tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — December selection, Pt. II

The hits just keep on coming as we count down the 12 Days of Christmas. On offer now is this handsome and oh-so-funky early 1970s Longines Ultra-Chron model with unusual water resistant square “compressor” case and sparkingly stunning metallic blue dial.

All original down to the unique square convex acrylic crystal and in overall Excellent vintage condition, this Ultra-Chron has great wrist presence. In fact it wears a heckuva lot like a 3/4 scale Heuer Monaco! Chances are their two-piece snap-together steel cases were made by the same Piquerez factory, as well.

Under the hood purrs a high-beat in-house Longines caliber 431, one of the great Swiss watch manufacturer’s last exceptional self-produced movements before the quartz revolution forced them to outsource. It all adds up to a lot of unique style, tradition and downright blue beauty in this cool steel package, poised and ready to make a major impression this Holiday Season. And all for well under a grand. Better pounce if you want to put it under your tree!

View the complete ad with many more pictures and complete description over at OmegaForums.net’s Private Watch Sales forum. SOLD

Art Review – Products of the Playful at Art + Method

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!” Long before the character Jack Torrance in the Shining typed this sentence (and typed this sentence) into pop culture infamy, it has been a recurring idea in western literature for centuries. This theme crossed my mind after visiting the opening of Products of the Playful, a tightly organized show by Art + Method, a new gallery in Bushwick, smartly converted from lofty apartment to art/event space.

There is a focused intensity to this group selection, but the variety of processes and spirited experimentation are the overriding characteristics for the work by artists, Kirkland Bray, Adam Frezza & Terri Chiao, Kate Nielsen and Adams Puryear. The show’s title leads with the word “Products”, alluding to the artists’ connection to design and the applied arts. But this term, as used in mathematics, can also express a greater result achieved when multiplying quantities. Fittingly, each artist shows tandem bodies of work, where the interplay of drawing, collage, painting, environmental sculpture and ceramics heighten the senses, both the tactile and visual.

Continue reading →

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — December selection

As the Holiday Season enters full swing it’s best to arm yourself with some classic vintage wrist wear that’ll get you to the parties on time while also showing off your unique sense of style once you arrive. And here’s just the sort of distinctive watch to help you make an impression when you’re out and about this December: a fantastic Longines Conquest automatic from 1960.

Featuring one of the most unique dial layouts in the vintage watch world, this Conquest has a most distinctive original “sunken track” dial with eccentric bar & coffin markers and date at “12.” Its also got a long-lugged all stainless steel screw down case for good water resistance in the event of snow showers or cocktail mishaps.

Aside from its remarkable wrist presence — you’re as likely to see someone else wearing this as you are to catch Santa coming down the chimney — this Longines is powered by one of their best-ever movements from back in the day, their own in-house caliber 291. It featured a boatload of technical innovations at the time. But all you need to know is that its been recently serviced, runs like a top and is good to go for many more New Years to come.

Style, rarity and pure class on the wrist — all for just a tick over $1k? Ho ho ho, indeed.

Check out the full ad with complete description and many more pictures over at Timezone.com’s Sales Corner. SOLD

RIP Scott Weiland, 1967-2015

Scott Weiland has passed away while on tour at the age of 48 (the New York Times Obituary is here). Best known as the lead singer for 1990s hit-making machine Stone Temple Pilots, Weiland had a strong and versatile rock voice, a flamboyantly aggressive stage presence and a penchant for dark lyrics. But he was also a long time substance abuser, including periods of serious heroin use, and that definitely compromised his abilities on stage if not in the studio. In fact, he was kicked out of STP more than once and also by the “supergroup” Velvet Revolver (basically Guns ‘n Roses without Axl Rose), the band he joined in 2002 after he was booted by STP for the first time. In later years he revealed he had been sexually assaulted as a young boy so if he went looking for something strong to numb that pain while appearing to live the “glamorous” drug-fueled life of a rock star who could really blame him?

