Best Super NEWS Watches
Just Because: The Buren MinStop
In a recent episode of The Grey NATO, my co-host Jason Heaton and I chatted about the idea of a "refresher watch." The sort of watch that manages to offer something new and refreshing while also helping to reheat the old coals of one's watch enthusiasm. Over the last decade or so, from Seikos to Breitling and more, many watches have played this role for me, but none more effectively than this, my not-so-subtle Buren MinStop.? Speaking both to my longstanding love of quirky charm and my problematic and ever-worsening proclivity for gold watches, this gorgeous little Buren really hit a bullseye when I got it in January of last year...
Recommended Reading: A Look Inside The New Audemars Piguet Museum
Way back in 2016, we told you that Audemars Piguet had broken ground on a new museum designed by star architect Bjarke Ingels. Well, that museum is finished and should be opening to visitors very soon (had COVID-19 not disrupted travel, it would likely already be open). While another trip to Le Brassus is likely at least weeks, if not months, away, we can luckily get a peek inside from the fine folks over at Architectural Digest. Lucky us. A view of the museum from above. The new museum is adjacent to the historic AP HQ but stands in stark contrast to the traditional Swiss architecture that dominates the small town of Le Brass...
In-Depth: The Unique Timepieces Made By Patek Philippe For Charity
John Reardon is a well-known expert on Patek Philippe and a HODINKEE contributor. A former international director of watches at Christie's, Reardon launched Collectability.com, a website devoted to information and education about vintage Patek Philippe watches. This article first appeared over at Collectability.com. While working for Patek Philippe, I was often asked what charities Patek Philippe supported. I honestly could not answer this question and was quietly told that the family and managers around the world preferred to give discreetly and anonymously. However, the deeper I dug into this question, the more that I learned about how Patek Philippe gives back...
Watch Madness: The 2020 HODINKEE Talking Watches Tournament, Day 13
Well, here we are. After 12 days of difficult decisions and spirited discourse, we gather the four regional winners under one virtual roof for the penultimate matchups of this little endeavor we've coined "Watch Madness." To get here, our semifinalist episodes have survived at least three matchups against a veritable Who's Who of watch collectors. They are, without further ado, Mr. John Mayer, Mr. Gary Shteyngart, Mr. John Goldberger, and Mr. Jean-Claude Biver.?Final Four voting will close tomorrow at 11 AM EDT (that's less than 24 hours to cast your votes). Tomorrow, your two remaining favorites will meet in the Watch Madness Championship C and your Favorite Talking Watches of All Time will...
Watch Spotting: Kanye West Wearing A Solid Gold Ikepod Hemipode Chronograph On The Cover Of GQ
Earlier today, our friends over at GQ dropped their May issue, featuring none other than Kanye West on the cover. The cover story was written by GQ editor-in-chief (and HODINKEE Radio guest) Will Welch, and the photographs were taken by Tyler Mitchell, probably best known for his images of Beyonc that graced the cover of Vogue's 2018 September issue. Mitchell's images of the artist/musician/consummate-multi-hyphenate are striking and strange, with Kanye posing self-consciously in the rural landscape of Cody, Wyoming, the tiny town that he's called home on-and-off for the last few years. But looking closer, something stood out to me immediately: the watch on Kanye's wrist. He's rocking a sol...
The Grey NATO: Episode 107: The Isolation Tapes // Ft. Cole Pennington
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]).? In episode 107, Jason and James welcome their first guest to the Isolation Tapes series as HODINKEE colleague Cole Pennington calls in to chat travel, Japanese off-road trucks, the Omega Seamaster, and more. From the top, the guys chat about some recent big changes to the Baselworld line up and then patch Cole in for a bigger chat about his background in writing, his experiences abroad, and how his #1 place in the world...
Introducing: The Breitling Navitimer Automatic 35
The Breitling Navitimer has always been the company's bread and butter model. It first surfaced as the iconic pilot's watch Ref. 806 as a chronograph back in 1952, and it has been re-issued into several modern interpretations. This year, Breitling is back with a new Navitimer for women C?the Navitimer Automatic 35. You might recall that back in 2018, Breitling launched a 38mm Navitimer that was marketed as a women's piece. This year's offering is slightly smaller, measuring 35mm, has no date, and comes in five different options with a bracelet or a strap. The Navitimer Automatic is available in stainless steel with a blue, copper, or silver dial and stick indexes. Additionally, there is a st...
