No products in the cart.
Best Super NEWS Watches
Bring a Loupe: A Nice Heuer Carrera, A Fantastic Rolex Submariner, A Slim Tudor, And More
This week, you will get your fair share of chronographs, but you'll also discover a slim Tudor Oyster, aptly named the "Elegante." This watch uncovers some lesser known part of Tudor's history, when both Rolex and Tudor offered thin watches for a brief period (fairly unsuccessfully). And yes, the chronographs are back, from a stunning Carrera to a cool Enicar. This is your Bring A Loupe for April 22, 2016. A Rolex Submariner Reference 5512 That Almost Has It All This is the type of Sub that makes Rolex aficionados really excited. First, it is the rarer reference 5512, the first Submariner to come with...
Watch Shopping Chicago: A Visit To The New Marshall Pierce (VIDEO)
It seems as if the idea of the family-run, multi-brand, authorized watch store is going the way of the dodo, as luxury groups push to control every aspect of distribution (including the margin) via factory-owned boutiques. What we as consumers miss with these hyper-controlled selling environments is the opportunity to see watches from multiple brands next to each other, and to establish a relationship with the people behind the store itself. ?If independent and family owned is a big deal for a watch brand, shouldn't it be for a retailer? And then you have the new Marshall Pierce & Co. in downtown Chicago. While the name may b...
With the HODINKEE Shop, we have always looked to bring you things that are interesting, rare, off the beaten path, and above all else, have a tangible, long-term value. Whether that is hand-made watch straps, vintage Sunglasses unavailable anywhere else, or the most beautiful examples of the most beautiful watches, everything you will find in this shop is here for a reason C because we believe in it. This special rare find was discovered by our founder Ben Clymer late last year, and we believe this could be the ultimate Daytona-lover's accessory C and one that speaks to so much of what collecting is about. Say hello to the ultimate Paul Newman print. Th...
Hands-On: D Is For Diamond: The Piaget 900D Ultra-Thin
Piaget is most famous in watchmaking circles for two things: making some of the thinnest watches, and watch movements, anyone has ever produced; and making spectacular jewelry and gem-set watches. The two aren't mutually exclusive, of course, and though many of Piaget's most lavishly decorated gem-set watches are more notable for sculptural three-dimensionality that for being svelte, it's happened more than once in Piaget's history that ultra-thin and high jewelry have made a happy marriage. I think it's safe to say, though, that never have those two worlds been brought together in a more extreme way than in the Piaget 900D. ...
Photo Report: Inside The UK's Most Secretive Watch Collecting Club
This weekend, 32 of the worlds most obscure watch collectors gathered in an undisclosed location, somewhere in central London. Two of them flew in from Bali, another from New York, and many more made the special trip to the British capital with watches that adhered to the theme, "Issued By." The get-together, organized on the same weekend as the London preview of the upcoming Phillips auctions, was invitation only, but I was briefly allowed into this horological fraternity, for which no secret handshake is required C so long as you're wearing a special watch. After going through (a lot of) security upon our arrival, we sque...
The Vacheron Constantin Quai de I'?le was first launched in 2008, and at the time, it was both very much in the VC tradition of unusual designs, and also something of a departure and exploration of new territory. The most unusual feature of the Quai de I'?le watches was the modular construction of the Day-Date, and Power Reserve models, which allowed a very high level of customization depending on the client's preferences. The very contemporary feel of the case shape was also unusual for Vacheron, for whom strong and visible connections to traditional watchmaking, and traditional watchmaking values, have always been critical. In keeping with the contemporary character of the Quai de I'?le wa...
Technical Perspective: Ultra Thin: What It Is, Why It Matters, And Who Does It Best (Part I)
Appreciation of ultra thin watches is something that a lot of enthusiasts come to a bit late C as a matter of fact, it's probably something many enthusiasts never come to, because ultra thin, or extra flat, or ultra flat watches are simply inherently narrower in their appeal (to make a feeble pun). Nonetheless, despite the fact that they are to some extent a niche category of watchmaking today, for much of the history of mechanical horology, greater slimness in a watch was considered not only aesthetically preferable, but also a clear sign of superior talent in watchmaking as well. Let's begin with definitions. The closest thing we have nowadays in terms of conse...
