Value Proposition – Formex Essence Automatic Chronometer – Truly Affordable, COSC-Certified, Now on Kickstarter
Regular readers of MONOCHROME will already be familiar with the name Formex. We’ve previously written about the brand here, here and here. Known for its rugged action watches, the company has continued to refine its offering since Raphael Granito took the reins a few years back. Its latest offering, the surprisingly refined Essence Automatic Chronometer, continues this evolution. And offers great value for money too! We recently spent some hands-on time with this entry-level model that delivers a COSC-certified chronometer for under USD 700, now launching on Kickstarter.
Last night the Australian Football League (AFL) celebrated its night of nights, the Brownlow Medal. Regarded as one of the most important events on the Australian sporting calendar, it’s akin to American Football’s Heisman Trophy or the world game’s Ballon d’Or. Needless to say, it’s kind of a big deal around these parts. Especially (at least for us) when there are watches involved. At an intimate event held just prior to the players’ stroll down the red carpet, Tissot welcomed six of the league’s best to their Brownlow Suite at the Crown Towers Crystal Villa room — fitting each one with a new model from their collection, as they took part in an exclusive tasting of the World’s Best Single Malt Whisky, sourced from Australia’s own Sullivans Cove Distillery and valued at $11,000 a bottle. Co-hosting the event was Hawthorn midfielder Tom Mitchell, who walked into the event as the heavy Brownlow favourite after an impressive season that saw him average 35.3 disposals a game, with a record-breaking 848 on-field possessions for the season. To no one’s surprise, and with 28 votes, he strolled out with the Charlie around his neck, and Tissot’s dressy Chemin des Tourelles Powermatic 80 on…
Editor’s note: The year is 1995, and James Bond has returned to Russia to retrieve the stolen access codes for “Goldeneye”, a deadly satellite weapon system that has fallen into the hands of his toughest adversary yet — the once believed dead former agent 006. Armed with his trusty Walther PPK, he must save the world and get the girl, all while wearing the Omega Seamaster Professional 300m on his wrist. Fans of the series will know this is the very first time we see the agent with a licence to kill wearing an Omega. This year the watch that is the choice of underwater explorers — and, more importantly, undercover spies — has been given a complete makeover. And we thought it was fitting to revisit this golden oldie and take a look back at four of the best Seamasters and their connections to the spy that wore them. James Bond is always running out of time. Every second that slips away sees the missile nearer to launching, the girl’s life slipping further away, global catastrophe looming ever closer. Time matters for Bond in a way few of us can understand, and this, along with his unfailingly suave style, go a long way to…
This morning we are announcing a new addition to the Time+Tide shop — the Tissot Heritage Petite Seconde, see the listing here. Tissot’s heritage game has been unimpeachable the last few years, with the Heritage 1948 causing quite a stir last year, and the solid, tidy and classic Petite Seconde making 2018 a one-two punch. Perhaps the central argument for these pieces, which reflect the depth of the brand’s 165-odd year archive, is the value proposition. They have style, they have movements found in more expensive brands’ watches — so there’s a big tick there in bang for buck — and they have the all-important Swiss-made provenance. Like most people in watchland, we rate them. Always have. Here are a few reasons why we’ve chosen to offer the Heritage Petite Seconde in the Time+Tide shop, with highlights of the watch from our main man Felix Scholz’s review last week: 1. It’s a flat out looker, and the case size at 42mm is right The case is refined and dressy, full of pleasing curves, giving it a warm, pebble-like feeling. The crystal is a nicely domed sapphire, held in place by a narrow, polished bezel that proves some contrast to the case middle and…
