Alpina flies back in time to capture the looks of yesteryear pilot watches with its latest Startimer Pilot Heritage. Limited to 1,883 pieces, the watch replicates the large diameter of Alpina’s early pilot watches complete with a hunter caseback. Like all Alpina’s watches, the price/quality ratio is hard to beat. Let’s have a closer look […]
Editor’s pick: The Grand Seiko SBGR319 limited edition for the Asian market presents a new take on the brand’s world-renowned snow-driven aesthetics. Almost a year ago, Felix did a video review of this incarnation of a winter-themed dial (along with a fetching red horizontally striped variant, the SBGH269) that presented a fresh new layer of snow to the brand’s Heritage Collection. Here, we dive a little deeper into the SBGR319, which remains an exceedingly tempting snow-themed option that is not THE snow-themed option that has become a legend, the Snowflake. The case The case is a millimetre or two larger than the usual suspects of the collection, at a compact 42mm. Unlike the SBGA211, the Grand Seiko SBGR319 is not as light as a snowflake. Instead, it opts for a more wrist-present stainless steel that provides a greater sense of heft on the wrist. It does, however, share the same case format as the SBGA211, with a distortion-free mirror polish performed on the bezel, case sides and tapered facets of the lugs. The rest is beautifully satin-brushed – though ever cognisant of less obvious details, the section we do not really see where the bracelet meets flush to the case is also mirror-polished and…
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Low stakes fun.
Monochrome is all about watches, of course. The vast majority of what we cover are mechanical wristwatches, although every now and then we’ll highlight something intriguing like the quartz Citizen Calibre 0100 with an accuracy of +/- 1 second per year. In the same vein, we also dip our toes into the world of mechanical […]
I am utterly perplexed by the Maurice Lacroix Pontos Chronograph Monopusher. This is a watch, released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pontos range, that encompasses some of my favourite features across the ages of horology, amalgamated into one. Stealthy black, chunky yet not too large, both contemporary and vintage, with a chronograph dégradé dial. Oh, and why not throw in an in-house chronograph movement and a monopusher for the hell of it. Ordering one sandwich with all your sweet and savoury favourites would end in disaster, yet the Pontos seems to pull it off. I’m hungry for it. With a well-shaped and compact 41mm case, the dark wrist presence is one of exclusivity. This limited edition Pontos Chronograph has imaginative detailing and a design language that somehow manages to be harmonious, with a timeless quality and a feeling of stealth. Hats off to the design department at Maurice Lacroix for pulling off this feat, which starts with a luxurious dégradé face peppered with details. The dial If the year was 1942, and this was inside a 36mm gold case with a silver dial, we would be looking at a classic monopoussoir, whereas this black PVD version would be sketched…
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We all know only too well how a Rolex Oyster or Jubilee bracelet embraces the wrist unlike any other assembly of steel parts available. It’s a watch bracelet with the feel of silk. Lesser common an experience is the sampling of an Oysterflex bracelet, Rolex’s version of a rubber strap. At the time it was released, the brand stridently avoided that description, by the way. We must mention neither the war, nor rubber. Back then, it seemed like typical watch industry doublespeak – where every commoner material is granted a loftier title. That is, until it was in the hand; Rolex was perfectly right . Through typical – and utterly masterful – over-engineering, the brand succeeded in elevating the whole concept of rubber strap to another level. Since then, it’s become a ‘Flex by name, and a flex by nature – this is every current Rolex Oysterflex reference, in one handy place. The beginning of the Oysterflex story With its debut in 2015 on the 40mm and 37mm Yacht-Master, it made Rolex fun, dare we say it, even ‘urban’ and thereby captured a younger audience in the process. This was at the very dawn of ‘Athleisure’, and the tracksuited, Yeezy…
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Editor’s note: To celebrate Time+Tide opening an office in the UK, we thought we’d revisit a story about British watchmaking that selected eight notable models from Britain’s best. The best part about this story, however, is all the brands that were left out. Tears for Fears, to name just one example! British watchmaking has gained further momentum since we first published this, meaning, you guessed it, there will be an update very soon. There’s a revolution afoot! And it’s taking place on British shores. While the world – admittedly, us included – tends to focus a lot more on watchmaking of the continental kind, the wonderful world of modern watches mightn’t be where it is today without the innovations and inventions brought to us by the British watchmaking industry. In 1755, Thomas Mudge invented the lever escapement; John Harwood introduced automatic winding in 1924, and let’s not forget George Daniels’ invention and 1980 patent of the ingenious co-axial escapement. Well, British watchmaking is back. Thanks largely to bespoke manufacturers, tea-loving microbrands, and the re-emergence of some of the great British brands of days gone by. We’ve put together a list of eight of the best offerings from the land of…
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Editor’s note: If a picture tells a thousand words, then we should just drop these shots right here and dispense with the written review. Jason Reekie, our main man, has absolutely nailed these, and honoured some exceptionally imaginative, detail-oriented and captivating dial work. Seiko’s ascension, with a little help from their friends at Grand Seiko one can’t help but think, continues apace. In a blessed year for Seiko, they return with yet another sharp take in the form of the Seiko SRPE39K Save The Ocean Special Edition, a new “King Turtle” with a blue degradè dial and stingray motif. Every year since we first saw the introduction of the annual Save The Ocean models, Seiko keeps improving on the now evergreen references in their solid Prospex diver’s series, and here is the gorgeous new blue dial version of the “Turtle”, reference SRPE39K. This is a watch that many years after its debut still keeps turning up regularly on top lists for a reason. The magic of Seiko watch case ergonomics is strikingly evident in the fan-named Turtle series, and I dare say no one else makes a 45mm case that wears at least 3mm smaller on the wrist with such…
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Back to the future with bread.
Here we are again, with Part Two of turbine power in cars in our weekly Petrolhead Corner. Our first instalment was dedicated to the early years of the technology and the first endeavours in racing. This second and final episode picks up where the last one left off and includes some more recent cars reinventing […]