Understanding the IWC Pilot's family part 3 – the Classic collection

We’re now more than halfway through our flyover of the various families in the IWC Pilot’s family — we’ve covered off Top Gun and the Spitfire, but now we’re hitting the Classics. As you might expect given the classic moniker, the Classic family is, well, classic. Based strongly on the original military-era pilots, these watches form the core of the collection, and are all about simplicity, function and legibility. Andrew picked out two key models from the line and, in some ways, they’re polar opposites, even though the visual similarities are very strong. The IWC Big Pilot’s watch Large, and very much in charge, the IWC Big Pilot is truly an icon. With its hefty seven days of power reserve and a crown that stands out from a mile away. Not that the 46.2mm case is in any way shy.  The IWC Pilot’s watch Mark XVIII  In stark contrast to the bold Big Pilot, the Mark XVIII is the definition of a perfect all-rounder: timeless style in a well-sized 40mm case, and a truly great black calf strap. It’s a winner.  Made in partnership with IWC. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.

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6 years ago

IN-DEPTH: The Hublot Classic Fusion Ferrari GT races ahead

The story in a second: One of the best, most interesting watches of 2019. The case Wow. What a difference a case makes. Hublot, along with their friends at Ferrari’s Centro Stile, has taken the traditional Hublot design codes, deconstructed them, put them through the ringer a few times, and re-assembled them into something that’s very Hublot, but also completely fresh. The lines are dramatically softened, and the overall look is reminiscent of that bubbly, biomorphic school of watch design that had an extended moment in the ’90s. Having said that, it’s clearly a Hublot — the bezel, complete with exposed screws, the big 45mm case, that oversized machine-like crown. All present and correct. But there’s a lack of blockiness that is so refreshing, and entirely well suited to the Classic Fusion family. The soft, satiny finish of this titanium version is also super compelling and (it must be said) supremely photogenic. This watch rates in Jason — our main photo man’s — top watches of 2019. And I agree.  The dial  Again, all the Hublot goodness is there, but in a reframed way. It’s an open-worked chronograph (obvs), with radial Arabic numerals alternating with baton markers. The numerals liven…

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6 years ago

ANNOUNCING: Complete the Time+Tide 2019 Reader Survey, have a chance at winning a TAG Heuer Autavia

Welcome to the Time+Tide 2019 Reader Survey! That time when we put some hard-hitting questions into a survey program, work some internet magic and set it free, for all you good people out there to answer. One lucky Australian survey respondent will win a TAG Heuer Autavia chronograph for their troubles. Take the survey now You should be familiar with this heritage-inspired chronograph, but if you’re not — here’s what you need to know. International folks are welcome to take part, and we encourage you to, but sadly the international competition logistics make it practically impossible to open such a high-value prize up to the world. Accept our apologies, please. Why do we do surveys like this? There’s a great Faith No More album called We Care a Lot — it sums up how we feel about you taking the time to do this. We care a whole lot about your answers. Edge of our seats might sound like a bit of an overstatement but it’s pretty true. We love this time of the year. Literally every response (and there were 3400 last time, so you can imagine how much work we got done over that period) is like a…

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6 years ago

3 things you need to know about the Seiko Prospex LX collection

Editor’s note: The Seiko Prospex LX collection has finally hit Australian shores, so we thought we’d revisit this piece from Baselworld, where the design guru largely responsible for the look of the new line dropped some LX-oriented knowledge …  Seiko’s Baselworld press conference is one of my few must-not-miss appointments, if only for a much-needed dose of humour. But for me, the real star of this year’s affair was Ken Okuyama. Mr Okuyama is an industrial designer with an eponymous studio, who made his name in the world of prestige cars, with a folio including such epic vehicles as the original Honda NSX, the Enzo Ferrari and the Ferrari California. And while much of his career has been spent with some of the great European marques, he’s recently turned his eyes homeward, working on raising the profile and prestige of Japanese and Asian brands. Which is why he’s the creative mind behind the brand new Prospex LX collection. Here are three things that stood out to me about how Mr Okuyama intends to make these watches stand out. “When left alone, heritage becomes antique” Evolution is required to make modern value for a brand’s heritage. Mr Okuyama reiterated that for…

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6 years ago

Introducing – Certina DS1 celebrates 60 years of DS in style

The DS Concept put Certina on the map and was a big step to making Swiss watches more reliable and water-resistant while keeping them affordable. Now that system celebrates its 60th birthday and of course that had to be celebrated with a watch. So meet the new Certina DS1 Big Date 60th Anniversary and its combination of style, good mechanics and affordability.

6 years ago