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Best Super NEWS Watches
Introducing The Panerai Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic Acciaio (Live Pics & Pricing)
It was only a week ago that we introduced you to the Luminor Marina 8 Days Acciaio, which features in in-house movement that can hold more than a week of power. Here Panerai ups the ante with two additional days of power reserve and a GMT complication in the same robust 44mm Luminor case. If you're looking for a combination of classic Panerai looks with some extra horological muscle, the PAM 533 is worth a closer look. Panerai's most iconic watches might be time-only, but the brand has been doing complications for a long time. The PAM 533 maintains much of the legibility and cleanliness of the time-only Panerais, but with the...
Auctions: SOLD: The Titanium Patek Philippe Collection At Sotheby's New York
A few weeks ago we told you about the unbelievable collection of unique titanium Patek Philippe watches, including one with a 9.44ct D flawless diamond in the case back, that would be hitting the block at Sotheby's New York. Well, the sale is over and the results were mixed C some lots sold for prices far above their estimates while others seemed to fetch less than we expected. Here is a look at the results from today's unusual sale.? First up is arguably the most unusual lot of the sale C a time-only Patek Philippe officer style watch with titanium case, hands, and Breguet numerals that has a 9.44ct D Flawless diamond set into t...
Hands-On: With The Urwerk EMC 'Electro Mechanical Control'
The Urwerk EMC is something completely unique in the world of horology. It is a mechanically powered watch with an electronic monitoring system to allow the wearer to monitor the movement's performance and to adjust the rate of the balance as needed. It's not everyday you see a mechanical movement coupled with a circuit board. The EMC is definitely not a watch for everyone, but it's a watch that any watch lover should at least know a little bit about. We first showed you the movement last year, but today we go hands-on with the Urwerk EMC. Urwerk touts the EMC as the first watch with artificial intelligence, and it's certainly a ...
You're Invited: Welcoming Nomos Glashtte To The United States With HODINKEE & Wempe 5th Avenue
NOMOS Glashtte is a brand that gets everyone from veteran collectors to design-minded neophytes excited. Earlier this year NOMOS announced that over the next two years it will be adding in-house escapements to its already in-house calibers, starting with the newly designed Metro. Well, we have even more good news from NOMOS. While the brand has had limited availability in the United States for some time, NOMOS is now fully embracing those of us on this side of the Atlantic. To celebrate we're co-hosting an event on June 12th in New York City to give you all a chance to meet the people behind NOMOS and to see some of their amazing creations in the metal.There will be food, drinks, music, and...
Hands-On: With The New A. Lange & Sohne 1815, Downsized To 38.5mm For 2014
Much of the attention given to A. Lange & Sohne focuses on its more complicated watches, like the Pour le Mrite Tourbillon, the Zeitwerk, and even the Grand Complication, but Lange knows how to do simplicity too. At SIHH 2014, Lange released an updated version of the classic time-only 1815 in a smaller 38.5mm case, available in yellow, pink, and white gold. The new 1815 retains many of the design features of its predecessor and will be produced alongside the old 1815 instead of replacing it. Here's a hands-on look at this more classically-sized version of the 1815. Last year A. Lange & Sohne updated the 1815 Up/Down,...
Bring a Loupe: Highlights Of The Upcoming Christie's And Sotheby's New York Auctions
Next week, Sotheby's and Christie's?will be having auctions in New York: Wednesday, June 10 and Thursday, June 11, respectively. There are a wide array of watches available, but here are a few of my favorites, including from Rolex, Omega, Vacheron, and Patek Philippe.Best Bargain for a New Watch? The Omega Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster has really generated a lot of buzz for the brand. Kelly gave us a great "Week on the Wrist" review of it back in February. This one has a an estimate significantly below the $12,000 retail price. It will be interesting to see where this one ends.This is Christie's Lot 200 and has an estimat...
Introducing The Zenith El Primero Chronomaster For The Rolling Stones (?)