A distant sixth behind Nirvana, Soundgarden, Screaming Tress, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains in the rankings of the biggest Grunge Heavyweights, Stone Temple Pilots were also seen by many as opportunistic California carpetbaggers as opposed to genuine practitioners of Seattle’s own proud hometown music genre. But on any given single or any given concert performance STP could really rock it and in fact they brought a pleasingly tacky and grandiose arena-oriented feel to the scene. Their first two (and best) albums, Core (1992) and Purple (1994), show such a dichotomy of sonic approaches — Core almost like parody version of Pearl Jam with a harder edge and nastier themes and Purple departing comfortably for polished power pop territory — that the distinct impression is not so much a band wedded to a particular genre but rather a band without a real identity yet still making music so well-crafted and executed that they can’t help but churn out huge hits. So much so that for some of us who were young and impressionable in the 90s, STP’s music is indelibly part of the soundtrack of our youth right alongside their more highly regarded rivals.

And if Weiland’s voice was not really a match in distinctiveness when pitted against Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder, Mark Lanegan, Layne Staley or even the shrieking of Kurt Cobain, he was nonetheless a top-notch rock frontman with the ability to cover a wide range from laid back nasal to growling bellow to belted out ballad. Those first two STP albums hold up remarkably well some 20+ years later despite — or maybe because of — their lack of stylistic similarity. And Scott Weiland’s formidable vocals are a big reason why. If his subsequent career and life was something of a mess and neither he or the band could ever match those heights again, well, that’s hardly a unique story in Rock ‘n Roll history is it? The simple fact is that Scott Weiland had the chops and sheer will to make himself into a rock star, performed like a rock star and definitely lived like a rock star. It’s also a fact that his chosen vocation probably killed him before he turned 50. It’s sad but certainly not unexpected. Weiland lived longer than most people thought he ever would and a hell of a lot longer than his contemporaries Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley. Nobody ever said rock stars are promised a ripe old age, particularly those who don’t change their wicked ways. And once again, for the umpteenth time, we have proof of that. But what else would Scott Weiland have done with his life if not live fast, die young and leave a pile of hit records behind? Would he — could he — really have done it any differently?

2015 F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi — Results & aftermath

Rosberg wins final race of season in Abu Dhabi, finishing 2015 with 3-win streak, Hamilton P2 again; Raikonnen 3rd for resurgent Ferrari

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg finished out his 2015 season on a high note on Sunday by winning his third Grand Prix in a row, bettering his conversion rate after also scoring six consecutive poles. Despite losing out on the Drivers’ Championship to his teammate and archival Lewis Hamilton for a second year in succession, Rosberg was able to earn the psychological salve of big time momentum heading into the off-season. Now, whether Hamilton lifted a bit after claiming his third overall World Championship in Austin four races ago is certainly a valid caveat to Rosberg’s new found supremacy. But there can be no arguing that after his unforced error at COTA sealed the title for Hamilton, Rosberg won the races in Mexico, Brazil and now Abu Dhabi in dominating fashion. He even had his rival complaining about his heretofore superlative Silver Arrows chassis, a sure sign that the Englishman was looking for external excuses for his slight drop off in performance. And during the day-into-night race at the gorgeous and opulent Yas Marina circuit, Hamilton could be heard begging his engineers to gamble on tire strategy by running his second set, the more durable prime soft compound, to the very end of the race. But the team vetoed such a risky strategy on the basis of diminishing returns and despite Hamilton pushing hard and getting to within 6.8 seconds during the closing laps, he was no match for Rosberg this day and wound up finishing over 8 seconds adrift. So for Rosberg it was another sweet victory over his nemesis and something truly positive to hang his hat on over the winter break. Of course, once the championship is up for grabs again in the new year it remains to be seen whether Rosberg really has the mettle to deal with a fiercely competitive Hamilton with his wick fully turned up and gunning for his fourth World Championship. If Rosberg wants to be more than a foil, he has simply got to win a title of his own some day. Otherwise, no matter how well he qualifies, how many Monaco GP victories he notches, or how many wins he picks up when the pressure’s off, he’ll never be considered anything but a “B” driver to Hamilton’s ace. In fact, until Rosberg win’s a title of his own it’s not really certain that he’s Hamilton’s true natural rival at all.