The Federation Of The Swiss Watch Industry FH, which provides regular information on the state of the Swiss watch industry, has recently released its analysis for March and it's not good news. Major markets across the board are reporting declines, the market for luxury in general is facing challenges, and everyone seems to have different ideas as to what to do about it. Sales have been in decline since July 2015, according to the FSWI, but the year-over-year decline for March is pretty sobering: 16% overall, with certain key markets showing especially sharp drops. The Federation stated, in its report, that "we must go back to the crisis of 2009 to find rates of ...
Its official: The largest collection of vintage Audemars Piguet watches is on its way back to the Valle de Joux. In one fell swoop, the family-owned Swiss manufacture welcomes back a number of historic pieces to its already significant and superlative Museum collection in what is the largest recovery operation of its own heritage. Following 25 years of shrewd and relentless pursuit of AP's rarest watches, Marcus Margulies has decided it's time to part ways with his entire Audemars Piguet collection. That's right, all 89 pieces are leaving London at once. And these aren't just any pieces. Four years ago, HODINKEE saw part of...
If you like chronographs you are in for a treat this week. Expect to find a crazy good Daytona, a forgotten military Breguet, and an oversized Bulova straight from the 1970s. And you will get acquainted with the innovative Favre-Leuba Bivouac, providing no less than an altimeter on your wrist C the smartwatch of its time, if you will. This is your Bring A Loupe for April 29, 2016. A Breguet Type 20 With A Larger Case The Type 20 is the proof that Breguet offers more than elegant dress watches with guilloche dials. Jack went all in with the modern edition here, but here you see a transitional version o...
A Week On The Wrist: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe In Sedna Gold
The Fifty Fathoms watch has been around since 1953, and for its 60th anniversary in 2013, a thoroughly updated version was created: the Bathyscaphe, which takes its name from the undersea exploration vehicle invented by Jacques Piccard. The Bathyscaphe's styling is significantly different from earlier Fifty Fathoms models, and the movement is the very modern caliber 1315, a fast-beat, long-power-reserve engine specifically introduced by Blancpain in 2008 to provide the brand with a performance oriented in-house sports watch caliber. In 2015, Blancpain released a new, Sedna Gold version of the Bathyscaphe C and we just spent a Week On The Wrist with the most contemporary and one of the most q...
Big Ben To Go Silent During Major Renovation Works
A few months back, I contacted my local Member of Parliament (MP) in order to schedule a visit of the Elizabeth Tower. Now, if that strikes you as an odd and roundabout way of getting inside one of Londons most iconic landmarks, rest assured, I was just as surprised to learn that it is, in fact, the only way. Access is also reserved for UK residents, and you can expect to wait at least three months before for an available time slot. Unfortunately, I was told I would have to wait much, much longer than that. I finally know why. On Tuesday, the British government unveiled a three-year restoration plan targeting significant ele...
Hands-On: An Astonishing Collection Of Vintage Bvlgari Ladies' Watches For Sale In Downtown NYC
Bvlgari is a word most often associated with jewelry, snakes, and the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater. But what some of you might not know is that Bvlgari has, for many years, made (and continues to make) one of the most iconic vintage ladies watches in history C the Tubogas. Bvlgari x Vacheron Constantin octagonal Tubogas watch, ca. 1960s. You are likely familiar with the Serpenti watches that are also currently in production (see my review of last years here). The Serpenti and Tubogas go hand in hand, as the first record of the Tubogas watch is from the 1940s, when the Italian jeweler released a serpent-form wristwatch tha...
