EDITOR’S PICK: The most popular Bell & Ross vintage model yet, the glittering BR 126 Aeronavale

Editor’s Note: Bell & Ross released a toned down vintage model this year, the first in their ‘3rd Generation’ vintage armada, with a flatter case and a smaller diameter. It’s a strong piece, with notable improvements to quality like screw-down chronograph pushers, but it’s in a monochromatic rather than colourful mood. Which made us think of last year’s blue-tiful BR126 Aeronavale. Judging by the reaction on social media and the site, it was a watch that changed hearts and minds about B&R’s ability to do interesting things in the vintage field, with a fanatical attention to detail (those brushed applied indices, sigh…) and, honestly, it looks even better a year on. Bell & Ross has never been afraid of colour. And their bold, highly graphical square instrument watches are a natural canvas for creative experimentation. The brand’s more traditional round watches are a little bit of a different story – inherently more conservative; B&R tend to play things safer with their Vintage collection. Which is why the Aeronavale range is such a big old bolt from the blue – and boy, did the risk pay off. While the form of the Vintage BR 126 Aeronavale (and indeed the simpler BR 123) is the same as…

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9 years ago

EDITOR’S PICK: The most popular Bell & Ross vintage model yet, the glittering BR 126 Aeronavale

Editor’s Note: Bell & Ross released a toned down vintage model this year, the first in their ‘3rd Generation’ vintage armada, with a flatter case and a smaller diameter. It’s a strong piece, with notable improvements to quality like screw-down chronograph pushers, but it’s in a monochromatic rather than colourful mood. Which made us think of last year’s blue-tiful BR126 Aeronavale. Judging by the reaction on social media and the site, it was a watch that changed hearts and minds about B&R’s ability to do interesting things in the vintage field, with a fanatical attention to detail (those brushed applied indices, sigh…) and, honestly, it looks even better a year on. Bell & Ross has never been afraid of colour. And their bold, highly graphical square instrument watches are a natural canvas for creative experimentation. The brand’s more traditional round watches are a little bit of a different story – inherently more conservative; B&R tend to play things safer with their Vintage collection. Which is why the Aeronavale range is such a big old bolt from the blue – and boy, did the risk pay off. While the form of the Vintage BR 126 Aeronavale (and indeed the simpler BR 123) is the same as…

The post EDITOR’S PICK: The most popular Bell & Ross vintage model yet, the glittering BR 126 Aeronavale appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

HANDS-ON: Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Stars Manufacture 


Even here in Australia – relatively under-populated and enormous as it is – you need to venture out to the country to get a proper look at the stars. There’s really no ignoring the stubborn corporate buildings and incessant traffic  that means our cities and towns are constantly bathed in urban glow. So how do we get our fix of the pure unadulterated night sky? Easy: regular camping trips out in the bush. And for those times of year when that’s not possible? Well, how about a spot of star gazing via the Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Stars Manufacture, which has just been unveiled at Baselworld. We got a sneak peek ahead of the fair, and it really is lovely. The key feature is clearly the moon phase, which rotates elegantly just beneath the 12 o’clock position, appearing to scatter stars across the midnight dial as it does so. At 38.8mm, it’s fairly large for a women’s timepiece, and with sixty diamonds sparkling around the bezel, it runs the risk – on paper at least – of being overwhelming. In actual fact, it’s nothing of the sort, and on the wrist, it looks daintier than its size would suggest. There’s…

The post HANDS-ON: Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Stars Manufacture 
 appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

HANDS-ON: Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Stars Manufacture 


Even here in Australia – relatively under-populated and enormous as it is – you need to venture out to the country to get a proper look at the stars. There’s really no ignoring the stubborn corporate buildings and incessant traffic  that means our cities and towns are constantly bathed in urban glow. So how do we get our fix of the pure unadulterated night sky? Easy: regular camping trips out in the bush. And for those times of year when that’s not possible? Well, how about a spot of star gazing via the Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Stars Manufacture, which has just been unveiled at Baselworld. We got a sneak peek ahead of the fair, and it really is lovely. The key feature is clearly the moon phase, which rotates elegantly just beneath the 12 o’clock position, appearing to scatter stars across the midnight dial as it does so. At 38.8mm, it’s fairly large for a women’s timepiece, and with sixty diamonds sparkling around the bezel, it runs the risk – on paper at least – of being overwhelming. In actual fact, it’s nothing of the sort, and on the wrist, it looks daintier than its size would suggest. There’s…

The post HANDS-ON: Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Stars Manufacture 
 appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

Throwback – Our past April Fools posts

Team Monochrome has arrived back home from an exhausting Baselworld fair. Brice, Robin and I arrived back home on Tuesday night, and Xavier added an extra day of Baselworld madness before he returned home. While the rest of the team recovered from the blisters on their feet, and the overall fatigue, my schedule was (again) packed with meetings, including the recording of today’s radioshow at Business News Radio. And guess what… I completely forgot that today is the first of April. So to make up for that, a throwback to our previous April Fools posts.

