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Best Super NEWS Watches
A Watch In Process: Schon DSGN's Ian Schon Is Sharing His Watch Design Story On Instagram
Ian Schon is best known for designing a simple yet highly-engineered metal pen, but hes also a competitive cyclocross racer and a design engineer at Ideo.Three years ago, Schons Pen Project raised some $60k on Kickstarter and turned Schon DSGN into a healthy side business. He sells those pens on his site and through various retailers as well. Now the Boston-based designer is working on something new C a watch C and hes documenting the entire process on his Instagram feed. Over the last few months, Schons followers have watched the designer as he revealed initial CAD designs, 3D printed prototypes, handmade case prototy...
Moments ago in Geneva, Christie's sold an unbelievable Breguet pocketwatch (no. 1176) for $935,442. What's so special about this particular watch? It just happened to be Abraham-Louis Breguet's first four-minute tourbillon, meaning that the carriage does a full revolution every four minutes. It also appears that it may have been the second tourbillon watch he finished, ever, even though it is officially known as Breguet's third tourbillon. To top it off, it has Breguet's chappement naturel (or "natural escapement"), perhaps the first one he ever made and one of fewer than 30 total made in his life. Here we'll take a closer look at this watch and some other highlights from today's Christie's...
Hands-On: With The Vacheron Constantin Malte Tourbillon Openworked (Live Pics & Pricing)
Vacheron Constantin's releases at SIHH 2014 focused on breathing new life in existing styles through elaborate openworking and engraving, showing off the manufacture's mtier d'art skills. The Malte Tourbillon Openworked is a perfect example of the level to which Vacheron can elevate this combination of engineering and artistry. Not only must every surface of the elaborate caliber be beautifully finished, but also each bridge and support needs to remain strong and to function perfectly in order to keep the movement working accurately. The Malte Tourbillon Openworked starts with a relatively large 48.24mm long x 38mm wide tonn...
Bring a Loupe: Highlights From The Upcoming Geneva Auctions
Over the course of the next week, the big three watch auctioneers will be hosting sales in Geneva, and I thought I would highlight just a few of the most interesting watches hitting the block. The auctions kick off with Antiquorum on Sunday (May 11), followed by Christie's on Monday (May 12), and finally Sotheby's on Wednesday (May 14). There are sport watches and dress watches, Rolexes, Patek Philippes, Panerais, and Heuers, and watches with estimates from a few thousand dollars to over one million dollars C really something for everyone. So, without further ado, here are a few of my favorites from various categories. Historically Significant C Platinum Patek Ph...
Introducing The IWC Ingenieur Dual Time, A Sporty New GMT In Stainless Steel
While this year has been all about the Aquatimer for IWC, let's not forget the complete overhaul the Ingenieur line received in 2013. To follow this up, IWC has just introduced two new watches to the Ingenieur lineup, including this Dual Time that retains many of the design traits we liked on the basic 40mm Ingenieur while adding the functionally we saw in the Ingenieur Dual Time Titanium. It is a little larger than the time-only Ingenieur at 43mm, but still has the 70s-style integrated bracelet and 5-hole bezel that references the original Genta-designed Ingenieur SL. Let's take a closer look at this new steel GMT from IWC.Most of the watches in the 2013 Ingenieur collection are on the larg...
You're Invited: TimeCrafters 2014 Preview Breakfast Hosted By HODINKEE And The New York Times
Next weekend (Friday, May 16th through Sunday, May 18th) New York City has its own watch show, TimeCrafters 2014, taking place at the Park Avenue Armory. If you weren't able to attend SIHH or Baselworld, this will be your first chance to see many of the latest novelties from a diverse group of more than a dozen brands from A. Lange & Sohne to Zenith. To kick things off, our associate editor Stephen Pulvirent will be hosting a private breakfast with The New York Times on Friday morning, giving guests a first look at the show, and we would love for you to attend.This is the third annual TimeCrafters show, the only large-scale public watch show anywhere in the United States. It's an opportu...
