Oracle Time - Issue 84 - July/August Great Outdoors Edition

WATCHES | ST YLE | CULTUR E

THE LIFESTYLE GUIDE FOR WATCH LOVERS

ISSUE .84

Green with Envy

GLASHUTTE ORIGINAL The Great Outdoors Issue EXPLORATION | ADVENTURE | SURVIVAL

ISSUE 84

9.95

£

ORACLE TIME #84

WELCOME Editor’s letter

COVER CREDITS Photography: Tom Pettit Watch: Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date

Much as I’d have liked to start this with a nod to Jim Carrey’s second outing as Ace Ventura, I don’t need a link to a Nineties comedy classic to explain just why we’ve been appreciating nature more than ever before. Personally, living smack bang in the Big Smoke means that leaving London is something I’ve found myself doing more and more, whether that’s a long weekend to a national park or something a little more involved. And I’m not the only one – hence our theme for this issue: the Great Outdoors.

Apparently German watchmaker Glashutte Original have been feeling much the same if their latest verdant release – and our cover star for this issue – is anything to go by. Between channelling vintage Saxon timepieces and it’s fantastic new dial, the latest Seventies is a stunner.

A good part of properly getting outside is looking the part. So, for our style shoot this issue we packed up and headed to England’s Peak District for a more modern take on outdoor style, paired with some equally contemporary field watches from the likes of anOrdain, Luminox and Christopher Ward. You can see the results on page 94, not that we needed much of an excuse to enjoy one of the UK’s most scenic areas.

While the Peak District is downright lovely, there are parts of the world that avid hikers dream of, the kinds of places that balance rugged hiking with breathaking scenery like nowhere else.

Think Australia’s Great Ocean Road or, closer to home, the lovely Pennine Way. Discover the most beautiful trails in the world for yourself on page 133.

Of course, you also need the right gear. On page 127 we run through some of the camping basics and glamping gadgets you need to transform austere survivalism into a snapshot of civilisation in the wilderness.

That said, while a solid few days hiking along a trail is more than extreme enough for myself, for ex-Special Forces Sergeant, Jason Fox, it’s nothing. If anyone understands how to survive in some of the harshest environments on Earth, it’s the SAS: Who Dares Wins presenter, who on page 70 offers us a pneumonic detailing how to make the most of the resources available to you, should you find yourself stranded after a less-than-ideal landing.

Of course, one tool that you’ll always be happy to have on hand is your watch – and not just for timing how long it’s been since you’ve last eaten. Check out page 42 to find out how to use your watch as a compass to (try to) find civilisation. It’s easier than you might think.

While any standard watch can double as a compass though, it takes a rarefied subset to survive in the timekeeping hell that is underwater. Corrosive salt water, intense pressure, darkness and the possibility of hidden rocks all add up to a bad time for your average landlubbing timepiece – which is precisely why diving watches are so popular.

Between their distinctive, utilitarian aesthetic and solid build quality, pretty much every brand has at least a variation on the theme, from Jaques Cousteau-worthy tools to Jules Verne inspired steampunk numbers. Discover the best of the year (so far) on page 53. There’s a lot to go over there.

Just remember, should you decide to head out into the great green yonder – or the Big Blue for that matter – make sure you take this issue with you. Sure, the content’s useful in and of itself and reading can keep you sane in mentally taxing situations, but even the paper’s got its uses if you need to build a fire. Or, in my original threatened nod to a certain Pet Detective, When Nature Calls.

As ever, stay safe, stay sane and enjoy this issue.

Sam Kessler, Editor

KEEP IN TOUCH: @oracle_time | @oracle_time | facebook.com/oracleoftime | oracleoftime.com

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ORACLE TIME #84

CONTRIBUTORS WATCHES | STYLE | CULTURE EDITOR

Sam Kessler sam.kessler@opulentmedia.co.uk ART DIRECTOR

Hicham Kasbi design@opulentmedia.co.uk SUB EDITOR

Dan Mobbs

Shane C. Kurup

Shane is a men’s style editor who has worked for a range of leading titles, including The MR PORTER Journal, Men’s Health UK, Esquire US, PORT, The Telegraph and Wallpaper*. He’s rather partial to a jazzy silk shirt, wide-leg trousers and a gin and Dubonnet (or three).

Dominic Bliss

Mat Craddock

Dominic Bliss is a London-based journalist, specialising in long-form feature writing for the likes of National Geographic, Men’s Health and GQ. His late grandfather once owned a beautiful antique Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, an heirloom which sadly ended up on the wrist of another member of the family.

Mat Craddock, the #watchnerd himself is an amateur horologist and co-founder of the Antiquarian Horology Society’s Wristwatch Group. He’s also the man behind ‘the most interesting watch blog you’ve never heard of’ over at thewatchnerd.co.uk.

Michael Sonsino

Jason Fox

Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox is a former special forces sergeant who is now a bestselling author, broadcaster and leading figure in mental health. The adventurer not only trains recruits through the most gruelling of challenges on SAS: Who Dares Wins, but is also one of Bremont’s clutch of extremely capable ambassadors.

A relative newcomer to luxury watches, Michael is OT’s Junior Content Producer.

He’s still trying to tell his balance spring from his tourbillon and as such is a fan of timepieces with a simple design, and who can blame him?

But if his obsession with miniatures is anything to go by, he has an impressive eye.

danmobbs@hotmail.com JUNIOR COPYWRITER

Michael Sonsino michael.sonsino@opulentmedia.co.uk DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER

Michael Pepper michael@opulentmedia.co.uk SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE & VIDEOGRAPHER

Fraser Vincent JUNIOR DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER

Kelly Coombes xxxxxx@opulentmedia.co.uk DIRECTOR

Mark Edwards mark@opulentmedia.co.uk MANAGING EDITOR / CO-FOUNDER

Tom Pettit tom@opulentmedia.co.uk SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER ADVERTISING

Oliver Morgan oliver.morgan@opulentmedia.co.uk 020 8471 4615

Rob Bellinger

Bon vivant, man about town and modern day Hemingway, Rob has been pontificating on the finer things in life since the dawn of time. Always armed with a magnum of Champagne, an international race license and an arsenal of cars; he’s the life, soul and ambience of the soirée. He tells us.

George Parker george.parker@opulentmedia.co.uk 020 8471 4616 SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

Phil Peachey Phil.peachey@opulentmedia.co.uk 0203 985 1414 OT MAGAZINE is published monthly

by Opulent Media 020 8471 4615

Printed by Stephens & George Ltd using vegetable-based inks onto materials which have been sourced from well-managed sustainable sources

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ORACLE TIME #84

CONTENTS

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OT M AG A ZINE / ISSUE 84

18 — AFICIONADO

45 — TOMORROW’S RETRO

Discover all the latest on our radar and what should be in your basket this month

26 — NEWS

What’s going on in the world of luxury, haute horology and the latest current affairs

35 — INTRODUCING

All the latest global watch releases from holy trinity brands and small independents

42 — THE ORACLE LEADS THE WAY

Navigate nature with our guide to using your (analogue) watch as a compass

From the swinging Sixties to the sporty Seventies, meet the German watchmaker perfecting tomorrow’s ‘retro’ aesthetic

Perhaps more importantly than a few funky dials, the Sixties showed Glashütte Original just how important retro aesthetics were to an emerging market Tomorrow’s Retro — p45

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ORACLE TIME #84

CONTENTS

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82 — CLOTHING EXPLORATION

From reindeer boots to water repellent fabric, the history of element-defying outerwear

94 — IN THE FIELD

The best lightweight outdoor apparel and field watches to match the summer scenery

107 — WATCH REVIEWS OT gets hands on with Elliot Brown, Longines and Spinnaker timepieces

119 — SOUR POWER

133

The specialist sour brews creating sensory havoc and an exciting ‘trip’ for the palate

123 — FORAGING FOR A TABLE

OT has gone green to unearth the best restaurants for foraged and local produce

127 — THE BEST CAMPING GEAR 2022

From glamping tech to survival basics, get outdoor ready with the best camping gear this year 94

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Take every opportunity, make the most of what you have at your disposal and keep mentally strong Survival of the Smartest — p70

53 — THE ULTIMATE DIVE WATCH GUIDE We clear the waters to help you find your perfect diver from the past 12 months

70 — SURVIVAL OF THE SMARTEST

How to survive a spell in the wilderness, Special Forces style

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133 — IN SEARCH OF THE HOLY TRAIL

Oceans, mountains and more, these are the most beautiful trails in the world

145 – UNSUNG VINTAGE HERO

The Glycine Airman is the coolest vintage pilot’s watch you might not know about

148 – IN FOCUS

A modular master, a secret chronograph, and an aristocrat all go under the spotlight

160 – MOVIE WATCH

Sam Neill’s Bremont in Jurassic World adds to the drama in the final part of the franchise

edited by: SAM KESSLER

aficionado The coolest things in the GREAT OUTDOORS right now

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aficionado

JUBILEE JAGUAR Nothing beats a top-down ride through a scenic Alpine route – except of course doing so in something like this.

The E-type is already a legend as one of the most beautiful cars ever built, but this one-off update from Jaguar Classic is something else. With a Union Flag inspired paint job (thankfully more subtle than the Mini Cooper equivalent), post box interior and a host of driving improvements – a 4.7-litre straight-six engine, five-speed gearbox, uprated suspension and brakes – it’s a stunner. You may even have noticed it in the Jubilee pageant.

It was one of the more subtle entries. jaguar.co.uk

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aficionado

GAME, SET, MATCH If your strawberries and cream on the main court requires a rose-tinted timepiece to really set them off, look no further than the tennis slanted Rallymaster, a collaborative match between Racquet Magazine and Maruice de Mauriac. Liveried in seasonal pink with a tennis ball yellow net across the dial, it’s the perfect warm up for the sporting season. Add in a superb mesh bracelet and you have what might be the ideal summer watch.

CHF 1,950 (approx. £1,649), limited to 40 pieces, mauricedemauriac.com

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aficionado

À LA PLAGE The second collaboration between the ever-eye-catching Vilebrequin and tropical fashion label Palm Angels is as bright and colourful as ever, with signature prints aplenty. It includes teddy bears, camo and Hawaiian sunsets in various colours, or if you’re looking for something a bit simpler yet equally bold, there’s these unmistakable block yellow shorts. Not that you needed an excuse to get in the water but… well, now you have one. £180, vilebrequin.com

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aficionado

AXE TO GRIND You can’t call yourself a true outdoorsman without a tried and true camping axe – and few are as befitting the wilds of the Blue Ridge Mountains like those of master blacksmith Liam Hoffman. This 2.25lb (just over a kilogram) axe is both hammer and blade, with the kind of sturdy build that would put a Viking to shame. In the words of the blacksmith himself: “Overbuilt and ready to use, because overkill never fails.” Just be warned: there is a wait list.

Starting at $350 (approx. £285), hoffmanblacksmithing.com

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aficionado

WHERE THERE’S NO SMOKE… Come rain or shine, building a fire can be aggravating – and not just because a week of Scouts wasn’t enough training to live in the wild. Smoke billowing across your camp is never fun. The Firepit+ solves both problems in one. By funnelling oxygen directly into the fire, it burns hotter, cleaner and better than ever before – no matter how many badges you earned for regulated arson. It also doubles as a portable grill, because not all food is better burned on sticks. £299.99, uk.bioliteenergy.com

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aficionado

ON THE TRAIL Who says electric bikes are just for the road? E-cycling specialist Stealth would argue otherwise and the phenomenal P-7R is more than enough to backup their claim. With three hours of charge and tyres chunky enough to tackle any terrain, it’s light, nimble and the most fun you can have in a secluded wood. Legally, anyway. £1,620, rideandglide.co.uk

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aficionado

THE PLUS SIDE Norway has a unique relationship with the landscape, and outdoor furniture maker Vestre has taken things to their logical extreme by building the world’s most environmentally friendly factory. More than that though, it’s an architectural marvel although it doesn’t take a genius to work out how it got its nickname: The Plus. Four wings secluded in public forest, it’s about as Scandinavian as you can get. vestre.com

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EDITED BY SAM KESSLER

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE LUXURY WORLD

NEWS

IMPROVING FORTUNES FOR INEICHEN Ineichen Auctioneers, a Zurich based auction house that specialises in watch and jewellery auctions, has had a stellar 2022 so far and that trend is set to continue. In the first half of the year their sales have reached CHF 12 million (approx. £10.2 million) in auctions, which includes exclusive bundles, such as a specially commissioned car, watch, and NFT. Their next live auction is set to take place in September and will feature up to 50 classic watches. Such limited stock ensures high quality across the board with big names like Vacheron Constantin and JaegerLeCoultre. However, there are online offerings throughout the summer if you want your horology auction fix sooner.

Learn more at ineichen.com

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world news

DYNAMIC NEW BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT S HITS THE STREETS Bentley’s Continental GT is already an all star when it comes to luxury cruising.

However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved upon, as the new S Series shows.

The Bentley Continental GT S features superior driving performance and visual presence compared to the base model.

What that translates to in practical terms is a new 22” wheel, fresh interior design, new V8 Sport exhaust and Bentley Dynamic Ride as standard. The overall impression is a meaner, punchier Bentley that’s more assertive on the road.

Find out more at bentleymotors.com

The overall impression is a meaner, punchier Bentley that’s more assertive on the road

LONGINES AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES The Commonwealth can sometimes feel like an archaic organisation, where the UK can relive its Imperial past and lord over countries it used to control. However, one brilliant thing to come from it is the Commonwealth Games, the world’s second largest sporting event behind the Olympics.

The Games this year are set to take place in Birmingham from 28 July to 8 August. Earlier this year the official timekeeper of the games, Longines, launched a commemorative watch in celebration. It’s the Hydroconquest XXII Commonwealth Games, a limited edition of their best selling timepiece with a colourful bezel scale.

Find out more at longines.com

SEIKO UK ANNOUNCE NEW BOUTIQUE ON BOND STREET Grand Seiko and Seiko are set to open a new two storey boutique on New Bond Street this autumn. It marks a move from their current location in Knightsbridge to a more central area that’s renowned for its luxury shopping. The ground floor of the new boutique will be dedicated to Grand Seiko while upstairs will be Seiko, Credor and a VIP lounge.

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world news

AUDEMARS PIGUET OPEN HOTEL DES HORLOGERS IN VALLÉE DE JOUX There are a million reasons to visit Switzerland as a watch enthusiast, especially the spiritual home of the world’s most influential brands in Vallée de Joux. But the question remains, where should you stay during your visit? Well, now the answer is easy, the Hotel Des Horlogers, an Audemars Piguet owned establishment only a short walk from their museum. There are 50 rooms and suites available in a building designed by the same minds behind the AP museum. It’s now open after a long period of rebuilding and development that started in 2016.

Book now at oteldeshorlogers.com

F.P. JOURNE LAUNCHES VINYL FIGURES

There are 50 rooms and suites available in a building designed by the same minds behind the AP museum 28

Sometimes the finishing touch to a watch collection isn’t actually a watch. A shocking sentiment I know.

However, sometimes if you’re creating a display to showcase your collection to your friends what you need is a fun accessory such as… a vinyl figure of François-Paul Journe wearing a minuscule F.P. Journe wristwatch. The collection, created in collaboration with Bait and Kokies, consists of two figures and a selection of seven watches including the FFC Blue for Only Watch 2021.

Available at launch.baitme.com

world news

ADOPT THE WILD BLUE PADI X BLANCPAIN Last month saw World Ocean Day take place, which in the watchmaking world means all eyes on Blancpain, one of the most vocal brands when it comes to ocean conservation. Sure enough, a new fundraising initiative was announced by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) in partnership with Blancpain, called Adopt the Blue. The programme aims to streamline global fundraising efforts and increase the number of Marine Protected Areas on the globe with a goal of 10,000 by 2025. Additionally there’s the Blancpain ocean photography competition, which results in stunning images like this shark by Renee Capozzola. Learn more at at padi.com

The programme aims to streamline global fundraising and increase the number of Marine Protected Areas on the globe with a goal of 10,000 by 2025

TUDOR LAUNCH PRO CYCLING TEAM Following the launch of the Tudor Black Bay Pro, Tudor have expanded their pro sports ventures to include a new cycling team. It has been built in collaboration with Fabian Cancellara, a Swiss cyclist who has won multiple world and Olympic titles. As a new team they’ll have to compete hard through the 2023 season for a shot at the big, world renowned races in 2024. It’s another string to Tudor’s already impressive sporting bow.

Find out more at tudorwatch.com

They’ll have to compete hard through the 2023 season for a shot at the big, world renowned races in 2024 29

time out

OR ACLE

TIM E :O U T

@The.United.Kingdom.Of.Horology Last issue may have had our most eye-catching cover yet, with blues and purples setting off the high-tech materials of the latest Rado Captain Cook. It’s a rugged diver for sure, but the Omega Seamaster 300m Professional can more than give it a run for its money, especially in this impeccably composed shot courtesy of Lake District-based (and fittingly patriotic) the.united.kingdom.of.horology.

