Best Super NEWS Watches
Watch Spotting: A Lemania Nero Stopwatch In 'The Crown'
I don't know about you lot, but I am addicted to the Netflix series The Crown. I finished the first season in a week and the second in a weekend. There is a lot to be seen, but as an self-proclaimed Anglophile (have I told you I lived in London?) it is a series rich in Britishisms and dramatic insight into the reign of one of the world's most important monarch, ever. Naturally, I kept a keen eye out for the changing fashions over the decades (Princess Margaret is definitely the most chic) and there are incredible jewelery and cool cars galore. But the one item that most caught my eye was in the very last episode of season two C a Lemania Nero stopwatch. The secon...
Year In Review: The Top 25 Most Popular HODINKEE Posts Of 2017
It's been a pretty crazy year here at HODINKEE. We've designed some awesome products, met some incredible people, brought on some new team members, created a magazine for the very first time, and even launched a new e-commerce experience. But, at the heart of it all, we've come in to HODINKEE HQ every day and worked to bring you the very best coverage of the world of watches you'll find anywhere. And we think we've done a pretty good job of it. Here we're counting down the 25 most popular stories of 2017, as judged simply by looking at pure website and iOS app traffic. So these aren't our suggestions for what we think you should be reading as 2018 approaches, but...
Recommended Reading: Julia Rothman's Illustrated Clocks Of New York
The clocks of New York City are too numerous to count; of the major public ones, some are of course quite famous. Heading south to north, there is the Barthman's Sidewalk Clock, at Broadway and Maiden Lane. There is the 5th Avenue Building Clock, at Madison Square. There is "The Clock," most imperiously named, straddling the station's information desk, always running one minute too fast. And there is of course the Tiffany Atlas Clock, at 5th and 57th, a verdigris-coated masterpiece that's ?offered the time from its perch astride the threshold of the jeweler's international flagship since 1853.? The Tiffany Atlas Clock, which has inspired the American je...
Happenings: Peter Speake-Marin To Lecture At The Horological Society Of New York
At the January 9, 2018, meeting of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), British watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin will present his new platform for watchmaking education, The Naked Watchmaker. The platform stems from Speake-Marins time as an antiquarian horologist in London working on antique pocket watches and vintage wristwatches. In his lecture, Speake-Marin will address the technical points needed to understand modern brands, the finer aspects of independent watchmakers, and the key points to consider when looking at caliber manufacturers. Speake-Marin will also touch on future goals for The Naked Watchmaker, including his interview series and fascinating macro photography. ...
Editorial: An Ode To Rattly Old Bracelets
Despite the inherent obsolescence of their creations, watch companies continue to innovate. Innovation is a fundamental characteristic of watchmaking since its beginningsthe relentless pursuit of accurate timekeeping in the face of natures best efforts to defy it. Tourbillons defied gravity, bi-metallic springs defied temperature, and rubber gaskets defied moisture. SuperLuminova glows all night and wont turn yellow with age. Sapphire crystals dont scratch. Same with ceramic bezels. And of course, the new era of silicon movement components have revolutionized the way watchmakers combat the evils of magnetism. And then there are bracelets. Pick up any vintage ...
Happenings: The Horological Society Of New York To Hold Weekend Classes In San Diego
The?Horological Society of New York's award-winning classes?are on the road again! Classes will be held in San Diego, California, over the weekend of February 10-11, hosted by?Passion Fine Jewelry, Solana Beach. 2018 will be a busy year for HSNYs traveling education, and San Diego is just the start. At HSNY's Horological Education classes, students discover what actually makes a watch tick. The hands-on classes are taught by HSNY's staff of professional watchmakers. Students work on a mechanical watch movement, studying the gear train, winding and setting mechanisms, and escapement. The weekend half-day classes cover everything taught during the individual eveni...
The Horological Society of New Yorks Henry B. Fried Scholarship was established in early 2017, with a goal of increasing the number of students studying at full-time watchmaking schools in the USA. Most watchmaking schools in the USA are free, but the cost of living while attending school can be a large barrier for prospective students. Additionally, many watchmaking schools are not accredited, meaning student loans are not possible. At the same time, watchmakers are more in-demand than ever. The popularity of mechanical watches continues to increase, but more watchmakers are retiring than graduating. With the Henry B. Fried Scholarship, the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) is working...
