No products in the cart.
Best Super NEWS Watches
Not too long ago we gave you a hands-on look at the?4N, a long-awaited piece of haute horology from designer Fran?ois Quentin.?After first releasing a rendering of the 4N in 2010, it was an additional three years before Quentin was ready to show off a production model at Basel World 2013. And today a 4N is available for purchase online, where, thanks to the folks at direct-from-designer sale site TouchOfModern, it comes with special member pricing. Click through for the details.?The apparent complexity of the 4N, which at first glance seems baffling, serves the simplest of ends: a digital-style readout. Quentinwith a little help from the problem-solvers at Audemars Piguet's Renaud & Pap...
Event Recap: Our Own Benjamin Clymer Hosts IWC Master Watchmaker Christian Bresser In NYC
Last night at Manhattan's IWC boutique, our own executive editor Benjamin Clymer hosted a brief Q&A session with IWC master watchmaker Christian Bresser.? Below is a photo report of the night's events.? Should you like to be invited to future HODINKEE Events, just drop us a note here....
Introducing: The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech
In the spirit of the 2010 Luminor Submersible in bronze, Panerai is today introducing a new Submersible with a case made of carbotech, a composite based on carbon fiber that, unlike the 2010 model, will not be tarnishing anytime soon. Due to the production process of the material, no two Carbotech Submersibles will be the same.?It may be unquestionably modern in its build, but the design and utility are inspired by the original Luminor 1950 developed by Panerai in the '50s. Those were famously used by commandos of the Italian Navy; this one probably wont be, but that doesnt mean it wouldnt be up for the task. This is still a professional grade instrument. ...
On The Block: Accessible Finds From Antiquorum Hong Kong's June 22nd Sale
While it's the likes of?the $182,000 Rolex Explorer,?the $3.65 million Patek Philippe 2499 belonging to Eric Clapton, and the recently sold $2.25 million Patek Philippe Palmer Grand Complication?that get the most attention in the auction world, there are a lot of opportunities to get interesting watches at great prices out there. We've taken a look at the catalog for Antiquorum's June 22nd sale in Hong Kong and picked out a few of our favorite well-priced finds, including a white gold Rolex Day-Date, a Universal Geneve Compax, and a very early Reverso. Let's start off with the most accesible watch of the bunch, this Jaeger-Le...
The collections of two great American watch lovers - James Ward Packard and Henry Graves Jr. - have long been heralded as the earliest and most important private purchases in watches.? It was their "Grand Complication" watches that elevated Patek Philippe to stuff of legends.? According to popular belief, the very first grand complication Patek was ordered in 1910, while Packard's watch in 1916 was the second watch.? With the discovery of this watch, which was produced in 1898 and sold in 1900, the history of mega-complicated watches changes.? The Stephen S. Palmer Patek Philippe is indeed the earliest grand complication, and Christie's will be selling this time-capsule of a watch tomorrow i...
Swatch Scuba Libre Since the early 1980s Swatch has been the pop-culture face of wristwatches, constantly producing new designs and collections to entice customers and collectors. Last week the brand released its latest collection of brightly colored dive watches, Scuba Libre, just as the weather starts to warm up. Sure, we're not talking about?indestructible, timeless tool watches here, but for under $100, Scuba Libre is worth a second look. Scuba Libre On The Wrist It's important to note up front that Swatch has never been about the intricacies of mechanical watchmaking or the?production?of timeles...
VIDEO: A Quick Look At The Richard Mille RM19-01 Tourbillon Fleur
This year at SIHH, Richard Mille is all about the ladies. The show-stopper, as RM is known to produce, is the RM19-02, or "Tourbillon Fleur." What is it? It's a $1.3 million flying tourbillon that is hidden by five solid-gold magnolia leaves, to be revealed every five minutes. We have a quick video above, and specs below. This 30-piece limited edition holds one of the most impressive and completely crazy complications of the show, with the mechanical magnolia opening and closing every five minutes. By pushing the button at 9'clock, you can activate the action manually. The entire flower is made of solid-gold petals. ...
Auctions: Three Of Our Favorites From Tomorrow's Sale at Sotheby's NY
Sotheby's will host its spring New York sale tomorrow (Monday, June 9th) and we thought we'd bring you three of the most interesting lots in our very humble opinions. ?There is a mystery Patek Philippe with a historically important movement, a fresh off the boat prototype Rolex dive watch, and a simply beautiful 1940s Vacheron chronograph in stainless steel. ? A 1930s Patek Philippe Myster 8-Day Wristwatch ...
Found: Andy Warhol's Patek Philippe Ref. 2526 (Live Pics & Details)
Andy Warhol's Patek Philippe 2526 Bet you didn't know Andy Warhol had a serious thing for vintage watches, did you? Although he was best known for wearing Cartier Tank watches, he owned many others as well - this Patek Philippe Ref. 2526 included. It is a perfect example of an interesting watch owned by an interesting individual. And, adding to the intrigue, this example of Patek's first automatic wristwatch will be on the block in Christie's June 11th sale in New York. Click through for the full scoop.? First, let's look at the provenance of this 2526. There is an awful lot of supposed Warhol?parap...
On The Block: Bruun Rasmussen Hosts Copenhagen Sale June 10th
Denmark might not be the first country that comes to mind when you think about watches, but there is a thriving collector community there as well as auctioneer Bruun Rasmussen. The latter will be hosting a watch sale on June 10th that features both a number of rare watches of general interest as well as some watches with interesting Danish heritage. Whenever we see a steel watch from Patek Philippe it is cause to get excited, regardless of where the watch might be. The Calatrava ref. 2509 was made primarily with yellow and white gold, though examples in steel like this one are out there and do pop up from time to time. Dating...
