RECOMMENDED READING: Trust in the Tool Watch
As you might have noticed (here, here and here), I’m quite interested in bulletproof watches being used in situations with bullets (figuratively). I enjoy, as much as the next guy, reading about the (somewhat theoretical) limits of well-made watches, if it be temperature, altitude or water pressure. But what I love even more is reading true stories of watches in dangerous situations and seeing how they perform. I also suspect that I am not alone in being a passionate consumer of horological testimonials that fall outside of a marketing budget, with there being an evident growth in interest in watches with military provenance. I recently came across this piece in the Financial Times, discussing tool watches being used for their intended purpose — as tools. Despite modern GPS technology claiming more wrist real estate than half a century ago, in 2019 many adventurers are choosing to wear a more traditional tool watch. Unsurprisingly, watches like the Breitling Emergency are seriously functional watches in remote parts of planet earth, responsible for saving the lives of dozens of people over the years. It’s a nice reminder that while #deskdiver watches are crucial tools for navigating the wilds of terra corporata boardroomus (trans. corporate…
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TAG Heuer’s Monaco at 50 celebration rolls on — we’ve already seen editions one and two — and the third, formally known as the TAG Heuer Monaco 1989-1999 Limited Edition, has just been announced in New York City. The basis for this watch is the Calibre 11-powered Monaco (obvs), in its distinctive (and large wearing) 39mm case, with offside crown. And while previous versions have been decidedly colourful in green and red, this edition is more monochrome in flavour. The dial is realised in stunning silver. Or, to be more technical, a grey-grained rhodium-plated dial that’s been given a sandblasted finish. The applied horizontal indices shine out against this matt background, and the red and blue printed details add just the right amount of pop. These colours are echoed in the blue perforated strap with its contrasting red stitching. This limited edition watch (limited to 169 pieces, so proper limited) comes in a fancy 1990s-inspired dark blue box, with a horizontal check-pattern stripe. And while the green and the red versions were hot, I really like this one for its understated charm, and I can’t wait to see what the next two versions looks like. TAG Heuer Monaco 1989-1999 Limited Edition…
Editor’s note: We remember back when times were simpler. Back before there were half-decade waitlists, before secondhand watches were doubling retail prices, and before everything Tudor made was in-house. It was back in 2014 when Tudor first showed us the versatility of the Black Bay range, and the brand deeply impressed the watch community when they released the Black Bay Blue. This was also the year when Time+Tide started, and Felix’s review of this new Black Bay Blue was one of the most popular stories on the site for a long time. So we thought we’d look back at this simple sports watch to see how it’s aged over the last half-decade, and reflect on just how much the industry has changed in that time. Introducing the Tudor Black Bay Blue As a brand, Tudor is a lot like Rocky, in that Rolex’s little brother is a plucky fighter come good again. UNLIKE Rocky, Tudor’s releases just get better and better with each passing year. Baselworld 2014 sees two big crowd-pleasing releases from Tudor, and a new range that is understated in the extreme, though still enticing. We’ll talk more about the Ranger and the Style later, but for now let’s focus…
