Breitling is on a mission to resurrect and update some of its most iconic models. Less than a month after it introduced a rejuvenated version of the Top Time, the Swiss watch brand is back with a revised model of the Chronomat.

The Chronomat – a combination of the words ‘chronograph’ and ‘automatic’ – has been a staple in Breitling’s arsenal ever since it was introduced in 1984. At that time, quartz movements were the order of business for many watchmakers, but Breitling decided to separate itself from the pack and release a model with a self-winding mechanical movement instead.

The Chronomat was born out of a collaboration with the Frecce Tricolori – or “Tricolor Arrows” – the Italian aerobatic demonstration team, and at the time of launch, it also celebrated 100 years of the Breitling name. An aviators’ watch first and foremost, the Chronomat has also found itself admiration on land and sea, thanks to features such as a tachymeter, which is traditionally reserved for racing-inspired watches.

The 2020 Chronomat Collection comprises several variants of the B01, some full-production with various dial and chronograph counter colour combinations and some limited editions. All models get Breitling’s Manufacture Caliber 01 (which coincidentally debuted on the Chronomat 01 launched a decade ago), which brings with it a power reserve up to 70 hours.

As with previous Chronomat designs, the 2020 version includes rider tabs at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. These tabs are interchangeable and serve as visual markers, as well as being able to provide extra grip when rotating the bezel when wearing gloves. Finally, all models are water-resistant to 200 metres and the hands are coated with Super-LumiNova.

Breitling has however made some design tweaks for this updated collection. These include reducing the size of the case from 44mm to 42mm and changing the bracelet from the Pilot style (which once featured on the Navitimer), to the Rouleaux. The Rouleaux (French for ‘rolls’) bracelet is made up of several parallel cylinders with rounded edges and has previously featured on Breitling’s Windrider collection.

Starting with the Chronomat B01 42, which is a full-production model. It can be had with either a silver, copper or blue dial with black chronograph counters or with a black dial and silver chronograph counters. These models will cost AU$11,350.

Breitling has once again collaborated with long-term partner Bentley for the Chronomat Bentley limited edition, which rocks a green dial with black chronograph counters, the same stainless-steel Rouleaux bracelet and “BENTLEY” engraved around the caseback. The Bentley edition will retail for $11,500.

In commemoration of the Frecce Tricolori watch of 1983 that was the inspiration for the Chronomat’s existence, Breitling has produced a limited edition model of the 2020 Chronomat, limited to 250 pieces. This Frecce Tricolori version comes with a blue dial with tone-on-tone subdials, along with the Frecce Tricolori logo in place of the usual Breitling logo. It will cost $11,500.

In an effort to appeal to those who want a bit of extra luxury and exclusivity to their Chronomat, Breitling also offers a version of the B01 42 with 18K red gold crown and pushers, and a bezel with 18K red gold rider tabs, numerals and indexes. It also features a silver dial with tone-on-tone subdials and will retail for $12,950.

A similar model with 18K red gold crown, pushers, unidirectional rotating bezel and riveting 18K red gold and stainless-steel Rouleaux bracelet can be had, with a blue dial and tone-on-tone subdials, or an anthracite dial with black subdials for $16,950.

But if you want a complete 18K red gold fix, Breitling can happily oblige thanks to a Chronomat B01 42 with 18K red gold case on a black rubber strap, but with an 18K red gold folding clasp. This model also has an anthracite dial with black chronograph counters and will retail for $28,450.

All Breitling Chronomat models can now be pre-ordered directly from the company’s website.

Breitling CEO Georges Kern said of the new collection, “The 1984 Chronomat occupies a very important place in our modern history. It was the watch that boldly proclaimed Breitling was staying absolutely true to its roots.”

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The post Breitling Launches Its Biggest Men’s Watch Release Of 2020 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Australia has always been the butt of the fashion world’s jokes. Up until Chris Hemsworth cut his surfer’s locks, it may have been deserved.

Times change though; now the ‘bogan aussie’ quips ring more and more hollow, mustering a laugh more out of stereotype.

That was until everyone was forced into lockdown and the (sartorial) apocalypse was predicted. As the hashtags ‘quarantinebeard’ and ‘lockdownbeard’ reached 3,937 and 489 respectively (at the time of writing) on Instagram, many fashionistas feared the rise of hairy troglodytes. 

But to assume this, would be to forget an ongoing revolution. 

It would also be to discount Australian men’s evolving attitude to grooming – and the impact Instagram has had on it.

