INTRODUCING: Time+Tide’s NOW Magazine Edition 1, now available in the shop
It was the kind of unanswerable question only a toddler could ask. We were sitting in a sun-warmed café window-seat early one morning, and the moon was still visible in the blue sky. While I sipped my latte, and my eldest daughter, Indie, smeared as much of her berry smoothie on her upper lip as possible, I’d mused out loud, “Can you believe we went there? All the way to the moon for a walk and to collect some rocks and then home again …” My voice trailed off. Indie’s piped up. “Why haven’t we been back?” [BUY THE MAGAZINE NOW] I didn’t have an immediate response. Eventually, I came up with something: “We did it well enough the first time, I guess.” (Of course, we did go back – there were six manned moon landings between 1969 and 1972. But a five-year-old girl is not worried about facts. And we really only remember our first time.) A couple of weeks later, I think I can expand on that thought. Some achievements are so epic that they don’t necessarily beg to be repeated. Some works of art are so beautiful that it’s clearly pointless to try to improve on them. And…
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Editor’s note: The thing I love most about Tudor is their capacity to surprise. They get me every single time. I mean, every time a new watch is announced I know it’s probably going to be a Black Bay, but they still manage to defy expectations. And that’s exactly what they did last year, with the announcement of the BB Chrono, which took the heritage diver to a whole new, complicated level. Is it too early to start thinking about Basel 2019? Over the years, Tudor has proved their mastery of a particular genre of historically revisionist bricolage — most obviously through their fan-favourite diver, the mighty Black Bay. Except now that straight up diver classification doesn’t sit so easy. The 36 and 41 models add a dressy touch, and the Chrono brings a hefty dose of sporty style to the mix. So perhaps the real question is: does the pick and mix approach, which serves Tudor so well with the relatively restrained palette of the ‘regular’ Black Bays, work with this more complicated offering? And then, of course, there’s that movement … The case The 41mm steel case of the BB Chrono is at once familiar and unfamiliar. The shape and…
Earlier this year, Blancpain announced the third generation of their charitable champion — the Blancpain Ocean Commitment III, a limited edition take on their iconic Fifty Fathoms. And while previous versions have distinguished themselves by being ceramic and Bathyscaphe, this time around we were treated to a regular (and regularly sized) Fifty Fathoms, in that most democratic of case materials — steel. There is a common link to previous BOCs, though, in the rich and rewarding blue dial, emblazoned with an Ocean Commitment logo at the six o’clock position. It’s a really great watch, which looks good on the wrist, thanks in no small part to its 40mm width. It’s also a watch that does some good as well. In case you’re not au fait with the Ocean Commitment initiative, it’s Blancpain’s program dedicated to raising awareness of our marine environment, and raising funds to improve the health of that environment. A portion of funds from each BOC III sold will go directly to this program, adding up to a cool 250,000 euro across the run of 250 watches. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III Australian availability and pricing Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III, limited to 250 pieces, $21,400
There are few things we like more than a limited edition Seiko, and one of those things is a limited edition Seiko that has been made specifically for the Australian market. Which is lucky, because that’s exactly what the Seiko Prospex SNE520P is — an 800-piece series made just for the land down under. And really, the choice of watch makes perfect sense — after all, a solar-powered diver is just the sort of watch you want for a country renowned for its high ratio of both sun and surf. On top of that, there’s the green and gold colour scheme, which has been realised in a pretty classy manner. There’s quite a bit of gold detailing, on the bezel, dial and crown. But the green is a little more low-key, only showing up on the first 20 minutes of the dive bezel. As far as Australian-themed watches go, it’s subtle, which is, in my opinion, a pretty good thing. Now, there are 800 of these watches, available across Australia, but one of them — number one, to be precise — is currently in our possession. But not for long. You may or may not be aware that parts of…
During the week, we were privileged to host the official Seiko Australia launch of the Grand Seiko GMT Quartz Calibre at a Melbourne restaurant called Kuro Kisumé. We’ve had some good old times over the years, but this was really up there. Minds were blown by the food – believe the hype – wrists were tempted by the watches, and new friends were made, from all walks of life. From firefighters to plastic surgeons to an elite bodyguard, to ‘Mr Grand Seiko’ (handle: @mrgrandseiko — too legit), we had the right people in the room. The atmosphere of the evening, my tablemate John commented, was “like we were in a private home” – an ambience complemented by the genial presence of Seiko Australia Managing Director Toru Koizumi, who spent much of the evening in deep conversation with some of the most fanatical Seiko fans in the country. There were four watches in particular that received the most attention, and four quotes that summed up the night’s proceedings. “TIME+TIDE WILL HAVE EXCLUSIVITY ON THE FIRST ALLOCATION OF THE LIMITED EDITION PRESAGE ‘FUYUGESHIKI’ COCKTAIL TIME MODELS …” The announcement by Mr Koizumi that we would be selling the first allocation of the Presage…
In case you’ve been living under a rock this past year and a bit, ever since industry great Georges Kern took hold of the reins at Breitling, the big, bold brand of the skies has undergone a serious streamlining. Finding inspiration in their past and releasing focused collections that encompass four separate categories: air, sea, land, and professional. The latest addition to the revamped catalogue is the land-based Premier Collection, which not only reflects the design of Breitling’s first truly elegant watch – released in the 1940s – but also takes on its name. Home to four models, plus one special Breitling for Bentley chronograph, the collection starts with a duo of simple yet debonair three-handers. The Premier Automatic 40, a time-only model with small seconds subdial, and the Premier Automatic Day & Date 40, a slightly more complicated model with central seconds and a day/date display. Both feature 40mm cases and a water-resistance of 100 metres. Naturally, there’s also a pair of chronographs, with one powered by the brand’s impressive B01 column wheel chronograph movement and the other containing the venerable Valjoux 7750. While both use very similarly sized 42mm cases – varying only slightly in their thickness –…
Editor’s note: Heritage is no longer a thing of the past — it’s here to stay. Retro-inspired watches are no longer just a little something extra tacked onto a product category, they’re an increasingly important, mainstream part of the product offering. It’s also a design trope that’s become increasingly diverse, incorporating near 1:1 reissues, all the way down to thoroughly modern offerings with a vintage twist. Last year, we rounded up 10 of the best watches that looked to the past. And now, as we’re thinking about this year’s crop of reissues, we thought it was a good time to revisit the list … Cartier Tank Américaine When it comes to heritage, it’s hard to beat Cartier’s venerable Tank, which celebrates its centenary this year. But having said that, the version we particularly liked this year is a little younger, from 1989. The Américaine is a more modern design, and now it comes in steel! RRP $8050 Omega Railmaster We know the Railmaster had to make this list, but the only question is — which one? Do you go for the super legit, super limited reissue of the 1957 original, or go with the vintage-esque vibes of the regular production,…
When you’ve been around for 150 years you can afford to take the long view when it comes to the vagaries of fashion and trends, and start to take some perspective. Perhaps this is why IWC’s celebratory anniversary collection is jam-packed full of classics, like this Portugieser. A round gold watch in the classic style, with a beautifully simple dial design — Arabic numerals and leaf hands look the business, especially on the rich white lacquer dial that is a hallmark of the “150 years” limited editions. The only thing that bucks convention is the size — at 43mm, the case is a little on the large size for traditional tastes, but even then it fits into the narrative of the Portugieser, originally conceived as a pocket watch movement in a wristwatch. Really, though, what all this means is a watch that’s simple, and simply stunning. IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition “150 Years” Australian pricing and availability IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition “150 Years”, limited to 250 pieces, $27,100