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Best Super NEWS Watches
Introducing: The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph
While everyone's been fixated on the first day of the 2019 SIHH, TAG Heuer has gone and quietly released a technologically incredible chronograph that utilizes a totally new hairspring made of carbon composite. They developed this new technology themselves and hold the patent for it too. The watch is all about showing off and celebrating that new technology in a watch that also pays homage to TAG Heuer's history via the Carrera case and name. This watch is very much an evolution of the Carrera Heuer 02T, a watch that shook up the industry in 2016 by offering a Swiss tourbillon chronograph at a never-before-heard-of price. Building off the foundation of that watch...
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar
In 2013, Vacheron Constantin released a minute repeater wristwatch with what, at the time, was the thinnest hand-wound repeating movement in the world. Though it's no longer a world's record holder, the caliber 1731 is still a movement of great elegance and very traditionally executed design and finish C at only 3.90mm thick, it's just slightly thicker than Bulgari's caliber BVL 362, which is 3.12mm thick. On the caliber 1731's side, however, is a slightly longer power reserve, at 65 hours vs. 42 for the BVL 362, and the additional available energy offers the possibility of adding an additional complication. You wouldn't want to do anything too crazy C a triple axis tourbillon, for instance,...
HODINKEE Radio: SIHH 2019 Round-Up, Day 1
Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn). Already heard it once or twice? Please leave a short review here, and tell us which guests we should have on! The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is the first major event of the horological calendar, drawing journalists, retailers, collectors, and industry folk alike to Geneva for a week each January to see what the brands will be introducing to the market over the coming 12 months. It's a chance to take stock, to gauge the mood of the industry, and to explore the newest releases all at once. So naturally we've brought nearly a dozen HODINKEE team mem...
Introducing: The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Vertical
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Tourbillon Souverain, F.P. Journe has one-upped himself, launching a new tourbillon model that turns the regulator 90 degrees and doubles the rotating speed of the tourbillon for greater performance and visual effect. The aptly-named Tourbillon Souverain Vertical is a seriously complicated watch, so I figure we'll just walk through it bit by bit.First off, the watch starts with a 42mm case in platinum or red gold. From there, you'll notice that there's not a real "dial" so to speak. Instead, the red gold mainplate serves as the bulk of the dial, with a white enamel sub-dial set into the mainplate for the hours, minutes, and seconds. Above that is a po...
The mission of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) is one of education. As Americas oldest watchmaking guild (and one of the oldest continuously operating horological associations in the world), HSNY strives to advance the art and science of horology, which is largely entrusted to watchmaking students. Today, HSNY is announcing a major expansion of its Henry B. Fried Scholarship and will now award multiple scholarships of $10,000 every year. Any student who has been accepted to or is currently studying at one of nine full-time watchmaking schools in the United States is eligible to receive the award. Prospective students may also apply, with the understanding that the scholarship is ...
Hands-On: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' Extra-Thin Ref. 15202BC
Okay, let's get something straight right off the bat: The new Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin 15202BC has been characterized as having a "salmon dial," and that is just not the case. Look at these photos C look at the renderings provided by Audemars Piguet, even C and you'll see that the dial is very much a sort of brownish/pink gold color. Even AP's own description of the dial says "pink gold-tone dial." Sure, you can call it salmon, but what does that even mean? What we do get is a 39mm white gold Royal Oak that rocks a warm gold dial with white gold markers and hands. Using Audemars Piguet's 2121 automatic movement, the 15202BC t...
You may recall that back in December we introduced Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel, a limited-edition white gold dress watch that came with a beautiful blue guilloch enamel dial and a souped-up version of the already extant caliber 925 that saw an increase from about 40 hours of power reserve to 70 hours. Now that we're at SIHH, a larger picture is becoming clear, and we see that that release is actually a part of a trilogy that highlights hits from the Master Ultra Thin series by casing each in white gold and using a blue enamel guilloch dial. Each also features a movement that has improvements over what currently exists in the Master Ultra Thin range. Taken together with...
