8 of the best titanium watches: Part 2 is about the high-end and featherweight
If you missed Part 1 of this series looking at some of the best titanium watches, you can take a look right here. While for some the notion of titanium is beholden to large divers and the cutting-edge of the tool watch spectrum, Part 2 might surprise you with a lesser known and far dressier side to the story. Brace yourself for some exquisite Haute Horlogerie and James Bond references dressed up in the armoured finery of titanium. Laurent Ferrier Opaline 40mm The last place you would expect to find titanium is in a beautifully simple, haute horlogerie dress watch from the ex-Patek Philippe master Laurent Ferrier. Like the rest of his perfectionist portfolio, the Classic Origin Opaline is pebble-smooth, and though you might do a second take wondering why the exposure in the shot made the case look a bit dark for steel, titanium still does not present itself as an immediate answer. I will stress again the fact that titanium is not easy to work with in making mirror-like round polished surfaces, but clearly Mr Ferrier took it on as a challenge, lending a flyweight air to what is consummate elegance embodied in a round case. The silvery white…
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Editor’s note: This year at Hublot has focused heavily on celebrating the 40th anniversary of the brand, but there was another important new chapter in the history book of the masters of fusion. The in-house Meca-10 movement, a caliber that has been restricted to the classically round Big Bang case, was set free into the tonneau-shaped Spirit of Big Bang case for the first time this year. With a truly remarkable 10 days of power reserve, it’s no surprise that Hublot have pulled out all the stops in these new watches, producing them in several materials, including King Gold. Let’s take a closer look at the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 King Gold. The advent of Hublot’s Big Bang essentially put the provocative, innovative and disruptive brand firmly on the horological map. The brainchild of horological mega-doyen Jean-Claude Biver, the Big Bang arrived on the scene way back in 2004, and since then, it has not only reinvigorated but redefined what Hublot stands for. The evocatively named, plus-sized timepiece has been the wrist-worn proving ground for myriad material and technical revolutions that have broken boundaries and exceeded expectation time and time again. Not all Big Bangs are equal though,…
Titanium: the strong, ultralight metal of the future. Once exclusive to F1 parts and featherweight bike parts, the material is almost divisively light. Some people actually tell you that the light weight puts them off, as if a heavy watch is a sign of intrinsic value and quality. In the case (pun intended) of precious metals, yes, the heavy weight of a Submariner in solid gold does imbue it with an extra level of quality. But on an everyday watch or, even better, a diver’s watch? All positives in my book. How would sir like the intense legibility and strength of a 44mm+ diver’s tool with the lightness of a resin Casio? I’m exaggerating to make a point, but it’s still almost true, and from bargain microbrand to elegant dress watch in a Zaratsu suit, we have lined up a few of the best titanium watches for you right here. Grand Seiko SLGA001 Okay, let’s just say it is huge and be done with it. Unashamedly so. A dark blue threatening behemoth. Nothing can hide the fact, except the raison d’être of this very story: titanium! In our video review here, Nick started by describing it as almost daunting, and…
Hublot don’t do things by half. If they do something, they do it full throttle, and you can see that in the in-house movements they produce. You won’t find a simple three-handed caliber; no, instead you’ll find chronographs, tourbillons and some of the most impressive power reserves in the game. Of their in-house movements, this year the famed Meca-10 movement has been adapted to fit into the new home of the tonneau-shaped Spirit of Big Bang case. This has required a movement architecture redesign to fit like a glove into the curved case of the SOBB, and it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t look good. In particular, the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 Titanium shows off the movement with an attractively industrial contrast against the blackened bridges and darker metal of the case. The 45mm case is beautifully curved to meet the contour of your wrist, not sacrificing any comfort despite the uncompromising design. Thanks to the skeletonisation of the movement, you are able to see entirely through the watch, with the dial side showing off the power reserve indicator and time, while the winding barrels are engagingly visible through the caseback. It is a technical tour de…
It’s not really a stretch to say that after a slow, weird, stymied kind of year we are off to the races. Last week we launched the third edition of NOW Magazine, which has kept us run off our feet this week sending out copies to enthusiastic watch lovers around the world. This week, we are launching our first ever watch. And not just one, two. We are delighted to introduce you to the Bamford London x Time+Tide GMT1 Limited Edition of 50 pieces and the Bamford London x Time+Tide GMT2 which will be produced only for 2021. The reason we wanted to release two watches with George Bamford instead of one is simple. While we love the excitement and anticipation of getting a limited edition watch on your wrist, we also understand the frustration and occasionally bitter sentiment that comes with not being able to get the thing that you want. We wanted to have our cake and eat it too. So we worked with George on two designs. One that would be limited to 50 pieces, and another that would be unlimited in numbers but only produced for 2021. So if, like George says in the interview with…
