CULTURE & FASHION
As watch releases go this is certainly one of the more unusual, though definitely equally as interesting as any other. Swiss manufacturer Blancpain has presented us with a limited-edition tribute to the classic Fifty Fathoms. The ‘No Radiations’.
As the worlds oldest watch manufacture in continuous production, Vacheron Constantin have produced some incredible timepieces over their 260 year history. Now, in partnership with the famous London department store Harrods, they have created two stunning 20 piece limited edition watches within the Tradtionnelle Collection. Two watches which both symbolise London luxury and display the Maison’s incredible artistic craft and Haute Horlogerie abilities.
It is a known fact that Italy is a hub of creativity and is considered by many, as the home of fashion, art and design. For me it was no surprise then to see an emergence of an outfit like D.Sign, a startup which has a particular focus on 3D printing absolutely stunning, functional objects for purchase.
If there is one thing here at The Gentleman Select I simply can’t get enough of its watches. They literally have a magpie effect on me, shiny little trinkets with coloured dials that you can accessories to the max. The trouble for me is in this day and age, a lot of them now seem to be very ostentatious, very bling and just tacky. This is then why Cornerford watches is the perfect gentlemanly wrist watch you need to get in order to really up your wrist game.
Swiss watch specialists Tag Heuer recently gave us the effortlessly cool and vintage looking Jack Heuer Carrera 80’s collection with two stunning options in black and a silver “panda” dial. The watch comes in a very modern 41mm size and a solid steel case which houses Tag’s Calibre 17 movement, one which can be found throughout the Carrera family and in Monaco models. Furthermore you also have the choice of a solid steel bracelet or the truly vintage look of the leather perforated strap and deployment clasp.
The watch tends to carry similarities of the dashboard dial of a vintage race car, a visual link to the original Heuer of the 1960’s and the Tag Heuer Carrera CH80 models with its side by side sub-dials, inner bezel styling and red writing. Personally I like its classic, timeless look, evident in all Carrera models however I’am particularly fond of the two sub-dial set up instead of three purely for its simplicity and visual ease.
You can expect the limited edition collection to hit stores in November with a hefty 400 pieces hitting UK stores. If you want to add one of these sweet pieces to your watch collection you can expect to pay £4,000 on the strap and £4,100 on the bracelet.
That old famous brand with the crown, Rolex, has always delivered some truly stunning and desirable pieces over the years and none more so than this absolutely amazing 1974 Day-Date reference 1803 in rare white gold. Most watch aficionados will know the Day-Date as the peak of the Rolex crown.
The watch features the iconic president bracelet, a hallmark of the Day-Date, with a striking silver baton dial encased in 18k white gold. I love how the dotted lume at the end of the batons is showing a little bit of patina for that ultimate vintage look. For me the watch all round still looks in top condition for its age. You can check the watch in detail in the pictures below and if you fancy going a little further and adding a classic 1974 Rolex Day-Date to your watch collection with the chaps over at Hodinkee, then follow the link here.
Being huge watch fans here at The Gentleman Select we are always excited at the new releases from the Basel watch fair, so much so we almost can’t contain ourselves waiting for certain brands to hit the stores. One such in this category is TUDOR and last week, curtesy of jewellers Chisholm Hunter, we were lucky enough to finally get our hands on some of the key new pieces, in which they were everything we had hoped.
Set in the historic Blythswood hotel, former home of the RAC Club, it was a brilliant location for a fascinating insight into a personal favourite watch house. A lovely welcoming cocktail reception was followed by a detailed overview of key dates through TUDOR’S history and for me, highlighted many points, hugely competitive prices and the Rolex relationship, as examples why this really is one of the best watch brands on the market currently.
Following the presentation it was straight to the action and for me, like a magpie to silver, the first piece I wanted to see was the new Black Bay Bronze ( £2,940). It was simple, I adored it the moment I attached it round my wrist. The 43mm case made of bronze, captures the essence of sea and maritime days of past magnificently. It is complimented by two straps that are interchangeable, an aged leather version, or a woven fabric resembling old rope you might tie your boat up with.
Within the Black Bay Bronze you will also find the adapted to fit, in house TUDOR movement bearing the reference of MT5601, MT referring to Manufacture TUDOR. For me this is the essential feather to have in your watch manufacturing cap as a brand, it gains ultimate respect in this industry and also keeps the aficionados smiling as they glance down at their wrist and fill their conversation at the bar with watch jargon.
Next on my hit list was the New Black Bay Dark (£3,130). This 41mm monster of the deep is coated in PVD or “Physical Vapour Disposition” resulting in a matte black finish which wouldn’t look out of place on the wrist of some special forces solider emerging from the sea in the dead of night. This dark appearance also helps to make the dial and large snowflake hands incredibly clear, with the hands themselves being powered by the in-house MT5602 movement housed in the robust casing.
