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Best Super NEWS Watches
Auctions: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Cartier Tank Sells For $379,500
If you have been following HODINKEE for the past few weeks you've heard about a little watch called Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Cartier Tank. I wrote about this important and classic timepiece here and we had the watch on set on Friday Live with Eric Wind last week. Well the time has finally come and the Christies auction has taken place. The watch was estimated for $60,000 to $120,000 and the winning bid today was $310,000 C total sales price including buyer's premium, $379,500 C which is obviously an unbelievably strong result. Regardless, it is important to note that Jackie Os Cartier Tank is significant because of its relevance to the vintage watch ma...
Introducing: The Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8 Day SBGD202, With 'Night Sky' Dial
As HODINKEE readers are well aware, this year has been something of a coming-out party for Grand Seiko, which is now its own independent brand, rather than existing as a collection under the overall Seiko umbrella. The most visible manifestation of this shift is of course the removal of the Seiko logo from the dials of Grand Seiko watches, which now carry only the Grand Seiko logo.? Grand Seiko is as much an approach as it is a family of watches, and Seiko has applied this approach to both quartz and mechanical watches, with offerings ranging from the high-accuracy 9F quartz movements, to in-house mechanical movements which include 36,000 vph high frequency...
Hands-On: The Parmigiani Fleurier Ovale Tourbillon
The Parmigiani Fleurier Ovale Tourbillon (in the version you see here) has been out for several years now, but this is the first chance I've had to spend any time seriously scrutinizing one. The first versions of the Ovale Tourbillon appeared in 2013, but it hasn't gotten a tremendous amount of attention relative to some of Parmigiani Fleurier's other models; this may have been partly thanks to the use of an open-dial design in earlier versions of this watch, which probably appeals to a fairly narrow taste spectrum. Of course, an oval case shape is also narrower in its appeal overall than a round one, but in this instance at least the case is accompanied by...
Photo Report: The TAG Heuer Limited Edition Carrera Skipper For HODINKEE Launch Party
Yesterday, TAG Heuer and HODINKEE launched the latest HODINKEE collaboration: a new version of one of the most sought-after and rarest of vintage Heuer watches. The new version of the Heuer Skipper featured the same colorful dial as the original, a wrist-friendly size, and a classic Carrera case. We and TAG Heuer loved what we came up with, and we hoped the community would as well C and we're very happy to say that the response was overwhelmingly positive, with all 125 pieces sold out very shortly after they became available to purchase in our Shop. Several new HODINKEE x TAG Heuer Skipper owners joined us later that day for a pr...
It's Friday, and a HODINKEE Friday tradition is back: our vintage watch expert, Louis Westphalen and Bring A Loupe. Another Friday tradition is on hiatus this week: Friday Live is taking a long weekend as the H. Team are traveling far and wide, but we'll be back next week! --Ed. Vintage Heuer got a few headlines this week, including a Heuer Autavia reference 3646 sold for $200,000 at Christie's. This example had a very coveted feature: an?Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo on its dial; this is the very same logo found on the Heuer Carrera "Dato 45" highlighted in this article. And we show some more love to Heuer today, with a first execution Autavia reference 2446,...
Well, we all watched eagerly as a Cartier Tank belonging to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sold at auction for a total of?$379,500, including buyer's premium (as we reported here). In an unexpected (to put it mildly) twist, it's being reported that the anonymous winning bidder was actually Kim Kardashian West, who is most widely known for well, being Kim Kardashian.The story first broke on TMZ, which cited "auction sources" and said, in part, that "Kim has vowed not to be flashy since she was robbed in Paris last October. The watch doesn't stray from her plan ... it has no diamonds and the design is actually understated. We're told she plans to wear it." ...
Timex has just announced that it will partner with SilMach, a technology company founded in 2003 to research and produce practical MEMS (Microelectromechanical systems) devices, to create watches that take advantage of a new type of very efficient, low-energy electrostatic motors to power analog quartz watches. The technology is also being researched for possible application in making "dragonfly" type micro-drones, which would be insect-sized and have a wide range of surveillance and military applications. PowerMEMS electrostatic drive system. Analog quartz watches today rely on so-called Lavet stepping motors, which are named...
