Best Super NEWS Watches
Continuing on their path of creating tough but handsome aviation-inspired watches with a certain British charm, Bremont launched the new Arrow chronograph at their townhouse event this past March. One of three great-looking pieces that form their new Armed Forces Collection. Approved for use by Her Majesty's Armed Forces, the collection has a three-hander called the Broadsword, a dive watch called the Argonaut, and the Arrow chronograph seen here. While this is not Bremont's first time partnering with the military, this is the first time the brand has created watches that would be available both to British armed forces and to civ...
Introducing: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Dazzling Rendez-Vous Moon
Jaeger-LeCoultre's Rendez-Vous collection was first introduced to the public in 2012 and if the current diversity of offerings is any indication, it's been a resounding success. The company website shows over 40 variations on the theme, which includes everything from steel timepieces with a simple day/night indication, all the way up to tourbillons, watches with celestial maps, and perpetual calendars. As you might expect, there is a lavish deployment of precious metals, precious gems, and mother of pearl. A signature complication for the range, is the moonphase complication; 8 models have one (10 if you include the perpetual calendars). The Dazzling Rendez-Vous Moon is the most recently int...
Recommended Reading: Watches On Models? Not On Instagram, Says WatchPro
Where would the modern watch collecting world be without Instagram? In relatively short order it's become one of the most, if not the most, important places online for people to show watches, show off about watches, buy and sell watches, and even make fun of prominent news outlets that write about watches (you know what I mean). The watch content on Instagram runs the gamut from major brand accounts promoting their latest timepieces, to cigar and car loving attention mavens posting pictures of themselves and their watches next to cigars and cars, to the austere pleasures of the accounts of Dr. Rebecca Struthers, the Royal Observatory's Rory McEvoy, and the illustrious Roger Smith, OBE. ...
Talking Watches: With Reza Ali Rashidian
Reza Ali Rashidian is the greatest dive watch collector in the world. Full stop. His name might not ring out like Pucci's does in the world of Daytona, or Goldberger's in, well, everything, but he's as serious as they come. He's so serious, in fact that he, along with Mr. Goldberger himself, produced the amazing book A Journey Into The Deep, which looks at the most important Rolex dive watches (available online in the HODINKEE Shop) in history. It is a staple of any serious Rolex or dive watch collectors library C but what most do not know is that Reza owns every single watch in that book. All 132 pages of it. Reza is certainly a...
Hands-On: The Zodiac Astrographic 50th-Anniversary Limited Edition
There's something wonderfully novel about the "mystery dial" of the Zodiac Astrographic. From a design perspective, it sticks out even from the crop of wild designs that proliferated in the '60s and '70s. ?And that's saying something when you consider the barrel cases, UFO cases, gradient dials, and far out color schemes that were popular back then. This era of watch design saw some very unique designs. It also takes folks a considerable amount of time to understand how it works, especially if they're not watch enthusiasts. The recently released re-edition features slight updates from the original model launched in '69, but it certainly hasn't lost any of its oddball charm. In fact, the chan...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 54: Jack Forster
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! This, my friends, is a very special episode of HODINKEE Radio. Two weeks ago we introduced you to the new format of the show, but for this one we're going to give you over an hour of uninterrupted conversation with the man, the myth, the legend, our very own Mr. Jack Forster. Jack has been with HODINKEE since 2015 and he's been our editor-in-chief since 2016, but his horological story goes back much further than that.I've been lucky enough to know Jack basicall...
Sunday Drive: Monterey Car Week 2019 With Photographer Bruce W. Talamon
Editor's Note: Bruce W. Talamon is an all-time great music photographer. You can see his images of icons like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson in his incredible book, Soul. R&B. Funk. Photographs 1972C1982. Talamon and his personal Rolex GMT-Master were featured in Volume 4 of the HODINKEE Magazine, and when he offered to share his personal perspective on Monterey Car Week, we just couldn't say no. Enjoy.? At Monterey Car Week you can get a serious case of whiplash if youre not careful. Outstanding cars are everywhere. The auctions are part theater and part fashion parade. And then theres Pebble. It has tradition. This was the 69th Annual...
Happenings: The Horological Society Of New York To Hold Weekend Classes In Orange County
The Horological Society of New York's award-winning classes are on the road again! Classes will be held in Orange County, California, over the weekend of September 28-29, and they will be hosted by A. Lange & Sohne. 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 evening classes held in New York. In addition, HSNY is vis...
Business News: U.S. Steel Watch Shortage Good For Gold
The chronic shortage of steel sport watches from Rolex and Patek Philippe in the U.S. helped send retail sales of precious-metal watches soaring in the first half of 2019. ?Data from the NPD Group, which monitors retail watch sales in the U.S. market, shows that sales of gold watches rose 19% in value over the same period in 2018. Sales of two-tone watches (primarily steel and precious gold) jumped 18%. Platinum watch sales increased 33%.? ?The surge in sales of precious-metal watches is a sign of extraordinary strength in the U.S. luxury watch market, which is dominated by Swiss brands. "The higher end is doing well," Reg Brack, NPD's watch and luxury industry a...
Hands-On: The Moritz Grossmann Hamatic, A New Take On An Historic Winding System
Moritz Grossmann's Hamatic is a new watch with a new take on a very old idea. The Hamatic gets its name from its automatic winding system, which is decidedly unconventional for this day and age C it's a so-called hammer winding system, in which a pendulum-like swinging weight, which swings through an arc much smaller than a circle, winds the mainspring. The system was originally developed for pocket watches, by Breguet (who adapted elements of an earlier design by Louis Perrelet) and while it worked efficiently enough by the standards of the day, it was never really widely adopted. So-called bumper winding systems were used in the first self-winding wristwatches, but the constant shock of th...