That distinction, as the esteemed Sam Posey pointed out in his pre-race feature for NBCSN, may well go to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Starting their careers at the same time, the same age and with Vettel’s four Drivers’ titles won with Red Bull to Hamilton’s three combined with McLaren and Mercedes, the German showed again on Sunday why he is such a special talent. Starting from way back in 16th on the grid after his team uncharacteristically butchered their Saturday Qualifying, Vettel methodically worked his way through the field, masterfully maximizing the performance from each set of his tires. This enabled him to finish on the super soft options and vaulted him up to a hard won fourth place finish. That was right behind his teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who started P3 on the grid and secured that position at the end in a strong, drama-free performance to cap a very up-and-down year for the veteran Finn. Nonetheless, Kimi is slated to be back again next season as Vettel’s wingman and by finishing P3 & P4 the Prancing Horse showed that their early season form was no fluke and that the car continued to improve to the point of being undeniably the second best chassis in the field. If they can just get some more power out of the engine to compete with Mercedes’ straight-line speed it could well and truly be game on in 2016. If Vettel has the proper tools to work with he should be the one to pose the biggest threat to Hamilton’s recent run of dominance. After all, the German this year is the only driver to win a Grand Prix other than a Mercedes driver with his three victories thwarting their efforts to run the table. With a rapidly improving Prancing Horse, a classic F1 showdown between Vettel & Hamilton could be in the offing for next year.

Further down the order, Force India’s Sergio Perez drove an inspired race to finish fifth, holding off Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo all afternoon long. Continue reading →

2015 F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi — Qualifying results

It’s the last Formula 1 race weekend of the year and the two Mercedes rivals are still desperately trying to out-do each other in order to take maximum psychological momentum into the off-season. So time to find out how today’s qualifying went for tomorrow’s duel in the desert….

Rosberg keeps late season momentum going with 6th consecutive pole, Hamilton P2; Raikkonen P3 in Quali to spare Ferrari’s blushes after Vettel inexplicably bounced in Q1

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

As day turned into night and the sun began to set on F1 for 2015, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg continued his late season onslaught by out-dueling his teammate for pole in Abu Dhabi, the German’s sixth in a row. While Lewis Hamilton may have let up ever so slightly since clinching his second consecutive Drivers’ Championship back in Austin, Rosberg nevertheless has responded to that disappointment very well by winning the last two races in Mexico and Brazil. And Rosberg set himself up for a possible three-win streak to finish out the year by yet again besting his English nemesis as time ran out in Q3. Hamilton will surely be just as keen to balk Rosberg as Rosberg is to enter the off season on an ego-soothing high so the first lap of tomorrow’s race should be a doozy at the fast and twisty Yas Marina circuit.

Ferrari had very mixed results, with bad strategy costing their ace Sebastian Vettel a chance to get out of the first round. The braintrust from Maranello inexplicably sent Vettel out too late in the session to improve on his initial banker lap, which was set on the prime tires. So when other drivers began to overhaul him using the super soft option tires, the former 4-time World Champion found himself outside looking in with not enough lead time to improve his position. Vettel will start from 16th and will have to count on his superior overtaking skills and positive past results at this track to help him slice through the field at Yas Marina yet again. His teammate Kimi Raikkonen was able to save a little face for the Scuderia by snatching P3 on the grid as Q3 expired, just pipping Force India’s Sergio Perez for the position. Perez, who has been running strong all weekend, will start P4, bettering his teammate Nico Huldenberg’s P7.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was solid, out-qualifying his teammate Daniil Kvyat P5 to P9, while Williams’ Valtteri Bottas gradually improved to finish P6 in the final qualifying round after looking in danger of being bounced out in each earlier session. Rounding out the Top 10, Bottas’ teammate Felipe Massa will start P8 and Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz will start 10th on the grid.

