HANDS-ON: The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 King Gold is kingmaker on the wrist
The advent of Hublot’s Big Bang essentially launched the provocative, innovative and disruptive brand. The brainchild of horological mega-doyen Jean-Claude Biver, the Big Bang arrived on the scene way back in 2004, and since then, it has not only reinvigorated but redefined what Hublot stands for. The evocatively named, plus-sized timepiece has been the wrist-worn proving ground for myriad material and technical revolutions that have broken boundaries and exceeded expectation time and time again. Not all Big Bangs are equal though, at least as far as recognition goes. The lesser-known, tonneau-shaped Spirit of Big Bang has always been somewhat left in a shadow cast by its older, more traditional, rounder sibling. That’s a real shame, because there are a fair few enthusiasts out there, myself included, who reckon it’s one of Hublot’s best offerings. Now, though, Hublot is starting to give the angular timepiece the love it deserves, by equipping it with one of their most technical, flagship manufacture movements – the Meca-10. For those of you who don’t know about this new leviathan of haute horology, keep reading, because it’s one hell of a movement. As for the watches themselves, the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 will be available…
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The Arctic is a tough environment with long dark winters, where the isolation breeds creativity and a certain strict code of design, whether they be the toughest tool watches or classic dress pieces in a Scandinavian pared-down aesthetic. Regardless of the style of watch, there is a design language that defines the Nordic region. Here are five of the best Scandinavian watch brands out there, and some of their best known models. 5 of the best Scandinavian watch brands Linde Werdelin Oktopus MoonLite – a tough tool with an astronomic twist The masters of Nordic tools, Linde Werdelin, originate from Denmark, the southernmost country in this group of sub-arctic horology, well known for watches always shaped by function – and with a sharp eye for cutting-edge design and material quality. Never a classic shape or a cream-coloured lume plot, and all the better for it. Their brutalist chunk of a diver, the Oktopus has here been reimagined in their own alloy, ALW, which is half the weight of titanium, yet twice the strength of steel, due to an innovative surface treatment, making it large but feeling svelte. It is no small watch, at 44mm x 46mm with a 15mm height,…
Cycling is a sport known for its speed and the dramatic risks that cyclists will take to win races. Every time the Tour de France is raced, there is almost guaranteed to be a handful of big crashes involving dozens of riders, leaving bikes and equipment often damaged beyond repair. That’s why it was a shock to see one of France’s top professional cyclists racing with a AUD$168,000 RM 67-02 on his wrist. Julian Alaphilippe was competing at the Critérium du Dauphiné in France last week when the watch was spotted by SBS Cycling. In a close-up shot taken by a race motorbike, the watch can be clearly seen on his wrist, on a bright red strap he looks to have picked up at a Richard Mille boutique in June. Since that visit to the Richard Mille boutique, the red-strapped RM 67-02 has been seen frequently on Alaphilippe’s wrist while training, and now racing after the professional cycling calendar restarted at the beginning of August. It’s unclear if Alaphilippe has an official relationship with the brand, though he has been keeping company with Richard Mille himself — they were spotted together at an event in September last year. The Tour…
The Longines Spirit release is a totally new collection this year, something that is already very exciting in and of itself, but also because it’s an entirely new chapter for the brand. Longines, just like many of the finest watchmakers in the world, slowly improve their watches over time and rarely release entirely new collections, making the launch of the Spirit collection something that deserves attention just for its rarity. But beyond this new step from the brand, the Spirit collection is a totally different offering from Longines for a number of reasons. I spoke with Matthieu Baumgartner, the VP of Marketing at Longines, about how this new collection is a first for Longines in a few ways, and where it fits into the brand moving forward, and I came away with six key points you need to know. 1. This is the first Longines collection that blurs the line between old and new “One of the key challenges behind this collection was blending heritage and contemporary. We wanted to have it distinct from the heritage segment statement of Longines, which is made of re-interpretations of milestones from the archives and the Museum of Longines. Spirit was a different project,…
I was always a Blanka man. There was something about the key combination to make him bring the voltage that came naturally to me. That same charge of electricity will be running through Seiko fans the world over with the news that Seiko has just released a Seiko 5 Sports collection dedicated to Street Fighter, and specifically its latest iteration in Street Fighter V. Get ready for the fight, because Seiko is bringing it with these models. They are wild. And, most impressively, each of the six models is truly idiosyncratic and true to its character. These have the fingerprints of a design team that really and truly love Street Fighter. A quick backstory of the Seiko 5 Sports and of Street Fighter Introduced in 1968 and re-born in 2019, Seiko 5 Sports has offered a wide variety of durable and reliable mechanical watches for watch lovers of every age for more than half a century. Zach recently reminded people in his recap of the best watches you can buy for under $1000USD that the Seiko 5 Sports was the first-ever automatic day-date watch from Seiko in their sports line. The number 5 represents the five pillars that every Seiko…
