VIDEO: Seiko is donating the proceeds of one Presage SRQ033J1 Porco Rosso Limited Edition which you can buy here
For fans of the prolific Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, the name Porco Rosso will be familiar to you. He’s the ace biplane pilot who learned the art of flying in World War I, before being turned into a pig and then, turning his skills to fighting pirate crime. He has legions of fans around the world. What does this have to do with Seiko? Well, the Japanese watchmaker has teamed up with the Japanese animation studio to produce two (legitimately limited) limited edition watches, one of which is the Seiko Presage SRQ033J1 Porco Rosso Limited Edition, in only 600 pieces. The stylish pilot’s chronograph features a number of subtle nods to the Italian flying pig, including the stripes of the Italian flag in the 3 o’clock sub-dial, which matches the red, white and green stitches in the crocodile leather strap. If you flip the watch over, you’ll be greeted by Porco Rosso’s face on the sapphire crystal caseback, as well as the engraving, “Un maiale che non vola è solo un maiale”, which translates as, “A pig that does not fly is just a pig”. If that wasn’t enough, the 42mm steel watch also features a stunning enamel dial…
The post VIDEO: Seiko is donating the proceeds of one Presage SRQ033J1 Porco Rosso Limited Edition which you can buy here appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
There are certain experiences we have on a regular basis at Time+Tide that you may not be aware of, or have shared in any way. Yes, even you, hardcore fans. COVID-19 has made it possible for us to bring you in on it. It’s the presentation of the watches. The way we learn about them. And who we learn from. For those outside the industry, it’s likely to be a trusted boutique manager, or favourite salespeople at your local AD. For us, it’s either the people that were behind the creation of the watches or the local brand managers that will soon be bringing them to Australia. But sometimes, on very special occasions, it’s the leader of the business that drove and briefed in the changes. In this video, we are privileged to get a private tour of the collection with none other than the CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Catherine Rénier. The conversation that took place is a wonderful thing. It took in her vision for the business, and how central culture is to it. It veered into her favourite ever Jaeger-LeCoultre movie sighting, and lots of detail around the little nuances that make the 2020 Master Collection such a triumph.…
Zero West is a new British brand of boutique, heritage-inspired watches. All of their watches are designed and assembled on the South Coast of the UK (with assembly performed by a third-generation watchmaker 10 miles away from where the watches are designed). Zero West was founded by Andrew Brabyn, a designer, and Graham Collins, an ex-black ops military engineer, which explains the emphasis on designs with a military flavour. Zero West produces three lines of watches: Aviation, Marine and Automotive — all of which are limited editions. Each watch reference has a rich backstory rooted in British history. The recently released Zero West Spitfire S4-P9427 watch is the perfect example of the brand’s spirit and how they tangibly leverage true military history in the production of their watches. The story The Spitfire S4-P9427 Pilot’s watch is based on an air speed indicator found on a Mark I Spitfire plane. The watch itself is fabricated with parts from a genuine WWII Spitfire plane engine – a plane that fought and flew very, very close to their headquarters in Hampshire, UK. The release date of the watch, September 15, was specifically chosen by the brand as it marks 80 years since the Battle…
Two brands, both brash, bold, loud and cutting edge. Well, OK, not loud in the same sense as a V12 engine, but Hublot is a perfect fit as the watchmaking partner to Ferrari. This time, it is a celebration of Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix, a milestone in Formula One’s 70th anniversary year and, yes, it took place last weekend at the Mugello circuit in Italy. The bright red steeds of Ferrari are interlinked with F1 like no other brand in history, and after a few changes in their suppliers of racing engines for the wrist, they found the perfect match in 2010 — the wrist-worn art of Hublot, a bold brand with the same cutting-edge approach to materials and innovation. Hublot have launched two limited editions of 20 pieces each from their popular Big Bang series for Ferrari’s milestone participation in Formula One. Without being too bold, I’d say this could be the perfect pair, or even Exit Duo, if big sports watches scratch your horological itch. They are polished or tough, day or night – boardroom versus racetrack or any other suggestions you might have for this intriguingly symbiotic pair of wristwatches. The White Gold version The recognisable shape of…
The democratisation of watch modification has been sinking in for a few years, moving from diamond-encrusted Rolex watches, all the way down to swapping out a set of hands on your favourite Seiko SKX. In recent times, it’s become apparent that watch brands are trying to cover their bases and provide the unique look of a modified watch in a completely stock package. We’ve seen it with the new Seiko 5 Sport line, and we’ve seen it with Rolex reintroducing their vibrant Stella dials of the past. Even Casio aren’t immune, with the latest “Casi-Oak” being hewn from a GA2100 and an aftermarket steel case to look even more like the famed AP Royal Oak. Well, now G-SHOCK are showing the world their intentions by teaming up with Bamford Watch Department — one of the world’s premier modifiers of luxury Swiss watches. This isn’t our first rodeo with Bamford Watch Department, having picked through their catalogue of mostly high-end watches from the LVMH group. The sleek designs of George Bamford are always clinically crisp, with the high-contrast neon colours creating an almost two-dimensional spectre of a watch for your wrist. While the modifier may focus on luxury brands such as…
