There are several ways to secure a remarkable Rolex Daytona. You can spend years cultivating that all-important authorised dealer relationship, brave the secondary market, become one of the most successful recording artists on the planet, or buy a raffle ticket and hope fortune takes care of the rest. This week’s Wind Down explores three very different routes into the world of watches. Toys for Hospitalized Children has launched its sixth annual luxury watch raffle, with a yellow gold Daytona carrying a turquoise “Tiffany” dial as the headline prize. Every entry helps the organisation bring some much-needed happiness to children receiving hospital care, making this one raffle where the consolation prize is genuinely worthwhile.
Drake, meanwhile, required considerably less luck to land his latest Rolex. This week, the Canadian rapper unveiled a factory-made, one-of-one “Ice Gradient” Daytona, complete with graduated factory gem setting and a personalised caseback. Finally, Mr Jones Watches is searching for the industry’s next generation of creative talent. Its latest open call invites young designers to dream up a watch of their own, with originality, storytelling and a strong idea taking precedence over technical watchmaking knowledge. If you have a sketchbook full of ideas, this could be your moment.
Toys for Hospitalized Children kicks off its sixth annual luxury raffle
Buying a raffle ticket often comes with a prize you would be quite pleased to win. Toys for Hospitalized Children has taken a more ambitious approach for its sixth annual luxury watch raffle, putting a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, which the organisers have valued at more than US$100,000, at the top of the bill. The grand prize is a ref. 126518LN in 18k yellow gold, presented on an Oysterflex bracelet and fitted with what the organisers describe as a Tiffany dial. Its bright turquoise colour gives the familiar black-and-gold Daytona format a serious jolt of energy.
Second prize is equally worthy of attention: a brand-new, unworn Cartier Baignoire Polka Dot Mini ref. WGBA0063 in yellow gold, set with diamonds and supplied with its original box and papers. The discontinued model has become particularly difficult to find. The live drawing takes place on Instagram on August 29, with details shared through @ToysforHospitalizedChildren on Instagram. Tickets begin at US$56, with larger bundles also available. Every dollar raised supports Toys for Hospitalized Children and its work to bring gifts, technology and positive experiences to young patients. The organisation operates under the wonderfully direct principle “Happy Kids Heal Faster”. Whatever happens in the draw, that gives every entry a meaningful return.
Drake reveals the coldest Daytona yet
Images courtesy of Drake (Instagram: @champagnepapi).
Back in April, we reported that Wind Vintage sold Drake’s solid-gold Rolex GMT-Master II, a watch closely associated with his Take Care era. Four months later, we may have discovered where the proceeds went. This week, the Canadian rapper unveiled a one-of-one “Ice Gradient” Cosmograph Daytona, created by Rolex to celebrate his record-breaking milestones in 2026. The setting gives the watch its name. Diamonds transition into progressively deeper shades of blue sapphires across the bracelet, with the icy palette continuing over the case, bezel and dial. Baguette-cut blue stones frame the chronograph, while the pavé dial covers the entire dial with diamonds. We’ve seen factory gem-set Rolexes before, but this one is giving off Drake vibes all day long.
Images courtesy of Drake (Instagram: @champagnepapi).
A personalised caseback carries “FREEZE THE WORLD” in blue, connecting the commission with Drake’s Iceman era. He called it “the most important thing” he has ever owned and issued a characteristically pointed request that nobody ask their local jeweller to recreate it. Not that they’d ever be able to. Rolex’s in-house gem-matching skills are notoriously unrivalled. Whether the GMT sale helped fund the Daytona, freed up space in the collection or simply closed one musical chapter before another began, the timing feels appropriate. Take Care has left the building, Iceman has taken its place, and Drake’s watch box has received a remarkably expensive album update.
Mr Jones Watches wants young designers to create their very own watch
Mr Jones Watches has launched an open call for young designers, inviting them to submit an idea for a watch of their own. Previous experience in watch design is not required, so the opportunity is open to illustrators, artists, and other creatives with an interesting concept. The London-based company has always approached watch design from a slightly different angle. Its watches often use illustrations, moving discs and unconventional displays to tell the time. *A perfectly useless afternoon*, designed with Belgian illustrator Kristof Devos, is one of its best-known examples: a figure floating around a swimming pool indicates the hours and minutes.