Technical Perspective: What Dive Watch Depth Ratings Really Mean (And Whether You Can Trust Them)
It's officially summer, which for watch lovers means it's dive watch season. One of the most persistent questions watch owners seem to have is what watch water resistance ratings really mean, and more precisely, what dive watch depth ratings really mean. There are several sides to this question. Among the issues are whether or not a dive watch can or should be used to its official rated depth; whether or not a given depth rating is sufficient to protect a watch under a variety of real-life circumstances; and of course, the evergreen and often repeated-as-fact notion that a depth rating is only the "static" rating and that motion causes a dramatic increase in actual water pressure, which may ...
Recommended Reading: Al Capone's Pocket Watch Goes For $84,375 At Auction
A pocket watch made by the Illinois watch company and which was once owned by none other than the notorious Prohibition mob boss?Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone has just sold at auction for $84,375 according to veteran watch and jewelry writer Nancy Olsen, writing for Forbes.com. The watch is in a triangular platinum case and set with 72 diamonds on the bezel, and is still on its original white gold chain.? Olsen writes, "Capone, who was born in Brooklyn to Italian immigrants, later moved to Chicago where he was heavily involved in bootlegging and other nefarious pursuits during the Prohibition Era...
Hands-On: The Ulysse Nardin Classic Perpetual Ludwig
The Perpetual Ludwig is another watch with which I can claim a certain amount of personal history, although I've never owned one. The very first was released by Ulysse Nardin in 1996 (for the company's 150th anniversary) and as the watch internet grew and matured it became one of the most talked about timepieces among new and developing online collector communities. There was a good reason for this. The Kurt Klaus perpetual calendar mechanism that had first been used in the Da Vinci watches of IWC, a decade earlier or so (the first Da Vinci watches were released in 1985) were key to demonstrating that it was possible to significantly upgrade and update the traditional perpetual calendar mech...
You feel certain of one thing at least when looking at the lots for this, the fourth and final in Sotheby's offerings from what it describes as "the most important private collection of English watches ever to come to the market," C that some one out there has unbelievable taste. The auction, which will take place on July 6th, in London, has a total of 78 lots and there is not a single one that couldn't be the pride of any serious collection of historically and technically interesting English watches.? The English watch was in general always hand made and although there were brands based in England who offered more mass produced watches, the English watch i...
Introducing: The Herme?s Arceau Tre?s Grand Mode?le
Herme?s has been on a pretty strong roll the last few years, introducing both new movements and new watches, most of which have been extremely strong. From the basic Slim d'Herme?s to the perpetual calendar Slim to the more romantic complications, there's been a lot to enjoy from the famed Parisian luxury house. And with this latest introduction,?Herme?s shows no signs of slowing down. The pair of watches we have here are two variations of the?Arceau Tre?s Grand Mode?le. The name really says it all here. We have the classic Arceau, which was first designed for Herme?s by Henri d'Origny back in 1991, only in a "very large" (or tre?s grand in French) size. The defi...
Hands-On: The Ressence Type 1 Squared
First introduced back in January at the SIHH, the Type 1 Squared offers a different take on Ressence's signature time-telling system. Sure, the orbital discs are still there, and the look is still minimal and designy, but the entire package is a lot less curvy. Instead of a domed crystal and a similarly-shaped caseback, there's a slightly square case that's extra slim and has carefully honed edges. While it's definitely a departure from the standard Type 1, it looks downright alien next to the bubble-shaped Type 3 and Type 5. At first I wasn't sure about the square case C and now I'm a true believer. When I first saw the Type ...
