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All Rolex Day-Date References (President) Rolex

Every Rolex Day-Date "President": 1803, 18038, 18238, 118238, Day-Date 40 (228xxx), Day-Date 36 (128xxx).
Phillips Debuts ‘Perpetual’ Boutique in London SJX Watches
Zenith Daytonas are well Sep 1, 2019

Phillips Debuts ‘Perpetual’ Boutique in London

Best known as a watch auctioneer par excellence, Phillips recently established Perpetual, a watch store inside its London showroom on Berkeley Square. A permanent showroom offering watches year-round, Perpetual was conceived to offer clients something to buy in-between the twice-yearly watch auctions. Perpetual comes a few months after the successful pop-up store that took place in March, where a Philippe Dufour Simplicity was purchased by Jean-Claude Biver, the legendary watch entrepreneur who’s now the non-executive chairman of the LVMH watch division. The watch department in London, led by financier-turned-watch-specialist James Marks, is the first outpost of Phillips to have a permanent store. “I believe that auction houses cannot apply the same business model to every geographical location,” explains Mr Marks, “and rather than rely on traditional seasons we need to be proactive with clients year round.” Perpetual officially opens on Wednesday, September 4, with a cocktail party and panel discussion. The panel is made of two industry luminaries – Mr Biver and Phillips’ auction chief Aurel Bacs – and myself. To RSVP for the panel discussion, register online with Phillips. The highlights The inaugural offering at Perpetual is diverse, encompassing both vintage and modern watches. Being a personal favourite of Mr Marks, Rolex “Zenith” Daytonas are well represented, but the line-up also includes a selection of choice examples of independent watchm...

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In-Depth: Restoring and Recasing a Vintage Patek Philippe Movement SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Movement Aug 21, 2019

In-Depth: Restoring and Recasing a Vintage Patek Philippe Movement

In this article we will take a look at a special watch produced for a client in Singapore, which also happened to be a way to give new life to a loose movement that had long lost its case. Although this watch was recently finished, the project actually started many years ago. When searching for interesting movements to restore I came across a vintage Patek Philippe movement in Australia. It was probably produced between 1905 and 1910 for a pendant watch. I liked the style, shape and size; it reminded me a lot of the great pocket watches Patek Philippe used to do, but in wristwatch size. I thought it could one day make a nice wristwatch for someone appreciates its good old-fashioned quality. But the movement was missing the case – probably melted down in the past for the scrap value – while the dial and hands were beyond repair. So a potential customer would have to design those parts from scratch. Because the movement was in relatively bad shape and not running, I could even afford to buy it before finding a potential client. The beautifully classical movement looking for a home But several years later, a client came along. It was a husband and wife who had previously ordered another watch, a pocket watch conversion with an old Moser movement in a hand-made silver case with a sapphire dial featuring gold indexes and hand-made hands. The pocket watch was commissioned by the wife both as a wedding anniversary gift for the husband and as an heirloom to be ...

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The three watches that caught our eye at Australia’s first standalone Tissot boutique, located in the heart of Sydney CBD Time+Tide
Tissot boutique located Aug 18, 2019

The three watches that caught our eye at Australia’s first standalone Tissot boutique, located in the heart of Sydney CBD

Brand boutiques are pretty fun spots to visit as a watch lover. Because, choice. And it may surprise you to learn that Tissot very nearly has a boutique for every single day of the year - 361, in fact, including this shiny new example in MidCity Shopping Centre in Pitt Street Mall. It will house by … ContinuedThe post The three watches that caught our eye at Australia’s first standalone Tissot boutique, located in the heart of Sydney CBD appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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In-Depth: Realising Breguet’s Dream of the Natural Escapement SJX Watches
Breguet s Dream Aug 17, 2019

