EVENT: Passing on the gift of writing – Montblanc launches UNICEF collection in Australia, surrounded by incredible art
The entrance to the venue for last Friday’s Australian launch of Montblanc’s UNICEF collection was unassuming: commuters and shoppers on Melbourne’s busy Chapel street walked right past the narrow door wedged between two shopfronts. Blink and you’d miss it – we nearly did. A discreet sign was the only clue. But as soon as the door opened we knew we were in the right place. The narrow stairs of the Victorian terrace were littered with art – a Degas bronze on the landing and floor to ceiling canvases on the walls. As we reached the top of the stairs it was clear we had left Melbourne far behind, and were now in the Aladdin’s cave that is David Bromley’s personal studio. One of Australian’s best-known contemporary artists, Bromley’s work is instantly recognisable, full of bold colours and graphic lines. His painting and sculpture was everywhere in the studio: on walls and nestled in between displays of ethnographic artefacts, Venetian glass, giant Japanese bottles and art – everything from massive modernist oils, fine lithographs and pop culture prints was represented. In the middle of all this splendour – looking perfectly at home – was Montblanc. Lovingly displayed on long tables were leather goods,…
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Editor’s Note: This year the watch that had tongues wagging at Baselworld was, without doubt, the Tudor Black Bay Chrono. Last year it was the Rolex Air-King, with its bold minute track and cheerful green and gold logo. Now that the Air-King is on wrists all over the world I’m struggling to justify the fuss. Sure, this masculine entry-level Rolex might not be to everyone’s tastes, but you know what – that’s OK. The story in a second It was definitely a surprise when we saw it at Baselworld, but now the unconventional design of the new Rolex Air-King is starting to win us over. Rolex famously espouses a philosophy of evolution, not revolution – and its product releases are so reliably incremental that you could, well, set your watch by them. Except when they’re not. Every so often Rolex does something that breaks from its evolutionary mantra. Witness the Sky-Dweller, the platinum Daytona and now, the latest generation of the Air-King. There’s so much new about this watch that the only real link to the Air-Kings of yore is the name, so it genuinely shocked people when it was unveiled at Baselworld, and has polarised opinion since. But now the watch has…
Following in the grand tradition of elite athletes misplacing expensive watches, Mexican former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr has allegedly had his Hublot stolen from his Las Vegas hotel room. Chávez Jr’s wife, Frida, alleges that the unidentified Hublot (and a phone) were stolen from Chávez Jr by women with whom he was partying, and that she was later contacted by the thieves. Vaguely salacious video posted on Daily Mail shows Chávez, seemingly intoxicated, on a bed surrounded by women. Frida Chávez asserts that her husband may have been drugged in order to facilitate the theft. Luck clearly hasn’t been going Chávez’s way recently, having just been resoundingly beaten by 26-year old Canelo Álvarez in 12 rounds. Hublot is an active supporter of boxing and has sponsored the World Boxing Council since 2012. In fact, Hublot has previously created a limited edition celebrating Chávez Jr’s famous father, Julio César Chávez, who retired in 2005 with 105 wins to his name (out of a total of 115 fights). The King Power WBC, released as an edition of 12 in 2012, celebrated Chávez Snr and other legends, and was auctioned off to raise money for the WBC’s charitable initiatives.
Editor’s Note: We originally published this story way back in 2015, and you’ll be glad to know that Andrew still has his BLNR, and I’ve still got my Archimede. We can’t speak for everyone who answered our call out on Insta, but we suspect they’re still all getting plenty of wrist time. Without getting too first-year-political-science on you – the basis of modern life is disposability. We live in a consumer society. And that’s what we do – we consume. Everything is designed to be discarded and replaced with something newer and more expensive – from our clothes to coffee cups to computers. It’s a vicious cycle that can be hard to escape, but if you’re reading this, the chances are you have an appreciation of things built the old fashioned way. Much of the appeal of fine watches is that they’re machines designed to endure, to serve us faithfully for the course of our lives, and often beyond. Of course, just because something’s designed to be forever doesn’t mean it will be (just look at the divorce rate or the lifespan of a political promise). And so it is with watches. They’re bought, sold, traded and upgraded with enough regularity…
Editor’s Note: Green, gold, silver, and grey. What a colour combo! And who said that Speedies always had to be black? I spent some quality time with this quality watch last year, and, if I’m honest, I’ve still got more than a little crush. If, at the start of 2016, you’d have told me my favourite Omega of the year would be a two-tone Speedmaster (yellow gold no less!) with a green bezel, I’d have enjoyed a good laugh at your expense. I like a Speedy as much as the next guy, but I like them in the straight-up classical format, a la NASA. Well, fast forward a few months and you’ll have to excuse me as I wipe egg off my face, because here it is, my pick of the Omega 2016 litter – the Speedmaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer Moonphase Chronograph in steel and yellow gold. For me, the real lesson here is to never truly judge a watch until it’s on your wrist. The crush I had on this watch was instant, and real. Earlier this year, I’d seen blue and black versions of the model that were the Baselworld centrepieces, and I liked them. But this was different.…
