Rainbow bright! The Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Power Reserve 5 Days Sapphire Rainbow
Editor’s note: Sapphire watches, while technically amazing, sometimes run the risk of being a little — um — dull. Mostly because there’s nothing to really look at (what with the clear case and all). That’s certainly not a problem with the (impressively named) Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Power Reserve 5 Days Sapphire Rainbow which delivers some double action thanks to the colourful bezel and complex movement. There are a lot of things I love about Hublot, and I’ve got to say, this watch manages to cram pretty much all of them (barring ceramic) into one awesome, 45mm package. It’s the Big Bang Tourbillon Power Reserve 5 Days Sapphire Rainbow, and it does pretty much what it says on the tin. Let’s start with the case. Hublot has been playing with (and seriously democratising) ultra-hard, ultra-slick and ultra-cool synthetic sapphire cases since 2016, and it’s become something of a staple in their higher-end limited editions. For all its transparency, this 45mm wide and 14.25mm thick case has stacks of presence, providing an almost unbearably crisp, sharp silhouette. The incredible wrist presence provides an amazing juxtaposition with the transparent nature of the material. But in a twist that’s exclusive to the Australian and Japanese…
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Editor’s note: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche manages to combine a complex, exceptionally slim movement, from one of the best movement makers in the business, with a complex dial design realised in a vivid, bright blue that’s honestly one of the best in the business. This one is a real stunner. There’s a running joke in the Time+Tide office about my proclivity for “beautiful blue” dials – I once managed to say it a few too many times in a short video review and, well, it sort of stuck. But in the case of this new version of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s classic Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche the accolade beautiful blue is well and truly deserved. JLC specialise in ultra-thin watches, and this design of the Réserve de Marche has been a part of the collection since 2012. It is an exceptional, traditionally styled 39mm steel watch with a complicated-but-balanced dial layout consisting of a radial date at two and a power reserve (which gives the model its name) at 10. There’s a small seconds subdial at six that rounds off the dial. Few brands putting together a watch with this cocktail of complications would be able to pull…
If you weren’t paying close attention you could easily miss the new Rolex Yacht-Master 42 in white gold. And I mean that in the best way. It’s a handsome timepiece, with a quiet presence that (despite its newness) feels reassuringly familiar in some hard-to-define way. Despite being 2mm bigger than its Everose Gold brother (and a 42mm Oyster case wears quite big), it’s the opposite of in your face. In fact, thanks to the monochrome colour scheme of the dial, bezel and case, and the matt black Oysterflex strap, it may be the most discreet model in Rolex’s entire line-up. I’m not suggesting that it can’t be a love-at-first-sight piece – but the more closely you look, the greater the rewards. The absence of colour draws your eye to the details, and emphasises the play of shiny and matt surfaces: the fine band of polished notches around the outer edge of the bezel contrasts with the matt Cerachrom insert, which in turn plays against the shine of the black lacquer dial. The polished surfaces of the raised numerals on the bezel (they are an integral part of the bezel, moulded with the ceramic, rather than applied) cast barely-there shadows on…
So, typically in these ‘recommended reading’ posts we link to a good watch-related read that’s — you know — on the internet. Today we’re doing it a little different, with this link to an actual, honest-to-goodness book. It’s called (you guessed it) Sea Time: Watches Inspired by Sailing, Yachting and Diving and it’s 240 hardcover-bound pages of images and insight on the underwater world. The foreword is by none other than Clive Cussler and covers off the obvious aquatic options from Rolex, Omega and Blancpain, through to fan favourites Doxa, Tudor, IWC et al. Even MB&F gets a look in (our very own Justin Mastine-Frost wrote about — of all things — a clock, the Octopod Table Clock to be specific). So whether you’re a desk diver or have seen serious bottom time, this book looks like it might have something in it for you. You can read reviews at Worn & Wound and Monochrome. Or you could check it out at the publisher’s site, or grab it from Amazon. 