Introducing: The Mido Commander Big Date
Upon learning about this new watch with big date display from Mido, which the company says is timed to coincide with its 100th anniversary, it occurred to me that I had no clue Mido was approaching such a major anniversary year at all. I think this is because the U.S. market hasn't historically been a primary focus for this line of affordable watches owned by the Swatch Group, much in the same way that Certina and Union Glashtte, current Swatch-owned properties that focus outside the United States, are today. The Mido Commander Big Date. That's all changed of late, though. The Swiss brand, whose name means I measure in Spanis...
Inside The Manufacture: A Visit To the Atmos Workshop At Jaeger-LeCoultre
As you might expect, we visit a lot of watch manufactures over here at HODINKEE. And while many of them share a number of key things in common, there is always something special to be found amongst the CNC machines and watchmakers assembling movements if you try hard enough. Luckily, Jaeger-LeCoultre doesn't make you look too hard at all to uncover something unique (on a number of fronts). The brand's Atmos clocks are some of the more esoteric and fascinating timekeepers produced over the last century and there is a newly renovated workshop totally dedicated to assembling and restoring the temperature-powered clocks. If you're not familiar with Atmos clocks, the ...
Friday Live: Episode 25: The Future Of Smartwatches
Happy new year! After a brief holiday hiatus we are back with Episode 25. That's right, we have made it to 25 episodes, thanks to you crazy kids that tune in every week. For this week's episode, we want to welcome you to 2018 by diving deep into the hot topic of smartwatches. Love them or hate them, smartwatches are here to stay. Or are they? Jack and Cara will be co-hosting the episode to discuss the relevance of smartwatches and their future in the watch industry. Our question to you this week a simple one: How does the smartwatch fit into the life of a mechanical watch enthusiast??See you tomorrow at 1:00 PM ET....
Hands-On: The Longines Avigation BigEye
When Longines announced the Legend Diver back in 2007, they were among the first big name brands on the trend of producing vintage-inspired sport watches that specifically set out to capture the appeal of vintage models while offering the benefits of modern production. Ten years later, the brand has produced a series of such models and continues to offer a version of the Legend Diver. To add to the successful ranks of the COSD, the Heritage Chronograph 1967, the Legend Diver, and the lovely Heritage 1945 (to name only a few), Longines recently announced the Avigation BigEye Chronograph. A rather handsome steel chronograph with a vintage military-inspired aesthetic, the BigEye attempts to rec...
Historical Perspectives: Who Actually Invented The Flying Tourbillon?
The question of who came first in horology is a tough one, and for two reasons. The first is that horology tends to be an incremental, rather than a revolutionary, field, and as a rule, good ideas occur to a lot of people at once, and for the same reasons. Who gets to be first is as much a matter of luck, sometimes, as it is hard work and inspiration.? The second is that there are often several different versions of a particular idea. One of the most interesting inventions in horology in this respect, is the tourbillon. It's well known that Breguet was granted the very first patent for the tourbillon in 1801, but there were subsequently quite a number of interest...
Introducing: The Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition
Among well known Swiss watch brands, Oris is something of a plucky underdog. Resolutely independent, the company chooses to stick with well designed, largely vintage-inspired, watches with innovative and unusual complications, like an altimeter or a week number indicator. It also chooses fairly obscure underdogs for the focus of its special edition watches, like staghorn coral, a Swiss air rescue service, or a remote garbage-strewn Pacific island. Somehow this company philosophy gives some legitimacy to Oriss tagline, Real Watches for Real People. Easily its most successful limited edition paid tribute to a true underdog hero, Carl Brashear, the late US Navy d...
