Watch Dandy

When we think of Grand Seiko, it’s easy to associate them with classic but slightly left-of-centre designs: architectural case lines and instantly recognisable designs. Which is why this watch was such a surprise when we first saw it — it’s a deeply traditional dress watch design. A simple round case, in yellow gold no less (though there are steel and platinum versions too), seems like it’s from a different time, which makes perfect sense, as the watch, the SBGW252, is a re-creation of the first Grand Seiko from 1960. And of all the versions, this yellow gold number has to be the closest to that 1960 original, and not just because of the yellow gold case material. The creamy opaline dial, simple double baton hour markers and shining gold dauphine hands all paint a picture of mid-century modishness. The very slim alligator strap is also stylistically apt. It’s important to note that while the SBGW252 looks like it might be from 1960, it’s been updated where it counts. The glass is sapphire, the case is a slightly larger-than-original 38mm, and the movement is the manually wound 9S64. Grand Seiko re-creation in yellow gold, ref. SBGW252, Australian pricing and availability Grand…

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Longines is the official partner and timekeeper of the XXI Commonwealth Games to be held on the Gold Coast, Australia in April 2018 and they have just announced the watch of the Games, the ‘Conquest V.H.P. (Very High Precision) Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games’. The Conquest V.H.P. sees Longines turning back the clock to a particularly golden year for both naming components: 1954. It was the year the first Conquest watch was released and it was also the year Longines launched the world’s first quartz clock with atomic precision. This tech was at the heart of a pioneering sports timing instrument invented by Longines, the Chronocinégines. This at the time cutting-edge machine generated a film strip composed of a series of pictures recorded at 1/100th second, allowing judges to record the moment an athlete crossed the finish line. Quartz wristwatches followed 15 years later with the dashing ‘Ultra-Quartz’ model, released in 1969. The Ultra-Quartz would not look at all out of place among modern heritage reissues with its radially brushed cushion case, applied indices and vertically brushed dial. This watch is ‘Very High Precision’ by name and by nature – it promises accuracy of +/-5 seconds a year, compared to…

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