Watches worn by Al Pacino on the big screen
As promised in the article on Robert De Niro and his watches in film, we are following up with watches worn by Al Pacino. Pacino is best known for his roles as Detective Vincent Hanna in Heat, Cuban gangster Tony Montana in Scarface, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman, and Mafia don Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for 1992’s Scent of a Woman. In terms of watches in films, Pacino has had some interesting timepieces occupying his wrist. In Scarface, the watch Pacino wore has received the most attention, in regards to which particular timepiece it was. The consensus is that it’s an Omega La Magique. This is a quartz timepiece featuring a gold case, with a clear dial and “mystery hands”. After doing some further research, I don’t think it is actually the Omega, since the watch Pacino wears has a crown at the 3 o’clock position and the La Magique does not. The dial also differs to the La Magique, since only a small portion of the dial is clear while surrounded by the rest of the case, compared to the Omega, which has a black dial around…
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2019 is the year of the blue dial. Doesn’t matter if it’s a steel sports watch, solid gold dress watch or a one-off pièce unique – if you want your wrist flex to be as en vogue as a pair of R.M. Williams and beige chinos, a timepiece with a blue dial is the only way to go. And, as we discovered not too long ago, Baume & Mercier’s attempt at this trend with the Clifton Baumatic is a particularly choice implementation of the popular aesthetic. But what happens if you’re a massive fan of the svelte, stainless steel dress watch and all that it has to offer, but not of the fleeting, flavour of the month vibes of a blue dial? Well, you buy this, the white dial iteration of the Clifton Baumatic – ref. 10436. Now, although these two models are identical on paper, the change from blue to white dial is quite profound – swapping date night dressiness for boardroom bravado. Thanks to the sobering glossy white tones and opposing black accents, this watch presents a much more sophisticated appearance … more pared back and restrained, especially when attached to its contrasting black alligator leather band. And…
It’s been a big year for Chopard, thanks in part to the release of the Alpine Eagle, the first ever steel watch from the brand, and one of the most discussed watches of the year. As this new sports watch got the world talking about Chopard, we thought it was the perfect time to take a look at the other work that Chopard has done in watchmaking, and why they might be more serious watchmakers than you had realised. We sat down in their boutique in Sydney, a warm and welcoming space that feels more like a lounge than a sales floor, to take a closer look at the history of Chopard as watchmakers. Made in partnership with Chopard. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
Without further ado, I introduce to you Edition Two of NOW Magazine, available, well, now in the Time+Tide shop. A little backstory if you’ll allow me… What was my favourite memory from 2018? The answer is pretty easy. It was a moment in time. 5:55pm on a Friday in November to be exact. We did what we often do. Pressed the button on a new item in the shop. We were excited about it, sure. We might have had a beer while we did it. Then I would have slung my bag over my shoulder. Locked the front door. And walked to the train. What happened next will never leave me. My phone started vibrating like I was getting one endless phone call. It was orders for the magazine. From all over the world. I called one of our team members, who shall remain nameless (Hi, CFO). He’d bet me a chicken parmagiana and a pint of Australia’s finest that we wouldn’t sell more than 100 copies, in total. We’d sold that many copies within the hour. It was the beginning of a title we already love dearly. The second Edition of NOW goes to the next level in every…
Of the hundreds of thousands of wristwatches that have been created over the last century, how many are truly iconic? The answer: honestly, not many … not many at all. Candidly, there are probably fewer than 50 timepieces of the last 100 years that can claim to have had an impact on the zeitgeist of the horological industry. TAG Heuer’s Monaco is one of those watches – it captured a time and place in history so resolutely (think Steve McQueen and Le Mans) that it continues to be lauded to this day. However, this icon is in the midst of a pivotal transition. You see, it’s the Monaco’s 50 birthday this year, and just like you and I will experience a mid-life crisis, it too is going through some serious changes. It hasn’t gone out and bought itself a Porsche and eloped with its secretary for pastures new, but it has acquired something shiny and expensive, and it’s causing quite the stir. Housed inside its familiar square case that we all know and love, the Monaco is, for the first time since 1969, being powered by an in-house movement, the Calibre 02. First released in TAG’s storied Autavia back in…
