Introducing – Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III Limited Edition

Blancpain’s link with the ocean is undeniable. Remember that in 1953, the brand was amongst the very first – if not the first – to offer a true dive watch: the Fifty Fathoms. Emphasizing this dedication for the world’s oceans, the brand introduced four years ago its first series of limited edition Blancpain Ocean Commitment timepieces, followed in 2016 by BOC II. Blancpain is now unveiling the third BOC timepiece, a new limited edition based on the classic FF, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III.

6 years ago

Hands-on – The Tree Of Life From Kneijnsberg & van Eijk with a Unique Display of the Seasons

As certified watch geeks, we often spend more time obsessing over the precise measurement of time, as opposed to observing the wonder of its actual passing. It’s a fanciful notion, perhaps, romantic even, but one that we all experience from the day we’re born. To celebrate this special relationship between life and time, newcomer Kneijnsberg & van Eijk presents its first watch, the Tree of Life. We spent some hands-on time with this whimsical beauty, discovering a new appreciation for the changing of the seasons and the passage of time.

6 years ago

EDITOR’S PICK: Looking back at Blancpain’s commitment to the ocean for World Oceans Day

Editor’s note: Observed every year on June 8, World Oceans Day seeks to honour, help protect, and remind us all of the exceptional need to conserve the world’s oceans. A day that us, as a bunch of sea-loving Aussies in the T+T office, can most certainly get behind. And a day that we thought perfect to revisit these 12  pictures and their stories that were graciously shared with us from the pages of Blancpain’s Edition Fifty Fathoms by its editor, Dietmar Fuchs. Each year as part of the Blancpain Ocean Commitment project, 12 of the world’s best underwater photos are showcased in the annual publication. And these are some of the best since printing began in 2008. Oh, and in case you missed it, there’s a new Ocean Commitment watch to admire too.  Blue in Profile — Anacapa Passage, California, 1981 Ernest H. Brooks II — Edition Fifty Fathoms 2008 “It was in early 1981 when I was going out nearly every day to take pictures of seals that I realised that, on all my dives with the seals, a lonely blue shark was circling us far in the distance. In the following days he came closer and closer until one day he…

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6 years ago

INTRODUCING: Blancpain makes a splash with the Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III

Today is World Oceans Day, a day that has, since 1992, celebrated our marine environments, and raised awareness for the need to preserve them. It’s a worthy cause, and one Blancpain, with their exceptional legacy in dive watches, has done a lot to support and promote. Most visibly through a series of Ocean Commitment watches. The first was a grey ceramic Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, and the second a chronograph version of the same model. Both with rich blue dials. Today, Blancpain has announced the latest generation, the Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III, and for the first time, it’s not a Bathyscaphe. Instead, Blancpain has opted for the classic Fifty Fathoms, in a 40mm satin-brushed steel case, with that characteristic sapphire-inset bezel, with sail-canvas and NATO strap options. The dial is (of course) as blue as the deep sea, with a quite attractive logo on the bottom half – a printed globe and text proclaiming its limited Ocean Commitment status. The BOC III is limited to 250 pieces, and 1000 euros from the sale of each watch (a cool quarter of a million in total) will be donated to programs working to promote ocean protection, in addition to Blancpain’s already significant…

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6 years ago

VIDEO: A modern classic – Cartier’s Santos de Cartier

Few watches can rival Cartier’s Santos in terms of on-the-wrist recognition and sheer weight of history. The design debuted in 1904 and has remained fundamentally unchanged in form since. But while the new Santos might look familiar, quite a lot has changed. Small changes have been made to the design and ergonomics of the case, resulting in a watch that looks and wears better on the wrist. Bigger changes have been made to the inside, with an in-house movement upgrade and, most excitingly of all, a new QuickSwitch strap change system that allows you to swap your strap quickly and painlessly. This is something I’d be really excited to see rolled out more widely across the Cartier collection. On a related note, there’s a similar functionality for the bracelet, allowing you to add and remove links without tools. These changes on their own are all fairly incremental, but package them up together, on a design as strong as this, and the Santos suddenly becomes a very compelling proposition.

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6 years ago

Hands-on – Oris Divers Sixty-Five Steel and Bronze (40mm and 36mm)

Oris expands its highly successful retro Divers Sixty-Five family with the incorporation of two models with a bronze ring hugging the rotating bezel. Exuding strong vintage appeal with the two-tone black and warm golden and bronze touches, it is patently clear that Oris has been listening to its customers and has tapped directly into the trend for smaller unisex case sizes (36mm) and the ongoing fascination with bronze. Presented in 40mm and 36mm diameters, the new Oris Divers Sixty-Five models won’t sink you financially and retail for under CHF 2,000 for the models on a leather or NATO strap.

6 years ago