Deployant
Throwback Sundays: Readers’ Choice: Top Picks for a grail watch
We polled some of you, and asked you to tell us your grail watches. Here are the 6 top grail watches picked by our readers.
24,166 articles · 178 videos found · page 693 of 812
Deployant
We polled some of you, and asked you to tell us your grail watches. Here are the 6 top grail watches picked by our readers.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: When I first saw this video in the middle of last week, I hit the team WhatsApp message thread with a vengeance. Omitting some more colourful language, the gist was: “I am mind blown by these GMTs, they can’t possibly look as good in the metal as they do in this video?” Both … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Grand Seiko Hi-Beat GMT SBGJ237 & SBGJ239 are two of the boldest, and best looking steel sports watches of 2020 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
A fountain-pen maker for most of its history, Montblanc ventured into watchmaking and found success with its entry-level watches produced in its Le Locle factory. But the brand’s high horology watches are made at the former Minerva manufacture in Villeret – Montblanc acquired the brand in 2007 – which produces only a few hundred timepieces each year. The latest model to emerge from Villeret is the Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Skeleton, which boasts a skeleton movement that’s been hand-finished the traditional way. Though there is little movement left after the open working, there’s much left to decorate. According to Montblanc, the bridges include 420 inwards angles on their bevelled edges. Initial thoughts Measuring 44.8 mm by 15.01 mm, the Star Legacy Exo Tourbillion Skeleton is a surprisingly massive watch – a characteristic of many Montblanc watches powered by Minerva-derived movements. That’s because most of the calibres are descended from Minerva movements of the early 20th century that were originally built for pocket watches. The advantage is an appealing, old-school layout and aesthetic, but accompanied by the downside of extremely large size, making it impractical as an everyday watch. Priced at about US$160,000, the Exo Tourbillon Skeleton is priced similarly to comparable watches. In fact, it arguably has a finer movement finish than the competition, going by the average standard of movement decoration at Villeret. But at the same time, it is ext...
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: In preparation for an epic upcoming article that tracks a year on the wrist with the Rolex Root Beer, we thought we’d revisit this video that comprehensively positions it among its 2018 crop of sports watches. Watch it for side by side comparisons with the Full Everose version and the Pepsi, which largely hogged the limelight in … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Revisiting the Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Root Beer’ in Everose Rolesor with Oyster Bracelet appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: Here we continue a new style of review that pits two similarly specced watches against each other, in an arena that is less touched up, and more true to the naked eye than our usual images. Last week we had a super-popular Seiko and the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight. While both alike in … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: A top-of-the line Seiko diver, SLA037 Vs. the lesser-seen Omega Seamaster 300, same price, different experience? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
While there is certainly something emotional and special that is particular to mechanical timepieces, there are just certain things they will never be able to do as well as digital watches. Case in point: the new GBX100 models are the latest additions to the G-Shock G-LIDE lineup of sports watches, a known favourite among some … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The G-Shock G-LIDE tells both time and tide, surfers rejoice appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
I am happy to announce Volume I of A Horological Anthology by SJX is finally complete. As some of you would know from a couple of hints on Instagram, I’ve been working on the first-ever print publication by SJX – a book dedicated to Tudor. A project that began in late 2018, Volume I is a hardbound volume that delves into Tudor’s history, notable timepieces, and most crucially – the a detailed look at the brand’s factory in Geneva. [All copies are gone. Thank you for the overwhelming interest.] Behind the curtain Tudor caught my attention long before the project began, specifically in 2010 when the Heritage Chronograph was launched. Before that, for as long as I could remember, the brand offered solid watches with little allure. But the Heritage Chronograph marked a turning point for Tudor, which then embarked on a gradual but radical transformation into something entirely more exciting. But more significant than the smartly retro designs – especially for me as an industry observer – was the brand’s shift to proprietary movements (which are now produced by Tudor-owned specialist Kenissi) without upping prices much. That remains pretty much an unrivalled accomplishment in the industry. How did Tudor do it? The answer was the starting point of Volume I, which involved several visits to Tudor in Geneva, giving me a fascinating peek into the brand’s watchmaking facility and archives. I came away deeply impressed by the extreme attention to quality in every...
