FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 21st August, 2015
Felix Scholz
If you came here hoping to win a Tudor Pelagos, you’re too late. Here, have this beer instead. We closed our survey at the start of the week and were blown away by the response. We’ll be announcing the winner next week, so stay tuned!
What happened?
There’s cruel, and then there’s pretending to give someone a Rolex and then asking for it back cruel. Comedians and radio hosts Hamish and Andy were interviewing Joel Edgerton about his upcoming film The Gift earlier this week and decided to give him a gift to thank him for his time. They were decidedly generous, ‘giving’ Joel a Rolex Day-Date (the precise reference is unclear) worth around $47,000. The lavish gift was (of course) a prank and a play on the film title. Clever, until that awkward point when the punks (hi Hamish and Andy) become the Punk’d. We can only imagine the joy Edgerton must have felt for a split second before he realised it wasn’t for real. And then the euphoria that replaced the joy when he realised this could be played out.
The actor coolly called their bluff, exiting the studio with the watch under his arm (perhaps he had read our review). Well-played Mr Edgerton.
It’s also been a Bond watch showdown this week – spurred on by Omega releasing details of 007’s latest choice in timepiece – a slightly tweaked Seamaster 300 on a NATO strap. We turned to Instagram to see how our followers rated the new version compared with the Goldfinger-era Rolex. Naturally, there are purists in the house, but many of you are impressed by Omega’s NATO game; it’s a modern, manly take on a dive watch, and anyone with a NATO will attest, it dresses up surprisingly well, whether shaken or stirred.
We also introduced a less well-known Bond watch into the mix this week. Turns out Timothy Dalton wore a TAG Heuer in The Living Daylights – who knew!
What actually mattered?
Quill & Pad posted an interesting think piece posing the question: “Is independent creative horology dead?” No spoilers, but it’s a worthwhile read, and not just because it includes the excellent line, “watch shopping at times almost felt like perusing the yogurt section in a Soviet supermarket”.
The week in numbers:
5: Our pick of the best TAG Heuers on film (try saying that without getting ‘Girls on film’ instantly stuck in your head).
70: Hours of power reserve Rolex’s new Calibre 3255 is packing.
314: Total comments on our Instagram feed. Gosh you’re a chatty bunch.
2: Time+Tide staff who are currently a little bit obsessed with vintage Rolex Day-Dates.
125: Shopping days til Christmas. Yes, really.