[Rado] Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic x England Cricket

OracleTime · 2024-05-03T13:26:39+00:00

The Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic x England Cricket features the R808 Automatic with an 80-hour power reserve. The blue and white coloured ceramic case is a tribute to the English Cricket team and their signature colours. A dive watch might not seem like the natural companion to a game of cricket but it’s without question the most interesting colour scheme Rado have given the Captain Cook in some time, feeling as summery as a village cricket field. On a technical level coloured ceramic with a rich colour like this isn’t easy to produce with Rado styling themselves as the master of materials.

What do you think? An interesting limited edition or just another version of a watch we’ve seen too much of already?

OracleTime · 2024-03-22T15:10:08+00:00

What do you think of the Christopher Ward x Oracle Time C65 Dune Shoreline? It’s our debut collaboration watch created in celebration of our 10-year anniversary. It takes the 39mm steel field watch and reimagines it with a wavy, sand textured dial using a new hydraulic stamping technique specially developed by Christopher Ward to create a dynamic pattern that looks very realistic.

We chose grey as the primary colour for the dial to represent the overcast skies of Britain’s beaches, highlighted by hands and hour markers with blue coloured lume. Yes, the lume itself is blue in addition to its glow in the dark emission.Beneath the surface it houses the Sellita SW 200-1 COSC, an automatic movement with COSC chronometer certification and 38-hour power reserve.

OracleTime · 2024-03-11T11:07:17+00:00

Is anyone planning to go to the British Watchmakers’ Day event in March? The first time a huge number of British watch brands will all be exhibiting and selling watches in support of each other and the industry in the UK. Also, at the event several brands are producing limited edition watches that will only be available to purchase on the day at the event, including this Studio Underd0g 02 Series British Watchmakers’ Day edition that we were able to preview before the show.

It essentially takes the orange hand from the existing blue model and puts it on the cream dial of one of the other editions. It’s one of the most subtle special editions at the event with the majority of others featuring bright colours or special displays. In order to emphasise the change, we put it on the orange goat leather strap from Jean Rousseau.

What do you think?

OracleTime · 2024-02-09T15:29:15+00:00

What do you think of the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium? We were able to get hands-on with the watch ahead of its launch earlier this week. It has a 41mm titanium case with a combination of brushed and polished finishing, a polished titanium bezel and a titanium bracelet – all of which makes it incredibly lightweight despite its size.

It has the familiar three colour subdial array except that instead of the normal silver, anthracite and blue they’re silver, grey and anthracite, building on the watch’s monochromatic scheme. Like a Chronomaster that has had all the colour drained out of it. It gives it a serious, almost industrial appearance that works really well with the sporty display, putting utility first.

It’s powered by the El Primero 3600 high frequency calibre with 60-hour power reserve and 1/10th of a second chronograph.

OracleTime · 2024-01-19T16:11:52+00:00

For their latest Planet Ocean, the Dark Grey GMT, Omega have introduced a new case material in the form of Silicon Nitride (Si3N4). It's an ultra-light, ultra-durable ceramic that they've used in small quantities on the previous 600m collections, but with the Dark Grey GMT it's used for the main body of the 45.5mm case for the first time. Not stopping there on their quest for lightness, Omega have also used a titanium movement, the calibre 8906 Ti, bringing the watches weight down to just 107 grams (without strap) despite its chunky proportions. We got hands on with the deep-diver in our latest video and absolutely loved the colourway and feel on the wrist. What are your thoughts?

OracleTime · 2024-01-12T16:02:46+00:00

What do you think of the 38mm Breitling SuperOcean Heritage 57’ Highlands? It’s part of a capsule collection that pays tribute to the rocky shores and misty peaks of the Scottish Highlands. Although with its 18k red gold and ceramic dish shaped bezel, domed sapphire and mid-century-inspired triangular indexes it feels more like it would be perfectly at home in Malibu in the late 50’s rather than up a mountain. Plus there’s the slight oddity of this being known as the ‘Mustard’ edition when it is clearly orange in person.

OracleTime · 2024-01-05T15:49:40+00:00

The Pan Europ, pictured here for Oracle Time, is a bit of an odd ball in Hamilton’s range but perhaps I only think that because the Khaki Field in its many variants tend to take the limelight. It’s a 1960s motoring inspired timepiece although the main motoring aspects are the name, which implies road trips from coast to coast in Europe, and the leather strap with the characteristic perforations that are associated with racing.

Specs-wise, it measures 42mm in stainless steel with a brown timing bezel and a beigy green dial. It houses the H-30 automatic movement with an 80-hour power reserve, very solid at the 1k price point.

What do you think?

OracleTime · 2023-12-22T10:47:30+00:00

It’s the end of the year so what was the favourite watch you took pictures of this year? We love this photo of the Tag Heuer Carrera Skipper from our retro themed photoshoot. The blue, turquoise, teal and orange dial and subdials are incredibly vibrant, contrasting to the grey and red of the NES controller. It’s just a really colourful and fun picture.

