EVENT: An evening with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin 2019 releases
Wednesday night saw Time+Tide invite Jaeger-LeCoultre into our office, along with some of our most die-hard fans (you have to be a little die-hard to make it out on such a cold evening), for an evening of watch-related entertainment. There is no doubt that the guests of honour were a brace of brand new Master Ultra Thin watches, with stunning enamel guilloché dials in white gold cases. These were the watches first on show at SIHH 2019, and it was great to see them closer to home. And while our readers were keen to debate the merits of tourbillon versus perpetual on a one-to-one basis, there were some other dazzling stars on offer. There was the astonishing (and astonishingly complex) Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Zodiaque, and — I have to say, these are perhaps my favourite JLC releases of the year — the gorgeous new Dazzling Rendez-Vous, which sees some serious weight of diamonds, set using the very complementary griff setting. The resulting watch is a stunner. But the Jaeger-LeCoultre presence wasn’t just limited to the display cases, there were plenty of Reversos and Master collection pieces in the room – including a Tribute to Reverso 1931, with a very…
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Big news overnight from the house of Omega – they can now claim the lofty (well, the opposite actually) title of deepest diving watch ever. Just how deep are we talking here? How about 10,928 metres? That’s the depth Victor Vescovo took his submersible, Limiting Factor into the Mariana Trench. And on that sub, was the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional. The next question you might well be asking is — what was the previous record holder? Well, that honour was held by Captain Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard, who took their Trieste down to 10,916 metres, with a custom Rolex on board. It’s a testament to the extreme marine environment that the Trieste record was set in 1960, and it’s taken 59 years to better it, and even then by only 12 metres. But Vescovo isn’t content with just the Mariana Trench, his Five Deeps aims to see him make manned dives to the ocean’s five deepest points. Now, how about the watch? The Seamaster is, of course, one of the big names in professional dive watches, and one with a rich legacy. But there’s never been a Seamaster this big. This prototype watch (there were three on the…
Editor’s note: Most of the attention on Montblanc’s 1858 collection is dedicated to their fancy Geosphere model and the chronograph, which is understandable. But just quietly, there’s a lot to like about the Montblanc 1858 Automatic – a sporty, simple auto with lovely dials, and well-thought-through details. Read on to find out more … In 2016, Montblanc announced a new line, the 1858, a vintage-inspired sports collection. This year, under the keen direction of Montblanc’s Head of Watches Davide Cerrato, the entire 1858 line has received a stylish and oh-so-smart update. There are more complex versions, but the entry-level piece is this, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic. Montblanc 1858 Automatic steel and bronze with black dial (ident 117832 – 117833) There’s a lot to like about these watches, but before we go into details, let’s talk about what the difference is between these and the original 1858 watches. The most significant change is the size, down from 44 to 40mm, which is much more friendly for many more people. Then there’s the movement, the automatic MB 24.15, which is, again, more of a crowd-pleaser. Beyond the basics, the case is more refined than before, with nice chamfered details and a bronze bezel…
Tuesday night in Melbourne was quite chilly, and rainy to boot. But that didn’t stop our watch-loving readers from assembling at Fitzroy’s Cutler & Co for something truly special. And that something was a selection of Breguet’s latest and greatest watches, unveiled in Australia for the first time. And for all that Breguet is known for their distinctive Classique and Tradition lines, those families were barely represented (though the new blue-dialled Classique was present, and indeed a favourite). No, instead the heroes of the night were the new additions to the sporty Marine line, and the feminine Reine de Naples. And after the obligatory introductions from Sandra Moser (Breguet Australia’s General Manager), Andrew and myself, we all got down to the serious business of inspecting watches. And while the queue for the Marine Équation Marchante (which, though it was released a few years ago, still manages to wow) was a strong indicator that people wanted to get up close and personal with a watch that embodies all of what Breguet is capable of, as the night progressed, people started noticing fine details, like the quality of the new titanium bracelet options on the men’s Marine models, and just how stunning…
Editor’s note: The combination of confidence, sobriety and extreme charm is — if we’re completely frank — a winning one. And it’s a combination the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Outsize Date has in spades. Read on for Sandra’s review of this classic daily wearer … While the rules about how a man should dress for formal occasions are more relaxed than in the past, they are still governed by the principles of timelessness: elegance, discretion, refinement and restraint. Self-expression and individuality are all very well, but wearing a chunky, sporty watch with a dinner suit (or even a formal business suit) will forever remain a stylistic faux pas. And that’s as much a question of aesthetics as social convention. It follows that a dress watch should be slim, relatively small (by today’s standards), made of precious metal, and with a white, cream or black dial that – preferably – displays nothing more than the hours, minutes and seconds by way of simple indexes. If you’re at all familiar with Lange’s line-up you will have noticed that I just described its Saxonia time-only collection. When elegance is as pure as that, it’s a bit risky to add another element –…
