VIDEO: The Longines Heritage Classic Chronograph 1946, for those that love vintage style in a modern size
The 1940s were a golden period for chronograph innovation at Longines, an era that included the now highly collectible 13ZN movement, as well as timelessly balanced and articulated designs. The depth of Longines’ archives from this period have yielded yet another handsome model that is faithful to the original, with sensitive updates to bring it into line with modern tastes. This new Longines Heritage Classic Chronograph 1946 is slightly larger, which will appeal to those turned off by smaller vintage-styled watches, at 40mm in diameter and 12mm tall. It also houses the contemporary L895.5 automatic movement that boasts 54 hours of power reserve. Despite these small changes that bring the watch into the 21st century, the mid-century design is clear for all to see and works towards bringing such strong design together with modern movement technology. Read the longer review of this model here. Longines Heritage Classic Chronograph 1946 pricing and availability: The Longines Heritage Classic Chronograph 1946 has an Australian RRP of $4425 and is available from Longines boutiques and online. Made in partnership with Longines. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
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There is huge power in community, even if you don’t always realise it. And there’s nothing like a serendipitous meeting to remind you of the little threads of connection all around you that build that community. It was one such chance meeting that Sap experienced while wearing his Deep Blue watch that was custom-made for his watch group – the SEVEN10 Watch Brotherhood. Sap reminds us in this video the appeal of indie brands. “I have a Rolex Hulk, I have an Omega Moon to Mars… but I also have Autodromo and Deep Blue, one of the OGs of the indie movement. The benefit [of indies] is that it’s a cost effective way to get something that’s amazing and different.” The customised elements of Sap’s Deep Blue watch can be seen on the dial where SEVEN10 text sits just above the 6 o’clock position, and the only two hour markers that are Arabic numerals are, you guessed it, seven and ten. The caseback also mentions the watch group, where it also proudly displays the 1000m of water resistance that the watch offers. Sap wore his watch to the US to meet a few other members of the group, but before…
Ghosts are well known for haunting people. They leave people terrified. Too scared to leave their bedrooms at night. This ghost bezel Tudor Submariner ref 7016 is sure to keep you from sleeping, and the unshakeable feeling will be either intense horror, or intense attraction. There are unlikely to be fence sitters on this one. On Every Watch Tells A Story this week we hear from Rob, the man behind Geneva Blue who represents a number of independent watch (and accessory) brands right here in Australia, and his pretty remarkable 52-year-old Tudor Snowflake Sub. This special watch was born in the very late 1960s, and came into Rob’s collection through a watch enthusiast friend who had purchased it at auction. Two of the most attractive features of the watch are the highly collectible ghost bezel and the full set of box and papers that the watch was sold with. The beautifully faded bezel offers a sense of just what the watch has been through in the half-century since it left the factory, with an evenly pale fade that offers a charming contrast against the black dial that shows signs of an equally well-lived life. While this sort of wabi-sabi aesthetic…
Grand Seiko are marking the 60th anniversary of their first watch with a small collection of dress watches that are based on the first ever watches to be made with Grand Seiko on the dial. These classically styled time-only dress watches set the foundation for what Grand Seiko are becoming known for today; a knack for traditional watchmaking expressed in simple and coherent designs. We took a closer look at two of the three watches in this collection, the SBGW257 in platinum and the SBGW258 in yellow gold, which are two precious metal watches that offer different experiences of the same watch design. While the platinum is both more luxurious and subtle, it also has a coolness to it with a sharper edge. The SBGW258 in yellow gold, on the other hand, is more clearly a gold dress watch in the most classical sense, mostly due to the warmth of the coloured precious metal. The three watches in this collection are not limited in their production numbers, giving everyone the opportunity to wear a piece of Japanese watchmaking history on their wrist. Australian pricing of the Grand Seiko First in platinum and yellow gold: The Grand Seiko SBGW257 in platinum…
“Is that what I think it is?” asked Aldis Hodge, Hollywood actor and horological designer, as I sat down for breakfast one morning at Dubai Watch Week 2019. “Yep,” I replied. “It’s an old Raketa Copernic; I picked it up last year.” “Nice, man. I’ve got one of those too,” he said. I had already been happy with the watch, mostly on account of the price I paid for it. But now, I smiled ear to ear. To have its coolness confirmed by a man who definitely knows a thing or two about watch design? That was something else. The Raketa Copernic was first released in Soviet-era Russia to commemorate the Polish astronomer and mathematician Nicolaus Copernicus. The strangely shaped hands were a specific ode to his work in astrology, with the minute hand representing the moon, being eclipsed by the hour hand that represented the sun once an hour. The watch was re-released by the still-operating Raketa in 2019, but without the old-world charm of the original. The larger 40.5mm blackened steel case and red dial highlights are attractive, but don’t give the same pared-back, roughly finished appeal of the original watch. While it doesn’t have sharply finished case…