Though men have always had sartorial icons to inspire them, in previous decades this has come from far-flung celebrities who, as you would remind yourself in those hairy existential moments, had an army of stylists and dollars at their disposal. 

Now we are closer to those we look up to than ever before. An avid follower of Chris Hemsworth can probably tell everything from how often he shaves to exactly which of his baritone syllables makes men and women alike weak at the knees (so we’ve heard).

Not only that but your own grooming and style choices are now on permanent show to your mates, co-workers, ex’s and upcoming Tinder dates (doubly so if you are the daily protagonist of your friends and families Instagram stories or amateur Tic Toc theatrics).

Because of this, we’ve finally seen Australian men, much like they ditched their ‘board shorts or three-piece suit’ attitude about ten years ago, also ditch their ‘full on beard or nothing’ attitude to grooming.

It’s 2020 and, though everything else has gone to shit, the world of grooming has been left seductively ajar. Nothing better epitomises this in our eyes, than Chris Hemsworth’s take on the ‘quarantine beard,’ which he has nailed in the form of designer stubble – something he showcased recently in an Instagram video promiting his health and fitness app Centr.

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A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) on Apr 3, 2020 at 5:51pm PDT

As the Thor star was rocking this look pre-lockdown too, Australian stylist Jeff Lack (one of the most influential experts in the local scene) hopes Australian men will continue jumping on board and realise that, even once lockdown ends, if you get your sartorial shit together, facial hair is still an option (and it doesn’t have to be a huge beard either).

“Men have definitely had a come to Jesus moment with grooming and brands are more actively marketing in this huge growth (pun intended) sector,” Jeff told us today. “Barriers have been knocked down to the point where men will talk about their routines more openly.”

“It’s almost frowned upon if you don’t look after your skin and have a decent fragrance as a signature.”

“Instagram’s influencer marketing is at top speed in men’s grooming, from clippers and haircuts to skin routines – even cosmetics are advertised through the ‘gram. This platform’s reach means that men are much more familiar with the range of products available and can follow sports stars and out of work actors’ product endorsements,” Jeff added.

“Godspeed oh hairy one.”

While we can’t guarantee your ‘in-between bittie’ will look like Hemsworth’s designer stubble, at least no one’s around to see you cringe internally every time you look at it. And who knows: maybe when lockdown ends you’ll be ready to rock it.

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The post Chris Hemsworth Beard: Star Shows Off ‘Lockdown Beard’ appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Science ain’t sexy. But when you commit a dating faux pas up of this magnitude sometimes it can help to bring in the experts.

Confused? Here’s some context.

Some dating f*ck ups transcend generations. Others are sparked by changing technology. I’m in the latter camp. Scrolling through Instagram, giving my thumb some much-needed isolation-exercise, yesterday, I had a minor panic attack.

Underneath a ‘throwback’ photo of one of my favourite Instagram personalities, posing in a far-flung locale in a black bikini, was a cattle prod to the heart.

I kept scrolling.

Turns out there are three or four more influencers my girlfriend has developed a sudden – mutual – interest in. While one or two make sense that she might follow (she likes surfing, they like surfing), I found the fact that she had also started to follow Emily Ratajkowski too unlikely to take lying down.

So I sat up and called Australian sexologist, relationship expert and author Dr Nikki Goldstein to ask: is it a coincidence or a trap? According to Nikki: “You can look at it two ways. If she’s got a commonality with you and the… people to do with surfing… you want to assume it’s not passive-aggressive.”

“But you could also look at it another way… and you’re not going to know unless you ask her directly.”

Apparently I must choose my words carefully though as, according to Nikki, “Asking her directly you might look like [you’re] mistrusting her… because what you [would be] saying is, ‘are you this type of person that can’t be honest and upfront’ or ‘why are you playing those catty games.'”

To avoid this, Nikki suggests the following: “I would use the particular photo or profile of the person… so just say it’s this picture and you’ve both liked it… what you could do is say … ‘oh… I saw that photo online today of x … how cool was it? I saw you liked it too, what did you think.'”

“You can actually use the post as a catalyst to start a conversation.”

“Next,” Nikki tells us, “Follow through with: ‘I actually noticed there are quite a few people that I like that you like.’ What you’re doing is fishing… you’re having a look around because you don’t want to accuse someone [and get their back up].”

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Hi. This is my butt in @inamoratawoman

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Nov 26, 2019 at 7:32pm PST

“If you know your girlfriend well enough,” Nikki says, “you might actually get a sense of where it’s coming from (with a face to face conversation).” They could be cagey about it (which gives you a hint) or they could ramble. They could also say; ‘yeah I’ve noticed it too, isn’t it great?’ in which case you know it really wasn’t a passive-aggressive dig (provided that last statement wasn’t dripping in sarcasm).

