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Best Super NEWS Watches
We first showed you the RL 67 Safari 45mm last year after its release at SIHH 2013. For this year, Ralph Lauren Watches is releasing the RL 67 in a much more wearable 39mm size, something it has done with previous models in the past. With many brands going bigger and bigger, this is a not-too-common instance in which we get a more restrained option as well. If you're in the market for a sub-$5,000 chronometer, you now have another nice choice.Inside this watch is the calibre RL300-1, which is based on a Sellita movement. Of course the big thing here is that the movement is updated to meet COSC chronometer standards. The self-winding movement has a power reserve of 42 hours and is decorated w...
In October of 2014, Patek Philippe presented a collection of pieces that the world had been waiting 25 years to see. It was Patek who in 1989 launched the very concept of commemorative watches with its 150th anniversary collection and who today still garners more attention than anyone else in the world of haute horlogerie. We have already shown you the basics of what comprises the Patek 175 collection (see here, here, here, and here) but today we will go hands-on with all the pieces, as well as break down a bit more about what this collection may or may not mean long-term. Previous Commemorative Watches I...
Last year Girard-Perregaux released its new Hawk line of sport watches, with the Sea Hawk diver and Chrono Hawk chronograph. Today we bring you a new pair of Chrono Hawks, each with a new dial color and a new bracelet developed specifically for the Chrono Hawk's case. Technically these are nothing new, but they're probably our favorite offerings from the Hawk line so far C also, don't forget to check out our Week On The Wrist review of the Chrono Hawk here. Just in case you need a refresher on the Chrono Hawk, it is Girard-Perregaux's latest sport chronograph. The beefy 44mm steel case has a large bezel with an octagonal rubber edge and rubber caps on the large pushers and crown to match. It...
Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrated its 180th anniversary in 2013 as its Jubilee year. As part of the special Jubilee collection, JLC unveiled what was at the time the thinnest mechanical watch in the world, the Master Ultra-Thin Jubilee. The 39mm platinum case comes in at a razor thin 4.05mm and it houses the in-house calibre 849 ultra-thin movement. That the limited edition of 880 pieces is priced under $20,000 ($17,800 to be precise) only adds to the allure. And while Piaget has since released the Altiplano 38mm 900P, which undercuts the Master Ultra-Thin Jubilee by .4mm, this watch is no less interesting. Not even a bit. Read all about it here....
Pre-SIHH 2014: Introducing The Greubel Forsey Platinum GMT (Details & Pricing)
Greubel Forsey Platinum GMT The Greubel Forsey GMT is one of those completely outlandish watches that any real watch lover can get excited about, even if it's not something you'd personally want to wear. The combination of complications is impressive, the finishing seriously top-notch, and the sculptural globe at 7 o'clock unlike anything else in horology. Today we bring you the latest incarnation of the Greubel Forsey GMT, this time rendered in beautiful platinum with black and silver dial elements.A few months back, we gave you a hands-on look at the Greubel Forsey GMT, specifically the version in red gold with a two-tone grey dial. This watch is one you really d...
Introducing the Chopard L.U.C 1963, A New In-House Chronometer With Fine Old-World Aesthetics
Elegance and simplicity often go hand in hand, and with the L.U.C 1963, Chopard has taken this ethos to heart. This new certified chronometer fluently combines old-world aesthetics with subtle contemporary details, and inside beats a pretty serious in-house, COSC-certified movement. The modern take on classic does mean a larger case size, but otherwise this time-only watch ticks most of the boxes. Here's a closer look at the L.U.C 1963. Chopards L.U.C collection (named for founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard, in case you were wondering) includes a range of watches from time-only pieces like the L.U.C 1937 Classic to grand complicat...
Google Buys Bitspin, A Swiss Virtual Timekeeper
Google has purchased Zurich-based Bitspin, a company best known for the Android timekeeping app Timely. The popular design-focused app does everything from function as an alarm clock to acting as a timer and stopwatch and Google has decided to take things "in-house," to steal some terminology from watchmaking. For now though, both parties are keeping things pretty quiet, declining to comment for a story in the Wall Street Journal. That said, it's thought that Google might be particularly interested in Timely's synching abilities, which let users set alarms on one device to ring on another. We'll definitely be watching out for any developments of interest. This might not be haute horology, bu...
