Two Broke Watch Snobs
New Website Skindiver.com Identifies Watches seen in Adult Films
“It's just crazy how in the year of 2021... there isn't a single trace of information to help identify wristwatches seen in porn."
Results for Mother of Pearl Dial
31,779 articles · 2,243 videos found · page 911 of 1135
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Deployant
New: Louis Erard Excellence Guilloché Main – artisanal hand guilloché
Presenting the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloché Main. Limited edition, checkerboard hand guilloché dial at a modest price. Press Release with commentary.
SJX Watches
Up Close: Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 18K
Unveiled just last week alongside its sterling-silver sibling, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 18K is Tudor’s first solid-gold dive watch. A significant milestone for Tudor that perhaps reveals aspirations further up the price spectrum, the Fifty-Eight 18K lives up to its ambitions. Initial thoughts In late 2019 I was speaking with a senior Tudor executive and got an inkling that a solid-gold watch might be in the works. Being a fan of the brand (and fortunate enough to own a few of them), that was something I was very much looking forward to. Now Tudor has finally done it, and I am impressed with the result. The Black Bay Fifty-Eight 18K is attractive, feels good in the hand, and is also well priced. The only disappointment is the lack of a matching gold bracelet. I know that would hike the price by at least 50%, but even then it would be a good buy – and it would be truly cool. Fingers crossed a bracelet is in the works. But even sans bracelet the new Fifty-Eight feels good in the hand. It’s sized (almost) exactly the same as the steel Fifty-Eight, making it the perfect size for an easy-to-wear dive watch. Naturally, the gold version is slightly heavier than the steel equivalent, but the weight is just enough to seem substantive, but not so much it’s unwieldy on the soft fabric strap (more on the weight reduction below). The weight gives the Fifty-Eight 18k an appropriately expensive feel. But as is always the norm with Tudor watches, the quality of the watch lives ...
SJX Watches
Krayon Introduces the Eastern-Arabic Anywhere
Founded by movement constructor Rémi Maillat in 2013, Krayon made waves when it debuted the Everywhere – a mechanical computer able to indicate sunrise and sunset times anywhere in the world – before following up with the more affordable Anywhere, which fulfils the same function for a single, fixed location. Now Krayon is introducing a special run of the Anywhere created in partnership with Perpétuel, a newly-established retailer in Dubai, in colours “inspired by the mythical desert”. Limited to 15 pieces, the Krayon x Perpétuel Anywhere features Eastern Arabic numerals and a stainless steel case. Initial thoughts Essentially a facelift of the standard model, the Perpétuel edition is distinguished by its colours – black and pale orange – as well as the Eastern Arabic numerals. While the tweaks are modest, it is nonetheless sharply executed, sporting a striking aesthetic that sets it apart from the blue or cream dials of the regular versions. More fundamentally, the Anywhere is particularly functional as a special-edition watch for the Middle East. Given that the Anywhere indicates sunrise and sunset times, it is eminently useful for clients in Perpétuel’s home market, where Islam is the predominant religion. The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, known as Ramadan – which is taking place right now – requires Muslims to fast from sunrise until sunset. The standard version of the Anywhere However, with a price tag of CHF118,800, the Anywher...
Revolution
Available in the Shop: IWC GST Chrono Rattrapante
Made between 2001 and 2004, the IWC GST Rattrapante had a short production run but the example here is one of the most sought-after references within the family.
