FRIDAY WIND DOWN: TAG Heuer boutique opens in Adelaide, Cartier pop-up exhibition in Sydney, JLC celebrations in Melbourne
Time+TideIt’s proved to be a busy week for Australian watch enthusiasts from around the country. Firstly, TAG Heuer celebrated the opening of their seventh stand-alone boutique in Australia – a number warranted by the fact that Australia is the brand’s fourth-largest market worldwide. The stars of the evening were the TAG Heuer Monaco, and its global ambassador, Jacob Elordi (above), who made an appearance at what was certainly not your standard boutique opening ceremony. Hosted at Adelaide’s Freemasons Hall, the event was a congregation of celebrities, watch collectors, industry professionals and everything in between, as TAG turned the nearly century-old hall into a red carpet gala event.
Watches on display included a trio of TAG Heuer Monacos in their Gulf, Dark Lord and Calibre 11 attires (the latter, of course, favoured by a certain Steve McQueen). When it came to watchspotting at the event, one clear stand-out was this lovely Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary number. The boutique itself conformed to the sleek, monochromatic fittings consistent throughout TAG Heuer’s branding, punctuated by vibrant displays of their various ambassadors. Situated on a corner in Adelaide’s Central Plaza, directly opposite the Mall’s Balls statue, its prime location is sure to push TAG Heuer’s Australian success story even further.
In Sydney meanwhile, Cartier has unveiled a new pop-up exhibition entitled The Culture of Design. Located at the former Cartier boutique of 74 Castlereagh Street, the space has been reimagined to present an exhibition of the brand’s most famous collections, revealing the history behind each design.
The exhibition offers a particular focus on the evolution of the Tank since 1917. Visitors will be shown the watch’s conceptualisation and evolution over the decades, the famous faces who’ve enjoyed this cult watch and, finally, the newest addition to the Tank saga, the all new Tank Française collection. The exhibition will run until June.
Finally, Jaeger-LeCoultre is on a mission to celebrate their iconic Reverso model and the festivities reached Melbourne this week. As part of the initiative, an old Citroen truck has been reinvented as the “Jaeger-LeCoultre Nomadic Cafe”.
With a lovely view from its Southbank location, the Nomadic Cafe will tell you the story of the Reverso and how it came to be, while serving hot and cold drinks inspired by the brand’s manufacture in Le Sentier. With a scan of their QR code, it’s worth noting that the refreshments are complimentary – a classy move, JLC.
The second part of this journey continues at the Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique, where you’ll have an opportunity to see Reversos past and present, from the very first models of the early 1930s, to the incredibly complicated Triptyque and record-setting Quadriptyque models. JLC’s travelling cafe and exhibition are in Melbourne only until Sunday, March 5, so if you haven’t already, I’d highly suggest paying both a visit.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Borna, Luke, and Zach
Watch meme of the week: Point of reference
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While this is a joke – like a horological take on The Onion – it’s an interesting commentary on how watch enthusiasm can simultaneously be one of the most friendly, yet discriminating areas of nerd-dom. It’s also perhaps a reminder to impose your knowledge with tact on those less informed by you. The watch world is already an intimidating enough place for newcomers without any geeky one-upmanship.
Wrist shot of the week: Hype spectrum
There is something really neat about seeing the affordable hype and peak steel hype watches next to each other on one arm. They’re two very different prices, and offerings as a whole. But it just goes to show there are things for people to go crazy over watch-wise at any budget and that expense does not necessarily equate to the level of joy.
Time+Tide Shop select of the week: Hamilton Jazzmaster Performer Auto 38mm
Made for those who favour function and style at once, the Jazzmaster Performer line offers a powerful sport-chic appearance. Powered by the H-10 automatic movement with 80 hours power reserve, this Jazzmaster Performer Automatic features a 38mm stainless-steel case accented by an understated black dial and a refined stainless-steel bracelet.
You can purchase the Hamilton Jazzmaster Performer Auto 38mm right here in the Time+Tide Shop. Price: A$1,850
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week:
HANDS-ON: The Ball Endurance 1917 Series is dedicated to the heroic explorer Ernest Shackleton
If you are sleeping on Ball watches you better wake up. The Endurance 1917 Series is a clear example of what the brand has to offer – 904L steel cases, tritium dials, and, in the case of the TMT model, a mechanical thermometer. Head here for our full written and video hands-on review.
Five of the best action-movie watches you can still buy at retail
To comb through all of the awesome watches worn by action-movie superstars over the years would be an exhaustive proposition, and many of these watches are no longer even available for purchase new at retail. So, here are five of the best action-movie watches you can still actually buy at retail. Check out the full list here.
HANDS-ON: Go anywhere, do anything with the Hamilton Jazzmaster Performer Series
A total of 11 variants encompass the new Hamilton Jazzmaster Performer lineup, with 34mm / 38mm sizes for the Automatic and 42mm for the Automatic Chronograph. We went hands-on with one model from each size. You can read our hands-on review here, or head straight to the video above.