The blue dial works nicely with the colours of the cover and the mesh bracelet its on is the perfect setting for a serious

diver, in this particular instance one that’s a solid 20 years old. Futuristic diver on one hand, classic on the other, it’s obvious why we love this shot.

Want to showcase your own eye for a perfectly composed watch shot? Well, get your hands on this issue, get snapping and don’t forget to use #oracletimeout for your chance to nab a page to yourself next month.

For now though, Oracle Time, Out.

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THERE ARE MANY WAYS to get your Oracle Time fix. Our favourite is of course within these lovely glossy pages to which you can subscribe via our website. An annual subscription containing 10 issues of the magazine is only £89.50, more value than a serious microbrand watch.

Alternatively, you can come and say hello on one of our many digital channels. Instagram is the perfect place to share your wristshots and thoughts with us – remember to use #OTWristshot. Or you can watch our latest video content on YouTube, listening to the dulcet tones of our editor via our website using the QR code in the top right.

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OUR

INSTAGRAM

FRONT — introducing

NEWS

INTRO DUCING

IN DETAIL •

• •

34mm stainless steel case with 30m water resistance Digital movement £80, timex.co.uk

TIMEX

T80 Stranger Things Edition

It’s not just dungeons and dragons, big hair and Kate Nash that have seen a revival since the latest (half) season of rose-tinted horror show Stranger Things hit Netflix. Timex are the timekeeping star of the show – bar an unnerving pendulum clock – and have been flexing their heritage designs with a trio of 80s revival pieces with a dark, Upside-Down twist. If the T80 doesn’t ooze pure nostalgia, then we don’t know what does. Other than Running Up That Hill, obviously.

FEARS

Brunswick Champagne

What’s a summer party without Champagne? Not one I want to go to. At least with the latest from newly Bristol-based British watchmaker Fears, that’s never going to be a problem.

The vintage-inspired cushion cased Brunswick now comes with a Champagne dial with black, three-dimensional indexes; it’s a refined, quintessentially English take on the brand’s flagship fit for your next elegant, sunshine soiree. And if that’s just a bit too refined for you, it also comes in a royal purple Jubilee edition. Oh yes. It’s something else.

IN DETAIL • •

•

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38mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance ETA 7001 calibre manual-wind movement with 45-hour power reserve £3,350, fearswatches.com

FRONT — introducing

SEIKO

Hybrid Diver 40th Anniversary Editions

Big, macho and rugged enough to survive jungles, warzones and extraterrestrial hunters, the ‘Arnie’ is a cult classic of digital-meets-analogue timekeeping. It’s been 40 years since the combo timepiece was launched and Seiko are celebrating with three new versions of the Commando watch. All three are as beefy as ever, with upgraded movements and serious diver specs to match their looks. If you’ve ever needed an excuse to delve into Schwarzenegger’s back catalogue, this is it.

THE DETAILS:

46.92mm stainless steel case with 200m water resistance • Calibre H855 quartz solar movement • From £570, seikoboutique.co.uk •

ZENITH

Kari Voutilainen Calibre 135 Observatoire

Zenith have been killing it recently, but now, in association with auction house Phillips, they’re leaning into the artisanal aspects of watchmaking by enlisting dial finishing powerhouse Kari Voutilainen for their latest limited edition. Not only does the new Observatoire have a typically exquisite dial, but includes a movement from the 1950s: the award-winning Calibre 135-0. The downside?

Well, a vintage 40-hour power reserve. The other downside? There’s only 10 of them. Good luck.

THE DETAILS:

38mm platinum case with 30m water resistance • Calibre 135 manual-wind movement with 40-hour power reserve • CHF 132,900 (approx. £112,600), limited to 10 pieces, • zenith-watches.com

•

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FRONT — introducing

BELL & ROSS

BR 03-92 Radiocompass

Bell & Ross wear their cockpit inspirations on their sleeve with pretty much every release. Now and then however they really go all-in – as is the case in the new Radiocompass. With an hour hand taken from the automatic direction finder of its namesake instrument and a minute hand imitating the very high frequency omnidirectional range (don’t ask me what either actually does), the handset brings a flash of colour to the otherwise blacked-out square beauty.

THE DETAILS:

42mm ceramic case with 100m water resistance • BR-CAL.302 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve • £3,400, limited to 999 pieces, bellross.com •

ORIS

Holstein Edition 2022

While most watch brands are obsessed with the 60s and 70s (or in Timex’s case the 80s), Oris’s latest throwback hasn’t travelled as far as you might imagine. The annual Holstein edition this year is a revival of the 1998 Full Steel Worldtimer, at the time of release the brand’s most technically advanced timepiece. Granted it’s not actually a worldtimer, just a jumping GMT, but it’s a cool piece nonetheless, faithful to the smaller proportions of the original, just with the Oris mascot on the back. In a pilot’s uniform. It’s too damn cute.

THE DETAILS:

36.5mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance • Oris 690 calibre automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • CHF 4,000 (approx. £3,390), limited to 250 pieces, oris.ch •

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nirmal purja

Words:

Sam Kessler

The Interview:

NIRMAL ‘NIMS’ PURJA THE PHENOMENAL RECORD-BREAKING CLIMBER ON MENTAL FORTITUDE AND ACHIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE

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Even if you’re not part of the extreme climbing world, you’ll have probably come across the name Nimsdai Purja. The immense documentary film 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible is a transcendentally epic insight into the greatest climbing challenge ever undertaken – and completed.

The 14 Peaks are the tallest mountains in the world, each over 8,000 feet and well into the so-called ‘death zone’ where the human body can’t survive. It was previously completed by South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho in just under eight years. Nims and his team did it in just over six months.

It’s a feat that pushed the boundaries of human capability, both mentally and physically, something that climbers around the world said simply couldn’t be done. It’s a mind-blowing accomplishment and if you’ve not seen it already, I highly recommend the documentary. Just make sure you watch it with a nice, hot drink.

The big question though is why?

Coming from a poor family in Nepal, money’s never been a big part of Nims’ life and even the 14 Peaks were done on a tight budget. So what made him think he could do it?

“A person develops as they grow old,” the climber explains, “the experience of surviving day-to-day life and the things you learn. But to achieve the extraordinary, to be a trailblazer, a first, what you really need is to believe is bigger than yourself, bigger than the money, the game. Then you can achieve it. I knew I could do it because I had to.”

That kind of self-belief doesn’t just come out of nowhere of course. Before undertaking the 14 Peaks, Nims was part of the UK’s Special Boat Service for 16 years, where he and the other recruits were put through training that the word ‘rigorous’ doesn’t begin to describe. Pair that with the desire to help his fellow Nepalis and you have a mountainconquering combination. Not that it was easy, obviously.

nirmal purja

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nirmal purja

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nirmal purja

“The big physical challenge is that your body is literally dying when you go up that high. Nobody can live at that altitude. But the bigger challenge was the mental pressure. Being the lead guy I needed to make the difficult decisions.

Do we go up now or wait a day? Do we go and fix the lines now or wait for the weather to clear up? You need to calculate risks not just for yourself but for the whole team.”

In some instances, it’s a risk that he and his team took for other climbers too. By simply climbing the mountain and laying down fixed lines, Nims lowered the death rate on Annapurna, one of the most difficult climbs in the

world, from three in four climbers dying to three in four climbers surviving. Perhaps more concrete though is what happened during one of the 14 Peaks climbs.

“During the 14 Peaks, I abandoned what I was doing and went to go and save someone’s life. It was a tough decision because there’s always the factor of whether we’re all going to be safe, but I made it for my team and we got the person down the mountain.”

With lives on the line on a regular basis throughout the challenge, it’s hard to imagine acclimatising back to normal life. Fortunately, Nims has been keeping himself busy in the aftermath.

Nims and Montblanc’s burgeoning relationship is born out of respect as he’s not money driven, but the opportunity to wear a 1858 Geosphere Chronograph 0 Oxygen (pictured) when summiting Everest was too good to pass up

“I think what I’m doing right now is proving that if you believe in yourself, you can achieve the impossible, you can achieve your dreams” 41

“As humans we have hope, praying to get through things, but I think more than my spiritual belief was the belief that I had to come out the other side. I wanted to do this and be able to tell my own story – so I had to be alive to tell it.

It’s that belief that kept me alive. Now I’m being able to tell it.”

It’s that very belief he’s hoping will inspire countless others to follow in his footsteps, and not just climbing, either.

“The whole thing right now for me is to make a big difference, to show the world that nothing is impossible as long as you put your heart and soul into it. I went from nothing to something and I want people in Nepal and developing countries to see that. Because I did it, they can do it too. I think what I’m doing right now is proving that if you believe in yourself, you can achieve the impossible, you can achieve your dreams. I was inspired to create that legacy.”

Now, it’s no secret that Nims has a tie to the watch world as the mountaineering ambassador for Montblanc – rumour has it that he was introduced to the German brand by climbing legend Reinhold Messner – and we being a watch magazine, it’s worth touching on. That’s especially true as until relatively recently, Nims worked with Bremont.

“I don’t care about money, but I also don’t like being taken advantage of and so far working with Montblanc has been great. I really do take pride in my new watch and the respect we give each other. I don’t need billions, I just need respect.”

It’s a mutual respect that’s already seen Nims break a record summiting Everest back in May with a shiny new Montblanc on his wrist – where the 1858 Geosphere Chronograph 0 Oxygen is designed to thrive. You can be pretty sure we’ll see it summiting again soon, too.

“The funny thing about world records is you can break one walking in the park. Nobody has done Everest and Lhotse in one day in the off-season. I did that guiding, while taking care of other climbers and didn’t really talk about it. Breaking records can be done in a subtle way (and I’m not making a movie about that because it’s not big enough)… but stay tuned.”

oracle speaks

THE ORACLE SPEAKS The wizardry of the watch world explained Words by THE WATCH NERD

HOW TO USE YOUR (ANALOGUE) WATCH AS A COMPASS If you’re in a situation where you need to find your bearings but only have your watch to hand, it is possible to use it as a compass. You don’t even need a bezel with cardinal points (although it is useful).

All you really need is the sun, and a vague idea where you are in the world.

The latter is important as the method for determining a bearing differs in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Wherever you are, you will need a good view of the sun, so this isn’t really very effective on cloudy days or when it’s dark. You’ll also need to remember that this is only an approximate measure, and varies due to factors such as your latitude and the time of the year, as it’s local mean time that’s important.

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The method is fairly straightforward: first find the sun. Holding your palm level, orient your watch, dial side up, so that the hour hand is towards it. If you have a stick or similar upright object, you can use it to cast a shadow that will help you better align the hour hand with the sun, as you can use the shadow as a guide. This is far easier if you are outside of the Tropics, as when the sun is higher in the sky, it’s harder to accurately gauge where the sun is.

Assuming you’re in the Northern hemisphere, you now need to look at the angle between the hour hand and 12 o’clock. Bisect this and mark it with your bezel (if you have one). You’ve just found south. North will be diametrically opposite (i.e. at six o’clock on the other side of the bezel, assuming you’re using one without cardinal points).

If you find yourself in the Southern hemisphere, it’s a similar process, but there’s no need for the final step. When you align the hour hand with the sun, you’re deducing north from the bisected angle.

Just remember that you always need local mean time, so if you’re on Daylight Savings, you’ll need to set the watch appropriately, and remember that apparent and mean solar time will differ by a few minutes (I always knew that equation of time would come in handy).

Unfortunately, those differences between standard and solar time, the rather vague way that the world is divided up into time zones, and the height of the sun all combine to make this a really bad way of finding north. When I tried it out on late spring days in Paris, London and New York, I found that I was regularly off by 15-30 degrees, which isn’t ideal for navigation and may explain why I’m almost always lost. Probably.

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© Illustration Prints Harry

retro tomorrow

WORDS: SAM KESSLER

IS THE

RETRO NEW TOMORROW FROM THE SWINGING SIXTIES TO THE SPORTY SEVENTIES, THE GERMAN WATCHMAKER PERFECTING ‘RETRO’

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retro tomorrow

The GO Sixties showcases the Saxon brand’s fun side of their usual solidly utilitarian Spezialist collection, with eye-catching dials in crazed green, orange, and glacier blue, as well as a burgeoning appreciation of retro aesthetics

Retro’s enough of a buzzword these days to have become a little passe. Despite a solid five years of reissues, revivals and re-creations, archives around Switzerland and beyond are still gushing forth modernised heritage designs. At the same time an avalanche of microbrands have been reinventing the wheel with models ripped from the dusty pages of Sixties watch catalogues.

That said, the obsession with looking backwards is nothing new. Sure, it’s now the ever-present zeitgeist, but arguably one of the brands to really kick it off began their rose-tinted campaign back in 2007.

Perhaps more importantly than a few funky dials, the Sixties showed Glashütte Original just how important retro aesthetics were to an emerging market 46

In 2007, the first Transformers film came out. That’s not particularly relevant here, I just wanted everyone reading this to feel old. It was also way back when the Baselworld watch show was at its prime, rather than the smouldering crater of lost potential it is now.

At this particular edition, German watchmaker Glashütte Original showed off a new piece that had had an eerie similarity to the Glashütte Uhren Betrieb, a watch built before David Hasslehoff tore down the Berlin Wall. The new piece was dubbed the Senator Sixties and was a charming, faithful recreation of the vintage model.

The similarities between the two models are striking.

The early piece is a bit more stripped back, more classically minimal like many a Fifties and Sixties dress watch; the modern version has a minute track and more shaped lugs. Otherwise, they’re identical, with the same ultra-thin bezel, wide dial and phenomenal, snaking numerals.

Fast-forward to today and the Sixties – having dropped the Senator moniker – is one of the watchmaker’s most anticipated annual releases. As opposed to their solidly utilitarian Spezialist collection, it’s where GO has fun and has, over the last few years, created some of the most eye-catching dials in the industry. Bright, crazed green, orange, and glacier blue, it’s a world apart from the Bauhaus minimalism or pricey classicism of other Saxon brands.

Perhaps more importantly than a few funky dials, the Sixties showed Glashütte Original just how important retro aesthetics were to an emerging market, and as one decade leads to another, so too did the Sixties lead to the Seventies.

The Seventies is more obviously retro than the classically flavoured Sixties. The angular, squared number is a perfect tribute to the kind of TV-shaped cases that were popping up in its titular decade. It avoids the Genta-inspired shapes that’s become eyerolling shorthand for the Seventies, thank god. I like the aesthetics of the Royal Oak and Nautilus – who doesn’t? – but enough is enough.

The Seventies is also, very firmly, a chronograph.

Because of that last, it’s a fair bit more technical aesthetically than the Sixties. It’s dropped those incredible numerals but, in their place, has amped up the sporty vibes with thin, angled indexes and a more prominent minute ring (square?) around the periphery.

Not that it’s some kind of performance racing stopwatch now. The Seventies is still stripped back and minimal for a chronograph, opting for a (of course) bi-compax layout and tone-on-tone subdials. Those subdials are particularly important because, like the Sixties before it, the Seventies is all about colour.

40mm stainless steel case in point, the new fab green version of the Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date.

Sure, your mum might be the only person that can get away with saying ‘fab’ these days, but it’s one hell

retro tomorrow

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retro tomorrow

Like the Sixties before it, the Seventies is all about colour with the green offering a forest-adjacent hue in darker spaces to a summery, grassy colour in direct sunlight, as well as GO’s signature oversized Panorama Date window at six o’clock, backed up by the Calibre 37-02 behind the indicators

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retro tomorrow

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retro tomorrow

It’s actually a flyback chronograph too, which with its other features means it has everything you could want from a chronograph

of a colour. The fume dial is a lot brighter than the previous, emerald green of the Seventies, and ranged from a forest-adjacent hue in darker spaces to a summery, grassy colour in direct sunlight. It’s not quite crazed orange, but I could quite easily see myself wearing it on the rare days it’s actually sunny out.

Aside from the colour though and new lumed indexes – I’m not sure why that’s a first for the collection but there you go – it’s the same as other Seventies Chronograph models. That means Glashütte Original’s signature oversized Panorama Date window at six o’clock, chronograph hours in a curved window under the logo at 12 o’clock, and a power reserve subtly integrated to the running seconds subdial at nine. It shows off a lot of information, clearly, cleanly and with as little fuss as possible.

Behind all the indicators is the Calibre 37-02, a solid column-wheel chronograph with an even more solid 70-hour power reserve. It’s actually a flyback chronograph too, which with its other features means it has everything you could realistically want from a chronograph. In fact, it’s enough to make me daydream about a racing edition of the Seventies. Perhaps with some seriously funky racing livery?

