FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 7th July, 2017
It’s a Wind Down for one this week, as I’m currently alone in the office engaging in some fairly serious desk dancing to this sprawlingly awesome mix. But it’s not all fun and games because watches are a Very Serious Business. Just ask the Swiss. Or the Germans or Japanese for that matter. So, have a drink, but make sure it’s a serious one — more Manhattan, less Melbourne Bitter. What happened? Omega announced their latest Bond limited edition, the Commander’s Watch. It’s hard to tell, but the summery feel of this Seamster caused more askance eyebrow-raising than most Omega LEs. Richard Mille announced Margot Robbie as their latest brand ambassador. That is all. What really mattered? Patek wrote a letter to their dealers, telling them to stop letting watches out of their stores in original packaging. That means the brown outer boxes and the sealed plastic bag. Why? Tackling the grey market of course. Will dealers comply? Will it change anything? The lineup for Only Watch 2017 was unveiled and while we’re busy drooling over the Journe, speculating on the Patek, and nodding appreciatively at the WOSTEP watch, I think it’s interesting that wunderkind-auctioneer Aurel Bacs has lost out to…
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The story in a second The most eagerly awaited dive watch release from Seiko…ever? Seiko were relative latecomers to the professional dive watch game, coming some 10 years after the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and the Rolex Submariner. Released in 1965, the legendary Seiko 62MAS (ref. 6217) was Japan’s first professional dive watch and inspired a long tradition of Seiko divers that has seen the brand release some of the most widely used and respected divers on the market. In fact, some of Seiko’s own design innovations contributed to the foundation of the ISO 6425 dive watch standards. So, when the news leaked, that Seiko were finally answering the prayers and wishes of collectors by releasing a re-creation of the iconic 62MAS, the watch world was abuzz with excitement. Was it true? Were the pictures fake? Will they accept MasterCard? All was revealed at Baselworld 2017, when Seiko unveiled one of their most faithful vintage reissues ever, the Prospex SLA017. In fact, if you spotted someone wearing the modern re-creation, you would have a hard time distinguishing it from the original, without resorting to some expert level wrist stalking. The case The SLA017 is an almost exact duplicate of the original…
Earlier this year Bell & Ross released a pair of their trademark square watches that demonstrated quite a different take on their perennial aviation theme. The BR 03-92 Horolum, a slab of grey metal, was inspired by an airport’s tarmac. This version, the BR 03-92 Horograph, takes a similarly pedestrian inspiration — the ubiquitous and useful airport clock. As you can imagine, legibility is the aim of the game here, with stark white printed baton indices and broad stick hands set against a matt black dial. A red-tipped second hand, date at four and a discreet minute track complete the picture. The triangular marker at 12 is a nod to the classic layout of pilot’s watches. The 42mm steel case is bead-blasted, a nice utilitarian finish that well suits the functional feel of the watch. On the wrist, the Horograph wears much like Bell & Ross’ other instrument watches, which is unsurprising given the shared case. It feels quite different from the military-inspired watches B&R are best known for. Its focus is a little less macho and a little more design, which is a nice change up. The Horograph comes on a rubber strap, which is in keeping with the brand’s…