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Best Super NEWS Watches
In-Depth: Four Tips To Spot (And Avoid) A Restored Dial
Collecting vintage watches isnt for the faint-hearted. There are many, many things that can go wrong if one doesnt know what to look out for C wrong movements, crowns, hands, franken-watches C the list goes on. In the spirit of what we published a few weeks ago, today we want to share some tips on one step of the vintage watch due diligence process: how to spot (and avoid) a restored dial.As many collectors will tell you, the dial is the most valuable part of any vintage watch. In most cases, a pristine dial with minimal patina, zero scratches, and no blemishes can fetch significantly higher prices than dials with some degree of wear, with the exception of some specific instances where pat...
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin, With Legendary Caliber 1120
Now this is an interesting one. Vacheron, which showed both a brand new in-house chronograph AND a brand new self-winding caliber today at SIHH 2016, brings us the purists Overseas C an ultra-thin, white gold watch with not only no date window, but no seconds hand. How? By using one of the most iconic movements in the world C the caliber 1120, or the AP 2120, or what began its life as the JLC 920. Yes, it's the movement used today in the Royal Oak Jumbo, but Vacheron still uses it in a few piece like the Patrimony Traditionelle Self-Winding, and now we see it in what can easily be described as the 222 re-incarnate. The 1970s era Vacheron 222 used the sa...
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding With New Caliber 5100
For serious watch enthusiasts theres pretty much nothing more interesting than the launch of a new movement, and Vacheron Constantin has just introduced a brand new self-winding movement in an Overseas case; itll be offered in either stainless steel or 18k pink gold. This is an in-house movement, Vacheron caliber 5100, beating at 28,800 vph, with two mainspring barrels and a 60 hour power reserve. The movement has a 22k gold weight for the automatic winding system, and the watch is water resistant to...
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar
Vacheron Constantin is showcasing updates and additions to its Overseas line this year, and so far we've seen new case shapes, new models (including one of our favorites, the Overseas Ultra Thin) and here we have a new perpetual calendar in the Overseas line as well. ?This isn't the first time that Vacheron has done a perpetual calendar in the Overseas line C in previous years, we've seen (for instance) an Overseas Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. ?However, this new model is a standalone perpetual calendar, and the production of a very thin, elegant perpetual calendar in the Overseas line seems part of a shift overall in the overseas collection towards the elegant side of sports/elegant watch...
Introducing: The A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds
The Richard Lange family of watches was first introduced by A. Lange & Sohne in 2006, with the idea being to create a family of watches that reflected observation watches made by Lange for scientific expeditions, and for navigation. Since then, the family of Richard Lange watches has steadily grown to include the Richard Lange Pour Le Merite, the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour Le Merite (and a Handwerkskunst version of the same) and the most complicated watch in the Richard Lange family, the spectacular Terraluna Perpetual Calendar. The overall theme of old school solutions to precision timekeeping very much remains clear, however (even the Terraluna doesnt wear its complexity on its s...
Hands-On: The Montblanc Heritage Chronomtrie Annual Calendar Chronograph (Live Pics)
The more time I spend in watches, the less interested I become in what the industry calls "halo" pieces. You know, those mega-comps that cost as much as a home in downtown New York, that you hear about exactly twice C when announced at Basel or SIHH, and when they sell at auction for a fraction of their original retail price. I am far more interested in great watches for reasonable prices that people can actually buy, wear, and enjoy, and that seems to be Montblanc's MO these days. We showed you this new annual calendar chronograph from Montblanc about two weeks ago, and I made a point of seeing it first thing at SIHH 2016 because, shit, it's an annual calendar chronograph for $10k. Here are...
Introducing: The IWC Mark XVIII (40mm, Anti-Magnetic, And Just Right)
You asked for it, you got it. Here is the IWC Pilots watch you've been waiting for C if you thought these were too big and this was too small. This is the brand new IWC Mark XVIII C the heir apparent to THE most important and iconic pilots line in the world. And, it's been dropped down in size to 40 mm, the dial's been cleaned up, and it's been given a brand new pair of (way more fitting) shoes. This one you're gonna like. The new IWC Mark XVIII is 40 mm in diameter. Up until today, the Mark Pilots Watch C the XVII C was 41 mm in diameter, featured an altimeter style date display, and came on an exotic strap. You could say tha...
