What is the Omega Speedmaster?
This week seems to be an appropriate one to ask what, as far as a product-focused watch news and review site goes, is a profoundly philosophical question: what is the Omega Speedmaster? Simple, non? Well, sort of. At the base level, the Speedmaster is Omega’s long-running family of professionally oriented chronographs. But it’s so much more than that. It is, in the truest sense of the word, an icon of both modern design and history. It’s the Moonwatch, immortalised in the Smithsonian Museum, in film and pop culture. Viewed through this lens, the Speedmaster quickly becomes more than a professionally oriented chronograph. The history of watchmaking is littered with such watches, but really, less than a handful stand out as historical objects and names with this sort of weight. And none, I would say, sit higher than the Speedy. And really, that comes down to the moon. As far as declarative caseback stories go, it’s hard to top, “Flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions” and “The first watch worn on the Moon”. But the Speedmaster is more than a nice story. It is also, to quote long-serving Omega President Mr Stephen Urquhart, “the hook that kept Omega going through the…
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We’re on record as being fans of the Longines Legend Diver Black — in fact, we like it so much we’re selling it in our shop. The attraction is immediate: if you just look at these photos, obviously apparent. It’s stealthy, sexy and very, very sharp. In case you need a quick primer: 42mm, 300m of water resistance, PVD case, rock-solid automatic, glassbox sapphire and a sexy dual-crown super compressor style layout. Hotness. But pictures and specs only tell half the story. Luckily, we’ve got video. So, if you want to see what the Legend Diver is like on the wrist, hit play and see what it’s like on the wrist. Now, it’s worth pointing out that this watch comes on a rubber, Milanese-style strap, but because we’re such massive fans of the NATO (seriously, is there a more user-friendly, versatile strap out there?), we’re also including one of our black-on-black NATOs in the package. Click here to buy the Longines Legend Diver Black (with bonus NATO), for $3550 from our shop 
Editor’s note: If you look at the profile of this Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton Titanium Blue, there isn’t a lot to see. That’s because the watch is so darned thin! But the dial-side more than makes up for it, because Bulgari has cut the dial open, exposing all manner of goodness inside. Read on for Cam’s review … The story in a second: So thin you can see through it. If you were to summarise Bulgari’s approach to design and modern-day watchmaking, the Octo would be the result. In less than a decade, the Italian manufacturer has turned a single striking case design into an entire collection, evolving with each new model, and breaking records left, right and centre. One of this year’s newest additions is the Octo Finissimo Skeleton Titanium Blue, and although it’s not exactly a record-breaker, it does not disappoint. The case What more can I say about the case of the Octo Finissimo that we haven’t already said? It’s thin (boy, is it thin!), but slenderness is not the only thing; it’s about the entire package. This Skeleton’s lines are sharp, gliding across its barely there profile like skates on ice. Only that ice is sandblasted…
Editor’s note: You know heritage has moved from ‘trend’ to ‘the new normal’ when Patek Philippe (that most conservative of Swiss mavens) release what is, essentially, a heritage re-release, back in 2017 … Heritage is here to stay. What started as a trend intended to appeal to the hardcore collectors has slipped into the mainstream, and somewhere along the way it became a key pillar in major brands’ release strategies. In 2007 it was very much novelty, now it’s the new normal. Case in point is Patek Philippe’s hero model of 2017 – the 5320G Perpetual Calendar, an undeniably handsome take on a very Patek complication. The 5320G is not a remake of a particular vintage reference (though it does bear a striking resemblance to the ref. 3448); rather it’s a melange of mid-century design codes, neatly combined in a 40mm white gold, retro-modernist package. Most of the attention heaped upon the 5320G has focused on the dial, and it’s easy to see why. The layout is balanced, with day and month apertures at the top, and a moonphase display and pointer date at the bottom. The functions at six are flanked by relatively discreet portholes displaying day/night and leap…
So it’s a little bit weird to be writing an intro blurb for my own ‘Every Watch Tells a Story’ video, but there you go. I’d also say that my own ‘story’, brief as it is, doesn’t stack up to some of the others we’ve got in terms of drama. But it is my story, and — I think — a relatable one. It’s the first one that I chose, and that I obsessed about online. It’s the story of my humble Archimede Pilot, which was the first ‘nice’ watch I bought, more than 10 years ago. It’s a watch I researched more than I probably should have (shout out to the Timezone German Watch Forum). It’s also (unlike many of my other early watches) one I still like the look of today, and wear regularly, though to be honest it’s well overdue for a service. 
