definitely fits that bill. Chase Fancher (the man behind the brand) has made a series of retro-ish classics with loads of thoughtful details — the sort of details appreciated by true believers. These details are still very much apparent on Oak & Oscar’s Humboldt, a solid 40mm steel three-hander that’s built with adventure in mind — quite literally, in fact, as the watch is named after 18th century explorer and scientific traveller Alexander von Humboldt. The dial, offered in either charcoal or navy, will be familiar to those aware of Oak & Oscar’s previous offerings, with Arabics at the cardinal points and a sandwich-style construction that punches well above the Humboldt’s price point. The watch also comes with a steel 12-hour bezel, perfect for ad hoc GMT duties. The 20mm lugs are drilled (one of my favourite user-friendly watch features) for ease of strap change, and, impressively, comes with a steel bracelet option. Now, getting a stock third part bracelet isn’t too hard, but the fact that Oak & Oscar have gone to the effort of doing their own bracelet (slightly…
There are few brands that take as much pride in their heritage as Longines. Not surprising, really, when you consider that the winged hourglass brand pioneered the way for the reissue. In fact, the Saint-Imier manufacturer is so proud of their history that their own museum is home to more than 10,000 historic pieces, while the brand also routinely holds competitions around the world in search of their oldest watches. Until recently, that honour fell to the 335th piece produced by Longines, but now, with the help of a dedicated Japanese-American collector, Longines have found a pocket watch with the serial number 183, dating the “savonnette” type silver pocket watch to the year 1867. A big year for Longines, 1867 was not only the same year that Longines began manufacturing their components under a single roof in their brand-new factory in the long meadows that the brand is named for, but also the year they began consecutively numbering the watches they produced. It was this system, as well as the brand’s diligent archiving of information, that made it possible for their historians and watchmakers to establish exactly when the pocket watch was made. Identifying it as one of the very…
When the watchfam get together, it’s only a matter of time before the hot topic of grail watches rears its curious head. It’s no surprise, either, that for many collectors, their ultimate goal is usually found at the higher-end of the watchmaking spectrum. Perhaps a Patek Philippe or something of the Vacheron variety? Or maybe the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Brought to life by Gérald Genta, when he famously sketched the design for the “unprecedented steel watch” on the eve of the 1971 Basel watch fair, it was almost a year to the day later when the luxury sports watch made its debut in 1972. Taking its inspiration from traditional diving helmets, with an octagonal case featuring exposed screw heads and an integrated bracelet, the Royal Oak is widely considered as the very first luxury sports watch and sparked the trend that has since become the much-loved norm. Forty years later, in 2012, Audemars Piguet released this version of the Royal Oak, the ref. 15202ST, their most faithful tribute to the original yet, and one that is still in production and winning countless watch fans the world over. Matching the original’s 39mm case diameter – a size once considered huge…
Being a Tudor enthusiast (or, for lack of a better word, a bit of a fanboy), the Black Bay Fifty-Eight was the watch that really caught my eye amongst the new releases from Tudor at this year’s Baselworld. Yes, like everyone else, I love the look and functionality of the Black Bay GMT, but being more of a vintage watch guy, the size and retro design of the Fifty-Eight really appealed to me. I’ve been dying to get my hands on the watch ever since, and I guess I wasn’t the only one. Just like the GMT, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight has been an instant success for Tudor, and if you’ve tried looking for one, you’d know that it’s near impossible to find one available to purchase, let alone at anywhere near retail price. When I was fortunate enough to get one, my expectations were sky-high and I’m glad to say that the Fifty-Eight did not disappoint. My first impression was … that the Fifty-Eight is one of those watches that looks great in photos, and even better in the metal. Not only does it look the part, it also feels extremely well-made and like it could take its fair…
Editor’s note: Over the weekend, the GPHG was held in Switzerland, and Seiko took home the gong for best sports watch for the SLA025, which got us thinking about another excellent diver from this year, the not so lean, but very green Marinemaster redux, the SLA019J1 … With another contemporary nod to Seiko’s original hi-beat diver – the 1968 ref. 6159 – a familiar face has received a limited-edition update. Based on the venerable Seiko MM300 dive watch, this commemorative limited edition not only pays tribute to its vintage inspiration with a host of updates, but also to the lush green forests and abundant marine life that can be found around the island of Yakushima at the southern end of the Japanese archipelago. Vital statistics The one-piece 44.3mm case is now set off with a deep green dial and zirconia ceramic bezel. And Hardlex has been replaced by a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both the inside and out. Giving life from within is the Seiko calibre 8L35 with 50 hours of power reserve. And the 5, 10, 15 and 20-minute markers on the bezel have been given an especially bright dose of Lumibrite to increase their presence in…