For this open call, Mr Jones Watches is looking for a clear idea, a short explanation of the story behind it and a distinctive visual style. Applicants do not need to understand the technical side of watch production, as the company’s team can work through those details with the selected designer. It is also worth noting that AI-generated submissions will not be accepted. The brief leaves plenty of room for interpretation, and entrants are encouraged to be ambitious with their ideas. Anyone interested in applying can find the full submission guidelines on the Mr Jones Watches website.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Tom & the Time+Tide Team
Tom’s Time+Tide take of the week: Case closed: microbrands are finally hiding their off-the-shelf movements
Last year, I wrote quite an opinionated piece about why exhibition casebacks aren’t always the selling point brands seem to think they are. A beautifully finished movement deserves to be seen, of course, but another undecorated Miyota 9-series or Seiko NH35 spinning away behind a pane of sapphire rarely adds much to the experience. Recently I’ve come to realise that it seems the microbrand world may have been listening. I’m seeing more new releases arrive with solid casebacks, and brands are increasingly treating that space as part of the overall design. Engraved illustrations, embossed logos, maps, medallions and references to the watch’s wider theme are replacing the largely identical view of a familiar movement.
That feels like progress. Microbrands often rely on readily available calibres for good reason. They are affordable, reliable and relatively straightforward to service, all of which helps keep the finished watch accessible. Concealing one behind a solid caseback hardly diminishes those qualities. It gives the brand another surface to work with and can make the watch feel more considered as a complete object. There will always be movements worth viewing, and some owners simply enjoy watching the mechanics at work. Exhibition casebacks still make sense when the view offers something interesting, as a couple of watches in our upcoming FounderFest collection prove. A well-designed solid caseback can continue the story told on the dial, provide space for an engraving and sometimes help reduce the case thickness. I’ll gladly take that over another view of an industrial rotor I’ve already seen dozens of times.
Wrist shot of the week: Celebrating George Daniels’ centenary
It may not technically be a wrist shot, yet Dr Andrew Hildreth’s image of George Daniels’ Space Traveller II more than deserves the spot this week. Shared to mark the centenary of Daniels’ birth, the incredible pocket watch can switch its chronograph between mean solar and sidereal time, useful, as Daniels himself joked, for timing collect calls from Mars.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: echo/neutra Averau 42 Ceramic Automatic Chronograph
The echo/neutra Averau 42 Ceramic Automatic Chronograph brings a warmer character to the Italian brand’s technically focused field watch. Its sand-coloured dial sits inside a matte black ceramic case, with dark charcoal sub-dials creating a restrained reverse-panda layout. Small red accents on the chronograph seconds hand add a useful flash of colour, while the generous dial opening keeps everything clear and easy to read. The case measures 42mm in diameter, 14.6mm thick and 51.5mm from lug to lug. Beneath its ceramic outer shell sits echo/neutra’s grade 2 titanium TiFrame, which houses the movement and extends through the lugs. This reinforces the areas where ceramic can be more vulnerable to impacts, combining its scratch resistance with the added strength of titanium.
Inside is the Elaboré-grade Sellita SW510B automatic chronograph movement, operating at 4Hz and delivering a useful 56-hour power reserve. It’s adjusted in three positions and offers the familiarity, reliability and serviceability expected from one of Sellita’s established calibres. A sapphire crystal, 100 metres of water resistance and a black textile strap complete the package. For anyone after a capable automatic chronograph with a distinctive material construction and an understated colour palette, the Averau 42 Ceramic Sand makes a convincing everyday option.
The echo/neutra Averau 42 Ceramic Automatic Chronograph is now available from the Time+Tide Shop and the Time+Tide Watch Discovery Studios in London and Melbourne. Price: €1,970 / US$2,400/ £1,715 / A$3,250 (Chronograph)
Our Favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
Grand Seiko Evolution 9 lineup refresh: New White Birch, Lake Suwa, Atera Blue, and more
The world’s leading authority on all things Grand Seiko, Zach Blass, hath spoken! Grand Seiko has quietly refreshed several of its most popular Evolution 9 models, introducing Ever-Brilliant Steel cases and a redesigned bracelet with a stronger taper and micro-adjust clasp. Zach takes a closer look at the updated Hi-Beat and U.F.A. Spring Drive references to determine how much difference these seemingly small, frequently requested changes make.
echo/neutra Rivanera Piccolo “Rosa D’epoca” Time+Tide Studio Edition | FounderFest 2026
Our seven FounderFest watches have finally been revealed, and over the coming weeks we’re sharing in-depth dives into each piece on our YouTube channel. One of our favourites from this week is the teeny-tiny-titanium “Rosa D’epoca” from echo/neutra, an Italian future classic with a Time+Tide twist. Find out more and sign up for updates at thefounderfest.com.
Hands-on with the new Glashütte Original Senator Chronograph Navigator & Senator Chronograph
The new Glashütte Original Senator Chronograph and Senator Chronograph Navigator share their case, movement and complications, but their personalities are defined by two distinct dial designs. Zach explores their links to historic Glashütte observation watches and tool chronographs, and investigates the slim in-house flyback calibre 37-24, quick-change straps, and the impressive level of vertical integration.