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. Phony enthusiasm. Beleaguered smiles. Rank insincerity. No, we’re not discussing politicians’ attempts to pass themselves off as genuine sports fans. What I’m talking about is why receiving Christmas presents leaves me increasingly cold. To explain this “bah humbug” mindset, a week or so ago, I accidentally discovered what my wife is getting me for Christmas. The answer: a pair of wellington boots. Admittedly, they’re pretty fancy ones and it’s true that I currently have none. So it’s a well-considered gift that genuinely ticks the boxes of both practicality and thoughtfulness. And yet … the prospect of having to force an expression of startled delight when I unwrap them on Christmas morning before a crowd of onlookers who’re already half-pissed, well, it just makes me feel very, very tired. Please understand, this is not my wife’s fault. The truth is that men of…
Everyone’s first Rolex purchase is important — it’s a milestone that, for most, carries with it a great amount of pride and sense of accomplishment. And for almost all of us out there lucky enough to have bought their inaugural timepiece from the legacy watchmaker, it isn’t something that was entered into lightly; we have known for ages before the purchase which exact model we were going to buy. However, Joseph’s first Rolex purchase was … somewhat anomalous, shall we say. Rolex, I guess, is a staple in every collector’s stable. As for me, for as long as I can remember, I have been aware of the prestige the brand commands. The interesting part, though, is that I never liked them. And when I say them, I mean their “sports watches” (before y’all hyperventilate with the insane ridiculousness of this statement, you gotta realise that to me, uniqueness of a watch as a complete product — so dial, straps, lugs, pretty much everything visual about a watch — is what makes collecting interesting). This particular Rolex, a simple Oyster Perpetual 36, is something that I saw in a window display while passing by. I am sure other watch enthusiasts would agree, it was…
Omega recently released the hotly anticipated Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition, in association with Bond’s newest upcoming adventure, No Time To Die. It isn’t the first watch Omega has produced in partnership with the legacy of Ian Fleming, not even the first one in 2019, but with its under the radar brushed titanium case, it’s certainly one of the best-looking watches the franchise has ever produced. But while the new Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition was met with a crowd of cheers, there were inevitably a few grumbles about the watch (yes, generally in the Instagram comments), mostly focused on Omega’s use of faux-patina, in a sort of terracotta-tone lume for the dial and bezel markers. For me, I think it is aesthetically in line with the not-quite-jet-black dial and bezel, which has a grey tone that works well with the darker metal case and bracelet made from titanium, but it did get me thinking about the use of faux-patina, specifically in modern watches or even, more specifically, modern watches that are not vintage reissues. In contrast to many recent watches that have made use of faux-patina, the Omega Seamaster 300 was only launched 25 years ago. The Seamaster line…
Editor’s note: There are lots of ways that watchmakers like to decorate their micromechanical marvels, such as engraving, polishing, brushing or even Côtes de Genève inside the case. While all of these techniques are wonderfully effective when done well, one of the most visually impressive (and generally underrated) techniques to finish a watch is hammering to achieve a frosted look. Used predominantly in jewellery, Audemars Piguet have deployed the artisanal method on the cases of some of their Royal Oak references, plating up a visual feast that looks like it has just left the freezer. Frosted gold catches the light like a well-cut diamond, sparkling like a stone rather than a metal surface, which is a quality that certainly isn’t spoken about enough. So let’s take another look at when Italian jeweller Carolina Bucci worked her magic on a ladies’ Royal Oak. OK, we’re calling it: 1976 was one of the best years in history — for so many reasons. For a start, that’s when Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life was released. It was also the year Rocky and Taxi Driver hit cinemas, and superhotties Benedict Cumberbatch and Audrey Tautou entered the world. In conclusion: a very good…
Few watches released in 2019 have had the ability to garner nothing but praise. There are, of course, certain timepieces that are highly revered — think the new Rolex GMT-Master II ref.126710BLNR, for example. But that watch brings with it a sizeable amount of polarity. No, for the entire horological community to get behind a new timepiece it’s got to be special … and the new Longines Heritage Classic L2.828.4.73.2 is exactly that: special. Allow me to explain. Part of this raconteur’s role is to scour the interwebs and plethora of social media networks, and, to my dismay, sometimes read the comments. I am yet to witness a single negative comment, on any platform, about this new Longines; there simply hasn’t been a peep — it’s been nothing but applause and even adoration. And from the very first time you fasten it to your wrist, you understand why the response to this simple, time-only watch has been so profound – it’s a revelation. Now, that’s a big claim, but I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a fair amount of time with the Longines Heritage Classic L2.828.4.73.2, so let me walk you through how this conclusion has been reached. It starts with the…