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Best Super NEWS Watches
At SIHH 2011, Vacheron Constantin revealed one heck of a world time wristwatch, the Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time.? What set VC's World Time apart from those from the likes of Patek and GP was that A) it accounted for literally every timezone on the planet (that's 37, for those who don't know) and B) it is set completely from the crown.? That may not sound like something impressive, but believe us, it is.Above is a video we filmed with Vacheron artistic director Christian Selmoni explaning this incredible world traveler's wristwatch.? This watch is so good, we thought we'd show it to you again!(Originally run on Feb 3, 2011)...
A Record Night For Jaeger-LeCoultre Auction In Paris: Actually, A Ten-Record Night
Late last month, JLC's Unique Auction took place in Paris, bringing out some serious bidders from around the world. Thanks to stiff bidding competition, 10 world records were set on such examples as a Deep Sea Alarm Europe, and even an Atmos. Vintage pieces enjoyed the most success, with pocket watches, some divers and chronographs pulling in strong numbers, even if within their estimates.Other notable performers include a Militaire SHOM, which sold for 15,000 , a Polaris 1968 brought 23000 , a QP Staybrite got 70,000 and a Reverso Cadran Bleu that got 38,000 . All of those prices exclude fees and VAT.Head over to PuristS for further insights on the auction results including some inter...
Introducing The Hublot King Power Unico GMT
You're looking at the most interesting Hublot in a good while.? The King Power Unico GMT is a little bit Girard-Perregaux ww.tc and a little bit Urwerk 103.? The watch uses rotating satellites to display several timezones at once, though the indication is made via small red lines on the outer dial.? The movement itself is pretty impressive, if not a little confusing, but then again, most world-timers are a little tricky to read.?The Hublot King Power Unico GMT will be available in black ceramic or 18K rose gold, both sized at 48mm.? These will hit the market sometime in early 2012.?(via Perpetuelle)...
Sotheby's Exhibits The Clocks of Daniel Weil
To make a sweeping generalization, watches (and clocks) are made by one of two types of people; engineers or designers. At face value this statement is somewhat facetious, we all know that the design and construction of a timepiece takes a bunch of people, but at its heart there is truth to the statement. Take for example the darlings of independent horology, these guys epitomise the mythical watchmaker; solitary geniuses slaving over masterpieces of mechanical art.On the other side of this coin is the industrial designer; who generally design timepieces using a different set of criteria and who are often less bound by tradition and convention than traditional horologists are.The clocks bein...
Man Buys British Military IWC Mark XI, Years Later Finds Its Original Owner Living In Same Town
These are the stories that bring you back to vintage watches.?A few years back, a member of the Military Watch Forum named KKMark purchased an old IWC Mark XI dating to 1952.? He was told by the dealer that the original owner of the watch was a seasoned RAF navigator and once even helped ferry the young King of Jordan and his Queen mother out of the country during a coup attempt.? KKMark didn't think much of this, though he never forgot the name of the purported owner "Frank Jekyll".?Then one day late last year, KKMark was reading an article about a great old military plane that had been destroyed by arson and saw that a man named "Frank Jekyll" had left a comment.? KKMark couldn't believe i...
We'd just like to take a second and wish all of our readers around the world a joyous and very happy holiday season, no matter what holiday you're celebrating.? We'll back back tomorrow with fresh new content, and a 2011 summary coming late next week.? Have a great day!-The HODINKEE Team...
Interested In A Patek Philippe For The Holidays? It Only Would've Cost You $100 (In 1933, In Italy)
For Christmas, how about a Patek for 100 USD? Well, lucky for you, Babbo Natale is coming to town and he has a little something for you in his sleigh.Imagine Italy in the 1930s. Il Duce is running the show and, if youre lucky, you have 2,000 Lire in your pocket to burn. ?In this advertisement from December 1933, placed by Milan retailer Orologeria Eberhard, Santa presents three stylish rectangular Patek Philippe wristwatches and a pocket watch (click here for a similar one that is on sale on Ebay now).With the Italian lira pegged to the US dollar from 1927 to 1934 at Lire 19 per USD 1, relative bargains were available for the taking. At the same time, Pateks were sold in the States for appr...
