Hunter S. Thompson: The unlikely Rolex Man
“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” Hunter S. Thompson was good like that. Always generous when it came to doling out whacked-out life advice. In his writing, he offered heartfelt tips on many things, from hotel liaisons (“Don’t have sex in the lobby – it’s usually awkward”) to optimised forms of hedonism (“Have an objective to give your bender a theme. For instance, stalking and killing a wild pig with a bowie knife”). This type of off-kilter wisdom reflects Thompson’s libertarian values and drug-addled life. Until these hard-living ways dulled his creative fire, he channelled this material into Gonzo journalism – an energetic form of subjective reporting that involved the writer becoming a central participant in the story. Yet what truly supercharged Thompson’s writing was his electric style, a form of hyperbolic invective that influenced countless young journalists all over the planet. On the back of his Fear And Loathing books in particular, Thompson became a countercultural hero, right up until his suicide in 2005. But given the unorthodox nature of his daily existence – the firearms, the pranks involving frozen elk hearts, the oceans of Chivas Regal –…
The post Hunter S. Thompson: The unlikely Rolex Man appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Homage watches within the enthusiast community can be quite a contentious topic at times. Are they rip-offs? Cash cows? Sell-outs? Unoriginal? The reality is opinions can vary, but the true metric or equaliser of any watch to an extent is how they perform on the grey or second-hand market. While the objective of most homage watches is to supply a mass-produced low-cost alternative to widely renowned designs, the Gevril Tribeca has established itself as the textbook example of how to release an homage watch. The watch is so desirable that it now sells at practically three times or more its final retail price of $2900. The last watches sold at retail were in 2018 when Revolution sourced 67 NOS watches that had yet to be assembled from Gevril. A year later, at Christie’s (in an online auction in partnership with The Keystone), one was sold without box and papers for $9375! So, what makes this watch the king of homage? Let’s explore the curious case of the Gevril Tribeca… I know what you are thinking: Zach, it’s a Paul Newman Daytona homage … of course it’s desirable. Upon closer examination, however, this is not the full story. As an example,…
Editor’s note: To stay at the top of your game for decades takes more than luck. More than skill. More than talent. It takes perseverance, and it takes an ultimate commitment to your craft. When Russell Crowe sat down with GQ a couple of weeks ago to deconstruct his most popular characters, it reminded us of the time he met with us to talk watches. Within a couple of lines, he’s in absolutely top form: “If you get the responsibility to tell someone’s story, and if it’s true, you’ve gotta bust your balls for it.” The occasion of our meeting was not exactly a joyous one. His impending divorce meant dividing up his estate, and a veritable sack of watches was on the chopping block. But Russell relished the opportunity. He spoke about each watch with incredible charisma. His mellifluous baritone flitted from stories about his movies, to random airport purchases, to even more mundane details. And yet, throughout, you find yourself gripped. Hanging on every word. We want to share this great memory with you in as much detail as possible. So please find on this post, the backstory, the video and the sales results for all his watches. The GQ video, which is equally amazing,…
If a watch has become synonymous with the One Watch Collection, a quintessential vintage diver, or the perfect Sub reissue Rolex never released, it’s the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight. In fact, care of the recent navy blue update, it’s currently as viral as the AD waiting lists are long. Personally, I love vintage tool watches, and especially the quiet bling that a warm touch of gold brings to the party. But can we find alternatives in the same perfect 38-40mm size from another big box brand? Yes, we can — from Seiko, well known for their brilliant vintage reissues, but also for being large. Ergonomically superb they may be, but with the different tastes of the Asian and US markets (in HK the BB58 is being marketed as a ladies’ watch), still predominantly large chunks of 42-44mm steel. This changed with the recent release of the 40.5mm SPB143-147 and SPB149 Vintage Diver Re-creation trio. Still on the chubby side height-wise, but at a third of the price of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, is the SPB147J the gilt champ? The fighters enter the arena … A duel of cases The comfort prize is won by the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, by simple…