The Death Of The Dive Watch: The Rise Of Dive Computers And The State Of Tool Watches Today
In the 1970s, the battery-powered quartz movement dealt a near-death blow to the mechanical watch and many of the companies that built them, a cautionary tale well known to watch enthusiasts as the "quartz crisis." A less-talked-about story though is how the rise of the digital dive computer has had a similarly lethal effect on the venerable dive watch, rendering that most utilitarian of tool watches a mere relic almost overnight. Of course, dive watches are still popular today, perhaps even more than they were when divers used them to track their bottom times in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, but now they are more symbols of a lifestyle than a true tool for most. Few non-divers understand how a div...
Concepts In Marketing: The Festina Dive Watch Sold In A Bag Of Water
During development, dive watches go through a battery of tests to prove their operating capability under water. In store, however, we don't really get to see tangible examples of waterproofnessCit's not exactly practical to have a test pool in the middle of a store. But Swiss watch company Festina?found an interesting solution for point-of-sale merchandising: display the entry-level Profoundo watch in a bag of distilled water.While the concept has been done before, it's still pretty interesting to see a watch company put their wares to the test for all consumers to see. It's quality control in action.Source: DesignTAXI....
Hands-On: With The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity (Live Pics & Pricing)
Maurice Lacroix has made a habit of revealing unexpected novelties each year in Basel, such as the Roue Carre and last year's?Seconde Mystrieuse, and this year was no different with the reveal of the Masterpiece Gravity. A more mature execution, the Gravity pushes Maurice Lacroix further into autonomy, featuring a host of in-house components. A layered dial slightly reminiscent of an Audemars Piguet Millenary sets the stage for one of the most interesting watches weve seen from Maurice Lacroix in, well, ever. The Gravity lives within Maurice Lacroixs Masterpiece collection, the domain of oddball complications, in-house mo...
This is the MB&F so many of us have been waiting for. Max Bsser and his gaggle of friends continually produce some of the most interesting timepieces and horological ephemera (see here and here) on the entire planet. Honestly, they are a shining light of true originality in this industry of regurgitation. That is, however, not to say that MB&F's timepieces are easy to wear. Most of them are not.But, Max took a significant step towards a wearable almost conservative timepiece with 2011's Legacy Machine One. This new line of ROUND timepieces appeased the desire of many collectors, and you can hear all about it in the video below. ...
In the 1950s, students at New York City high schools had the opportunity to take a class on watchmaking. This class was taught and the curriculum developed by members of the Horological Society of New York. Today, HSNY and HODINKEE are teaming up to announce Watchmaking 101, a revitalized version of this initiative. Watchmaking 101 is a single-session class in which professional watchmakers teach students will learn how a mechanical watch movement works and the fundamentals of using watchmaking tools. In this hands-on class, students will also learn to disassemble and reassemble a mechanical watch movement. ...
The Value Proposition: The Hamilton Jazzmaster Regulator, With Hamilton Exclusive ETA Movement
The Hamilton Jazzmaster Regulator features an ETA-made movement made for Hamilton, Calibre H12. The regulator clock gained traction in late seventeenth century watchmaking, before the time of radio-controlled master clocks. Their main purpose was to provide a central point of reference for clock and watch makers in a workshop. With separate dials for hours, minutes, and seconds, the clocks provided an easy way to get a precise read on the time when setting other devices. Regulator wristwatches, however elegant and interesting, can sometimes suffer from illegibility due to small dials and difficult layouts. However, with the Hamilton Jazzmaster Regulator, a traditio...
On The Block: Two Extremely Rare And Unusual Watches From A. Lange & Sohne At Christie's Geneva
We already showed you two extremely rare Patek Philippe's that will be hitting the block at Christie's Geneva next week, the first a platinum minute repeater belonging to legendary collector Henry Graves, Jr and the second a ref. 1518 perpetual calendar chronograph with a "Calendrier Perptuel" signature. Well, today we have two more unusual finds for you, this time from A. Lange & Sohne. The first is a Lange 1 in stainless steel dating back to 1998 and the second a unique Pour le Mrite Tourbillon. Here we take a closer look at these two very different, but equally interesting, Langes. It's not too often that you'll find...
