Best Super NEWS Watches
Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Red Magic
For the first time ever, Hublot is making a watch almost entirely of bright red ceramic. The new material, which Hublot is calling "vibrantly colored ceramic" is a harder, more color-rich ceramic for which they've received a patent (that covers more than just the red you see here). The material has been seen before, as the bezel of the Ferrari Unico Carbon Red Ceramic, however this is the first time the polished red ceramic is being used as the main case material for a watch. This version of the brand's Big Bang Unico chronograph is a limited edition of 500 pieces, though Hublot is saying that there will be lots of variations on this theme in the future. Why This...
Introducing: The Junghans Max Bill Automatic 'Soft Gold' Editions
At its core, this is the same Max Bill watch that Junghans has been making for over half a century. It has a clear dial that comes with your choice of either long stick markers or svelte Arabic numerals, just a hint of lume, and tons of negative space.?The updates are to the color scheme, with the case getting a soft, semi-matte gold PVD treatment and the dial getting a subtle grey color that keeps the contrast low and the chic-factor high. Why This Watch Matters There's not really a ton that's new here, but it's nice to see Junghans continue to successfully iterate on the classic Max Bill design. I've said it many times before; any time ...
Introducing: The Oris 'Source Of Life' Limited Edition
The Oris Aquis line of dive watches has served as platform for a number of special limited editions, most paying tribute to an ocean environment, marine conservation organization, or aquatic species. The latest in this lineage is the Source of Life Limited Edition, which again is inspired by water C but this time its a river, the Rhine, which has its origins in the Swiss Alps and flows past Holstein, where Oris is headquartered. In fact, a feeder brook known as the Orisbach, is adjacent to the Oris workshops and is the original source of the company's name. The River Rhine on its course through the Swiss Alps. The 43.5mm st...
Recommended Reading: Reply All Investigates 'The World's Most Expensive Free Watch'
If, like me, youd rather listen to an episode of Whyd You Push That Button, or the sublime All Fantasy Everything, than watch the latest TV drama, Gimlet Medias Reply All podcast is likely already in your feed. For the uninitiated, Reply All is a simply wonderful audio presentation of human life in an increasingly digital world, and its one of the few podcasts that I will immediately download and play as soon as a new episode is available.? Mixing in-depth human storytelling with popular topics culled from the (sometimes very deep) recesses of the internet, past Reply All topics have covered true crime, Apple support scam calling in India, lost Bitcoin, and s...
Inside The Manufacture: Montblanc's Pen Factory And Museum In Hamburg
The notion of Montblanc as a watch manufacturer has now been around long enough that most of us have gotten used to the idea C I think, on that issue, that there are always going to be those who object on philosophical grounds, but there are some hearts and minds you're never going to win no matter how hard you try. The fact remains, however, that Montblanc has indeed been primarily a maker of writing instruments for most of its history, and that aspect of the company is one that most of us who know Montblanc as a watch manufacturer, may not know as well.? The Montblanc Meisterstck (Masterpiece) 149 fountain pen, Montblanc Museum, Hamburg ...
The Value Proposition: The William L. 1985 Automatic Chronograph
We've been following the watches from William L. 1985 ever since the company launched its first Kickstarter campaign back in 2015, and we've been consistently impressed with what we've seen. The basic idea behind the brand is to offer vintage inspired watches at very affordable prices C the target audience is anyone who loves the look, specifically, of chronograph watches from the 1950s and wants the enjoyment of vintage watches without the headaches that can come with them (and the expense). William L. 1985 (the company name is taken from the name and birth year of founder Guillaume Laidet) launched with quartz chronographs and a very attractive diver's watch (which at 36.5mm was very faith...
Hands-On: The A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Thin Blue Copper
This years SIHH showed many new trends, but the one that stuck out to me the most was the emphasis on interesting ladies watches (unless I have just tempered my expectations, which is likely). Regardless, there was one thing in particular that I noticed over and over, and that was special dial or case treatments. One great example is the A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Thin Blue Copper. This watch was totally out of left field, but made quite an impact upon first sight. The Saxonia Thin is now available with a special "Blue Copper" dial. The Saxonia Thin Blue Copper is the same Saxonia Thin watch that we all know and love excep...
