Orange you glad we wrote this list? Our six favourite orange watches from last year
Last year we collected more than 200 of the best watches in the ultimate watch buying guide, with prices covering everything from $200 to $200,000+. Pulling from that archive, we thought we’d put together the best watches for summer, themed around orange tones. Here are our top six (+1) favourite orange watches from last year. DAN HENRY 1970 AUTOMATIC DIVER Over the course of 30 years, Mr Dan Henry has amassed a collection of more than 1500 watches. And what began as a simple desire to share his passion with others, quickly turned into the beginning of his eponymous microbrand watch company. Taking inspiration from his collection’s most iconic pieces, the 1970 Automatic Diver features a compressor-style case with bidirectional inner bezel and plenty of vintage styling. Ref No. 843181100110, Case size 40mm, Case material Steel, Movement Seiko NH35, Price $250 USD LONGINES CONQUEST V.H.P. GOLD COAST 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES As official partner and timekeeper of the XXI Commonwealth Games, Longines launched this very special edition of the Conquest V.H.P. Bearing the event’s colourful logo, as well as the blue koala mascot on the caseback, its textured dial features orange indexes and blue accents on the hands and minute markers.…
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‘Microbrand’ is one of those contentious watch words — a catch-all term encompassing smaller watch brands typically making, marketing and selling watches outside of the traditional industry pathways. It’s a section of the industry that has come a long way in a little time, and these five players are some of the most interesting players in the space right now … Laventure Founded in 2017 by watch industry designer Clément Gaud, Laventure has thus far released two models, the Marine and the Sous-Marine, the latter in both steel and bronze. While the brand has occasionally been criticised for what are perceived to be high prices for a totally new company, the quality of these pieces in the metal is genuinely outstanding. So far, the majority of dials from Laventure have featured a fade, or degradé style (with the lone exception being the solid black dial on the Sous-Marine). It’s an interestingly artisanal choice for watches that are otherwise styled for the rugged adventurer. What it does do is elevate the brand to something more than the sum of its parts. With some exciting plans in the pipeline, good things should be just around the corner for fans of this exceptional…
The watch auction market has hit serious momentum over the last four or five years, with record-breaking results being produced every season. While a portion of the soaring prices can be attributed to macro factors — such as democratised information on vintage watches through the explosion of sites that cover the topic — this isn’t the whole picture. As we have previously discussed, watches owned by celebrities appreciate in value particularly well, but this doesn’t explain the boom in auction prices for references without significant provenance. As vintage dealer Sean Song discusses, the auction room itself plays a large part in the psychology of pricing, as well as the auctioneer in their ability to build hype around certain pieces. A part of this psychology is the tendency for people to connect high prices with high quality, justifying the value of a certain watch through condition or rarity. It is an interesting read that gives insights into the often opaque world of high-end watch auctions, delving into the motivations of buyers to attempt to explain why some watches have seen triple-digit growth in a very short space of time. You can read The Peculiar Economics of the Vintage Watch Market, Part I here,…
Editor’s note: The Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC, aside from being a damn good-looking dive watch, serves as a reminder that brands can reissue mid-century military watches without breaking the internet. We thought we’d take a look back at this Blancpain Fifty Fathoms tribute, which tells the story of when watches were specially designed tools that meant the difference between life and death. Blancpain has an excellent history in dive watches, and among the most coveted are the military-issued pieces. In this already hyper-specialised niche, the MIL-SPEC I and MIL-SPEC II watches stand head and shoulders above the rest. These watches were first created in 1957 to meet the very specific needs of the United States Navy. In fact, if you really want to nerd out, we’d highly recommend reading the actual military specification – MIL-W-22176A(SHIPS). The most distinctive feature of this watch is the hemispheric moisture indicator on the bottom half of the dial. It’s this feature that Blancpain has celebrated with the MIL-SPEC, and that lies at the heart of its charm. Before we dive into the current model, let’s first look back at the Tornek-Rayville. Created to meet MIL-SPEC II, this watch is a great example…
While antique categories such as art, furniture and artefacts have long been recognised as stores of value, watches are a relative newcomer to the game of “buy low, sell high”. And this poses an interesting question – can watches help you get rich? It seems like every auction season, old records are broken, and new ones are set for vintage references, and not just with the usual suspects of Patek Philippe and Rolex. While quality examples of Nautilus and Daytona models reach eye-watering prices, enthusiasts and collectors are seeing brands such as Universal Genève, Omega and Cartier climbing in value too. The New York Times recently published an excellent piece on this phenomenon, exploring why watches are increasing in value, if they make a reliable investment, and what to look for when you start collecting. Definitely worth your time. Read all about it at The New York Times.