On the wrist, it’s downright lovely. At 40mm across it’s relatively svelte for a chronograph, though obviously the squared case makes it sit slightly larger than your prosaic round number. The way the dial colour shifts in the light is charming as hell, though it does look best by far with the brown-grey nubuck as opposed to the bracelet. Or the black rubber, which I’d actively avoid in all honesty.

Either way, the Seventies are here to stay and, while as a collection it might have less history than, say, Breitling’s revamped Navitimers or Rado’s Captain Cook range, the German watchmaker’s still managed to nail what might be the dictionary definition of a retro luxury watch without falling into the usual ‘sports luxe’ tropes. That said, if any timepiece would suit a Tiffany blue dial…

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T H E U LT I M AT E

DIVE WATCH

GUIDE It takes a brave man to delve into the depths of the ocean – or a very well built watch. Aside from looking fantastic as you emerge from the water, dive watches have their own cache as a practical instrument for underwater exploration.

The signature diving bezel acts as a countdown, letting you tell roughly how long you’ve been underwater. Plenty of lume lets you read the information in the murky light many metres down and a rugged case keeps it ticking through hell and very, very high water.

Despite such stringent core elements, you can find divers at every level of watchmaking, from accessible impulse buys to serious haute horology. It’s a ubiquitous type of timepiece and it shows. So, to help clear the waters a little, we’ve divided the best timepieces of the past 12 months into just how much you’re looking to invest in your new favourite nautical pursuit.

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U N D E R £ 1, 0 0 0 Not willing to risk an investment piece? These pieces both talk the talk and walk the walk, but without it being the end of the world should you surface a good few minutes before your watch.

THE DETAILS:

42mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance • Seiko NH35 automatic movement with 41-hour power reserve • £425, sdcwatches.com

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SDC

Ocean Rider Black Tip

Given that it’s named after the black tip shark, you’d expect the latest timepiece from the divers-come-watchmakers at SDC to have some teeth. With it’s 300m water resistance and straps made from upcycled wetsuits (an SDC signature), it most definitely does. It has an automatic movement, a rugged case and a touch of red among the lume to enhance legibility. It’s a fantastic watch for the money but that’s not all – some of that money will even go to the Marine Conservation Society. Anyone have some floss?

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96ZERO The Diver

If there’s anyone that understands what a tool watch really gets put through it’s the military – which puts 96 Zero in an interesting position.

The father-and-son team behind the microbrand are both ex-military and it shows in the design of the pragmatically named, The Diver.

Despite it’s imposing 44mm size, it’s not too bulky, and the macho timepiece wears like a smaller watch, slipping under the cuff. Divingwise it boasts a ceramic bezel inlay and 200m water resistance, which at this price point is more than a little impressive.

THE DETAILS:

44mm stainless steel case with 200m water resistance • Miyota 9015 calibre automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve • £399, 96zero.co.uk

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THE DETAILS:

•

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39mm stainless steel case with 200m water resistance MIYOTA 9039 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve • €650 (approx. £560), • baltic-watches.com

BALTIC

Aquascaphe Dual Crown

A riff on the dual-crown layout of a classic Compressor, Baltic’s latest Aquascaphe really leans on the retro vibes that made the original an Only Watch-level success. The main difference (other than the silhouette) is that the diving bezel has been brought under the crystal for protection, and is operable via the lower crown, even underwater. This means a slimmer bezel and overall more elegant case shape, but otherwise hews close to the same aesthetic codes as the standard Aquascaphe, even down to very similar, albeit more modern, indexes. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Just add a second crown.

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ZENEA

Ula Diver Time and Space

Given that most of the 500-odd meteorites that hit Earth each year crash into the sea, you could say that the Ocean is the most natural place to find the material. Evidently Torontobased Zenea were thinking along the same lines as the coolest edition of their superb Ula Diver shows off a fine meteorite dial, complete with the material’s signature Widmanstätten patternation. The result is a modern diving watch with a truly ancient dial underpinned by far more impressive dive watch specs than its price tag hints at.

THE DETAILS: •

•

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41mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance ETA 2824 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve $1,049 (approx. £850), zeneawatches.com

TISSOT

Seastar 2000 Professional

A wavy dial reminiscent of Swatch Group stablemate Omega, a gold-and-black gilt colourway and a massive 600m water resistance all go towards making Tissot’s Seastar one of the strongest swimmers in its lane. More importantly however is that it’s powered by the phenomenal Powermatic 80 calibre, which not only boasts its namesake 80-hour power reserve but has a NIVACHRON balance spring to help it survive shocks, temperature changes and magnetism. It’s one of the best movements in this price range (and a couple above it).

NOMADIC Maraí 401 Pro

A timekeeping nod to Belfast’s maritime history, the Maraí 401 Pro from Irish brand Nomadic (named after the Titanic’s passenger ferry) is a slim, streamlined diver. It’s very Tudor, which is no bad thing. It’s a slightly more elegant take on a classic tool watch, especially in the paired blue dial and bezel with a high-contrast yellow second hand, a nod to Belfast’s signature cranes. Backed up by a respectable water resistance of 200m and heavy-duty construction, there’s a lot to love. It might not have a funky dial or novel construction, but the Maraí 401 Pro is nonetheless a solid, handsome diver that deserves more than a second look.

THE DETAILS:

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THE DETAILS:

40mm stainless steel case with 200m water resistance Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with 41-hour power reserve • £747, nomadicwatches.com •

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46mm stainless steel case with 600m water resistance • Powermatic 80 calibre automatic movement with 80hour power reserve • £865, tissotwatches.com

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It’s powered by the phenomenal Powermatic 80 calibre, which boasts an 80-hour power reserve

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VALIMOR Kilgharrah

Ancient world-inspired watch studio Valimor are going Arthurian with their latest ornately finished timepiece, the Kilgharrah. As you’d expect given their previous releases, there’s plenty of armour-inspired detail across the watch, scaled to imitate the hide of its namesake, the dragon who made Excalibur the most powerful sword in Albion. While its depth rating of 100m is a slight chink in its armour, the rotating bezel, rugged construction and epic finishing make it a timepiece fit for a king. And hey, if it ended up sunk in a lake beside Excalibur, it wouldn’t look out of place. There are a few colourways but for us it’s all about the red bezel with black dial.

THE DETAILS:

40mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance • Miyota 8315 calibre automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve • £460, limited to 50 pieces in each colour, valimor.com

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THE DETAILS:

43mm stainless steel case with 500m water resistance Powermatic 80 automatic movement with 80-hour power reserve • £770, certina.co.uk •

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CERTINA

DS Super PH500M

A Certina diver is hard to knock. For well under £1,000 you get a seriously impressive timepiece with a 500m water resistance on the outside and one of the best calibres this end of the watchmaking pool on the inside, in the Powermatic 80. It doesn’t even need to be a looker to be a must-have for a wetsuited wrist – but it is, with a shimmering blue dial and matched diving bezel. If all that weren’t enough (and it really should be) this particular edition goes some way towards helping turtle conservancy, something near and dear to Certina’s heart and caseback.

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THE DETAILS:

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38.5mm stainless steel with 200m water resistance • Sellita SW220-1 automatic movement with 41-hour power reserve • £895, including three straps, available from farer.com

FARER

THE DETAILS:

AquaMatic

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British watchmakers have a reputation for using bright colours in funky colourways and you can always trust Farer to deliver on that promise by the bucket load. The new AquaMatic collection offers retro stylings in gorgeously off the wall colours that are impossible not to love. Three of the colourways riff on aquatic themes with teal, royal blue and ice blue bezels. The fourth is less to do with water and more marine accessories, as it’s bright red like a buoy or life ring. Enhancing the thematic is the fact they’re named after iconic surfing locations around the UK.

SEIKO

Prospex Heritage Turtle 1968 Re-Interpretation

Continuing their mission to leave no historical model left un-revived, Seiko has once again delved into their archives for what is, as it turns out, the Japanese watchmaker’s thinnest diver to date. We’re always happy to see the sweeping curves on the Turtle and despite the thinness the new throwback release has lost none of its wrist presence. Particularly cool is the black dial and bezel version with gold indexes. Gilt might not be everyone’s favourite look, but if anyone can pull it off it’s Seiko.

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41mm stainless steel case with 200m water resistance • 6R35 calibre automatic movement with 70-hour power reserve • From £990, seikoboutique.co.uk

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£ 1, 0 0 0 - £ 2 , 0 0 0 Balancing value, performance and accessibility, these seaworthy timepieces are the next step in your epic journey to conquering the seven seas. Or just having a respectable daily wearer. Either works.

HAMILTON

Khaki Navy Frogman Auto

Hamilton may be best known for their Khaki field watches and pilot’s fare but they’re no strangers to dive watches either. The new Khaki Navy Frogman automatic has a bold aesthetic with a 46mm diameter case in stainless steel and a chunky diving bezel.

It’s basically an affordable alternative to the Rolex submariner.

That comparison is more than skin deep too, as the movement inside can actually compete with the Submariner. It’s the calibre H-10, which has an 80-hour power reserve and accuracy of +/-15 seconds per day.

THE DETAILS:

46mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance Hamilton H-10 automatic movement with 80-hour power reserve • £1,035, hamiltonwatch.com •

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TIDLÖS Marin

There’s a good reason the Hulk is one of the most sought-after Rolex models around; the combination of green dial and bezel on a diving watch is hard not to love. Scandinavian brand TIDLÖS agree and in the Marin have created a timepiece that has the same good looks, without breaking the bank. It has more-than-impressive diving specs with 500m water resistance and one of the funkiest crowns you’ll find on an otherwise utilitarian tool watch, all wrapped up in a reassuringly chunky steel case.

THE DETAILS:

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43.9mm stainless steel case with 500m water resistance • Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré calibre automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • £1,020, tidloswatches.com

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CHRONOTECHNA

Seaquest Dive Steel Blue

It can be pretty hard to innovate on a design as formulaic as a dive watch; it needs certain elements to be considered an actual look watch. Nonetheless Swiss brand Chronotechna have managed to build a visually unique take on the deep sea timepiece with the Seaquest Dive. The bezel is similar to many other diving pieces, but the dial is something else completely. A minimal mix of pure black and an interrupted ring of blue lume, it’s a stunner. With 300m water resistance and a COSC certified movement, it’s also deeply practical. It’s not every day those two meet, but here you go.

THE DETAILS:

42mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance Sellita SW200-1 calibre automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • €2,090 (approx. £1,800), limited to 333 pieces, chronotechna.com

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•

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DELMA

It’s a lot more fun than you might expect from the specs sheet alone

Blue Shark III Azores

While Delma’s imposing Blue Shark III might look like an incredibly serious diving watch… well, it is. If the 47mm case and that blackedout, orange inscribed bezel wasn’t enough to prove it, the ridiculous 4,000m water resistance damn well should. And yet with a sharkskin-textured blue dial, it’s a lot more fun than you might expect from the specs sheet alone. That dial has more meaning than a fun nod to the collection though; the watch has been built in support of the Megalodon Project in the Azores – so good cause, great watch and one of the heftiest, deepest divers on this list.

And it’s not even at the top end in price.

THE DETAILS:

47mm stainless steel case with 4000m water resistance SW200 calibre automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • £2,175, delma.ch •

•

MICHEL HERBELIN Newport Héritage Diver

It’s hard to see a cushion case and not imagine diving along the French Riviera, especially when said cushion case has plenty of Seventies heritage touches and the kind of gallic flair that has come to define Michel Herbelin. The Newport Héritage Diver combines 300m water resistance, a satisfyingly mechanical 120-click bezel and a sleek, retro sector dial for a downright lovely diver at any price point. The fact that it’s also seriously good value for money is the cherry on top of your marina-side cocktail.

THE DETAILS:

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42mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance • Sellita SW200-1 calibre automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • €1,290 (approx. £1,110), herbelin.com

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ESCUDO

Ocean Seacrest

Any naval explorer should have a solid dive watch and while they wouldn’t have had anything as accurate as a modern timepiece themselves, Escudo’s accessible Ocean Seacrest diver is inspired by the Portuguese and English explorers of the 15th century. That inspiration manifests in a compass point dial, a lovely bezel with inserts rather than the standard diving scale, and in this case, a lovely combination of chocolate brown and bronze. It’s not a new frontier but it’ll definitely get you there.

THE DETAILS:

39mm stainless steel case with 200m water resistance Escudo Calibre 1488 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve £1,375, escudo-watches.com

MILUS

ARCHIMÈDES Silver Storm

Another Seventies inspired Super Compressor is never a bad thing, especially when it’s authentically based on the famous Milus Super Compressor of horological history. The combination of tone-on-tone silver dial and steel case and royal blue accents is beautifully clean and fittingly nautical. Fit with a broad arrow handset and slightly upsized dimensions compared to the vintage model its based on, the ARCHIMÈDES is a fantastic balance of heritage and modernity, underpinned by solid diving specs.

THE DETAILS:

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41mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance • ETA 2892A2 calibre automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve • CHF1,919 (approx. £1,620), milus.com

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The ARCHIMÈDES is a fantastic balance of heritage and modernity, underpinned by solid diving specs 61

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£ 2,0 0 0 - £ 3,0 0 0 Style, substance and a slightly higher price tag put these pieces into the vague category of ‘practical dive watches you’ll actually want to show off’. That goes for off the boat as well as on it.

ORIS

Aquis New York Harbour

It’s time to talk about oysters, and I don’t mean the Rolex kind. Oris’s latest environmentally conscious timepiece is the Oris Aquis New York Harbour, a dive watch that supports the Billion Oyster Project non-profit in New York harbour. It’s their aim to repopulate what was once Earth’s most polluted water way with one billion oysters and revitalise the heavily damaged habitat.

In honour of the endeavour, the Aquis bears a mother of pearl dial in shimmering green that symbolises the iconic waters of New York harbour. It’s a simultaneously fun and poignant restyling of the Aquis for a noble cause.

THE DETAILS:

41.5mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance • Oris 733 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve CHF 2,400 (approx. £2,035) 2,000 piece limited edition, oris.ch •

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ZODIAC

Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver Titanium

Zodiac’s new titanium cased Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver is a limited edition celebration of their 140th anniversary. It takes elements of the standard stainless steel version and turns them up to 11. For example, it has a larger diameter of 42mm compared to 40mm and has a water resistance rating of 300m, instead of just 200m. The titanium allows it to be bigger and more resilient without compromising on the Super Sea Wolf’s weight or durability, thanks to the metal’s lightweight and corrosion resistant properties. Plus, it has a bright aesthetic with a phosphorescent green bezel and orange dial accents.

THE DETAILS:

42mm titanium case with 300m water resistance Sellita SW200-1 with 38-hour power reserve • $2,495 USD (approx. £2,040), zodiacwatches.com •

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MONTBLANC 1858 Iced Sea

They might not have much in the way of a diving pedigree, but that didn’t stop Montblanc from building a dive watch that turned out to be one of our highlights of Watches & Wonders 2022. The 1858 Iced Sea isn’t just far more well-built than Montblanc’s ever-accessible price tag suggests; it has one of the coolest (pun intended) dials around. The icy dials are in colours you might actually see on an arctic expedition and add a level of depth you just don’t see, even on similarly lavish lacquered dials. Here’s hoping we see a lot more like these…

THE DETAILS:

41mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance Montblanc MB 24.17 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • £2,435, montblanc.com •

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ZRC

THE DETAILS:

Grand Fonds 300 38163

39mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré with 38-hour power reserve • zrc1904.ch •

While ZRC might be a new name to some of you, they’re a veteran in watchmaking terms, having built timepieces for the French Navy back in the 1960s. The watch in question was the Grand Fonds 300, which as you can see has made a modern reappearance in the ZRC line-up. It’s a bit more advanced than its predecessor – the benefits of modern watchmaking – with 300m water resistance (tested at 1,000m) and the lovely elaboré version of the workhorse Sellita SW200-1.

Still, it’s retained the elegant-yet-practical styling you’d expect from the French, with its large, easily operable crown at six o’clock, sharply angled sides, beautifully clean dial and ceramic-insert bezel combination.

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It’s retained the elegantyet-practical styling you’d expect from the French

BALL

Engineer Master II Diver Chronometer

Somehow, the name isn’t the most reassuring aspect of Ball’s gloriously over-engineered diving watch. Along with the classic compressor dual crown layout, the Engineer Master II has gauss-beating magnetic resistance, a shock system built to survive a marine rockfall and H3 gas tubes on the dial that put traditional lume to shame, especially with their rainbow colours. With all that in mind, being one of the most handsome Ball pieces around is almost an afterthought. Almost though. That inner sapphire bezel is Fifty Fathoms-levels of underwater elegance.

