LIST: 11 classic ’80s watches, just in time for Stranger Things
The ’80s were Nerd City, peppered with popped polo shirts and pie-crust collars, Slime, The Breakfast Club, pommes noisettes, Pop Rocks candy and brine shrimp pets masquerading as Sea-Monkey kits. All items the young cast of the addictive, nostalgia trip that is Stranger Things no doubt had to get across when their director asked them to watch The Goonies and Stand By Me in pre-production. Against this neon, fad-filled haze emerges the ’80s saving graces – the best pop music in history and watches that either embraced new technology or new money. Here’s 11 (see what we did there) watches we’d be happy to see in season two. Swatch Watch – 1983 The simple plastic quartz Swatch flipped the way we looked at watches on its head, bringing a sense of play to the fore, and decreeing them style consumables. It was a democratic move away from Swiss watches predicated on careful craftsmanship to be cherished for a lifetime. Swatch meant there was a colour and design for every personality. Casio G-Shock (DW-5000C) – 1983 The durability of the game-changing Casio G-Shock managed to avoid a prohibitive price bracket while earning cult cool status. Its engineer, Kikuo Ibe, wanted a…
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The story in a second: Two-tone is back, baby! Steel and gold watches have been around for years. Hitting peak popularity around 30 years ago, they were the epitome of ’80s style, but, then again, so were pastel polos with double popped collars. However, while the mix of these two metals has been used by countless manufacturers, I’ve just never been a two-tone guy. It’s not that I have anything against the combination (double popped collars are a different story), it’s just that they were never for me. This year, something happened that I think no one saw coming. Tudor released a two-toned Black Bay, and, I have to say, I think they’ve changed my mind. The case Apart from the obvious, not much has changed with the 41mm case of the new Black Bay. It still holds that same classic tool watch shape, with high, polished sides, chamfered lugs, and oversized crown. On top, the satin-brushed finish is still there, as is the black 60-minute bezel, which surrounds that wonderfully domed sapphire crystal. It’s even still water resistant to 200 metres. What has been changed, though, makes all the difference. The bezel is now a solid piece of yellow…
Earlier this year I found myself in London sitting in the office of Paul David Maudsley, in the Phillips Office at Berkeley Square, discussing the finer things in life. Now, when you pop in for tea with the international specialist of the London Watches department at Phillips auction house your expectations in regards to what’s in the safe sitting by his desk are pretty damn high. And, let me just say right away — they were most definitely met. At the time, March 2017, Paul was still finalising the catalogue for an upcoming auction, which the world now knows as the Crosthwaite & Gavin Collection. For those of you outside of the vintage Heuer world, Richard Crosthwaite and Paul Gavin are distinguished collectors, authors, and respected vintage Heuer authorities. For both Crosthwaite and Gavin, collecting watches is a passion, driven by two core values — condition and rarity. The pieces I handled all truly were world class, in both condition and rarity. Aside from this, this particular auction focuses on the period between 1962 and 1982, otherwise known as the ‘Jack Heuer Era’. I’m by no means an expert on vintage Heuer, but fundamentally this was the period when Jack…
Bremont have relied on old-fashioned techniques to build their business. Firstly, they made a pretty great product. Anyone who’s held a Bremont in their hands will attest to that. They put their watch in a movie. They make watches for the military. And when it came to spreading the word in America, co-founders of Bremont, Nick and Giles English, literally hit the road on an ‘English Tour’ of the country. Starting on the 12th September this year, Nick drove a 1970 E-Type Series 2 Jaguar, restored by their late father, while Giles was at the wheel of a 1973 Porsche 911T, over 5300km from New York to San Antonio. The ‘English Tour’ took in some of Bremont’s Authorised Dealers, watch clubs and iconic landmarks. And who was the better driver out of the two brothers? “I am not sure either one of us is any good,” says Giles, “so I would say equally bad, but very enthusiastic.” Look out bollards, look out road-hogging SUVs, look out crazy American wildlife (I’m looking at you, huge bear), here come the Bremont brothers with their two cars that have a combined age of 90 years. I emailed Giles midway through the tour and asked how it was going, and in the…
The year was 1997, the Spice Girls were busy spicing up life, and Leo was king of the world. It was a great time to be alive, and not just if you were a 13-year-old-girl. Because if you were a fan of stainless steel sports watches, it was also the year Patek Philippe introduced the Aquanaut. Taking its design cues from the casually elegant Nautilus, it was initially released as a slightly more accessible alternative, and aimed at an active and younger generation of watch lovers. But it quickly stepped out of big brother’s shadow, and has since become an important (if sometimes polarising) pillar of the brand’s sports watches. To celebrate its 20th birthday, Patek have this year released the Aquanaut ref. 5168G. For the first time, the Aquanaut is available in an 18k white gold case, and has been given Jumbo status with its 120m water resistant case upsized from 40mm to 42.2mm. The dimensions may have changed, but the three-part design retains the same lines and curves, and the distinctive rounded octagonal bezel keeps its mix of polished edges and vertical satin-brushed finishing on top. Measuring only 8.25mm thick, it’s also still decidedly slim. Its slender profile…
