THE RULES: No Submariners with black tie – 5 tips for tuxedo-appropriate timepieces
Welcome to the party season, aka an obstacle course of events that, between now and February, will test the limits of your wardrobe. All manner of creative/edgy/infuriating dress codes will be thrown your way, but if there’s one thing we’re sure of, it is this: whether it’s for New Year’s Eve or The Oscars, at some point you will be wearing a tuxedo. And that has implications for your wrist, which you may or may not be ready to hear… First up, although we’re not here to get all pedantic on your suit, it would be negligent of us not to remind you of a few guidelines, slash hard and fast rules, worth bearing in mind. Pay attention, please: The rules part one – the suit 1. A regular suit is not black tie Your workwear is not black tie (unless you’re a butler. Wait – are you?). A sports jacket and chinos is not black tie. Get the right suit for the job, take good care of it, and it will last for years. 2. Your suit needs to fit That doesn’t mean you can’t buy off the peg. Just get it tailored once you do, so that the…
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Next up in our Christmas Advent(ure) Calendar is the rough and ready (but still polished to a mirror shine) Longines Military COSD, with a military-inspired dial and summer-appropriate NATO strap. The best thing about it though? It’s not so hardcore as to look out of place with a suit. If you really love this one, check out the full review and don’t forget to enter our holiday giveaway. Who should you buy this for? Even though it has ‘military’ in the name, you don’t have to be an armchair general to appreciate this watch (though Uncle Clive would love it). The sharp styling and attractive price make this the perfect choice for style warriors of all ages. What’s the damage? Under $3000 Longines Heritage Military COSD Australian pricing Longines Heritage Military COSD, $2225 on NATO, $2500 on leather
Deck the halls and dangle that tinsel, for the festive season is upon us once more. Join us in counting down the days until Christmas, with Time+Tide’s very own advent calendar. While there’s no chocolate on offer (we’re actually giving away something much better), what we do have is a series of our bitesize ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ video reviews – kicking off today with the Tissot Heritage 1936. If you thought anything in the watch world inspired by ye olde world equals small, this manually wound 45mm is here to challenge preconceptions. Who should you buy this for? Maybe yourself. If you’re a ‘big watch guy’ who’s curious about heritage style but haven’t yet been brave enough to dip a toe in the water, this could tip you over the edge. What’s the damage? Under $3000 Tissot Heritage 1936 Australian pricing Tissot Heritage 1936, $1350
I’ve always liked Seiko. One of the first watches I ever bought was a Black Monster, followed by an ever-rotating roster of rock-solid SKX divers as well as the odd vintage piece including an original Turtle, a 6139 ‘Pogue’ chronograph (sadly missed) and not one but two 4006-6031 Bell-Matics (neither of which are currently running, but that’s a different story). So when Seiko Australia invited me to tour the company’s Japanese production facilities (wearing an Astron), I jumped at the chance. It’s fair to say I had some pretty solid preconceptions about what I’d experience. I was super-pumped to see the Micro Artists Studio, and Morioka, where Grand Seiko is assembled. Turns out I was not prepared, at all. My ideas about Seiko were not wrong, exactly, but they certainly fell short of capturing the scale of the operation. Day one’s hour-long presentation outlining the corporate structure made that crystal clear. The multiple factory tours and huge rooms full of people and equipped with machinery both modern and ancient sealed the deal. So, in no particular order, here are four things I learned from my visit. There’s quartz and then there’s quartz I don’t think I’d be the only person reading this who could be…
If you hadn’t noticed, it’s that time of year when aeroplanes start playing ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ by Mariah Carey in preparation for take off, and, cruelly, at landing too. It is December. It’s summer in Australia. And it’s giving season at Time+Tide. Last year we had a veritable Santa sack of watch related goodies, and in 2016, we’re still turning up, but this time with a more refined, but no less desirable assortment. The collection includes an AP branded Boom Boom! Speaker by Mathieu Lahanneur, a very, very colourful tie from Patek Philippe, a shiny Nomos fountain pen, and some stationery to write on. The burning question is, do you also win the Xmas bauble with Felix in it? The answer is we’re not sure we can part with it. He is very attached to his baubles. It really depends how much joy it would bring your Xmas. Feel free to let us know. Subscribe to YouTube here and go in the running to win. What’s the catch? Who can enter? Well, to be really honest about this, we. are. sick of enduring abuse for only offering survey prizes to Aussies. So guess what, EVERYONE can enter. All you have to do is…
