Introducing – Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art The Legend Of The Chinese Zodiac – Year Of The Pig
In Chinese astrology, each year is related to a Chinese zodiac animal according to the 12-year cycle. February 5th, 2019 marks the beginning of the year of the pig and in preparation, Vacheron Constantin is unveiling its latest addition to its Métiers d’Art The Legend Of The Chinese Zodiac series – Year Of The Pig. Available in either a Platinum or 18K 5N pink gold case, each version will be offered in a limited series of just 12 pieces. Read on for more details.
There are few things we like more than a limited edition Seiko, and one of those things is a limited edition Seiko that has been made specifically for the Australian market. Which is lucky, because that’s exactly what the Seiko Prospex SNE520P is — an 800-piece series made just for the land down under. And really, the choice of watch makes perfect sense — after all, a solar-powered diver is just the sort of watch you want for a country renowned for its high ratio of both sun and surf. On top of that, there’s the green and gold colour scheme, which has been realised in a pretty classy manner. There’s quite a bit of gold detailing, on the bezel, dial and crown. But the green is a little more low-key, only showing up on the first 20 minutes of the dive bezel. As far as Australian-themed watches go, it’s subtle, which is, in my opinion, a pretty good thing. Now, there are 800 of these watches, available across Australia, but one of them — number one, to be precise — is currently in our possession. But not for long. You may or may not be aware that parts of…
Last year, Rado had a breakthrough, heritage-inspired hit with their Captain Cook, a slightly quirky 37mm diver. This year they’ve doubled down on the Captain, with the Mark II, a curvy, funky ’60s-inspired diver. The heritage look is really strong, from the super-polished cushion case, through to the super high crystal and the era-appropriate dial details, like the broad hour markers and internal bezel. Though I think what I like most about this Rado is, funnily enough, the bracelet. So often the bracelet is an afterthought, tacked on at the end. But Rado have clearly thought this one through. It’s a solid-feeling ‘beads-of-rice’ style bracelet, on a single fold clasp with a lovely vintage look. It looks the part and wears well on the wrist. The other major surprise about this watch was just how well it wore for a 37mm piece. I’ve got a fairly large wrist and 37mm is a size I typically wouldn’t go for, but in this case it works. So I’d say, if you like the look but aren’t sure about the case width, I’d strongly suggest trying it on for size. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Rado Heritage Captain Cook Tradition Mark II…
October was a fun month for watch-spotting, with no discernible theme, other than perhaps gold? Even then, we kept things real — here’s a look at some of the more random pieces that crossed my camera throughout the month … Kicking off October, I caught up with local pilot Dale (who goes by @MrAceKProductions on Instagram), who you might recognise from a recent interview we did. Well, Dale had recently acquired a pretty unusual piece, something I’d never seen before — a Breitling Chronospace, which he was appropriately wearing on a grey NATO. Like a lot of pilots, Dale has strong ties to Breitling, and puts a high value on the reliability of his timepiece. Dale landed on the Chronospace as he sought a robust and reliable watch to wear in the air, highlighting the constraints of a cockpit, and the endless corners to beat a watch on. Later in the month, I found myself attending an event hosted by Bulgari, to celebrate the Italian Film Festival. Naturally, I expected to see a few pieces around, but the piece that caught my eye was on the wrist of Alexandra King, Bulgari’s Marketing and Communications Manager who was sporting a Serpenti Tubogas. The…
During the week, we were privileged to host the official Seiko Australia launch of the Grand Seiko GMT Quartz Calibre at a Melbourne restaurant called Kuro Kisumé. We’ve had some good old times over the years, but this was really up there. Minds were blown by the food – believe the hype – wrists were tempted by the watches, and new friends were made, from all walks of life. From firefighters to plastic surgeons to an elite bodyguard, to ‘Mr Grand Seiko’ (handle: @mrgrandseiko — too legit), we had the right people in the room. The atmosphere of the evening, my tablemate John commented, was “like we were in a private home” – an ambience complemented by the genial presence of Seiko Australia Managing Director Toru Koizumi, who spent much of the evening in deep conversation with some of the most fanatical Seiko fans in the country. There were four watches in particular that received the most attention, and four quotes that summed up the night’s proceedings. “TIME+TIDE WILL HAVE EXCLUSIVITY ON THE FIRST ALLOCATION OF THE LIMITED EDITION PRESAGE ‘FUYUGESHIKI’ COCKTAIL TIME MODELS …” The announcement by Mr Koizumi that we would be selling the first allocation of the Presage…