If you own a Cartier Pasha – second hand included – you can have it serviced by Cartier FOR FREE. Nix. Nothing.
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to buy an older Pasha de Cartier, consider this the sign. In case you missed the news, Cartier have announced that owners of any Pasha model will be eligible for a complimentary diagnosis, service, and optional engraving. You read that right, a Cartier Pasha service for free. Any model, from any year, as long as it bears that ‘love it or hate it’ diving helmet look, alongside the name Pasha. The promotion, which coincides with the French brand’s rejuvenation of the line, has somewhat gone under the radar — although that may just be due to the nature of Cartier’s weirdest model. It has all the hallmarks of what should be a staple of watch collecting, with its Gérald Genta design, a brand name packed with heritage, and an origin story full of engaging myths, but its extreme stylisation has caused a powerful ‘Marmite’ effect. While the newer models are much easier to love, with their smooth bezels and overall simplified themes, the expanse of references brought out between the mid 1980s and 2000s each carry something totally unique. As I’m writing, I’m wearing my own 38mm Pasha de Cartier— a reference 1033…
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Seiko’s year of living prolifically – while seemingly oblivious to a global crisis – continues afoot. After releasing dozens of watches already this year, to almost unanimous praise from fans and press alike, they have done it once again with the Seiko Prospex SPB185 and SPB187, two watches that look familiar for lots of reasons. Taking inspiration from the historically important Seiko Automatic Diver ref. 6159-7001 from 1968, which was the second dive watch design produced by the brand, this design was reproduced in near facsimile early this year with the Seiko SLA039J1, a watch that celebrated the 55th anniversary of the first Seiko dive watch in 1965. But the look of these two new SPB18X references is updated to be more modern, thanks to a slightly sleeker case profile and new dial and bezel options. The stainless steel cases of both examples measure 42mm in diameter with a 12.5mm thickness, which isn’t petite but is much lighter on the wrist than the similar Seiko SPB077 reference from 2018. The case sides and lugs are angular, a fact that is highlighted by the vertically brushed finishes of these watches, with those lug angles tapering nicely into the stainless steel bracelets.…
Today, TAG Heuer celebrates the 88th birthday of the legendary former CEO and current Honorary Chairman Jack Heuer by re-issuing Jack’s favourite ever Heuer watch, the gold Heuer Carrera 1158CHN. Jack, the great-grandson of Edouard Heuer, was an innovative leader of the famed manufacturer who worked with his family’s company for almost three decades. Two years after he joined the business, in 1960, Jack became one of the youngest leaders of a watch manufacture, at the age of 28. He devoted himself to many projects throughout the years, but his personal favourite to this day is the creation of the Carrera. And, beginning in the 1970s, Jack began a tradition of presenting an 18k gold Heuer Carrera for good luck to Ferrari Formula 1 drivers – legends such as Ronnie Peterson, Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni – during the partnership between Heuer and Ferrari. Engraved with the driver’s name and blood type on the caseback, these Heuer Carrera 1158CHN models have become highly sought-after collector’s items and symbols of the golden age of racing. In his honour, and in recognition of his favourite watch, TAG Heuer introduces the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Jack Heuer Birthday Gold Limited Edition (available for…
It is no secret that quartz has its haters. It was only last week that we were in conversation with Roger Smith, who reminded us that George Daniels himself used to pooh pooh quartz, saying “why would you buy something that did kamikaze every three years?” But others, equally informed within the community, will attest to its worth and place. While quartz does not necessarily have the same sense of tradition and heritage as mechanical watches, it should not be disqualified or discounted as its own art form. Not all quartz is created equal, and brands work very hard to hone the accuracy and reliability of their quartz movements – and even go so far as to elaborately decorate them in a manner similar to their mechanical peers. There is something to be said about a reliable wristwatch you can wear fearlessly. You don’t have to hold back on your golf or tennis swing, nor do you have to worry your watch is displaying the incorrect time. It can be a much more carefree experience, and to say the art of watchmaking is strictly refined to movements ignores the hours spent developing and finishing the cases in which they are…
Editor’s note: The news out of Geneva overnight is that Watches & Wonders 2021 (formerly SIHH) is cancelled, unsurprisingly citing the “current health crisis and uncertainties as to how the situation may evolve”. To be honest, it feels like only last week that we were reporting on the cancellation of Watches & Wonders 2020, with eyes then turning to what Baselworld would do. As we now know, they “postponed” the event, before completely cancelling it once Rolex and Patek Philippe decided they would no longer participate. The news did give us pause for thought, however, on the last time the T+T Team was in Geneva for (then) SIHH 2019, and some of the watches that were released last year. And it was a great year, especially at the more affordable end of the spectrum. So with that in mind, let’s take another look at four affordable options that are still as enticing as ever. As far as international watch fairs go, SIHH is great. If highly complex, mind-blowing timepieces are your jam, it’s the one for you. After all, it’s the Haute Horlogerie fair. But things get a touch trickier if you (like I suspect many of our readers) are…
