VIDEO: An ideal daily diver, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe in black ceramic
Blancpain’s Bathyscaphe is one of those rare, chameleonic watch designs. A watch that, broadly speaking, owes great fidelity to its primogenitor, but a watch that doesn’t look dated. It’s a neutral watch — something that gives the Bathyscaphe broad appeal and great versatility. In steel, it’s a classic, traditional dive watch, but here, in black ceramic, it’s something much more modern in style. And the execution of the ceramic really is gorgeous. Crisp lines, even brushed finishes, really lovely stuff — the material is finished like metal, but with ceramic’s advantages of light weight and scratch resistance. No matter how you slice it, the case of this watch is cool. The dial isn’t half bad either, and I quite like how reserved Blancpain has been, keeping the hour markers quite small, when it must have been tempting to scale them up. The result is, to my eye, a more subtle, versatile watch dial, which doesn’t scream ‘diver!’ at the top of its lungs. This is a watch you could definitely wear daily, with a suit (especially in the smaller case size), or for any Cousteau-esque underwater adventures you might have planned. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe black ceramic Australian pricing Blancpain Fifty…
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The other day we showed you the very heritage-inspired Captain Cook Mark II from Rado. Well, now it’s time for the other side of the coin, the modern take on an old classic. Meet the Rado Tradition Captain Cook Mark III. On paper, it’s a titanium-cased diver with an internal bezel. On the wrist, it’s so much more. The titanium case is large (46mm large), but not overwhelmingly so, thanks to a curvy, lugless case design. And while the Mark II is reflection city, this guy sucks up the light like nobody’s business, thanks to the super-hard matt finish. The domed sapphire crystal is something else, showing every tiny popping yellow detail on the dial below. And while all the individual elements are pretty good, what I appreciate the most about this watch is the whole picture — it’s a modern dive watch that’s fit for purpose, and one that manages to be its own creation rather than an homage (knowing or otherwise) to other designs. Bravo Rado! Rado Tradition Captain Cook Mark III Australian pricing and availability Rado Tradition Captain Cook Mark III, $3450
Earlier this year, Blancpain announced the third generation of their charitable champion — the Blancpain Ocean Commitment III, a limited edition take on their iconic Fifty Fathoms. And while previous versions have distinguished themselves by being ceramic and Bathyscaphe, this time around we were treated to a regular (and regularly sized) Fifty Fathoms, in that most democratic of case materials — steel. There is a common link to previous BOCs, though, in the rich and rewarding blue dial, emblazoned with an Ocean Commitment logo at the six o’clock position. It’s a really great watch, which looks good on the wrist, thanks in no small part to its 40mm width. It’s also a watch that does some good as well. In case you’re not au fait with the Ocean Commitment initiative, it’s Blancpain’s program dedicated to raising awareness of our marine environment, and raising funds to improve the health of that environment. A portion of funds from each BOC III sold will go directly to this program, adding up to a cool 250,000 euro across the run of 250 watches. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III Australian availability and pricing Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III, limited to 250 pieces, $21,400
There are few things we like more than a limited edition Seiko, and one of those things is a limited edition Seiko that has been made specifically for the Australian market. Which is lucky, because that’s exactly what the Seiko Prospex SNE520P is — an 800-piece series made just for the land down under. And really, the choice of watch makes perfect sense — after all, a solar-powered diver is just the sort of watch you want for a country renowned for its high ratio of both sun and surf. On top of that, there’s the green and gold colour scheme, which has been realised in a pretty classy manner. There’s quite a bit of gold detailing, on the bezel, dial and crown. But the green is a little more low-key, only showing up on the first 20 minutes of the dive bezel. As far as Australian-themed watches go, it’s subtle, which is, in my opinion, a pretty good thing. Now, there are 800 of these watches, available across Australia, but one of them — number one, to be precise — is currently in our possession. But not for long. You may or may not be aware that parts of…
Last year, Rado had a breakthrough, heritage-inspired hit with their Captain Cook, a slightly quirky 37mm diver. This year they’ve doubled down on the Captain, with the Mark II, a curvy, funky ’60s-inspired diver. The heritage look is really strong, from the super-polished cushion case, through to the super high crystal and the era-appropriate dial details, like the broad hour markers and internal bezel. Though I think what I like most about this Rado is, funnily enough, the bracelet. So often the bracelet is an afterthought, tacked on at the end. But Rado have clearly thought this one through. It’s a solid-feeling ‘beads-of-rice’ style bracelet, on a single fold clasp with a lovely vintage look. It looks the part and wears well on the wrist. The other major surprise about this watch was just how well it wore for a 37mm piece. I’ve got a fairly large wrist and 37mm is a size I typically wouldn’t go for, but in this case it works. So I’d say, if you like the look but aren’t sure about the case width, I’d strongly suggest trying it on for size. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Rado Heritage Captain Cook Tradition Mark II…
Most of the watches we talk about here at Time+Tide are mechanical — if there’s a battery involved, the watch has to be pretty special to get our attention. Well, Seiko’s Astron meets (and exceeds) the ‘pretty special’ criteria. The original Astron watch was released in 2012 (well, if you want to get technical, the original Astron was Seiko’s first quartz watch from 1969), and is significant as it was the world’s first GPS Solar watch, a particularly useful pairing of technology, which means that the watch can ‘talk’ to satellites, ensuring perpetual accuracy, and the solar cells on the dial ensure perpetual power. But cramming these technologies came at a cost — size. The earliest iterations of the Astron wore substantially on the wrist, but that’s something that Seiko has worked on over the years, as this latest generation, powered by the Calibre 5X, proves. In addition to smarter power usage, this Astron clocks in at a very respectable 42.9mm across by 12.2mm wide. It might not be elegant dress watch territory, but for a gadget-heavy daily wearer, it’s impressive. Add titanium construction to the equation and this might just be the best Astron yet. Seiko Astron SSH003J Australian pricing…
Owning a tourbillon is a dream for many watch-loving folks. The little, eternally whirling cages, designed to counteract the effects of gravity on a timepiece’s isochronism, aren’t particularly practical, though they hold within them a charm that in many ways sums up the appeal of mechanical watches. But for many, the dream of strapping the pinnacle of watchmaking’s craft onto your wrist would always be just that — as, traditionally, tourbillons have come with a very high price tag. And while no one is suggesting that $20,000 is pocket change, when TAG Heuer introduced a Swiss, automatic tourbillon at this very aggressive price point, the industry as a whole took notice. It’s worth pointing out that TAG Heuer was able to achieve this by using more industrial processes in creating the tourbillon, as well as making them at a greater volume than other brands. But still, the Carrera Heuer 02 Tourbillon presents a very strong value proposition and, more importantly, looks great on the wrist, especially in that all-black ceramic case. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon Australian pricing and availability TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon, in black ceramic, $21,750. Available at TAG Heuer boutiques.