INTRODUCING: The Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series is yet another competitively priced collection for dial fetishists
Seiko Presage is the sharp alternative between everyday Seiko and the mythical big brother Grand Seiko, with a price range coinciding with the Prospex range and an emphasis on dressy references with a classic Japanese twist. During the last couple of years, Presage has mainly been known for their very popular Cocktail Time series, with a typical Seiko focus on superb value for money – especially in their choice of colourful and elaborate dials. As with their ever-expanding Prospex series, we are now seeing a proper step up in style with the new Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series. In this new series, we welcome the sight of familiar sharp angles and muscular side profiles we know from the master of dressy sports, Grand Seiko. We saw a glimpse of a more angular Presage future with the unusual 1964 Chronograph re-edition earlier this year and its sharp vintage-style lugs, but this is thoroughly modern, with no curves in sight, and a dial that pops like few others. It’s a dial with the mysterious ability to draw all focus away from other details, so let’s save that for last. The bracelet and case This series comes on leather straps, or a sharp…
The post INTRODUCING: The Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series is yet another competitively priced collection for dial fetishists appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Vintage field watches can be a minefield, full of mechanical issues, aftermarket parts, or just a victim of horrendous overvaluing on the likes of eBay. All of this seems to go against their original ethos, which was to be legible, reliable and able to take a beating in the outside world. Of course, as watches have become less and less practical, the aesthetics of these watches have become priorities, especially when it comes to homages or reissues. Mitch Mason’s inaugural Kickstarter for their Chronicle promises to change that, returning to a formula that aligns itself with those original tough-as-nails timepieces, all the while offering familiar yet fresh designs. There are four variations of the Chronicle, each giving their own unique character to the watch, as they’re not just a simple colour change. Two of the models have a sandwich dial construction, with a layer of sunken luminous paint beneath the dial, adding a depth to the quarterly numerals. Of these, the Steel Blue is the most visually stimulating. A denim-blue dial with vertical brushing allows the bright orange seconds hand to pop, almost evoking a ’70s racing chronograph. The Jet Black version is the most classically handsome model. With the…
Editor’s note: If you missed Part 1, make sure you check it out as it includes the likes of Moser, Chopard and Greubel Forsey. In the best dials of 2020 Part 2 we keep the eye-catching dials rolling, from affordable microbrands all the way to the most haute of horology. Enjoy! anOrdain Model 2 Time-consuming vitreous enamel with a high breakage quota, and a Scottish microbrand producing time-consuming small batches of 36mm watches. This quirky combination must have been a hard sales pitch to secure funding from the bank managers, but had they seen the end result, the arguments would be swiftly silenced. The deep lustre of the candy-coloured enamel dials of anOrdain has gained them a steady stream of followers, and it’s easy to see why their models sell out quicker than a hypothetical steel Sub in an AD’s window. Here is the purple fumé version of the Model 2 with its pebble-smooth 36mm case, a charmingly pointed crown guard of sorts, and that pretty face. Find a good macro shot or YouTube review and you’ll be spellbound by the surface depth perception; glass being the closest likeness to the vitreous enamel, also known as Grand Feu. It is a…
Let’s be honest, 2020 is not just a year of disastrous market decline, job losses and lockdowns. This year has also been one of rapid change and lateral thinking within the horological community. There have also been many heartening examples of the show going on, despite the uncertain backdrop. And with another stunning timepiece in the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic, it’s proof again that there’s no stopping Jean-Christophe Babin and Bulgari, as we witness yet another record-breaking complication for the ultra-thin Octo Finissimo. What is a certainty is that the Finissimo line was launched only six years ago, but it has changed our perceptions of ultra-thin in every category, from aesthetics to functionality, and here is, dare I say, the pinnacle of the catalogue. The chronograph GMT was released in 2019, wowing even the Finissimo sceptics (all of three people) with its engaging design and functionality. This is no less than the blessed marriage of this and the Finissimo Tourbillon, in itself a masterpiece of delicate micro-engineering. The case measures 42mm by a still unbelievable 7.40mm thickness, and comes in the silken sandblasted case still representing horology on-point in 2020. The caliber BVLA388 has a 50-hour power…
