Watch Dandy

Hublot has teamed up with the initiative Save Our Rhino Africa/India (SORAI) to create the fetching, limited edition Hublot Big Bang Unico SORAI. Stylised to mimic the tonal colours of Africa’s vast bush land, the new Big Bang Unico SORAI’s 45mm case is finished in microblasted beige ceramic, as is the watch’s bezel. Providing a stark contrast, the chronograph pushers and the crown of the limited edition watch are finished in a black composite resin. The dial of the Unico SORAI has been given the same aesthetic treatment, and the openwork-skeletonised movement is finished in matt beige, while the running seconds sub-dial displays the distinctive SORAI logo – a white rhino. The movement itself is Hublot’s self-winding HUB1242, and in addition to featuring a flyback chronograph complication containing both a column wheel and dual clutches, the watch also features a date complication and offers customers up to 72 hours of power reserve. The Unico SORAI is paired with two different straps: a beige NATO bracelet and a camouflage rubber bracelet that features some world-first technology. Essentially, through the employment of an innovative vulcanisation technique, Hublot is able to create a distinctive camouflage theme that is drawn onto the rubber bracelet…

The post INTRODUCING: The Hublot Big Bang Unico SORAI appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

Paying homage to a man widely regarded as the father of modernism, Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret), Rado’s stunning range of True Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier could definitely be worth a look as your next summer watch. Le Corbusier, the visionary Swiss designer, architect and writer, created the concept of Architectural Polychromy – a palette that employs 63 different colours of architectural significance to assist with the portrayal of depth and space. These 63 colours are then grouped into nine different categories: vibrant, velvety, balanced, bold, powerful, expressive, luminous, impressive and pure. Rado’s new True Thinline collection wonderfully encapsulates these nine different palettes, and each of the watches distinct colours, nine in total, has an equally vibrant name to match. What’s more, when paired with Rado’s storied expertise in creating ceramic timepieces, which dates back more than 30 years, the combination makes for a compelling proposition, not least for the fact that ceramic is scratch resistant, light and hypoallergenic. The True Thinline watch itself is a very well proportioned wristwatch, thanks to a versatile 39mm case size that’s just 5mm thick. Housed inside the slim ceramic case is a 13-jewel quartz movement that powers the watch’s hour and minute hand.…

The post The Rado True Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: Almost two years on from its release at 2018’s Baselworld, Rolex’s GMT-Master II 126710 BLRO or “Pepsi”, as it’s colloquially known across the globe, is still an incredibly desirable timepiece. And it’s pretty easy to understand why – 904L steel or “Oyster Steel” construction, Jubilee bracelet, bidirectional Cerachrom bezel, chronometer certification with an accuracy rating of +2/-2 seconds a day, waterproof to 100 metres, GMT complication – this watch has just got so much to offer. A first of its kind, Rolex’s Pepsi GMT is also steeped in an incredibly rich history, and dates back to the mid-1950s, when Rolex worked with Pan American Airways on creating a wristwatch Pan Am pilots could use to track two different time zones at once while flying intercontinentally. So it’s not hard to fathom why this fabled timepiece still commands such a high price tag in the secondhand watch market, very often achieving more than double its recommended retail price of $12,250 AUD. Anyway, we were lucky enough to go hands-on with the watch late last year, and it’s definitely worth the read. HANDS-ON: The Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi (ref. 126710 BLRO) Anticipation was high for a GMT-Master II release at…

The post Rediscovering the Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

While there are many watch enthusiasts out there who consider timepieces with a case size of between 36mm and 40mm to be sitting in the “Goldilocks” zone, there are watches in existence that most certainly do not conform to this notion. These timepieces are made for enthusiasts who want something that has genuine presence on the wrist, something that may well struggle to fit under the cuff of a shirt but can be seen and noticed from a great distance. We appreciate that sometimes a great wrist flex is all about the mass, so here are three watches that can best be described as “Large and in charge”: Panerai Submersible Carbotech The Panerai Submersible Carbotech is a gargantuan timepiece, with its case measuring in at a whopping 47mm. This is a substantial watch, no doubt about it, but thanks to its case construction being made from mostly carbon fibre, it’s actually a lot lighter than you may think. There’s nothing light about the price though, as the Submersible Carbotech will set you back $25,100 AUD. IWC Big Pilot “Right-Hander” It may well be the quintessential “Big” watch on the market, with a case size of 46.2mm, but IWC’s Big Pilot…

The post Size is the prize: 3 seriously big watches appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.