SJX Watches
Artisans de Genève Unveils the Submariner Moon Phase
A custom shop best known for its extensively reworking of popular sports watches – occasionally created in collaboration with celebrity sportsmen – Artisans de Genève has a diverse portfolio of work that range from the intriguing to the mystifying. Certainly one of its more intriguing timepieces is the Sea Shepherd Challenge, a Submariner with a moon phase display surrounded by much aventurine glass that was commissioned by the founder of the eponymous marine conservation group. Initial thoughts Aftermarket customisation of fashionable watches is common. It can often be merely opportunistic, with customisers taking advantage of the watchmaker’s well-established brand and design. Rarely are customised watches interesting in a technical sense. The Sea Shepherd Challenge is interesting, being a mechanical customisation rather than the change of colours that’s the usual formula applied to such watches. It incorporates an oversized moon phase display (driven by a mechanically simple, but elaborately-constructed mechanism going by this animation), along with an aventurine-glass dial and bezel insert. Add to that the added decoration to the movement, and the watch does have its appeal. The customisation alone costs about US$35,000 (and the client either provides the watch or purchases one), which is probably too much for the work done, but within reason given the benchmark prices of such customised watches. A mariner’s watch This customised Submariner was a request...
Time+Tide
PSA: Russell Crowe confirms purported ‘Cinderella Man Rolex Submariner’ up for sale is not his watch
Update #2:The never-ending story goes on… Since publishing this update we have spoken to Fog City Vintage (@fogcityvintage), who removed the Rolex Submariner listing – with an asking price at that time of $22,500USD – and refunded the seller as soon as it came to light that the provenance of the watch was not as originally described. As … ContinuedThe post PSA: Russell Crowe confirms purported ‘Cinderella Man Rolex Submariner’ up for sale is not his watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
VIDEO: The Seiko Prospex SPB213J1 140th Anniversary is a super-crisp modern diver
Whenever I am asked about the brands to get into when you’re just starting a collection, Seiko and their value-driven offerings are always at the top of the list. The vertically integrated manufacturer has a deep understanding of watchmaking, building all of the components in house to create robust, reliable and eye-pleasing designs that leverage … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Seiko Prospex SPB213J1 140th Anniversary is a super-crisp modern diver appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre Introduces the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque
Appropriately for the 90th anniversary of famed reversible wristwatch, Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) has debuted the ultimate Reverso. Boasting 11 complications, including a tourbillon, minute repeater, and instantaneous perpetual calendar, the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque is a monumental wristwatch with four faces and a movement made up of 800 parts. Initial thoughts The Calibre 185 Quadriptyque is smaller than the Reverso Grande Complication à Triptyque – which was so big as to be almost unwearable for most – but still sizeable enough to be clunky. It measures 51.2 mm by 31 mm, while standing 15.15 mm high, making it larger than the biggish Nonantième that was launched at the same time. Granted, the size is necessary for the ultra-complex, four-faced movement. Majority of the complications within the new grand complication can be found in past JLC watches, making the Calibre 185 Quadriptyque something of a greatest-hits compilation for the brand. Impressive as it is, the Calibre 185 feels dated, in the sense that watches with numerous complications stacked up were a “thing” in the 2000s; the Triptyque was launched in 2007 and truly exotic in its day. Now that such watches are fairly common, with many leading brands having their own grand multi-complications, the concept is less impressive, regardless of the technical achievement. It’s also worth pointing out that the watch is elaborately decorated – mainly with Clous de Paris guilloche ...
Time+Tide
Meet the nicest UFC fighter ever, with a surprisingly fancy Rolex
Anyone who follows the fight game knows that Georges St-Pierre is a legend. Not just for his remarkable UFC record of 26 wins against just 2 losses, but also because in a sport that is sometimes overtaken by trash-talking bravado, GSP is a gentleman in every sense of the word. He maintained a laser-like focus … ContinuedThe post Meet the nicest UFC fighter ever, with a surprisingly fancy Rolex appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Remontet Introduces the Time Capsule
Located in the town of Renaison, a five-hour drive south of Paris, Horlogerie V Remontet is named after its founder, Valentin Remontet. A young watchmaker who who spent three years at TAG Heuer and then Breguet before striking out on his own, Mr Remontet started his brand with conventional, round watches powered by ETA movements. He has since moved on to watches that are inventive and modern in style and construction. Mr Remontet’s latest is the Time Capsule, a avant-garde watch that has an unorthodox regulator-style display along with unconventional hourstriker. Initial thoughts With the fashion of the day in niche independent watchmaking being classical watchmaking with a heavy Breguet numerals or a “sector” dial, Mr Remontet’s watch is decidedly bold – and also impressive. Its aesthetic is highly technical, and matched by genuinely creative mechanics. The movement is clearly an original construction, even if it does use some components from common calibres. The style is certainly not for everyone – I find it a bit too extreme – but the fresh, bold nature of the Time Capsule is impressive. And the €17,000 price, which is about US$21,000, is fair considering the work in both development and manufacture. Preserving a memory Mr Remontet works along, and fabricates much of the watch himself – including the gaskets for the case – with some components produced by a French micro-machining specialist in micro machining. As a result, Mr Remontet says about 90...
