VIDEO: The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph is a collaboration that makes perfect sense
Collaboration has become the name of the game. Be it in music, fashion or watchmaking, we’ve never seen such a diverse meeting of minds from around the world. But many collaborations leave you scratching your head, especially when two brands that have nothing in common come together to make a product that doesn’t make sense. Those strange and uncomfortably mismatched products serve as a striking contrast to those times when a partnership is, like the cereal, just right. The announcement of the new partnership between TAG Heuer and Porsche feels spot-on, not because they are both successful luxury brands in the 21st century, but because they share a rich history of involvement in motorsports. One that goes all the way back to when the Carrera Panamericana car race first ran in 1950, which makes the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph a natural distillation of this adrenaline-fuelled legacy. Featuring a 44mm stainless-steel case, the Heuer Carrera DNA is clear for all to see while, on the dial side of the watch, the links to motorsports are immediately obvious. Both partners are integrated here in a way that doesn’t seem remotely forced. Both Porsche and Heuer were inspired by the thrillingly dangerous…
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Yessir, the cone of silence surrounding the manufacture of Patek Philippe has lifted twice in a week. The brand are surfing atop of a media wave of their own making. Only last week we reported first on the discontinuation of the already near-impossible to get Nautilus ref. 5711, and in our story here we shared the discreet and wild speculation surrounding a possible 6711 replacement. Now Watchpro reports Patek Philippe sales slumped by 20% in 2020. “2020 was not our best year, but it was okay,” is the leading quote of the story. This is hardly surprising, and probably a better than expected outcome, considering the brand shut down completely for two entire months. The Swiss watch industry at large fared considerably worse, as we reported in our story on a Deloitte report here. Two months equals 16.7% of the year in production, less when we consider Christmas and summer closing, so what can we say? No drop at all. WatchPro report the tone of the announcement as ‘insouciant’, because Patek Philippe has emerged from a pandemic that has shaken most brands to the bone stronger than ever. This is the comment of a President whose company is at the peak…
George Bamford is about as passionate and enthusiastic a member of the watch community as you’ll ever find. His boisterous energy is infectious whether he’s discussing his Ferrari 275 GTB or the Bamford Watch Department x Time+Tide GMT1. And it’s this energy that is set to be the driving force behind his new podcast GB Talks, where George will interview watch experts as part of a deep dive into underappreciated watches of the past. In his first episode, George speaks with journalist, writer, editor, speaker and consultant, Robin Swithinbank on what he considers to be one of the best sleeper watches on the market today – the Omega Seamaster 200 “SHOM”. First released at Baselworld in 1973, the Omega Seamaster 200 “SHOM” ref. 166.177 got its nickname after being used by the Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine, a division of the French Navy. Featuring an aggressively angular case that oozes ’70s style, it immediately reminds you of the more well-known Omega PloProf that spelled the beginning of the brand’s journey into the deepest parts of the ocean. The “SHOM” also helped pave the way for Omega’s close collaboration with the French Marine Nationale and was itself qualified for…
Hublot has always been at the forefront of exploring new materials and colours. Known for their motto “the art of fusion”, Hublot constantly pushes the boundaries in regard to what we all expect a watch to look like – as well as what it is made from. There are few brands, if any, where we could put together such a colourful list of watches. So given that Hublot has basically fabricated the full spectrum of colours, we decided to taste the rainbow in full. For further information on any of the below watches, click on the bolded reference name in blue to be directed to their coverage. Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Orange Sapphire The Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Orange Sapphire is a zesty timepiece that stands out with its bold translucent colour that’s expressed through the orange sapphire case and transparent orange rubber strap. As Thor suggested this timepiece could totally kick scurvy if it were to make a comeback and is a watch that you must (vitamin) see in the metal. It pushes the limits of what we expect from watchmaking both inside and out, with a three-day power reserve automatic tourbillon movement entirely skeltonised for your…
No, not another GMT?! Well, what if we tell you that this is a 39mm piece of vintage-inspired perfection with a goldilocks-sized 38mm case and a slightly wider bezel. And that its colours are as F.R.E.S.H as only the French can make them. If you know Baltic already, you might say that this is a natural move. But Etienne Malec and his design team have still managed to surprise us with the Baltic Aquascaphe GMT. Here we have no less than three sapphire-bezelled pops of zesty wrist goodness that trigger a mix of exaltation and deep sadness in equal measure. Why sadness? Well, a GMT is all about travelling, so at first glance the combination of French flair and a colourful 50s style GMT brought me close to tears for not being able to go to the South of France last year with my family. This watch, in short, is all about going places in style. Luckily, its pitch-perfect time-traveller vibe helped to cheer me up after a few seconds. Because we will travel in 2021 and just imagine dangling your feet off a pier, the water lapping your toes and one of these vintage-infused Aquascaphes on your sun-kissed wrist.…
