Best Super NEWS Watches
Happenings: The Horological Society Of New York To Host 2017 Gala And Charity Auction
As the Horological Society of New York embarks on its 151st year, it has decided to reestablish an important tradition C the Annual Gala. Beginning in 1933, HSNY's Annual Gala's were attended by members and guests representing all parts of the watch and clock making industry in New York City. Carrying on the success of 2016's 150th Anniversary Gala, the 2017 Gala & Charity Auction will be held on April 3. And you're invited. Charity Auction HSNY's First Annual Gala, March 4, 1933. Over 40 years ago, a collection of timepieces was bequeathed to the Horological Society of New York, consigned to...
Introducing: The Breitling Avenger Hurricane Military
Breitling is extending the Hurricane Avenger collection with this updated Avenger Hurricane Military watch. Like the basic?Avenger Hurricane before it, the Avenger Hurricane Military is made of Breitlight, a light and sturdy material that is a trademark of the historic manufacture. The Breitling Avenger Hurricane Military. So, what is new about the Breitling Hurricane Avenger Military? Not much, actually. It features the same 50mm (yep) Breitlight case, which boasts being 3.3 times lighter than titanium and 5.8 times lighter than steel, however it is much harder than both materials, allowing for more sustainable wear. The dial...
Introducing: The Hamilton Ventura 60th Anniversary Editions
Here's a fun one for all the Hamilton fans out there. Hamilton has re-introduced the Ventura, a funky classic that dates back to 1957, in three different versions. The Ventura is known for its retro design, for it revolutionary electric caliber 500 movement, and for being worn by Elvis in Blue Hawaii in 1961. The Ventura collection is pretty iconic for Hamilton, and this year it continues to reinvent this untraditional classic.? The Hamilton Ventura Classic in yellow PVD-coated steel, large. The Hamilton Ventura Classic in yellow PVD-coated steel, small. Fo...
Historical Perspectives: A Detailed Investigation Of The Mysterious Lip 'Paul Newman' Chronograph
I became strongly enamored with this blue Lip chronograph in 2013. I had seen the watch before (being a Frenchman ensures you get exposed to countless Lip and Yema watches), but was a wrist shot published on the Vintage Rolex Forum that made me fall in love. Obsession is the name of the game with vintage watches, so I have been monitoring every single blue Lip offered publicly ever since C and I even bought two examples myself along the way. After observing over 20 examples in addition to my own, I feel fairly confident in saying that of the two mysterious variations of this blue dial Lip chronograph, it's likely that only one is the real deal. There is no reason...
Introducing: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique (Exclusive Live Pics, Full Specs, Pricing)
Bulgari has just announced its newest ultra-thin watch, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique. The Octo Finissimo Automatique's caliber BVL 138 Finissimo is a micro-rotor, self-winding movement only 2.23mm thick, at 36.60mm in diameter. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique, a new world record holder. The Octo Finissimo Automatique is the third world record for ultra-thin watchmaking to be seized by Bulgari, following on the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon from 2014, which has a movement only 1.95mm thick, and the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater from last year, whose caliber?BVL 362 is 3.12 mm thick. ...
Introducing: The Oris Big Crown 1917
The Big Crown 1917 was made not because Oris felt like what its catalog was missing was an old-school pilots watch, but rather because it was discovered that it's precisely this type of wristwatch that the company made all the way back in 1917, before it even had a collection per se. The Oris Big Crown 1917. It's from this early watch that the new Big Crown 1917 draws many of its features, including the 40mm stainless steel case, onion-shaped crown, silver dial, Arabic numerals, and blued steel hour and minute hands. The hours are printed with lume that simulates a well-worn, age-developed dial. T...
Introducing: The Glashtte Original Senator Chronograph Panorama Date In Stainless Steel
Glashtte Original joined a rather exclusive club when it unveiled its very own self-winding chronograph movement, Caliber 37-01. The column-wheel chronograph made its debut in 2014 and, maybe because GO felt that a new movement deserved a special introduction, it was housed in some pretty special cases C the company offered the watch in platinum and in red gold. It?left a great impression on us when we saw last saw it, and now it's available in steel. The stainless steel version of the Glashtte Original Senator Chronograph Panorama Date. The move to stainless steel also comes with a brand new dial, which very successfully tr...
