LIST: The 4 best two-tone watches of 2017
Caveat. Two-tone never truly went away. There’s always been a hardcore for whom the power dressing dream of ‘80s excess never died. And now it looks like they were right all along, as the beguiling combo of precious and plain metals is back with vengeance in 2017. Is it because these watches offer a stronger value proposition in a penny-pinching climate, or maybe because their target market is too young to remember when they were cool the first time around? We’re not sure, and frankly, we don’t really care. We just know they look cool. Tudor Black Bay S&G While two-tone has been lurking in the corners of trend status for a little while now, I suspect the Black Bay S&G will be the watch that pushes it into the mainstream. After all, if it’s good enough for Becks… $5990 Rolex Sky-Dweller It would be impossible to talk two-tone without bringing up Rolex’s Rolesor. This is what Rolex call any watch cased with a mix of steel and precious metal. And while people have been losing it over the steel and white gold Sky-Dweller, we’re pretty into this crisp white dial and yellow gold combo. $21,700 Girard-Perregaux Laureato This Laureato…
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When you visit the heart and home of Longines, at Saint Imier in the Switzerland’s Jura valley, the brand’s link with skiing is immediately demystified. This is a skiers paradise, and in the early days of the sport’s timekeeping in the 1920s, the Longines watchmakers would not have had to travel far to test their latest custom-built mechanical chronometre. What I also discovered at the Longines museum was that their involvement in sport has spanned more than just equestrian and Alpine skiing related events. The list of innovations in the pursuit of timekeeping precision is impressive and pretty cool to witness firsthand. Today’s focus though, is skiing – and how a simple (but monstrously large) chronograph to time downhill events has evolved into some cutting-edge tech, as explained by Longines President Walter von Känel. 
In our experience, if you’re into intricately constructed, high-performance machines, it doesn’t really matter if they’re intended for the road or your wrist. But, as our favourite young Old El Paso advocate asks, “Why don’t we have both?” So with that in mind, we’ve found three Hublots that are the perfect pairing for three of Ferrari’s finest. The LaFerrari Aperta At the very top of Maranello’s pecking order is the mighty LaFerrari, limited to 150 pieces. It’s as much a work of art as it is an engineering marvel, so it’s only fitting to pair it with the equally hardcore and equally limited MP-05 LaFerrari, with a movement inspired by the eponymous car’s V12 engine. A movement that, by the way, packs a whopping 50 days of power reserve. The 488 Spider The 488 Spider is the latest chapter in the brand’s long history of open-topped V8s, drawing from the legacy of their aggressive ‘80s Targa masterpieces while still being entirely contemporary, thanks in no small part to Flavio Manzoni’s aerodynamic design. To honour this fusion of past and future we opted for one of the most exciting Big Bangs of recent years: the Meca-10, with its powerful (and beautiful)…
Bear with me this week as I go a little off script. This week’s Wind Down is less about watches and more about all the stuff around them. Fashion. Technology. Business. Fine watchmaking manages to neatly intersect all these areas, informing and being informed by them. On a day-to-day level though, it’s easy to miss the linkages, so this week I’m going to ask a few of the big questions. So settle in, pour yourself a drink, and get ready to ponder. Could the watch industry ever embrace the fake? The prevailing dogma of ‘The Industry’ is that fakes and counterfeiting are anathema to the legitimate watch industry, and should be wiped out like the noxious weeds they are. And rightly so. But still, some of the big luxury brands seem to have recently been taking a more flexible than usual approach to the sanctity of their labels and logos. Don’t believe me? Well, don’t take my word for it, take Mr Porter’s. Though on second thought, perhaps the winds are shifting already? After all, a few years ago who would have imagined Bamford going legit? What happens when fast fashion meets tradition? Fashion is, by definition, fleeting. But these days it seems fleeter…
Raymond Weil’s Freelancer is the sort of watch that’s an essential in any brand’s collection — a no fuss, utilitarian diver that’s ready for duty in all manners of social and sartorial settings, but still tough enough to handle the vicissitudes of a life well lived. While this Freelancer hides no huge surprises in terms of its specs – it’s 42.5mm across, 11.8mm high, powered by proven automatic movement, rated to 300m and equipped with a tough ceramic bezel – Raymond Weil has put the essential pieces together with a decent lashing of design panache. The hands and applied indices have slightly curved flanks — a subtle touch, but one that gives the Freelancer a more modern vibe, especially when paired with the silver starburst dial. The date has been given a similarly modern feel. The large, triple date aperture is a polarising feature, but there’s no doubt that it’s a feature, and the printed black border with rounded corners certainly highlights this fact. The details are nice, but where the watch excels is as a complete package — the five link bracelet with polished centre links is a nice, versatile option, and together with the uncommon combination (for a…