G-Shock are good at a lot, but there’s one thing they know how to do better than most. Collaborations. That’s right, the humble Casio G-Shock continues to be one of the top everyman’s watches thanks to the unrelenting number of creative collaborations that they produce. Their most recent collaboration might be one of their best yet, in the Casio G-Shock GLX5600 Surf Life Saving Australia edition. Over the last few years we’ve seen collaborations with the likes of Bamford, KITH, Dragon Ball Z, the Gorillaz and even a release inspired by Bruce Lee. But the reason we love the Surf Life Saving Australia edition so much is because it isn’t with a big multinational brand that is famous around the world. It’s a collaboration with a local Australian community not-for-profit who’s mission is to keep our beaches safe. The watch uses the GLX5600 model as its base, but features a completely white case and strap, as well as the iconic yellow and red colours of Surf Life Saving Australia. Even better than the custom colour combination is the swag that the watch arrives with. The Casio G-Shock GLX5600 Surf Life Saving Australia arrives with a special edition towel and dry-bag,…
Editor’s note: We thought that as a reader service, for the inevitable questions that will come, that we’d ask about current availability of the Zenith Chronomaster Sport before publishing this story. The answer from Zenith Australia is that if you’re looking to order the watch today, you’re looking at a four to five month wait. We can’t speak for other regions, so if you’re interested, contact your local AD. Let me just say from the outset, that pictures of a watch are one thing and a watch in the hand is another. I saw this watch in the hand before I ever saw it in a picture. Therefore, my first impressions – which are to be explored properly here – are likely to be very different to yours, particularly if you first became aware of this watch via the laziest meme of 2021 that suggests it has a likeness to a certain high-value Big Crown chronograph and that this somehow discredits it. That is likely to be a statement you’ll walk back from when you’re holding it in real life. That’s not to say you’ll love it. Simply that if you know your watches, and can tell one icon from another,…
Some champions refuse to wear their hard-earned Rolex through staunch working-class pride – like MMA fighter Michael Bisping in our story here. But British boxer Amir Khan is a man of style and hardly shy of wrist. And why not start the “taking care of it for the next generation” sentiment literally by getting your one-year-old son not only one of the best sports chronographs on the market, but a damn good investment to boot, in the form of the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. On point indeed! And judging by the Instagram shot at his account @amirkingkhan, this is none other than the elusive grey dial 40mm white gold version with a retail price of $55,550 AUD. Whether the former light-welterweight world boxing champion had to threaten his AD with his famous right hook, we’ll never know, but to get one of these babies is a seriously difficult task. You can read the full story on Watchpro here, but first I’ll give you my theory as to why this baby boy was so lucky on his first Birthday. You see I’ve got a hunch that Khan, despite his standing in the world of sports, considered the waiting lists for this Daytona…
Whenever I hear a new Grand Seiko is being released, I get all giddy inside. Like a child hoping to find a Nintendo Switch under the tree on Christmas morning, Grand Seiko novelties are highly anticipated by fans worldwide – and fortunately they never disappoint. We recently covered the 60th anniversary limited edition Grand Seiko SLGH003, celebrating the introduction of the new hi-tech 9SA5 caliber into a stainless-steel watch. It made this latest innovation more accessible to the masses than the previous precious metal SLGH002. The new Grand Seiko SLGH005 not only introduces yet another reference in stainless steel, but also marks the first time the caliber has been used in an ongoing production model – with a gorgeous “white birch” dial to make the offering that much more tempting. The white textured dial is inspired by the white birch trees surrounding Studio Shizukuishi. The pattern is applied via a press pattern stamp, with tons of pressure applied to the dial base – similar to how the Snowflake and Mt. Iwate dials are fabricated. According to Grand Seiko, “Studio Shizukuishi, where all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are made, is surrounded by woodland areas boasting nearly 1000 wild-grown trees. These forested…
There’s no Baselworld this year, but in April we will have the “phygital” Watches & Wonders to look forward to. Thirty-four brands will be in attendance, among them Rolex and Patek Philippe – two horological heavyweights whose potential novelties will, as always, be eagerly awaited. Back in September we saw Rolex refresh the Submariner collection, upping the case diameter to 41mm, but trimming the lugs down to a more vintage-inspired tapered profile. Many believe, including us, that the Explorer collection is next in line to see an update – and predictions are circulating of what form that may take. This is what we would like to see, what we think we will see, and what we definitely won’t. What we would like to see… For the standard Explorer watch, we are hoping to see not one but two releases in the April refresh. Rolex has been upscaling the diameters of their professional catalogue. We saw the Yachtmaster 42 in 2019, 41mm Submariners and Oyster Perpetuals in 2020, so it is fair to assume the trend will continue. Considering the 39mm Oyster Perpetual was recently discontinued, it’s a reasonable bet that the Rolex Explorer will also have a shakeup in sizing.…