3 watches you can buy right now at the new Grand Seiko Sydney Boutique
It was only three short years ago when the first-ever Australian Seiko Boutique opened in Sydney, but the Japanese powerhouse has kept very busy, announcing the exciting news of the opening of the first-ever Australian Grand Seiko Boutique. This is a strong statement from the brand as they continue to drive the distinction of Grand Seiko being the premium offering compared to Seiko, which is reinforced by Melbourne luxury retailer Monards recently starting to carry Grand Seiko. While it is exciting news for fans of Grand Seiko to know there is a dedicated space for their favourite brand, it is also exciting that Australia will now have access to exclusive boutique-only pieces. These are three very cool pieces now available at the Grand Seiko Sydney Boutique. SBGA364 – The rose gold Spring Drive If you like the idea of one of the most innovative movements released in the last half-century cased in 40mm of pink gold with a matching bracelet, you’ll like the SBGA364. While most of the offerings from Grand Seiko fly somewhat under the radar, this is a more vocal expression of the brand that is known for their incredible level of finishing. Price: $55,300, boutique exclusive SBGZ001…
The post 3 watches you can buy right now at the new Grand Seiko Sydney Boutique appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
The topic of watches and their worth has been the talk of 2019. With never-ending threads of comments on social media, expressing frustration at the current prices of some pieces, retailers attempting to negotiate the challenge of managing wait-lists, and the growth of The Flipper in the world of watch buyers, it seems that 2019 was the year that watches became financial assets. While most of this commentary is essentially regret-filled grumbles about passing on a Patrizzi dial Rolex Daytona for four figures half a decade ago, there are some examples of well-considered and articulately structured thought on the topic. I recently read one such piece on The Open Caseback, which looked at three contributing factors for the bullish vintage sports watch market: auction houses, marketplaces and Instagram. Basically, a socially driven groundswell of interest in the depreciation a watch might experience once it leave the boutique has produced an example of Narrative Economics. While narrative is one of the most liberally employed words in current social science, Narrative Economics goes a long way to explaining the important role that storytelling plays in building interest around the long-term value of vintage wristwatches. Through the different narratives that are pushed by…
One of the most appealing elements of a Louis Vuitton watch is just how unabashedly bold they are in their design, as well as their wrist presence. The new Louis Vuitton Tambour Damier Cobalt is an excellent example, with its amply portioned 46mm stainless steel case, vivid dial graphics and branded rubber strap. The dial is styled with the iconic Damier canvas pattern that offers a chess board of black and navy, which is then overlaid with striking slashes of red and white to form the brand’s V. There aren’t many companies producing watches in the world with such visual strength in their brand that diagonal stripes over a chequered mosaic can offer enough optical cues to be instantly recognised across the room, but Louis Vuitton have done exactly that. The Louis Vuitton Tambour Damier Cobalt is confidently offering an aesthetic that does not look like every other steel sports watch on the market, of which there are many that could be mistaken for one another. And, in addition to its distinctive design, it boasts an automatic movement with 42 hours of power reserve, 100m of water resistance, and one of the most easily adjustable straps on the market that…
Editor’s note: If you’re after a sports watch with a GMT complication, the world is your oyster … err, well, you get what I mean. Almost every serious watchmaker on the planet makes a hardy, go-anywhere timepiece with a dual time zone function, and because of this, the subgenre has become somewhat homogenous – there just aren’t that many timepieces out there that look markedly different. One watch that does break the mould, however, is the limited edition Grand Seiko Blue Ceramic Hi-Beat GMT “Special”. Thanks to its inimitable dial, case construction and size – 46.4mm – this is a wristwatch like no other. And, chances are, you’ll never see more than one being worn in the same place, because just 350 examples exist. In the wonderful world of Grand Seiko, if it’s not using a quartz crystal – and, yes, that includes the Spring Drive – then inside is a Caliber 9S movement. Introduced in 1998, the Caliber 9S is the staple of all mechanical Grand Seikos and forms the base for everything from humble three-handers to hi-beats and GMTs. This year, Grand Seiko are celebrating the 20th birthday of the 9S with – in addition to quite a…
Editor’s note: It may surprise the uninitiated to read this, but creating a completely new calibre, in-house, from scratch, is a very, very costly exercise. And there’s a reason that most boutique and micro watchmakers stick to third-party movements from the likes of ETA and Sellita, because to make their own movements is financially unviable. That’s why this Nomos Tangente is so impressive, because the German marque has spent millions upon millions of euros to create their own calibre – DUW 6101. At the end of last year, we were lucky enough to go hands-on with this impressive timepiece and see the movement in action, and these were our initial thoughts. Surely there is no more contentious complication in the world of watchmaking than a seemingly humble date display? It’s hard to believe that something so useful, and seemingly ubiquitous, can be so divisive. One way to end the date/no date feud is to include it, but with a twist. And a twist is certainly what the Tangente neomatik 41 Update offers. The date is shown in the radial fashion, at the outermost extremity of the dial — already alleviating the issue of a dial-disfiguring date window, and working with…
