Australian Watch Authority
The Mighty Monaco, TAG Heuer's CAW211P
Editors's note: If you are reading this, and I were a gambling man, I'd guess you were aware that 2019 is a special year in the world of watches. One of the significant reasons is that TAG Heuer are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of the Monaco Chronograph, their angular cult classic. To mark the occasion, TAG Heuer are releasing five limited edition Monaco watches to appropriately commemorate the half-century birthday (three of which have been released so far, here, here and here). So we wanted to look at this interpretation of the classic Monaco, released in 2015. The story in a second: 2015 saw TAG Heuer release the bold Heuer 01, the smart Carrera Connected and a faithful re-edition of one of the most iconic watches ever made – the Monaco. Heuer made a lot of cool watches, but none more so than the Heuer Monaco. Instantly recognisable thanks to the large square case, and powered by the legendary Calibre 11 automatic chronograph movement, there's no doubting the Monaco's cred. But the frosting on the ice-cool cake is Steve McQueen. The King of Cool was a hot property in the '60s and '70s, and the prominent placement…
5 Instagram watch cliches that need to be cancelled, right now
Ah, Instagram. That platform that sucks, according to my phone's digital wellbeing section; well over an hour a day of my life into its colourful void. It's a social media platform that might as well be made for watches — highly visual, and the wristshot is perfectly framed in that square crop. I've made some great watch buddies through Instagram — the #watchfam is real. But it's not all peachy; it's also the worst platform out there for mental health, thanks to its impossibly filtered lifestyles and the intense FOMO-factor. That's a bigger fish than I'm capable of frying RN, but I can have a crack at five overdone, overwrought and just old tropes of the watch Instagram world. And I will. Starting with … The watch/car shot Urgh. You know this shot, it's the guy (it's always a guy) with the *insert mainstream luxury brand here* casually resting on the wheel of their *insert mainstream European luxury sedan here*, in a flex that's as fresh as it is subtle. We get it, you can tell the time AND drive. Oh, and you've got money. Bravo. The fistful of dollars Sometimes it's not enough to let your followers know you've…
5 Omega Speedmasters that made it the legend it is today, and their modern equivalent
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. And on his wrist was an Omega Speedmaster. This moment ensured that the humble, manually wound chronograph was vaulted into the hallowed halls of history. But the Speedmaster story is about more than just that moonwatch. Here are five defining references of the iconic Speedy. 1957 – Omega Speedmaster — ref. 2915 — the Broad Arrow If we have to start somewhere, it might as well be at the beginning. Production of the Speedmaster began in 1957, and was conceived as a dedicated tool — for racers, engineers and the like. And so the reference 2915, the first Speedmaster. From a distance it bears all the classic hallmarks of the line. There's a few tells though, the most obvious being the 'Broad Arrow' hands. The other obvious demarcating feature is the steel bezel (rather than aluminium inset). Beyond that point it starts getting really specific: text type, caseback type and all the detail that makes the Speedmaster such a rich field for dedicated collectors. If you're looking for a modern equivalent, check out the Speedmaster 1957, a bi-compax update of the original. 1965 –…
Dane modded his ochs und junior for his wedding, and it's pure inspiration to buy a watch from an indie
"We were initially thinking about buying a watch for me for a wedding piece, but the thing about buying for a watch collector is that it's hard to buy something they don't already have." 'Every Watch Tells A Story' is a new series we've filmed, encouraging people to come in to our HQ, live how we live at Time+Tide and get in front of the camera and talk. The subject is personal. It's your watch. How it came to be on your wrist. The journey in the lead-up. The particulars of its purchase. In my story, I talk about a very lucky eBay pickup of a watch at well under 10 per cent of its current value. It's pretty much no holds barred too. So far, we've heard about watches being handed over in casinos in lieu of cash. There's a little yarn about $20 Rolexes in op-shops (which I was shocked and amazed to hear happened in my village on the coast just outside of the city). And here, Dane gets to the heart of the charm of tiny independent watchmakers who are able to customise their timepieces. ochs und junior produce just 130 watches a year, and all…
