REVEALED: How to steal a watch clean off a someone's wrist without them even knowing …
We like to believe that we maintain basic control of our personal space. Within the limited orbit of our bodies, we think that we stand relatively secure as masters of our physical domain. As it turns out, this is a total delusion. The world’s most legendary “theatrical pickpocket” is Apollo Robbins (below), who possesses the dexterity of a supernatural ninja. The American entertainer is most famous for an encounter with former president Jimmy Carter’s Secret Service detail in which he successfully pilfered the agents’ pockets of everything from their security badges to Carter’s itinerary. Essentially, Robbins’ act involves removing objects from people’s jackets, trousers, fingers and necks before returning them while they’re still unaware of the theft. Robbins is so good he can take the spectacles off someone’s face without them noticing. Given this nimble-fingered expertise, making someone’s watch melt off their wrist into his pocket is almost embarrassingly pedestrian. Although, memorably, Robbins did once pinch the Patek Philippe from Ace Greenberg, former chairman of Bear Stearns investment bank. Robbins’ skill is so uncanny that psychiatrists, neuroscientists and the military have scrutinised his methods for what they reveal about the limitations of human attention. But while he’s widely recognised as…
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Wow, so that was an experience I didn’t expect to have in 2020. A few days in Geneva, yes. But in August, with the sun out and zero time spent in Palexpo halls? Nonetheless, wherever there are new watch releases, Time+Tide is always on the ground. In no particular order, here are what I thought were five of the best watches at the Geneva Watch Days exhibition. Girard-Perregaux Laureato Infinity 42mm The new Laureato Infinity 42mm really floated my boat this week. GP’s Laureato sports watch is probably my favourite line out there, so I always get a buzz seeing a new iteration. And 2020, for all its other misgivings, didn’t disappoint. I like the Laureato for its no-nonsense dial and sleek hexagonal bezel, and to have it in black onyx with rose gold markings is a winning evolution. Not many luxury sports watches can be dressy but, once again, the Laureato has proved it can. Bulgari Aluminium Chronograph Few chronographs have taken my fancy this much of late, but it’s the combination of the playful spin on a late ’90s piece and the sexy rubber strap with aluminium links that’s done it for me. At a significantly lower price point…
It’s no secret that we are massive fanboys (and girls) of DOXA. It’s why we’re the Australian distributor for the brand. Do we distribute lots of brands? No, just one. We believe DOXA offer some of the best bang for buck on the market for the watch lover – whether it’s at the higher end in watches like this, the COSC-certified carbon, dive-ready SUB 300 Aqualung Carbon US Divers Limited Edition, which we covered in-depth here. Or at the entry level, with the superb DOXA SUB 200, in just about all the colours of the rainbow. So, with just 5 watches remaining of the 300 produced in this stunning Limited Edition run, we thought we’d publish a video tribute to show you up close why we’re such big fans. If you’d like to try your hand at picking up one of the remaining watches, hit here. The stunning video is by Anthony Do, a fellow DOXA lover. We recommend you check out his channel if you like this dramatic, moody style.
