Watch Dandy

Watches are fantastic birthday presents. They couldn’t really be any more fitting: A gift that tracks the passing of time to commemorate the time past. There is a poetic symmetry to it, and it’s no surprise that a huge amount of watches – especially those deemed ‘fashion’ watches – are purchased as gifts year on year. With that in mind, we’ve decided to put together a list of great milestone watches to buy someone as they reach special milestones in their life. Milestone 1 – the 21st Birthday watch You’re just starting out. Maybe your parents want to get you something to say well done for passing your degree, or maybe they’re just so overjoyed that you won’t be coming back to the nest, and they’re happy to splash a bit of cash on a new timepiece to ensure you don’t get fired for being late. As an up-and-coming kid eager to be taken seriously, this is a choice with deep ramifications … For a young man in this situation, I would advise keeping it simple. Something that is stylistically robust, and not too off the beaten track makes sense. An Omega Aqua Terra 150m 41mm ought to do the trick.…

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Stepping into a luxury jewellers, pockets full of the hard-earned cash you’re planning to drop on your first proper timepiece, can be a daunting prospect. In fact, assuming you haven’t just stumbled into a vast fortune and you’re buying a luxury watch simply because you assume it’s the done thing, there is no doubt your first foray into watch appreciation will be something of an emotional rollercoaster. Aside from the pretty much blanket discomfort most people feel when spending large amounts of money on anything, feelings such as doubt, fear, and (truthfully) guilt at making what seems like such an extravagant purchase are quite specific to purchases of this luxury nature. And that’s because luxury is, by its nature, unnecessary. Nobody likes paying a huge electricity bill, but you don’t feel guilty about it. I’m sure we’d all like to eat for free, but you don’t fear grocery shopping on the off chance you might pick up a bad egg, or accidentally let some fruit go rotten. And as appealing as naturism may be for some, I doubt you’ve ever doubted buying pants. Our money should always go to the necessities of life first, but for many, the desire to…

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This is something we get asked a lot. And not just by newcomers to the industry. To some minds, it instantly sticks out like a sore thumb that the Swiss products are regarded as sacrosanct and that the wares of all other nations should fall in line behind the masters. But to others, it just seems like the natural order of things. So engrained it is in their minds that they never feel the need to question it. Swiss means quality. Simple. How could the truth possibly be any more complicated than that? Well, surprise, surprise, it is. The short answer to the question, ‘Why are Swiss watches considered the best?’ is, quite ironically, ‘Timing’. If you never dig beneath the surface of our industry, you could be forgiven for thinking the Swiss invented watchmaking, and all of the major advancements that still underpin our understanding of timekeeping were down to them. It might surprise you to learn that the very first chronometer made was actually the brainchild of an Englishman named John Harrison. In Harrison’s time (the late 1700s), accurate timekeeping was essential for navigating at sea. Unfortunately, the choppy conditions and ever-changing atmospheric conditions played havoc with even…

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Editor’s note: Typically watch snobs (us included) love to shun quartz-powered watches, but when it’s as clever (but not smart in the smartwatch sense) as this Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT review shows, it’s hard not to love.  The story in a second: A rare case of quartz having legit enthusiast appeal, albeit in a clever, and very novel, fashion. Say “it’s quartz” and countless watch nerds cringe; however, there have been some exceptions to the rule over the years. Of course, Grand Seiko Spring Drive calibres get a pass on account of the brand’s epic design and finishing, as well as the fact that they run a quartz oscillator in the place of the balance wheel, but everything else is done mechanically (to state things as simply as we can). And then there’s the F.P. Journe Elegante 48, which is a completely different animal. Longines has also been toiling away in the battery-powered department, and their V.H.P. calibres, which were refreshed in 2017, carry with them some impressive specifications. Accurate to +/-5 seconds per year, Longines integrated a special functionality to these calibres that allows for internal correction for magnetism or shock via a “gear position sensor” that effectively can…

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