Best Super NEWS Watches
Hands-On: Vacheron Constantin Takes Us On An Epic Voyage With Nine Unique Les Cabinotiers Creations
Just before the pandemic, Vacheron Constantin had its last major release from their Les Cabinotiers collection: 'La Musique Du Temps'. Collectors and press were gathered to see a collection of watches that were, unsurprisingly, heavy on chiming complications but also featured high-end enamel work and case engraving from some of the best artists of their kind. A number of pieces, like the grand feu enamel Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin, still remain some of my favorite modern chiming watches. In theory, at least. I haven't seen them in person. Few people have. The watches were essentially pre-sold and shown to clients before they were shown to press. Vachero...
Baltic's New Line Of Gold-Toned Watches
If you've been sleeping on Baltic, it's time to wake up. Not because the sun is shining C no, that golden glow is coming from the new PVD gold versions of some of Baltic's core offerings. Starting today, the MR01 micro-rotor automatic, Bicompax 002, and HMS 002 center-seconds watches all come with a bit of golden shine and black dials to complement it. For the same price as a standard MR01 (545) and a slight increase in price on the Bicompax 002 (565 instead of 540) and HMS 002 (385 vs 360), Baltic is now doing 316L stainless steel cases with gold PVD coating and black dials. There's not much new here; there are two automatic...
The MoonSwatch Mission To Moonshine Gold 'Beaver Moon' Review
The year is coming to a close as we move closer and closer to the winter holiday season and New Year's Eve. That means C at least we suspect C that Swatch's great, nearly year-long Moonshine Gold MoonSwatch event is similarly winding down. If you recall, it all started in early March of this year when C after some light teasing C Swatch and Omega put out the first Mission to Moonshine Gold MoonSwatch. The watch itself, from case to dial to the strap, was effectively identical to the regular production Mission to the Moon, only it had a Moonshine Gold-coated chronograph seconds hand. Every month since then, Omega has produced a va...
In-Depth: Urban Jrgensen, Then And Now
Jrgensen has always felt like a dirty word to me. All the time I spent over the past decade searching vintage watch listings on eBay has made it challenging to understand why any watch bearing this family name would be considered... "elegant," "refined," or "important" C the words auction houses tend to associate with Jrgensen. In my recollection, this name is found on the dials of, at best, decently attractive 1970s Valjoux-powered chronographs and, at worst, "gold tone," quartz-powered Rolex Day-Date knockoffs. Yet, at the insistence of my former colleague and current Phillips employee Logan Baker, I spent some time reviewing the ...
Hands-On: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph
As a complete and utter devotee of the myriad permutations of the dive watch, I sometimes have to remind myself to take a closer look at some of the other sporty C but non-dive watch C options on the market. With this in mind, today we're looking at a recent chronograph made by Jaeger-LeCoultre, a brand that doesn't even so much as produce a dive watch in its current catalog. And though I will always lament the passing of the entirely lovely Deep Sea Chronograph, today's offering comes from the Polaris family, and it offers a more cut-and-dry take on a modern, sporty chronograph from one of Switzerland's best-known watchmakers. F...
Introducing: Furlan Marri's New Column Wheel Flyback Chronographs With Revolution And Auro Montanari
Furlan Marri is all grown up. The brand took a small section of the collecting world by storm in 2021 with their Kickstarter limited edition Mechaquartz chronographs inspired by vintage watches. But in the last two years, they've also taken big steps toward breaking out of the quartz mold. I'm a big believer in their three-hand mechanical offering (which I reviewed earlier this year), and their secular perpetual calendar for Only Watch has turned heads and set the stage for some wild and affordable complications in the future. But Furlan Marri has finally come full circle, upgrading the watches that started it all. Today, they're introducing Furlan Marri's first mechanical flyback chronograp...
Happenings: Fernanda Zapata To Lecture At The Horological Society Of New York
A fine watch, unlike many other luxury items, often carries with it a strong emotional significance to its owner. Steeped in history and craftsmanship, watches are both utilitarian and artistic, useful, and decorative. Watch companies, in turn, understand this, and use these values to their advantage when selling their timepieces. Using organic storytelling, brands can effectively connect and communicate with potential clients all without resulting to the marketing "fluff" to which modern consumers are sensitive to. At the December lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Fernanda Zapata, founder of Gigantem an agency that specializes in public ...
