HANDS-ON: The Grand Seiko SBGP005 is a blue/black abyss for the wrist
For some, the idea of ‘luxury quartz’ is a complete contradiction. Since the decimation of the mechanical watch industry upon its widespread release, quartz movement technology has never shaken off that stigma that draws dirty looks from watch enthusiasts around the world. The truth is not as simple as a hero and villain, however. Once you start to view any innovation as valid innovation, a whole new world of appreciation opens up, and nobody innovates like Grand Seiko. The Grand Seiko SBGP005 is just more proof, and the sceptics are running out of excuses. The ever-popular 44GS case has returned, with its modern-yet-modest 40mm diameter, 11.1mm thickness, and 46.2mm lug-to-lug creating a welcome set of dimensions for fitting almost any wrist, small or large. The melding of large sweeping curves and sharply angled facets give the watch all of its vintage charm, without looking too much like something from 60 years ago. It also hits the sweet spot in weight, coming in at 142g, which is heavier and thus more reassuring than you might expect from a thin quartz timepiece. The three-link bracelet utilises polished edges on the middle links to give some added visual complexity, without appearing as overly…
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Shock. That’s been the general consensus for the last few days among our enthusiast community. Rolex has just unveiled the all-new Rolex Submariner Date 41mm Ref.126610LN, and they’ve made one of the biggest changes to the dive watch in its 51 years of existence. For the first time in the legendary moniker’s history, the Oyster case of the new Submariner has been enlarged to 41mm, up from 40mm. Now that may not sound like a big deal to the dilettante, but for those who have lauded the Submariner as one of the most iconic, recognisable and celebrated watches of all time, trust us when we say, this is a BIG deal. Not since the introduction of the Ref.16800 in 1979, has the size of the Submariner changed. It’s also worth noting that when the Ref.1680 and its 39.5mm case was superseded by the 16800, it only grew by 0.5mm. And that’s the way the Subby has stayed for the last 41 years … it was a certainty, something you’d bet money on – the sun will rise in the morning, and the Rolex Submariner will always be 40mm. Even in 2010, when the namesake adopted the “Maxi Case” and became…
In a week marked by the one-millimetre revolution, Audemars Piguet has quietly tip-toed into the room and released a frosty breeze of a limited Royal Oak to everyone’s surprise. As if by magic, a new reference of the perfectly sized 39mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Limited Edition in 18k white gold appeared on their website. This is no revolution, but rather a superb dial colour variation suiting the white gold to a tee. I’m thinking this is a sharp move by AP, though with a short 100-piece production run they might be gone rather quickly, as this combination is a bright menthol-fresh breeze for the wrist. The chronograph version of the Royal Oak is, of course, nothing new, but as with any icon, there is a reason behind the status, the same reason it is for many considered the Audemars Piguet of choice. One of these reasons is the delicate presence this king of sleek integrated bracelets has on the wrist with its 39mm diameter and sleek 11mm thickness. I am very much looking forward to trying one of these on, as the svelte nature of the bracelet’s embrace is somewhat perplexingly made more comforting in the gold versions I…
Over the past five years or so, I have bought, traded and sold watches in order to build and grow my collection. Two months ago, I was able to acquire a watch that I am still in disbelief I am able to own and wear. High on my grail list, the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down 221.021 was always an endgame watch for me. It was something I wanted to work towards and eventually be able to call mine. They say don’t meet your heroes, in the worry they may disappoint you once you meet them in the flesh – or, in this case, in the metal. So, does the watch live up to my expectations? Let’s find out… The backstory/recap Swiss watches, in this industry, are typically the focus of conversation. The “Holy Trinity”, in regard to the pinnacle of watchmaking, refers to three Swiss brands: Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin. Many argue, however, that A. Lange & Söhne should be considered as equally prestigious as the three aforementioned brands. With German ancestry myself, it has always been a company that has piqued my interest. The traditional German style, with a 3/4 bridge plate and an…
The wild profusion of colours in the new Rolex Oyster Perpetual collection caught many by surprise this week. And it immediately had people drawing parallels with the colour suites of other brands. It begs the question, are these new sporty and youthful lacquer dials – in candy pink, turquoise blue, yellow, coral red and green – a blast from Rolex’s past, or something completely new, perhaps inspired by other brands? A Brief History of Rolex Dials and Color Rolex is primarily known as a brand of modesty and incremental change, built upon robust and reliable watches. More often than not, you will typically see Rolex watches in four colors (at least in their steel watches) – Black, White, Silver, and Blue. Their precious metal watches of the past, however, were a bit more adventurous in dial tone and configuration. In 1956 the Rolex Day-Date was released and became one of the brand’s most luxurious and prestigious watches. Just four years after its release, not a long time in Rolex years, they began to experiment with the lineup, introducing dials with diamonds and eastern arabic numerals. Stone dial configurations were brought into the mix as well – fabricated from stones such as Onyx, Jasper,…
