Best Super NEWS Watches
Photo Report: Recapping The 2015 HODINKEE Collectors Summit
Just what was the 2015 HODINKEE Collectors Summit? It was something new, for watches, and for us. And we knew that going in. We knew that the industry wouldn't like it because not only did we not ask for their help, but we also actually turned it away when brands offered to sponsor it. We wanted this to be completely independent from any brand influence. We also knew that many watch lovers would balk at the entry price C a price required, quite simply, to pay back the costs of holding an event of this scale in New York City without the assistance of any brand sponsors. But, I am proud and humbled to say, that those who believed in us, and this new concept, were rewarded with what has to be t...
Breaking News: Omega Speedmaster Reference 2915-1 Sells For $137,000 At Christie's In New York
The Omega Speedmaster Reference 2915-1 at Christie's (that we discussed earlier today) has just sold for $137,000 in New York. The underbidder was the Omega Museum. This is a record price for any Speedmaster at auction, and will surely set the tone for all other Speedmaster sales for the next few months. Stay tuned for more on the rest of the sale to follow....
Found: A Benrus Presented To Roald Amundsen, The First Man To Reach The South Pole
When Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole in 1911, he got there by navigating with a sextant and a pocketwatch made by the J. Assmann watch company in Glashtte, Germany. Actually, it was two watches, both identical observation pieces certified accurate by the German Naval Institute. One was set to home time and the other to local time and both were used for navigational readings. Those watches now reside in the Fram Museum in Norway, the steward of most of Amundsens expedition artifacts. But not all of Amundsens possessions are at the museum. A descendent of Amundsen, who lives in Oslo and prefers to remain anonymous, contacted me recently to share some heirlooms, i...
VIDEO: The HODINKEE 2015 Year In Review
Well, its that time of year again C when we collectively sit back and reflect on all that has transpired over the last 12 months. So to help you remember the year in watches, we put together our annual video highlight reel, just as we did in 2013 and 2014. This is the year we sat down with mega-collector Jason Singer for an episode of Talking Watches, traveled to Japan to visit Seiko, followed each step in the making of F.P. Journes most complicated watch, gave the Omega Speedmaster the Reference Points treatment C and much, much more.In addition to the video above, each full-length episode can be found below. So, in no particular order, please sit back and enjoy the HODINKEE video highlig...
This Bring A Loupe focuses on vintage watches that fly under the radar for a lot of collectors, but that are really worth looking at. This week you will not find any Universal Geneve, Heuer, Rolex or Patek; but keep reading. You will indeed discover a rarely seen Girard-Perregaux Olimpico, a couple of Enicars, and maybe the most Seventies chronograph ever made, from Revue. The purpose of this unusual selection is twofold: ?to introduce you to little-known yet really attractive vintage watches, and also provide you with some Christmas suggestions at interesting price points. This is your Bring A Loupe for December 18, 2015. A Girard-Perregaux Olimpico Reference 90...
A Week On The Wrist: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic True Second
You first heard about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic True Second here on HODINKEE back in September, and the watch, as you would expect from a descendant from the original Geophysic C one of the most famous cult-collectible watches not only from JLC but of all time C generated a lot of excitement. The earlier Geophysic 1958 models, from 2014, which you can take a look at here if you need a quick refresher, were a real crowd pleaser, as you would expect from their very close resemblance to the original 1958 chronometer grade, antimagnetic (to 600 Gauss) watches made to celebrate the International Geophysical Year. The new Geophysic True Second, however, is more than just a celebration of the ...
Order From The HODINKEE Shop Today To Guarantee Pre-Holiday Delivery (Plus New Books And Tools)
With the holidays nearly upon us, the HODINKEE Shop is happy to offer expedited shipping to ensure that any last minute gifts will arrive in time. The H Shop has stocked several new books and tools just in time for your annual gift-giving needs, and as always we have a few suggestions based on our personal favorites. We are proud to be one of the few retailers carrying the recently published Heuer Autavia Chronographs (1962-1985) by Richard Crosthwaite and Paul Gavin. There's simply no equivalent text that covers the full line of the Autavia in as much depth as this one. This book is a must for any Heuer fan. ...
