WATCHSPOTTING: Do you know what the mystery vintage Omega Gosling wears in La La Land is?
Some LA prop masters may be able to take credit for Ryan Gosling’s consistently excellent choices in vintage wristwear – and you’re welcome to correct us if you know, or are one of them – but for now, we’re going to put forward the idea that he has something to do with choosing them himself. Because, once again, the Gos has gone and ended up with the perfect watch for his lead character in the feted new romantic musical La La Land. Not only the perfect watch, it must be said. His vintage threads throughout provide a schooling in how to dress to your timepiece. CNN reports that Costume Director Mary Zophres chose clothing on the basis that it “had to compliment and enhance the locations and story and even the emotional tone of the characters. “When it came time to dress Gosling, Zophres said she, Chazelle and the actor agreed that jazz musician Sebastian (Gosling’s character) was a guy whose appreciation for the classics would be reflected in his fashion choices. “I think his character has such a respect for the past and past musicians, my proposal for Damien was, ‘I don’t think he should ever be in…
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Editor’s Note: The internet is a weird and wonderful place, where the normal rules of logic often don’t apply. Case in point, the fact this short interview with Australian champion golfer (and de facto diplomat) Greg Norman was our second-most-read story this year. Seems there’s a lot of love out there for the Great White Shark. How many watches do you own? Well, I’m a very lucky guy. I sound bad, but I have a lot of watches. It’s the only thing a man can really wear. A man can’t really wear earrings, or necklaces or bracelets. Well, he can if he wants I suppose, but me, I travel with six watches at all times. Only six? Only six because they tend to match what I wear. My wife does a great job because she picks out a watch to wear with each outfit. And I’m lucky because I represent Omega so there are some great options. Do you have your go-to favourites for travel? When I go away I do have my favourites, but quite honestly when I’m home, I don’t wear a watch. When I’m just around the house, I don’t wear a watch. I did a Google image…
Editor’s Note: It’s both unsurprising and disturbing that our cautionary guide to buying watches while on the sauce has been so popular this year. Equal parts fun and fact, with a dash of self-reflection, the resulting story is a biting brew with woody undertones and a kick in the tail. Enjoy responsibly. We’re pretty sure this doesn’t need to be said, but let’s say it anyway. Don’t buy watches when you’re drunk. Nothing good can come from it. Seriously. Nothing. You’ll wake up hungover, surrounded with bottles of Dom/Chivas/Pabst (depending on budget and taste), considerably poorer and with a rare Enicar Sherpa Graph heading your way via the Philippines. Or not. But if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right. So we’ve prepared a three-step program to minimise risk and maximise fun. Step 1: Be prepared. A lot of this comes down to what you’re like when you’ve had a few. If you’re the kind of guy who gets excited about the late-night escapade to the nearest Casino for a few hands of poker (‘cos you totally could have gone pro. Totally) it might be an idea to send some flyers to your local…
Editor’s Note: Seiko straight-up knocked it out of the park with this watch, a massive success that blends the Japanese brand’s legendary high quality and even higher value with a more European design approach. It’s the perfect centrepiece for the globally launched Presage collection, and clearly a massive favourite with you guys, as it was our fourth most-popular story this year. While much attention has been paid to the latest Grand Seiko offerings, as well as their ultra-cool Prospex Marinemaster GPS-Solar Dual Time, we can safely argue that the limited edition Presage chronographs are their finest under-the-radar offerings of 2016. Seiko is launching the Presage collection internationally this year, and these two watches celebrate the 60th anniversary of Seiko’s first automatic watch. The pair of sleek vintage-inspired chronographs come in at a comfortable 42mm, and offer two very attractive, and very traditional dial options - white enamel, and the gorgeous and incredibly labour-intensive deep black Urushi Lacquer. Both just about made my heart stop, and while my personal preference is the white enamel option, it’s hard to ignore the amount of care and attention that has gone into the black lacquer. The design of the dial – and indeed the choice…
Editor’s Note: Truth, as they say, is stranger than fiction. And, as it turns out, the truth also makes for a really good read, so it makes sense that Andrew’s story of sky-high sales has been one of our most popular articles this year. It’s got everything: shady characters, high drama and, at its heart, the love between and a man and his watch. This is a true story about a man who offered me $10,000 cash for my stock-standard Panerai PAM 111 in Business Class. It even had a factory strap. We’d been talking, chit-chatting through the pre-flight champagnes, then we’d both rolled into red wine. He was picking up some kind of motorbike in California. I had business in New York. He expressed an interest in my watch. What was it? And then, not much later, entirely out the blue, he propositioned me. “I’ll give you ten grand for it.” I blinked. “Sorry?” “Cash. 10 grand for the watch, as is. In US.” He reached down and unzipped the side pocket of his bag. Sure enough. As Diddy might have said back in the day, there was a big ol’ bundle of Benjamins. As I live and breathe. I’d never really…