SJX Watches
Living With: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41
I’m familiar with IWC pilot’s watches, having once owned a Mark XVII, which I bought as the quintessential flieger watch. But the Mark XVII didn’t last too long in my collection because it is very much military-inspired, and I’m not much of a military man, making it hard for me to connect with the design. When I got the chance to test drive the new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 (ref. IW3881) – the latest version of IWC’s longstanding bestseller – I figured it was an opportunity to see if the fliegerchronograph would appeal to me where the time-only Mark XVII did not. Initial thoughts On paper, the 41 mm Pilot’s Watch Chronograph is an evolution rather than a revolution, perhaps unsurprising given how popular successive versions of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph have been over the three decades they have been in the catalogue. The various elements that make up the watch are familiar – the blue dial can be found on the larger “Le Petit Prince” Pilot’s Watch Chronograph from 2016, while the cal. 69000-family movement inside a reduced, 41 mm case was exactly the revamped Spitfire Pilot’s Watch Chronograph launched in 2019. But still, the new chronograph manages to be a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. While constituent parts might be similar, but they arguably work better together here than in any prior watch. I was surprised at how much I liked the watch. For one, the 41 mm case is significantly more wearable than the previous-g...
Deployant
Review: Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 White Gold – New Options for a well loved watch
Vacheron Constantin celebrates the 100th anniversary of the American 1921 this year by introducing two new white gold models.
Revolution
Wei Goes Hands-On With Cartier’s 2021 Tank & Cloche Watches
Wei Koh gives us his thoughts and goes hands with Cartier’s 2021 collection of Tank Must - including the Solarbeat version - the Louis Cartier and the Cloche de Cartier trio in yellow gold, pink gold and platinum.
Time+Tide
HANDS-ON: A return to elegance with the Longines Silver Arrow
The new Longines Silver Arrow constitutes a comeback for the functional steel dress watch, a watch that in its heyday would simply be a sporty everyday timepiece. It presents a reassuring throwback to the quieter times of the 1950s, a time when even half a day at the office would mean dressing up in a … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: A return to elegance with the Longines Silver Arrow appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
WatchAdvice
Raymond Weil Freelancer Calibre RW1212 Skeleton Review
Pros: Unlike previous models, Full skeleton on display – best one to date Bang for buck Skeleton watchBeautifully executed – Cleanly laid out dial and attention to detail on the bridges Overall Rating: 8.1/10 Value for money – 8/10Wearability – 8.5/10Design – 8/10Build Quality – 8/10 Cons: Some may miss the second handSome may not appreciate having no hour IndicatorsCaseback is fully blacked out, the rotor isn’t as clearly visible Raymond Weil’s latest skeleton watch comes in the form of the Freelancer 42mm Full Skeleton Calibre RW1212. Skeleton watches present a unique interpretation of watchmaking, where sometimes everything is removed down to the bare minimum to showcase nothing but just the movement and the time. There is something about a skeleton watch that just grabs attention. Whether it’s the human curiosity to want to know what goes on behind closed doors or whether it’s the fascination of seeing all the intricate pieces come together to create something complex yet beautiful, skeletonised timepieces can awaken the watch fanatic in all of us. This however does not mean that skeleton watches can always be so easy to read. Quite a common pitfall with skeletonised timepieces is that sometimes watchmakers get too caught up in the movement of the watch that they negate being able to read the time. This is mainly due to the fact that the hour indexes and hands can blend in with the movement, which can make it quite hard to read the dial at a ...
