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A legend and his watches.

Greg Selch discusses his collecting background, his relationship with Zenith, and the new Defy Skyline.

Little by little, through trial and error, I'm figuring out what I like – and what I can afford – and hoping upon hope that the two overlap.

A quartet representing the entirety of Philippe Dufour’s repertoire went under the hammer last year, with the Grande Sonnerie wristwatch no. 1 setting the record for any Dufour sold publicly when it achieved the equivalent of US$5.2 million including fees. Sold at the same auction, but for substantially less, was the Grande Sonnerie pocket watch no. 1. Despite the relative values, the pocket watch is arguably a more significant timepiece within Mr Dufour’s work. Why? Initial thoughts In today’s wristwatch-centric era, the fact that it is a pocket watch counts against it. That was also the verdict of the market – the pocket watch sold for half as much as the wristwatch in November 2021. But the Grande Sonnerie pocket watch is the ultimate distillation of Philippe Dufour’s philosophy, the ideal synthesis of the inspiration and impetus behind his creations. He has long stated, both publicly and to me in past conversations, that his watches are a reverential homage to the haute horlogerie produced in the Vallée de Joux during its heyday before the Quartz Crisis, the period between the late 19th to the mid 20th centuries. Timepieces of that era, especially those with ebauches made by the valley’s best specialists like Louis-Elisee Piguet and Ami LeCoutre, are the best watches ever made in Switzerland in his view. And the Grande Sonnerie pocket watch can pass for a timepiece from the late 19th century, perhaps even one made by Mr Dufour’s favourite historical w...

Editor’s note: Brendan Cunningham is a Professor of Economics at Eastern Connecticut State University in the US and the man behind Horolonomics, a blog that explores the economic issues in watchmaking. A riff on Nina Simone’s classic song Feeling Good is a nice accompaniment in these opening days of 2022, particularly when it comes to the … ContinuedThe post A Professor of Economics unpacks the true meaning of the Rolex price rises for 2022 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

What we love: Proper solid built watch overallClasp feel very secure on the wristGAS Tube Lume is sensational at night What we don’t love: Thickness, at 17.3mm some may find this hard to wear under the cuff Some may find the crown guard to be fiddlySome may find the Clasp can dig into the wrist Overall rating: 7.5/10 Value for money: 7.5/10 Wearability: 7/10 Design: 7/10 Build quality: 8.5/10 Once upon a time, if you wanted a mid-priced automatic chronograph, chances are it’ll be powered by the ETA 7750 (or one of its close siblings), and the only choice really was the brand and the style. The movement was so ubiquitous that it was literally everywhere and fitted to almost everything. The dial layout was distinctive, and the rotor wobble was familiar, instantly giving away the engine within. Don’t get me wrong. This wasn’t a bad thing. The movement is a low key high achiever, easily running within COSC specs day in and day out without so much as breaking a sweat. It is a tough, durable, workhorse movement, designed from the beginning as an integrated chronograph, making it very efficient and the “almost 2 days” of power reserve is a testament to that fact. You might scoff at the power reserve but keeping in mind that this movement has been around since the 70s, largely unchanged, and 2 days was the norm for many decades. Plus, if you wear it every day, then it’s really a moot point. The only thing that might generate heated debate is how much value you attac...

Starting as a blank slate, Sarah Miller explores the watch world with humor and curiosity.

G-SHOCK announces the new G-SHOCK Camo Dial Utility series, which has a camouflage pattern on the faces with minimal colors.

When it was first introduced in 1985 the Breitling Aerospace represented the cutting edge of technology. But as the years rolled on tastes and technology changed, turning the distinctive ana-digi tool watch into an increasingly obscure offering.

Editor’s note: There are a lot of watches out there and while we endeavour to stay across as many as we can, truth be told, some fly under the radar (fly being the operative word in this case). That’s why we were delighted when a Time+Tide reader, Edouard, informed us about a watch we’d never … ContinuedThe post The super-exclusive Tudor Black Bay that you’ve never seen before appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Time waits for no man, especially when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Frédérique Constant unveils tempting new timepieces to please and pamper both sexes

Open to watchmakers aged between 18 and 30 from anywhere in the world, the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition (YTC) is an annual affair that seeks to identify the most promising watchmakers of the future. Interestingly, any candidate who has “must have independently designed and created a timepiece and/or technical construction” can participate, whether or not he or she has formal training. A candidate can enter any type of timepiece – last year’s winner was 29-year old Mario Scarpatetti, whose entry was a longcase clock with a patented secular perpetual calendar mechanism of his own invention. The Kalendar Perpeten clock made by last year’s winner, Mario Scarpatetti Mr Scarpatetti won a CHF20,000 grant sponsored by Singapore retailer The Hour Glass, which is once again the prize for the YTC 2022. The winner will the selected by a jury of industry notables that include Francois-Paul Journe himself, Philippe Dufour, and Giulio Papi, who will make their choice according to four criteria: originality, technical complexity, aesthetics and finishing, as well as quality of make. Candidates can submit their entries on fpjourne.com.  

