Latest watch news · Page 1714

When Zenith unveiled the El Primero Defy 21 two years ago, it was a breakthrough for the brand, offering a 1/100th of a second chronograph with twin regulators for an affordable US$10,000 or so. This year the brand has kicked things up a notch with the El Primero Defy Double tourbillon, which essentially replaces the regular escapements with two tourbillons – one conventional and the other ultra-fast. The high-frequency evolution The new double tourbillon chronograph is a logical evolution of the classic El Primero – albeit accomplished with some help from TAG Heuer – that remained unchanged for decades. Unveiled 50 years ago, the El Primero was the first integrated automatic chronograph, and crucially, the first serially-produced, high-frequency chronograph running at 36,000 beats per hour (bph), allowing it to measure time down to the nearest tenth of a second. It would take 48 years for it to evolve into its first major iteration, the El Primero Defy 21 of 2017, which took the high-precision chronograph to its extreme with a monstrously high frequency of 50Hz, capable of measuring time down to a hundredth of a second. The Defy El Primero 21 launched in 2017 – an exotic chronograph for a basic price While it is true that a higher frequency regulator results in a higher resolution chronograph, it comes at a cost. An ultra-high frequency escapement requires tremendous energy, and the friction generated by the rapid motion of its components in turn mean more f...

The upper echelons of the investment banking world are inhabited by people who are paid large sums of money to take risks. Some working within the hallowed halls of serious finance prefer lower-risk investments, and others enjoy the thrill of having a larger appetite for risky business. If you want to know how safe your … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Do expensive watches make you risky with money? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Citizen makes some very accurate quartz watches. The Citizen Chronomaster has just been released in new limited edition dial colours.The post Accurate AF – the Citizen Chronomaster limited editions appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A close look at the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Huracán Performante, inspired by this iconic Lamborghini supercar. We examine the details and ask if its worthy.

One of the world's most eminent architects talks about a watch he's worn for 44 years – and it's an Accutron.

Let me preface this by stating two things: (a) this is a slightly more philosophical discussion than usual, and (b) Franco Cologni is an important man in the watch business. After starting his career selling Must de Cartier products in the ’70s (of which I am a fan), he rose prominently within the Parisian organisation, … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Is there a paradox in watchmaking? Franco Cologni thinks so appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

In 2014, Bell & Ross’ signature BR 01 design spawned a futuristic, ultra-graphic spin-off that would take the brand miles beyond the cockpit – the BR-X1. While the watch inherited the distinctive circle-within-a-square case modelled on aircraft instruments, from there the execution swerves radically away from the retro-military look of the original, with the BR-X1 taking on a greater complexity in both construction and style. Iterated into numerous variants in the five years since its launch – including a Renault Formula 1 edition and White Hawk – the BR-X1 is characterised by open-worked dial revealing a skeletonised chronograph module and a complex case made up of a combination of materials – here titanium and ceramic – with rocker-style pushers pivoted on one end. This year, Bell & Ross (B&R;) has unveiled one of the most striking iterations of the BR-X1 to date, the all-black Phantom. The BR-X1 Phantom Going dark Watches with black cases and dials are relatively common today, ironically thanks in part to one brand that resisted the genre so vehemently that it spawned an outlaw cult of aftermarket all-black watches. Even with the flood of black watches on the market, few have gone above and beyond in making everything on the watch black. The first truly all-black watch was the smash hit Hublot Big Bang of 2006, which was followed by hordes more. But the greatest irony of such watches is that the illegible colour palette results in an eminent...

To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Bauhaus design movement, Swatch have released the Bau Swatch Collection of 25 new watches inspired by the pre-WWII German school of design. The Bauhaus design philosophy has had significant impact on a number of watch designs over the years, including from Patek Philippe, Nomos and Stowa. Now Swatch … ContinuedThe post In the Haus with the new Bau Swatch Collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Look, full disclosure. We did not know (or indeed pay) Sherwood to give us this particular answer.  But having said that, it’s quite nice to hear someone say they bought a watch off your review. And honestly, of the many (many) watches I’ve reviewed over the years, you could do a whole lot worse than … ContinuedThe post Sherwood’s Grand Seiko Snowflake  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Sometimes a watch is more than just a watch.

Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who died in May this year, stands as one of the country’s most colourful - and beloved - political figures. He also enjoyed a particularly long tenure as PM, from March 1983 until December 1991, winning four elections as Labor leader. And while his political legacy includes the creation … ContinuedThe post Ever fancied owning a piece of Australian political history? How about Bob Hawke’s watch?  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Clean, lean, and Grand Seiko through and through.

Today we’re taking an in-depth look at the 2019 Rolex GMT-Master II Batman 126710BLNR.  Released earlier this year at Baselworld as part of the brand’s 2019 collection, the ‘new’ BLNR featured several updates and replaced the previous reference 116710BLNR, iconically known as ‘the Batman’. This new reference was quickly nicknamed the ‘Batgirl’, a term I don’t particularly like. Names aside, the reference 126710 was an instant hit leveraging its predecessor’s insatiable demand. The result of this incredible demand is very long waitlists – so if you ever get ‘the call’ – I suggest you answer, you won’t regret it! In case you thought Batman was just a DC character, this, Batman has been a highly desirable watch since the reference 116710BLNR was released way back in 2013. But let’s rewind a little further.  The evolution of Rolexes iconic GMT-Master II collection has been interesting and potentially underappreciated. In 2005, Rolex debuted their Cerachrom (often referred to as Ceramic), on the Yellow Gold GMT-Master II (black dial, black bezel). Then, in 2007, Rolex released the Steel GMT-Master II reference 116710LN (the ‘Noir’), which featured an all-black cerachrom bezel. The Noir was arguably (or at least by Rolex standards) underrated until it’s discontinuation earlier this year. So, when the steel bi-coloured Batman (reference 116710BLNR) was released in 2013 – it caused a splash of excitement, which is yet to settle. One might ...

Platinum, gold, and gem-set dials.

I’m consistently on the hunt for vintage chronographs from these smaller brands, not just because they’re more attainable than their luxury brand siblings, but because they are interesting, rare, and varied in their aesthetics.

Editor’s note: Rado’s star is firmly in ascendance these days, and that’s thanks to watches like their popular Captain Cook Reissue. And while we’ve got a whole lot of love for the smaller versions, sometimes - no matter what people say - size does matter. So, how about 45mm of Rado Captain Cook goodness?  Rado’s … ContinuedThe post Vintage inspiration in a modern package – the Rado Captain Cook 45mm appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Friend of Revolution, Azzam Jamil (a.k.a. @tourbillonlifestyle) pens his thoughts as an owner of the special edition Bell & Ross x The Rake & Revolution “El Mirage” chronograph.

After a successful launch of its debut collection in 2018, Singapore-based microbrand Humism has just debuted its next line-up, the Philosophies (II) and Helios collection, once again on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. The watches are a sure thing: at the time of writing, the watches have been fully funded, with the amount raised more than eights times its fundraising goal. As with its first range of watches, the latest timepieces from Humism feature the same lyrical time display, with both the hours, minutes, and seconds indicated by overlapping wheels that create an unfolding pattern as the time passes. Black and yellow The limited edition Helios takes two watches from last year’s line-up – the Dasein and the Eudaimonia – and dresses them in black and yellow. According to Humism, the largest number of backers last year chose this colour combination, out of nearly 50 choices. While the livery has changed, the time-telling mechanics stay the same. At the very top, the seconds wheel is in constant movement, providing the primary animation of the dial. Helios Dasein Helios Eudaimonia The hours and minutes are indicated by spheres on the edge of the dial, each attached to another wheel. The quicker rotation of the seconds wheel, superimposed on the slower minutes creates an optical illusion reminiscent of a kaleidoscope. Both have steel cases coated in black diamond-like carbon (DLC). The Helios Dasein is limited to 290 pieces, while the Helios E...