This one is just too strange not to tell you about. Zenith, makers of the fantastic El Primero chronograph, have teamed up with and a produced a limited edition watch for.....the Rolling Stones? Why? To be honest, it is pretty unclear. But, there will be 250 pieces made of this watch, which is the 42mm open heart El Primero Chronomaster, with the Stones' tongue and lips logo at 6 o'clock. It is interesting to note that all press information about this collaboration centers around LVMH group watch division leader Jean-Claude Biver and not current (but outgoing) Zenith CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour, who is headed to Rolex later this...
If You're Looking To Buy A Mega Submariner Or Mega Daytona, Christie's New York Has You Covered
I had the chance to swing by a quick press preview of next week's Christie's NY sale earlier today and while there is nothing that will touch the crazy rarity or downright obscenity of the titanium Patek Philippe collection up the road at Sotheby's, there are some very nice pieces on offer. In particular if you are looking for a really crazy vintage Submariner, or Daytona. Here are two options for both. 1956 Rolex Submariner "Big Crown" Reference 6538 This is an early example of the Big Crown Submariner reference 6538, otherwise known as the James Bond Submariner for its position on Sean Con...
Event Recap: Celebrating Baume & Mercier's 2014 Collection Just In Time For Father's Day
Last night we had the privilege of hosting an awesome group of readers and collectors at New York City's Soho House to go hands-on with the latest releases from Baume & Mercier. There were great watches and great conversation in abundance, and Rudy Chavez, President of Baume & Mercier North America, welcomed guests and shared his knowledge of both the 2014 novelties and Baume & Mercier's history. We were all the first to see Baume's #CelebrateDad campaign video, which you can also see below. Thank you to everyone who came and please enjoy this photo report of the evening's festivities. You can see all of Baume & M...
Descending to Aquarius We learned, by happenstance, that during Mission 31 we cannot use digital dive computers on our dives outside the habitat to time our excursions. They lock out, actually get bent! Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the famous Jacques-Yves Cousteau, explained to me as he fiddled with the bezel of his orange-dialed dive watch. It was the day before he and five other aquanauts were to begin their 31-day stay at the worlds only undersea research lab, Aquarius Reef Base, off the coast of Florida.Theres no algorithm in any of the commercially available dive computers that will work for us as aquanauts since well be living in a pressurized environme...
Hands-On: With The Baume & Mercier Clifton 1892 Flying Tourbillon (Live Pics & Pricing)
Although Baume & Mercier is best known for its more affordable offerings, the brand is not limited to basic entry-level watches. At SIHH 2014, Baume & Mercier introduced its first tourbillon wristwatch, the Clifton 1892 Flying Tourbillon, combining the clean style of the other Clifton watches with a more exclusive complication. The name is a nod to the historic Baume & Mercier tourbillon pocket watch that served as inspiration and the watch really does bring something unexpected to the Clifton line-up. Here's a closer look at this horological curve ball.?Baume & Mercier first introduced the Clifton collection last year. The idea was to use a simple mid-century aesthetic to cr...
Introducing The Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk In Rose Gold
The $10,000+ in-house chronograph category is a tough one to compete in, and Girard-Perregaux's redesigned Chrono Hawk (shown last year at Art Basel) and then reviewed by Blake here, has been received relatively well considering the competition. Today GP shows us the latest iteration of the Chrono Hawk and it is arguably the best looking yet. The 44mm solid rose-gold case is beautifully offset by matte-black ceramic and rubber pushers, crown, crown guard, and bezel. The stark black alligator strap is rubber lined with a folding buckle. The dial features a golden bridge motif, while the sub-register hands, hour markers, and da...
We're all about bringing the watches to the people, and the people to the watches. Tomorrow night, we're giving some of our NYC-based readers the chance to check out the brand new 2014 Baume & Mercier in the metal at a private club in downtown New York. You'll see the entire range of new products including the new Clifton Chronograph, Triple Calendar with Moonphase, and Retrograde Date Automatic.Cocktails will (absolutely!) be served and we are opening this up to the first ten people who respond to [email protected]. The entire HODINKEE team will be there to help answer questions, as well. Hope to see you there!...
