Tudor Black Bay
Doug Escribano, Senior International Specialist, New York
Tudor is one of my favorite watch brands available today for under $5000USD. Founded by Hans Wildorf in 1926 they have created an identity setting themselves apart from the Rolex name. Tudor timepieces are a blend of classic and contemporary designs with influences from aviation, diving and motorsports while maintaining precision and reliability at an attractive price point. Like other manufacturers their watches use durable materials such as stainless steel, gold, and titanium along with contemporary models in ceramic, black carbon composite and bronze. Originally housed with a modified ETA movement, Tudor watches are now powered by their own in-house caliber. Their collection ranges from the sporty vintage inspired Black Bay, to the professional-grade Pelagos diver’s watch, their Heritage Chronograph collection and the refined classic Royal timepieces. From their first Oyster watches dating to 1932 to their 21st century state of the art Black Bay Ceramic with blue dial timepieces, Tudor has maintained Wilsdorf’s desire to have “a more modest price than our Rolex watches, and yet one that would attain the standard of dependability for which Rolex is famous”.
Within their collection, my favourite line is the Black Bay with a vintage inspired aesthetic reminiscent of the golden age of horology in the 1950s’ and 60s. There is a range of styles, sizes, materials and complications giving enthusiasts a variety of options. The robust craftsmanship and classic design give the wearer a versatile timepiece that can be worn every day.
Tudor’s “Born to Dare” campaign incorporates their state-of-the-art technology and innovation for clients who “dare to step out of their comfort zone”. They partner with celebrities including professional footballer David Beckman, and Portuguese surfing legend Nic von Rupp, as well as other brands like their attractive Harrods Black Bay exclusive with green bezel fashioned off the Knightsbridge department store’s iconic shade of green.
Tudor is a mid-luxury level brand that is the perfect entry piece into the world of watch collecting, or a great companion piece. They are reliable and offer the same quality Swiss watchmaking without the high cost associated with other brands.
Ulysse Nardin Chronomètre de Marine 1846
Clement Finet, Senior Specialist, Head of Phillips PERPETUAL, Gstaad
Some watches -like people- leave an everlasting impression on you. This one definitely falls in that category -at least to me! I have been fond of this watch ever since it came out (end of 90’). At the time, I couldn’t really afford it as I was saving up for my first major watch (a Lange 1815). but it’s haunted me ever since. For whatever reason, this watch didn’t make it to my personnal collection up until recently, but what a pleasure this has been since! It’s truly watches like these that can make watch collecting fun and worthwhile for all!
Unimatic U4 Classic
Arthur Touchot, International Head of Digital Strategy Watches
I’ve known about Unimatic for a while now and appreciated their vintage-inspired aesthetic from a distance, but I only recently understood why there’s been so much excitement around the brand. And for that I must thank my friend William Massena for taking matters into his own hands, and for generously sending me a watch from a recent limited edition that he designed. The watch is based on the U4 Classic, a 40mm automatic sports watch, heavily inspired by professional and military dive watches from the 1950s and 1960s, but with the bold absence of a rotating ring. It’s a design choice that makes the watch stand out from its competition, and gives it a unique, distressed character, which all of their watches have. If you’re into that aesthetic, and you don’t want to spend more for the real deal, I recommend checking out the Unimatic (and keeping an eye out for the most playful and colourful limited editions).
Longines Conquest V.H.P. Perpetual Calendar
Logan Baker, Senior Editorial Manager
Let’s get something out of the way. The watch I’m about to review is a quartz watch. Which, while a major part of the Swiss watch industry, is something we don’t focus too much on at Phillips.
The V.H.P. (Very High Precision) collection is a long-underappreciated aspect of Longines’s history. You can count on one hand how many brands have manufactured watches as long as Longines — they’ve been continuously active since 1832. The V.H.P. first entered the horological lexicon in 1984. That year, Longines introduced Caliber 276.2 that used thermocompensation to achieve a rate of plus or minus 10 seconds per year.
Over the next decade plus, there were a few minor changes to the collection, namely the second oscillator was replaced by a thermistor module (Caliber 273.2), but the V.H.P. mainly stayed its course as a high-end quartz offering for the brand. During that decade, the Swiss watch industry was still recovering from a loss of identity brought on by the Quartz Crisis. This is the reason you saw brands like Rolex introducing the OysterQuartz — if you were a luxury watch brand and you didn’t have a high-quality take on a quartz model there was a legitimate fear that you were going to miss out on not only the dominant trend at the time but also what looked like “the future” of the watch industry. In response to those fears, Nicolas Hayek transitioned the struggling ASUAG and SSIH into the Swatch Group and the age of conglomerates in the watch industry was born.
In 1996, we saw the last iteration of the Conquest V.H.P. Perpetual Calendar with a new ETA-developed movement with a digital calibration terminal that continued using thermocompensation and introduced a perpetual calendar date and a 3V lithium battery that was supposed to last for a decade. Which it technically did — the Conquest V.H.P. Perpetual Calendar was officially discontinued around 2006.
I purchased my example of the second-generation Longines Conquest V.H.P. Perpetual Calendar late last year for around USD $250 and I absolutely love it.
Studio Underd0g Pink Lem0nade
Arthur Touchais, Video Producer, Watches
Who doesn’t love a kitsch Miami gradient? Okay not sure about this one, but who doesn’t love the Underd0g?
I couldn’t resist getting my hand on this pink lemonade release, not only is the strap exquisitely comfy, but it’s been my best ally in chasing sunsets here and there.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
Recommended Reading
The Anoma A1, or When Form Follows Form
The Fine Print: Twenty Years of the Patek Philippe Ref. 5970
Ebel Is Back! A Complete Collectors’ Guide To Complicated Ebel Wristwatches Of The Late 20th Century