THE DETAILS:

42mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance BALL RR1101-C calibre automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve • £2,105, shop.ballwatch.ch •

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£ 3,0 0 0 - £ 6,0 0 0 Probably the priciest divers you’ll actually, you know, dive with, these are serious depth defiers that up their more-than-respectable diving specs sheets with cutting-edge materials, novel constructions and cool designs aplenty.

THE DETAILS:

43mm high-tech ceramic case with 300m water resistance Rado R763 automatic movement with 80-hour power reserve • £3,255, rado.com •

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RADO

Captain Cook Diver Plasma

The cover star of our Tech issue is a superb combination of high-tech ceramic, serious diving specs and the retro good looks that have made the Captain Cook collection Rado’s well-built, Sixties-inspired flagship.

The plasma version, with the metallic sheen to its ceramic case, is a particular stand-out, particularly with the steely blue dial. Inside is the equally solid R763 calibre with an 80-hour power reserve, which will keep the running indicator at 12 o’clock spinning for over three days straight. That’s reassuring for a potentially life-saving instrument.

DOXA

SUB 300 Carbon

Underwater visibility’s all about contrast and you can’t get more eye-catching than white on black. Enter the latest colour for ever-bright diving specialist Doxa. The Whitepearl is, as it suggests, a combination of white strap and dial that looks particularly great against the mottled carbon fibre case of the SUB 300 Carbon. It’s a racier look that retains the timepiece’s diving specs and incredibly light weight (just 87 grams) case. Add in a full lume dial and you have a watch that seems almost bioluminescent – perfect to blend in at serious depths.

THE DETAILS:

42.5mm forged carbon case with 300m water resistance Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • £3,790, doxawatches.com •

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BELL & ROSS

BR 03-92 Diver Brown Bronze

Like a vintage sepia photograph of the standard BR 03-92 Diver, this handsome brown and bronze take on the square-cased tool watch feels like it belongs mounted to the control panel of Captain Nemo’s Nautilus submersible. That said, it won’t be heading 50,000 leagues under the sea, even if its 300m water resistance is perfectly respectable, especially for the less-than-ideal flat planes of a square watch.

Think of it as an industrial twist on a Jules Verne classic.

THE DETAILS:

42mm bronze case with 300m water resistance • BR-CAL.302 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • £3,900, limited to 999 pieces, bellross.com

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TAG HEUER

Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdive

The most important change is the movement, which is a Kenissi TH30-00 built exclusively for TAG Heuer

Why would you ever go 1,000m deep?

Who knows, but if you do this extreme take on the Aquaracer has you covered.

It’s massive at 45mm across, but given its depth rating that’s not too much of a surprise. Size aside though, it’s much the same as the standard Aquaracer with its mix of faceted case, 12-sided bezel horizontally engraved dial. The most important change though is the movement, which is a Kenissi TH30-00 built exclusively for TAG Heuer. What this means for the future of the collection is yet to be seen (it could just be a one-off due to the enlarged case) but it makes an already notable release downright exciting.

THE DETAILS:

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45mm titanium case with 1000m water resistance Kenissi TH 30-00 calibre automatic movement with 70-hour power reserve • £5,500, tagheuer.com

SHERPA Ultradive

A long-overdue tribute to the beloved Enicar model of yore, the newest incarnation of the Sherpa Ultradive was well worth the wait. Incredibly solid with its signature crown guard and a technical diving style straight out of the golden age of underwater exploration, it comes with a practical compressor caseback and, surprisingly, compressor crowns which work to the same effect: the more pressure on the watch, the more tightly sealed they are. It may be a re-issue, but innovation abounds. It’s available in a blacked-out OPS version but for us, the classic steel Ultradive is the one.

THE DETAILS:

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40mm stainless steel case with 200m water resistance • Mantramatic MM01 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve • €5,900, sherpawatches.com

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£ 6,0 0 0 + Sure, these pieces in the upper echelons of fine watchmaking may be able to hold their own in the great blue yonder, but they’re serious collector’s pieces, the kind that won’t be easily replaced if an errant shark has particularly good taste. They’re fantastic divers; they’re even better show pieces.

GLASHUTTE Original SeaQ

Gold isn’t generally the most desirable material for a diving watch. Opting for a soft case metal in one of the harshest environments on Earth doesn’t seem like the best idea. But it’s hard to keep practicalities in mind when you get Glashutte Original’s latest gold-touched diver on your wrist.

The ceramic bezel inlay and 200m water resistance let the SeaQ hold its own at sea, but it’s definitely one of those ‘dive watches you never dive with’. Which is perfectly fine. If you do deign to join for a spot of diving, you can, but otherwise you’ll look fantastic waiting at the boat club working your way through a good bottle of Riesling.

THE DETAILS:

39mm rose gold case with 200m water resistance • Glashutte Original 39-11 calibre automatic movement with 40-hour power reserve • £19,400, glashuetteoriginal.com •

THE DETAILS:

BLANCPAIN

•

Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet

If a gold watch is dubious enough as a diver, what about a high complication? What about, let’s say, a complete calendar? That alone would generally disqualify a diver, but this is the Fifty Fathoms, one of the most iconic underwater watches ever built. It does have solid diving specs with 300m water resistance, a unidirectional rotating diving bezel, and a lightweight titanium case, just with the addition of day, date, month and moon phase – a diver being one of the few places a moon phase is actually useful for the tides. While it’s another watch you probably shouldn’t take on a dive with you, it’s reassuring to know that you could.

43mm titanium case with 300m water resistance • Blancpain 6654.P.4 calibre automatic movement with 72-hour power reserve • £15,300, blancpain.com

“

If a gold watch is dubious enough as a diver, what about a high complication?

OMEGA

Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep

Ultra Deep by name, Ultra Deep by nature, this production take on Omega’s record-breaking timekeeper of the Five Deeps Expedition is slightly less extreme in its performance – which is still at a downright insane 6,000m of water resistance. That’s the kind of depth that conjures existential dread. The big, 45.5mm case is rendered in the painfully named but nonetheless practical O-MEGASTEEL and a stunning (if a little too Sea-Dweller-esque) gradient blue dial. This might just be the best true diver on the market. It does however have a price tag to match.

THE DETAILS:

•

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45.5 O-MEGASTEEL Case with 6,000m water resistance • Omega 8912 calibre automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve • £10,060, omegawatches.com

survival of the smartest

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survival of the smartest

Survival smartest of the

Survival expert, explorer and former member of the UK Special Forces, Jason Fox, on how to survive in the wilderness

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survival of the smartest

Jason Fox is a master of survival thanks to his time in the Special Forces, who might be familiar to some as a bestselling author, leading figure in mental health, and original member of SAS: Who Dares Wins on Channel 4

Look at your surroundings and the local area. Look where you can build a shelter, seek a water source. Look where you can collect fuel for a fire 72

survival of the smartest

do it and check it won’t be a waste of time. You do not have energy or time at your disposal.

>R<

Remember Where You Are

>—————>

As a member of the Special Forces you have many elements of survivalism drilled into you until it becomes second nature. To help ingrain all this knowledge, one of the methods the military use are mnemonics. This is a word made up of the beginning letter of other words. Those 'other words' are, essentially, key points to remember for the subject you are learning.

Given the subject matter, I’ve chosen SURVIVAL as the mnemonic to represent everything you need to think about should you find yourself stranded and awaiting rescue in the wilderness.

There are a multitude of different ways to achieve your aims of staying alive, be that finding water or erecting shelter, and each aim or subject is a lesson in itself.

With that in mind, I’m going to give you a general outlook on how to survive.

Brief though it may be, follow these simple rules and you have a much better chance of surviving to be able to tell the tale.

>S<

Size Up The Situation As soon as you find yourself in an extreme situation that requires survival you need to take stock. Look at your surroundings and the local area. Look where you can build a shelter, seek a water source. Look where you can collect fuel for a fire, such as wood. You also need to look at your physical condition. What state are you in? If you’ve been involved in an air accident you are likely injured and will need to take care of that before anything else.

Also, look at what you have to hand.

Do you have any equipment with you?

Maybe you are one of those people who

carries with them a basic survival kit.

Otherwise, you’ll need to see what you can find or make do with.

>U<

Undue Haste Makes Waste There is a saying which we use in the military which makes this idiom easier to understand: Do not rush into your own death.

In other words, don’t rush into making silly decisions; think about everything you are going to do before you do it. Is it even worth you doing, or is it going to waste energy that you vitally need?

Conserve your energy and think about what you want to do before you

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This means that at any given time in your journey or project try to remember exactly where you are. This helps you to pinpoint where you are in the world.

This knowledge will help you to understand which direction civilisation is in, and how far away it is, allowing you to move closer towards that.

Also, if you’re in a valley, re-entrant or dip in the ground, appreciate that if you need to be seen to be rescued you will need to move to higher ground. This might, however, expose you to the elements, so only go there for periods when you want to try and communicate with potential rescuers. Otherwise, you will need to move back into the lower ground where it's more sheltered.

>V<

Vanquish Fear And Panic If you feel fear or feel yourself starting to get anxious, that’s fine, it's a natural reaction to being in a scary situation, but you have to control it. Don’t let it become panic. Use those emotions as a tool to focus you and control your actions. But, do not allow it to control you and turn you into a flapping headless chicken. As I said previously, you don’t want to start making rash decisions that aren’t beneficial to you.

So, you need to calm down, breathe and remember that you just need to survive and that means doing the practical things to keep you alive.

Control your emotions, they are useful as warning signs, but they can be detrimental if allowed to take charge.

>I<

Improvise This means that you need to think outside the box. Whatever you have at your disposal you need to think of other

survival of the smartest

Jason’s top tip for survival, and perhaps day to day life too, is to live by your wits, meaning that there’s no time dwell on yesterday, as living in the moment and remaining switched on are vital tools to staying alive

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survival of the smartest

ways of using them in addition to what that equipment is usually used for.

It can also apply to things that you have found lying around be it branches, twigs, vines, grass, bits of string, bin liners, pieces of metal. Make sure that each thing you have at your disposal can be used use for different purposes. Try to get out of your set way of thinking and look at everything in a different way.

>V<

Value Life This is all about having the mental capacity to want to live. You MUST TO SURVIVE. Value your own life and know that it is worth living. Keep reminding yourself that you have got a lot to live for and that will give you the right survival attitude, to keep fighting and pushing through what is essentially a very difficult time. Value your life and give yourself a reason to keep living.

>A<

Act Like The Locals If you have had any opportunity to see how local people act in certain areas of the world, take note, embrace it and try to adopt that while you're in the survival situation because ultimately, they know how to survive in those regions. It’s why they live there.

Try to remember how they act, what they eat and the skills they employ so that, should you find yourself alone out there, you can imitate what they do. If you’re wondering how you should accomplish something, just remember: act like the locals.

Learn Basic Skills

Take every opportunity in a considered way, make the most of what you have at your disposal and keep mentally strong

If you're going on an expedition or a long journey, which might result in a survival situation, learn basic skills. They are interesting and they are good to learn: fire-lighting, water acquisition food gathering, shelter-building – they are all things that will prolong your life and make your time in a survival situation a lot more comfortable. These skills are ones we rarely teach or learn in todays modern society, but, one hundred percent, you should educate

>L<

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yourself in them because you never know when you might need to stay alive!

Another meaning for ‘L’ and the one I want to leave you with, because, in my mind it’s perhaps one of the most important tips is to live by your wits.

That means remaining switched on, remaining focused on surviving day to day. Don’t think too far ahead, don’t worry about yesterday, live in the moment and concentrate on taking everything as it comes to you. Take every opportunity in a considered way, make the most of what you have at your disposal and keep mentally strong and you’ll be in a good way to make it out alive!

Style \

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The best of the brands

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The best lightweight

you need to be stepping

outdoor apparel and

out into the great

field watches to match

outdoors with

the summer scenery

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EDITED BY

SHANE C. KURUP & SAM KESSLER

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As summer reaches

its zenith, get into gear for some sun, sea and sand

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It’s the elegant rucksack propelling you into the great yonder in utilitarian fashion \

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From reindeer boots to water repellent fabric, the history of element-

Seasonal explorer >—> There’s a lot of world out there to explore and what better season to get the wanderlust urge than at the height of summer. From trips to the balmy continent and beyond, to idyllic journeys into British countryside and along coastal roads, there’s a hedonistic quality that the re-emergence of the sun brings with it at this time of year. So, as you get into gear for the summer, we’re here to get you in the gear for the season of sun (hopefully) with threads to help you make the most of the big, wide, great outdoors.

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Oracle Style — July.22

defying outerwear

STYLE — style manifesto

Out in the open Edited by SHANE C. KURUP

After living under lock and key for the best part of two years, there’s never been a better time to head outside and start exploring that big, wide world again. For our Great Outdoors issue, we present the brands you need to be stepping out with.

Mid-summer Mode

>—> We might get our fair share of foul weather here in Blighty, but spare a thought for Icelanders who are lucky if the thermometer pushes past 16° in summer, in-between the odd sleet and hail storm. What this has made them proficient in, however, is dressing for changeable conditions.

66°North – so named for the longitudinal line of the arctic circle that passes by Súgandafjörður, the brand’s hometown – has garnered a cult following among style-conscious international folk, who also have to face fickle weather on a daily basis. SS22’s collection of clean cut, functional hybrid GORE-TEX PRO jackets, windbreakers and down gilets are ideal for scaling peaks – or just pulling on when rogue showers sweep into town.

66north.com

Sea Change

Cutting a Dash

>—> The Swiss army knife has long been the pocketsized wingman of bushmen, campers, hikers, fisherman and wannabe Bear Grylls types and this year it's 125 years young. To mark this milestone, Victorinox – the inventor of the iconic instrument – has reissued a snazzy archive design from 1897 based on a knife recently unearthed in a time capsule at its Ibach HQ. The replica has all the vintage appeal of its forebearer with a vulcanised fibre case and classic implement range, but is brought bang up to date in spec, so it has all the added mettle you’d expect from a modern survival tool.

Victorinox Replica 1897 Swiss Army knife, £359.99, victorinox.com

>—> In the wake of the Blue Planet effect, many brands have switched to using fabrics regenerated from waterborne plastic waste in an effort to clean up our oceans. While that’s a start, there’s only so much to be gained from continually recycling PET bottles. Swimwear label Vilebrequin has gone one step further, launching its Woolmark line, featuring shorts made from Savile Row-grade merino yarn.

While it might sound counterintuitive to hit the water in wool, they won’t weigh you down – the material has a resistance to water due to naturally occurring lanolin oils, so they’ll dry as swiftly as your old nylons. What’s more, you’ll be the smartest swimmer from Hastings to Honolulu.

Vilebrequin x The Woolmark Company merino wool swimshorts From £170, vilebrequin.com

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STYLE — style manifesto

Easily Suede

>—> A pair of Goodyear-welted brogues certainly has its merits, but when the mercury's on the rise, something a little lighter is required. And what oozes that warm, summery alfresco vibe more than a pair of sandals? Luckily, Sweden’s most dynamic shoemaker, Myrqvist, has stepped into the open-toed realm just in time for high summer. Handmade in Portugal with a tactile suede upper and a cushioned cork sole, its Solvik sliders have the sort of all-round good looks that work with everything from breezy linen slacks at the pool bar to swimmers at the beach. Move over Birkenstocks, there’s a new champ on the shoe rack.

Myrqvist Solvik suede sandals £139, myrqvist.co.uk

Fly Boy

>—> Snow Peak’s name might suggest ‘winter wonderland’, but the Japanese label caters for many outdoor pursuits beyond the piste – its SS22 collaboration with fishing label, Toned Trout, being a case in point.

Consisting of functional separates from rain jackets to utilitarian gilets, the range incorporates a Swiss-made membrane designed to resist damage from hooks, while intelligent adjustment systems can be used to achieve the perfect fit. It’s the sort of kit that the style-savvy, performance-loving angler will geek out about with fellow casters at the side of the lake. Because you don’t need to look like an old bit of bait when you’re waiting to reel in your next trophy catch.

Snow Peak x Toned Trout collection snowpeak.co.uk

Dual Purpose

>—> Starting out in 1830 dressing the hunters, loggers and trappers of rural Pennsylvania, it's fair to say that Woolrich has earned its al fresco stripes. Consisting of two drops entitled Outdoors Reinterpreted and Refined Americana, the spring summer ’22 line taps into its woodsy, stateside codes and refashions them for the modern idea of living between two worlds: the urban and natural. Performance field jackets, shorts and accessories with planet-first credentials feature graphic camouflage and archive prints, while wind and waterproof systems can tackle whatever a fickle summer has up its meteorological sleeve.

A Gorpcore buff’s dream, basically. woolrich.com

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STYLE — most coveted

>—> Any would-be explorer needs a rucksack that can brave the elements, the kind of bag that can keep your essentials dry and safe whether you’re deep in a humid jungle or halfway up a mountainside in the Peak District. This piece from the well-heeled outdoorsmen at Moncler fits the bill perfectly.

