Today I’m talking with long-time friend François-Xavier Overstake, aka @equationdutemps. This is not just his Instagram handle, but also the name of his blog about watches, which is probably one of the most important French publications on watches. Besides running his own blog, Francois-Xavier is a moderator on Watchprosite, a large watch forum. At 51 […]
One of Certina’s most historically important divers’ watches resurfaces.
Watchmaking as moving as the beating heart it animates.
Recently I saw a tragicomic sight. It was an ultra-sleek McLaren 720S sports car in a violent shade of tangerine. Now anyone with a driving licence could appreciate this turbocharged V8 was a bona fide supercar. But this magnificent piece of automotive engineering was now inching along through rush-hour at the walking pace of a very small child. I’ve no idea if the driver actually lived in the traffic-choked city or not. Either way, given that most Aussie highways have heavily policed speed limits that top out at 110km/h, you could be fairly sure that this car’s 710bhp would never be properly unleashed. The existence of this McLaren would be akin to a tiger in captivity, its raw physicality forever stifled. Despite its $490,000 price tag, this car was a sad example of wasted potential. The same probably goes for your watch, too. If it’s a diving watch then chances are that it’s barely tasted the briny depths of the ocean and certainly not to anything approaching its full level of water resistance. Perhaps it’s got tritium tubes for easy visibility on night manoeuvres – which you solely employ for telling the time when you need to take a leak…
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We love both. But they’re not the same thing. And as HODINKEE begins to sell pre-owned, we offer this primer on the merits of each.
Edox recently released the North Sea 1978, a deep-sea diver that paid tribute to the “Inverse Moon Landing” in 1978. This remarkable feat saw North Sea Divers descend to 320 metres in Norway’s icy waters in 1978. The Swiss brand has followed up with a limited edition that goes back to the first expeditions of the North Sea Divers in 1967. The Edox North Sea 1967 Historical Limited Edition also pays homage to the brand’s legendary dive watches like the 1960s Delfin, which used an innovative double O-ring system allowing for water resistance up to 500 metres. The use of a bronze case also represents a rich history of deep-sea exploration.
When you think of art in watchmaking, your mind probably turns to the painstaking creation of a cloisonné enamel dial for a Patek Philippe World Time, or the engraving of an A.Lange & Söhne balance cock. But art in watchmaking suddenly got a whole lot more accessible thanks to the Swatch x MoMA collection that was announced this week. This is the second time that MoMA and Swatch have joined forces, the first being when the watchmaker and the gallery produced three watches in the year 2000. In the latest Swatch x MoMA collection, there are six new watches, each of which depicts a different artwork that resides in the MoMA collection. The artworks include The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent van Gogh, Hope, II (1907-08) by Gustav Klimt, The Dream (1910) by Henri Rousseau, Composition in Oval with Color Planes 1 (1914) by Piet Mondrian, The City and Design, The Wonders of Life on Earth, Isamu Kurita (1966) by Tadanori Yokoo and New York (1968) by Tadanori Yokoo. If you’re a fan of the entire collection, it will be available for sale in a special box set, that includes a description of each artwork and the artist behind it.…
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The genius and madness are separated by a very thin line. Weirdos and rebels, people who are different enough, crazy enough, are the ones who change the world. In that respect, the Ulysse Nardin Freak could not be more aptly named. This innovative, disruptive avant-garde masterpiece smashed all conventions and simply changed what’s on our […]
Despite the five day lockdown, when we were heading into this time last week, life in Melbourne is generally very good. The Australian Open has been thundering along at full steam with some seriously good matches being played, summer is finally here with blue skies as far as the eye can see and life is slowly returning to normal. And while the international visitors are dominating much of the current headlines, it has been a great Australian Open for local players too. Dylan Alcott continued his unrelenting domination of wheelchair tennis with his seventh straight Australian Open title. Yep, you read that right, seven local Grand Slam wins in a row. His 6-1, 6-0 victory was never in doubt, and capped off a very successful week in which he also won the quad double’s title for the fourth year in a row. Australian success continued with Matt Ebden and Samantha Stosur shining in the mixed doubles making it to the semifinals without dropping a set. Matt commented on their progress so far, saying, “Obviously we know we’re both accomplished players … singles, doubles, mixed doubles. We sort of know what we’re doing out there. Now we know how to do…
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The 2021 Australian Open is edging towards its climax in Melbourne after the players and their respective teams completed a mandatory two weeks of quarantine. It’s been controversial. It’s been far from ideal, with a 5-day statewide lockdown intervening mid-comp until just yesterday. But it’s been on. And that’s what matters. In this post-COVID era it’s borderline miraculous to see a major sporting tournament being held, and how brilliant it was to see spectators back in the stands for games. And where there are tennis players, there are watches. As you would be aware, some of the players have agreements in place with various watchmakers, with some wearing their watches while playing and the majority popping a timepiece on their wrist after a match or for press conferences. Four players wear timepieces while playing and these watches are visible at all times while they are on the court. Rafael Nadal, the 20 time grand slam champion is the most notable, with his specially designed Richard Mille RM 27-04 Tourbillon, which is able to withstand the Spainards’ brutal groundstrokes. Nadal was knocked out in the quarter finals, after an epic 5 set match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. American Serena Williams, the 23 time…
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