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Best Super NEWS Watches
One of the most interesting, and compelling, aspects of an F.P. Journe wristwatch is that the entire movement of every piece, from the entry level Chronomtre Bleu, to the high six figure Grande Sonnerie Minute Repeater, is made of solid 18k rose gold. Just today, Journe announced that in special cases, not only will the movement be made of gold, but so will the dial. Here are the Chronometre Souverain, Octa Reserve, and Octa Lune, with solid gold dials. Full details, specs, hands-on photos, and official pricing after the jump. What is most impressive about FP Journe is its level of autonomy. Its roughly 800 watches per year a...
If you were one of the 800 million people who watched Germany win the World Cup earlier today, you likely spotted the large chronograph on the wrist of victorious coach Joachim Low. Even from across the pitch its a pretty easy watch to identify C the IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph. The German Football Association and IWC Schaffhausen have had a relationship in the past and the manufacture has even created a few special edition watches for the German team, but throughout the 2014 World Cup Low wore a standard black dial Yacht Club Chronograph available to anyone. For the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, a limi...
Introducing The Omega Speedmaster Mark II "Rio 2016" (Live Pics & Pricing)
This weekend the 2014 World Cup will come to a close, but Brazil is not out of the spotlight quite yet. Rio will play host to the 2016 summer Olympic Games and Omega has released a special edition of the Speedmaster Mark II to celebrate. The classic steel case and bracelet as well as that traditional black dial are punctuated by gold, silver, and bronze rings on the sub-registers, a distinct, but relatively subtle touch. Here's a hands-on look at this new special edition Speedy. It was just a few months ago that Omega re-introduced the Mark II to the Speedmaster line-up. There were two colorways available, the classic all bla...
Bring a Loupe: Three Diverse Chronographs From Tudor, Wittnauer, And Vacheron Constantin
This week, we are bringing you three varied chronographs: a vintage Tudor "Home Plate" C a.k.a. Monte Carlo C a funky multi-colored Wittnauer, and a Vacheron Constantin two-tone reference 4072. These are all uncommon chronographs that are interesting in their own ways. Whether you're into classic dress chronographs with two registers and Roman numerals or bright 1970s racing chronos with unusual geometric dials and tachymeter bezels, we've got something for you today. Tudor "Home Plate" Monte Carlo Chronograph, Reference 7032/0 Tudor "Home Plate" Monte Carlo chronographs, so nicknamed due to...
Hands-On: With The Pinion Axis Bronze Dusk, Another Contender In The Growing Bronze Watch Category
The Pinion Axis Bronze Dusk A few months ago, we introduced you to Pinion, an independent watch company based in the UK. The Pinon Axis was their first model, a solidly-built utilitarian casual watch designed with legibility and a salute to English manufacturing in mind (each watch is designed and assembled in England, from Swiss-manufactured parts). Now, founder Piers Berry presents a new take on the foundation model with the Pinion Axis Bronze Dusk C a rendition of the original Axis in bronze with a brown dial.? The Axis is currently available in three different metal cases: stainless steel, black...
Introducing: The Richard Mille RM 56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire (Details & Pricing)
Back at SIHH 2012, Richard Mille introduced the RM 056, a split-seconds chronograph tourbillon with a full sapphire case. It was priced at $1.65 million and it turned a lot of heads. Then came the updated RM 56-01, which added a sapphire baseplate, bridges, and third wheel, upping the ante. Well, today we have another outlandish sapphire creation for you from Richard Mille, the RM 56-02. In addition to adding more sapphire to the mix, Richard Mille has taken cues from the RM 27-01 Nadal watch, suspending the titanium baseplate from the sapphire case with an elaborate cable and pulley system. And the price? You'll have to read on to find out.The RM 56-02 is about two main innovations: first, ...
BREAKING NEWS: Sotheby's To Sell The Henry Graves Patek Philippe Supercomplication This November
You see that watch up there? That is the Patek Philippe Supercomplication, made by Patek Philippe for arguably the greatest horological collector of the 20th century, Henry Graves, Jr. It features 24 unique complications, and is the most complicated watch ever built by the human hand. For over half a century, it was in fact the most complicated watch period, until Patek showed the caliber 89 in celebration of its 150th anniversary C though that was constructed with the assistance of CAD, 3-D modeling, etc. The Henry Graves Supercomplication is, all hyperbole aside, the holy grail amongst holy grails for any vintage watch lover. It has been the most expensive watch every sold at auction by a ...
