LIST: 6 watch appropriate gifts you can still get in time for Father’s Day in Australia
Father’s Day. It’s one of those quasi-holidays that has a nasty habit of sneaking up on you. And worse, one that has unclear expectations in the gifting department. We’re pretty sure socks and jocks sit on the inadequate side of the ledger, but what constitutes a cracking pressie for dad is a trickier nut to crack. Wine is always a low-effort, high-yield option, scalable to any budget. But it lacks creativity. Now, if your old man is partial to the odd watch (perhaps he’s even subtly – or maybe not so subtly – shared this article) we would humbly suggest that some variety of horological paraphernalia would be well in order. Only one problem: Father’s Day is on Sunday, and you’ve left your run a little late. But, as always, we’re here to help. Here’s six solid options for the watch dad in your life. And the best thing? They’re all Australian sellers, meaning that you might make it for Sunday if you order right now. Something different in the strap department? A new watch is a big call for Father’s Day (save that for a milestone birthday), but a new strap is the next best thing. Mix it up with…
The post LIST: 6 watch appropriate gifts you can still get in time for Father’s Day in Australia appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Editor’s Note: Look, it’s not the first time anyone has thought of combining watches with whisky. It is, however, surely the first time an Italian barman in Ginza, Tokyo did the matching. It was the kind of performance the hashtag #nailedit was created for. Consider for a moment that two Aussie guys dropped in to the Bulgari Tower out of nowhere, set him a bizarre task in front of some Bulgari top brass, and started rolling the tape. If you watch one watch-related video today, make it this one. We can’t get over it, or Pietro, and it’s been two years. So good. So intense. So spicy. We’re really going to have to do this again soon, Bulgari. If you want to skip my intro and get to the good stuff, drop in at 0:55. **Video may contain traces of day-drinking** Believe it or not, this idea was conceived during business hours, in complete sobriety. We had arrived at the Bulgari Tower in Ginza, Tokyo, and taken an elevator up to the bar on the top level. Our eyes were rolling back in our heads at the bar selection. The barman, Pietro, offered us a drink, but the hour hand on…
You don’t need to sell us on Patek’s 5711/1A. It’s the Nautilus. In fact, you might go so far as to say it’s the steel sports watch. The case, the dial — that bracelet. Heck, even the date. It all works. The only bad thing about it? Unless you’re seriously connected, you can’t just walk into your local AD, drop the $32,300 AUD and walk out with it on your wrist. You need to wait. And, I think we can all agree that waiting sucks. So don’t. Here are five excellent options to scratch that itch a whole lot quicker. Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar It might not be a Genta-designed icon, but Glashütte’s latest is a traditionally styled perpetual calendar with a thoroughly modern movement and an excellent price. Yes, please. $30,200 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in yellow gold on Oysterflex The steel Daytona is even harder to score than the Nautilus, but the latest yellow gold version on a sporty Oysterflex? Far more achievable. Plus it’s an awesomely fresh take on an old favourite. $34,900 A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin 40mm Look. We know it’s kind of the polar opposite to the Patek, looks wise, but it…
Like many story ideas we brainstorm together on a Monday morning, ‘end-of-the-world watches’ seemed to be a winner at the time. But now that we’re at the end-of-the-week, that mushroom cloud image makes us cringe. It’s all just become a tad too real. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought a lot about our Guam followers this week. And, for that matter, our Seoul buddies, not to mention the northern reaches of Australia that could also be affected by nuclear fallout. Not comedic at all, really. The good news story though is that while about 10% of commenters on the question – what would you wear on your wrist at the end of days? – made the fairly reasonable point that they would have other things on their mind, the rest were happy to play along and list their apocalypse-ready wrist wear. So, in a themed Friday Wind Down, we’re picking out the lightest, most lol-worthy responses to a post that was never intended to cause any kind of existential malaise. No matter where you are, please charge your glass and hug your loved ones a little tighter. Right after you’ve enjoyed these stirling suggestions, all pulled from our Instagram. To see and join the conversation still raging…
Earlier this week we showed you Franck Muller’s Skeleton Tourbillon, a sculptural wonder that let the movement shine. Today we’ve got a different take on the tourbillon: the Jumping Hours Tourbillon, which is just as stunning, even if it’s a little less revealing to the casual observer. The first thing you might notice about this watch (OK, the second, after you’ve finished gazing in wonder at the hand-engraved 60-second tourbillon) is that it appears to be missing a hand. The sinewy blued steel minutes are there, but what about the hour? And for that matter, where are the hour markers? The exploded Arabic numerals on the stamped sunray dial display the minutes. Well, the hours are there, displayed in the aperture between Franck Muller and Geneve on the dial. As far as they go, jump hour complications are fairly uncommon, perhaps because the unconventional time display tends to be polarising. I do think Franck Muller missed an opportunity to make their jump hour stand out — the square white disc with plain printed numbers is a dissonant note. I would have liked more, especially on a watch at this level. Turn the heavy platinum case over and you’re met with…
