BATTLE ROYALE: The best watch media collaborations according to the T+T Team
Over the last decade, the watch media has played an increasingly important, and intertwined, part in the watch industry. From increased coverage of newly released watches to publications becoming authorised retailers for brands, the landscape has shifted forever. And out of this paradigm shift, one of the coolest things to be born is the watch media collaboration watch. While it’s fair to debate how broad the definition of media collaboration watch might be (the Time Zone forum produced a limited edition watch with RGM back in 1999), the trend can be traced back as seriously gaining momentum in 2015 with the Hodinkee collaboration with MB&F. Even Time+Tide joined the party at the end of last year with our Bamford London x Time+Tide GMT1. So with more than half a decade in the rear window, enough time has passed to consider the question: what are the best watch media collaborations? Nick Kenyon – IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36mm Special Edition for The Rake and Revolution While I’ll admit I had a very soft spot for the Fratello Speedmaster “Speedy Tuesday” Limited Edition, there is something incredibly enchanting about this three-handed IWC. I think it’s the fact that, while there are lots of heritage reissues…
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The DOXA Sub 300 is a strong diver’s watch with vintage leanings. But the Sub 300 Aqualung US Divers Limited Edition in carbon fibre offers a completely different proposition. Essentially, it refashions the piece with a modern edge – the sharp and moody presence of the industrial carbon fibre turning up the emphasis on the Sub 300 as a pure tool watch, while at the same time highlighting the vivid dial. DOXA is now pairing all six references in the Sub 300 range with the inviting tactility of that new carbon fibre case. Don’t be fooled, however, by the bright colours and feather-light weight. This watch remains a serious diver powered by a COSC-certified ETA 2824-2 movement that reminds us that under the surface, every minute counts. First Impressions When we first laid our eyes on this new range, the bright dials seem even more prominent framed by the matte, silky darkness. This carbon fibre composite has an industrial vibe with silvery flecks of visible fibre bringing an even stronger presence to the Sub 300, not to mention that extraordinary lightness (it weighs just 87g). Retaining the distinctive tonneau shape, the 13.4mm thickness is svelte for such a rugged tool.…
Our weekly Micro Mondays feature has become a big success since its inception last year. The featured pieces often appeal because of their more accessible approach to watchmaking with a delightful blend of superb value and quirky designs that just wouldn’t happen in a listed company with a large design department. Purely on the basis of online traffic, these are the 10 most popular microbrands on Time+Tide from last year – a mix of new offerings and others that are fast evolving from fledgling independents into larger scale productions. 10. Kurono Japanese watchmaking artisan Hajime Asaoka makes stunning bespoke watches. The only problem: the starting price is around $40,000. Kurono is the more accessible side of Asaoka-san’s art deco splendour. The production is managed by Precision Watch Tokyo Co. Ltd, while the dial and caseback – signed Bunkyō Tokyo – refers to the special ward in Tokyo where Hajime’s design studio is located. As a microbrand Kurono is well-established with two new models launched this year, including a new version of their art deco classic bicompax chronograph. Unfortunately, and as usual, it instantly sold out based on a well-organised tier system for orders. And yes, they are already rising in…
The heritage trend has definitely saturated the marketplace with virtually every manufacturer looking to their past to create interest in their products. Some do this better than others. With the current ubiquity of the faux-patinated aesthetic, designs have to be pushed even further to stand out. Re-interpretations of heritage designs typically signal that the design is largely unchanged besides minor elements being modernised to ensure they are faithful tributes. Longines, however, has taken a more interesting route of late – leveraging heritage frameworks but issuing them with new skins that cater to modern trends. We saw the Longines BigEye Avigation freshen up a past design with a shaded petrol blue dial. Now a similar shade of smoked blue lacquer has been introduced to the Longines Legend Divers collection, alongside a smoked coffee brown lacquer dial for those hankering for a warmer aesthetic. The dimensions remain the same as the original 2007 black dial model that helped usher in the vintage-inspired trend with its stainless-steel case 42mm in diameter (just like the original 7402 diver it was inspired by), 12.7mm thick, and 52.4mm lug to lug. The 300 metre water-resistant watch has a screw-down caseback, as well as two screw-down crowns…
