Watch Dandy

Editor’s note: Think Rolex, and the odds are high that you think sporty, if not straight-up steel. However, there’s a lot more to the brand than Hulking, Pepsi-sipping superheroes. There’s also the dressier, more delicate face of the brand. The side called Cellini, and here Andrew looks at the Rolex Cellini Time …  When the Rolex Cellini range was relaunched by Rolex in 2014 – including the Cellini Time – the General Manager of Rolex Australia, Patrick Boutellier, chose a line of poetry to announce the news: “The sleeping Prince has been awoken,” he said, or words to that effect, as Felix and I pored over the new range, not quite sure what to think. We were certainly intrigued by these classic, luxurious faces amongst other more colourful offerings, such as the white gold ‘Pepsi’ GMT-Master II and the new Milgauss. The light embroidery of poetry and classicism in Patrick’s description somehow attached itself to the watch in that moment, and the more I’ve learned about it, the more this type of fairytale mystery fits. But how would it wear? What would I wear it with? What else would I learn about this seemingly simple design on the wrist? I…

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Editor’s note: It’s no secret that there are heaps of Speedy variants to choose from, and typically we veer towards the more classical versions. Which is why we were so surprised by this Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph. It’s two-tone, with a silver dial and a green bezel. Not what we’d normally pick. But also, absolutely awesome.  If, at the start of 2016, you’d told me my favourite Omega of the year would be a two-tone Speedmaster (yellow gold, no less!) with a green bezel, I’d have enjoyed a good laugh at your expense. I like a Speedy as much as the next guy, but I like them in the straight-up classical format, à la NASA. Well, fast forward a few months and you’ll have to excuse me as I wipe egg off my face, because here it is, my pick of the Omega 2016 litter – the Speedmaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer Moonphase Chronograph in steel and yellow gold. For me, the real lesson here is to never truly judge a watch until it’s on your wrist. The crush I had on this watch was instant, and real. Earlier this year, I’d seen blue and black versions of the model that were the…

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Editor’s note: Fancy a date? No, we’re not talking Tinder or your other app of choice, we’re delving into the world of the seemingly innocuous date window. Where some see a useful calendar tool, others see a symbol of all that is wrong with the world. So, on which side of the date line do you stand? We’ve got a surprisingly complex relationship with date windows in the Time+Tide office. And not just because we’ve been known to forget to set them on occasion. No, every time we review a vintage reissue, it can be assured that we’ll have a host of comments on various social media platforms that read something like this: “Love the design, but they RUINED it with that ugly date window.” I understand this reaction and, to be fair, there are plenty of sloppily designed date windows out there. But ruining a watch? I’m not so sure. A few years ago we were interviewing Walter von Känel, CEO of Longines, and we mentioned in passing that his heritage collections received near-universal praise, except for the fact that they almost invariably included a date. We asked why he put a date in. To my recollection (it’s a few years ago…

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Broadly speaking, microbrand is a term used to describe smaller watch brands — typically with few staff, outsourced production and a direct-to-consumer business model. The other thing to note is that there is a lot of them, typically waxing and waning in terms of favour. But sometimes these brands gain a critical momentum that starts to stretch the category ‘micro’. Farer is one such brand. I’ve always had a soft spot for the UK-based brand. Initially, their bright and colourful designs drew my magpie eye, and then when we reviewed a GMT and a diver, the quality won me over. And clearly it’s not just me. Chris Hall over at QP has written a great story on their (short) history, and their (bright) future. Read it here. 

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In case you’ve been living under a particularly unfashionable rock for the last few years, you’ll know the name Virgil Abloh. Since March 2018 he’s served as Louis Vuitton’s creative director, while still doing his duty as CEO of the Milan-based fashion house Off-White, and being long-term buddies with Kanye West. He also wears a Patek Nautilus, but not a ‘regular’ one.  While he certainly didn’t start the trend for high-end streetwear, he’s an important player in the space, and fond of riffing on (and perhaps even appropriating) design signifiers of other well-known brands. In this context, his choice of watch makes perfect sense. On prominent catwalk display his watch stood out, being pitch black. It appears to be a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726, an annual calendar with a moonphase indicator. But honestly, it’s hard to tell given the custom blacked-out finish, which renders everything, except the white logo text and the stars, black.  No official comment has been made by anyone on this watch, but GQ has exchanged some coy messages with a Paris-based custom firm who may (or may not) have done the work. Read it here. 

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Editor’s note: We’re big fans of the new Samurai, it’s one of Seiko’s all-time classic dive watches. We’re also fans of beautiful blue dials. Which is why the Seiko Samurai ‘Save The Ocean’ SRPC93K is a watch we can really get behind. Read on for our in-depth review … The story in a second: Same great watch, brand new dial. The centrepiece of Seiko’s 2018 Prospex collection is, without doubt, the brand new and very blue ‘Save The Ocean’ series, offered in Turtle, Samurai and solar variants. It follows on from the recent Black Series and Blue Lagoon. But while last year’s limited edition was purely a cosmetic update, the Save The Ocean release has an element of social responsibility. Seiko has teamed up with Fabien Cousteau (grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau), who is himself a marine conservationist, to raise funds and awareness for Cousteau’s Ocean Learning Centre. Part of this awareness-raising involves prominent displays of what healthy and not-so-healthy marine environments look like in several Australian cities. So, not only do these watches look the part, they also do their part. The case First up, aside from the dial and bezel, this watch is pretty much identical to its regular release…

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