Sunday Rewind: Recapturing Time With Split-Seconds Chronographs
A detailed look at peak chronograph.
INTRODUCING: The breathtaking and brutally slim Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic
Let’s be honest, 2020 is not just a year of disastrous market decline, job losses and lockdowns. This year has also been one of rapid change and lateral thinking within the horological community. There have also been many heartening examples of the show going on, despite the uncertain backdrop. And with another stunning timepiece in the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic, it’s proof again that there’s no stopping Jean-Christophe Babin and Bulgari, as we witness yet another record-breaking complication for the ultra-thin Octo Finissimo. What is a certainty is that the Finissimo line was launched only six years ago, but it has changed our perceptions of ultra-thin in every category, from aesthetics to functionality, and here is, dare I say, the pinnacle of the catalogue. The chronograph GMT was released in 2019, wowing even the Finissimo sceptics (all of three people) with its engaging design and functionality. This is no less than the blessed marriage of this and the Finissimo Tourbillon, in itself a masterpiece of delicate micro-engineering. The case measures 42mm by a still unbelievable 7.40mm thickness, and comes in the silken sandblasted case still representing horology on-point in 2020. The caliber BVLA388 has a 50-hour power…
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Buying Guide – Our Highlights From Geneva Watch Days 2020
With the cancellation of Baselworld and Watches & Wonders, the Geneva Watch Days event was one of the very few multi-brand watch events of the year. Seventeen brands showcased their novelties between August 26 and August 29 in the “capital of luxury watchmaking”. The event was decentralised as each brand was presenting novelties in their […]
REVEALED: How to steal a watch clean off someone's wrist without them even knowing …
We like to believe that we maintain basic control of our personal space. Within the limited orbit of our bodies, we think that we stand relatively secure as masters of our physical domain. As it turns out, this is a total delusion. The world’s most legendary “theatrical pickpocket” is Apollo Robbins (below), who possesses the dexterity of a supernatural ninja. The American entertainer is most famous for an encounter with former president Jimmy Carter’s Secret Service detail in which he successfully pilfered the agents’ pockets of everything from their security badges to Carter’s itinerary. Essentially, Robbins’ act involves removing objects from people’s jackets, trousers, fingers and necks before returning them while they’re still unaware of the theft. Robbins is so good he can take the spectacles off someone’s face without them noticing. Given this nimble-fingered expertise, making someone’s watch melt off their wrist into his pocket is almost embarrassingly pedestrian. Although, memorably, Robbins did once pinch the Patek Philippe from Ace Greenberg, former chairman of Bear Stearns investment bank. Robbins’ skill is so uncanny that psychiatrists, neuroscientists and the military have scrutinised his methods for what they reveal about the limitations of human attention. But while he’s widely recognised as…
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REVEALED: How to steal a watch clean off a someone's wrist without them even knowing …
We like to believe that we maintain basic control of our personal space. Within the limited orbit of our bodies, we think that we stand relatively secure as masters of our physical domain. As it turns out, this is a total delusion. The world’s most legendary “theatrical pickpocket” is Apollo Robbins (below), who possesses the dexterity of a supernatural ninja. The American entertainer is most famous for an encounter with former president Jimmy Carter’s Secret Service detail in which he successfully pilfered the agents’ pockets of everything from their security badges to Carter’s itinerary. Essentially, Robbins’ act involves removing objects from people’s jackets, trousers, fingers and necks before returning them while they’re still unaware of the theft. Robbins is so good he can take the spectacles off someone’s face without them noticing. Given this nimble-fingered expertise, making someone’s watch melt off their wrist into his pocket is almost embarrassingly pedestrian. Although, memorably, Robbins did once pinch the Patek Philippe from Ace Greenberg, former chairman of Bear Stearns investment bank. Robbins’ skill is so uncanny that psychiatrists, neuroscientists and the military have scrutinised his methods for what they reveal about the limitations of human attention. But while he’s widely recognised as…
The post REVEALED: How to steal a watch clean off a someone’s wrist without them even knowing … appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Live video of 5 of the best watches from Geneva Watch Days, on the wrist
Wow, so that was an experience I didn’t expect to have in 2020. A few days in Geneva, yes. But in August, with the sun out and zero time spent in Palexpo halls? Nonetheless, wherever there are new watch releases, Time+Tide is always on the ground. In no particular order, here are what I thought were five of the best watches at the Geneva Watch Days exhibition. Girard-Perregaux Laureato Infinity 42mm The new Laureato Infinity 42mm really floated my boat this week. GP’s Laureato sports watch is probably my favourite line out there, so I always get a buzz seeing a new iteration. And 2020, for all its other misgivings, didn’t disappoint. I like the Laureato for its no-nonsense dial and sleek hexagonal bezel, and to have it in black onyx with rose gold markings is a winning evolution. Not many luxury sports watches can be dressy but, once again, the Laureato has proved it can. Bulgari Aluminium Chronograph Few chronographs have taken my fancy this much of late, but it’s the combination of the playful spin on a late ’90s piece and the sexy rubber strap with aluminium links that’s done it for me. At a significantly lower price point…
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Weekend Round-Up: Macabre Praying Mantises, Elaborate Back-Scratchers, And Missing Blockbusters
Dive deep for the weekend.
The Petrolhead Corner – Homologation Specials
The inspiration for many great road cars often lies in racing, and at the same time, the greatest racing cars ever can be based upon rather mundane road cars. For decades, rules in racing have sometimes stipulated that a minimum number of road-legal variants had to be built in order to be eligible to compete […]
We made a tribute video to the baddest DOXA ever, which is about to sell out
It’s no secret that we are massive fanboys (and girls) of DOXA. It’s why we’re the Australian distributor for the brand. Do we distribute lots of brands? No, just one. We believe DOXA offer some of the best bang for buck on the market for the watch lover – whether it’s at the higher end in watches like this, the COSC-certified carbon, dive-ready SUB 300 Aqualung Carbon US Divers Limited Edition, which we covered in-depth here. Or at the entry level, with the superb DOXA SUB 200, in just about all the colours of the rainbow. So, with just 5 watches remaining of the 300 produced in this stunning Limited Edition run, we thought we’d publish a video tribute to show you up close why we’re such big fans. If you’d like to try your hand at picking up one of the remaining watches, hit here. The stunning video is by Anthony Do, a fellow DOXA lover. We recommend you check out his channel if you like this dramatic, moody style.
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Hollywood's fake watches: from Kill Bill's dodgy Rolex Daytona to Drive's phoney Patek
Willing suspension of disbelief is part of the viewer’s contract with any film. But if you like watches, you still crave authenticity when it comes to a character’s timepiece. Much of the time, prop masters deliver the horological goods, too. You think of Captain Willard’s trusty Seiko 6105 in Apocalypse Now, Patrick Bateman’s Rolex Datejust in American Psycho or Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco Chronograph in Le Mans. But sometimes artistic licence is also applied to the actors’ wristwear in a case of “fake it till you make it” or at least manage to wangle a heftier wardrobe budget. Some offenders, listed below, do not have that excuse. Quentin, we love you, but what you did to Uma’s wrist in Kill Bill 2? Really? Ryan Gosling’s fake Patek in Drive Drive, a slick noir thriller about a taciturn getaway driver, made Ryan Gosling an overnight style icon and launched a thousand “get the look” articles. Most of the attention was centred on that satin bomber jacket with a scorpion embroidered on the back. But every element of Gosling’s get-up was deconstructed by eagle-eyed fashionistas determined to identify everything from his low-rise Acne jeans to his chocolate brown driving gloves (made by…
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