We are beyond excited to introduce the Bamford London x Time+Tide GMT1 Limited Edition of 50 pieces which is available here and the GMT2, a Limited Production 2021 model that will only be available for 12 months. These are the first two watches ever released by Time+Tide, and they arrive to mark a year when – more disconnected than ever before from the world, in the most remote capital city on earth, Melbourne – we made a strong connection with the man behind the Bamford brand, and quickly wanted a watch or two to celebrate it. We agree wholeheartedly with Wei in the video below: George is “the premier customiser” in the watch industry who introduced an entirely new aesthetic to watches. Which can be described in one question: can you make it blacker? The GMT1 , on the right, is in grey 316L steel with a contrasting bezel. The GMT2 is a more stealthy offering, in DLC carbon. The watches are the equivalent of two brands meeting in the middle – each are rich in colourful highlights that hint at both Bamford and Time+Tide, and the people behind the watches. Both carry the mark of the mystery and subtlety…
George Bamford, founder of Bamford Watch Department and living proof that disrupting a traditional industry can bear new fruit for all and open it up to a more engaged, more youthful audience. Now drumroll, please, for a very special announcement. George, please tell us the story behind the watch you’re wearing today I am currently wearing the brand new Time+Tide edition Bamford London Dual Time GMT. It has been amazing working with Time+Tide to design and create this watch. I love how Time+Tide have put some wonderful hidden Easter eggs into this watch and I cannot wait to see images of people finding them. Time+Tide connects their readers to watches all around the world and I love that we have used our Bamford London Dual Time GMT for this edition as it is inspired by travel with the automatic 24-hour GMT hand function with internal rotating bezel allowing users to view a separate time zone. Collaboration excites me because … It brings strengths from all sides and the focus and desire to create something unique. Before you sit down together, you never know what will be the end result as one word or suggestion can inspire a whole new chain…
Editor’s note: Posting stories about Rolex watches you can buy now is like trying to hold a live fish down to get the hook out. A very slippery business. We have had to re-write this post twice already, as the models we’re nominating are slipping away as quickly as we write about them. So, if you see anything you like, move fast, or forever hold your peace. And apologies in advance if – once again – they’ve disappeared before you snap them up. Entry-level Rolex. Words that don’t necessarily sit in the same sentence, but you still want to ask the question. What are the best affordable entry-level Rolex pieces, comparatively? We’ve scoured the inventory of Bob’s Watches and found the new truth. Yes, there are still good Rolex references to be found and no, there are no exaggeration here, this is reality. New and unworn Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref.126000 36mm Yes, you are seeing straight, this is a brand new silver dial Oyster Perpetual in the slender 36mm case for less than $7000 US. With its new case, with the familiar razor-sharp bevels on the balanced case sides, this is the most classic of the new OPs, a watch…
It isn’t an uncommon occurrence for old watch brands to be revived. But for a brand to be resuscitated by the great-great-grandson of the founder is a rarer event. With Eugen Wegner, that’s exactly what happened. The brand was founded way back in 1897 in Gdańsk, Poland, and became successful selling pocket watches and marine chronometers to satiate the demands of those working in the shipping and docking industries nearby. In 2017, the name Eugen Wegner returned to watch dials, thanks to the work of Jonas Bley (the great-great-grandson), who has since gone on to produce a number of heritage-inspired watches including the Eugen Wegner One. The case is inspired by a pocket watch that the brand produced in 1909, but adapted slightly to be worn on the wrist. Measuring 43mm in diameter and 13.6mm thick, with heavily polished case sides, it isn’t a small watch, but it certainly isn’t uncomfortable. The dial is white lacquer, which offers a stunning canvas against the heat-blued steel hands contrast, delivering a pop of colour to the dial. Inside, meanwhile, a Valjoux 7750 caliber powers the timepiece to demonstrate this certainly isn’t a case of style over substance. It all adds up to…
In a tough year, what better way to cheer yourself up than great articles on our beloved wrist-worn wonders. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed our content, whether languishing in lockdown or in a home office that’s hopefully more spacious than my little writer’s den (I gallantly offered the larger space to the wife). These are my favourite articles this year, a year surprisingly packed with horological content. Some for their poetic flourishes and some for their thought-provoking content. HANDS-ON: A poetic tribute to the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Automatic – Fergus Nash I thoroughly enjoyed the rich prose of Fergus Nash on Bulgari. In his deep dive into the intricate architecture of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Automatic, I’m blown away by, well, everything. It gives me a headache trying to comprehend how Bulgari has managed to repeatedly trump their own award-winning Finissimo while running out of complications that can be made paper thin. Fergus is a true wordsmith, and I must admit to trying to remember some titbits of what is a truly broad vocabulary that puts the Haute into Horology. Is 2021 the year of the Finissimo Perpetual Calendar? Check out Fergus’ article right here. Play it cool:…