EDITOR'S PICK: Why it's hard to buy an Omega Speedmaster
Editor’s note: If you’ve been baited by the headline, prepare to have your jets cooled, because when this one popped up for me a second time, I also angry-clicked it, all ready to disagree with the author’s contention. Bruce Duguay nails this story. And by the end, you’ll have to agree, it is a fair contention indeed. I have been trying to buy an Omega Speedmaster for a couple of years now. I have to admit I’m finding it nearly impossible to purchase one. Yes, I know they are readily available. That isn’t the problem. In fact, one of the problems is that the Speedmaster universe is infinite and daunting. First, let’s gather some context to quantify that opening statement. Currently listed on the Omega website are nine different categories, three or four different case sizes and an exponential array of material and bracelet/strap choices. If you’re handy with a spring bar tool, the permutations could run into the millions, and that’s just the brand-new ones. Then you have to consider the second-hand market. There have been many Speedys over 60 years of production and they range from bargain basement deals to pricey and sought-after limited editions. You want…
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Editor’s note: In the latest episode of Watch & Chill, we happen on the subject of Royal Oak Concept models for women, and after again seeing the footage of this extraordinary stepped dial sparkle machine, we had to give it its own post, and exploration. Ask the average person what the purpose of a watch is, and they’ll say: ‘to tell the time’. Well, in the upper echelon of luxury watchmaking, this hasn’t been true for a very long time. Just as owners of supercars rarely reach their top speeds, the purpose of making a watch with absurd accuracy and attention to detail is the pursuit of perfection for perfection’s sake. There aren’t many better examples of this than the tourbillon complication, a work of intricate innovation that has been honed for more than 200 years, despite being technically unnecessary for the last century. So, if you take one of these useless features and put it into a watch with no dial markings, what do you end up with? The answer is one of the most visually striking fashion statements to be released in 2020 so far — the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Frosted Gold Flying Tourbillon. The Royal…
Editor’s note: We knew the reception would be good, for lots of reasons noted below. We suspected the reception might be great, as the watch has direct lineage to Seiko’s first-ever dive watch, the 62MAS. But, honestly, we didn’t expect the sheer level of excitement that it generated. So, we’ve reprised the video post to give you another look at what is certain to be a watch populating many best-of-2020 lists in a month or two. We’ve become accustomed to the sight of a vintage reissue in the watch world. Some are good, some are just plain opportunistic and unimaginative, and some miss the mark completely. And the reason many miss the mark is an awkward straddling of the fence between the past and the present. The question boils down to the level of historical accuracy that is being attempted, and whether or not the watch pulls it off. The Seiko SPB149J is a modern reissue of the 62MAS, which was Seiko’s first ever dive watch and it opts to proffer a modern interpretation of the OG, rather than a slavish 1:1 reproduction. This is a modern Seiko dive watch that employs some design cues from the original. The case…
Editor’s note: Occasionally, we’ll throw to members of the team to explain themselves when it comes to their endless watch purchases. And on that note, if you wish to work in this team, you must be endlessly purchasing watches of some kind or another. Zach mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he was one of the fortunate buyers of the handsome bronze Hanhart that’s been dominating feeds lately. Also note that stories like these require the writer to take their own pics. The whole angle is subjective and firsthand. So, over to you Zach … Why? How? All of that. In a very luxury-driven industry, it can be hard at times to find rare watches that are more affordable. Revolution magazine, in collaboration with Hanhart, have proven that a killer watch can be offered at a killer value with the new Hanhart x The Rake & Revolution Limited Edition Bronze 417 Chronograph. The story goes that The Rake x Revolution founder Wei Koh met Hanhart’s co-managing director Felix Wallner at the 2017 Basel Fair, and mentioned he would love to have “Steve McQueen’s other watch”. While Felix Wallner noted that he had gotten this request hundreds of times,…