Introducing: The IWC Pilots Watch Timezoner Chronograph (Full Specs & Pricing)
This one isn't small, simple, or elegant like the 36 mm Pilots Watch or the new Mark XVIII from IWC this year, but it features a very cool complication. For the first time, one may now set the time zone on a multi-time zone wristwatch quickly, just by pressing and turning the bezel of this new Timezoner Chronograph. Some of this technology existed before in the form of the Vogard World Timer, but this takes things quite a few steps further.A little background: the ability to set the time on a world time watch by turning the bezel to the name of a reference city was originally developed by Michael Vogt, whose company, Vogard, showed the technology at Baselworld in 2014, after a decade long de...
Introducing: The Panerai Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio
Panerai has released their hero piece for SIHH 2016, and we were not disappointed. The watch is a very cool skeletonized tourbillon GMT, the Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT in titanium. ? The watch you see here is 47mm in diameter, made using the new technique of Direct Laser Sintering, which allows for the case to be extremely light (the movement only weighs 23 grams). Direct Laser Sintering is the 3D printing of .02 mm layers that are welded together to create a full form. The movement used is the manual-winding P.2005/T, which Panerais in-house movement used in the previous Lo Scienziato skeletonized watches. Th...
Hands-On: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar With Black Dial, New For 2016
You know what, sometimes the best of SIHH doesn't have to be brand new. Case in point, this Jaeger-LeCoultre perpetual calendar, which was shown in 2013 for the first time, is back, and back in black. This is the watch that set the world on fire by being an integrated perpetual calendar C which, of course, is a true high complication C but housed in steel, and costing a mere $20,000. It's very much the same watch, but with a new black dial, it takes on a whole new look. We have the same 39 mm case, the same self-winding manufacture JLC movement, the same clever display that includes both moon phase and full year C just in bla...
Introducing: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Tribute Reverso Duo
Today has been an incredible day of seeing the best of what is new at SIHH 2016. One watch that sticks in my mind is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Tribute Duo Face. As you may know this year is the 85th anniversary of the Reverso watch and Jaeger is pushing it in a big way. They have re-vamped many different versions of the classic design and are working with new partners (including Christian Louboutin, but more on that later) to create innovative, elegant and fresh designs, and for me that is this watch. The Tribute line is part of the, you guessed it, tribute to the 85th anniversary of the Reverso. This particular model, the Tribute...
This could be the Cartier many of us have been waiting for. In fact, earlier today, when CNN asked each HODINKEE team member to pick one watch that they really liked from the day's presentations, it was the new-shape men's watch from Cartier C the Drive C that I chose. Why? Because I've been dying to find a modern day men's Cartier that fits me, and my taste. The Calibre Chronograph was a step in the right direction, the Calibre Diver even more so, but they were still a little bulky, a little sporty for me. I mean, I own great sports watches from Rolex, Omega, and others, so why buy a Cartier sports watch? That's not what Cartier is to me, but the Drive is exactly what Cartier is to me. It's...
Introducing: The Special Edition Panerai Radiomir 1940 And Luminor 1950 With Special Dial
Panerai just released a modern skeletonized watch (the Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 that you can read about here), but in addition have released a Luminor 1950 and Radiomir 1940 with a special chocolate dial that resembles the patinated radium dials that vintage Panerais are known for. Luminor 1950 3 Days Radiomir 1940 3 Days Both the Radiomir 1940 (without crown guard) and Luminor 1950 (with crown guard) are made in steel with 47 mm cases. Each is made in a limited series of 1,000 pieces and features the updated P.3000 in-house movement. These watches are ve...
