Category: Reviews

Review – Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phase de Lune

At first, Blancpain’s Bathyscaphe watches are clearly seen as tool/dive pieces. But in fact, there’s more. The new Fifty Fathoms BathyscapheQuantième Complet Phase de Lune advances the idea of adding civilian-friendly features with both a complete calendar and moon-phase display. Typically found in their luxury Villeret collection, the complications add a classic, dressy vibe to the otherwise tool watch aesthetic. With previous models like the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Annuel, it’s not the first time Blancpain has dressed up a Bathyscaphe diver with complications, but this is the boldest model yet. Let’s take a closer look at this interesting tool/dress hybrid.

5 years ago

Review – Hamilton Jazzmaster Regulator Cinema

When I think of Hamilton and movies, I always picture Will Smith wearing a Hamilton Ventura in Men in Black. The company’s affiliation with the film industry goes much farther back, however, to the Golden Age of Hollywood. The 1932 classic, Shanghai Express, was Hamilton’s first brush with fame as it shared the screen with movie stars of the day (Marlene Dietrich and Clive Brook). Hamilton watches have since appeared in over 500 feature films, including on the wrist of Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii and approaching Europa in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In 2006, the brand created the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards, honoring the off-screen talents that make movies possible (screenwriters, set designers, prop masters, costume designers, etc.). And to celebrate their tenth awards show and 86 years in films, Hamilton launched the movie-themed Jazzmaster Regulator Cinema.

5 years ago

Hands-on – Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Ceramic and Titanium

The Seamaster Diver 300M is one of the most beloved watches of Omega fans, and one of the best-sellers of the company. Part of this success is due to the link with James Bond, to the point that despite the long “Omega Seamaster 300M Professional” name, the watch is very often simply referred to as “the James Bond watch”. After a tasteful facelift done last year on the time-and-date version, we have this year an additional model dressed in black ceramic and titanium – see here – that has more than just different materials to offer. Here’s our early hands-on with the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Ceramic and Titanium (ref. 210.92.44.20.01.001).

5 years ago

Review – A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds White Gold and Black Dial

Packed with historical references, bold aesthetics, spectacular mechanics and uncompromising quality, the new white gold iteration of the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds with its black dial is a watch you won’t forget. A watch that honours the past but looks undeniably contemporary, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds marries the tradition of scientific observations watches cultivated in Dresden with the spectacle of jumping seconds on the dial powered by a movement bolstered by constant force escapement, stop seconds, a zero-reset mechanism and an end-of-power indication.

5 years ago

Hands-on – Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100 GMT

There’s certainly no shortage of dive watches on the market, with popular icons from Rolex, Omega, Seiko and other heavyweights in retailers worldwide. Unique offerings from lesser known brands like H20 Watch and Farer provide intriguing alternatives, and there was a boom of relatively unknown, first-class divers thriving in the 1960s and 1970s. Although never a household name, Aquadive was well respected among water enthusiasts in those earlier decades with high depth ratings, no-nonsense designs and advanced technology for the time. Similar in spirit to the revived Jenny Caribbean 300 diver, the new Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100 GMT brings retro styling with modern engineering for divers seeking to relive the past or simply sport a unique piece. With both German and Swiss design, the watch is first and foremost a submersible tool, but a stylish option for terrestrial fans as well. Let’s take a closer look at this modern take on a sea-dwelling blast from the past.

5 years ago

HANDS-ON: The Breguet Marine Chronograph ref. 5527

If I’m being honest, this is one of the less “Breguet” watches Breguet has released in recent years. It’s an unconventional mix of traditional features, in a much more contemporary package. All the key design features are there: the fluted case, the hands and the elaborately guillochéd dial, but this watch is a world away from their Classique collection, while still being undeniably Breguet. It also — and this is a key point — doesn’t look too much like anything else in the crowded field of high-end sports chronographs. And make no mistake, this is a high-end sports chronograph. One look at the back side of this hefty 42.3mm by 13.85mm watch should make that abundantly clear. All 346 parts of this automatic calibre (at least the ones I could see) are gorgeous, working together in complex harmony. The rotor is now a skeletonised ship’s wheel affair rather than the wavelike shape of yore. Of course, being Breguet, you know that there’s silicon inside, particularly the escapement anchor and the balance spring — good things for a sporty chrono. The choice of white gold case leans away from sports and more towards luxury (don’t worry though, there’s a titanium option…