We had the pleasure of bumping into Julie earlier this year at Baselworld, outside the TAG Heuer booth, where she was creating an Autavia piece. Julie’s one talented individual who has recently gone down the path of creating watch-inspired artworks. We’re sure you’ll love her feed, but be warned – a follow might turn into a purchase. NAME: Julie Kraulis OCCUPATION: Artist HANDLE: @JulieKraulis FOLLOWERS: 2.3k LOCATION: Toronto, CA Tell us about yourself. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. I’m a freelance artist living and working in Toronto, Canada. I love learning new things; curiosity makes me tick. I spend most days in my studio by the lake with a pencil or paintbrush in hand. Outside is my favourite place; give me a mountain, an ocean or a trail any day of the week. I also love an interesting city to explore. Music, books, podcasts, family, friends and sport are a few of my favourite things. How do you unwind? Unwind?! That’s a nice idea. When I’m not drawing, I’m thinking about drawing. At any given time, there are at least five projects on the go, and 10 I want to get to. There’s always something to make!…
One of the biggest trends in watches isn’t colour, shape or size, but rather something more prosaic and far more important – finding new ways to sell them. Twenty-two years after eBay was founded, the luxury sector is finally getting serious about selling watches online. So rather than slacking off and sipping exotic cocktails in what’s left of the winter sun, we’re hunkered down in front of our desks, reading financial news, like the nerds we are. What happened Look, we know it’s got nothing to do with e-commerce, but when everyone’s favourite scandi-watch/fashion/lyf-guru Kristian Haagen drops knowledge on vintage watches, we’re all behoved to read it. Plus we love that he looks like he’s cutting some Kraftwerk moves in this pic. What really mattered Cartier has been making waves all over recently, and not just because of the star-studded launch of the Panthère de Cartier in sunny LA. Or even because Jackie Kennedy’s gold Tank (what else would she wear?) is coming up for auction. No, we’re particularly interested in the fact that currently the only place you can buy the Panthère isn’t your local Cartier boutique, but rather Net-a-Porter. Because what’s more luxurious than being able to buy…
Following on from their somewhat controversial releases at SIHH, Girard-Perregaux has surprised us with not one but two new pieces to add to their already brimming Laureato collection. Originally launched back in 1975, the then cutting-edge, quartz-powered Laureato was designed by an Italian architect who, the story goes, drew his inspiration from the dome of the famous Cathedral in Florence. With its octagonal inner bezel and integrated bracelet, the watch bore more than a passing resemblance to other very recognisable ’70s designs (read AP and Patek). These two new skeletonised pieces seem to be doing their best to shake that association and delve back into the architectural design roots of the Laureato. The 42mm wide, 10.88mm thick Laureato Skeleton is available cased in either stainless steel or 18k pink gold. It sports GP’s own in-house GP01800-0006 skeletonised movement with a 54-hour power reserve and small seconds – a movement most recently seen in last year’s skeletonised 1966 model. Derived from the GP01800, the movement has been upgraded with a variable inertia balance, ensuring greater precision. But the most obvious addition is, well, what’s been left out. The openworked design seems to be well done, and the movement has been galvanised with an…
Editor’s Note: For all that the watch industry speaks about timelessness and classic design, it rides the winds of fad and fashion just like any other consumer-focused business. But that’s not always the case; there are some models that remain impressively unchanged, and pure to their origins. Watches like this simple and sophisticated Grand Seiko Automatic Hi-Beat 36000. The story in a second: Grand Seiko’s limited edition Hi-Beats are hot property, but the regular production SBHG005 is, not to overstate things in any way, a masterpiece of understated excellence. Most high-end watches are instantly recognisable as luxury objects. Your watch makes a statement about who you are and what you value. Rolex says one thing, IWC another. This is, of course, the point. Most people, upon spending thousands of dollars on a watch want you to know you’ve spent thousands of dollars on a watch. And then there’s Grand Seiko. Grand Seiko is the Japanese watchmaker’s premier line, and for years it was quite difficult to get your hands on outside of Japan. This rarity, combined with the line’s often-conservative style and the ubiquity of Seiko’s more accessible offerings meant that the statement you made wearing one was about rejecting the usual…
One of the watches I was most looking forward to seeing in the metal at Baselworld was the 43mm version of the distinctive Heuer 01. Now, I’m quite the fan of TAG Heuer’s skeletonised and modular take on their classic Carrera, but there’s no denying that at 45mm across, it takes certain amount of wrist or confidence to pull it off. That the 43mm version will suit more wrists is good news, the fact that there were new colours in the offing only sealed the deal. There are quite a few new Heuer 01 43mm models, including versions with solid dials, and the very cool black ceramic model. But I was most drawn the titanium models with skeletonised dials, offered in three colourways: black, blue and a particularly delicious brown. All three colours are offered on a titanium bracelet, alligator strap or rubber. Size and colour notwithstanding, these new Carrera Heuer 01s are virtually the same as previous versions – Heuer 01 movement, 12-part modular case and that richly skeletonised dial. Having said that, the changes in size and colour make a huge difference. First of all size. The original version clocks in at 45mm across, and wears high. Sure, the…