NEWS: Will this upcoming moon blockbuster cause Speedy stocks to rise even higher?
Ryan Gosling and a stellar cast, including Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights fame) and the Queen herself (Claire Foy), have the afterburners lit for a movie about the Moon that is set to rival Apollo 13 as a major motion picture event. It’s called First Man, and is billed as a Neil Armstrong biopic. The trailer looks crazy. I’ve watched it repeatedly today, and still find myself goosebumping at the last 15 seconds. This comes in a week when I was incredibly honoured to actually hold the last watch that walked on the Moon, belonging to Eugene Cernan. More about that shortly in a video hot from the Omega Museum. Suffice to say, the closer you get to the story, the more power it has. This one will never go away. While the story already has several tellings, the visceral direction by Damien Chazelle, who made jazz a bloodsport in Whiplash and made himself the toast of Hollywood with La La Land, already sets this version apart – it seems we will actually feel, like never before, the sheer impact and physical trauma the astronauts went through to take their giant leap. Throughout the trailer there are glimpses of watches,…
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For years Grand Seiko was a very underground, for-those-in-the-know type brand; its visibility outside of Japan was limited, and its passionate supporters revelled in the arcana of cryptic reference numbers, nicknames and shorthand galore. All that changed a few years ago when Grand Seiko went global, but there’s still an air of mystique around the Japanese brand. So, to help clear a few things up, I decided to run through a short explainer, providing a flying overview of some of the key details, covering off the basics around movements, cases and dials. So, if you don’t know your Snowflakes from your Spring Drives, aren’t too sure if you’re team 9S or 9F, or have ever wondered just what Zaratsu actually is, this video is for you. We can’t explain it all in just a few minutes, but if it clears a few things up or serves as the first step down the Grand Seiko rabbit hole, we’ll claim it as a win.
Where there’s smoke there’s fire. There’s a lot of truth to that saying, especially if we’re talking about H. Moser & Cie’s famous smoky fumé dials — the latest batch of watches they’re attached to are straight up fire. Take, for example, the Venturer Small Seconds XL Purity. The dial-heavy 43mm watch definitely lives up to its XL name, but it’s with those sparse markings in case-matching red gold and the awesome rhodium dial. It’s one of the most beautiful objects we’ve seen in a while. Of course, Moser’s star power went stratospheric a few years ago when they wittily riffed on the Apple Watch with their app-less Alp Watch. It’s since become a staple, and this year sees them add some serious complication in the form of a minute repeater, and (yet another) incredible dial. Other standouts include the smart Endeavour Flying Hours, one of the indie hits of SIHH, as well as the new, cosmic green interpretation of their steel hero, the Pioneer. Moser’s 2018 collection is coming to town next week (Sydney and Melbourne — sorry, other towns), and I can’t wait to have another look at these (very) rare beauties.
I’m on the record as being a big fan of Grand Seiko, largely because their approach to watchmaking (the focus on accuracy, timeless design and wearer comfort) really resonates with me. However, I’m more than willing to admit that I buck the trend a little in my preference for the brand’s plainer, less jazzy dials. While I can admire and see the beauty in the iridescent green of the peacock, or the intricacy of the SBGR311 or SBGH267, my personal taste is a little more understated; I can’t see myself wearing those fancy fellas all day, everyday. Now, the SBGA375 — that’s a different story. This watch is made for everyday wear. A 40mm steel case, angular and bold (inspired by the 44GS), sets the tone. With its mix of surfaces it’s not too tooly or dressy (though I would stress about how quickly I’d scratch those broad, polished lugs and bezel). It’s a versatile vibe that continues to the three-link bracelet, with its slightly flashy polished centre-link edges. Though the lack of modern micro-adjustment on the bracelet might put some people off (but the drilled lugs are a winner in my book). The crown is screw down, and it…
If you’re reading this and thinking ‘grey’ and ‘Bulgari’, I’m welling to bet your mind wanders to this slender beauty. And while that’s entirely understandable, earlier this year we had a look at another, equally alluring take on the Octo — the Octo Roma with an anthracite sunburst dial. The Octo Roma is a fairly recent evolution of the Octo, a dressier, somewhat toned down version, where the octagonal shape that gives the model its name has been softened around the edges — notably with the circular brushed steel bezel — which means the 41mm Octo Roma does a good impression of a classical round watch while maintaining some of the appeal of a more boldly shaped watch. Really, though, the draw of this Octo Roma isn’t the shape. Sure, it’s a part of it, but for me it’s all about the grey-on-grey-on-grey colour scheme and the soft, almost velvety textures at play. The dial is richly textured, and the gunmetal colour provides plenty of visibility for the mirror-like hour markers and hands. The case, with its mix of brushed and polished finishes, sits harmoniously between the two. The black alligator strap and the handsomely finished in-house Solotempo BVL 191…