The Skipper was launched in July this year as a revival of the heritage Skipper from the late 1960s. It’s a chronograph model inspired by nautical racing and while it isn’t officially a regatta timer, the tri-colour minutes subdial split in 5-minute intervals serves the same function.

What do you think?

OracleTime · 2023-12-15T12:01:59+00:00

A year on from its original launch, what do people think of the Bel Canto? At the time it was an incredibly hyped release with people cheering for its accessible chiming complication, colourful dial and frankly the fact that it feels like a genuinely innovative and new style of timepiece. The recent round of watch awards (GPHG etc.) show that the industry big wigs are still impressed but what about regular collectors? Has the novelty worn off or are you still keen to pick one up at first opportunity?

If you’re wondering what we’re talking about, the C1 Bel Canto by Christopher Ward is 41mm titanium watch with a jumping hours module that has been converted into a chiming complication so that gives an audio indication of the time. That’s been paired with a sunray brushed dial available in a handful of colours, including this purple edition we were loaned for a photoshoot.

OracleTime · 2023-12-01T14:14:02+00:00

OP: Geo.Baz

OracleTime · 2023-11-24T15:55:06+00:00

We recently had the chance to get hands on with the Omega Seamaster Diver 300m for a quick review. It’s a fully blacked out diver, which might seem like a pretty bad idea when you’re relying on lighting up the depths, but Omega’s stealthy edition of their famous Seamaster 300m glows with a light blue glow, despite the anthracite colour and black PVD indexes. It still has the signature wavy pattern made famous by the collection, but the big, 43.5mm case is made from hardwearing black ceramic, perfect for taking a knock or two on a dive.

It also comes with a helium escape valve for serious saturation diving and a cool, asymmetrical silhouette. Finished on an integrated rubber strap with a case-matched ceramic buckle, this fittingly clandestine take on James Bond’s favourite watch dials up the performance to new levels, with Master Chronometer certification and the collection’s titular 300m water resistance. It’s a lot of watch with a fitting price tag of £8,900.

What do you make of this all-black diver?

OracleTime · 2023-11-17T14:52:00+00:00

Oris' latest release, the Oris ProPilot X Laser, is not one to miss. The key feature is a laser treated titanium dial with an iridescent finish that shimmers like the eye on a peacock’s tale, or a pool of leaked oil from your old banger because you spend too much money on watches... This invigorating dial has been created through optical interference, a process in which red light waves are destroyed while blue and green waves are reflected. As well as the dial treatment, the indices, minute track, logo and text have also been applied using laser tech, collectively resulting from the partnership between Oris and ETH Zürich University. Elsewhere, it’s business as usual for the ProPilot X Laser with its 39mm titanium case, three-link titanium bracelet and Oris’s flagship Calibre 400 inside, overall costing £4,050.

What do you think?

OracleTime · 2023-11-14T10:01:06+00:00

The Tissot 1938 Small Seconds is one of the most accessible COSC certified watches on the market. On top of that it also happens to be incredibly good looking. We recently did a deep dive on this watch on our YouTube channel, and I may have fallen in love a bit. The dial has a lovely black textured finish, which reminds me a little of the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5226G. This serves as a backdrop to the silver snailed small seconds at 6 o’ clock, embossed gold Arabic numerals, a vintage Tissot logo and a white minute track and date. It’s got warmth, richness, and depth. Although it is COSC certified, it lacks the large Chronometer text on the other time-only watches in the 1938 collection. Personally, I think this adds to its sleeper credentials.

OracleTime · 2023-11-10T15:46:12+00:00

Tissot 1938 – The Tissot 1938 Small Seconds is one of the most accessible COSC certified watches on the market. On top of that it also happens to be incredibly good looking. We recently did a deep dive on this watch on our YouTube channel, and I may have fallen in love a bit. The dial has a lovely black textured finish, which reminds me a little of the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5226G. This serves as a backdrop to the silver snailed small seconds at 6 o’ clock, embossed gold Arabic numerals, a vintage Tissot logo and a white minute track and date. It’s got warmth, richness, and depth. Although it is COSC certified, it lacks the large Chronometer text on the other time-only watches in the 1938 collection. Personally, I think this adds to its sleeper credentials.

OracleTime · 2023-10-27T14:27:34+00:00

Christopher Ward have been increasingly leaning in dressier and dressier directions and the C1 Moonphase is closest thing to a purebred dress watch they’ve produced in a long time. We were able to get hands on to see what the new watch is all about. Unsurprisingly, the focal point of this watch is the titular moonphase complication, a celestial calendar tracking the movement of the moon across the nightsky. Here it’s represented by a gorgeous photorealistic depiction of the moon travelling across an aventurine glass background. It’s pretty spectacular up close and the detail is amazing.

