A month on the wrist with the Zenith Chronomaster Sport, the most hyped watch of 2021 so far
Editor’s note: We thought that as a reader service, for the inevitable questions that will come, that we’d ask about current availability of the Zenith Chronomaster Sport before publishing this story. The answer from Zenith Australia is that if you’re looking to order the watch today, you’re looking at a four to five month wait. We can’t speak for other regions, so if you’re interested, contact your local AD. Let me just say from the outset, that pictures of a watch are one thing and a watch in the hand is another. I saw this watch in the hand before I ever saw it in a picture. Therefore, my first impressions – which are to be explored properly here – are likely to be very different to yours, particularly if you first became aware of this watch via the laziest meme of 2021 that suggests it has a likeness to a certain high-value Big Crown chronograph and that this somehow discredits it. That is likely to be a statement you’ll walk back from when you’re holding it in real life. That’s not to say you’ll love it. Simply that if you know your watches, and can tell one icon from another,…
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Two-tone watches don’t get nearly as much love as they once did. The 90s were rampant with bi-metal watches with many opting for the touch of precious metal instead of full stainless-steel references. But boy have times changed with the integrated stainless-steel craze showing no sign of slowing down. As a result, two-tone models do not always excel on the pre-owned market – often hovering near or below their retail pricing. But there are certain exceptions to the rule. The Rolex GMT Master II 126711CHNR Rootbeer is proof that two-tone can be a winning formula in today’s marketplace and, like its full stainless-steel peers, trade over its retail pricing. The case The majority of the case is fashioned in Rolex’s 904L stainless steel with hints of Everose gold in its bezel and crown. It’s front profile is completely satin brushed, excluding aspects of the bezel knurling, while the case sides are mirror-polished steel. Standing at 40mm in diameter, 48mm lug to lug across the wrist (excluding the fixed end links of the bracelet) and 12.2mm thick, the case is both robust and slender – quite fitting considering the watch is effectively a precious metal endowed tool watch. This allows the…
Some champions refuse to wear their hard-earned Rolex through staunch working-class pride – like MMA fighter Michael Bisping in our story here. But British boxer Amir Khan is a man of style and hardly shy of wrist. And why not start the “taking care of it for the next generation” sentiment literally by getting your one-year-old son not only one of the best sports chronographs on the market, but a damn good investment to boot, in the form of the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. On point indeed! And judging by the Instagram shot at his account @amirkingkhan, this is none other than the elusive grey dial 40mm white gold version with a retail price of $55,550 AUD. Whether the former light-welterweight world boxing champion had to threaten his AD with his famous right hook, we’ll never know, but to get one of these babies is a seriously difficult task. You can read the full story on Watchpro here, but first I’ll give you my theory as to why this baby boy was so lucky on his first Birthday. You see I’ve got a hunch that Khan, despite his standing in the world of sports, considered the waiting lists for this Daytona…
Whenever I hear a new Grand Seiko is being released, I get all giddy inside. Like a child hoping to find a Nintendo Switch under the tree on Christmas morning, Grand Seiko novelties are highly anticipated by fans worldwide – and fortunately they never disappoint. We recently covered the 60th anniversary limited edition Grand Seiko SLGH003, celebrating the introduction of the new hi-tech 9SA5 caliber into a stainless-steel watch. It made this latest innovation more accessible to the masses than the previous precious metal SLGH002. The new Grand Seiko SLGH005 not only introduces yet another reference in stainless steel, but also marks the first time the caliber has been used in an ongoing production model – with a gorgeous “white birch” dial to make the offering that much more tempting. The white textured dial is inspired by the white birch trees surrounding Studio Shizukuishi. The pattern is applied via a press pattern stamp, with tons of pressure applied to the dial base – similar to how the Snowflake and Mt. Iwate dials are fabricated. According to Grand Seiko, “Studio Shizukuishi, where all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are made, is surrounded by woodland areas boasting nearly 1000 wild-grown trees. These forested…
There’s no Baselworld this year, but in April we will have the “phygital” Watches & Wonders to look forward to. Thirty-four brands will be in attendance, among them Rolex and Patek Philippe – two horological heavyweights whose potential novelties will, as always, be eagerly awaited. Back in September we saw Rolex refresh the Submariner collection, upping the case diameter to 41mm, but trimming the lugs down to a more vintage-inspired tapered profile. Many believe, including us, that the Explorer collection is next in line to see an update – and predictions are circulating of what form that may take. This is what we would like to see, what we think we will see, and what we definitely won’t. What we would like to see… For the standard Explorer watch, we are hoping to see not one but two releases in the April refresh. Rolex has been upscaling the diameters of their professional catalogue. We saw the Yachtmaster 42 in 2019, 41mm Submariners and Oyster Perpetuals in 2020, so it is fair to assume the trend will continue. Considering the 39mm Oyster Perpetual was recently discontinued, it’s a reasonable bet that the Rolex Explorer will also have a shakeup in sizing.…
Forever the provocateur of the Swiss watch industry, Moser is up to its old tricks again. Say hello to the Moser Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade, the last chapter in the Swiss Alp Watch saga that began way back in 2016. Half a decade ago it was a totally new release from the manufacturer with a curiously curved rectangular case and eye-catching wire-like lugs. It was a form of sophisticated protest against an emerging threat to the traditional watch business, namely the Apple Watch. Over the last five years the Swiss Alp Watch collection has found a number of different forms, all with the same Jony Ive inspired case design. Except that the Swiss Alp Watch isn’t a smart watch but a timepiece with a mechanical movement. This year in it’s final expression, the Moser Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade features a black DLC-coated stainless steel case, as well as a Vantablack coated dial and blackened hands. The cherry on top? The seconds subdial at the 6 o’clock position of the dial that is designed to imitate a loading icon that you are sure to have seen on your computer more times than you’d care to admit. As the seconds…