In-Depth: Realising Breguet’s Dream of the Natural Escapement

Abraham-Louis Breguet’s contributions to horology are as numerous as they are fundamental. Practically every avenue of watchmaking is built on the foundations he laid down, from the perpetuelle self-winding mechanism to pare-chute shock-protection for balance pivots. But most famous of all was the tourbillon, patented in 1801. It was crucial to the precision of mechanical pocket watches and clocks, the only kinds of timepieces in use then, which normally sat in an upright, vertical position. The Breguet Souscription pocket watch of the 1990s that replicated the 19th century originals, right down to the pare-chute escapement The tourbillon, however, was not Breguet’s only effort in improving chronometric performance. Prior to the tourbillon, he created the lesser known but more elegant echappement naturel, or natural escapement, in 1789. It was a double-wheel chronometer escapement that in theory, needed no oil. Breguet managed to incorporate it into just 20 pocket watches, but serial production of the natural escapement ultimately eluded him as its design had inherent shortcomings – primarily backlash in the motion of its wheels – that made it impossible to commercialise. The idea was ahead of its time, and it would take some 200 years before technology made the natural escapement feasible. The concept of natural escapements continues to fascinate watchmakers, many of whom have conceived modern-day descendants, the most recent of which is the Ch...

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Tudor Black Bay Bronze 
Blue Bucherer Special Edition Review WatchAdvice
Roger Dubuis just Aug 8, 2019

Tudor Black Bay Bronze 
Blue Bucherer Special Edition Review

The Black Bay Bronze Blue Bucherer special edition was made specifically by Tudor for the Swiss watch company based in Lucern; Bucherer. Founded in 1888, Bucherer is one of the oldest luxury Swiss watchmakers that is still run to this day by the founding family. Bucherer has up to twenty nine stores throughout Europe, with ten of them being in Switzerland alone. One of the stores located in Paris, is the worlds largest watch and jewellery store. In the lead up to the 130th anniversary for Bucherer, they released a collection with Bucherer’s signature colour, termed “Bucherer Blue”.  Along with Tudor, this collection would see collaborations with other major brands such as IWC, Breguet, Oris, Tag Heuer and Roger Dubuis just to name a few. A total of 36 watches has been produced for the Bucherer Blue collection.  The Tudor Black Bay Bronze Blue Bucherer special edition is almost identical to the original Heritage Black Bay Bronze aside from the aesthetic appearance between the two models. While the original Tudor Black Bay Bronze had great success with buyers and collectors in general, it offered little to people that wanted more colour depth/contrast on the watch. This is due to the dial on the Black Bay Bronze being matte brown with a brown bezel insert, followed by a bronze casing. While the watch does indeed look great and has its own appeal, the similarities in colour throughout the timepiece didn’t do the watch justice. That is until the Tudor Black Bay Bronz...

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In-Depth: A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Pink Gold Dial SJX Watches
A. Lange & Sohne Aug 8, 2019

In-Depth: A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Pink Gold Dial

Earlier this year at SIHH 2019, Lange introduced a new variant of the ultimate chronograph, the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon in white gold with a pink gold dial. This follows the original from three years ago, that was in a stark combination of platinum with a black dial. When A. Lange & Söhne unveiled the Datograph in 1999, it was a statement to the world. The fact that the recently re-established Glashütte watchmaker was able to develop a new, high-end, in-house chronograph – something missing from rival brands’ catalogues – was a revelation for collectors and wake-up call for its competitors. The Datograph movement, the cal. L951.1, was not technologically groundbreaking – the construction and styling was largely inspired by classical pocket watch movements – but its combination of high-end features and vastly distinctive aesthetics, particularly compared to its Swiss counterparts, left everyone else’s chronograph in the dust. Even till today, Lange chronographs are still revered and firmly placed in the upper echelons of high horology. So was only natural that after the Datograph, the brand expanded the chronograph line-up, starting with a basic chronograph sans big date, to perpetual calendar chronographs, alongside the parallel collection of split-seconds that includes a double and even a triple rattrapante. Fashionable “salmon” The name explains it all: the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is a manually-wound chronograph combined with a p...

