RECOMMENDED READING: The dreaded ‘If you could only wear one watch’ question
Every time a bunch of watch guys get together and have a few drinks, this old chestnut rears its head: “What if you could only wear one watch?” It’s a question loathed and loved in equal measure. Loved because it forces you to distill your values, tastes and hoarding tendencies into a single piece, which can provide clarity. Loathed because it forces you to distill your values, tastes and hoarding tendencies into a single piece, which is a scary proposition. So when Justin from Robb Report US reached out and asked me this exact question, I stewed on it for a good 24 hours. And I guarantee if you ask me tomorrow, the watch will be different. While I chose something a little left field, I was quite surprised to see just how diverse everyone’s answers were and the rationale behind them. And by the way, it’s an impressive array of people — everyone from auction heavyweights, Paul Boutros and Eric Wind, through to the actor, Aldis Hodge. I ended up (hypothetically) picking ochs und junior’s Perpetual Calendar, and this is why: “What a question! OK, let’s deal with this logically. Immediately I have to rule out anything super rare…
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Last week we told you how Longines had teamed up with ambassador of elegance, Kate Winslet, to raise money for The Golden Hat Foundation by auctioning off a very limited series of gold Flagship Heritage watches. On their own, they’re lovely and classic gold watches. But they’re only half the story. The other half of the equation is that as part of the deal you get flown to meet Kate who will personally give you your watch. But wait, there’s more. You and a guest will also get business class flights and five-star accommodation to one of the many sporting events around the globe. All the options are outlined here, but below are our top four picks if you’re looking for a classy getaway. 2017 Longines Hong Kong International Held on December 10, it’s the richest race in Hong Kong, taking place at the stunning Sha Tin Racecourse 2018 Kentucky Derby For a longer lead time, you can’t go past the Kentucky Derby, running in May. Plus, this Longines would look just the part with a white suit and mint julep. 2018 Royal Ascot If elegance is your game, then it’s got to be the oh-so-dressy Royal Ascot. Plus you might…
“Such a shame they don’t take the time to align their screws. I wouldn’t buy one purely because of this.” Every time we post a picture of a watch with exposed bezel screws (mostly Hublot or Bell & Ross) we get a variation of this comment. And I’m well and truly over it. While many brands use exposed screws on bezels, the most commonly cited example is that of the iconic Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet. It’s certainly what all the commenters on our social feeds reference when they’re lambasting other brands for their inability to align screws. But you know the funny thing? The screws on the AP’s bezels aren’t screws. In fact, they’re threaded nuts which fit neatly and immovably into the perfectly hexagonal holes in the bezel. They’re secured via the screws on the caseback, which – surprise surprise – aren’t neatly aligned. In contrast, the bezel screws on your Bell & Ross or Hublot are your typical – albeit high-end – screw. They serve the purpose of holding the bezel onto the case, and this is their main role. Looking good? That’s an afterthought. And what’s a worse look — having a screw come loose because…
German based Archimede is one of those small brands that quietly go about their business, sticking to their niche and making some excellent watches with minimal fuss. And while their catalogue offers a full suite of products, from dress to diver, it’s pilots that they’re best known for. And while Archimede’s design has evolved a little over the years, fundamentally it holds very true to the WWII-era aviator’s watches. The latest addition to the collection is a GMT, housed in a reasonably sized 42mm steel case that’s quite slim at 9.2mm thick. The second timezone is displayed via a red sword-shaped hand that refers to an inner 24-hour scale — a nice implementation that echoes the ‘Type B’ style of pilot’s dial. Powering this GMT is an ETA 2893-2, which is quite a solid offering at this price point, especially when you factor in the high quality of the case (side note: Ickler, the company behind Archimede is primarily a case manufacturer) and sapphire crystal. As you’d expect with a pilot’s watch, the dial is neat and clean with a well-finished date window at six and an admirably restrained amount of dial text. While the Archimede Pilot 42 GMT doesn’t break…
Way back in January, one of the watches we were most excited to see at the SIHH was Montblanc’s high-end, Minerva-powered 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter in bronze. Partially because it’s a hot watch and partially because of its extremely limited production (only 100 pieces) we thought this would be the only chance we’d get to try it on. Luckily though, Montblanc also took the opportunity to release some regular production bronze models which are equally awesome, but not in quite the same league as this Villeret piece. Make no mistake, the calibre MB M16.29 is the star here. The manually-wound monopusher chronograph movement is truly one of the nicest in the business. With its traditional architecture and column wheel layout, little has changed to its design or production since the 1930s. In fact, the only thing that’s new are the red-gold coloured movement components that are a perfect match for the case. And while it might be reasonable to assume that the case is the most noticeable feature of this watch, the biggest takeaway for me isn’t the case per se, but how the whole watch comes together as an exercise in tonal complement rather than contrast. The bronze case, the starburst Champagne dial…