Trs Vite: Track Day With Baume & Mercier, And A Quartet Of New Capeland Cobra Chronographs
I could hear them long before I could see them, and then long after theyd pass, disappearing around turn one C the jackhammer of the GT350, the basso profundo of the 289 Cobra and banshee wail of the GT40. By midday, I was able to distinguish one car from the other by sound alone. And though Im convinced that by days end, Id probably doomed myself to early hearing loss, I couldnt get myself to use the provided earplugs. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity C the largest gathering of Shelby Cobra racing cars ever seen in Europe C and I wanted to take it all in, sights, sounds, and smells. The event was called Shelby...
Hands-On: With The Zenith Elite Chronograph Classic Blue Dial
Zenith caught us by surprise back in 2015 when they introduced a very handsome dress chronograph called the El Primero Chronograph Classic. We're used to mostly sporty stuff from the Le Locle manufacture nowadays, but we nonetheless enjoyed the simplicity of the watch, which reminded us that chronographs can be elegant complications when they want to be.The model did very well, beating Zeniths own expectations, or so we are told, and encouraging them to introduce an interesting follow up only 12 months later. The new iteration C renamed the Elite Chronograph Classic, and moved to the Elite collection C is everything its older brother was, with the exception of the dial, which has gone from ...
The lion's share of attention from collectors goes to wristwatches C this despite the fact that the wristwatch has existed for only a fraction of the time watches as a whole have existed. It's not hard to understand why C pocket watches demand care in handling that wristwatches don't; they tend to look, in general, more alike than not; and moreover, carrying one generally means wearing a waistcoat. The much lower demand, though, means that for a fraction of the cost of a collectible wristwatch, you can get something that represents an almost unbelievable amount of real horological content, and if that's what you're looking for, pocket watches are the only way to go.Antiquorum's "Important Mo...
Introducing: The Panerai Radiomir 1940 Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon GMT
Panerai may have its roots in two watches made purely and exclusively for military operations C the Radiomir and Luminor watches C but it has been slowly and steadily expanding both its repertoire of complications, and its design vocabulary, for many years. In doing so, it's created a far broader identity for itself as well. Radiomir and Luminor may have been intended originally to be pure instrument watches but, as can sometimes happen, purity of intent in the utilitarian produced something of great design integrity aesthetically. For some time now, Panerai has been at least as much of a design oriented as a tool watch oriented manufacturer. ?This extension of its scope now includes chiming...
Oris has been making watches bearing the designation waterproof since 1949, and started offering the Super Diver shortly after the Rolex Submariner (or was it the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms?) originated the genre in 1953. Left in the shadow cast by those two, Oris continued to make solid underwater timekeepers C with Kif anti-shock systems C trusted by professional divers around the world. With summer just around the corner, they've just launched three new dive watches C one heritage update, and two limited editions, proving that half a century later, they are still making strong diving instruments. First up is the Oris Divers...
In-Depth: Cyborg Samurai: The Casio G-Shock MR-G Limited Edition 'Hammer Tone'
"I love Patek Philippe perpetual calendars only marginally more than I dig the Casio Frogman G-Shock C but for different reasons C and if youre wearing either, chances are Ill sidle over to you and start a conversation about it."– C John Mayer, HODINKEE, 2012 The G-Shock is a lot of things C the world's toughest watch; arguably its most practical; in some versions, arguably its ugliest. It is also, however C as John Mayer's remark above, from 2012, so pithily underscores C a watch that has achieved what as far as I can tell is a unique degree of crossover status. It's the one quartz multifunction watch likeliest to be appreciated for its qualities by otherwis...
Talking Watches: With Roni Madhvani
You know, since we started Talking Watches some 21 episodes ago, we've featured some incredible and varied collections C "varied" being the key word here. Sure, all of the collectors we've spoken to have had some variation on a theme that drove their interests, but today, we take a look at a man who has a singular focus in collecting C that of shaped, time-only watches from ?the great brands of the 20th century. Roni Madhvani has been collecting watches for over 30 years, and though his home country of Uganda has little in the way of a collecting community (#redbarkempala coming soon?), he has built long-standing friendships around the world in his travels. His collection is special, folks. ...