IWC takes us into the garage for its latest F1 release
Russell SheldrakeTo mark the release of IWC’s newest collaboration with its F1 partner, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1, I was treated to a visit to the Mercedes Formula 1 headquarters in the bucolic countryside of Brackley. The new watch is a new edition of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41, with a vibrant purple dial and strap inspired by the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, which is the national flower of Singapore, where this watch will be officially unveiled when the F1 circus rolls into town on October 11th.
For those who haven’t had the chance to visit the home of a Formula 1 team, I can tell you they are not mere buildings but entire campuses that sprawl with different buildings holding all of the crucial parts that make up the 2000-strong team at Mercedes. Whether it’s the wind tunnel building that also happens to have the marketing suite above it, or the factory floor that looks more like a science lab at times than it does a building that would produce car parts. The entire area is awash with the latest technology, and everyone is dressed head-to-toe in Adidas.
This was the perfect place to get to grips with this new watch, as we got a true understanding of what the IWC involvement with the team meant. There are some striking similarities between the Mercedes F1 HQ and the IWC manufacture in Schaffhausen, with the adoption of the latest technology, but also this clear drive to be better every day from every member of staff present. You can see why the partnership has been so strong all these years. I was even given a small insight from one of our tour guides, who told me one of the first things Mercedes asked of Christoph Granger-Herr when they first partnered together was for him to take a look at redesigning their driver rooms. Given the WIC CEO’s previous experience in architectural design, this was a perfect first task for him with his newest partner.
And this latest watch shows how their partnership has grown and blossomed (excuse the pun) since then. Previously, the watches created in collaboration between these two have very much stuck to the brand colours of the racing team, with that bright blue forming the centre of their colour palettes. However, the decision here to move outside of that, opting for this vibrant shade of purple gives us a hint that there is more daring left in both of them. I guess this is the bravery that comes from being one and two in the drivers’ championship. But that team colour is still very present in the lume.
You still get everything you expect from the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41, although it does come with a lightweight titanium case. While on the tour, we got access to their metalwork shop and saw the way they machine the raw billets of metal down to the final components, including many made out of the same Grade 5 titanium; it was easy to see the points of similarity. The brand’s 69385 calibre still beats inside and brings with it the reliable column-wheel architecture and 46 hours of power reserve. Overall, this was an incredible way to get to grips with a watch and understand a collaboration in its context. Could this have been the apex of my career? I certainly felt like I was in pole position after. Ok, enough of the puns. I just couldn’t help myself.
Rado brings its ceramic touch to Australia for the first time
As I’m sure many of you will know by now, Collins Street, Melbourne is the watch capital of Australia, and while it is already home to our very first Discovery Studio, we now welcome a new neighbour: Rado. The Swiss brand that is famed for its use of scratch-resistant ceramic has just opened its first Australian boutique, and we think they could not have chosen a better location. Earlier this week, 298 Collins Street saw the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the debut boutique with plenty of big wigs and stars in attendance. Rado CEO Adrian Bosshard made the trip over and was joined by brand ambassadors Cameron Green and Ash Barty, while the Lord Mayor of Melbourne even came down to say a few words.
While we all know about the Paris end of Collins Street, it feels like there is very much a Swiss end of the street now as more and more horological openings take place. And we could not be more excited to see more timepieces on our street. It speaks to the industry’s confidence in the Australian market and the desire to engage more closely with the Aussie clientele.
As we have come to expect from a boutique opening today, this is more than just watches in a display case. The space has been designed to allow guests to become immersed in the brand and discover exactly what goes into making a Rado timepiece. Of course, that cannot be done with furnishings alone, and the incredible team that we got to meet on the night certainly seemed cut out for the role of introducing this brand to the Australian market. Knowledgeable, personable, and exactly the type of people you want on your side when trying to discover more about a brand with as rich a history as Rado.
Enjoy your weekend.
Russell and the Time+Tide team.
