11 DAYS OF LONDONERS: Day 2 – James Marks, International Watch Specialist at Phillips Gallery London
Editor’s note: A few months back, we announced that former Editor of GQ Australia, Mike Christensen, was to be our first European Editor. In this series, ‘11 Days of Londoners’, Mike will be sharing the stories of a few notable local collectors, starting on Day 1 with King Nerd, and with a stellar lineup still to come. Lastly, you might ask, why 11 days? That, friends, will become clearer over time … James Marks is a “horological globe trotter” for Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, who spends his time hunting down the finest watches from around the globe to offer for sale. With more than a decade and a half of experience in finance, working as a hedge fund portfolio manager, he brought his eye for detail and analytical skillset with him when he joined the auction house in the middle of 2018. In the relatively short time since, he’s shaken up the game, opening a bricks and mortar store in London called Phillips Perpetual, where the auction house can offer watches between sales, and he encourages collectors not to think of “investment watches” as a dirty phrase. Tell us about the watch you’re wearing today I am wearing…
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Editor’s note: I remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing next to a stripper pole with a lovely girl named Agnes, who toured me through all the functions of the brand new RM 69 random-phrase-generating watch by Richard Mille. We then tried it out, so to speak. Lots of fun. But is it fun enough to risk nine years jail for, if you don’t happen to have the funds to buy one of the only 30 models in existence? That’s a question one mugger has plenty of time to ponder now. Zach has more … – Andrew While we are currently exploring ’11 Days of Londoners’, which celebrates some of the brilliant people who live in the UK capital, let it be acknowledged there is a dark side to the town. Last week another Londoner was targeted for their rare luxury timepiece. It is clear criminals of the UK are tuned into the watch marketplace, and are watch-spotting potential victims for their rare and expensive watches. Gang member Mehdi Didda and his associates had taken to camping outside of high-end stores and boutiques, stalking their prey over multiple days for the right time to pounce. Ngoc Cao…
Limited-edition collaborations in the watch industry are growing in popularity in 2020. We wanted to dig a bit deeper and get some behind-the-scenes insight on the sumptuous new hook-up between Fratello Watches and Oris. We can really only liken this combination to a glass of Bordeaux in a rich golden goblet for the wrist. I mean, look at it. Here, Fratello founder Robert-Jan Broer reveals how the partnership started and the hidden details that make this 300-piece run feel so distinct and fresh. How did this partnership and collaboration come about? What is the origin story here? We had a meeting with Oris in 2018 at Baselworld. They had just released the first bronze model with a green dial, and our editor Michael Stockton was enamoured with the watch and bought one. A year later, at Baselworld 2019, they came with a steel watch with an oxblood red dial – which Michael thought was absolutely stunning. He began to think about how it would look in the bronze case, so he managed to track down a separate oxblood red dial and have our watchmaker install it into his bronze watch. He then showed it to me, and we both agreed…
Who doesn’t love a good limited edition, especially when it’s in the form of an unlikely collaboration? There is something about acquiring a watch that’s not only beautiful but rare that makes it feel all the more special. Not all limited editions are created equal, of course, but when all the details are just right, the resulting watch becomes even more desirable by dint of its exclusivity. Our friends at Fratello Watches have just created such a timepiece. They’ve teamed up with Oris to create some serious awesomeness, rich with the #details we crave, in the form of the Oris x Fratello Watches Oris Big Crown Pointer Date. And yes, it is a limited edition. The case The bronze case of this watch is 40mm in diameter, 12mm thick, and 48mm lug to lug – putting it right in the Goldilocks zone in both size and fit for the modern watch wearer. There is something wildly attractive about a satin finish when rendered on a gold tone such as bronze. On that metal, the brushed effect stands out by offering a sense of visible depth. Here we have an almost entirely satin-brushed case with only the thin inner ring behind…
Editor’s note: A few months back, we announced that former Editor of GQ Australia, Mike Christensen, was to be our first European Editor. Based in London, Mike – who, confusingly, is actually English – has since been beavering away on an opening salvo of stories to properly introduce him, and his fine city, to you, dear readers. And, without further ado, here they are! We’ve named the series ’11 Days of Londoners’, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a chance for Mike to share the fine wristwear of some notable and notorious locals that he happens to knock around with. We won’t give away the full list yet, but let’s just say it includes possibly the most handsome man on the planet, the most nimble-fingered engraver (come on down @kingnerd), and the maddest watch modder to ever take the controls of a PVD machine. Lastly, you might ask, why 11? That, friends, will become clearer over time … Better known as King Nerd, Johnny Dowell is an example of how far the watch industry has evolved when it comes to embracing change. An engraver by trade – he was an apprentice at James Purdey & Sons, the 205-year-old…
