Today is the fifth and last episode of “The Speedmaster Chronicles“. We’ve been looking at the past (the NASA story, the vintage collector) and the present (auctions and markets, Speedy Tuesday movement) and today we need to close the circle. It’s time for us to understand what the Speedmaster represents for Omega and to look at …
Because what we really need right now is another crazy Daytona auction.
Really old fusées! Chronometers by Breguet! Unexpected Seiko shout-outs! Weird-ass ball clocks! And more!
Vintage-inspired watches have been one of the hottest trends of 2017 and this looks set to continue in 2018. Automotive-focused watches from the golden era of the 1960’s and 1970’s, such as the Bell & Ross Vintage Bellytanker and the Heuer Autavia, have been particularly popular, no doubt helped along in no small part by the $17m sale of a Rolex Daytona owned by some guy. Not everyone can afford the premium price tags these types of watch command, however, so today we’re getting hands-on with a much more accessible alternative from Netherlands-based watch designer and producer, Aramar Watch Co. Called the Long Beach Racing Chronograph, it’s already exceeded its funding goal on Kickstarter, with just under a month still to go. Read on for all the details.
To celebrate our first collaboration with the brand, we threw a proper party in Times Square.
Accuracy used to be a big deal in watchmaking. There were competitions to test the accuracy of wristwatches. There were complications — additional functions — and engineering improvements designed to assist the watch in keeping true time. There was a space race of sorts to be the most accurate watchmaker in the world. The exploding popularity of the quartz movement in the late ’70s and early ’80s — that uses an electronic oscillator regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time — ended most of that. It was cheap, it was battery powered, and worst of all for mechanical watches, it was so accurate it effectively dropped the mic on the entire topic. However, nearly half a century later, accuracy is once again in focus, as a marketing angle being used to sell watches. Primarily, it is a marker to separate the high-performing movements — those impervious to shock, magnetism, environmental conditions — from the everyday. Rolex have re-set their own standards, with the Superlative Chronometer certification. Omega have worked with the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology to create an industry-wide certification called METAS. Breitling continue to COSC certify all of their watches. But chronometer certifications in general, as you can tell from the roll call of brands that…
The post VIDEO: Exploring one of the most accessible COSC-certified collections on the market, the new Longines Record range appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
In partnership with Cartier, we meet the man behind the Armoury and Drake’s, and his Tank Basculante.
The former-NASA engineer who certified the Speedmaster, the journalist turned watch-designer who initiated “Speedy Tuesday”, a seasoned Speedy collector… What could have been the next step when it comes to the Omega Speedmaster? At a certain point, when you look at such an iconic watch, you have to talk auctions and markets. So no shortcuts, we asked renowned auctioneer Aurel Bacs from Phillips Watches to join us and talk about the Speedmaster. And the best surprise was that not only he talked about his professional view on this piece of history, but this movie ended up to be much more personal than expected. Please meet Aurel and his personal Omega Speedmaster.
Mechanical watches almost disappeared into the fog of history. And then they didn’t.
If you’ve been searching for the perfect gift for that hardcore watch nerd in your life, we may have the answer: a 3D-printed pendulum clock from Ingénieur du Temps. That’s right, a pendulum clock that uses centuries-old traditional techniques, but which is constructed entirely from 3D printed parts. Perfect for a man cave or your living room, the Ingénieur du Temps not only makes for a great talking point but also gives you the opportunity to examine the inner-workings of a mechanical clock up close. All the details after the jump.