Zodiac x Rowing Blazers World Time GMT Review
Ah, the '80s... Disco tops, punk rock, leather blazers, and glam rock. The decade had it all. And if you were really going to live it up you'd want a watch that was singularly unique, sculptured in design, hand-crafted in Switzerland. One that tells time simultaneously in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad. Well, it's a few decades late but Zodiac and Rowing Blazers have made the perfect watch for that exact scenario. While it's no Rochefoucauld and lacks a certain thinness and sculpted elegance that would make Dan Aykroyd speak with an obnoxiously stilted affect like in the movie Tradin...
Hodinkee Event with Vacheron Constantin in New York City
Connoisseurs and watch enthusiasts from the Hodinkee Community gathered last month at Jean's restaurant on Lafayette Street in New York City for dinner, drinks, and conversations amongst friends. The evening was co-hosted by Jeffery Fowler, Hodinkee CEO, Eneuri Acosta, Hodinkee CBO, and Christian Selmoni, Vacheron Constantin's Style & Heritage Director, and while food and drink were plenty, that was hardly the only indulgence of the evening. Guests also had the opportunity to try on a selection of carefully sourced vintage pieces from Les Collectionneurs C which were on display for the first time in the U.S. C along with other Vacheron Constantin collections. ...
Review of Braun x Paul Smith Watch
German product design powerhouse Braun and British fashion house Paul Smith are back with another collaboration C this time featuring Swiss ETA movements. Watch number one (BN0279SLPS) is a 40mm matte silver stainless steel two-hander with small seconds and date, powered by an ETA 2895-2 movement. Watch number two (BN0279GNPS) is also 40mm, but comes in a matte gunmetal stainless-steel case with a rainbow sweeping seconds hand and date at three o'clock. It's powered by an ??ETA 2892A2 movement. Both watches have open casebacks exposing the movements. There are just 100 of each reference being produced...
Introducing: The Leica ZM 1 Gold Limited Edition (Exclusive Live Photos)
Just a couple of months after Leica announced the new ZM 11 model into its range of watches, the brand has officially launched the first limited edition model based on its original ZM 1 watch. The new model is the ZM 1 Gold Limited Edition, and it's a riff on the original ZM 1 (formerly the L1) that features an 18k red gold case and a matching brown gradient dial treatment.? Limited to just 50 pieces, the Zm 1 Gold LE is a special creation for the brand's most ardent fans that retains the original ZM 1's functionality but changes up the case and dial for this warmer and more precious colorway. Where the standard model has a black...
Introducing: Aquastar Brings Back The Benthos Diver
Three years after re-introducing the Deepstar, Aquastar is bringing back its "other" dive watch, the Benthos. The new Aquastar Benthos H1 is a limited-edition reinterpretation of the original Benthos 500 from 1970. The updated version is heavy on heritage, maintaining the dimensions and visual cues of the original Benthos.? The stainless steel case of the Benthos H1 (short for "Heritage Chapter 1") measures 42mm x 16mm thick (47mm lug-to-lug). The chunky tonneau case has 500 meters of water resistance,?just like the original Benthos 500 C?good enough to be approved in the U.S. Navy diving manual through the '70s. It has a uni-dir...
Introducing: Sartory Billard's Flying Tourbillon SB06-12 And SB06-24
One of the ancillary benefits of attending an event like Dubai Watch Week is that you cross paths with folks who operate in the watch space but might not be part of your (or my own) orbit back home. As I strolled around the fair, I was introduced to Armand Billard C the man behind the brand Sartory Billard. While we chatted, he mentioned that his brand, which has been around since 2015, was about to launch its first watch featuring an in-house movement, and he asked if I might want to take a look (and a few photos). ? The new model comes in two functional specs, the SB06-12, and the SB06-24, with the latter offering a 24-hour lay...
