SPOTTED! BY AG: Dispatch 14, 2017

Andy Green

For those who haven’t checked their (perpetual) calendars lately — wake up! It’s November, yes — there’s only a few weeks left of the year, and I honestly have no clue where the time went, but it’s gone. Christmas is just weeks away, and before we know it, we’ll be welcoming 2018. Anyway, here’s what happened this month …

First up, I caught up with Nicholas Hooper for a coffee at my local. Nicholas was down from Sydney, and packing some pretty serious heat — a HYT H2 Tradition, which retails for a cool $260,000 AUD. Certainly not a piece you see every day, it wasn’t entirely surprising to see on Nicholas’s wrist as he’s the Australian distributor of HYT. Personally, I quite liked the white gold case and enamel dial (albeit minimal). It was a real treat to photograph, and had quite the wrist presence.

Those who keep an eye on my Instagram account would’ve noticed I spent the long weekend with a pair of Bulgari Octos. I won’t go into too much detail here, as there’s a full review to come (next week), though I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Ultranero. For me, these two watches were particularly interesting to review, and not something I’d usually pick out of a line-up.

This month we also had the pleasure of hosting Time + Tide contributor Cam (@WriteAboutTime) in our office. Cam was down from Brisbane, and made the most of the trip by stopping into Cremorne for a coffee. On his wrist — a Tudor Pelagos LHD, which he’d put onto a lovely tan NATO strap, with brushed black hardware. A perfect match to the lume plots on the dial. Cam jumped on this watch pretty quickly after its release, this time last year, and hasn’t looked back.

It was also a pretty special month for our good friend Tom, who after a loooong two years, took delivery of his Patek Philippe Nautilus. I had the honour of being present as he personally cut open the vacuum-sealed bag, to reveal one of the most popular and in-demand pieces on the market. In terms of stainless steel Patek, is a two-year wait really that long?

And lastly, a spot that is very close to home — my home, in fact. Yes, you might’ve noticed I had a cheeky incoming earlier this month, in the form of a 1985 Tudor Submariner (reference 76100). What drew me to this particular reference, being a transitional model, is that you just don’t see them that often. Aside from some killer patina, I just love the ‘rarer’ hour hand, which is otherwise referred to as a ‘Lollipop’ or ‘Non-Mercedes’ hand. I’d been on the lookout for a vintage Tudor for the past few months, so when this popped up, I pounced.

Anyway, that wraps up this month’s edition of Spotted! Til next month …