INTRODUCING: Alpina’s Startimer Pilot Heritage – a value-packed GMT with style to boot
If you think of a pilot’s watch, there’s a good chance you’re thinking of a large round watch, with a black dial and bold Arabic numerals. Well, Alpina’s latest, the Startimer Pilot Heritage, ticks none of these boxes, but that doesn’t make it any less of a pilot’s watch. The design of the Startimer Pilot Heritage owes less to the WWII era that’s commonly the reference point for this sort of watch; instead, Alpina has looked to the ’70s for inspiration, and clearly they found it, in an Alpina alarm watch called the Dispomatic. The 42mm tonneau is funky fresh, a wrist-friendly shape that’s not too tall at 12mm. And while the case has an uncommon shape, radially brushed bezel and polished sides, the face matches it step for step. There’s quite a lot going on dial-wise. Offered in black, dark or light blue, and salmon (my personal preference), they all look great, thanks to the sunray finish under the box sapphire crystal. Beyond those basics, the finer details are also super ’70s: faceted hour markers with luminous tips, simple hands and vibrant orange hour hand, with a date window at three (complete with internal date magnifier). And then there’s…
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Forget Bond, Bourne and Ethan Hunt, the greatest spy in the history of the silver screen is English, Johnny English. A secret agent of incomparable style, questionable grace and entirely accidental lethality, played to perfection by the thinking man’s action star Rowan Atkinson. In October, English will return to the screen for the third time, in Johnny English Strikes Again, which sees English once again assume the role of England’s last hope (and only available option), called out of retirement to tackle a cyberterrorist threat. Of course, English is decked out with all the spy essentials: the rocket-equipped car (Jag, natch), the suit, and, of course, the watch. And what timepiece is capable of matching English’s demanding standards at the bar and in the field? Well, none other than IWC — in this case the particularly stylish IWC Mark XVIII Edition “Le Petit Prince”, on a steel bracelet. It’s a superb choice: 40mm, with a glorious blue sunburst dial. And while you can fault Johnny English for many things, his choice of watch isn’t one of them. See him in action below …
The story in a second: Tissot’s latest heritage release is another hit. In these days of the never-ending vintage revival, it seems that every brand has to have a heritage collection, regardless of whether they have any actual heritage. That’s not a problem Tissot has to deal with, as the brand dates way back to 1853, a depth of history that’s reflected in the strength of their current heritage lineup. The latest member is this handsome fella, the Tissot Heritage Petite Seconde, a hand-winding hero based on a 1943 design, which is entirely suited to the modern day. The dial There’s an interesting story about this reissue, and it centres on one word on the dial. The Heritage Petite Seconde is a tribute to an antimagnetic watch from 1943. When the watch was originally shown at Baselworld this year it featured a line of text reading ‘antimagnetique’ under the wonderfully retro, sweeping Tissot logo. As you can see, that word is no longer there, likely because, while the watch was antimagnetic 70 or so years ago, technology has moved on, and it wouldn’t be accurate to call the watch antimagnetic by modern standards. And so, now that the watch is…
Editor’s note: For some inexplicable reason we’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Bulgari’s critically acclaimed Octo Finissimo Automatic. It’s a watch you really need to see in real life to truly appreciate. And while that’s a statement that’s true of all watches, the combination of incredible thinness, lightness and distinctive matt finish makes the act of picking it up and slipping it on the wrist even more critical. Now, if that’s not feasible for you, we’ve come up with the next best thing — a video review. And in case you need more convincing, here’s our long review. Titanium not your thing? Well, don’t stress, there are equally impressive gold and steel options available too. 
