Best Super NEWS Watches
You're Invited: A Night of Haute Horology With HODINKEE & Audemars Piguet in NYC
Click to View InvitiationYou're about to start to see some changes around here.? HODINKEE has always been about exposing you, our readers, to the watches you should be seeing, and explaining them in a way that is easy to understand.? We've also done our best to bring you unrivaled access to watches ranging from the classically-inspired to the ultra-funky in a way that most people could never experience before; right from the mouth of the men who created them.Seeing the latest and greatest in an HD video is one thing, getting to see them in person is another.? That is why over the next few months you'll be seeing a lot more chatter about real life get-togethers, long a staple of the watch col...
Update: Unique Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Sells for $710,500
Patek Ref 2419: A $710,500 WatchRemember that unique Patek Philippe Minute Repeater we told you about two weeks back? You know, the one that was unlike any previous reference repeater the watch collecting world had ever seen.? It came specially ordered with an oversized crown and slide, a unique dial, featured a caliber never known to exist, and it was retailed by Cartier?? Well, it sold yesterday in New York for a pretty hefty chunk of change.Lot 275 at Antiquorum's March 2011 sale brought in over $710,000.? Not bad for a watch that was described by the consignor as "the ugly watch in the drawer."? A historic watch, and a fitting price.?Click here to read more about this spectacular watch, ...
VIDEO REVIEW: The Orient Excursionist, A Very Affordable & Rugged GMT + A Special Offer
Today were having a bit of a look at the Orient FFE06001K, ?which happily for all concerned is more commonly referred to as the Excursionist. Its one of Orients few GMT watches and all in all offers a lot of watch for your cash.Breaking the Excursionist down a little; it has a 45mm case, so it wears large, but not crazy huge on the wrist. Its about 14mm high, so again it has presence but it isnt out of control. It comes shipped on a 22mm non-tapered oyster style bracelet that is pretty well built for a watch of this price. Its rated to 200m of water resistance, so it can more than handle most every day aquatic activities. It comes in four dial variants (black, white, grey and a lovel...
Hands-On: The Zenith El Primero Original 1969, One Of Few In-House Chronographs Under $10,000
Zenith's El Primero Original 1969 features the brand's legendary in-house El Primero hi-beat movement. If you're in the market for a new, not-astronomically-priced chronograph?with an in-house movement, you would be hard pressed to find many options, particularly under 42 mm.?TAG Heuer could have helped that, but the cancellation of their CH80 movement nixed those plans. The modern Daytona, in the most basic steel configuration, crosses over into the five-figure price range. While?Omega's 39.7 mm Moonwatch is a fine bet, the Zenith El Primero Original 1969 presents another fair option, in an even trimmer 38 mm case for average-sized wrists (and those who yearn for ...
Hautlence HL2.0: A New Watch, A New Caliber, A New Way Of Treating The Second-Hand Market
The Watch: Hautlence HL2.0Hautlence is a seven year old brand producing incredibly complicated and unique wristwatches unlike any other. The production numbers are quite low - under 100 per year - and the following dedicated.For Baselworld his year, the brand has announced an entirely new model with an entirely new caliber, the HL2.0. "Architectured around a retrograde minute, the jumping hour comprises a 12-link chain triggered by a connecting rod system identical to those found in Hautlence HL collections. An ingenious system, unique in the world of wristwatches.This allows the whole ensemble to be shifted in a controlled manner thanks to a speed regulator that preserves the component...
Wednesday Afternoon Find: An Audemars Piguet Jump Hour Minute Repeater In Stainless Steel
Did you know Audemars Piguet made a jumping hour minute repeater in a John Shaeffer case in the 1990's?? You may have, because they are out there (see?), but something tells us you didn't know they made one in steel.They did, but only three of them.? And what we have here, up for sale in tomorrow's Antiquorum NY sale, is #1 out of the three ever made. What makes this watch so interesting is the rare combination of a jump hour / digital display with a minute repeater complication.? Then, to put it all in a stainless steel case makes the watch that much stranger (and of course strange = awesome in HODINKEE-land). Complicated watches in stainless steel are something you just don't see that ofte...
A Look At The Poetic Work of Van Cleef & Arpels 2011: Dial-Work From Another World (VIDEO)
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the SeaThe value of a watch is comprised of many components - the caliber, the case, and something that many overlook, the dial.When one thinks of Van Cleef & Arpels, many immediately think of the stunning line of colorful jewelry for which the brand is well admired.? And it's only fair to think of this, but after a visit with VCA this past January at SIHH, we left with a whole new respect for the brand as a real watch-lovers brand.Heavenly DialsThe first thing you notice about Van Cleef's new watches are the dials.? They are, quite simply, stunning. In fact, they are unlike any other dial we've ever seen on a man's watch of any caliber.? The use of transluc...
