Watch Dandy

The ‘My Plans’ memes are right. 2020 has been annus horribilis. It’s ruined just about every party on the planet. Oris knows this, and they’ve got a plan. It involves what is claimed to be Switzerland’s first all bronze watch. Yes, including the bracelet. And, oh, to turn up the smiles, there’s a bear on the caseback, too. If this year needed to get more bizarre, more bronze, more bear-able (boom boom), I think we have mission accomplished. As Oris themselves explain, “No one needs a wristwatch, some argue. But even given the myriad alternative ways of telling the time, that’s only true to a point. A mechanical watch is also a thing of beauty, which as the great poet John Keats wrote, ‘is a joy forever’.” “In these challenging times created by the Coronavirus crisis, we need that joy. A celebration of mechanical watchmaking isn’t a first priority, but it is a welcome distraction, a high point when the world is laid low.” “The Oris Hölstein Edition 2020 is cast in solid bronze, including the bracelet (a first in Swiss watchmaking), an industrial material with intriguing characteristics that we hope will charm everyone who comes into contact with it.…

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For many in the watchmaking world, the word homage is as dirty as the word quartz. Despite this, I would hazard a guess that most who feel a strong negative association with those words wouldn’t have particularly clear or compelling arguments as to why, simply that they once read it was bad and now it is. While I’ve made a case for quartz here, here and here, one of the most compelling cases for the homage watch is Bill Yao, founder of the focus of this week’s Micro Mondays – Mk II watches. According to Mk II, they are dedicated to making watches the hard way, something that seems plausible the more you hear about the brand. It was started in 2002 when Yao was working in finance and became interested in watchmaking, specifically the world of watch modification or “modding”. This quickly grew into a fully fledged operation that almost came to a grinding halt during the GFC, but managed to keep the lights on and eventually deliver the watch that first put Mk II on the map – the Kingston. It was a finely made dive watch inspired by the Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538, the watch that many say…

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Revolution and The Rake magazines have rallied together to put on a charity auction to support those impacted by Covid-19. Called the ‘Revolution x The Rake Covid-19 Solidarity Auction’, this online event is now live and there are plenty of interesting and noteworthy watches to bid on. The auction will feature several one-off piece-unique timepieces, as well as prototypes that have never before been seen. Speaking about the initiative, Revolution and The Rake founder, Wei Koh, said, “Those of us who are lucky enough to live in a first world country are starting to see [Covid-19] restrictions lifted and our economies coming back online. But we are just starting to see the effects of the pandemic in countries that are less fortunate, that did not have the same level of medical support and infrastructure that we have. So, we wanted to raise funds for these countries that are most urgently affected. “I also wanted to point out that hosting a charity auction to raise money for a cause is not an original idea. Luc Pettavino has been hosting Only Watch for many years to benefit research into Muscular Dystrophy. And early this year a great example was set by Andrew McUtchen…

The post 5 interesting watches you can bid on right now from the Revolution x The Rake Covid-19 Solidarity Auction, inc. one worn on screen by Ryan Reynolds appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.