It’s a truism to say that the watch industry loves an anniversary, and while mostly it’s the watch brands doing the celebrating, this time it is a retailer celebrating the big 4-0. Boy, are they celebrating in style. The Hour Glass is one of the major retail figures in the Asia-Pacific region, with more than 40 boutiques (including three in Australia). The first of these boutiques opened in Singapore back in 1979. The brand is celebrating their 40th anniversary by releasing a series of special limited edition watches with some of their long-term partners like Urwerk, Franck Muller, Nomos, Longines and more. They’ve kicked off their series of special editions with a big one. The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph For The Hour Glass comes in platinum — all 41mm of it. The Royal Oak doesn’t require much introduction, and it’s an apt choice, as the model has only been around a few years longer than The Hour Glass, even though this platinum model takes as inspiration the 2008 chronograph release. The standout feature here is the dial. Of course it’s the famous tapisserie pattern, in the twin tones of The Hour Glass — yellow and green. It’s a striking…
For the second year running, Breguet, Blancpain, Jaquet Droz and Glashütte Original — The Swatch Group’s top-tier brands — are showcasing their latest and greatest at Melbourne retailer Monards Crown boutique. Melbourne Watch Week, as it’s called, is running from June 20 to 30 (slightly longer than a week, but who’s counting). It’s a great opportunity to get up close and (somewhat) personal with these pretty special pieces. Yesterday I was filming some watches and I took the chance to have a look around at these standout pieces, and these are my seven picks. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms releases are always strong, and inevitably popular. Amidst all the more modern interepretations (and the awesome Air Command), we were taken by this delicious (and limited) vintage reissue. It’s inspired by a watch made for Barakuda — a German diving equipment company (hence the name). This explains the retro dial design, and indeed the smaller 40mm case. RRP $17,650 AUD Glashütte Original SeaQ From one German-inspired dive watch to another. The surprising Glashütte Original SeaQ. Glashütte Original is not a brand known for their dive watches, even though they played a part in their history (the inspiration for this…
With the news that Omega has pushed the bar (pun obviously intended) to a record-breaking point with their new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional, we thought we would look at the best-performing deep diving watches on the market. Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller With a water resistance to 3900m, the Rolex DSSD is a strong contender for champion of the deep. Featuring the unarguably comfortable oyster bracelet, a case manufactured in the brands own Oystersteel, and a genuinely wearable 44mm on the wrist, it’s a fantastic watch for any dive enthusiast. Sinn Model UX The German manufacturer pulled out all the stops with Model UX, even manufacturing the case in corrosion-resistant submarine steel. It is also made unique as the case is filled with synthetic oil that is uncompressible (which acts to resist external water pressure), and allows the dial to be read without reflection at any angle underwater. The Model UX is water resistant to 12,000m, making it functional to the deepest known points of the world’s oceans. Blancpain X Fathoms The Blancpain X Fathoms is by no means a small watch, measuring over 55mm in diameter and 24mm thick; however, it packs a host of…
Editor’s note: Felix interviewed Anders a few years ago to discuss his journey as a vintage collector and what he looks for when purchasing watches. One thing he mentioned then was his motto to never sell, which got us wondering: If nothing ever leaves the collection, what else has been added since then? Have a browse through his Instagram to see an incredible Patek Philippe minute repeater, a trio of Gérald Genta designed beauties and one of the best Cartier designs of all time. Here’s the original chat Felix had with Anders: The world of watches is very small and very global. The story behind this interview is a case in point. Just before Christmas I received an Instagram notification saying, “Felix, you like watches – check this guy out”, from a friend who used to work in a café I frequent in Melbourne. She tagged me in the account of a regular customer at the café she now works at in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. After checking out @everydaycollector’s beautifully composed pictures of art, interior design and watches, I knew I had to get in touch with Anders and find out more about his careful and considered collection.…