Introducing: The Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Plantarium
The Van Cleef and Arpels Midnight Planetarium was first released back in 2014 and quickly became one of the most impressive horological pieces to be produced by the typically jewelry-focused maison (not to mention Matt Damon wore one while winning an Oscar in 2016). This year, Van Cleef & Arpels has released a smaller version for women C?the Lady Arpels Plantarium. This 38mm watch in white gold with diamond-set bezel features a stunning dial made out of concentric rings made of Aventurine, a star-like stone not often seen. The watch uses other precious materials such as pink mother-of-pearl for Mercury, green enamel for Venus, turquoise for Earth, and a diamond for the Moon. The casebac...
Four Revolutions: The Lost Chapter: A Concise History Of The LED watch
In May of 1970, 36-year-old John Bergey, head of research and development at Hamilton Watch Co., in Lancaster, PA, was a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He was there to show Johnny not just a new watch that Hamilton had created, but a new kind of watch.? Called the Pulsar Time Computer, it was the worlds first digital watch. It was unlike any watch that Carson, or anyone else, had ever seen before. It had no hands or dial. Instead, it had a blank, red, rectangular computer-like time screen (Hamiltons term), made of synthetic ruby, set in a gold cushion-shaped case. To tell the time, you pushed a button on the side of the case. Three (or four) re...
Introducing: The Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Lady
The Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Lady is the first women's watch produced by the reputable modern manufacturer. You may recognize this watch?C it's basically the same as the Insight Micro-Rotor released last year at Baselworld, but in a different metal and with a different dial treatment. The Insight Micro-Rotor Lady boasts a 39.5mm case in 18k red gold case with a mother-of-pearl dial (you have your choice of white or black). The bi-directional 22k gold micro-rotor has been updated with a sprinkling of diamonds, and there's the same double mainspring barrel. Overall, it's cool to see a watchmaker like Gauthier producing an interesting and attractive ladies' watch. ...
Introducing: The H. Moser Swiss Icons Watch
The Moser Swiss Icons watch is the latest in a series of watches from H. Moser, which is intended to be as much a provocation as anything else. The subjects of the provocation are, in this case, not the Apple Watch (a past target) but rather Swiss watch brands. The Swiss Icons watch appears to be intended as a parody of incrementalism of much Swiss watch design overall. A unique piece, the Swiss Icons watch has the bezel of a GMT Master II shoehorned into a Royal Oak shape, a dial that's a mashup of Panerai and Patek (the Nautilus) a Hublot case, a Panerai-esque crown guard, and a tourbillon under a Girard-Perregaux type golden bridge. Why This Watch Matters ...
Introducing: The Montblanc 1858 Pocket Watch Limited Edition 100 (Live Pics & Pricing)
As something of a flagship of the new 1858 collection, this pocket watch is meant to be a companion for an adventurer. The titanium case houses a blue stone dial with a 24-hour scale that is traced by one large red hand. Additionally, there is a monopusher chronnograph (powered by one of Montblanc's outstanding Minerva calibers) with a pulsation scale for taking critical measurements and a compass integrated into the hunter-style caseback. The New 1858 Collection Be sure to check out the rest of the new 1858 collection too: 1858 Automatic 1858 Automatic Chronograph 1858 Geosphere 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 100? ...
Introducing: The Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 100 (Live Pics & Pricing)
It's no secret that Montblanc makes great chronographs and this is another example of the brand doing it right. The 40mm stainless steel case is fully brushed on top, giving it an understated presence on the wrist, and the smoked green dial is much more subtle than you might expect. The action on the monopusher chronograph is excellent C as you'd expect from the beautifully finished Minerva caliber inside C and the end result is a sports watch that has the pedigree of a true high-end dress chronograph. Why This Watch Matters Anyone who is interested in modern, high-end chronograph movements is certainly familiar with Minerva's calibers. A...
Introducing: The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere (Live Pics & Pricing)
Definitely the boldest watch in the new 1858 collection, the Geosphere combines a simple dual timezone display with a much more complex pair of worldtime displays. You have an extra 12-hour displays at nine o'clock for keeping track of another timezone and two hemispheres at 12 and six o'clock that show you the local times across the globe all at once. The bi-directional rotating bezel is graduated like a compass, adding to the watch's adventurous feel. There are two essential versions of the watch, a non-limited version in stainless steel and a limited edition in bronze. Why This Watch Matters While the Geosphere complication isn't entir...