Willing suspension of disbelief is part of the viewer’s contract with any film. But if you like watches, you still crave authenticity when it comes to a character’s timepiece. Much of the time, prop masters deliver the horological goods, too. You think of Captain Willard’s trusty Seiko 6105 in Apocalypse Now, Patrick Bateman’s Rolex Datejust in American Psycho or Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco Chronograph in Le Mans. But sometimes artistic licence is also applied to the actors’ wristwear in a case of “fake it till you make it” or at least manage to wangle a heftier wardrobe budget. Some offenders, listed below, do not have that excuse. Quentin, we love you, but what you did to Uma’s wrist in Kill Bill 2? Really? Ryan Gosling’s fake Patek in Drive Drive, a slick noir thriller about a taciturn getaway driver, made Ryan Gosling an overnight style icon and launched a thousand “get the look” articles. Most of the attention was centred on that satin bomber jacket with a scorpion embroidered on the back. But every element of Gosling’s get-up was deconstructed by eagle-eyed fashionistas determined to identify everything from his low-rise Acne jeans to his chocolate brown driving gloves (made by…
Ulysse Nardin has charged into the fray in 2020 with the release of the new Ulysse Nardin Blast, launched just before Geneva Watch Days. While the brand has an extensive archive of marine chronometers that have inspired a number of nautical-themed wristwatches, the design language of the Blast collection is unashamedly expressive in its ambition. The boldly styled 45mm case is a relatively slim 11mm thick, offering a statement piece that still wears comfortably on the wrist. As you might expect from the Le Locle watchmaker, the case construction is complex, and comprises a rose gold upper case, a black DLC-coated titanium middle case and a polished ceramic bezel. Housed within this angular, multi-faceted case is the in-house UN-172, an automatic winding tourbillon with a healthy 72 hours of power reserve. The gyrating tourbillon cage is visible at the 6 o’clock position, while 12 o’clock is reserved for the rose gold micro-rotor, another visually exciting feature on the face of the watch. The Ulysse Nardin Blast has a recommended retail price in Australia ranging from $71,050 to $87,150 for the Blast Gold, depending on the model, and will be available from authorised UN dealers across the country.
This week involved not one, but two Time+Tide events and, of course, a very significant one for the industry, which was Geneva Watch Days. We were there, with Marcus, our Creative Director, and a good friend, Mike Christensen, running the show — there are some delicious, funny and quirky videos in production from the event that we’ll be sharing very soon! Here is one shot to whet your appetite for a brand the boys checked in on on their travels: Hublot and the Big Bang Unico Sky Blue. The first event of ours was in Sydney to celebrate the arrival of a brace of Louis Vuitton’s finest Geneva Seal watches. If you’ve never had the chance to lay your eyes on these rare birds, we recommend you do, here. Simply because the chance of a new discovery is high, and the chance to have your eyebrows raised is also likely. This effect was in full force on Monday night, when 25 guests convened in a typically lavish Louis Vuitton apartment-style space to experience them on the wrist. I was meant to be MC-ing, but given that we’re still barely permitted to leave our houses, let alone our state, hosting duties were…
Since the days of the ’90s Chicago Bulls, led by the great Michael Jordan, basketball has become more and more of an international sport around the globe. Players from all over the world are recruited to play with the best of the best in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Australia is no exception, in fact today some of the best players in the league are Aussie born and bred. Not only have these athletes proven they have game on the court, but on their wrists as well. Let’s take a look at the wrist game of some of the Australians in the NBA. Kyrie Irving Of all the players listed in this article, Kyrie Irving definitely has the largest and most photographed collection of the group. His collection is exclusively precious metals, comprised of only solid gold sport watches striking a nice balance of bling and beater (at least for someone with his contract). The below are some of the highlights of his collection. Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph Cased in an 18K pink gold case, you’d be mistaken for thinking this watch is precious and fragile. With glareproofed sapphire crystals on the dial and caseback, black ceramic pushers and…
Girard-Perregaux is not holding back at the Geneva Watch Days, launching their complete but limited Infinity Editions, a tempting collection set around the dark opulent theme of gold, polished black onyx and titanium. At first, it seems an incongruous marriage of past and future: the rarely seen deep gloss black of onyx associated with jewellery and Rolex dials of the ’70s, paired with what is still considered, in our traditional halls of Haute Horlogerie, futuristic titanium. Unusually and fascinatingly, Girard-Perregaux has darkened both limited editions of existing references and debuts their Free Bridge model. Join us as we visit the dark side of a traditional maison, where the darkness of the Girard-Perregaux Infinity Editions symbolises the depth and infinite mysteries of the universe. Cosmos Infinity Edition The mesmerising movement of two rotating globes in solid onyx, each one hand-painted in lacquer, mixed with gold dust by a micropainting technique involving a one-haired brush. What more can we say to hold your attention? This Infinity Edition of the Cosmos is dark of visage within a case of grade 5 titanium, with these two remarkable dark globes of craftsmanship stealing the show in a big way, yet there is an infinite amount…