If you’re a regular reader of Time+Tide, you’ll probably know that Audemars Piguet are well known for their skill in making tourbillons. This year alone, the Le Brassus-based brand has released a number of tourbillon watches, which we’ve covered here, here and here, but Audemars Piguet isn’t slowing down. Today the watchmaker announced the release of three new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon 41mm references in different metals, which is an important step by the brand for a couple of reasons. Firstly, while it was all the way back in 1999 that the brand incorporated a tourbillon into a Royal Oak case, it is the first time Audemars Piguet has used their new Caliber 2950 in the famed Genta-designed watch. This movement was debuted with the launch of the CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet at SIHH in 2019, and was the first caliber produced by the brand to feature both a flying tourbillon and a central winding rotor, and featured 65 hours of power reserve. Other Audemars Piguet Royal Oak references that feature tourbillons at 6 o’clock are typically powered by the Caliber 2924, making this new trio an exciting bridge between the Royal Oak of the past…
It is no secret that a lot has happened this year – lockdown insanity, pre and post election anxiety, and oh-so much more. So let’s take a second to find Zen with a visual reminder of time beating forward. If you haven’t already, observing a watch tick away in slow motion is an extraordinarily relaxing thing to do. Often it is referred to as the heartbeat of a watch, but if you think about it, watching the hairspring expand and contract (at least in slow motion) is akin to taking a nice deep breath. With the MB&F Legacy Machine 101 we literally find balance at its centre. Thanks to Mr Macro @horomariobro, we explore this large and exquisitely finished central balance wheel and reflect on the artistry of its composition. Andrew McUtchen: So the next video is the MB&F. Tell me what is happening here. You’ve got reflection love, don’t you? @Horomariobro: Sure. So this video is of the balance wheel of the MB&F Legacy Machine 101. The balance wheel is all the way on the top and placed visibly on the dial side. What is really intriguing here is that it’s set up really tall. Usually in the world…
To the average punter, casual enthusiast or proper aficionado, there is one brand that manages to muscle itself into just about every current conversation about watches. And the king rightly wears the crown. But there’s a problem for many, should they intend to deepen their own relationship with Rolex. Namely, the inflated prices that we have discussed many times before. And that’s a hard, oyster-shaped pill to swallow if you’re only new to this crazy industry. So, what’s the solution? Well, there are a number of avenues you can go down to sort your Wilsdorf fix. And this is a really good one. You could, if brave enough, buy into the increasingly popular homage segment of the watch industry. There are innumerable brands out there right now that will happily sell you a facsimile of your favourite Rolex for a fraction of the cost. Buyer beware, though – some of these creativity-free timepieces are about as well made as that pair of rip-off Ray-Bans your Aunty bought you on her last trip to Bali. And be prepared for watch snobs everywhere to turn their noses up at anything that isn’t the real deal. Ours included. Just don’t do it, no…
You don’t need the statistics to tell you that Apple Watches sell more than the rest of the Swiss watch industry combined. You need only to glance at people’s wrists. You can’t miss those sleek square slabs. They’re everywhere. Worn by every age group, in every profession. I’ve been told they’re particularly popular among undertakers, who can discreetly check messages without having to whip out the phone in the middle of a widow’s eulogy. But I refuse to wear one. Worse, I instinctively let out a pathetic little “pah” of derision at the mere mention of the Apple Watch. Why? Because I believe there’s a difference between having an obsession with a watch and being a slave to one. Traditional watches are not hyperactive kids bouncing about on your wrist, demanding that you give them attention right now. Wind your mechanical watch every day, or keep that automatic’s rotor turning, and it will do its job calmly and soberly, without minute-by-minute demands. And it’ll do it with a calm and regular tick-tick-tick, not the intrusive buzzing of notifications. I sit with friends and see them constantly glancing at their wrist at every single interruption. An Apple Watch isn’t asking you…
Editor’s note: With many expecting (or more accurately hoping) for an Rolex Explorer refresh come 2021, we wanted to revisit that time in 2018 when our Canadian contributor – who you might know from his all-conquering BLNR review – Bruce Duguay was offered one by his AD. When presented with an Explorer II 16570 at retail (and with a discount no less), Bruce may or may not have declined to snag it – his eyes and heart possibly taken by another family within the Rolex catalogue. We will let you read the full story below, but one thing we suggest you keep in mind as you read through his experience is the reality that the 16570 represents the end of a more classic profile in the Explorer II line. If the refresh is anything like the 2020 Submariner, we may have a larger, yet tapered, profile available next year – and possibly with a ceramic bezel. With that being said, many buyers are downsizing their collections, and I don’t mean in number. I am talking diameter. The 36mm Explorer I is trading on par with its newer 39mm sibling, when usually smaller watches don’t hold their value as strongly. Clearly, collectors are looking back to classic aesthetics, diameters…