SPOTTED! BY AG: Dispatch 8, (a very late) March 2018
Editor’s note: Full disclosure, this one slipped past the keeper in those hectic pre-Basel days. So to all of you people eagerly awaiting your dose of Spotted! (I know you’re out there), I’m sorry. But you know what, it might be late, but it’s still great. And with that, over to Andy. My March ‘Spotted Dispatch’ is always a fun one. It feels like just yesterday I was adding the finishing touches this time last year, before boarding my flight to Europe, destined for Baselworld. Well, this year is no different! Very shortly I’ll be jetting off to do some international watch spotting, but for now, enjoy some solid watch spotting, which if you noticed the banner image, is a pretty special one! First up, I kicked off the month over coffee with a collector friend, Rich, who happened to be sporting one of my favourites. Rich was rocking one of the classics, an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (reference 15300), which he likes as it’s smaller than the current offering, the 15400. The 15300 was 39mm in diameter and discontinued in 2012, where it was superseded by the reference 15400 (41mm). For Rich, the Royal Oak is all about the…
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Watch brands and sporting tie-ins. It’s a combo as old as time(keeping). We see it all the time. But you know what we don’t see all the time? Curling. Funnily enough, the sport of sliding large granite stones across sheets of ice hasn’t made too much of an impact on our sun-drenched shores, so when a curling-related press release pinged in my inbox, it’s fair to say my curiosity was piqued. Oak & Oscar is a small independent brand that has impressed with their consistently solid (and well thought through) product offering. And clearly they haven’t just impressed us, as the USA Curling team, fresh from their PyeongChang 2018 gold medal-winning performance, asked Chase Fancher from Oak & Oscar to make coach Phill Drobnick a one-of-a-kind commemorative watch. All the team wanted was a special engraving, but Chase did one better, not only engraving the date of the gold medal win on the caseback, but also doing a one-off dial, with a curling stone printed above the logo, and ‘Gold 2018’ below it. The Jackson is an attractive watch, and one with a strong American link, making it a strong choice for the USA Curling team. But more than that,…
Seiko have taken their affinity with the ocean to deeper depths, announcing new brand ambassador Fabien Cousteau at Baselworld 2018. The grandson of famed underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Fabien has dedicated his life to exploring and conserving the world’s oceans, and is founder of the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Centre. As part of this new partnership, Seiko have introduced a series of Prospex ‘Save the Ocean’ special editions, with a portion of all proceeds donated to the Ocean Learning Centre. First up is my personal favourite, the Turtle. Vital statistics Essentially, it’s the same Turtle that we all know and love. A cushion-shaped 45mm wide and 13.42mm thick stainless-steel case that’s water resistant to 200m with the ever-reliable Seiko 4R36 movement inside – with manual winding, stop second function, and a 41-hour power reserve. What has changed, though, is a new bi-colour bezel in two shades of blue, and a wave-like dial that’s inspired by the blue whale and graduates from a vibrant shimmering blue at the top to an abyss-like pitch-black at the bottom. There’s also the addition of a black-coated crown. On the wrist I’m a fan of the iconic Turtle style case – so much so that…