6 of the best smart watches released in 2020, including Timex, Hublot and Bausele
Most watch enthusiasts are guilty of – at one point or another – scoffing at the advent of the smart watch, confident that they would be a fad. And more confident still that they would never appeal to one with a love for ‘real’ watches. But that hasn’t been the case for most. Whether you like it or not, smart watches are here to stay, and they’re only getting better with time. And while the last 12 months has most definitely spawned several undesirable things, there have been some great new additions to the intelligent, battery-powered fraternity, so we thought we’d take a look. Hublot Big Bang e Hublot surprised a fair few folks in the horological community when, a little over a month ago, they unveiled their second soirée into the smart watch arena. The Big Bang e utilises the standard Big Bang 42mm’s case design, and it’s curious and novel to see an existing mechanical watch’s case fitted with a pixelated screen and lithium battery. In essence, it’s kind of like when a carmaker fits an electric motor into an older model … and we’re not mad. From $8100 AUD. Apple Watch Series 5 The mac-daddy of…
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“Completely irrational”, “a horrible affliction”, “the disease” … that’s how Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary described his obsession with watch collecting in a Time+Tide interview (read it here). It’s easy to understand O’Leary’s ambivalence about his hobby. After all, viewed from a certain perspective, watch collecting doesn’t make an awful lot of sense. Watches are not only often wincingly expensive, they’re also functionally redundant in that you can always tell the time by glancing at your phone. The desire to collect multiple watches can therefore seem even more nonsensical. Particularly if you keep most of them stashed in a safe. So why do we devote so much time, effort and resources to such an illogical pursuit? Dr Richard Moulding is a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer at Deakin University and specialises in compulsive behaviour. He believes that timepieces are particularly desirable things to collect due to their multi-faceted nature. “People collect things they’re passionate about and get enjoyment from,” Dr Moulding says. “Watches tick a lot of boxes in terms of collectibles. There’s the technological side in terms of their movements, the different finishes and the advancements in precision. But watches are also aesthetic objects – some look better than…
It’s no secret that watches are expensive items. Whether it’s a $100 quartz Seiko or a $10,000 Rolex, you’re always trying to get the most for your money. By far the easiest way to eke out some extra value is to get a good collection of straps, so you can easily match your watch to certain occasions, or just change up its personality with some alternate colours. But not every watch is created equal. Certain hallmarks help timepieces be even more versatile than the rest. Uncomplicated designs, monochromatic themes, well shaped lugs and even-numbered lug widths will all ensure your watch is a veritable strap monster. It’s a great way to stop yourself from blowing more money on another watch, too. Here are 5 watches that look good on any strap. Seiko SKX007 We’ll start with the original and the best. Seiko’s iconic 200m diver just begs to be customised, even if you’re determined to avoid the numerous third-party upgrades and modifications available. The stock Jubilee-style bracelet is attractive yet not well suited to a daily wearer. The stock rubber strap is supremely comfortable, but accordion-style folds can look somewhat ungainly if you’re doing anything other than diving. The result…
Streetwear fans rejoice, Swatch and BAPE (A Bathing Ape for those not in the know) are back with another big and bold collection. As far as #details go, this watch comes fully loaded. Taking up where last year’s collaboration left off, this new collection is a colourful collision of styles. BAPE brings the disruptive and unconventional flair, and Swatch meets it with their years of innovation and traditional Swiss know-how. The result is the 47mm Big Bold Watch, which is what we refer to as a ‘statement piece’. From the case to the bezel and even the strap, the design of these three watches gives the wearer ample opportunity to stand out from the crowd. And it gives the wearer plenty of thoughtful touches to discover, from the ape head that crowns the hour hand, to the crooked tipped second hand. Swatch provides the perfect canvas with the biggest and boldest product line in their arsenal, best suited to incorporate the distinct and iconic BAPE look. For those who want to escalate the colour and character of their wristwear, all three watches — Tokyo White Multi Camo, Tokyo Black Multi Camo, and Tokyo Gray Multi Camo — have multi-coloured print on their…
