Peter calls his Tudor Iconaut “weird” and “odd-looking” with looks “only a mother could love”. So, why did he buy it?
Editor’s note: Ask most watch enthusiasts what Tudor’s first GMT wristwatch was and they’ll tell you it’s the perpetually popular Black Bay GMT aka “The Diet Pepsi”. And that, my friends, is the wrong answer. Tudor’s first timepiece equipped with a GMT complication was actually a model called the Iconaut. A chunky, bulbous-looking thing, this is a watch that could only have been spawned in that liminal period between noughties and present day. T+T friend Peter has one, and he is rather fond of it. Why? Keep reading … When did you first see/hear about it? I actually had no idea this watch even existed until the day I bought it. I was at The Hour Glass in Melbourne picking up another watch, and this was in the Tudor display cabinet, and the salesman told me it was on sale. “How much?” I asked, and he said they could do 50 per cent off. I didn’t really have to think twice – a unique-looking wristwatch with a date, GMT and chronograph complication made by Tudor, at half retail, is all the excuse I’d ever need to pull the trigger. Any story behind the purchase? None whatsoever. It’s just another exceedingly…
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YES, we love colours! Why do we drop Instagram comments peppered with flame emojis for a Breitling or Mido rainbow dial, and yet still find ourselves at home with a monochrome dive watch, a monochrome moon watch, a black Casi-Oak and maybe, to get hog wild, a blue dial sports watch? B-o-r-i-n-g. Do what you say and go green, the colour of the year, whether it be olive toughness or bottle green in a svelte gold case. Do not be shy of wrist, and spice up that wardrobe with a pick from this verdant basket of goodness as we look at some of the best green dial watches of 2020. Longines Legend Diver bronze with green dial The Legend Diver in 42mm is as vintage perfect as they come, yet is less spoken of these days than some flashier divers of 2020. In its strict monochrome early ’60s suit, the inner bezel compressor case is more subdued and formal, but here it changes dramatically with the new bronze case, with a deep forest green dégradé dial to match gold tones. The detailed gold-coloured print on the dial is sharp, and rich against the dial. In this 42mm case, the warmth…
Anyone who knows anything about watches knows that watchmaking is hard. And anyone who knows anything about watchmaking knows that the bar set by George Daniels is extremely high. But despite these daunting challenges, there is a young watchmaker in Canberra, Australia, who is making a complete tourbillon pocket watch according to the George Daniels method. His name is Reuben Schoots. If you’re a close reader of Time+Tide, you will have seen an interview with Reuben in the 2019 edition of NOW Magazine, and also read his recent article published on Time+Tide about the new Grand Seiko 9SA5 caliber. If you missed those stories (I highly recommend you go and check them out), Reuben is based in the Australian Capital Territory, and had a rather unusual introduction to watchmaking. He had a mechanical upbringing thanks to his father’s love of vintage cars, but becoming a watchmaker was never in his plan. Reuben was given a book on watchmaking while suffering from a life-threatening illness, and promptly slipped down the rabbit hole of technical horology. “I travelled to South America in 2015 and caught a tropical virus that damaged my immune system,” he explains. “It took me over two years to…
It should come as no surprise that IWC are the masters of the Swiss-made Flieger-style chronograph, given that they were one of the archetypal manufacturers of those watches back in the ’40s, but their ability to adapt to modern military specifications and expectations is undoubtedly an achievement. Based on an exclusive model made for the Navy Fighter Weapons School (aka TOPGUN) in 2018, this “civilian” version of the watch has been released, limited to 1500 pieces. With its matte-black tactical utility, mixture of stealth and legibility, and tasteful hints of red dropped in, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “SFTI” (which stands for Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor) is just a beast of a watch. The dial When it comes to Flieger styles, legibility is the name of the game. IWC haven’t broken any moulds here, but their subtle touches really help the watch stand out. The sunburst sub-dials are arranged well, as to neatly replace and not cut off any of the Arabic numerals. The miniature sword-hands are so quick to read at a glance, and the running seconds hand in red at 6 o’clock means that the watch isn’t too asymmetrical in its moving parts. The jet-shaped…
