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Best Super NEWS Watches
This week's selection covers a wide range of time, from a 1950s Rolex "Big Bubbleback" to a 1970s?Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Quartz Digital. In between come two chronographs: a transitional Jean Richard Airstar and a Heuer Carrera 7753 that was initially issued to the Belgian army. And, as a bonus, both the Rolex and the Jaeger-LeCoultre come with their original papers, a very nice touch considering it's many decades after their respective dates of production.?This is your Bring A Loupe for September 15, 2017. Rolex 'Big Bubbleback' Reference 6106, With Original Chronometer Papers Vintage Rolex Bubbl...
Introducing: Farer Aqua Compressor Automatic Dive Watches
The just-announced Farer Aqua Compressor line is comprised of three models offering different expressions of the same loosely vintage-inspired theme, and they add something new to the brand's offering of time-and-date?and GMT models. Employing the twin crown and internal bezel layout commonly seen on vintage Super Compressor dive watches, this is Farers first dive watch design. All three versions of the Aqua Compressor; the Endeavour, the Leven, and the Hecla. All three models within the Aqua Compressor line are named after ships from the British Royal Navy, with the black dial Endeavour, the blue dial Hecla, and the silver d...
Introducing: The MB&F And L'Epe 1839 Octopod Clock
MB&F has been collaborating with clockmaker?LEpe?e 1839 for many years, and during that time, the partnership has produced a number of very varied clock designs, which have taken from the worlds of biology, science fiction, and space exploration to produce some dramatically different timepieces (including one guaranteed to cause heebie-jeebies in 3.5 to 6.1 percent of the general population). The newest clock is the Octopod, a biomechanical, articulated-limbed, bubble-headed timepiece with shout-outs not just to the octopus, but also to James Cameron's film The Abyss?and marine chronometers as well. And there's a sort of stealth tourbillon built into the movement as well. ...
In-Depth: Why Clocks Run Clockwise (And Some Watches And Clocks That Don't)
The first thing most of us notice about clocks and watches when we learn to tell time, is that the hands turn clockwise C the habit of perceiving clockwise motion as a representation of the forward movement of time is deeply ingrained; so much so that once having learned it, most of us cease to notice it at all. Imagine you are standing on the center of a watch: in any direction you face, the hands will appear to pass from left to right. Theoretically, we could just as easily tell time if they went from right to left, so why do clock and watch hands overwhelmingly have rightward, or clockwise, motion? Why is there no period in history where anticlockwise and clockwise rotation competed for s...
Business News: Forget the Swiss, It's Fossil That Apple Is Threatening
Apple CEO Tim Cooks announcement last week that the Apple Watch has surpassed Rolex as the worlds best-selling watch by value inevitably spawned a new round of hand-wringing about Apples threat to the luxury-watch industry.? In fact, the Apple Watch has had a dramatic, some say devastating, impact on one segment of the traditional watch industry. But its not the luxury segment where Swiss brands reign supreme. That showdown may well come, but it hasnt happened yet. (More on that in a minute.) Apple CEO Tim Cook announcing that the Apple Watch has now surpassed the traditional kings in terms of pure sales. ...
A Week On The Wrist: The Apple Watch Series 3 Edition
In the fall of 2014, I was one of the very few watch industry insiders to be invited to the launch of the first Apple Watch. The ensuing story (which you can read here), is still one of the most read stories I've ever written on HODINKEE, and it is in fact the most discussed here and elsewhere. Three years on, the Apple Watch remains one of the most controversial and hotly-debated objects not only in watches C where some view it as a simple non-issue, and still others view it as pure evil taking the form of 42mm of silicon and aluminum C but also in consumer technology because it has, by Apple's admittedly skewed matrices (which will happen when you're the largest company in the history of t...
Yesterday, Jack shared with you his abiding love for the so-called Space Traveller, George Daniels's masterpiece pocket watch. Today that watch was sold at Sotheby's London and fetched an incredible $4.3 million (3,196,250 to be precise). While that's a big price any day of the week, the result is even more striking in context. Luckily we've got the full story. This is the second time the Space Traveller has changed hands this decade. Back in 2012, as part of a larger sale of Daniels's estate, the Space Traveller was the top lot, fetching?1,329,250 (approximately $2,124,142 at the time). This meant that the one lot made up more than 10% of the total value of th...
