In May of 2016, aBlogtoWatch giveaway winner Todd M. joined me in traveling to Indianapolis to experience something truly American, the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 with race event sponsor and watch maker TAG Heuer. We made a cool read more…
Editor’s Note: @fakewatchbusta cultivates the ‘horological Batman’ image perhaps in the hope that one day he’ll vanquish contemporaries like @rolexenforcer – who’s going for more of a Robocop-for-Rolex vibe, oh it’s a funny world Instagram – and be the sole crusader on social media righting the wrongs on wrists all across the world. But there’s one similarity to Batman, and to Robin Hood, that we can confirm beyond any doubt; unless FWB’s accountant is REALLY late in invoicing us for the couple of stories he wrote, he’s not in the game for the money. He appeared, wrote on two hot topics, then disappeared. Very superhero. There’s always a chance he walks among us in his Bruce Wayne guise – so I guess we should all look out for a sharp-eyed watch lover, scrutinising the hand-stack on your GMT… If you’re reading @fakewatchbusta, thanks for the memories. I am the person behind the @fakewatchbusta account on Instagram and I was kind of shocked when I got the assignment of writing on this topic. It’s like asking Superman if it’s OK to bring kryptonite to the party. Anyways, I’ll approach this as seriously as I can…. ARGUMENT #1 – “I wear fake watches when…
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Editor’s Note: In these uncertain times there’s a noticeable shift away from big, bold statement pieces, the sort of watches Panerai traditionally excel at. But that’s not to say the Italian brand can’t tap into its national reputation for style and do a cracking job on smaller pieces too, as this 42mm PAM 655 proves. Panerai is very much a ‘what you see is what you get’ sort of brand, with an identity built around being the archetypal ‘tough guy’ watch. Which was why the PAM 655 surprised us. Sure, it’s still got the iconic cushion-shaped Radiomir case, but apart from that, there’s a lightness and airiness to this watch that’s refreshing. Partially that’s thanks to its size; the 42mm case is far from overwhelming on the wrist, and the P.4000 movement helps make it quite slender too. But it’s also the dial – because this is the first time white has been seen on this case design. Meanwhile, even though this watch is less Sly and more sartorial, the Panerai hallmarks are very much in evidence: the ecru hands and luminous plots, the simple dial and of course that excellent strap. If you weren’t a PAM fan before, this watch could well bring…
The post EDITOR’S PICK: Can Panerai ever be dressy? Watch our PAM 655 video review and judge for yourself. appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Despite the fact that the watch industry loves to beat the drum of tradition, the fact is that it can have a shockingly short collective memory when it comes to anything that doesn’t grab the attention of customers and help sell watches. Unfortunately this means that an awful lot of important companies, watches, and people get swept under the rug. It also means that customers often form views about watches and brands that lack grounding in actual – as opposed to brand-curated – history. Today we’ve found a must-read story about one such person, who all real watch lovers should know and remember.
Today, I’d like to ask the watch community who they would prefer to pay for their watch media. Countless timepiece lovers, collectors, and consumers enjoy aBlogtoWatch and other forms of watch-related media each month – the vast majority of which is free (for them).
When collectors gather anywhere and talk about their collections, recent purchases, and executed or potential sales, there’s a term that comes up more often than not: “getting hurt.” Here I provide a master class in how not to get hurt in the world of watch collecting.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Nautilus, Patek Philippe adds two limited edition models to the collection. Namely, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1P 40th Anniversary and the Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph Ref. 5976/1G 40th Anniversary in 18K white gold. The former will be available in a limited edition of 700 watches and the…
When a major global brand that produces millions of products each year produces something interesting as a limited edition of just 250 pieces, the implication is that the watches are truly a bit more limited. That is certainly the case with the handsome, new-for-2016 Victorinox Swiss Army Airboss Mach 9 Titanium Limited Edition that I found to be both legible and stylistically fetching.
Last Sunday I boarded a plane in Melbourne and made the 8,000-odd kilometre trek to Tokyo. And in the last week I have travelled, by Shinkansen, bus and car a further 1500 or kilometres across Japan. On my wrist every step of the way – from airport lounges to traditional Ryokans – was the Seiko Astron. The Astron is a tremendously important and innovative watch for Seiko – it takes its name from the first quartz wristwatch, developed by the brand in 1969. The orginal Astron was a major milestone, not just in watchmaking, but in the history of electrical engineering. Seiko is hoping that the current Astron, released in 2012 will prove to be just as significant; it is the world’s first GPS solar watch, and aims to be an unfailing, ever-accurate timepiece, no matter how obscure your timezone. There’s no doubt it sounds impressive, but what’s it like on the wrist? My first impression was…Confusion. I’m a mechanical watch kind of guy, and the Astron, for all its appearance as a conventional watch, is a very hi-tech product. At first glance it appears to be a chronograph, but closer inspection reveals that the subdials are actually a second time zone, the…
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Just recently, at a well-known auction house, a Patek Philippe ref. 2526 first series was being offered for sale at what I thought was an unexpectedly low estimate. Surely the watch would use the estimate as a starting point and the bidding would jump accordingly. It was during the pre-sale viewing, with a loupe, that I found the reason for the low estimate. The dial was cracked: a hairline ran from the center all the way across to the marker at four o’clock. The dream was shattered once more. The value of the 2526 lies, to a large extent, in the condition of the dial. And there in lies the rub. Enamel dials are extremely difficult to manufacture and maintain. However, I have recently found something worrying for collectors who, like myself, would love to own a 2526 but are concerned about dial provenance and condition.