Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Safari

2012 January 16

When it comes to big, bold, haute-horlogerie sport watches Audemars Piguet is the brand to beat. Since 1972 their signature Royal Oak series has become a legendary model that has aged gracefully and received numerous evolutionary updates over the decades to keep it fresh. The Royal Oak Offshore, in particular, has become a huge hit for the brand since it was introduced in 1993, and it remains their signature model. This week I will be profiling one of the most popular Offshores, the so-called “Safari” edition.

Rado D-Star 200 Diver Announced

2012 January 05

Matt Baily is Montreal’s latest Rado retailer, and we brought in the brand in anticipation of their new releases for 2012 that promised to bring the brand into the fore of the high-tech watch market after years of conservative design. Now we have our first glimpse of the direction that Rado is going with the new D-Star 200 diving models, announced this week on the Rado website.

New U-Boat U-42 Chronograph and 47mm Limited Editions

2011 December 12

Last year U-Boat came out with the U-42 limited edition series, a 53mm titanium monster based on a diver’s watch designed in 1942 by Ilvo Fontana, grandfather of company president Italo Fontana. The U-42 was a very distinctive watch that offered a totally unique look in the U-Boat line, one that competed more with the likes of Panerai and Audemars Piguet (but for much less money). This year U-Boat has expanded the U-42 lineup to include an automatic chronograph, as well as a midsize 47mm model to suit more average wrist sizes.

New U-Boat U-51 46mm Limited Edition

2011 October 21

In the realm of big watches, U-Boat is king. Starting around 10 years ago, U-Boat was the first company to produce huge watches in 50mm plus diameters. At the time big watches were just beginning to come into vogue, since then big watches have become the norm and U-Boat has flourished. However, there are some folks (myself included) who just don’t have the wrist size to pull off a massive watch. Up until now there have been the 45mm Classico and Flightdeck models for people who want a big watch without going into the 50mms, but the limited edition pieces were always in the bigger size range. This year U-Boat has addressed this by introducing several new series of 46-47mm limited editions, including the U-1001, U-42, and the subject of today’s blog, the U-51.

New Hamilton Jazzmaster Auto Chrono

2011 September 26

Hamilton has long been a Matt Baily favourite here in Montreal, offering superb value for reasonable money. Hamiltons have elegant designs, are well built, nicely finished, and offer exceptional bang for buck compared to most Swiss brands. The latest Jazzmaster chronograph continues the tradition, while offering a subtle evolutionary upgrade of the existing series.

Frederique Constant Peking to Paris Chronograph

2011 August 22

Frederique Constant (and sister company Alpina) have a history of interesting sports sponsorships. Alpina sponsors the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race, while Frederique Constant has been a part of the Lake Geneva Regatta for classic boats (commemorated by the Runabout series), and has also worked with the Austin Healey owners club for the Healey line. The latest limited edition from Frederique follows that same idea of a classic watch for a classic event – the Peking to Paris chronograph commemorates the legendary automobile rally between China and France.

New Alpina Startimers

2011 August 01

Since we introduced Alpina to the Montreal market some three years ago, we here at Matt Baily’s have seen the brand evolve from a small manufacturer of quirky sport watches into a well-respected marque producing very desirable watches for very reasonable prices. This year Alpina has introduced a slew of new entry-level models that are very reasonably priced while still showing a marked improvement in quality. Chief among these new models is the Startimer Pilot series, which was announced earlier this year alongside the Sailing collection. After several months of anticipation, we finally have the Startimer collection in store, and they do not disappoint.

Watches in Depth - The Chronograph

2011 July 15

One of the most popular complications in watchmaking is the chronograph, the watch that doubles as a stopwatch as well as a timekeeper. It’s been one of the most prolific complication in the 20th century, second only to the basic calendar complication, and are accessible from entry-level Swiss brands all the way up to the top of the watchmaker’s craft. The chronograph has a long history in fine watchmaking, and has long been a symbol of mechanical prowess combined with everyday functionality. After having become so popular and commonplace, many people overlook just how complicated a fine chronograph mechanism really is.

U-Boat Titanium Flightdeck

2011 May 11

The U-Boat range is divided into three main models – Classico, Flightdeck and Thousands of Feet. One of the most popular models is the Flightdeck Chronograph which has become one of U-Boat’s signature designs, featuring an automatic Valjoux chronograph in a sporty case with very legible dials. Traditionally the Flightdeck features a stainless steel case, but a few lesser known variations exist – the ceramic and titanium models. What we have here is one of my favourite U-Boats and the latest addition to the Flightdeck line – reference 1881 in titanium...

A Brief History of the Rolex Daytona - Part III

2011 April 11

In the final instalment of his Rolex Daytona profile, Jason reviews three modern examples of the Daytona - two 116520s in stainless steel and one 116509 in 18K white gold.