The story in a second Blancpain has upped the ante on last year’s excellent Ocean Commitment watch, with a second – even bluer – limited edition. These days it’s not unique for a watch brand to have a corporate social responsibility program, usually tied in with a limited edition product. Few, however, do it with the level of integrity and (dare we say it) commitment as Blancpain’s work in marine conservation and research programs. Though the Ocean Commitment program itself is comparatively young, Blancpain has donated a total of roughly seven million Euro over the past seven years. But beyond this, the Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II wears its marine allegiances on its sleeve, so to speak, thanks to a unique case. The case The most arresting feature of this watch is the case. On last year’s version, we swore black and (appropriately enough) blue that the case was metal rather than brushed ceramic. This year, the hi-tech nature of the material has been made abundantly clear. For the first time, Blancpain has produced an entirely blue ceramic case, made possible thanks to the addition of pigment and a binding agent into the powdered ceramic during production – a…
Ever since the female of the species began wearing trousers circa the 1920s, they’ve been gradually but persistently encroaching into the territory of men. Never has the saying ‘give them an inch’ been more relevant. Next minute, they had the right to follow whatever career path they fancied and the freedom to get a short haircut without bringing shame on the entire family, and the world was upside down. Women wearing men’s watches is just the latest example of this invasion – and you know what? Get used to it. Full disclosure: I am a woman, so I’ll stop with this ‘they’ nonsense. After centuries of not having a choice, we can finally do what we like, so is it at all surprising that we’re making the most of that? I frankly just feel disappointed that you blokes find it so much harder than we do when it comes to blurring gender lines. Go on – wear a skirt. There’s nothing stopping you. So, in service to women (and men, who now have the ultimate partner-pleasing justification for their next watch, i.e. “Honey, it’s our new watch”), here is Time+Tide’s pick of six men’s watches that often find themselves on the wrists of women – and our take on why…
Editor’s Note: Some time ago, we ran a special edition of the Wind Down (as we are wont to do), which ran through the dos and don’ts of wristshots. Turns out this was actually a very useful and informative post, so we thought it was worth giving it some time in the ‘How To’ sun. So read on for the first steps in mastering the fine and subtle art of the perfect wristshot. Every job has its quirks. Every industry has its niche skills. In watch journalism – or watch appreciation in general – perhaps one of the most crucial, and least transferrable, of these skills is the seemingly simple wristshot. You’ve all seen them, and likely taken more than a few yourself. If that’s the case you’ll have realised that taking the perfect ‘wristie’ (a contraction of “wristwatch selfie”– geddit?) isn’t as easy as it looks. So today we’re going to discover what you need to do to take the perfect wristshot, with the help of some of the world’s leading watch writers. Your Instagram followers will thank you. But one small caveat. Don’t blame us if things get weird when you’re taking them. It turns out, like in all art,…
Editor’s note: Sometimes things take on a life of their own. Like, for example, when you ask Instagram if anyone can think of some watch-themed heavy metal band names? The wave of mutilations suggestions that followed hit us like a Vulgar Display of Power. It gave the week a serious metal twist and since then we’ve built a Spotify playlist purely from the comments list, which we’re listening to right now. Somehow, the playlist also became a music festival – The Tourbillon Tour, cue flames – with separate stages, and a T-shirt. So, this week we’ve abandoned our usual FWD format to go pure, 11 out of 10 metal. I just had to explain that, with all due respect, this Wind Down is 100% your fault dear Time+Tide followers. With love, and intense respect for your creativity. We’re gearing up for festival season down under. Camping plans are being organised (if you own a van this is your time to shine), set-lists are being studied and your weekends from now until March are fully booked with Meredith, Falls, Laneway and the more boutique backyard affairs that seem to emerge of their own accord as soon as the weather gets good. But hold the phone people,…
Editor’s Note: Last time we looked at the midnight visage of the all-black Heuer-01 it was in the bustle and busyness of Baselworld. Eight months later and the watch is now starting to be seen on Australian wrists. Building off the modular platform of 2015’s bold new Carrera, this model is far more sexy than stealthy. But as David Chalmers explains, the black ceramic case makes the watch even tougher. The TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 Black Ceramic is the first time ever that TAG Heuer has released a fully ceramic case for a watch in their men’s range (they’ve offered a women’s Formula 1 model in ceramic for the last few years), and, to get down to business right away, this new, blacked-out, phantom Carrera looks awesomely mean. And, not only does the glossy black case look great, it also offers real advantages over the more traditional steel or titanium. It is lighter than both, yet also harder. And this hardness has real world advantages, because it makes the case far more scratch resistant. The downside of ceramics? Well, they can shatter, or crack if dropped from a height or if the case is hit very hard, but this would require a significant amount of force. We’ll assume you…