LUXURY WATCHES:

Earlier this week, one of the two Space Travellers ever made by George Daniels became the most expensive English watch ever sold, going for a stellar $4.6 million USD at a Sotheby’s auction. It surpassed the previous English record held by the other George Daniels Space Traveller, which went up for auction twice in the past decade — the previous record was set by the Space Traveller II back in 2017, when it went for a whopping $4.3 million USD, and previously in 2012 for approximately $1.4 million USD.

Unlike the Space Traveller II, which Daniels personally frequently wore due to his fascination with space exploration, the Space Traveller I was made specifically for a client back in 1982. It swapped owners once in the mid ’80s, and was subsequently sold for a little more than $220,000 USD at Sotheby’s Geneva. The watch stayed within that private collection until it was passed on to Sotheby’s London for sale just earlier this week — apparently the first time it’s been in the public eye for almost 30 years.

If you’re interested, you can visit Sotheby’s site for the original listing.

G-SHOCK has released the next generation of its rugged Mudmaster series, and the watch is now tougher and equipped with more tech than ever before.

The most eye-catching upgrade you’ll notice first is the introduction of the company’s Carbon Core Guard technology, increasing the watch’s durability whilst reducing weight with a new carbon fiber casing and bezel. Coupled with a dual layer caseback, the watch retains mud and dirt resistance to endure the harshest of conditions.

Moving to the inner mechanics, the newly added built-in Bluetooth connectivity provides users with the ability to connect their watches to the G-SHOCK mobile app, automatically keeping the watch on time wherever you are in the world. In contrast to its the three-sensor predecessors, the new GG-B100 comes equipped with four sensors, introducing an accelerometer to the usual pressure, compass and temperature sensors. Other G-SHOCK features come standard, such as a world timer, a chronograph, and LED lighting.

The Casio G-SHOCK Mudmaster GG-B100 is now available in Japan, and will arrive Stateside in August, for a retail price of $350 USD. Interested buyers will have three colorways to choose from: black, khaki green, and orange. For more information, head over to G-SHOCK’s website.

Patek Philippe has a reputable past with Only Watch — a biennial charity auction supporting research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy — and for the past two events, the company’s watches have been extremely high in demand. Back in 2015, the duo auctioned off a stainless steel reference 5016 for CHf 7.3 million Swiss Francs, or $739,3221 USD, and two years later in 2017 Patek Philippe created a titanium reference 5208 for the event, which went for another CHf 6.2 million Swiss Francs, or roughly $627,9174 USD. This year, the Swiss luxury watchmakers will be following up its successes with its most complex model ever made: a one-of-a-kind Grandmaster Chime 6300A.

Unlike conventional watches, the Grandmaster Chime impressively boasts a double-sided case, with a salmon dial on the front and a black dial on the back. This is made possible by Patek Philippe’s Caliber 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM, allowing both faces indicate the time and date. The model was first released in 2014, known as the reference 5175R at the time, in celebration of Patek Philippe’s 175th anniversary. Only seven were made, and each had a price tag of $2.6 million USD. Two years later, the company brought the watch back as the reference 6300G in white gold with a similar cost of $2.2 million USD. This time round, the Swiss firm created the watch in stainless steel, and the front salmon dial features the lettering “The Only One,” signifying its uniqueness.

For those interested, the Only Watch 2019 auction will take place in Geneva this November, and the organizers estimate the watch to go for $2 million to $2.5 million USD, although many believe it will far exceed that amount. If you’re interested, head over to Only Watch’s site to learn more.

Seiko is no stranger to vintage model revivals: last year, the Japanese watchmakers revamped the 1968 Hi-Beat Automatic Diver 300m with an array of upgrades, and just earlier this year it reworked the cult classic “Captain Willard.” Next in line to get the modernization treatment is the world’s first professional quartz-powered diver’s watch — the 1978 Professional Diver’s 600m.

The original model was created in 1975 to push depths past 300m, and three years later, the watch was upgraded with a quartz-powered 7549 calibre, becoming the world’s first saturation diving watch to be powered by that mechanism. While the re-release retains most of the aesthetics of the past, with matte gold and black dressing up the model, much of the tech has been upgraded. The original titanium outer protector ring has been replaced with zirconia ceramic, a material seven times harder than stainless steel and even more corrosion-resistant than the original titanium. The dial design stays true to the original, but the indicators are now coated with a longer-lasting LumiBrite to increase legibility. Of course, as a diving watch, water resistance is paramount, and the original 600m depth limit has been increased to 1,000m. The calibre has also been upgraded to a modern 7C46 calibre to accompany all the other enhancements.

For adventurous divers and timepiece enthusiasts alike, the revamped Seiko Prospex 1978 Quartz Saturation Diver’s Re-creation Limited Edition will be available in September, limited to only 1,978 units. Head over to Seiko’s site to learn more now.

In case you missed it, BEAMS and Citizen brought back the iconic Ana Digi Temp Watch.

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HYPEBEAST ZH

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Seiko

Following up its previous co-sign with Seiko, BEAMS has geared up for another watch collaboration, this time with Citizen.

Released in 1982, Citizen’s iconic “ANA DIGI TEMP” shot into the watch market with a myriad of progressive features. It boasted an automatic calendar that took into account unique days (up until the year 2019), a function that measured heat and its most significant feature “Dual Time” – two programmable analog clocks for different times zones and a digital clock that tells precise times — like exactly when the stock markets open.

The latest BEAMS x Citizen “ANA DIGI TEMP” watch honors these retro designs, with its fully functioning alarm, “Dual Time” feature and thermostat. The watch comes in two colorways: One in gold with woodgrain inside and one in black with camo. Apart from its highly-detailed face with the aforementioned features, other details include four buttons that appear on the sides as well as a tiny speaker at the bottom placed next to “ANA DIGI TEMP” text.

The BEAMS x Citizen “ANA DIGI TEMP” is expected to launch in early August, but those keen on getting a watch can pre-order theirs at beams.co.jp for approximately $260 USD.