Rolex? Grand Seiko? You’ve earned it! The best 40th birthday watches for under $20K
In a man’s life, certain birthdays develop greater significance than others – or at least create a whole lot more angst. Your 40th can prove particularly tricky as you struggle to convince yourself that the best years of your life still lie ahead. But this milestone birthday also presents a golden opportunity to buy yourself a genuinely serious watch. Time+Tide’s advice: instead of getting all misty-eyed for your lost youth, console yourself with some of these ideas for a new 40th birthday watch. The TAG Heuer 160th Anniversary Carrera The TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition (available for purchase here) is a versatile yet classic watch and quite possibly my favourite from the maison in the last 20 years. This is a pure Carrera, a clear and distilled version that approaches the epitome of what a chronograph should be, perfectly placed in the Goldilocks zone with its slender 39mm case. It offers a a razor-sharp monochrome visage on a classic black leather strap that means it’ll go with any outfit from a merino knit to a sharp suit. But don’t be fooled by the head-turning looks – the strong Heuer 02 calibre under the caseback means this is…
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Memory is a funny thing. Mainly because of what and how little we do actually remember. This is, in part, explained by the serial-position effect (please don’t click away from this page, this isn’t as boring as it sounds), which is the theory behind why we remember the start and end of events, but not much about what happens between the two. As 2020 has likely been a pretty tough time, you should try to improve what you remember of it by finishing it off with a bang. It might not be possible to have a huge party, but you can finish the year with a rush of adrenaline by getting a new watch. And if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere’s summer right now, we’ve got one pretty good suggestion – the green Longines HydroConquest on rubber strap. This video shows exactly how things will go, should you buy it from the Longines online store. The packaging, the ceremony, it’s all part of the online-buying experience. At 41mm in diameter, it’s nicely sized and arrives on a very comfortable rubber strap for all wrists. Powered by Longines’ in-house and dependably rock-solid L888 caliber, it boasts a more than decent 64…
OK, this was a tough challenge and an ugly battle predictably ensued. Essentially, we scoured the vaults of Bob’s Watches and found some of the best Rolex GMT-Master options around. But which is the ultimate winner? From classic Coke to the freshness of the Pepsi’s iconic red and blue bezel, we’ll admit that tempers ran hot on this one as the Time+Tide team fought it out. Luke Benedictus’ choice: The cerachrom bezel Batman, ref. 126710 There’s one overwhelming reason that I’m rooting for the Caped Crusader here. Obviously, it’s got everything to do with the bi-colour bezel and, more specifically, the intersection where the two colours meet. Because, frankly, there’s some weird voodoo shit going on here. The two colours don’t actually blend together, but you have to really stare to see the dividing line where black hits blue. Like the horizon of the ocean, I can gaze at this for hours. Team Batman all the way. Price: $15,995 USD, available at Bob’s Watches. Nick Kenyon’s choice: The classic Coke ref. 16710 Don’t get me wrong. I love the classics. If it’s Vivaldi or Miles Davis, Oscar Wilde or Ernest Hemingway, Breguet or Dufour, the classics are enduringly brilliant because…
Zelos Watches stand out for their well-honed design vision and obsession with details that puts them firmly on the microbrand podium. Elshan Tang, the owner and designer, releases a steady stream of new stock on their website, ranging from chunky bronze divers to dress watches with elaborate ETA movements. But whatever Zelos offer, it’s quickly snapped up, a fate that is inevitably set to befall their new Blacktip 200m Diver that offers superb value at just $429 USD. This watch sees them enter the highly competitive market for vintage-inspired skin divers. Refreshingly, they’ve done so retaining a clear Zelos language that’s devoid of homage touches. This is easier said than done, but Elshan manages to infuse the models with a distinctive identity that is instantly recognisable. The Blacktip 200m Diver’s 41mm case offers a strong medium build with a good fit on the wrist thanks to its short 47.5mm lug-to-lug measurement. The ergonomics are strong, particularly when combined with the wrist-hugging slim case that’s just 11.5mm thick. The case offers a sweeping ’60s skin diver shape with a delicate sweep and a thin bevel accentuating the strong line, ending in short downturned lugs and that classic straight lug opening. …
