THE HOME OF WATCH CULTURE

tomaustin

Tom Austin

Contributor

Tom discovered watches at the young age of around 5, fascinated by a digital Super Mario Bros watch which was devastatingly lost on a Spanish holiday. Clearly scarred for life, Tom has spent the last 30 years attempting to recover from that tragedy by becoming a lifelong watch collector and enthusiast.

Tom’s taste has since matured from 90’s plastic cartoon watches and now favours Steel Sports watches with a bit more refinement. With a background in engineering and business management, Tom finds watches are a fun escape from all that stuff.

My favourite watch: Like picking a favourite song, it’s almost impossible for me, but I guess it’s whatever I get drawn to most when opening the box, and usually that tends to be my Rolex GMT Master II 116710BLNR. On my wrist during some of the most memorable parts of my adult life, it’s the one I couldn’t do without.

My Finale watch: A black dial Rolex Daytona 6240, I’m a guy who loves details and nuances which make a particular piece rare and collectible. For me nothing beats 4 digit Rolex Cosmographs and Daytonas for this. I also love that Rolex could barely give these away back in the day too, it makes me smile.

Articles by Tom Austin

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Every Chopard release of Watches & Wonders 2024
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5 of the best watches to hand down to the next generation
The most unconventional timekeepers, for those who have gotten bored of easily telling the time
Life on the left side with the Rolex GMT-Master II “Sprite”
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5 exciting contemporary microbrands to watch in 2024
How to look after your mechanical watch
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Watches, NFTs and the digital age: where can we possibly go from here?
Speake-Marin’s Minute Repeater Carillon is a modern take on the sonnerie watch
Five watch trends Tom wants to see more of in 2024
Five Rolex predictions we would love to see made real in 2024
What does “limited edition” actually mean in the watch world?
5 of the best annual calendar watches
Looking back at last year’s Bulova x Marc Anthony 2023 Collection
5 annoying watch trends that should disappear for 2024
Five of the most influential watch designers and their creations
Everything you need to know about the most common watch materials
Celebrating complication with the most complicated watches of all time
6 of the best big watches giving big luxury
How the Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto strikes a chord with enthusiasts
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5 of the best Italian watch brands
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Hublot’s new Classic Fusion High Jewellery is blinged-out to the nines