MICRO MONDAYS: The Tsao Baltimore Legacy delivers a host of vivid dials with proud American roots.
I’ve had quite a few microbrands in my personal watchbox. In fact, my first new mechanical watch after a waning vintage obsession was a microbrand. Due to the smaller nature of these businesses, one of the main attractions of buying these watches is the possibility of interacting with the brand owner during the retail process and even developing a relationship of sorts. In addition, there is something cool about the ability of these plucky small manufacturers, many of which are run by one person, to go out alone and stand up to the greats. Alan Tsao of Tsao Baltimore is one of these guys and the 32-year-old founder has now released a brand new model: the Tsao Baltimore Legacy. A small producer like Alan has the agility to feel the pulse of the watch-collecting community and respond fast, releasing models that hit the sweet spot at the right time. Liberated from the bureaucratic rigmarole that working with a large design team involves, he’s able to make quicker decisions and jump on trends while they’re still beginning to crest. If the owner has the right eye for design and colours, there can be a hyper quick turnaround compared to, say, a…
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What’s better than one complicated Cartier? Three complicated Cartiers, especially when they arrive in a specially designed marquetery finished and lacquered wooden box. These three pieces that make up the new Cartier Fine Watchmaking Rotonde de Cartier Precious “Icons Set”, which share the two uniting themes of mystery and skeletonisation. But in a world where the brand is best known for their classic designs from the beginning of the 20th century, what does this trio of large platinum watches really offer? Is it a case of complication for its own sake, or do these pieces actually add something to the current catalogue of the French-founded firm? For more than a hundred years, Cartier have played with illusion in their product design, but more specifically in their watch and clockmaking. Cartier Mystery Clocks are some of the most coveted examples of horological handicraft in existence, with 101 different examples offered by Christies in an important sale last year that showed the mind-bending diversity of design. It is this legacy that has inspired these three watches, each of which features a tourbillon at its heart and an element of historical mystery in their design. Astromysterious This is my personal favourite of the…
Dive watches are probably the single most popular watch category and with good reason. They are robust, water resistant and, as dress codes become increasingly casual, can also be worn pretty much anywhere you aren’t expected to wear a bow-tie. The variations within dive watches over the decades are another reason that collectors find them so compelling. Some dive watches have important links to armed forces around the world, which can send enthusiasts into a frenzy of minutia obsession. Likewise the different ways that brands have creatively overcome the challenges of the deep, such as legibility or helium build-up, allow for rich scholarship into the details of such evolutions. But at the core of it, we all just love watches that look great and don’t need to be wrapped in cotton wool as we go about our busy lives. And if we don’t have to spend a fortune, that’s even better. So what are the best affordable dive watches out there right now? We’ve put together a list of 11 different references from a number of different brands that will all ring up the till less than $5k (in watch collecting, everything is relative, especially what is affordable) and represent…
Our European Editor, Mike Christensen, tested out the new Tissot PRX, a throwback to a classic design from 1978. After a week on the wrist, here is what he made of one of the most accessibly priced integrated bracelet watches around. What was your first impression? Hear me out here, but… surely I’m not the only person to have a mild fascination with North Korea? Specifically the secretive country’s industrial peak in the 1970s when it was more commonly known as the People’s Republic of Korea. Or PRK. PRK, PRX – no one can argument there’s an uncanny resemblance there. Hence my rather unusual initial impression of the relaunch of this popular stainless-steel sports watch by Tissot, which has always been recognised for its integrated bracelet. North Korea aside, I was immediately struck by its sleek design contours and how lost you could get in the depth of the black dial – staring into it provided hours of soul-searching. How does it feel on the wrist? Considering its size of 40mm, it wears particularly slim and light and is the opposite of cumbersome while still managing to feel extremely robust (what the ‘R’ stands for). Incidentally, the ‘P’ stands for…