The post HANDS-ON: The Breguet Marine Chronograph ref. 5527 appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

5 years ago

Review – Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon 6000V

Vacheron Constantin expands its Overseas collection with the introduction of a sophisticated tourbillon complication. The first tourbillon model to debut in the Overseas collection, the complication injects a dose of Haute Horlogerie spectacle to the mix without jeopardising the solidity of a luxury sports watch designed for everyday wear. Presented in a stainless steel case with a striking blue dial and expected high-end finishes, the watch is fitted with Vacheron Constantin’s self-winding ultra-thin calibre 2160 and, like its fellow Overseas models, brings versatility to the table with three interchangeable bracelets/straps.

5 years ago

HANDS-ON: Glashütte Original go all out with their contemporary Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar

As far as complications go, perpetual calendars are typically classically styled, verging on the stuffy, depending on how well they’re done. Not that there’s anything fundamentally wrong with this – after all, fine watchmaking thrives on tradition. But I can understand the desire to shake things up a little, and throw down some contemporary styles, which is exactly what Glashütte Original have done with this limited edition take on their Senator Excellence PC. Fundamentally, this watch is the same as the ‘regular’ model, a nicely sized 42mm model, with a big panorama date at four (hence the name), moon at seven, and day/month and leap year indicator across the top of the dial. Where things start spicing up is how the dial (or lack thereof) has been rendered. The centre of the dial is open-worked, letting the finely guilloched mainplate shine through, framed by the matt black section, which frames all the functionality and leaves some space for branding. It’s a cool look, and one that’s in the brand’s wheelhouse, with a look that’s reminiscent of the PanoInverse. You get a hint of the inner workings, with the odd pinion and ruby poking out, but it’s also not fully open-worked…

The post HANDS-ON: Glashütte Original go all out with their contemporary Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

5 years ago

Review – Weiss 42mm Limited American Issue Field Watch – Including an American-Made Movement

Most watches that really spark my interest have either Swiss or German roots, but on rare occasions, a piece will surface from an unlikely place. I recently reviewed the Classic Enamel PS-801-CE from American watchmaker, RGM (based in Pennsylvania) and I’m always impressed with the company’s in-house calibres and old-school craftsmanship. America was once a hotbed for watchmaking with brands like Hamilton, Waltham, Elgin, Ingersoll and Westclox, but acquisitions, bankruptcies and European competition have all but shut down American production. While RGM represents a resurgence of American watchmaking with several in-house calibres, a much younger company in Los Angeles has been producing an in-house movement since 2016. Weiss Watch Company has only existed for a few years and initially relied on Swiss movements for American-made cases, but their in-house Calibre 1003 has made them a bonified American watch brand. Let’s take a closer look at the Weiss 42mm Limited American Issue Field Watch, designed and manufactured in the United States.

5 years ago

Event – Driving the new Porsche 992 and wearing the Porsche Design 911 Chronograph Timeless Machine

Porsche and Porsche-Design together invited me for their Winter Event in Zell am See, Austria. Although it was immediately after the SIHH, from 18-20 January, I couldn’t resist when I saw the program! Zell am See is the historical birth ground of Porsche and their design studio is still located in this beautiful Austrian village in the middle of the Alps. Zell am See gave stage to the revived Ice Race and the new Porsche Design 911 Timeless Machine, which we covered recently, was there for me to review. But also another mechanical machine that is also dubbed ‘Timeless Machine’ awaited me and here’s my report on the Porsche Winter Event, the new Porsche Design 911 Timeless Machine Limited Edition and driving in the brand new Porsche 992.

5 years ago