Edited by SAM KESSLER

MONCLER JET BACKPACK The rucksack that will propel you into the great outdoors in exhibitionist, utilitarian fashion

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A hugely practical design, the Jet Backpack is made from micro ripstop, a breathable type of nylon, for a lightweight and weatherproof construction. This being Moncler of course, there’s a flash of luxurious leather in the trim, but otherwise it’s purely utilitarian, with elastic side pockets, a big, vertical outer pocket and an impressive volume inside. The padded straps mean that, if you do fill the bag to the brim, it’ll still remain comfortable, with the addition a buckle for a touch of additional support when needed.

Even the colour makes sense. It might just be eye-catching when you’re traversing the urban jungle, but it’s bright enough to stand out in the depths of snow. Sure, you won’t need rescuing – why would you? – but just in case you do, it’s good to know that you can be spotted easily. You can get it in black, but again, why would you?

The Jet Backpack goes as well with your casual city ensemble of jeans and trainers as it does paired with a storm proof jacket and hiking shoes. That’s good news as you’ll be wanting to show it off where people can actually see it, rather than the remote places on Earth that it’s best suited to.

Jet Backpack, £895, moncler.com

STYLE — clothing exploration

Words by

Dominic Bliss

CLOTHING’S THEATRE OF EXPLORATION From reindeer boots to water repellent fabric, the history of element-defying outerwear

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STYLE — clothing exploration

When Ernest Shackleton and his fellow explorers embarked on their doomed expedition to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent in 1914, they were equipped with the most up-to-date, high-tech polar clothing of the era – most of it made of wool. Much of their underwear (wool) was courtesy of British clothing manufacturer Jaeger.

On top of this were pullovers and trousers (also wool). The outer layer, designed to protect them from the vicious Antarctic winds and blizzards, was a gabardine coat (a hardwearing water-resistant fabric) made by another British clothing brand, Burberry. On their feet were either leather hobnail or reindeer fur boots. The whole outfit would have been heavy, scratchy, uncomfortable and often wet through – especially the wool.

It's a million miles away from the lightweight, wicking, wind-and waterproof man-made performance gear that today’s polar explorers find

For most of human history, the clothing and footwear worn by explorers, adventurers and outdoorsmen alike was 100% natural

themselves cosseted in. Shackleton and his Edwardian colleagues – explorers such as Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen – could be forgiven for thinking their modern-day equivalents rather spoilt.

For most of human history, the clothing and footwear worn by explorers, adventurers and outdoorsmen alike was 100% natural, borrowed straight from the animal kingdom. Skins, furs, guts, fats and wool proved far more protective against the elements than any materials that man himself could manufacture.

Even during the so-called Age of Discovery – roughly the 15th to the 18th centuries when European nations set out to discover the New World – famous explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and Captain Cook would wear the standard navy uniforms or formal wear of the time. As captains of their vessels or military commanders, they were expected to dress up to the nines, and that’s at least how they appeared in their portraits. (What they wore in the field would probably have been more practical: Pizarro would hardly have sported an armoured breastplate while hacking through the South American jungle; Cook would have cooked in his full British Navy uniform on the hot beaches of Hawaii.)

Ernest Shackleton and his crew (left and below) braved the vicious Antarctic blizzards with little more than wool to keep from the elements. Even their underwear was wool, with a gabardine coat and either leather hobnail or reindeer fur boots for outerwear that they’d presumably pray wouldn’t get wet

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STYLE — clothing exploration

Shackleton’s doomed expedition to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent was about 20 years too early, as far as life-saving fashion is concerned, as by the mid-1930s the invention of quilted jackets insulated with goose down would change the lives of like-minded outdoor types

It wasn't until the Victorian era that more practical clothing was adopted.

Sailors were among the first to benefit, and that was thanks to the invention of the modern oilskin, in 1898, by New Zealander Edward Le Roy. Consisting of sailcloth painted with linseed oil and wax, it was waterproof in the foulest weather but also slightly breathable – a vast improvement on previous garments crudely painted in tar.

The tropics required their own specific clothing, too. The likes of David Livingstone, who investigated the African interior, and Richard Burton,

who traversed huge tracts of Africa, Asia and the Americas, for example, are depicted wearing khaki safari jackets and trousers, often with accessories such as self-belts, epaulettes, cartridge loops and multiple, voluminous pockets. In 2012, an exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland displayed the original hats worn by Livingstone when he was famously located by the journalist Henry Morton Stanley in 1871, near Lake Tanganyika – a meeting which gave rise to the immortal line, “Dr Livingstone, I presume?” The former wore a black cap, the latter a beige pith

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helmet, which at the time was almost indispensable for European explorers in the tropics.

That other infamous theatre of exploration for the Victorians (and later the Edwardians too) were the polar regions. Shackleton’s uncomfortable woollen-reindeer combinations are described above. The likes of Scott and Amundsen sported similarly natural cold-weather protection.

As the 20th century advanced, however, man-made materials and technical clothing accessories began to appear, often a by-product of military necessity. In 1913, Swedish-American engineer Gideon Sundback invented the modern zipper, although it was another 20 years or so before it was adopted in clothing. More important for adventurers and outdoor types was the invention, in the mid-1930s, of quilted jackets insulated with goose down. The inventor this time was American outdoorsman Eddie Bauer who was spurred into creating a warm upper layer after nearly succumbing to hypothermia on a fishing trip in 1935.

“There can be no compromising quality when lives depend on performance,” he famously said.

While goose down would keep you warm, it was the invention in 1930 of neoprene that kept you dry as well.

Scientists at the American chemical company DuPont commercialised the material for boots, wetsuit and drysuits – and it later became indispensable for the likes of anglers, swimmers, divers, surfers and sailors.

During and after World War II, a whole host of clothing technologies ensured that outdoor sports and activities became far more comfortable: among them, Velcro (from Swiss engineer George de Mestral), injection-moulded zipper teeth, cordlock toggles, synthetic fur, and Lycra. The latter, which has saved many an outdoor athlete from problem chafing, was another DuPont product, first invented in 1958 by American textile chemist Joseph Shivers.

In 1969, the entire outdoor clothing market changed forever, thanks to the introduction of a truly revolutionary new polymer material: Gore-Tex. W.L. Gore & Associates was an

STYLE — clothing exploration

Dr Livingstone, I presume?” The famous meeting between journalist Henry Morton Stanley and David Livingstone in 1871 near Lake Tanganyika (above), while Livingstone (right) shows a lion his summer wardrobe

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STYLE — fddfgfggqerg

“There can be no compromising quality when lives depend on performance,” said American outdoorsman Eddie Bauer, who transformed cold weather clothing when he created quilted jackets insulated with goose down

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STYLE — clothing exploration

In October 1969, the world of durable clothing changed forever with the invention of Gore-Tex (below), thanks to the company founder’s son, Bob Gore, who managed to stretch the polymer, polytetrafluoroethylene into breathable, waterproof material

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STYLE — clothing exploration

Respect for the environment is already having an effect on clothing brands, as customers demand more sustainable clothing electronic products company, based in Delaware, USA. For a while they had been developing a new polymer material called PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene.

The problem was that, whenever they tried to shape it, it kept breaking. The company founder’s son, Bob Gore, was particularly frustrated at the lack of progress. One day, in late October 1969, he was experimenting on his own with heated rods of the polymer.

“It was getting on towards six o’clock in the evening,” he recalled many years later. “I thought, ‘I’m going to give you one last try. If you won’t stretch slowly, you’ll stretch fast’. I took the rod out of the oven and I gave it a jerk, and it stretched the whole length of my arms. I was totally stunned. I couldn’t believe it.”

Having established how to stretch the material, the company was soon manufacturing wide sheets of expanded PTFE, which they turned into breathable, waterproof garments.

Outdoor clothing companies from all over the world realised the benefits of the new technology and incorporated Gore-Tex into their ranges. Over half a century later, the material is still in widespread use among all manner of outdoor athletes and enthusiasts.

What of the future, then? What kind of clothing are the intrepid likely to wear in the great outdoors in years to come?

Respect for the environment is already having an effect on clothing brands, as customers demand more sustainable clothing, manufactured using fewer chemicals. Many brands now eschew harmful dyes, for example, opting for undyed fabrics instead. Meanwhile there’s an appetite among consumers for natural clothing materials such as bamboo, cotton and wool.

Who knows? Perhaps one day attitudes will change and we’ll all reject the high-tech, man-made materials, and return to old-fashioned woollen clothing. Just like Ernest Shackleton and his colleagues in the Antarctic.

The impact of Gore-Tex can be measured by the impressive fact that even 50 years after it first appeared, the breathable and waterproof material is still at the height of technology and popularity

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STYLE — wardrobe champion

Exuding comfort, SIRPLUS’ Cuban shirt is surprisingly made using wood and pulp, resulting in an elastic textile that’s thin, springy, and perfect for the summer season

Words by SAM KESSLER

SIRPLUS CERAMIC PRINT ECOVERO CUBAN SHIRT

>—> A flamboyant, campcollared Cuban shirt is an absolute necessity for a warm British summer, holidays on the Riviera, pretty much anywhere and anywhen the sun shines.

They’re breezy, comfortable and, especially in this case, an eyecatching style statement.

This piece from sustainable sartorial label SIRPLUS is covered in a jazzy ceramic print in greens, browns and faded terracottas against a blue background. It’s unmissable without being

Classically flamboyant summer style with an environmentally thoughtful and sustainable lilt

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too in-your-face, a solid everyday print.

The secret to the shirt though is what the design is actually printed onto. In typical eco-friendly fashion, SIRPLUS has used ECOVERO, a fabric made using wood and pulp. While it doesn’t have the sexiest of base materials, the result is an elastic textile, thin and springy, just what you want in a lightweight summer shirt. Paired with the material’s innate sustainability, it’s yet another feather in SIRPLUS’ environmentally thoughtful cap.

Pair with navy chinos and a chore jacket for a versatile, everyday look or go full Cuban with stonecoloured linen trousers and a matching Panama.

Either way, this contemporary ‘guayabera’ Caribbean shirt is a cool addition to your wardrobe in more ways than one. £125, sirplus.co.uk

Formex Field Automatic, £695

Photography by FRASER VINCENT

IN THE

FIELD

Summer in good old Blighty is picnics and warm pints in pub gardens. It’s trips to the seaside. It’s lazing about in the sun. It’s spending an afternoon at the cricket. It’s rushing for cover amid a brief rainstorm as you frantically search for something suitable to wear. Ok, so the last point isn’t quite as aspirational, but preparing for an all weather summer is an integral part of the season on this fair isle. And there’s no reason why you can’t look good in sunshine and rain, so we have collated some of the best lightweight outdoor apparel and field watches to ensure that the scenery isn’t the only thing earning admiring glances.

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STYLE — shoot

Nobis Top 66 North Reykjavik Hiking Pants, £125 Palladium Boots

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STYLE — shoot

Samsøe Samsøe Norton x blazer, £330 Peregrine Hudson Aran Jumper, £110 66 North Reykjavik Hiking Pants, £125 Columbia Trailstorm™ Mid Waterproof Walking Shoe, £100

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STYLE — shoot

Luminox Atacama Field, £959

STYLE — shoot

Delma Cayman Field Automatic, £975

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Snow Peak Light Mountain Cloth Jacket, £145 Snow Peak Light Mountain Cloth Pants, £125 Teva Universal Trail Sandals, £85 from ellis-brigham.com

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STYLE — shoot

66 North Hrannar Polartec Fleece, £125 66 North Laugavegur Trousers, £125 Ridgemont Outfitters Heritage WP Boots, £140

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• Christopher Ward C63 Colchester, £1,050

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Snow Peak Printed Insect Shield Jacket, £245 Snow Peak Printed Quick Dry Shorts, £165 Teva Universal Trail Sandals, £85 from ellis-brigham.com Oakley Holbrook Sunglasses, £175

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STYLE — shoot

anOrdain Model 2, £1,700

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STYLE — kit bag

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Shore leave

As summer reaches its zenith, get into gear for some sun, sea and sand Edited by SHANE C. KURUP

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1/ Robert La Roche Steve sunglasses, £315.00, robert-laroche.com 2/ Shiseido Sports Invisible Protective Mist SPF50+, £36, shiseido.co.uk 3/ Casablanca wave print silk shirt, £645, brownsfashion.com 4/ Ron Dorff x Rivieras Urban swim shorts, £160, uk.rondorff. com 5/ Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea automatic watch, £2,610, Montblanc Boutique, 119 New Bond St, Mayfair, London, W1S 1EP, +44 20 7629 5883 6/ Frescobol Carioca Leblon beach bat set, £220, frescobolcarioca.com 7/ Missoni cotton-terry beach towel, £145, mrporter.com 8/ Marni logo cotton-raffia tote bag, £485, matchesfashion.com 9/ Castañer Norman espadrilles, £115, matchesfashion.com

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hands-on reviews

THE SPECS • 43mm stainless steel case with 200m water resistance • Ronda calibre 715 quartz movement with 3-year battery life • £445, elliotbrownwatches.com

ELLIOT BROWN HOLTON PROFESSIONAL The first army-issued timepiece for 10 years is an affordably rugged diver

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hands-on reviews

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elliot brown

The British military’s been a solid source of inspiration for many a watch designer, especially in the past few years, be that the stripped back, charmingly utilitarian aesthetic of the Dirty Dozen or the more robust, modern mil-spec pieces from CWC. Yet while many modern pieces have even been approved by the armed forces or adopted as squad watches, none have actually been issued as equipment.

There’s a big difference between approved and issued.

The former says, “yes, this is a solid watch perfectly suited to the armed forces. If someone had this in the field, it would probably work perfectly.” The latter however says, “this is what we’re actually going to use.” It’s a small change of wording but a huge change in meaning.

Despite there being more than a few military-style pieces showing off the Ministry of Defence’s broad arrow on the dial – you know who they are without me needing to go into it – it’s surprising to learn that there’s been no British timepiece issued to the armed forces in over a decade.

Perhaps more surprising is that the first in that time is from Elliot Brown.

I don’t mean to diminish Elliot Brown of course; their watches offer some serious bang-for-your buck, which is something that obviously appeals to the British Army. But with Christopher Ward, Bremont et al leaning on their MoD connections, the Holton Professional, the first British watch issued to the armed forces in a decade, came out of left field. It’s a good thing then that the watch lives up to military standards.

First and foremost, the Holton Professional is a dive watch.

It’s meant to be fit for all conditions, so that makes a lot of sense – and it starts with the bezel. The watch has a satisfyingly solid 120-click number, with an embossed insert with lume-filled indexes for ultra-legibility in low-light. It also has a hobnail grip peeking up just above the insert, designed to be operated with gloves and most definitely not with shirtsleeves if you want your pristine office attire to remain so. It’s pretty dang sharp.

Almost as much attention has been lavished upon the crown, off to four o’clock to keep it a little more out of danger. It too has been hobnailed for grip, though slightly less aggressively than the bezel. Despite that it’s a touch awkward to operate, though that’s the price for safety.

It’s been triple sealed for water resistance too, though 200m seems a little less than I’d expect from the serious, professional timepiece that the Holton aspires to be. It’s not bad, it’s just that 300m is becoming the standard, even at this price range. Still, at least the 43mm steel case feels weighty and solid, fit for a diver.

Aesthetically, the Holton is on point. The gunmetal grey PVD and dial make for a stripped-back tool watch colourway.

It isn’t quite as high contrast as white on black, but it’s more wearable as an everyday watch. Throw in a flash of bright yellow on the second hand and you have a seriously cool if understatedly utilitarian, piece.

Inside is a quartz movement, and this is one of the few instances where that makes perfect sense. Quartz is generally more accurate and reliable than a mechanical movement and it’s something the Armed Forces have specifically looked

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It feels like the kind of mil-spec watch you can rely on and, provided you’re not a mechanicalonly collector, has a lot going for it for in the past with CWC. The specific calibre is the Ronda calibre 715, so it’s still Swiss made and a low-battery indicator takes out the usual guess work around when you’ll need to change it.

At £445, it’s hard to knock the Holton Professional. It feels like the kind of mil-spec watch you can rely on and, provided you’re not a mechanical-only collector, has a lot going for it. The Ministry of Defence definitely think so and, while I’m not sure how many watch collectors work there (I assume at least a handful), that’s an endorsement worth paying attention to. £445, elliotbrownwatches.com

hands-on reviews

THE SPECS • 43mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance • L836 calibre automatic movement with 52-hour power reserve • From £2,750, longines.com

LONGINES ULTRACHRON A loving throwback to the Sixties with a high-frequency twist

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There’s something to be said for living in the past; it’s where Longines have been living their best past lives for a while now with their deep cut heritage re-releases, the vintage-flavoured Spirit collection and now what might just be the perfect retro diver (with a fittingly retro name to match), the Ultra-Chron.

