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

Zenith brings the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar into the modern-day stone age with a fresh lapis lazuli dial
Girard-Perregaux and Bamford join forces to unveil a retro classic from the past, the Deep Diver
Doxa refreshes the SUB 200 range with a new steel bezel, proving that small changes can offer a big impact
Sarpaneva explodes onto the scene with a new Supernova, featuring stone dials and an out-of-this-world moonphase
Alpina introduces its first-ever all-titanium watch, a 39mm Alpiner Extreme Automatic
ArtyA go back to the future with the very 90s yet very futuristic Purity Wavy HMS Mirror
Bell & Ross unveil the BR-03 Skeleton, celebrating 20 years of the squared-off aviation instrument
Bremont jumps on a trend with the Terra Nova Jumping Hour Collection (live pics)
Raymond Weil’s Freelancer Complete Calendar brings complications to the masses
H . Moser & Cie ushers in a new pop era with the Endeavour Pop Collection
Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces the Atmos Infinite Halo, a temperature-sensitive triumph of horology
IWC goes shockingly complicated with the Shock Absorber Tourbillon Skeleton XPL (live pics)
Alpina turns back the clock with its retro-inspired Heritage Tropic-Proof Handwinding
Chanel explores blue ceramics with the Monsieur de Chanel Superleggera Bleu Edition
Here comes the Sartory Billard by Studio Underd0g SB05 Sunfl0wer, and I say it’s much more than alright
Detrash cleans up the competition and the oceans with its new Cali diver
Armin Strom launches two watches for the price of one… sort of
Paulin’s new Zapata Modul collection blends the world of modern art with 70s retro vibes
Havid Nagan challenges traditions with the new Classic One
Biver’s latest Automatique is its most visually restrained watch yet – but things are not as simple as they seem
Third time’s the charm for Second Hour with the new Mandala Mk3
Bōken breaches its barriers with its new British watch, the Breacher Collection
Christopher Ward listens to its fans and releases The Twelve 38, a Goldilocks-sized take on its integrated sports watch
11 of the best 21st birthday gift watches
7 of the best big watches giving big luxury
Hublot unveils three understated ceramic colourways for the Spirit of Big Bang Chronograph (live pics)
TAG Heuer & Porsche race back onto the scene with the Carrera Chronograph x Chronosprint Rallye
A daring resurrection for the Electra Dare-Devil Diver
Our favourite Hublot watches of 2024
5 of the best affordable moonphase watches
Our favourite Casio G-Shock watches of 2024
The Brew Metric Retro Dial says it’s bean time
Blok returns, and this time, it’s definitely not for kids
7 of the best Roman numeral watches that have all the classical elegance you’ll need
Heinrich forges ahead with the new Taucher Lume Infused Forged Carbon V2
10 of the best watches for an 18th birthday