LIST: Felix’s top 3 picks under $10k from SIHH 2019
Look, I’m going to be honest with you. Believe it or not, SIHH doesn’t have a whole lot on offer in the sub $10,000 category. It’s a sweet spot for one or two of the brands, and a handful of others have one or two watches that fit the bill. But even given the fact that there are not too many watches to choose from, I found this a hard trio to settle on. But in the end I settled on three stunners. The IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Spitfire I mean, just look at this thing. Pure, purpose-built perfection. Aside from the clean design and fabric strap, the 39mm case and new in-house movement seal the deal. The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere LE The Geosphere is already a pretty wild watch, with those twin hemispheres and that compass bezel. I think it looks even better in green, which provides a perfect complementary contrast (is that even a thing?) to the bronze case. Bravo, Montblanc. The Ulysse Nardin Diver While freaks and underwater love was all the rage at Ulysse Nardin, I found myself falling for a different kind of diver. This 42mm chunk of steel on sailcloth. It’s got just the…
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To atone for our tardy 2018 Top 10 lists, and to prove we haven’t just spent a week in Geneva looking backwards, we’re moving quickly on now to what has been the work at hand the last five days – reporting on the first major watch fair of the year, something we call SIHH, or Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. As usual, we have handled hundreds and hundreds of brand new watches. But slightly different to usual, instead of spending all of our time in Geneva bashing away on laptops in the evenings or in the 5-minute spaces between presentations, we dragged our cameraman Marcus around with us literally everywhere and – given a moment – we would quickly recap our picks. They are ordered by price (Australian dollars, by the way), because that seems to work best for you all. So, consider this a serious shout of ‘FORE!’ on the golf course. We have a veritable hail of videos of our picks incoming — it’s almost like you’re about to live the fair in its entirety, just a few days after the fact. The structure is this: Felix and I weigh in separately on our top three picks in three…
This year there’s a BIG twist with our video lists, which will start rolling in over the next week – we’re inviting you to share your picks in each price point in the comments section of YouTube. The commenter with the most likes on their SIHH 2019 list on 1 July 2019 will receive something that we do not offer for sale; a Time+Tide lapel pin handcrafted by an Australian ex-Rolex watchmaker in sterling silver (with an alloy of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper to allow for some patina action as they age), acid-etched and polished. This pin is a living thing – ours have aged differently, they become unique very quickly. These were created for the Time+Tide team only. They will never grace the T+T shop. But seven of them are going out to the kings of the list-makers across these videos. OK, I’M READY TO LIST. HOW DO I GET INVOLVED? Excellent, let’s get down to it, because assembly IS required. Simply research all of the releases of SIHH 2019 (haha, simply, welcome to our world), break them down by price points of up to $10kAUD, $10-35kAUD and $35kAUD+ and then round it off with your three favourite high…
Yes, I know it’s mid Jan, and the traditional time for a summary top ten listicle is late December. But you know what I’ve always said? Better late than never. So, here we are, knee-deep in the best watches of SIHH and Andrew and I are engaging in some 2018 reflection. But really, though, these watches are so good that they manage to transcend the amorphous concept of short-lived “novelty” and deserve to be celebrated beyond their initial marketing period. At least that’s how I’m justifying it to myself. So, from Chanel to Omega, sit back and enjoy the ride …
Over the last few years, Ulysse Nardin has been greatly expanding its Freak family (a smart move say I), and the latest member is the Freak X, which joins the Freak Out and Freak Vision. Now, before we break down this watch, a quick word about X, which is serving as something of a thematic moniker for the brand this year. It’s a good theme, evoking everything from mystery to gravity to (depending on how many Xs you use) eroticism. All things Ulysse Nardin is quite adept to translating into watch form. Though I can’t help but wonder if UN CEO Patrick Pruniaux is borrowing a trick from his former colleagues at Apple here. Either way, it works. So, the Freak X. This watch is something interesting, and if you’ve been following the evolution of the Freak recently, somewhat expected. It’s something of a hybrid watch — a pared-back Freak if you will. The trademark carousel time-telling escapement (with silicon balance wheel) is still there, but it’s now a module on top of Ulysse Nardin’s UN-118 movement. But it’s more simple in execution than its siblings: there’s less gear and wheel action going on, and there’s a crown where you’d…
