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Seiko Chronographs Arrive to Compete
Game Face
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Game Face
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Best known for supplying customised watches to air force squadrons, Breitling has less frequently made watches for civilian aviators, but the brand’s latest is a pair of watches created in partnership with one of the world’s best carriers. Each limited to 100 pieces, the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 41 Singapore Airlines and Navitimer Automatic 38 Singapore Airlines are both dressed in the blue and gold livery of city state’s flag carrier. Initial thoughts For some two decades, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has consistently been ranked amongst the world’s best carriers by airline consultancy Skytrax, so the the tie-up is certainly a good one for Breitling. Fortunately SIA’s corporate colours are a pleasing blue and gold that work well on the Navitimer. The gold accents on the dial give it a slightly more retro feel than the standard models in steel, which uniformly have rhodium-plated markers and hands. For anyone who already likes either Navitimer model but wants something a bit more striking, the SIA editions certainly have their appeal. While the gold accents are appealing, they are the only element that distinguishes the dial of the SIA editions. The chronograph, for instance, is almost identical to the standard Navitimer 41 mm with a dark blue dial, with the only difference being the gold-plated hands and indices. This similarity to the respective standard models is probably the only shortcoming of either edition. Each edition is priced almost 10% more expensiv...
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It’s been more than three years since Chris Evans ended his time as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic universe. The character, considered a moral compass in the movies, has become the highlight of the actor’s career. So much so that he has become synonymous with the good-guy image. Yet, in the years since, Evans … ContinuedThe post Forget the dodgy moustache, Chris Evans sports an intriguing watch in The Gray Man appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Jan Lidmaňský interviewed Emmanuel Breguet, vice president and head of patrimony at Breguet. He chatted with this direct descendant of Abraham-Louis Breguet about fakes in the time of Breguet, which watch is still missing from the Breguet Museum’s collection, how many pieces the company has acquired at auction over the last 20 years, and much more.
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The TAG Heuer Carrera was born in 1963, and since its inception it has become a timeless racing watch icon. Clean, crisp and faceted, any Carrera within a watch collection is likely to become a go-to daily wearer that combines robustness and elegance in equal measures. Last year, the TAG Heuer Carrera Special Edition Teal … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Cherry, cherry baby. TAG Heuer debuts new Carrera Red Dial Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Patek Philippe is one of the most revered watch brands but an outlier amongst its peers in relying almost entirely on independent retailers to sell its watches. Of the hundreds of Patek Philippe points-of-sale around the world, the brand owns just three. But the converse is true for its after-sales service where the brand is almost entirely vertically integrated. Patek Philippe will soon own and operate ten service centres in key cities around the world, backed up with four of its own watchmaking institutes. The Geneva watchmaker does this to fulfil its pledge of being able to repair and maintain “all timepieces ever made by Patek Philippe since production began in 1839”. Consolidation and consistency In pursuit of a uniformly high standard of service across the world, Patek Philippe is in the process of consolidating its service network from a peak of 59 service centres worldwide, some of which were run by independent retailers, to just ten key locations. Amongst the regional centres are one each in Germany, France, and the United States, but most will be located in Asia – the brand’s biggest market – in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. All of the ten will be run by Patek Philippe itself, or more specifically, its regional subsidiaries. The Singapore service centre, for instance, is run by Geneva Master Time (GMT), Patek Philippe’s subsidiary for Southeast Asia. GMT also has a smaller service centre in Bangkok, a necessity given that Thailand i...
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Vintage military-inspired watches can sometimes seem like an easy path for microbrands to go down, but there are plenty of pitfalls and traps along the way. If you get the sizing wrong, you alienate a huge chunk of potential buyers. If there’s a certain detail out of place on the dial, again you’ve lost interest. … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: The Monchard Skytrain Telemeter Chronograph appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
With the watch-related crime wave showing no signs of slowing down, Wei and Jeremiah take a look at five affordable watches that are incredibly cool but won’t leave a target on your back. The Five: 1. Bamford x G-SHOCK GW-M5610BWD20-1ER / Bamford x G-SHOCK DW-6900BWD-1ER (£149 each) 2. Baltic Aquascaphe Titanium Black (€710) 3. Rowing […]
SJX Watches
Having made it a point to collaborate with contemporary artists – last year the brand recruited tattooist Dr Woo to design a watch – Roger Dubuis has now turned to Hajime Sorayama. Best known for his mirrored, metallic female robots – which were the centrepiece of Dior’s 2019 men’s collection – the Japanese illustrator applied his aesthetic to Roger Dubuis’s signature time-only wristwatch to create the Excalibur Sorayama Monobalancier. The Excalibur is perhaps the quintessential face for the Roger Dubuis of today. Skeletonised and sharply sculpted, the watch – as well as its movement – have been reworked by Mr Sorayama in the manner of his trademark robot drawings. Both the watch case and movement gain the rounded, mirror-polished finish that define Mr Sorayama’s work, which extends to depictions of Mickey Mouse and dinosaurs. A typical Sorayama work: Untitled, 2018. Image – Art Basel Initial thoughts Roger Dubuis’ current offerings are ultra-modern timepieces that are done well in both construction and finish, but they are often overshadowed by their traditional predecessors. That’s a shame because watches such as the Monobalancier are amongst the better examples of a sporty, skeletonised watch. Already original and creative in both the movement and case, the Monobalancier is now made more appealing with the Sorayama touch. The artist has given the watch a makeover that’s subtle yet significant, reshaping some elements and giving most of t...