SIHH Rewind: A Week On The Wrist With The Baume & Mercier Clifton 10057 Complete Calendar
Baume & Mercier is one of the more wallet-friendly brands that shows at SIHH and last year released the entirely new Clifton collection. The most complicated of the Clifton watches is the 10057 Complete Calendar, a modern take on a style the was at the height of popularity in the 1940s and 50s. The Clifton Complete Calendar got our attention and we strapped it on for a full A Week On The Wrist review back in May. Click through for a ton of live photos, a brief history of the calendar watch, and our complete thoughts on this budget-conscious triple calendar....
Introducing The Zenith Pilot Montre DAeronef Type 20 GMT 1903, A Tribute To The Wright Brothers
Zenith Pilot Montre DAeronef Type 20 GMT 1903 Zenith has quickly built up its current Pilot collection of watches after starting with only one provocative 57.5mm model. What youre looking at here is the latest Zenith Pilot, which pays tribute to the Wright Brothers first heavier-than-air flight on Kitty Hawk beach in 1903. It is limited to (not surprisingly) 1,903 pieces, and Zenith has dubbed it the Pilot Montre DAeronef Type 20 GMT 1903. We anticipate a shortened nickname in the near future for that mouthful, but for now were going with 1903."A 48mm titanium case with DLC coating houses Zeniths own automatic Elite Dual Time Calibre 693. The five-times sa...
SIHH Rewind: Hands-On With The Richard Mille RM59-01 Tourbillon for Yohan Blake
Richard Mille makes some pretty polarizing watches C people love them or hate them. While you can debate the aesthetics of this watch all day, there is no denying just how technically impressive the RM59-01 is. This $620,000, asymmetrical, Beast-Bridged, nano-tube composite cased tourbillon is the production version of the watch seen on Jamaican runner Yohan Blake's wrist when he won the silver medal in the 200m sprint at the 2012 London Olympics. This is one you have to see in person to truly appreciate, but hopefully our live photos help a little for those who can't get their hands on one. Check it all out here....
A Week On The Wrist: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph. This is a watch that is so known to many of you, it may not need much of an analysis C but this is HODINKEE and you can believe you're gonna get one. The Royal Oak Chronograph is a watch that has thousands of lovers the world over, and a few detractors, too. ?The ROC, as I'll call it henceforth, is something of a middle ground between two completely distinct Audemars Piguet buyers C the collectors, and, well, everyone else. The Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore families often appeal to very different people, but I'll get to that shortly. In this review, I tackle a mainstay in the AP lineup, and an interesting piece of haute horology, though one witho...
Plans To Fix A Broken Landmark Clock In The Bronx
Image via NYTimes.com For a long time, a central clock could be found at the center of most communities and time had to be told in public, not on the wrist. While things have changed, a clock can still be a symbol of a particular community or a particular place in time. Last year we gave you the complicated story of a clock embedded in the sidewalk of lower Manhattan, and today we have a look at another New York City timekeeper. This broken four-faced clock sits at the top of a former bank in the Bronx, with each dial stuck at a different time. Fixing the clock has become a symbol of fixing the neighborhood, and the New York Times has the full scoop. Read the full ...
Well, it's the beginning of a new year, and that means one thing for watches: it's almost SIHH time. To get prepared for SIHH 2014 C which starts Monday, January 20th C we're going to be bringing back some of our highlights from last year's show. What better way to start than with the very first piece we showed you last January (technically before SIHH even started), the C3H5N309 "Nitro," a special collaborative piece conceived by MB&F and Urwerk. We have a ton of live photos for you of this innovative design, and you can also check out our in-depth explanation of the mechanical details?here. Enjoy our full hands-on look at the "Nitro."...
