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Best Super NEWS Watches
Bring a Loupe: A Selection Of Tool Watches From Patek Philippe, Tudor, Zenith, And Others
This week is dedicated to tool watches C those engineered to fulfill particular purposes under specific, often difficult circumstances. The Patek Amagnetic Reference 3417 demonstrates that such watches do not need to be bulky and rough-looking to deliver results. Also expect to find an aviation chronograph from Jardur, a dive watch from Zenith, and a controversial military Lemania. This is your Bring A Loupe for August 5, 2016. Jardur Bezelmeter 960, With Flying Log Usually, watches with gold-plated cases are not recommended here in Bring A Loupe, but this Jardur was too special to be overlooked. The ...
Weekend Report: At The Track With Vacheron Constantin (And Some Thoughts On Cars And Watches)
The last time I drove a Jaguar was back in 1986. I was working for a couple of gentlemen with deliberately vague business interests in Manhattan's then extremely colorful Lower East Side, and my job requirements seemed to change from one day to the next. One fairly regular task, though, was taking an XK150 out for a spin once a week or so. (My employer never explained why he thought the car should be aired out once a week. The fact that my driver's license had expired several years earlier was never called into question, and I declined to bring up the subject because it was a ton of fun to drive the car.) In the last few years, I've driven a Mercedes S class on a track at Brooklands and an ...
In-Depth: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955
On a certain level, after wearing the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 almost every day for a week, my feelings are as uncomplicated as "I like it. A lot." On another level, to leave it at that would be to do the watch, and the history it represents, a disservice. The Cornes de Vache is a watch that challenges a tremendous number of assumptions many of us have about what exactly it is that makes a watch important. Though in its own way it's a definitive, and even final, statement about a certain kind of classic watchmaking, it's also the opening line in a whole new conversation about originality, design fidelity, and authenticity. ...
Wearables: Apple Watch 2 Might Be Coming Next Month
Last night KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote a research note to investors in which he predicts that the first major update to the Apple Watch will be coming this year, as early as at next month's iPhone release event. It's been nearly two years since the Apple Watch was first unveiled at a special event in Cupertino, California C?we were there live, with a first look at the limited demo units C and there's been little indication of where the Watch might be going since then.The Apple Watch's product cycles are unlike any we've seen from Apple in recent memory. There was the initial announcement in September 2014 and then a lull until the Watch actually went on sale in April 2015. Sin...
Appreciating the beauty, mechanical complexity, and historical importance of the tourbillon is not a difficult thing to do. A little knowledge and gazing at a few examples is about all that it takes. Generally though, I find myself happy enough to put tourbillon-equipped watches back on the shelf or in the box when I'm through with my few minutes of admiration. This watch is an exception. The A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Tourbillon is a superlative modern watch that combine high-end finishing, a respect for tradition, and a healthy dose of technological bravado. And I really, really want it.At first glance, the 1815 Tourbillon is a simple enough watch. The dial is clean and open and there is a ...
In-Depth: Seven Tourbillons For The Man (Or Woman) That Hates Tourbillons
I think it's clear that the days of a tourbillon as a point of pride are over. Two of my colleages, Stephen and Cara, both decried this truly superfluous, showy variation on a regulating organ within the last seven days C tourbillons are lame. But deep down inside many of us, I would venture to bet there is at least some non-zero percentage of our being that would love to wear a tourbillon. Or to at least own one. Because, here's the thing, tourbillons are lame, except for when they're not. And it doesn't happen often, but there are some tourbillon wristwatches out there that are unbelievably cool and truly appreciated by those in the know. Here are seven of the best tourbillons for those me...
Found: The World's Rarest G-Shock, And A Conversation With G-Shock Inventor Kikuo Ibe
Mr. Kikuo Ibe never expected to be world famous, but famous he is: he's the man who invented the Casio G-Shock. At first, he hardly seems like the sort of person who could develop the world's toughest watch. He's slightly built, slim, soft-spoken, and bespectacled, which seems a little incongruous until you remember that G-Shock is as much an engineering achievement as a horological one, and Mr. Ibe is very much an engineer. ?The history of the G-Shock is full of interesting stories (as you'd expect of a family of watches designed to tolerate just about any sort of abuse imaginable) and in a recent conversation with Ibe, at Casio's offices in New York, I had a chance to dig back a bit into t...