A little under two weeks ago, Time+Tide threw a party. Ostensibly, it was to launch our new print publication, NOW. But really, you don’t need an excuse for a good party, and this was a good party, full of (very) good watches. Here’s what I spotted. Instagram heavyweight @Syn.Chronus also made it down to our office, sporting (probably my favourite of the night) his breathtaking two-tone Patek Philippe Nautilus Chrono reference 5980/1AR. Early on I was drawn to the wrist of Red Bar NZ founder, Jarrod. He happened to be in town to collect several rather special watches, including this amazing IWC Aquatimer Bronze Collectors Forum LE, which is limited to 250 units — so you won’t see them too often. Jarrod also happened to score his lucky number: 22. Another prolific watch collector, and Australian actor, Rodger Corser was in the building — sporting a sought-after Tudor Black Bay GMT. You might remember a video we created with him a couple of years back, where he shared his passion for watch collecting and his long-standing love for Tudor. Rodger’s particular love for the Black Bay GMT can be put down to its function, which comes in handy given the amount of travelling…
If you care about watches, Geneva is the place to be right now. The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (better known to its friends as the GPHG) has recently wrapped, and a prestigious jury of who’s who in watchland has determined what the best watches of the year are. Well, at least the best watches of the year that were submitted by their makers for consideration, which is a much smaller pool, notably free of crowns and calatravas — but that’s another story. Anyway, the submitted watches were divided into 12 categories, including some obvious ones like men’s and women’s, as well as some less obvious, and particularly Swiss ones, like mechanical exception and artistic crafts. And then there’s the discretionary categories like the ‘revival’ prize. Anyway, arcana of Swiss watch award bureaucracy aside, here are the GPHG 2018 award winners, and our 10-second take on them. The best ladies’ watch of 2018 CHANEL BOY.FRIEND SKELETON A strong, diamond-set pack including dead-set stunners from Bulgari, Chanel and Piaget. But the strongest contender was the Chanel Boy.Friend Skeleton, with its bold look and strong in-house movement. The best complicated ladies’ of 2018 VAN CLEEF & ARPELS LADY ARPELS PLANÉTARIUM Diamonds plus…
Editor’s note: For someone who loves watches, it’s a horrible question to ask, and one that hopefully remains hypothetical. But the short answer is, yes, you could definitely get away with wearing one of Omega’s lovely new Aqua Terras for the rest of your life. The follow up question is … which one? One of the secrets of the Omega Aqua Terra’s success is its versatile charm. In its dark-dialled and gold incarnations it’s super dressed-up, but put it on a leather or rubber strap and it becomes a much more casual proposition. This is a watch that could pull tuxedo duty or go with board shorts with equal ease (and the 150 metres of water resistance means it’s safe to take swimming). But no matter how you wear it, you won’t find it boring. The flash of the polished hands and applied indices ensure that, as does the shimmering, patterned dial. And then, of course, there are its more functional charms. It’s now a Master Chronometer-certified watch, which means that it is tough and accurate, and, in the larger size, has a nifty quick jump hour that’s super useful for travellers. Flexible style and feature-packed? That’s why we think…
A little while ago Seiko lifted the lid on a tasty trio of dive watches with a marine conservation theme: a turtle, a samurai and a solar chronograph. All united by a gorgeous, graduated blue dial, inspired by both the blue of the sea and its mightiest inhabitant, the blue whale; these summer-suitable divers sure have plenty of presence on the wrist. But not as much presence as the newest member of the Save The Ocean clan — the appropriately nicknamed Tuna can variant, the SNE518P. Now, in case you’re not all over your Seiko dive nomenclature, the ‘tuna’ family of watches are as distinctive as they are significant. The design dates back to 1968, when a Japanese saturation diver wrote to Seiko with his particular dive watch requirements. Seven years later, in 1975, Seiko met the challenge with the 6159-7010, an epically impressive diver that boasted 23 world firsts, not least the distinctive protective shroud. It’s the combination of massive blocky case and shroud, which bears more than a passing resemblance to tinned fish, that led to the tuna can moniker. It’s a design that’s been an important part of Seiko’s Prospex line ever since, and one that has…