Best Super NEWS Watches
Introducing The Glashtte Original Senator Sixties Square Tourbillon: A Rare Flying Square (VIDEO)
Glashtte Original?is the Swatch Group's best kept secret.? The small German company produces less than 8000 watches per year and they all feature true in-house manufacture movements.?We've long been a fan of GO (see highlights of 2010 here), and this year we had the pleasure of sitting down with the brand's biggest release of 2011, the Senator Sixties Square Tourbillon.?Featuring a true flying tourbillon, the Senator Sixties Square Tourbillon uses GO's popular square case and big date complication - one of the few whose numerals are on the same vertical plane.? The reason that GO decided to go with a flying tourbillon is to pay tribute to the man that invented this variation of the gravity-...
Heuer For Abercrombie & Fitch on eBay: Too Much Cologne Not Included
A double-signed dial gets us every time.? The habit of fine retailers to mark the watches they sold was de rigueur in the 1960s and 70s, but few modern establishments have the interest, or clout to do so anymore (save Tiffany and Patek, of course).? You've seen the Tiffany and Cartier dials, but what makes this find so interesting is that A) it's a Heuer and B) it's signed by Abercrombie & Fitch.? The watch is a three-register Heuer Autavia (reference 2446C) with Abercrombie & Fitch printed in white around the edge of the hour register, and it's ending soon on eBay.Heuer had a long relationship with Abercrombie & Fitch, making a few of the branded watches that were sold in the...
Watch Madness: The 2020 HODINKEE Talking Watches Tournament, Day 4
And we're on to the final day of Round 1! A big thank you to all of you who have voted throughout the week C if you haven't yet, you can still chime in on Day 2's matchups here and Day 3's matchups here. Scroll down to vote in today's matchups, and be sure to tune in tomorrow as we move on to Round 2 in the A Region. The fine print, for the newcomers: Each day for the next few weeks, we'll present you with a number of head-to-head matchups. Your job? Simply tell us which is your favorite episode in each matchup. We'll work our way through the bracket, and at the end, we'll have settled the debate about the best Talking Watches episode. (And for a preview of all t...
Watch Madness: The 2020 HODINKEE Talking Watches Tournament, Day 3
Welcome to Day 3 of Watch Madness. For those who missed Day 1 and Day 2 (voting for both is still open), let's recap how this thing works: A la the traditional NCAA "March Madness" basketball tournament, we've created a Talking Watches bracket that includes each of the 53 episodes arranged in head-to-head matchups. (We are, of course, a bit short of the 64 episodes necessary to fill the bracket, so, to make this run smoothly, the first 11 episodes were given a first-round bye. Call it a "thank you" to those who trusted us to tell their stories in those early days.) Care to fill out your own bracket and predict the winner? Simply right-click to download ...
Sunday Rewind: Deciphering Dive Watches
The functional goal of a dive watch is simple: to keep you alive and breathing long enough to finish your dive. And, while most dive watches manage this task with little more than water resistance and an elapsed time bezel, some dive watches go a lot...deeper. From enhanced water resistance for more daring depths to complicated bezels, dials, and functions, not all dive watches are as easy to understand as the toolish classics we all know and love.? For a fun and functional lesson in diving and dive watch markings, including both the common and the esoteric, click over to this post by Jason Heaton from the spring of 2018. Dive wa...
Pioneering Saturation And SEALAB Diver Robert A. Barth Has Passed Away
Sad news out of Florida this week as legendary Navy diver, underwater explorer, and retired Chief Warrant Officer Robert "Bob" Barth passed away on Thursday, March 26th. While the conditions surrounding his passing have not yet been reported, many HODINKEE readers will recall that Barth was a celebrated Navy diver. Having helped to develop the U.S Navy dive tables, Barth would go on to become a member of the Naval Experimental Diving Unit and, starting in 1964, become the only man to dive on all three SEALAB expeditions.? The SEALAB program ran until 1969 and helped to establish a format and science for saturation diving. And in ...