We Want You To Join Us For A HODINKEE Event
We want you to join us for an upcoming HODINKEE event. Seriously. Whether it's?celebrating leap day with some readers in New York City or hosting a pop-up at Harrods in London, we love bringing our passion for watches offline and into the real world. That's where you come in: We're going to be expanding the number of cities in which we host events over the coming months and we'll be making decisions about where to go, what to bring, and who to invite based on your feedback.?Please click the link below and take a brief survey so we can include you next time we're in town. We just want a few really basic answers, like where you can attend events, what kinds of watches you're interested in, and...
Last Night Michael Phelps Won His 21st Gold Medal C This Is How Omega Timed The Race
If you are anything like me, you have been glued to your TV watching the Olympics. The excitement of countries competing against one another on the race track, pommel horse, volleyball court, or swimming pool is undeniable. Sometimes it's friendly, sometimes it's not, but no matter what you know you're going to get a good show. One of the best shows, besides the gymnastics (you go girls!), is Michael Phelps, aka the most decorated Olympian of all time.? Michael Phelps swimming the butterfly, his best event. (Photo: AP/Matt Slocum) Phelps has been a fixture on the scene since 2000, when he was a mere 15 year old child. He later...
Hands-On: The Girard-Perregaux Cats Eye Tourbillon With Gold Bridge
Tourbillons. They seem to be everywhere these days, and whether you love them?or not, they are here to stay. Let me start off by saying I am not generally a huge fan of tourbillons; usually I find them overdone and and a wee-bit flashy. That is not to say I dont like any tourbillon wristwatches though (that Lange that Stephen wrote about the other day is pretty legit), just that I think some brands tend to pop a tourbillon into a watch when possible, raise the price, and ignore whether or not it's actually improving the product at all. However, I'm always happy to see a ladies' watch with something more complicated than a stock quartz ticker inside, and that brings us to the?Girard-Perregau...
This week's selection of watches starts with two heavyweights, absolute grails for many collectors. One is a Rolex, a very rare kind of Explorer with a single line on the dial that changes everything. The other is an oversized Patek Philippe Calatrava with a double signature. You will also find some less high-profile watches, from a Superman LeJour (yes, that is the actual name of this diver) to a great chronograph from Mathey Tissot. This is your Bring A Loupe for August 12, 2016. Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 570 With Double-Signed Dial The reference 570 might not be the very first Calatrava, b...
Hands-On: The Omega Speedmaster CK2998 Limited Edition
Tribute watches are all the rage these days (and have been for some time). As collectors become more and more educated about vintage watches, contemporary watchmakers are trying to woo them with modern interpretations of the watches they might be lusting after in auction catalogs. Sometimes these watches are a massive success, capturing the spirit of the original; sometimes these watches are frustrating, taking something we love and mucking it up. With the CK2998, Omega has created one of the most compelling Speedmasters in recent history and a watch that flat-out makes me smile. Despite the new color scheme, the profile and details of the CK2998 look e...
Weekend Reading: Why The World's Largest Uncut Diamond Couldn't Find A Buyer
In June, Sotheby's had the unprecedented opportunity to sell a 1,109 carat uncut diamond, the largest in the world by far. But the vaunted auction house couldn't find a buyer.?The Lesedi La Rona diamond was placed on the block during an evening sale in London, and after an opening bid of $50 million, things stalled out entirely. No flurry of paddles, no wild result, and, importantly, no big premium for Sotheby's. While Vanity Fair's account of this story has nothing to do with watches per se, it's an in-depth look at the mechanics and politics of high-end auctions, the global luxury market, and how objects of desire come to possess their hypnotic powers (or not). It takes us from the coast o...
