Hands-on – MB&F and L’Epee 1839 Introduce Their New Robot Clock: GRANT
In a horological galaxy far, far away, one man, Captain Büsser, was entrusted with a mission: to create marvellous and unique time devices that would annihilate Emperor Boredom. This rebellion started in 30 A.Q.C. (After the Quartz Crisis, meaning 2005 in human nomenclature) and gave life to several horological UFOs, ready to engage in battle. The war isn’t over and Captain Büsser and his ally L’Epée 1839 open a new chapter in this epic time battle with their latest weapon against monotony: Grant.
What do whales, chronographs and solar charging have in common? And no, I’m not talking about a hypothetical scheme involving Elon Musk, and the launching of an around the world race, with solar-powered propellers attached to specially trained whales. Cool as that may be – although probably not humane – all three things become one in the Seiko Prospex ‘Save The Ocean’ SSC675P. If you’re not already familiar with this year’s ‘Save The Ocean’ series by Seiko, a portion of all sales from each of the series’ three models goes towards saving the ocean. With Seiko working in conjunction with noted marine conservationist Fabien Cousteau. Each special edition watch in the series features a wave-like dial resembling the skin of the mighty blue whale. However, while the other two watches in the series are strictly automatic three-handed affairs, and their dials graduate from an iridescent blue at the top to an almost black at the bottom, the dial of this version differs ever so slightly and maintains its own intense shade of blue throughout – although in certain light, you’d be forgiven for seeing purple. And contrast is introduced by the equally as blue bi-coloured bezel and the radiant outer ring…
Call me a romantic, but the moon phase complication is amongst my favourites. Paradoxically, it’s also amongst the least functional — tracking the waxing and waning of our most significant satellite isn’t something that’s high on my list of life priorities. And when the topic does come up, I can, you know, look at the sky. But, really, that’s not the point of a moon phase. It’s a complication of wonder, one that speaks — on a scale far broader than hours or minutes — to the passing of time. It also reminds you that time isn’t an abstract concept, it’s linked to astronomical events — the earth, sun and moon etc. Raymond Weil has done well to capture this overall sense of stargazing whimsy in their Maestro Moon Phase. I mean, sure, the perfectly sized 39.5mm steel case is plain and simple, living up to the classic principles of the Maestro family. The dial, though, is where it really comes alive. Blue tones are the order of the day, but the effect on the wrist is far from flat or monochromatic, thanks to the various surface treatments: wavy radial guilloché in the centre, concentric rings for the hour track,…
As we embark on the 50th anniversary edition of the US Open, all eyes are on the new official timepiece of the tennis tournament, Rolex. Rolex is replacing Citizen, which had been a sponsor of the US Open for more than two decades. Rolex is already the official timekeeper of the Australian Open and has an impressive roster of tennis players among its ambassadors: Roger Federer, Juan Martín del Potro, Angelique Kerber and Sloane Stephens, to name a few. Rolex chose the Datejust 41 on a jubilee bracelet for the feature timepiece on its US Open webpage. The white gold watch has a dark rhodium dial and fluted bezel. Should a Rolex ambassador raise the Tiffany & Co. hardware in Arthur Ashe Stadium, he or she might be sporting that Datejust. (We all remember Roger Federer’s striking blue-dial Sky-Dweller when he accepted the trophy at this year’s Australian Open.) In the next two weeks, we will see close to AU$3 million in watches at the tournament, and Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic are all scheduled to play. I expect Rafael Nadal — who won the US Open last year — to wear his limited edition Richard Mille Tourbillon watch,…