THE HOME OF WATCH CULTURE

tomaustin

Tom Austin

Contributor

Tom discovered watches at the young age of around 5, fascinated by a digital Super Mario Bros watch which was devastatingly lost on a Spanish holiday. Clearly scarred for life, Tom has spent the last 30 years attempting to recover from that tragedy by becoming a lifelong watch collector and enthusiast.

Tom’s taste has since matured from 90’s plastic cartoon watches and now favours Steel Sports watches with a bit more refinement. With a background in engineering and business management, Tom finds watches are a fun escape from all that stuff.

My favourite watch: Like picking a favourite song, it’s almost impossible for me, but I guess it’s whatever I get drawn to most when opening the box, and usually that tends to be my Rolex GMT Master II 116710BLNR. On my wrist during some of the most memorable parts of my adult life, it’s the one I couldn’t do without.

My Finale watch: A black dial Rolex Daytona 6240, I’m a guy who loves details and nuances which make a particular piece rare and collectible. For me nothing beats 4 digit Rolex Cosmographs and Daytonas for this. I also love that Rolex could barely give these away back in the day too, it makes me smile.

Articles by Tom Austin

Omega tweaks the turqouise fumé Seamaster Aqua Terra with an ultra-cool ceramic bezel
Helvetus straps will help you level up your watch wardrobe
The C1 Bel Canto versus the C12 Loco – which Christopher Ward are you?
When your grail watch wears you instead
Why exhibition casebacks aren’t always a selling point
Cuervo Y Sobrinos defines 1930s Cuban elegance with the cigar-inspired Espléndidos Heritage
Glashütte Original turns the retro vibes up to 11 with a panda-dialled Seventies Chronograph
Áigi honours Norway’s industrial mining heritage with a hardcore classic tool watch, the Gruvebus
Elliot Brown brings summer vibes to its Bloxworth Heritage Diver with the new Chromatic Collection
Chopard gracefully slows down the pace with the stunning new Imperiale Four Seasons
Breitling goes for the back of the net with a new Chronomat collaboration with football superstar Erling Haaland
Ulysse Nardin’s Blast Free Wheel Maillechort is a masterclass in contemporary yet timeless watchmaking
10 of the best and smokiest fumé dials you can buy today
TAG Heuer revives the spirit of the Seafarer with a new Carrera Chronograph LE
Orient Star introduces two new celestial dials for its contemporary M34 F8 Date
Vario celebrates Singapore’s 60 years of Independence with the new, and delightfully red SG60 Merlion Trench Watch
Certina’s new colourful DS-X GMT is an affordable option for summer adventures
Ember launches to great heights with their debut time-only Rocket
Hamilton celebrates its Zermatt outpost with an icy, alpine-inspired Khaki Field
Rado’s latest limited edition Captain Cook is a grand slam tennis tribute
Destro watches – does crown position really matter?
Glashütte Original celebrates 180 years of Glashütte watchmaking with a stunning platinum PanoLunarTourbillon
The WatchIt! Fair landed in the heart of the UK last weekend – here’s how it went down
Omega guns for the ladies’ watch top spot with new 30mm Aqua Terra range
The SpaceOne Worldtimer completes a trilogy of affordable, space-faring, avant-garde watches
The DWISS Model A1 is an integrated bracelet beauty from a brand known for crazy, affordable time displays
Depancel takes the retro racing triple calendar to the seas with the new Allure Driver Calendar
Laco brings a contemporary splash of Blau to the Kiel.2 flieger chronograph
Ressence celebrates Ahmed Seddiqi’s 75th anniversary with a literally sandy Type 9
Rado gives the Anatom a citrus blast for their latest summer release
Montblanc’s new limited edition 1858 Split Second Chronograph dresses in red as a homage to its Minerva roots
The Bell & Ross BR-03 Skeleton Lum Ceramic glows with form-first design
We need to talk about the size of your watch collection
Héron brings a welcome complication to the vintage-inspried dress watch with their Mirabel GMT
Hublot kicks off summer 2025 with a multicoloured and micro-blasted ceramic Big Bang Unico
H. Moser & Cie and Formula 1’s Alpine are taking motorsports watches to a whole new, unexpected level