VIDEO: The Tudor Heritage Black Bay
At Time+Tide we typically focus on the new – the latest reviews and news. But there’s always a place for the stone-cold classics, which is why, when we had a bunch of Black Bays in the office (more on that later in the week), we thought we’d take the opportunity to have a look at the Black Bays that started it all: the red, blue and black versions. And while these versions (which we borrowed from friends – thanks guys!) are the older, ETA models, they’re still pretty indicative of what this retro diver is all about. So while you’re likely familiar with these colourful, core Black Bays, it doesn’t hurt to look at them in crisp HD. And even though the oldest model is now five years old, and the competition for heritage divers has hotted up, we still think it’s pretty hard to beat the original Tudor Heritage Black Bay. Tudor Heritage Black Bay Australian pricing Tudor Heritage Black Bay on leather, $4030, on bracelet, $4410
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Editor’s note: We’re very much on the record as being proud members of team Drive, so it was with real excitement that we had a look at the new models shown off at SIHH at the start of this year. And while the Moon Phases probably has the edge in terms of everyday wearability, when it comes to class, it’s hard to beat the Drive de Cartier Extra Flat. One of the standout watches of last year was the Drive de Cartier. The collection impressed with its assured case shape — a pleasing blend of robustness and classicism that, for many, epitomised what Cartier is all about. Well, the Extra Flat takes things a few steps further, removing any and all extraneous elements from the Drive and making it even more sublime. What do we mean? For starters, the watch is, well, flat. At 6.6mm thick it’s some 40 per cent more slender than the regular automatic Drive — a feat achieved largely thanks to the manually wound caliber 430MC (based on the Piaget 430P). Cartier has also made the case a touch smaller (39mm), removed the small seconds and foregone their usual guilloche on the dial. The resulting watch is far more dressy,…
Some people say that a leopard can’t change its spots, and you know what? Some people are wrong, as the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver clearly proves. The French watch brand earned their stripes with an impressive array of aviation watches, centred on the square, cockpit-inspired BR 03 case. Well, it turns out that this large, striking design works just as well at depth as it does at altitude. The BR 03-92 Diver is a remarkably smart underwater repurposing of the brand’s famous form. But really, not too much had to be changed. A bezel was added, as was a screw-down crown. The trademark Arabic numerals were replaced with simpler (and heavily lumed) hour markers. It’s clever design – something B&R excels at – and I think this new diver will have an important role in the collection going forward. I can’t wait to see what versions will be coming down the pipeline in a few months’ time. Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Australian pricing Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver, $5400. For more information, see here.
Earlier this year I had a chance to have a look at Montblanc’s pre-SIHH offerings in scenic Wyoming, including this smart new evolution of the TimeWalker, the TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph. There are two big changes to this 43mm sports chronograph; let’s start with the most obvious first. The dial. Instead of the black or silver tones of the existing TimeWalker chronos, this time we get some added vintage style, in the form of the ever-popular ‘panda’ dial (so named because the black on white layout looks a little like the endangered bear). The matt dial finish has a slight creamy look, in line with the retro vibe that’s going on here. The small seconds subdial has the inlaid Montblanc star. You’ll also notice the ceramic bezel is now fixed, and shows a tachymetre scale instead of a 12-hour readout. All told, these changes result in a strong, high-contrast look that’s always popular, and has been used by many (many) brands over the years. If you’re eagle-eyed, you may have noticed that this is now called the ‘Manufacture’ chronograph, and for me it’s the movement, the Calibre MB 25.10, that’s the really exciting development. This new movement is a column-wheel chrono…