LIST: Somewhere over the rainbow – 8 of the year’s best gem-set watches
There’s no point sugar-coating it. Gem-set watches aren’t for everyone. For one, all that ice racks up the price tag (so much so that all the watches below are POA), and for another, it takes a certain type of person to appreciate the — occasionally over-the-top — artistry it takes to make a watch shine like the proverbial crazy diamond, sapphire or peridot. But even if it’s not your thing, you can’t deny the power of the bling. Rolex Rainbow Daytona in Everose One of the major standouts of Basel 2018, the latest model to get Rolex’s famous (and divisive) rainbow bezel treatment is the Everose Daytona, and it is a knockout (and one of my favourite watches of the fair). On top of the usual Daytona awesomeness, you get 36 baguette sapphires on the bezel, and another 56 diamonds on the case. The final touch is the pink gold crystal registers. You need to see this watch IRL to appreciate just how awesome it is. Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sapphire Rainbow The second, and indeed final, rainbow set watch on this list could not be any more stylistically different to the Daytona. Hublot’s big tonneau, the Spirit of Big…
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Let’s be real here. Ever since we saw the new Laureato last year, we knew the chronograph version was inevitable. After all, what’s a luxury sports watch without the option of the default sports complication? There’s no doubt that this good-looking sporty option is the brand’s commercial focus, so it makes sense that a veritable bevy of chronograph models was released at SIHH 2018. Offered in 38 or 42mm, in steel or pink gold, strap or bracelet, and a range of dials (including a real cool black with blue registers option), there might not quite be something for everyone, but you’re certainly spoiled for choice. I opted to look at what is perhaps the safest/most classic of the combos: 42mm, steel, blue dial on bracelet. Honestly, it’s a winning combination right out of the gate, but it’s the details that make it. Let’s kick off with the dial, the hobnail texture is familiar and looks good. There’s contrast thanks to the circular grain on the chrono registers, as well as the brighter blue hands and indices, which really go full-on electric in the right light. I’m sure the date at four will grind the gears of some reading this, but…
Editor’s note: It’s getting close to end of financial year here in Australia, a time when, traditionally, watch lovers start counting their fiscal chickens before they’re hatched, and allocating that spend to the less essential things in life … like watches. Now, in a shock twist that I’m sure you’re all pretty familiar with, it turns out significant others don’t *always* see the fiscal sense in dropping serious coin on yet another watch that is, let’s face it, pretty much exactly the same as all the others you own. Andy Green has taken on the dangerous task of evaluating eight common strategies for spousal approval. Be warned though, results may vary. The reality is that watches are luxury goods, so the ‘need’ to buy them rarely occurs. That means, for most, they naturally fall very low (some say too low) on life’s list of priorities, and most definitely do not outrank things like kids, mortgages and school fees. And unless your partner shares your passion, I’d gamble and say they don’t think that your wrist darlings are as important as you think they are. So, the perennially thorny question is: “How do I buy this watch with my partner’s blessing?”…
If you look at the last two years, the price of vintage Heuer has rocketed, but so far the uplift has not raised all boats on the modern TAG Heuer and Heuer tide. David Chalmers, founder of Calibre 11, the “home of TAG Heuer and vintage Heuer collectors”, asks the CEO of TAG Heuer, Jean-Claude Biver, why is it so? For those not interested in watching the 90-second response from Mr Biver, the transcript is below. If you look at the last two years, the price of vintage Heuer has rocketed, but I wonder how much benefit has that given to TAG Heuer, because normally you follow the idea of saying vintage Rolex values go up, new Rolex values go up because of the perception around the brand. It seems as though that hasn’t necessarily happened with vintage Heuer and TAG Heuer. “No, it has not happened in the past because there was such a discrepancy between the beautiful, traditional, old TAG Heuer pieces from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. When you are looking at the pieces of now, people would say, ‘Oh, is it the same brand?’ because the past was so much better than the present. Now, with…
For those who know me and my taste in watches a little bit, the fact that I own a TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 typically comes as a bit of a surprise, as there’s a perception that I like the simpler, smaller things in watch life. For those who know me and my history in watches a little better, the fact that I’m rocking a big, bold, skeletonised chronograph raises no eyebrows at all. But personal preferences aside, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to spend some quality time with the Heuer 01, you’ve come to the right place. My first impression was … whoa, that’s a whole lot of watch. I first saw the Heuer 01 when it was released, back in 2015. It was a watch that was presented as the face of Jean-Claude Biver’s ‘new’ TAG Heuer, and boy did it look the part. Large, modular and aggressively skeletonised. The Carrera DNA was still there, but the Heuer 01 was very much its own beast. And while my original focus was on the ceramic bezel version with red highlights, the watch I ended up strapping onto my wrist was this, the Grey Phantom, which removed any hint…