The Blancpain Tribute To Fifty Fathoms "No Radiation" Dial
The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is one of those watches that is revered by all vintage watch fans.? Hell, even their boxes sell for over $1300 these days.? It was one of, if not the, very first dedicated dive watches, and its story rather dramatic (click here for that).? The Fifty Fathoms has seen a host of different variations throughout its life, but none more iconic than that with the "No Radiation" dial.?In 2010, Blancpain brought back the "No Radiation" dial Fifty Fathoms in a new 45mm case, and just the other day we got to play with one.? The watch is a fitting tribute to the original, though considerably "shinier".? It does look like the original Fifty Fathoms but wears much bigger, which...
A HODINKEE Vintage Watch Sale on GILT Man Begins At 12pm Today
Back by popular demand is a fresh batch of vintage watches on GILT Man today, starting at 12pm EST.? This is a great selection priced to move, and with the option of next day delivery to make sure you get them in time for the holidays.The fun begins on GILT Man at 12pm eastern, but you can get a preview on Facebook right now....
Hands-On: With The De Bethune DB25T: Possibly The Coolest Looking Movement Around?
While we're on a roll posting watches with just insanely beautiful movements (the new ALS Datograph, the Laurent Ferrier Tourbillon Double Spiral), we thought we'd show you another.? The De Bethune DB25T has probably the coolest looking movement around.? It's not as traditional as the Lange or the Ferrier, it's a little more Vulcanian than that.Though, unlike the 2011 Geneva Grand Prix winning DB28, you'd have no idea from from looking at the DB25T that there is anything special under the hood.? The DB25T is rather subdued on the dial-side (relatively speaking, of course) but still very De Bethune-y. While the case is made of...
VIDEO: A Look Inside Laurent Ferrier's Studio
When Laurent Ferrier opened up shop two years ago, the mega collectors jumped for joy. Ferrier was the 40 year head of product development at a small watch manufacturer in Geneva called Patek Philippe, who according to some, make some OK watches.?Ferrier's first watch, the Galet Tourbillon Double Spiral, was a smash success. The chic-er still Galet Secret Tourbillon, too.? Then, at Only Watch this year, Ferrier showed us the prototype of his new time-only Microrotor watch, that did quite well at the sale.Now Mr. Ferrier has a brand new website and video to go along with his magnificent watches.? So, go ahead and click on through to visit the new LaurentFerrier.ch and watch the video above fo...
PRE-SIHH: Introducing The A. Lange & Sohne Datograph UP/DOWN
A. Lange & Sohne's Datograph is, according to most people that know anything about real watches, a modern icon, and possibly houses the best looking chronograph movement ever made.? It is the watch that, according to many, started the trend in manufacture chronograph movements that we are still seeing many play catch up to today.? Keep in mind, this is a true in-house chronograph that launched in 1999, which means ALS had one before Patek Philippe - 2006's 5960 was an in-house and automatic and 2010's 5170 was Patek's first manually wound in-house chrono.? AP and Vacheron, to this day, have not released a true in-house chronograph, though both of their products are exceptionally well mad...
Recommended Reading: The Art And Science Of Casemaking At IWC
IWC forum moderator Michael Friedberg was recently given access to integral elements of IWC's facilities, including the testing laboratory, complications atelier and the casemaking division. His most recent report focuses on IWC's new casemaking manufactory in the small town of Neuhausen, along the banks of the Rhine river. Michael gives a fascinating look inside IWC's new facility, detailing each step of production and the requisite quality inspection along the way. He notes, surprisingly few Swiss brands produce their own cases due to steep barriers to entry. The role is not taken for granted then, as IWC engineers take an active approach to quality after each of the processes, w...
