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Best Super NEWS Watches
Leap Second Added To World's Clocks For 2017, And How We Keep That From Screwing Up GPS (Badly)
There probably were not a lot of us that noticed it during the countdown to midnight, and the New Year, last Saturday, but this year, time needed a tweak. At 23:59:59 on December 31, 2016, an additional second was added to UTC (Universal Time Coordinated, the international time standard) so that, for exactly one second, UTC time was 23:59:60.? This might sound a little "who cares" for most of us, but managing the Leap Second is, among other things, essential for little things like running the Internet, and ensuring GPS doesn't think you're halfway to the Moon when you're just trying to find your mother-in-law's house (literally). ...
"Patek Philippe: The Authorized Biography" by Nick Foulkes is, as we said when we introduced it?and as I confirmed by saying, "damn, I wish I had written it," is without a doubt the most revealing look at Patek Philippe ever produced. But today, thanks to an Instagram post from my friend Mike Tay of the Hourglass, the book may have in fact dropped the equivalent of an atom bomb on the vintage Patek market C does a 1518 in platinum exist?? According to this book, it does. On page 465, within what is a lengthy, 26-page reference table of all watches made in the modern era, including year of introduction, caliber, and metal types, we see what is hard-to-argue-...
The Eight Watch Anniversaries You Need To Know In 2017
If there's one thing watch brands love above all else, it's an anniversary. Celebrating important milestones for renowned products is a sure way of reconnecting the public with a manufacture's storied past without taking too many commercial risks. In fact, watchmakers are so excited about 2017's anniversaries that some got the ball rolling in Q4 of 2016, such as with Piaget's 60th anniversary Altiplano collection. But you can bet that's just the first of many commemorative pieces we're going to see. While I'm sure we'll see more obscure watches come out of the woodwork to celebrate birthdays over the coming weeks and months, here we have eight seriously important models hitting nice round nu...
A lot of the time the features you see as highly touted ones in upper end modern mechanical watches are features you kind of wonder about, in terms of real advantages they offer to the owner (at least when it comes to improvements in keeping time, which after all is what a watch is supposed to do). There are all sorts of examples of this C movement plates made of exotic materials, movement gears made of exotic materials; obsessively refined modern versions of hundreds-of-years old complications, and so on. The truth is that we now know that if you want a solid, reliable, reasonably accurate watch, a modern industrially made, automatic watch with a lever escapement (which is in one form or an...
Editorial: Our Favorite Things About The Watch Industry In 2016 (And Our Hopes For 2017)
Despite all the doom and gloom we told you about last year, the watch industry is still here, still full of life, and still gearing up for the season when we get to see most of the new creations that will be hitting wrists this year. But 2016 is barely in the rearview mirror, so we thought it could be fun to think back about our favorite news and trends from last year, and, of course, let you know what we're hoping to see in 2017. Here are some thoughts from our editorial team on the last and next 12 months in watches. Cara Barrett, Editor At 36mm, the Tudor Black Bay 36 is a watch for everyone. ...
The first edition of Bring A Loupe for 2017 is solely focused on chronographs and features one of the most elegant of them all: a Patek Philippe Reference 1463 with a fine waterproof case, here in a dressy 18k rose gold. Other more tool watch propositions are also included, such as a military issued Breitling 817, which comes with its original box and expandable bracelet. We will also spend some time on a very dishonest Girard-Perregaux Olimpico currently offered on Ebay. This is your Bring A Loupe for January 6, 2017. Patek Philippe Chronograph Reference 1463, In A Rare Rose Gold Case With any ...
It is usually sign of good things when a watch gets a nickname; just think about the "Paul Newman" Daytona or the Speedmaster "Ed White." Seiko's family of divers has also inspired many watch enthusiasts to come up with creative monikers, which explains why we are going to review the latest "Samurai" and "Turtle," both iconic Japanese divers in their own rights. These two limited editions in a new "Blue Lagoon" colorway (references SRPB09 and SRPB11) are being officially released in February 2017, but we had the chance to handle some prototypes and to compare them with their beloved predecessors. The Seiko Prospex (standing for Professional Specifications) ...