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A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary” SJX Watches
A. Lange & Sohne Aug 2, 2019

A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”

The gradual, one-a-month rollout of the 10-piece A. Lange & Söhne 25th anniversary is, fortunately, almost at an end, with number eight just being unveiled: the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”. Launched 16 years after the Lange 1, the Lange 1 Daymatic was an exercise in practicality, being the first watch in the family to be powered by a self-winding movement, the cal. L021.1. And it also included a day of the week indicator, in addition to the date. A splitting image of the original Though functionally different, it was a mirror image likeness the original Lange 1, featuring the familiar asymmetric dial, but inverted. A retrograde display for the day of the week replaced the power reserve of the original. Not only does the Daymatic look like the original, it also has the same dimension, and even retains the pusher for the date at 10 o’clock. But despite the upgrades, the Daymatic has never been as popular as the original Lange 1, leaving it as the least known of the line-up. The new Daymatic is the commemorative, white gold rendition of the model. At 39mm in diameter and 10.4mm high, it is just 1mm wider and 0.6mm thicker than the standard Lange 1. And, in keeping with the anniversary colour theme, it features a solid silver, argenté dial with recessed, grained segments that’s paired with blued steel hands. Instead of the applied hour markers found on the standard Daymatic, the Roman numerals and indices are printed in blue. Visible through the ...

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IWC Introduces the Big Pilot “Right-Hander” Limited Edition SJX Watches
IWC Introduces Aug 2, 2019

IWC Introduces the Big Pilot “Right-Hander” Limited Edition

IWC’s popular, oversized pilot’s watch is already available in as many variations as the sky is high, but the latest limited edition – the Big Pilot’s Watch “Right-Hander” – is the first that’s a “destro”. Italian for “right”, destro is a nickname often applies to watches with a left-handed crown, and thus catered to right-handed people. Because the onion-shaped crown sits at nine o’clock instead of the usual three, the movement inside has been rotated 180 degrees, bringing the power reserve indicator to nine o’clock as well. For those wondering if this is inspired by a historical, “destro” pilot’s watch, the answer is no. This is just a reinterpretation of a bestselling model. Crown-aside, the look is pretty much stock Big Pilot. The dial is a dark grey, with luminous markings and hands in white SuperLuminova. The rest of the watch is identical to the standard model. The steel case is 46.2mm in diameter, with automatic cal. 52010 inside. It’s the second generation of the flagship IWC automatic movement, featuring a seven-day power reserve and a Pellaton winding mechanism with its pawls and winding wheels in wear-resistant ceramic. Key facts Diameter: 46.2mm Height: 15.6mm Material: Steel Water-resistance: 60m Movement: Cal. 52010 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and power reserve Winding: Automatic Frequency: 28,800bph, or 4Hz Power reserve: 168 hours (7 days) Strap: Calfskin with folding clasp Price and availab...

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Hands-On: Gorilla Fastback “RAW Celebratory Edition” SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Jul 30, 2019

Hands-On: Gorilla Fastback “RAW Celebratory Edition”

Despite being one of many recent startups specialising in stylish, affordable watches, Gorilla has managed to set itself apart from a crowded field by creating watches that are well designed and smartly detailed. That’s because the Gorilla was founded in 2016 by two veterans watch design: Lukas Gopp, an alumni of IWC and Audemars Piguet, and the better known of the pair, Octavio Garcia. Mr Garcia spent almost 15 years at Audemars Piguet, five of them as chief designer; one of his most famous and successful creations was the Royal Oak Offshore “Alinghi” in forged carbon, one of the hottest watches of the mid-2000s. Gorilla now only offers essentially a single model – the Fastback – in several variations, with the design and colours inspired by 1950s American muscle cars. And it is obvious that several of its watches are reminiscent of certain Audemars Piguet timepieces. But with the Gorilla watch case having a distinctive profile of its own, coupled with the fact that most of its watches cost less than US$800, Gorilla watches have an easy appeal. A gilded 15 This particular Gorilla is a limited edition made for the 15th anniversary of Red Army Watches, a Singapore-based retailer that specialises in affordable watches; amongst the other brands it carries are SevenFriday and Grand Seiko. Formally known as the RAW x Gorilla Fastback Celebratory Edition, the watch is not drastically different from the standard model that serves as the base, the Fastback Gal...