Seven Years After Launch, The Thousand Watch Project Is Completed And Headed To The Smithsonian
November 28, 2008. A 25-year-old cubicle-dweller at UBS named Ben Clymer is introduced to architect Keith Moskow by a mutual friend. Moksow tells Clymer (okay, that's me) about a project his firm is working on called the Thousand Watch Project. The idea is to receive 1,000 wristwatches, each donated by its owner, with a small epitaph attached describing what the watch meant to that man or woman C as an homage to the dying material object. Today, over seven years later, the Thousand Watch Project is completed, and on its way to the Smithsonian. Each watch received an epitaph from its owner C ranging from the sentimental to the silly. ...
Technical Perspective: The Where, How, And Why Of Constant Force Mechanisms In Watchmaking
The term "constant force" is often heard in the world of mechanical watches, but what does it really mean? Is it a complication, or something else entirely? Could it be just a clever marketing term, or is it an essential timekeeping element? With a little help from our friends at Arnold & Son, Lange & Heyne, and Girard-Perregaux, we are going to find out. Lang & Heyne Caliber V, used in the Markgraf Heinrich. Notice the constant force mechanism at the escape wheel. To understand what constant force in a watch is, we need to start all the way back at the barrel, and specifically the mainspring inside of it. The mainspri...
Hands-On: The Ulysse Nardin FreakLab Boutique Limited Edition
The Freak first appeared in 2001, and if youve gotten into watches in recent years its easy to miss what the Freak represented (and how it strained the resources of the 2001 Internet to report on it). In 2001, Jean-Claude Biver was still three years away from taking over Hublot from its founder, Carlo Crocco; the co-axial escapement had been introduced by Omega only two years earlier; NOMOS was still four years away from using only in-house movements. Zenith had only just joined LVMH the year before; the Patek Philippe Museum had just opened. The Harry Winston Opus 1 would launch in 2001, thanks to a chance conversation at Baselworld between F. P. Journe and Max Bsser, then CEO of Harry W...
Hands-On: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 (Live Pics, Details, Pricing)
At the risk of either overstating the obvious or resorting to a bad cliche, the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 is a time machine in both senses of the word. Yes, it tells time, and quite well, but thats not why everyone got excited when this watch was announced at Watches and Wonders in Hong Kong a couple months ago. That enthusiasm was due to the watchs throwback good looks and perfect proportions which are inspired by a forebear in Vacherons deep archives. Going hands-on with it reminded me just how good a classic handwound dress chronograph can be. First, a bit of history. The Cornes de Vache (whic...
Bring a Loupe: A Very Rare Panerai, A Great IWC Ingenieur, A Stylish Movado, And Much More
This Bring A Loupe covers a few brands that rarely make it into BaL: a rare platinum Panerai or a crazy Movado Super Sub Sea, it really feels they deserved a spot this week. You will also find a stunning Zodiac, a great IWC Ingenieur, and an intriguing watch from Ochs and Junior. This is your last Bring A Loupe for December 26, 2015. A Panerai Radiomir Reference PAM21, Complete With Rolex Movement Broadly speaking, Panerais can be divided into three periods: vintage with most of the production around World War II, then pre-Vendome between 1993 and 1997, and finally Vendome (Richemont). Their relative ...
The Seven Best Watches Of 2015 That You Probably Forgot About
For the past few years, it seems like we've seen a new watch announced every day of the week C doesn't it? It does to us, and we do our best to only show you the finest watches out there C the watches worth knowing about. But we've still seen so many new introductions this year C and some of them have been huge, like Tudor's Black Bay Black, Patek's enamel dialed, split-seconds 5370, AP's new perpetual calendar Royal Oak, JLC's ticking Geophysic, and, of course, Vacheron's 57260, the most complicated watch, ever. But, there have been some absolute gems that came out this year that we've absolutely loved C but that didn't receive much fanfare from the masses, and in some cases, went totally u...
