INTRODUCING: Grace in the skies and now on the land – Breitling’s Premier Collection
In case you’ve been living under a rock this past year and a bit, ever since industry great Georges Kern took hold of the reins at Breitling, the big, bold brand of the skies has undergone a serious streamlining. Finding inspiration in their past and releasing focused collections that encompass four separate categories: air, sea, land, and professional. The latest addition to the revamped catalogue is the land-based Premier Collection, which not only reflects the design of Breitling’s first truly elegant watch – released in the 1940s – but also takes on its name. Home to four models, plus one special Breitling for Bentley chronograph, the collection starts with a duo of simple yet debonair three-handers. The Premier Automatic 40, a time-only model with small seconds subdial, and the Premier Automatic Day & Date 40, a slightly more complicated model with central seconds and a day/date display. Both feature 40mm cases and a water-resistance of 100 metres. Naturally, there’s also a pair of chronographs, with one powered by the brand’s impressive B01 column wheel chronograph movement and the other containing the venerable Valjoux 7750. While both use very similarly sized 42mm cases – varying only slightly in their thickness –…
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Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the supersonic aircraft, Concorde, Bremont have just released a trio of limited-edition models that not only pay homage but also incorporate a small piece of the iconic passenger jet in each case. Growing up, I remember being in absolute awe of the Concorde. With its air-piercing design and droop-down nose section – tilting down during take-offs and landings so the pilots could see the runway – and its way pushed back ogee-shaped wings that made it look like it was already moving at twice the speed of sound before it even left the hangar. Ten-year-old me would have given anything to be a passenger on just one sound-barrier-breaking transatlantic flight – hell, even now, 30-something-year-old me would do some bad things. The days of the Concorde were numbered, however, and British Airways retired its supersonic fleet on October 24, 2003, with the final worldwide flight taking place on November 26, 2003 – 34 years after it first took to the skies in 1969. Partnering with British Airways, aluminium from Alpha Bravo – the G-BOAB Concorde, which is in storage at Heathrow Airport – has been machined into a ring that sits just below the Bremont…
Editor’s note: The worlds of watches and cars have long been intertwined. Sharing countless similarities in their design and engineering, not to mention many and varied brand partnerships. It’s a match made in mechanical heaven. Here, Felix and Time+Tide friend, Ben, take us through five car and watch pairings with money-making potential. Whenever long-term friend (and sometime contributor) to T+T Ben Zachariah drops into the office, talk quickly turns to the fact that in every car guy there’s a watch guy waiting to get out (and vice versa). Because although Ben is very much into the horological, he’s even more into the automotive; unsurprising, given that he’s the man behind car investment firm Harris & Silverman. And with watch brands targeting their classic car tie-ins more aggressively than ever before — as well as a certain Daytona hitting the block — our chats about these two intersecting interests have taken more of a speculative edge. With the big names, like Porsche and Rolex, already commanding hefty premiums, we started thinking about the ‘next big things’. So, we set a challenge: Ben would come up with five cars, from the ’70s to today, that he believes have solid investment potential, and I’d come…
Editor’s note: Well, it’s October, so it’s fair to say that the year is — like the mainspring of a watch left on the bedside table for most of the weekend — slowly winding down. And for watch-loving folks, this means three things: One, we can start reviewing the year that was. Two, watches released this year are *theoretically* now available, though that’s not exactly the case with Rolex these days. And three, we can start hoping and dreaming about 2019. So, what better time to share our favourite Rolex releases. What a time to be alive! Cola was the hot topic leading up to Baselworld 2018 when it came to speculation about new Rolex releases. Would the Big Crown twist the lid off a new ‘Coke’, a two-colour red and black Cerachrom bezel GMT-Master II model, or rather open a cold can of Pepsi, referring to the two-colour red and blue Cerachrom bezel GMT-Master II? The fact that it was the latter was not a surprise as much as the fact that it was in stainless steel, or ‘Oystersteel’, as 904L steel is to be known henceforth. The new generation Jubilee bracelet choice, as well as a new movement — the 3285, extending…
