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VINTAGE WITH DEREK DIER:  Episode 1 – Mad Men tilts a glass to Tudor VINTAGE WITH DEREK DIER:  Episode 1 – Mad Men tilts a glass to Tudor

VINTAGE WITH DEREK DIER: Episode 1 – Mad Men tilts a glass to Tudor

Derek Dier

Introducing our inaugural Time+Tide columnist, Mr Derek Dier:

Ed’s Note: If Derek Dier were a wine, he’d be a well-matured, cool-climate (Canadian) drop appreciated by connoisseurs. From real estate agent to watch dealer to prop consultant, his fine taste and discerning eye has made his brand. You don’t become the go-to watch guy for tastemakers like the creator of Mad Men, Matthew Weiner, without being an equally exceptional human being. Less madman than master, Derek’s is a voice that cuts through in a noisy room when the subject is watches.  In the first of a regular series of columns for Time+Tide Derek tilts his glass to Tudor, a brand whose vintage pieces he believes are underrated. And like a fine wine, these are words to be savoured. We are chuffed to welcome Derek to the Time+Tide team.

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Derek Dier. Illustration by Mal Chambers

Time is always an issue. We’re usually behind, we rarely catch up, and we bemoan its loss. For me, time is esoteric – transitory. Time belongs to others. I just can’t follow its cosmic rules. Watches became wonderment for me – a way to track the beat of the world in true measure. I see the world visually, always cropping my glimpses akin to a crisp Leica lens.

Watch collecting began early for me at about the age of eight. I would stare at the crisp metallic lines of a watch, which opposed nature’s fractal-lined beauty, but offered the same visual stimulation to me. Today my full days are spent placing my opinion of value on vintage and gently used watches-most of them left unwound as they pass through my hands, often measured mainly by their visual appeal.

When Ellen Freund, the Property Master for Mad Men called me a few summers back, and asked me to provide the watches for season 5, I was given a scant deadline of 24 hours to deliver the timepieces for all the main characters to wear on the show.

The first watch I envisaged was for actor John Slattery’s character (Roger Sterling). Recalling Roger’s sleek office from season 4; with Eero Saarinen’s tulip table – Eames from Herman Miller sofa and monochromatic Op Art – the watch Roger would wear had to reflect the same mid-century likeness. Immediately, my favourite vintage Tudor dress watch came to mind. The Tudor Oyster Prince self-winding with a “bullseye” style dial featured a glossy black mid-section and was framed in a silver radiating outer edge.  I coined the name “Tudor Tuxedo” many years ago, and it seems collectors have adopted this title.

Derek-dier-mad-men-2This watch appeared in the Tudor collection in about 1955 and was produced all the way into the mid-’80s. I believe a person’s character is reflected in the dial of a watch, especially if chosen by the individual wearing it. Many adore their watch for 30+ years. They have to love it – become part of it. They are defined by the styling of their timepiece. Roger Sterling is brash, yet refined – black or white … matter-of-fact.  To me the Tudor Tuxedo was him all the way.  He could have worn a Rolex, but had nothing left to prove. Ellen the property master of Mad Men had firstly suggested a Rolex for Roger, but I felt strongly the Tudor was more his style. Tudors have always been amongst my coveted of all watches. It all comes down to visual appeal.

Derek-Dier-Mad-men-1

Ellen, the property master of Mad Men, had firstly suggested a Rolex for Roger, but I felt strongly the Tudor was more his style. Tudors have always been amongst the most coveted of all my watches. It all comes down to visual appeal.

There is a reason the vintage Tudor models have attracted such high prices from collectors worldwide. Simply, Tudors look great on the wrist. Rolex created a little brother in Tudor, who exuded the same charisma, dressed similarly, but was frugal. I speak with some of the wealthiest collectors who could afford most any lavish watch, and many will only wear a Tudor. Understated by its reputation, Tudor has now come to the forefront in design with bold new models such as its redesigned Heritage Advisor alarm having crisp, modern design elements which harken eloquently to its 1950s roots. The fresh new Grantour chronograph caught my wallet immediately – its Porsche 911 font on the bezel’s numerals reveals the company’s alliance to tradition and finesse.

Tudor-Grantour
The Grantour is one of Tudor’s recent releases that caught Derek’s eye.

Tudor’s Heritage line of watches displays their ability to re-create something already revered – adding subtle advancements, attracting a whole new crowd of watch aficionados to the brand. To clearly see Roger Sterling wearing the “Tudor Tuxedo” for the last three seasons of Mad Men made me proud. I was lucky enough able to impart my vision and passion to the world through this much-revered show.

It was all timing.  If I had another 24 hours to choose a watch for Roger – it would be the same.

When selecting a new watch, go with your gut. Don’t always listen to others. Your eye transmits an image to your brain. If you feel good – buy it.  Roger would say the same.

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