IWC has just announced its? Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition 50 Years Aquatimer in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Aquatimer watch. This anniversary edition is extremely complex for a diver's watch, and one of the most complex Aquatimers in the current collection; in addition, it's the launch vehicle for IWC's Ceratanium, a new titanium alloy which combines some of the advantages of both titanium, and ceramic cases.The Aquatimer was first launched in 1967, in a very different configuration from any modern version (with the exception of the now-discontinued Vintage Collection model). The very first Aquatimer, reference 812A, was water resistant to 200 meter...
Hands-On: The Christophe Claret Maestro
Christophe Claret is an enigma trying to not be one. If you have been following the saga of complicated watches in the late 20th and early 21st centuries for any length of time, there's a good chance you've run across his name, but in recent years it's likelier in the context of watches bearing his own name, than not. However, his resum as a watchmaker goes back quite a bit further than the establishment of his own watch brand C he began as a supplier of complicated watches to other manufacturers, starting in 1989 with the San Marco minute repeater, for Ulysse Nardin. While for much of his career, his time has been divided between his work as a complications specialist (particularly in the ...
The Value Proposition: The Hamilton Intra-Matic 68 AutoChrono
The Hamilton Intra-Matic 68 AutoChrono vintage-inspired chronograph with a number of modern updates C yes, another one. To say that this archetype has been popular over the last few years would be an understatement. With the surge in interest in vintage watches, contemporary manufacturers realized that digging into the past might be the best way to capture new customers. And, for the most part, it's been pretty successful. Watches have gotten smaller and less ostentatious, and a few brands that had strayed pretty far from their roots have suddenly found them again. A 1970 Hamilton Chrono-Matic, one of the inspirations for the watch we have here. ...
Hands-On: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 38mm
Earlier this year at Baselworld, the Fifty Fathoms Bathsycaphe 38mm was released. The latest 38mm edition was a welcome addition to the Fifty Fathoms line up, as way back in 2013, Blancpain released the first edition of the Bathyscaphe with a 43mm case (as well as a 38mm ladies' version with a white bezel and dial, and white NATO strap). The 43mm verison was received with very positive reviews, but the biggest complaint was the size. Now Blancpain has released the 38mm version ?of the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe in black or blue, which feels much more in the vintage spirit than the previous iteration. Let's go hands-on, shall we? The 38mm Fifty Fathoms Ba...
Hands-On: The Carl F. Bucherer Manero Peripheral Ladies'
The latest version of the Manero Peripheral from Carl F. Bucherer is something very unusual in the world of so-called ladies' watches C a traditionally elegant watch designed for every day use, with some real horological chops to go along with the graceful profile. The Manero Peripheral line gets its name from the CFB A2050 self-winding movement, which is the most recent version of the peripheral-rotor movement produced in-house by Carl F. Bucherer, and which was launched as the CFB A1000 in 2009. At the time, the movement made a very big splash among watch enthusiasts interested in mechanical movement evolution C not only did it use a peripheral rotor winding system, which is a very unusual...
Introducing: The NOMOS Glashtte Zrich Weltzeit Singapore
The Zrich Weltzeit travel watch has been a fan-favorite NOMOS for years, with its unusual design and legible combination of a large city ring and a 24-hour home time indicator at three o'clock. Today we're getting a limited edition Weltzeit dedicated to (and only available in) Singapore. The special watch actually comes in two different configurations, with the 50-piece set split between the two. So let's take a closer look. There are a few traits actually shared by the two versions of the Zrich Weltzeit Singapore. First off, you'll notice that Singapore is prominently featured on the city ring in red text. It's in the spot between Bangkok and Tokyo that is occ...
Business News: Is The Swiss Watch Export Slump Over?
