Best Super NEWS Watches
Introducing The A. Lange & Sohne Langematik Perpetual Now In White Gold With Black Dial
Guten Morgen! And indeed it will be a good one for watch aficionados everywhere. Thats because A. Lange & Sohne unveils a new Langematik Perpetual today. Weve covered Lange perpetuals before (check out our Hands-On with the Richard Lange Terraluna) and even a Langematik C the one Walter Lange wears regularly. This latest release will introduce us to a new black-dial perpetual calendar in white gold.The case is a classic 38.5 mm of finely polished gold on the top and a brushed circumference around the side. Three recessed pushers are evident on the left circumference of the case at 8, 9 and 10 oclock; a fourth is visible at 4 oclock. These are for advancing the calendar displays eith...
Ochs Und Junior Online Customizer Brings Limitless Options To Life
If youve been paying attention to HODINKEE at all over the years, youre probably aware of the rigorously simple watches of Ochs Und Junior. The small, Lucerne-based company, has just one sales showroom (which we visited on The Road to Basel last year), which is run by CEO Beat Weinmann, who is also the companys sole salesperson. During the visit, we were exposed to the sheer volume of options available to prospective buyers, from case size and material to each hand and complication element. The vast array of possibilities is now more accessible than ever, thanks to a new online visual customizer tool. Ochs Und Junior takes...
Introducing the BR 126 Sport Heritage GMT & Flyback, A Modern Favorite With A Twist
To all those with frequent flyer miles, here is an interesting update: The Bell & Ross BR 126 Heritage Sport GMT & Flyback. Before we get into analysis, lets take a short, philosophical flight into Bell & Rosss venture C one that is often the subject of scrutiny by watchpurists.Theres no denying the widespread vintage appeal that has recently consumed the watch-market. Throwbacks are on the rise as watch lovers dig deeper into history and appreciate the genesis of timekeeping. Many brands bring us re-issues of their most memorable models from the last century. But, what about watches that werent alive in the 50s and 60s? What about watches that never struggled through the q...
Photo Report: Recapping The HODINKEE Celebration Of Seiko's New NYC Boutique
A few weeks back, we took you inside the new Madison Avenue Seiko boutique to show just how special its offerings would be. The response has been incredible, and last night, we invited some of our dedicated, Seiko-loving friends to join us in a private HODINKEE celebration of this new mecca of horology in mid-town NYC. The packed house was complete with young collectors and old, seasoned and newbies. The range of interests spanned as wide as what Seiko had to offer, with not only countless Seiko 5 and divers on hand, but several hi-beat time-only pieces and many GMT's. ...
Arnold & Son has been doing some really impressive stuff the past few years. Stuff like this, this, and this. Just today we got to go hands-on with one of our favorite pieces from the 2014 Basel World collection, a chronograph called the Instrument CTB (first seen here). So what you have is a traditional-looking, two-button chronograph with hours and minutes, but you also have a sweeping chronograph hand, PLUS constant dead-beat seconds display. This thing is cool. First things first, this is NOT a rattrapante (split-seconds) chronograph. It can certainly look like one, what with the whole double seconds hand thing going ...
Introducing The Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller Enamel U.S. Limited Edition
Remember when we brought you the only Laurent Ferrier for sale in the U.S. We wont be doing that again any time soon, because were excited to announce the Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller Enamel U.S. Limited Edition. We hold Ferrier on a special pedestal perhaps because it epitomizes the quiet cool of true haute horology.What do we mean by quiet cool? We mean that Laurent Ferrier makes about 140 watches a year (Patek makes about 50,000 C Rolex about a million). The brand isnt an individual, but a team that comprises of 16 people inside a single-family home in a Swiss village. Theyve secured their look C something very rare C by designing the half-feuilles/half-lancet-like hands and ma...
Introducing The MB&F HM5 CarbonMacrolon, More Than Skin Deep
Its been nearly 2 years since the last Horological Machine, HM5, first broke cover. Since, MB&F has moved the focus to their Legacy Machines (among other things). With HM6 under development, they turn once again to their Horological Machines, giving us the all-black, HM5 CarbonMarcolon. This isnt a quick PVD job, however; MB&F asked for a completely new material, and its black straight through. They call it CarbonMarcolon, and it makes the HM5 CM different from anything MB&F has ever done. To refresh your memory, the HM5 features a design inspired heavily by 70s super cars, hence the name, On The Road Again....