Announcements: The Horological Society Of New York Expands Its Scholarships And Awards For 2020
Every year at the Horological Society of New York's (HSNY) Gala & Charity Auction, the Henry B. Fried Scholarship is awarded to deserving watchmaking students. The Gala & Charity Auction was originally scheduled for tonight, April 1, 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the Henry B. Fried Scholarship is not postponed. Today, HSNY is announcing the 2020 awardees, expanding the number of scholarships given out, and creating a new award specifically for watchmaking schools. This is a difficult time for the entire watchmaking industry, HSNY included. But this gives us a moment to reflect on what is most important (beyond public health, of course). For HSNY, that i...
Hands-On: The Seiko Presage Homage To The Crown Chronograph
Seiko just released three references SARX069, SARX073, and SARX071 from its Presage line as an homage to the Crown Chronograph circa 1964. I got my hands on them, so here is my quick Hands-On review of the new homage pieces.The original Crown Chronograph was developed when Seiko became the official timekeeper of the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics, which were the first games to be held in Japan. This watch is also known as the first Japanese timepiece with a stopwatch complication, and it inherited the name Crown from the hand-wound (non-chronograph) piece of the same name, which the Crown Chronograph was based on. First Crown Chronograph ref. 5719A-45...
Introducing: The Swatch Sistem51 Petite Seconde
Launching in black or blue and with a special dial layout, this is the Swatch Sistem51 Petite Seconde. Representing the first expression of the Sistem51 platform with a small seconds display, the Sistem51 Petite Seconde marks a progressive evolution of the revolutionary movement design launched by Swatch at Baselworld in 2013. Like its older central-seconds siblings, the Sistem51 Petite Seconde retains an eccentrically-finished automatic movement which can be appreciated through the display caseback.? Initial Thoughts Wrapped in a 42mm polished steel case with either a blue dial (SY23S403) or black dial (...
Best of Watchville: A Fond Look Back At A Classic Seiko Diver, From Fratello
The classic caliber 7S26 dive watches from Seiko came in a plethora of shapes and sizes and colors, but there might have been no more polarizing designs than the so-called "Monster" divers. These came either on a strap or bracelet, and their distinguishing features were the rocket-ship hands and the deeply knurled bezel, which sat inside a shrouded, Seiko Tuna can-esque case. I bought my own a few years after they were first introduced in 2000, and I still have it. Moreover, I think it may quite literally be the only watch I have ever bought which has actually increased in value. The Monsters were polarizing designs for pretty much the entire time that they were ...
In this installment of our new Retailer Spotlight column, we take a look at two retailers who are focused on serving drastically different corners of the watch world. Ray Grenon in Newport, Rhode Island carries watches from brands that even the most seasoned readers of HODINKEE probably haven't heard of. He's a one-man band with watches that are most likely the only example in the country. We'll also hear from Ryan Miller, who took up the family business at Brent L. Miller Jewelers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Ryan's been organizing "Analog Saturdays," where watch-obsessed folks meet up on Saturday mornings for a blast through the Pennsylvania backroads in cars wi...
Watch Spotting: Chef Kevin Gillespie Wearing A Tudor Pelagos On Bravo's 'Top Chef'
There's a connection between chefs and watches. We have seen it before from renowned chefs such as Alton Brown and Brad Farmerie. We are seeing more of this idea on display in this season of Bravo's Top Chef, showcasing all-star contestants from seasons past. This edition not only features fierce competition and top-notch cuisine, but also a chef and watch that I think many HODINKEE readers are really going to love. Chef Kevin, driving, while wearing his Tudor Pelagos on Top Chef. Chef Kevin Gillespie, who originally appeared on season six of Top Chef, has an interesting and powerful story that deeply informs his personal and ...
Found: Alton Brown Is Auctioning Two Of His Personal Watches For Charity
In crazy times like these, there are always opportunities to get creative and do some good in the world. Watch collector, television personality, chef, and, of course, friend of HODINKEE Alton Brown is stepping up and doing just that. He recently announced on his Instagram that he is auctioning off two of his own watches in partnership with Crown & Caliber to raise money for the Giving Kitchen, an Atlanta-based non-profit that provides emergency assistance to food service workers (some of the most hard-hit people right now, with restaurant closures cascading across the country). Last week, when Ben wrote about the watch community coming together, putting some positivity out into the worl...