A 1968 Girard-Perregaux Olimpico: Launched To Celebrate Mexico's Olympic Games
Click to expandThe 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City were the first games hosted by a developing nation.? They were also the first games to be hosted in a Spanish-speaking country.To commemorate this, the distributor for Girard-Perregaux at the time suggested the great manufacture to produce a chronograph in the Olympic theme - thus, the Olimpico was born.? Girard-Perregaux has produced a new Olimpico every four years since 1968, but to us, the original is the best.? Here's why:First, look at it. It's a classic doctor's chronograph with both a tachymetre and pulsations scale on the dial - just a great looking piece.? Second, it is sized perfectly for a vintage chrono at 37mm (small, b...
Q: True or False: The Movado Polygraph is an Awesome Vintage Worldtimer? A: True!
Its no secret that we are a little obsessed with world time watches at HODINKEE C they just seem to epitomize what's great about vintage watches; they are a link to an entire world that has changed so much, so quickly.? Theres a definite romance to looking down at your watch and knowing what the time is in Samoa, Cairo or even Klondike(?).Weve shown you some of the big names in world timers in the past. Today weve got a killer looking world timer from the 50s that we havent seen anywhere before. Its from Movado, who is mainly known for its iconic, if not slightly boring at this point, museum watch. This Movado world timer, called the Polygraph is being sold on Timezone and has a few...
Introducing the Doxa Grafic Mistero: What Does Clive Cussler Think About This One?
Doxa is one of those brands that benefits from a small but wildly dedicated group of fans.? Most of these fans have grown fond of the brand due to its association with two men, Jacques Cousteau and Clive Cussler.? Doxa dive watches are rock solid automatic divers that really are used by frogmen the world over.? They even made a killer chronograph or two back in the day.But, what Doxa isn't necessarily known for is an all black, 44mm quartz chronograph in the bauhaus field of design with branding between four and five o'clock - and yet that is exactly what they've just announced.The Grafic Mistero is a quartz chrono with a pierced dial that reveals two counter dials.? Price will be between $5...
PREVIEW: Frederique Constant Embraces Heritage With Vintage Racing Collection
Swiss watch manufacturer Frederique Constant has recently announced its role as the Official Timekeeper of the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. Not only does this build on the brand's tradition of involvement in classic car events (think Austin Healey), but also provides a fitting platform to introduce a new in-house chronograph movement, the FC-396.?The grueling Peking to Paris race will take place in 2013, coving some of the planet's most remote areas in its 9,000 miles and 33 days. The route, something most of us wouldn't attempt in a modern Land Rover, must be completed in cars built prior to 1975. It is in the spirit of these historic automobiles that Frederique Constant has taken inspi...
Interview: A Conversation With Stepan Sarpaneva: Watches from the Land of the Midnight Sun
One of the most exciting things about independent horology is that the products, watches that very few have the privilege to wear, come not from the seemingly faceless design and marketing departments on 5th Avenue, but are substantively the product of an individual. This makes the connection between owner, watch, and brand so much more intimate. When you send your watch in for service, the man whose name resides the dial is likely the man who will service your watch. Because of this personal relationship, independent brands often develop a cult of personality, and often it seems that watchmaker and watch are almost one and the same.One great example of this is Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarp...
Introducing The Victorinox Alliance Chronograph: A Reliable and Budget-Friendly Quartz Watch
Victorinox Alliance Chrono on Steel Bracelet: $832For every history-changing, one of a kind, previously undocumented 60 year old Patek Philippe minute repeater that may or may not sell for $1million, there are thousands of inexpensive quartz pieces that we typically don't give much attention to.? But, every now and then one catches our eye, and in response to some requests from you, our faithful readers for some battery-powered "every man" watches, here you go.The Alliance Chronograph is a brand new release for Swiss Army.? In fact, it won't officially be announced until BaselWorld later this month.? It is a handsome, no frills piece from one of the better quartz watchmakers in the world, Vi...
