On The Wrist: TW Steel Slimline

Tw steel were very kind to loan me a watch from their latest slimline collection to wear and review. I chose the gold because people are always telling me that rose gold watches suit my skin tone and I chose the silver dial because the date window doesn't stick out like Ryugyong hotel. (Google it. Personally I quite like it. The building that is. Very sci-fi.)

The first impressions are good. The watch is still very solid as I've come to expect AND a lot thinner than I'd expected. I do wish the hands were thinner and perhaps to match the elegant elongated indices in shape. The croco grain strap is a nice dressy touch but should lose the rivets as it's more of a pilot watch styling cue. But I guess it's to reiterate the TW Steel logo? Also the croco grain is a thin pattern stitched and glued onto the calf strap and I feel that over time it'll start to fray and come apart on the edges especially if it's put on and taken off daily, as the edge will continue to rub against the buckle.

Speaking of the buckle I like it. Looks like someone put a little effort into designing it. Some pricier brands should take note. Even the pin for the buckle is really well made. There is really no excuse for anyone else to still make them on the cheap. I'm sure the price difference is negligible.

I know a lot of watch enthusiasts turn their noses up at TW Steel but these watches are genuinely well made. Apart from the aesthetics which is a very subjective matter, construction wise truly impressive, especially for the price. I'd even go as far and say they're better built than some of the bigger names in fashion watches. Granted if you're dropping 5 figures on watches without blinking this is obviously not the watch for you, but for less than the price of an alligator strap from one of the major Swiss brands it's actually a really good watch! You need something to wear whilst waiting for that 5 figure watch to return from the 6 month long service in Switzerland right? Plus the watch is made from 316L grade stainless steel. This is the same sort of steel as used by the majority of the luxury watch industry. Not Rolex of course they use a different grade called 904L. Whether or not it's better or just different depends on who you ask and what you believe.

Now I don't think people generally go this sort of detail  for a quartz watch but I noticed the case back is screwed in rather than a snap-on. I prefer screwed in and personally I think this is a sign of quality. I'm tempted to open it up to see what makes it tick. Let's see if I can manage it...

(5 minutes later...)

Were you expecting something more interesting? 99.9% of the clientele isn't going to do what I did. And quite frankly this is not unexpected. Open up any quartz watch and you'll likely see something similar. The shape and size of the movement might vary but that is it. And of course, 99.9% of the clientele won't care what the movement looks like as long as the watch keeps time. And it will. And it looks good. And it gets a lot of compliments  And the price ain't bad. (Just over $400 for the gold plated or just under for the steel version) And that's all it matters.

There is also a bracelet version and that would be the one to get. The bracelet looks great and you have the option and versatility to swap it onto the strap for a more formal look. It's like having two watches for the price of one. Overall count me impressed. TW Steel in their Slim line collection has managed to move away from a me-too style to something of their own. It's an evolutionary step in the right direction and still in keeping with the TW Steel identity.

Interview with Jordy Cobelens, CEO of TW Steel

TW Steel opened its first Australian boutique in the Strand Arcade, Sydney in late October and we caught up with Jordy Cobelens, CEO of TW Watches at the launch.

The first TW Steel boutique in Australia- inside the Strand Arcade, Sydney

The Sydney Tarts: Is this your first trip down under?

Jordy Cobelens:  “No, I’ve visited Australia many times.  I’m usually here on business at least a couple of times a year.  We have a regional HQ in Sydney as we manage the territory directly so we put a lot of focus into the region which means regular visits!”

TST: TW Steel has had extraordinary growth and recognition in such a short time. We all know it is extremely difficult to build a brand from scratch. What would you say are some of the contributing key factors?

JC:  “Key factors in our success can easily be attributed to offering an affordable, yet extremely stylish and appealing timepiece. There’s no doubt we stood out when we first launched but we’ve stood the test of time also and evolved our collections and continued to grow our brand. The biggest challenge in starting a brand from scratch is that you really have no history, no credibility. You have to go out and sell your product and that takes a lot of hard work. We started off selling a product but the happy by-product of that is that we then created the TW Steel brand – and that’s something that consumers can really relate to now as they know we’re about making bold statements and being ‘Big in Oversized Watches.”