Earlier this year, Glashtte Original introduced its new Senator Excellence watch and Caliber 36 movement. HODINKEEs European Editor, Arthur Touchot, wore the watch for the first 100 hours of Baselworld and reported on its increased autonomy, silicon hairspring, and innovative movement fastening system. There is one other new feature that Arthur didnt get a chance to take a look at C Glashtte Original is including a quality promise for the Caliber 36, with standards exceeding COSC chronometer certification. The new Caliber 36 movement from Glashtte Original is tested beyond COSC standards. "Chronometer" historically, refer...
Watch (and space) nerds, rejoice! This one is sure to get any red-blooded Apollo astronaut wannabe excited. Late last night, around midnight EST, Mr. Buzz Aldrin, the second human being to step onto the lunar surface, tweeted that he is designing a new watch for Omega. And this watch will go to Mars! Few details are decipherable from Aldrin's tweets, but we certainly tried. Now this story is thrilling on a variety of levels: It means that we may have a next-generation Speedmaster in the near future. It means that this watch will be at least in some way designed by a living legend. And, finally, it means that Aldrin genuinely b...
Hands-On: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon
Almost from the moment Breguet invented the tourbillon (for which he was granted a patent in 1801), people have been wondering whether or not it actually does what it's supposed to do. The basic idea is simple. If you put the balance spring, balance, lever, and escape wheel inside a carriage, or cage, that rotates in the plane of the movement plate, you get one average rate for the four vertical positions in which a watch is timed, rather than four different rates. You then adjust the two horizontal positions to match this single average vertical rate and, in theory, you should have a perfect timekeeper. The Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon is the most...
If you live in New York City or any similarly-sweltering place devoid of a good beach or anywhere with a real breeze, you likely spent the weekend sitting inside your home with the air condition blasting, cold drink in hand, and the Olympics on TV. I did. One of the highlights was Wayde van Niekerk winning gold and setting a new world record in the men's 400m sprint. Even better: he did it with a Richard Mille on his wrist.Niekerk ran the race in just 43.03 seconds, breaking the previous world record set by Michael Johnson back in 1999 by .15 seconds. That doesn't sound like a lot, but in the sprinting world it's significant. This remarkable time won Niekerk the gold and not a small amount o...
The Value Proposition: The Christopher Ward C9 5 Day Small Second
Thin Roman numerals, a railroad-style minute track, blue hands, and a small seconds register. On paper, the C9 5 Day Small Second reads like a classic mid-century dress watch. But it isnt. The numerals are printed onto a metal dial; the hands are blued chemically, not heated; and then theres the inclusion of a date window at 3 oclock. The Small Second is definitely not a vintage watch, but it is a very convincing attempt at creating an elegant and affordable dress watch using modern techniques (and it's a much more convincing design than another CW piece we reviewed not long ago).? The Christopher Ward C9 5 Day Small Second is definitely vintage insp...
There is nothing like one hyper-niche product trying to tie itself to another slightly less but still insanely niche product. We've seen it far too many times C the Hublot La Ferrari watch, the Bremont Boeings, all those Breitling for Bentley watches. I get why watch brands do it, and in most cases I am fairly agnostic about it. The Hublot La Ferrari watch, while not anything I would ever consider for myself (even if I owned a La Ferrari), made sense. It was cutting-edge, high-tech, and over-the-top. I could easily see how it belonged next to the mightiest car ever made by the winningest racecar producer in history. This watch, which showed up in my inbox today, is puzzling, and for more tha...
Introducing: The Swatch Sistem51 Irony Swaps Plastic For Stainless Steel
One of the biggest announcements of Baselworld 2013 came from an unlikely entity: Swatch. The plastic watch-fueled behemoth debuted the Sistem51, a $150 watch made in Switzerland with a 51-component movement made entirely by machines, mostly out of plastic. It was an instant hit with high-end collectors and new watch lovers alike. And now its available in steel.The core of the Sistem51 is the movement. Its comprised of just 51 parts, grouped in five modules, all anchored by a single central screw. Its truly Swiss-made and everything is shaped, finished, assembled, and regulated entirely by machines. This is the first automatic caliber in the history of timekeeping that isnt touched by a ...