Andrew & Justin Hast tackle the watch industry’s sense of humour
Russell SheldrakeThis weekend, our very own Andrew McUtchen is taking on the serious topic of the watch industry’s sense of humour (or at times lack of it) with online personality Justin Hast in a talk taking place at this year’s WatchPro Salon in London. As part of an entire schedule of panel discussions taking place at the Londoner Hotel on Saturday, Andrew and Justin will be taking a look at some of the few times the watch industry has tried to crack a joke, and seeing whether it landed or not. Expect some bad puns, dad jokes, and academic examination of what makes the watch industry laugh.
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While the watch industry has a perception of taking itself very seriously, talking about metier d’art, high complications, and haute horlogerie, there have been a few instances where it’s decided to poke some fun. But they will also be looking to answer the question of whether or not the industry needs levity all the time. Would it make you more likely to buy an A. Lange & Söhne if the brand had advertising campaigns that made you laugh? There’s plenty to dig into as the pair will dissect some of the better-known adverts from the industry’s past and take a look at what brands like Studio Underd0g are doing today to bring a smile to our faces, and prove we don’t have to take our selves too seriously.
You can find the talk during the WatchPro Salon at the Londoner Hotel, on Saturday 2nd November from 1 pm – 1:30 pm. You will need a ticket to get in, so make sure you get one here. Whether you make it or not, hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Russell and the Time+Tide Team
Watch meme of the week: “I’m not trying to buy happiness”
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Australia’s answer to The Onion, The Betoota Advocate rarely misses – and this week, they aimed at would-be watch enthusiasts.
Wrist shot of the week: “the ultimate UG”
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Who better to celebrate the good news about Universal Genève than one of its new Advisory Board members? @dandywatchman’s Instagram is full of amazing UG references whenever you look, but he definitely pulled out the big guns with this exotic-dialled Clapton Tri-Compax.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: Casio G-Shock G-Steel Metal Covered GM-2100D Collection
The Casio G-Shock 2100, better known as the “CasiOak”, is already a pretty tough watch, but the new GM-2100D range gives this fan-favourite G-Shock a more robust yet colourful makeover. Not only are these the first models in the GM2100 line of metal bezel watches to feature a metal bracelet, but they also boast metal sunburst dials, in five different eye-catching hues: sky blue, navy blue, lime green, orange and silver.
Discover the Casio G-Shock G-Steel Metal Covered GM-2100D Collection in the Time+Tide Shop, either online or in-store at our Melbourne Discovery Studio. Price: A$649
Accessory of the month: AIS x Maximilian Maertens ChronoSphere
Swiss watch accessory brand AIS Collective (best known for their nifty watch cleaning pens) have teamed up with MB&F creative designer Maximilian Maertens on a stylish watch box – or rather, watch sphere… The ChronoSphere is a watch case that doubles as a piece of tasteful home décor, in which you can hide a treasured timepiece in plain sight. It’s a very clever concept and a luxe way to house a luxe watch.
We will have limited stock of the AIS x Maximilian Maertens ChronoSphere in our London Discovery Studio.
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
Universal Genève announces new release date, logo, and launches new website
Ever since the announcement dropped that Breitling (alongside a couple of private investment firms) purchased Universal Genève in 2023, enthusiasts had been waiting for any signals of intention with bated breath. Nearly a year after that initial announcement, we finally got what we were waiting for – some of us for way longer than others. Borna (our resident UG superfan) has all the details here.
Swatch’s latest MoonSwatch, the Mission to Earthphase, offers a romantic new complication
Not all MoonSwatches are made equal. Some are simply just new colours, while others – like the new Swatch x Omega Bioceramic MoonSwatch Mission to Earthphase – introduce new complications or designs. Indeed, this latest Swatch x Omega collab represents the most complicated MoonSwatch model yet, both literally in terms of complications but also its inspiration/theoretical use case. Jamie has the scoop here.
Zodiac confirms the stone trend with the Super Sea Wolf in malachite and lapis lazuli
Stone dials may now be the biggest trend since green dials took off, with everyone from microbrands to high-end independents embracing the variances of natural materials. While we kind of expect to see this sort of experimentation from both ends of the brand size spectrum, a release from Zodiac is almost direct confirmation that stone dials are in the mainstream. The new Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Stone Dial models are limited editions that explore two popular stones – malachite and lapis lazuli – read Buffy’s review of them here or watch on YouTube above.