Grand Seiko recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of the brand, and released an amazing collection of six watches in honour of the occasion. But now another two anniversaries are on the horizon – and they are big ones. 2021 will mark the 160th anniversary of the birth of founder Kintaro Hattori and the 140th anniversary of the birth of the Seiko Corporation. Hattori, at the age of 21, would create what would later become Seikosha and eventually the Seiko Corporation we have all become so fond of. Very forward-thinking for the time, Hattori wanted to master all aspects of watchmaking and manufacturing and work to bring all of these arts and skillsets in-house. To celebrate, Grand Seiko has created two watches that mix the past and present, with each watch conveying the depth of mastery the brand has realised in the field, with the new Grand Seiko SBGZ005 and SBGW260. The Grand Seiko SBGZ005 (The Kintaro Hattori 160th Anniversary Limited Edition) In honour of the 160th anniversary of Kintaro Hattori’s birth, the Micro Artist Studio has brought us the SBGZ005. The watch and its 37.5mm rounded case is made of Platinum 950 and is Zaratsu polished to create the brand’s…
Last week, Lashana Lynch confirmed in Harper’s Bazaar that she would inherit the 007 mantle in No Time to Die, which is the 25th Bond film, due to hit cinemas in April 2021. During her interview she touched on a variety of points, including the perception of her casting and how she wanted to tackle the role. For the toxic personalities resisting this change, the best way to digest it is the simple reality she does not want to be James Bond or a knockoff “Jane Bond” character. She has only taken the mantle of 007, and with the help of esteemed writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, looks to bring a new and authentic take to the spy persona. To put it simply: she is not looking for her martini shaken, not stirred. For watch spotters worldwide, it will be interesting to see what she sports on her wrist throughout the film and what role the timepiece will play in her outing as 007. Let’s take a look at the two confirmed watches she will be seen with in the film. No Time to Die – Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42MM 007 Edition Lashana Lynch, as an agent named Nomi, will…
Conversations around gender politics are mostly avoided within the watch world, for a multitude of reasons. Arguments tend to get in the way of the mutual appreciation for the hobby, just like any contentious topic, but there is a glaring problem with how most companies go about their watch marketing. Opinions aside, that absolutely anyone can wear whatever they want is a fact. Hublot have made moves towards letting the watches speak for themselves with the limited edition Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink — a watch that rides the fine line between masculinity and femininity in an attempt to be truly gender-neutral. Without the colour, the model is based on Hublot’s other UNICO 2 42mm chronograph models, but the colour is what completely defines the watch. The name ‘Millennial Pink’ throws up a lot of confusing implications, but the shade itself is quite entrancing. With notes of sandy-beige and salmon, it’s hard to believe the neutrality of the colour, which is undeniably pink. It’s not quite pastel, nor full-on peach, keeping you guessing whenever you check the time. Though the case, skeletonised dial and strap all match, the uniformity is broken up by the subtle changes in form and texture…
Last night saw the Phillips’ and Blackbird thematic auction Retrospective: 2000 – 2020 play out, with some truly incredible watches reaching truly incredible prices. Two that I wanted to focus on were a pair of watches that are at the same time very similar and very different. Both are handmade. Both are three-handed dress watches in precious metal. Both could be argued as examples of the finest watchmaking from their respective countries. However one is from Switzerland, and the other is from Japan. I am of course talking about the Philippe Dufour Simplicity 20th Anniversary No. 00/20 and the Seiko Credor Eichi II in platinum. Despite being produced on different sides of the globe, both of these watches have a story that is more intertwined than you might expect. It is well documented that Mr. Dufour himself was a teacher to the master watchmakers at the Micro Artist Studio at Seiko’s factory in Shiojiri. Specifically sharing his knowledge of movement decoration and how to make watches that would have longer lives on the wrists of their owners. In this sense, it is a story that is already set up with Philippe Dufour as the master, and the watchmakers of the Micro Artist…
Watch modification is now rampant throughout the watch community. From modded Seiko watches to blacked-out Rolex Milgauss pieces in Hollywood, a desire to personalise a watch and make it more of your own has always been an aspect of the watch industry. While some may opt for an engraved caseback, others have gone the route of completely overhauling the aesthetics of their watches. Like Hublot birthing the trend of rubber-strapped precious metal watches, someone has to be credited with starting the modding mayhem. Cue George Bamford, and the Bamford Watch Department. The backstory For George’s 18th birthday, the story goes, he was offered a Rolex Daytona as a gift. Most people would be content with the venerated watch, but while attending a dinner party, soon after receiving the watch, he noticed that half of those in attendance were wearing the exact same watch. This got George thinking. Born from a desire to have something that would stand out and be different from the herd, George approached his family business and asked if it would be possible to change the colour of his watch. As a result of his request, a DLC coating was applied to the case and bracelet of…