A Brief History of the Rolex Daytona - Part II

2011 April 04

In part two of his profile of the Rolex Daytona, Jason explains why the Daytona has become one of the top collector's pieces in the vintage watch market.

A Brief History of the Rolex Daytona - Part I

2011 March 28

In part one of three part series, Jason gives a brief history of the Rolex Daytona - a watch that is celebrating 50 years of production in 2011.

IWC Da Vinci Chronograph Review

2011 March 21

Vacheron Constantin Royal Eagle Chronograph

2011 March 14

This week Jason returns to his profiling of interesting pre-owned pieces with a look at the Vacheron Constantin Royal Eagle Chronograph.

Alpina Announces New Startimer Pilot Designs

2011 February 28

Alpina reveals a new series of Pilot watches - the Alpina Startimer automatic.

New Bell & Ross Vintages in Store

2011 February 16

In this week's blog, Jason takes a look at the new Bell & Ross Vintage series of watches.

Paul Picot Technograph

2011 January 12

For this week's review, Jason has a look at the unique Paul Picot Technograph. Read more...

Marvin Watch Co. Unveils the LOEB Special Edition

2010 November 05

The Marvin Watch Co. LOEB Limited Edition has been revealed! Jason has the scoop and official photos of the new watch.

Graham Silverstone Flyback GMT

2010 July 16

Graham Silverstone GMT Jason profiles the beautiful Graham Silverstone Flyback GMT Chronograph in this week's blog.

The BR 01 94 Pro Titanium: A Symbol of Bell & Ross' Philosophy

2009 October 01

Bell & Ross has always manufactured watches to be fit for professional use. To assure this its designers and engineers adhere to four guiding principles. These are water resistance, precision, readability (legibility at a glance), and performance. The help of military, safety, and health professionals is often enlisted to ensure that these aspects are incorporated in each watch. The BR-01 94 Pro Titanium is a symbol of the French manufacturer's four guiding principles.

New U-Boat Model: U-51 Rattrapante

2009 September 04

Many new U-Boat models will be available at the beginning of September. One in particular sets itself apart from the rest. The U-51 Rattrapante offers, as the name suggests, a split-second chronograph as well as a massive 51mm case and an extremely fine brown alligator and rubber strap.

New Bell & Ross Complicated Watches

2009 July 30

Bell & Ross' release of the BR-01 Tourbillon was very successful and has stemmed into the release of several other complicated models. Three new variations of the BR01 Tourbillon are now available as is the most complicated watch of the manufacturer's line, the BR Grand Minuteur.

U-Boat Set to Ship New Models

2009 July 21

A Closeup of the Classico Chronograph and the Classico 1001 At the last Baselworld exposition in Switzerland, U-Boat released several new models. Now that two of these models are on the verge of being delivered, it is a good time for me to introduce them to you.

Beware of Fake U-Boat Watches on Craigslist

2009 May 11

For every luxury product, there are fakes and replicas, so I guess it was only a matter of time before the counterfeiters turned their attention to the popular U-Boat watches. One particular vendor situated in Montreal uses a link to MattBaily.ca to promote his products on Craigslist. The watches that he shows are replicas of the Flightdeck MSG and MSB with different colour combinations. The watches display what looks like a Unitas manual winding movement, but some have the word 'AUTOMATICO' etched into the back of the case. Some models also mention 'CRONOGRAFO' on their case-backs. This is pretty suspicious, as non of the models shown are chronographs! The vendor sometimes claims that they are pre-owned and prices range from $700 to $1,000.

New Corum Ltd Black Flag

2008 November 09

Corum has enlarged its iconic Admiral's Cup line with a new boldly designed model - the Challenge 48 Black Flag.

New Corum Black Hull

2008 November 09

The Corum Admiral's Cup Black Hull 48 sporty chronograph has been developed as a handy and stylish tool for measuring short time intervals.

Still a good time to buy a watch

2008 October 17

In these economic times of uncertainty, there are exceptional watch brands that are comparable to those of the Haute Horlogerie. There are many watch brands that are at par as far as quality and style is concerned. Watches like Hamilton which are owned by the Swatch group, who also own the movements that are supplied to watch manufacturers around the world.

Titanic DNA Romain Jerome unaccessable as the ruins itself

2008 June 15

These exquisite time pieces are probably the hardest watches to try and purchase. The craftsmanship and pure beauty of these pieces in person are exceptional. If you ever get a chance to see one of these pieces, take the time to see the detail and feel the substantial craftsmanship. Production this year will be around 700 pieces.

New BR02 94 for all you Chronograph fans

2008 February 22

The Basel Fair is coming up in April, and there will be a lot of new products coming out later this year. Bell & Ross is giving us a teaser with the new Bell & Ross BR02 94. The Bell & Ross BR02 line came out late last year and is designed for the true deep sea diver.