Time+Tide
We recently reported that the Apple watch has gone from strength to strength in the last reporting period, and now outsells the entire Swiss watch industry to the tune of 10 million watches. Smartwatches, as a category however, are not exactly sweeping all before them in 2020. While wearables have seen significant growth over the … ContinuedThe post NEWS: Smartwatches set for 10% decline in 2020, while wearables power on in the pandemic, up 137% appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Deciding on an entry-level watch is exciting, but also confusing, especially for a first-time buyer. It’s often a problem of too many choices. Competition is strong in the segment, with the usual suspects like Seiko and Nomos, but also newly-established “micro brands” all competing in the same space. One of the standouts in terms of value, however, is the Nomos Orion, which combines aesthetics and functionality in a clean, approachable package. Old school of design The simplicity of its design means the Orion has aged surprisingly well. It doesn’t look it, but the Orion is almost 30 years old – Nomos introduced the model in 1992, two years after the brand was established. The Orion still looks modern today – evidence of its durable design. The Orion is refreshing in its simplicity, instant legibility, and charming typography, all accented by subtle but quirky details like the minute track. The success of the design can be attributed to its philosophical inspiration, Deutscher Werkbund. Although Nomos watches are often described as being Bauhaus-inspired, they are actually designed according to the philosophy of the Deutscher Werkbund. A community founded in 1907, Deutscher Werkbund’s goal was to revolutionise industry and manufacturing in Germany by elevating the artistic and practical elements in products to make the easier to mass produce. Strongly influential in early 20th century industrial design, the movement later gave birth to Bauhaus, the better-...
Time+Tide
One of the most interesting things about the Coronavirus pandemic is how everyone has had to adapt to the new norm. Social distancing, working from home, Zoom catch-ups and stockpiling booze and toilet paper like it’s gold bullion. All part of a day’s work in 2020. It’s also been fascinating and, for the most part, … ContinuedThe post Hublot and Ferrari create new Esports series with Assetto Corsa, and a little help from their friend, Charles Leclerc appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
WatchAdvice
Since its introduction to market in 1952, the Breitling Navitimer has been a hallmark of not only Breitling as a brand, but the luxury watch industry at large. When one thinks of pilots watches, the Breitling Navitimer is principal amongst those thoughts. Traditionally the Navitimer is a large, bold timepiece, designed for not only legibility but practicality. It is the principal purpose of the Navitimer that it be practical in almost any aviation endeavour. To achieve its purpose, Breitling equipped the Navitimer with its signature slide rule bezel. The slide rule bezel is the watches bi-directional rotating bezel, traditionally adorned with a number of mathematical conversion scales which, when used in conjunction with the watches other signature function, a chronograph, is able to decipher a variety of equations useful to Pilots prior to electronic monitoring devices becoming commonplace in cockpits. So when Breitling launched the paired down Navitimer 35 as part of their ground-breaking digital launch earlier in 2020, it would be fair to say that the new chronograph-less timepiece left me with some reservations. Firstly, the elephant in the room, this is the first ever 35mm mechanical Navitimer that the brand has launched. It shows the brands commitment to trimming the diameter of its timepieces, and its push into smaller wristed markets. This may seem like a good thing in a vacuum, however, instead of leaning into the size down, Breitling market the Navitimer 35 a...
Time+Tide
The meteoric resurrection of DOXA over the last 18 months has been both exciting and heartwarming to witness. What started out as a strong showing at Baselworld 2019 (think solid gold SUB 200T and SUB 200) has been followed by a succession of compelling offerings that neatly bridge the gap between heritage and contemporary watchmaking. … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The new DOXA SUB 300 is slimmer, COSC-certified and more refined than its tool watch origins appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
This year, TAG Heuer are celebrating more than a decade and a half of timing partnership with the celebrated NTT IndyCar Series, and are releasing a new special edition watch to mark the occasion. The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Indy 500 Special Edition was designed in close collaboration with the IndyCar team, and has a … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Indy 500 Special Edition is a circle of blacktop for your wrist appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Watching Andrew in the Virtual Baselworld 2020 recap I had a deep understanding of the distracted description of the glacial blue degradè dial of the Sixties pieces from Glashütte Original. Today I’m quietly drawn to something that is so far removed from my vintage diver tool-tastes that I am genuinely surprised. Glashütte Original is the independent … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Glashütte Original SeaQ – a 39.5mm dive watch with a diamond bezel? Sorry, what? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Hublot always seems to have a finger on the pulse of what is currently moving people. And in this spirit the brand has recently launched a 'gender-neutral' Big Bang in a color marketed as 'Millennial Pink.' And Zenith has also recently announced a Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Pink Edition, both of which have prodded Martin Green into taking a dive into 'gender-neutral watches.' And he wonders why there aren't more of them.
