WHO TO FOLLOW: @icon4x4
Inside every car guy there’s a watch guy trying to escape, and vice versa. We’re not sure, but it looks like ICON 4×4’s Jonathan Ward has found the perfect balance of these two mechanical passions. So if mechanical powertrains of the wrist- or road-based variety are your bag, he’s definitely worth a follow. NAME: Jonathan Ward OCCUPATION: Co-founder/Owner ICON 4×4, unique car customiser and restorer INSTAGRAM: @icon4x4 FOLLOWERS: 45k LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA Tell us about yourself. My wife and I founded my company because I was frustrated with status quo in the custom automotive world. In one camp you had traditionalists who embraced the ‘stock’ (read: archaic) mechanical systems and adhered to restoring to the original configuration, imperfections and all. In the other, you had modifiers who followed established formulas (pro-touring, street rod) that often erase the grace and beauty in the details of a classic car. So with ICON, I set out to revisit vintage transportation design in a modern context. The goal was to integrate and embrace all of the conveniences and corruptions of modern automobiles with all of the grace and design beauty of the classics. Sounds simple, but it involves many design and engineering challenges – which I love. Otherwise…
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Happy Easter everyone. It’s Good Friday down here in Melbourne, so this edition of the Wind Down will be brief, as the office is closed and I’m penning this between nibbles of hot cross bun and wines in the sun. Not a bad way to spend the day at all. Hope your day off is similarly laid-back. What happened We still can’t stop talking about Basel. Aside from our big ‘Best of’ list, we did some wrap-ups of the best Bulgari (super slim) and Grand Seiko (super chunky) releases from the fair. What really mattered Well, the big news is that there’s a change coming to the Wind Down. Moving forward it will be the Fortnightly Friday Wind Down, running every other week. By way of an apology, here’s a gif of me and a cat. The week in numbers: 4: days off in a row. Peace out.
Last week we published a video of our top picks from Baselworld 2017. We filmed it in a pretty sleep-deprived state towards the end of the fair, with the thought of dropping a list while the watches were still hot. If you haven’t seen it, we’ve embedded it at the end of this story. (We hope you’ll enjoy a watch-related chuckle at our expense.) But we understand that not everyone has the time or headphones for video. So if you prefer your images still instead of moving, here are our 11 favourites in all their glorious, technicolour detail. Enjoy. Seiko Presage Cocktail Time Andrew says: This is the most unexpected thing in the list. Because I like the Cocktail Time! One of our team members told us in a post titled, unambiguously, No Submariners With Black Tie, that we have to have a different watch for black tie. For me, this is it. The dial is insane – it’s for a confident man (or woman), because it’s a dressy watch. Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller Andrew says: I fell hard, not only for its beauty, but also its brains. We have one of the most complicated Rolexes for what’s simply a very good price. Omega Railmaster…
Editor’s note: There’s nothing that watch journos love more than a watch with a story. Marketing departments know this, and try hard (sometimes too hard) to come up with gripping narratives behind their latest and greatest. In all my years of writing about watches, I’ve come across few stories as authentic and compelling as that of Australian micro-brand Aegir Instruments and the man who makes them. Oh, and the watches aren’t too shabby either. Todd Caldwell, the man behind the brand, is a commercial diver – and the inspiration for Caldwell to go out on a limb and make his own dive watch was hours of decompressing in a diving bell, with little to do but stare at his watch (I asked – it was a Panerai, and yes – he’s still got it). Caldwell wasn’t happy with what he saw, or with any of the watches on the market for that matter. He wanted something he could wear at depth that wouldn’t look like a tuna can on the wrist, jutting out from a suit cuff. So decided to design his own, initially just for himself and a few diving buddies. Out of this process came two designs: The CD-1, forms the…
One of the last people I saw before I left Australia for SIHH in January was James Marsden. He was on television, in dusty dungarees, with a vest, boots and a cowboy hat. His face was etched with pain. He’d just been shot by Ed Harris. Again. The television show is Westworld, the character is Teddy, and my wife and I remain obsessed with both. We’d binged our way through the first season in a matter of days, and then, a 27-hour flight and a broken night of sleep later, there I was with that very same character (Teddy) in real life. Reassuringly for you, dear reader, my interview questions extend well beyond his role on the incredible series, quickly focusing on watches. We also discuss how his obsession with timepieces began, and how he’s now seeking to pass the passion on to his son. But given the circumstances, the conversation does have to start with Westworld. T+T: This is freaking me out. The last time I saw you was only a day or so ago. You were having a hard time in the Wild West… JM: So is it freaking you out that I’m here and alive and there are no bullet…
Grand Seiko had big news at Baselworld 2017 – and not just the epically proportioned (and named) Hi-Beat 36000 Professional 600m Diver’s watch. No, the really big news was that for the first time since 1960, Grand Seiko would stand apart as its own brand. It was the logical next step for Japan’s premier watch brand, which only launched globally in 2010 but has been rapidly building boutiques ever since. Aside from changes to brand position, strategy, company structure and all that jazz, for watch fans the major shift is that Grand Seiko watches will no longer read “Seiko/Grand Seiko” on the dial. A break from tradition and a cleaner dial design in one fell swoop. Nice job Grand Seiko.
