The Watch and Dry Goods Co.

  The Baltic Aquascaphe : Dive Time The Baltic Aquascaphe : Photo Baltic What is in a name? There are some names that conjure up an image that typifies the object in question. The Ford Mustang, The Supermarine Spitfire and The Baltic Aquascaphe. It brings to mind an early diver in the deep dark waters of  a dangerous sea, a tool in the hands of a diver with years of experience, a diver that is fearless. A name can fabricate a history, it can make an object in some way iconic. But then a name can be elevated by what is represents. John Lennon without John Lennon would just be a man from Liverpool.  Baltic is a French microbrand that has become a darling of the watch collecting world. An appreciation that is not undeserved. Since their kickstarter launch in 2017 they have produced some beautiful and price conscious watches. The microbrand landscape is a crowed space. The growth of social media in the watch wor...

  Future Proof: The Omega Megaquartz 32 Christmas Day 1969 a day that changed the watch industry. On that day Seiko released their first (and the worlds) quartz watch. The Astron was a time only quartz watch in a beautiful gold case that was truly of it's time. Seiko reported an accuracy +/- 5 per month and a price tag of ¥ 450,000, which at the time was massive amount of money for a watch. But it sold very well and is now a very collectable piece.  Photo: Seiko It was not long before R&D enabled much cheaper quartz watches to be produced. In the collecting world this period is generally considered the 'Quartz Crisis'. But clearly this is a matter of perspective, one man's crisis is another man's revolution. For the first time a better then COSC accurate watch was available for all, it was truly democratic. To the thousands of new opportunities outside of Euro...

Watch Picking   A regular look at vintage watches in the market that offer that something special.  Our first watch and first ever pick is from the great folks at Craft + Tailored in Los Angeles California. This is a simply stunning 1966 Rolex Explorer 1016 with a Tropical Gilt dial to die for. Photo: Craft + Tailored What   a watch to have as our first. The 1016 is a classic sports watch with a rich history. It has a purity of design, no date window, no timing bezel to muddy the waters. There is something both rugged and elegant about an Explorer, it's a gentleman in tweed climbing the Matterhorn, stopping at the summit to enjoy a sip of single malt. The Rolex Explorer finds its roots in the Oyster Perpetual tested by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their accent to the summit of Everest (I believe Hillary wore a Smiths at the summit itself) The Explorer found itself on the wrist of S...

  The Making of a Legend The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Black Gareth Munden © There are times when a brand producers something that becomes legendary, The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star, The Levis 501 or the Rolex Submariner. A product that becomes an icon that spans generations. Rolex unveiled a watch that could lay the claim to being THE Dive Watch in 1953 the Submariner Ref. 6204. A no date three hand watch in a waterproof case and with a timing bezel. Many years and Iterations later the Rolex Sub is still the go to Dive Watch. Maybe now moving away from its original origins as a tool and into the realm of a luxury product, more likely seem on the wrist of Broker than an Adventurer.  Up steps Tudor.  Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf formed Tudor in 1926. As a kind diffusion range to its bigger brother Rolex. Using many of the same parts, including the famous oyster cases and bracelets. But instead of their COSC movements Rolex used off the shelf Swiss movements f...