Top 10 qualifiers for Abu Dhabi:

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	Q1	Q2	Q3	LAPS
1	6	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:41.111	1:40.979	1:40.237	12
2	44	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:40.974	1:40.758	1:40.614	12
3	7	KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN	FERRARI	1:42.500	1:41.612	1:41.051	14
4	11	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA	1:41.983	1:41.560	1:41.184	18
5	3	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL RACING	1:42.275	1:41.830	1:41.444	17
6	77	VALTTERI BOTTAS	WILLIAMS	1:42.608	1:41.868	1:41.656	19
7	27	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA	1:41.996	1:41.925	1:41.686	15
8	19	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	1:42.303	1:42.349	1:41.759	20
9	26	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL RACING	1:42.540	1:42.328	1:41.933	22
10	55	CARLOS SAINZ	TORO ROSSO	1:42.911	1:42.482	1:42.708	17

Complete race results available at Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s F1 season finale airs live beginning at 8AM Eastern on NBCSN here in the States. It’s the last chance to catch Grand Prix action in 2015 and with two motivated Mercedes drivers duking it out for off-season bragging rights, as well as some fast cars fighting for positions from the back, it should be a race worth remembering until the 24 Hours of Daytona wakes us from our winter motorsports hibernation in January. Hope to see you then!

Happy Thanksgiving from MFL!

Man’s Fine Life would like to wish our loyal readers a wonderful Thanksgiving Day full of feasting, friends, family & frivolity. And here’s to all those who do the hard work of putting the celebration together every year. Lord knows it ain’t easy and we’re certainly thankful for all their efforts and the fine food that results!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnohHTLMs3Q

Enjoy your holiday, travel safely and know that we give thanks for you stopping by when you can. See you on the flipside for some day-after turkey sandwiches on rye with Russian dressing!

Gorgeous Lady of the Week — Annabelle Wallis

There is a moment in the enjoyably pulpy biographical BBC miniseries, Fleming, when the actress portraying Muriel Wright, Ian Fleming’s wartime flame and proto-Bond girl, walks away from the camera in her full-body tan leather motorcycle courier’s suit. She looks over her shoulder with a develish grin and a flip of her blond locks as if to say a cheerfully insouciant goodbye to her none-too-loyal lover. It’s in that moment that the viewer realizes he’s watching an actresss destined for big things. That actress is the stunning Annabelle Wallis.

The 31-year-old Briton was born in Oxford but spent her formidable years abroad in Portugal, where she became fluent not only in Portuguese but also French and Spanish. A niece of the legendary Richard Harris and cousin to the talented Jared Harris of Mad Men fame, it seems only fitting that Annabelle joined the family business. After several small roles she broke through in Showtime’s The Tudors as Jane Seymour, third wife to Jonathan Rhys Myers’ Henry VIII.

From there she was in the regrettably short-lived retro swinging stewardess series, Pan Am, alongside fellow blonde bombshell Margot Robbie and the always excellent Christina Ricci. Then in 2014 she was the inspiration for the archetypal Bond girl in two memorable episodes of Fleming opposite the up-and-coming Dominic Cooper in the titular role. That year was good to her, as she was also a lead in the supernatural thriller Annabelle and back on TV making a big impression with a major role in BBC’s excellent gangster series, Peaky Blinders, as the complex Grace Burgess alongside Cillian Murphy’s fierce crime boss.

With several more features in pre- and post-production, as well as a highly publicized romance with Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, Ms. Wallis is surely poised to keep her momentum going. And with such a diverse range of quality work already on her impressive resume can it be long before Hollywood sees what we see in the fair-haired lass and starts putting her in big time leading roles?

True, with an attractiveness based on beautiful but not perfect features and sly wit, Annabelle is not the airbrushed, cookie cutter ingenue that makes her the “safe” pick for a leading lady. But with her impressive acting chops and that undefinable undercurrent of intrigue that she brings to every role, not to mention that fleeting, fetching smile, it seems to us that she’s the cure for the ordinary actress. We’d certainly take her in period costume or full length leather jump suit six days a week and twice on Sundays.

Earworm of the day — Don’t Take Me Alive by Steely Dan

Saw Steely Dan live not too long ago and this song has been bouncing around my brain since then. Don’t let the highly refined sounds fool you — this is one dark & paranoid mofo!