An Original Photograph Of Picasso And His Jaeger-LeCoultre Triple Date Moonphase
Yousuf Karsh was a photographer famed for his portraits of celebrities.? One such celebrity that he photographed on a few occassions was Pablo Picasso.? One original portrait of Picasso is coming up for sale via Christie's this afternoon witha pre-sale estimate of $5000-$7000.Why are we telling you this, you may be wondering?? Well, in this particular portrait, you can see Mr. Picasso wearing one heck of a nice watch.? What is it? It's a late 1940s Jaeger-LeCoultre triple date moonphase with teardrop lugs, one of JLC's most beautiful designs.? In fact, the watch looks very similiar to the JLC that is on the cover of Zaf Basha's Jaeger-LeCoultre book.For details on the photograph at Christie'...
A Week On The Wrist: The Devon Works Tread 1
When the Tread 1 from Devon Works was released, the world of haute horology didn't know what to think of it. It shared many the same traits of the big modern brands, but it didn't use any of the same suppliers. Even worse, it was battery powered! Still, this hulking piece of horology won over the hearts of the most die-hard collectors, and was even selected as a finalist in 2010's Geneva Grand Prix in the Design and Concept Watch category....and need we remind you, it runs on a battery. We had to see what this enormous, belt-driven machine was all about, so we gave one to Blake for a week's review. To read a detailed Week On The Wrist review of the incredible $17,500 Devon Works Tread 1, cli...
PRE-SIHH: Introducing The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon (VIDEO)
Cartier fine watchmaking is nothing to sneeze at. Don't believe us, check out the watch above.? You are looking at Cartier's first minute repeater, shown to us in New York at a special preview earlier this month and officially released to the public today.? The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon as an absolutely magnificent combination of Cartier of the old (think the best designs of the 20th century) and Cartier of the new (just absolutely insane high watchmaking of the 21st century).This minute repeater (with flying tourbillon) was developed completely in-house by Cartier and shares no traits with any other Richemont product, or anything from APRP.? It is sized at 45mm an...
The guys over at Watches In Movies spotted Mr. Tom Cruise wearing one of our favorite watches of last year, the Tudor Heritage Chronograph, in the new Mission Impossible flick. Yup, Ethan Hunt himself is wearing a black dial Heritage Chrono ref 70330N. Pretty, pretty cool.(via WiM)...
You are looking at one seriously bad-ass movement.? What this is is the movement that will be inside Van Cleef & Arpels' SIHH 2012 watch called the Poetic Wish.? We got an exclusive peek at the watch over the weekend in Paris, and in total honesty, it blew us away.Van Cleef has been using Jean-Marc Wiederrecht's Agenhor for its beautiful Poetic Complications for a few years now. What you'll find in previous years' watches are Agenhor's top-level modules built to Jaeger-LeCoultre base movements to provide whimsical scenes on the dial-side.? What Van Cleef has for 2012 is not modular at all, in fact it is Agenhor's very first, top-to-bottom, fully in-house caliber.?Jean-Marc and Co. did...
If you've paid attention to the vintage Reverso market this year (why would you? that's our job), you surely have noticed that the Reversos that consistently sell for the most money are those with bright enamel dials.? As we previously reported, a vintage Reverso with a bright red enamel dial sold at Antiquorum for 35,000 CHF.?Just announced today is a new version of the TT 1931 Reverso (a watch we adore) with a bright red lacquer dial.? Was JLC inspired by the strong results of vintage pieces with red dials? Probably, but the new Grande Reverso 1931 Rouge doesn't use enamel, but instead a nice bright lacquer.? It just looks great.The Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso 1931 Rouge will be availa...
Letters From The Editor: Recapping The First HODINKEE Pop-Up Shop And Asking For Your Feedback
Well, we did it. We went ahead and popped-up at the Pop-Up Flea last weekend and I have to say, I was really pleased with how things went. Here i'll give a little breakdown of what went on, what worked, what didn't, and our plans for the future of HODINKEE Pop-Up shops.I will also ask those of you who attended for feedback on what you liked and what you didn't like, so that when we do this again, we can better serve you.Swarmed At The StartI didn't really know what to expect when the doors opened on Friday at 3pm. To my surprise, there were actually quite a few seemingly die-hard HODINKEE readers waiting to run in and see what we had brought in for you. In fact, there was a line to the co...