Things used to be better in the good old days? Well, not necessarily. Watchmaking has always relied on technology and it has evolved together with the machinery, tools and techniques that make watch production possible, simply to keep in tune with the times. For this reason, we’re bringing you “behind the scenes”, at Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, to see how watch parts are made.
Regular readers will be unsurprised to learn that we’re card-carrying fans of Moser’s Pioneer line here in the T+T office. Not only does it offer a dressed-down, somewhat less aristocratic option to the Moser family, but it also adds the joy of a steel case. Because while gold is very nice indeed, sometimes you’re happy to ditch the heft and shine in favour of something a little more hard wearing. Now, though, we’re in something of a quandary – blue or green? It was a simpler time when there was but one Pioneer Centre Seconds, with its luscious blue dial. But, with the addition of this Cosmic Green dial, we’re spoiled for choice. The green is somewhat more outré than the blue, and wouldn’t look out of place in the Emerald City. It’s certainly not a watch you’ll miss on the wrist – the large case size, incredible fumé finish and the vibrancy of the green ensure that. The original Pioneer is the slightly more conservative older brother to the funkier, fresher Cosmic Green. So really, at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and mood. In the time I’ve been writing this, I’ve been trying…
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Today we’re breaking out a true classic.
Now that summer is firmly installed in most regions of the world (Northern Hemisphere at least), you might have the temptation to opt for a dive watch of a colourful sports watch. Sure, these watches will be perfectly suitable on the beach, but what if you want to keep things elegant – or what if you’re about to spend your summer behind the desk, working while your ungrateful colleagues enjoy their vacations. For this reason, here are 8 of the coolest sports elegant watches recently introduced. Robust but still discreet, as good for a “weekend-jump-in-the-pool” as for a “boring-Monday-morning-meeting”.
A few years ago we were prepared to write off the use of bronze in watchmaking as something of a fad, limited to a few cult models. Well. We were wrong. The ancient alloy has boomed in popularity, thanks to its warm tones and, more importantly, the fact that it develops a unique patina over time. And while bronze cases look set to stick around, so far it’s a case material that’s found overwhelmingly in the heritage reissue aisle of the watch supermarket — which makes sense as it’s all about the old world charm. But, really, I think that’s a bit of a short-sighted choice. And it looks like someone at Rado agrees, as the HyperChrome Bronze offers a new path forward for the metal. It’s been selectively integrated into the sides of the case, while the bulk of the watch remains touch, and distinctly non-patina prone ceramic. It might be a meeting of new and old materials, but the thinking behind it is decidedly now.
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Dan Tanenbaum is a father, husband, technology entrepreneur and artist. Dan works in the sports gambling industry and created a technology to facilitate stadium lotteries. Hi Dan, what’s your daily watch and why? I wouldn’t consider any of my watches a “daily” as all of them get wrist time. Currently, I’m wearing my white dialled Heuer Montreal, which I recently put on a period-correct white racing Heuer strap and I love the new look. What else is in your collection? Have you got a favourite? I have no ego in my collection and purchase whatever watch I find unique. I have a wide spectrum from Urwerk to Seiko. As far as a favourite, it’s probably my Rolex 6538, which has a pretty amazing story. Tell me about your 6538. Glad you asked … take a seat. When my wife was pregnant with twins I was convinced she was having two girls; I didn’t even have boys’ names picked. But when she gave birth to my two boys I told her I was going to mark the occasion and get each of them one of the most iconic watches of all time, in my eyes. So I jumped on all the forums and told…
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The week’s can’t-miss stories from around the web.
Ryan Gosling and a stellar cast, including Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights fame) and the Queen herself (Claire Foy), have the afterburners lit for a movie about the Moon that is set to rival Apollo 13 as a major motion picture event. It’s called First Man, and is billed as a Neil Armstrong biopic. The trailer looks crazy. I’ve watched it repeatedly today, and still find myself goosebumping at the last 15 seconds. This comes in a week when I was incredibly honoured to actually hold the last watch that walked on the Moon, belonging to Eugene Cernan. More about that shortly in a video hot from the Omega Museum. Suffice to say, the closer you get to the story, the more power it has. This one will never go away. While the story already has several tellings, the visceral direction by Damien Chazelle, who made jazz a bloodsport in Whiplash and made himself the toast of Hollywood with La La Land, already sets this version apart – it seems we will actually feel, like never before, the sheer impact and physical trauma the astronauts went through to take their giant leap. Throughout the trailer there are glimpses of watches,…
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For years Grand Seiko was a very underground, for-those-in-the-know type brand; its visibility outside of Japan was limited, and its passionate supporters revelled in the arcana of cryptic reference numbers, nicknames and shorthand galore. All that changed a few years ago when Grand Seiko went global, but there’s still an air of mystique around the Japanese brand. So, to help clear a few things up, I decided to run through a short explainer, providing a flying overview of some of the key details, covering off the basics around movements, cases and dials. So, if you don’t know your Snowflakes from your Spring Drives, aren’t too sure if you’re team 9S or 9F, or have ever wondered just what Zaratsu actually is, this video is for you. We can’t explain it all in just a few minutes, but if it clears a few things up or serves as the first step down the Grand Seiko rabbit hole, we’ll claim it as a win.
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Next month the citizens will have to decide.