Watch Dandy

One of the surprise highlights from the recent Swatch-stravaganza that was Time to Move was Blancpain’s Air Command – a really neat reissue of an historic pilot’s chronograph. It’s fair to say that prior to this release, knowledge of the Air Command was limited to hardcore Blancpain fans and seasoned professionals. Well, the timing couldn’t have been better for the Phillips & Blackbird Sports auction, held in Hong Kong recently. As Lot 814 was an exceptionally rare original version. This 1960s chronograph was in impressive condition — with an evenly aged dial and a very crisp looking 42mm steel case. The watch had an estimate of $390,000 – 780,000 HKD (or roughly $72,000 — $144,000 AUD). And clearly the star of the Air Command is on the rise, as this example hammered in well above estimate at $1,125,000 HKD — or around $208,000 AUD. If one of these rare birds is out of reach (understandable), there’s still a chance at the new release, though I expect that even that piece, which is limited to 500 pieces, will be hot property as well.

The post This old Blancpain Air Command commands an impressive price at auction appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: Some of my favourite stories on Time+Tide are the series we wrote on the design of A. Lange & Söhne’s watches. This first instalment, written by Sandra Lane, explores the German brand’s overall design methodology and approach. Well worth another read.  “Money likes silence.” Several years ago, a Russian collector by the name of Nikolai (he prefers not to publish his surname) was telling me why he’s so keen on A. Lange & Söhne, and I was struck by that part of his reply. While he meant it to sum up the ‘stealth’ appeal of Lange’s designs (discreet elegance; the antithesis of vulgarity), it also begged the question: what does make Lange so distinctive? A. Lange & Söhne is not what we think of as a “design brand” (the term suggests something altogether more conspicuous or self-consciously groovy) and yet its design language is not only unmistakable but also an intrinsic part of its being. We live in the Age of Noise: advertising noise, entertainment noise, social media noise – all adding to the general cacophony of daily living. So, given that a Lange watch announces its specialness with a whisper, not a shout, how does it make…

The post The detailed design of A. Lange & Söhne appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: Some of my favourite stories on Time+Tide are the series we wrote on the design of A. Lange & Söhne’s watches. This first instalment, written by Sandra Lane, explores the German brand’s overall design methodology and approach. Well worth another read.  “Money likes silence.” Several years ago, a Russian collector by the name of Nikolai (he prefers not to publish his surname) was telling me why he’s so keen on A. Lange & Söhne, and I was struck by that part of his reply. While he meant it to sum up the ‘stealth’ appeal of Lange’s designs (discreet elegance; the antithesis of vulgarity), it also begged the question: what does make Lange so distinctive? A. Lange & Söhne is not what we think of as a “design brand” (the term suggests something altogether more conspicuous or self-consciously groovy) and yet its design language is not only unmistakable but also an intrinsic part of its being. We live in the Age of Noise: advertising noise, entertainment noise, social media noise – all adding to the general cacophony of daily living. So, given that a Lange watch announces its specialness with a whisper, not a shout, how does it make…

The post The detailed design of A. Lange & Söhne appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: It’s not too often you see something genuinely ‘new’ in the watch space — with all the ‘novelties’ on offer. The Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting, however, is new. The tech inside is user-friendly, smart, and makes for a better watch. And that’s something we can get behind.  A few weeks ago I travelled to Rome to check out the Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting, a GMT unlike any other. And in between the first-look video, horse racing and spectacular rooftop launches, we thought we’d do some sightseeing around Rome and put the V.H.P. GMT through its paces as a travel watch. Now, of all the ‘genres’ of watches, the travel watch is one of the most subjective. There’s no handy ISO standard to hold it against, nor is there a clearly established design tradition. There’s only subjective taste. With that little caveat out of the way, I’d be quite comfortable putting my money where my mouth is and saying that this Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting is a near-perfect travel watch for the 21st century. Why? Well, first of all, it looks good. It’s stylistically versatile — important if you’re on the road with…

The post On the road with Longines’ smart traveller, the V.H.P. GMT appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: It’s not too often you see something genuinely ‘new’ in the watch space — with all the ‘novelties’ on offer. The Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting, however, is new. The tech inside is user-friendly, smart, and makes for a better watch. And that’s something we can get behind.  A few weeks ago I travelled to Rome to check out the Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting, a GMT unlike any other. And in between the first-look video, horse racing and spectacular rooftop launches, we thought we’d do some sightseeing around Rome and put the V.H.P. GMT through its paces as a travel watch. Now, of all the ‘genres’ of watches, the travel watch is one of the most subjective. There’s no handy ISO standard to hold it against, nor is there a clearly established design tradition. There’s only subjective taste. With that little caveat out of the way, I’d be quite comfortable putting my money where my mouth is and saying that this Longines Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting is a near-perfect travel watch for the 21st century. Why? Well, first of all, it looks good. It’s stylistically versatile — important if you’re on the road with…

The post On the road with Longines’ smart traveller, the V.H.P. GMT appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.