SJX Watches
Introduced just last year, the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m is an distinctive and compelling “tool” watch with an over-the-top style and impressive specs that include a hardened titanium case and magnetism-resistant movement. Now the watch returns in even more striking livery in a limited edition that will be available only in Asia. Dressed in green and gold, the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m Asia Limited Edition “Green Anaconda” has a hobnailed dial and bezel, while the case, bracelet, and bezel are all black coated. Initial thoughts The original model was easy to like, especially if you like chunky dive watches. Its technical features are amongst the best in at its price segment, while the slightly exaggerated styling also helps it stand out in the crowded segment of affordable dive watches. What the first version lacked, however, was flair. Thought the watch was big and hard to miss, it was dressed almost entirely in shades of grey, which felt too restrained for the size and design. The “Green Anaconda” certainly took that lesson to heart with its striking colours that leave the hobnail patterning seem even more obvious than before. The colours and textures are brought out even more by the contrast with the black-coated case and bracelet. They are finished in diamond-like carbon (DLC), resulting in a charcoal finish that’s slightly glossy. The dark finish also makes the watch look smaller than it is, which is useful given its 46 mm diameter. With...
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Brands have always taken plentiful inspiration from their back catalogue – just look at some of the biggest recent releases. There are two ways to go about this. You either take subtle cues from a past model (think TAG Heuer Orange Diver in reference to ref. 844), or you go the way of the Rado … ContinuedThe post The Rado Captain Cook Over-Pole is the way to do a vintage reissue appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
NPR comes through with a report about a guy making watches that don't tell time – but do well on social media.
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Editor’s Note: The Nautilus is back in the news, but not for the reason we’ve become used to. Lofty aftermarket prices are beginning to face a tad of a correction. It seems this brand makes news on the way up and on the way back. But this is likely of little concern to these two chaps … ContinuedThe post That time two unexpected celebrities joined the Nautilus club appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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The heart of any watch is the calibre inside of it. This engine, which we refer to as a movement, is aptly named considering it is often what horological nerds find the most moving thing about a watch. In honour of this key component of a watch, below are ten prompts which will require you … ContinuedThe post Time+Tide Weekend Watch Crossword: #12 “Legendary Movements” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Producer/musician/songwriter/fashion mogul-hyphenate Pharrell Williams has seemingly done it all. Since his early days producing and writing songs for the likes of Mystikal, Pusha T, and Jay-Z as half of The Neptunes, he’s a guy that never stops. Besides two solo albums and five with his group N.E.R.D., just look at this small slice of the … ContinuedThe post Pharrell’s watch collection is as hot as a spacecraft upon re-entry appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Deployant
We take a look at this wildly popular timepiece from Scotland that has a waitlist of two years. Cue the anOrdain Model 2 mkII.
SJX Watches
Designed a decade ago by Marc Newson, the industrial designer most famous for his Lockheed Lounge chair and the Apple Watch, the sleek hourglass is exceedingly simple yet remarkably complex to fabricate. It’s made of a single piece of glass – blown by hand in Switzerland – and filled with millions of tiny metal spheres known as nanoballs. De Bethune has applied its signature heat treatment to the object, resulting in the De Bethune x HG Timepiece Blue Hourglass, a limited edition pair of large and small timekeepers filled with heat-blued steel nanoballs. Initial thoughts More sculpture than timekeeper, the hourglass is a beautiful object that is incredibly simple yet impressive in its artisanal nature. The glass is blown by hand yet perfectly in form and proportions. The De Bethune touch adds another level of beauty to the object. Instead of the plated nanoballs found in the standard version of the hourglass, the Blue Hourglass contains blue nanoballs heat treated by Denis Flageollet himself. However, the addition of Mr Flageollet’s talents to the prowess of Swiss glassblowers comes at a high price. The smaller, 10-minute Blue Hourglass costs CHF25,000, more than double the price of the standard hourglass with plated nanoballs. That’s affordable relative to everything else than De Bethune makes, but it’s a steep premium for the hourglass. Tinkling timekeepers The Blue Hourglass is available in the two standard sizes: the larger, 60-minute timer and a smaller 10...
