Best Super NEWS Watches
Business News: How Movado Group Bounced Back
For the past several years, the Movado Group has been at the center of the storm. Since the arrival of the Apple Watch in April 2015, no segment of the global watch market has been buffeted like the fashion-watch business in the United States. That market is dominated by two giant, publicly traded U.S. watch groups, Fossil Inc., with 17 watch brands, and the Movado Group, with 11. ?"I will tell you that 2014 and 2015 were challenging," Movado Group Inc. (MGI) chairman and CEO Efraim Grinberg told HODINKEE in an interview last September. "They were for the whole industry. It was the combination of the saturation of the fashion-watch industry and the introduction of wearables and connected wat...
Introducing: The Autodromo Group B S2 Corsica Blue
Perhaps more Miami Vice than Monte Carlo, the latest version of Autodromo's lovely Group B S2 watch features a light blue dial with pastel pink markings. Borrowing inspiration from the isle of Corsica, where many rally stages have been conducted, including during the '80s era of Group B, the Group B S2 Corsica Blue makes the most of what is essentially a new colorway for the second generation of Autodromo's minimal and interesting Group B design.?Technically, nothing has changed about the watch and you can see all the details and get our original impressions right here. Initial Thoughts Among Autodromo's ...
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Harrods Edition (Live Pics & Pricing)
It's a memory only you, my fellow watch geeks will understand. I used to watch that early Three On Three ?episode C the one with the hand-wound Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle (4400 calibre), Lange Saxonia, and Journe Chronomtre Bleu C?on repeat. Often on a Saturday night. Alone. I was in my 20s and my pals never understood my obsession (it's fair to say, neither did any girlfriends). Anyway, I specifically recall Ben commenting on the fact that the Traditionnelle may just be the Vacheron to own and it has always struck me as a delightfully elegant dress watch that over the years has been presented in a number of different metal and dial formats. This week, Harrods is presenting a limite...
Business News: Vacheron Constantin Unveils Blockchain Technology
Bitcoin is seeing a resurgence in value as of late and its underlying blockchain technology is being adopted in an increasing number of applications. Not to get too nerdy here, but blockchain is a distributed ledger that makes possible an immutable and secure store of data accessible by anyone. You can dig a little deeper here, if you're interested. If you are familiar with the world of vintage watches though, you most likely have heard the term "box and papers" used frequently. Having the original box and papers that accompanied a watch when it was first sold can add a lot of value. But how do we know the "papers" are authentic and haven't been tampered with? Knowing for sure is nearly impo...
Introducing: The RGM 801 Skeleton
In 2007 RGM introduced its caliber 801 movement, based on the ETA 6497, and over the past 12 years it has been used in many of the American brand's watches. RGM is well-known for their intricate engine-turned and enamel dials, but the new 801 Skeleton model eschews the dial (almost) completely in order to show off the skeleton version of the movement.The mainplate and bridges in the hand-finished movement have a matte finish, accentuated by polished bevels. The balance cock is neatly engraved, which makes for a nice contrast between the rest of the bridges. It is remarkable to see even the winding and setting mechanism skeletonized, as these parts are very delicate. Although this watch does ...
Watch Spotting: The 2019 Greenwich Concours D'Elegance (And Some Car Spotting Too!)
The HODINKEE Shop has been popping up a lot more over the past year than it ever has before. From our time in LA with our friends from UTA to our 10th Anniversary Weekend, we've been all about bringing our hand-made accessories, books and magazines, and, of course, vintage and modern watches to as many people in the world as possible. This past weekend, we popped up at the incredible Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, one of the premier vintage car shows on the east coast.?It was awesome. Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 A range of the English road car category. ...
The Grey NATO: Episode 82: Watches, Adventures, And Ambassadors
Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Google Play). Already heard it once or twice? Please leave a short review here, and tell us what topics you'd like us to chat about.? Exploring the relationship between watches and adventure, the boys dig into tool watches, brand sponsorships, ambassadors, and more. As the format of the modern tool watch continues to evolve, the concepts become more and more tied to the few that are out there looking for real adventures. From Omega with the Apollo program, Rolex with the high and low points of our terrestrial home, and several other brands looking to explore and preserve everything in...
