Pre-SIHH 2018 – MB&F Kelys & Chirp (and yes, that’s a mechanical walking turtle with a singing bird)
With MB&F, you’ll never know what’s going to be next. Will it be a new Sci-Fi or Steampunk watch? Will be it be a music-box shaped like a space-vessel? Will it be a robot-like table clock? This is the beauty of this independent “creative-lab” watchmaker. They still continue to surprise us after 11 years of existence. As part of their Pre-SIHH 2018 launch, MB&F, in association with Reuge and Nicolas Court, introduces Kelys & Chirp – and this time, it’s not a watch, it’s not a clock, it’s not a music-box… It is a mechanical walking turtle combined with a singing bird.
Famous for their formidable and over-engineered designs — which range from technically advanced mission timers to hardcore divers made of submarine steel — Sinn are arguably the most renowned tool watch manufacturer in the industry. However, the German company also hosts a suite of dressier pieces that are better suited to a boardroom than a war room. Meeting somewhere in the middle is the Sinn 104. A professionally capable pilot’s watch that is equally at home outside of the cockpit – be it in the office or on the street. And at the beginning of this year, Sinn added to the 104 collection with a revised glossy white dial. The most crucial feature of any pilot’s watch is how easy it is to read – especially in low light conditions – and the 104 is about as legible as they come. With an enamel-like finish, the dial keeps the same markings as the original. Only this time the rectangular hour markers and syringe-style hands are outlined in black, creating a sharp contrast against the white, and increasing the at-a-glance charm of the 104. Within those black outlines is a coating of slightly off-white lume. Although it won’t be winning any #lumebattles,…
In 2017 the Black Bay is a force to be reckoned with, a retro reissue that has fuelled Tudor’s ascendancy to the powerhouse it is today. And while these days we’re used to having a range of colours and case finishing to play with, it’s hard to overstate just how hot this watch was when it was first released in 2012, and how it got even hotter the following year, when the blue version dropped. The Black Bay isn’t just a (very excellent) dive watch, it’s a tribal marker of community. So we thought it was the perfect opportunity to get as many Bays as we could lay our hands on in the one place, and run through the evolution of this modern-day classic. 
Matt Farah is the host and producer of The Smoking Tire YouTube series, The Smoking Tire podcast, and a host on /DRIVE on NBC Sports. Matt will also be opening the West Side Collector Car Storage Centre in the fall of 2018. He loves cars, boats, watches, cooking, cycling, skiing, travelling and photography. Hey Matt, what’s your ‘daily watch’ and why? The watch I wear most often is my Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Batman’. I like it because it’s very comfortable, has a great presence, works with casual and dressier outfits, and is exceptionally well made and durable. I can wear it to a dinner, a business meeting, on camera, or while washing my car or taking out the trash. It’s good for everything, which is part of the reason I think it’s such a popular watch right now. How do you like to unwind? I go to the gym every day, I ride my bicycle 15-25 miles, or I take a drive in the canyons. What do all these activities have in common? No internet or cell phones. Tell me about The Smoking Tire. The Smoking Tire is where I review four cars and do one podcast weekly. I review cars old…
Ah, the heritage reissue. AKA vintage-inspired or revival watchmaking. Whatever you call it, it’s clear that this trend is here to stay, with vintage-inspired designs running the full gamut of incredibly faithful reproductions of historic models to more modern interpretations with a retro feel. Omega Railmaster We know the Railmaster had to make this list, but the only question is — which one? Do you go for the super legit, super limited reissue of the 1957 original, or go with the vintage-esque vibes of the regular production, Master Chronometer version? Availability and a seriously smart price meant we opted for the latter. RRP from $6525 Seiko SLA017 Have you ever wondered what sells quicker than hotcakes? The answer — Seiko’s SLA017, a reissue of their first ever dive watch, the 62MAS. Like all of Seiko’s greatest models, the 62MAS has a serious fanbase, and they couldn’t get enough of this high-end Seiko, limited to 2000 pieces. RRP $5500 Grand Seiko re-creation Seiko don’t have a monopoly on smart remakes of mid-century designs, as this very straight up and down remake of Grand Seiko’s first watch (from 1960) proves. No bells. No whistles. But pure class. RRP $25,200 in yellow gold. …