Watch Spotting: The Watches They Wore To The 90th Academy Awards
Sunday night, many of the major names from the world of film descended on Los Angeles for the 90th installment of the Academy Awards. And while it's become a popular pastime for viewers to critique the guest's choices of formal wear and evening gowns, we had our eyes trained on what was to be found peeking out from under the shirtsleeve.?The various choices of wristwatches were diverse to say the least, ranging from Kobe Bryant's Apple Watch Series 3 to ?Sam Rockwell's Rolex GMT and Edgar Ramirez's Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Complete Calendar. Rolex was once again a sponsor of the Oscars, designing the evening's green room, where they also played host.? In...
Photo Report: A Night With Hamilton In New York City
Last week, HODINKEE readers and Hamilton fans got together for a chance to look at both new Hamilton watches, and a really stellar assembly of Hamilton aviation and military watches, as well as navigation instruments, from the NAWCC (National Association Of Watch And Clock Collectors) ?Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster, as Hamilton fans will know, was the US home of Hamilton for decades before the firm's manufacturing transitioned to Switzerland. Guests were able to see a pocket watch used by the famous explorer Admiral Byrd, on his first Antarctic expedition in 1928. There were also a number of other treasures from the Museum, including a movement produced by Hamilton for the fir...
When I got the call from Richard Mille to join its team at this years Geneva Motor Show, I was sure about one thing C the watch unveiled wouldn't fly under the radar. While guaranteed to be packed full of material innovation, it would almost inevitably not be everybodys cup of tea. The all new RM 11-03 didn't disappoint.?Richard Mille and McLaren Automotive partnered last year, and this is the first watch they have produced as a team. ?The watch is the joint vision of McLaren Design Director Rob Melville and Richard Mille Engineer Fabrice Namura. Limited to just 500 pieces globally, and priced at an eye watering $191,500, the watch will be made available initially to McLaren Ultimate Serie...
Hands-On: The Briston Clubmaster Diver
A combination of factors have conspired to give us what seems to be an ever-increasing number of relatively small and fairly new watch brands. As with so many things that give with one hand and take away with the other, we can blame the internet, which makes it possible to start a company and reach potential consumers at a lower cost and with less work than ever before. While it's true that this can and has led (in the case of watches) to some fairly forgettable stuff and a lot of me-too design, it also means that idiosyncratic but interesting small batch watch design has a better-than-even chance of actually taking off.? The Briston Clubmaster Diver in...
Happenings: HODINKEE Meet-Up In L.A.
While we consider ourselves New Yorkers, we thought it would be great to venture out to the Golden State for some sunshine, warm weather and watches. While we are in Los Angeles for the week, filming Talking Watches episodes and working on other special projects (stay tuned!) we would love to see our Los Angelian readers. With that said, we are hosting a meet-up in Los Angeles on Thursday March 8th and would love to see you there. If you are interested in joining simply fill out this form and we will update you with the details, however please note space is limited. We look forward to seeing you all there!...
In-Depth: A Long-Term Look At Living With The Drive De Cartier, In Steel
The Cartier Drive de Cartier debuted two years ago, at the 2016 edition of the SIHH, and it was a watch that impressed a lot of us immediately. As a new design from Cartier, it seemed to achieve something very difficult: immediately seeming very characteristically Cartier, without borrowing too directly from the design language of Cartier's past. Completely new case designs from Cartier are relatively rare (understandably, as from a design standpoint Cartier has a very diverse palette of extremely iconic designs, with almost endless possibilities for variations) and this one seemed like a home run. Ben Clymer, in his Introducing post, wrote, " ... the Drive is exactly what Cartier is to me. ...
