Best Super NEWS Watches
Hands-On: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 In Steel
Today, we're taking a close look at what has to be one of the most exciting new watches to come out in 2019, despite the fact that it quietly launched in the first week of September, missing all the fanfare of SIHH. It's actually not even an entirely new watch per se. The timepiece in question is the Vacheron Constantin Cornes de Vache 1955, which is now available as a serially produced watch in steel. It's a timepiece that, looking back, I'm actually very suprised had not existed until now, and that I can see generating serious interest among younger collectors and those with a purist mentality. After the Historiques Cornes de V...
Year In Review: The Best Dive Watches Of 2019
Its hard to believe that 75 years after dive watches were first introduced, were still talking about them. I havent done any scientific research, but Id say were not just talking (and writing) about them, but the underwater watch remains the most popular type of wristwatch, period. Even the most ardent collectors of handcrafted haute horlogerie have some sort of diver in their leather-lined coffers. This, despite the fact that a tiny percentage of them (the collectors or their watches) see anything deeper than the shallow end of a hotel pool. But Im not here to analyze the popularity of these most niche of obsolete machines. Im rounding up my favorite dive watches of 2019.? ...
Introducing: Three Alpinist-Inspired Seiko Prospex Watches
The Seiko Alpinist is a watch that checks all the right boxes for a large swath of the watch-wearing (and collecting) public. Its readily available, reliable, robust, attractive, and affordable. Its the perfect fit for so many people. It does everything just slightly better than it needs to. That has made it immensely popular since the 2006 launch of the first three Alpinist models. Of those three, one model stood out: the SARB017 with a green dial and gold markers. ? But its out of production, so once those stocks at Amazon and e-tailers dry up, thats it.? Until January. Thats when three new Alpinist models that slot nicely into...
Recommended Reading: Telling Time With A Traditional Clock Face May Be An Endangered Skill
According to a recent story published by The Times in London, the ability to tell time using a traditional clock dial is a skill that appears (predictably) to inversely fade with age. In a survey conducted by YouGov, a sampling of respondents over 55 years of age reported that just 4% of respondents struggle to read an analog clock. Conversely, 22% of those between 18 and 24 report having trouble with the same task C the task of reading a traditional watch dial.? Left or right? While not exactly surprising given most casual time displays are digital and require no conceptual understanding of a clock dial, one in five does seem...
Year In Review: The Top 10 HODINKEE Videos Of 2019
Happy Holidays, watch fam! As another year draws to a close, its inevitably time to look back at the calendar and take stock of all that was accomplished in 2019. If youve kept a keen eye on the homepage, Im sure youve noticed it was a big year for the 'dink. As our editorial ranks have grown, so too has the ambition and scope of our coverage. Im incredibly proud of the work done by my colleagues, be they writers, photographers, podcasters, designers, etc. It was a banner year by all.But Im here today to highlight the work done by a truly remarkable group of specialists C some might say the most special. The abundance of their talent is only surpassed by the tirelessness of their work ...
Hands-On: The Seiko Prospex SNJ025 Aka The 2019 'Arnie'
Even a casual Google search will uncover a lot of Seikos in a lot of movies, but it's hard to think of any Seiko that is quite as finely tuned to a specific vibe and time period as the Seiko H558-5009. One of the first analog-digital dive watches, the H558-5009 became synonymous with one actor and two of his most well-known roles. I'm talking of course about Arnold Schwarzenegger, and 1985's Commando, and 1987's Predator (respectively). In both action-packed and predictably pumped-up roles, Schwarzenegger wore an H558-5009 on wrist. And, while both hunting down mercenaries and being hunted by aliens, the H558-5009 became known as the "Arnie". For 2019, the Arnie is back with a few subtle upd...
