MICRO MONDAYS: Meet Mk II Watches
For many in the watchmaking world, the word homage is as dirty as the word quartz. Despite this, I would hazard a guess that most who feel a strong negative association with those words wouldn’t have particularly clear or compelling arguments as to why, simply that they once read it was bad and now it is. While I’ve made a case for quartz here, here and here, one of the most compelling cases for the homage watch is Bill Yao, founder of the focus of this week’s Micro Mondays – Mk II watches. According to Mk II, they are dedicated to making watches the hard way, something that seems plausible the more you hear about the brand. It was started in 2002 when Yao was working in finance and became interested in watchmaking, specifically the world of watch modification or “modding”. This quickly grew into a fully fledged operation that almost came to a grinding halt during the GFC, but managed to keep the lights on and eventually deliver the watch that first put Mk II on the map – the Kingston. It was a finely made dive watch inspired by the Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538, the watch that many say…
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Revolution and The Rake magazines have rallied together to put on a charity auction to support those impacted by Covid-19. Called the ‘Revolution x The Rake Covid-19 Solidarity Auction’, this online event is now live and there are plenty of interesting and noteworthy watches to bid on. The auction will feature several one-off piece-unique timepieces, as well as prototypes that have never before been seen. Speaking about the initiative, Revolution and The Rake founder, Wei Koh, said, “Those of us who are lucky enough to live in a first world country are starting to see [Covid-19] restrictions lifted and our economies coming back online. But we are just starting to see the effects of the pandemic in countries that are less fortunate, that did not have the same level of medical support and infrastructure that we have. So, we wanted to raise funds for these countries that are most urgently affected. “I also wanted to point out that hosting a charity auction to raise money for a cause is not an original idea. Luc Pettavino has been hosting Only Watch for many years to benefit research into Muscular Dystrophy. And early this year a great example was set by Andrew McUtchen…
A little variety in life goes a long way. Nobody wants to see roads full of the same car, or hear the same three songs over and over in shopping centres, so why shouldn’t this apply to watches? London-based modifiers Wildman are being the change they want to see in this global movement of super-custom timepieces, where no colour combination is too bold and there’s no shame in having your own initials on the dial. Whether a custom order, or part of their collection full of limited editions, the smallest changes can have the biggest impacts on watches that may otherwise drown in bland ubiquity. Submariner Date Pink Edition There’s pink, and then there’s pink. Wildman’s latest project is definitely the latter, and if you can’t imagine yourself rolling Miami’s summer streets wearing one of these, then it is clearly never going to be on your list. Gaudiness is one of the most easily detestable traits a watch can have these days, after decades of iced-out bling pieces being used as wealth-flaunting devices. There should still be room for fun, though, and a loud colour is the easiest way to get that. Rolex themselves introduced brightly coloured Day-Dates and Datejusts…
The Longines HydroConquest 41mm in Khaki Green possesses two of the most popular characteristics found on any timepiece today – it’s a dive watch, and it’s green. But there’s so much more to this watch than those en vogue features. In fact, when you consider its very reasonable retail price, it might be one of the best value-for-money dive watches on the market. Period. Its stainless steel case is well finished and sized, at 41mm across and 12mm thick, which means that it will look good on just about anyone’s wrist. It’s also water resistant to 300 metres, which is the magic number when it comes to being fit for recreational diving. The dial is a marvel The matt khaki green dial is another boon, featuring applied numerals and indices that are finished in highly polished stainless steel and filled with Super-LumiNova, as is the handset. When combined with a flat sapphire crystal with several layers of an anti-reflective coating, legibility is brilliant in just about every scenario, whether it be day or night, in or out of the water. The glossy dark green ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel is a real standout of the HydroConquest – its clicks are discernible…