As far as journalism goes, writing about watches isn’t really the sort of high-pressure, down-to-the-wire sort of experience that is common in more mainstream platforms. News rarely breaks in spectacular fashion, and reporting live is uncommon. One exception is seeing what the beautiful people wear on the red carpet. There’s much scouring of images, trying to find wristwear unobstructed by cuffs. And then there’s the next challenge — working out what those watches actually are. It’s hardly the same as reporting on the latest internal machinations of our government, but it’s a change of pace. So, today Dan and I hunkered down and spotted six interesting watches, straight from the 70th Primetime Emmys in Los Angeles. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and his Breitling Transocean Chronograph Unitime in rose gold Of course Jaime Lannister is wearing a gold watch. Of course. Bonus points for the Danish Dreamboat managing to continue the gold theme with that gold-ish toned velvet tuxedo jacket from Eidos. The only thing that would complete the look? A golden hand, Cersai optional. But seriously, the Breitling is a solid choice. I can imagine the worldtime gets a workout with his punishing work travel schedule. Sterling K. Brown and his Chopard L.U.C Heritage…
At an event held at the Berluti flagship store in Collins Street, Melbourne, Hublot have launched their latest collaboration with Berluti, bespoke leather experts. Nestled amidst the fine footwear were the latest offerings of this ongoing partnership: two Classic Fusion watches with Berluti leather dials (the only ones in Australia), offered in vibrant colours – Bordeaux red with King Gold, and ocean blue with titanium. Both watches are 45mm across, and 13.4mm high, dual register chronographs (sans date), powered by the HUB1143 movement, and presented in an epic Berluti box, complete with leather watch roll and everything needed to keep that leather in tip-top condition. Venezia Scritto is the signature leather of the House of Berluti, a technique that involves engraving text into the calf leather, inspired by 18th century calligraphy. The leather is treated by hand to create unique patina, or palette of colours based on essential oils and pigments. The real challenge, though, is turning this leather — a living, organic material — into a watch dial. It’s a process that involved a huge amount of research and development to ensure the leather wouldn’t deteriorate inside the case, due to oxidisation and humidity – something that Hublot managed to achieve, resulting in a pair of watches…
Editor’s note: There are certain words and terms that get thrown around a lot here in watchland. We should know, we’re more than guilty of it. While some can be pretty self-explanatory, others require a more in-depth description. And although this list – which we first published a couple of years ago – doesn’t quite explain them all. It does tick a few off. And they all happen to be invented by Breguet. Every year at Baselworld I attend a technical presentation from Breguet. I’m ushered into a small room, introduced to Swiss gentlemen who work in the brand’s R&D and Technical departments. Pleasantries are exchanged, coffees offered and accepted. Then we sit down and it gets serious. I’m shown slideshows full of graphs and parabolas, discuss hertz and resonance, and marvel at deconstructed movements. Sixty minutes later, I walk out with my head hurting, my mind stretched, marvelling that this brand, with such a rich history of innovation, is still pushing the boundaries of horology. Today we take a closer look at some of Breguet’s (both the man and the brand’s) most important innovations. If you’re a watch lover, and we’re tipping that’s likely, these key breakthroughs underscore much of…
Editor’s note: Let’s be honest, there are a few fashion mistakes from the ’70s that are best left forgotten. But it wasn’t all platforms and hip-huggers, no. When it comes to watches, there are some standout design hits that are more than deserving of a remastered tribute. Take Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s for example… We’ve come to associate Fifty Fathoms with minimalistic dials, so this Day Date model – one of three new pieces released at Baselworld 2018 to mark the 65th anniversary of the original diving watch – is a real shift in style. This doesn’t mean that Blancpain are suddenly getting all decorative, though; rather, they have looked to their 1970s archive for the design cues. Vital Statistics While the aesthetic is retro, everything else is bang-up to the minute, with all of the technical advances that Blancpain have brought to their dive watches in recent years. The movement is based on the acclaimed calibre 1315: the balance is non-magnetic silicium and the three barrels deliver a mighty five-day power reserve. The Day Date 70s comes in the same 43mm brushed steel case and its unidirectional bezel has a ceramic insert and markers filled with…
What I love about the microbrand watch companies is that they’re run by guys and gals like you and me. The kind of people that appreciate watches, and find excitement in a unique dial or case design while getting a buzz out of a new complication or movement. That’s not to say that the bigger brands aren’t equally as passionate. In fact, some of the most enthusiastic folk I’ve met are in charge of the biggest names in the business. It’s just that seeing someone who’s just like me start up a watch company and design the type of watch that they’d love to wear is inspiring. And when they can offer that sort of passion and enthusiasm for less than $500, it’s all the sweeter. Auteur Revolution II Minimalist does not have to mean boring. And French/Hong Kong microbrand Auteur proves that without a doubt. The Revolution II takes its pebble-shaped case and outlines it with a solid walnut wood ring – meaning no two look the same. With the only let-down (if there must be one) being the rather ubiquitous two-handed quartz movement inside. But when a watch looks this good, should it even matter? RRP $299 USD…
Editor’s note: A couple of days ago I announced that Sotheby’s would be auctioning 44 watches from the collection of the late great Robin Williams. And from the response it received — and in my own observations — it seems that a few of the estimates were a little modest. So just how much is the celeb factor worth? I thought I’d take us back to this one by our own numbers man, Mr Daniel Senia. And help shed some more light on the subject. One final note: We ran this story just before Russell Crowe’s ‘Art of Divorce’ auction. Here’s how his watches performed. The power of ‘celebrity’ is not a new concept. As far back as the ancient pharaohs, celebrities have been put on a pedestal (sometimes literally) and we’ve obsessed into the lives of the powerful, the wealthy and the beautiful. These days, technology puts the beautiful people at our fingertips, and this all-access, always-on, microscope into famous lives continues to fuel the celebrity fire. And that desire for fame through association is at its strongest when it comes to celebrity-owned objects. Tonight, Russell Crowe will auction off a collection of movie memorabilia, jewellery and watches at Sotheby’s in…