As the minutes tick ever closer to 6pm, and each member of the Time+Tide team finishes up their work for the week in their respective homes, thoughts turn to very important matters. Such as, what will the knock-off drink of choice be this week? How many blessed days without a Zoom call? And, what is on the Uber Eats menu for dinner? It’s been a long, but excellent week of watch news and reviews. And if I can talk personally for a moment, it’s been a week when I’ve been more grateful than ever to work in this fantasy land called the watch industry. While many in our community risk their lives daily to protect the wider community, and keep us safe and healthy, we have been able to concern ourselves with the important work of how to get JDM Seiko and Grand Seikos, and also to ponder — at length — the democratisation of ceramic bezels. Distractions, I’m sure you agree, have never been more welcome than now. Football (thankfully, Australia has 20 straight days of AFL games to make up for the interruptions in the season so far), Netflix, Stan, Amazon, SBS, ABC iView, watches, watches, watches. We are grateful…
The Longines Record Collection is an important pillar of the brand today, representing the clean classicism that is embodied by the brand. The Heritage Collection is popular with the vintage enthusiast, just as the Sport Collection is a favourite of the adventurous type, and the Record Collection is designed to be an everyday companion and has a correspondingly universal appeal. The openly spaced and cleanly designed dials, as well as the elegant case designs, make for a watch that can look good in any situation, be it casual or formal. This dynamic nature is seen in the new Longines Record Australian Limited Edition, which takes that collective DNA and expresses it with luxurious flair. The case The stainless steel case of the Longines Record Australian Limited Edition measures a well-balanced 38.5mm in diameter, but wears slightly larger thanks to the generously curved lugs. Housed within the steel case is the Longines caliber L888.4, a relatively slim automatic winding movement that keeps the watch sitting sleekly against your wrist. Boasting a full 62 hours of power reserve, the caliber L888.4 is also COSC certified, showing Longines’ commitment to high performance even within their larger families such as the Record Collection. The…
How can a table clock be desirable? My thought process is well on the way to becoming coherent, meaning Sellable To The Wife. She has a background as a buyer in the oil business, so I can’t tell her that the need for a USD$27,000 non-wearable time piece is driven by desire. The title of my presentation (with PowerPoint?): How to justify the purchase of a USD$27,000 table clock with a T-Rex theme. Well, actually, just the skeletonised legs and one eye, but beautifully made … It will be made more difficult by her not knowing what Max Büsser and Friends signifies in my world of horology. Even my 26 years of sales training might not suffice, but I’m doing the pitch anyway. Some of us are stuck in small closets masquerading as home offices, and some of us are back in The Real Office. Let’s be honest, the time of day is there at the corner of the screen, but what if there was a hand-finished piece of art on the desk feeding your creative senses and invoking the history of Earth while at the same time telling the time? This is it. William Massena, the scion of Timezone…
Within the thriving community of Seiko and Grand Seiko enthusiasts, some of the most highly prized watches are released only in the Japanese Domestic Market and the magic acronym you’ll hear more than any other in this community is indeed ‘JDM’. These JDM pieces might not be the most expensive, or limited in production numbers, but for anyone living outside of Japan they are highly prized for being tricky to get in other countries around the world. So how to get JDM watches out of Japan? It certainly isn’t impossible to add a JDM reference to your collection. You just need to know the best ways to go about it. We spoke with James Davison (@seikoman35), an Australian Seiko and Grand Seiko collector and dealer who shared a few tips to getting the watch that you want without too much hassle or paying too much. He is one of the co-creators of Two Vintage Seikos (@two_vintage_seikos), an innovative Instagram-based auction page that almost exclusively sells Seiko and Grand Seiko references that James sources directly from Japan. When I asked how best to get a JDM reference from one of the manufacturers, he offered two solutions. 1. Know a guy As…
In what could be seen as an appeal to Swiss watch collectors – or perhaps just those who prefer lighter watches – G-Shock decided to take their full-metal GMW-B5000 line to the next level. G-Shock has now introduced titanium into their lineup of square-faced design watches inspired by their historic G-Shock DW-5000C. I’ve owned mine for a month, and have plenty to say about it. Firstly, the case, band, bezel, and caseback of this model are all made of very lightweight titanium, weighing in at 110g in total (with their previous steel models weighing 167g). Producing the Full Metal line in titanium was no easy feat for G-Shock. According to Miho Nishimura of Casio’s Watch Development Department, this was not simply a matter of pouring new material into an existing mould and process. The titanium models required an entirely new mould, as well as its own dedicated assembly line, due to titanium being an unforgiving and difficult material to manufacture. G-Shock, in their pursuit of ultimate robustness, has also upgraded the crystal from mineral glass (used in the stainless steel versions) to a sapphire crystal and treated the titanium with a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating that protects the watch from…