Best Super NEWS Watches
The Value Proposition: The Doxa Sub 200 Professional
Of all of the watches to hit the market over the past year or so, none has resulted in me receiving more emails, comments, and DMs than the Doxa Sub 200. It's a new entry-level model from the?fun-loving and underappreciated Swiss dive-watch company that is easily best known for the funky and distinctive cushion case designs established by their classic Sub 300 in 1967. With the funk dialed somewhere towards a more standard volume, the Sub 200's design connects to the early '60s and the brand's days before the Sub 300 was the tool of choice for the likes of Jacques Cousteau, Dirk Pitt, and Joseph Turner. ? So without further ado, ...
Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGW263 60th Anniversary Limited Edition With Hand-Engraved Dial
To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Grand Seiko has pulled out all the stops. There's a new high-efficiency hi-beat movement, there's a new Spring Drive caliber, and there are homage pieces to the original Grand Seikos from 1960. This watch is most definitely one of the stars of the collection though, despite using an existing caliber in a familiar profile. The 39mm platinum case and simple three-hand layout are a platform for Grand Seiko's master engravers to show off their incredible talents. The multi-component dial is made of white gold and is entirely engraved by hand, by master engraver Kiyoshi Terui and his team. Everything, from the indexes to the hands to the Grand Seiko logo and sta...
Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGW264 60th Anniversary Limited Edition With Engraved Dial
One of the true stand-out pieces in Grand Seiko's new 60th anniversary collection is the platinum-cased SBGW263, distinguished by its ornate, hand-engraved dial C and you can read all about it here. But that 20-piece limited edition has a slightly more accessible cousin that you also don't want to miss: the SBGW264. This watch starts off with the same 39mm case, three-hand dial layout, and hand-wound 9S64 caliber. But, this time, it's rendered in warm rose gold and paired with a brilliant green dial. That dial has a subtle iridescent effect to it, as well as a stunning geometric pattern engraved from edge to edge. As you'd expect from Grand Seiko, inspiration is ...
Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGD205 Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch
If you saw the new SBGW263 and thought, "Wow, this has to be as far as Grand Seiko can push it," boy are you going to like the SBGD205, also known as the Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch. Based on the Spring Drive 8 Days platform that was first introduced back in 2016, this watch combines a long-running Spring Drive caliber with an engraved and gem-set dial and case for a watch that's truly over-the-top.? Let's start with the movement, since that's the real foundation of this watch. The caliber 9R01 is regulated by Grand Seiko's proprietary Spring Drive regulator, which uses a quartz crystal and a steadily rotating flywheel instead of a st...
Bring a Loupe: A '40s Patek, An Asprey AP, And A Seafaring Jardur
The days between publishing last week's column and the one you're now reading were pretty fruitful in the finds department. Old and gold seemingly dominated my focus, with picks including a Ref. 1578 from Patek Philippe, an Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar retailed by Asprey, and the most ridiculous Ulysse Nardin you've ever seen. The more accessible end of the spectrum doesn't disappoint either, thanks to the inclusion of a razor-sharp Tissot and a Jardur Seatimer. It's temptation time!? Audemars Piguet Ref. 25548 - Retailed by Asprey As I always tell friends and collectors I consult, buy what you like...
Introducing: The Bulova Chronograph A 'Surfboard' Editions
Some small-production vintage watches cut a figure in the minds of enthusiasts that far outstrips the number of years that they were actually produced. One such watch is the Bulova Deep Sea Chronograph, with the distinctive "surfboard" dial (it got that nickname for obvious reasons) which was made for only two years but which, on every level, seems to encompass everything that was good about mechanical watchmaking in the early 1970s.? Those early years were a pivotal time for the watch industry. The advent of first the Bulova Accutron, and then quartz watches, had put mechanical watchmaking on the defensive. But it was also a time when improvements to mass produc...
