IN-DEPTH: Girard-Perregaux Laureato Vs. the Laureato Absolute Chronograph – the Beauty and The Beast
If you were to pick Girard-Perregaux’s Jekyll & Hyde, this would be the pair of watches that fit the bill; the Laureato 38mm and the Laureato Absolute Chronograph. Girard-Perregaux is a distinguished but quiet presence on the horological scene, and have a history whose shadow and depth extends well beyond the brand’s current day reputation. And when we are talking about the modern era and the category du jour: steel sports watch with integrated bracelets, GP are well and truly in the game with the Laureato range, reissued in 2017, based on the 1975 hit. This, however, is a tale of two brothers separated at birth, one being raised as the pampered prince-to-be in the castle, slim and perfectly honed. His more menacing namesake has spent life growing up in the dark dungeons below, training to be a gladiator, strong as an ox with a dark brooding presence. The nobility of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm The 38mm Girard-Perregaux Laureato is a watch that, for me, has that enviable quality of instantly feeling at home on the wrist, and like many sub-40mm models, it will undoubtedly make you reconsider the larger pieces in your collection. The Laureato 38mm with a silver…
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Tennis players are well known for being ambassadors of various watch brands. Serena Williams has recently been spotted playing with her Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph during matches, Roger Federer with his Rolex Sky-Dweller (when his match is over), as well as Rafael Nadal with his RM 27-03 Manual Winding Tourbillon Rafael Nadal Edition. Gael Monfils, previously an ambassador for De Bethune from 2014-2017, is a known collector of watches – having gone so far as to create a dedicated Instagram @myson.watches with some pretty tasty watch content. Nick featured it in Great ‘Grams recently; check out the story if you haven’t already. He has even held an Instagram live chat, for those lucky enough to speak French, with fellow top tennis player Stanislas Wawrinka about watches they love to see and wear. This weekend, however, Gael posted a killer series of videos Instagram Stories field testing the Limited Edition Greubel Forsey GMT Sport (released in late 2019 and more than twice as expensive as their newly released Balancier S). Whether a fan of tennis, watches, or both, you will surely appreciate the footage he shared. The watch Before we jump into the play-by-play of the field test, let’s briefly recap…
At the end of July, I wrote a hands-on review of my G-Shock GMWB5000TCM Titanium Camouflage. While that limited edition is likely almost sold out, anybody who may have missed out on that initial run may find a second wind in this familiar yet fresh take on the model. The GMWB5000TCF-2 is exactly the same in specifications as the previous model, super lightweight titanium, shock and scratch resistant, 200 meters water resistant, and a solar powered battery that when fully charged lasts almost two years without getting kissed with sunlight. It differs, however, in the execution of its finish. Whereas the GMWB5000TCM had a camouflage print laser etched into a DLC (diamond like carbon) coating over a black titanium base, here the titanium has been blued before it goes under its DLC and laser treatment. This blue hue is just enough of a change to make it stand out from its green camo sibling making this an equally collectable G-Shock for your collection. In a year of blue watches, this is another notable addition to this year’s biggest trend. The premium price tag these models command is not a result of greed, but rather time, effort, and attention to detail.…
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal ran a story with the provocative headline: “Should You Wear a Watch if There’s No One to Impress?” Two writers debated this pressing issue. One insisted that, even if you’re working from home in solitude, wearing a watch “can help to foster a sense of normalcy during a brutally abnormal year”. The other writer argued the opposite. He quoted a lawyer who admitted that wearing his Rolex seemed weirdly inappropriate while he was sat at home in Lululemon shorts. Whatever your personal opinion on the matter, the fact this issue was even discussed in the first place demonstrates that something is going on. Whether consciously or not, COVID is having an impact on our attitudes to our clothing and watches. That’s no surprise to Associate Professor Toby Slade at the University of Technology Sydney. As a fashion historian, his role is to explore how sartorial attitudes at a specific point in time reveal broader truths about our collective values and experiences. It so happens that debate in the Wall Street Journal illustrates exactly how he views the COVID fallout playing out on our wrists. “In the 1930s, there was this psychologist called John…
Although I have not been collecting for decades, over the past five years or so I have definitely gained a lot of insight, through trial and error, on some best practices if one is going to go down the rabbit hole of watch collecting. As John Mayer points out in the first-ever Talking Watches with Hodinkee, the first watches (in his case, 10-12) one buys will not reflect your collecting values as you progress in the hobby, and it’s inevitable to have regrets and make mistakes along the way. Here are five lessons I’ve learned during my own watch-collecting journey … 1. You get what you pay for … Don’t pick your watch dealer, whether new or second hand, based on the cost, but rather the capacity to service. It is best to try to have the brand service your watch for you in their factory for a “factory service”, but sometimes you may need to enlist a local watchmaker. As my trusted watch repairer (shout out to Grand Central Watch!) would say, you don’t want a quick “fake” service. You want a service done right, especially for something as precious as your wristwatches. I am not referring to how…