Interview: Five Things I Learned From A Conversation With Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Daniel Riedo
Just last week, I had the chance to sit down with Daniel Riedo, the current CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Just one year into his tenure as the manufacture's leader, he has a tremendous sense for the storied history of this "watchmaker's watchmaker," with an eye for the future. Here are five of the most interesting things I learned from my conversation with him: 1. JLC is divided into three, almost equal categories: Reverso, Master, and High Complications So many people in the "real world" C that is, of course NOT the world in which we live here at HODINKEE, but rather the one where people do not spend hour...
Hands-On: With The Gronefeld Parallax Tourbillon (Live Pics + Official Pricing)
Basel World is always a lot of fun for us. Not only do we get to see all of the newest releases from the big boys like Omega, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Blancpain, Patek, and Breguet, but we also get to see some friends that we only get to hang with a few times per year. It's even more fun when some of those friends happen to be some really talented watchmakers doing things in a completely different way than those guys mentioned above. The Gronefeld Brothers are truly talented watchmakers (both trained at Renaud et Papi), and two honestly good guys. Which is why it's so great to see them pushing things past their time-only, mega-bad ass One Hertz with oversized dead-seconds and show us a brand new in...
Bring a Loupe: Four Great Watches From The 1940s
Today, we bring you four great watches from the 1940s: a Longines chronograph with the famed calibre 13ZN movement, a Gallet compass chronograph, a yellow gold Vulcain Cricket, and a gold LeCoultre with moonphase like the one that got KISS drummer Eric Singer interested in watches from the start.Longines Chronograph with Calibre 13 ZN There is of course no more desirable Longines chronographs than those with the famed calibre 13 ZN movement. What we're showing you today is just a simply beautiful classic 13 ZN with stepped bezel. You may remember the Longines chronograph that John Goldberger showed us in Talking Watches. This...
The new TAG Heuer Carrera 41mm uses Calibre CH80, an in-house automatic chronograph movement released last year. With the introduction of Calibre 1969 a few months ago, TAG Heuer demonstrated its renewed commitment to producing in-house chronograph movements. At Baselworld, the calibre received a new moniker C "CH 80" C a nod to the automatic chronographs 80-hour power reserve. In addition to a slick new name, the movement finally found a home inside the new Carrera 41mm, a stainless-steel, three-register chrono imbued with the good looks of the 1960s classic without being a vintage clone. Oh, and its under $6,000. Its a good move from the racing specialists who...
Talking Watches: With Eric Singer
When you walk into Eric Singer's Hollywood home, you know right away that he's a watch guy. Immediately you see LeCoultre travel clocks and Heuer race timers on his shelves, Lange and Vacheron catalogs scattered across his tables. You also see gold and platinum records on the wall. Eric Singer has appeared on over 75 albums over the past 20 years, playing drums with the likes of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, and Queen guitarist Brian May, before officially joining KISS full-time. Now, Singer spends his time traveling the world playing for thousands of fans, but wherever he goes, and whatever he does, he always keeps an eye out for a great watch. ...
Announcing: Fourth Annual Madison Avenue Watch Week, May 5-10 In New York City
Photograph by Kreg Holt With Baselworld and SIHH behind us for 2014, we can turn our attention to New York for a few weeks. There are a lot of great events coming up for watch lovers in NYC, the first of which is Madison Avenue Watch Week, taking place next week, May 5-10. Boutiques located between 57th and 86th streets on Madison Avenue will be opening their doors and hosting special events all week to give you an inside look at the latest in horology. Here we've got all the details so you can start making your schedule. Even though this is MAWW's fourth year, there are some newcomers to the street and brands participating that have not before. Events kick off on ...
Inside The Manufacture: A Two-Day Visit To Chopard
Chopard is one of the few brands out there that can boast both being independent and having a storied history, but many watch enthusiasts don't realize that Chopard is producing truly in-house movements to an extremely high level in the hills of Fleurier while also making its own cases and smelting its own gold back in Geneva. There are actually three facilities across Switzerland that make up the Chopard manufacture family and here we take you on a tour through all three.? We'll start with the most exciting of the trio, Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier. This is the main production facility for the L.U.C family of watches, and it ...