Hodinkee
In-Depth: The Watches Of James Bond (And Why They Matter)
Exploring the enduring interest in how an action-movie hero tells time.
5,470 articles · 466 videos found · page 178 of 198
Hodinkee
Exploring the enduring interest in how an action-movie hero tells time.
Revolution
Micro brands are transforming how we perceive watchmaking and branding. Here are a few who have made an impression.
Quill & Pad
Delamain cognac concentrates, first and foremost, on quality. Ken Gargett finds it hard not to love that. This ancient cognac house might not get the fanfare of some, but its cognacs are very special and a must for anyone who enjoys quality spirits. Find out why here.
Quill & Pad
Blue has become a tradition of sorts these days in high-end stainless steel sports watches, yet Tutima's Patria is not a member of that club. While a few modest design changes could have very well made that an ambition, Tutima made the Patria more of an everyday dress watch. Here Martin Green explains why that is perfect.
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet (AP) recently named Stefanie Ng to lead its operations in Southeast Asia, India and Australia. She succeeds Jonathan King, who departed the brand in April 2019. Having started her career at Swatch Group, Ms Ng joined AP in 2012 as marketing manager for the region, where she helped execute projects like the Royal Oak 40th anniversary exhibition and a giant floral clock at Gardens by the Bay. The past two years have been formative for the brand, both in Asia and the wider world, as it has steadily trimmed its third-party distribution while growing sales within its own stores, making the marketing efforts of Ms Ng and her team vital, particularly with the launch of the all-new Code 11.59 collection earlier this year. As chief executive, Ms Ng will work alongside two board members of AP, which is unusual amongst Swiss watchmakers in having shareholders resident in Singapore: Oliviero Bottinelli, whose family inherited its stake from former AP chief executive Georges Golay (1921-1987), and Sunil Amarasuriya, who was once the distributor for AP in the region and acquired a minority stake in 1990. The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 tourbillon made for Only Watch, which sold for a record 1m Swiss francs at the charity auction in November Though the watch industry in the region, like that back home in Switzerland, is dominated by men, it’s noteworthy that two of the most important brands – coincidentally both family owned – are now run by women. The Patek Philipp...
Time+Tide
Here’s a question for you: how do you modernise something as traditional as a time-only dress watch? Do you utilise new-age materials? Or maybe blow-out the proportions of the timepiece? It’s a conundrum that Baume & Mercier faced with their understated range of Baume & Mercier Classima wristwatches. Their solution was to give owners the … ContinuedThe post When classicism meets contemporary: The Baume & Mercier Classima appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
We visited the atelier of Akrivia's Rexhep Rexhepi. Tucked in the hills of the old town Geneva, here is a picture of how the work is done.
Quill & Pad
Ian Skellern still remembers the sense of awe he felt when he had the opportunity to watch and listen to a recently restored centuries-old Jaquet Droz singing bird. The animation was compelling, and the quality of the birdsong sound was incredible. But as impressive a feat he thought that full-sized eighteenth-century Jaquet Droz singing bird clock was, shrinking that mechanical technology to wristwatch size is just mind-blowing. As The Naked Watchmaker, Peter Speake-Marin, highlights here.
Quill & Pad
Caran d'Ache's Timegraph is set to please both pen and watch aficionados as the perfect combination of both worlds. It will also appeal to those who are looking for unique and rare pieces to accompany them throughout their entire lives. Take a look at this interesting item right here.
Revolution
MB&F; introduce their most ambitious Legacy Machine yet, the LM Thunderdome in platinum and 10 pieces in tantalum for The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
It’s Cyber Monday and the guys are here to share some of the coolest deals they’ve stumbled upon this holiday season. Be sure to tune in and share deals you’ve discovered on Instagram and the TBWS Facebook group.
Deployant
A legendary pilot's watch comes back as a re-issue. Here, we bring you the details and our thoughts on the Blancpain Air Command Chronograph.