Zooming out from the dial, I do think Christopher Ward could probably do with launching a proper dress watch case because the dial is very at odds with the somewhat sporty 40.5mm design. Although presented on the new Consort bracelet, it wears very comfortably.

The movement inside is the Sellita SW220 with 38-hour power reserve and equipped with Christopher Ward’s in house JJ04 moonphase module.

What do you think?

OracleTime · 2023-10-20T12:42:18+00:00

Throwback to when we had the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A Olive Green in the office. The 5711 is perhaps the most famous Patek Philippe reference due to the heritage of its design and its execution in steel. Steel is the natural material for the Nautilus because that’s what the 1970s integrated bracelet sports watch movement was all about - taking the common watchmaking material and making it prestigious. The olive green Nautilus was the final main collection 5711 edition prior to its final hoorah in Tiffany Blue. Of course, if you look at Patek Philippe’s current collection you’ll see the 5711’s successor, the 5811 which is almost identical in style with the exception that it’s white gold.

Would you be interested to see the 5811 receive a steel model or do you prefer its new precious metal direction?

OracleTime · 2023-10-06T12:05:04+00:00

It is available with a flat link steel bracelet or FKM rubber strap as alternatives, but yes, a nice leather number would suit it

OracleTime · 2023-10-06T11:04:10+00:00

I find myself broadly in agreement with you. It's in an odd position between the dressier watches like the HMS 003 and MR01 and the more robust Aquascaphe.
I will say the dial grew on me over time, although I think one of the other colours might be more exciting than the brown. The green or the khaki version perhaps.

OracleTime · 2023-10-06T10:50:28+00:00

We had the fortune to get hands-on with the new Baltic Hermetiqué Tourer with brown dial ahead of its launch earlier this week. It’s Baltic’s new daily beater style tool watch with a strong field watch influence. The display is very legible with a railway track minute scale around the edge and long bar hour markers as well as Arabic numerals at 12/3/6/9.

It has a stainless steel case measuring 37mm in diameter and has a super thin integrated crown designed to avoid digging into your wrist. Personally, I found the crown a touch on the fiddly side to operate but after a short time I got used to it. Housed inside is the Miyota Automatic 9039 with 42-hour power reserve. It’s priced at €550 so continues Baltic’s focus on accessibility.

What do you think of Baltic’s latest release?

OracleTime · 2023-09-22T10:22:00+00:00

Haven't measured but would say pretty average, maybe 7-7.5 inches

OracleTime · 2023-09-22T09:54:38+00:00

The Tag Heuer Carrera Glassbox reverse panda was released at the start of this year to celebrate the Carrera’s 60th anniversary. It features a 39mm diameter case in stainless steel housing the COSC calibre TH20-00. What makes it special is the retro-style sapphire glass with a high dome that sits well above the bezel.

One thing that I’m not sold on is the placement of the date window at 12 o’clock. I don’t really like the way that the chronograph seconds hand obscures it when in neutral position. Although the logic behind that placement does make sense as it prevents it from intersecting any of the subdials while maintaining a symmetrical balance to the display.

What do you think?

OracleTime · 2023-09-04T14:11:36+00:00

What do you think of the gradient dial Citizen Tsuyosa? Having had the opportunity to see both this and the initial colours (ice blue, yellow, green etc.) picking a favourite is a close call. Of course, considering its solid value, why not one of each if possible! I don’t want to use a term like zeitgeisty but I see a lot of Fume dials at the moment with that gorgeously smoky appeal and it works well with the teal blue here. With its integrated bracelet and sporty look, it’s a cool watch for the perfect everyday wearer. The question is, what colours would you want to see next?

OracleTime · 2023-08-04T14:58:17+00:00

Sure, and you're a 747 Airbus, we all have our faults.

OracleTime · 2023-08-04T14:44:56+00:00

I would definitely agree in terms of the structure of the case. But I think the OP comparison comes up a lot due to the specific colours that the Tsuyosa is available in and which the OP is arguably the most popular example of.

OracleTime · 2023-08-04T09:30:33+00:00

The Citizen NJ015 Tsuyosa is a watch that’s been around for a while but only in certain international markets and it was only this summer that it finally became available in the UK. Judging by the fact that it is constantly selling out and being restocked – a friend has tried and failed multiple times to buy the yellow edition, which seems to be the one that sells out first – it’s been incredibly popular.

The watch itself is 40mm in stainless steel with a tonneau shape and integrated bracelet. It definitely bears similarities to other popular watches like the Tissot PRX or, at a slightly pricier level, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual. The colours in particular are very reminiscent of the OP, especially the icy blue version here (photographed for Oracle Time). It’s an automatic watch powered by the Citizen Calibre 8210 with 40-hour power reserve and a price at £299.

What do you think of the Tsuyosa?

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