VIDEO: Disassembling a Heuer 01 chronograph movement
There is something inherently fascinating about seeing a watch movement emerge from its case. After however many years of seeing this great reveal, I never get over it. Regardless of the model, or the brand, I am somehow always struck by the same thing: its diminutive size, its delicacy, its complexity when separated from its exoskeleton. The very same thing happened when TAG Heuer master watchmaker Shalen Gokoolparsadh loosened the screws on the clear caseback of the Heuer 01 a few seconds into this disassembly video, revealing a tiny, circular micro-city of details to explore. And, over the course of this seven-minute video, Shalen picks out the key sights. On our trip we’ll journey past the rotor, explore the column wheel, disarm the chronograph — exposing the energetic oscillating pinion — and explore the mysteries of Incabloc. An action-packed itinerary if ever there was one. A quick overview of TAG Heuer’s Heuer 01 The base movement for the Heuer 01 is the Calibre 1887, which itself is based on a SII (Seiko Instruments Inc.) TC78 platform first developed and patented in 1997. Marc Walti, TAG Heuer’s head of products, explains that it “features the same dimensions and the same features, such as…
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Many brands and many people have taken a chance on Time+Tide since we launched, way back in 2014. One of the greater leaps of faith was earlier this year, when Longines gave us permission to spend time in their archives, and extended a standing invitation to several international events. The aim was to create a year’s worth of stories to celebrate the brand’s 185th anniversary. Well, what feels like only weeks later, I’m dismayed to say that the year has passed. But not without a frankly alarming amount of stories created. In the time since that first phone call we’ve enjoyed quite an itinerary. And we’ve had an immersion in the brand like no other. If you missed any of our ‘Longines Time Machine’ episodes, you can watch them all below, after you’ve had a quick flashback run-through of the new video, which also includes footage from the 185th Anniversary celebration in Beijing, which happened just last week. Special thanks to Amelia and the Longines Australia team for their support over the year, as well as to Longines President Mr Walter von Känel, who endured so many interviews with us that by Beijing he greeted us with a raised eyebrow,…
While the sun kept shining (of course, it’s Dubai), it rained – rained watches – for the five days of Dubai Watch Week. Organised by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the leading retailer of high-end watches in the UAE, with a strongly educational purpose, it offered a whole range of panel discussions; hands-on workshops led by some of today’s most talented watchmakers, engravers and enamellers; riveting talks on collecting by Christie’s experts; exhibitions (including the 17 GPHG winners, a perspective on time from the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, and stands where you could meet-and-greet and play with amazing watches – often in the company of the makers themselves); and a whole lot more. But, as with previous editions of DWW, the best part wasn’t even on the impressive official programme — the opportunity to hang out with the who’s who of horology, in totally relaxed surroundings, over the course of five days makes it an event like no other. And that, as much as anything, is why the makers and brand owners keep coming back: “We never get a chance to talk to each other like this normally – we are always too busy in Switzerland/Germany/The Netherlands.” It’s fair to say…
Living the dream is a phrase overused to a point of meaninglessness. But make no mistake about it, Chris Hemsworth is living the dream. We meet on a yacht in Port Hercules, Monaco, hosted by TAG Heuer. It is to be our home for the next few nights as the Monaco Formula 1 takes place on the streets of Monaco which pass right by the boat. When qualifying begins, the scene on deck is an odd mix of Dunkirk – with high-octane engines whining around the boat like a swarm of Spitfires – and Ocean’s 11, taking into account the intimidating savoir faire of other guests on the boat, a mix of global influencers and luxury lifestyle media. The Ocean’s 11 atmosphere is heightened by the presence of Matt Damon. Matt and his wife Luciana are guests of Chris, whose wife Elsa is joining him for this little sojourn. There’s a slightly rogue atmosphere around the group who are kid-free and off the leash. “I can’t remember the last time this happened,” Damon says at one point with a big smile on his face. We’re farming through canapes in the TAG Heuer Lodge, a corporate box of sorts with magnificent…
Michael Clarke loves that Hublot loves cricket. And three years into their sponsorship of the International Cricket Council, Hublot has definitively put its hand on its green and gold heart with its latest partnership with Cricket Australia for the Ashes Series 2017-18 (23 November – 8 January). Clarke, himself, steered two Ashes series as Australian captain and was the last man to lead the Aussies to an Ashes victory on home soil, the history-making 5-0 triumph in 2013-14. Prior to leading an exclusive lunch at the SCG’s Members Pavilion to celebrate the global unveiling of a special limited edition Hublot Classic Fusion Ashes Chronograph, a beaming Clarke took to the mic. “What better team can Australia ask for to partner up with in regards cricket?” he asked, steps from the shade of the Members Reserve seats. “Hublot wants to be the best they can possibly be. I think it’s a really positive stepping stone for our game to be able to be aligned with a luxury brand that sits at the top of their tree.” Hublot’s cricket endeavours are going from stride to stride. The watch, which is capped at 32 pieces to represent the number of series won by each…