Seiko in 2020 is like a bull incensed: never slowing, threatening in intent and thrilling to watch. Amongst the slew of limited editions across all of their ranges, one of the most attention-capturing is the Seiko SNE566P — a professional-grade diving watch in a sumptuous ‘root beer’ colour scheme, and available now only to Australians at a recession-friendly price. As much as Seiko is renowned for having legible dials, this particular reference is up there with the best. The indices are large and filled with Seiko’s proprietary LumiBrite, guaranteeing that you’ll have no trouble reading this watch in the dark. The hands are easily distinguishable between hours and minutes, using a similar hand set as the beloved ‘SKX’ style, albeit with a slightly shorter hour hand. The date window has been given a magnifier, which may not be to everyone’s taste, though it does make it much more legible from a variety of viewing angles. The white printing on the dial is crisp and not too distracting, from the precise minute track around the chapter ring to the Prospex ‘X’ logo and ‘Diver’s 200M’ text proving the watch is up to ISO specifications for a diver’s watch. As with the SNE435P,…
Many of us are re-evaluating our preferred size of watches, as the trend is ever-increasing (or should that be shrinking?) towards 36-40mm watches for men, with vintage vibes. In my case, it’s a matter of practicality. My wrist is on the slender side and I wear a shirt most days, so a 45mm wrist chunk is not going to work. The increasing range of options is a godsend for many of us. But have diminishing sizes hit all categories? Let’s say we’re looking for a tough, no-nonsense modern tool watch that can take a beating. In other words, a diver. The editor threw down the gauntlet with the seemingly unattainable goal of a full-on technical 300-metre ISO-spec diver being a key pre-requisite at a size of less than 40mm. The bonus round was to find five without vintage cues or cream-coloured lume. Modern in style, please. Surely this is an impossible quest? Seek and you shall find, I say. 1. Oris Aquis Date – the bestseller What can we say, the Aquis Date from Oris in Hölstein, Switzerland has been a resounding success, and has transformed into what is now a considerable range. The Aquis has, for many, made Oris…
I swear we didn’t collaborate on it. It was pure and unintended serendipity. The two most popular stories this week on Watchville (an app you should download here if you don’t already have it, if only for the clock to set your watches to!) were titled: ‘How to steal a watch clean off someone’s wrist…’ and ‘How dangerous is it to wear your watches in public?’ The first story was written by our man, Mr Luke Benedictus, who has an incredible knack for getting people to read his stories in their entirety. The second, much more responsible story, was by Quill & Pad. Oh man, did we have a laugh when this dawned on us this afternoon! From there, of course, it’s an endless scroll of new Rolex releases, on account of the fact that the Big Crown went large with an unusually prolific number of releases this week, finally putting to rest the rumour that they were sitting 2020 out. So, to recap, the world this week was interested in theft, staying safe and Submariners. It’s a telling mix. Regarding stories one and two, there is no doubt that the long-term effects of the pandemic are affecting our sense…
Eric Ku is the kind of watch collector who does it his way. If he sees the bezel of another watch that better matches the case and the dial than the factory one, he’ll source it, and he’ll change it. Granted, though, when he did exactly this with a no-date Rolex Submariner around five years ago, times were different. “Back in the day, parts availability on the secondary market were easier to come by,” he says. When the watch we’re discussing was posted on his Instagram feed (an essential follow – @fumanku), the comments lit up. What? How? When? I had a quick chat to Eric to find out the story of his Rolex ‘Shark’. “I always loved the blue bezel of the white gold Submariner, but I like a no-date Sub, so I decided to get that part and just put it on a no-date Sub. The funny thing is, I don’t believe I’m the only one that did that. Because, when I posted it recently, there were all these people in the comments calling it ‘the shark’. So they had some nickname for this watch, which means somebody had to have done it. I just can’t find other…
If you were to travel back in time and ask a circa 2010 horological enthusiast what some of the big players in the mainstream watchmaking game were, there’s a fair chance that Raymond Weil would get a mention. However, a lot has happened in the subsequent decade that’s followed – it could even be argued that the last 10 years have been the industry’s most transformative, full stop. Loads more eyeballs, lots of new watchmakers and a whole heap more punters. Because of these factors, Raymond Weil just hasn’t got the same recognition it once did. No question about it, you don’t see nearly as many on people’s wrists these days. That’s what happens in an increasingly competitive market. But the brilliant thing about competition is that it has the ability to breed success. As the Roman poet Ovid once said, “A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace.” And in 2020, Raymond Weil is starting to gallop. Their latest effort, the Freelancer Calibre RW1212 in a striking shade of green, proves it, and here’s why. The case Raymond Weil may well be trying to recapture the fanfare of the watch…