Apples to Apples: Longines HydroConquest Vs. Oris Aquis, specs, pricing and value propositions compared
We want to start this post with a shoutout to some YouTube commenters by the name of Nicolas, Hani and Lee. This trio recently commented on the Longines HydroConquest 41mm in Khaki Green video and each echoed the same sentiments, which to paraphrase, are: “We are in doubt between this Longines and an Oris Aquis.” We all took note. It reminded us of a segment we did on YouTube some time ago called Apples to Apples. The idea here was that we pick watches that are likely be in competitive sets and – after a flip of the coin to determine who argues for who – then argue a case for each watch. We’ll dispense with some of those theatrics for this static site post version of the concept – but we’ll keep the core idea. That two watches, both alike in important ways, get compared directly to one another. So, without further ado, let’s pitch two well-priced welterweights against each other pound for pound. Vital Stats Longines HydroConquest in Khaki Green Ref.L3.781.4.06.9 Case: 316L Stainless Steel 41mm x 12mm 300 metres of water resistance Screw-down crown Flat sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating Lug width 21mm Solid…
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2020 has been a year for a lot of things: a global pandemic, a quarter of a year spent indoors, no Baselworld, no Olympics, and iconic watchmakers like Patek Philippe and Rolex seemingly putting the kibosh on any new novelties. Except, while the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation has so far stuck to their guns, a short while ago Patek Philippe told authorised dealers across the globe that they would indeed be releasing a limited number of new watches this year. And now, praise be to the watch gods, we finally have a new Patek Philippe! Called the Calatrava Ref. 6007A-001, this sporty stainless steel three-hander is yet another example of the legacy watchmaker embracing the hard-wearing metal across more of its traditional collections. Having spent the best part of a day poring over the superb press images (rival brands, take note, this is how you photograph / render a new watch) and the specs, these are the stunning details that might be missed at a first glimpse. Detail 1: The Case is a study in perfect proportions The highly polished case measures in at 40mm across and just 9.07mm thick, and appears to be beautifully rounded and proportioned, sharing the…
Watch modification, or “modding”, is a remarkably popular subset of the watch collecting community, where enthusiasts will tinker with their watches to build totally customised pieces to wear. Without a doubt the most popular brand in the modding space is Seiko, where the combination of affordability and relatively widespread access to quality parts makes for the perfect storm of self-expression. There are even some members of the modding community who have turned their skills into micro-manufacturers, offering their services to fellow collectors for a fee, to build the watch of their dreams. While most watches can be modified, the base watch of choice for many mods is the Seiko 5 collection or the Seiko SKX family. The diversity of references within the Seiko 5 and SKX collections, the affordability of each piece in case of catastrophic mistakes, and the robust build quality are all factors that make for the perfect creative canvas. That means the range of different Seiko mods you might see is almost unlimited, with different elements of the watch being changed to achieve a desired effect. With that in mind, let’s take a look at seven Seiko mods that have recently caught our – and many others…
It was recently decided in a 15-second phone call between myself and DOXA CEO Jan Edocs that Time+Tide and DOXA would jointly contribute a SUB 300 Carbon Aqualung US Divers Edition to the Revolution x The Rake Covid-19 solidarity auction. The auction has raised a staggering $193,559USD so far, with four days left to bid. You can read more about the auction at our post here. To bid on the watch, hit right here. To read more about it, dip back in here. In a Zoom call recorded last night, Jan and I spoke with Revolution founder Wei Koh about the intentions of the auction, and the story behind some of the lots, including the one (via proxy) donated by Deadpool. Other topics covered are the backstory of our own Watch & Act! Auction in aid of the Australian bushfires, the recent rise and rise of DOXA, and the fact that values-based luxury is here to stay. As always, it’s an interesting chat, and one that ends with a bit of an easter egg about what might be in the stars for Time+Tide, Revolution AND DOXA, in partnership … Why hold an auction for Covid-19? We’ll hand over to Wei for this…
