Watch Dandy

Editor’s note: Rainbow bezelled watches are certainly enjoying their time in the sun at the moment – for years they’ve been seen as a women’s watch, or a left-field, quirky guys choice. But these days they’re increasingly accepted as a “serious” (in 10-foot tall air quotes) choice. Certainly, this Hublot from a few years back manages to blend serious wth playful very well indeed … The Hublot booth at Baselworld is a busy place, a multi-level monolith that’s more akin to a mini city than a trade show stand. We spent a few hours there, taking photos, shooting video and generally getting acquainted with the new collection. We had the door of our little room open, and we could hear the constant, polite hubbub that, in a lot of ways, defines Basel. One French phrase made its way repeatedly to our ears: ‘La Rainbow’. Curiosity got the better of us and we asked to see this rainbow everyone was talking about. A few minutes later, a covered tray appeared in the room, and La Rainbow was unveiled. The Big Bang Unico Sapphire Rainbow, to give this piece its proper name, is one heck of a watch. Like the rest of Hublot’s sapphire-cased…

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Editor’s note: It’s a big year for space-themed watches, what with the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing. And of course that means it’s a big year for Omega (who have already announced this solid gold stunner). But it’s worth noting that Omega don’t have a monopoly on that whole space thing. Here are some other out-of-this-world options … I’ve been a little spacey recently — and not just because Andrew has been reliving the glory of holding Gene Cernan’s Speedmaster, and First Man is on our must-watch list. On top of that, I’ve recently re-watched the excellent Hidden Figures and cracked the spine on Andy Weir’s The Martian, which probably means I’m part of the wider #marsorbust zeitgeist. After all, it’s an exciting time to be interested in space, as it’s a space that’s becoming increasingly global and democratised. And of course, for Time+Tide, more space means more space watches — which is something we can get behind. So, to celebrate, we’ve put together four space-proven watches that aren’t the iconic Speedy … Seiko 6139-6002 ‘Pogue’ The Pogue takes its name from Colonel William Pogue, who wore a Seiko 6139 Chronograph for 84 days on 1973’s Skylab 4 mission. Pogue…

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Editor’s note: There’s a risk with dress watches that they become overly simple. Boring even. That’s not what’s going on with the Breguet Classique 7147, which manages to balance clean design, fine detail and Breguet’s storied design codes in one neat golden package … The story in a second: Breguet’s updated Classique 7147 offers traditional style, modern convenience and just the right amount of playfulness. The Classique 7147 is the definition of a quiet achiever. It’s a simple, sturdy watch that does everything asked of it with style, and it does so with a sense of reserved assurance that only a watch with ‘Breguet’ on the dial can adequately muster. The purpose of this Breguet is to be a dress watch without equal. If you need a black-tie timepiece that speaks to tradition and classical style, without being yet another ho-hum exercise in derivative design, we suggest you make a beeline for the Classique 7147. The case The first thing you need to know about the 7147 is that it’s not a completely new design. Rather, it’s an update of the Classique 5140. From a distance these two timepieces look indistinguishable, but up close the 7147’s new body-work stands out. At…

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Editor’s note: Timekeeping standards are suddenly cool again. Omega has been steadily touting the benefits of their Master Chronometer certification, Patek has their own standards, and Rolex recently upped their game with the Superlative Chronometer Standard. But what is it? This article from a while back explains everything you need to know. Since 1951, nearly every watch leaving Rolex’s Geneva facility has been a certified Chronometer, and from 1957 onwards, Rolex has been using the term ‘Superlative’ on their dials to describe that their watches don’t just meet Chronometer standards, but exceed them. Design purists might bemoan the resulting text-heavy dials that declare an Oyster to be ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified’, but Rolex’s nigh-unimpeachable reputation for quality and accuracy has a lot invested in these words. In fact, in late 2015, the brand quietly updated their Superlative Chronometer Standards to make them even more stringent. Design purists might bemoan the resulting text-heavy dials that declare an Oyster to be ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified’, but Rolex’s nigh-unimpeachable reputation for quality and accuracy has a lot invested in these words. If you were lucky enough to get your hands on a steel Daytona or a recent Datejust 41, Rolex guarantee your watch is accurate to -2/+2…