Time+Tide
Tasting Notes: Going hands-on with the 2021 Audemars Piguet collection
With my one year anniversary with the Time+Tide team on the horizon, the only drawback has been that the pandemic inhibited all the in-person interaction I really craved. What I love about the watch community is being able to meet up, whether with members of the industry or #watchfam community, and nerd out for hours … ContinuedThe post Tasting Notes: Going hands-on with the 2021 Audemars Piguet collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
5 Flower Watches By Van Cleef & Arpels: How They Compare To Their Botanical Muses? – Reprise
Elizabeth Doerr takes a look at five of Van Cleef & Arpels’s artful SIHH 2018 introductions from the Le Jardin (“Garden”) collection and compares them with their natural namesake blooms.
Quill & Pad
Watches And Wonders 2021 (Formerly SIHH) Round Table: What We Liked And What We Didn’t (With Photofest And Videos)
Please join this Quill & Pad round table discussion in which we discuss what we did and didn’t like at the inaugural (and hopefully final) digital edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva 2021. There were plenty of highs and more than a few lows during the week-long watch fest, and a sheer avalanche of new watches.
Time+Tide
INTRODUCING: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque)
With nearly 40 brands presenting novelties this Watches & Wonders, it can be quite the challenge to present a novelty that stands out amongst the crowd. After speaking with various members of the press, and #watchfam on instagram and clubhouse, it has become abundantly clear that the horological champion of the fair was Jaeger-LeCoultre. The … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
IWC Pilot’s Chronograph 41 – we wear this new release a week for this review
We take a look at the IWC Pilot's Chronograph 41, an updated version of an iconic watch from the recently concluded Watches and Wonders 2021.
SJX Watches
Rolex Doing Its Part to Battle Climate Change
Two decades after its founding in 1905, Rolex began equipping sportspeople and explorers with waterproof Oyster watches, making possible precision timekeeping under adverse conditions. And it continued as the peace and prosperity of the postwar era in the 1950s encouraged exploration of the heights and depths of the Earth, driving adventurers through snow and water into the pages of history. This era also gave birth to watches like the Explorer, Submariner, and GMT-Master – all watches for professionals who were charting the planet. Today much of the planet has been explored, and it’s no longer a race to the deepest ocean or the tallest mountain, but instead a quest to preserve the planet. Having long been a supporter of exploration, Rolex now backs modern-day explorers who seek to battle climate change. The watchmaker funds scientific expeditions focused on conservation, such as measuring the volume of ice at the North Pole in order to gauge global warming. Since 2019, the ongoing conservation programmes that Rolex supports have been formally come under the Perpetual Planet initiative, the watchmaker’s endeavour to pave the way for a sustainable future. Early explorers Before exploring Rolex’s support for conservation programme, it’s worth revisiting its early participation in exploration. Amongst the most notable was the British Everest Expedition, the 1953 attempt to scale Mount Everest led by Sir John Hunt, a colonel in the British Army. It was a competitiv...
Time+Tide
Usher flexes his spectacular Purnell watches worth more than $450k
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Too often in the realm of celebrity watch spotting we are subject to the usual suspects: Rolex, Patek Phillipe, Audemars Piguet, and Richard Mille. There is nothing wrong with that, as we all admire and desire watches from those brands. But it is far more interesting … ContinuedThe post Usher flexes his spectacular Purnell watches worth more than $450k appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Rénier on how the Reverso became an icon
The world was an immeasurably different place 90 years ago. There were no computers, no mobile phones, no smart watches and no internet. The stockmarket crash of 1929 was still being felt around the world, the Star Spangled Banner was selected as the US national anthem and the Art Deco icon of the Empire State … ContinuedThe post Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Rénier on how the Reverso became an icon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Wei Koh’s Top Picks from Watches and Wonders 2021
Held in April 2021, the digital version of Watches and Wonders showcased elegant and uplifting collections that indicated a new sensitivity among participating brands to the desires and concerns of today’s watch collectors.