Ten years ago, this phenomenon only existed in the uppermost echelons of the watchmaking world – the waiting list. There’s a lot of wild speculation around why waitlists for certain models exist, with some suggesting market forces, and others suggesting less passive forces. Regardless of their cause, they don’t appear to be disappearing anytime soon, which gave us reason to pause and wonder – what are the best steel sports watches you can buy without suffering on a waitlist? After some consideration, here is our list of the best steel sports watches currently on the market – which you can buy on a whim without having to wait. Girard-Perregaux Laureato The Girard-Perregaux Laureato is one of the original luxury sports watches in steel from the 1970s. Born in the same year as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus, it has an aesthetic that can be dressed up or down for any occasion. The blue dial is a particular example, and can be found at retail without too much challenge. Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm, in steel on bracelet, $16,080 Tudor Black Bay Steel While some pieces within the Tudor family are not immediately purchasable, the Black Bay Steel…
As we all know, the H. Moser & Cie Pioneer is a very rare watch, made by a manufacturer that prides itself on keeping rarity at the core of what it does. What makes this specific H. Moser & Cie Pioneer rare is that of the hundreds of watches Time + Tide Watches Founder Andrew has reviewed, this is a piece he decided to buy. After seeing it on his wrist this week, I thought it was time to revisit why he bought it in the first place. I’m eternally fascinated by the drivers of a watch purchase. The behaviours and the catalyst/s that can precede the moment one decides they want to invest in a wristwatch. What’s most intriguing is how totally different the process can be, based on the watch. For example, this one, and my journey to it. From a personal point of view, what leads me to that most happy of hashtags — #newwatchalert — more than anything else is research. Lots of collecting images. Lots of review reading. A constant saving of Instagram pics to my phone gallery. Updating my desktop to a high-res shot that captures it just so. This progresses, indubitably, to a…
This year, Zenith is lucky enough to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the El Primero automatic chronograph, which is being marked with the release of the Zenith El Primero A384 Revival. This is a very cool watch for a number of reasons, but first, let’s look back a half century. The birth of the El Primero It was an important year in the history of watchmaking, as in 1969 the first ever quartz watch was released, as well as the first ever automatic chronograph. While a number of brands completed designs of an automatic chronograph that year (including Seiko and TAG Heuer), Zenith was the only brand to manufacture a watch that beat 36,000 per hour (or 5Hz), making it accurate to one-tenth of a second. The El Primero movement would go on to be an iconic chronograph movement, and one of the oldest in continuous production to this day. 50 years on – the Zenith El Primero A384 Revival The release of the commemorative Zenith El Primero A384 Revival is an accurate re-creation of the original A384, from the 37mm case size to the black-and-white lacquer dial (Panda dial for those who like to zoomorphise). While 37mm is smaller…
Editor’s note: One of the funny quirks of the English language is that there’s no word that rhymes with orange. Certainly, Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph Ref. 5968A doesn’t, but don’t let that fool you, because this (very) fine fellow, with its orange details and neon strap option, is as orange as the sunset over Miami … One of the more entertaining games to play at Baselworld 2018 is: “Who is Brand X after with this watch?” In some cases the answer can be as clear as mud, but in the case of the new Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph it’s a bit of a no-brainer. Bright orange accents on its dial, and sold with both black and bright orange straps, this is the new king-casual Patek for a new generation. With the steel Nautilus in brutally short supply these days, this new Aquanaut is expected to be the new entry point into the Patek Philippe universe. Having taken a closer look at the new reference 5968A, we don’t doubt it’ll hook its fair share of new Patek fans. Vital statistics Transferred over from the Nautilus chronograph, the automatic flyback chronograph Caliber CH 28-520 C powers the new Aquanaut, featuring central chronograph seconds and a…
Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo family has been shattering records left, right and centre since its introduction in 2014. But the watch that really captured the hearts and minds of fans and critics alike was the Octo Finissimo Automatic — initially offered in sandblasted titanium, and shortly after in distinctive steel and gold versions. Well, this year it’s back, but in a brand new form. Meet the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic. And when we say Ceramic, we mean ALL ceramic. The case, the bracelet, even the buckle. All of it is gorgeous, matt black ceramic. In some ways it’s an unexpected twist on the Octo Finissimo, but it’s also the most logical extension of the line — a line that’s rapidly taking pride of place in Bulgari’s watch line-up. Ceramic makes perfect sense on this watch. It’s lightweight, ultra-hard, thermoconductive and surprisingly unassuming on the wrist. Which makes the Octo Finissimo Ceramic a dream to wear. It’s also a watch that’s a stylistic heavy-hitter, with its bold angles somehow made even sharper in monochrome black. All in all it’s like Bulgari made one of the coolest and most impressive watches of recent years even cooler. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic price Bulgari Octo Finissimo…