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle World Time Collection Excellence Platine
Coming from Vacheron Constantin today we have a very special watch. At the 2011 SIHH, VC showed one of the most complete world-timer wristwatches ever made in the Patrimony Traditonnelle World Time. This single crown worldtimer shows every single timezone on the planet, which includes the 24 timezones, in addition to the half and quarter hour timezones. So that's 37 timezones, without a single pusher, and it also displays day/night via an incredible rotating sapphire crystal. The watch is downright incredible, and has become one of the most desirable watches in VC's collection. The thing is, it was only available in pink gold, until today.First, how does it work? Well, you can watch this (ve...
Oris has been cooking up some hits recently C the manufacture Caliber 110 was a surprise hit from this years Baselworld fair and the Aquis Depth Gauge has (if you will forgive the truly terrible pun) been making a splash.?For its latest release, Oris has released another type of gauge C this time replacing the depths with the heights. The Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter is the first automatic watch to feature a mechanical altimeter.This unusual complication is potentially a very useful one if youre a pilot, placing two important instruments in one device. However, even if you're not a pilot, it could also be useful if you are into other high altitude activities such as mountaineering or ...
On November 12, 2012, the watch collecting community watched in wonder as two of the worlds most important Patek Philippe wristwatches went under the hammer at Christies Geneva: a reference 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph in platinum?offered for sale by Eric Clapton (one of two white metal 2499s ever made, with the other belonging to Patek Philippe)?and a reference 2458 that was made especially for Joe Ben Champion, Jr. housing a movement that placed third in the 1948 Geneva Observatory competition. Each would have been the cover lot for any just about any other watch auction, but it just so happened that they were part of the same sale. On paper, many would have assumed that the Clapt...
Introducing The Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 Chocolate, A Combination Of Red Gold And PVD Titanium
Christophe Claret is known for his inventive, if sometimes unusual, complications, and since first being introduced in 2012 the X-TREM-1 has become one of the brand's flagship models. It utilizes two tubes, each containing a suspended sphere to tell the time and at the center is a large, inclined tourbillon. Everything from this time telling mechanism to the shape of the case is unique and today the X-TREM-1 gets an update with a new case crafted from a combination of chocolate PVD titanium and red gold, giving the otherwise futuristic watch a warm glow.?About one year ago we showed you the X-TREM-1 Pinball, a unique piece created for Only Watch 2013. The new X-TREM-1 Chocolate could not be ...
What Do Executives At Citizen, Bulova, And TAG Heuer Think Of Smartwatches? Yeah, Not Much.
Hot on the heels of the news that LVMH-owned TAG Heuer had lost its VP of Global Sales and Retail, Patrick Pruniaux, to Apple, TechHive's editor-in-chief Jon Phillips asked three traditional wristwatch executives what they thought of existing smartwatches. Their answer? Yeah, not much.The not in any way surprising discussion features executives at Citizen, Bulova, and Pruniaux's former boss, TAG Heuer CEO Stephane Linder. What would be more interesting would be a frank discussion between executives at truly high-end watch manufactures C like Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Sohne, or Jaeger-LeCoultre C not about if a smartwatch will replace a mechanical watch, but rather about product design. ...
Introducing The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Edition "JU-AIR"
Pilot watches have been a mainstay of the IWC line-up for the better part of a century. And since 1994 the brand's connection to aviation gained another dimension with the sponsorship of one of only eight still flying Junkers JU-52 planes. The aircraft has carried the IWC for two decades now, and to celebrate, IWC is launching a limited edition chronograph in the Pilot's Watch Chronograph Edition "JU-AIR." It's a tonal take on the black and white classic, with a commemorative engraving thrown in for good measure. Here you can see the JU-52 with IWC boldly printed on the fuselage. JU-AIR is a special airline tasked with keepin...