How To Follow HODINKEE During Baselworld 2017
Well, the time is upon us. Its almost Baselworld 2017. It feels like just yesterday we were showing you the Rolex Daytona in steel with Cerachrome bezel and the Patek Philippe ref. 5930G. The show starts Wednesday and we have eight (yes, eight) editors, writers, and producers on the ground in Switzerland to bring you the best live coverage youll find anywhere. Heres how to follow along every step of the way C we promise you're not going to want to miss a single post. Obviously, you can keep your eyes trained (and a few browser tabs fixed) on Hodinkee.com. Were going to be publishing a ton of articles each day, from quick Introducing posts to keep you in...
Wearables: Apple And Herms Continue Their Partnership With Four New Watch Straps
Back in 2015, Apple and?Herms made serious waves by announcing a major partnership to create special?Herms straps for Apple Watches and to retail them in select?Herms boutiques. Well, it looks like the special edition Watches are a hit and?Herms and Apple are continuing the partnership with yet another collection of seasonal offerings. We've got the first live photos of the four new straps that you'll find anywhere, along with all the details. The latest Herms straps match the current spring/summer 2017 collection. The new collection includes four straps, two for 42mm watches and two for 38mm watches. The larger watches g...
Introducing: The Breitling Navitimer Rattrapante
This is some pretty big news from Breitling. The Navitimer may look like just another chronograph at first, but really, its a rattrapante. More importantly though, it features the companys first in-house split-seconds chronograph movement, ever. During the 1940s, Breilting made a split-seconds Duograph, but that watch did not use an in-house caliber. The Breitling Navitimer Rattrapante. The B03 is a chronometer-certified automatic movement that beats at 28,800 vph (4 Hz) and boasts a power reserve of 70 hours. It also features a couple of innovations related to the split-seconds hand and how to stop it and isolate it in orde...
Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGW251, SBGW252, SBGW253 (Exclusive Live Pics & Pricing)
The first Grand Seiko watches were made in 1960, and although they have always been a cult favorite, they weren't given a full international launch until 2010 C before then, becoming a Grand Seiko owner meant either a trip to Japan or buying from third party re-sellers. Grand Seiko watches up to now have been a Seiko sub-brand, with the Seiko logo at 12:00 and Grand Seiko at 6:00. However, moving forward, Grand Seiko will be presented as an independent brand and the dials will simply read "Grand Seiko." Seiko President and CEO Shinji Hattori said, in a released statement, "Grand Seiko has always been distinct in its design, character, presentation, and more recen...
Introducing: The H. Moser Endeavour Centre Seconds Automatic, With The New HMC 200 Caliber
It might be the watches made of cheese and the playful jabs at modern electronics makers that get all the attention for H. Moser, but what the brand does best is simplicity. The new Endeavour Centre Seconds is a great example of that simplicity and how striking it can be when executed at this level. The Endeavour Centre Seconds is a pretty straightforward watch. It is 40mm across and 10.7mm thick, with sapphire crystals both front and back, and the case design has been changed a bit from previous Endeavour models, getting a little curvier in the process. The dials come in a variety of Moser's signature fum finishes, which are some of the nicest looking dia...
Recommended Reading: A Former Apple Executive Warns Swatch Against Making Its Own OS
Im calling it now. 2017 will be the year of the smartwatch. I expect well see a lot of smartwatches later this week when Baselworld kicks off, though it may be a few years still before traditional watch brands introduce smartwatches broad enough in appeal to challenge Apple, Samsung, and the like C if they ever do. Apart from the Frederique Constant Group/MMT partnership, the reaction several traditional watch brands?to giant tech companies developing products that sit on our wrists has been to partner with other giant tech companies and using operating systems developed by them. After dabbling timidly with smart technology, LVMH and Richemont have put th...