But, as Nikki tells us, “if the way that they reacted was a bit different then you might go: ‘hang on a second let’s keep going further.’ You might want to say: ‘listen, you can tell me if you’re uncomfortable with something that I’m doing online, but [why] are you trying to send me the message by liking that profile.'”

“Also important is to take a step back from the game playing and thinking: ‘are they insecure; do they have a history with people that have micro-cheated?'”

While it might seem petty from your perspective, Nikki says “if you start to get more context around it, then it might make sense: she might be being triggered by seeing you like bikini-clad girls because she is really struggling with her body at the moment because she’s in isolation and can’t get to the gym… it could even be that.”

The last piece of advice from Nikki is: “if there is some insecurity you have to talk.” Assure your partner they can come to you to discuss anything. Maybe avoid triggering them by using the word ‘games,’ but say, “you don’t have to do things like that, you can come to me directly and discuss anything you’re not happy about.”

“It’s at least letting that person know they don’t have to do the sneaky tactics – if there’s something they’re uncomfortable about, they should come forward with it – and that might give them the [security] that they haven’t had in a previous relationship.”

This advice did come with a disclaimer though: “you may open the flood gates.”

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The post Liking Your Insta-Crush’s Photos: What It Means appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

We’ve all been there. We queue up to board our plane at the gate, wait for a few people to be turned back because their row number hasn’t been called and queue again getting onto the plane itself, waiting for passengers to have their ticket checked and then wrestle with their bags getting them into the overhead lockers.

It’s probably the most tedious aspect of air travel.

But there’s a chance our prayers will all be answered and the boarding process could soon become a whole lot easier, and we can owe it all to the COVID-19 coronavirus. The reasoning? As Escape says, the current social-distancing measures being put in place by Governments require us to stand at least 1.5-metres away from other people. As we all know, we’re lucky if we’re afforded space the size of a newt’s genitals when waiting to get to our aeroplane seat.

 

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A post shared by Airline memes (@airlinemeem) on Jul 24, 2019 at 8:49am PDT

But social-distancing means something has to be done about the boarding process, as currently people are boarded by class or if they’ve paid extra for priority boarding. These people most commonly sit at the front of the plane and watch the peasants remainder of the passengers come by in search of their seats. Not exactly distant.

Delta Airlines has been one of the first to adopt a new boarding method, where passengers in the back rows are seated before anyone else. However, Fox News adds those who need to board first such as people with disabilities can enter the plane before others, and Club members and anyone with First Class tickets can still get to their seats before others if they choose to.

But astrophysicist Dr Jason Steffen believes there’s an even quicker way for passengers to board a plane and one that can keep people distant from each other in the process (until they reach their seat, of course).

https://www.instagram.com/p/9ULJHeEfsl/

Way back in 2008, he found that seating passengers by individual seat number was the quickest: for example, seating even-numbered seats 20A, 18A, 16A on one side of a plane first, and then doing the same on the opposite side, before seating odd-numbered seats.

In practice, it should be much quicker than the current block-method (which has been found to be the slowest of any method) but Stefflen’s method was carried out under controlled conditions, and getting the co-operation of tired passengers will be more difficult in reality.

In response to airlines not choosing to go with his method, Stefflen told the ABC in 2008, “My advice to airlines would be: aeroplane’s open, everyone jump aboard,”

The post Pandemic May Change How We Board Flights Forever appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="252278" img_size="medium" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://www.koleda.co/"][vc_column_text]Heating your house when the mercury drops can often be expensive. Not only do you need to pay out for the energy you use, but your heating...

↬ Click here to view the full article/gallery on D'Marge

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We all know mental health is important. But when we’re bludgeoned over the head with it by influencers who only care about jumping on the bandwagon and meme lords who compete to see who can make the most messed up joke, it’s easy to forget – especially whilst in isolation – what looking after our mental health is really all about: finding a good headspace.

On that note, mental health and meditation app Headspace has just released a video we could all do with watching. In fact, without over-egging the pudding (or over-stimulating you aspiring monks), we’d say it’s the most important thing you’ll watch today. So: put the triple baked banana bread Youtube masterclass on hold, and devote your eyeballs.

The video comes from Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe (a guy who, in his mid 20s, quit his Sports Science degree and trained to be a Buddhist monk – a ten-year journey which saw him ordained in the Himalayas – then returned to England to share the techniques with the masses, with the help of advertising guru – and the other Headspace co-founder – Rich Pierson).