Red, White, And Blue Vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Reversos For The Fourth Of July
There's no better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with a trio of red, white, and blue watches C except maybe with a barbecue and some good friends, of course. While you might not want to jump in the pool with any of these watches, this trio of vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Reversos is still perfect for the occasion. All three have inspired recent modern tributes and all three are worth a closer look. In 2011, the Grand Reverso 1931 Rouge made a big splash with its bright red lacquered dial, and here we have the watch that inspired it. This early example has a red enamel dial (instead of laquer), a simple dial without any ...
In-Depth: Physics 101: Dive Testing The ORIS Aquis Depth Gauge In The Caribbean
Boyles Law states that as the volume of a gas decreases, its pressure increases. PV = k. Pretty simple stuff, even to my nitrogen-addled brain as I coasted over the edge of the reef and checked my depth, which read a shade over 25 meters. Frankly, I hated science in school, but if the experiments we did back then had involved scuba diving in the Caribbean with a Swiss watch on my wrist, I might have opted to major in Physics instead of English Literature. The watch I was wearing on this dive, the ORIS Aquis Depth Gauge, aside from its chunky-handsome looks and colorful dial, is a perfect example of Boyles Law at work, a principle I was testing on every dive during a recent week in Bonaire....
A Tour Of The Museum In Breitling's New York City Boutique With Technical Director Gerhard Loitz
Breitling's three-story boutique on New York's 57th Street is one of the largest watch stores in the city. What you might not know though is that in addition to a full collection of new watches (ground floor) and a lounge and bar (third floor), the boutique also houses a small vintage museum tucked behind the watchmaking department on the second floor. Included are beautiful chronographs from the early 20th century, funky '70s sport watches, and modern milestones in Breitling's development. Here's a little tour of this hidden gem.?When visiting the Breitling boutique last week, I was fortunate enough to have Breitling Technical Director Gerhard Loitz as my guide to the museum, shedding a lot...
At Baselworld 2013 we gave you an exclusive hands-on look at the Swatch Sistem51, the 51-component mechanical watch completely assembled by machine. Since then, we have been asked regularly "when will I be able to buy one?" Well, today your wait is over (kind of). The Sistem51 is officially launching in the United States today with a pop-up shop at Swatch's Times Square store in New York City, with a second location appearing in San Francisco later this month. Here are all the details about how to get your hands on this $150 Swiss-made marvel. Before we get into where you can buy one, here's a quick refresher on the Sistem51....
Introducing Horween Shell Cordovan Single-Piece Straps (Now Available In The HODINKEE Shop)
We love a good strap here at HODINKEE, and we are always on the hunt to find even more great options to pass along to you. So, in addition to carrying our Italian leather and suede straps (which we launched over two years ago), our nylon NATOs, our beautiful exotic skin straps, our super thin Kangaroo NATOs, and our two piece lined and unlined Shell Cordovan straps, we are here to introduce you to something entirely new that we think you'll love: Horween Shell Cordovan single-piece straps. They're not NATOs C they're better. We love NATO straps, but we also hate straps that are too thick. By the very nature of shell cordovan ...
Hands-On: With The Zenith Captain Power Reserve (Live Pics & Pricing)
A few months ago at Baselworld 2014, Zenith unveiled a new update to the Captain Power Reserve. It's an elegant package with a clean display that comes in a few outstanding colorways, and it is one of the more affordable watch in Zenith's arsenal. Inside if one of Zenith's in-house Elite calibers and the looks make it a flexible daily-wear option. At first glance, this watch has a lot going for it. The slim case is 40mm across and admirably thin at 9.25mm. The thin bezel gives way to a domed sapphire crystal that gives you an extremely clear view of the dial. It's a little reflective, which can be frustrating in bright light, but overall it's very clean looking. ...
Hands-On: The Breguet Classique Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Ref. 3797
It was June 26, 1801 that Abraham-Louis Breguet patented the tourbillon, meaning yesterday was the legendary complication's 213th anniversary. Breguet celebrated Tourbillon Day in New York City with an exhibition of tourbillon wristwatches at their 5th Avenue boutique, giving us a perfect excuse to go hands-on with one of the manufacture's most impressive modern complications, the ref. 3797 Classique Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. Not only is there a massive tourbillon counting the seconds at 6 o'clock, but also a full perpetual calendar with leap year indicator and a retrograde date up top. This is a watch that shows off the very best of where Breguet comes from and what they can do today. ...