Let’s get it out the way: this is my favourite Longines of the past few years. Which is saying something, honestly. I got to try it on a few months back and have been dying to get acquainted on a more personal level. Now I have and it more than lives up to my first impressions.

First, a bit of background. The original Ultra-Chron Diver was released back in 1968 with the dubious distinction of being the first dive watch with a high-frequency movement.

For the uninitiated, that means a movement that beats at a faster rate than your standard calibre, breaking time down into smaller denominations. This in turn lets you more accurately measure it – hence the name Ultra-Chron, or Ultra Chronometer.

Even these days a high-frequency movement is pretty high watchmaking, but it’s a type of calibre that’s been around for a while – even in Longines’ own historical catalogue.

Other than the original Ultra-Chron Diver, they built highfrequency pieces as early as 1914. Just not in a diver.

For 2022 the calibre has been modernised of course to the silicon touched L836.6 automatic movement and it’s high frequency indeed. It oscillates at a racy 36,000 beats-perhour – so 600 times a minute or 10 times a second. It’s the same frequency as Grand Seiko’s Hi-Beat calibres and sounds just as mechanically intense to listen to.

It’s more than a number on a specs sheet, too. Longines have taken the opportunity to lay down a new Ultra Chronometer standard. It involves testing the movement once it’s inside the watch, rather than COSC which tests the movement by itself. It’s a standard created and tested in collaboration with TimeLab, the institution in charge of the Geneva Seal. That alone suggests this new Ultra-Chron won’t be the last.

As I’ve come to expect from their heritage pieces, Longines haven’t really changed much aesthetically in the new version.

That means plenty of black and red across the dial – including a cool red minute hand and white hour hand combo – some funky indexes and a case shape that screams Sixties louder than a Beatles concert.

Longines may have dropped the ‘Diver’ moniker from the name but that’s probably more due to marketing streamlining than any reflection on the watch. After all, it’s still firmly a diver, with a unidirectional rotating bezel complete with diving scale, 300m water resistance and plenty of lume splashed across everything.

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Longines have taken the opportunity to lay down a new Ultra Chronometer standard. It involves testing the movement once it’s inside the watch, rather than COSC Then there’s the case. At 43mm of stainless steel, it’s big when compared to most of the retro divers that have come out recently, which tend to err on the diminutive than the rugged (including the likes of Longines own heritage divers).

For once, I don’t mind though as the cushion case feels so right at this size. It’s a presence on the wrist, for sure, and one that’s hard to take off. I wouldn’t want it any smaller.

My only indecision about it comes with what to wear it on.

Obviously not the brown leather, that’s far too uninteresting, but both the impeccably machined Sixties-style bracelet and the red and black NATO strap look phenomenal. I’d probably plump for the NATO (which is included whether you go for leather or steel), but it’s definitely not a certainty.

What is certain is that this is a good amount of watch for the money. On the leather strap it’ll set you back £2,750, on the bracelet it’s £2,950.

From £2,750, longines.com

hands-on reviews

Words by

Michael Sonsino

SPINNAKER SP-5104 HASS X MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY WATCH With a layered dial that takes you down to the inky depths, the HASS x Marine collab is a stylish dive watch for a worthy cause

THE SPECS • 43mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance • Seiko NH16 TMI calibre automatic movement with 40-hour power reserve • £375, spinnaker-watches.co.uk

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Spinnaker’s diving watches are some of the best value propositions on the watch market, combining professional specs with reliable automatic movements and price tags that won’t break the bank. Now, in collaboration with the Marine Conservation Society they’ve launched a new, limited edition dive watch aimed at raising awareness of the crisis faced by ocean environments. The new piece is called the Spinnaker SP-5104 HASS x Marine Conservation Society (HASS x MCS) and picking up the one I have in front of me, I can safely say it’s the most striking Spinnaker to date.

There are two versions of the HASS x MCS, a grey and turquoise dialled model and the one we have here: the blue fade edition with a gradient dial that moves from light blue to almost black. Immediately I love the sense of depth that the dial offers, not only artistically, through the transition of the gradient, but also in the layered construction of the whole watch.

At the top, sitting high above the dial, is the unidirectional rotation bezel (with countdown and elapsed time scales) and scratch resistant sapphire glass. Then, below that and reaching down towards the dial is a sharply angled minute scale with cut-outs to accommodate for the raised SuperLumiNova-coated hour markers where it meets the hour scale. There’s then yet another layer as the dial steps down towards the centre with its mesmerising gradient, 24hour scale and day-date window. It feels like a watch you have to look down into like a rock pool or aquarium, which perfectly suits its diving and conservation theme.

The HASS x MSC is a fairly large watch with a 43mm diameter, but then again it is a diving watch so what else were you expecting? The case itself is stainless steel, as are the bezel, crown and caseback, and provides 300m water resistance. To keep the watch firmly on your wrist at such depths it has a stainless steel bracelet with fold over clasp and safety lock, which is very satisfying to click into place when putting it on. Alternatively, there’s a NATO strap in either grey or blue depending on the colourway made from PET recycled plastic.

Housed inside is the NH16 TMI calibre from Seiko, a Japanese automatic movement with an approximate 40-hour power reserve. It’s a proper work horse movement, contributing to the accessibility of the watch, which has a price of just £375. There are 1,000 pieces available, split 50-50 across the two colourways.

As the name suggests, there’s a charity angle to the watch, with some of the proceeds going to the Marine Conservation Society’s goals of education, advocacy and action in aid of the world’s oceans. MSC is a UK based charity which take a scientific approach to creating long term solutions to the issues facing marine environments. That’s why Spinnaker

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It feels like a watch you have to look down into like a rock pool or aquarium, which perfectly suits its diving and conservation theme have named the collection HASS, after the Austrian marine biologist Hans Hass, who shared similar goals to MSC. Honestly, I’m pretty ambivalent to these kinds of charity partnerships; there are enough ocean-saving diving watches that I find my eyes rolling at every new one. That said, it doesn’t put me off either (why would it?), it just doesn’t enter into my thinking.

Either way, whether you want to raise awareness for ocean conservation, stare endlessly into an intriguing dial or you just happen to be looking for an accessible dive watch, the Spinnaker HASS x Marine Conservation Society is a great option. Although take it from me, you definitely want the blue fade version for that extra aquatic flair. It might just be the coolest Spinnaker yet. £375, spinnaker-watches.co.uk

CULTURE — sour power

>—> >—> >—> A drink with the word sour in its title is perhaps not the most promising of starts when trying to encourage you to take your first sip. Add to that a huge variation in tastes, flavours and degrees of sourness and suddenly you have one of the most exciting things you can put in your glass. Some can have an almost fruit tea-like quality in beer form, whereas others can rock the alcohol Richter scale and bring back memories of vivaciously coloured sweets coated in cheek watering sugar crystals. These specialist brews can create sensory havoc and are nothing less than a ‘trip’ for the palate.

Sour beer isn’t a new thing though.

The trendsetting Belgian monks of the 13th century fermented their brews with wild yeasts to gave rise to what is known as the Lambic style. Lambic beers, with their slightly sour edge, in turn, led to Gueze beers, which blend old and young lambic beers with their trademark second fermentation adding additional alcohol, effervescence, or both. The ageing of these beers for further years then created another layer of taste and complexity. In due course the addition of fruit introduced both flavour and more sourness to the brew. Hot on their heels, came the other European styles of sour beer - Flanders red ales, German Gose and Berliner Weisse, all of which in turn discovered the flavour profiles possible with added ingredients.

More recently, the UK’s craft brewers have also taken up the mantle with great aplomb and by fettling specialist strains of bacteria they have finetuned the diversity of their offerings.

Some are clearly being brewed for the sophistication they bring and others for their fun accessibility. One thing is for certain, sours span the globe, touching every beer swilling nation. After over 700 years they are definitely here to stay and like their confectionary counterparts, they’re Fangtastic!

Words: Rob Bellinger

SOUR POWER!

GRÜVI SOUR WEISSE 0% At last a sour for the low/no alcohol beer drinker. Grüvi’s offering comes not only with a great name but in a flavoured, tart, Berlin style German Weisse beer format. It’s very pleasant and light in style, with lemon tart and grapefruit sorbet citrus notes. Massively refreshing, it’s certainly more palatable than most other 0% beer options. At only 26 calories per can perhaps we have also discovered the ultimate diet beer? Grüvi drinks well with seafood, particularly scallops and shellfish. Serve in a wine glass and spend the evening trying to convince your friends they are drinking beer.

Craft Zero £4.00

SIREN CRAFT BREW CALYPSO 4% Dried fresh hops are added to this slick performer from Siren.

Sharp, spritzy and mouth puckering, this is a session sour.

It’s crying out for a gourmet burger, meat or vegetarian, or really good sourdough pizza. This beer is all tropical fruit and hops, with aromas bursting out of the glass that draw you in. This is a great access point to the sour universe without strong alcohol or lip quivering. Calypso is so approachable, that you may not appreciate that you are drinking a sour beer.

Inn At Home £2.19 330ml

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ELUSIVE BREWING HAPPY LAND CHERRY WHEAT 4.8% With their zany labelling on all their beers, replicating pixelated retro arcade games, there’s no doubt this is a brewery up for fun.

Bright, juicy, packed full of fresh cherry flavours with soft notes of banana and clove from the classic wheat beer yeast that Elusive has skilfully chosen to parry the fruit.

The addition of a sour cherry puree during brewing adds a very subtle, balanced tartness and a glorious red colour. The ideal accompaniment for roast or Peking duck, as it will slice through the fat and foil beautifully the darker, gamey style of the meat.

Craft Metropolis £4.75 440ml

DOUBLE-BARRELLED PUNNET: REDCURRANT AND BLACKCURRANT 5.4%

PHANTOM BREWING PUNCH DRUNK DOUBLE MANGO SOUR 5% The perfect accompaniment to all styles of barbecue food and a great summer drinker in its own right. Now bolstered in the current guise with ‘double mango’ this oozes fruit without that sometimes overbearing sweet edge. This three-year-old brewery has a handle on many styles and a great foothold in the sour area. Even at 5%, this is an approachable brew that could quite easily sneak up on you on a summer’s afternoon.

Pairs well with all barbecued food, with the mango cutting nicely through the charred and caramelised flavours.

Beercraft £5.50 440ml

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A vibrant scarlet in the glass and red fruit, with a hoppy nose that just hints at what is to come. The redcurrants are tart and wow the tongue, which dissipates juicy blackcurrants that push through to give a little more lusciousness.

There is a luxurious syrupiness and jamminess to this beer, and just a wonderful sapidness to it too.

Accompanies wonderfully with venison, short ribs and even roast lamb. A Sunday sour if ever there was one.

Inn At Home £5.09 440ml

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There is a luxurious syrupiness and jamminess to this beer, and just a wonderful sapidness to it too

CULTURE — sour power

BROUWERIJ VERHAEGE DUCHESSE DE BOURGOGNE 6.2% The most traditional of our beers is this Flemish red/brown ale from a fifth generation brewing family. After two fermentations the beer is blended from eight and 18-month-old beers and then matured in oak barrels for 18 months. Copper red in the glass and only moderately sour it almost has a soft brown sugar sweetness to it. There is a definite fruit taste along with some pleasantly refined balsamic oakiness. Inoffensive and very refreshing it holds its own not only with my favourite pairing of blue cheese, but also with Thai food Beer Merchants £2.75 330ml

VAULT CITY BREWING VAULT WAGON 9.5% From the Scottish ‘Kings of Sours’ in Edinburgh comes a very classy and entertaining vegan offering with a kicking 9.5% alcohol.

After the success of their Iron Brew sour comes Vault Wagon, paying homage to the classic childhood favourite - the Wagon Wheel! This beer has all of the circular favourite’s elements with a juicy strawberry tang, smooth chocolate, sweet biscuit and fluffy marshmallow taste. Probably one of the most confusing liquids you can put in your mouth, as it just does not compute! An aspirational glass to work your way up to and you could then find yourself in a chocolate stupor after a few easy to drink bottles of this beauty.

Vault City £8.25

TRILLIUM BREWERY FATED FARMER APRICOT 6.7% Fated Farmer was originally conceived to celebrate bringing together all aspects of New England farming. The Valley Malt is barrel fermented in 500 litre casks with natural local yeast and aged for five to seven months, before refermenting with freshly harvested fruit. Bottled in 2019 this still shows brightly in the glass with a light straw colour. Peach, apricot jam, lemongrass and a hint of fresh pineapple prevail. Acidity with structure, but very refreshing and great with Asian food.

Craft Metropolis £12.25

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CULTURE — food & drink

>—>

THE BEST UK RESTAURANTS THAT USE FORAGED AND LOCAL FOOD >—>>—>>—> We all know that fresh food is intrinsically better than the alternatives. It has more flavour, better textures and because it has to be locally sourced it’s often better for the environment. The freshest possible ingredients are those that chefs collect themselves through foraging, heading out into the local countryside or specially designed wild gardens to find the best mushrooms, truffles, game and herbs.

EDITED BY MICHAEL SONSINO

RESTAURANT &BAR

NEWS

← THE WHITEBROOK Near Monmouth, Monmouthshire, NP25 4TX

Nestled within the Wye Valley in Monmouthshire, The Whitebrook is a Michelin star restaurant run by husband and wife duo Chris and Kirsty Harrod. The menu includes truffle baked parsnip salted plum, brassica, hen of the woods mushroom, Wiltshire black truffle, with a dessert of Wye Valley rhubarb toasted birch wood ice cream, hazelnut, and medlar. However, as with the majority of menus that include foraged ingredients it changes seasonally based on what’s naturally available.

Whitebrook also has boarding rooms should you wish to explore the area over a number of days.

Book now at thewhitebrook.co.uk

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← EDINBURGH LARDER

15 Blackfriars Street, EH1 1NB If you’re looking for a more low key dining affair with a menu of locally sourced produce, Edinburgh Larder is the place for you. It features in a wide range of restaurant guides but always as a ‘hidden gem’ due to its café like atmosphere and informal nature. The name of the game is breakfast, as their full English (full Scottish?) is a legendary feast of Ramsay’s smoked back bacon, black pudding, Cumberland sausage, roasted flat mushroom, blistered cherry tomatoes, potato scone, homemade beans, poached egg, and buttered granary toast - showcasing the best of local Scottish ingredients.

Book now at edinburghlarder.co.uk

↓ THE ELDER

2-8 South Parade, Bath, BA2 4AB The Elder is an establishment operated by Mike Robinson, one of Britain’s foremost experts on wild food and game.

Specifically, The Elder is famed for its venison, which is wild reared on local estates in Wiltshire and collected by huntsmen prior to being processed in house in an FSA regulated larder. This local approach to meat is so popular that in addition to The Elder they also supply venison to several high end restaurants in London such as the only Michelin star pub in the city, The Harwood Arms.

Book now at theelder.co.uk

↑ INTERLUDE

Leonardslee Gardens, Brighton Road, Lower Beeding, Horsham, RH13 6PP It’s often the case that restaurants using foraged ingredients will be situated in or near a bountiful area of natural beauty that's capable of supplying a diverse range of food. This is exactly the case with Michelin star restaurant Interlude, which is located at Leonardslee Gardens near Horsham in a Grade 1 listed garden with 240 acres of rich land ripe for foraging. The menu includes dishes such as trenchmore beef with foraged salad, snail fricassee, and estate deer with skilpadjies and juniper.

Book now at restaurant-interlude.co.uk

This local approach to meat is so popular that in addition to The Elder they also supply venison to several high end restaurants in London 124

CULTURE — food & drink

← THE ROYAL OAK

Whatcote, CV36 5EF We can’t finish this round up without at least one more Michelin starred restaurant in a region of natural beauty, and that duty falls to The Royal Oak on the edge of the Cotswolds. Dishes like nettle raviolo of lamb sweetbreads, white asparagus, spring truffle and mint form the foundation of a concise menu featuring wild ingredients. The focus on local and foraged food has created many fruitful relationships between The Royal Oak and the local community, making it a hub of rural life.

Book now at theroyaloakwhatcote.co.uk

The focus on local and foraged food has created many fruitful relationships between The Royal Oak and the local community ↓ WEDGWOOD

267 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8BQ

← OLD STAMP HOUSE

Church Street, Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom, LA22 0BU There’s just something about foraged and locally sourced food that attracts Michelin stars. Old Stamp House is the third restaurant to have one in this feature. However, Old Stamp House’s menu doesn’t rely solely on the local area for its ingredients, as they celebrate the history of Cumbria as one of the leading trade centres with the Americas, Caribbean and India. As such, local produce is combined with imported spices like pepper, mace, ginger, sugar and rum to create a unique menu.

