Introducing – Chopard L.U.C XPS Azur – Cannes Red Carpet Edition 2019

Chopard capitalises on its role as the official partner of the Cannes Film Festival (14-25 May) and launches an azure version of its ultra-thin L.U.C XPS gent’s model. Dressed for the red-carpet event, the L.U.C XPS Azur dons a handsome blue suit and comes in an 18k ethical gold case. Limited to just 10 pieces, […]

7 years ago

A modern Rolex with a major defect, the curious case of the Air-King 116900 with double nines

Rolex Air-King with double nine defectIt’s a modern-day escape from Alcatraz, where the escapee is a defect on a watch that makes it to market, and Alcatraz is the Rolex manufacture. That, I suspect, is flattering Alcatraz. Because, the fact that a modern Rolex with a defect you can actually see even exists is unthinkable to the point of immediately being suspected as a hoax. But here it is. Not only does a ‘double nine’ Rolex Air-King 116900 — with a nine where the ‘3’ numeral should be — allegedly exist in the wild, it’s been captured by Watchfinder & Co., who used the occasion to do a proper exposition on just how extraordinary that fact is. To summarise the excellent post by Watchfinder & Co., here are three key reasons the ‘double 9’ Rolex Air-King 116900 is practically a miracle: Rolex now has fully verticalised production. Unlike in other eras, when accidents would happen, “from mild nuisances like deviation in fonts and design, to full-on critical failures like extreme paint discolouration and cracking lacquer”, a third-party supplier cannot be blamed. Rolex’s QA processes may even exceed “NASA’s JPL”: “From the iris scanner-protected automated stock system, its 60,000 storage compartments patrolled and operated just by robots; to the…

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7 years ago

3 watches that prove Elvis Presley was also the King of the unconventional

When this video, about holding Elvis Presley’s diamond-encrusted Omega in my hand, posted just now, the first commenter wrote “so excited“. This could be in relation to his own emotional state, or more likely it’s a comment about mine, as I beam, grin and awkwardly talk my way through yet another surreal moment that had me questioning: is this true real life? I was excited. So excited, because — hot on the heels of a watch that went to space, and one that ruled the free world for a period — I was now holding a watch I’d seen in movies, on stage, and on the wrist of The King, in my black velvet gloved hand. It’s no secret Elvis was a watch guy. Elvis buffs have amassed archives of watches he has worn over the years, including Rolex, Corum, several Omegas and Hamilton. Elvis had venturing tastes far beyond the norms of the day. The story of this watch is the stuff of legend, but it’s less about how he acquired it — that part is simple: it was a gift from his record company, RCA Victor, to commemorate 75 million records sold — but more about how it ended up out…

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7 years ago

Introducing – Parmigiani Fleurier Tecnica Ombre Noir – A Triumvirate of Complications for one Lucky Collector

Three of the most revered complications in Haute Horlogerie – minute repeater, tourbillon and perpetual calendar – are united in this exceptional timepiece, a unique Parmigiani Fleurier piece that retails for just under half a million Swiss Francs.  The Tecnica Ombre Noire comes in a 45mm rose gold case with a splendid hand-guilloché dial. The combination of the gleaming rose gold case and the dark handsome dial is stunning, but the watch is not entirely new. In 2014, Parmigiani Fleurier launched a limited edition of five Tecnica Ombre Blanche watches – without the sumptuous guilloché dial.  The perpetual calendar functions are neatly arranged in three interconnected sub-dials with a fourth dial devoted to the one-minute tourbillon. But wait a minute, where is the slider to activate the minute repeater? Read on to find out more about this exceptional masterpiece.

7 years ago

The best watches to wear with black – Part 1, featuring Rolex, Omega, Hublot and Panerai

It may come as news to you (but not to our second biggest audience group by city, after Sydney) that people from Melbourne have a thing for wearing black. Some say it’s an inherently arty nature. You never know when you’re going to be invited to a gallery launch, after all. Being from Melbourne, we can confirm the cliché, and we do conform a lot of the time, especially during winter – which has just arrived. Black is easy, black is practically dress code-less and black is a great blank canvas to allow a watch to shine on the wrist like the star of the ensemble that it is. A recent picture of Keanu Reeves in Saint Laurent – his first as the brand’s new ambassador – proved this beyond doubt. Yes, Keanu looked like he was striding in to take that fashion shit over execution style, but in his new fashion finery, the eyes darted to the wrist, to find … nothing. Horror. So we turned it over to you: what would suit this all-black kit? And, like that, we had the ultimate list of watches to wear with black. Thank you, readers! Panerai PAM00026 Destro @thecuriae — This is…

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7 years ago

The best watches to wear with black – Part 1, featuring Rolex, Omega, Hublot and Panerai

It may come as news to you (but not to our second biggest audience group by city, after Sydney) that people from Melbourne have a thing for wearing black. Some say it’s an inherently arty nature. You never know when you’re going to be invited to a gallery launch, after all. Being from Melbourne, we can confirm the cliché, and we do conform a lot of the time, especially during winter – which has just arrived. Black is easy, black is practically dress code-less and black is a great blank canvas to allow a watch to shine on the wrist like the star of the ensemble that it is. A recent picture of Keanu Reeves in Saint Laurent – his first as the brand’s new ambassador – proved this beyond doubt. Yes, Keanu looked like he was striding in to take that fashion shit over execution style, but in his new fashion finery, the eyes darted to the wrist, to find … nothing. Horror. So we turned it over to you: what would suit this all-black kit? And, like that, we had the ultimate list of watches to wear with black. Thank you, readers! Panerai PAM00026 Destro @thecuriae — This is…

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7 years ago

The best watches to wear with black – Part 2, featuring Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Tudor and Bulgari

You could argue that matching watches with a black outfit is the easiest of all scenarios — any watch you choose is hardly going to clash. But while it’s safe, it’s also an opportunity, because when it’s done well, it can be unforgettable. When we put the question to you, our readers and followers — What do you wear when you go back to black like Keanu in his recent Saint Laurent campaign? — the options came thick and fast. This is Part 2 of what watches to wear with black. Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight @wilcoombes — Of course Keanu would have a BB58, even just to show that he can. What dealer is going to laugh in the face of John Wick when he asks to go on a waiting list? A brave one. A dead one? Aesthetically, it’s a match, and the flashes of the red and gold accents would stand out very nicely indeed. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400 (2 votes) @mdypei – Total power move, played to perfection. Going a 15400 over a ROO is the key, and the combination of flashing steel in the reptilian bracelet and the riveted bezel with the matt tapisserie black dial ……

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7 years ago

The best watches to wear with black – Part 2, featuring Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Tudor and Bulgari

You could argue that matching watches with a black outfit is the easiest of all scenarios — any watch you choose is hardly going to clash. But while it’s safe, it’s also an opportunity, because when it’s done well, it can be unforgettable. When we put the question to you, our readers and followers — What do you wear when you go back to black like Keanu in his recent Saint Laurent campaign? — the options came thick and fast. This is Part 2 of what watches to wear with black. Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight @wilcoombes — Of course Keanu would have a BB58, even just to show that he can. What dealer is going to laugh in the face of John Wick when he asks to go on a waiting list? A brave one. A dead one? Aesthetically, it’s a match, and the flashes of the red and gold accents would stand out very nicely indeed. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400 (2 votes) @mdypei – Total power move, played to perfection. Going a 15400 over a ROO is the key, and the combination of flashing steel in the reptilian bracelet and the riveted bezel with the matt tapisserie black dial ……

The post The best watches to wear with black – Part 2, featuring Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Tudor and Bulgari appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

7 years ago