Thanks to the vintage looks of its steel case, the DOXA SUB 300 is a cult diver’s watch. But ever since the SUB 300 Aqualung US Divers in carbon fibre came out, its dark presence has haunted the dreams of DOXA fans (in a good way). Sleek and moody, the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon turns up the emphasis on the SUB 300 as a pure diver’s tool, while at the same time underlining the blisteringly fresh dials. If, like me, you fancy the stealthy embrace of carbon fibre, this is very much your ticket. I do warn you though, you will have serious decision issues, as we have six colourful references in the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon collection to choose from. As a whole new sub-category (pun intended) within the DOXA portfolio, the smooth tactility of the high-grade carbon fibre takes the brand to another level. As icing on the candy coloured cake, these babies are COSC-certified, chronometer spec diver’s watches. Professional Part of the rise of DOXA from niche favourite to Instagram star is the Swiss brand’s tight focus on diving watches. That’s why it seems apt to start with the zesty orange of the Professional in the classic DOXA…
Prospex is the largest growing Seiko line-up with buyers flocking to add pieces from the collection to their wrist. Highly robust and value-driven, these watches can be more affordable than their competitors with little to no sacrifice in the quality of fabrication. While many will refer to this watch as a new entry into the “Willard” line of Seiko divers – named after the watch worn by Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) in Apocalypse Now – that’s actually not the back story here. This watch is really a tribute to the Japanese adventurer Naomi Uemura, who wore a similar piece in the 1970s while completing a 12,500km solo dog-sled run from Greenland to Alaska. Now outfitted with a textured charcoal gray dial, the Seiko Prospex SLA051J1 is a modern re-interpretation of the diving watch that Uemura wore on that expedition. The SLA049 meanwhile is available in a limited-edition run of 1200 pieces and celebrates the 80th anniversary of Uemura’s birth with a blue dial reminiscent of the mountainous terrain that he explored. The stainless-steel cases are 44mm in diameter, but more compact than their diameter lets on with a lug to lug measurement under 48mm. The flying saucer-like profiles wear well…
It’s no secret we are rather enamoured with the Bulgari Octo Finissimo and calling it a micro-technological marvel of the new century would not be overselling it. Following our article on Bulgari’s latest chapter of one-upmanship – where they managed to somehow engineer a tourbillon to fit the already infinitessimally optimised space inside the angular case – we are still none the wiser as to how they did it. Surely you too have wondered just what hides within the paper thin layers of cogs, bridges and small colourful pops of jewels in their caliber BV318. Rarely have we spent so much time looking at a movement through the clear sapphire caseback in the sandblasted titanium case, every so often turning the watch expecting it to be an optical illusion. Surely it is not humanly possible to fit a traditional mechanical movement with a chronograph complication and a GMT function within a case of 6.9mm? We are deadly curious and who better to educate us than Peter Speake-Marin of The Naked Watchmaker. In his Deconstruction series, an already fascinating journey into the inner workings of the mechanical wonders we obsess over, he has dedicated his workbench to the Octo Finissimo Chronograph…
Studio Underd0g have a refreshingly playful approach to watchmaking. As the British microbrand explain on their website. “When the biggest news in the watch-world for 2020 is that a certain brand (that shall not be named) had increased their case size by an unfathomable 1mm it got us thinking… Why… so… serious…? Don’t worry, we don’t plan on taking them head on just yet, but we are here to inject a bit of silliness into what can be a very un-silly industry.” This is a very welcome perspective and plays out in Studio Underd0g’s cheerfully irreverent debut collection that consists of three watches: Desert Sky, Watermel0n and Go0fy Panda. Normally, after all, watches with bicompax and “big eye” features come loaded with vintage preconceptions. We might expect a manual movement, intricately detailed feuille hands, monochrome tones and rather high price points for the serious collectors out there. But Studio Underd0g (yes, that is a zero in their name) aim to do things differently. By adding fresh colours and humour suddenly we’re into unknown territory. Richard Benc, the founder of Studio Underd0g, seems to have a particular sense of style and an instinctive feel for both dial size and the delicate…
We really should have seen the Hamilton Intra-Matic Chronograph H coming. Having played with the idea before, this hand-wound, bi-register chrono – in beautifully proportioned panda and reverse panda dial variants – sees Hamilton effectively resurrect and update its first chronograph. The modern Intra-Matic Chronograph H is compelling in either dial, taking direct inspiration from 1968’s ‘Chronograph A’ and ‘Chronograph B’. Those original pieces have often aged beautifully, so it’s no surprise to see fauxtina deployed here. A box sapphire crystal further adds to that ’60s vibe. In all, though, it appears to be a watch that leans heavily on the vintage cues without ever losing its balance. At 40mm, the case contains the new H-51 movement (utilising a base ETA-7753) with 60 hours power reserve. It also comes with a welcome 100m of water resistance. But while the Chronograph H is a modern take on Hamilton’s original chronograph, it’s also a natural step in the brand’s recent exploration of those ’60s designs – and suggests that while they’ve been looking backwards, they’ve also been responding to the tastes of modern watch-buyers. This is not the first model to find inspiration from the reverse panda looks of the ‘Chronograph B’.…