Hands-On: The A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds
Its not too much to say that for us at HODINKEE, one of the highlights of the year is seeing new pieces from A. Lange & Sohne at the SIHH. Naturally, not everything is a home run, and if you go through our office everyone will have their own personal favorites (as well as watches they think werent entirely successful) but in general, right now, in fine watchmaking, we (and I) feel that A. Lange & Sohne is one of a very small handful of watchmaking companies really taking the necessary time, and putting in the necessary effort, to produce watches that absolutely deliver on the promise of craft and attention to detail thats implicit in the phrase haute horlogerie. ? ...
This week, you followed all the exciting SIHH novelties live from Geneva; today, Bring A Loupe returns with some really gorgeous vintage watches C or vintage-inspired, in the case of my favorite Grand Seiko. You will notably discover how a Speedmaster looked when it was sold in 1971, and admire a nicely preserved Movado. I have also found an intriguing bullhead watch from Breitling, and a not-so-great medical chronograph from Universal Geneve. This is your Bring A Loupe for January 22, 2016. An Omega Speedmaster Reference 145.022, NOS From 1971 Finding an untouched example is a recurrent fantasy for w...
Hands-On: The Laurent Ferrier Galet Square And Traveller Bore?al With Luminous Sector Dials
Laurent Ferrier, now five years old, has been making spectacular movements from the get go. But, it may have taken them a while to figure out exactly where they want to live in the marketplace, and how they want to attract consumers. This year, at SIHH 2016, I think it's safe to say, they've figured it out. The combination appears to be insanely high-end and interesting movements, in beautiful, but often stainless steel cases, with a host of dial options, occasionally focusing on vintage themes. The new Galet Square Bore?al and Galet Traveller Bore?al emphasize this clearly, and the look is fantastic. What you see above is th...
In-Depth: A Detailed Look At Early Longines Chronographs, Including The Legendary 13ZN
PH Zhou is a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studies economics and computer science. He is a devoted enthusiast of vintage watches C in particular early- to mid-20th-century chronographs. When we talk about vintage chronograph movements, there are many deserving of our attention C from the relatively common Valjoux 72 that powers anything from a Rolex Daytona to a Gallet Multichron 12, to the exceedingly rare and complicated Caliber 13-130 that resides in a Patek 1518 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. However, as much as it is a sin to claim this for the latter, neither of the two movements we just mentioned are truly "in-house," sinc...
?At any given SIHH or Baselworld, youre obviously always going to see a plethora (to put it mildly) of new watches, but one thing you dont see very often is a new escapement. Thats because designing a new escapement C much less one that can actually be produced in large enough numbers to be commercially viable C is probably the single biggest problem in watchmaking. Over the centuries since the very first C the verge escapement C was used in clocks, there have really been only a handful that have been used extensively, and in watchmaking, its a virtually certainty that any watch you buy is going to have a lever escapement. But not this one. ...
At SIHH 2015, Greubel Forsey shocked us all by making a thin(ner), small(er), less expensive tourbillon called the Tourbillon 24 Seconds Vision. Now when you're talking about Greubel C arguably within top three finest watchmakers in the world C and potentially top one watchmaker in the world for median price per watch C everything is relative. By thin, I mean the 24 seconds is around 13.5 mm with a 16 mm bubble; by small, I mean it is 43.5 mm in diameter; and by inexpensive, I mean just over $300,000. But again, for a company that does not relent when it comes to quality, that was a great step towards a watch that was (more) wearable and affordable than previous offerings. The Tourbillon 24 ...
Introducing: The Rotonde De Cartier Astromystrieux
This was a big year for mens watches at Cartier. You may have read about the new Cartier Drive and the other pre-SIHH releases that we covered in December of last year, but one that you may not have heard about yet is this Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Astromystrieux. This watch is a fantastic example of the technical skills that Cartier possesses and doesn't show off enough. Cartier is known for their vintage (and modern) mystery clocks C Louis Cartier and Maurice Couet mastered the mystery clock mechanism in 1912, taking inspiration from the famous illusionist Jean Eugne Robert-Houdin. This year, Cartier decided to modify a...