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Omega Unveils Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition SJX Watches
Omega Unveils Seamaster Planet Ocean Jul 27, 2019

Omega Unveils Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition

As Tokyo counts down to hosting the 2020 Olympics, the games’ official timekeeper is also counting down with progressive rollouts of limited edition watches. Exactly a year to the start of Tokyo 2020, Omega has announced a pair of commemorative dive watches: the Seamaster Aqua Terra Tokyo 2020 and the slightly less interesting Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020. Inspired by the Japanese flag, the Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition is clad in white with red accents. It is based on the midsize Planet Ocean, so the steel case is 39.5mm in diameter (the largest size is 43.5mm). Both the dial and bezel insert in white ceramic. The “lollipop” tip of the seconds hand is in red, as is the “20” on the bezel. Inside is the Master Chronometer cal. 8800, a top of the line automatic movement with various innovations designed to ensure good timekeeping over long periods, including a silicon hairspring and Co-Axial escapement. And special alloys used for the escapement ensure it is magnetism-resistant to 15,000 Gauss.   Key facts Diameter: 39.5mm Material: Stainless steel Movement: Master Chronometer Calibre 8800 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date Winding: Automatic Frequency: 25,200bph, or 3.5Hz Power reserve: 55 hours Strap: Delivered with three options – steel bracelet, rubber strap lined with white crocodile leather, and fabric “NATO” strap. Price and availability The Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition (ref. 522.33.4...

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Living with the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT PAM 1033 SJX Watches
Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Jul 26, 2019

Living with the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT PAM 1033

Originally a no-nonsense dive watch made for the frogmen of the Italian navy during the Second World War, Panerai has been moving towards more civilian-friendly sports watches. The evolution is best illustrated by the Luminor Due, which is smaller and thinner, and as far removed from a traditional Panerai as possible while still retaining the signature crown locking mechanism. At the same time, Panerai has also rolled out watches that are oversized like the military originals, but with an increasingly variety of dial colours, like the quartet with blue dials in 2016. Such metallic blue dials are currently fashionable, so it’s no surprise Panerai has continued with the same colour. The recent Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT PAM01033 is essentially an upsized, 44mm  version of the PAM 688 from 2016. I had one on the wrist for a few days – here’s how the test drive went. Compared with the earlier PAM 688, size is not the only difference with the new Luminor PAM 1033. A small but significant design tweak is the colour of the hands: instead of gold hands as as before, the hands now match the case. Though the change is seemingly minor, it gives the watch a different look, one that’s more contemporary, because the hands, though small, are the focal point on the dial. But the beige Super-Luminova on the dial and hands is faux-vintage, which does not quite match the newness of the blue dial. The dial is a “sandwich” construction, a signature feature of Paner...

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Hands-On: Urwerk UR-105 “The Hour Glass” SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph now Jul 24, 2019

Hands-On: Urwerk UR-105 “The Hour Glass”

Singapore retailer The Hour Glass kicked off its 40th anniversary limited editions with the all-platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, now followed by a pair of watches from leading independent watchmakers, De Bethune and Urwerk. The Singapore retailer is getting a three-piece limited edition based on the current UR-105, but one that’s also a throwback to the brand’s early creations. In aged bronze and titanium, The UR-105 “The Hour Glass” similar to the UR-105 CT Bronze unveiled earlier this year, but streamlined and sans the sprung lid over the front – a simplification of the design that’s also an improvement. Appropriate enough for a retailer that’s been selling Urwerk for 15 years, the commemorative edition features elements borrowed from Urwerk models over the years, creating a watch that’s a nostalgic reminder of the brand’s foundational watches from the early 2000s. UR-103 reborn The UR-105 was launched in 2014 as the successor to the UR-103, first launched in 2003. The bestselling Urwerk to date and arguably the brand’s signature watch, the UR-103 was the watch that made Urwerk a champion of avant-garde mechanical watchmaking. A nod to that milestone watch, the commemorative UR-105 features a U-shaped sapphire crystal, just as it was on the UR-103.03. While the very first version of the watch, the UR-103.01, featuring a narrow, curved window for the time, the UR-103.03 of 2005 expanded the view with a far larger cry...

