HANDS-ON: The Hublot Meca-10 movement makes a move into the Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 Black Magic
A dark brooding presence on the wrist is causing infatuation today, with a vast power reserve and the unexpected lightness of high-tech ceramic. The new Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 Black Magic is a futuristic tonneau-shaped timepiece that surprises and assures you in equal measure, with its lightweight tank-like solidity and industrial fascination. A winning case for ceramics This is Hublot’s debut of their cutting-edge Meca-10 movement in the sharp contemporary shape of the Spirit of Big Bang series, with this being the darkest, almost menacing, version, Black Magic. The tonneau shape is not svelte at 45mm, with a 14.5mm thickness, but with the always surprising lightness of ceramic, coupled with the embrace of Hublot’s wide, soft rubber strap, it sits more comfortably on the wrist than should be allowed, for such a futuristic weapon of a watch. They say black is slimming, but that is relative, as this is an imposing presence on the wrist. Imposing, but with visible intelligence, too, care of the micro-engineering of the Meca-10 movement. The smooth surface of the ceramic and the intricate details of the watch means that, like me, you will find yourself taking it off the wrist for no other…
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In a year of great horological heights, Glashütte Original is once again pushing for the summit with the Alfred Helwig Tourbillon 1920 limited edition. This comes after a succession of eye-catching 2020 releases, featuring some of the best dials in the business, and fascinating top tier versions of their vintage perfect diver SeaQ, which made me desire a diamond set bezel for the first time. With the Alfred Helwig Tourbillon, Glashütte Original seem to have toned it down to the quiet elegance of traditional German haute horlogerie, but this time the movement is the star. Turn the watch around with a loupe in hand, a good single malt, and prepare to be quietly impressed by understated German elegance competing with the best of Glashütte. The 25 pieces in this limited edition series marks the 1ooth year anniversary of the invention of the Flying Tourbillon by Glashütte master watchmaker Alfred Helwig in 1920. The large rear opening of the rear sapphire caseback reveals the serene elegance of the diagonally striped ¾ plate covering the movement, but this time instead of making us want more visible detail, it forms the stage on which the star performer needs no visual distraction – the…
The conversation kicked off with a comment by watch collector and dealer Eric Ku in the most recent Watch & Chill episode (skip to the timecode in the description). “I was obsessively watching this show Ballers… with the Rock. In this last season, [he] was wearing the purple Frosted Gold Royal Oak chrono. I distinctly remember him wearing it in multiple episodes. It was kind of interesting…” Michael Friedman, Head of Complications of Audemars Piguet, continued: “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but… he’s a known Audemars Piguet lover and friend of the company. Someone I’d love to meet. A great guy, always really great energy. And those big wtches look small on him.” View this post on Instagram Quiz time: Which celebrity wore this repeatedly in a popular TV Series? Answer in a site post dropping today… Tell us Live and spectacular on our wrist in January 2019 at what was the end of an era ⚓️ A post shared by Time+Tide (@timetidewatches) on Sep 26, 2020 at 4:50pm PDT However, you’d hardly call the 41mm Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding Chronograph with purple dial (ref #26331BC.GG.1224BC.01) a ‘big watch’. And certainly, on the Rock, it looks…
With Aussie summer approaching, it means beach and barbecue season has arrived – and the Bremont U-2 Blue is the perfect watch for either occasion. Whether timing a dive, or delicious food on the grill, the Bremont U-2 Blue is ready to take on summer fun in style. The case The watched is housed in a 43mm hardened stainless steel case, featuring the brand’s proprietary Trip-Tick® construction that provides added shock resistance. The Bremont U-2 Blue, being an evolution of the Martin-Baker lineup, is also built to withstand the MB ejection program. The watch also features Bremont’s patented inner bi-directional Roto-Click® bezel, which is operated by the crown at 4. The exhibition caseback is made of stainless steel, secured by six stainless steel screws with polished heads. The case is ready to dive into summer with a depth rating of 10 ATM, or 100 metres water resistance. For added ease of mind, the Bremont U-2 blue is rated to an ISO 3159 standard. The dial The rich blue metal dial features a galvanised sun-ray burst finish that is a total feast for the eyes. The hands and markers/numerals are all coated in Super-LumiNova®. The watch features hours, minutes, and running…
Game on! Seiko have teamed up with the Street Fighter franchise to release a collection that is going to light up fans, but is also worth a look from a sheer aesthetics point of view – as you’ll see in this video collection review, there’s some crazy experimentation and colourways going on here. As we reported here, the Seiko 5 Sports x STREET FIGHTER V Editions were recently released, and they are six seriously interesting watches, each based on a key character from the game. Today, we’re excited to follow up with them live on the wrist. Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Zangief and Blanka have their own watch that has been designed to perfectly fit each of their character’s looks and costumes, as well as their special move printed on the caseback. All six of the different references use the same Seiko 5 Sports canvas, measuring 42.5mm in diameter, offering 100m of water resistance and powered by the automatic 4R36 movement. But that is where the similarities end, with each piece featuring unique case, dial, bezel and strap configurations to most accurately reflect the character they are based on. Seiko Street Fighter collection price and availability: All pieces from the Seiko Street…
Editor’s note: If you’ve been baited by the headline, prepare to have your jets cooled, because when this one popped up for me a second time, I also angry-clicked it, all ready to disagree with the author’s contention. Bruce Duguay nails this story. And by the end, you’ll have to agree, it is a fair contention indeed. I have been trying to buy an Omega Speedmaster for a couple of years now. I have to admit I’m finding it nearly impossible to purchase one. Yes, I know they are readily available. That isn’t the problem. In fact, one of the problems is that the Speedmaster universe is infinite and daunting. First, let’s gather some context to quantify that opening statement. Currently listed on the Omega website are nine different categories, three or four different case sizes and an exponential array of material and bracelet/strap choices. If you’re handy with a spring bar tool, the permutations could run into the millions, and that’s just the brand-new ones. Then you have to consider the second-hand market. There have been many Speedys over 60 years of production and they range from bargain basement deals to pricey and sought-after limited editions. You want…
Editor’s note: In the latest episode of Watch & Chill, we happen on the subject of Royal Oak Concept models for women, and after again seeing the footage of this extraordinary stepped dial sparkle machine, we had to give it its own post, and exploration. Ask the average person what the purpose of a watch is, and they’ll say: ‘to tell the time’. Well, in the upper echelon of luxury watchmaking, this hasn’t been true for a very long time. Just as owners of supercars rarely reach their top speeds, the purpose of making a watch with absurd accuracy and attention to detail is the pursuit of perfection for perfection’s sake. There aren’t many better examples of this than the tourbillon complication, a work of intricate innovation that has been honed for more than 200 years, despite being technically unnecessary for the last century. So, if you take one of these useless features and put it into a watch with no dial markings, what do you end up with? The answer is one of the most visually striking fashion statements to be released in 2020 so far — the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Frosted Gold Flying Tourbillon. The Royal…