The CEO Tech World Centennial- a piece unique created to celebrate TW Steel's presence in 100 countries. Featuring over 400 diamonds and powered by Valjoux 7750 movement. It's yours for the lowest possible 6 figures.

TST: This is a tough question but it must be asked – some TW Steel watches can be said to mimic the style of other brands with a longer history. What are your thoughts on this?

JC:  “I think you’re simply referring to the fact that we’ve sometimes taken existing watch styles and tailored them for the oversized market, therefore offering an innovative and fresh take on classic watch designs.”

TST: It’s true that there are only so many ways to design a watch so overlaps in styles are bound to happen. However, is the direction going forward to create something more uniquely TW Steel?

JC:  “ I believe all our watches are uniquely TW Steel so I don’t think that’s something we have to spend too much time on. We’re always looking to create new concepts while evolving our most successful collections to keep them appealing. We have some dynamic new pieces coming out in 2014 that will present to consumers another twist on oversized watches so we’re excited to see those launch.”

From right: Jordy Cobelens, Dougal Smith, Mick Doohan and Cameron Moses 

TST: The brand is all about being big in size. However, should watch sizes trend towards smaller diameters, will you move with the times and downsize or do you see 45-50mm sizes staying on?

JC:  “I get asked this question so many times.  My answer remains the same. There have always been small watches. They never go out of style. Oversized watches have also proved to be mainstays with many brands offering particular sizes as part of their collections.  Our DNA is in oversized, we simply saw a gap in the market for offering affordable, yet luxurious and appealing oversized pieces. We do adapt ourselves to market needs while holding true to our design values and we’ve introduced a 40mm Canteen bracelet collection and the likes of a slimmer case Pilot.”

TST: Why would someone choose TW Steel over a similarly priced Seiko or Citizen watch? Or even something from the fashion houses, say Kenneth Cole or Hugo Boss?

JC:  “They would buy a TW Steel because they’d want to make a statement with their timepiece, it’s as much about their lifestyle as it is their need for a watch. A TW Steel gets you noticed! They would also appreciate that for their money they’re purchasing a timepiece that reflects exceptional styling and build quality.

TST: Any plans on introducing customization on the TW Steel range?

JC:  “There are no immediate plans but at a more basic level we do have an impressive range of straps that can be switched out to change the look and feel of certain models within the collection. We know, for example, this design trend has been strong in Australia so we take note and make sure we keep the market happy.”

TST: Where do you see TW Steel in 10 years time?

JC:  “I believe we’ll be firmly part of the established watch brands, and no longer the up-and-coming brand. That said, we’ll continue to do things our way and not be afraid to take chances and to stand out. You’ll also see a lot more TW Steel boutique stores, that process has already started and the next few years will see further investment globally to cement our brand footprint. We’re building a lifestyle brand and that’s a truly exciting process. Included in that is the tie between TW Steel and my other company, Steel Entertainment Group, a leading DJ event and artist management company, and the official entertainment arm of TW Steel.”

(All images provided by TW Steel Australia)

On The Wrist: TW Steel Cool Black Colour Red

As you probably all know, marketing doesn't come cheap. Building a brand up from nothing, now... I shudder to think what that would cost. And the cost is not only associated with dollar signs. It's also time, effort, manpower... it's a lot of things. Which is why it's all the more astonishing what TW Steel has managed to do with such a short space of time. How short, you ask? It's less than 10 years. There are older watch brands that does not have as much brand recognition and reach. Their watches are now available in over 100 countries and around 5000 points of sales. Those figures are darn impressive.

All that money must come from somewhere right? So they must be ripping everyone off with their watches, you say. Surprisingly, no. TW Steel watches are quite reasonably priced, with most of their range of watches in the low to mid 3 figures. And they're not skimping on quality either. Watches are made from 316L stainless steel and movement wise you're looking at either Japanese Miyota movements or Swiss Ronda movements. What they don't tell you is where the watches are made. And apart from their "Swiss Made" range, there's no prizes for guessing which country might be producing their watches.

Of course, the finger pointers will then point to the derivative style and accuse them of copying U-Boat, which produces overpriced (to some) canteen-style watches. But then again, perhaps they also, need to be accused of copying canteen-style watches from back in WWII? And besides, the canteen style is only one of the lines of watches TW Steel produces. Granted they're not breaking any new ground in design, but you have to admit that across their range of oversized watches they have taken on an identity of their own.

The design inspiration? U-Boat has the crown on the left so it doesn't dig into your wrist if you wear the watch on your left wrist...

Personally I feel that TW Steel has been very smart in making their marketing budget work smarter. One of which was picking up (presumably) cheap advertising space on the Renault Formula 1 cars after some unpleasantness with the team and then more recently, put their stickers on the Force India team (who also presumably were having a fire sale on their ad space since they need money). I think a good part of their success comes down to how well they have marketed the brand, and really pushed the brand into the general (hip) public's consciousness. If someone ever writes a book on TW Steel's rise to prominence, I want a copy.

Well, enough about the company. How about them watches, really? Well, they're known for their oversized watches and they are true to their words. What's normally a men's size is relegated to their women's range, and if you don't have the cohones (or the wrist) you'll most likely find it quite difficult to pull off wearing their watches. I really liked one of their tonneau shaped watches (looks like the result of a Richard Mille/AP Royal Oak Offshore Chrono... ahem.. rendez-vous)  but even with its curved back it just felt much too big, and no, I did not have the cohones to pull that one off. However, a 50mm round canteen style watch I could do, and this is the watch we're looking at today.

TW Steel Cool Black Colours - Red 50mm diametre

First, the negative. The massive crown kinda intrudes into the wrist (unless you're wearing this watch on the right wrist) and for your troubles, you get a tiny little crown with which to change the time and date. (That massive thing is just a cover. The actual crown is really, really tiny.) Good thing it's a quartz movement. I cannot imagine winding this thing up every day with that thing. This is only an issue with the Canteen line of watches. The rest of the range has a proper sized crown. The movement is also very small (well... the case is very big) so you have all the subdials of the chronograph kind of bunched in the middle. But the way the dial is designed, it's nicely balanced enough that you could forgive this little trespass.

Other than that, the case has a nice heft and feels like quality. All the markings on the subdials are symmetrical, and the dates disc is thankfully the same colour as the dial. The black leather strap it comes on is soft and comfortable on the wrist, but I'd opted for a NATO style strap just to give it a slightly different look. The watch did come with a spare colour matched red silicon strap, but it looked... let's just say it does the watch no favours. The movement in this watch is a Miyota chronograph OS20, which is accurate and robust enough. And should anything go wrong, they're also cheap enough to replace, so no issues there. Case is in 316L stainless steel and water resistant to 100m.

I find khaki coloured zulu strap with black PVD rings goes best with this watch

For the price, you do get literally a lot of watch for your money. It's a big, hefty piece and it's certainly not for everyone. But if you like the look and like big watches you could do a lot worse than a hockey puck of a watch on your wrist from the brand that's big in oversized watches.

Interview with Ton Cobelens on the TW Steel Yamaha Factory Racing Collection

We're on a motorsport roll recently at the Tarts, from 4 wheels to 2 wheels. TW Steel recently launched the new Yamaha Factory Racing Collection following the announcement of the partnership with the team a couple of months ago. The range consists of 4 watches (well... 2 styles each in 2 different sizes). And one of the riders for the team, Valentino Rossi, I suppose will have to stick his Jaeger-LeCoultre watches in the safe for the next few years...

Following we have an interview with Ton Cobelens (Chief Design Officer) on the design of the Yamaha Factory Racing Collection

Q:  What was your starting point for the design of this collection?

Ton Cobelens (TC):  “Quite simply it was to create a recognizable Yamaha Factory Racing watch based on our existing Pilot and Tech editions.”

Q:  How much input did you seek from Yamaha Factory Racing in the early stages – did they give you a brief or were you given free reign in terms of the initial design concept?

TC:  “After Yamaha Factory Racing had declared that they would possibly be interested in a cooperation with TW Steel I made up some designs without any input from them just as a starting point.  I produced those designs to give some structure to the negotiations and a direction in terms of styling and so on.  From there I’m happy to say things progressed very quickly.”

