RECOMMENDED READING: Does the collectible watch change over time?
If you’ve been reading what I’ve been reading over the last couple of weeks, you’ll have noticed I’m particularly interested in how the primary and secondary watch markets interact with each other, and what that looks like in specific contexts like an auction room. All that leads to is a question: does the collectible watch change over time? One Instagram account I’ve been following with great interest for a little while is @AuctionLytics, a page that tracks the watch auction market and shares their data-driven insights with followers. They also share longer-form insights on their blog, and while they’ve been a little quiet over recent months, one article caught my eye that tracks over the last two decades to see if collectible watches change over time. You can find the article right here, and while they are looking only through the lens of auctions at Antiquorum, it still offers insight (and hope) to those confused or frustrated by the current situation.
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Editor’s note: In the run-up to the horse racing season in Australia, we thought we’d have a look at a brand with a long history in the world of horse racing. Andrew had the opportunity to sit down with the then-VP of Longines Juan-Carlos Capelli to get to the bottom of Longines’ connection to horse racing, which was established more than one hundred years ago. Earlier this year, we interviewed the Vice President of Longines in the hours before the Queen Elizabeth Stakes horse race at Royal Randwick in Sydney. In the polite small-talk before the interview, we asked Mr Juan-Carlos Capelli — whose frequent flyer status would strike envy into the heart of even the most intrepid traveller — if he enjoyed watching the endless global parade of races and show jumping events as much as riding horses himself, which he has done since he was a child. “Sports and glamour,” he began, with a slow sweep of the well-dressed room, “what’s not to like about that?” Well said, Mr Capelli, well said. Why do you sponsor the Queen Elizabeth Stakes? We share the same values of elegance, tradition and performance. There is certainly a tradition of horse racing in…
Fun fact: TAG Heuer is the largest Swiss producer of tourbillons. It’s a statement that if made a decade ago would have emitted oh-so-Swiss snickers of disbelief in the rarefied halls of Baselworld or SIHH. Tourbillons, according to the narrative, are the epitome of hand-crafting — tiny components that take precious hours to intricately assemble. But here we are in 2019, and TAG Heuer has upset the applecart with its CNC-produced tourbillon, which offers the same visceral, whirling coolness at a price that — while still clocking in at five figures — is, what market analysts would say, aggressively competitive. And while the Heuer 02T tourbillon has been around for a while now, the newest darling is the very impressive Nanograph, which serves as a heroic standard-bearer for TAG Heuer’s carbon alternative to silicon technology. Watch on to check out our picks of the current collection. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Pairing black steel and matt ceramic, this TAG Heuer tourbillon offers all the hi-tech you could want, with a pleasingly warm brown calf strap. RRP $22,050 TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Carbon If you want even less weight and more futuristic-ness, how about a Heuer 02T clad in…
Every year the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) provides a point of interest for the watch community. Long after the hype of SIHH and Baselworld has died down, it’s a chance to catch our breath, look back at the year that was, and assess how many good watches were made in the preceding 12 months. The entrants for 2019 were recently released, with 150 different watches across 14 categories, all self-nominating as the best in their class. As per tradition, a good portion of the watch media (including us) offers predictions on those that will be successful that year, so we thought we’d turn that on its head for once and offer a list of watches for GPHG 2019 we wish would win, but likely never will. Ladies’ – ArtyA Son of Earth Butterfly Target Offering a reminder of the mystery clocks from early last century, this piece-unique contains a fragment of a real butterfly wing. Ladies’ Complication – Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Zodiac Lumineux Aries watch Sensational gem-setting and enamel work, but time will tell if the judges appreciate the “light-on-demand modules”. Men’s – Citizen Caliber 0100 This was one of my personal favourites released this…
Watch collectors will listen, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, to stories about grandfathers in the ’60s wearing a Daytona while changing the oil in an engine, only giving the watch a quick wipe with a rag before dinner was served. This is so far from the present-day reality that a watch that was once a functional nice-to-have is now being traded by people who went to finance school. What happened to the everyday watch? This was the question posed by a quartet of men who couldn’t find a good-looking watch that didn’t cause the heart rate to rise when nearing a doorknob. Their answer was to make their own, giving birth to Serica. The first watch from the brand is the Serica W.W.W. (standing for Wrist. Watch. Waterproof), a well-considered balance of vintage-inspired design and a price point that is approachable for almost all. Taking cues from the military watches of WWII, the lacquered Serica dial prioritises legibility, available in either black or white. Another interesting feature of the dial is that it is unbranded, a decision driven to focus on “design, build quality and purpose” before brand. While still within the realm of a marketing decision, it is a refreshing one…