RECOMMENDED READING: Apple now sells more watches than the entire Swiss watch industry
Whether you like it or not, the Apple Watch is here to stay and has proven itself the most popular wristwatch in the world. A watch for all people, whether working class, a professional athlete, or celebrity … everyone has seemed to hop on the Apple bandwagon. But is that really any surprise? The reality is it is an extension of your phone, another screen to engage with. Apple has already gotten users so addicted to their products, they introduced a screen time feature to help owners manage the amount of time they engage with their devices. In regard to our community, it makes for a superb gateway watch that gets younger generations back to wearing timekeepers on their wrist. Back in February, website The Verge made it very clear how successful the product had become, noting that Apple now sells more watches than the entire Swiss watch industry as of 2019. According to the report acquired by The Verge from Strategy Analytics, Apple had shipped nearly 31 million units in 2019, which resulted in a 36 per cent increase on the previous year. Between the watches sold by Swiss brands and conglomerates, only an estimated 21.1 million watches were shipped to…
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There aren’t many watch brands that can proudly claim to be Australian, but Bausele is one of the select few. Founded by Christophe Hoppe in 2011, Bausele have just announced their partnership with the RAAF to produce two watches that will celebrate the Royal Australian Air Force Centenary in 2021. It is exciting news that an Australian-based brand has been chosen for such a significant collection of watches, and a testament to Bausele, as they were competing against a number of globally recognised brands. Christophe Hoppe and the design team at Bausele have created the Bausele Royal Australian Air Force Centenary Airfield and Aviator for the project. Both collections were designed in partnership with the RAAF and inspired by the themes of the Air Force Centenary, “Then. Now. Always.” More specifically, the designs have literally incorporated the history of the RAAF, with both watches featuring pieces of aircraft that were flown by RAAF pilots over the last five decades. The first design is the Airfield, which looks back on the history of the RAAF, and sought inspiration from the officially issued RAAF Pilot watches from the middle of last century by IWC and Jaeger. You know, the Dirty Dozen watches. Available…
Brellum has just released a resolutely modern, yet classic take on a pilot’s chronograph, with the sharpest of details – and shows how much colour and texture transforms the aviator personality of the Brellum Pilot Power Gauge Chronometer. This is another strong reference from Brellum that will follow your lead, be it battle-ready flight instrument under a leather jacket sleeve, or as a sharp sports chronograph on a bracelet. From the monochrome bulletproof image of the black dial version, to the delicate silver sunburst dial on a classic steel bracelet bringing a modern formality to the table. If we start on the classic end of the scale, the strong monochrome dial with a vintage-inspired hand-sewn brown strap is familiar and emphasises the proportions and legibility of the Brellum design language. The brushed 41.8mm case has curved lugs, with the broad stroke of a polished bevel that widens towards the lug tips, accentuating the broad-shouldered look. The purposeful image is underlined in a slim polished bezel, and the retro-perfect domed sapphire crystal creates charming hints of distortion on the edges of the dial. The pushers for the chronograph are a solid pump design, balanced nicely by the big crown typical of…
For me, the TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition (available for purchase here) could quite possibly be my favourite from the maison in the last 20 years, and I am not exaggerating. This is a pure Carrera chronograph, a sharp, clear and distilled version of its forefather, the silver monochrome Carrera 2447SD. It approaches the epitome of what a chronograph should be, and sits in the Goldilocks zone of a slender 39mm steel case. We are looking at a supremely comfortable size, though with a visual impact more like 40mm due to its delicate polished bezel and light silver tone. This is a powerful yet discreet presence on the wrist. The razor-sharp monochrome visage on a classic black leather strap means this will go with any outfit, from a summer shirt to a dark winter merino knit, and that sharp Italian cut suit. It might be the perfect one-watch collection, had it not been for its colourful namesake fighting for attention — the TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Montreal Limited Edition (available for purchase here). Though I admittedly want them both, I will carefully dissect each detail with a loupe to see what differentiates these two Carreras, down to…
Editor’s note: Grand Seiko turned heads at the start of 2020 with the announcement of a brand new in-house movement – the Grand Seiko 9SA5 caliber. It was first launched in the Grand Seiko SLGH002 60th Anniversary Limited Edition, a quintessential yellow gold dress watch from the Japanese watchmaking firm, and it left jaws on the floor with what it had achieved. We saw the 9SA5 caliber again earlier this month in the Grand Seiko SLGH003, this time in a sportier watch in stainless steel that was a statement of intent from Grand Seiko. But what makes this new movement so special? We thought we’d get an independent watchmaker to answer that question, our friend Reuben Schoots. We first spoke with Reuben in NOW Magazine Issue II, about his journey building a tourbillon pocket watch according to the George Daniels method. By hand. You read that right. The first of its kind in Australia. By hand. So without further ado, here’s Reuben. Grand Seiko’s new movement, the 9SA5, boasts 80 hours of power reserve, a new movement architecture, a new escapement, a new balance, a beat rate of 36,000 vph, +5 to -3 seconds accuracy per day, oh, and the…