9 years ago

WHO TO FOLLOW: @alpagota

When Gaëtan Gaye moved from Richemont’s Amsterdam office to Ressence in 2015, he doubled the size of the Antwerp-based team, which was quite the change in scale. What hasn’t changed, is his twin passions for watches and cars, as evidenced by his Instagram feed. NAME: Gaëtan Gaye OCCUPATION: International Brand Director for Ressence HANDLE: @alpagota FOLLOWERS: 3.4k LOCATION: Antwerp, Belgium Tell us about joining Ressense. Well, I was asked by Benoît Mintiens, the founder of Ressence, to help him develop as a brand and as a business. Coming from Richemont to a start-up was a real challenge, professionally and personally, but it has been an amazing adventure. From our collaboration with Mr Porter to our presence at SIHH, we’re growing step by step. What are you working on at the moment? Growing Ressence in a stable and healthy way is keeping me busy, as we are working on so many projects at the same time. Benoît and I are brainstorming a lot as we want to create our own path in terms of products of course but also on every other aspects of the business. We believe in integrity and creativity. I can’t tell you more unfortunately but you’ll hear from us…

The post WHO TO FOLLOW: @alpagota appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

WHO TO FOLLOW: @alpagota

When Gaëtan Gaye moved from Richemont’s Amsterdam office to Ressence in 2015, he doubled the size of the Antwerp-based team, which was quite the change in scale. What hasn’t changed, is his twin passions for watches and cars, as evidenced by his Instagram feed. NAME: Gaëtan Gaye OCCUPATION: International Brand Director for Ressence HANDLE: @alpagota FOLLOWERS: 3.4k LOCATION: Antwerp, Belgium Tell us about joining Ressense. Well, I was asked by Benoît Mintiens, the founder of Ressence, to help him develop as a brand and as a business. Coming from Richemont to a start-up was a real challenge, professionally and personally, but it has been an amazing adventure. From our collaboration with Mr Porter to our presence at SIHH, we’re growing step by step. What are you working on at the moment? Growing Ressence in a stable and healthy way is keeping me busy, as we are working on so many projects at the same time. Benoît and I are brainstorming a lot as we want to create our own path in terms of products of course but also on every other aspects of the business. We believe in integrity and creativity. I can’t tell you more unfortunately but you’ll hear from us…

The post WHO TO FOLLOW: @alpagota appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

WHO TO FOLLOW: @ alpagota

When Gaëtan Gaye moved from Richemont’s Amsterdam office to Ressence in 2015, he doubled the size of the Antwerp-based team, which was quite the change in scale. What hasn’t changed, is his twin passions for watches and cars, as evidenced by his Instagram feed. NAME: Gaëtan Gaye OCCUPATION: International Brand Director for Ressence HANDLE: @alpagota FOLLOWERS: 3.4k LOCATION: Antwerp, Belgium Tell us about joining Ressense. Well, I was asked by Benoît Mintiens, the founder of Ressence, to help him develop as a brand and as a business. Coming from Richemont to a start-up was a real challenge, professionally and personally, but it has been an amazing adventure. From our collaboration with Mr Porter [https://www.mrporter.com] to our presence at SIHH, we’re growing step by step. What are you working on at the moment? Growing Ressence in a stable and healthy way is keeping me busy, as we are working on so many projects at the same time. Benoît and I are brainstorming a lot as we want to create our own path in terms of products of course but also on every other aspects of the business. We believe in integrity and creativity. I can’t tell you more unfortunately but you’ll hear…

The post WHO TO FOLLOW: @ alpagota appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

Editors’ Picks: The Best Everyday Watches Of Baselworld 2017

The Baselworld dust is starting to settle and the show is officially over. Thousands of new watches were shown, in basically every size, color, shape, and price, and they’ll slowly be making their way to retailers and wrists over the coming months. Luckily, our team of editors were taking frantic notes and tons of photos, trying to sort out which watches are most worth your time right now. Here, each editor picks their favorite everyday watch and explains why you might need to strap one on yourself.

9 years ago

Introducing: The Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Moon Phase

You are probably familiar with the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde. It could easily be called the brand’s flagship watch and it’s characterized by those expansive enamel dials with the unusual figure-eight display. Well, at Baselworld 2017 Jaquet Droz upped the ante with the Grande Seconde Moon Phase, a trio of models that adds a new complication to the collection. This is a welcome and well-executed addition, so let’s take a closer look.

9 years ago