Despite the long days of the summer solstice in June, last month proved that the freaks come out at night. June was chock full of news of the weird, with tales of cud-chewing cows converting Air Kings into field watches and a radioactive seconde/seconde/ incident. Even the new watch releases got in on the fun. From the avante-garde to the innovative, Panerai’s mechanically-powered lume was a thing of wonderment, while Hublot’s Droplet is a timepiece so strange, it needs to be kept on a leash. Read on and let’s see if truth is really stranger than fiction.
The Rolex Air King That Became A Field Watch
Arguably the biggest watch story of the month by sheer syndication was the tale of the Rolex Air King that was (possibly) eaten by a cow. Reported first by local British press then the BBC, the story goes that the 1970’s-vintage watch was discovered in a pasture and subsequently theorized to have been eaten by a cow then digested and — ahem — deposited. This was simply too bizarre to pass up without further review and fortunately, Brendan Cunningham at Horolonomics has taken the time to dig deeper. Along the way, he’s excavated a few more facts that shed light on this strange case of missing time.
Source: Horolonomics
New Release: Panerai Submersible Elux LAB-ID PAM01800 Watch With On-Demand Light
As watch fans know, a timepiece with twin barrels promises to store twice as much energy in its coils as its mono-barrel brethren. Then, what about a watch with six barrels? What to do with all that power reserve? In Panerai’s case, such mad science was a requirement in order to bring electroluminescence to the wrist. The highly experimental Elux LAB-ID PAM01800 uses a highly customized mechanical caliber paired with an actual lighting system built into both the dial and hands that provides around 25 minutes of illumination.
Source: aBlogToWatch
Back To Basics: Watch Case Materials Explained — From Aluminum To Zirconium Dioxide
Pop quiz: what’s the difference between karats and carats? Which brand makes Sedna gold? Everose? The watch landscape is increasingly comprised of an ever-increasing variety of materials used in cases. From trusty steel to new-fangled bioceramics, the folks at Fratello have put together an at-a-glance primer on the pros and cons of each. If you’ve wondered why the platinum version of a watch costs many times more than the exact same watch in steel, your answer can be found here.
Source: Fratello
Grinding Gears: The Quiet Demise Of Craftsmanship & Performance In The Affordable Luxury Segment
File this under things you’ll never be able to unsee: “when brands put out official images where the minute hand is right on its marker and the seconds hand indicates 30 or 40 seconds into the minute.” Last month, David Bredan broke down the big and small ways brands of all sizes have come to rest on their laurels from sloppy crown engagement to meaningless accuracy claims (“The majority of [name redacted] watches have a precision of between -5 and +8 seconds per day”). Tired of price hikes without commensurate quality improvements? Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by the Swiss watch industry.
Source: aBlogToWatch
Quiet Club Stays Quiet No More As It Debuts The QC01 Fading Hours
Recently, the repeater as a complication has been quiet. With high-end manufacturers retrenching to safer shoals and the entry-level tier overrun with GMTs thanks to affordable innovations from Miyota and Seiko, it seems chiming watches have taken a backseat. So to see one emerge not just from an unexpected place but with a semi-novel design demands attention. The team at Monochrome investigates this minimalistic watch by way of the appropriately named Quiet Club.
Source: Monochrome
New Release: Hublot Arsham Droplet Pocket Watch And Desk Clock
Some watches are so conceptual in nature that it’s best to understand them as art rather than tools. Such is the case with the Hublot Arsham Droplet. Announced this month as a limited edition of 99 pieces made in collaboration with NYC artist Daniel Arsham, the Droplet can be displayed as a desk clock, worn as a pocketwatch, or sported as a necklace. It’ll set you back 88 stacks, but it’s almost guaranteed that no other piece of high horology will ever come this close to looking like a translucent white-out dispenser.
Source: aBlogToWatch
The History Of The ETA 2824, The Workhorse Calibre That Shaped The Industry
Some things in watchmaking are inextricably linked: 28,800 vph and 38-hours power reserve, for example. Or ETA 2824 and the phrase “workhorse.” Alongside the Seiko NH-series and Ronda 515, the ETA 2824 is likely the most common movement of its type. Denis Peshkov of Monochrome guides us down the path of the 2824 from its origins in 1971 to its iterations in the subsequent fifty-plus years. From the familiar to the fantastic, it seems like every watch brand has, at some point, used the 2824 or its derivatives from Swatch Group (the Powermatic 80) and beyond (the Sellita SW200).
Source: Monochrome
New Releases: Colorful And Affordable Watches From Paris To The Moon(swatch)
At the affordable end, Swatch Group had a vibrant month, introducing four special Swatch watches for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, as well as some of the most compelling MoonSwatches seen since the bioceramic sensation burst on the scene in 2022. For the former, Swatch’s use of purples, blues, and greens pair with neon accents to make for why-the-hell-not fun at a max price of $130 USD. As for the three new MoonSwatches, color themes like Lava, Polar Lights, and Desert continue the awkwardly named “Mission On Earth” theme in a fun new way.
Source: aBlogToWatch
Maen And Seconde/Seconde/ Collaborate On Their Second Manhattan
While the electric-pink aura of Barbenheimer is now a distant glow, the world will likely never move on from its fascination with (and fear of) nuclear tech. In June, mischievous French creator seconde/seconde collaborated with microbrand Maen to synthesize their second collab. The first was the Manhattan while this one (true to seconde/seconde’s cheeky nature) is the Manhattan Project. Not everyone appreciated the approach, however, with many disgruntled voices calling commemorating one of humanity’s darkest, most controversial technologies with a limited edition watch in poor taste. Quickly after launch, Romeric at seconde/seconde, in a thoughtful announcement, indicated 100% of his slice would go toward organizations aligned with the mission the watch set out to acknowledge.
Source: Worn & Wound
Ariel’s Thoughts: Are Today’s ‘Swiss Made’ Watches A Sign Of Protectionism Or Prestige?
In May, David Bredan took his ax to the grinding stone, arguing that “Swiss Made” has become a diluted, meaningless marketing scheme designed to deceive and confuse buyers. One month later, ABTW founder Ariel Adams penned the rejoinder, noting that what matters most is overall quality and performance — not how much one Swiss firm paid to another for parts. Where do you stand on the issue?
Source: aBlogToWatch
Luxury Sales Are Flattening Amid A Self-Inflicted Creativity Crisis And Price Hikes, Study Finds
While it makes no specific mention of watches, the findings reported in the Associated Press’ June article on luxury shopping trends are hard to ignore. Brands shifting focus away from middle-class shoppers and toward buyers at the highest end of the scale is nothing new, yet the claim by consultants at Bain & Company that brands are also facing a “creativity crisis” is compelling. Referring to some of the biggest fashion houses, a brand undergoing a turn-around in search of a new focus isn’t one in touch with customer needs.
Source: AP
Ryan Gosling’s Upside-Down TAG Heuer Watch In Fall Guy
Big oops? Or clever marketing? Unintentional Winterfell Starbucks cups aside, Ryan Gosling’s TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph seen in his new film, The Fall Guy, is one of the more egregious cases of product placement in recent years. Appearing in multiple scenes and worn in multiple ways, the eagle-eyed users over on the r/Watches subreddit have cataloged the weird and prominent ways the sporty classic appears during the film’s 126-minute runtime. Upside down while making coffee? Why not!
Source: Reddit