Recommended Reading: In Europe, Some Clocks Are Off Thanks To A Quarrel Over Electricity
Something many of us are probably not aware of is that some of our clocks actually rely on the electric power grid in order to regulate themselves. Cell phones and computers are directly connected to the atomic-clock regulated internet time signal, but other clocks C some plug-in electric clocks, as well as many appliance clocks C rely on the frequency of AC power delivered by generating stations. Generally, the frequency of the grid is 50 or 60 Hz, depending on where you are, and the stability of the grid's frequency is used to correct the time in clocks getting energy from mains, rather than batteries. This is thanks to a synchronous electric motor (these were first invented in 1926, and t...
Introducing: The Arnold & Son Globetrotter
The new Arnold & Son Globetrotter is an eye-catching world time wristwatch, with an independently settable hour hand and a very large 3-D Earth, showing the Northern Hemisphere as seen from directly above the North Pole. The Earth rotates once every 24 hours to provide a world time function against a concentric 24-hour ring. Why This Watch Matters The use of a view of the Northern Hemisphere as the basis for a world time indication isn't a new one, but Arnold & Son's version is especially striking. The hemisphere is engraved and different topographic features receive different finishes, with the r...
Happenings: Gary Shteyngart To Lecture On The Art Of Time In Chicago
Regular HODINKEE readers will doubtless be familiar with Gary Shteyngart, the New York Times best-selling author, New Yorker contributor, and self-professed watch nerd. He first exploded onto the watch scene with his article "Confessions of a Watch Geek" in the New Yorker magazine and has since been a guest on Friday Live as well, talking about his love for a great vintage Rolex and his method of self-tanning leather watch straps on the porch of his house in upstate New York. Next Monday, March 19, Gary will be giving a lecture about his love of watches at the Alliance Fran?aise in Chicago. The talk is being sponsored by the Swiss Benevolent Society and the Embas...
Photo Report: The HODINKEE Meet-Up In Los Angeles
Last week, we had the good fortune of hosting a fantastic HODINKEE meet-up in Los Angeles. Over 150 people joined us on the roof of the Ace Hotel Downtown LA for sunset cocktails and some good old fashioned watch nerdery. As you'd expect, there were some pretty incredible watches on wrists too, so we've rounded up a selection of the best here. This isn't everything, but it should give you a good idea of what kind of horological heat the LA crowd was packing.? Thank you again to everyone who came out to show their support and we hope to see you all at future HODINKEE events very soon. ...
Ming launched its first watch C the 17.01 C in the summer of 2017, with considerable impact. The models offered got people's attention for a lot of reasons: the design was fresh and different, the size was very much in the sweet spot for enthusiasts, and the price was irresistible, especially for the feature set. The subsequent release came as something of a surprise, again on a number of levels. The Ming 19.01 was an exercise in much more luxury-oriented watchmaking, and featured a 100-hour movement from Schwarz-Etienne, as well as a higher price of CHF 6,900. However, at the time of the release of the 19.01, Ming stated that the 17.xx series would continue to develop and sure enough, the 1...
Introducing: The Herms Slim d'Herms GMT (Live Pics & Pricing)
For its latest limited edition offering, Herms has introduced a new take on the Slim d'Herms with a prominent GMT complication. Overall, the layout of the grey dial within the slim palladium case will feel very familiar. However, where you'll usually find a running seconds sub-dial there is a date display, and up at 10 o'clock is a large silvered sub-dial for the GMT function. Here there is what looks like a jumble of numerals, but they're actually all arranged to make reading the second timezone (home time) easy. Capping things off, you've got two day/night windows, one for home time and one for local time. Like I said, this watch is every bit as practical as it is fun. ...
Hands-On: The Bremont U-2/51-Jet
In his classic book The Right Stuff, ?Tom Wolfe writes that a telltale way of identifying a military test pilot back in the early days of the Cold War was by looking at his wrist. The wristwatches had about two thousand calibrations on them and dials for recording everything short of the sound of enemy guns. These terrific wristwatches were practically fraternal insignia among the pilots.? Wolfe had it right. Theres no denying that a big tool watch has long been a symbol of adventure and rugged readiness, whether its a Navy divers Sea-Dweller or a hotshot fighter jocks Navitimer. And these days, Instagram has afforded the expression of ones most righteous...