Each week, we select our favourite watches from the pre-owned side of the collection. Captured by our talented in-house photographer, you can take a closer look at what makes these watches so special. This week we have the Platinum Rolex Daytona, which is Jo Siffert’s labelled Heuer, an Omega called Chocolate Sapphire, the Speedmaster, the Big Smoke, and a number of other watches. Speedmaster, from big smoke to big smoke, is also a big pilot for IWC.
50th anniversary with some weight on your wrist – Rolex Daytona Cosmic Photo Book.
Few replica watches uk can generate the interest to make the Slack channel hum, but if you want our crew’s full effort, then The Platinum Daytona (so ref 116505) is a good place to start.
The weight of a mechanical watch can feel reassuring, swapping steel for gold adds weight and a specific feeling that you have something special on your wrist. This feeling is only amplified by platinum. With its matching all-platinum bracelet, this heavy Daytona scales the scales slightly above 280 grams (or 0.62 pounds). The crown is indeed a crown. The solid platinum links on this model cost over a thousand dollars, so thankfully the bracelet has a full bangle that will fit an 8-inch wrist.
The brown ceramic bezel and light blue dial are only available on the white gold model of the replica Rolex Daytona. The brown colour is matched in the ring around the sub-base to create a cohesive and unique design. This is the Rolex Peak watch and that particular reference was originally released in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of Daytona’s birth.
Much anticipated is the mix of collector responses when releasing this reference. However, over the past decade, this rare and highly prized Daytona has proven itself to be an insider’s reference. This particular anniversary model can only grow over the course of a year and therefore incorporates the Ice Dial and Platinum Architecture that offers Daytona like no one else.
Tropical Side of the Moon – Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Chronograph Ref.
There are two main branches of the Speedmaster Pro family, one of which covers MoonWatch and its myriad of changes since its introduction, and the other branch covers all anniversary models, special references and limited editions. The first branch alone could fill a book – if you’re interested in a definitive resource on the subject, do so. Over the years, with the almost endless expressions of the racing masters, not all of them have been widely recognised and appreciated. Some are very rare, such as 50’s Skeleton Platinum Edition or The Gold Panda exclusive jdm speedmaster, and some never expire.
Nicknamed the “Chocolate Sapphire”, this Speedmaster was produced from 2007 to 2013, and although it was never a limited edition, it was not mass-produced. The dial is brown, like a “tropical” old racing master, which is the term for a dial that has faded from prolonged exposure to the sun. The fluid is also slightly yellowed to match the tropical brown colour. However, unlike most “fauxtina”, this colour is not overly yellow, but more white. This is the best use of the coloured Super Luminova this writer has ever seen. Aside from the dialling changes, this was a typical fast professional of the time, featuring the Lemania 1863 Caliber, which was perfected in 1861 as it could be seen through the Sapphire Caseback.
Launched probably a decade before the modern version of the vintage watch really took off, this watch is underrated in the deep collecting world of racing gurus. Of all the different racing gurus I’ve been lucky enough to meet, this is the one I personally fell in love with and have since added to my own collection.
Thanks to decades of supporting motor racing around the world, Tag Heuer has a close and important relationship with the world of motorsport. Even with the merger of Tag and Heuer, the two entities share a familiarity and passion for Formula 1. Heuer pioneered the idea of Watch Brands sponsoring teams and drivers, as well as the idea that one of the early drivers was to proudly wear their watch Driver Jo Siffert.
Siffert is known for wearing the Autavia Ref. 1163 with a white dial, black children’s chart and blue accents. The watch here is a refinish made in honour of Siffert, who proudly wore his Autavia until the end of his career – which included two Formula 1 Grand Prix victories, two wins in the 24 hours at Le Mans, and an overall victory in the 24 hours at Daytona. Siffert also helped prepare his friend actor Steve McQueen for his leading role at Le Mans in 1971. This included helping him pick a labelled Heuer Monaco for his wrist watch.
It’s a Calibre 11, with its side crowns and 1970s shape, something Watch Jo Siffert will immediately recognise. The rectangular pushers are new in the re-edit, but they fit the case perfectly and are playable when tracking lap times (or just using the chronograph while waiting for a coffee order to be ready).
Phone call from London, will you answer it?
The Heritage Black Bay is a Tudor-branded watch that was relaunched in the United States in 2012. Later in 2016, the line-up was updated with an in-house campaign, and shortly thereafter, Tudor partnered with famed London retailer Harrods for a special edition launched in 2017.
It’s not uncommon for watchmakers working with a single retailer to be able to issue special editions that can only be purchased in that retailer’s own shop, but most examples are made as limited editions with low production numbers. Instead, for this particular Harrods edition of the Black Bay, the watch has been in production since its launch (with rumours that it will stop getting bigger and bigger each year). If you live near London, feel free to put your name to one of the Harrods. For the rest of the world, buying pre-owned will be the only way to carry one of these distinctly green, black bays.
The green colour of the border, a few seconds of the tip and the text all come from the iconic green colour used by Harrods. Like Tiffany & Co.’s blue, the Harrods brand is built around this colour. From the awnings to the doorman’s uniform to the bags, everyone wears green. The aluminium bezel and black gold-plated dials are reminiscent of Rolex styles of the past, and the combination is right at home on Tudor’s vintage-style Black Bay.
Big and green. Maybe we should call it the Hulk.
Since the earliest days of daring aviation, IWC has been the manufacturer of choice for pilot’s watches. The first large pilot’s watches were produced in the 1940s with the iconic onion crown and large sword hand. These were 55 millimetres wide and were better suited to being strapped to the outside of a flight suit rather than the average wrist.
This successor to the Big Pilot was released in 2002 and since then it’s relied on a 46-48mm size that’s definitely big, but not at all hard to wear. These are excellent watches, and they’ve gained a following from collectors like John Mayer, but are still a little big for many wrists, especially after the recent swing towards smaller case width flavours.
As an answer to these tastes, IWC announced a new 43mm wide Large Pilot for 2021, and we finally got a Large Pilot that almost anyone could wear. Moreover, without a few seconds to spare, the smaller Large Pilot is more faithful to the original design of the Large Pilot’s predecessor.
Winding that big onion crown is one of the most satisfying moments you’ll ever have when dealing with a watch, and IWC has upped the ante with a special green dial execution, which brings some warmth and glamour to the standard, often military-like focal point of the large pilot design.
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