Watch Dandy

John Reardon is one of the world’s foremost experts on collectible vintage watches, having recently left his position as Christie’s International Head of Watches, and one of the areas he is most passionate about is vintage Patek Philippe. So what better way to express that passion and put his wealth of knowledge to good use than start his own dealership of vintage Patek Philippe? He launched Collectability to guide interested members of the watch world on their Patek Philippe collecting journey, buying and selling only the rarest and most interesting pieces produced by the Calatrava cross-bearing manufacturer, offering everything including gold and enamel cigarette lighters, solar desk clocks and even the mythical Patek Philippe “Nautellipse”. As part of his work with the Patek Philippe collecting community, John recently sat down to interview one of the most interesting Instagram accounts I’ve ever seen, despite it only being started a little over a year ago — @horology_ancienne. Run by a father-son duo, the account is one of the best lessons in important wristwatches you might be able to take, focusing on a number of different brands, including vintage Patek Philippe. Their focus is to educate, engage and, most importantly, “to give a totally…

The post RECOMMENDED READING: An interview with one of the world’s foremost vintage Patek Philippe collectors appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

The standout from the new Zenith 2020 novelties is hands down the DEFY Midnight collection. What immediately caught my attention was that Zenith were leading their 2020 new releases with a women’s collection that appeared — in the preamble — to not only be a new product in itself, with various attributes, but for those attributes to be assembled around a strong concept, albeit a very simple one. And that is, an evocation of the night sky on the dial. Hardly groundbreaking in theory, but when played out, it actually has plenty of poetic detail to incorporate. One remains sceptical about new concepts in watch collections. Long bows are almost always drawn. But immediately in the metal I was impressed. The concept iterates in the graduation of the sky at dusk; the way the colour intensifies from the horizon up to the heavens. The immediate comparison is the Rolex James Cameron Deepsea Sea-Dweller, which has a similar concept in reverse — the deepening and darkening of colour as you descend to the depths of the ocean. The navy blue variant — the eponymous model from the collection as it best evokes ‘midnight’ in terms of its night sky — starts at the bottom of the…

The post The Zenith DEFY Midnight is a (very) early contender for women’s collection of the year appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

The standout from the new Zenith 2020 novelties is hands down the DEFY Midnight collection. What immediately caught my attention was that Zenith were leading their 2020 new releases with a women’s collection that appeared — in the preamble — to not only be a new product in itself, with various attributes, but for those attributes to be assembled around a strong concept, albeit a very simple one. And that is, an evocation of the night sky on the dial. Hardly groundbreaking in theory, but when played out, it actually has plenty of poetic detail to incorporate. One remains sceptical about new concepts in watch collections. Long bows are almost always drawn. But immediately in the metal I was impressed. The concept iterates in the graduation of the sky at dusk; the way the colour intensifies from the horizon up to the heavens. The immediate comparison is the Rolex James Cameron Deepsea Sea-Dweller, which has a similar concept in reverse — the deepening and darkening of colour as you descend to the depths of the ocean. The navy blue variant — the eponymous model from the collection as it best evokes ‘midnight’ in terms of its night sky — starts at the bottom of the…

The post The Zenith DEFY Midnight is a (very) early contender for women’s collection of the year appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.