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Best Super NEWS Watches
Three Must-Read Watch Posts C A Busted Myth, A Master Class, And The Funniest Patek Joke Ever Made
The year 2000 was a long, long time ago. HODINKEE founder Ben Clymer had just become old enough to vote, and so many things we take for granted nowadays C seven-figure Daytonas, NATO straps, hating on date windows C had not yet become features of the horological landscape. And yet even in those far off years, the first generation of Internet watch celebrities, were making their mark. Some of them were website founders, some collectors, and a rare few were working to refine the infant genre of Internet watch writing. Of these perhaps no one was more entertaining that Timezone.com's Watchbore. Watchbore was deliberately long...
Hands-On: The Vacheron Constantin Quai de l'?le In Steel (Live Pics & Official Pricing)
The Overseas line's revamp was the biggest news from Vacheron Constantin at SIHH, but just last April VC announced an addition to the Quai de l'?le family that made a surprisingly big splash: a steel Quai de l'?le watch (the first in the Quai de l'?le collection) with Vacheron's own in-house caliber 5100, at a relatively (by Vacheron standards) approachable price: $14,900. The acid test for any entry level watch from a company with Vacheron's reputation, of course, is whether or not it feels like an entry level timepiece, and of course, it shouldn't C ideally, what you want from companies like Vacheron, Lange, AP and Patek is that there should be the same level of attention to detail paid t...
In the years just after the Second World War, the market for American-made wristwatches was extremely competitive and makers like Elgin, Bulova, and Hamilton were in a race to develop more technically sophisticated watches that would appeal to consumers. One of the sharpest races was to develop a watch powered by a battery rather than by a conventional mainspring, and what you're looking at is the winner: the Hamilton Electric 500. Though Hamilton was the very first to offer a battery powered watch to consumers, it was a victory that came at a significant cost, in the end. The first electric clocks go back quite a long way;...
Raymond Weil has always been something of an underdog, right from the beginning. Founder Raymond Weil started the company in Switzerland, in 1976, which is pretty much when the Quartz Crisis really started to hurt the industry, and you wouldn't have given it very good odds on surviving more than four years, let alone 40. Yet here they are in the Year Of Our Lord 2016, not only in business, but with a new high profile partnership with Apple Records, a quite large range of watches (not all of which are hits, but a surprising number of which are rather appealing) and a price point that puts a variety of timepieces within easy reach for just about anybody. On top of all that, they've somehow,...
In the middle of the summer, great vintage watches do not take a break, and here you will find a selection of our weekly favorites. You will see an Omega chronograph with a 321 movement and an early Heuer Autavia GMT, among others C but it won't only be about chronographs. There is also a late Rolex Submariner 5513 with a lovely patina, and a fashion-oriented Nivada Grenchen Colorama for women. This is your Bring A Loupe for July 29, 2016. An Omega Chronograph CK 2886, With Caliber 321 The alpha handset does not lie C this chronograph was manufactured in the mid-1950s, and remains in outstanding condi...
Photo Report: The Montblanc x HODINKEE Event To Celebrate The Launch Of The Montblanc M Pen
As you may have heard, we recently launched something a little different in the HODINKEE Shop: the Marc Newson-designed Montblanc M pen with a HODINKEE-branded leather pouch. To commemorate the launch we hosted a get together at the Montblanc boutique this past Monday in New York City. There were champagne toasts, watches, and pens, and despite a major thunderstorm, we had a fantastic turnout. A big thank you to everyone who attended, and to Montblanc for hosting us. ...
VIDEO: Inside The Overseas Collection With Vacheron Constantin Artistic Director Christian Selmoni
Christian Selmoni, Vacheron Constantin's Artistic Director, has watchmaking in his blood. He's the fourth generation of a family of watchmakers hailing from the Valle de Joux, although when he first joined Vacheron Constantin in 1992, it was as?Purchasing, Planning, and Manufacturing Director. He assumed a more direct creative role in 2001, as Product Director, and became Artistic Director in 2010. Along the way, Selmoni guided many of Vacheron's most critical creative initiatives, including the designing of watches based on the collection of masks in?Genevas Barbier-Mueller Museum, and of course, the development of the supercomplication Reference 57260. ...
Old vs. New: The Tudor Reference 7031 'Homeplate' And Heritage Chrono
Welcome to the inaugural Old vs. New, a column in which we take a look at an iconic vintage watch and the revamped 21st-century tribute. To kick things off, well compare the Tudor Reference 7031 "Homeplate" chronograph and the Heritage Chrono, two nearly identical watches separated by almost 40 years. Tudor obviously decided very little needed changing when they brought back the recognizable design, but a closer inspection reveals some crucial modifications. After spending time with both, it's easy to understand what makes each special in its own right. The Reference 7031 'Homeplate' The original Tudor Reference 7031 "H...
Announcements: Stephen Pulvirent Rejoins HODINKEE As Managing Editor
This is an announcement I am incredibly humbled and proud to make. As of this morning, Mr. Stephen J. Pulvirent returns to HODINKEE. He returns with two years of experience in one of the world's leading business news organizations, Bloomberg, where he served as associate editor and a regular television guest. More recently, he served as executive digital editor of Surface magazine, one of the most important design titles in the United States. Why I am so excited to welcome Stephen back to HODINKEE? Stephen was this company's very first employee, and it was with his help that the passion project I began from a cubicle at UBS and built in the cafe of the Columbia School of Journalism became a ...
We rarely report on vintage automobile sales, but occasionally, when something crosses the block that touches our world, we feel it's our duty to let you know about it. We did it back in 2014 when RM sold Steve McQueen's Ferrari 275 GTB and we're doing it again here today because the car that Gooding & Co have coming in August is just that special. Yes, the Porsche 935 driven by Mr. Paul Newman to a class-win and second place overall finish at the 1979 running of LeMans is coming up for sale. But the connection to the watch world doesn't end with the fact that this may be a horological hero's most important vehicle. In additi...
Letter From The Editor: Understanding HODINKEE's Editorial Policy
When I first started at HODINKEE in 2012, it was Ben and me sitting in a tiny WeWork office, where our first collection of Drakes for HODINKEE ties barely fit between our lone bookcase and the sliding glass door. Since then, HODINKEE has grown to a team of almost 20; HODINKEE has launched a best-in-class mobile app; HODINKEE has transformed the shop into the best online destination for watches and watch accessories bar none. Sure, a lot has changed C but, importantly, a lot hasnt changed a bit.The original goals and values of HODINKEE have stayed exactly as I remember them. The animating idea of creating the best online and offline destination for people truly passionate about watches is s...
Introducing: The Tissot Le Locle Automatic Regulateur C Three New Watches Each For Less Than $1,000
Tissot first unveiled the Le Locle Automatic Regulateur back in March at Baselworld, but the three new watches are just now hitting stores. The Regulateur is a new addition to the Le Locle collection (aptly named for Tissot's home town) and the design is based on 18th and 19th century regulator clocks used by watchmakers to keep more accurate time. The new Tissot Regulateur features two subsidiary dials, one for the hours (at 12 o'clock) and one for the running seconds (at 6 o'clock). The minutes are shown by the big hand on the main dial. The 39.3mm watc...
The Two Watch Collection: The Patek Philippe 3940 And The A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph
I've often thought about what my watch collection will be like in twenty years. I'll be in my fifties then, married with children (I hope). My watch life could go one of two ways: I could fall deeper into the intense collecting and research that has defined the last half-decade of my life (as a single man with little overhead). Or, I could choose to pare things down and focus on just the watches that are important as other things take precedence (houses and kids are expensive). The latter is where today's story comes in. Picking up on Jack's earlier two installments of?"The Two Watch Collection," I'll talk about what could some day be my own personal two watch collection, why I believe these...
Talking Watches: With Howie Kendrick
If you're a fan of vintage watches, and you happen to be on Instagram, then you likely know the username "HKendrick47." You might not, however, know who this vintage-watch-loving, Leica-shooting man really is. Howie Kendrick, or Howard Kendrick, as his friends call him, is truly one of the friendliest guys you'll ever meet, inside or outside of watches. After spending nine years with Major League Baseball's Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels, he moved across town to join the Dodgers in 2014. He's a fan favorite in Los Angeles for his always-positive disposition, family-first mentality, and his genuine interest in interacting with baseball, photography, and watch lovers all over the world. Howie Kend...
Lately, my colleagues in New York have been complaining about the unrelenting heatwave that has swept across the East Coast. Although temperatures are much cooler in London, I too have been feeling the summer heat, and its got me thinking about summer watches. This brings me to the new Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Acciaio 42mm (PAM 655), maybe this year's coolest new summer wrist wear. This is the first Radiomir 1940 to feature a white dial. Introduced earlier this year, the PAM 655 is the very first Radiomir 1940 to feature a white dial. There have been other white-dialed Panerai watches, but never one with this si...
Hands-On: The Tudor Black Bay Dark Makes A Pretty Solid Case For All-Black Watches
Sitting on my desk this week was an all black Tudor dive watch. And, no, it's not called the Black Bay Black. That name was already taken by last year's edition featuring a black dial and bezel. This is the Black Bay Dark, a distinct model first revealed at Baselworld earlier this year. It's a suped-up, blacked-out take on the company's popular vintage-inspired diver, and it provides a totally different experience than its older siblings. The Black Bay Dark is the actually all-black version of Tudor's popular diver. The Black Bay Dark is part of Tudors new 2016 Black Bay line-up. It stands somewhere between the 43mm Black Bay...
Hands-On: The Tiffany East West Automatic
For mechanical watch enthusiasts, the biggest recent news from Tiffany & Co. was the launch of the CT60 collection. Overshadowed somewhat was the launch of a totally new watch design as well. The East West has a long rectangular case and is based on a travel clock made by Tiffany in the 1940s. I thought the design had a lot of zip and a lot of retro-charm, without seeming excessively anachronistic, but I couldn't help wishing C vocally and frequently C that there was a mechanical version available. ?My prayers (and shouts) have been answered. The three Tiffany & Co. East West Automatic models side-by-side. Enter the East...
A Week On The Wrist: A Vintage Breitling 765 AVI Chronograph
This wont be an impartial review of a vintage watch C far from it. I own, and love, this 1960s chronograph from Breitling. I wish to explain here what led me to a watch with a 41mm case, when I usually swear by more modest sizes for my personal watches. Like all good love stories, it wasn't planned: I found this Breitling in a small French city, and could not look away. Months later, I wore it for seven consecutive days, and I can see that happening again in the future, many times. It's hard to see, but the "Lip" signature below Breitling's own is a key reason I love this watch. Lets start with the obvious: the Breitling ref...
Hands-On: The MeisterSinger Circularis Automatic Brings A New Movement To A Recognizable Design
MeisterSinger's signature design is a watch with a lone hand marking the hours. This relatively young company (founded in 2001), based in Mnster, Germany, has produced many iterations on the basic idea over the years, with watches like the Singulator, the Salthora and the Circularis, amongst others. The latter is available with a 120 hour hand-wound movement, with design input from Meistersinger on several key components, and now MeisterSinger has added a 120 hour automatic movement likewise produced to its specifications, with small date, to further expand the Circularis collection. The Circularis Automatic adds a small date window to the one-hand dis...
There's little better than watching a master at work. In this video, Ochs und Junior founder Ludwig Oechslin walks us through the assembly of his latest watch, a perpetual calendar. This isn't just any old perpetual though. Oechslin's invention is the simplest perpetual calendar ever made, using just nine components for the calendar mechanism itself. The video comes in just under 25 minutes long, and if you don't speak German you're going to have to read subtitles C but I promise it's worth every second.The Perpetual Calendar?is everything you'd expect from Ochs und Junior. The small watchmaker has always been known for its rigorous simplicity (which we dove into on the Road to Basel) and th...