Hands-on – Hamilton Revives the W10 with the Faithful Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical

Hamilton has recently been looking at its past, with multiple models in the “Heritage” line, including the 1970s Intra-Matic Chronograph and, of course, the military-inspired, accessible, cool-looking Khaki Field Mechanical. Really, there’s a lot to love in these collections. Today, the Swatch Group-owned brand takes another of its glorious military models, the W10, and reissues it in a (very) faithful way. Let’s take a look at the Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical.

6 years ago

The old-world charms of the Longines 1832 Moonphase

We’ve been having a bit of a lunar week with Longines this week — checking out their new Master Moonphase in the boutique and in our studio. And we thought we’d stick with the theme this Friday. Today we’re taking a closer look at the stylish, chic and generally handsome Longines 1832 Moonphase. If the Master Moonphase is a contemporary piece with heritage notes, the 1832 is the other way around: strong, full-bodied heritage overtones with solid underpinnings of modern construction. To me, the whole package exudes old-world charm, but it’s the dial that sings strongest. The dial is beige, with a finely grained finish, that looks incredible up close. On this matt surface there’s a whole lot of charming applied features — the winged hourglass logo, with finely printed text on either side, the faceted, polished, chocolate-block-like hour markers and even the minute dots. All these elements play together to add to the overall air of sophistication and polish, The polished arrow-shaped hands, with small lines of Super-LumiNova, work well in this context. And the well-proportioned moon and date display, nestled in the lower half of the dial, adds in some colour and breaks up the expanse. There’s a reason…

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6 years ago

Understanding the IWC Pilot's family part 4 — the St Exupéry collection

Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve begun our descent. Now that we’ve completed our overview of the Top Gun, Spitfire and Classic collections we’d ask you to stow your tray tables and please pay attention to the final instalment in our series – the IWC Pilot’s St Exupéry collection.  Now, IWC’s St Exupéry watches are named for the famed author of Le Petit Prince, who was also, it turns out, a pioneering aviator, and he was lost during a reconnaissance flight over the Mediterranean in 1944. IWC’s watches honouring the man and his works take two main forms — the Le Petit Prince and the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Andrew looks at one of each.  IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Antoine de Saint-Exupéry”  The classic chronograph takes a decadent twist thanks to the glossy brown dial that’s a hallmark of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry line. Rich, warm and irresistible.  IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “Le Petit Prince” IWC’s big boy gets a blue facelift with a beautiful blue starburst treatment, which elevates the utilitarian dial design into far dressier territory.  Made in partnership with IWC. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.

The post Understanding the IWC Pilot’s family part 4 — the St Exupéry collection appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

6 years ago

The Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture Grand Feu is a winner of a watch

Editor’s note: This watch might not be the newest release but, by gosh, it’s as fresh today as the day it passed final quality control. We take another look at the Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture Grand Feu …  Ulysse Nardin pulled out all the stops for its first SIHH showing. In a fair characterised by conservative product releases, the Le Locle-based manufacturer presented a strong line-up of novelties, with a strong nautical theme. Highlights included the new regatta timer, the technically impressive Marine Grand Deck, as well as this watch – the Classico Manufacture Grand Feu. This very traditional timepiece is jam-packed with smart details and offered at a highly competitive price. At 40mm across, the round steel case is hard to dislike, with its wide polished bezel, slightly clawed lugs set into the case middle, and a crown that’s simple, sturdy and not at all fiddly. Nice though the case is, it doesn’t hold a candle to what’s within. The movement is the UN-320 caliber, made entirely in-house, down to the silicium hairspring and escapement – a feat of which the brand is rightly proud (the oft-repeated message at SIHH was that none of the other exhibiting brands made their own silicon hairsprings).…

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6 years ago

Face-to-Face – The Battle of Luxury Daily Beaters Part 3 – Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra VS. Rolex Datejust, The Verdict!

In the grand scheme of things, watch collectors are a rare species and, however much we love you, do not represent the vast majority of men when it comes to watch needs. Most men tend to fall in the one-watch category. When it comes to investing in an all-rounder destined to last a lifetime (and some), there are two candidates you cannot overlook. Extremely specialised tool watches for specific sports won’t look right in the office, and that ultra-thin gold tuxedo watch will look pretty ridiculous during rugby practice. It’s all about striking a balance, finding a watch that works in all environments and that won’t let you down. For this Battle of the Luxury Daily Beaters we will be pitting two strong contenders. The three-hand-and-date Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m and the Rolex Datejust 41 are, in our eyes, versatility incarnate and offer a very satisfying answer to the “one watch for all occasions” conundrum. Squarely matched in almost every aspect, let’s take a closer look at their vital statistics and see if we can pronounce a winner.

6 years ago