Bring a Loupe: A Rolex GMT Master, An Eberhard Extra Fort, And An Angelus Chronodato
Auction season has officially come to a close, but vintage watch finds just keep on coming. This week weve got a balanced mix of everything from an Eberhard Extra Fort, to an IWC Mark XI with airline provenance, to a sought after configuration of the pioneering Angelus Chronodato. For the Rolex heads out there, fear not, weve got you covered with the best Ref. 1675 youll see all week, and a set of books released by the brand back in 1946.? IWC Mark XI B.O.A.C. Tool watches will always be my favorite subcategory of the watchmaking world, for the simple reason that they were built to last. Dont get me ...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 70: Our 2019 Gift Guide & Joshua Shapiro's Handmade Watches
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 winter holidays are coming up fast, and if you're anything like me you're trying to get those last few names crossed on your your gift list. Luckily, we're here to help. I pulled Cara, James, and Jon into the studio for a little gift guide game that our producer Grey put together for us. Ever played Apples To Apples or Cards Against Humanity? No? It doesn't matter, to be honest. Give the episode a listen and you'll pick up on what we're putting down pretty ...
10 Questions: With John Goldberger
Editor's Note: Welcome to 10 Questions, our new column in which we speak to the most interesting personalities across the watch world, getting their insights into the state of collecting today. Let us know down in the comments who else you would like to hear from! When we decided to launch a new interview column focused on collectors and personalities in the watch world, it was a no-brainer that the first person interviewed should be Mr. John Goldberger. From his episode of Talking Watches (with the famous cheese knife scene) to his incredible books about the world's best watches to the his steady presence at auctions and events world wide, it's safe to say that ...
Year In Review: The Watch I Wore Most In 2019, By Members Of The HODINKEE Team
Here we are, this is the final HODINKEE post of 2019. In keeping with our annual tradition of asking HODINKEE staff how they allocate their wrist time, we're rounding up the watches that our team members wore most in 2019. Thanks very much to everyone reading this for all your support this year. The readers are what really make HODINKEE go and we're thankful for every last one of you.?Enjoy this little year-end tradition, and please let us know which watches you wore most in 2019 by dropping a note or tagging us on Instagram (@hodinkee). We'll post some of our favorites in our Instagram Stories over the coming days. Eneuri Acosta, COO C Grand Seiko SBGW252 ...
Photo Report: A Night Celebrating The Leica M10-P 'Ghost Edition' For HODINKEE In New York City
On Thursday night in New York City, we celebrated the launch of the Leica M10-P 'Ghost Edition" for HODINKEE, our very first collaboration with the famed German camera maker. This is a product three years in the making and it was extremely exciting to share it with friends and collectors in person. We welcomed over 100 people to a pop-up space at 274 Lafayette Street in Soho (the same place where we hosted the Omega Pop-Up last month) and had both the Ghost Edition and the vintage Rolex Submariner that inspired it on display. Leica photographer, pro skateboarder, and musician Ray Barbee joined us as well, talking with our Chief Commercial Officer Russell Kelly about creativity, his multi-fac...
Decade In Review: The Top 10 Most Popular HODINKEE Posts Of The Decade
As 2019 draws to a close, we realized something here at HODINKEE HQ: We're completing the first full decade of HODINKEE! From 2010 through to now, we've been bringing you stories about the most interesting watches, most interesting watch collectors, and most interesting watch makers across the globe. So it seemed an appropriate time to round up the top 10 stories from the last 10 years. These are not our personal favorites or selections by year C no, they're the most viewed stories by raw numbers, and we're going to count them down from 10 to one. Some are just what you'd expect, while others are surprises. The oldest is from 2013, the youngest from just a year ago. Half of them include vide...
In-Depth: Consider The Mainspring
Despite the fact that I have been seriously interested in watches and watchmaking for probably thirty years or so, I have given very little thought, in all that time, to the mainspring. This seems a serious deficiency as of course, without mainsprings, there are no watches and there is no watchmaking.? Its essential nature notwithstanding , the mainspring is probably the least sexy part of a watch to just about anyone interested in watches C a positive horological anaphrodisiac, as it were. Different folks find different things interesting, of course C some people love minute differences in dial lettering; some people find escapements endlessly fascinating; some ...