SJX Watches
Casio has been on a roll with the G-Shock Full Metal, which is essentially the original G-Shock DW-5000 of 1983 but reproduced in steel or titanium with a matching metal bracelet. Originally launched in gold-plated steel, the Full Metal has since been iterated endlessly – from titanium to “grid” to steel to aged gunmetal – making the concept a little less interesting because there are now so many variants. And then there is the G-Shock Dream Project “Pure Gold”, the most expensive G-Shock ever made, executed entirely in 18k gold, from screws to clasp. A watch that took over a decade to materialise, the idea for a solid-gold G-Shock originated in 2007 with the founder of Japanese watch retailer Eye Eye Isuzu, Yasuyuki Iima, who wanted “a symbolic product for the iconic digital wristwatch born in Japan”. Mr Iima’s suggestion was the genesis of the “Dream Project” of G-Shock inventor Kikuo Ibe. And when the solid-gold G-Shock was finally delivered in late 2019, Mr Iima received the very first example. One example of the Dream Project was delivered to Singapore – you’ll find the arrival and unboxing here – and I got to examine it up close. Initial thoughts The Dream Project is a magnificent and preposterous watch that costs US$70,000 – an iconic watch executed in a ridiculously over-the-top manner, akin to installing the W16 engine from the Bugatti Chiron in a Volkswagen Beetle. And that makes it cool. Dense, shiny, and very gold, the Dream Pro...
SJX Watches
A longtime supporter of classical music and opera, Rolex is backing a trio of summertime concerts that will be broadcast online to a global audience – the first of the Perpetual Music series. Conceived to support musicians and artists whose worked have been derailed by the pandemic, the Perpetual Music concerts take place in August and September 2020, in Italy, France, and Germany, and will be available for free on Medici.tv, an online channel dedicated to classical music. “When musicians have suffered both the loss of audience and income, our aim is to provide them the opportunity to perform with renowned artists at prestigious venues with the finest acoustics,” says Arnaud Boetsch, Rolex Director of Communication & Image, in the announcement for Perpetual Music. Three musicians who are Rolex “testimonees” – the watchmaker’s label for its brand ambassadors – Juan Diego Flórez, Rolando Villazón, and Sonya Yoncheva, will each be performing at one concert, along with some 100 artists who are part of staging and executing the performances. Also taking part in the final concert is violinist Renaud Capuçon, who helped organise the concerts. Importantly, all of the musicians participating in the concert will be paid. The concert schedule starts with tenor Juan Diego Flórez on August 21 at the Teatro Rossini in Pesaro, Italy; followed by soprano Sonya Yoncheva on September 1 at the Berlin Staatsoper; and finally tenor Rolando Villazón with Renaud Capuç...
Quill & Pad
The latest updates to the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Quantième focus on new aesthetic combinations mixed with a reduction in case size from 43 to 41 mm. Joshua Muchow likes them all, but has fallen hard for the Titanium Grey variation and explains why here.
Time+Tide
Say what you will, but there are few cooler mods you can make to a stainless steel sports watch than removing its bezel … just ask Marlon Brando. It’s obviously a sentiment that Seiko agrees with, as 2020 has seen them release no fewer than 11 new iterations of its iconic 5 Sports model without … ContinuedThe post Seiko answer people’s prayers with the smaller and bezel-less 2020 Seiko 5 Sports models appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
GaryG chats with A. Lange & Söhne CEO Wilhelm Schmid in an Instagram Live video, and the pair laugh about serious and not-so-serious topics, including toy cars and real cars. Join the conversation here.
Time+Tide
Watchmaker Anicorn has teamed up with the most important space exploration outfit on the planet(s), NASA, to create a brand new watch that aims to celebrate the Perseverance Rover touching down in Jezero Crater on Mars. And the results? Ladies and gentleman, we bring you the most bizarre watch of 2020. Called the Mars Time, … ContinuedThe post Anicorn and NASA must have created the Mars Time when they were seriously spaced out … appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
A neutron star is tiny, at an average 20km in diameter, but incredibly dense. Its mass is equivalent to 1.5 times our Sun – which has room for more than a million Earths. How does this set the backdrop to a review of the fêted Sinn U50 SDR, the first-ever Sinn with a waiting list? … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Sinn U50 SDR is submarine tough, but mighty slim and perfectly sized at 40mm appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” Hunter S. Thompson was good like that. Always generous when it came to doling out whacked-out life advice. In his writing, he offered heartfelt tips on many things, from hotel liaisons (“Don’t have sex in the lobby – … ContinuedThe post Hunter S. Thompson: The unlikely Rolex Man appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
While some of the specs are impressive, the Parnis GMT is not without major drawbacks. What are you willing (and not willing) to compromise on though? Check out the review for all the details.
