In less than a week from now, it will be February 29th… Not a big deal, for sure. Unless you’re into watchmaking and want to see something mechanically fascinating. Indeed, watchmakers are sometimes a bit nerdy and imagined a complication that takes into account all the weird things of the Gregorian calendar. This means months […]
Blue dials … they are the quintessence of vogue right now in watch world. And, while the last 12 months has spawned many, many timepieces with the arresting colour aesthetic, these five watches in particular stand out as the nicest blue dial watches money can buy right now. BREGUET CLASSIQUE 5177 BLUE ENAMEL At first glance, the Breguet Classique 5177 Blue Enamel’s subtle details remain hidden. But this changes in a heartbeat, as you take it in with a longer view. The Grand Feu enamel dial is stunning. That almost goes without saying. But what really brings this piece to life are the minute and hour markers (look closely), the satisfyingly shaped date window (with expertly colour-matched date wheel) at 3 o’clock, and the ghost signature between six and centre. Ref No: 5177BB/2Y/9V6 / Case size: 38mm / Case material: White Gold / Movement: 777Q / Price: $30,400 H. MOSER & CIE. ENDEAVOUR BLUE LAGOON It is rare to see one of the industry’s most mercurial brands tapping into the current mass-market trends, but in the case of the H. Moser & Cie. Blue Lagoon that is exactly what’s happening. It seems the wealthiest watch collectors in the world are…
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While the Coronavirus outbreak certainly offers a number of reasons for the watch industry at large to be concerned, its effects haven’t been severely felt yet. According to recent data from the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the first month of 2020 has seen strong watch sales, with a 9.4 per cent increase in Swiss watch exports compared to January 2019. This is specifically seen in watches priced over 500 CHF, with a reportedly negative trend for watches priced under 200 CHF, further confirming the aggressive drop in appetite for Swiss-made quartz watches (which have seen a 35 per cent drop in export volume since 2013). Most markets have maintained growth compared to the same month last year, with the United States leaping 15.2 per cent in 12 months. Areas for concern are obviously in mainland China (+6.9 per cent) and Hong Kong (-25.0 per cent), where the threat of Coronavirus is most pressing, and which make up around a quarter of total Swiss watch exports each year. Despite mainland China posting growth on 2019, the effects of the Coronavirus are sure to be seriously felt in February when the outbreak reached a global scale. The decline in Hong…
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Editor’s note: The Tudor Black Bay symbolised a new chapter in the journey of the Rolex-owned watchmaker, with the decision to look back into their archives to build their future collections proving a very popular one. Inspired by the Tudor Submariners of the mid-1950s, the Tudor Black Bay ref. 79220N is a thoroughly modern interpretation of an iconic tool watch that walks the tightrope of historical design cues and contemporary wearability. Let’s take a closer look at one of the watches that put Tudor back on the map. The story in a second: We’ve been waiting three long years for this watch. Now it’s here. The question is: does it live up to the anticipation? The Tudor Black Bay Black – sorry everyone, BBB is going to be the name, as unadventurous as it is – was the watch we had to have. When the Black Bay first came out back in 2012, a large part of its appeal lay in the warm combo of rich red and deep gold. Clearly this was not just another sterile diver. It had personality, and its vintage aesthetic both contributed to and created the zeitgeist. Just days after its release, speculation had already…
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Enjoy a momentary escape from clutter and the professional world.
Today, the Petrolhead Corner goes modern… While we have a slight tendency to talk classic cars and vintage motorsport in this weekly car-related column (we can’t help ourselves), today we’ll look at what the (near) future has got for us in terms of cars. Indeed, in a couple of weeks from now will be the […]
I have to admit that up until this month I all but ignored bronze watches. It seemed like a lingering trend that just didn’t make a lot of sense to me, in photos anyway. Because I’m in my late 30s and not my early 20s, I decided that this kind of pre-judgement was beneath me, and that I should probably try wearing bronze before lambasting the third-place metal in print. Luckily, an Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date had just arrived at my doorstep and, lo and behold, it was rendered in bronze! Instantly I was taken with the warmth of the watch. If you have been following some of my writing you will probably know that I assign this subjective feel to watches that have softer edges, natural colourways, and textile straps. Oris is on a roll these days. They are a great corporate citizen with many initiatives related to ocean conservation (coral reefs, in particular) and employ some highly credible ambassadors (including German freediver Anna von Boetticher) who support the brand in a non-pretentious way. Their watches grab headlines in all the major media outlets, with a diverse and high-quality collection that usually hits a great pricing sweet…
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Billionaires … they’re a rare breed. In fact, according to a report from CNBC in 2019, out of the earth’s total population of roughly 7.7 billion people, there are just 2604 that can claim to have 10 figures in their bank account. More interesting still is that this same report posited that America has more billionaires than China, Russia and Germany combined. That last statistic sounds vaguely absurd … until you start to think about the enterprises that occupy the tech industry – Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon – the list goes on. In fact, Silicon Valley alone, which is just a small pocket in San Francisco’s Bay Area, has 76 billionaires. Think about that – one area, in one state, of one country, has more billionaires than Saudi Arabia, France or the UAE. The technological industry is a juggernaut, and that got us thinking, “Surely these loaded tech geniuses must rock some insane watches?” So, we did some digging, and the results are fascinating, and not what you may expect. Bill Gates – Casio Quartz Diver 200m WR Ref.MDV-106-1A Bill Gates, the richest person on earth, the biggest of big dogs, a man whose fortune is estimated to be…
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Editor’s note: While he’s no longer the frontrunner to be the next James Bond, turns out Tom Hardy may not miss the opportunity to wear an inevitably limited edition Omega too much … as the Hollywood A-lister has already sported some serious timepieces on the silver screen. We’ve spotted these five beauties from his back catalogue … the man has fine taste. We have a bit of a man crush in the Time+Tide office on English actor Tom Hardy. After a film debut in Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down there has rarely been a misstep in his career — from Batman’s arch rival, Bane, in The Dark Knight Rises to taking over the mantle of Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road. More than just his choices in playing legendary characters, this fascination with Tom Hardy is arguably more about his swagger, cool demeanour and seeming disdain for the traditional celebrity culture — opting to keep his personal life … well, private. He has shown little tolerance for interviews and press junkets (you can see one his finer moments tearing through an interviewer here), and even keeps his charity efforts with The Prince’s Trust on the down-low (which should answer everyone’s questions as to why he was a guest at the…
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Celebrating Spring Drive with a grander Grand Seiko.