It’s a tale as old as time: Chad meets watches, Chad meets Seiko, Chad meets Instagram, and the rest is, as we say, history. In his own words, Chad tells us his story of buying vintage for the first time, and why he chose the Seiko 6105. When did you first see/hear about it? I first learned about the Seiko 6105 shortly after becoming interested in watch collecting about 12 years ago. One of my entry watches was the Seiko SKX007. I quickly became curious about other Seiko models and learned that Seiko had a rich history of dive watches. Online forums, like Watchuseek, had many threads that traced the lineage of Seiko dive watches from the legendary 62MAS, released in 1965, up to modern day. I basically fell in love with all of them, but the 6105 really caught my eye. Made from 1970-1977, the 6105 came in two versions: one with a slim case, and one with the more recognisable cushion case. The latter was the one that spoke to me. The shape of the case was so unique and alluring. It somehow looked elegant and rugged at the same time, like a UFO that would be at…
The end of the year is fast approaching, and it’s about this time that the questions begin. “Hey Cam, what watches do you think we’ll see next year?” And although I’m not one to usually speculate – mainly because the watch industry is an infamously secretive place and I hate being proved wrong – by looking back at the past few years, it’s easier to paint a picture of the future by exploring the themes and trends we can expect to see continue and emerge when the new-release season begins. More green Without a doubt, one of the biggest trends of the last few years is a blue-coloured dial. And while the use of the accommodating shade shows no sign of slowing, its greener offspring has begun to make itself known in the industry. Green may not be quite as adaptable as blue, but there’s still plenty of versatility to the colour. From sober dark hues to iridescent stunners. More serious watchmaking from non-watchmaking houses “Fashion watch” was once a pair of dirty words in the time-telling industry. Not anymore however, with couture brands like Bulgari, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès introducing some straight horological fire the past few years.…
Editor’s note: More and more men are opting for tailored suits and a properly fitted outfit. Harking back to the days of style, when refinement and elegance were elements that defined a man. And as most watch fans know, no suit is complete without an accompanying piece of fine wrist wear. So before you step in for your next custom measure, it’s worth considering what will be strapped to your wrist. Perhaps Cartier’s charmingly romantic Drive de Cartier Moon Phases? In our recently published interview, Arnaud Carrez, Cartier’s Head of Marketing and Communications, said the Drive represented a different kind of masculinity, one that wasn’t defined by “muscles, sport, achievement, performance”, but by “elegance, and style, and refinement”. Looking at the Drive de Cartier Moon Phases, you can see what he means. It’s a confident watch that takes the dressy Drive design and, by adding the eternally romantic moon phase at six, elevates it to the next level of elegance. Introduced at SIHH in stainless steel and pink gold, the Drive Moon Phases took a bit of a back seat to the critically acclaimed Extra Flat, but for me the Moon Phases is the perfect embodiment of what Drive is all about. In gold,…
Around these horological parts, we really love a good four-letter acronym – SIHH, GPHG, COSC … I think you get the idea. In fact, have a conversation with any random watch enthusiast, and chances are that at least one of these terms will come up. However, one that we don’t hear a lot about on this side of the world is SIAR. It stands for Salón Internacional Alta Relojería — the Latin American luxury watch show, which has been held in Mexico City for the past 12 years. Taking place right now, from October 16 to 18, every year sees a convergence of some of the biggest names in the industry, as well as more and more watches dedicated to the Mexican and Latin American markets. And this year is no different, with Zenith releasing a set of exclusive special-editions of their mind-boggling Defy Zero G. In all, there are three different takes of the Zero G, and each one is available in a choice of titanium, yellow gold, or rose gold. They all feature the same 44mm case with a matching bracelet and clasp, and all still house the manually wound El Primero 8812 S calibre, with its 50-hour…
If there’s one thing Bell & Ross love more than aviation, it’s skulls. They have been regularly releasing models adorned with the macabre motif since 2009. However, the two themes aren’t mutually exclusive, with their skull-emblazoned pieces referencing the military airborne units of WWII, who used the Jolly Roger as a not-so-subtle symbol of their ferocity in battle as well as to remind them of their own mortality. This year, Bell & Ross continue the tradition, introducing the very clever and, quite frankly, badass BR 01 Laughing Skull. There’s no doubt about it: if skull watches are your thing then chances are so is wrist presence. And here it’s delivered in spades. With a large 46mm square case decorated by a “Clous de Paris” pattern and inspiring thoughts of cutlasses and daggers with its matt microblasted finish. However, it’s the dial that immediately draws your eye. Resembling 2016’s BR 01 Burning Skull, the literal sword-shaped hands are filled with black Super-LumiNova and lowered slightly to now rest over the centre of the skull’s nasal cavity. There are also now glimpses of something new inside, as the skeletonised stage is set for something truly special. You see, by manually winding the crown, the…