Introducing – HYT H0 x Eau Rouge
The base concept of HYT Watches has always been around fluids. In fact, this fluid gives life to the watch and animates its functions, here the indication of the time. In this perspective, the HYT H0 (and the rest of the collection) are not that far from humans… This is why the brand’s latest creation, the HYT H0 x Eau Rouge, the colour red alludes to the very essence of life, the fluid that makes us alive: blood. Besides this, we also have new watches that looks superbly bold.
Seiko have taken their affinity with the ocean to deeper depths, announcing new brand ambassador Fabien Cousteau at Baselworld 2018. The grandson of famed underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Fabien has dedicated his life to exploring and conserving the world’s oceans, and is founder of the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Centre. As part of this new partnership, Seiko have introduced a series of Prospex ‘Save the Ocean’ special editions, with a portion of all proceeds donated to the Ocean Learning Centre. First up is my personal favourite, the Turtle. Vital statistics Essentially, it’s the same Turtle that we all know and love. A cushion-shaped 45mm wide and 13.42mm thick stainless-steel case that’s water resistant to 200m with the ever-reliable Seiko 4R36 movement inside – with manual winding, stop second function, and a 41-hour power reserve. What has changed, though, is a new bi-colour bezel in two shades of blue, and a wave-like dial that’s inspired by the blue whale and graduates from a vibrant shimmering blue at the top to an abyss-like pitch-black at the bottom. There’s also the addition of a black-coated crown. On the wrist I’m a fan of the iconic Turtle style case – so much so that…
Last year, Breguet gave us a first taste of their new design for the Marine collection. However, the new look didn’t get the massive attention you might expect for an update of a pillar collection. Not because it wasn’t noteworthy but because the new look was revealed in the form of the Marine Équation Marchante 5887 – and when you get a complication as mouth-watering as that, the aesthetics tend to play second fiddle. In contrast, the new Marine 5517, released at Baselworld 2018, places the emphasis firmly on the design. Vital Statistics Set in a 40mm case, the movement is Breguet’s self-winding in-house calibre 777A with a power reserve of 55 hours, a silicon balance spring and skeletonised winding rotor. As well as this white gold-blue dial version, the Breguet Marine 5517 comes in red gold with a silvery white dial, and in titanium – the latter with a sun-brushed dial, rather than the guilloché wave pattern of the gold models. The dial of each watch is individually numbered, below the Breguet logo. The hour chapter is marked out by applied Roman numerals, with luminescent dots for the minutes and a date window at 3 o’clock. There’s also lume…
When it comes to GMTs, you’d be hard pressed to find one as user friendly and as easily operable as the Hublot Unico GMT. As part of our mini-series, exploring some unique Hublot takes on complications, we asked the Head of the High Complication department Emmanuel Missillier how it works? The answer involves some intricate wiring, replacing one chronograph module with a GMT plate and a day / night indicator that makes this one of the most legible and simple-to-read examples of the complication on the market.
Last night, the provocatively titled Russell Crowe: The Art of Divorce auction took place in Sydney, an event which was, essentially, a rather high-brow garage sale. Unsurprisingly, it was the lots relating to his Oscar-winning role in Gladiator that saw the strong returns, a breastplate netting $152,500, an aluminium sword $85,400, and a a chariot $79,300 (all including buyer’s premium). The 19th century Leandro Bisiach violin played in Master and Commander, the lot with the highest estimate ($110,000 – $140,000) also performed well, coming in at $164,700 including premium. His art collection, including big-ticket Australian artist like Norman Lindsay, Brett Whiteley, Arthur Boyd and Charles Blackman, also performed well. But how about the watches? Broadly speaking, the watch lots, which came right at the end of the auction, performed solidly, exceeding high estimates. The lower priced lots performed well, perhaps because bidders saw these lots as an attainable way to get a piece of memorabilia. In particular, Lots 204, a smaller, stainless steel Tiffany & Co quartz watch, exceeded its $1200 high estimate, realising $4636, and a pretty, but unremarkable 34mm Longines hit $6710, far more than its $1000 high estimate. The Master and Commander Yacht-Master did well, realising $24,400,…