Q:  You have infused elements of the current YZR-M1 bike into these designs.  Which elements stood out for you to incorporate and where were the challenges in these models?

TC:  “For me it was the incorporation of the display of the motor cockpit into the chrono eyes that stands out most.  The ultimate challenge though was the raised Yamaha Factory Racing logo on the silicon strap, achieved by double injection.  Although it’s essentially a logo placement, I think it adds something very special to the overall design.” 

Q:  Do you feel any additional pressure knowing you’re producing timepieces carrying not only the TW Steel brand name but a name as established and as global as Yamaha?

TC:  “Certainly there was additional pressure.  You have to blend into a watch two different brands competing in two totally different markets.”

Q:  TW Steel enjoys a rich history of motorsport-related timepieces.  Of all the watches you’ve designed, where do the Yamaha Factory Racing editions rank in your favorites?

TC:  “This is a difficult question!  Certainly I am very proud of the Yamaha Factory Racing models and I consider them to be the most successful designs I’ve created in recent years.”

Q:  As a designer, how much of a kick will you get out of seeing fans of both Yamaha Factory Racing and TW Steel sporting these watches around the world?

TC:  “I’m still very proud each time I spot someone wearing a TW Steel.  This feeling will be surpassed when I see someone wearing a TW Steel Yamaha Factory Racing model now!”

Formula 1 and Watches Update! 2013

F1 and watches update!

Information are current as of Monaco GP 2013

Since our last post on the relationship between F1 and watches, quite a bit have changed. So just to offer an update, here are where things stand. So, if it's not mentioned here it'll be business as usual as per our previous post.

The most obvious and noticed change for 2013 is Rolex taking over the Formula 1 official timing partner role from Hublot. Hublot of course stays on as partners to Ferrari.

After being dropped or dropping TW Steel, Lotus has now picked up Richard Mille (quite an upgrade, in fact) from the Spanish GP onwards. Richard Mille already provides watches for Massa and the president of the FIA - Jean Todt. So, it's only natural that they also stick their name on the nose of a racing team. However, this deal doesn't seem to extend to drivers as Romain Grojean still wears a TAG Heuer, and Kimi seems to remain watch-less for now...

Richard Mille's Jean Todt Limited Edition

TW Steel had jumped ship over to Force India at the beginning of the year. So it's the first time that Force India has an official watch partner. Perhaps our post had something to do with it??

However, an interesting thought had occurred. TW Steel picked up Lotus (back when it was Renault) right after the spygate scandal and they've now become a force to be reckoned with. Force India is now doing quite well with TW Steel stickers on the car. Perhaps these boys are some sort of a good luck charm to the team? Maybe Caterham should consider getting TW Steel on side?

The IWC and Mecedes GP partnership was mentioned before as IWC launched a complete range of Ingenieur watches at SIHH 2013. But rather than being a watch partner, they're actually an "engineering" partner. However, starting from the Monaco Gran Prix, both drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will become "Friends of the Brand". This is quite the step up for both pilots, Nico from Thomas Sabo and Lewis from TAG Heuer. They were both given the Big Pilot's Watch to wear as they are both, err, pilots... Team pricipal Ross Brawn can be seen wearing one of the new Ingenieurs.

After losing Lewis to IWC, TAG Heuer picks up Sergio Perez as he partners Jenson Button at McLaren, and as we all know all McLaren drivers automatically becomes ambassadors for TAG Heuer.

Caterham did partner with watch brand BRM from the beginning of 2012 (How I missed this I have no idea, and no one seemed to have picked it up!!) and I'm assuming this continues into 2013 as BRM website currently has the Caterham F1 limited edition watches on their website.

Torro Rosso drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Verne still doesn't have any watch sponsorship...

Everything else remains the same for the time being.

TW Steel jumps ship to Sahara Force India F1

Now that the secret is out, let's have a little fun analysing and speculating. Why not?