Omega shows no signs of stopping when it comes to James Bond special editions, despite Bond showing no signs of showing up for 2020. Last year we saw the release of a Seamaster Diver 300M jam-packed with nods to 007’s heritage as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Now, although it’s technically been 51 years, we are treated to this spectacle, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Platinum, which is a similar watch, lavishly cased. The spiral-dial motif is a throwback to one of the earliest Bond special editions, an SMP from 2006 celebrating the re-birth of Bond in Casino Royale. This time embedded in a glossy black enamel dial, the 18k white gold rifling perfectly complements the tones of the case and the black leather strap, which is completed by contrasting metallic stitching. Similarly to the previous On Her Majesty’s Secret Service 50th anniversary editions, the 12 o’clock marker is decorated with a reference to the Bond coat of arms, and the 10 o’clock luminous marker has the number 50 hidden within the paint, only to be seen when the glow comes to life. The specific production number of the watch is engraved on…
Editor’s note: When Luke wrote this post, a few months back, I had no idea who Jocko Willink was. We had an interview opportunity, he sounded like a badass, he loved his Timex, all good, sure, let’s do it. Reading it, I felt a spark of motivation, and wanted to learn more about his psychotic sub-5am fitness routines. But time marched on, life kept throwing us lemons down here in Australia, and voila, we’re back in lockdown, and I’m back in my home gym in my garage, trying to make lemonade. Read: listening to podcasts, trying to work out on a @mrgrandseiko level and counting the days until we can leave our block again. I came across one this morning that had my immediate attention. Jocko Willink on Joe Rogan (it’s embedded below the story). It had me going back to this story. In it, I found the kind of raw motivational energy I need right now. To get through this weird experience of life that is 2020. So, allow me to revisit this 1200-word power punch, maybe it will fire you up like it did me. Hats off, while I do it, to the master of the motivational story, our…
Undone has got to be one of the best in the business when it comes to making uber-affordable, attractive, quality timepieces for the enthusiast. We’ve spent a lot of time with quite a few of their watches now, and given the amount they offer, for such a low RRP, they’re pretty much in a class of one. Spend even a modicum of time with any of the Hong Kong watchmaker’s offerings, and it also becomes immediately apparent that the team behind the brand really cares about the history of horology, and they want to celebrate it. The latest incarnation of their now-established ethos is this – the Undone Aero. Paying homage to Philip Van Horn Weems (better known as P.V.H. Weems), the man responsible for the first-ever rotating bezel on a wristwatch, the Aero offers a charming blend of Art Deco and contemporary design cues. Available in two distinct models – the “Scientific” and the “Commando” – both iterations promise to get the heart pumping for just about any watch aficionado with a pulse. We are proud to globally launch these models, and can also promise that any Undone Aero watches bought from Time+Tide will come with an extra Undone strap, worth…
Editor’s note: When I first saw this video in the middle of last week, I hit the team WhatsApp message thread with a vengeance. Omitting some more colourful language, the gist was: “I am mind blown by these GMTs, they can’t possibly look as good in the metal as they do in this video?” Both Nick and James responded immediately with a barrage of emojis. The answer was clear. They absolutely do. It’s rare to be moved on such a visceral level when you’re looking at watches every day. I expect you might have a similar reaction. If you once connected Grand Seiko with dress watches, you’re in for a mind shift. Enjoy – Andrew Over the past 12 months we’ve witnessed Grand Seiko unveiling more and more novelties that move away from their traditional dress watch modus operandi, and really start to hone in on the steel sports watch market. The Japanese watchmaker has released a bevy of dynamic divers, three-handers and GMTs, and the sheer breadth and diversity of these new sporty models has been quite profound, with enough different case shapes and sizes, dial colours and designs, and complications to keep their ever-growing fan base happy. Two of…
Few things in watch world conjure more contention than the six letters that make up the word homage … and understandably so. Are homage watches just shameless replicas with a different name slapped on the dial? Or are they harmless fun that aim to democratise an aesthetic normally only accessible to the uber wealthy? As is the way with most things in life, the answer isn’t black and white. No, some tribute timepieces, like the Gevril Tribeca or anything by Dan Henry, seem to be more than OK. They’re outright desirable, and executed with total respect to the original. While other timepieces deserve the vitriol heaped upon them for being, and let’s not mince words here, opportunistic ripoffs. If you’re already confused, buckle up. Because there’s a third category again. Which are watches that look like homages, but have in fact a legitimate backstory that places them well and truly in the action with the original. These watches are the ultimate pickups for watch lovers for the unexpected story that comes with them. Sinn 903 Now, we know what you’re thinking: “That’s a brazen rip-off of the Breitling Navitimer!” And to that, we’d say, “Settle down, turbo, there’s a good…