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Introducing the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum SJX Watches
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum Jul 21, 2019

Introducing the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum

As it marks the 50th year of the Moon landing, Omega introduced a variety of Speedmaster Moonwatches in steel and in gold, but none with the revived cal. 321 movement, until now. The first watch to land the cal. 321 – a second will debut later in the year – is the ultra-luxe Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum that’s a special, as opposed to a limited, edition. Visually it’s pretty much a typical Speedmaster Professional, save for the use of expensive materials for all the external components. The case is the standard 42mm with twisted, “lyre” lugs, but rendered in a particular platinum alloy, Pt950Au20, that is 95% platinum along with a small amount of gold. The bezel is also platinum, with an insert in black ceramic with white enamel markings. The “stepped” dial, as it was on vintage Speedmasters, is made of polished black onyx, while the hour, minute and register hands, along with the hour markers, are 18k white gold (the central seconds hand is plated brass, a necessity because the reset function requires it to be lightweight). All the chronograph sub-dials are made of moon meteorite. The case back reveals the cal. 321, a remake of the Lemania CH27 of the mid 20th century. Found in the early Speedmaster models, where it was named the Omega cal. 321, the movement has been reproduced in great detail. And according to Omega, it is distinct from its distant relative, the modern day Lemania cal. 2310 that has been in continuous production for several d...

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Speedy stories – 3 tales of Omega Speedmaster love Time+Tide
Omega Speedmaster love You might Jul 19, 2019

Speedy stories – 3 tales of Omega Speedmaster love

You might not have noticed but we’ve hit the Omega Speedmaster pretty hard this week. Though, in our defence, we think it’s justified, what with the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing and all that. A few days ago, Felix asked the deep question of what actually makes a Speedmaster, and this morning we had … ContinuedThe post Speedy stories – 3 tales of Omega Speedmaster love appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Grand Seiko Introduces the Spring Drive GMT SBGE248 SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Introduces Jul 16, 2019

Grand Seiko Introduces the Spring Drive GMT SBGE248

While Grand Seiko watches are classical and often formal, the Grand Seiko Sport collection is all about larger, more casual watches, The latest addition to the Sport line is the Spring Drive GMT SBGE248, the first Grand Seiko with a yellow gold bezel and crown. Yellow gold has been widely used for Grand Seiko watch cases, including for the commemorative Grand Seiko Heritage SBGW252, but the two-tone look is a first for the brand – an indication of its conservative approach to design. The contrast of yellow gold and blue is a tried and tested – and perhaps slightly overdone – approach for a luxe sports watch, evidenced by the popular Rolex Submariner ref. 116613. On the new SBGE248, yellow gold is applied generously and the colour stands out. The bezel is 18k yellow gold, as is the crown, while the hour markers, hands and markings on the dial are all gilded. Though the bezel itself is gold, the insert is scratch-resistant sapphire, just as it is on the standard Spring Drive GMT.   Size-wise the watch is identical to the standard model, with a case diameter of 44mm. The case is stainless steel, as is the bracelet. It is powered by the self-winding Spring Drive cal. 9R66 that guarantees an accuracy of within 15 seconds a month – or half a second a day – and a power reserve of 72 hours. The incredible accuracy is thanks to the electronically-regulated, mechanical oscillator inside; the regulation in turn is governed by a quartz oscillator with an integra...