Book now at oldstamphouse.com

They celebrate the history of Cumbria as one of the leading trade centres with the Americas, Caribbean and India 125

Scotland is practically one enormous larder when it comes to wild and seasonal ingredients. Even the area surrounding Edinburgh offers a bounty of produce ripe for use in dishes like wild garlic gnocchi with roast salsify, beets, leek and walnut pesto. In fact, Wedgwood offers Wild Foraging Experience Days where you can join Chef Patron Paul Wedgwood on a tour of foraging around Midlothian. After which you can experience the fruits of your labour in the restaurant.

Book now at wedgwoodtherestaurant.co.uk

best camping gear

BIG AGNES WYOMING TRAIL 4

>——> There are more tents on the market than its easy to parse through, so we went for the reliable outdoorspeople at Big Agnes and their roomy, versatile Wyoming Trail 4. The threeseason tent offers two side compartments and a generously large canopy in the middle for a more-than-respectable freestanding, multi-use shelter. Each sleeping area contains two entrances if you just can’t face last night’s snorer and incredibly stable, self-equalising guy lines will ensure that’s your only problem through the night. $899.95 (approx. £730), bigagnes.com

Words by

Sam Kessler

BEST

HEST SLEEP SYSTEM

>——> Cheap, inflatable mattress? Your poor, aching back won’t hear about it, especially after a whole 30 minutes of watching your mates put the tent up.

The only thing that’ll do is the closest mattress to your best at home: the HEST Sleep System. The memory foam camping pad regulates temperature, pressure and everything that might interrupt your sleep, so that when you’re not up and about first thing in the morning, it won’t be your fault, it’ll be your mattress. $499 (approx. £405), hest.com

CAMPING GEAR 2022

From survival basics to glamping tech, get outdoor ready with the best camping gear of 2022

The call of the wild is impossible to resist… at least until you get there unprepared, cold and subsiding on trail mix that’s becoming more and more raisin-heavy. Never fear, intrepid explorer, for we at Oracle Time are experts at making ourselves comfortable in any and all environments. After all, nothing’s better on a cold, icy mountainside than a stone-baked pizza; nothing cools on a hot, dry summer’s day more than an ice-cold beer, and nothing gets you prepped for a long day ahead better than a good night’s sleep.

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HENNESSEY 4SEASON SURVIVORMAN HAMMOCK

>——> Working with the Survivorman himself, Les Stroud, Hennessey have created something that goes well beyond your boho garden hammock. The 4Season Survivorman is an all-weather, insulated swinger that can be put up in any environment, and retain comfort and practicality. The two-layer bottom holds a foam pad, meaning it’s always in the right, diagonal position to sleep, while a rain fly will keep water well off your new home away from home. It also comes with a lightweight survival kit if, for some crazy reason, you don’t already have one. £329.95, hennesseyhammock.co.uk

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An all-weather, insulated swinger that can be put up in any environment, and retain comfort and practicality

BAREBONES NO. 6 FIELD KNIFE

>——> There are plenty of tools you can take with you, enough that a full regiment of Swiss army knives couldn’t tick them all off.

Instead, go minimal with a pared-back take on that most versatile of survivalist necessities, a camping knife. This sleek take by the aptly named toolmakers at Barebones is as handsome a field knife as you can get, with a sturdy fixed, high carbon tempered steel blade, tactile wooden handle and a matched sheath. If you find yourself in the wild with nothing but the No. 6 and your wits, you’ll probably do well. Provided you don’t lose your wits, anyway. $79.99 (approx. £65), barebonesliving.com

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If you find yourself in the wild with nothing but the No. 6 and your wits, you’ll probably do well 128

best camping gear

BIOLITE ALPENGLOW 500 CAMP LIGHT

>——> Mood lighting’s hard to come by in the middle of the woods. Most camp lights are bright and nothing else, and there’s only so much you can rely on flickering campfire light for a bit of romance. That’s where Biolite comes in. Their Alpen Camp Light will have your camp glowing the colours of the aurora borealis at the press of a button. Fancy something a little warmer? Shake the lamp and it’ll automatically change up the colours. A few of these dotted around the campsite and you’ll have your own forest wonderland. £79.99, uk.bioliteenergy.com

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Fancy something a little warmer? Shake the lamp and it’ll automatically change up the colours

DOMETIC CFX3 100 MOBILE COOL BOX

>——> You know what’s worse than getting caught in freezing rain? Having the sun get your beers warm. Personal experience, there. This hefty, powered beast from Dometic goes above and beyond your basic picnic cooler; it actively refrigerates and even freezes down to -22 degrees. It’s roomy with an 88 litre capacity, efficient thanks to airtight Active Gasket technology and won’t flatten your car battery if you leave it running. Sure, you could live off the land and all that, but at the end of the day you can still kick back with an icy cold one by the campfire. £1,275, store-eu.dometic.com

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best camping gear

BEOSOUND EXPLORE

>——> Whether you’re camped for the night or clambering up a mountain trail, Bang & Olufsen’s latest travel speaker will just.

Keep. Going. The weatherproof casing – we’re talking a genuine storm here – protects the Beosound Explore without dampening the sound, meaning you get great sound wherever you go. Fully dustproof, fully waterproof and pretty much outdoorproof, it offers up to 27 hours of playtime, so the great outdoors will hear you coming. £169, bang-olufsen.com

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It offers up to 27 hours of playtime, so the great outdoors will hear you coming

OONI KARU 12 MULTI-FUEL PIZZA OVEN

>——> Why would you ever go for paradoxically burnt and uncooked sausages when you could get fresh, stone-baked pizza in a pinch? Ooni’s ovens are small enough to be carried relatively easily, easy enough to get to temperatures hot enough to cook your wilderness-made dough in seconds (we’re talking 500 degrees) and, in this instance, can use wood or charcoal instead of environmentally harmful gas canisters.

And sure, if you really want you can still cook sausages in it. Just maybe at a slightly cooler temperature. £299, uk.ooni.com

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best camping gear

VANGO RADIATE EMBRACE CHAIR

>——> How do you make a comfy, padded camping chair even better? Add in a radiator. Yep, forget bundling up against the cold, the Radiate Embrace chair houses a graphene heating element that’ll keep you toasty so long as it’s connected to a power source. Which we’ll get to shortly.

The sturdy legs will stop you tipping out mid-nap and the whole thing packs away into a svelte carry bag. It’s the best seat out of the house. £110, vango.co.uk

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The Radiate Embrace chair houses a graphene heating element that’ll keep you toasty

JACKERY SOLAR GENERATOR 1000

>——> So far, we’ve opted for a few electronics, which causes a problem. There’s only so much battery your car has before you’re genuinely stuck in the wilderness. Fortunately, Jackery are well-known for their chargers and their latest might just be the most impressive yet. The Solar Generator 2000 Pro has a pair of solar panels that efficiently channel sunlight into the power bank, fully charging in just two and a half hours of sunlight – which is about all you can expect from a British summer. It’s weighty, sure, but Chris Pratt seems to be able to handle it. $3,599 (approx. £2,935), uk.jackery.com

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holy trail

Words by

Sam Kessler

IN SEARCH OF THE HOLY TRAIL Ocean, mountains and everything inbetween, these are the most beautiful trails in the world

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>—————>

Hiking can be a bit of a challenge to the unprepared, or in some cases, even hardcore outdoorsmen. But it’s worth it for the views, the landscapes and the experience of being in some of the most beautiful locations on Earth.

That said, while there’s certainly no shortage of picturesque hikes across mountains, forests and coastlines, there are some epic trails that are a cut above the rest. Their natural charms are all but impossible to explain in words, so we’re relying on breathtaking imagery to convey just why these five trails are among the most spectacular in the world.

From the rugged north of England to the warm waters of the Australian coast, stoke your wanderlust and read on. You needed an excuse for some new hiking shoes anyway, right?

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PENNINE WAY, UNITED KINGDOM >——>

Let’s start on our own doorstep. Despite being a (relatively) short drive away from London, beginning in Edale in the Peak District, this 268-mile hike stretches all the way to just a smidge over the Scottish border, ending at Kirk Yetholm. It takes you through Northumberland National Park and High Cup Nick, dubbed the Grand Canyon of England. Granted it’s a little less grand than that, but it’s nonetheless a spectacular sight and the trail as a whole will show off the best landscapes the UK has to offer. Just make sure you dress for the weather; we have a meteorologically gloomy reputation for a reason.

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One thing you have to bear in mind is, well, bears. Make sure you’re prepped for a potential (if unlikely) encounter

Taking in 14 states, incredible views, and weather of all seasons, the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail is nearly three times the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats, so pack a lunch, or two

APPALACHIAN TRAIL, USA

>——>

The longest, uninterrupted hiking-only route in the world, the Appalachian Trail snakes across a gargantuan 2,200 miles of the Eastern United States. Bookended by the peaks of Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Main and passing through 14 states, it’s one of the few routes you can hike for an entire season. Because of that size you’d be best picking a specific section to tackle depending on what kind of landscapes you’d prefer – be that lowland forests in the south or sub-alpine regions in the north. One thing you have to bear in mind is, well, bears. Make sure you’re prepped for a potential (if unlikely) encounter.

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It traverses the Pyrenees, heading down into the Rioja wine region before levelling out to the gently rolling hills of northern Spain Offering the best of both worlds, the gentle nature of Camino de Santiago provides picturesque surroundings with the reward of ending the day in the Rioja region, hopefully with a glass in hand

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO, SPAIN >——>

A network of trails more than one specific route, Camino de Santiago traces a network of medieval pilgrim routes to the grace of St. James at Santiago de Compostela. The most popular route however is the Camino Francés, which begins just under 500 miles from Santiago in Biarritz, France. Incidentally, this route is the inspiration for Martin Sheen’s 2010’s The Way. A relatively easy walk, it traverses the Pyrenees, heading down into the Rioja wine region before levelling out to the gently rolling hills of northern Spain and finally to Santiago de Compostela.

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It takes you through the Great Otway National Park where you’ll come across tree-fern gullies and eucalypt woodlands – meaning plenty of Koalas and local Australian wildlife Enchanting woodland and wildlife draw the eye on the Great Ocean Road, but the Twelve Apostles, a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of Port Campbell, are the real star of the show

GREAT OCEAN ROAD, AUSTRALIA >——>

Hugging the cliffs of the Southern Ocean, this Aussie trail is one for the surfers. The 150-odd miles of snaking coastline stretches between the Victorian towns of Torquay and Allansford via Lorne and Port Campbell.

The route offers waves like nowhere else, waves that have carved out chunks of iconic scenery like the famous limestone pillars dubbed 12 Apolstles. It takes you through the Great Otway National Park where you’ll come across tree-fern gullies and eucalypt woodlands – meaning plenty of Koalas and local Australian wildlife. You can even take a break from walking to paddle with a Platypus or run for your life from an emu.

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ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT, NEPAL >——>

Even if you’re not ready to tackle the deadliest peak in the world (admittedly less deadly thanks to one Nims Purja; more about him on page 38), this route through Nepal offers dramatic views across six of the world’s tallest peaks. It’s not an easy hike by any means as it encircles the Annapurna Massif itself, crossing two different river valleys. Routes vary between under 100 miles to nearly 150, but it’s generally a circular route starting at Besisahar. Most routes however will stop by Poon Hill, and for good reason. If there’s one view that encapsulates the rugged beauty of the Himalayas, it’s from there. Most hikes on this list you can tackle yourself, but for the Annapurna Circuit you’ll want a guide and potentially porters.

The height can go from 760m at Besisahar all the way up to over 5,400m at Thorong La Pass and if you’re not accustomed to the altitude it’s going to be especially hard.

Stand on the shoulders of giants and gaze across six of the world’s tallest peaks, but be prepared for a challenging route, which includes encircling the Annapurna Massif and crossing two separate river valleys

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CULTURE — unsung heroes

Words:

Sam Kessler

UNSUNG VINTAGE HERO:

THE GLYCINE AIRMAN An icon of military aviation, the Glycine Airman is the coolest vintage pilot’s watch you might not know about 145

CULTURE — glycine airman

There’s a long tradition of military timepieces collectors go crazy for. We’ve covered Britain’s CWC before and amassing the full Dirty Dozen is a grail achievement in and of itself, but perhaps one of the coolest military timepieces around – and as is the theme of this series, doesn’t get nearly as much love – is the Glycine Airman.

Glycine itself started in 1914, but its early days were spent creating tiny movements for women’s watches for precious metal models. It wasn’t until 1950 when the Bienne-based brand made a breakthrough with their first Aviation chronometer.

The 24-hour layout tied in nicely with military time – it took out the arithmetic when your briefing was at 1400 hours It was the advent of the Vietnam War that showcased the deep practicality of the Glycine Airman, as servicemen chose it over the standard issue Hamilton and Marathons thanks to the 24-hour layout and its unique hack feature, which stops the watch when the crown is in the setting position

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Three years later they launched the first Airman, an aviation-centric timepiece for military use. It has the basic info any pilot would need, meaning a 24-hour subdial and most importantly a rotating 24-hour bezel for keeping track of the time across timezones, which was lockable via the crown at four o’clock. It was also incredibly handsome, with the kind of pared-back, utilitarian look that’s lasted very, very well.

The way of timekeeping, using a 24-hour hand rather than a traditional 12-hour version and adding a bezel for the second time zone meant that the movement was far less delicate than adding another hand would have been. It was basically a precursor to the Rolex GMT-Master and wasn’t the only innovation that the Airman eventually boasted.

The model really took off (sorry) in 1955 with the introduction of the unique hack feature, which stops the watch when the crown is in the setting position. It made the watch easier to set and stopped it ticking as you were trying to sync it up with another watch.

However, possibly the main reason the Airman is popular today – other than its good looks – was its service in Vietnam. It wasn’t an issue watch like those from Hamilton and Marathon, it just caught on with pilots enough that it became synonymous with the conflict. It was easy to see why.

Early Airmans used the Felsa 690 N/692 N, but the later generation that went to Vietnam instead opted for an A. Schild 1903. It was a movement that beat slightly slower than your usual calibre, meaning it was more rugged and reliable, matching the tool watch looks of the case. The 24-hour layout also tied in nicely with military time – it took out the arithmetic when your briefing was at 1400 hours – and the rotating bezel would have generally been set to home time back in the States and locked there.

Post-Vietnam, the Glycine remained a the low-key military aviation icon it is today. It doesn’t have the prestige of a Type XX, early Navitimer or anything like that, as it was always designed as an affordable but reliable tool, which if you’re a fan likely works in your favour. You can generally get them for around £1,000, depending on the era, condition and all the other factors that come into play while buying vintage.

That’s a little less than Glycine’s own modern version of the Airman will set you back, although in that case you’ll be getting a modern, more reliable movement – even if it doesn’t have quite the same personal history.

EDITED BY SAM KESSLER

IN FOCUS

© Gustavo Kuri

A CHRONOGRAPH THAT’S NOT A CHRONOGRAPH, A MODULAR MASTER SET, AND A REVIVED ARISTOCRATIC WATCHMAKER GO UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

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IN FOCUS — mb&f

MB&F

When is a chronograph not a chronograph? When it’s an MB&F To call MB&F overachievers is just scratching the surface. The collaborative project masquerading as a watch brand is one of the most iconoclastic hubs of haute horology, with founder Max Busser’s surreally imaginative approach to watch design building a unique, if divisive collection of timepieces.

But building a watch shaped like a space chariot is one thing; getting a movement to fit in it is something else entirely. By the time you’ve forced a third party’s triangle into that square hole, you may as well have built a whole new movement – which is precisely what MB&F have been doing over the past 17 years.

For every fever dream of a Horological Machine and new, for ever minimal take on the Legacy Machine’s floating balance wheel, there’s an entirely new calibre. In fact, over the past 17 years, MB&F have designed, prototyped and built a staggering 20 movements. That’s insane. Strangely enough though, it’s taken until that 20th calibre for MB&F to do something as prosaic as a chronograph.

Not that the Legacy Machine Sequential EVO is prosaic in the least; it’s still an MB&F and those three letters stand for anything but your standard complication. Instead, you have one movement powering two chronographs. Over achievers is right.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a dual chronograph of course; one of the more recent examples has been courtesy of equally avant garde though far less prolific watchmaker Cyrus. And yet, while previous dual chronographs have let you time two events separately across two independently operable chronographs, MB&F’s has one major difference.

That difference has been dubbed the ‘Twinverter’, which is just a slightly painful name for a joint on/ off switch. It can start both stopwatches at once; it can stop both stopwatches at once. Or, like a chess clock, can switch from one running chronograph to the other. It makes what is often a novelty complication far, far more useful, not to mention incredibly impressive.

Yes, the LM Sequential EVO is MB&F’s first chronograph, but it’s very much an MB&F chronograph. It’s also a world apart from the usual aesthetic of the Legacy Machine. To see such a technical feat fit into what’s traditionally been MB&F’s answer to classical watchmaking is a surprise.