In-Depth: A Heuer Enthusiast's Thoughts On The New TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph
This past March at Baselworld, TAG Heuer introduced the Autavia Isograph line of watches, a new model that was historic for the brand and bound to be controversial among vintage enthusiasts. From 1933 to 1957, the Heuer Autavia had been a dashboard timer, designed for automobiles and aviation (thus, the "Autavia" name). Commencing in 1962, the Autavia was a chronograph, with over 85 models being produced over the next 23 years. In 2003, TAG Heuer reissued the Autavia chronograph in a cushion case (two versions in stainless steel and one in 18k gold) and over the past two years TAG Heuer has re-issued eight versions of the Autavia chronograph in a traditional roun...
Hands-On: The Tudor Black Bay Chronograph Steel & Gold
I'll be frank, it took me a long time to welcome the recent wave of two-tone watches. I get it now, but it took some time to get there. I wasn't old enough in the '80s to understand the context of the flashy fashion, enormous amounts of hairspray, and power suits. But even without having lived through it C movies, TV, and media from the '80s has taught me one thing: You were the coolest guy on the block if you had a two-tone professional sports watch hanging off your wrist. Or you worked on Wall Street and killed innocent people indiscriminately like Patrick Bateman, the two-tone wearing protagonist in the movie American Psycho (set in 1987). Either way, I had the impression that two-tone sp...
A Week On The Wrist: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic
In high-end mechanical watchmaking, few things are truly new or original. Its a category that plays with nostalgia, after all. The majority of the popular brands we cover on HODINKEE got their start decades if not centuries ago, and many of the product lines from those brands date from the last century. Updates to long-established designs tend to be made incrementally. So when I encounter a watch like the Octo Finissimo, I sit up and take notice. Sure, Bulgari was founded in 1884, and the Octo range started as part of Bulgaris erstwhile Grald Genta line. But there really is nothing that feels quite like a Bulgari Octo Finissimo when you try one on. Its at onc...
Introducing: The Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Chronograph
Interestingly enough, Jaquet Droz has never had a chronograph complication in the Grande Seconde family of watches, which in retrospect seems a bit of an odd omission; the Grande Seconde layout, with its very large seconds subdial, seems a natural platform for a chronograph. At the Swatch Group's Time To Move event, which filled in for Baselworld as the launch platform for new timepieces from the Group's luxury brands, Jaquet Droz showed four new automatic chronograph watches C one 88 piece limited edition watch in red gold, with a grand feu enamel dial, and three additional pieces which will become part of the permanent collection. The 88-piece limited...
Odell Beckham Jr. isnt a subtle guy. On the field and off, he makes his presence known. After an illustrious run with the New York Giants, OBJ was traded to the Cleveland Browns at the end of last season. His father was a high school star running back and played ball at LSU in the early nineties, and OBJ filled his fathers shoes in a big way, smashing records in the NFL during his rookie year. You might know him from the catch or as the guy in Nicki Minajs Bed music video, or the guy that donated half a million dollars to his home state when there was catastrophic flooding. Monday was his first public appearance with the Browns during training C and he didn't leave his watch in the locker...
Introducing: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar In White Ceramic
Have you ever heard the expression "Shut up and play the hits?" Nobody goes to see The Rolling Stones to hear them play b-sides from Dirty Work. No, they go to hear "Gimme Shelter," "Sympathy for the Devil," and Paint It, Black." This watch is Audemars Piguet shutting up and playing the hits C and to great success, I might add. What we've got here is a Royal Oak (check), a perpetual calendar (check), and an entirely white ceramic watch (check). It's hard to think of something that AP could do at this level (we're not talking 15202 variations here, people) that would be more crowd-pleasing and gasp-inducing than this.Technically speaking, this watch is based on the ref. 26574 Royal Oak Perpet...