Anyone who knows me knows that I like things a little different from the norm. I’m a sucker for interesting dials and case shapes, pops of colour, and fresh takes on old designs. That’s not to say that I don’t also appreciate the classics, but I do like some uniqueness. So when I was given the chance to take a look at the latest release from relative newcomers to the watch industry, Spinnaker, I knew they’d have something interesting to offer. A brand that I had seen popping up more and more on my insta-feed lately, Spinnaker’s latest release, the Bradner, takes their trademark design approach, combining interesting details with a vintage inspiration. We’ve got the exclusive first look here, and the Bradner will officially launch and be made available on July 20. Vital statistics The watch is named after Hugh Bradner, an American physicist who not only worked on the Manhattan Project with Robert Oppenheimer but also developed the first neoprene wetsuit. The vintage compression diver styling of the Bradner is made immediately apparent. On the 42mm case’s side is a screw-down crown at 4 o’clock that controls the time setting, while a crown at 2 o’clock adjusts the bi-directional…
When Omega releases a limited edition, you’re fairly safe in betting that it will be numbered in the hundreds or thousands. The First Omega Wrist-Chronograph Limited Edition is a little more limited than that … being released in 18 pieces only, and for good reason. This large 47.5mm chronograph was unveiled by Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann at the Omega Museum in Biel, at an intimate event celebrating Omega’s rich history (more on that later). This watch is a tribute to Omega’s 18”’ CHRO movement, launched in 1913, an important calibre in the brand’s history, and indeed that of watchmaking in general. Of course, the genesis of the original large, utilitarian watch was the needs of wartime pilots and other military personnel, hence the focus on legibility and functionality. And while the dial and case design of this re-issue is exceptionally faithful to the original, the real star (and reason for its exceptionally limited nature) is the movement. Every single one of these 18 watches houses an original, 105-year-old 18”’ CHRO movement. Each movement has been sourced by the Omega Museum, and painstakingly cleaned, restored and refinished by Omega’s Atelier Tourbillon on period-correct machines to create the phoenix-like calibre 3018. To…
Editors note: At the moment, the Time+Tide team members whose names don’t begin with ‘A’ and end with ‘ndrew McUtchen’ are pretty jelly of Andrew McUtchen, who is, as we speak, ensconced in the bosom of Omega’s home turf, to celebrate an incredible (and incredibly rare reissue of Omega’s first ever chronograph — the handsome looking fella below). We’ll have to wait for Andrew to tell us the whole tale, but until then, feast your eyes on these pretties … We’ve told you about The Night of Omega Firsts. You’ve seen the video of Omega Museum manager Petros Protopapas in action. We’ve run out of superlatives to describe the experience. The only thing that remains now is to show you all of Omega’s ‘Firsts’ in gorgeous detail, and to trace a journey of more than 100 years. A story that begins in 1894. 1894: The first Omega – the Cal. 19 The watch, or rather the movement, that started it all. In 1894 the Omega calibre was launched, and so accurate, so successful was this movement that in 1903 the company adopted the moniker for the company name, and the Omega Watch Company we know today was born. 1915: Omega’s…
Editor’s note: With temperatures dropping, winter has officially arrived Down Under. And although the mornings are now crisp and our evenings chilly, unfortunately for us, as we dust off our cable knits and scarves, our streets are unlikely to ever be covered in a sprinkling of the white stuff. Still, we dream dreams of snow and ice. And with this week being all about Grand Seiko for us here in the Time+Tide office, we thought there’s no better watch to remind us of winter wonderlands than the Grand Seiko SBGA211 Snowflake. Grand Seiko’s famous ‘Snowflake’ has been with us for quite some time now (it was first released, as the SBGA011, in 2010), and it’s quickly earned a reputation as an exemplary everyday watch that manages to combine functionality and beauty in equal measure. Smartly, Seiko knew enough to leave one of the cores of the Grand Seiko collection well alone … until this year. The ‘new’ Snowflake is the SBGA211, and, thankfully, it’s virtually identical to the original — except for the dial. At the start of this year it was announced that Grand Seiko would be fully independent from Seiko — a move well overdue. The most obvious symbol of this change was that the…
Editor’s note: Most of the time there’s a formula to the watches someone likes. Something along the lines of 39 – 42mm case plus steel plus chronograph divided by price equals something I want. But, then again, there are watches that come from left field and knock you out of the park. Rado’s unashamedly large and funky HyperChrome 1616 is one such watch. It’s just so cool. When we think Rado, we tend not to think chunky, ’70s-inspired dive watch. We’re much more likely to lean towards chic ceramic minimalism, or perhaps this year’s surprise hit, the Captain Cook. Which is why the HyperChrome 1616 is such a standout, though the impressive 46mm case helps too. Of course, Rado are a brand with a hi-tech rep to protect, so don’t expect them to use anything as simple as steel for the case material. Instead, they’ve crafted two takes on the theme – one in black ceramic, the other in hardened titanium. The ceramic version is the more modern of the two, lightweight and ultra-hard, thanks to the case, painstakingly crafted from a mix of black ceramic feedstock and polymer binder that’s then injection moulded and sintered at about 1450 degrees celsius. It is then finally…