It’s been a big year for the TAG Heuer Monaco as it celebrated 50 years of production from when it was first released in 1969. The brand has released a number of limited editions this year in celebration; however, they arguably saved the most important release till last with the new TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02. The reason it is so significant lies beneath the dial, with the newly added Caliber 02 offering the first ever Monaco with an in-house movement. The TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02 uses the same case dimensions as other references from the Monaco family at 39mm, but includes a number of details that make it a genuinely good-looking watch. The sunray brushed dial is a rich royal blue that contrasts well with the crisp white sub-dials, and the sapphire crystal, which covers the dial, sits prominently on the case and is ever so slightly curved across a lateral axis. The new TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02 is not limited in production numbers, and is currently available in boutiques. Made in partnership with TAG Heuer. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
NOTE: We understand that you’ve found a new watch to add to your collection (congratulations!). But rationalising this fact – coupled with the fact that it’ll cost a bucket-load of cash – may not always sit well with the less horologically minded. That’s where we come in … Use The Enabler’s advanced levels of sophistry to validate your latest acquisition. There are times in life when you don’t want to come across as some hairy-arsed chancer. You need to bestow yourself with the veneer of credibility and moral judgement. In short, you have to present yourself as halfway convincing. How to pull off this daunting charade? Obviously, it’s a tricky business and a firm handshake won’t seal the deal alone. Citing a statistic to back your argument can help you to sound a little more plausible. A confident stat — not entirely fictitious if possible — adds critical heft and rigour to your delivery. It makes you sound far more knowledgeable and assured. Yet to take things up a notch and really baffle someone into compliance, then you need to harness the power of maths. Remember your trigonometry lessons at school? Me neither. And that’s precisely my point. No one really understands maths. So…
For the first time ever, Jaeger-LeCoultre is opening a stand-alone boutique in Australia, which aims to offer greater access for their Australian enthusiasts than ever before. The brand is also quietly confident that the Australian market has reached a level of maturity that a complex and nuanced brand such as Jaeger-LeCoultre can capitalise on the growing wave of interest in luxury watches. In comparison to nearby markets in Asia, Australia has often previously fallen behind in sales; however, more recently, there has been a resurgence that has not gone unnoticed in Switzerland. With the brand opening their new Jaeger-LeCoultre Sydney boutique on Friday the 13th of December, they are also showing their level of commitment to the region as one that will increase in importance in the future. I spoke to Justin Devaux, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Country Manager of Australia and New Zealand, about the opening and he explained that the idea was to “immerse the customer in the brand universe”. Any genuine level of immersion is challenging in a multi-brand store, which is one of the reasons to create a stand-alone boutique, as well as that the “people working in the boutique would have a deeper training in the brand,…
Much as it pains me to admit it, these days, haute horology is usually reserved for the rarified and uber-expensive micro-brands of the Swiss watchmaking world. It’s not that the heavyweights of the industry have completely given up on the idea of innovation – far from it – but it does seem as though there’s been a shift, that priorities have changed. A timepiece’s movement was once the perennial final frontier for the majority of the watchmaking industry. In fact, throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries there were countless new and innovative movements being spawned on a regular basis. However, now it feels as though most of the mainstays are largely content with the fairly antiquated fundamentals of movements, and are instead focusing on perfecting them, rather than creating completely new concepts – evolution over revolution. That’s why the TAG Heuer Monaco V4 was such a shock to the industry’s collective system when it was first unveiled in 2004. The Swiss marque again stunned everyone when in 2009 they unveiled the limited edition Monaco V4 in Platinum. And here are three reasons why it still conjures astonishment and awe in the horological fraternity: The Calibre V movement Designed to…
One of the best things about TAG Heuer is the Swiss marque’s remarkable history with motorsport — few other watchmakers, if any, have such a rich back catalogue of timekeeping devices purpose-built for the ultimate expression of man vs machine. And while many will immediately associate the angular Monaco as the most iconic wristwatch associated with motor racing, in fact, the real “racebred” timepiece that TAG made was the Autavia. An elision of the words “automotive” and “aviation”, TAG produced Autavia timekeeping devices from as early as the 1930s, and since then, the namesake and the pursuits of myriad forms of motorsport have never been far apart. Rather luckily, not too long ago, TAG Heuer was generous enough to let us have a look at some of their most storied and fabled Autavias, and our photog and all-round legend, Jason Reekie, shot some amazing photos. Heuer Autavia Dashboard Timer Signed Abercrombie & Fitch Co. While it would now merely serve ornamental purposes if it were still to be found affixed to the dash of an automobile, back in the day, these sorts of dashboard timing instruments were … well, instrumental in motorsport. This gorgeous example was originally sold through American retailer…