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Sparkling in all the right places – Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Dazzling Rendez-Vous Time+Tide
Jaeger-LeCoultre s Dazzling Rendez-Vous Jul 12, 2019

Sparkling in all the right places – Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Dazzling Rendez-Vous

A decade ago, overtly feminine watches that combined beauty and proper horology were a rare thing indeed. (There are more of them today – although still far from enough.) And when Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the Rendez-Vous collection in 2012 it really struck a chord. Here was a watchmaker taking women seriously, with good mechanical movements, elegant, … ContinuedThe post Sparkling in all the right places – Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Dazzling Rendez-Vous appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Introducing the Lange 1 Moon Phase “25th Anniversary” SJX Watches
Jul 11, 2019

Introducing the Lange 1 Moon Phase “25th Anniversary”

With one watch unveiled each month since January, we are now more than halfway through the 10-piece Lange 1 “25th Anniversary” set. The latest addition, the Lange 1 Moon Phase “25th Anniversary” was supposed to be launched in June, but instead made its debut this month to coincide with the opening of the brand’s Zurich boutique. First introduced in 2002, the Lange 1 Moon Phase is essentially the base Lange 1 with the clever incorporation of a moon phase in the sub-seconds. Subsequently, the second generation Lange 1 Moon Phase also evolved to feature a more advanced moon phase display. The new and improved Lange 1 Moon Phase was novel for the fact that its moonphase display also doubled up as a day and night indicator. Instead of a single disc with two fixed moons as is convention, the display relies on a rotating figure of 8, with each end forming one gold moon. The “8” is superimposed on an independently revolving blue disc that represents the sky. Half the disc is in a light blue, indicating day time and the second half is dark blue for the night sky, with laser-cut stars dotting it. The deconstructed display of the Lange 1 Moon Phase On the commemorative Lange 1 Moon Phase “25th Anniversary” however, the moons are in white gold keeping in line with the anniversary colours of silver and blue. The dial of the watch is solid silver, with blued steel hands and blue printed numerals. Visible through the sapphire case back is the 25th Anniversary set’s ...

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Hands-On: Genus GNS 1 Wristwatch SJX Watches
Roger Dubuis Jul 9, 2019

Hands-On: Genus GNS 1 Wristwatch

While it’s a new brand that just made its debut, Genus is founded on the watchmaking talent of an industry insider who has spent a lifetime working on complications. Its first watch is the GNS 1 that tells the time with an ultra-exotic complication with the minutes travelling across the dial like a train. Conceptually the GNS 1 harks back to the burst of creativity that started in the early 2000s, when watchmakers went all out with imaginative complications to display the hours and minutes. This was the heyday of the Harry Winston Opus series and the birth of brands like MB&F; and Urwerk. The brand Genus was founded by entrepreneur Catherine Henry and Sébastien Billières, founder of GMTI, a specialist watchmaking workshop. The son of a watchmaker, Mr Billières started his career at Roger Dubuis in 1999, followed by a stint at Urwerk. In 2011, he set up GMTI, which specialises in primarily in assembly and servicing of complicated movements for major watch brands. Now staffed by 25 watchmakers, GMTI’s repertoire is diverse, ranging from tourbillon movements bearing the Poinçon de Genève, or Geneva Seal, to time-only movements produced on an industrial scale. Telling the time According to Mr Billières, the GNS 1 is the realisation of his long-held ambition of creating his own watch, after spending his career doing it for others. The GNS 1 is essentially an exceptionally avant-garde display of the hours and minutes. Even when static the face is impressive...