Hublot’s sapphire journey began with their ultra high-end MP-05 LaFerrari, a horological engine in the truest sense of the word, with 50 days of power reserve thanks to 11 coupled barrels. It made perfect sense for Hublot to show this beast of a movement off to its fullest capacity with a full sapphire case. But it seems LaFerrari only whet Hublot’s appetite for transparency, making a splash last year with the Big Bang Unico Sapphire, a limited edition of 500 pieces that eclipsed any previous sapphire production runs. It’s easy to see why Hublot is drawn to sapphire as a case material. Aside from the fact that its extreme hardness means it’s virtually scratch-proof, the glossy, transparent material is a perfect fit for Hublot’s art of fusion design approach – the see-through case turns expectations of what goes where on a watch on its head. Inside is outside, fragile is strong. Very Hublot. And from that initial sapphire Big Bang, we’ve seen the collection expand rapidly, with all black versions, stone set models (a particular favourite), a sapphire Spirit of Big Bang and this, the Big Bang Unico Blue Sapphire. This watch marks the first time blue synthetic sapphire has been…
When the Rolex Cellini range was relaunched by Rolex in 2014, the General Manager of Rolex Australia, Patrick Boutellier, chose a line of poetry to announce the news: “The sleeping Prince has been awoken,” he said, or words to that effect, as Felix and I pored over the new range, not quite sure what to think. We were certainly intrigued by these classic, luxurious faces amongst other more colourful offerings, such as the white gold ‘Pepsi’ GMT-Master II and the new Milgauss. The light embroidery of poetry and classicism in Patrick’s description somehow attached itself to the watch in that moment, and the more I’ve learned about it, the more this type of fairytale mystery fits. But how would it wear? What would I wear it with? What else would I learn about this seemingly simple design on the wrist? I found out by wearing it for a week. My first impression was… This is a classic watch, tuned to utter perfection. The Cellini represents a design from another time, and as we mentioned in the first video review of the Cellini Date, is often pitched against the three-handed heavyweights, being the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony and the Patek Philippe Calatrava.…
The Melbourne Cup Carnival holds many traditions, particularly around dress code. We caught up with Melbourne tailor Carl Navè to discuss a couple of key looks for this year’s Spring Racing festival, and to discuss one very important accessory: watch straps. Yes, it’s time to accessorise your accessory (think about it)! My number one tip, first and foremost, is that the Spring Carnival is (intended to be) a classy affair. So, with that in mind, when looking at strap choices, the golden rule here is that whatever you pick, please ensure it’s a high quality two-piece strap (see below). As much as I love a good NATO or Sailcloth strap, we’re going for elegance, not bulk. Derby Day Carl: Derby Day is all about black and white, but this year I’ve decided to break away from the norm and seek inspiration from the colours of the flowers nominated for each race day. Therefore, my Derby Day look complements the blue tones of the Cornflower, with a bold navy blue checked three-piece suit. The olive green and burgundy check makes a sharp statement that will ensure you don’t blend in. Andy: Carl’s selected two bold colours here, dark navy with burgundy accents, which would work…
It’s probably a cliché to say that the Italian jewellery house of Bulgari is going through a watchmaking renaissance, but it’s hard to argue with the sense of renewed vigour and energy that’s flowing through their unashamedly modern designs. And at the core of this rebirth is one design – The Octo. What began life as one of Gérald Genta’s characteristic octagonals has evolved into something more stripped-back, focused, and much, much thinner. The man who has driven this evolution is Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Director of Bulgari’s Watches Design Center, a designer who’s swapped fast cars for something much, much smaller. We recently caught up with Fabrizio and discussed Bulgari’s record-breaking journey, which began in 2014 with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon and continued in 2016 with the incredible Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater. The most recent leg in the trip is the thinnest automatic on the market, the Octo Finissimo Automatic. And based on the critical success and popular appeal of the line, we’d be surprised if we don’t see a lot more of the industrial-chic aesthetic of the Octo Finissimo.
The Rolex Cellini Time is arguably Rolex’s most conservative model within its most conservative collection, but what we found in our time with the wider Cellini range is that it leaves its flourishes and flair as almost a secret pact between the watch and its wearer. We suspected this might be the case. We’d only ever experienced the model in Rolex presentations at Baselworld, most notably in 2014 when the ‘sleeping Prince’ was awoken and relaunched. It is indeed a more subtle brand of charm that it exudes, and the affection grew as days together elapsed. An example of one detail that began to shine as a wonderfully considered touch: the split baton indices. The minute track actually bisects the hour markers — and it bisects the critics too; most don’t like it. And neither do I. I love it. What you’ll note about this nuance, eventually, is that the handset has been designed to work in perfect symmetry with the batons, the hour hand lining up with the hour markers, and the minute hand intersecting with the minute track. This watch really is all about considered details that may not be immediately apparent. In terms of its presence on the wrist, as…