Watch Spotting: A Gold Rolex GMT-Master And Other Highlights From Fashion Month
From designers to guests and celebrity cameos, Fashion Month was full of great watches. We take a round trip around New York City, London, Milan, and Paris to look at some of the best watches on display. During Paris Fashion Week, one of the most-talked-about shows is always Balmain, and the last few years the brand has been even hotter than usual. This is largely down to the leadership of creative director Olivier Rousteing, who took over the house's top design job back in 2011 when he was just 25 years old. Not bad, right? And as Rousteing took his bow and greeted the crowd after Balmain's most recent show on February 28, he had a great, classic watch on his wr...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 81: Will Welch
Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn). Already heard it once or twice? Please leave a short review, and tell us which guests we should have on! This week's guest is someone I've wanted to sit down with and talk to for a long time. Will Welch was named the editor-in-chief of GQ in the fall of 2018, and he officially took the steering wheel in early 2019. He'd already been with the iconic magazine and media brand for more than a decade at that point, but he's someone who came to GQ from the world of music journalism C and he's far from your typical fashion editor. I've been reading his work forever and have f...
Recommended Reading: When Your Watch Gets Stolen
Regardless of whether you're rocking a Richard Mille or your favorite Seiko, losing a watch to an unscrupulous baddie is a surefire way of kicking off a very bad day. Watch theft, like any theft, is no joke, and while many of us take precautions that range from safes and insurance to simply not wearing your watch in areas where such crime is common, savvy thieves can often be one step ahead.? Thankfully, as highlighted by this pulpy piece from GQ, while the bad guys have been honing their watch spotting skills, all is not lost when some reprobate absconds with your diamond-encrusted RM. You just have to know who to call and then ...
Three On Three: Comparing Mechanical Watches Under $1,000 From Seiko, Hamilton, And Tissot
Great watches exist at every price point, and today, we're taking a look at three watches that are under $1,000. In fact, one of these watches is even under $500. Having serious horological chops isn't necessarily a function of price, and these three watches prove it. Industrialized production practices and economies of scale have allowed cutting-edge technology and materials to be used even in watches that are affordable to the masses. Today, we have three watches that embody the notion that you can get a whole lot of watch for a reasonable sum of money, from Seiko, Hamilton, and Tissot C three companies which all strive to offer extra bang for the buck, but in ...
Sunday Rewind: A Game Of Tones
This week we went really nerdy with the rewind pick. This post comes by way of our true professor esoteric, Jack Forster, as he takes a very close look at the history and technology that helped Audemars Piguet create their truly avant-garde Concept Supersonnerie.? The product of some eight years of direct product development (not to mention "over a hundred years of repeater manufacturing") the Concept Supersonnerie is a fascinating look at the modernization of a very traditional complication. The bell tolls for any who opt to skip this engrossing look at a creation from Audemars Piguet that is simultaneously distinctly modern and...
Found: A Unique Philippe Dufour Simplicity In Stainless Steel With Eastern Arabic Dial
After a certain number of years in watches, you think youve seen it all. Platinum 2499s, white-gold, hand-wound Daytonas, even a steel Lange Double-Split. And then a friend sends you a message and you realize that new holy grail watches are still being made every single day. Today, I am thrilled to show you one such watch.A long-time friend of mine, someone Ive known since my earliest days in this industry, and someone with whom I shared the stage on more than one occassion as a member of the jury of the Grand Prix dHorlogerie de Genve during my tenure (2013-2016), is a mega collector and industry staple, Mr. Claude Sfeir. Claude and I often exchange Whatsapp messages about watches we co...
Recommended Reading: Maintaining Harvard's Clocks
Harvard or otherwise, no one likes to be late for class. So, when any of the famed college's clocks are found to be letting their accuracy slide like a delinquent GPA, repairs must be made, and it is one Richard Ketchen that you'll find meticulously maintaining Harvard Art Museums' considerable collection of vintage clocks.? All images via linked source. In this profile from The Harvard Gazette, follow along as Mr. Ketchen maintains and even restores a number of special old clocks, employing a specialized skillset that he has been honing for more than 50 years. Given that Harvard is home to over 200 vintage mechanical clocks, ...