In the video, Andy takes us through why it’s so important to keep up a healthy self care routine, especially in challenging times in your life (or as it may happen, in the world’s history): “There are times when we find it easy to follow them [mindfulness habits], and there are times when it’s more difficult,” Andy begins.

“When we’re over-worked, stressed, anxious… perhaps short on sleep, these tend to be the times when all those good habits slip away,” Andy continues.

“Ironically… it’s in those times we need them most.”

He then tells us that we shouldn’t feel guilty to carving out a chunk (or tidbit) of the day to ourselves, because in doing so you are actually benefiting those around you: “I know doctors and nurses who are taking time out of tragic situations to take time out to look after their mind.”

“The better we take care of ourselves, the better we’re able to show up for the people around us and … our community.”

So: do find a time in your day where you can pause. As Andy says, “whether it’s for 10 breaths or 10 minutes… actually practice some of these mindfulness tools.”

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The post Headspace Self Care: Video Highlights Importance Of Self Care appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

In the current unprecedented climate we’re finding ourselves in, the rate of unemployment in Australia has risen exponentially, with the number of people out of work predicted to hit 1.4 million in the second quarter of 2020, the highest number in 30 years.

While some people are being kept in work thanks to the Government’s $130bn JobKeeper stimulus package, for those finding themselves with many extra hours during the day, the end of the lockdown period is a long way off in the distance.

Once the lockdown is lifted and the pandemic subsides (whenever that may be) there will undoubtedly be a fight for jobs, with many people wanting to get back into the workplace to not only start earning some money again, but to alleviate the boredom that will inevitably be induced by the quarantining measures.

LinkedIn is one of the most recognised social media platforms, targeted squarely at professional working people, and in Australia, around eight million people have an active account. That means recruiters and employers have an incredibly large pool of prospective employees to choose from when hiring for jobs, so to get yourself noticed, it may be time for you to revisit your page and give it an update.

We spoke to Joe Ryan, a Partner at Australian consultancy company 4Twenty, to find out the changes he would urge people to make to their profiles to give them an edge when looking for a new job.

Joe starts by telling us,

“LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful platform for us as recruiters, it’s like our Bible. And now with digitalisation, it’s everyone’s CV too.”

“It’s important that everyone on keeps their profile up to date and it has to mirror the hard copy of your CV as well.”

So as a quick side note, if you haven’t got a physical copy of your CV in a word document, that should be the first update you make.

“If someone comes through to our website to apply for a job, or they reach us through a platform such as Seek, not only do I look at the CV they attach to their application, but I look at their LinkedIn profile as well, to put a face to the application.”

When asked exactly what it is he looks for in a profile, Joe tells us,

“It needs to be up to date and with a recent, professional picture of yourself, and one where you’re smiling to make yourself look approachable.”

“Not only is your picture important, but what you write needs to read professionally and coherently, free from spelling and grammatical errors.”

LinkedIn offers a number of tools to help add weight to your profile, such as recommendations. These are statements written by other members that endorse you on your abilities to carry out the tasks your job requires. Recruiters can see them and help generate an idea as to the kind of worker you are.

Joe is an especially big fan of them,

“Recommendations are an important part of your profile too, and I always ask a candidate to write one for me once I’ve successfully placed them in a role. It only has to be a few words to say thanks, but it adds more authority to a profile.”

It doesn’t end there for your profile however as there are still plenty of other boxes you can fill with additional information,

“Not only do you want to list your previous work experience, but you should build your profile out by adding other interests, extracurricular activities and achievements to make it look as interesting as possible.”

“What I would also encourage people to do is to join as many networks, communities and groups that are related to the industry they’re working in as possible.”

“You can use them to build relationships with like-minded individuals and start conversations to grow your network and add credibility to your profile.”

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The post LinkedIn Profile Tips: The Updates You Should Be Making Right Now appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Who hasn’t thought about retiring early and cruising around the Mediterranean – or maybe Croatia – with a yacht full of excess?

Maybe that’s just us.

Problem is, every now and then, a global financial crisis or WHO-recognised pandemic will inspire your stocks to fling themselves off the nearest precipice.

Such is capitalism.

On that note, to help people deal with these challenging times, the Australian government is now offering citizens the chance to withdraw $10,000 – early – from their superannuation fund.

For those looking to keep a roof over their heads and food in their belly, it’s great. But it also has a few hidden risks, which Fernando Prieto, CA at Solid Partners Accountants & Advisors, says may be obscured by another new piece of legislation.