Watch lovers are a lot like stargazers. Theyre always looking to discover something new. They know the order of things, the brightest players, and what to expect from them. While we desire surprise, we dont expect to constantly find it.?It is in this sense that La Vallee de Joux sometimes resembles the universe more so than usual. Its quiet, cold and seemingly harmonious. But, every once in a while, things stir up, and spectacular, brief occurrences come out of the Swiss tundra. Such is the story of Fonderie 47 and its Inversion Principle Tourbillon. Before sharing the watch, lets share the unique story behind Fonderie 47 and its chosen watchmaker.Fonderie 47 is an initiative led by busi...
We knew it was coming, we didn't know in what form. Now we do. Christie's Watch Department, the global leaders in high-end vintage watch auctions, will be holding a special evening sale on November 9 of this year to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Patek Philippe. This comes just one year after Christie's absolutely annihilated existing Rolex Daytona records with its Lesson One Rolex Daytona sale, in celebration of its 50th anniversary in the same format. For Patek 175 we will see just 100 individual lots, ranging from the early 19th century through the 1980s C maintaining that this sale is dedicated truly to "vintage" pieces. ...
Ten years ago, Richard and Maria Habring first presented their Habring2 brand to the public with a simple three-hander called the Time-Only. Since then, the Austria-based couple have built a robust collection of both simple and complicated watches, including the GPHG award winning Jumping Second Pilot (which appeared in our last Three On Three). Theyve embraced a modular approach to their movements, which are base Valjoux/ETA 7750/7760 units, and while they make them truly unique, the manufacture label has eluded them. Until now. Meet the Habring2 Felix, an Austrian-developed hand wind that celebrates 10 years of achievements. Oh and Ben's criticism that previous watches were just too t...
Introducing The Vulcain '50s President Cricket Manual With New Dials
Vulcain ticks quite a few boxes for the average watch connoisseur. Currently based out of Le Locle (previously La Chaux-de-Fonds), Vulcain has been active in Switzerland since 1858. It has been seen on the wrists of Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson and nearly every other U.S. president since. It was the first brand to replace radium with tritium. It claimed the first alarm complication on a wristwatch in 1947, and then kept it audible at over 200 meters underwater in 1961. Its movements are nearly all in-house, well-finished and chambered in stunning vintage-style cases (we brought you a hands-on with its Nautical Seventies model last year). Now that we can check off heritage, innovation and qual...
When F.P. Journe unveiled his Octa Sports line of watches back in 2011, we (the royal watch collecting "we") could simply not believe how light they were. After all, the F.P. Journe "lineSport" pieces, being the Octa Sport and the Centrigraphe (CTS), were made entirely of aluminum. Yes, aluminum! They were so light, they almost felt fake (seriously). They were not fake, they were just absurdly light, and absurdly cool. In fact, the very first aluminum CTS sold at Christie's for over $467,000. Yeah. That cool. But, all things must evolve, and today we have a look at the new line of sports pieces from Journe C the very same models, but instead of the incredibly lightweight aluminum, they are n...
Talking Watches: With Fabrizio Sotti
And we're back. This episode of Talking Watches brings us full circle from episode one, where we sat down with musician John Mayer, because the subject of this episode is again a guitarist, and again a truly passionate lover of all things horological. Fabrizio Sotti is one of those guys that only should only exist in the movies. He's a world-class jazz guitarist who played for years with the Gipsy Kings, and he's produced for everyone from Jennifer Lopez and Whitney Houston to Q-Tip, Wu-Tang Clan, and Tupac. Sotti sold his own record label to Universal some years ago, but continues to produce and record in his studio in downtown ...