A Week On The Wrist: The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight
There is no archetype in the history of horology that has generated more variations, more interpretations, and more attempts at reinvention than the mid-century dive watch. I don't even have to say the names of the watches that started this genre, since you probably spoke them out loud to yourself at the end of my previous sentence. But it's fair to say that for many people, this is what they think of when someone says the word "watch." The mid-century dive watch, with its rotating timing bezel, it's clean, no-fuss dial, and its sturdy case and bracelet profile, transcends any one watch at this point. It's an idea as much as a thing itself. That's why a watch lik...
Over the weekend, musician and business mogul Diddy hosted an absolutely wild, over-the-top 50th birthday party for himself at his mansion in Los Angeles. It was complete with a casino set-up, a nightclub, countless celebrity friends, and a Vanity Fair photo booth (as one does, right?). That last part turned out to be crucial though. Scrolling through Instagram over the weekend, one photo in particular made me stop C?the birthday boy posing with Jay-Z. The photograph itself is plenty nice, but it was the watch on Jay-Z's wrist that really caught my attention. Jay-Z was rocking a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300G. Wow. T...
Hands-On: The Panerai Submersible BMG-Tech 47MM
For as long as I've covered the watch beat, there have been companies putting forward timepieces made from new materials. It's easy to look askance at some of the watches that fall into this "new materials" category. After a while, you start to wonder whether material A, B, or C is a gimmick borrowed from synergistic industry X, Y, or Z; whether said material will have any staying power in the watch landscape; and whether it will live up to the lofty claims that are made about it. For several years now, in a pretty low-key way, Panerai has been pushing the category of materials science in its watches, utilizing new substances with the potential to make its timepieces more robust and lighter,...
Hands-On: The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02
For much of the past decade, the aesthetic of TAG Heuer's line up has been divided by the concept of modernity, paying favor to both the resolutely classic and the decidedly modern. As such, the "Heuer Heritage" family stands in stark contrast with watches like the Connected Modular, the colorful Formula 1, or the bold and complex Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02. As a brand forced to balance the weight of its own legacy with its continued existence as a producer of products for an ever-changing market, TAG Heuer has to find new ways of communicating the message, even when speaking to buyers that know nothing of the brand's history. With that in mind, let's take a look at a very modern evoluti...
Year In Review: The Top 25 Most Popular HODINKEE Posts Of 2019
Wow, 2019 has been a pretty big year here at HODINKEE. It started off with SIHH back in January and took us through to the launch of HODINKEE Japan in November, with countless travels, interviews, events, and more in the middle. We're wrapping things up having published more than 1,000 stories for you here on HODINKEE, not to mention all the videos, podcasts, and two magazines. Not too shabby, right?You won't be surprised to hear that we're a bit nostalgic here at HODINKEE HQ, so here is a look back at the most popular 25 stories from the year. They span nearly every category of watches and nearly every type of story that we publish, offering up a nice 10,000-foot view of 2019 in watches. En...
Hands-On: The Autodromo Intereuropa
With the introduction of the Intereuropa, Autodromo explores the mid-century Italian culture of Berlinetta race cars. Club racing in the 50s was full of the kind of characters that exist only in back issues of Playboy magazine. Gentlemen who were blessed with good looks and impeccable style, rivaled only by their unabashed courage, gathered at the race track on weekends to wheel around souped up "little saloons" from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati in hopes of snagging bragging rights before going back to the office on a Monday.? The man behind Autodromo is Bradley Price, a motoring enthusiast and product designer who has mana...
Just Because: Three Grand Seiko Boutique Pieces You Probably Haven't Seen
Every once in a while, you head over to one of your favorite watch brands' web sites and you spot something that somehow slipped by you. That's the case with the following three boutique-only Grand Seiko special editions, which we recently noticed on the Grand Seiko web site. If you like stunning dialwork, Spring Drive, GMTs, and Hi-Beat movements, read on. SBGE251 C Spring Drive GMT First up we have the SBGE251 Spring Drive GMT. In combining one of Grand Seiko's signature complications, the GMT, with an innovative timekeeping technology that turns 20 last year, the SBGE251 is a modern-day sport-luxury wa...