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Blame it on a certain Patek Philippe ad if you will, but the idea of the watch as a family heirloom passed down from father to son retains a special emotive power. Today, in many parts of the world, it’s Father’s Day and that’s a good enough reason for us to revisit D.C’s … ContinuedThe post EDITOR’S PICK: How I revived my late father’s Breitling Navitimer appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Welcome to the first-ever HODINKEE Lookbook – a style guide for watches. Because no matter what's on your wrist, you're gonna need some clothes to go with it.
SJX Watches
Long rumoured and now official, François-Henry Bennahmias will depart Audemars Piguet (AP) at the end of 2023 after an 11-year reign as chief executive. An iconoclast who dared to voice out loud what many people were thinking, he turbocharged a brand that had been coasting and was gradually being edged out by more aggressive competitors. Over the last ten years AP has more than doubled its turnover and operating margin, while maintaining its exclusivity thus enhancing its attraction for customers and collectors. Often criticised for its dependence on a single product family – the legendary Royal Oak contributes makes up over 90% of turnover and even more of profit – the Le Brassus brand has been able to reinvent its flagship product during François’ tenure, turning it into an icon in watchmaking. But Bennahmias’ marketing and business plan owes less to genius than to common sense and a unique ability to unite his team. Brands are crafted by people The path to success for the successful (re)launch of the horological icon is straightforward in hindsight but it is all related to human factors. I am a firm believer in the fact that brands are made by people and not spreadsheets. In a luxury brand, the personality of the chief executive (or creative director) is key to the promotion of its values. A strong personality with character traits suited to a pro boxer, Bennahmias has a strong charisma that allows him to motivate his troops and lead from the front. He has ...
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TAG Heuer have established themselves as the go-to brand for luxury smartwatches with each subsequent edition of the TAG Heuer Connected improving both form and function. When considering modern technology, it’s impossible to have a conversation about recent advancements without broaching the subject of NFTs and cryptocurrency. NFTs have seeped into seemingly every walk of … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: TAG Heuer CEO announces “first and best” NFT Viewer is now available on Calibre E4 Connected Watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
The divers that do more, and go deeper, than any watch could or should.
SJX Watches
Having received a facelift in 2019, the Seiko 5 Sports collection draws on the ubiquitous and much loved “SKX” dive watch for its styling, but is lighter on features and easier on the wallet. Now Seiko has unveiled the Seiko 5 Sports Style GMT, which looks even more like an SKX thanks to its five-link bracelet. But its key feature is actually a major function upgrade: the two-tone bezel and 24-hour hand make it a dual-time zone travel watch. The SSK003 with a blue-and-black bezel and red GMT hand Initial thoughts Though similar to the base-model Seiko 5 Sports, the GMT distinguishes itself by virtue of design. It possesses the same overall look but boasts more refined stylistic details like the five-link bracelet and bezel with smart typography, which gives it a more upscale look than the standard model. At the same time, the GMT has a bit more flair than an actual SKX diver (which is a nevertheless is a more accomplished dive watch) as a result of its dual time zone function. I like the added colour contrast between the 24-hour hand and dial, as well as the subtly two-tone bezel. And even though it has more elements due to the extra function, the design and details are restrained. And it’s worth mentioning that while the bracelet has the same Jubilee-esque aesthetics as that of the SKX diver, it has been upgraded with solid end links, which means it should feel less dinky that the SKX bracelet. All three versions are executed well The only downside of the watch i...
Hodinkee
Jack, Cole, and Danny open up about the ones that got away (and those they were happy to see go).
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Mr McUtchen, a.k.a McSteamy, continues to leave me green with envy stateside. His latest escapades abroad include having an oceanside chat with actor Patrick Dempsey on all things TAG Heuer in Monaco for the Grand Prix – which he got to enjoy in a private box as well. It’s good to be the king… As … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: A McDreamy / McSteamy trip to Monaco & Hida hotness at The Armoury appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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