Cartier may be better known for simple timekeeping classics like the Tank or the Santos. But it’s no secret that the French maison also hosts a history full of complicated – and equally as iconic – designs. In fact, even before the Tank or the Santos were the style icons they are today, Cartier were mystifying the world with mysterious movements. Like that of their Model A mystery clock, and the cleverly stylised sun and moon day/night display of the Comet clock (AKA the Planet clock), both of which date from 1912. As a prelude to SIHH 2018, Cartier have, for the first time, combined both these designs into the aptly named Rotonde de Cartier Mysterious Day & Night Watch. The watch starts with the 40mm case – available in 18k white or pink gold – and the quintessential Cartier beaded crown, set with a sapphire cabochon. It’s actually the dial where things really get interesting. Radiating from the centre is a section of guilloché, which is then met by a surrounding ring of brown satin sunburst. With the minutes presented on the bottom half and hours at the top. Indicating the minutes is a right-to-left tracking, bright and blued steel retrograde…
We’ve been engaging in a little bit of watch personality matching this week, pairing daring divers up with the Pelagos, and dashing sartorialists with the Heritage Black Bay. But what if you sit somewhere between the two? Sporty and casual, but overall, stylish. Well, by now it should come as absolutely no surprise that there is a third option. The colourful Heritage Chrono. So, if you want an eminently practical chronograph with more than a splash of colour, this could be the watch for you. And while there’s a more subdued black dialled version, our money is — and always will be — on this seventies-tastic blue and cream number.
On Thursday night, Longines celebrated their 185th anniversary in Beijing, China, with a party in the Forbidden City that wrought the brand’s legacy deeply with the history of the Chinese people, taking guests into extraordinary places and spaces. The Forbidden City dates back to the 15th century when it was built as the palace of the Ming emperors of China. It has been a museum since the 1920s and, from now until Sunday, it also plays host to Longines’ 185-year-old history, with an exhibition displaying extremely rare and epochal watches and items that usually reside in the brand’s museum in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. And, rather than being a hugely impressive party trick – to stage an event in such a sacred location – it was, in fact, quite appropriate. It’s a context, and an association, that accurately reflects the 150-year-old connection between the country and the Swiss brand. The first Longines watch arrived in China in 1867. Regular distribution followed shortly after. Now, China is Longines’ biggest market, with the brand enjoying the number one position in the country for its price point and occupying a very large and special part of the President Walter von Känel’s heart. Mr von Känel,…
There are certain times in life when one must simply dress up and don a suit and tie. Occasions when that sporty chrono or chunky diver just won’t quite look the part. Hopefully it’s for a fancy shindig like a wedding or an awards night, and not for something less fun, like a court hearing. But, if your wristwear hasn’t already been chosen by the boys and girls in blue, you’ll want to dress it up a notch. To do that in style you’re going to need something a little more elegant strapped to your wrist. Here’s our pick of 10 of the best dress watches of 2017. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface No list of dress watches would be complete without a Reverso. The stunning pink gold Tribute Duoface not only offers two separate time zones but also two separate dials with differing colours and textures to perfectly match your debonair threads. $27,500 AUD Seiko Presage Cocktail Time First released in 2010, this new Cocktail Time added a twist to the classic dress watch style, and captured well-dressed hearts the world over. This year it’s been re-released into Seiko’s Presage collection with a selection of top-shelf colourways added. Anyway, enough words, just look…
If you’re a regular reader of Time+Tide it should come as no surprise to learn that I’m a fan of Seiko. Honestly, I think anyone with a more than passing interest in wrist-based timekeeping should be, as there are few brands that offer the sort of vertical integration that the Japanese manufacturer is capable of. If I had to narrow my appreciation for the brand down to two things, I’d have to say it’s their ongoing quest for perpetual accuracy (as evidenced in their innovations in quartz, Spring Drive and Astron technologies), as well as their unique approach to design. Both these traits are very much in evidence on the Premier Kinetic Perpetual, both the steel (SNP139P) and the limited edition Novak Djokovic (SNP146P). As you might have surmised from the headline and the dial layout, this Seiko is a perpetual calendar. And while it’s not an incredibly complex (and expensive) mechanical number, it’s also not a straight-up quartz. Rather, it’s a hybrid of the two – a kinetic – meaning there’s a winding rotor behind the solid caseback that provides power to the quartz movement, which is just jam-packed full of calendar complication: big date, month, leap year and…