The three things that convinced me to take Bulgari seriously as a watchmaker
It’s not an easy, or necessarily wise, thing to admit, but the first ‘proper’ cologne I ever purchased (with money from my job working at the deli in Coles) was Bulgari. And the first expensive sunglasses I owned? Also Bulgari. It was natural, then, that when I entered the world of haute horology a decade or so ago, my first associations with the brand were not akin to some of the houses who have literally centuries of backstory – and a single product focus – to offer in comparison. I paint this picture, and I tell this personal story, because it shows two things: 1) How far the brand has come since the ’90s. 2) And how utterly transformed my appreciation for Bulgari is some 20-odd years since my first contact. But this newly developed appreciation (read: hot desire in the Finissimo’s case!) is because I’m pretty damn lucky. I get to hold the watches. To meet the people who designed them and feel the passion they have for their work. Attend the ceremonies where they are unveiled and then decorated with awards. So when given the chance to make a video about anything at all on a recent trip…
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Editor’s note: It’s one of the watch world’s perennial favourite questions – what makes a beater? After all, those vintage steel Rolex models were designed to be worn, and worn hard. But then again, they’re very expensive. Justin delves into the issue … What can and can’t be dubbed a ‘Beater Watch’ remains a contentious issue among many. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to let your watch suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and shelter your beloved watch from harm. The ponderings of Hamlet seemed oddly fitting one morning as I awoke to a notification and a Rolex Forum’s link, where it seemed a comment I’d made in a previous story had stirred the pot on the topic of beater/daily wear watches. While it was interesting to see the contrasting replies to the story itself, what proved more fascinating was the distinctly different ways in which people defined the criteria of a beater watch in the first place. Case in point, the words of forum member ‘Burlington’ who stated the following: Big difference to me at least between a daily wearer and an actual beater watch, which will…
One of the most interesting — and important — new watch releases I saw while in Geneva recently wasn’t shown at SIHH at all. Rather, it was presented by TAG Heuer. On the surface the watch is typically TAG Heuer, in look and indeed nomenclature — it’s called the Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph, and has that large, modular case construction that we’re so familiar with by now, along with carbon lugs and bezels that are straight-up cribbed from their recent Carbon capsule collection. The dial texture is a little different, with a hexagonal structure that looks cool and serves as some neat foreshadowing for the Nano part of the equation. There’s also a popping fluoro highlight that looks cool, and is particularly prominent on the tourbillon cage, which is really what this watch is all about. So, a quick bit of watch-engineering 101 — the balance spring, the beating heart of the regulating organ, sets the pace and is fundamental to effective timekeeping. It’s also delicate, sensitive to the effects of pesky outside influences like gravity, magnetism, temperature and the like. Over the centuries, numerous improvements to the spring have been conceived — including the tourbillon itself (which…
When Montblanc gave us a privileged preview of its new Heritage collection in Miami back in October, our gut told us that they had a winner in the salmon-dialled Heritage Pulsograph. Forward three months to SIHH: 36 exhibiting brands and I-don’t-know-how-many-hundreds of new watches later, our opinion is, if anything, stronger than ever. With the Heritage Pulsograph’s immaculately judged balance of good looks, technical content, quality of execution and price, Montblanc has hit the nail on the head. First, let’s talk aesthetics: vintage-inspired watches have been a thing for some years now – and thanks to its head of watches, Davide Cerrato, Montblanc is a shining example of how to do it right. (Cerrato has previous form, as you may know, having harnessed Tudor’s archives to transform it from also-ran to super-cool brand half a decade ago.) At Montblanc, he has the rich archives of Minerva to draw on – and the Heritage Pulsograph is very similar to a 1940s Minerva monopusher chrono. But it’s no slavish copy. We were able to line up both watches together and, on the new model, the lines of the case and lugs are cleaner, the surfaces flatter, giving the whole watch a more contemporary…
One of the most exciting watches of last year was the significantly revamped Omega Seamaster Diver 300M, a modern icon of the brand that managed to sneak into both Andrew’s and my own ‘best of 2018’ lists (so it must be good). Well, the SMP just got a little bit better — Omega has announced a new version, in an oh-so-sexy looking black ceramic case, topped off with a titanium bezel with a matching black ceramic insert. This is a watch case that really works with ceramic: the complex shapes (like those lyre lugs) and mix of brushed and polished surfaces really amp up the ceramic-ness. The crown, escape valve and caseback are all titanium, like the bezel, which adds a little bit of muted contrast to the affair. The strap is rubber, and the buckle ceramic. Even that glossy, wavy dial is ceramic — and — in an exciting move for the purists out there, there’s no date window, ensuring the look is as stealthy as possible. The other interesting news is that this model is a shade larger than last year’s metal offerings; it measures in at 43.5mm. As the name would suggest, it’s rated at 300 metres,…