A. Lange & Söhne’s Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is an unusual and very serious watch. The jumping seconds, or deadbeat seconds, is perhaps the most stealth complication out there – most people would assume the ticking seconds hand is powered by a battery rather than intricate gearing. It’s also a complication that’s finally enjoying its day in the sun, with brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jaquet Droz and Grönefeld all releasing their take on this once-obscure complication. Lange’s version adds a regulator-style dial and some classical German good looks. The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Australian pricing The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, in platinum, $120,000 
Editor’s Note: Working in watches, one of the most common complaints is poor aftersales support. If you believe every horror story you hear, servicing or returning a watch for any reason can be outrageously expensive, horrendously slow and the result can be of questionable quality. And while it’s best to take these tales with a grain of salt (did you really expect your high end chrono to be as simple and cheap to service as an old Toyota?), the reality is that too many brands overlook the unglamorous service centre in favour of the shiny new boutique. There’s one exception – Rolex. Here’s what I found when I visited their (then new) Melbourne Service Centre early last year. One of the biggest issues in this industry is what happens to a watch long after it leaves the boutique on the wrist of its happy new owner. Aftersales support and servicing may not be as glamorous as releasing shiny new watches, but it matters. A lot. There’s no quicker way to ruin goodwill towards a brand than with a negative service or repair situation, and from the anecdotal stories I hear it’s happening all too often, with common complaints including long wait…
We knew it, as soon as we tried it on. You guys knew it too, judging by the comments, which have usually gone something like, “I’d never been that interested in Bulgari before, but….” And naturally Bulgari knew it, which is why their booth at Baselworld dedicated its grandest display space to tell the story: the Octo Finissimo Automatic in titanium is the most refined mens piece ever for the brand in the ‘accessible’ category. By ‘accessible’ – around $18k – we’re not talking entry level, but it certainly is a newly affordable price point for a barely there piece that holds the record for the thinnest automatic watch on the market. In addition there’s a fully murdered out Octo, with all black errrrrrrthang. And the softly cased new Octo Roma, which heartens with its warm tones and gentler curves.
Editor’s Note: The 1858 collection has quickly become a mainstay of Montblanc’s watch landscape, with new versions offered in 2017 in bi-material bronze and steel and also with a Dual-Time complication that you can get a glimpse of in this video. Before these welcome developments came a dressy blue dial variant offered in 2016, on an excellent blue strap. It started with the 1858, which – in an insanely busy year for Montblanc – dropped out of the big blue sky. We were excited. We were titillated. We were a little flummoxed to be honest. Thoroughly embracing the spirit of the Manufacture Minerva that Montblanc acquired, it was almost a case of innovation overload. Almost. Because when we saw it in the metal, we better understood the play, which seemed to be: 1.Wrap Minerva into the brand story at an entry as well as elite price point. 2. Give the elegant Heritage Chronométrie range a more rugged brother to cover all bases. 3. Tap that evergreen classic military style. The model was well received and now there’s a whole collection to choose from – at all price points – including this inky blue-dialled beauty, which proves that colour can be just as versatile as black. That’s certainly how…