The story of the Omega watch in Dunkirk is perfect Sunday reading for watch people
Editor’s note: In the pantheon of great watch performances on screen, Tom Hardy’s Omega in Dunkirk is up there. When I first saw the movie at an IMAX theatre in Melbourne, I was that idiot taking shots of the screen when it appeared. I had to know the story of the model – was it a vintage watch sourced by Nolan? Was it a fictional approximation? Being professional watch geeks we had the time and inclination – and the all-important contacts – to find out. It’s perfect Sunday reading for watch lovers, and once again gets to the heart of why watches are so addictive – the story of the watch is the story of humanity. It’s not unusual for a watch to play a starring role in a movie. Often it’s the prop that shows a countdown in a race against time, or it’s a sentimental object, or an indicator of personal style. In the rather stupendous Christopher Nolan mega-production that is Dunkirk (I’m still a little woozy on my feet a day after watching it on an IMAX screen), it’s very much the former. Without giving too much away, Tom Hardy’s character, a Spitfire pilot in the Royal Air Force, must use his…
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Editor’s note: To celebrate the Aquanaut’s 20th birthday in 2017, Patek Philippe released the enlarged (from 40 to 42.2mm) and quietly in charge Aquanaut ref. 5168G. a watch that remains a reminder of the collection’s youth. In more recent years, the model has struck confident new poses such as the ref 5968A chronograph, with its popping orange personality. But what I think we’re all beginning to appreciate, as time goes on, is the versatility of the Aquanaut. Where big bro, the Nautilus, has an obligation to stay refined to some extent, the younger ’Naut can shift and shake. In size, in colour, in strap, the options are stacking up. It’s an attitude that is appealing to more and more watch lovers, whether already in the Patek Philippe family, or not. The year was 1997, the Spice Girls were busy spicing up life, and Leo was king of the world. It was a great time to be alive, and not just if you were a 13-year-old-girl. Because if you were a fan of stainless steel sports watches, it was also the year Patek Philippe introduced the Aquanaut. Taking its design cues from the casually elegant Nautilus, it was initially released as a slightly more accessible alternative, and aimed…
Editor’s note: No matter how I try, I can’t get the Reverso out of my head, or off my list. One day, the most elusive of wrist-worn eye candy will be mine. But until then, I will keep reading stories like these, building yet more reasons why it must happen. I’m no prop master, but I know when I’d reach for a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso to dress a character’s wrist. It would be when they had a scene in a suit. It would be at a point in their character trajectory where they were at peak confidence, when their outward style is tapping into the classic, the iconic, the timeless. And also when the brand of badass they’re seeking to project is more brains than brawn. You suspect this was precisely the thought process of the art directors and prop masters that did just that with these kings of the screen. Pierce Brosnan. Ah, Pierce. He may have bombed as Bond but the man knows how to work black tie. The key is having an accessory in the mix that pops on the monochrome backdrop, and few accessories can compete with a gold dress watch with white face and black leather…
Editor’s note: Things certainly got cold fast in Melbourne, and we’re busy working out ways to stay warm. And that includes our wrists … The northern parts of the world might be enjoying long, lazy afternoons of relaxation and summer fun, but down here in Australia things have taken a turn for the cooler. So, to help take the chill off, we’ve found four winter warmer timepieces to hold you over until the summer months. Bulgari Octo Roma With its dark caramel dial and rich chestnut strap, Bulgari’s brand new Octo Roma is the watchmaking equivalent of a well-worn Chesterfield, eternally stylish and always comfortable. $5950 USD Sinn 356 Sa Pilot II The dial on this Sinn has to be seen to be believed. The finely guilloched copper dial shifts from brown to pink to orange, depending on the light. While everyone seems to gravitate to Sinn’s more traditional offerings, this little stunner is the sleeper hit. $3740 Ball Engineer III Bronze Star Outside of gold, bronze – with its rich lustre – is the warmest of case materials, so it’s the perfect tonal choice for the cold season. Pair with Harris tweed and something peaty from Scotland. $3595 Oris Aquis…
Editor’s note: Few brands have the way with ceramic that Hublot has. The fusion-focused brand has pumped so much colour into the ultra-hard material that it’s hard to believe. Take the Hublot Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski Blue Ceramic for example … When it was announced last year, I thought Hublot’s Orlinski case was one of the freshest, coolest new shapes I’d seen in quite some time. And then they went and released it in blue ceramic and I quietly lost my mind. But before we dive into the blue, let’s have a quick refresher on just what — or who — an Orlinski is. Richard Orlinski is a French contemporary artist, known for his bright, poppy, faceted sculptures. In this partnership, Orlinski has brought his geometric approach to Hublot. Fundamentally, the Orlinski Hublot is a classic fusion — a two register chronograph with a heavily skeletonised dial that’s well-worn territory for the brand. It’s big — 45mm across and 13.40mm high, and powered by the non-Unico HUB1155. From a distance, the case still has that classic Hublot look — brawny shoulders and big bezel. But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that while the fundamental clay that forms the watch is…
