Audemars Piguet's Michael Friedman and Eric Ku go deep on the history of the Royal Oak Concept while exploring two brand new releases
Lightning sometimes strikes [the same channel] twice. This time last week, we brought you one of the most scholarly and in-depth conversations I’ve ever been privy to in my time as a watch journalist, in the form of a video in our Watch & Chill series over on our YouTube channel. The main speakers were Michael Friedman, Head of Complications at Audemars Piguet, and collector and dealer extraordinaire Eric Ku. It was all about the way that Audemars Piguet views history, and the vehicles for the story were two watches. Eric Ku’s now restored vintage Audemars Piguet chronograph, and the 2020 release that has launched a thousand dreams, the [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph. We have captured some of the lightning in a bottle of a few posts, but really, if you haven’t had the pleasure, and a weekend stretches away with a spare hour in it, do yourself a favour. And now, precisely a week later, we’re doing it again, this time with our eyes fixed firmly on the present — and the future. This video sees two (at the time, unreleased) new watches revealed to Eric, who is asked by Michael for his unvarnished opinion. It all seems a little cosy,…
The post Audemars Piguet’s Michael Friedman and Eric Ku go deep on the history of the Royal Oak Concept while exploring two brand new releases appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
It’s a dark, rainy afternoon in Melbourne with temperatures plunged back below 10 degrees. But it’s always sunny when you can write the Wind Down from the office with colleagues around — 1.5m away, of course, but at least around! Today is my first day back in the office for what I would guess to be four months, and it feels good. And as far as the recap for the week goes, it’s been another bustling one. Early in the week, we had the news that Seiko would donate all proceeds from the cute, but properly value-packed Porco Rosso chronograph to the Black Dog Institute of Australia. If you are interested in doing something great for the world, and acquiring an enamel-dialled chronograph par excellence in the process, please contact sales@timeandtidewatches.com with your name and location. For further inspiration, just look at the way the light bends and pools over the inky enamel dial. Swoon … In other news, we have been deluged with enquiries about the Longines Tuxedo chronograph from our top five. Was it your favourite in the mix? Mine is still the khaki HydroConquest Green (khaki life is real for me), while James, Thor, Luke and Nick…
There are few things as desperately desired in this world as the 1930’s La Voiture Noire. The long-lost Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic Coupe was one of just four high-specced models to be made between 1936-38, and the only one to be completely draped in black. Whether it now lies in ruins at the bottom of the ocean, or still hides away in some abandoned shed, is a constant source of fever dreams for wealthy collectors and daydreaming teenagers alike. Last year, Bugatti announced a new one-off hypercar named after ‘The Black Car’, honouring the legend of the first. Not to be outdone, Jacob & Co. have now announced their own piece unique — the murdered-out Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti La Montre Noire. The original Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic Coupe is not just famous for its legend, it has to be one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous cars ever designed. The sensuous, sweeping curvature almost seems like it’s taken from a comic book, or been given the Salvador Dalí melting treatment. The rear end of Bugatti’s La Voiture Noire from 2019 echoes that fluidity, while the aggressive front end reminds you that it very much belongs…
There are lots of in-depth, scholarly dissertations of why Patek Philippe is, and always will be, immensely coveted by collectors. But, in the spirit of Mark Twain, who said along the lines of, “I apologise for the long letter, I didn’t have time to write you a short one,” we found an impressively short post on collectability.com that sums it up with military-style efficiency. A sample from the article, on the subject of scarcity and rarity: “With such a wide variety of production, and over 180 years of making watches, it is especially notable how few Pateks actually exist. It is estimated that fewer than one million Patek watches have been made since the day the company started. (This is a relatively tiny number when one considers that several of the other major watchmakers produce over one million timepieces per year.)” We won’t steal all the thunder from this superbly written article, but will give you the TLDR top line on the five reasons the brand is the most highly sought in the world (and this is simply indisputable in the current day) to whet your appetite even more. Craftmanship – “From the day Antoine Norbert de Patek started the company, the…
If you can say one thing about the Longines releases from 2020, it is that they certainly aren’t boring. With interesting new references being released from across Longines’ various collections, as well as the launch of the brand new Longines Spirit collection, it has been a significant year for the Saint-Imier based brand. The Heritage collection continues on its run of faithfully reinterpreted watches from Longines’ deep archives and, for those with more contemporary tastes, the Record and HydroConquest collections have something appealing for the ballroom and beach respectively. So to recap what has been a pretty impressive year from the winged-hourglass, we wanted to take a look at what we think are some of the best Longines watches from 2020. Pricing and availability: The Longines HydroConquest Green is AUD$2400, and is available at Longines Boutiques or at the Longines online store. For more, visit Longines right here. The Longines Heritage Marine Nationale is AUD$3050, and is available at Longines Boutiques or at the Longines online store. For more, visit Longines right here. The Longines Spirit 40mm is AUD$3200, and is available at Longines Boutiques or at the Longines online store. For more, visit Longines right here. The Longines Record Australian Limited Edition…