My last list — a trio of well-priced SIHH offerings — could be neatly broken down into a loose theme of air, sea and land. But this trifecta, covering the much broader $10,000 – $35,000 price bracket, is much less easily pigeon-holed. But if I had to find commonalities I could well go with elegant shapes. The Piaget Polo S A case of a simple change making a big difference, I like this rich green take on the sporty Polo S so much more than I would have expected. It’s an absolute cracker, and a real change in personality from the blue. The Cartier Santos de Cartier Chronograph Next up, from Cartier, the masters of shaped watches, is the new Santos de Cartier Chronograph. This is a bit of a funny pick for me, as chronographs, especially more dressy ones, aren’t typically my bag. But there you go, the combination of beefed-up Santos case (not that it needed beefing) and unusual chronograph system won me over. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds There’s not much new or novel here to win me over. It’s not a new watch, or even a new case. It’s simply a new colour — rich red…
This price bracket is a sweet spot for SIHH and the going gets tough when it comes to picking the standouts. One of the benefits of Felix and I splitting our picks this year is that we can cover more ground. That said, we still maintain our habit of not sharing our choices before we go to air. Sometimes there are brand double-ups, more often not. Regular viewers will know that we take spontaneity very seriously. Collusion is just not an option if it’s at the expense of an authentic moment of shock and/or awe. So, to my choices … Panerai Submersible Carbotech 42mm PAM 000960 The pricing has raised eyebrows, but there have been zero complaints about the imaginative styling and colourway chosen for the next gen of the Carbotech, which expresses itself here with an entirely new handset. The 42mm case size will open this stealthy, stylish watch to a new audience. The IWC Spitfire Timezoner The ingenious ‘timezoner’ complication, which allows you to change time zones with a twist of the bezel, is so simple to read and to use that it’s little wonder IWC purchased another brand — Vogard — to acquire it. The Ulysse Nardin Freak X A…
When Hublot announced its partnership with French contemporary artist Richard Orlinski back in 2017, I guess you could say I was intrigued. Until then, I hadn’t heard of Orlinski or his Pop Art-style beasts. But after seeing his brightly coloured “Wild Kong” gorilla sculpture, with its multiple diamond-like facets, I knew that a Hublot and Orlinski partnership would be a match made in heaven. And it seems the rest of the world thought so too, because following the success of what is now a full-blown collection, Hublot and Richard Orlinski have teamed up once again. This time Orlinski’s trademark multiple facets have gone green. With the 12 facets of the 45mm case and bezel of the Hublot Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski now crafted in microblasted green ceramic, and created by the French artist using a three-dimensional cambering technique. The green ceramic is rich and dark, not as vibrant as red and blue versions. Like most other models in the Hublot Orlinski collection, visible through the display caseback is the HUB1155 skeleton self-winding chronograph movement, with a Hublot signed rotor maintaining a 42-hour power reserve. And a black, smooth rubber strap holds it to the wrist. This latest Hublot and…
Few sports so frequently, and so intensely, show the individual under pressure as Grand Slam tennis singles. Take the case of Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece, who just two days ago defeated the GOAT (fact), Roger Federer. At the end of the first set, a grimly fought 13-11 tiebreak that went against him, he looked gone. Statisticians reeled off the odds from a first-set deficit against the Fed and they all looked beyond bleak. The GOAT doesn’t tend to look back from an early lead. But the young Greek gun had other ideas. He won in four, and won again today, through to a semis berth. For Alex de Minaur, the second youngest player inside the top 100 (at No. 29) and the highest ranked male Australian player, that win is a sign of things to come from the vanguard of young players on the rise. They are hungry. They are committed. And they “wake up every day” wanting to push the top guys, to take it up to them. “They’ve been at the top for long enough,” de Minaur, 19, says. And when he falls short, like de Minaur did recently against Alexander Zverev in an Australia vs Germany Davis…
It’s well known that Omega loves an anniversary, but the one that I’m currently celebrating with them in Bienne is quite significant. This year marks 125 years since the Calibre Omega — a 19-ligne movement that was so significant that, a few years after its debut in 1894, the company changed its name to the Omega Watch Company in 1903, and the rest, as they say, is history. But what made the Calibre so significant that it earned the declarative moniker of Omega — the last letter of the Greek alphabet — and the ‘ultimate’ achievement in watchmaking? Well, this calibre matters because it was innovative — it was awarded a patent for setting and winding via the crown, but more than that it mattered because it was the first serially produced movement, a movement that was not only produced using an industrial production line method, but it also meant that parts were produced very precisely, and thus interchangeable or replaceable. We might take it for granted now, but whenever you drop your watch in for a routine service, you owe a small debt to the Omega Calibre. To celebrate this achievement, Omega has released two very special watches. The…