Editor’s note: Big news today out of Australia today. The hard border closure (in place since March 2020) will be removed as of February 21! Time to celebrate and welcome fully vaccinated visitors (sorry Novak) back to Oz. To celebrate we’re casting a look back at this vintage-inspired GMT to get you in the mood … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: Australia’s border is (finally) opening up again. To celebrate we’re looking back at one of our favourite microbrand GMTs appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Elizabeth Doerr is the last of the Quill & Pad team to pick her top ten watches of 2021. And even though she has been thinking about such a list for most of the year – seeing as a relatively significant portion of it was spent in lockdown – she still had a hard time narrowing it down to just ten pieces. Do you agree with what she chose?

With Valentine's Day around the corner, we thought we might want to help out with six watches as gift ideas for your partner during this season of love.

If you open up Google and type in “Why do I have a hard time choosing an Omega Speedmaster?”, chances are your first non-ad result will be a Time & Tide article from February 2020 documenting my own personal struggles with the same question. After I wrote that article, I received a lot of feedback … ContinuedThe post To the moon and back: How I finally bought an Omega Speedmaster appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Tool watches continue their evolution among the watch industry’s most luxurious and coveted brands. Here Chris Malburg explores where their evolution has gone and might still go.

Greubel Forsey's Art Pieces are among the world’s most notable art-related timepieces and not just because they tackle the subject of art for art’s sake but also because the Art Pieces highlight the relationship horology has with art. Elizabeth Doerr doesn't think that there is any denying that the modern art of watchmaking has a synergy with art as a whole. And that is abundantly visible in these watches.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Hidden Treasures collection consists of three Reverso watches featuring dials with exquisite miniature reproductions of lost paintings by three master painters: Gustave Courbet (1876), Vincent Van Gogh (1888), and Gustav Klimt (1917). Each piece's painting has its own interesting story highlighting why it was considered a “hidden treasure." Joshua Munchow shares those stories with us here.

Let's get fancy.

A watch is a watch, but sometimes it's so much more.

The DEFY 21 Chroma is a colourful execution of the high-frequency El Primero 21 1/100th of a second chronograph model, crafted in a 44mm matte white ceramic case with rainbow-coloured movement visible through the open dial set with markers in a gradient of tones. The white rubber strap also features rainbow stitching. Limited edition of 200 pieces.

Complications are where watch manufacturers display their technical prowess. Traditional functionalities such as perpetual calendars or rattrapante chronographs are, well, complicated to manufacture. But Hublot is anything but traditional, developing pioneering materials through their “art of fusion” philosophy as well as some out-of-the-box complications you will not find anywhere else. The Hublot Big Bang Unico … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Golf Orange Carbon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A short-lived model in production for just a few years – it was replaced by the Centigraphe in 2008 – the Octa Chronographe was nevertheless one of F.P. Journe’s most intriguing offerings in technical terms. While based on the standard cal. 1300 found in the simpler Octa models, the chronograph movement utilised a stopwatch mechanism integrated into the base plate under the dial. In other words, the chronograph was integrated but located where a modular setup would typically be. As a result the Chronographe remained the same height as less complex Octa models (though that thinness would cause a variety of problems with the functionality, especially with the date). Its technical details – which vary across generations – are just one aspect of the watch detailed in A Collector’s Guide for the Octa Chronographe by F. P. Journe by Shawn Mehta, founder of independent watchmaking merchant Watch4Moi. (At the same time it’s worth revisiting the guide to the F.P. Journe Tourbillon Remontoir d’Egalite that I wrote in 2016, making it one of the first-ever Journe “guides”.) Octa Chronographe no. 001 that sold at Phillips in November last year Though the first in numerical sequence, it was not actually the first example produced as indicated by its details Unlike many recent “guides” that rely on plagiarisation or secondary sources, Mr Mehta’s article cite facts and figures from F.P. Journe itself. For instance, he tells us that only 35 examples of the Octa Ch...

Japanese whisky distillery Mars Shinshu is still working to establish its house style. "Searching for its soul,” distillery manager Koki Takehira calls it, and he is off to a wonderful start. At this stage, the whiskies appear to be from the elegant and complex end of the spectrum, and there is a gentle sweetness, more so than found in most Japanese whiskies. Ken Gargett takes us through the history of Mars Shinshu and shares tasting notes of a few of the whiskies.

Since I started collecting, every January 1st, after kissing my loved ones and drinking champagne, I give my watches a onceover. It’s something I didn’t realise I did until this year, when I almost dropped my Grand Seiko GMT (side note: a great way to sear an event into your mind). In that moment, I … ContinuedThe post The Collector’s Crossroads: My watch resolutions for 2022 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Ever wonder how someone becomes a professional watch photographer? Atom Moore, one of the best in the business, is here to explain.