This Bulgari is the anti-gold gold watch
Editor’s note: It’s slender, but it weighs a lot. It’s gold, but it doesn’t look like it. I just can’t get the Bulgari Octo Finissimo in rose gold out of my head. And that’s even factoring in the epic new black ceramic version we saw at Basel. Seriously, will someone spot me $60K? The story in a second: Bulgari’s latest take on the Octo Finissimo Automatic is the anti-gold gold watch. How about a riddle to start your day off right? When is a gold watch not a gold watch? When it’s Bulgari’s darling, the Octo Finissimo Automatic, in rose gold. Now, obviously it’s a gold watch, but it looks and wears like no other gold watch I’ve ever had the pleasure of wearing. The case While the movement and other elements of habillage are important to this watch, really, it’s about the case (and bracelet — more on that shortly). The design, the material, the treatment. All of it really. Let’s start with the familiar. The Octo Finissimo case itself is a pretty well-known quantity by now. It’s a much thinner (5.15mm to be precise) version of the regular Octo, which is an evolution of Genta’s original design. The Octo Finissimo…
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Watch lovers don’t need to be told that great things take time. And that’s certainly been the case leading up to this moment. As readers of our NOW magazine know, last year we had a little dalliance with the brand that used to inhabit our HQ space, and now lives next door. Royal Enfield. Basically, we had a few beers one afternoon and found some matt black, lightly modded common ground between watches and vintage-inspired bikes. Shortly after, we started work with them on a project that had sheer, exuberant fun as its intention. A Time+Tide motorcycle. We wanted it in the Bobber style, first made popular in the golden age of the wristwatch, the 1950s. We worked with Australian Royal Enfield Dealer Mid Life Cycles to mod it just how we liked, with a leather solo saddle, a mean matt black Moto Wings Performance exhaust and custom bar-end mirrors to complement the low, retro style of the timeless, ever-badass Royal Enfield Classic 500. Today, we are excited to announce that the very bike we conceived of could be yours. So, let’s get to it. How do you win it? You must first be Australian (Bronx cheers here, I know,…
The Mark XI was the first watch that really got me ‘into’ watches, and it has endured over the decades as an icon of good, utilitarian design. Its influence has been very visible in IWC’s Pilot’s family over the years, but this watch, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Spitfire, might be the closest we’ve seen IWC come in a long time to hitting that mark in a regular production model (sorry about the pun, I couldn’t help it). There are three main reasons why this watch is so great: the dial, the case and the movement. All these elements add up to create a watch that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Let’s break it down. The dial IWC has done a great job with the dial here; it’s a really nice blend of clarity and heritage. All the classic hallmarks are there: crisp white Arabic numerals, surrounded by a minute track with larger hash markers at five-minute intervals. The signature triangle and double dot at 12, along with the cardinal hours, all in a faded, cream-coloured lume, which sits on the right side of the line between vintage-inspired and overbaked. The hands, in the characteristic Spitfire sword…
Editor’s note: A good, interesting watch isn’t determined by the name on the dial or the number on the price tag. This piece from Cameron Wong (originally posted last year) proves the point. Five solid, wallet-friendly choices with personality — and usually — a real person behind them. What’s not to love about microbrand watches? What I love about the microbrand watch companies is that they’re run by guys and gals like you and me. The kind of people that appreciate watches, and find excitement in a unique dial or case design while getting a buzz out of a new complication or movement. That’s not to say that the bigger brands aren’t equally as passionate. In fact, some of the most enthusiastic folk I’ve met are in charge of the biggest names in the business. It’s just that seeing someone who’s just like me start up a watch company and design the type of watch that they’d love to wear is inspiring. And when they can offer that sort of passion and enthusiasm for less than $500, it’s all the sweeter. Dan Henry 1964 Gran Turismo Chronograph Dan Henry is one of the lucky and passionate individuals who turned his…
Geneva watch auction season is rolling around again, and one of the stars of the show is this watch, a 1989 Rolex Daytona in gold. It’s being auctioned by Phillips, at their Geneva Watch Auction: Nine, on May 11 and 12. From the dial side, it seems to be a stock standard reference 16528; in good condition, sure, but nothing super special. Turn it over and it all begins to make sense. “A Angelo da Ayrton 1978 [From Angelo to Ayrton]” This watch was a gift from Ayrton Senna, one of Formula 1’s most gifted racers, a man who died tragically on the track in 1994. It was given to Angelo Parrilla, the man credited with ‘discovering’ Ayrton in the karting scene and mentoring him in his early career. And, unlike many relationships in the turbulent world of racing, the friendship between Senna and Parrilla remained strong. Senna gifted this watch around 1990, when he was at the top of his game (he won world championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991), and it’s a first-generation automatic Daytona in gold, using an El Primero base movement. In addition to all the paperwork you would expect of a watch at this level,…
