FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Andrew hits New York to meet the team, and be tortured by Quentin Tarantino’s watch (what is it!)

Zach Blass

If you run a digital media business, and it’s still in operation after the pandemic, then chances are you’ve hired someone over Zoom. Time+Tide is well and truly in that club. We’ve hired several that way. But our star remote hire is a born and bred New Yorker you know very well. And I know you know who I’m talking about, because this is his weekly spot. Yep, I’m hijacking Zach’s weekly Wind Down to give you all a bit of a photo diary of a week to remember. A week when I broke through the screen of my laptop to be sitting opposite Deputy Editor Zach Blass in a Brother Jimmy’s barbecue joint on 31st and Lexington Avenue in New York, New York.

For a short while, there were some new date nerves, and Zach did upend a cup of iced water on the table at the sheer shock of being this close to an Australian. But, before long we were arguing about what makes a burger and what constitutes a sandwich (A BURGER BUN WITH A FRIED CHICKEN FILLET INSIDE IS A CHICKEN BURGER, WAKE UP!), and from there, it was like we’d been in the metal all along. To make matters even more Manhattan, I discovered the weirdness and the wonder of Halloween in the big city. Spiderman sure served a mean Old Fashioned….

When Andrew met Zach quickly turned into a string of similar meetups, where I finally had the chance to put faces to bylines – meeting Ricardo Simé for dinner along with a special guest of dreams, Mr Aldis Hodge (as well as a wildcard, my best mate Dave who lives in Austin and flew in to say “hi”). It was a night I’ll never forget. The table debated plot holes in Quentin Tarantino movies, discussed A.Hodge’s top-secret project, and faced off over the New York Strip vs the Short Rib on the menu. For the record, Ricardo’s voice is as rich as it sounds on YouTube in person, and his mandate to cast a continuous – not just a stepping-stone moment in time – light on lower priced, but fantastic value, watches is as clear as ever.

On another memorable day, D.C Hannay, a regular writer whose name you will surely recognise, travelled in from Albany to spend a morning at my hotel, Freehand – a co-working space slash hotel, which could only exist in New York. Brilliant! D.C told me about his Breitling Navitimer, inherited from his father, a former commercial pilot who wore the watch for his working life, then retired it when he stopped flying. D.C had the watch lovingly restored, and matched it with a bund that looked absolutely meant to be. Jared Belson, another new talent in our weekly mix, also walked the couple of blocks from his apartment to meet me at Broken Shaker bar to talk the miraculous appeal of the Rolex Milgauss and other important things. Neither Jared or anybody else for that matter, could resolve one burning question I had, which is what damn watch was Quentin Tarantino wearing at that NFT event during the week? Nick Gould couldn’t get it (well, yet), can you?

Signing off with New York problems, and such a buzz on right now,

Andrew

P.S – Zach wanted this photo to be in the mix, because it has his latest #nwa – and he looks like a total badass.

Watch meme of the week: DIY watchmaker woes

More often than not I leave my factory bracelets on my watches, but in an exploration phase of rubber and NATO straps for watches like my old Tudor BB58 Navy Blue I definitely learned the pain of this first hand. With tight tolerances, and very spry spring bars, even with a pair of Bergeon pliers it felt like a high-stakes game of operation – in my mind thinking: “don’t scratch the lugs! don’t scratch the lugs!”. So when you have that brief moment of satisfaction that you have safely and securely reattached your bracelet, only to find you have unintentionally inverted its orientation, well… the above meme says it all – a very Sisyphus-and-boulder moment for sure.

Wrist shot of the week: Lucy flexes her G-Shock “Casioak”

A known trend or behaviour in the watch community, or any aspect of life tied to material goods, is to “flex”. Some watches in particular are “flex” watches, whether a piece unique, a flashy and exclusive timepiece, or even an under-the-radar timepiece that, for those who know, is an absolute mic drop at a watch meetup. Lucy (@thewatchboxdiaries), however, takes watch flexing in a more literal direction – balancing a G-Shock “CasiOak” in grey on her flexed bicep. To be fair, the CasiOak really is one of the best wrist companions for a workout. With pricing around $100 USD depending on size, colour and demand, it is a super robust and price-approachable timekeeper ripe for daily workout wear. Great shot, or should I say flex, Lucy!

Recommended viewing: Six Months on the Wrist: Andrew answers all re: the Zenith Chronomaster Sport

At Time+Tide we are, of course, watch journalists by trade, but equally we are enthusiasts like you. Whether editorial calls or WhatsApp threads, we are constantly talking watches – often wondering why we didn’t record our chats and debates to share with you all. Well today we have, with Andrew in the hot seat answering five questions about a true horological love of his this year: the Zenith Chronomaster Sport. Check out the video above to hear Andrew’s thoughts on the highly discussed chronograph six months in on the wrist.

Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week:

Don’t kid yourself desk diver: Why you should wear dress watches more

In many ways, dress watches have become an overlooked genre in the watch world. While manufactures haven’t forgotten them, we certainly don’t see the same consumer hype surrounding the dress category as we do with sports pieces. That is why Jared decided to make the case for the dress watch to be an everyday watch, a valuable member of any collection, and not just a passing amusement on the horological merry-go-round. Decide for yourself after checking out his article here.

VIDEO: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 collection

Watch manufacturers distinguish themselves through their interpretations of watch design – the more distinct, the more luxurious. Vacheron Constantin excels in this aspect. With their Art Deco sensibilities, Vacheron, prior to and throughout the roaring 20s, created timepieces unlike anything that anyone had ever seen before. One such model that caught the gaze of the market then, and holds our attention even today, is what we now know as the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 1921. Nestle in at home with a coffee or whiskey and watch the full collection overview above.

Don’t Miss This: Our team debates the best watches from $7-$10K

In our latest installment of the “Don’t Miss This” series, we tackled some of the best watches from $7,000 – $10,000 USD. Click here to see our team’s picks.