The Mondaine Official Swiss Railways stop2go BackLight is indisputable proof that Swiss precision timekeeping is more than mere wristwatches. At first glance this might seem like a great example of mid-century modern, or even Bauhaus-inspired design minimalism, in a utilitarian case. You will only understand fully if you’ve been to one of the pristine Swiss railway stations and glanced up at the eerily exact station clock before your train to Genève arrives four seconds early, never late, and leaves on the second. This very same crisp white face is present on each model from Mondaine, intensely legible in monochrome – if you were asked to draw a watch dial, chances are it would look like this. Large blocky printed indices and Arabic numerals leave you in no doubt as to the time of day, while the bright red chunky lollipop seconds hand pops off the dial together with the red Swiss Railways logo. So, this is dependable quartz, it has an interesting history and failsafe legibility, but what makes this 41mm functional steel watch special? As darkness descends and you might be worried that the non-lumed hands will fail to keep you informed, you’re in for a quiet surprise. Fascinating…
The Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time in its first iteration, ref 5524G-001 definitely caught our attention when it was released. We called it the most confusing watch of Baselworld 2015. Patek Philippe had anticipated the sceptical reaction, and the opening line of their press release about the watch sought to quickly legitimise it – referring to the two-hour angle pilot watches from the ’30s whose style codes it extends. But, despite the fact that PP holds its turnover cards close to its chest, word since then is that it has sold better than expected with its sharp and unexpected style. Journalists don’t buy watches, after all. And we learned in our own travels, that pilots do. Sebastian told us all about his Travel Time, here. The previous model came at the cusp of the new age of small-case goodness, coming in at a large 42mm with its prominent pushers and crown. Perfect for what in essence is a tough, functional pilot’s watch – a description that makes me equally sad as tool-watch happy, because we know how likely it is that many of these models have ended up living a rather quiet life. Forever rotating aimlessly in slow motion inside a…
Shinola is an American luxury design brand that manufactures various products – from timepieces, leather goods, jewellery, and even audio equipment. Founded in 2011, the company operates an in-house watch and leather factory based within the fifth floor of the historic Argonaut Building, where a team of artisans hand assembles timepieces and crafts premium leather straps. A year after Shinola was founded, in 2012, they transformed 12,000 square feet of raw space into their very own state-of-the-art watch factory in Detroit. Their watch teams continually participate in extensive training with their Swiss partner Ronda AG. The factory assembles between 500 and 700 watches per day, with more than 30 people participating in the assembly of a single watch. The brand is known for accessibly priced watches that have a clear American influence. Their products range from more basic “fashion watches” to a growing lineup of mechanical watches. While the parts are typically sourced from Swiss and international vendors, every Shinola watch is built and assembled in their Detroit HQ. This is their latest release: the “I Voted” Shinola Detrola 43mm Limited Edition Watch. With the election coming up here in the states, Shinola is trying to do their part by encouraging…
As the inaugural peak of Haute Horlogerie appreciation is upon us, a renewed GPHG convenes. This time with an expanded panel of judges, a semi-online voting process, and, refreshingly, with a truly broad range of nominees. There is a sense that perhaps disruption is the plat du jour. So, let the GPHG roll on with the words of Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin fresh in our minds: “It’s time now for revenge, it’s time for coming back, it’s time for reassuring watch lovers that the industry is back, that the watch industry will excite them, that the watch industry has never been so creative and relevant.” We think this very sentiment is clear in what we see as five top nominees symbolising the faces of watchmaking in 2020, set to shake up the system, from niche microbrands to tough tool watches, and extreme examples of handmade craftsmanship. Category: Iconic – The Seiko Prospex SLA042 “Tuna” In the exalted company of Haute Horlogerie from Piaget, IWC Schaffhausen and Girard-Perregaux there is a cat amongst the pigeons, or should that be a Tuna amongst the sharks? The 1000m Seiko Professional diver ref. SLA042, better known as the Tuna, is nothing but an…
This year has been a big one for Longines — for a couple of reasons. They have continued down the purist pathway of vintage reissues through their Heritage collection, as well as continuing to build their other enthusiast-favourite families such as the Record and HydroConquest collections. But the biggest news from Longines in 2020 was the launch of the Spirit collection, an event that certainly doesn’t happen every year at the Saint-Imier based manufacture. For Longines, the Spirit collection represents the meeting of past and future for the first thorough and meaningful way, blending their important history as instrument suppliers to the pioneers of aviation with more contemporary design cues and modern watchmaking technology. Longines HydroConquest Green The HydroConquest collection is Longines’ approach to a no-nonsense, robustly built and affordable dive watch. We’ve seen it expressed in a range of forms, from on a steel bracelet to a full black ceramic case, but this year we got the same approachable design and functionality in khaki green. This particular shade of muted, almost military, green has been increasingly popular in recent years, offering a quenching tonic against the never-ending procession of black and blue dive watches. At 41mm it is a feasible…