Last week, we were notified that Zenith CEO Aldo Magada had resigned from his position, and that LVMH Head of Watchmaking Jean-Claude Biver would immediately begin acting as Zenith CEO in the interim C a role Biver also plays at TAG Heuer, and which makes him the top boss at LVMH Watches & Jewelry's three biggest brands. We immediately reached out to Biver for a comment. In a revealing interview, he cited profitability problems, a lack of confidence in Zeniths management, and a breakdown in his relationship with the team as contributing factors in his decision to take over the brand temporarily C and he says he hopes to find a new CEO for Zenith within the next six months. ...
Fossil Group is one of the world's largest sellers of watches, and today it has announced that in 2017 it will more than double its offerings of smartwatches and fitness trackers to include 300 products across a wide range of brands. Some of these will be under brands already tied to technology, like Misfit, while others will be brand new in the smartwatch space, such as Armani Exchange. According to a press release from Fossil Group, this expansion will make it the biggest producer of hybrid (read: analog) smartwatches on Earth. The second half of 2016 saw Fossil Group start a big push into so-called "hybrid smartwatches," with products like the Michael Ko...
Introducing: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic Tourbillon Universal Time
In anticipation of this year's Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Jaeger-LeCoultre has released a new addition to the Geophysic collection C the Tourbillon Universal Time. You may remember that back in September 2015 Jaeger-LeCoultre presented the original Geophysic Universal Time, but this year it has taken the watch a step further by adding a flying tourbillon. It's actually the first time a worldtimer and a flying tourbillon have come together ever. The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic Tourbillon Universal Time. The new Universal Time Tourbillon is quite an impressive piece. The case is solid platinum and meas...
Hands-On: The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Mtropolitane Slne
Let me introduce you to the Tonda Mtropolitane Slne. It's an automatic ladies piece by Parmigiani Fleurier that was released almost a year ago. I was finally able to spend some time with this watch, and, try as I might, I cant quite identify with it. Maybe I'm jaded, maybe I'm asking for too much, or maybe I'm just not sure of what I want in a watch. But what I do know is that this watch doesnt speak to me the way so many others do. Now allow me to explain why. The Tonda Mtropolitane Slne just didn't do it for me. Allow me to explain. The Slne starts with a 33mm stainless steel case, with or without diamonds, and wi...
Recommended Reading: Can You Guess How Many Fake Watches Were Seized Last Year?
One million. Yep, that's right.?According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) there were one million fake watches seized internationally, with an equal number of online advertisements for fake watches removed as well. We all know that the fake watch market is massive (along with similar markets for bags, shoes, belts, and other accessories), so it comes as no surprise that so many fake Rollies were seized. According to the article, in 2015, 80% of fake goods were found in Hong Kong and China, with Turkey being the number one purchasing source. Hmm, interesting. You are probably wondering how this affects you, as we doubt too many HODINKEE rea...
Pharrell Williams is probably one of the coolest dudes in show biz (in my oh-so-humble opinion), so it should come as no surprise that he rocks an equally cool watch. While on The Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier this week promoting Hidden Figures, a movie that he both produced and wrote the soundtrack for, Pharrell could be seen sporting the Richard Mille RM 031 High Performance. Impressive. Pharrell wearing the RM 031 on The Ellen Show. The titanium RM 031 High Performance features a manually-wound caliber with a direct impulse AP escapement. This escapement was actually developed by Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi (APRP) for ...
