Celebrating 100 Years Of The Iconic Cartier Tank – Part 1, The First One, The 1917 Tank Normale

If you were to ask your fellow watch-lovers what they thought was the ultimate, chic dress watch for men (or women), I would be confident in saying that the Cartier Tank – in one of its many variations – would feature very high on the list. Versatile, distinctive and instantly recognisable on the wrist, the Tank is, without doubt, one of the most unconventionally iconic watch designs of all time. So much so, in fact, that it’s hard to believe the ageless Tank turns 100 this year. Today, we’re looking back to where it all began, to celebrate not only everything the Tank has achieved for Cartier but also to try and understand what goes into making an icon.

9 years ago

News – GPHG 2017 Finalists Announced – Plus Our Analysis and Predictions

Every year in Geneva is the GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève), or the so-called Oscars of the Watchmaking Industry, which celebrate the best watches of the year – the most advanced, the most innovative, the most creative timepieces – as well as the best in show, the Aiguille d’Or. Today we’re able to bring you, hot off the press, the complete list of finalists selected by the Jury. Only six watches remain in each of the twelve categories and, while the final jury selection will only been given on November 8th, 2017, we can already give you the full list, our impressions and our usual predictions about the possible awarded watches.

9 years ago

FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 1st September, 2017 – the ‘Gaga-gate’ edition

Today is less of a wind down and more of a recovery. Last night we hosted a small gathering of some of our favourite watch lovers. Drinks were had, canapés were consumed, watches were ogled, fondled and ‘grammed, and new friends were found. Thanks to everyone who came! But that was last night. Today we’re trying to get the office back into some semblance of order – emptying bins, wiping down surfaces and rearranging our loupe collection. You know, the usual. Gaga-gate The big news this week comes from Tudor, which announced Lady Gaga as its first female ambassador. Gaga joins Beckham as another global face of Tudor’s #borntodare campaign, and fan feedback was as mixed as you’d expect. Comments on our social media ran the gamut from Little Monster love to through to confusion and actual anger. Julie Kraulis is clearly a Monster at heart. The Danish dynamo is on board. One of our Facebook commenters thinks this new relationship is like the start of a bad romance. @Macneil1783 reckon’s he’s cracked the secret of the #borntodare campaign. @Mr028 doesn’t have a very good poker face. Tell us what you really think. However, it’s not all so negative. Our favourite FB discussion talks about…

The post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 1st September, 2017 – the ‘Gaga-gate’ edition appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

RECOMMENDED READING: 4 facts about Paul Newman’s Daytona that will melt your heart and blow your mind

The New York Times has published a story about the upcoming auction of Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona and revealed new facts about the whereabouts of the watch. Until recently it was considered one of the world’s great “lost watches”. But all that time its owner, James Cox, knew exactly where it was. On his wrist. Soon, it will be auctioned for a sum that may exceed $US10 million. These quotes sum up the incredible story. And lastly, write a note for yourself: help someone fix a treehouse this weekend. Despite the fact that it was a gift from his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman regifted it to his daughter Nell’s boyfriend at the time, James Cox. Mr Cox said he was helping repair a treehouse on the Newman property when the blue-eyed actor approached and asked the time. “I said, you know, ‘a hair past a freckle,’ or some comment meaning ‘I don’t have a watch’.” Mr Cox, now 52, said. “To which he (Newman) replied: ‘Well, here, here’s this watch. If you remember to wind it, it tells pretty good time’.” Mr Cox wore the watch for nearly a decade on construction jobs and gardening – my heart just stopped –…

The post RECOMMENDED READING: 4 facts about Paul Newman’s Daytona that will melt your heart and blow your mind appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

HANDS-ON: Beautiful blue – The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche

There’s a running joke in the Time+Tide office about my proclivity for “beautiful blue” dials –I once managed to say it a few too many times in a short video review and, well, it sort of stuck. But in the case of this new version of the Jaeger-LeCoultre’s classic Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche the accolade beautiful blue is well and truly deserved. JLC specialise in ultra-thin watches, and this design of the Réserve de Marche has been a part of the collection since 2012. It is an exceptional, traditionally styled 39mm steel watch with a complicated-but-balanced dial layout consisting of a radial date at two and a power reserve (which gives the model its name) at 10. There’s a small seconds subdial at six that rounds off the dial. Few brands putting together a watch with this cocktail of complications would be able to pull it off with quite the degree of elegance that JLC manages. Partially this is down to the surprisingly restrained use of text on the dial, but mostly it’s because of the clarity of the design. The applied arrowhead markers and sharply faceted dauphine hands are perfect. However, there’s no doubt that the real star here…

The post HANDS-ON: Beautiful blue – The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago