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Best Super NEWS Watches
Hands-On: The Georg Jensen Koppel Grande Date Small Seconds
Georg Jensen is best known for its silverware and flatware, and rightly so; the company takes its name from its founder, a Danish silversmith who opened his first workshop in Copenhagen, in 1904, which was followed in 1909 with a larger retail presence in Berlin. In the following decades, and especially after the Second World War, the firm became known for its heavily Bauhaus-influenced design and for its contributions to the Danish Modern design movement. One of its best-known designers, after the death of Georg Jensen in 1935, was Henning Koppel, who was responsible for some of Georg Jensen's most iconic designs C including the company's first wristwatch, in 1978. The latest variation on K...
Letter From The Editor: A Quick Note About Comments Within The HODINKEE Community
We at HODINKEE are very grateful to all our readers and to the community that has grown up around our website, and in order to help readers better understand the dynamics of the comments section of our site, we thought we'd actually codify and clarify what our hopes and expectations are for reader comments, as well as help clarify why it is that, on occasion, we don't publish comments. As most of you probably know, comments are moderated by the H team and must be approved to be visible. We currently do not require social media or other logins that would require personal information, as many serious collectors who wish to comment and participate in discussions also prefer to maintain anonymi...
Hands-On: The Omega Planet Ocean Deep Black Collection
The Omega Planet Ocean Deep Black Collection was just announced yesterday, with significant interest worldwide in a new GMT Planet Ocean timepiece with a ceramic case, in four different executions, and with Master Chronometer certification. We saw the entire collection shortly thereafter and have some initial thoughts to share, as well as live shots of the watches C which both confirm some widespread first impressions from the press release, as well as challenging some others (at least to some extent). A quick review of the basics: the watches have full ceramic cases (they're marked with the chemical formula for the ceramic,...
Book Review: Drive Time, Watches Inspired By Automobiles, Motorcycles, And Racing
The relationship between automobiles in particular and motorsports in general is a long one and it's an interesting coincidence that both the automobile and the wristwatch began to take on their modern form during roughly the same period of time C the late-18th and early-19th centuries. The relationship really started to take off in the period following World War II, and since then, both direct and indirect partnerships and relationships between car makers and watchmakers have flourished. To the best of my knowledge, though, no one has ever attempted to systematically chronicle the evolution of the motorsports themed watch for English language readers, which is where Drive Time: Watches In...
After many years of trying to get a photograph of the Dalai Lama's Patek Philippe watch that was a gift from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1943, I nearly fell off my office chair when I got an e-mail this morning from Thomas Laird directing me to Senator Patrick Leahy's Facebook page, where Senator Leahy (perhaps better known for his cameos in Batman movies including The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) posted a photograph of the watch as well as a photograph of the Dalai Lama showing it to him last night at an event in Washington, D.C. The Journey The journey to see and identify this wa...
When you think about how watches are made, what comes to mind? Do you think of watchmakers wearing lab coats and loupes, meticulously polishing a part before adding it to a movement? Or do you think of nanofabrication engineers in cleanrooms, precisely adjusting plasma density to etch a part from a silicon wafer? It is a bit of both with the Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon, and that is a very good thing. The use of silicon in mechanical watches is becoming more and more popular, as brands are realizing the advantages the material brings to a mechanical watch movement. Silicon is anti-magnetic, extremely hard and lightweight, requires no lubrication, and can be manufactured to a level of accu...
Timepieces that celebrate specific partnerships are generally commercial successes only because they are made in very limited numbers, and are sold almost exclusively to the group they were made for, which generally includes neither people like me, who are hyper selective about what they buy due to budgetary restrictions, nor the general public, who still need to be convinced that mechanical watches are not useless gimmicks. The new IWC Chronograph Edition "Rudolf Caracciola" However, IWCs Chronograph Edition "Rudolf Caracciola" is an example of the contrary. Its a timepiece celebrating a partnership, yes; but it's also a w...
Hands-On: The Surprisingly Great Looking (In Person) Seiko Credor Fugaku Tourbillon
Pictures can be really misleading, and often, press kit images can, for all sorts of reasons, actually make it harder to understand a watch. The gulf between the first impression you get from a press kit image C which often is all that enthusiasts have to go on C and the kind of impression you get when you actually handle a watch, is sometimes a huge one. Of course some of this is just due to the fact that no picture can capture the experience of actually seeing a watch in person and having it on your wrist, but with press release photos especially, the gap between how you feel when you see a picture, and how you feel when you have a watch in front of you, can be especially dramatic. The mos...
This week, we scoured eBay to find three great chronographs, starting with an early Speedmaster reference 2998-2 offering a superb tropical dial. We will also show you a Hamilton Chrono-matic with an automatic chronograph movement, and a solid gold chronograph from the French manufacturer Lip. Outside of eBay, we will look at a beautiful Longines Conquest, and a rarely seen Girard-Perregaux. This is your Bring A Loupe for June 17, 2016. A Hamilton Chrono-Matic With Automatic Caliber 11 And Panda Dial The winding crown on the left side shows that this Hamilton is more than just a pretty face. Granted, ...
Breaking News: FTC Takes Action Against Shinola, Suggests 'Where American Is Made' Slogan Be Dropped
Last year, HODINKEE published an article detailing deceptive marketing practices taking place in the American watchmaking industry. Shortly after publishing, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action and issued guidance C guidance that Shinola chose to ignore. Today, the FTC took action against the largest of all American watch companies, Shinola, instructing them to make major changes in their marketing collateral and products, even suggesting retroactive corrective tags and inserts in watches already on the shelves and with clients and suggesting significant changes in advertising copy. 100% of the cost of materials used to make certain watches is attribut...
An Open Letter From Shinola Founder Tom Kartsotis In Response To The FTC's Most Recent Action
Editor's Note: This morning, we reported that the Federal Trade Commission published a series of guidelines for Detroit-based Shinola, which is the producer of several products C including watches, bicycles, and leather goods C described as "Built in America." The FTC suggested a multi-point plan to change advertising and other marketing materials to more specifically describe what it is they do at Shinola C you can read that story here. Among other things, moving ahead Shinola will continue to use "Built In Detroit" on watch cases, but will add the qualification "with Swiss and Imported Parts. Not soon after we published this story, we were contacted by Shinola with a response to the FTC's...
Watches Of Knightsbridge has put together its largest-ever catalogue (585 lots!) but fear not, we've done the dirty work and gone through all of the pages to find the highlights for you. The summer sale, which takes place on July 2 in Knightsbridge, features a few off-beat pieces from iconic families, including the Autavia, the Navitimer and the El Primero. Following a season of record-breaking auctions for vintage chronographs, it's good to find some gems at more reasonable prices. Lot 37: A Stainless Steel Breitling AOPA Navitimer From The 60s Once a hugely collectible wristwatch C often "the first...
In the first two parts of this series, we looked at the history of ultra thin watches C how they gradually evolved, and how, as watchmaking progressed, watches started to become so thin that they began to reach certain physical limits. ?In this third installment, we'll look at two modern watches by Audemars Piguet and Piaget, and see where ultra thin watches might go from here, as watchmakers continue to wage their micron-scale war. First, let's start with a watch from all the way back in 1986. ?This is the Audemars Piguet Reference 25643BA with caliber 2870, and it's one of the most important watches in the history of ultra thin...
As we all probably have noticed by now, a recent FTC determination directed Detroit-based Shinola to change the language of some of its marketing materials, labeling, and product design to remove or alter those aspects of their work which might give the impression that their products were Made In The USA when they were not. A larger issue for watch enthusiasts, however, was raised as well: how does Made In The USA stack up against Swiss Made, and is the Made In The USA requirement unfairly restrictive C indeed, does it tend to stifle the nascent watchmaking industry in the United States? According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, a watch is Swis...
If you're in New York through this Friday, and you're interested in watches, you have a chance to experience three watches very rarely seen outside of very tight collector circles and outside of Japan: the Credor Repeater, Sonnerie, and Fugaku Tourbillon, the first tourbillon ever made by Seiko. The Seiko Credor Sonnerie was the very first chiming watch from Seiko; the Seiko Credor Minute Repeater has a number of unusual technical features, including a silent regulator based on t...
Watch Spotting: At The Goodwood Festival Of Speed, Sanctum Of The Petrolhead
Given the cost of petrol, you might be wondering if racing classic cars more than a mile uphill is the best way of spending one's afternoon? Not in Goodwood. The British estate is home to Britain's largest annual rendezvous for petrolheads and brings together an eclectic collection of vehicles, from vintage Formula 1s to modern rally automobiles, for an historic racing event: The Goodwood Festival Of Speed (FoS). The FoS was founded by the owner of Goodwood estate, Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara, in 1993, and while the signature event is the timed hill-climb, there are many other demonstrations and exhibitions as well. ?The estate has a long history of involvement with moto...
Its probably safe to say that Allentown, Pennsylvania, isnt the first (or second, or third) place that comes to mind when you think of the renowned Italian luxury brand Bulgari. But yet thats where we found ourselves earlier this week to take a look at chairman Nicola Bulgaris massive collection of vintage American automobiles, as well as many of the brand's latest timepieces C including the new ultra thin Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater. Left to right: The Octo Ultranero Finissimo Repeater; the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater; and the Octo Finissimo Skeleton. Why the fascination with Americ...
British Watch Brands Weigh In On The Potential Consequences Of Today's European Union Referendum
A historic referendum will decide today whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union, or leave it. The implications for the watch industry, in case of a Brexit, could have major repercussions on British watch companies. We spoke to the CEOs and founders of four brands C most of which source parts from Switzerland, with the notable exception of Roger W. Smith C to hear how this decision would impact their trade, if at all. Piers Berry, Founder Of Pinion Watch Company Ltd. The Pinion Axis II in stainless steel. Pinion is a relatively recent start-up brand based in the UK that...
A Week On The Wrist: The Longines Legend Diver
As a true lover of vintage watches, hearing about a re-edition always brings mixed feelings. Obviously, it is amazing to witness an homage to some beloved classics, and get a watch that might not have the relative frailty of the original. But at the same time, there is often an uncomfortable feeling of incomplete reproduction of the original experience; for instance, the artificial tint of faux patina can never match the actual work of time on the lume. In their freshness, neo-vintage watches can also be perceived as too clinical, with their brand new body and lack of any signs of use. The vintage Longines Diver reference 7042. ...
Hands-On: The A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Moon Phase
Its no secret that Lange is one of my favorite makers. So you can imagine my disappointment when I didnt get to spend much time with the new Saxonia Moon Phase back in January, but was just able to get my hands on one this week and boy does it not disappoint. In fact, this might be my new favorite watch. For me, this watch exemplifies everything that Lange does well: clean, restrained, beautifully-finished timepieces.? Lets start with the movement. The new Saxonia Moon Phase is powered by the new L086.5, which is essentially the same thing as the L086.1 used in the Saxonia Automatic (another fave), with the addition of the moo...