For its first skeleton wristwatch, Moritz Grossmann asked a man by the name of Christophe Schaffo, an independent German horologist and specialist in the art of engraving and skeletonizing, to put one of its hand-wound movements, the caliber 100.1, through a drastic weight reduction program to get caliber 100.5. The result is the highly ornate and slightly eccentric Atum Skelett. The German watch company, resurrected after the fall of the Berlin Wall, has built a strong collection that doesnt try to compete on the same fronts as other watches made in Glashtte. Instead, it's building its reputation on contemporary ideas (and bolstering Glashtte's overall...
Talking Watches: With Morgan King
The first time someone meets me in public, the conversation typically goes something like this: Them: "Hey, can you get me a discount on that new Rolex, Omega, Lange, or whatever?" Me: "Nah, I really can't." After the awkwardness subsides there, the next question is usually, "Okay, so then who's next on Talking Watches?" And, usually, I have a handful of names with which to respond that might mean something to said John Q. Public C like a professional baseball player (with exceptionally?good taste in watches and cameras), a noted writer (with exceptionally good taste in cars and comedy), or a watch-world intellectual, or perhaps even a well-known collector. Today, however, you're getting non...
It's always fun when a big watch pops up on Ebay C and today there is one such watch. ?Sometimes?it works out like a dream, but more times than not, it's just fun to watch the life cycle of the discovery. First, those who find it early on think they've discovered a dream, and maybe they'll be able to rip a six figure watch for a fraction of its worth. But, they're not sure about it, so they send it to a few friends who might be more knowledgeable. And from there, the watch spreads, and soon a significant percentage of the vintage watch community knows about it. If it's real, it goes high (but certainly not as high as it would on another format), and if it's bad, well, it ends up here and tho...
As you may have heard (or seen), the 74th Annual Golden Globes were on television last night with a bevy of stars, sequins, and, most importantly, watches. There were several noteworthy moments, Meryl Streep accepted the Cecil B. DeMille award, a tribute was paid to the late Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, and La La Land?(starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling C swoon) swept the show winning a record seven awards, including Best Musical or Comedy. The film's director also had his wristwear majorly on point. Damien Chazelle accepting his Golden Globe for Best Director of a Motion Picture. Damien Chazelle beamed as he w...
A Week On The Wrist: The Casio 'Master Of G' G-Shock Frogman GWF-D1000B
Growing up, I was a huge science fiction fan, and one of the things I used to wonder about in my spare time was what you would want to have with you if you invented a time machine, got into the time machine, managed to travel back in time to the age of the dinosaurs (everyone nowadays talks about the Jurassic period but I've always been a Cretaceous period fan. More charismatic apex predators; T. rex, Kronosaurus, Utahraptor...) and get stuck there. You'd try and fix your time machine, sure, but that could take a while and in the meantime, you'd want stuff capable of working in isolation from anything remotely resembling civilization. One of the reasons I got interested in mechanical watche...
Greubel Forsey is known for several things C extremely inventive, groundbreaking tourbillons for one; extreme attention to detail with respect to finish and design for another. Today, however, they've announced that after a decade of research, their "Mechanical Nano" project is ready, if not for Prime Time just yet, then at least for a major teaser. Right now, we don't know a whole lot about what the Mechanical Nano project is but based on the information GF's released today, we know a couple of things. First, apparently the name "Nano" is apt; the new gear train and regulating systems take up a fraction of the space they would occupy in a conventional watc...
Introducing: The Greubel Forsey Grande Sonnerie
We're not even at the SIHH yet, but some of the biggest news of the New Year breaks today: Greubel Forsey has announced their very first chiming complication, and it's nothing less than a grande et petite sonnerie with minute repeater, and of course, 24 second inclined tourbillon, all in a titanium case that is only a fraction of a millimeter thicker than the firm's existing 24 Seconds Tourbillon Contemporain. This is a monumental achievement for any watch manufacturer, and from Greubel Forsey, it's news of interest to anyone with an interest in modern horology; their defining complication is of course, the mult-axis inclined tourbillon, but with the debut of a grande sonnerie, they become a...