The story in a second: A lot of value for not a lot of case. Though “perceived value” has become the new marketing-speak of the last couple of years in the watch industry, there still aren’t that many brands in the luxury watch industry that have taken any real significant strides. Sure, we’ve seen prices nudge their way down from Zenith through to Bell & Ross, but in my opinion these moves have been more about correcting past price creep rather than delivering greater bang-for-your-buck than what’s already been on the market. Of all the players at the big table, I never imagined it’d be Cartier leading the real value charge, but in the case of the Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra Flat in steel this is precisely the case. Great design, a killer hand-wound calibre, and an unrivalled (for the dollar) case profile all make this new release a home run, especially now it’s being offered in non-precious metals. When the first white gold and rose gold models were announced in 2017 there was a hefty outcry from the industry’s media dying for a steel offering to be added, and clearly there was enough marketing data to back it…
Editor’s note: Nigh on a year ago, Sandra delved into the mercurial, and occasionally murky, world of investing in vintage watches. But rather than start at the already stratospheric Rolex/Patek et al. price point, she decided to focus on something a little more achievable. And while prices on some of the below suggestions have likely already gone up, the general advice is still sound … A few years ago I attended a talk called ‘How to Start a Collection’. The focus was on vintage rather than modern and the speaker was a prominent collector, so I looked forward to picking up some great tips. His advice was to anchor a collection with some key pieces, and he gave some examples. Impeccable reasoning, but there was a catch: the name of every piece began with Patek, Rolex or Panerai – and none could be had for less than $80,000. Most were some way north of $100k. So, what if you’re a watch addict of far more modest means? One for whom every $500 increment in price gives real pause for thought. And one who both wants and needs to feel that he or she hasn’t done something dumb with their hard-earned money. Someone…
I don’t know about you, but I’ve enjoyed H. Moser & Cie being around lately. They’ve put a smile on my dial, while creating some of the best examples of watch dials ever created. It’s like about five years of guffaws and loud sniggers, accrued through full-time work in the watch game, and previously hidden behind a hand, were allowed to escape. I could finally, finally, laugh out loud at an industry that never — literally never — laughs at itself. Moser’s new mission in satire is in aid of finding the perfect launch concept for their Pioneer Collection, called ‘The Pioneer Chronicles’. The first of the ‘Pioneer Chronicles’ videos was aimed at what is admittedly a brilliant and effective campaign. You know the one. “You never actually own…” As a dad, I like that after years of dreading my daughters coming of age for a whole raft of reasons, I now feel less pressure to give them my watches — which is one major stress alleviated. There, I said it. The second video addressed brand ambassadors, and the risks therein. It’s a ‘funny because it’s true’ video. Moser jokes don’t always stick, but they’re always aimed in the right direction, and if it’s not a belly-laugh, it’s a snigger.…
Last week, Panerai lifted the bar for local watch events with a boutique launch that started at its Collins Street CBD location, transferred to the palatial family home of Australia’s most famous chef, Shannon Bennett and concluded with a personal chauffeur home for each guest. The evening’s entertainment, in addition to the display of Panerai’s 2018 novelties, as well as modern classics like the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Oro Rosso (PAM 684) above, was provided by pianist David Helfgott, the subject of Oscar-winning movie Shine. He played a classical set with such abandon that he struggled to stay seated, and after each piece Helfgott would jump up and rush over to guests’ tables to shake their hands. It was the most spectacular, personal and passionate watch brand activation in memory. Even the speeches were exceptional, with local brand manager Ruggero Pirrotta opting – at the insistence of Panerai Asia Pacific Managing Director, Julio Sato, pictured with Shannon Bennett above – to leave his notes in his pocket and speak from the heart. He talked about his excitement and pride in the new boutique at 360 Collins Street, the first ever Panerai boutique in Australia. He singled out Panerai collector and…
Full disclosure. Earlier this year I bought an H. Moser & Cie Pioneer in steel with a blue dial. So the brand’s recent anti-campaign called ‘The Pioneer Chronicles’, which is, in actuality, as much about calling B.S on Swiss watch marketing departments as it is about the watch itself, was well and truly after the fact. What were my reasons then, if not inspired by a campaign that has basically sent the message that #realtalk is to be the ongoing lingua franca from the Schaffhausen-based brand? I will save that confessional for another story. Today, I want to share with you some options of other things you could buy for around 20 grand Aussie (or about 13k USD) that weren’t to hand when I was in the decision-making zone. Wonderfully, they were sourced by Moser. The list was published as part of the ‘Pioneer Chronicles’ and it exemplifies the way the brand are going about it – a patented, potent mix of unvarnished straight talk, cheekiness and in this case, practicality. I mean, a Pioneer in steel, or three weeks at the Bellagio in Vegas? The answers don’t always write themselves. Before we begin, I’ll pass the mic to Moser: “At H.…