EVENT: Montblanc opens new-look boutique, their 7th in Australia

Last week, Montblanc officially opened their seventh Australian boutique, at Chadstone in Melbourne – Australia’s largest high-end shopping precinct. And I must say that Montblanc looked right at home, nestled amidst some of the largest luxury and fashion names in the world. The brand has a strong presence in Australia, with six other dedicated retail spaces dotted across the country, but none of them looks quite like this — as this boutique has been made in line with their new Neo2 design concept, designed by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance. It’s intended to be more relaxed, a nice change from the sometimes intimidating boutique experience. The space is open and inviting, almost living room-like, except that no one I know has a living room this stylish or pristine. And while the space itself was relaxing, what I was really excited about was what was inside: walls of writing instruments and timepieces — including a few special higher-end pieces, like the TimeWalker Chronograph Rally Timer — and leather goods. I was particularly keen to see the new (Montblanc M)Red, which is seriously sexy, as well as Montblanc’s new high-end hard cases, the #MY4810 collection, which looks set to go toe-to-toe with Rimowa. Watches, however,…

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8 years ago

LIST: 5 solid vintage watches you can buy in Australia right now

I don’t think we’d be telling anyone anything new by saying vintage is sooo hot right now. Price escalation, predominantly driven by the vintage Rolex market at auction, has created incredible demand for vintage timepieces. But it can seem we get the short end of the stick in the land Down Under when it comes to access, quality and quantity of vintage stock. That being said, the Australian pre-owned watch market is abuzz with quality buys at the moment, if you look hard enough. So we took it upon ourselves to explore just some of the timepieces available right now, across our great land. Here are five of the best vintage watches available in the Australian market. 1967 Tudor Oyster Prince ref. 7928 – $11,995 The rapid escalation in vintage Rolex prices is now being reflected in prices for late ’60s and early ’70s divers from Rolex sister brand, Tudor. This example is about as original as you’ll find. The bracelet has been discarded, likely from years of wear, while the original dial and hands have a beautiful patina, which reflects the age. There’s no box or papers – but who needs them? This one is a keeper. View the listing…

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8 years ago

Hands-on – Moritz Grossmann Atum Hamatic and its Impressive Pendulum Winding System

The vast majority of mechanical watches available nowadays rely on a central oscillating weight to provide power to their movements. Of course, we see lots of variations on this theme – for instance the winching system of the Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious, off-centred micro-rotors, peripheral rotors or even linear rotors. However, the principle […]

8 years ago

News – Raymond Weil is Rocking a Contest to Give a Freelancer AC/DC Limited Edition Watch to a Lucky Fan

Did you grow up in the 1970s or 1980s? If so, chances are you’ve at least listened to a few AC/DC hits on the radio. Hopefully, if you’re cool enough, you were a full-blown AC/DC fan. Who doesn’t love Highway to Hell or You Shook Me All Night Long? Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, folks. They’ve sold over 200 million records. Anyway, you don’t have to be a hardcore fan to enter Raymond Weil’s contest to potentially win a limited edition Freelancer timepiece. Yes, it has an in-your-face AC/DC theme, but that just might be the best part. So, sit back, find your old AC/DC cassettes and let’s take a closer look at the watch (and how to enter the contest).

8 years ago

Value Proposition – Martenero Edgemere Reserve – An Affordable Mechanical Watch with a Nautical Theme

Founded in 2014 in New York, Martenero already has six lines of watches in its portfolio. Their latest line, the Edgemere Reserve, is the most detailed piece yet with three complications. Inspired by the marine chronometer (a timepiece accurate enough to allow ships to use celestial navigation), the new line has bold, contrasting colours and a bit of playfulness that remind me of watches from Farer Universal. Like that company, Martenero has found a unique aesthetic without going overboard, being both fun and sophisticated. The Edgemere Reserve follows the original Edgemere with a more mature sequel and is the first follow-up to a piece for the company.

8 years ago

OPINION: Regrets, I’ve had a few – how to handle buyer’s remorse

I think we’ve all found ourselves in a similar situation to this before: you wake up, the morning after a big night out and all is seemingly well. At least until the night’s events start trickling back into your mind’s eye, and an odd sensation begins to stir deep down inside, giving you the feeling that things are not quite as they should be. You then roll over and notice something lying there next to you, something that in the unforgiving morning light is not what you were first expecting to see … Flashing before your eyes is a notification from eBay, exclaiming, “Congratulations! You won this item.” And before you even have time to react, the regret has started to sink in. Frequently associated with the purchase of expensive items like a house or a car, buyer’s remorse is a very real thing in the watch world. After all, we all know that our much-loved pieces of wrist candy can sometimes come attached to hefty price tags. However, it’s not always the money that is the biggest factor, because buyer’s remorse occurs most frequently when we must make a difficult decision. Stemming from a cognitive dissonance that arises when…

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8 years ago