Those who know Champs know that he has a special affinity for Audemars Piguet. And like many others, that fondness for the Swiss manufacturer began with nothing more than a few pictures found online – like the proverbial pin-up posted on our bedroom walls. A few years later, an innocent trip to Baselworld led to an incredible visit to the AP factory and it wasn’t long before he returned to pick up his Royal Oak 15400 with boutique blue dial. Still the fire burned. And soon after he was back at the birthplace of the original luxury sports watch; only this time, it was to pick up this one, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 15202. When did you first see/hear about it? I first heard about it back in 2012, when it was relaunched for the 40th anniversary of the Royal Oak. I had been daydreaming about it ever since, but sadly, I couldn’t afford it yet. Any story behind the purchase? When I went to Baselworld in March 2017, I had the privilege of meeting the CFO of AP and other AP associates. We got along so well that I’ve stayed in touch with them, and every time I have been to…
I like to imagine this time of year as an Advent calendar for watch lovers, with pre-release announcements being dropped each and every day as the countdown to SIHH 2019 ticks ever closer. Today’s delectable delight comes courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre, and not only is it new, it’s also blue, and delivers an impressively novel take on one of their classics. Say hello to the Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel. Since its beginnings in the famed Vallée de Joux, Jaeger-LeCoultre have been driven by precision. A search for accuracy that has seen the brand develop more than 1200 calibres and earned it the honourable title of “the watchmaker of watchmakers” – with many of JLC’s high-end valley neighbours calling on the manufacturer to help supply them with movements. The brand-new Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel not only displays that generations-old technical know-how but also highlights some of the Maison’s other in-house métiers, namely, their incredibly skilled handcrafts of guillochage and enamelling. Limited to 100 pieces worldwide, each dial is meticulously crafted by hand, with patience being not just a virtue but an absolute necessity during the entire manufacturing process. Culminating in a stunning combination of a captivating shade of intense blue…
This is among my favourite days of the year. When, from the relative peace and quiet of the gap between Christmas and New Year, there’s a chance to look back at another 12 months of Time+Tide. 2018 was our biggest year yet, in every sense — traffic, travel, trips to the post office to mail out magazines, as well as more trolls and gladiators than ever before; it all escalated quickly. It was awesome. These are my favourite four stories of the year. Russell Crowe tells us all the watch stories I didn’t know what ‘AMSR’ was until this video. I was telling people about the odd, extremely enjoyable feeling that Russell Crowe’s voice caused me. Shivers. Goosebumps. “That’s AMSR,” someone said, before expanding. “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.” So, in addition to the content itself — a detailed breakdown of the how, who, where and why of many of Rusty’s watches — there’s also the sheer listening pleasure of his delivery. This story, too, was another high-water mark for us. Where did the big guy, and his auction house, go to reach Australia’s watch buyers and collectors? Where else but Felix Scholz and T+T; a job well done by the…
What a year it’s been! I attended my first Baselworld, reviewed more watches than ever, and wrote more words about these tiny mechanical machines than I had in all the years before combined. So, when Felix asked me to pick my favourite stories of 2018, I had a lot to reflect on. Lucky for me, though, there were a few that stood out. Here are five of my faves. LIST: 11 of the greatest Grand Seikos – and why they matter Totes don’t mean to seem egotistical, as this list was one that I actually penned, but honestly, any day spent researching and writing about Grand Seiko is a day well spent in my books. I still can’t believe I get paid to write about this stuff. INSIGHT: The value in time – what separates fine from very fine watchmaking Some of the words we use when we write our reviews aren’t always self-explanatory, and if you’re only just getting into watches, things can get a little confusing — and fast! Here, Justin makes it easier and explains some of the finer points in watchmaking while dropping a knowledge-bomb on just what separates the best from the rest. I’m not ashamed…