Australian Watch Authority
VIDEO: The Rado Captain Cook comes correct
First released in 1962, the Rado Captain Cook offers firepower on the wrist, as well as more than half a century of rich history. The initial production numbers may have been small during the swinging '60s, but the Captain Cook left its mark on dive watch enthusiasts around the world, and in 2017 Rado treated its fans with a re-release of the famous watch. In this example with a black dial, we are offered a 42mm steel case with a glossy black bezel that frames the dial nicely. The blend of brushed and polished surfaces on the case add contrast, and sharpen the lines of the case as they taper into the faceted lugs. Arriving on a beads of rice bracelet is the perfect companion to the Captain Cook, giving a taste of the pioneering dive watch days with this style of bracelet was enormously popular, as well as the functional aspect of supreme comfort that it offers. While the market for Swiss-made dive watches is a crowded one, the Rado Captain Cook Automatic can proudly stand on its own two feet, with a strength of design that has carried it over five decades, and is both accessibly sized and…
Taking another look at the TAG Heuer Monaco Bamford
Editor's note: Whether we like to admit it or not, professional watch modifiers are here to stay. And we can almost understand why — if you want to be an individualist in a sea of ostensible regularity, imparting your own touch on an otherwise middle of the road item can be enjoyable. But what about when watchmakers collaborate with the vicarious modifiers? What then? Some would argue that it's the best of both worlds, ergo, a modified and therefore unique piece, which retains important things like a factory warranty backing and better resale values. This TAG Heuer Monaco Bamford is a prime example of modifier meeting manufacturer, and these were our initial impressions of the oddity. In many ways, you could say that few people have had as significant an impact on the watch industry from a design standpoint in recent years than George Bamford. Beloved by many, despised by a good few at least, Bamford is single-handedly the reason why watch customisation is now so prevalent in offerings directly from watch manufacturers. After many years on his own, his recent collaborations with LVMH, selling brand-authorised custom offerings from the TAG Heuer, Zenith, and Bulgari catalogues, further legitimised his efforts,…
3 TAG Heuer Calibre 16s that can do it all
TAG Heuer has been using its venerable chronograph-equipped Calibre 16 movement for more than two decades now. In fact, the storied movement has been utilised by the Swiss watchmaker in a great many of its models since 2005, when it was first released in the then new and completely overhauled Carrera. It's pretty easy to understand why TAG has used the Calibre 16 so religiously across its model line-ups for so long – this is a workhorse of a movement that benefits from a great many features, including self-winding, chronograph complication, date complication, 12-hour counter, 30-minute counter, running seconds, 42 hours of power reserve and an operating frequency of 28,800 (4Hz) vibrations per hour. It also has a bit of a reputation as being bulletproof, thanks to its strong and well-documented lineage to the Valjoux 7750 – one of the greatest chronograph movements of the 20th century. So, with all this in mind, we thought we'd take a look at three of our favourite TAG Heuer watches that are rocking a Calibre 16. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Ref. CV201AR.BA0715 We've actually been fortunate enough to spend a fair bit of time with this particular TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre…
WATCH DISASTERS #1 – Ken's prodigal GMT-Master II
Watch Disasters is a new series on Time+Tide that describes, in chilling detail, incidences when owning an expensive watch goes wrong. This is not going to be comfortable reading, so prepare for the pain. Admittedly, this is a bit of a soft start. The 'prodigal' in the title gives it away. If you have a watch disaster with less of a happy ending, feel free to tell us about it at nicholas@timeandtidewatches.com I actually lost this watch. I have a collection of watches, and I hide them in different places. This watch, I forgot where it was for a good three years. I turned my house upside down, and I couldn't find it. I reached a point where I had to emotionally detach and move on from it. But because I didn't realise it was lost for a few months, that somehow made it better when the realisation came that I couldn't find it. That's fine, I thought, I've lost it. OK. Then I had a brainwave. Before I hid it, I was going away on a trip. It will be in my travel bag! I ransacked the bag, but no watch. Some time later I was actually going on…