Charlie Sheen's Vintage Patek Perpetual Calendar: The Only Watch That Keeps Warlock Time
Charlie Sheen is back. You may remember he lost / was robbed by a hooker for a particularly cool Patek Philippe Perpetual Chronograph (Ref 5970) at the Plaza Hotel not too long ago.Charlie has gone through a lot since then, and now he's taken to Twitter. One of the very first pictures Mr. Estevez tweeted out was of a wristwatch that he declared "The only watch that keeps warlock time," along with a championship ring that once belonged to Babe Ruth.The question everyone wants to know is "what kind of watch is that?"? It's clearly a Patek Philippe, that much we know.? Many people have mistakenly identified it as a modern reference 5396, an annual calendar.It is in fact one of two possible mode...
A HODINKEE-Curated Sale Begins Today at 12pm On GILT: And Now, A Little Something For The Ladies
We are often asked why we don't feature more women's watches.? The truth of the matter is, vintage women's watches are just much harder to find then their male equivalents.? But, after the success we saw with our few collaborations with the good folks at GILT MAN, we thought it was only fair we take care of the ladies out there as well.Beginning at 12 noon today, GILT will set live a collection of fine vintage Rolex watches curated by a group of people you may have heard of...us.? The collection includes some very fine, delicate and ornate high jewelry pieces from Rolex, as well as some more traditional uni-sex pieces in steel.? We are thrilled to be offering this collection to the women rea...
A Submariner Ref 6200: What's The Deal With These Big Crowns, Anyway?
If you've spent any time researching vintage Submariners, you've likely come across some with seemingly oversized winding crowns.? These "big crown" Submariners are just one more type of Sub - along with the MilSubs, the double-signatures, the Gilts, the Reds, the Explorer dials, and the COMEXes, and yes, the Octopi - that collectors really go nuts for.? If you recall our friend Bob's Submariner that the world went nuts for, it too had a big crownBut, unlike most references of Submariners, all examples of the Ref 6200 look very much the same. You've seen Red 1680s and and white 1680s.? You've seen military 5513's and Explorer dial 5513s.? But, with the Ref 6200, which debuted in the early 19...
Presenting the MB&F ReBel: The South-Paws Get An HM3 All Their Own
Just announced is MB&F latest creation - a new take on their awesome Horological Machine 3.? Called the ReBel, this new HM3 features two traits that have long escaped the model - A) it's coated in black PVD giving it a totally bad ass appearance, and B) it is actually designed for lefties!The original HM3 "sidewinder" featured cones that protruded on the right hand side of the watch.? They were angled in a way that made it impossible for a left-handed person to wear it and read the time easily.? This destro version of the HM3 takes care of that, and with some serious style to boot.The case of the HM3 ReBel is actually white gold, although you'd never know it.? The movement plates and bri...
Hands-On: With The Xetum Limited Edition Tyndall (VIDEO)
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with Xetum founder Jeff Kuo to check out the new Limited Edition Tyndall in the flesh, a watch we showed you last week previously only in press images. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with Xetum founder Jeff Kuo to check out the new Limited Edition Tyndall in the flesh, a watch we showed you last week previously only in press images.As we pointed out, the big differences between the LE and the standard Tyndall are the polished case and carbon fiber dial, each accomplished to great effect. These nicely executed details along with a limited run of 100 make this an attractive option fo...
Changing History: A Previously Undocumented Vintage Patek Philippe Minute Repeater (VIDEO)
The world of vintage watches is one clouded with doubt and uncertainty. ?We do our best to provide accurate and detailed histories of the great horological achievements of yesteryear, and we constantly reference a variety of literature, auction house databases, and industry experts for our information. ?But, sometimes, even they have it wrong.A New Reference, A New CaliberAsk any vintage Patek Philippe expert how many minute repeaters the brand made in the middle of the 20th century, and if said expert hasn't seen the new Antiquorum March catalog, they'll tell you "five" (ref's 2421, 2534, 2524, 2524/1, 2524/2). ?Well, we now know of a sixth minute repeater reference in the world of vintage ...
Vintage Desk Clock Friday: Two Jaeger-LeCoultre Desk Clocks Of A Different Nature
Continuing our mini-theme of posts for the day, we have a pretty cool desk clock that dates to 1958.Designed as as a desk clock in the shape of a street lamp, this ornate piece of horology actually houses a Jaeger-LeCoultre 8-day movement.? The keyless wound movement inside this clock is the same that you'll find in several other desk clocks from the same era, some of which are marked JLC, and others even marked Hermes.? This particular clock takes the form of a gilt and lacquer desk clock from the "Rue de la Paix" in Paris.? The caliber is a JLC 219, nickel plated, with 15 jeweles.This clock again comes from Antiquorum's Hong Kong sale, and has an estimate of $900 to $1500.Click here for de...