Silent night, holy night, all is calm, apart from the reassuring tick of your Franck Muller Thunderbolt Tourbillon. And let’s not for a minute – or five seconds to be more accurate – mistake the forest for the Christmas trees here, the real star inside this gold curvex case is the tourbillon. When you’re playing at this level, tourbillons are par for the course, but Franck Muller’s master watchmaker Pierre-Michel Golay has taken the Thunderbolt Tourbillon to the next level. Most tourbillons make a full revolution every 60 seconds – this one does it in five, not only making it the fastest tourbillon in the world, but also one of the most mesmerising. If Santa had a stretch target, this would be it. Good luck mate! Who should you buy this for:Someone who has been very, very, very good. What’s the damage: If you have to ask…. Under $400k Franck Muller Thunderbolt Tourbillon Australian pricing Franck Muller Thunderbolt Tourbillon, $357,600
As you climb higher and higher up the horological Christmas tree – which, by the way we don’t advise in real life, unless this happens – the stars at the top start to thin out, leaving, at least in days of yore, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet shining brightly as Swiss watchmaking’s ‘big three’. Between them they make some of the finest watches on the planet. But, until now, VC’s main sports collection hasn’t quite stacked up against the iconic Nautilus or the mighty Royal Oak. This year’s SIHH changed all that, with the release of the lauded new Overseas Collection. Who should you buy this for: The horophile who will know that they’ve just received one of the most extraordinary in-house chronograph movements of recent times. What’s the damage: Under $44,000 Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph Australian pricing Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph, $43,200
I’m writing this at 12:35 on the last working day of 2016. And yes, I have a tin of Melbourne Bitter in front of me at my desk. So yeah, I’m feeling pretty good right now. Oh, and the office internet just died (hotspot FTW), so we’re taking this as a sign/Christmas Miracle that we need to leave the office stat. But before we lock up one last time for 2016 there’s some business that needs taking care of – the most festive Wind Down of the year! What really mattered A little while ago we (finally) got on the whole YouTube bandwagon, and to celebrate we thought we’d give away a stash of some of the watch swag we could rustle up in the office (see above). The winner of said swag merely had to subscribe and comment on our YouTube (there may have been references to my hair that weren’t strictly professional). Well, thanks to everyone who got on board, but the lucky subscriber is Indra Arifin! Indra, if you’re reading this, well done! Get in touch and we’ll send you a care package in the new year. What’s happening next? Well, we’re having a break. Distance will make…
How has your Christmas present wrapping been going? Maybe take some tips from Jaeger-LeCoultre. The Reverso Tribute Calendar fits contemporary and classic into a very neat package. The pink gold case measuring 29.9 mm wide by 49.4mm tall is neither too petite nor too large for most, and it’s quite impressive how many complications JLC can fit in without the watch looking overly cluttered. The main dial, with a silver grained opaline finish shows a complete calendar with apertures for the day and month, and the date indicator around a stunning hammered moonphase. The reverse dial is treated in a contrasting grey Clous de Paris, showing a second timezone and a day/night indicator. Who should you buy this for: The most refined and sophisticated person you know who deserves a watch of this calibre. What’s the damage: Under $35k Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Calendar Australian pricing Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Calendar, $34,200
It might be stating the obvious, but this Aquaracer doesn’t have a tourbillon or a modular case construction. Nor is it a smart watch, or a reissue of a ’70s watchmaking icon. This is a plain old ‘new watch’ from a well known family. No bells, no whistles, just an absolute winner of a watch. On paper it’s a 43mm titanium-cased diver with a matt black finish thanks to the titanium carbide treatment and a matching black ceramic bezel, powered by a Sellita movement, and rated to 300m. The dial has distinctive horizontal stripes, reminiscent of the ‘garage door’ look popularised by Patek’s Nautilus. All the highlights, from applied numerals and hands to chunky nylon strap are ‘sand’ in colour, and the luminous material is generous. The bright orange second hand and triangle on the bezel are the only breaks from this utilitarian colour scheme. So that’s the by-the-numbers rundown. What this fails to capture is just how awesome this watch is on the wrist. It’s a well-designed, purposeful piece that looks killer. The black and tan colour scheme gives the Aquaracer a military vibe, but without the sense of earnestness you’d get from a comparable watch by the likes of Sinn or Luminox. And if…