The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) is the most prestigious award in watchmaking. It is presented by a non-profit foundation, and selected by a jury of independent experts including collectors, journalists, designers, and watchmakers. In 2013, I was honored to be selected to join this jury along with collector and HODINKEE columnist John Mayer. The entire process of pre-selecting watches, and then sitting in a room for 8 hours deliberating with my colleagues over which timepiece should be crowned with the Aiguille d'Or, the event's top prize.The jury of the GPHG is constantly rotating, and the list of jurors for this year's awards have just been revealed. Both John and I will remain...
In-Depth: Twelve Of The Greatest Missing Watches
The intersection of politics and popular culture with wristwatches is undeniably fascinating. I mean, that's basically why I have a job. Equally fascinating is the pursuit of these timepieces at the center of this interesection by watch collectors, dealers, and auction houses. There are a handful of documented important wrist and pocket watches out there that the world at large is still looking for. What I mean by that is they have not been publicly sold or located, like say Eric Clapton's platinum 2499, Gandhi's Zenith pocket watch, or Steve McQueen's 5512 Submariner (we won't get into his seemingly never ending supply of Monacos), though we know they exist via a blurry old 35mm photograph,...
Introducing Van der Gang Watches, High quality Watchmaking From The Lowlands
Van der Gang headquarters in the Frisian town of Dokkum. Theres something about horology and Holland. In the early days of watchmaking, Dutch mathematician Christiaan Huygens, inventor of the pendulum clock, was a contemporary of scientific giants like Isaac Newton and Robert Hooke, and has a place in the pantheon of the greats of horology. The 20010 with power reserve and second time zone. And while Holland never became a hub of industrialized watchmaking like Switzerland or parts of Germany, it is still the home of many important horological innovators C watchmakers like Christiaan ven der Klaauw...
Talking Watches: With Alfredo Paramico
There is a small handful of vintage watch collectors in this world that can truly be called "market-makers." John Goldberger is one of them. Another is the 45-year-old, tan-skinned, silver-haired gentleman you are about to meet. Alfredo Paramico is a true insider, and has long been considered one of the top watch buyers on the planet. Remember that unique platinum Patek Philippe Bulletin Chronometer that sold for $3,992,858 in November of 2012? You know, the watch that actually beat the Eric Clapton owned platinum 2499 in the same sale? Yes, Alfredo bought that. Remember that one of a kind Patek Nautilus 3700 in platinum that sold for over $800,000? That was his. How about an original Patek ...
The new PAM 590 uses Calibre P.5000, an in-house movement. The new Panerai Luminor Marina 8 Days Acciaio isn't a drastic departure from previous Panerai models. But as with most watches, it's the tiny details that appeal to the interests of dedicated collectors. In this case, a redesign of the standard Luminor Marina dial is paired with an historical inscription on the solid case back of Italian Navy human torpedoes. At 44mm, the case is substantial, though the merits of an in-house movement and instantly-recognizable unique design bring added value to this exclusive North America release. Not too much is hidden by the solid c...
Two Instruments, One Wrist: Depth Gauge Dive Watches
Chronographs, moonphases, tide times, and even perpetual calendars are all complications that have found their way into dive watches. While most of these are fun demonstrations of the watchmakers art, their usefulness to a diver for anything beyond a playful diversion is questionable. But there is one complication that is truly useful, even essential underwater: the depth gauge. The depth gauge dive watch is also perhaps the purest diving complication in that its utility is limited to actual use while diving, and its function is only accessible to those who take their watches into the briny depths. Lets take a look at some significant depth gauge dives, both historical and current, as we...
Can A Bluetooth Watch Strap Take Mechanical Wristwatches Into The Future?
The Modillian Modillian, a startup based in Israel, knows that there is perhaps little crossover between mechanical wristwatch enthusiasts and smart watch buyers. Citing the healthy market for quality mechanical watches, the company now seeks to provide watch wearers with some of the convenience of digital technology. And how they're doing this is relatively unexpected: rather than integrate the technology into (another) smart watch concept, the firm developed a Bluetooth-enabled buckle that can be used with any 20mm watch strap.?There's a couple of things to note: for now, the Modillian buckle can only be paired with Android devices. The company hopes to expand f...