Last night, IWC launched their new Pilot’s Collection at an intimate event in a venue dressed perfectly to capture the machismo, the aeronautical legacy and the overall class of the brand. The walls were adorned with pilot paraphernalia, the tables were festooned with dried native flowers and many wrists were adorned with IWC watches; the iconic Big Pilot a crowd favourite, with many variations in attendance. In a relatively short time, this striking model has earned icon status in IWC’s pilot stable — and last night, people voted with their wrists. Stories about the brand and its watches abounded. Ex-AFL player (Sydney Swans, Richmond Tigers) and musician (check out Kayex on Spotify or Apple Music) Tom Derickx sat next to me at the dinner and spoke of his Mark XVIII, a small-sized watch for such a big guy, and said that he liked its slim profile and comfortable size for everyday wear as a carpenter and musician. “I wear it surfing, I wear it sleeping, I never take it off.” He proved the point by showing the tan line it had created. (The fact that he even has a tan line shows the stark difference between Melbourne and Sydney winter life…
Editor’s note: If big, do-anything, go-anywhere tickers are your jam, you’ll definitely want to check out the Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite in Steel. This is a serious piece of traveller’s kit, and a good-looking one at that. Read on for Justin’s review … The story in a second: It’s big, it’s complicated, it’s bloody clever. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I’ve got a real soft spot for German watchmaking, but especially for Glashütte Original. Underappreciated, and painfully under-marketed anywhere outside of Europe, they are one of VERY few brands that manufacture their own dials and cases (in a separate facility in Pforzheim, not in Glashütte proper). Over the years, things like the ’60s and ’70s collections have consistently grabbed my attention, as did last year’s steel versions of the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date, but in 2018 something slightly outside my usual lines of watch attraction caught my eye — the large, somewhat traditionally styled, yet uniquely configured Senator Cosmopolite in steel. This steel version arrives three years after its initial launch in gold, and cuts its retail price down a fair bit (20,700 euros versus 38,000). As a world timer of immensely practical design from a…
Editor’s note: A little while ago, Andrew spent a week with the slender beauty that is the Piaget Altiplano 40mm Ultra-Thin date, an unusual expedition into the world of ultra-slim dress watches. So, here goes … This week on the wrist is borne almost purely out of curiosity. I have tried on Piaget Altiplano watches over the years and found them unusually comfortable to wear. In interviews and conversations with Altiplano owners, there’s always a resounding refrain of, “It’s hard to go back to heavier/larger/thicker watches once you get used to it”. So, when given the chance to have an extended period of time with the Ultra-Thin date in rose gold, I jumped at it. My first impression was … That it’s a clean, deeply stylish statement, and that I might need a new wardrobe. A watch this slight and minimal seems to draw a lot more attention to the wrist, and the cuff, and the accessories that are being worn with it. While it’s saying very few words, they’re all well-chosen, and they’re all expensive. Good luck dressing down this quiet achiever. Once I put it on, it felt … Hey, wait, is this thing actually on? Any heft you associate…
Editor’s note: The Cartier Tank is a watch with an incredible century (and then some) history, and a list of famous fans as long as your arm. Sandra runs through some of the variants on this classic watch, and some of its celebrity owners. Outstanding. For any designer, regardless of product type, the holy grail is to create an object that so perfectly balances form and function and so elegantly expresses an aesthetic that it will not only last for many generations but will forever look as modern as it did when it left the drawing board. Among those rare products are Le Corbusier’s Chaise LC4, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair and Cartier’s Tank wristwatch. Louis Cartier’s practical, no-frills design has not only become one of the most successful and enduring watches of all time, it has accepted tweaks, updates and experiments without ever losing its integrity. And it is loved equally by men and women – for the not-so-simple reason that it’s perfectly suited to both. The beginning It’s hard to think of a less likely time than 1917 – three years into the havoc of World War I – for launching an object that would become a…
Panerai’s Radiomir is the diving brand’s most dressy offering, lacking some of the heft — as well as the crown guard — of its Luminor and Submersible brethren. But it’s still every inch (or should that be millimetre) a Panerai. That super-distinctive case, those hands and, of course, those numerals. This time around, we’ve been treated to a brace of new references: PAM00995, PAM00998, PAM00999 and PAM00997, running the gamut of 45mm three-hand to GMT models and a beefy 48mm ceramic model, with new dial treatments. And what a dial — glorious (not-so-glossy) matt green. Visually, the look is strong; the dark tone amplified by the golden handset and warm, creamy Arabic numerals and carefully worn leather straps. And while the dial in and of itself isn’t an earth-shattering innovation, it’s certainly attractive. And while the 48mm ceramic is impressive, I think the 45mm GMT on the suede strap is the winning combination. Be warned, though, these are boutique-only pieces. Panerai Radiomir – 45mm – PAM00995 – $15,700 AUD Panerai Radiomir GMT – 45mm – PAM00998 – $16,900 AUD Panerai Radiomir GMT Power Reserve – 45mm – PAM00999 – $17,200 AUD Panerai Radiomir – 48mm – PAM00997 – $18,500 AUD