Time+Tide
Homage watches within the enthusiast community can be quite a contentious topic at times. Are they rip-offs? Cash cows? Sell-outs? Unoriginal? The reality is opinions can vary, but the true metric or equaliser of any watch to an extent is how they perform on the grey or second-hand market. While the objective of most homage … ContinuedThe post The curious case of the Gevril Tribeca: 5 reasons why it is the king of homage watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having already developed a dive watch last year – the small batch of prototypes were then sold – Ming refined the original design to create its first regular-production dive watch, the 18.01 H41. Rated to 1,000 m, or 3,280 ft, the 18.01 H41 retains the look of the prototype diver, and is in the typical Ming style, with clean lines and geometric shapes. The diver is offered in two case styles: natural-finish or DLC-coated titanium. The former is available with either a rubber strap or metal bracelet, while the DLC-coated version is only available on a rubber strap. Notably, the titanium bracelet can be retrofitted to any Ming watch to date, and is available separately. Initial thoughts While the 18.01 is a typical dive watch in that it has a rotating bezel, its look diverges from the pool (no pun intended), thanks to Ming’s easily identifiable and consistent styling cues. It manages to preserve the brand’s aesthetics while doing what a dive watch should do, and then some. At 40 mm wide, the 18.01 is the same size as the prototype and the largest Ming watch to date – the average is 38 mm -, no doubt partly in response to customer demand for a larger watch. That said, the brand managed to slim down the case to 12.9 mm, unusually svelte proportions for a watch with 1,000 m water resistance. The 18.01 is priced at about US$3,000. Competition is strong in that segment of dive watches, especially since the 18.01 is more expensive than many ETA-powered dive watches, l...
SJX Watches
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of its first extra-thin wristwatch that was launched in 1957, Piaget launched a series of anniversary watches in 2017, including the flagship Altiplano Tourbillon High Jewelry watch, powered by the cal. 670P caliber that’s a mere 4.6mm tall. Piaget has since continued the series with additional variants featuring exotic dial materials, such as last year’s Altiplano Thin Meteorite. And now Piaget unveils the Altiplano Tourbillon Infinite Blue, a trio of limited-edition, high jewellery tourbillon wristwatches decorated with the infinity symbol rendered in diamonds. Initial Thoughts The race to produce the thinnest wristwatch ever reached its zenith in the 1970s and 1980s, after which tastes shifted in the new century towards ever-larger watches, particularly with the rise of luxury-sports watches. But some watchmakers, notably Bulgari and Piaget, have continued to slim their watches. In that context, the Tourbillon Infinite Blue does not do anything revolutionary, but take takes a tried-and-true formula and elaborates on it with a high level of execution. Baguette diamonds on the bezel and dial, brilliant-cut diamonds on the case band and lugs of the Ref. G0A45044 Like many other modern-day extra-thin watches, the largish diameter of 41 mm is necessitated by the movement’s architecture, which sees the components are spread out, instead of stacked up as in a conventional movement. The size and thinness of the bezel means that the w...
WatchAdvice
Innovation is a word that is symbolic of the famous Swiss watch brand Ulysse Nardin. The brand has created some fantastic movements as well as designs that defy belief. A true testament to this is Ulysse Nardin’s Skeleton X model. Released back in 2019, the Skeleton X model belongs to Ulysse Nardin’s Executive collection. A collection which has been disrupting the watchmaking industry, with timepieces inspired by the sea. The Ulysse Nardin Skeleton X comes in Titanium, Titanium Black, Rose Gold, and Carbonium case design, with all of them having the same skeleton dial design and movement. It does also come in two sizes; a 42mm and 43mm case size. Ulysse Nardin Skeleton X – 42mm Case We have our hands on the 42mm Skeleton X in titanium black DLC. Ulysse Nardin has drawn inspiration from the letter X for the design of the skeleton dial. As the brand put it themselves “more than a means, exploring has become Ulysse Nardin’s motivation. The X-factor is the answer: X like an adventure, X like our deepest desires, X for the unknown, X for what’s forbidden, bold and exciting.” The hour indices at 1 o’clock, 5 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 11 o’clock are partially connected to form the “X” shape. The hour indices at 1 o’clock, 5 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 11 o’clock are partially connected to form the “X” shape The open-worked dial on the Ulysse Nardin Skeleton X takes skeletonisation to new heights. Only the bare necessities are left on the moveme...
Time+Tide
A few years back, I remember interviewing Jean-Claude Biver and asking how he thought smartwatches would impact the traditional watch industry. Biver insisted the innovation was positive, saying that he believed smartwatches “will bring the attention of young people back to the wrist”. In other words, they would persuade a new generation to start wearing … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Apple sold nearly 10 million more watches than the entire Swiss watch industry in 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
From prodigy to professional, Rory gives us the inside scoop, and then some.
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