Last year, Nirmal “Nims” Purja made headlines when he scaled all 14 of the world’s 8000m mountain peaks, in just under seven months. He did so with a Bremont on his wrist. The watch in question was a blue and white Bremont S300, proving just how robust the brand’s watches are and how well they rise to the challenge of surviving some of the harshest conditions imaginable. To commemorate this remarkable achievement, and as one of the main sponsors of the journey, Bremont has produced the Bremont Project Possible Limited Edition, which features a number of subtle nods to the incredible effort. It’s nice to know that mechanical wristwatches still form a significant part of the most awe-inspiring adventures from around the world. Even if most dive watches are only worn in a pool and the closest most pilot watches get to a cockpit is walking past one to their seat, there is a vicarious element to hearing about record-breaking efforts and the watches that were present. Most of us are unlikely to climb any 8000m peaks in our lifetimes, never mind 14 of them, but it’s a reassuring thought that if we decided to, the pride and joy on…
Grand Seiko really knows how to say bonjour with style – not only is their new Paris boutique the largest of its kind in the world, it’s also easily their most palatial. Set amongst the cobblestones and opulent retailers that line the Place Vendôme, the new Grand Seiko flagship is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels and Piaget. To celebrate their beautiful new European home, the Japanese watchmaker has decided to create two new limited edition iterations of its handsome SBGK dress watch – SBGK011 and SBGK013. Hewn from either solid 950 platinum (SBGK011) or solid 18k rose gold (SBGK013), both these special timepieces have been adorned with a gorgeous dial that Grand Seiko has never created before. Styled to look like the cobblestone streets of the City of Lights, the watches feature a radially textured base with vertically brushed blocks that concentrically line the entire dial. Judging from the photos, this unique aesthetic may well prove to be among Grand Seiko’s most inimitable and good looking dial designs in recent memory. The cobblestone pattern has been further complemented by Grand Seiko’s razor-sharp dauphine handset, which features both brushed and polished elements. A…
Well, it’s been almost better than the real thing, and certainly as epic in terms of the length of the videos, but it’s over – it’s part 3 of 3 our Home Delivery Watch Fair Basel Edition! And to finish, we’re doing what we do at the end of all watch fairs. A list. Now, before you proceed, know this. It’s a fatally flawed list. As is the whole concept, which is wholly intended in the name of fun. The Home Delivery Watch Fairs have been more about re-creating a fair experience for viewers and readers than literally attempting to stage a proper virtual version. Both the list and the Home Delivery Watch Fair concept are flawed because there are so many unanswerable questions: like, which brands should be included when there was an ongoing exodus from Baselworld already in motion? Like, most brands have not released full new collections, so do they still get included. Like, aren’t we making the whole thing up anyway? Yes. There was no Baselworld in 2020, and who even knows what is in store for the rest of the year. That all said, we hope you’ve enjoyed this little Basel blast through the drudgery…
A good mate of mine recently told me that he had to attend an important business meeting in a couple of weeks at his company’s headquarters – boardroom, CEO in attendance, the whole shebang. This meeting was going to be an annoyance for him. Until recently, the corporate garb he’s been able to get away with on Zoom calls comprises a suit jacket, untucked shirt, tie, track pants and moccasins. But with civilisation starting to crawl back to normality, so too is corporate Australia. We are no longer able to live out our professional lives from the waist up. So, old mate has got to don the Super 500 navy blue, and head into town. It’s as good a time as any to upgrade his watch from one that tells him BPMs and how pathetic he is at covering ground on a 10km run to something that packs a little more punch in person. He’s come seeking advice from yours truly, with two strict requirements: 1) It has to have a leather band and 2) it can’t cost any more than $2K. These are my up-to-the-minute picks, starting with a very fresh new dress contender from the winged hourglass. Longines…
It’s Friday, and usually that means a message from me regarding all the great things that happened during the week. But today, in addition to that, which is captured in the top four stories to check out below, I want to look forward. To tomorrow. Because at midday Australian time, and 7pm LA and 10pm NYC (sorry for the middle of the night drop, Europe; maybe the clubbers will like it!), we’re going to Baselworld one last time. It’s part 3 of the Home Delivery Watch Fair, Basel Edition and, boy, are we finishing it with a blast. Here are the top 5 reasons to watch it. 1. BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE BREITLING PARTY Look, for many, ‘Breitling Party’ may evoke what it literally says. A party that has something to do with Breitling. For watch journalists and retailers lucky enough to have attended Baselworld in its heyday, it means something else altogether. For Luke Benedictus, who has been writing a lot of our most popular stories of late, it means “the most decadent parties I’ve ever been to”. I sit down on the couch with Luke in the Drinks Break (to drink along with us, charge a glass…