Introducing The Baume & Mercier Classima 10214
While we're all avid followers of everything SIHH, very few of us reached for our wallets when we saw the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater (let's take a collective sigh together and move on). Now, here's a scenario: You or someone you know is due to break into the world of mechanical wrist-wear by buying a classically-oriented dress watch. Let's also assume that you want to go Swiss, because of say...your penchant for national pedigree. You can spend quite a bit of time saving for an Ultra Thin Moonphase or, assuming that you're at least 30 years old, for a Villeret (like the one that we covered a few days ago). A third option is that you can indulge sooner and spend your entry-level years actually ...
Sneak Peek: A Very Early Look At The Cartier Tank MC, The New Tank With Manfacture Movement
These watches won't officially launch until September. And they were not shown in January at SIHH. Which means last night, when we showed up at a special press preview for the brand new Tank from Cartier, we were some of the first to see it. And by association, now you're some of the first to see it here, on the 'Dink. ?Cartier has made a lot of Tanks since way back in 1918, but they typically housed externally sourced movements. Back then, it's just what was done. Whether they were coming from JLC, EWC, Piaget, AP, or ETA, the design of the Tank was undeniably elegant. Last year, Cartier introduced the Tank Anglaise with MC movement, but what you're looking at here will be the backbone of t...
The Road To Basel Episode 4: Max Bsser Introduces Us To The MusicMachine
We were the first in the world to show you the incredible MusicMachine by MB&F. This piece of hand-crafted, musical machinery was easily one of the stars of BaselWorld 2013. The only thing is, we actually saw it the week before the show began, on the Road To Basel. And so, even though you may have seen it before, we present Episode 4 of our original video series, in which Mr. Max Bsser introduces us to the MusicMachine for the very first time. You can read a more detailed explanation of this machine right here....
Just announced today, our friends at Nomos announced two limited edition watches with a great cause behind them.? They will produce both a Tangente 33 and a Tangente 38mm watch where $100 of the purchase price will go to directly to Doctors Without Borders.? Each limited edition will retain the same retail price of the normal Tangente watches, with the $100 coming out of the existing margins.? At 6 o'clock, these special watches are signed "Doctors Without? Borders" instead of "Made In Germany".? The 33mm will sell for $1840 while the 38mm will be $2140.? ? There are also some small differences between these limited DWB editi...
Heartbeat by Kwanghun Hyun, A Camera Powered By A Watch Movement
Korean photographer Kwanghun Hyan has found a new use for a Unitas 6497 movement - to regulate a camera's shutter. His creation, Heartbeat, is an entirely custom-built pinhole camera that uses the movement to control the mechanical shutter. Our friends over at Worn & Wound take an in-depth look at how Hyan crafted this camera from start to finish, how it works, and how he even modified the movement to better suit the camera when producing a second generation. Just looking at the Heartbeat, it's obvious you're seeing something quite unique. On the most basic level, it is a pinhole came...
And we're back! Today, we've got three absolutely awesome vintage watches for you - all for sale around the net.? They range in price from a little to a lot, but we're sure they will find homes quickly because quite honestly, they all rock. 1960s Zenith Medico-Compax Chronograph In 18K You can see the front of this 1960s, solid 18k yellow gold Zenith two register chronograph up top, and the caseback right here.? This is a rare "Medico-Compax" designed specifically for use by those in the medical field.? The dial is graduated for pulsations (aka designed to help its wearer read a pulse) and the casebac...
Laurent Ferrier is one of the few young brands that has really set itself apart from the countless, practically nameless upstarts that clog the halls of Basel World. They've done so with strikingly simple looking, beautifully crafted watches like the Galet Classic with double spiral tourbillon and the time-only Micro-Rotor seen here. At Basel 2013, LF showed us their first practical complication - a travel watch with second timezone display by the name of Traveller. Here's the full story: Just like the Galet Micro-Rotor, the Galet Traveller uses a caliber with no ball bearings, a natural escapement, and 80 hour power rese...
Pay special attention to the co-signature on the dial above. It reads "Greubel Forsey" and "Philippe Dufour," a veritable ultra-high-end horological power duo if there ever were one. The watch seen here, in its early, un-hand-finished form, is the first model produced as a result of Naissance d'une Montre, the noble project spearheaded by the two watchmakers. The components are made entirely by hand-operated machines, only 11 watches will be made, and if this early, unfinished model is any indication, they will most likely make the grail list of collectors interested in the increasingly rare skill-set required to make a fully hand-crafted timepiece.A Quick Primer ...
Just In Time For Summer: NATO Straps Now Available In The HODINKEE Shop
Well, you asked for them, and now we've got them. NATO straps. And just in time for summer, no less.Response to our hand-made Italian leather and suede straps has continued to be amazing, with certain colors often selling out the same day we restock them. But one question we kept getting was "When are you going to start carrying NATOs?" The answer: Today. When you visit our online shop, you'll notice a whole new category of NATO straps available on the front page. Clicking through you'll find a variety of basic colors, military inspired colors (these are military straps after all), and a few stripes as well. One reason we wa...
Inside The Manufacture: Five Super Cool Things I Saw Inside The Patek Philippe Factory
I was thrilled to spend two days in Geneva with a little upstart company (that I think is really on to something!) called Patek Philippe. ?While the news was really around hand-crafts and the preservation of both hand engraving and enameling (as demonstrated on the monster new 6002G Sky Moon Tourbillon), we were treated to a tour of the PP factory. ?We saw a lot of amazing stuff, and ?now for your viewing pleasure, here are five of the coolest things I saw while inside the Patek Philippe factory: 1. ?These Two Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater Pocketwatches Minute repeaters are, in my very humble opinion, the ultimate complication. ?They...