I of course mean technical in an aesthetic sense rather than mechanically. Splitting an escapement from its balance is about as mechanically complex as watchmaking can get, even if it’s an incredibly minimal looking take on the Legacy Machine. The

Despite being housed in a regular chronograph, MB&F’s Legacy Machine Sequential EVO still has a host of horological hot points, with a twin chronograph, and crucially, the snappily named ‘Twinverter’ that can start both stopwatches at once, or switch from one running chronograph to the other

same goes for 2015’s LM Perpetual – which just so happens to have the same watchmaker behind it as the new watch, Mr Stephen McDonnell.

In fact, if it wasn’t for the collection’s signature suspended balance spring, I’d have a hard time equating the EVO with previous Legacy Machines. Then again, it’s a few steps removed from the architectural, aerodynamic lines and flights of fancy of the Horological Machines.

So, is this the start of a new, sportier angle for MB&F? Who knows? Max Busser himself has admitted to us here that his plan for global domination is vague at best, so this could very well be a one-off reference. I hope not though. Creating a line of horologically fantastic and actually useful MB&F sounds too good to pass up.

Find out more at mbandf.com

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IN FOCUS — mxxxxx

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IN FOCUS — chevalley le bris

CHEVALLEY LE BRIS

Modular high watchmaking for whatever the elements throw at you It’s easy to get bored of the watch on your wrist. No matter how much you adore your daily wearer, it’s hard not to admire the greener grass on another’s wrist. Sure, you’ll probably end up switching back, but that dalliance in new territory is all too inviting.

The issue is that a change of horological pace means owning multiple watches. That’s not uncommon of course – we’re sure most people reading this have a few timepieces to call upon – but there are ways to get a bit more out of your watch. Modularity, for example.

Modular watches are a niche proposition in the watch world. The concept is that you can switch parts out to create new looks without actually plumping for a whole new timepiece. There have been a few brands that have attempted it in one way or another, but Chevalley le Bris may just have the most intriguing one to date.

Despite the moniker ‘collection’, the two pieces that make up Chevalley le Bris’ Armada are inseparable from one another. On one hand you have the Element No. 4, with a deck-inspired dial and an ornate timekeeping framework inspired by the cardinal points of a compass. On the other hand, you have the Black Sail, a stealthier, performance-oriented piece more like a racing catamaran than a classical sailing yacht.

They’re both distinctive with their left-hand crowns, multi-layered construction and uniquely nautical looks. What really sets them apart though is hinted at by the lever at one o’clock. While it looks similar to the kind of intense crown guards you see on the likes of Graham, it’s actually a clasp that goes around the entire circumference of the watch body, holding it in place.

This means that by using that lever, you can pop the watch head out of its framework, allowing you to swap another in. You can add a splash of performance carbon to the wooden deck and steel of the Element No. 4 or tone down the all-black stealth of the Black Sail, whatever you feel like taking out for a spin today – and that’s just if you want to wear it on your wrist. Along with the two wristwatch clasp circles, the pair are also presented with two pocket watch variations, complete with a chain. That’s a total of eight different ways to wear the Armada, all wrapped up in a handsome, useable logbook more suited to the limited space below decks than a bulky watch box.

As we said, this kind of modularity has been attempted in the past in various ways but has never really taken off. Generally, that’s been because of the compromises necessary to make it work.

Chevalley le Bris’ Armada ‘collection’ of two modular pieces, the Element No. 4 and the Black Sail, allow the wearer to sport eight different modular looks, including separate performance carbon, wooden deck, and steel watch heads, depending on your mood

Along with the two wristwatch clasp circles, the pair are also presented with two pocket watch variations, complete with a chain There’s no danger of that here. Not only are the watches themselves impeccably machined to an obsessive degree, the movements inside are from Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier – more than a cut above your bog-standard ETA calibres.

It’s a level of quality that’s reflected in the price; the Armada Collection isn’t an impulse buy. Each logbook containing a pair of heads and set of four gaskets with straps and chain will set you back CHF 75,000 (approx. £63,500) in a limited series of 15.

It’s pricey, but there’s no denying the level of longevity you’re getting. Now imagine what it’ll be like when the next variations are released… the choices will be virtually endless.

Find out more at chevalleylebris.com

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IN FOCUS — carl suchy & sohne

CARL SUCHY & SOHNE

The revived aristocratic watchmaker to the Imperial Court of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire Fine timepieces tend to find their way into the courts of yesteryear; not only were they pricey baubles to show off taste and wealth, they were a necessity to keep to any modicum of timeliness. Yet while Breguet’s perhaps the best-known courtly horologist of France, for Austria of the 1800s it would have been Carl Suchy & Sohne.

Exactly 200 years ago, Czech watchmaker Carl Suchy opened his first clock maker in 1822. After seven years in Germany, he’d amassed quite the clockmaking expertise and returning to his home city – then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – made sense. He made a name for himself with precise clocks aplenty. Perhaps more importantly, they were some of the most beautiful pieces being made across the Empire and soon caught the attention of the Court.

It wasn’t long before Carl Suchy clocks were the de facto timekeepers of the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy. It was enough for Suchy to be appointed the Watch Purveyor to the Royal and Imperial Court. Well, there were enough titles to go around, it was only fair. After his coronation in 1848, Emperor Franz Joseph I himself carried a torch for the clockmaker, and a better patron could not have been hoped for, especially given he was renowned for impeccable timekeeping.

That all said, Suchy’s brand really came into its own when, after years of apprenticing to famous Czech watchmaker Josef Kosek, sons Carl & Hans Suchy put the Sohne into Carl Suchy & Sohne. The former took it upon himself to open a pocket watch manufacturer in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a fine watchmaking hub even back then. It expanded what the family could build phenomenally and opened a new, aristocratic market up for them – something that the younger brother Hans capitalised on by opening a store in Vienna, the epicentre of the Empire.

Soon Suchy’s Swiss-made, Austrian-designed timepieces were in the pockets of power across – and beyond – the Empire. Countless aristocrats and luminaries owned one of their watches, from Archduke Franz Ferdinand to Sigmund Freud, the latter of which is rarely pictured without his pocket watch. Yet being so interlinked to the Empire had its issues.

When war came in 1914, it spelled the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and, in 1918, Carl Suchy & Sohne were forced to close their doors. Yet as Autria’s only real legacy watchmaker, it was an inevitability the brand would see the light of day once again and a full century later they returned to

Sigmund Freud (above) seemingly didn’t enjoy having his photograph taken, but he was a fan of Carl Suchy & Sohne’s Swiss-made, Austrian-designed timepieces. The collapse of the AustroHungarian Empire brought an end to production, but the Waltz No. 1 has brought the brand’s rich history back to life

The watch combines minimalism and purity of purpose with elegance and a touch of pomp Vienna with the Waltz No. 1. The Waltz No. 1 embodies everything that makes Carl Suchy & Sohne’s history so compelling. Aesthetically inspired by prolific architect Adolf Loos and paying homage to the court balls of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the watch combines minimalism and purity of purpose with elegance and a touch of pomp.

The timepiece’s signature lined dial with its incredibly cool (and delightfully imprecise) seconds counter at six o’clock make for a striking aesthetic twist on classical watchmaking, whether it’s the subtle all-white, the eye-catching zebra combination of white and black or the skeletonised version. Sure, they’re a world away from the aristocratic pocket watches the brand was working on across the 1800s, but their 200-years-and-counting legacy is still very much a part of the modern brand.

For out more at carlsuchy.com

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watches and accessories

ETTINGER – SINGLE & TRIPLE WATCH ROLLS

O r a c le

RECOMMENDS WHAT’S ON OUR SHOPPING LIST AND WHY

Following from the success of their double watch rolls, Ettinger have expanded the range to include new single and triple watch rolls. Each roll is ideal for watch transportation or display with suede lining and Capra goat leather exteriors. There are five colours available at each size: black, tan, blue, forest green and Bordeaux.

Additionally, the rolls can be further personalised with the addition of up to five initials on the exterior. An ideal gift for yourself or a fellow watch lover.

Single £270, Triple £395, available from ettinger.co.uk

SDC – OCEANRIDER SDC Watches launched their OceanRider collection at the tail end of last year with the aim of supporting marine conservation and expanding the ways watchmakers can make a difference. In that endeavour, they explored ways that they can upcycle waste materials from around the ocean to help create the OceanRider, which they achieved by becoming the first watchmaker to use upcycled wetsuits in their watch straps. The OceanRider itself is a stylish retro diver with 42mm steel case and 300m water resistance. £425, available from sdcwatches.com

CHARLIE PARIS – CONCORDIA Charlie Paris’ Concordia is a stylish and accessible diver that oozes 60s retro diving watch charm. Specifically, the highly legible display with oversize round hour markers is inspired by the types of watches developed around the French Riviera in the 60s and associated with figures like the French explorer, Jacques Cousteau. Which makes sense for a modern French watchmaker like Charlie Paris. Inside, it houses the Soprod calibre P024. €745 (approx. £640), available from charlie-paris.com

96 ZERO – FIELD Wolkov is a brand that first made a name for itself in 2018 with their revolutionary modular, snapping lug design that made it easier than ever to change your watch strap on a whim.

Now, they’re back with their latest project the W22. The concept behind this watch is to create a striking and unique shape that stands out from competitors such as Raymond Weil and Eterna. Hence, the highly original oval case in high gloss stainless steel and the distinctive dial display that has a central hour scale and peripheral minute track. It’s available for pre-order in three colourways, each limited to 250 pieces.

Available from July 15th at 96zero.co.uk

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Pompeak – Sub-Aquatic The Pompeak Sub-Aquatic was designed in collaboration with the brand’s customers who were able to advise on key elements of the watch.

As a result, the Sub-Aquatic a charming retro diver with a robust design water resistant to 200m with a broad diving bezel and gradient dial.

Inside, it houses the Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, which is the first Swiss movement Pompeak have used, showing an overall increase in quality. £625, available from pompeak.com

style

Longchamp – Le Pliage Original Whether you’re heading overseas for the summer or enjoying festival season here in Blighty, Longchamp’s Le Pliage foldable bag is ideal for carrying your essentials. The design was inspired by the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, meaning it can fold away to a fraction of its size when not in use, great for maximising space in your hotel or lodging. Additionally, it’s available in a wide variety of sizes, colours and styles so you can find the one that suits you best. £95, available from longchamp.com

VIVOBAREFOOT – TRACKER II FG Vivobarefoot’s flexibility first approach to shoes might not seem like a natural fit for hiking boots but the Tracker II FGs prove otherwise. The high sides provide plenty of ankle support but the flexible soles allow for a much higher degree of ground feel. Better for clambering up mountain trails and maintaining solid contact with the ground when it really matters. Plus, the thinner look is great stylistically as it doesn’t dominate your outfit as much as a thick boot. £200, available from vivobarefoot.com

TM Lewin – Ladbroke Jacket For a relaxed summer jacket, look no further than this raspberry number from TM Lewin. It’s made from a combination of linen and wool woven in the prestigious Marlane Mill in Italy.

It’s super breathable and light, ideal for hot, sunny days. The raspberry colour is also bright and fun, pairing well with a white or pink shirt and classy navy or grey chinos. £200, available from tmlewin.com

LACOSTE – L003 Lacoste’s new L003 shoes are designed to be the ultimate all round trainer. Gender neutral, stylish, comfortable and sporty. It has an athleisure silhouette based on a running shoe ideal for performance and cross fit. It’s made from a composite of various high performance materials including breathable mesh and nubuck, making it highly versatile.

Plus, of course, the crocodile logo is embossed onto the heel although not in its usual green as here it’s golden. £100, available from footasylum.com

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DESMOND & DEMPSEY – CUBAN PYJAMA SET Desmond & Dempsey create high-end luxury pyjamas with their signature prints like this Soleia Black Yellow for both men and women. The men’s version features a boxy fit, camp collar and baggy sleeves making it perfect for hot summer nights, or even barbeques if the weather’s right.

And the great thing about there also being a women’s version is that your partner doesn’t have to steal yours because the fit has been specially designed so that the female version feels exactly the same as the men’s. £160, available from Desmondanddempsey.com

technology

SIMBA HYBRID 3-IN-1 DUVET It’s the height of the British summer, which we all know means that on Monday we’ll be experiencing a heat wave, Tuesday it’ll rain and Wednesday could be anything from record breaking temperatures or snow. All of which makes sleeping a nightmare.

Fortunately, Simba’s Hybrid 3-in-1 Duvet can serve as a light summer cover, mid-size autumn blanket or combine together as a winter defender. Making it super easy to stay comfortable whatever the weather or temperature. £349, available from simbasleep.com

Bose – Quiet Comfort 45 Bose’s Quiet Comfort 45 headphones are best in class when it comes to combining noise cancelling technology with pure comfort. They use tiny microphones to monitor surrounding noise and cancel it out using the opposite signal, so there are fewer distractions from your music. In fact, it’s effective that they’ve implemented an Aware mode to purposely allow some external sound in to keep you safe while wearing them on the go. £314.95, available from bose.co.uk

Ruark MR1 Bluetooth Speakers Ruark Audio produce music systems that connect you more closely to the music you love most, every day. The award-winning MR1 Bluetooth speakers provide remarkable sound wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. Connect them to your computer, pair them with a turntable or improve the sound of your TV, these beautifully crafted speakers fill any room with a quality of sound you simply won’t expect. £349, available from ruarkaudio.com

PROAC – K6 SIGNATURE ProAc is a world leading loudspeaker producer from Britain, supplying speakers for home entertainment systems, home cinemas and professional recording studios. One of their top models is the K6 Signature, one of their top level speakers. This is an entire sound stage housed within a gorgeous wood veneer cabinet.

It features two professional studio quality bass drivers, a soft dome midrange driver and a ProAc ribbon tweeter for high frequencies. It’s an essential in any audiophile’s home studio or entertainment set up. £20,000 find out more at proacloudspeakers.com

FOCAL – 1000 SERIES Focal bring French craftsmanship to the realm of audio with their 1000 Series home cinema sound systems. There are numerous speakers in the collection but a staple is the IWLCR6. It’s an in wall speaker with an adjustable mid-range plate that allows you to target the perfect location within the room for the best sound quality. It also has a front that you can paint over so that it blends into the wall seamlessly and is unobtrusive.

For more information visit focal.com

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END — jurassic bremont

by MICHAEL SONSINO

M OVIE WATC H

Sam Neill’s Bremont in Jurassic World: Dominion I don’t think I have to justify that dinosaurs are cool. They always have been cool and they always will be. And, their dominance in the cultural zeitgeist has been at fever pitch ever since 1993

and Steven Spielberg’s seminal Jurassic Park. Almost 30 years later, the same Jurassic franchise has come to an end with Jurassic World: Dominion.

As a film it answers the question that every 12-year-old asked when they first saw Jurassic Park, what would happen if the dinosaurs escaped the island and co-habited with humans? Well, the answer is for the new franchise leads to realise they have utterly failed where the old franchise leads succeeded. Time to call in the ensemble cast cavalry. Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum all return, alongside current stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard to sort out the issues of living alongside giant, genetically modified lizards.

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The term ‘fan service’ does come to mind, but I can’t deny that seeing Neill don the outfit of Dr Alan Grant once more is thrilling. Especially as in the new film that outfit includes a custom Bremont MBII wristwatch. The MBII is Bremont’s ‘build your own watch’ personalisation service, allowing you to pick from two case finish options, three dials, nine case barrels, two casebacks and 11 straps or bracelets, with multiple clasp options. In total there are over 1,000 possible configurations.

Specifically, Dr Grant’s watch is stainless steel with a white dial and titanium case barrel on a brown leather strap. It’s the classiest configuration, giving it a pared back tool watch vibe that fits the pilot’s watch design. The name, MB, comes from Martin-Baker, a producer of fighter jet ejection seat technology. MBI was a limited edition for pilots, but MBII is the commercial version available to the public.

Another timepiece on the wrist of a returning character is the Rolex Milgauss worn by Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm.

However, it’s no regular Milgauss as it has been customised by MAD Paris to have a DLC coated case to match the black dial. Additionally, Ian Malcolm’s initials are present on the dial and the caseback is engraved with a T-Rex. It feels uniquely Goldblum to have a custom Rolex produced for a fictional character, with the angle that the watch was commissioned by said character.

Both watches do a great job of reflecting the older versions of Dr Grant and Ian Malcolm in the film. Grant is still capable of a convincing turn as an action hero and the MBII can keep up with him. On the other hand Malcolm is a serious scientist and the Milgauss was developed to withstand magnetic fields, making it popular in labs.

While it’s been criticised for its long run time and unimpressive script, action and dinosaurs will always be a winning formula for peak popcorn cinema. At the time of writing, Jurassic World: Dominon is already one of the top five box office blockbusters of the year. Helped in no small part to its fantastic ensemble cast and some sleek wristwatches.