From 1976’s The Royal Scam, the Dan’s fifth studio album, “Don’t Take Me Alive” features the typcial tight musicianship, tricky song construction and world weary lyrics the group’s fans treasure so dearly. There’s also the requisite killer guitar solos, this time from studio ace Larry Carlton. Between his searing licks here and on “Kid Charlemagne” you can see why he was one of the most in demand session guitarists in his day. And with lyrics like “Got a case of dynamite/I could hold out here all night” the song is steeped in that creeping dread and burnt out neurosis so specific to the dystopian 70s. Is the protagonist a refugee from the Weather Underground making a last stand? A lone renegade fleeing familial discord under Shakespearean circumstances? Both and neither? Let your imagination fill in the blanks while Donald Fagan’s uniquely evocative singing voice dovetails with the elusive meaning as perfectly as on all the best Steely Dan tracks. Besides, once this song gets its hooks in you you’ll definitely want more than one listen to figure it all out for yourself.

Watch Collector’s Notebook — Affordable vintage with the Eterna-Matic KonTiki 20

It’s easy for the novice collector with a limited budget to get discouraged by the skyrocketing prices of elite vintage watches these days. But even if a Rolex Daytona, Omega pre-Moon Speedmaster or Universal Geneve Tri-Compax is not doable on your budget, there are still plenty of watches out there that can give you that little bit of vintage élan on the wrist without having to skip your mortgage payment. I’ve talked about vintage Longines & Tudor in the past as great options for the budget minded collector. And now I’ll throw the Eterna-Matic KonTiki 20 into that equation, as well.

Eterna is an old name in the Swiss watchmaking industry with roots back to the mid-1800s. In 1948 they came up with an innovative system for their automatic movements by mounting the oscillating weighted rotor on 5 steel ball bearings for reduced friction and balanced efficiency of winding. This innovation was so significant that the 5 ball bearings became the company’s logo, proudly applied to their dials. And this patented system also meant that Eterna could now upgrade any suitable ebauche with their own proprietary autowind system. The company had already received a huge publicity boost in 1947 when the famed Norwegian explorer Thor Hyerdahl wore one of their watches during his remarkable 5000 mile open ocean raft adventure. Hence, the Eterna KonTiki model name was born and with it the characteristic raft logo medallion seated on the back of these models, a marketing tie-in well poised to take full advantage of the technical innovation under the hood.

Meant to signify any of their water resistant watches, the KonTiki line soon blossomed with big, military-ready dive watches in the Submariner/Seamaster mode. But in the late 1950s & 60s Eterna also produced a plethora of simple, modestly sized “civilian” KonTikis with all-steel screw down cases and oversized crowns featuring a water resistance of 130 feet. That was no mean achievement and put these new versatile dress models, dubbed the “KonTiki 20”, right up there in Rolex Datejust territory in terms of WR. Eterna chose exceptionally robust ETA movements to power these watches, essentially the same calibers as found in Tudor’s Subs and dress models of this era but again with Eterna’s own modified rotor assembly.

So what they wound up producing with the KonTiki 20 is a handsome steel watch with sporty but classic looks, a semi-quicket date function, decent size at 36-37mm, excellent timekeeping performance and superior day-to-day water resistance. And how much will all that cost you today? Considerably less than a thousand dollars. In fact, almost always well under $800. While you might pay a premium for a blue, black or more exotic dials with red chapter ring or one with its original bracelet, generally speaking an Eterna-Matic KonTiki 20 in good shape should only set you back between $400 and $600 give or take. And with their nicely proportioned, all-steel sweeping-lug cases, stout and accurate movements and pleasing dial layouts that is some serious bang for the buck.

So again we see that a vintage watch doesn’t have to break the bank to give you happiness. Just as there are different levels of automobiles for different strata of buyers, not everyone can own a Ferrari right out of the gate. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the simple pleasures that a VW Bug can give. Likewise, there’s no point in envying someone else’s high priced vintage watch if you can’t swing it. Just spend a couple of hundred bucks on something like a KonTiki 20 and enjoy it for what it is — a well made, imminently wearable timepiece with that certain retro feeling a modern watch just can’t inspire. The joy of vintage watches is that there’s something for everyone at any level of the game if you just do a little research into what is and is not worth spending your money on. Along with classic entry-level Omegas, Longines and Tudors, Eterna Matic KonTiki 20s make an excellent purchase for the beginning or budget-minded collector. And once you strap on a quality vintage watch you’ll feel like you’ve spent your money well no matter how much — or how little — you paid for it.

Man's Fine Life

The Return of the Well-Rounded Gentleman