Flash through the gallery of any broadsheets’ business section and in their latest technology success stories you’ll either see bare wrists or smartwatches — in stark contrast to other bling heavy business sectors. Maybe the preference is to spend on intellectual property fees with watches only casting a faint shadow on their bedside tables. We went further, tracking down six local leaders and quizzing them on their wrist choices, both connected and classic. Tim Fung – Founder and CEO of Airtasker Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 The premise of Airtasker – the online small jobs marketplace for outsourcing the services of handymen and errand runners in your neighbourhood – couldn’t be any more predicated on the awareness of that most precious commodity in our lives: time. So it comes as a surprise to learn that its Founder and CEO only started wearing a watch last year at the gentle behest of his uncle, having relied on his phone in the past. Fung’s uncle gave him a new Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 when he got married. The gift took on even more personal resonance when his relative sadly passed away. “At the time it was a wedding present so it was, of…
Editor’s Note: We recently ran a list of power players who wore budget timepieces, which was cool, but for watch lovers like us, somewhat unsatisfactory. So to counterbalance this we thought we’d revisit this list of six statement pieces Andrew put together for The Weekly Review. The brief? Six watches that “show you’re a success in life”. Enjoy. Like a boss. OMEGA – Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial It’s the Omega dive watch du jour, and thanks to its Bond connection and vintage inspired colour scheme it can be worn with anything. And by that, I really do mean anything. The Spectre limited edition came standard on a striped black and grey NATO strap and fits as well with a tuxedo as it does swimming trunks. Whereas the two-tone Sedna gold and steel version steps up the luxe. It is the watch for every mission, be that on land, sea or boardroom. $7975 ROLEX – Day-Date ‘President’ What do you get for the leader in your life – male, female, young, old – who has everything? Are you kidding? You get them a Rolex Day-Date, or ‘The President’s watch’ as it’s been known as ever since American Presidents such as Lyndon B. Johnson made…
Yes, I know — this isn’t a watch. So what are we doing talking about it? Well, when we met with Montblanc to talk about their inaugural smartwatch – the Summit – they also showed us their Augmented Paper. Suffice to say, we were confused, fascinated… and when we saw it in action, impressed. Aside from the technology and how seamlessly it worked, the real standout is the fact that Montblanc is playing in this space at all. It would be easy for the brand to lean on their heritage status and stick to the tried and true formula of writing instruments, leatherwear and timepieces. To be sure, we’re not suggesting that these connected objects will replace the Meisterstück et al as core business, but it demonstrates that Montblanc is invested in keeping pace with the evolution of writing and the written word while ensuring their relevance in contemporary and future workplaces.
Editor’s note: Ready your chinos, chains, and jackets with rolled up sleeves — yacht rock is upon us. Only this time, it’s Franck Muller rather than Kenny Loggins who’s bringing the OTT, Champagne-fuelled fun, in the Curvex-y form of the Yachting collection. The name gives the game away a little, but the Yachting watch offers a fresh nautical feel on the wrist. The marine allusions start with the dial, a shimmering navy blue that pairs well with the bright white Arabic hour markers. On top of that the centre of the dial displays a compass rose, a navigational motif that is picked up in the outer section of the dial (complete with lines of latitude and longitude), with bearings on the outermost section. If you were still on the fence about the world this watch lived in, the ‘yachting’ text at the bottom of the dial will seal the deal one way or another. There’s no denying that there’s quite a lot going on with this dial, and it won’t be for everyone. But it’s colourful and fun, and would definitely look the part on the pristine white deck of a mega-yacht. Like most of Franck Muller’s line-up, the Yachting…
Seeing Omega’s 1957 Trilogy 60th Anniversary boxed set in the metal was one of the highlights of Baselworld this year for Andrew, Andy and myself. Not least because we realised that seeing these three pitch perfect reissues in one place ever again was unlikely, given the astonishing demand. And while getting your hands on the big boxed set (limited to 557 pieces) is a nigh-on-impossible task, we suspect getting one of the Speedmaster, Seamaster or Railmasters limited to 3557 pieces each is more achievable. The only question is, which one do you pick? Read on for what we chose, and why. Andy’s choice – the Speedmaster Why I chose it… Aside from being a genuinely handsome watch, I really like how similar the proportions and details are to the original (having tried on both the original and the modern). I specifically LOVE the size, which at 38.6mm, is so close to the 1957 original (ref CK2915), which was 38mm. We so often see tribute pieces with cases that have been inflated over time, when they just don’t need to be. It’s honestly one of my favourite reissues that I’ve seen over the years. Why you should… In my opinion, it’s perfect for all the…