Time+Tide
The latest young star to join the ranks of Rado is the Australian tennis player Ash Barty, who despite being only 23 has already reached the position of women’s world No. 1. What is most exciting for us, and her fans around the world, is that she has collaborated with Rado to release a watch … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Rado HyperChrome Ashleigh Barty Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
As Martin Green piloted the McLaren 720S Spider the first few meters through the busy streets of Munich, he was instantly surprised. Not about its powerful engine, which puts out an impressive 710 bhp, or the retractable hardtop and great-sounding engine notes, but at the ease with which this car drives at low speeds. And that's not all. Find out what else it can do here.
SJX Watches
Another of the strikingly elegant, one-off minute repeaters that’s part of Vacheron Constantin’s 2019 Les Cabinotiers line-up is the Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘Dance of the Gemstones’. Well, it is actually two repeaters, a matched pair of his-and-hers watches (that are available separately nonetheless) with eggshell grand feu enamel dials and ruby hour markers. The dials are extravagant yet elegant, evoking prominent watches of many decades ago. They are inspired by high-end gentlemen’s wristwatches of the 1950s that combined silvered or enamel dials with ruby hour markers, with baguette-cut stones for the quarters and brilliant-cut in between. These were often special orders for royalty or as royal gifts, with the best known being the pocket- and wristwatches made for King Saud bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia that bore his portrait on the enamel dial. His and hers A Patek Philippe ref. 2481 from 1955 with a cream enamel dial bearing a portrait of King Saud bin Abdulaziz. Image – Christie’s Both the repeaters share a similar case design, but different diameters and decoration – the men’s version is 41mm while the ladies’ watch is 39mm with a diamond-set bezel and crown. The watches are otherwise identical, powered by the same cal. 1731, an extra-flat, hand-wound movement that was developed in-house. Key facts and price Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘The Dance of the Gemstones’ Men’s model – ref. 6630C/000R-B662 Ladies’ model – r...
SJX Watches
Vault, a Swiss watch brand founded in 2013 by Mark Schwarz, has just unveiled the V2+ Red CC, a unique, left-handed variant of its unusual approach to time-telling. Inspired by a bank vault’s time lock mechanism – Mr Schwarz was both a police officer and banker earlier in his career – the brand’s watches feature a time display based on a planetary gear system, where each hour marker is actually a functioning planetary gear that travels around the dial. All of that ingenious mechanics is courtesy of UhrTeil, the complication and manufacturing outfit led by Andreas Strehler. Novel case material The new V2+ Red CC differs from earlier models with its left-handed crown and novel case material. The case is made of carbon-ceramic composite, which gives it the properties of both its constituent materials – the lightness and strength of carbon as well as the hardness of ceramic. Basically, ceramic is layered in between sheets of carbon, which is then submerged polymer and baked an autoclave to create the block of composite material. As a result, it retains the distinctive striped pattern of carbon composite. The tonneau-shaped case has a complex, multi-faceted design made up of five parts and is curved on two axis, allowing it to sit well on the wrist. It measures 39mm by 46.7mm and 15mm in height, which is thick but a necessity. That’s because the movement is essentially an automatic base calibre with a planetary display module on top. And as in the realm of such e...
Quill & Pad
Dubai Watch Week (DWW) is like no other fair. There is no obvious commercial aspect to the event, and watches (and watchmakers) are there for the public’s appreciation rather than that of retailers and distributors (like Baselworld and the SIHH). Here Elizabeth Doerr takes a look at what makes DWW so special based on a conversation with the fair's director general Hind Seddiqi.
Quill & Pad
In honor of the fourth edition of Dubai Watch Week 2019, several watch brands have issued limited edition timepieces. So without further ado, here we highlight four of the colorful limited editions seen at DWW 2019.