Great design for a great price. That’s why the Timex Marlin is an understandable darling of the watch community, with clear historical connection to a collection that the brand produced in the 1960s. The Marlin journey was restarted in 2017 when they launched a manually wound silver dial version, with sword hands, an attractive sunburst brushed dial and charmingly elongated numerals at the cardinal points. In the years since, the same basic design has been re-expressed with a number of different dial and case colour variations, but in the closing moments of 2020 we get something totally new – the Timex Marlin Automatic California. As you’d probably guessed from the name, these new dress watches feature California dials, which mean they feature half Arabic numerals and half Roman numerals. California dials would also sometimes feature a triangle marker at 12 o’clock, pointing in the opposite direction to the triangle marker at 12 o’clock often found in mid-century pilot’s watches. Why are they called California dials? It’s a little bit of a mystery, with a few competing theories. The nickname isn’t because a Californian native came up with the design, but instead the most popular theory is that a dial company…
Watches are emotional objects. We don’t need them. We want them. And we use them to mark important occasions. Birthdays, graduations, career milestones … you name it, they act as talismans of success and remind us of the moments that are special to us. Speaking to this theme, one of the questions we receive most at Time+Tide HQ goes something along the lines of this: “I want to buy a watch for my child’s 18th birthday, but I don’t know what to get. Can you guys point me in the right direction?” We wanted to tackle that question head on, and offer a few suggestions on the best 18th birthday gift watches — all ringing the till under $2K AU. Let’s get into it. TAG Heuer Formula 1 For Australians, TAG Heuer is a brand that looms large in our collective consciousness. It’s always been one of the most well-known Swiss watchmakers and therefore an obvious go-to for a milestone gift. One of the most popular TAG Heuer references is the Formula 1, loved for its universally wearable 41mm case diameter and its robust build quality. The blue dial has a sunburst finishing that catches the light beautifully, and with…
When is a wristwatch no longer a wristwatch? This is the question as you hold the H. Moser x MB&F Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon because it feels like an otherworldly creation. Have MB&F and H. Moser freed one of the alien pilots from Area 51 – and employed him (it?) in their design department? Is this domed beauty actually from another planet? The mind is thoroughly boggled. One thing is for sure: time is immaterial when you put this on your wrist, and gaze through the impossibly high sapphire dome. The dial, it’s all in the dial Well, there is no point trying to look at the case first, as the incredibly tall dome grabs every tiny fraction of your attention the moment you put on what is, in fact, a very comfortable watch. And then you have to sit yourself down. With the avant-garde vision of MB&F married to H. Moser’s brilliant case design, intricate movement and fumé dial (but fumé not as we know it), this is a marriage made in Haute Horology heaven. The watch is all about the dial, which, with its 19.5mm height, takes on the image (in my furtive imagination at least) of a domed…
Grand Seiko has been celebrating its 60th Anniversary these past few weeks and months, but during today’s Grand Seiko USA webinar some huge news was announced regarding the future of Grand Seiko USA, as well as a new watch – the Grand Seiko SBGE263 US Limited Edition. The 110 watches are a nod to the 10th anniversary of Grand Seiko USA. Before we dig into the watch, it’s worth noting an announcement fans and collectors of the brand stateside have been eagerly awaiting – the expansion of the GS9 Club in the US. For the first time outside of Japan, US buyers who have purchased a watch at a GS boutique, salon or Mastershop (authorised dealers) after March 23, 2017 are able to join the club and benefit from its special events, gifts, and content afforded only to members. Grand Seiko USA will provide a detailed list of which dealers are considered authorised in regards to joining the GS9 Club. The website will be, for the most part, available to the public, including a rich and detailed archive of the brand’s history and its models. Most of the content (such as articles and videos) will also be available, but there…