Mike and Kaz talk shop with some of the early Baselworld 2017 releases that’ve been coming out… surprisingly they’re quite excited about a few of them! In particular Kaz is super into the new rederique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture – so much so that he even chokes on his thin mints (you heard me). On the flip side, the newest Rolex Sea-Dweller has the snobs perplexed as hell.
A journey of epic proportions is taken by Kaz as he sojorns to the Seiko Miami Boutique to make one of the coolest limited edition Seiko divers ever released his. He catalogs his experience buying the watch – plus he gets to try some real japanese whiskey while stressing the important of developing a positive partnership with a brand that’s special to him. In other news, Mike’s wrist still longs for that sweet horological caress post watchfast.
As I explained in my last piece, I am something of a Black Bay collector myself (picture the meme), having fallen for the 79220N Heritage Black Bay in 2015. Prior to this, however, I had already decided two years previously that I would buy a Rolex Submariner one day, somehow. Today, I want to focus on the 79220N Heritage Black Bay, the 79000N Black Bay 54 and the 124060 Submariner in my collection.
I found my way into watch collecting in 2014, with the ubiquitous SKX009J. I agonized over spending a “huge” £135 on that watch for days, after scouring the reviews and forums, before pulling the trigger from a certain Asian website. This was where it all began, and for a time, I was satisfied with this fan-favourite diver. 2014, coincidentally, was the year that Tudor came back to the UK, after its global hiatus and slow return to other markets from 2010. I remember seeing the 79220R Burgundy Black Bay for the first time and thinking – “Eww”. It was a gaudy colour, and the hour hand was a stupid shape! Some forgotten cousin of Rolex? ETA-2824 calibre? £2330? No thank you, sir, I have ALL THE SEIKOS to buy, which I promptly set about doing.
Since its show-stopping introduction at Baselworld 2018, the Black Bay GMT has stood as one of Tudor’s most impactful modern watches. People either love it or hate it, sizing is a constant point of debate, and maybe you were even lucky enough to snag one with the dreadful date wheel defect. But, when many of us experienced the Black Bay 58, we couldn’t help but think it would serve as the perfect format for Tudor to release a smaller, vintage-correct GMT. It feels like we’ve been asking for ages and it’s finally here, with a new GMT movement. Feast your eyes on the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT.
What I believe is: watches act as signifiers of something that we dream of participating in. If I may let my BFA flag fly a little, what I believe is signified by wearing a GMT watch is that sense of travel…
Fully embossed, the three-hander seems like what Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre might wear to a $3,000-per-plate political fundraiser with the futile goal of dressing to impress.