Time+Tide
Anyone looking for a capable and exceedingly handsome dress watch on a relatively low budget needs to sit up and pay attention now, because this Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic is unquestionably one of the bargains of the moment. Here is a wristwatch that retails for a mere $4600 AUD, and yet it’s powered by … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Is this Baume & Mercier the best dress watch you can buy for under $5K? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Here’s a question for you: Who is the greatest male style icon of the 20th century? Is it Paul Newman? No. Is it Elvis Presley? Absolutely not. Is it James Dean? No, but getting closer. OK, as the title rather obviously suggests, the greatest male style icon of the 20th century was, by some margin, … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Steve McQueen and the watches he wore appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Montegrappa has joined forces with renowned Australian artist Timothy John to create an extraordinary pen whose proceeds go to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation in its fight against Parkinson’s disease. Martin Green shares his thoughts on the collaboration here.
SJX Watches
Omega is slowly counting down to the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, which is scheduled for April 2020, with a trickle of 007-themed watches. Just two months ago it debuted a Seamaster Diver 300M to mark half a century of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (OHMSS), and now it’s the release of a box set of two watches in steel and gold respectively, presented in a suitcase by British luggage maker Globe-Trotter. Limited to 257, the James Bond Limited Edition Set is made up of a pair of Seamaster dive watches almost identical to the earlier OHMSS edition but without the date. Both are essentially variants of the 42mm Seamaster Diver 300M but tweaked to incorporate several references to 007. The stainless-steel model features a black ceramic bezel insert with a white enamel scale, while the yellow gold version has a scale of Ceragold, which is ceramic with gold filling for the markings. Both have black ceramic dials engraved with the gun barrel motif taken from the title sequence of James Bond films. The hands and indices of both models are yellow gold, with the 12 o’clock marker inspired by the fictional Bond family coat of arms. A subtle detail is the “50” embedded within the luminous marker at ten o’clock, visible only in the dark, a nod to the 50th anniversary of OHMSS. And there’s also the tiny “007” that takes the place of the marker on the minute track. A commemorative plate bearing the set serial number is screwed into the side of the case, ...
Quill & Pad
This is the story of the final watch – or, truthfully, pair of watches – that GaryG happened upon at a Sotheby’s auction in late 2017 and felt that he just had to have: two 1970s prototype pieces made by Jaeger-LeCoultre. But why "unsalable"? Find out here!
Deployant
We were at the Lausanne area and decided to visit the Petermann Bédat atelier in the neighbourhood of Renes. Here is a quick look at their atelier.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Well, the guys made it - 150 episodes. To commemorate this milestone, Kaz and Mike sit down to answer your questions. So here it is. A full hour and a half of Q&A; goodness covering everything from watch collecting to grails, guitar gear, career paths, spooning, and more.
Time+Tide
There’s a pretty strong case to be made that Mr Jean-Claude Biver is one of, if not the most influential individual in the horological industry of the last half-a-century. Here is a man who cut his teeth at Audemars Piguet and witnessed first-hand the development of the now legendary Royal Oak. A man who would … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED WATCHING: Jean-Claude Biver’s unbelievable watch collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Zodiac has announced a new addition to its growing Super Sea Wolf collection with a bit of a twist - here’s a quick look at the brand new Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 Compression Automatic Black.
Quill & Pad
Silicon, long in use as a material in the electronics industry, has many advantages for mechanical watchmaking: it is 60 percent harder and 70 percent lighter than steel; non-magnetic; resistant to corrosion and shock; and generally needs no lubrication. These qualities motivated Patek Philippe to declare in 2005 that, “Silicon is the fabric of the future” and to found its Advanced Research department. Meet all five limited edition Advanced Research pieces released thus far right here.
Quill & Pad
Phillips Game Changers is a compact auction featuring 74 lots, among them the usual array of rare, fine, and attractive Rolex and Patek Philippe models. But there are a few watches in this auction that are notable for reasons outside of the fact that they fine, rare, attractive, and made by certain brands. And it is these watches that Elizabeth Doerr highlights here. Oh, and spoiler: there are indeed two Rolex models among them, but you’ll see why.
Quill & Pad
Taking place from 20 through 24 November 2019 at Dubai’s DIFC, participants of the 2019 edition of Dubai Watch Week can expect to discover new watches, hear interesting opinions, learn about the culture of Dubai – the United Arab Emirates’ fastest growing city – and enjoy the immense hospitality of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. What more could any watch lover want?
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