Panerai’s top-tier timepieces go by the name of Lo Scienziato — avant-garde evolutions of the brand’s classic case shapes that really let the watches’ technical side shine. Of course, the technology is present in the movement: a skeletonised, three-dimensional offering that fills the 48mm case; the P.2005/T calibre boasts a central time and GMT, 24-hour indicator at three and an unusual 30-second tourbillon at the 10 o’clock position. This tourbillon is also on a rotating axis perpendicular to the balance wheel. Just to add a little extra drama. All this weighs a thrifty 23 grams. And while the open-worked movement, with its deep green highlights, is already impressive, the case is no slouch either. It’s been made via 3D printing – painstaking layers of titanium powder applied via the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process, which means that the case can be created in a hollow structure, making it incredibly light without sacrificing strength. In addition to the printed titanium case, the bezel, crown and crown lock are all made from Carbotech, which keeps the weight down and the wow factor up. The entire case weighs only 18 grams. This high-end piece is resistant to 100 metres (which is quite impressive for such…
Editor’s note: Fun fact — You don’t need a whole watch roll full of watches. Sure, it’s fun, but unless you’re Papa Hayek, you only wear one at a time. So, in that spirit, here are some of the best everyday casual watch options, all for under $10K. Are you under sartorial pressure in your nine to five? Feel the need to up your office attire? Well, we can’t help you with suits and shoes, but wrists? We’ve got you covered. We’ve found four perfect daily wearers that will dazzle your peers, no matter how dull your PowerPoint is. Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 Over the decades the Datejust has become the definitive everyday casual option, and with its combination of refinement and rugged construction, it’s easy to see why. The Datejust 41, in steel, brings the classic up to a modern size and adds a next-generation movement to the Rolex mix. $9300 Oris Divers Sixty-Five I know what you’re thinking — a dive watch as an everyday dress piece? Madness, right? Hear us out. Oris’ heritage diver is far from chunky, and in this silver dial with a suede strap it’s far more elegant than action. $2800 Nomos Metro neomatik…
Editor’s note: Time to Move saw some new dial variants of the Omega Globemaster Annual Calendar, with a chic black dial. And while we only saw these watches in passing, it reminded us of what an interesting, underrated and divisive (yes, all at once) watch it is. So, this is our review of the original, from back in the day … Story in a second Omega adds an extra hand, two millimetres and a whole lot of text to their Constellation-inspired Globemaster. The Globemaster was one of the breakthrough watches of 2015, and it would have been naive to think that Omega wouldn’t extend the collection. And, while predicting a calendar version would have been a pretty safe bet, no one expected it to look quite like this. Given that the collection will be hitting Australian shores soon, we thought it was time to take a closer look at the Omega Globemaster Annual Calendar. The dial When I saw the press images of this watch I was worried that Omega had taken one of the most handsome, heritage-inspired designs of 2015 and ruined it with wordplay. After all, there’s a whopping 21 words, albeit abbreviated words, on that dial. But in the…
Not everybody can afford the big guns: Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Lange & Söhne, Breguet … These brands are, for many of us, a little out of reach (unfortunately). But that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate them from afar. Nor does it mean that we can’t find watches within our grasp that offer enough bang for their buck to earn the approval of even the snobbiest of watch snobs (well, okay, maybe not the snobbiest). Not all of the brands on this list of the best budget watch brands look a lot like any of the watches produced by the haute horlogerie houses mentioned above, but that’s not the point. As the modern adage says, “Game recognise game”, and the brands below have really played a blinder in their respective price brackets. Undone Although not everyone’s cup of tea, the refreshing directness of Undone’s operation gets them on this list. This brand excels at taking classic forms and sprucing them up for a contemporary audience, while charging the kind of amount you might expect to pay for a buckle from one of the big Swiss brands. Also – and this is a big plus – Undone doesn’t seem…
Editor’s note: At SIHH 2017 I had the chance to chat with James Marsden, an IWC ambassador. At that time, I was fairly obsessed with Westworld. I was seeing a fair bit of James Marsden in my living room. Now, it’s happening again. This time, he’s a rich guy with fairly elastic morals in Dead To Me. It’s excellent, and so is he. It reminded me of this story, and how, in a refreshing change of pace from many brand ambassadors, it turns out Marsden’s watch knowledge is A+. Read on for more … One of the last people I saw before I left Australia for SIHH in January was James Marsden. He was on television, in dusty dungarees, with a vest, boots and a cowboy hat. His face was etched with pain. He’d just been shot by Ed Harris. Again. The television show is Westworld, the character is Teddy, and my wife and I remain obsessed with both. We’d binged our way through the first season in a matter of days, and then, a 27-hour flight and a broken night of sleep later, there I was with that very same character (Teddy) in real life. Reassuringly for you, dear reader, my interview questions extend well…
Increasingly, I’m finding myself drawn to watches that are understated, unassuming expressions of classical perfection. Which goes a long way to explaining why I was so into the Blancpain Villeret Extra Flat. This is an exquisitely simple watch. Two hands, no date and a manually wound movement. A pure expression of classical watchmaking if ever I saw one. It’s also very classic in its proportions – the steel (also offered in gold) case is 40mm across by a svelte 7.4mm thin — truly deserving of that extra flat name. But just because it’s pared back the essentials, that doesn’t mean that Blancpain has sacrificed style or technical know-how. The look is instantly Villeret, with applied, stylised Roman numerals, leaf-shaped hands and that double-stepped bezel. Very Blancpain. The mechanics are impressive too. For all that it’s slender, the manufacture 11A4B doesn’t sacrifice on performance, offering 4 days of wind off two barrels, which allow for a consistent energy pulse, resulting in greater accuracy at low power. In a nod to user-friendliness there’s also a power reserve indicator discreetly displayed on the sapphire caseback. The Blancpain Villeret Extra Flat 6605 doesn’t aim to raise eyebrows in terms of ‘novelty’ factor, but it…