Recap – The Entire “Speedmaster Chronicles” Series and a Comprehensive Speedmaster Timeline
Recently, we had the pleasure to publish what has been one of our most demanding projects of the year, “The Speedmaster Chronicles”. We wanted to celebrate an icon of the watchmaking world, a watch that is known by most of us, a watch that carries an immense history, a watch that made it to the moon and, overall, a dream machine. You name it: the Omega Speedmaster. 5 movies, 5 guests, 5 points of views, all with a personal look at the Speedy. Today, we wanted to recap this series of videos in one single article, and also to bring a comprehensive and user-friendly Speedmaster Timeline, looking back at the main models and the evolution of this watch from 1957 to today.
One of the highlights for me this year has been the increasing number of regular contributors writing on Time+Tide. Whereas a few years ago T+T was essentially the Andrew and Felix show, the last 12 months has seen new voices and fresh perspectives join the mix. I couldn’t be happier. This is also reflected in the increasing diversity of our stories. News and reviews are still at the core of what we do, but as you can see it’s not the be-all and end-all. Here are five stories I’m particularly proud of from this year. VIDEO: Which TAG Heuer Monaco is right for you? The Calibre 11 (CAW211P) vs the Calibre 12 (CAW2111) This year we jumped into videos in a big way, reviewing watches left, right and centre. But it’s hard to top Andrew’s comparative review of TAG Heuer’s iconic Monaco, in Monaco. On a yacht. HOW TO: Let your significant other know you’re buying a watch – 8 strategies for success Oh this one hit a little too close to the bone. Andy’s slighty-tongue-in-cheek-but-not-really guide for ensuring your significant other is onside when you spend frankly extravagant amounts of money on something you don’t need will make you laugh,…
I have good news for the Time+Tide team. You all kept me properly entertained, informed and amused this year. You can stay. Andy stepped up to help us hide our watch obsession from family, friends and workmates; Felix and I captured a moment in time when we basically transcribed our most heated Basel arguments, a tradition we started the year before; Melissa found five billionaires who care little for luxury watches; Sandra tackled the topic of collecting watches that might actually appreciate on a budget; and Felix and Jason combined to work their evil, seductive magic on me, via Grand Seiko. My five favourite stories had it all. P.S. Picking just five favourite stories proved more difficult in 2017 than any other year. What about Cam’s six months with his beloved Tudor Pelagos LHD? What about when we worked with the Omega museum manager on spotting the watch in Dunkirk? HOW TO: Hide your watch obsession, 9 handy hints Sit down a minute, let’s have some #realtalk. Time+Tide is a supportive, enabling place for people like us. We can meet, share, comment, show our feelings, good or bad. The best thing? It can be all about watches all of the time. The…
Film and television producer Jonathan Schwartz lives in Vancouver (obviously) with his wife and two kids. He’s also got a passion for cars, guitars and of course — watches. Hey Jonathan, what’s your daily watch and why? My daily watch is my Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711R Tiffany Dial. There is no other watch in my collection that makes me feel the way that this one does. It’s thin, and it has a great weight to it; it just looks amazing in any and all circumstances. It’s very much a piece that I’ve always wanted, and I feel very fortunate to have it. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I part with it! Do you have a favourite timepiece? It’s hard to choose a favourite, but I’d have to say either my Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711R or the Aquanaut 5164A, both Tiffany dials. They are similar, but at the same time, so different. Ironically, I was in NYC a few weeks ago and didn’t bring the Aquanaut. It would have been perfect for the travel time, but I chose the 5711R and my Patek Philippe Grand Complication Perpetual Calendar Moonphase 3970R. There are only so many watches I can genuinely rotate…
When we think of Grand Seiko, it’s easy to associate them with classic but slightly left-of-centre designs: architectural case lines and instantly recognisable designs. Which is why this watch was such a surprise when we first saw it — it’s a deeply traditional dress watch design. A simple round case, in yellow gold no less (though there are steel and platinum versions too), seems like it’s from a different time, which makes perfect sense, as the watch, the SBGW252, is a re-creation of the first Grand Seiko from 1960. And of all the versions, this yellow gold number has to be the closest to that 1960 original, and not just because of the yellow gold case material. The creamy opaline dial, simple double baton hour markers and shining gold dauphine hands all paint a picture of mid-century modishness. The very slim alligator strap is also stylistically apt. It’s important to note that while the SBGW252 looks like it might be from 1960, it’s been updated where it counts. The glass is sapphire, the case is a slightly larger-than-original 38mm, and the movement is the manually wound 9S64. Grand Seiko re-creation in yellow gold, ref. SBGW252, Australian pricing and availability Grand…