Editor’s note: For years, Bell & Ross has stuck safely to the skies. Then, in 2017, they came for the oceans. And we could not be happier with the switch up. The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver is a smooth evolution of the brand’s famous form … The story in a second: The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver transitions smoothly from the sky to the sea. In the time I spent with the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver I came to think of it as an armoured car. Not the conspicuously bulked-up and blinged-out vehicle beloved by the A-list, instead this diver is more akin to the subtly strengthened Land Cruiser, one that looks significantly like the regular model, but can handle IEDs and assault rifles. To me that’s what this Bell & Ross is — a super tough take on the brand’s famous instrument watch. The case It’s the case that really earned the armoured car analogy. From a quick glance, the BR 03-92 Diver shares the same 42mm steel case, but look closer and you’ll notice that quite a lot has changed to earn that 300-metre water resistance rating. The sapphire crystal is significantly super-sized,…
When it comes to fizzy drinks, the Cola Wars rumble on – The Pepsi Challenge Vs The Real Thing. But for watches, no contest: the red-and-blue has been the clear winner since Rolex’s ref.6542 first saw the light of day in 1954. Although Rolex totally ‘owns’ the distinctive bi-colour bezel, its GMT-Master (now Master II) is not the only Pepsi game in town. And with that watch being so hard to get – current and vintage models all command massive premiums – it’s a good moment to consider other ways to get that Pepsi fix. Tudor Black Bay GMT Here we have the GMT-Master II’s little cousin: it comes from the ‘other branch’ of the Rolex empire and costs less than half the price (list price, obviously, not the absurd premiums now being asked). Its Pepsi-ness comes in more subdued tones than the Rolex: the blue is navy blue, the red has a burgundy cast and the anodised aluminium gives the bezel a more matt appearance. The dial is also matt, with a slightly grainy finish and the date is perfectly legible, without a Cyclops lens. You get the key Black Bay design iconography: snowflake hands (for both minutes and…
The 2019 Cricket World Cup is underway in the UK, and official timekeepers Hublot are there, busily timing every single match. The brand has been busy in other ways, too – coming up with a tremendously on point limited edition to celebrate. It’s their second World Cup watch (you might remember the first from 2015), and we’ve got to say they really nailed it with the Aerofusion Chronograph Cricket World Cup 2019. This watch strikes just the right level of balance for a sporting tie-in piece. There’s lots of cricket details at play, but you’re never beaten over the head with them. Plus, the colour scheme is just plain hot. Perhaps the most obvious nod to the game is the strap: rubber-backed grey calf with a distinctive six rows of bright red stitching that will feel instantly familiar to anyone who’s bowled a ball down a pitch. In some ways, this strap is more of an attention-seeker than the 45mm watch itself. The open dial picks up the red highlights, in the dial text, chronograph registers and the minute track. There’s a couple of nice nods to cricket here, too — notably the three batons at 12 that bear more than a…
Editor’s note: The Tissot Heritage Petite Seconde isn’t a new watch but, oh boy, it’s still a good-looking piece of wristwear. The simple case, numerals, and dial texture all add up to an entirely pleasing watch … The story in a second: Tissot‘s latest heritage release is another hit. In these days of the never-ending vintage revival, it seems that every brand has to have a heritage collection, regardless of whether they have any actual heritage. That’s not a problem Tissot has to deal with, as the brand dates way back to 1853, a depth of history that’s reflected in the strength of their current heritage lineup. The latest member is this handsome fella, the Tissot Heritage Petite Seconde, a hand-winding hero based on a 1943 design, which is entirely suited to the modern day. The dial There’s an interesting story about this reissue, and it centres on one word on the dial. The Heritage Petite Seconde is a tribute to an antimagnetic watch from 1943. When the watch was originally shown at Baselworld this year it featured a line of text reading ‘antimagnetique’ under the wonderfully retro, sweeping Tissot logo. As you can see, that word is no longer…
“In terms of haute horlogerie complications we could do anything we like at Louis Vuitton – and we certainly have the means to do so. But that’s not our approach. What we do is deeply rooted in classical horology, but every piece needs to have an original twist that has real meaning for the Maison.” So says Michel Navas who, together with Enrico Barbasini, is the technical brains behind Louis Vuitton watchmaking. The Escale Time Zone perfectly illustrates this. Introduced in 2015 (with a version in tones of blue and grey last year), it looks unlike any travel time watch that preceded it. Or, more precisely, that preceded Louis Vuitton’s Escale Worldtime, released a year earlier. Time Zone is, by the way, almost a misnomer: the term usually means a second (or in rare cases third) time zone display – a GMT in other words. But this is a true world time watch. Clearly, though, it needed a different name to distinguish it from its big brother. The technical underpinnings are entirely classical – it’s essentially the same as the complication invented in 1931 by Louis Cottier (and improved by him in 1953), which made it possible to view the…