In-Depth: Taking The Swatch Group Manufacture Tour
Time To Move, the Swatch Group press event held May 14 to 16 in Switzerland, was something of an experiment. When the group decided to pull out of this year's Baselworld, it had to make other arrangements for 17 of its brands to show their new watches to clients and the press.?Management decided that the group's six most expensive brands would meet commercial clients during Baselworld at the headquarters of the Hayek Group in downtown Zrich. (The Hayek Group is a private consulting company owned by the Hayek family, the Swatch Group's largest shareholder.) The other brands would meet with clients in local markets.? As for the press, the six prestige brands decid...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 45: Cara Barrett
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! Usually we need to set up each episode of HODINKEE Radio, telling you who the guest is, how we met them, and why you should want to listen to them talk for an hour or so. This week though, we can skip all that. Grey and I decided that for our next editor profile (you can check out the first one, with Joe Thompson, right here), it was time we sit down with none other than HODINKEE editor, social media manager, and manager of special projects, Ms. Cara Barrett.No...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 46: Bradley Price
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! Today we take it totally for granted that the watch landscape is populated by a healthy crop of micro-brands in addition to the big traditional players. But when Bradley Price started Autodromo back in 2011, this was very much not the case. American enthusiasts weren't dreaming up their own watches, quitting their day jobs, and launching collections online to great fanfare. A lot has changed since then, but Autodromo is still around and stronger than ever.?I've...
This week, I've got a bit of a different flavor of the column for you. With New York auction week now through, I thought we might as well take a look back at a few sales deserving of attention that you might've missed. These include an impossibly sharp Oyster Perpetual in gold, along with a rare Audemars Piguet chronograph, and a Hamilton Pan Europ. Though not necessarily the top lots that got all the press, these are certainly noteworthy timepieces worthy of further discussion. For good measure, there's also an included vintage Heuer that's coming up for sale in Hong Kong, along with a Gallet chronograph listed on eBay. Let's do this Bring A Loupe thing and get down to it.? ...
Happenings: Ninth Annual Madison Avenue Watch Week To Be Held June 10-15
This coming Monday is the kick-off of the ninth edition of Madison Avenue Watch Week, the annual watch-centric event in which the boutiques of some of watchmaking's most prestigious brands will open their doors to enthusiasts, and give everyone a chance to see the latest introductions from this year, as well as perennial classics from their permanent collections. Participating brands will be A. Lange & Sohne, David Yurman, De Beers, F. P. Journe, Hublot, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, and Vacheron Constantin. Apple will also be hosting folks at the Apple Store on Madison Avenue for a daily one-hour introduction to the Apple Watch (the company participated in Madison Avenue Watch W...
Sunday Rewind: A Sunken Submariner Found 14 Months Later (And It Still Works)
This story originally came to us via the Rolex Forums and it's a doozy. If you've ever questioned how the Submariner earned its street cred, dig in. This is the tale of a two-tone Sub lost in cold British Columbia waters only to be found some 14 months later, replete with a barnacle reportedly attached to its bezel.? While it is remarkable luck that the watch was recovered, get this, after a few winds it started running C after some 14 months at 100m of sea water. These are the sorts of stories that become brand legends, even for formidable brands like Rolex. We can only hope that nearly four years later that Sub has been back in...
Announcements: HODINKEE To Launch Japanese Language Website In Partnership With Hearst Japan
We've always thought of ourselves as an international publication. Sure, we publish in English and we're based in New York, but the world in which we play is global. The majority of our industry colleagues reside in Switzerland and the rest of continental Europe, while thousands of our most ardent readers live in the Middle East and Asia. Our entire team of editors spend the better part of their work week interacting with folks from all over the world. We make a point of putting all of our editors' passports through their paces, because the love of watches is not restricted to any one region. Up until now, however, all of our editorial practices were run from New York C but that's about to c...