Ascari, a name forever linked to Formula 1, as Alberto Ascari was amongst the first to compete in this newly formed category of racing coming out of WWII. But, perhaps you know this, perhaps you don’t, it was also the name a Dutch entrepreneur and multi-millionaire gave to his supercar brand. That’s right, there have […]
Last week it happened again. I was standing in line at a coffee shop and, of the seven people queuing, I was the only one wearing a proper watch. There were four naked wrists, one Garmin and one Apple Watch constantly buzzing and flashing. Now if we have any chance of turning this sad situation around we desperately need an injection of youth into the watchmaking industry. Is Norifumi Seki the answer? Yes, that’s serious pressure laying the entire future of the watchmaking industry on just one man. But hear me out. How many independent Japanese watchmakers do you know? In addition to Hajime Asako and his Art Deco panache, you’d be hard pressed to find many, which is one of the reasons why this story is important, especially considering the enormous power of the Asian marketplace in horology. So who is Norifumi Seki? Hailing from Tokyo and still only 23, he attended the Hiko Mizuno Jewelry College and burst onto the international scene last year as the first Asian to win the esteemed F.P Journe Young Talent Competition. Seki’s delicate Model II is the precursor to the pocketwatch that won that competition and is a brilliant example of quirky…
The post This is why Norifumi Seki looks set to become the Next Big Thing in watchmaking appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Editor’s note: Yesterday we took at look at all of the Australian Open tennis players who actually wore their watches while competing. Today we’ll be shining a spotlight on the rest of the watches on display and some of them are real cross-court winners. The final days of the 2021 Australian Open are underway in Melbourne. While there’s some great tennis on display on the courts, there are also some amazing watches to be spotted. Many of the players have sponsorship agreements in place with various watchmakers with some wearing these watches while playing while most pop a timepiece on their wrist after a match or for press conferences. Semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas who is a Rolex Testimonee has regularly been wearing the coveted stainless-steel Daytona reference 116500 with white dial and ceramic black bezel. The most blinged out watch at the 2021 Australian Open belonged to fellow Rolex Testimonee, Grigor Dimtrov. He was wearing a Rolex Daytona reference 116588TBR, which has been nicknamed “Eye Of The Tiger”. This timepiece immediately catches the eye (pun intended) with its diamond bezel and dazzling dial. Another Rolex Testimonee, the Austrian player, Dominic Thiem, was wearing a white gold Yachtmaster on Oysterflex bracelet with…
The post Watchspotting at the Australian Open watches including Bulgari, Audemars Piguet and, of course, a ton of Rolex appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
The value of double stamped watches is no secret. Most famously Tiffany & Co. stamped dials have notably elevated the prices of Rolex and Patek Philippe references. But these watches, while not released in heavy quantities, are rather widespread on the secondhand market. If you really want to discover co-stamped dials in even more limited numbers, Tudor is the brand to dig into. The watches are rather hush hush as they are not meant to be sold. In fact, they are commissioned by entities in limited quantities to be gifted to those within their inner circles – with usually no more than 100 pieces produced. So when one pops up for sale, they can command quite a premium. Recently an Ed Sheeran Tudor Black Bay emerged for sale, but before we reveal the asking price it sold for let’s recap some of the known custom Tudor watches. Hodinkee’s Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight took the watch world by storm upon its release, with many lauding Tudor’s decision to release a scaled-back and slimmed-down version of the beloved Black Bay diver. The watch definitely got a ton of air time from our friends over at Hodinkee, but…
The post Would you pay $50k for this customised Ed Sheeran Tudor Black Bay? appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Today I’m talking with long-time friend François-Xavier Overstake, aka @equationdutemps. This is not just his Instagram handle, but also the name of his blog about watches, which is probably one of the most important French publications on watches. Besides running his own blog, Francois-Xavier is a moderator on Watchprosite, a large watch forum. At 51 […]
One of Certina’s most historically important divers’ watches resurfaces.
Watchmaking as moving as the beating heart it animates.
Recently I saw a tragicomic sight. It was an ultra-sleek McLaren 720S sports car in a violent shade of tangerine. Now anyone with a driving licence could appreciate this turbocharged V8 was a bona fide supercar. But this magnificent piece of automotive engineering was now inching along through rush-hour at the walking pace of a very small child. I’ve no idea if the driver actually lived in the traffic-choked city or not. Either way, given that most Aussie highways have heavily policed speed limits that top out at 110km/h, you could be fairly sure that this car’s 710bhp would never be properly unleashed. The existence of this McLaren would be akin to a tiger in captivity, its raw physicality forever stifled. Despite its $490,000 price tag, this car was a sad example of wasted potential. The same probably goes for your watch, too. If it’s a diving watch then chances are that it’s barely tasted the briny depths of the ocean and certainly not to anything approaching its full level of water resistance. Perhaps it’s got tritium tubes for easy visibility on night manoeuvres – which you solely employ for telling the time when you need to take a leak…
The post How your watch can inspire you to live a bigger and better life appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
We love both. But they’re not the same thing. And as HODINKEE begins to sell pre-owned, we offer this primer on the merits of each.
Edox recently released the North Sea 1978, a deep-sea diver that paid tribute to the “Inverse Moon Landing” in 1978. This remarkable feat saw North Sea Divers descend to 320 metres in Norway’s icy waters in 1978. The Swiss brand has followed up with a limited edition that goes back to the first expeditions of the North Sea Divers in 1967. The Edox North Sea 1967 Historical Limited Edition also pays homage to the brand’s legendary dive watches like the 1960s Delfin, which used an innovative double O-ring system allowing for water resistance up to 500 metres. The use of a bronze case also represents a rich history of deep-sea exploration.