So a few days ago, at the launch of the 2013 Force India F1 car- the VJM06, we see that the watch in steel (TW Steel) has jumped ship from Renault/Lotus/Enstone team. Believe it or not I find this quite interesting, and perhaps quite a savvy(?) decision from watch owner Jordy. You'll perhaps recall, that TW Steel jumped onboard with Renault at a time when they were going to crashgate- the scandal that rocked the F1 world (well, one of... plenty of those going around) and there were speculations that due to the crashgate scandal, many of the sponsors at the time withdrew, and therefore space were going cheap and that's when TW Steel jumped in.

After 3 years (and people having extremely goldfish memories) and Lotus is now doing well, perhaps the price/space ratio is no longer a bargain, and judging by the issues that Sahara Force India F1 team owner(s) have, (Won't go into details here, but have a quick search here maybe space is going cheap here. Force India isn't doing too badly, and seems quite promising judging from their performance towards the end of last year. TW Steel can remain in F1, perhaps for less than what they were paying Renault/Lotus/Enstone, and still get decent ROI, and you never know, tap into a growing market that is the great subcontinent. (ahem, India)

I reckon TW Steel's profile has definitely raised thanks to their involvement in F1, and I think what they have done to bring up the brand recognition in such a short time is very, very impressive. I mean, really, do you even know that Certina is in F1?

Suppose Renault/Lotus/Enstone will go without a watch brand this year, joining Torro Rosso. Of course the F1 sponsorship landscape is always changing and who knows, anything can happen. I shall do a full recap/update later in the year as the music stops for the chair-swapping activities and see what watch is on which car/wrist for 2013.

Just one more thought... we know that Grosjean is signed with TAG Heuer, and now that Kimi no longer contractually obligated to wear a TW Steel, perhaps TAG might re-sign him?

Formula 1 and Watches

Being a huge F1 fan and a watch nerd, I'm sadly all too aware of the F1/ watch connection, but there haven't been any recent looks at the watch side of F1 racing that I'm aware of, so I thought that it's time that we had one!

I think we all know about the partnership between car companies and watch companies as it seems like watches and cars get on like Homer and beer.

What is perhaps less talked about in the mainstream media is that there are also a lot of watch companies getting in on the act with Formula 1 racing. The two have become so intertwined that as the top 3 drivers at each race get ready to get on the podium, they all made sure (well, at least someone made sure) that the relevent watch is firmly strapped onto their wrists.

(For those without a watch sponsor... I think I might have just figured out something!!! If you have a watch sponsor, you are more likely to be on podium than if you don't. Think about it...) By this logic, will we see a Marussia driver on the podium soon?

Hublot clock at the Abu Dhabi circuit - image taken from the internet

Hublot is of course, the current official timing partner with Formula One, and has even launched special editions for certain races. However, for each individual teams, and even individual drivers, there are different watch partnerships going on. The prices of the watches spans a great range from three figures all the way up to six figures!

[NOW] Now let's take a look at the most affordable to most expensive watches on the grid, in the 2011 finishing order.

Hublot F1 King Power - image taken from the internet

Red Bull Racing: The watch partner is Casio, and both drivers (Vettel and Webber) wear Casio products. There is an official Casio Edifice Red Bull racing watch, and Vettel also has his own Casio Edifice watch.

Casio Edifice Red Bull Racing - image taken from the internet

Mclaren Mercedes: This is a partnership that is deeply rooted in history and has been going on for a long time.  TAG Heuer equips both Hamilton and Button with wrist jewellery as well as branded timing screens and whatnot in the garage. TAG Heuer branding used to be on the actual cars, but now they're happy to have the drivers as ambassadors instead of having stickers on cars.

Lewis Hamilton posing with his Tag Heuer - image taken from the internet

Jenson Button and his Tag Heuer - image taken from the internet

Jenson, being a bit of a watch lover, had his fair share of different brands on his wrist (depending on if there is a contractual obligation or not). Back in his days of driving a Honda, he wore Seiko Sportura watches, but when he was driving for Brawn in his championship winning year, he had on Jaeger-LeCoultre watches for the first half of the season or so, until Graham watches came on board later on in the year, and that relationship has continued to...