Dispatches: Watching Boats Go Nowhere Fast: The Americas Cup With Ulysse Nardin
We dont really need sailboats that dont take people anywhere, says Ulysse Nardin CEO Patrik Hoffmann, addressing a dinner table of sailors, watch retailers, customers, and journalists. And we dont need wristwatches to tell us the time anymore either. Hoffmanns remarks may seem insulting to his own brand and to the Artemis racing team that Ulysse Nardin sponsors, but his point was that it was sailboat racing and wristwatches that brought us all together for the final weekend of the Americas Cup in Bermuda, and that was a worthy reason to celebrate both. A smaller catamaran shows how the America's Cup boats actually r...
Hands-On: The Breguet Classique 7787 In White Gold With Grand Feu Enamel Dial
The Classique 7787 is one of the most archetypally Breguet watches of all modern Breguet watches. The design is based on a pocket watch C Breguet No. 5 C ?that, according to Breguet's archive, was sold to Count Journiac Saint-Mard in 1794. No. 5 is a classic example of Breguet design. It's a complicated timepiece with an?a toc quarter repeater (that is, the time is struck by a hammer on the inside of the case rather than on gongs) it's 54mm in diameter, and it has a temperature compensating balance, two barrels, a lever escapement, as well as moonphase and power reserve indications.?This particular watch and its relatives are a wonderful example of Breguet's ability to create complicated wa...
This past week, our founder Ben Clymer was invited to The Cannes Lions Festival Of Creativity to sit down with our old friend and director of market development for Facebook Matt Jacobson (check him out on Talking Watches here). Clymer was joined by legendary Porsche builder Rod Emory to chat about how Emory and HODINKEE both have used Instagram to help build communities around particulars interests.?You can watch the entire 45-minute video here....
Introducing: The IWC Pilot's Watch Tribute To Mark XI
When you think of pilot's watches, you probably think IWC C and when you think IWC, you probably think pilot's watches. The two are definitely linked and have been for the better part of a century. While IWC made watches for aviators before the 1948 introduction of the Mark XI military pilot's watch, it's this model that started the lineage that brings us to the IWC pilot's of today. The watch we have here is an embodiment of that unbroken history, merging the new Mark XVIII with its earliest antecedent. The full name of this watch is a mouthful C the Pilot's Watch Mark XVIII Edition "Tribute to Mark XI." For the sake of simplicity and clarity, we'll be referring...
As you probably already know, the most important public event of the year for watch enthusiasts is going to open next week: The Art Of Watches Grand Exhibition will be at Cipriani 42nd Street, from July 13-23. We can't recommend strongly enough that anyone interested in watches try and make it as Patek is bringing a large number of Patek-manufactured pieces spanning its entire history, as well as watches in the Patek Philippe Museum collection in Geneva that go back to the 16th century and the very dawn of watchmaking as an art. If you've never been to the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva (a place to which every watch lover owes it to themselves to make a pilgrimage) this is a chance to see a...
Business News: Bamford Watch Department Becomes The Authorized Customizer Of Zenith Watches
The Bamford Watch Department is a controversial subject in watch collecting circles. Some people love the idea of taking a brand new, modern watch (usually a Rolex) and putting their own twist on it, whether that means colored coatings, different dial configurations, or complex engravings. Others hate the idea of altering a perfectly good watch on principle. Today though, for the very first time, a Swiss watch brand itself is placing itself squarely in the first camp C Zenith has made Bamford the brand's officially authorized customizer. "Officially authorized customizer" could mean a number of things, so what exactly are we look...
For my two-year anniversary of writing Bring A Loupe, I've chosen to feature some rare vintage watches that we seldom see in this column. It starts with an oversized sector dial Longines, and also includes a fair share of chronographs, from the unusual Speedmaster "Holy Grail" to a colorful Breitling Top Time. It does not stop there, as you will also find a stunning Movado with M95 caliber, and a Tudor "Mini Sub." Longines 12.68Z, With Sector Dial Sector dials enjoyed their heyday in the 1930s, before recently coming back into vogue on modern wristwatches. This configuration, favored by Omega and Longines...