DOXA is a Swiss watchmaker deeply submerged in the annals of dive watch history. It all started in 1967 at the world watch fair, Baselworld, where, after three years of painstaking research and development, DOXA unveiled the SUB 300 – the first dive watch of its kind. Water resistant to 300 metres, the 45mm case was hewn from a solid piece of stainless steel, ensuring case construction was impervious to water. The SUB 300 was also the first DOXA to feature the now quintessential “DOXA Orange” dial. The fit-for-purpose dive watch quickly rose to prominence in the professional diving fraternity and it became the watch of choice for the most prolific underwater diver of the 20th century, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. According to Cousteau, he favoured the arresting bright orange over any other colour due to its superior legibility in the murky depths of the ocean. In fact, Cousteau was such a fan of the dive watch and the highly legible orange dial that, before long, not only the Frenchman but also his entire “Calypso” diving squad were wearing the SUB 300. And Cousteau believed in the product so resolutely that his company, U.S. Divers, even became the sole distributor for DOXA…
Ghosts are well known for haunting people. They leave people terrified. Too scared to leave their bedrooms at night. This ghost bezel Tudor Submariner ref 7016 is sure to keep you from sleeping, and the unshakeable feeling will be either intense horror, or intense attraction. There are unlikely to be fence sitters on this one. On Every Watch Tells A Story this week we hear from Rob, the man behind Geneva Blue who represents a number of independent watch (and accessory) brands right here in Australia, and his pretty remarkable 52-year-old Tudor Snowflake Sub. This special watch was born in the very late 1960s, and came into Rob’s collection through a watch enthusiast friend who had purchased it at auction. Two of the most attractive features of the watch are the highly collectible ghost bezel and the full set of box and papers that the watch was sold with. The beautifully faded bezel offers a sense of just what the watch has been through in the half-century since it left the factory, with an evenly pale fade that offers a charming contrast against the black dial that shows signs of an equally well-lived life. While this sort of wabi-sabi aesthetic…
Any Seinfeld fans will know what I’m talking about when I say that the Home Delivery Watch Fair, where we re-created both SIHH (or Watches & Wonders, as it’s known now) and Baselworld, was more akin to Kramer’s version of the Merv Griffin show than it was a real watch fair. As in, it was me and a cameraperson in our studio alone, pretending we were a TV show and throwing to random footage – most of it ours from over the years, and a fair bit of it, uh, not ours. In the last episode things blew open. It was me and Nick. Crazy, right. Well, here’s the twist. It was a joke that started the world laughing and now, the joke’s on us, because we have many more of these longer format videos in the works, with an exciting range of topics, guests and special editions and even mini-series. But before we get to that, let’s close this concept properly out the way we do in real life, at watch fairs. And that is with a list. To clarify what this list is assessing – it’s the best 10 watches released by brands that would have shown at…
Consider the magnificent tail of the male peacock. The flamboyance of the plumage fanning out to display multiple colours makes it an arresting sight to behold. But not everyone has been similarly enamored. As Charles Darwin wrote in April 1860, the mere sight of a peacock, “makes me sick!”. The problem for Darwin was that the peacock’s tail made no evolutionary sense. The bird’s feathers can reach up to six-feet long and make up almost 60 per cent of its body length. Not only does the peacock’s tail therefore make him more visible to predators, it also makes him easier to catch as the additional load slows him down and handicaps his ability to fly. Subsequently, however, the extravagance of a male peacock’s tail has been found to be directly related to his levels of testosterone. A study found that peacocks with bigger plumes have healthier offspring while those with fewer eyespots enjoy less luck with lady peacocks and have a weaker immune system to boot. From a mating perspective, in other words, if you’re a male peacock it pays if your plume shakes the room. The reason for this quick treatise on feather-bound physiology is that your fancy watch…
Editor’s note: Every great product has a genesis, and for this Italian-founded watch and jewellery firm it is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic. It was the one that started it all back in 2017, leaving eyes wide open with its sharply faceted design and ultra-thin construction. In the years following, we have seen the same spirit expressed in gold, skeletonised, as a chronograph, in ceramic and most recently in gleaming steel, showing the versatility that comes with such strong design. With all of this progress, it’s important to keep the original front of mind, so let’s take another look at the first Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic. Some of the most important, exciting watches are those made by watchmakers who push the barriers of what’s possible. The deepest, the most complicated, or in the case of this Bulgari, the thinnest. Bulgari has a proven record when it comes to high-end, ultra-thin horology. They hold the record for the thinnest tourbillon and the thinnest minute repeater. Now they can add the thinnest automatic movement to the list. The movement in the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic is a mere 2.23mm thick, 0.7mm thinner than Piaget’s legendary 12P. On top of that, the…