Welcome to Tock of the Town, a biweekly guide to timepieces for all styles and budgets.
What time is it? Time to save up to buy the Rolex Submariner that James Bond wore in 1989’s forgettable License to Kill. About $120K at this EON Productions auction should do the trick … and it should (but doesn’t) include hand delivery from Timothy Dalton. Also: cult-classic watch brand Ikepod is back with two new timepieces.
And now, onto the watches that will make you tick this week …
On a budget (<$200): The Kainoa Nylon by Aulta
A collab between a couple o’ surfing buddies, Aulta (a play on altus, Latin for “profound/noble”) makes good-looking watches that can stand up to the strongest waves yet still pass for business casual on shore. The latest, the 44mm Kainoa, is their most amphibious timepiece to date, water resistant up to 100 meters and featuring a superluminova hand fill and dial accents. ($155)
Affordable style (<$1,000): Martenero Edgemere Reserve
A modern take on classical mechanical watches, the new version of the nautical-themed Edgemere features a Miyota 9132 movement, five tasteful new colorways, a power reserve, 24-hour subdial and date window. Speaking of color, the first thing you’ll notice is how the elevated hour ring contrasts nicely with the interior and outer ring. Currently funding on Kickstarter (with some savings up to $236), these will be shipping in May. ($459)
Just take all my money (>$1,000): MB&F Horological Machine No. 9 Flow
What’s the complete opposite of understated? The Flow is a curvilinear beast inspired by the automotive and aviation designs of the ‘40s and ‘50s (the Mercedes-Benz W196 and De Havilland Venom are particular influences). Basically, it’s a mini titanium jet engine on your wrist with an in-house designed manual winding movement and two fully independent balance wheels with a planetary differential to “provide one stable reading of the time.” ($182,000)
See you in two weeks. Until then, enjoy this step back in time (released 20 years ago in October, don’t you feel old?):
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