Wow, so that was an experience I didn’t expect to have in 2020. A few days in Geneva, yes. But in August, with the sun out and zero time spent in Palexpo halls? Nonetheless, wherever there are new watch releases, Time+Tide is always on the ground. In no particular order, here are what I thought were five of the best watches at the Geneva Watch Days exhibition. Girard-Perregaux Laureato Infinity 42mm The new Laureato Infinity 42mm really floated my boat this week. GP’s Laureato sports watch is probably my favourite line out there, so I always get a buzz seeing a new iteration. And 2020, for all its other misgivings, didn’t disappoint. I like the Laureato for its no-nonsense dial and sleek hexagonal bezel, and to have it in black onyx with rose gold markings is a winning evolution. Not many luxury sports watches can be dressy but, once again, the Laureato has proved it can. Bulgari Aluminium Chronograph Few chronographs have taken my fancy this much of late, but it’s the combination of the playful spin on a late ’90s piece and the sexy rubber strap with aluminium links that’s done it for me. At a significantly lower price point…
Ulysse Nardin has charged into the fray in 2020 with the release of the new Ulysse Nardin Blast, launched just before Geneva Watch Days. While the brand has an extensive archive of marine chronometers that have inspired a number of nautical-themed wristwatches, the design language of the Blast collection is unashamedly expressive in its ambition. The boldly styled 45mm case is a relatively slim 11mm thick, offering a statement piece that still wears comfortably on the wrist. As you might expect from the Le Locle watchmaker, the case construction is complex, and comprises a rose gold upper case, a black DLC-coated titanium middle case and a polished ceramic bezel. Housed within this angular, multi-faceted case is the in-house UN-172, an automatic winding tourbillon with a healthy 72 hours of power reserve. The gyrating tourbillon cage is visible at the 6 o’clock position, while 12 o’clock is reserved for the rose gold micro-rotor, another visually exciting feature on the face of the watch. The Ulysse Nardin Blast has a recommended retail price in Australia ranging from $71,050 to $87,150 for the Blast Gold, depending on the model, and will be available from authorised UN dealers across the country.
Girard-Perregaux is not holding back at the Geneva Watch Days, launching their complete but limited Infinity Editions, a tempting collection set around the dark opulent theme of gold, polished black onyx and titanium. At first, it seems an incongruous marriage of past and future: the rarely seen deep gloss black of onyx associated with jewellery and Rolex dials of the ’70s, paired with what is still considered, in our traditional halls of Haute Horlogerie, futuristic titanium. Unusually and fascinatingly, Girard-Perregaux has darkened both limited editions of existing references and debuts their Free Bridge model. Join us as we visit the dark side of a traditional maison, where the darkness of the Girard-Perregaux Infinity Editions symbolises the depth and infinite mysteries of the universe. Cosmos Infinity Edition The mesmerising movement of two rotating globes in solid onyx, each one hand-painted in lacquer, mixed with gold dust by a micropainting technique involving a one-haired brush. What more can we say to hold your attention? This Infinity Edition of the Cosmos is dark of visage within a case of grade 5 titanium, with these two remarkable dark globes of craftsmanship stealing the show in a big way, yet there is an infinite amount…
The beads-of-rice bracelet, a bracelet design only a few years ago lost to the winds of time — a memory of stretched-out and rattly bracelets on a well-worn 35mm vintage gents watch. Or the mythical Gay Frères kind, one of the most sought-after. I’m embarrassed to admit that I once threw one in the trash, short of knowledge. As with many details of horological nature, the BOR bracelet has again come full circle, but tighter of tolerance, with a solid feel and on the cusp of becoming ubiquitous. If your memory is of the charmingly loose and jangly feeling of your granddad’s 1965 watch, you will not be ready for the solidity of BOR, version 2020. But what are the best beads-of-rice bracelets? We rate three of the best, from popular to quirky, with the most hi-tech version not on the watch you’d expect, proving that there are beads-of-rice for every taste. The bold beads – DOXA SUB 200 DOXA, for many is The Dive Watch, forever associated with the books of Clive Cussler, the iconic Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the huge popularity of scuba diving in the ’60s and ’70s. DOXA have a strong following in the watch community with their…
As a distillation of what a Japanese firm does best, the Grand Seiko SBGP005 offers a compelling line of thought – if you’re looking for a great watch on the more affordable side of things, do you pursue the usual mechanical suspects or high-end quartz? With a case based on the iconic 44GS design, an enchantingly deep blue dial and one of the finer quartz movements on the planet, the Grand Seiko SBGP005 is a watch that makes a strong case for the luxury quartz timepiece. The highly polished steel case measures 40mm in diameter and only 11.1mm thick, which adds up to an almost universally wearable set of proportions, no matter your wrist size. Securing the watch is a steel three-link bracelet with a folding clasp, which has been finished with vertical fine brushing. Powering the Grand Seiko SBGP005 is the in-house 9F85 movement, which offers accuracy of +/-10 seconds per year, and also has the clever feature of an independently movable hour hand while the movement is running. This makes it easy to adjust between time zones without losing any accuracy while the time is being set. So, if you’re in the market for a watch with a…