The absolutely magical story embedded in our latest Watch & Chill Episode revolves around the unusual story of Eric Ku’s vintage Audemars Piguet chronograph restoration. To say the watch is rare is laughably inadequate. There are 307 vintage-era Audemars Piguet chronographs in existence. Every single one of them is a piece unique (more about that in the video, see below). When Eric acquired one (his second, and yes, he is a lucky man) and decided to restore it to as close as possible to its former glory, he called Audemars Piguet. His brief to the team, including Michael Friedman, was sweet, sweet music to Michael’s ears. “It’s very exciting to us when a collector so well known to us comes in with a pressure-free scenario. No deadline on time. No restrictions on budget. Take your time. Dive deep. Study the dial. Let’s work to get the best restored dial possible. That is everything a family business like ours wants to hear. Because it’s outside of the scope of the daily grind.” As for the result, there’s a paragraph from Eric below, but in truth, the intention is just as interesting. “We wanted that dial to make people melt,” Michael says.…
As Woody Allen famously said, “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.” More specifically, it can help you cultivate a magnificent watch collection. But what does the rich man do when he has scratched his horological itch until it’s red-raw? When he’s become jaded with the tedious rigmarole of snapping up grail watches and minute-repeater tourbillions? He starts to focus on his crazy watch accessories instead … The coffee table of horological dreams Pedro Costa is a Colombian designer who believes that size matters. He takes classic watch designs and scales them up into pieces of furniture. His range of coffee tables has included the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Hublot Big Bang Diamonds (which got the seal of approval from Jean-Claude Biver no less), Rolex Daytona and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore among others. Understandably, this supersizing process is extremely labour-intensive. Costa uses machinery to cut and mould the watch case, which contains a hybrid electro-mechanical movement by British clockmaker Sinclair Harding. The rest of the components are finished by hand, with each coffee table taking up to six months to complete. While these unique pieces have been commissioned by brands, Costa also accepts private commissions. The price…
The Seiko Alpinist series is a beloved staple of enthusiasts on watch forums and Instagram, with its comfortable shape, size and particular Japanese take on a sophisticated field watch with a rich history. Earlier this year, changes came to the lineup, with the Alpinist logo no longer present, and the Prospex X above the historical “Automatic” vintage font logo at 6. I observed the discussions that ensued, and was left with the positives of the excellent 6R35 movement easily tipping the scales on the plus side. This time the new Seiko Alpinist SPB155J and its siblings SPB157J and SPB159J are not simply improved, but rather redesigned from the case up, with the only instantly recognisable feature being the charming Alpinist cathedral hands, ready for a new audience. We are looking at a svelte, perfectly shaped 38mm case with the Alpinist name, yet it takes nothing away from the rich history. I, for one, am excited by these latest models, the SPB155J, SPB157J and SPB159J. How Seiko has managed to completely redesign the Alpinist range in a year with a plethora of new releases frankly boggles the mind, because this is no simple re-hash. Hopefully it will manage the feat of…
Random acts of kindness are all very well. But at Time+Tide, we prefer our gestures of mind-blowing generosity to come in a horological format. From rock stars to comedians and actors to athletes, the moral of this story is simple: work hard, amass your fortune then spread the love by upgrading the wrists of mankind, one watch at a time. Bruno Mars plays Santa In 2019, Bruno Mars revealed on Instagram that he’d given his bandmates a Christmas present to remember. “My boys continue to show the world what time it is,” he wrote in the Instagram caption. “And a band that sings together blings together! #AudeMARS” Each of the eight members of his band, The Hooligans, received an Audemars Piguet Extra-Thin ‘Jumbo’ Royal Oak Ref. 15202 in gold. The full retail price for the watch at the time: US$55,400. As if that wasn’t a nice enough festive gesture, the watches were personalised with specially made custom boxes that read: “Audemars Piguet: Bruno Mars 24K Magic World Tour Edition”. Merry Christmas indeed. Why you really want to be friends with Jay-Z If you’re hip-hop’s first billionaire, standard party invites don’t cut the mustard. So when it came to inviting VIPs…
Editor’s note: How did Hermès not only survive, but manage to thrive after resisting a takeover bid from LVMH? This story tells the tale. And leaves out what might be the best bit for us, as watch lovers. Which is Hermès’ ongoing ascendancy in watchmaking. Who could forget the extraordinary Arceau L’heure de la lune to name just one? In the autumn of 2010 Le Tout-Paris of business braced for the sad, if predictable, end of an era. After 173 years and six generations, Hermès, a purveyor of handbags to bankers and neckties to their husbands, was to become part of LVMH. The champagne-to-evening-gowns mastodon, home to Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, among many others, had disclosed a stake of 17 per cent and rising. Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s boss, with a knack for closing in on companies he admires, had only to pick off a few Hermès’ heirs ready to cash out. Bankers assumed the wolf in cashmere would take mere weeks to gobble up his elegant prey. Fast forward to autumn 2020, and the various descendants of Thierry Hermès not only still control their family’s firm, they have beaten LVMH at its own game. One of their own,…