5 German watch brands you may not have heard of, but will desire – 2020 edition
Germany is solidifying its position as among the very best go-to alternatives to Switzerland for wrist-worn marvels. While we all know that the Glashütte-based A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Nomos and Sinn produce top-notch alternatives to the Neuchâtel valley, here is an ode to the lesser-known maisons. These are fiercely independent brands showing their 2020 models, many of which you will not find even in our comprehensive Time+Tide archives. We will endeavour to broaden your Germanic horizon with five German independent watches, from traditional Haute Horlogerie, through Bauhaus and classic Flieger style. Kudoke The Kudoke 2 Nocturne Stefan Kudoke is one of the top independent proponents of classical Haute Horlogerie, seen here underlined in his 2020 model, the Nocturne. After the award-winning Kudoke 2 in 2019, this is a sharp limited edition piece infused with a calm minimalism in dark galvanic grey. There is no distraction from a moving seconds hand, a perfectly bevelled plaque above 6 o’clock and a brushed steel rhodium-plated chapter ring with a fine bevel against the rehaut. What grabs the attention, though, is the beautiful engraved domed motif that makes for an imaginative 24-hour display at 12, framed by a delicate chapter ring. The…
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Now, we all have an image of the Speedmaster Professional, the icon, the Tool of Tool watches, the Moon Watch. A beautiful 42mm piece of history, with its delicate white lumed baton hands pointing to a still timeless sixties minute track, and delicate slightly recessed sub chronograph registers on a plain, matt monochromatic dial. Twisted lyre lugs the stuff of a thousand replicas. But let’s be one hundred per cent honest with ourselves. This is not a watch per se, this is not an object to tell the time or make sure you catch the bus, but dreams made metal. Ironically, the Speedmaster Professional, arguably The Icon of tool watches, can be picked up from you local Omega dealer today, no waiting list, grey market madness or shady replicas, just pure history for the wrist with an easily scratched charming Hesalite crystal, enough to win NASA over. Instead this piece of steel represents all our collected dreams of another world, space exploration and of the toughest men on the planet, the mythical Astronauts that once set foot on the moon, their exploits abruptly replaced by soaring budgets propelling USA and the Soviet Union into the destructive spiral of Cold War.…
As a collection grows, at times it means a collector needs to be prepared to trade or sell one of their pieces in order to fund the next. At a certain point, many collectors adopt a ‘one in, one out’ policy in order to curb spending or keep a collection compact and refined. This is the story of one of the bigger trades I have made in my time as a collector, and how (and why) I was able to get my dream sports watch: a Rolex Submariner ref. 114060. What I traded … Omega Speedmaster Automatic (ref. 323.30.40.40.04.001) The Omega Speedmaster 323.30.40.40.04.001 is an automatic watch with a white and black dial with a date window at the 4:30 position. This chronograph features a small seconds counter, 30-minute recorder and 12-hour recorder with a central chronograph hand. The bezel, with its tachymetric scale, is mounted on a 40mm stainless steel case and presented on a stainless steel bracelet. Being a modern Speedmaster, it has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and ticking inside is Omega’s chronometer certified caliber 3304 (based on the Valjoux 7753). Believe it or not, it’s also 100 metres water resistant, which allowed me to actually take…
Like we said in the previous instalment, 2020 has been so bad that fantasy is often all we’ve had left. Fantasies of leaving our houses are still being had daily in Melbourne, and fantasies of new watches and sunny days are not far behind. So, to try to make something good of the bad, we’ve set ourselves a challenge as a team today, and that is to buy as many, or as few, watches as we’d like, up to the value of $10,000 USD. There’s only one rule. They had to be released in 2020. Here’s what happened. Coming soon, the MILLION DOLLAR VERSION. Andrew McUtchen’s Picks Glashütte Original Sixties Chronograph Glacier Blue I got pretty excited about these watches in the Virtual Baselworld Watch & Chill Episode, and that excitement hasn’t left me. We’re all, at the end of the day, dial people. And this one sends me wild. That utterly beguiling mix of sunburst and dégradé finishings, with the perfect symmetry of the Bi-Compax chrono dial, and the quixotic personality of the numeral font. It’s superb. RRP: $8300 (P.S. With the remaining $1300, I’m going to buy a bag of GO straps to go with this model –…
