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FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Tiffany madness, DeBethune and Richard Mille in space, and a Marvel Hawkeye Rolex? FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Tiffany madness, DeBethune and Richard Mille in space, and a Marvel Hawkeye Rolex?

FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Tiffany madness, DeBethune and Richard Mille in space, and a Marvel Hawkeye Rolex?

Zach Blass

Although we are approaching the holiday season, the watch world shows no signs of slowing down. A lot (pun intended) has been revealed this week – most notably the fact that tomorrow we’ll discover how well a Tiffany Blue 5711/1A-018 fares at auction when the bidding opens at Phillips. I am not typically a betting man, but I would wager that the watch will certainly break the record for a stainless-steel 5711/1A Nautilus at auction – which would require a result over $490,000 USD.

But enough Tiffany talk, other headlining news this week includes two new horological faces making their first trips into outer space.

Image: Blue Origin

Also tomorrow, former NFL superstar Michael Strahan is set to bring his DeBethune DB28 Kind of Blue Z along for his ride on a Blue Origin flight into outer space. Considering the Star Trek aesthetic of the delta-shaped bridge, it is visually quite a fitting choice to bring on a space flight. Even the blue titanium case and caliber components make thematic sense for a ride with Blue Origin. Strahan will also take his grandfather’s pocket watch on the journey alongside other possessions of emotional value including a lucky $2 bill, his Super Bowl XLII and Pro Football Hall of Fame rings, a pearl necklace and shell casings from the 12-gun salute at his father’s funeral.

 

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But Strahan is not alone in giving a new brand of watch its intergalactic baptism. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has already done so during his flight to the International Space Station. He actually wore two. The first, worn outside of his suit on a self-fastening strap (wink wink), is the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch – which, of course, has a longstanding history with outer space. The second, which is potentially the most expensive watch taken off the planet, is Maezawa’s RM 27-02 Rafael Nadal from Richard Mille.

When the watch was introduced in 2010, its retail price was CHF 734,500. But as part of a limited-edition run of 50 pieces, the secondary market value of this Richard Mille probably now surpasses its original price. Designed for Rafael Nadal to be able to handle the shock and G-forces of match play, the tourbillon watch was built to withstand 5000 Gs  (apparently Blue Origin guests endure a maximum of 5 Gs) – so while it may seem like billionaire overkill to take this precious watch into space, it certainly has the mettle to brave the trip.

Tiffany

As for a little bit of watches in television, anyone who has begun streaming Marvel’s Hawkeye, starring Jeremey Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, will already know the horological cameo within the series. In the first episode it becomes very clear that a Rolex watch found at the Avengers compound will have a part to play in the unfolding story. Who does the Rolex watch really belong to? What is its greater significance? We’ll have to see what future episodes hold for this watch-related plot line.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend,

Zach

Watch meme of the week: Unobtanium hi-jinks

 

While just an image poking fun at the state of the marketplace, it does showcase the double standards surrounding the lack of availability of certain timepieces. Rolex’s output is estimated at between 800,000 and a million watches a year and, as a result, people wonder why such a large production does not yield their desired reference. The output of independent brands is far more limited. So when a brand, such as Grönefeld, does the right thing by being transparent and revealing their queue is so long they won’t accept any new orders for the moment, there is at least a sense of knowing where you stand and acknowledgment that predominantly hand-finished products take longer to make.

Wrist shot of the week: A first glimpse of the 5711/1A-018 on the wrist.

Renders and studio shots can often be deceiving when trying to discern the true tone of a dial. For a more accurate read on what you should expect in the metal, sometimes nothing beats a generic wrist shot on an overcast day. Here we get such a look, and I know it may not be a popular sentiment, but I really dig the whole vibe of the Tiffany 5711/1A-018, black hands and markers and everything.

Recommended viewing: The Phillips 2021 New York Auction

Tiffany

I know, a lot of the Tiffany Blue Nautilus – but it was the story that broke the watch internet this week after all. If you want to almost certainly see a record broken in real time, be sure to tune into the 2021 New York Auction via the Phillips website or mobile app to watch the results of the highly anticipated “lot 1T”. There are also other great lots going up for sale, and the final hammer prices will be quite revealing in terms of just how in-demand particular references are.

Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week:

Missed out on the latest Nautilus? Here are ten of the best Tiffany Blue dial alternatives

If like 99.999% of the population you are going to miss out on the latest Nautilus, we decided to put together a list of ten of the best Tiffany Blue dial alternatives. They’re not all necessarily 1:1 the exact shade, but they’re definitely close enough to scratch the itch.

HANDS-ON: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT offers a sportier take on a modern classic

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo has been a consistent benchmark for craftsmanship, artfulness, and bravery in watchmaking. Andrew and Fergus decided to go hands-on with the Chronograph GMT Sport – watch the video above or check out the written hands-on here for all the details.

Kevin Hart’s watch collection is the stuff of your horological dreams

Comedian Kevin Hart’s success has enabled him to build one of the most stunning watch collections out there. Follow Ricardo as he checks out some of the biggest watch hits of his amazing career.