Jenson modeling the JLC Extreme Lab while he was with Brawn GP - image taken from the internet

Mercedes AMG Petronas: Best known for their partnership with Graham watches from their BrawnGP days, they have dropped Graham has the official timing partner, and picked up Thomas Sabo instead for the 2012 season as the official jewellery partner. Nico Rosberg is also sponsored by Sabo, and sports a Thomas Sabo watch. However, this partnership look set to end at the end of 2012 as IWC has signed on as the official engineering partner with the team starting 2013, which makes sense since IWC has a partnership with AMG.

I can’t help but notice the creativity involved in naming the category that the brands are aligned in. Graham was the official 'timing' partner, [WHICH IS] straightforward enough. Thomas Sabo is the official 'jewellery'  partner… ok… still quite straight forward but, IWC as the official 'engineering' partner? Hmm….thinking aloud here, but I reckon SIHH 2013 will see IWC announce a new range of engineering watches inspired by F1… Engineering watches you ask? For those who parlez francaise, you’ll of course, realise that French for engineer is oh… gee… IWC has a line of watches named “Ingenieur”…

IWC Ingenieur AMG collection from 2005 - picture taken from the internet

IWC Ingenieur Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team edition… you read it here first.

Oh. And Schumacher, once a long-time Omega ambassador, has 'upgraded' to Audemars Piguet, who also had Barichello, Buemi and Trulli on their roster until the three drivers were unceremoniously denied drives for the 2012 season.

Graham MercedesGP GMT - image taken from the internet

Michael Schumacher with his AP - image taken from the internet

Barichello, Trulli and Buemi all sporting AP Royal Oak Offshores - image taken from the internet

Ferrari: They recently signed up with Hublot, after a short stint with Panerai, and before that with Girard Perregaux. Let's hope this new partnership with Hublot is more successful than either GP or Panerai. However, this does not seem to extend to the drivers, as Alonso sports a Viceroy and Massa has a Rchard Mille named after him. So even though Alonso has the upper hand in racing, Massa definitely takes the top step in terms on wrist wear...

Hublot Ferrari Big Bang Magic Gold - image taken from the internet

Alonso's Vceroy watch - image taken from the internet

Richard Mille Filipe Massa - image taken from the internet

Oh... and there is also the more 'accessible' range of Ferrari watches which you can buy online from the Ferrari shop...

Ferrari watch- image taken from the internet

Renault: TW Steel jumped onboard during their tumultuous 2009 'crashgate' year, presumably because the space was going cheap after losing a few of their major sponsors after the scandal, but they've certainly made it work. They're big on oversized watches, and Kimi Raikkonen is seen wearing TW Steel. Romain Grojean was wearing TW Steel up until just before Monaco 2012, when he switched over to TAG Heuer.

Ironically, Kimi used to be a TAG Heuer ambassador back when he drove a Mclaren, and he continued to be TAG eyewear ambassador after his switch to Ferrari back in 2007. Past driver and current commentator David Coulthard also has his own  'named' watch in the range.

TW Steel Renault F1 Team - image taken from the internet

Force India: Don't seem to have a watch sponsor at the moment. So... here's an opportunity to add stickers to Force India cars and adorn drivers Hulkenberg's and di Resta's wrists!

Sauber: Certina has been with Sauber for 8 years, and the partnership has been quite subtle, with very small stickers on the cars and the drivers' helmets. They supply not just the drivers but the whole Sauber team with watches to wear.

Certina Podium GMT Sauber F1 Team Ltd Ed - image taken from the internet

Torro Rosso: Again, no partnerships here...

Williams: Oris has had a long partnership with Williams - since 2003 (I remember Mark Webber had his own 'Mark Webber' edition Oris) and this continues for the 2012 Championship.

Oris Williams F1 Day-Date - image taken from the internet

Caterham: no watch partnerships

HRT: no watch partnerships

Marussia: is strangely partnered with a small indie watch brand called Armin Strom. Maybe this is a good way for Armin to gain more brand exposure, but I'd think they'd probably get better returns had they partnered with say... Caterham, since they're consistently the best of the three newcomers to the F1 party...

Armin Strom Racing Chronograph - image taken from the internet

In F1, engineering is an ever-moving goal post, and I think the same goes for (watch) sponsorship... Who knows we might need to do an updated F1 wrist watch next season!

[o]