Time+Tide has always been proudly Australian-based, and, whenever required, Aussie-centric. If you didn’t know this before earlier this year, you would have learned it then. Our country was ravaged by bushfires, and many of you reading came to our aid by supporting an auction we held to help out. But that is all a distant memory. What is more current is that we have not been all about Down Under this week, and that’s been refreshing. At the weekend we encouraged New Yorkers to get down to the Nature of Time Experience that our writer Zach Blass attended and highly recommended. And then, to close out the working week we have a list of Scandinavian watch brands — several that are lesser-known — compiled by our prolific man in the north, Thor Svaboe. To round out the United Staff Members of Time+Tide, we have an Englishman attending Geneva Watch Days next week with an Amsterdam-based Melburnian shooting the action. Which is all, in the final instance, rather lucky, given that the ‘H’ and ‘Q’ in our HQ stands these days for ‘heavily quagmired’. We hope you enjoy the key highlights from another big week of watch action. Seiko is taking it to…
The advent of Hublot’s Big Bang essentially launched the provocative, innovative and disruptive brand. The brainchild of horological mega-doyen Jean-Claude Biver, the Big Bang arrived on the scene way back in 2004, and since then, it has not only reinvigorated but redefined what Hublot stands for. The evocatively named, plus-sized timepiece has been the wrist-worn proving ground for myriad material and technical revolutions that have broken boundaries and exceeded expectation time and time again. Not all Big Bangs are equal though, at least as far as recognition goes. The lesser-known, tonneau-shaped Spirit of Big Bang has always been somewhat left in a shadow cast by its older, more traditional, rounder sibling. That’s a real shame, because there are a fair few enthusiasts out there, myself included, who reckon it’s one of Hublot’s best offerings. Now, though, Hublot is starting to give the angular timepiece the love it deserves, by equipping it with one of their most technical, flagship manufacture movements – the Meca-10. For those of you who don’t know about this new leviathan of haute horology, keep reading, because it’s one hell of a movement. As for the watches themselves, the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 will be available…
The Arctic is a tough environment with long dark winters, where the isolation breeds creativity and a certain strict code of design, whether they be the toughest tool watches or classic dress pieces in a Scandinavian pared-down aesthetic. Regardless of the style of watch, there is a design language that defines the Nordic region. Here are five of the best Scandinavian watch brands out there, and some of their best known models. 5 of the best Scandinavian watch brands Linde Werdelin Oktopus MoonLite – a tough tool with an astronomic twist The masters of Nordic tools, Linde Werdelin, originate from Denmark, the southernmost country in this group of sub-arctic horology, well known for watches always shaped by function – and with a sharp eye for cutting-edge design and material quality. Never a classic shape or a cream-coloured lume plot, and all the better for it. Their brutalist chunk of a diver, the Oktopus has here been reimagined in their own alloy, ALW, which is half the weight of titanium, yet twice the strength of steel, due to an innovative surface treatment, making it large but feeling svelte. It is no small watch, at 44mm x 46mm with a 15mm height,…
Collectively, a decent amount of people were shocked when Longines decided to revive the Spirit appellation earlier this year … and shocked in a good way. You see, as far as novelty unveilings go, the Saint-Imier watchmaker had already outdone themselves in 2020 (think Heritage Classic Chronograph 1946 or HydroConquest 41mm in Khaki Green), they could’ve just put their feet up, cracked themselves a crisp Swiss lager and called it a day. But they didn’t. Instead, Longines set its sights on the sky, creating a collection of timepieces that aimed to honour the mavericks of early 20th century aviation. After all, although most won’t know it, airborne rebels like Amelia Earhart, Elinor Smith, Howard Hughes and Paul-Émile Victor all relied on Longines timekeeping devices when embarking upon their respective pioneering endeavours. Now, that may well have been what the watchmaker set out to accomplish with the Spirit. Oddly, though, most of the new collection doesn’t feel particularly like a pilot’s watch. Sure, it possesses some stylistic traits characteristic of an aviation-themed timepiece, but to label it as such is almost too limiting. In essence, what Longines has actually done with its revived moniker is create one of the most compelling…
Cycling is a sport known for its speed and the dramatic risks that cyclists will take to win races. Every time the Tour de France is raced, there is almost guaranteed to be a handful of big crashes involving dozens of riders, leaving bikes and equipment often damaged beyond repair. That’s why it was a shock to see one of France’s top professional cyclists racing with a AUD$168,000 RM 67-02 on his wrist. Julian Alaphilippe was competing at the Critérium du Dauphiné in France last week when the watch was spotted by SBS Cycling. In a close-up shot taken by a race motorbike, the watch can be clearly seen on his wrist, on a bright red strap he looks to have picked up at a Richard Mille boutique in June. Since that visit to the Richard Mille boutique, the red-strapped RM 67-02 has been seen frequently on Alaphilippe’s wrist while training, and now racing after the professional cycling calendar restarted at the beginning of August. It’s unclear if Alaphilippe has an official relationship with the brand, though he has been keeping company with Richard Mille himself — they were spotted together at an event in September last year. The Tour…