Australian Watch Authority
LIST: 11 of the greatest Grand Seikos – and why they matter
Just 10 years ago, buying a Grand Seiko meant either having to buy a plane ticket to Japan, convincing a relative/friend/acquaintance/that-guy-you-met-one-time to buy a ticket to Japan, or navigating your way around Japanese online retailers – searching every page for an image of your heart’s desire and then using Google translate to confirm that they even offered international shipping. You see, despite having a history that stretches back to 1960, it wasn’t until 2010 that Grand Seiko was properly introduced to the world. Once one of Japan’s best kept secrets, Grand Seiko was born from Seiko’s desire to show the world what Japanese watchmaking could do. And in the years since, the innovative brand has become one of the most influential. Still, as Felix put it last month, “there remains an air of mystique around the Japanese brand”. And while his excellent video explained some of the essentials, I thought I’d add some more meat to its bones with this list of 11 key models from the collection, and just why they matter. The Calibre 9S – SBGR311 Modern Grand Seiko is built off the mighty calibre 9S. Found at the core of many of the brand’s exceptionally finished cases,…
EDITOR’S PICK: Power player – Panerai’s Luminor Submersible 1950 Amagnetic 3 Days Automatic Titanio (PAM 1389)
Editors note: For all that Panerai has been making a lot of noise recently about their smaller, dressier pieces, let’s not forget they can easily flip the switch to full-on beast mode when the need arises. And they don’t come much more beastly than this mighty 47mm Submersible, looking the business in matt black ceramic and brushed titanium … Way back in 2013, Panerai released the PAM 389, a big, 47mm titanium beast with antimagnetic innards and an oh-so-sexy ceramic bezel. This powerful diver is a watch entirely in keeping with Panerai’s core values. Fast forward to 2017 and we’ve got a new and improved version of this Luminor Submersible, with an updated reference number to match — PAM 1389. Functionally and aesthetically, not too much has changed: it’s still the same Luminor 1950 case, complete with that iconic crown guard. The bezel is still ceramic, with those excellent recessed interval markers and large lume pip at 12. But a few things have changed. Dial proportions have been given minor modifications — slightly fatter hour markers and a bright blue seconds hand, for example. The major change, though, is the one beneath the dial. This PAM is packing the latest in-house automatic…
VIDEO: The Tissot Swissmatic – a great entry into the world of mechanical watches
This video is all about value. Not only do you get two watch reviews (we’re covering Tissot’s dressy Everytime Swissmatic as well as the sportier V8 Swissmatic), but both watches represent a solid value proposition. The style of these two watches is a pretty by-the-book interpretation of daily dress/sport, depending on which flavour you plumb for, but the Swissmatic movements are something else. Based on the revolutionary Sistem51 from Swatch, the Swissmatics share the same fundamental specs and architecture, but benefit from a more robust — and a completely automated – build. These watches might not have the high finishing that Justin extolled in his recent piece, but they possess an industrial charm all their own, and are, I think, a great way to get into the joys of a mechanical watch. A Swiss one at that. Tissot Swissmatic Australian pricing Tissot Everytime Swissmatic, $725, Tissot V8 Swissmatic $650
WHO TO FOLLOW: @Creodesignwatches – the dial artist
Chris Alexander, also known as Creo Design, is a professional artist and designer who has worked across multiple media, with a focus for watch dial art. Hi Chris, what’s your daily watch and why? An Omega Speedmaster Pro 3570.50. This watch means an awful lot to me even though it has only been in my possession for about three months. The story goes way back to when I was around 4-5 years old and spending time with my late father. He was a qualified astrophysicist and taught me all he knew about space. And the clearest and fondest memory I have of him was spending hours looking at the moon and hearing about all the facts and statistics. My father was also a keen horologist and collected several clocks and tinkered away with them in his spare time. Fast-forward 30 years, and I found myself falling in love with watches all over again while painting them. My appreciation for horology was of a keen outsider — someone who admires them in a store window but never purchased. So spending a lot of money on a watch just didn’t make sense to me until I started working on them. Then it all made sense,…