Season three of Drive to Survive dropped at 6pm Melbourne time on Friday March 19th and, if you were anything like me, then you were up until 4am watching the entire series in one sitting. Okay, so maybe you’re not that obsessed, but if you’re even a little bit like me then your eyes were probably drawn to all of the watches. Formula 1 has a long history with timekeeping, as does all motorsport, but when you see the Rolex billboards plastered over nearly every Grand Prix, you realise just how much watches are part of F1’s DNA. As we did when season one of the show came out, I binged Drive to Survive and tried to spot as many interesting watches as possible. Here are some of the highlights. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari driver) Hublot MECA-10 Black Magic As a member of F1’s emerging young guard, he’s proven himself to be one of the best drivers on the planet, to the point of thrashing four-time world champion and ex-Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel on track. He’s clearly Ferrari’s future, having signed the longest term contract ever in the Scuderia’s history and, as a model for Giorgio Armani, he’s also a total…
We all know the “Holy Trinity” manufacturers can be called out at times for being on the slower side when it comes to product evolution. To be honest, that’s for a good reason, too. The pursuit towards perfection has to be careful and calculated, and each of the brands have to ensure their watches live up to the name and quality associated with their Maison. This year, however, Audemars Piguet is proving its manufacturing metal – introducing a slew of upgrades to their novelties. The 2021 Royal Oak Offshore Divers received a new movement and interchangeable strap system, and now the Audemars Piguet 2021 Royal Oak Chronographs are pushing the offering further with a first for the lineup: an exhibition caseback proudly displaying the latest generation integrated flyback chronograph caliber 4401 (originally launched inside the Code 11:59). The 41mm cases are all executed in pink gold, its hue boasting the intricate light play that results from their top-class hand finishing. The vertical brushing perfectly extends from the bezel, to the case and, if paired with it, the bracelet. The satin elements shine, whereas the polished elements go dark head on with light. When viewing from an off-angle, however,…
If variety is the spice of life, then whoever who signs off on the G-Shock limited-editions must have some extremely tingly tastebuds. The staggering range of influences that inform these pieces is like something out of a Dr Seuss fever dream, happily jumping from Borneo rainbow toads to NASA space travel. The sheer number of limited editions that G-Shock crank out is extraordinary, too. According to G-Central (the G-Shock Watch Fan Blog), the brand produced 88 limited editions over the last 12 months at the time of writing. Here, in no particular order, are seven of our favourites. A Bathing Ape (BAPE) x Kid Cudi x G-Shock DW-6900 Before his career as a rapper took off, Kid Cudi worked at the BAPE Store in New York. Throw in the fact that he’s also a die-hard G-Shock fan and this collaboration feels like it was always destined to happen. The watch itself is a technicolour DW-6900 with a bright pink bezel, red and blue bands, and a yellow band keeper. Hit the EL backlight and up pops the BAPE Gorilla alongside Kid Cudi’s Moon Man logo. It all adds up to a super-fun combo that’s guaranteed to boost your serotonin levels…
As we’ve previously reported, eBay are raising their game in the watch marketplace. One huge stride in the right direction came with their new eBay Authenticity Guarantee – a service where watches over $2000 are eligible to be substantiated by an independent verification service before being shipped to the end consumer (currently only for listings in the United States). It’s clear this is no passing fad for the platform either, eBay are in it to win it. To show their dedication to watches, and the watch community at large, eBay has created their first ever product-dedicated Instagram account: @eBaywatches. We all have heard of eBay success stories, where collectors have found some pretty sweet bargains in the marketplace. I found my coveted 1999 Seiko SBWA001 Spring Drive First on eBay, and would have had a much harder time tracking the extremely rare (one of 500) Japanese domestic market model down without the platform. While that watch was one of many victories for me on eBay, including a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse ref. 3548, future winning buyers can feel even more assured thanks to the new Authenticity Guarantee and eBay want all of #watchfam to know about this new service. @eBaywatches…
Ball’s Engineer Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST has been known for many things – the monobloc titanium case, an automatic helium escape valve built into the crown, lume you could light a nightclub with – but it’s fair to say it hasn’t always been fêted for handsome looks. Sure, last year’s DeepQUEST II had a personality to match its 1000m depth rating. The bezel was muscular to say the least. The crown mushroomed out in presumption that its owner would be wearing thick gloves. And the numerals at 6 and 12 were applied in an almost matchstick arrangement of “micro gas tubes” (sealed tritium gas) so bright you could tell the time from an ocean away. Even that uppercase in the name – DeepQUEST – muscles in. It was never a watch for hiding under the cuff, but for being seen over a diving suit. But now comes the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST Ceramic – with its ceramic bezel and simpler dial – and if the DeepQUEST II is a guy two weeks into his rotation on the oil rig, the DeepQUEST Ceramic is the same man a couple of days after getting home. Cleanshaven, nice haircut, fresh shirt and a splash of…