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A post shared by Croatia Catamaran (@croatia_catamaran) on May 25, 2017 at 2:56am PDT

“The government changed the way accountants can and can’t talk to you about your superannuation. We can’t advise anymore whether it’s a good idea to put money in or take money out – you now need an Australian Financial Services Licence,” Fernando told us this morning.

“The hardest thing is we can tell you that it’s there and the things you need to do to get access to it, but we can’t tell you if it’s a good or bad idea to take money out.”

“They’ve introduced all these initiatives… but when people go to ask their accountant what to do… the accountants are going to say, ‘oh look, before I can even tell you any of this I’m going to have to charge you two or three thousand dollars to provide you with a statement of advice.”

“This is a really contentious issue at the moment.”

That’s to specific individuals. As for advice of a general nature (and all the disclaimers that come with it), Fernando told us, “all I can say is you can access $10,000 of your super before the 30th of June, and then another $10,000 after the 1st of July, and there’s an eligibility criteria – make sure you’re eligible first.”

As to the impact this will have on your super, the generic (and we stress generic) advice is not to pull it out unless you have no other choice, as you will then lose out on all the compound interest and special benefits superannuation funds are afforded.

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A post shared by Croatia Catamaran (@croatia_catamaran) on May 22, 2017 at 10:56pm PDT

“If you’re going to take out money, the superfund has to sell some asset to fund you redeeming part of your superannuation balance. As the share market has tanked, if you do this you’re sort of crystallising your losses and depending on [how things recover] you could find yourself in a situation where that $10,000 would have recovered and compounded and been hundreds of thousands of dollars by the time you retired.”

“It’s really a function of how that $10,000 would have recovered.”

In other words: yes, taking out that money is going to have a significant long term effect: “when you retire it’s going to sustain you for a couple of years (or rather, would have).”

“I wouldn’t be taking it out unless you really have to.”

Fernando then told us he thinks it’s going to hit the more lower socio-economic demographic hardest of all: “it sucks because people should know what they’re getting themselves into – now you have to spend a few thousand dollars just to get a simple answer [from your accountant]” if you want advice tailored to your exact situation.

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The post Super Early Access: Think Twice Before Withdrawing, Says Money Expert appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

American Airlines is now dropping fees and “throwing credits” at elite status members who won’t be able to hit high mileage targets due to global travel restrictions. But is it too little too late?

That’s the inevitable question as American Airlines yesterday became the last of the big three U.S. airlines to give loyal passengers automatic status extensions in light of the current pandemic.

As frequent flyer The Points Guy wrote of the decision, which was announced yesterday, “This move doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Delta led the industry with its sweeping status extensions [more than a week ago now], and United quickly followed suit later the same afternoon.”

“Alaska Airlines — which just reinstated a partnership with American — then announced its own extension on Tuesday, April 7.”

The only surprise, then, is that American Airlines waited a week longer than its domestic competitors (and, if we’re taking a broader view, that even Delta and United waited so long when carriers around the globe like Qantas & Virgin Australia decided to dole out status extensions almost a month ago).

RELATED: America ‘Miles’ Behind Australia When It Comes To Rewarding Passenger Loyalty

In any case, here are the details of American Airlines’ elite-status extension.

“American Airlines is extending members’ status in its AAdvantage frequent flyer program until January 2022 as it tries to hold onto its most loyal customers during what is expected to be a slow recovery for the air travel industry,” The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday.

“The Fort Worth-based airline is also lowering targets for travelers to achieve status in 2020 and throwing credits for future bookings, following the lead of Delta and United, which extended their loyalty programs for one year.”

Oh, and American will also reduce the requirements to hit thresholds in its AAdvantage program for the rest of 2020 by around 40%.

“We understand it will be a personal decision when customers decide to start flying again,” said Bridget Blaise-Shamai, American’s vice president of customer loyalty and insights and head of the AAdvantage program. “Clearly in 2019, our customers did what was asked of them. And so through no fault on their side, they abruptly had their travel stopped globally.”

As frequent flyers splash tens of thousands of dollars a year on premium seats and lounges (to hit the highest level at American, executive platinum, passengers would usually have to spend about $15,000 on tickets or fly about 100,000 miles), keeping them happy is a strategic move for American Airlines.

Specifically, “Customers with status for 2020 will get to hold that until Jan. 31, 2022, even if they don’t fly any more until then,” while “customers who earn status with the reduced 2020 criteria also will get to keep it until Jan. 31, 2022,” The Dallas Morning News reported.

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The post American Airlines Status: Airline Gives Frequent Flyers Generous Extension appeared first on DMARGE Australia.