Oris has an answer to the horrors of 2020, and it's an all-bronze Hölstein Edition 2020 with a bear on the back
The ‘My Plans’ memes are right. 2020 has been annus horribilis. It’s ruined just about every party on the planet. Oris knows this, and they’ve got a plan. It involves what is claimed to be Switzerland’s first all bronze watch. Yes, including the bracelet. And, oh, to turn up the smiles, there’s a bear on the caseback, too. If this year needed to get more bizarre, more bronze, more bear-able (boom boom), I think we have mission accomplished. As Oris themselves explain, “No one needs a wristwatch, some argue. But even given the myriad alternative ways of telling the time, that’s only true to a point. A mechanical watch is also a thing of beauty, which as the great poet John Keats wrote, ‘is a joy forever’.” “In these challenging times created by the Coronavirus crisis, we need that joy. A celebration of mechanical watchmaking isn’t a first priority, but it is a welcome distraction, a high point when the world is laid low.” “The Oris Hölstein Edition 2020 is cast in solid bronze, including the bracelet (a first in Swiss watchmaking), an industrial material with intriguing characteristics that we hope will charm everyone who comes into contact with it.…
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For many in the watchmaking world, the word homage is as dirty as the word quartz. Despite this, I would hazard a guess that most who feel a strong negative association with those words wouldn’t have particularly clear or compelling arguments as to why, simply that they once read it was bad and now it is. While I’ve made a case for quartz here, here and here, one of the most compelling cases for the homage watch is Bill Yao, founder of the focus of this week’s Micro Mondays – Mk II watches. According to Mk II, they are dedicated to making watches the hard way, something that seems plausible the more you hear about the brand. It was started in 2002 when Yao was working in finance and became interested in watchmaking, specifically the world of watch modification or “modding”. This quickly grew into a fully fledged operation that almost came to a grinding halt during the GFC, but managed to keep the lights on and eventually deliver the watch that first put Mk II on the map – the Kingston. It was a finely made dive watch inspired by the Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538, the watch that many say…
Revolution and The Rake magazines have rallied together to put on a charity auction to support those impacted by Covid-19. Called the ‘Revolution x The Rake Covid-19 Solidarity Auction’, this online event is now live and there are plenty of interesting and noteworthy watches to bid on. The auction will feature several one-off piece-unique timepieces, as well as prototypes that have never before been seen. Speaking about the initiative, Revolution and The Rake founder, Wei Koh, said, “Those of us who are lucky enough to live in a first world country are starting to see [Covid-19] restrictions lifted and our economies coming back online. But we are just starting to see the effects of the pandemic in countries that are less fortunate, that did not have the same level of medical support and infrastructure that we have. So, we wanted to raise funds for these countries that are most urgently affected. “I also wanted to point out that hosting a charity auction to raise money for a cause is not an original idea. Luc Pettavino has been hosting Only Watch for many years to benefit research into Muscular Dystrophy. And early this year a great example was set by Andrew McUtchen…
A little variety in life goes a long way. Nobody wants to see roads full of the same car, or hear the same three songs over and over in shopping centres, so why shouldn’t this apply to watches? London-based modifiers Wildman are being the change they want to see in this global movement of super-custom timepieces, where no colour combination is too bold and there’s no shame in having your own initials on the dial. Whether a custom order, or part of their collection full of limited editions, the smallest changes can have the biggest impacts on watches that may otherwise drown in bland ubiquity. Submariner Date Pink Edition There’s pink, and then there’s pink. Wildman’s latest project is definitely the latter, and if you can’t imagine yourself rolling Miami’s summer streets wearing one of these, then it is clearly never going to be on your list. Gaudiness is one of the most easily detestable traits a watch can have these days, after decades of iced-out bling pieces being used as wealth-flaunting devices. There should still be room for fun, though, and a loud colour is the easiest way to get that. Rolex themselves introduced brightly coloured Day-Dates and Datejusts…
The Longines HydroConquest 41mm in Khaki Green possesses two of the most popular characteristics found on any timepiece today – it’s a dive watch, and it’s green. But there’s so much more to this watch than those en vogue features. In fact, when you consider its very reasonable retail price, it might be one of the best value-for-money dive watches on the market. Period. Its stainless steel case is well finished and sized, at 41mm across and 12mm thick, which means that it will look good on just about anyone’s wrist. It’s also water resistant to 300 metres, which is the magic number when it comes to being fit for recreational diving. The dial is a marvel The matt khaki green dial is another boon, featuring applied numerals and indices that are finished in highly polished stainless steel and filled with Super-LumiNova, as is the handset. When combined with a flat sapphire crystal with several layers of an anti-reflective coating, legibility is brilliant in just about every scenario, whether it be day or night, in or out of the water. The glossy dark green ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel is a real standout of the HydroConquest – its clicks are discernible…
Last year, Nirmal “Nims” Purja made headlines when he scaled all 14 of the world’s 8000m mountain peaks, in just under seven months. He did so with a Bremont on his wrist. The watch in question was a blue and white Bremont S300, proving just how robust the brand’s watches are and how well they rise to the challenge of surviving some of the harshest conditions imaginable. To commemorate this remarkable achievement, and as one of the main sponsors of the journey, Bremont has produced the Bremont Project Possible Limited Edition, which features a number of subtle nods to the incredible effort. It’s nice to know that mechanical wristwatches still form a significant part of the most awe-inspiring adventures from around the world. Even if most dive watches are only worn in a pool and the closest most pilot watches get to a cockpit is walking past one to their seat, there is a vicarious element to hearing about record-breaking efforts and the watches that were present. Most of us are unlikely to climb any 8000m peaks in our lifetimes, never mind 14 of them, but it’s a reassuring thought that if we decided to, the pride and joy on…