Whats Selling Where: Highlights From The Upcoming Watches Of Knightsbridge Sale
Watches of Knightsbridge (WoK) is a watch-specific auction house located in Knightsbridge (a central district of London) that we probably dont give enough attention to here at HODINKEE. WoK consistently provides some of the most interesting watch catalogs if you are looking at the sub-$10,000 watch market. What I really like about WoK is that the watches are typically in barn find condition, by which I mean a watch that is being sold in original condition probably consigned from the original owner or original owner's family, not something that has changed hands among dealers a few times (and perhaps had a few changes) before ending up for sale at a major auction house. WoK typically has...
Photo Report: Recapping The HODINKEE Celebration of Blancpain's New NYC Boutique
On Wednesday night, HODINKEE was proud to welcome some of our readers into Blancpain's brand new Fifth Avenue boutique. You know, the one we showed you here. The official opening of the store won't happen for a few months (though doors are obviously open now), Blancpain invited HODINKEE to be the very first co-hosts of its new North American flagship. Read on for a photo report of the evening. What made Wednesday night special was that it was actually the very first time Blancpain showed its 2014 BaselWorld introductions to the public. This included several new pieces, but most notably the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronograp...
Introducing The Breitling Transocean 38, A Smaller, Less Complicated Addition To The Transocean Line
Breitling is expanding its Transocean line with the new Transocean 38, which keeps the understated size and looks while losing a complication or two in the process. The Transocean 38 retains much of the charm first captured in the original 1950s models, adding modern touches with minimal flair. In a move weve seen before from Breitling, the new model will measure in at a scant 38 mm in diameter, and be ambiguously marketed at both male and female consumers. Weve discussed this tactic before in our review of the Transocean Chronograph 38, and maintain that it shouldn't stand in the way of appreciating a great watch. The Tra...
Hands-On: With The Urwerk UR-105M Dark Knight (Live Photos, Explanation, Pricing)
The UR-105M, Urwerk's latest creation, sparked a mix of reactions when we first showed it to you a few months ago. However, from the moment we saw the watch we knew it was one worth looking at a little closer. It combines the classic Urwerk satellite display with a slightly different case shape, a few indicators tucked into the side of the case, and a "dashboard" on the caseback, making it a pretty representative example of what Urwerk is all about. Here we go hands-on with the UR-105M Dark Knight.?If you're not already familiar with Urwerk, the Dark Knight might elicit some blank stares at first. Yes, this is in fact a 100% mechanical watch. And yes, this is actually meant to be worn on the...
Bring a Loupe: Six Timepieces With At Least A Touch Of Gold
Although we are certainly fans of white metal watches here at HODINKEE (steel, platinum, and white gold), we don't mind watches with some gold, too, especially in the summer. In fact, Ben recently?declared this summer to be a "golden summer" in The Telegraph. Here are six watches with at least a little gold that I really like: a Universal Geneve Tri-Compax in steel with a black dial and yellow gold markers and hands, a Patek Philippe Nautilus from the 1980s in yellow gold, a Zenith chronograph from the 1950s in yellow gold, a rose gold Longines Calatrava, and a Gallet chronograph.Universal Geneve Tri-Compax reference 22279 in Steel with Yellow Gold Hands and Markers? ...
The Value Proposition: Eterna's Majetek Pilot's Watch For The Czech Air Force
Eterna, Longines, and Lemania produced pilot's watches based on specifications from the Czech Air Force. Watches are inextricably linked with the armed forces. Without trivializing the enormous impact of war on human existence, its fascinating to note the range of models produced by legendary watchmakers for use by soldiers around the world, like iconic MilSubs or Mark XIs. Compared to these relatively well known military-issue watches, there is one model that stands out for its simplicity and unexpected good looks: the Majetek pilots watch issued to members of the Czech Air Force in the late 1930's and early '40s. Together, the cushion-shaped case, black dial...
Stephen Forsey, co-founder of Greubel Forsey. Image courtesy Greubel Forsey. If you read the newspaper or watch TV, you know that we live in a profit-hungry world. Budget forecasts dominate discourse, and even our most innocuous diversions, platforms like Facebook and Instagram, are under pressure from shareholders to produce more and more revenue. What we rarely consider is how this culture has permeated high watchmaking. After all, timepieces are big business C the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH estimates the country exported the equivalent of 22.2 billion Swiss francs in 2014. Which means many brands, and the watchmakers behind them, must strike a bal...