EDITOR’S PICK: Another look at the 50-year-old Monaco, just in time for Baselworld
Editor’s note: The mighty Calibre 11-powered Monaco turned 50 just a few weeks ago, and what better time, with Baselworld 2019 only hours away, to have a look at one of the defining chronographs of our time. Now, this version here is, no doubt, a stone cold classic. But I’ve got to wonder, what has TAG Heuer cooked up to celebrate the big 5-0? Here’s hoping we find out soon. The story in a second: 2015 saw TAG Heuer release the bold Heuer 01, the smart Carrera Connected and a faithful re-edition of one of the most iconic watches ever made – the Monaco. Heuer made a lot of cool watches, but none more so than the Heuer Monaco. Instantly recognisable, thanks to the large square case, and powered by the legendary Calibre 11 automatic chronograph movement, there’s no doubting the Monaco’s cred. But the frosting on the ice-cool cake is Steve McQueen. The King of Cool was a hot property in the ’60s and ’70s, and the prominent placement of the Heuer Monaco on McQueen’s wrist in the 1971 film Le Mans saw the watch enter the pantheon of totemic objects that have come to symbolise the icon for…
The post EDITOR’S PICK: Another look at the 50-year-old Monaco, just in time for Baselworld appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
So, this exists. Look, I write about high-end mechanical watches on the daily, so I’ve got a pretty high threshold for the superfluous things in life, but this is just ridiculous. A company called Caviar (of course they’re called Caviar) has revolutionised the world of both watchmaking and iPhones by releasing (and I quote): “the first iPhone with a Tourbillon”. Now, when I first read the press release I thought it was an iPhone case with tourbillon, which, I mean, isn’t the worst. Tourbillons are cool and if you want to spend more money than is sensible on a case … hey, it’s your money. But, no. They’ve Dr Moreau’d this thing and given us the worst of both worlds. Starting from $8350 USD. Nope.
In these days of globalised production and democratised design it seems like there are more micro watch brands than ever before and, really, most of them are pretty forgettable, all riffing from the same songbook/factory catalogue. So when something a little left of centre shows up, I tend to pay attention. The Ianos Avyssos is one such watch. On the surface it’s a dive watch, rated to 300 metres, with the bezel, lume and other bits and bobs you associate with the genre. But pretty quickly you work out that it’s the other elements that separate this watch from the pack. In case the name didn’t give the game away, the Ianos Avyssos is a watch of Greek origin, and the brainchild of Jacob Hatzidimitriou. But the Hellenic inspirations of this piece go beyond the name, and well, to the small seconds at six. Rather than a typical hand, there’s a rotating disc that, if you’re an aficionado of archaeology or ancient horology, might look familiar. The design is based on the Antikythera mechanism — the world’s oldest clock mechanism that dates back to around 100 BCE. The mechanism was discovered off the coast of Antikythera in 1901 (hence the name),…
Editor’s note: For some reason, the days before Baselworld always fire up my acquisitive tendencies, however hypothetical. And when it comes to hypotheticals, for watch fans they don’t come much greater than this. One watch. For ever. That’s the question I asked the team last year, and this is what they said … Let me be clear from the outset, this is a ridiculous challenge. It’s clearly hypothetical and I’m pretty sure none of us has any plans to sell our collections and follow through with this. But having said that, it’s a perennial watch party favourite, and can be pretty fun. It’s also a useful challenge for distilling just what it is you like about watches – it’s like mindfulness for watch nerds. Dan’s pick – A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Striking Time My one watch is also my Grail watch. The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Striking Time. It’s robust enough for everyday wear yet horologically significant to make a statement. I would choose the white gold with black dial version as my preference. I may be forced to have this as my ‘only watch’ regardless – as I’d have to sell or trade everything I own (along with…