Editor’s note: Watchmaking is founded on incremental progress. The slow accumulation of applied knowledge that produces a better and better product with each passing year. That is exactly what TAG Heuer have achieved with their latest generation Connected Watch, offering the most optimised blend of Swiss luxury and Silicon Valley tech that we have seen in a smartwatch to date. Andrew spent some quality time with the TAG Heuer Connected Watch generation 3 before it was released to get a better understanding of what it is all about, and how it is better than the previous generations. Without further ado, enjoy his Week on the Wrist review. The latest generation of the TAG Heuer Connected Watch has just been released and it represents a major and — practically everyone would agree — welcome departure from the tech and mindset of the previous two generations. Simply because it is now powered by Google Wear OS, which allows the Swiss to do what they do best — a dramatically refined and more luxurious case and overall design — and it lets Google run the hardware, with a raft of improved apps and functions, most of which we explore in the video. In terms of…
This year, Seiko is celebrating 55 years since their first-ever dive watch, which was released in 1965. Since then, the dive watch has become a core part of Seiko’s offering, with innumerable watches released over the years, many of which have developed cult followings. To mark this occasion, Seiko have released a trio of limited edition watches, each paying tribute to an important dive watch from their archive. The three watches in question are based on references released in 1965, 1968 and 1975 respectively, and all still make up a significant part of their professional collection today. As I mentioned, they are limited in their production numbers. Each watch will be available in 1100 pieces, and will be delivered between June and July of this year. Seiko 55th Anniversary Dive Watch Collection Australian Pricing The Seiko SLA037J1 reissue from 1965 is AUD$9750, The Seiko SLA039J1 reissue from 1968 is AUD$10,500 The Seiko SLA041J1 reissue from 1975 is AUD$6950. Made in partnership with Seiko. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
This week’s gone full Speedmaster. On Saturday, it was the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, deemed to be a “successful failure”, because there was indeed a major malfunction, but all astronauts on the mission lived to talk about it. I was very fortunate to have heard this story told by one of the men who played a part, US astronaut Jim Lovell – at the NASA Space Centre in Houston. In short, when all the astronauts had to cram into the lunar module to make it back to earth after an oxygen tank exploded on board, the Speedy played its part in helping Jim nail the precise moment to trigger and then cease a crucial 14-second fuel burn to get the module angled correctly to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere. Using the earth’s horizon line as a guide and his chronograph for the fuel burn, they successfully made it back home and Omega was awarded the Snoopy Award for their crucial role in getting the astronauts home safely. If that wasn’t enough, we are also keeping an eye on the sale of an Omega Speedmaster belonging to a Russian cosmonaut that was worn in space. Nikolai Budarin wore the…
There’s no doubt about it. The latest 47mm professional dive watch from Grand Seiko makes a dramatic first impression, but that shouldn’t overshadow just how remarkable the technical achievements are inside that large and in charge case. The Grand Seiko SLGA001 certainly isn’t for the faint of wrist, measuring in at 46.9mm in diameter and 16mm tall, but the technology powering it is impressive to the highest degree. The new Spring Drive movement is thinner than its predecessor, as well as being more shock resistant thanks to a single-piece central bridge. It boasts a full five days of power reserve as a result of two mainspring barrels. The accuracy has also been improved to ±0.5 seconds per day, an achievement possible thanks to technology borrowed from the 9F quartz movements used by Grand Seiko. The case and bracelet are constructed in hard-wearing titanium, which eliminates what would have been significant weight if the watch was made in the typical steel used in watchmaking, and makes it remarkably more wearable considering its size. This is a watch designed for the professional diver, and ticks just about every box someone who spent their life underwater would want. The Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Limited…
We’ve become accustomed to the sight of a vintage reissue in the watch world. Some are good, some are just plain opportunistic and unimaginative, and some miss the mark completely. And the reason many miss the mark is an awkward straddling of the fence between the past and the present. The question boils down to the level of historical accuracy that is being attempted, and whether or not the watch pulls it off. The Seiko SPB149J is a modern reissue of the 62MAS, which was Seiko’s first ever dive watch and it opts to proffer a modern interpretation of the OG, rather than a slavish 1:1 reproduction. This is a modern Seiko dive watch that employs some design cues from the original. The case has a similar shape. The dial layout is also clearly inspired by the 62MAS. But it is a thoroughly modern watch in the movement, bracelet (the original was sold on a rubber strap), and proportions of many other elements of the watch. As a result, we aren’t presented with a watch that looks too vintage for the modern enthusiast, or misses the details that would upset the vintage collector. The result is a watch that feels…