Introducing: The Cartier Santos Chronograph
It was at last year's SIHH that we saw the total reinvention of the Santos collection, and this year Cartier is expanding on that collection, most notably with a set of chronographs. The Santos Chronograph is only available in what the brand calls the "Extra Large" size, which measures in at 43.3mm x 51.3mm x 12mm. While this makes it a decidedly big watch, the curved lugs and rounded-square profile keep it from looking bulky. The case is available in three metal combinations: stainless steel with a black ADLC steel bezel, stainless steel with an 18k yellow gold bezel, and solid 18k rose gold. Each comes with a mix of straps and bracelets, with options including a black ADLC steel bracelet, ...
Hands-On: The Ressence Type 3W
I've said it before and I'm far from alone in the opinion, but no one makes a watch like Ressence. No one. I will always remember the first time I saw a Ressence in person at my second-ever Baselworld. For lack of a better term, Ressence is a game changer, with avant-garde technology perfectly matched by a thoughtful new-age design language that is both remarkably legible and entirely beautiful. Among a series of new releases for SIHH 2019, I couldn't help but be instantly drawn to the new Type 3W, with its bright silvery-white dial and grey textile strap.? Originally launched at Baselworld in 2013, the Type 3 has evolved into th...
HODINKEE Radio: SIHH 2019 Round-Up, Day 2
Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn). Already heard it once or twice? Please leave a short review here, and tell us which guests we should have on! While the first day of SIHH was mostly about seeing the larger, more well-known brands, we decided to dedicate most of our second day to exploring the independent brands, both big and small.?This includes everything from brands like Urwerk, MB&F, and Ressence to the likes of Richard Mille and Greubel Forsey. After a wild day of running all over the fair, I sat down with Jack, James, and Jon to recap where we'd gone, what we'd seen, and what stood out to us from the massive pack of wat...
Introducing: The Greubel Forsey Balancier Contemporain
Greubel Forsey watches are known for being expertly engineered, superlatively finished, and generally compromise-free. That they tend to have multiple tourbillons and/or other complications is somewhat incidental, as the brand's identity is much more about a particular style of watchmaking and a pure commitment to quality than any particular function or mechanism. The watch we have here, the Balancier Contemporain is proof of just that. The brand set out to accomplish three main goals with this watch: 1) Create a more moderately sized watch without sacrificing proportions or three-dimensionality, 2) Prominently show off their in-house balance wheel, and 3) Maintain the aesthetic traits and f...
Just Because: H. Moser Made A Tourbillon Minute Repeater With No Hands
I was having a conversation with my colleague James the other day and he said something that really resonated with me. I'll paraphrase him a bit here, but his point boiled down to the idea that sometimes you hear about a watch and can't help but think that the whole thing is "a bit" or an elaborate joke of some kind. I'll admit that when I first heard about the H. Moser Swiss Alp Concept Black, that was exactly what popped into my head. "A minute repeater tourbillon with no hands? They've got to be kidding here, right?" is what I thought. But the watch is no joke. It's real. It's available for sale. And, to be honest, it's kind of awesome. Minute repeaters were o...
The new Bonbon Collection from Richard Mille includes 10 references across two families, the Sweets (of which there four watches) and the Fruits (of which there are six). There are watches in the rectangular RM 16 family (which are being presented as unisex), as well as the ladies'-sized RM 07 and RM 37. Today, we're going to take a look at the RM 16-01 Fraise (a Fruit) and the RM 07-03 Marshmallow (a Sweet), as well as try to unpack where this collection is coming from.? Looking at these watches, it's patent that they have the bright color, high-price, and appeal to instant gratification that have come to characterize how some p...