Russell’s Time+Tide take of the week: Good things really do come in small packages
I know this debate has been raging around the watch internet for years now, but I am firmly claiming my stake that smaller watches are just better. I understand that the diameter and thickness of a watch are very much subjective and especially depend on a person’s wrist size. However, I firmly believe that a smaller watch is always a better watch on the grounds that making a watch smaller is always technically more impressive than just spreading it out. Smallness and especially thinness in a watch can be a complication in and of itself.
The most recent and obvious example for me has to be the incredible work that Bulgari put into making its already thin Octo Finissimo just a bit smaller, now measuring 37mm across. To do this, the brand was forced to massively reduce the overall volume of the movement, and in reworking it, they were even able to add more power reserve. An impressive feat no matter how you measure it. This made the Octo Finissimo an entirely more attractive proposition to me, while simultaneously showing off how capable a manufacturer Bulgari really is.
I will always continue to campaign for smaller watches to be designed to as high a standard as larger models, as I feel brands can be lazy at times and rely on the old “shrink it, and pink it” adage. But to me, a smaller watch never has to be automatically considered a women’s watch. Smaller just means opening a watch up to a bigger audience. And if you can do that in a technically and aesthetically clever way, you will always find a fan for it in me.
Wrist shot of the week: Old gold
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Tim Vaux is back at it again with a stunner of a champagne dial Breguet from the golden Roth era. I’ve spoken before on here about my love for neo-vintage, and this is one of the prime examples of what makes that period so magical to me. You get the styling that defines a brand, perfect guilloche on the dial, a coin-edge case, and small details that matter, paired with the watchmaking that was quickly evolving into what we would recognise today. It is the ideal juncture of old and new that tickles romantics like me in a way very little can.
Time+Tide shop pick of the week: Get your FounderFest tickets while they’re still hot
That’s right, we have reimagined what the watch fair could look like, and you have the chance to be a part of it. But the tickets are limited and available to buy right now. So do not hesitate, if you can get yourself to London, Melbourne, or New York on September 19th (and 20th for NY) then you will not want to miss out. We will have live music at all three venues, and it will be the very first chance to get hands on with the seven collaborative watches we have produced for this special event with seven of the most exciting, founder-led watch brands on the market today. We will even have some live discussions with those founders at some of the locations, so be sure to check the link below to see if you can catch a chat that is guaranteed to feed that hunger we all have for to learn more about these exciting brands.
If you are going to be in the Big Apple, get your tickets here. Or if you plan to be in London, get your tickets here. Or if you find yourself in Melbourne, get your tickets here.
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
FounderFest: The Dennison ALD Dual Time “Carnaby Blue” is a mod icon in mother-of-pearl
The Time+Tide x Dennison ALD Dual Time Carnaby Blue draws from a real moment in British culture. It isn’t a tribute to a single album or song, nor does it recreate the decade literally. Instead, it captures something broader: named after London’s Carnaby Street, the cultural epicentre of Mod culture, it represents the confidence and individuality that made Britain such a cultural force. Those influences come together in a mosaic-blue mother-of-pearl dial housed inside Dennison’s distinctive cushion case, resulting in a watch that feels every bit as expressive today as its inspiration did in 1960s London.
Longines adds a Monopusher and more to updated Master Collection
Longines is known for presenting high-quality watches for attractively lower prices. The brand made waves with its Hydroconquest, but today we have new entries into the Longines Master Collection with 30mm, 34mm, 39mm, and 41mm time and date variants, a refined 41mm Chrono Moonphase, and, arguably the showstopper, a new 41mm Chrono Monopusher – yup, a monopusher. From Longines.
The new Omega Speedmaster 38 launch includes a proper Speedy Reduced successor
The Omega Speedmaster Reduced was a very well-loved design for budding collectors, as a watch that carried a Moonwatch aesthetic – but, in a smaller case, with an automatic movement, and a lower retail and secondary market price that made it a go-to for those looking to score their first Omega watch. Before the MoonSwatch, your only proper avenue for Moonwatch cosplay was the Speedy Reduced. But poof, around 2009/2010 the watch was phased out of the Omega catalogue. And now, it’s back! The Omega Speedmaster 38 range, though full of good options, hasn’t had a real true successor to the beloved Speedmaster Reduced. But it does now.