Introducing: The Louis Vuitton Tambour Curve Flying Tourbillon Poin?on de Genve
Louis Vuitton's Tambour watch case, whose name means "drum" in French, has been around since 2002, and over the last 18 years, the company has gradually made it a vehicle for a number of complications, up to and including a minute repeater (the Tambour Minute Repeater was originally launched at Baselworld in 2011, and a then-three-years-old HODINKEE was there). In 2011, Louis Vuitton also announced that it had acquired Geneva-based complications specialist La Fabrique du Temps, which was founded in 2007 by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini. These two gentlemen had previously worked at Grald Genta and had been co-founders of the now-defunct BNB Concept. They are known for, among other things...
Hands-On: The Bulova A-15 Pilot Watch
In 1944, the United States Army Air Force Air Technical Service Command started testing the Bulova A-15 "Elapsed Time Watch." The watch never moved out of the testing phase into large-scale production. But 76 years later, Bulova is giving that model a second lease on life by putting it into standard production. Some watches never see their day. This model just had to wait a while.? The original A-15 is one of the watches that could have been a horological hero. All the ingredients were there: a robust hacking movement, luminous markers, and an avant-garde system of two internal bezels that measured elapsed time, solving a very im...
10 Questions: With Brittany Cox Of Memoria Technica
There are corners of the horological world that exist far away from the latest Rolex drop or auction result. One corner is automata, and one of the leading conservationists in the field is Brittany?Cox. She is the woman behind Memoria Technica, a shop in Seattle specializing in restoring and preserving some of the rarest horological and mechanical contraptions in existence.? 1. You're a self-described "Antiquarian Horologist." What does that entail, and how'd you arrive in the position? I am a clock and watchmaker who specializes in the conservation and restoration of antique complicated clocks, watches, automata, mecha...
The Grey NATO: Episode 102: Desert Island Picks (And The Meetup Has Been Postponed)
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 (or email [email protected]).? Hot on the heels of a very popular Q+A episode, the TGN boys are back with some sad news. Due to the public health concerns surrounding the spread of COVID-19, the TGN hangout slated for March 18 has been postponed. While Jason and James were very much looking forward to it, they don't want to be an active element in getting people sick. Once the risk has been minimized, the meetup will be rescheduled.?Back to the episo...
Recommended Reading: Six Women With Collections Worth Watching
Over the weekend, the New York Times published a piece focusing on six female watch collectors, their introduction to this wonderful world of watches, and their respective collections. In a world where watches are marketed for their utility (the dive watch), history (the "Flieger"), and aesthetic design cues (the big crown), one watch category of particular discord for female collectors is the "women's watch." There is a sense, from the collectors profiled in this story, that there is a lot to be desired when it comes to marketing womens watches and understanding the female watch collector. Moreover, watch collecting, as a whole, is predominately male-centric C ...
Announcements: How To Follow All The New 2020 Watches On HODINKEE
It is probably not news to any regular HODINKEE reader that the cancellation of the usual slate of trade shows and events held to announce and celebrate the year's new watches C Baselworld, Watches & Wonders, and more C have left us without specific periods on the calendar when we can look forward to seeing the new watch introductions. In recent weeks, some readers have expressed some curiosity as to why, on occasion, several Introducing posts go live on the same day. The reason is pretty simple and is connected partly to the disruption of the usual trade show calendar of new product launches.? The opening ceremonies for the first Basel fair, 1917. ...
Just Because: HODINKEE Editors Weigh In On Loving Or Hating Daylight Saving Time
Daylight Saving Time comes around every year with all the certainty of death and taxes, and as with death and taxes, there are pros and cons.?Unlike both death and taxes, however, Daylight Saving Time is a recent innovation C although humans have been monkeying with timekeeping to adapt it to the needs of various civilizations since ancient times, the first modern version of DST was not implemented until 1908 (in Port Arthur, Ontario, specifically). The practice has its fans and detractors, and on the advent of our fifth day of DST here in the USA, with the full effects of this dichotomizing adjustment/maladjustment to the clock now really sinking in, we thought we'd go around the office and...