Introducing: The Bulgari Grald Genta 50th Anniversary Watch (Live Pics & Pricing)
When Grald Genta and Daniel Roth were both still active and independent companies, I was just starting to take an interest in fine watchmaking, and there were active (and independent-minded) collectors of both Roth and Genta watches pretty much everywhere watches and watch collecting were seriously pursued. Roth was the high-minded advocate of very traditional but still instantly recognizable classicism, while Genta was the renegade C the perennial bad-boy who had outraged the staid standards of the watch industry by having the audacity to introduce, at one point, a Mickey Mouse watch, and other Disney character watches (which are still, by the way, the subject of one very focused collector...
Found: A Unique Prototype IWC Ref. 3705 Fliegerchronograph In White Ceramic
When it comes to IWC's very cool ref. 3705 Fliegerchronograph, any example qualifies as cool, but have you ever seen one with a white ceramic case? Launched in 1994, the 3705 was not IWC's first ceramic-cased watch, but it is remembered as an interesting and forward-thinking expression of IWCs often-imitated flieger style, not to mention the first ceramic pilot's watch. For a deeper look at this reference, I'll let Jack tell you all about the production 3705, but I'm here to give you the full scoop on this early, unusual prototype with a white ceramic case.? ...
HODINKEE Radio: SIHH 2019 Round-Up, Day 3
Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn). Already heard it once or twice? Please leave a short review here, and tell us which guests we should have on! It's hard to believe, but our time at SIHH 2019 has officially come to a close. The show always seems to fly by, but at the end of day three we are left with tons of great watches to talk about and the first real glimpse of what 2019 might hold for all things horological. Before leaving the Palexpo halls for the last time this year, I sat down with Jack, James, Joe, and Jon to wrap up this year's show and talk about what we saw, what we learned, and what we'll ...
Hands-On: The Cartier Santos-Dumont
Following the recent revamp of the Santos family, Cartier used SIHH 2019 to announce a new but related line, the Santos-Dumont. Classically sized, thin, and available only on a leather strap, the Santos-Dumont is a beautiful expression of the Cartier design language and, thanks to its use of a quartz movement, is offered at a price point not common to the Santos, all while maintaining that very appealing wrist presence.? With few exceptions, my personal preference in watches tends towards the more affordable and accessible side of the market. I like a wild complication and precious metals just fine, but my own collecting and buying habits inform a closer eye on w...
Hands-On: The Montblanc Heritage Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 100
When I took this watch in my hands at SIHH, I didn't know whether the post you are reading now would fall under our Value Proposition heading or be labeled as a Hands-On article. What I knew, and knew instantly, was that the Montblanc Heritage Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 100 was a watch I wanted to write about. What we have here is a solid red gold perpetual calendar with what Montblanc is calling a new manufacture movement, and it will set you back just a bit more than $26,000. If white metal is more your jam, then you'll be happy to know that there is an unlimited stainless steel version of this exact same watch that will cost $15,700. ...
After a week of announcements regarding the latest and greatest in the world of modern haute horology from SIHH 2019, its time to flip through the back catalog once again and take solace in some classics. Were covering all ends of the spectrum this week, with accessible, versatile picks like a timeless ref. 1601 Datejust from Rolex, a spartan Zenith chronograph, and the nicest early Heuer chronograph on the web for my money. For those in search of what they havent seen before, fear not, theres an early Rolex GMT-Master II on the coolest bracelet youll see all week, and an alarm-equipped piece connected to a great American luxury retailer.?Let's do this. Role...
Hands-On: The F. P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Vertical
The first reaction I had to the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical was confusion C confusion on a number of levels, including not quite understanding the purpose of the oddly oriented tourbillon, and as well, confusion as to why Fran?ois-Paul had departed rather noticeably from his famously stubborn insistence that a watch C a proper watch C should be thin. Certainly, the previous Tourbillon Souverain watches have all stuck to the program; the standard model is 40mm in diameter and 9.9mm thick, in contrast to the 42mm x 13.6mm dimensions of the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical. However, as it turns out the thickness is of course the necessary consequence of the movement construction, and that in tur...