Hometown Treasures: 'Luxury Of Time' Exhibition Now Playing At The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
The funny thing (well, one of the many funny things) about the modern wristwatch collector community, as well as the community of customers for modern luxury watches, is that for many, maybe most, it's as if watches sort of popped into existence sometime around the end of the Second World War (one imagines Hans Wilsdorf, with his bow tie and rather Augustan mane of white hair, staring down from some horological heaven with a bubbleback on one wrist and a Sub on the other and saying fiat lux!).Of course, the history of watchmaking and clockmaking goes back quite a lot further than that, and though the taste profile of many, many collectors nowadays runs to sport watches, the production-line m...
The Watch I Wore The Most In 2015, By Every Single Member Of The HODINKEE Team
We've reported on hundreds, if not thousands, of watches over the past year C from the new releases at SIHH and Baselworld to rare vintage finds and expansive personal collections C but now it's time to find out what we, your HODINKEE writers, editors, and contributors, wore the most in 2015. Now in its third iteration (see 2013 here and 2014 here), this annual feature has quickly become a fan favorite C and as the HODINKEE team has grown significantly this year, it only gets?bigger and better this time around. So, with 2016 just around the corner, we give you "The Watch I Wore Most In 2015, By Every Single Member Of The HODINKEE Team." Enjoy. Jack Forster C Gran...
The Year In Review: The Top 20 Most Popular HODINKEE Posts Of 2015
As the year comes to a close, we would like to take a moment to look back on the top stories posted in 2015. This year was a big one for HODINKEE. We added some new faces and tried some new things, but at the end of the day we just really love watches and want to bring you the best horological stories out there. This year we saw lots of new releases and talked watches with some awesome people. This year's top story comes as no surprise, but read on to see the other 19 most popular stories of 2015. 20. Introducing The MB&F LM101 Limited Edition For HODINKEE C Ten Pieces, In Stainless Steel I really...
Historical Perspectives: The Surprisingly Not Totally Boring Search For Who Invented The Spring Bar
(The original impetus for this story was a question asked by commenter MrGrentch, in the comments section of our story on the Speidel?Twist-O-Flex bracelet. ?Little did I know where it would go.)Its probably a good thing that nobody has ever asked me who invented the spring bar, because up until about a week ago, if they had, Id have had to admit that I had absolutely no idea, and had never given it a moments thought.?In fact, aside from occasionally cursing at one when it flew across the room during an ill-advised late-night impulsive strap change, I had hardly given spring bars any thought on any level at all for pretty much the entire time Ive?been interested in watches (which is long...
Bring a Loupe: A Dressy Rolex, A Complicated Credor, And A Great Speedmaster To Start Off 2016
Bring A Loupe kicks off?2016 with an unexpected selection: the?watches featured today?are not the usual crowd-pleasing?favorites but, for one reason or another, they deserve more attention than they generally get. We've found?a fantastic vintage dress watch from Rolex, and a modern Seiko?Credor?with a?moon phase complication. I will also?highlight?some of the best ?C and worst C listings from eBay this past week, from a very promising?Gallet?to a sadly fraudulent?Breitling?Top Time.?This is your Bring A Loupe for January 1,?2016, and I wish you a Happy?New Year! Rolex Oyster Perpetual Reference 1013, With A Rose Gold Case ...
Found: A Completely Fake Black Dial, Screw-Down Paul Newman Daytona On Ebay, For Over $24,000
We see a lot of comically bad watches for sale on the interwebs (here's a fun one, just for kicks), but watches like this are so incredibly terrible that anyone with an iPhone and any sense of reality can figure out not to bid on them. And then there are the good fakes C those that may use some real parts, or tell a great story about how the watch may have sat in a drawer for 25 years. You know, like this steel Patek 1463 that we spotted on eBay back in September. Well, right now, there is another would-be dream watch online C this time with 127 bids and a price of over $24,000 with just about three days remaining. We'll break this fake down for you. ...
Today is the first working day of the year so we'd thought we'd hit you with something hot to get things going for 2016. This is the brand new Montblanc Heritage Chronomtrie Annual Calendar Chronograph, and it's beautiful. It'll be officially unveiled two weeks from today at SIHH 2016 but we have some preliminary details today, and man, I think this could actually be in the running for my favorite watch of the show, before it even begins. Why? It's an annual calendar and a chronograph C and a good looking one C for a price that you kinda can't believe. Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum World Timer, announced December, 2014. ...