At first, this might raise some questions… What can the link be between a comic character, a chronograph watch and a space agency? While the connection between the last two should be quite familiar to most of you, watch enthusiasts (obviously), the presence of Snoopy in this 3-way equation is more questionable. Sure, Snoopy is […]
A round watch case like few others, sharp angles, quirky Japanese design and a Swiss movement? Surely that can grab your attention, even in these weeks of big stories from Switzerland. At a time when just as many gravitate towards the well known, we have the ones that turn towards another path, a path less crowded, where you will find small manufacturers like Minase. In the Akita province of northern Japan, Minase, more atelier than maison, produce around 500 watches a year – of which the Divido, unusually, is the only round watch, rising to fame a while back on the wrist of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G7 summit, in the very same purple-blue we are looking at today. The brand has only existed since 2005, with a strong following in Japan, under the ownership of Kyowa Co, a specialist tool maker that had expanded into precision watch parts. With its perfect size of 40.5mm and a strong angular case design, there is a wealth of details few other small manufacturers dare enter into production – and in these intricate details the Divido truly shines. A case architecture and finishing that also shines in the physical…
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A round watch case like few others, sharp angles, quirky Japanese design and a Swiss movement? Surely that can grab your attention, even in these weeks of big stories from Switzerland. At a time when just as many gravitate towards the well known, we have the ones that turn towards another path, a path less crowded, where you will find small manufacturers like Minase. In the Akita province of northern Japan, Minase, more atelier than maison, produce around 500 watches a year – of which the Divido, unusually, is the only round watch, rising to fame a while back on the wrist of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G7 summit, in the very same purple-blue we are looking at today. The brand has only existed since 2005, with a strong following in Japan, under the ownership of Kyowa Co, a specialist tool maker that had expanded into precision watch parts. With its perfect size of 40.5mm and a strong angular case design, there is a wealth of details few other small manufacturers dare enter into production – and in these intricate details the Divido truly shines. A case architecture and finishing that also shines in the physical…
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Alpina flies back in time to capture the looks of yesteryear pilot watches with its latest Startimer Pilot Heritage. Limited to 1,883 pieces, the watch replicates the large diameter of Alpina’s early pilot watches complete with a hunter caseback. Like all Alpina’s watches, the price/quality ratio is hard to beat. Let’s have a closer look […]
Editor’s pick: The Grand Seiko SBGR319 limited edition for the Asian market presents a new take on the brand’s world-renowned snow-driven aesthetics. Almost a year ago, Felix did a video review of this incarnation of a winter-themed dial (along with a fetching red horizontally striped variant, the SBGH269) that presented a fresh new layer of snow to the brand’s Heritage Collection. Here, we dive a little deeper into the SBGR319, which remains an exceedingly tempting snow-themed option that is not THE snow-themed option that has become a legend, the Snowflake. The case The case is a millimetre or two larger than the usual suspects of the collection, at a compact 42mm. Unlike the SBGA211, the Grand Seiko SBGR319 is not as light as a snowflake. Instead, it opts for a more wrist-present stainless steel that provides a greater sense of heft on the wrist. It does, however, share the same case format as the SBGA211, with a distortion-free mirror polish performed on the bezel, case sides and tapered facets of the lugs. The rest is beautifully satin-brushed – though ever cognisant of less obvious details, the section we do not really see where the bracelet meets flush to the case is also mirror-polished and…
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Low stakes fun.
Monochrome is all about watches, of course. The vast majority of what we cover are mechanical wristwatches, although every now and then we’ll highlight something intriguing like the quartz Citizen Calibre 0100 with an accuracy of +/- 1 second per year. In the same vein, we also dip our toes into the world of mechanical […]
I am utterly perplexed by the Maurice Lacroix Pontos Chronograph Monopusher. This is a watch, released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pontos range, that encompasses some of my favourite features across the ages of horology, amalgamated into one. Stealthy black, chunky yet not too large, both contemporary and vintage, with a chronograph dégradé dial. Oh, and why not throw in an in-house chronograph movement and a monopusher for the hell of it. Ordering one sandwich with all your sweet and savoury favourites would end in disaster, yet the Pontos seems to pull it off. I’m hungry for it. With a well-shaped and compact 41mm case, the dark wrist presence is one of exclusivity. This limited edition Pontos Chronograph has imaginative detailing and a design language that somehow manages to be harmonious, with a timeless quality and a feeling of stealth. Hats off to the design department at Maurice Lacroix for pulling off this feat, which starts with a luxurious dégradé face peppered with details. The dial If the year was 1942, and this was inside a 36mm gold case with a silver dial, we would be looking at a classic monopoussoir, whereas this black PVD version would be sketched…
The post HANDS-ON: The Maurice Lacroix Pontos Chronograph Monopusher is like a sandwich with every filling possible, and I’m hungry appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
We all know only too well how a Rolex Oyster or Jubilee bracelet embraces the wrist unlike any other assembly of steel parts available. It’s a watch bracelet with the feel of silk. Lesser common an experience is the sampling of an Oysterflex bracelet, Rolex’s version of a rubber strap. At the time it was released, the brand stridently avoided that description, by the way. We must mention neither the war, nor rubber. Back then, it seemed like typical watch industry doublespeak – where every commoner material is granted a loftier title. That is, until it was in the hand; Rolex was perfectly right . Through typical – and utterly masterful – over-engineering, the brand succeeded in elevating the whole concept of rubber strap to another level. Since then, it’s become a ‘Flex by name, and a flex by nature – this is every current Rolex Oysterflex reference, in one handy place. The beginning of the Oysterflex story With its debut in 2015 on the 40mm and 37mm Yacht-Master, it made Rolex fun, dare we say it, even ‘urban’ and thereby captured a younger audience in the process. This was at the very dawn of ‘Athleisure’, and the tracksuited, Yeezy…
The post The Oysterflex Bible – every Rolex Oysterflex reference, named and rated appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Editor’s note: To celebrate Time+Tide opening an office in the UK, we thought we’d revisit a story about British watchmaking that selected eight notable models from Britain’s best. The best part about this story, however, is all the brands that were left out. Tears for Fears, to name just one example! British watchmaking has gained further momentum since we first published this, meaning, you guessed it, there will be an update very soon. There’s a revolution afoot! And it’s taking place on British shores. While the world – admittedly, us included – tends to focus a lot more on watchmaking of the continental kind, the wonderful world of modern watches mightn’t be where it is today without the innovations and inventions brought to us by the British watchmaking industry. In 1755, Thomas Mudge invented the lever escapement; John Harwood introduced automatic winding in 1924, and let’s not forget George Daniels’ invention and 1980 patent of the ingenious co-axial escapement. Well, British watchmaking is back. Thanks largely to bespoke manufacturers, tea-loving microbrands, and the re-emergence of some of the great British brands of days gone by. We’ve put together a list of eight of the best offerings from the land of…
The post LIST: 8 of Britain’s best watches, from 600 quid, to a quarter of a million. Keep calm and click on… appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.