SJX Watches
Ochs und Junior Introduces the Calendario Cent’anni
Founded by watchmaking genius Ludwig Oechslin, best known for the inventive timepieces he created for Ulysse Nardin like the Freak and Trilogy of Time, Ochs und Junior specialises in brilliantly simple complications that are minimalist, functional, and idiosyncratic in style. Dr Oechslin is best known for his calendar complications, particularly the Perpetual Ludwig he invented for Ulysse Nardin, which remains the centrepiece of his latest wristwatch, the Calendario Cent’anni. Italian for “hundred-year calendar”, the Calendario Cent’Anni (CCA) will indicate the calendar till the end of this century, like most other perpetual calendar watches, but it is executed in Ochs und Junior’s inimitable style. And while the CCA retains the Ochs und Junior look, it will be offered in three fixed variations (each named after a Roman numeral), instead of being endlessly customisable as the first-generation Ochs und Junior perpetual calendar was. From left: CCA III, II and I Initial thoughts Perpetual calendars were once an expensive complication, but the proliferation of mass-produced as well as unconventional, streamlined calendar mechanisms have brought about many affordable perpetual calendars, with the cheapest starting at around US$9,000. But few perpetual calendar watches are as interesting as Dr Oechslin’s invention. While it does cost more than the most affordable perpetuals with a retail price of about US$16,600, the CCA is truly innovative. Dr Oechlin’s perpetu...
Time+Tide
HANDS-ON: TAG Heuer Monaco Green Limited Edition is a fumé fantasy
The TAG Heuer Monaco is a classic in every sense of the word. I mean, Steve McQueen famously wore it on the silver screen and if you’re looking for an endorsement from the King of Cool, it doesn’t get much better than that. The Monaco has been a collection that has regularly been refreshed in … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: TAG Heuer Monaco Green Limited Edition is a fumé fantasy appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Exploring the Pacific Coast with the Coast Pacific Explorer
When designing watches at these lower price points, tradeoffs certainly need to be made. Here, Coast has traded a plain-ish case profile and slightly-better-than-middle-of-the-road finish quality for myriad thoughtful convenience features.
Deployant
New: Richard Mille RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne – toughness to spare
ichard Mille continues their use of innovative space age materials to advance the envelope for toughness with the new RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne.
SJX Watches
Up Close: Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 World Time Cloisonne “Eurasia”
The upcoming spring auction season is bringing with it a surprising number of vintage Patek Philippe world time wristwatches. Christie’s will be offering three of them during its evening sale on May 22, including the famed and unique ref. 1415 HU in platinum that once held the record of most expensive watch in the world when it last sold publicly in 2002 and achieved CHF6.6 million including fees. Phillips, on the other hand, will be offering the Patek Philippe ref. 2523 “Eurasia” publicly for the very first time. Long owned by an Italian collector until it was acquired by the present owner in the mid 1990s, this ref. 2523 is one of just three known with a cloisonné dial bearing the “Eurasia” map – and it is in strikingly fine condition. I put it on my wrist during the preview exhibition, and the watch is gorgeous, crisp, and arguably every dollar of the ten or more million it’ll sell for. The hallowed complication Despite not being amongst the most complicated watches Patek Philippe made in the 20th century, its world-time wristwatches (and also pocket watches) are amongst the brand’s most coveted and valuable timepieces. Well before the platinum ref. 1415 HU set a record in 2002, examples of the ref. 2523 with cloisonné dial were regularly selling for well over US$1 million at auction in the 1990s – and are the inspiration for the today’s world-time models, including the recent ref. 5231J. The fact that the world-time was a favourite of Osvaldo Patr...