Phillips auction battle of Swiss vs. Japanese handmade haute horology – which is better value?

Swiss vs. Japanese handmade haute horologyLast night saw the Phillips’ and Blackbird thematic auction Retrospective: 2000 – 2020 play out, with some truly incredible watches reaching truly incredible prices. Two that I wanted to focus on were a pair of watches that are at the same time very similar and very different. Both are handmade. Both are three-handed dress watches in precious metal. Both could be argued as examples of the finest watchmaking from their respective countries. However one is from Switzerland, and the other is from Japan. I am of course talking about the Philippe Dufour Simplicity 20th Anniversary No. 00/20 and the Seiko Credor Eichi II in platinum. Despite being produced on different sides of the globe, both of these watches have a story that is more intertwined than you might expect. It is well documented that Mr. Dufour himself was a teacher to the master watchmakers at the Micro Artist Studio at Seiko’s factory in Shiojiri. Specifically sharing his knowledge of movement decoration and how to make watches that would have longer lives on the wrists of their owners. In this sense, it is a story that is already set up with Philippe Dufour as the master, and the watchmakers of the Micro Artist…

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6 years ago

Introducing – MB&F HM3 FrogX, the 10th Anniversary Comeback

MB&F celebrates the tenth birthday party of its much-loved HM3 Frog with three new froglets housed in transparent sapphire crystal cases with blue, purple or turquoise rotors, case gaskets and lume. The date display of former Frogs has been ditched in favour of a larger rotor and weight-saving rotating aluminium domes are used to indicate […]

6 years ago

MICRO MONDAYS: A proper backstory to the Bamford Watch Department, the rebel modder that turned into a watch brand

Bamford Watch DepartmentWatch modification is now rampant throughout the watch community. From modded Seiko watches to blacked-out Rolex Milgauss pieces in Hollywood, a desire to personalise a watch and make it more of your own has always been an aspect of the watch industry. While some may opt for an engraved caseback, others have gone the route of completely overhauling the aesthetics of their watches. Like Hublot birthing the trend of rubber-strapped precious metal watches, someone has to be credited with starting the modding mayhem. Cue George Bamford, and the Bamford Watch Department. The backstory For George’s 18th birthday, the story goes, he was offered a Rolex Daytona as a gift. Most people would be content with the venerated watch, but while attending a dinner party, soon after receiving the watch, he noticed that half of those in attendance were wearing the exact same watch. This got George thinking. Born from a desire to have something that would stand out and be different from the herd, George approached his family business and asked if it would be possible to change the colour of his watch. As a result of his request, a DLC coating was applied to the case and bracelet of…

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6 years ago

Hands-on – Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Flameante “Boutique Edition” Salmon Dial

Cuervo y Sobrinos, the Swiss brand with Cuban roots, expands its Historiador collection with this new Flameante model with an elegant salmon dial. Like all Cuervo y Sobrinos designs, the mood is markedly retro. In the case of the Historiador Flameante collection, the inspiration is taken directly from a Cuervo y Sobrinos model produced in […]

6 years ago

The Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink in this video sure is pretty, but is it pink, per se?

Hublot Big Bang Millennial PinkEditor’s note: In case you’re wondering, yes! This is the ‘pink’ watch we’ve been hanging to see in the metal, if not just to contrast the real-life shade with the renderings in the press release. And, do we still call it pink? Well, Thor does, as you’ll see from the opening par. But I don’t. This is light beige. Nude. Flesh. Champagne. If it is indeed pink, it’s the palest, duskiest pink I’ve ever seen. It’s no less compelling for the tonal shift, in fact it becomes even more unusual. I don’t know about you, but there’s something about this shade that makes it hard to look away. Read on, but better still, check out the video.  Okay, I’m saying it. I. WANT. A. PINK. WATCH. I’m not sure what that says about me, but the skin-toned pink on the Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink is so delicious that I’m close to using expletives. Describe it to someone and be warned: you will not have the same reaction, like me when I read the brief. Yet, you will see it quite clearly in this video, this idiosyncratic blend — of the toughness with the candy fluff pink of children’s teddy bears…

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6 years ago

The ‘Happiness Watch’ by Tikker uses a US Government algorithm to tell you when you’ll die. Worst name ever :(

Editor’s note: 202o, in one way or another, has made us all realise that life is not guaranteed, or going to go forever, and now there’s a way to remind yourself daily. While seemingly a grim proposition, the Tikker watch uses a “death calculation” based on an algorithm for life expectancy that’s used by the US government to find out how many days you have left. The watch’s official name is the ‘Happiness Watch’, but we preferred something more literal. We called it ‘The Death Watch’. It may seem on the surface that this information would be a draining reminder with each check of the time, but it really depends on your perspective; how you interpret the data, and what you choose to do with the information is all on you. Time+Tide’s Contributing Editor, and master storyteller Luke Benedictus spoke with Tikker Co-Founder Daniel Iketani about what the watch was actually designed for, and why he named it ‘The Happiness Watch’. Read on!  Why are vampires invariably such jaded fellows? I reckon immortality has something to do with it. Sure, the wild hunger to feast on human blood must prove an inconvenient business at the best of times. And, yes, coffins make for uncomfortable…

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6 years ago