Audemars Piguet x Travis Scott Watch
Today marks a new chapter for the Swiss watch industry. A collaboration between 32-year-old Houston-born rapper Travis Scott, his record label Cactus Jack, and watch industry giant Audemars Piguet. The new chocolate brown Royal Oak perpetual calendar "Cactus Jack" LE is limited to 200 pieces and will set you back around $201,000. But this is a day for the culture. Travis Scott is the man who has been collaborating with Nike, McDonalds (!), Helmut Lang, and Dior. Know him for his music or not. In terms of visibility, he is, along with Drake, the most ubiquitous rapper of his generation.? Today, he and ...
In The Shop: Your Guide To Creating A Single Watch Collection
Whether you're a hardened, seasoned watch-collecting vet or just encountering the vast world of watches for the first time, there comes a fated time in every hobbyist's life when you're called to find a piece that can simultaneously fulfill multiple needs and desires. When you're searching for that special watch that you can wear on any occasion, that is both multifunctional and impressively handsome, that transcends its status as a mere object and becomes an extension of your very being. Like the pair of blue jeans that, after many years of reliable wear, fit you like a glove. Somewhere, out there, there is a watch that can fulfill that unique role. Maybe that watch is in the Hodinkee Shop,...
Hands-On Review Of The Nivada Grenchen Antarctic 2023
Often, the vintage vs. modern debate is mostly theoretical. Old and new watches have decidedly different appeal, and which one you should buy depends on which exact strain of the watch bug has afflicted you.But when Nivada Grenchen offered the opportunity to see its new 35mm Antarctic alongside a vintage example of the original Antarctic, it felt like a chance to examine the age-old question: vintage or modern? Or maybe, why not both? In November, Nivada Grenchen announced the Antarctic 35mm. On the outside, the new Nivada Grenchen Antarctic is a lot like the original Antarctic. The case measures 35mm and 10mm thick (7mm excludin...
Introducing: Bulgari And 'Gran Turismo' Collaborate To Create A Special Aluminium Model
The PlayStation Gran Turismo series is a realistic driving simulator that has continued to pursue realism for over 25 years since its debut in 1997. It is a title loved all over the world for its realistic graphics, sounds, and behavior that are almost indistinguishable from reality, and the series has sold over 90 million copies worldwide (as of November 16, 2022). Gran Turismo also hosts many e-motor sports competitions, including the official World Championship held every year, domestic competitions in the national polity and cultural programs, and corporate competitions. Gran Turismo (software for PlayStation 5/PlayStation 4) released last year is a...
The Hodinkee Editor's Picks New York Fantasy Auction Draft
Geneva gets all the attention when it comes to auctions. Next comes Hong Kong, which this year was mainly interesting for the performance of the first OAK Collection sale and other auctions, which some people saw as a sign of a soft market. But now, the houses have decamped to our little country of the good ol' U-S-of-A for the last big auction of the season. One of the best parts about previews is looking for those affordable lots that might sneak under the radar and allow people without million-dollar budgets to walk away with something cool or even build a collection. So I had the idea to find out the following: what would three of the big vintage lovers at Ho...
Reading Time At HSNY: Put It On My Calendar!
This post is part of a series, Reading Time at HSNY, written by HSNY's librarian, Miranda Marraccini. Maybe you'll be watching the time ball drop in Times Square on December 31, waiting for the opening notes of "Auld Lang Syne" to start playing over the kissing, crowds, and confetti. Or maybe you'll be asleep on the sofa, blissfully unaware of the minutes passing as the year turns passively over into 2024. Whether or not you're personally focused on the promise that a new year brings, there's no denying that it's a moment when people all over the world are uniquely fixated on the timeCwhen, exactly, does something end and something ne...
The Watch Collection Of New York Knick Julius Randle
From Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, to the bright lights of La La Land (alongside the late Laker legend Kobe Bryant) to Madison Square Garden as one of the faces of the New York Knicks, Julius Randle is no stranger to the spotlight. He spent a crucial part of his NBA career in New Orleans, playing with fellow former Wildcat Anthony Davis, who served as a mentor to Randle in terms of the lofty responsibilities that come with being a franchise player. But in addition to basketball advice, Davis set Randle on a new trajectory C that of a watch collector. Photo: Mark Blinch/Getty Images Much the same way Randle has treated the...