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Patek Philippe Debuts the Grandmaster Chime “Only Watch” in Stainless Steel SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Debuts Jul 1, 2019

Patek Philippe Debuts the Grandmaster Chime “Only Watch” in Stainless Steel

The subject of rumour since Baselworld 2019, the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300A-010 in stainless steel is finally official. Almost certainly on track to become the most expensive watch sold at auction in 2019, the ref. 6300A is a one of a kind watch variant of the most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch ever made that was created for Only Watch, the biennial charity auction of unique timepieces sold to benefit a medical charity. Aside from the steel case – the Grandmaster Chime is ordinarily available only in white gold – both dials on each side of the watch are also unique. The dial on the front is made of 18k rose gold, and features a hobnail guilloche centre and blackened 18k gold Breguet numerals. “The Only One” is printed within the 12 o’clock sub-dial just to make it clear that this is, well, the only one for Only Watch. Also made of 18k gold, the reverse dial is black with rose gold-plated hands. The rest of the watch is identical to the standard version. The enormous 47.7mm case is reversible, but being in steel will be significantly lighter than the gold model. The case band is decorated with a hobnail guilloche engraved by a hand-operated rose engine Inside is the cal. 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM, a hand-wound movement with 20 complications, including a grande and petite sonnerie, alarm, date repeater, and instantaneous perpetual calendar. Slated to go on the block on November 9, 2019 at Christie’s Geneva, the Grandmaster Chi...

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Introducing the Longines Legend Diver Watch 36mm “Tropical” SJX Watches
Longines Legend Diver Watch 36mm Jun 26, 2019

Introducing the Longines Legend Diver Watch 36mm “Tropical”

Longines rolled out a smaller version of its popular Legend Diver last year, one that is just 36mm in diameter and catered to ladies. Now it’s added a “tropical” dial model to the line-up, creating a dive watch for ladies with serious retro style. The first Legend Diver, which was made for men, was based on the twin-crown dive watches of the 1960s, specifically the refs. 7042, 7150 and 7594. The lower crown was for winding and setting, while the upper crown rotated the elapsed time bezel, a feature that has been reproduced in the modern day remake. Sometimes nicknamed “Super Compressor” after the type of water-resistant case made by case maker E. Piquerez (which also supplied other brands), the originals were notably large for watches of the era, measuring 42mm in diameter. The men’s Legend Diver is exactly the same size, but the mini Legend Diver is substantially smaller, just 36mm in diameter. Despite its reduced size, the Legend Diver 36mm manages to retain the look and proportions of its bigger brother. And with the new “tropical” dial, it also replicates the highly desirable discoloured dials of some vintage “Super Compressor” divers. The original watches all had glossy black dials, but exposure to sunlight over the decades caused some dials to fade, resulting in varied shades of brown. The new Legend Diver “tropical” replicates the aged dials found on some vintage examples, with a tobacco coloured centre that darkens towards the edges. T...

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Up Close: Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Manual-winding ‘Collection Excellence Platine’ SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Manual-winding ‘Coll... Jun 26, 2019

Up Close: Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Manual-winding ‘Collection Excellence Platine’

Every couple of years Vacheron Constantin gives one of its watches the ‘Collection Excellence Platine’ treatment, constructing the watch entirely in platinum, from case to the stitching on the leather strap. First introduced in 2006, the ‘Collection Excellence Platine’ range now consists of nine models, including the Traditionnelle World Time, Patrimony Traditionnelle 14-Day Tourbillon as well as Traditionnelle Complete Calendar that was launched last year. Now the line is joined by the hand-wound Traditionnelle, a simple, time-only watch executed in the most precious way possible. Small, heavy and monochromatic A focused exercise in classic dress watch design, the Traditionnelle Manual-winding is among the leading candidates in the category of hand-wound, time-only dress watches. It is arguably the quintessential Vacheron Constantin formal watch, being free of complications and superfluous elements. And though it faces strong competition from the likes of the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 and Patek Philippe Calatrava, the Traditionnelle ‘Collection Excellence Platine’ (CEP) is unique in being all-platinum, end to end. With the CEP treatment, the watch has evolved to its ultimate form. The dimensions of the case remain unchanged – 38mm wide and just 7.77mm high. It features discreet decorative details like a fluted case back and straight, angular lugs that incorporate the form of a Maltese cross. But in the area where most time-only dress wat...

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