time + tide
Last night we saw London Discovery Studios transformed into a pizza parlor for an unforgettable pizza party. The room was filled with Studio Underd0g fans and even more Studio Underd0g clocks.
But the night wasn’t just about Underd0g’s popular standard productions. We were all there to celebrate the end of Pizza Unique’s charity auction. This “Half & Half” pizza watch is the best of both worlds, with half pepperoni and half Hawaiian on the dial. All of this money, provided through Loupe This, was donated to Mary’s Meals to raise money for hungry children around the world.
The event started with the Underd0g team showing off the latest Gen 3 01SERIES moves while handing out homemade pizza. Then, as we entered the final hour of the auction, Andrew and Rich took to the stage to raffle off a slew of pizza-themed prizes, including pizza socks, a pizza stone, and an Ooni pizza oven.
Then, a big announcement was made that this was effectively the last Pizza Party and that Pizza Watch would be discontinued by the end of the year. With one more production run, the last Pizza Watch will be available at Time + Tide Discovery Studio while supplies last.
While this was going on, we distributed QR codes around the room directing people to the auction so they could bid live in the room. As we neared the moment the hammer would fall, we realized that the current highest bidder was in the room. We all watched the timer tick down, and just before it hit zero, he lost out to a mysterious online bidder. What followed was a years-long bidding war. The man in the room wasn’t backing down, and the anonymous bidder didn’t want to lose this one-of-a-kind Pizza Watch.
Each time another bid was made in the final seconds, the timer added another two minutes, only increasing the tension. After cycling back and forth in fourth place for a long time, Rich suddenly found himself priced at over $16,000, the most expensive Studio Underd0g watch ever sold. And once bids for the room reached $17,000, online bidders went silent. And now this lucky man is counting down the days until he wins Pizza Unique, raises $17,000 for charity, and becomes the record holder.
After our persistent bidder won and was interviewed by Rich, we got the ultimate wrist shot of all the Studio Underd0g in the room on people’s wrists in one photo that can only be described as a dog pile. I had enough time to take pictures.
All we want to say is a huge thank you to everyone who came, bought a watch and supported this great cause. We are currently preparing to welcome 600 people to the Birth Watchmakers Weekender this weekend. Please be sure to arrive on time when visiting. If you have tickets and are no longer available, please let us know as we have a waiting list and can re-allocate tickets.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Time + Tide Team
Watch meme of the week: “Hey, which watch should I buy?”
The “non-watch people” we know working in this industry often ask us what kind of watches they should consider and often follow our advice. But when that is ignored in favor of the “Alibaba Special”… humans cut it deep.
This week’s wrist shot: Text
Bibi Shanks, senior public relations manager at IWC in the United States, shared a lovely close-up of Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff’s unique Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar in full turquoise ceramic. Damn, IWC…please release this ceramic to the public. Imagine a monochrome Ingenieur made of this material…
Time+Tide Shop Pick of the Week: Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour Raven Black
The graceful, intricate, curvaceous Brunswick silhouette is inspired by the men’s cushion case watch from the Fears archives, first created in 1924. An elegant Jumping Hour model, Fears Brunswick’s latest creation further enhances its 1920s charm. It has a minimalist (yet not stark) black sunburst dial and an azure interior.
Find Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour Raven Black online or in-store at Discovery Studios in Melbourne or London at the Time+Tide shop. Price: AUD 8,100 / GBP 4,250
This week’s favorite Time+Tide coverage
Undervalued and undervalued – Deloitte and Watch.Femme report shines a light on women and the watch industry
We’ve finally documented it: women are vastly underrepresented in the world of watches. This follows the recently released Deloitte Swiss Watch Industry Insights 2024: Spotlight on the Women’s Market. This report is a collaboration between the UK-based multinational professional services network and Watch Femme, the first global not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and strengthening women’s voices. The world of watches has been exposed. Laura details the report here.
Busting the dive watch myths: A deep dive into deep (and shallow) diving
We all know that only a small percentage of dive watch owners actually go diving, but how many of us really know the science behind their watches? There are a lot of myths floating around about dive watches when it comes to water resistance, legibility, and durability, but it doesn’t help that brands contribute to the mythologizing of the dive watch trend. Here, Buffy debunks some common myths about diving watches.
The Time+Tide team picks the most underrated watch faces
Last week, we shared your picks for the most underrated watch faces in response to your Instagram posts. As promised, we gathered the Time+Tide editorial team to share our own picks and recommendations. Game rules: Choose a watch with a highly underrated dial. Ideally, choose a watch from a brand that isn’t known to the public for its dial manufacturing or excellence, and that hasn’t already been mentioned in social media communities. You can find our team’s picks here!