Each month the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (or FH, short for Federation Horlogre) issues global watch export sales data for the preceding month. This year, Swiss watch professionals are scouring the data with a bit more scrutiny than normal.Thats because for more than two years, the industry has been in a slump. Wholesale sales, which the data reflects, have been anemic. In 2015, the global value of watch exports fell by 3.3% to 3.18 billion Swiss francs ($3.18 billion). Last year, they fell again, by a painful 9.9%. When they continued to drop in the first quarter of this year (-3.3%) brows really started to furrow. The worry was palpable at the giant Baselworld watch show in M...
This week marks the return of Ebay finds C that's where we found most of our featured watches, with the very notable exception of the cover girl, a Rolex chronograph reference 6234 in superb condition? (with a price tag to match). On Ebay, we found a double-signed Excelsior Park/Sinn Decimal that bears striking resemblance to a Gallet Decimal (for a good reason) and an early Eterna KonTiki diver with a tropical dial. To round out the selection, we conclude with a dressy Vacheron Constantin reference 6273, which comes full set.?This is your Bring A Loupe for September 22, 2017. Excelsior Park Decimal, With Double Signed Dial ...
Happenings: Join Us For A HODINKEE Magazine Launch Party In New York City
A few weeks ago we announced the very first HODINKEE Magazine, and since then thousands of you have pre-ordered your copies of Volume 1. This week the magazines will start arriving to your doorsteps, and we thought that deserved a celebration. So this Wednesday, September 27, we're hosting a HODINKEE Magazine launch party in New York City and we would love for you all to join us. Obviously there will be cocktails and food, but we will also have copies of the HODINKEE Magazine available for you to look through and purchase on site. Additionally, we thought it would be fun to do a little HODINKEE Shop pop-up, so we'll also have a great selection of straps, accessor...
Introducing: The Oak & Oscar Jackson Flyback Chronograph (Live Pics & Pricing)
Today we've got a new watch from a small American brand that has made a name for itself amongst fans of so-called "micro-brands." After a few years of R&D and some trips between Chicago and Switzerland, Oak & Oscar founder Chase Fancher was able to quit his day job and launch his very own watch brand. The watches are sporty and easy to wear, with an American personality to them too. The watch we have here is the Jackson, Oak & Oscar's very first chronograph, and it's a manually-wound flyback chronograph to boot. The Jackson is Oak & Oscar's most complicated watch yet. This is the third major release from Oak &a...
Happenings: Dr. Rebecca Struthers To Lecture At The Horological Society Of New York
Historically, the term "Dutch forgery" has referred to watches manufactured in the latter part of the 18th century purporting to have been made in London and yet created with Dutch physical characteristics. It has long been believed that these watches were not made in London, hence the application of "forgery," with the general assumption amongst antiquarian horologists being that Geneva was their true city of origin. At the October meeting of the Horological Society of New York, Rebecca Struthers will lecture on her thesis research concerning the aforementioned watches. Example of a 'Dutch forgery' signed Samson, London ...
Recommended Reading: Swiss Counterfeits Of High Grade English Watches C In The 18th Century
Fakes of modern watch brands have been a problem for many years, with the quality of fakes now so good that without actually disassembling a fake, it can be difficult or impossible for even the most expert eye to detect one. Fakes of high-value vintage watches has become a major, if seldom discussed, issue in vintage watch collecting as well. Dr. Rebecca Struthers has been researching the issue for many years, but with a twist: she's focused on the manufacture, by large Swiss factories, of fake English pocket watches in the 18th century, and recently discussed the subject with the New York Times. Dr. Rebecca Struthers Dr. Stru...
A Week On The Wrist: The TAG Heuer Autavia 2017
On my first official day here at HODINKEE, I walked into the office to find a surprise waiting for me. After I had a chance to settle in at my desk, Stephen handed me an unexpected treat: a watch that I had wanted to get on my wrist ever since it was announced in late 2016. He then asked me to wear it for seven consecutive days and deliver my impressions for one of my first HODINKEE articles. How could I say no? A few weeks later, here is A Week on the Wrist with the TAG Heuer Autavia 2017 C officially known as the Heuer Heritage Caliber Heuer 02. There were qualities about the new Autavia that piqued my interest from the very beginning and kept bringing me back ...