Until its relaunch earlier this year, the IWC Da Vinci collection was sometimes overlooked, and unfairly so, as it has housed several “firsts” for the company. First introduced in 1969, it was the first watch from the Schaffhausen manufacturer to feature a quartz movement – the famous Beta 21 – which was the product of a collaboration between 21 of the top Swiss houses, including Omega and Patek Philippe. Then, in 1985 the collection was given new life with the release of the awe-inspiring Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar (ref. 3750). Equipped with a perpetual calendar module developed by IWC’s renowned master watchmaker, Kurt Klaus – which was installed on a heavily modified Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement – it was the first perpetual calendar movement on which all complications could be set using only the crown. This year, as well as returning to the round case with articulated lugs design of the 1980s, IWC has released a faithful tribute to the iconic ref. 3750 – the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph – which, in another first for the manufacturer, combines the chronograph hours and minutes counters, and a moon-phase complication on a single subdial at 12 o’clock. To achieve this, the engineers at…
I don’t want to get all KPI on you, but image selection is something that I spend a lot of my time working on. Of the dozens of shots of any given watch that one of our photographers take, only a handful make the final cut. That’s not because the shots are out of focus or poorly lit, but because we strive to hit the right balance between written and visual information, and both elements are complementary and essential. Typically on this sort of review, I’ll end up running with four or five images. Today I’ve we’re at 12, more than double what we’d usually publish. Not just because they’re stunning, drool-worthy pictures (they are), but because they tell a story about the watch, showing the form and quality in a way that a written description of the specifications cannot quite compete with. But that’s not to say I won’t try. Just in case the tell-tale Curvex shape and the name on the dial didn’t give it away, you’re looking at Franck Muller’s Cintrée Curvex Skeleton Tourbillon, a mighty 39.5mm wide by 55.3mm long white gold case, polished to a mirror like finish, with the thick, domed sapphire case seamlessly integrated…
Angus is well known to Sydneysiders as part of a family-run business, AHW Studio, nestled in The Rocks, Sydney. AHW Studio collects, researches and upcycles obsolete and forgotten timepieces into wearable art — think cufflinks or a signet-ring with a difference. So if you’re looking to buy a gift for ‘the watch lover who has everything’, this is the account for you. NAME: Angus Zhao OCCUPATION: Horological jewellery maker HANDLE: @AHWStudio FOLLOWERS: 5.5k LOCATION: The Rocks, Sydney, Australia How do you unwind? In a way, I don’t necessarily ‘unwind’ (though that’s a good pun), because work is play and play is everything else. It all loops back in on itself. I’d go home and read up on some horological history or edit photographs. For the other side of this, small road-trips and drives, I really enjoy. To be able to soak up your own city and take photographs. What’s your daily watch and why? For me, a watch should be wearable and suitable, and more importantly – historically, culturally, or socially significant. As much as the notion of watches these days has transcended, they should still be doing what they were made to do all those years ago, with the right care.…
When it was originally conceived, the tourbillon was a technical solution to a specific problem — the impact of gravity on the accuracy of a pocket watch’s movement. These days the whirling cage of finely finished metal represents something else. For brands, it’s a bravura statement of prowess. For watch lovers, it’s typically the crowning piece in a collection, the finest point in fine watchmaking. If we’re honest, the appeal of the tourbillon is only partially due to an appreciation of the watchmaker’s art. There’s also an element of conspicuous consumption to wearing a tourbillon. Dress it up however you like — wearing a watch with a dial-facing tourbillon is a pretty powerful statement. Dig a little deeper into the complication and you’ll discover that not all tourbillons are created equal. TAG Heuer’s vaunted $20k Heuer-02T is CNC printed, and many other brands rely on outsourced, third-party movements. Ulysse Nardin’s Marine Tourbillon avoids these pitfalls and manages to offer one of the most compelling value propositions of 2017. Before we get to the movement, let’s talk about the watch as a whole. The 43mm steel case has modern touches, like the angular, integrated lugs, squared-off crown guard and rubber inset…