Everyone loves good value. It’s always nice to walk away from a purchase with the smug feeling that you got a lot more than what you paid for. One brand that consistently provides those good vibes is Baume & Mercier. They really know how to walk the fine line between luxury and accessibility and it is no secret that we at Time+Tide are genuine fans of what they have to offer. Not in general, because the brand has suffered dark patches, but specifically since they re-entered the fray with the Baumatic. Modern-day Baume & Mercier ticks a lot of boxes for prospective buyers of various backgrounds and levels of spending power. Sure, their watches are still at the mid tier, and face stiff competition, but compared to the rest of the industry, their catalogue of creations are both well priced and very well executed, when you compare them spec for spec. One stand-out example of both these characteristics is the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Automatic Day Date Moon Phase 10548. The case The stainless-steel case is 42mm in diameter and 13.2mm thick. The lugs are rather compact as well, which makes the 10548 a very wearable 42mm for most…
In Scandinavia, our long dark winters should be a fertile breeding ground for horology. Just as the oppressive gloom sent the Swiss inside to tinker about with watchmaking tools and lathes, you might expect a similar tradition to have developed in these parts – Scandinavian design and Nordic minimalism are, after all, deeply engrained in our regional psyche. Alas, however, there are just a few watchmakers out here. Yet one that has gained traction is the Swedish brand Bravur Watches, whose clean-cut designs set it apart from the barrage of microbrands. Their latest offering, the Bravur x Wingårdh Limited Edition, epitomises the brand’s mid-century modernist style in the form of a quietly spoken dress watch that oozes understated Nordic elegance. Bravur specialises in refined dress watches with a minimalist vibe that encompass an array of Swiss-made quartz and automatic watches in the Goldilocks sizes of 38 and 39mm. You’ll find the watches usually fitted on soft leather two-stitch straps with a tempting monogram option and a dial with an inner minute track. This time, Bravur has collaborated with famed architect Gert Wingårdh and his son, the award-winning designer Rasmus Wingårdh, for a fresh take on the dress watch. The Bravur…
Some of us love diver’s watches, some skeletonised dress watches. But no matter what you do — driving a truck or stuck behind a desk — maybe nothing is more tempting in watches than the world of aviation, whether it be invoking the adventurous spirit of WWII dogfights, or the memories of Top Gun. You might actually fly a twin-prop Cessna and rely on the infallibility of a top-tier pilot’s watch to back you up in an emergency. Here is a top 5 of the best, from high-tech weapons-grade ceramic to aged black steel with rose gold accents. Chocks away as we look at a few of the best pilot watches of 2020 over $10K, and yes, you will notice that we have expanded the category to include all sky-dwellers that turn left when they enter the plane. IWC Top Gun ‘SFTI’ Edition Big, bold, tough and black. Story done. Sorry, if you don’t know your pilot’s watches from divers, this might be your first impression, but look closely and the tool expertise of IWC quickly becomes apparent, from pure functionality to the sharp pop of red detail. A silky smooth case of ceramic and IWC’s own Ceratanium — yes, it does what…
Naruto is one of the biggest-selling manga series in history, selling 250 million copies worldwide. The Japanese anime series followed the adventures of a young ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, while a spin-off series, Boruto, subsequently focused on Naruto’s son. The shows’ all-action exploits have now inspired Seiko to create a new collection of seven watches based on some of the central characters from the show. Before we dig into the distinct characteristics of each reference, let’s dig into the elements they all have in common. The watches are essentially variations on the Seiko 5 Sports watch that’s widely regarded as a great first watch for budding collectors. More importantly in this instance, it’s a top option for any self-respecting ninja due to the watch’s high degree of resistance to shock and daily wear. Each of the seven cases are made of stainless steel, have dimensions of 42.5mm in diameter and 13.4mm in thickness, and have a protected crown at the 4 position. You will find a day-date complication at the 3 position on every model as well. They are all powered by the robust Seiko manufacture automatic Caliber 4R36, with 24 jewels, 41-hour power reserve, and a hacking second hand (take…
Editor’s note: This is a story that focuses on two things, being the collection and story of the man that almost certainly owns more Speedmasters than any other collector on earth, Mr Bhaskar Eswaran. It also leads into a description of the new Omega Authentication service for watches more than 30 years old. I am lucky to have had my beloved Omega Ranchero authenticated by Omega, and can say the service is exceptional, and the cherished red envelope that the official information arrives in is akin to receiving a Top Secret dossier from James Bond. More on that in another story. Each day when a watch collector wakes up, they have the first-world problem of having to decide which lovely timepiece to strap to their wrist. For all watch owners, there’s usually some sort of system or method when picking the watch of the day. What clothes am I wearing? What have I already worn this week? Now imagine you had enough watches, where theoretically, you could wear a different timepiece every day without wearing the same watch twice for an entire year. Bhaskar Eswaran does not have to imagine this conundrum, he lives it every day with likely the…