Editor’s note: The other week I met up with a globetrotting friend from the internet (it happens more often than you might suspect), and on his wrist was the Tudor Black Bay GMT. It looked great, and more than that, old mate actually wore it travelling (as opposed to his vintage Rolex GMT), because it could: (a) handle the rigours of the road, and (b) he wasn’t constantly paranoid about scratching it. And really, isn’t the best travel watch the one you actually travel with? Since their dramatic reboot in 2012, Tudor has continually upped the game. From the original Black Bay, to the development of in-house movements, new case materials, and complications like the chronograph, every year brings a new surprise. Based on this track record, I’m always excited to see what Tudor will do next with the Black Bay, not least because of the element of brinkmanship at play. Well, this year Tudor outdid themselves once again with the Heritage Black Bay GMT. It’s a hot watch. Not just because of its obvious good looks — I mean, just look at that bezel — it’s also an extremely high-quality offering, which can be said for all Tudor’s pieces,…
Worldtimers — which allow you to, at a glance, quickly determine the time anywhere across the globe — aren’t the most common complications. And typically, this level of mechanical wizardry comes at a cost. Typically. This handsome fella, the C1 Grand Malvern Worldtimer from UK-based outfit Christopher Ward, bucks the trend. Before we delve into the details, it’s worth a quick recap of the major types of travel watches. A GMT or dual time watch is simple enough — displaying a second time zone in either 24 or 12 hour time respectively (if the latter, you typically get a day/night indicator as well). And then there’s worldtimers, which rock 24-hour display AND a city disc to help make international travel and telephony a cinch. This system was initially developed in the 1930s by Louis Cottier, and is a complication with quite a prestigious pedigree. And then there are watches that have the city ring, but only show two time zones (but often allows you to quickly adjust them): Glashütte Original and Nomos spring to mind here. So that’s the potted history of worldtimers, so now let’s have a closer look at the Christopher Ward C1 Grand Malvern Worldtimer. As you can see,…
If you head on over to the TAG Heuer website and click on the Carrera collection, you will see a lot of watches (in Australia there are more than 200 individual models on offer). To say you’re spoiled for choice is an understatement. If you delve a little deeper, you’ll quickly discover that while these TAG Heuer Carreras all have the same family name, there’s some serious diversity going on in the looks department. From large modern sports pieces to more slender time-only options, the Carrera really is a broad church. So, in an effort to help you out, we’ve put together a quick comparison of three popular models. Watch it now, and if you want more detail, check out our more detailed reviews, below. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Every time I wore it and looked down at my wrist, I smiled. But, by the same token, I wasn’t constantly conscious of wearing it, which is a win for me. Read our full review of the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph here. TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 As a complete package, the Carrera Heuer 01 is the business. Read our full review of the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer…
The Defy is playing an increasingly important role in Zenith’s lineup — offering a modern alternative to the Pilot’s line that has dominated the discussion for so long. And there’s a lot to like about it — modern style with a hint of retro flavour. And while the Defy spans the spectrum from accessible to ultra high-end, the watch we’re looking at today — the Zenith Defy El Primero 21 — sits neatly in the middle, adding a quintessentially Zenith complication to the sporty 44mm package. That complication is, of course, the chronograph — and not just any chrono, but the mighty El Primero. Only here it’s the El Primero on steroids — the El Primero 21. The party trick here is the fact that the chronograph is packing two escapements, one for the timekeeping, and one for the chronograph. The real kicker is the beat rate for the chronograph escapement — 360,000 vph. This means that the central hand doesn’t make a full rotation every minute, but every second (that’s 1/100th of a second accuracy). It’s a whirling, mad thing to look at, and super cool. It’s also something of an energy hog, as you might expect, which leads…
Editor’s note: There are few things I love more than a good hypothetical, and this is a doozy. The rules? $20,000 to spend ONLY on watches that you don’t already own. It’s a surprisingly tricky challenge and, when done right, really makes you hone down what you want in watches. Also, it’s a small enough amount that it prevents any super pie-in-the-sky choices, and keeps things vaguely achievable. This is what the team came up with last year … Late last week, Dan innocently asked a question: “Hey, what watches would you get for $20k?” Let’s just say it opened a can of worms as well as some fast and furious debate. So, in the name of science, posterity and good old-fashioned entertainment, I decided to formalise this challenge. The rules? You have a budget of $20,000 AUD to fill up your fantasy watch box. You can buy as many or as few watches as you like, but you have to spend as close to the budget as possible. Pricing is retail, or market value if the watch is discontinued. And the final kicker? You can’t choose any watches you currently own … because where’s the fun in that? Cam’s awesome…