Over the last few years, Panerai has gone to a lot of effort to evolve their offering. The foundation pieces are still there – aggressively simple dive watches that make little effort to belie their military origins, but these days the brand has so much more to offer, from hi-tech tourbillons to slender dress options. These two GMTs, released last year, are the kind of watches that bridge old and new. They’re undeniably Panerai, with the large 45mm Radiomir 1940 case and instantly recognisable combination of super-stylised Arabics and hash marks, but look closer and the changes are obvious too. The dial, for starters. No longer a simple matt sandwich, Panerai has added texture to the mix, with subtle Clous de Paris and vertical stripe finishes to keep things interesting. Likewise, the iconic luminous sandwich construction hasn’t been used here, with the ecru-coloured luminous material applied in the more traditional manner. As you can see, both these watches display a second time zone via the slender, arrow-tipped hand. This is a 12-hour hand, which is convenient for reading the second time at a glance, but less so if you have problems remembering if it’s day or night in that time…
Editor’s Note: In the office there’s a bit of a running joke about my taste in watches – that I *only* like 36mm vintage pieces. And while I do own one 36mm vintage watch, the two watches I wear most often are 40 and 45mm respectively (both new, btw). I used to be much more into the old stuff, but these days not so much. When I first started getting seriously into watches, I was all about vintage. In my mind this is where it was at. I lusted after the IWC Mark XI, the Omega Memomatic and the Tudor Advisor. I’d wince when a brand ‘updated’ its icon, which invariably meant making it bigger, wider and to my eyes, uglier. With the rosy-tint of nostalgia for a life that was gone before I was born, I was sure perfection in watch design was reached in the pre-CAD times of the mid-’70s (it goes without saying that I thought the ’80s was a horological dead-zone full of quartz, Swatch and two-tone). Fast forward to today – I’ve learned a little more about watches, and have come to a realisation. I’m no longer a vintage watch guy. Don’t get me wrong,…
The northern parts of the world might be enjoying long, lazy afternoons of relaxation and summer fun, but down here in Australia things have taken a turn for the cooler. So to help take the chill off we’ve found four luxuriously warm timepieces to hold you over until the summer months. Bulgari Octo Roma With its dark caramel dial and rich chestnut strap, Bulgari’s brand new Octo Roma is the watchmaking equivalent of a well-worn Chesterfield, eternally stylish and always comfortable. $5950 USD Sinn 356 SA Pilot II The dial on this Sinn has to be seen to be believed. The finely guilloched copper dial shifts from brown to pink to orange, depending on the light. While everyone seems to gravitate to Sinn’s more traditional offerings, this little stunner is the sleeper hit. $3740 Ball Engineer III Bronze Star Outside of gold, bronze – with its rich lustre – is the warmest of case materials, so it’s the perfect tonal choice for the cold season. Pair with Harris tweed and something peaty from Scotland. $3595 Oris Aquis Date Now, diving in winter is only for the bravest of the brave. But if you must do it, at least the orange details…
It’s that time of the year when we start making Jon Snow/winter puns, but they’re getting a bit long in the tooth, so I’ll try and find a new, more topical climate-based pun. Actually no, all I can think of is climate change gags, and that’s all a bit too real. So I’ll just stick to watches. Speaking of, here’s what’s happened this week, for your Wind Down pleasure. What happened That auction train just keeps on rollin’ – the latest significant piece to go under the hammer is a Jackie Kennedy Onassis Cartier Tank, which sold for $379,500 at Christie’s. The watch has a great story, as it was gifted to Kennedy by her brother-in-law Prince Stanislaw Radziwill in 1963. And honestly, it’s just a great piece of Kennedy history – because what would she wear if not Cartier? Peter Speake-Marin, founder of Speake-Marin watches, announced that he’s leaving the brand he founded in 2002. This should be somewhat contextualised by the fact that Peter hasn’t been a stakeholder since 2008. Peter’s recognised as one of the nicest guys in the business, so it’s sad to see him go. But we haven’t heard the last of Peter, who’s moving on to a…
Blancpain has an excellent history in dive watches, and among the most coveted are the military-issued pieces. In this already hyper-specialised niche, the MIL-SPEC I and MIL-SPEC II watches stand head and shoulders above the rest. These watches were first created in 1957 to meet the very specific needs of the United States Navy. In fact, if you really want to nerd out we’d highly recommend reading the actual military specification – MIL-W-22176A(SHIPS). The most distinctive feature of this watch is the hemispheric moisture indicator on the bottom half of the dial. It’s this feature that Blancpain has celebrated with the MIL-SPEC, and that lies at the heart of its charm. Before we dive into the current model, let’s first look back at the Tornek-Rayville. Created to meet MIL-SPEC II, this watch is a great example of what makes watches in general, and vintage in particular, so cool. Roughly 1000 of these watches were issued to the United States Navy in the early 1960s, as part of a tender won by Allen Tornek’s company Rayville. Now, American naval divers had been using the Fifty Fathoms for some time, but the Buy American Act required government bodies to prefer US-made products.…