Introducing The Zenith El Primero 410, A New Triple Calendar Chronograph Based On A 1970s Prototype
Zenith El Primero 410 Its no quiet fact that the Zenith Calibre 410 is well-respected. This automatic column-wheel chronograph movement with moon phase and calendar functions was retired in 2000, after more than three decades of use. Recognizing the technical significance of this movement, Zenith has decided to bring it back once more for the new El Primero 410, limited to 500 pieces.Last year we showed you a stunning Zenith El Primero prototype manufactured in 1970 that sold for over $40,000 at Christies on May 14th, 2012. This prototype, with tonneau-shaped case, was one of an estimated 25 pieces ever made. Its technical and historical significance did not go u...
The Watch I Wore The Most In 2013, By Every Single Member Of The HODINKEE Team
Something that we often get asked about are our personal watch buying and wearing habits. ?We spend our days around incredible watches, both old and new, and most of us have dedicated not only our careers but also our lives to understanding and appreciating these timepieces. ?So, for the first time ever, we are going to give you a look into our own watch wearing habits. ?What we did here was ask every single member of the HODINKEE team, from Stephen, to Blake, to Eric, to Will, to Felix and Jason, to Paul, to John Reardon, to Ben, to John Mayer, which watch, out of all the watches they've worn in 2013, they spent the most time with. ?This is a question that is pretty telling about who all of...
Pre-SIHH 2014: Introducing The New IWC Aquatimer Collection
New IWC Aquatimer Collection Last year IWC reinvigorated the Ingenieur family of watches and in 2012 we got a new series of Pilot's watches. Well, 2014 is going to be the year of the Aquatimer and here we have a first look at some of the new releases. The new family will include revamps of the standard IWC dive watch as well as some limited editions that take advantage of different case materials and in-house movements. We will have all the details for you from SIHH in just a few short weeks, but here are some early looks to get you excited.IWC last overhauled the Aquatimer collection in 2009, at that time making a number of major updates to the line. The hallmarks...
Year In Review: The Ten Most Popular HODINKEE Stories Of 2013
We said it before and we'll say it again C 2013 was a great year for HODINKEE. Over the past 365 days we've published some of our best content to date, including the awesome (if I do say so myself) Road To Basel series of videos, incredible features on some fascinating people and things, and launched a few pretty cool little collaborative projects (like this, this, and this). It was in 2013 that HODINKEE was named by Time Magazine as one of the 50 best websites in the world, two HODINKEE team members?were named to the jury?of the?Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve, and (just last week, in fact) a little news rag called the NY Times gave us some serious love. Like we said, 2013 was a great yea...
Solving the Mystery of the Early Heuer "Kingon" Autavias
Photograph by Richard Crosthwaite It's been a mystery that has intrigued serious Heuer collectors for years: what was the origin of the early ("first execution") two-register Autavia that says "Kingon" on the dial and caseback instead of Heuer? There are 6 (or possibly 7) known examples of this unusual watch, which is essentially a variant on the first execution Heuer Autavia (like the one sold by Antiquorum went for $25,000 in September). Well, here we've got the scoop on just what's behind that Kingon signature and exactly what you should know about these rare early Autavias. Over the years, colle...
Hands-On: With The Bell & Ross WWI Monopusher Chronograph Heritage (Live Pics & Pricing)
Bell & Ross WWI Monopusher Chronograph Heritage Bell & Ross might be best known for its square, instrument-inspired watches, but there is a lot more to the brand than just that. Most interesting to HODINKEE are the Vintage WWI and WWII collections, which take styling cues from the early twentieth century but utilize them in ways that will appeal to the modern watch buyer. We first showed you the WWI Monopusher Chronograph Heritage when it debuted last year, but this week we spent some time around New York City with a pair of these vintage chronos and here is is a more in-depth look at this lesser-known Bell & Ross. Cur...
Hands-On: With The Zeitwinkel 273, An Under The Radar Independent (Live Pics & Pricing)
Zeitwinkel?273 Zeitwinkel is one of those brands you just don't hear about very often. And this is not because the watches are not compelling. Zeitwinkel produces watches that straddle the design sensibilities of Swiss and German styles and that contain its own in-house movements C certainly nothing to scoff at. We got our hands on the 273, Zeitwinkel's most complicated timepiece, and generally liked what we found. If you're looking for something a little bit different, Zeitwinkel is a brand you won't want to overlook. Zeitwinkel Manufacture, Image Courtesy of Zeitwinkel Zeitwinkel is an extremely ...