Introducing: The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light
Today we have an extremely lightweight, ergonomic, and sports-friendly mechanical wristwatch from Omega to introduce. It draws on the company's penchant for developing hugely amagnetic chronometer-certified wristwatches while also taking the overall mass down (to 55 grams, or about the weight of 11 nickels), a plus for comfort and for reducing the effects of shocks on the mechanism inside. The Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light's case, case back, and crown are all made of an alloy called Gamma Titanium, a first use for Omega. And the dial has been designed to use less material and therefore weigh less.?There's also no date display, which helps in reducing weight to a bare minimum. ...
Thanks in large part to the connective qualities of the internet, the past decade of watches has seen an era of rapid evolution. By harnessing the internet's ability to corral groups of like-minded, but often niche players, microbrands have been been able to foster a period of rapid development as they come to terms with both internal factors (such as production and manufacturing limitations) and external factors like market trends and groupthink within the greater watch enthusiast community.? These small brands combat the pressures of the marketplace by producing a smaller volume of product while also attempting to sell that pro...
Until I saw the chatter on social media starting yesterday afternoon, I'll admit that I'd completely forgotten that it was time for the MTV Video Music Awards. And wait, they were taking place in New Jersey? I kind of had to tune in, right? Well, I'm glad I did. As soon as the red carpet started, I started doing my usual C checking out wrists C and I was rewarded for it. My favorite spot of the night was actually a three-for-one deal, with the Jonas Brothers each wearing something noteworthy on what proved to be a big night for them, with six nominations and one win. Let's get into it. Alright, first up we've got Mr. Nick Jonas, who you can clearly see rocking a ...
Introducing: The Longines Master Collection Moonphase
For about a decade and a half, the Master Collection has been Longines' home for its more traditional pieces that play off classic watchmaking tropes without being all-out throwbacks (that's reserved for the Heritage collection). The latest addition is this understated group of moonphase watches. There are seven different executions, all based around the same basic layout, which utilizes central running seconds and a long sub-register at six o'clock that includes both the date and moon phase. It's a very traditional take on one of the more tried-and-true complications in all of watchmaking.Across the seven variations you'll find two different case sizes C 40mm and 42mm C always rendered in s...
Happenings: Robert C. Cheney To Lecture At The Horological Society Of New York
As the most complicated trade in 18th century America, clock making relied heavily on a finely divided shop structure to produce domestic timekeepers. Cabinetmakers, carvers, gilders, dial makers, painters and at least seventeen different metal-working trades all joined forces to capture the fervor of nouveau riche Americans to mimic fine English interiors with locally produced furniture, silver, portraiture and clocks to fill elegant new homes. Movement from a Willard alarm tall clock. Willard 8-day with casting mark of George Ainsworth. Willard tall c...
The Value Proposition: The Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 Compression 'Blue Lagoon' Watches
Sometimes a good watch catches you off guard. Though there are definitely exceptions, I'm someone who gravitates toward more understated design, things that impress by whispering instead of shouting. With both of those things in mind, I've gotta say that I really like the more colorful watches in Zodiac's Super Sea Wolf collection. The so-called "watermelon" Sea Wolf , with its green bezel and orange dial accents, is the most obvious incarnation of this, but the watches that really caught my attention this year are the two "blue lagoon" models. They're punchy, colorful, well-priced, and flat-out fun. If you think summer is coming to an end, just strap one of these on and you'll be ready to h...
Hands-On: The H. Moser Heritage Tourbillon Funky Blue
There are two faces of H. Moser. One is a rabble-rousing independent manufacturer that creates provocative horological shock art meant to get people talking. And they've consistently succeeded, with pieces that comment on the sometimes stodgy nature of the Swiss watch industry. There's a side of the brand that's young and rebellious.? And that's a product of CEO Edouard Meylan. He watched his father, Georges-Henri Meylan bring Audemars Piguet into stratospheric stardom during his youth. Now Georges-Henri Meylan's MELB Holdings Group, owns H. Moser & Cie. Edouard may be young, but his exposure to the arcane inner workings of the Swiss watch industry started at...
Just Because: The Stopwatch From 60 Minutes, A Cultural Treasure
Think of the sound a mechanical timekeeping movement makes. Chances are the sound was ingrained in your mind long before you developed a passion for horology, and that just might be the result of exposure to 60 Minutes, one of the most prolific news shows of all time. Aside from bringing the American public the catchy signature ticking sound, it brought a new magazine-like format to television news.? 60 Minutes has covered every major happening since its debut on September 24, 1968, but perhaps the most memorable moment from the show is the stopwatch segment that's shown during the introduction, and right before commercial breaks...
The Grey NATO: Episode 88: A Chat With Nirmal 'Nims' Purja
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.? Todays episode is a special one because it consists entirely of a chat Jason had with the mountaineer, Nirmal Nims Purja. Nims is a former Gurkha Regiment soldier and Special Forces operator in the British military who has set out this year to climb the 14 highest mountains in the world in just seven months. To put that in perspective, the current record for such a feat is over eight years. He calls this ambitious goal, Bremont Project Possible, wh...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 55: Photographer Pete Halvorsen And A Watch On A Secret Mission
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! For the last few weeks I've been traveling on the west coast, working on some pretty incredible projects for HODINKEE. From the HODINKEE Magazine to HODINKEE Radio, we've got some really good stuff coming. I honestly couldn't be more excited about it. But, in the mean time, there have been plenty of awesome stories right here on HODINKEE, and to kick this episode off I sat down with Jack to chat about some highlights. From a diamond-dial watch that you can stil...