THE HOME OF WATCH CULTURE

tomaustin

Tom Austin

Retail Editor

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

Trafford Watch Co. unveils three colourful rectangular duos of its most refined Crossroads yet
The new Longines Legend Diver 59 brings real diving pedigree back to the surface
Audemars Piguet and Swatch send the watch world crazy, Cartier quietly opens a new space in Sydney, while Rolex drops a new doc instead of a watch
Girard-Perregaux channels the 1970s with a new two-tone, chocolate dialled Laureato Chronograph 42mm
Bulova introduces a limited-edition, light-bending Lunar Pilot, darker than a black hole itself
Audemars Piguet x Swatch join forces for the Royal Pop, a rule-breaking pocket watch for the masses
Chanel’s new blacked-out J12 Superleggera is the sportiest J12 in years (live pics)
The Beaucroft Solaris GMT special edition proves the sun never sets on British watchmaking
Baltic x SpaceOne unite to produce a limited edition jumping hour with convention-bending character
Longines brings Commonwealth Games colour to the HydroConquest for Glasgow 2026
Nomadic takes to the roads of Northern Ireland, celebrating the North West 200 with a limited edition Apex NW200 chronograph
Depancel unveils it’s latest retro-inspired big-eye chronograph, the Allure Mono Eye
The Oak & Oscar Atwood brings old-school American chronograph charm with a flyback kick
Yema’s new fully luminescent Skin Diver Slim is a glowing rendition of the brand’s Five Act releases
Farer just released its second generation Pilot Collection, and they might be the best-looking pilot’s watches you’ve ever seen
Christopher Ward launches a new Sealander, Tudor goes yellow for the Miami F1, and Sartory Billard completely loses its mind
Christopher Ward refreshes its Sealander GMT and Automatic models, with slick new dials and a genius bracelet update
Zenith goes totally tropical with its new vintage-inspired Chronomaster Revival A384
Bausele’s community-driven Elemental is back with an Australian beach-inspired twist
Anoma unveils its A1 Core Collection, and it’s now a conversation starter available to everyone
Perrelet reinvents its Turbine with the new Casino Roulette, turning time into a game of chance
TAG Heuer’s iconic Monaco Chronograph has been refreshed, and it’s sharper than ever (live pics)
BA111OD strengthens its watchmaking credentials with BCP Tourbillons acquisition and new Chapter 4 Tourbillon T.V.D.
Hamilton’s new Khaki Field Mechanical 36mm takes direct aim at its 1970s military origins
Venezianico looks close to its Venetian home for inspiration for the new Arsenale Calendario triple calendar
TAG Heuer’s  Formula 1 Solargraph receives a pastel-powered upgrade for 2026 (live pics)
TAG Heuer’s new Aquaracer Professional 500 brings even more depth to the Aquaracer, in more ways than one
A. Lange & Söhne’s new Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” is definitely a glower and a shower
Dennison releases the shock ALD Mini, blurring the lines between microbrand wristwatches and jewellery
Patek Philippe celebrates 50 years of the Nautilus, and has given us probably the best Nautilus you’ve ever seen, and of course, a desk clock
Rolex offers the Daytona in Rolesium for the first time, with an all-white, enamel dial (live pics)
Van Cleef & Arpels unveils its 2026 novelties, continuing to blend watchmaking, jewellery and storytelling
Tudor revises the Black Bay Ceramic, introducing the brand’s first fully ceramic bracelet
A. Lange & Söhne’s new Saxonia Annual Calendar proves complicated watches don’t need to be big
Rolex just dropped their new releases for Watches and Wonders 2026, with some seriously heavy hitting Oyster Perpetuals
IWC expands the Ingenieur on its 50th birthday, with new sizes, materials, diamonds, and a tourbillon