If you’ve been reading what I’ve been reading over the last couple of weeks, you’ll have noticed I’m particularly interested in how the primary and secondary watch markets interact with each other, and what that looks like in specific contexts like an auction room. All that leads to is a question: does the collectible watch … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Does the collectible watch change over time? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Watches once owned by prominent personalities are captivating. Paul Newman’s “Paul Newman” Daytona, the Rolex “Bao Dai”, Buzz Aldrin’s Speedmaster Moonwatch, the Henry Graves Supercomplication, and even J. Pierpont Morgan’s lost pocket watch, are amongst most sought after timepieces in the world. In fact, a good number of the most expensive watches ever sold at auction have notable provenance, which turns a mere watch into a historical artefact. Probably the most important timekeepers in cycling, these are a pair of Longines split-seconds stop watches – refs. 7411 and 8350 respectively – that were used by Jean Pitallier, the former president of the French Cycling Federation, to time the Tour de France in the fading glory days of mechanical sports timing, just before quartz stopwatches took over. In fact, the pair of stopwatches are not merely chronographs, but also observatory certified chronometers. Watchmaking once represented the cutting edge research of mechanical engineering. Observatory time trials at Neuchatel, Geneva or Kew were rigorous scientific affairs, with movements Peseux 260 and Zenith 135 competing to be the most accurate movement in the world. But such movements were three-hand, time-only. Aside from tourbillon movements, very few complicated calibres were submitted to timing contests. Mr Pitallier’s pair of Longines were both certified by the Neuchatel observatory. The swan song of competitive timekeeping In modern day watch collectin...

Editor’s note: In the run-up to the horse racing season in Australia, we thought we’d have a look at a brand with a long history in the world of horse racing. Andrew had the opportunity to sit down with the then-VP of Longines Juan-Carlos Capelli to get to the bottom of Longines’ connection to horse … ContinuedThe post Why is Longines’ connection to horse racing so strong? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Every year the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) provides a point of interest for the watch community. Long after the hype of SIHH and Baselworld has died down, it’s a chance to catch our breath, look back at the year that was, and assess how many good watches were made in the preceding 12 … ContinuedThe post Un-GPHG 2019 – the watches we wish would win appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

We take a look at the Tutima Hommage Minute Repeater, the first minute repeater wristwatch to be designed and manufactured in Germany.

We're back, and better than ever!

... Read more

Watch collectors will listen, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, to stories about grandfathers in the ’60s wearing a Daytona while changing the oil in an engine, only giving the watch a quick wipe with a rag before dinner was served. This is so far from the present-day reality that a watch that was once a functional nice-to-have … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The very versatile Serica W.W.W. appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A watch and car man very much like George Daniels himself, David Newman – above in a recent picture with his Porsche 911 – is now the chairman of the George Daniels Educational Trust. Capitalised entirely by the proceeds from the sale of Daniels’ estate, the trust funds students in the United Kingdom, including those pursuing watch- and clockmaking. Mr Newman has overseen the trust since its inception, and shows no signs of slowing down. In the second part of my interview with him, he discusses how the trust came about, what it does today, and some of its upcoming projects. And Mr Newman talks about Roger W. Smith, the protege of Daniels and the torchbearer of his horological legacy. This is part two of the interview. Remember to finish part one before continuing on below. The interview has been edited for clarity and length. Tell us about how the trust and its charitable works came about. In the last ten years of George’s life, he was very occupied with what would happen when he passed away. He wanted to make sure everything was in place. I used to go to the island every three weeks. His kitchen had a very long table usually covered in correspondence and paperwork, and we spent hours there. He told me about the future and what he wanted to happen to his estate – his cars, motorbikes, clocks – which was important because he’d seen friends pass away and their collections dissipated. He was very aware that he was going to be passing away at some time and h...