Recommended Reading: A Deep Dive Into The Royal Oak Offshore
Iconic watches are never planned as icons in advance. More often than not, they aren't even appreciated in their time. It's like capturing lightning in a bottle. You never meant to do it, you show it off to everyone you know, they ask you to do it again and you simply cannot. But what if you could? Phillips has put together a comprehensive guide to a well-known watch collection from Audemars Piguet that did just that.? Audemars Piguet. Two words that immediately invoke another two words: Royal Oak. This icon, from the mind of Gerald Genta, turned the watch world on its head and gave new meaning to the idea of the luxury watch. ...
In-Depth: Does Great Movement Finishing Mean A Great Watch?
A few weeks ago, we published an in-depth look at one of the new watches from Montblanc. The watch in question was the Heritage Manufacture Pulsograph, which uses a movement made at the Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie in Villeret. As most enthusiasts will probably already know, this is the facility that was home to the Minerva watch company, which in the last 20 years has had a couple of changes of ownership, as well as direction, and which now produces hand-finished movements for Montblanc watches. It is always interesting to see the reactions to the Montblanc Minerva pieces specifically, because they raise som...
Retailer Spotlight: Windsor Jewelers In North Carolina And James Porter & Son In Glasgow, Scotland
This edition of our Retailer Spotlight features the first retailer outside of the United States in the series. To offer some perspective, when James Porter & Son in Glasgow, Scotland was being formed across the pond, the United States was going through some growing pains and wasn't entirely "United" yet. The other retailer, Windsor Jewelers, hails from the Tarheel State and has built up a reputation as the backbone of the local watch enthusiast community. They're even involved with supporting grassroots efforts like the Carolina Watch Club.? Below you'll find their stories and the individual efforts they're making to support the watch community on both sides ...
The Grey NATO: Episode 105: The Isolation Tapes // More Q And A
Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Google Play). Already heard it once or twice? Please leave a short review here, and tell us what topics you'd like us to chat about (or email [email protected]).? You sent in questions (a lot), and our weekly Isolation Tapes episodes continue with another Q&A episode. We got questions from all over the world (even Trinidad and Tobago!) and the guys had a blast hearing your voices and attempting to answer a wide-ranging set of questions. A huge thanks to everyone who sent in a voice memo question and to The HODINKEE Shop for making this episode possible. ...
Introducing: The H. Moser & Cie Venturer Vantablack Black Hands (Live Pics & Pricing)
Ever striving for a unique angle, H. Moser & Cie has launched three new models that feature dials made from Vantablack, aka "the blackest black ever produced by artificial means." With no branding or even indices, the effect of these very black dials is arguably not even second to the display of the time C which, for the record, is rendered with blackened hands. For these new Vantablack Black Hands models, Moser is going for a sort of stealth mode for time. The trio includes the Venturer Vantablack Black Hands (shown here) with a 39mm white-gold case, the Venturer Vantablack Black Hands XL in a 43mm steel case, and finally th...
Retailer Spotlight: Henne Jewelers In Pittsburgh, PA, And Carat & Co. In Flushing, NY
We're all in the mode of hunkering down, staying in our homes, and hoping for the best. But there's also a compelling argument to be made that now is a decent time to finally pull the trigger on the watch you've been looking at. There are plenty of stories floating around about instances where watches that are usually in the safe downstairs are coming out and becoming available.?It's all speculation and anecdotal, but the fact remains: Retailers need cash flow to stay alive.? With that being said, here are two great family-run businesses to consider. One is right in HODINKEE's backyard over in Flushing, NYC. The other is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Below you'll ...
Recommended Reading: The Oldest Watchmaking School Graduate From OSU, And Maybe Ever
Fresh off of his performance in this week's Reference Points, Eric Wind is back, this time with a really great interview on the oldest person to ever graduate from watchmaking school. Talk about taking the road less traveled and it making all the difference. Wind sat down with Jerry Tate, watchmaker, and what ensued was a fascinating conversation about life choices, career pivots, and of course, watches. Now, if I told you that a career mechanical engineer decided to try his hand at watchmaking, obtain a degree in the subject, and change careers, you might not think that is too far fetched. But what about a mechanical engineer wh...