Within the watch community, you will hear the phrase “in the metal” a fair bit. With some watches it is as simple as paying a quick visit to an authorised dealer to become more acclimated with a watch. However, not all watches are available to view in-store – and no, this is not a conversation about Rolex. The Eichi II, from Credor, is a watch most people do not have an option of seeing on-demand. It typically hits stores for showings for special events put together in honour of trade fairs or VIP customer gatherings. Thankfully, for those who have not had the fortune of seeing one in person, we have the next best thing: photos and videos from macro maestro @horomariobro. Andrew McUtchen: Now this one is a very simple one and a very beautiful one. Or seemingly simple, I should say … @Horomariobro: Definitely. With the Eichi II, I am trying to show three things. One is the dial — I want to show how smooth and white the dial is. The dial is not made of enamel. A lot of people will think it’s an enamel dial, but it’s not, it’s made of porcelain. It’s extremely white. I actually had…
Editor’s note: Arguably, the GMT complication is the most practical in a watch. Everyone has at least one other time zone they want to track, but there aren’t many people using their chronographs to measure F1 lap times. The GMT complication also offers an opportunity to think about the world at large. It reminds you of how big the world is, and presents an opportunity to forget the moment-to-moment stresses that we all face in our lives. If that wasn’t enough, the wristwatch GMT complication has been imagined in innumerable ways over the decades, and are an exciting and creative corner of the watch world. So with that in mind, we wanted to look at what we think are some of the best GMTs of 2020 over $10K. Let’s go. AP Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon GMT The Concept range by Audemars Piguet is a latter-day classic, and since its introduction in 2002, has attracted a new clientèle to the brand. Hell, the cutting-edge angular weaponry of the Concept will blow even the flashiest Offshore out of the water, and that says a lot for its imposing presence. As Fergus Nash underlined in our in-depth story here, the AP Royal Oak…
The people have spoken, and it is clear that within the Fantasy Watch Collection 10K I was the people’s champion. I take great pride in my victory, listening to Queen’s “We Are the Champions” as I type this story. But I recognise I could not have won without your support, and thank you, the readers, for declaring me the winner of this segment. While I must confess that the two watches I selected were safely definitive crowd-pleasers, I truly stand by my choices and picked them without a desire to win the competition – these are genuinely the two watches I would pick within the 10K parameter. Let’s quickly explore why the two watches — that are seemingly similar — actually complement each other and make for a diverse and all-purpose collection. The case for the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” Full disclosure, I was a tad biased in my BB58 Navy Blue pick as I actually own the watch on a bracelet – and it has had a lot of wrist time (arguably the most) throughout the course of the pandemic. It was really my first thought when tasked with building a Fantasy Watch Collection 10K, as its price gave me…
We will have to wait to see who wins the election next week in the race for the presidency of the United States. In the meantime, we thought it would be a good time to check in and see what watches President Trump and former Vice President Biden have been wearing as of late. Politics is politics, watches are watches. The twain shall not necessarily meet in this contest. Two men, two different philosophies, and two different watch collections – politics aside, just which candidate has the better watch collection? Joe Biden Omega Seamaster 300M The most frequently spotted watch on Joe Biden’s wrist, whether during debates or campaign rallies, is his Omega Seamaster. Even when he served with President Barack Obama, he was continually seen during photo ops wearing the now discontinued ETA-based models popularised by the Pierce Brosnan Bond films of the ’90s. It makes sense that a true fan of the model would add the more recent and robust Seamaster 300M to his collection, in a black dial to complement his vintage white dial and blue dial models. The watch is a great daily wearer, and one that expresses his more pragmatic sensibilities. Seiko 7T32-6M90 Chronograph While…
In a year devoid of international travel, the humble GMT complication has served little purpose other than keeping track of loved ones across the world. But when that little fourth hand forces your mind to think of another place and another time, that mental holiday can be just as rewarding. As such, 2020 has seen the release of some incredibly creative GMT watches, and here are some of the best GMTs of 2020 under $10,000 AUD. Mido Ocean Star GMT Mido’s new GMT diver just begs to be your next daily wear, with its clear, clean and capable looks being inarguably attractive. The inner 24-hour ring blends well alongside the traditional diving bezel, leaving all functions of the watch perfectly legible. Add the 200m water resistance, 80-hour power reserve with that famous Swatch Group movement, date display and sapphire crystal, and you’re left with a watch that can keep you on time in the office, as well as safe under the waves. At $1825 AUD, the Ocean Star GMT provides all you could possibly want. Zodiac Limited Edition Super Sea Wolf GMT Zodiac have been undergoing a slow but steady rebirth in the 21st century, bit by bit regaining its…