From a personal point, on this watch, I would take the option of the black aged leather strap with PVD coated clasp and bag yourself an additional grey fabric strap in the box in the process. The model itself does come in a fully coated bracelet (£3,370) roughly, however I just don’t find it as impactful as a watch which is drawing on the history of the Black Bay.
In my opinion TUDOR have nailed it with some wonderful, fresh new takes on an already iconic time piece. Both highlighted I feel will be in huge demand and are sure to disappear quick. In my humble advice if you have a hint of interest in watches I would get along to Chisholm Hunter now and secure yourself one of these future collectors piece.
Got your watch game sorted for this summer? If not let The Gentleman Select and Audemars Piguet give you some food for thought in one of the freshest new novelties this year, The Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph.
Coming in at a standardly chunky 42mm case size and featuring all the classic design elements of the original Offshore Diver. Water resistant up to 300 meters and rotating inner bezel with diving scale and zone in specific block colour. This is exactly what the collection is about to. Colour. Bright, bold colour. The range itself features tangerine, citron, lime and blue, all featuring the “Mega Tapisserie” dial which colour matches the robust rubber strap we all know and love on the Royal Oak Offshore. Coming in at around £19,000 its a a big leap further price wise than the standard Royal Oak Diver, however we are sure for the serious watch collector out there, or the customer looking for something quite different, this will be right up their street. Check out the slick, colourful video below now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sntYpPXt_QM
This past Wednesday the 13th I was lucky enough to take a look at Bremont’s 2016 collection, thanks to Chisholm Hunter, fresh off the back of their Basel launch and I must say what a brilliant collection it is. The evening commenced with a fascinating insight into the brand, its history and aviation from one half of Bremont’s founders Giles English. If you ever get chance to listen to him please do, his stories really are as interesting as his watches.
Having a browse round the collection we selected a few key pieces to look at in more detail. First up was the ALT1-C/PB, a piece that really stood out to me when I looked round the collection, and more so when I tried it on. For me this is such a lovely dress watch, a classic chronograph which will complement any suit and really set you on a level above at any board meeting. the ALT1-C/PB is Bremont’s first polished case watch which is not limited edition and really does hark back to past days of aviation with black dial, one of three models, and grey sub-dials which really set it off magnificently.
Next to slide on the wrist was the sharp Boeing 100 limited edition. This model was produced to celebrate 100 years Boeing and their aviation heritage and comes with some truly unique little features. Take the crown for example, with elements of carbon fibre composite ZA004 the same as that found in the new Boeing Dreamliner implemented within, in fact you will find the whole case is manufactured from Boeing aviation grade Ti 6-4 Titanium making it harder than a coffin nail and also extremely light weight. I personally loved the strap on the watch, it has that vintage, worn leather look to it, complimenting the dial in what is termed as “Boeing Brown”, a colour scheme which featured heavily in the cockpit of older Boeing aircraft.
Overall for me the collection is a re-sounding success and stays true to the Bremont out look of reflecting heritage, style and something a little bit different. I adore the fact that a now world renowned, mainstream brand, still takes the time to inject personal contact with its customers through a letter from either Nick or Giles English every time you make a purchase. That is something you just don’t get any more and for me makes a Bremont watch just that little bit more special. Please do check out the collection now online, at your nearest Bremont dealer, or pop in to Chisholm Hunter for a great overview.
It’s been a long time coming, and rumoured for the last couple of years, but it’s finally here. Although not the only new release to get excited about this year, many are pleased with the announcement of a new Rolex Daytona in 904L Stainless Steel complete with a black Cerachrom bezel.
The watch itself doesn’t seem to have changed dramatically and has stayed at a fairly conservative 40mm in diameter and will, as always, be available in either a black or white dial. The overall character of the new Daytona, however, is a mixture of modernity and nostalgia, and for me, gives a nod to the iconic Paul Newman Daytona of the past.
As always, the new Daytona 116500LN will be powered by a Rolex in-house calibre 4130 which is now accurate to +2/-2 seconds per day – more than twice as accurate as a conventional COSC certified movement. It’s worth noting that this certification of accuracy is present on all current Rolex calibres and not just the Daytona – pretty impressive when you consider the amount of watches being produced annually by the Swiss manufacture.
If you are looking to get hold of one of these, it goes without saying that you better be quick! The Rolex Daytona is notoriously hard to get hold of and I think it’s safe to say this will be no exception. UK RRP: £8250.
More at rolex.com