Alerts, beeps, bings, vibrations and buzzing sounds are the bane of 21st-century technological gadgets. Whether it’s a wake-up tone, an incoming email, a Whatsapp message or a reminder to walk more steps, we are bombarded by acoustic signals 24/7. For those of you pining for the simpler days when a spade was called a spade, […]
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
New year, new vintage watches.
Rolex … oh dear, Rolex … love the watches, hate the limited amount of product available. As much as it would be easy to chalk it up to brand power and allure, the reality is the crown manufacturer makes one hell of a wristwatch. The Rolex name may draw all-comers into purchasing their pieces, but the build quality and tried-and-true aesthetics get top marks from collectors and connoisseurs as well. We ultimately vote with our dollars, dictating the values of watches on the second-hand market. But Rolex has its role in this as well. With the industry equivalent of voter suppression, Rolex knows what it is doing by limiting the number produced each year and how many watches actually reach the cases of authorised dealers worldwide. Rolex GMT-Master II models have continually captured the hearts of buyers worldwide, each model seemingly impossible to obtain at retail. The Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLNR is no exception, taking the beloved bezel of the already popular Batman model and pairing it with a new movement and Jubilee bracelet. The case: The 904L stainless steel case has the heft of a precious metal on the wrist, an experience you just have to see for yourself…
The post IN-DEPTH: Why the Rolex GMT-Master II “Bat Girl” trumps the original Caped Crusader appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Looking back at the manufacturer with an online cult following.
Last year, De Bethune celebrated the tenth anniversary of its flagship DB28 model and the second anniversary of its openworked DB28 Steel Wheels. The idea behind the first DB28 Steel Wheels of 2018 was to open the dial to reveal the movement’s contemporary architecture. With this DB28 Steel Wheels Sapphire Tourbillon unveiled during Geneva Watch […]
This morning a new generation of Omega Speedmaster Professionals were announced, but that was not the only legendary chronograph revival and rejuvenation introduced today. Zenith has unveiled a new tribute to one of their chronographs from 1969: the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 Gradient Dial. Game-changers in their day, Zenith produced three watches that were not only powered by a then rare high-beat movement, but they also had gradient dials – which Zenith claims was the first smoked dials for the industry at large. Today the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 brings back the smoked brown gradient dial variant of the initial trio. The Zenith El Primero movement is a horological legend in the watch world – it’s schematics, stamps, and fabrication machinery saved by Charles Vermot and his great defiance and foresight. What could have been lost to the quartz crisis was rescued and the El Primero triumphantly returned thanks to Vermot’s preservation (against orders) of the equipment needed to produce it once again. This meant modern collectors could enjoy watches powered by the first high-beat automatic chronograph movement – a movement so respected even Rolex used a modified version of it in its Daytona watches for some time. The movement…
The post HANDS-ON: The Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 is the return of a sepia-toned legend appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Editor’s note: Today, Omega did what they had been hinting at for months: they launched eight new Speedmaster references across four models, all with the new Master Chronometer Calibre 3861. The four references include regular versions with Hesalite and Sapphire and precious metal versions in Omega’s proprietary Canopus gold and Sedna gold, all with options on bracelets and leather or fabric straps. The most significant updates for all eight references are the new caliber housed within, and the brand new bracelet design. The new movement looks like an evolution rather than revolution. The power reserve is improved from 48 to 50 hours, hacking seconds is now possible, and it’s generally more robust all round. The bracelet now features five links per row instead of three, and each row is slightly smaller, which is sure to make the bracelet even more comfortable. But to get a better idea of what’s changed, let’s have one last loving look back at the now superseded (and more affordable) generation of Omega Speedmaster. More to come on the new collection shortly. The Omega Speedmaster isn’t just another watch. It is an important part of the horological canon and, more importantly, the watch that went to…
The post VIDEO: One final loving glance at the now phased out (and much cheaper) Omega Speedmaster “Sapphire Sandwich”, which will only be in store while final stocks last appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
The El Primero, Zenith’s historical and undoubtedly iconic movement, needs little introduction. Launched in 1969, it was amongst the very first automatic chronograph movements introduced by the watch industry, and with original specifications, having a column wheel, a horizontal clutch and, mostly, a high frequency of 5Hz. But that’s about the engine. There were watches […]
Rick Hale finds inspiration in the work of 18th-century clockmaker John Harrison.