Introducing: The Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor
It would be hard to think of a modern watchmaker who is pushing watchmaking and finishing to its limits in a more concerted way than Romain Gauthier. He doesn't make minute repeaters or perpetual calendar chronographs, but rather time-only watches of extremely high precision and finish. There's no way for me to do them justice in words C you just have to go seek them out for yourself. Today Romain Gauthier introduces a new watch with a new caliber to the relatively small collection, the Insight Micro-Rotor. The Insight Micro-Rotor is available in red gold and platinum, each with three dial options. Gauthier's past creations in...
Introducing: The Frederique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture With New FC-760 Movement
Last year at Baselworld, Frederique Constant released its first ever in-house perpetual calendar wristwatch. It was not only gorgeous but also had a somewhat affordable price tag under $10,000. Well, this year Frederique Constant is back with a strong follow-up in the affordable complications category with its first ever in-house flyback chronograph, all for less than $4,000.? The Frederique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture in steel with silver hobnail dial. The new Flyback Chronograph Manufacture features the automatic caliber FC-760, a new flyback chronograph movement that took six years to develop. Frederique Consta...
Introducing: The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 'Big Blue'
Last summer, Omega introduced the Planet Ocean "Deep Black" editions, offering a GMT dive watch in an all black ceramic construction. Building on that concept, we're now getting the Planet Ocean "Big Blue," a nearly identical watch that opts for rich blue ceramic instead of black, with bright orange accents and a movement that shows off Omega's technical prowess. The "Big Blue" is the latest watch to leverage Omega's expertise in ceramics. Ceramics are nothing new for Omega. Back in 2013, the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon was one of the biggest hits of Baselworld, and over the subsequent years Omega has added to the line-u...
Introducing: The Baccarat And L'Epe 1839 Sun Clock
Here to spice things up ahead of Baselworld is the Baccarat and L'Epe Sun Clock, a new wall clock based on a vintage design. The first sun clock was designed by Georges Chevalier in 1948 for Baccarat and was re-introduced in 2014 for the 250th anniversary. Famously, one resided in the home of Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe in the late 1950s. This year the sun clock is back with 20k gold beams and it's powered by the L'Epe 1839 movement.? Inspired by King Louis XIV, the sun king and lover of all things opulent, this limited edition wall clock measures 38 inches in diameter and weights a whopping 90 lbs. What makes up all that weight, you ask? Why, it's t...
Introducing: The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Master Chronometer
The Seamaster Aqua Terra has been a staple for Omega since its introduction in 2003, and this year we're getting an nice little update to the collection that adds some new styling cues and introduces new Master Chronometer calibers into these daily-wearers. Let's take a closer look at the new batch of Aqua Terras. The 38mm Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Chronometer in stainless steel with integrated bracelet. The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Master Chronometer still carries the nautical references for which the line is known. The striped dial of the Aqua Terra is supposed to me reminiscent of a teak boat deck. While the stripes are ...
Introducing: The Omega Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer (Live Pics & Pricing)
Recognize this one? Its the Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer, which Omega announced earlier this year, but with a new name. It's still the watch with a 44.25mm case, a two-register automatic chronograph movement, and a matte black racing dial. Omega has decided to re-brand it, dropping the word "Moonwatch," wisely I might add, and there are three new models joining the original in a collection known from today as the Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer. The Omega Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer. The collection focuses on the Speedmasters racing heritage, because, while the watch had its best days on the moon,...
Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGR305
As you probably know by now, Seiko has taken a major step this year, establishing Grand Seiko as an independent Seiko brand (instead of a Seiko sub-brand). To mark the occasion, Seiko introduced a group of three special watches, all of which are based on original models from 1960, in three different metals.? However, Grand Seiko models in modern designs will carry the independent Grand Seiko branding on the dials as well going forward, and this titanium model, ref. SBGR305, is the first of the contemporary design independent Grand Seikos. The design is classic Grand Seiko, but there are a lot of...