FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 28th August, 2015
Felix ScholzWithout doubt the highlight of this week was Wednesday night. We finally took the Time+Tide Wind Down offline, inviting some of our more vocal (we picked the list out of the comments on our posts, basically) and loyal followers to share a few drinks and see some, no prizes here, watches. But not just any watches. In peak Pulp Fiction form, we presented precisely three black briefcases of vintage Heuer watches in minty, minty fresh condition.
What a night it proved to be. And what a special guest Eric Van der Griend from Watches of Switzerland was, talking Felix through why he backed TAG Heuer in the beginning and what he loves about vintage Heuer watches. The environs were special, too.
All this happened in the showroom of our Melbourne-based tailors of choice Oscar Hunt, surrounded by beautiful suits and walls that smelled of rich mahogany. Why mix watchmaking and a tailor? Because there’s overlap in more ways than cuff and crown. There were just so many puns thrown down in the opening speeches by Andrew from Time+Tide and Jules from Oscar Hunt, who “seamlessly” connected the two worlds and ensured that it was a “good fit”. Fun. Fun. Fun.
In other news, we broke what seemed to be a million hearts by announcing the Tudor Pelagos winner – while winning over one, a guy named Alan. Congratulations Alan. After speaking to you, we feel it couldn’t have gone to a better recipient!
As a last comment, thank you all once again for filling in an arduous and detailed survey. Yes, the incentive was great. But it also took time, regardless. And time, as we know, is the ultimate luxury.
Thanks for spending it, as you are right now, on Time+Tide. We want to continue to deliver the value back in spades.
What happened?
Press releases are a pretty integral part of the watch industry. Like everything, they vary from the mundane to the magnificent, but this week things took a turn for the “romantic.”
You may not know, but in the world of watches there’s a very specific mechanism known as the erotic complication, which is definitely the most adult expression of the watchmaker’s art. Though they’ve been around for centuries, they’re pretty niche, so it was a surprise to see press releases for two very different takes on the genre in one week. The watches aren’t really our thing, especially as the ‘action’ is on the dial side rather than the more common (and more discreet) caseback.
For us, the best thing about these watches was the press releases. So very un-sexy.
“The scene exposes lovers, viewable from the interior balcony, enjoying each other.” – Ulysse Nardin
“Richard Mille presents its new RM 69 Erotic Tourbillon, its name a clear affirmation of the creative longing to reveal our most secret intentions in all their glory.” – Richard Mille
Oh, and while we’re on the topic of sex – here’s a great analysis of how sex is used in watch brand marketing.
What actually mattered?
We finally found a smartwatch we can get behind. Meet dot, the smartwatch with a braille notification system for the visually impaired.
Meanwhile, Vacheron Constantin (AKA ‘the masters of the slow reveal’) have teased us with another glimpse of their soon-to-be-unveiled Grand Oeuvre (AKA ‘the most complicated watch ever). This time we’re looking at a Metonic cycle indication (AKA ‘the Chinese Calendar’). This watch is so complicated that we still don’t even understand what a Metonic cycle is even after reading the explanation.
The week in numbers
10: Days it takes Cartier to filigree a panther.
12: Our pick of the most beautiful blue dials
3: Further blue watches that could have made the list (hello Nautilus, Royal Oak and Pelagos)
23: The number of tailoring and watchamaking puns in the opening address at the first #winddownlive
50: Guests invited to our first ever live wind down. There will be many more next time we promise. And yes, we’re going to do one in Sydney and other caps in the near future too.
50+: Watches The Van der Griend’s brought to the party.
1: Watches each guest would walk away with if Eric van der Griend had been feeling more Oprah-like on the night (we looked under our chairs – nothing ☹ )