Introducing: The Breitling Superocean Heritage '57 Capsule Collection (Live Pics & Pricing)
Breitling has had a truly strong showing this year. Just look at the Breitling Top Time Limited Edition released a few weeks back, and you can see that they really have the vintage-inspired aesthetic nailed down. With the new Superocean Heritage '57 Capsule Collection, Breitling has taken the Superocean into some gnarly waves with a throwback design tailor-made for the beach or The Beach Boys.? Initial Thoughts With this watch, Breitling has maintained the general design from the existing Heritage Superocean line, but infused some real 1950s and '60s heritage into it. One of the first things that popped o...
Introducing: The Urban Jrgensen Big 8 'London Edition' For A Collected Man
Today, we've got a brand new limited edition coming out of Denmark, Switzerland, and the UK, all at the same time. The Urban Jrgensen Big 8 "London Edition" is a new take on one of the brand's foundational watches, which Jack wrote about all about way back in the summer of 2017. It's a moderately sized (40mm) three-hand watch with a date complication that plays up Urban Jrgensen's signature case style, with its teardrop lugs and concave bezel, as well as the brand's ornate guilloch dials and fine gold hands. It's a distillation of the brand's hallmarks into a single model, all packaged up into a more accessible, daily-wear style watch. Jack was a fan back then, and today, I still totally ...
Watch Madness: The 2020 HODINKEE Talking Watches Tournament, Day 14
If you're like many of us here at HODINKEE, you're eagerly awaiting the forthcoming Michael Jordan mini-series "The Last Dance," which will debut Sunday on ESPN. It will tell the story of Jordan's last season with the Chicago Bulls, which culminates with one of the greatest NBA Finals of all time, against the Utah Jazz. (If you ignore the lopsided Game 3, the average margin of victory in the series was just three points.)The Talking Watches Final we present today is, to me, the greatest possible matchup we could have asked for.Tenuous segue here? Absolutely. But this is, after all, a March Madness-style (basketball) tournament. And the Johns are tall. And, on top of that, I have seen with my...
The Montblanc 1858 collection first debuted all the way back in 2015, and in 2019 at the SIHH, we got a first look at a quite spectacular new split-seconds, or rattrapante, chronograph, featuring a dressed-to-kill 16 ligne movement made at the Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie, (formerly the independent manufacturer Minerva) and which debuted in a bronze case with a black lacquer dial. That watch debuted in a limited edition of 100 pieces and had some C for a modern production timepiece C unusual features, including a combination telemeter/tachymeter dial. It was and is a showcase for pure high-end complicated watchmaking C the rattrapante chronograph is considered a bona-fid...
Introducing: The New Breitling Chronomat Collection (Live Pics & Pricing)
The Chronomat has been a mainstay of Breitling's watch collections since it was first launched in 1984 (in the version still in production; the very first Breitling watch to have the name debuted in the 1940s) and since then, it has had more incarnations than the Dalai Lama. It has appeared in virtually every variation imaginable and probably a few you would not have thought of in your wildest dreams, but two things have remained consistent about it since day one. These are the use of the oddly archaic onion-shaped crown and the use of the so-called "rider tabs" on the bezel. The latter are perhaps more strongly identified with the Chronomat than any other design element of the watch; they h...
My Watch Story: A New Video Series, Starring You
Ever wanted to produce, direct, and star in your own watch video, and be featured on HODINKEE? Well, here's your chance. Now that Watch Madness is over, we wanted to keep the storytelling spirit of Talking Watches going, but this time, we're putting the ball in your court. We're turning the microphones and cameras over to you, our beloved readers, for a chance to be featured on the site in a new video series we're calling "My Watch Story."We know you have a story to tell. Maybe it's a watch passed on from a family member; maybe it's a watch bought to commemorate a career achievement; or maybe it's a watch that accompanied you on an unforgettable adventure C whatever your story, we want to he...
Retailer Spotlight: M.P. Demetre Jewelers In Charleston, SC, And London Jewelers In Manhasset, NY
The retailers featured today are both located in beautiful waterfront towns dating back to the late 17th century, but there's another element that ties them together: The story of building a local empire; the embodiment of the American Dream. That can be said for all of the retailers we feature, of course, but some bits stuck out to me with these two. The anecdote about graduating from The Citadel and then breaking into the business by buying a historic bank in Charleston is a tale that's reminiscent of the kind of charm you can only find in the Old South. And what could be more American than the story of a Polish immigrant landing on Long Island in the '20s and building a business from scra...
Just Because: Five Ways To Rock Two-Tone
With select few exceptions, along my path to a deeper appreciation (read: love) for gold watches, my taste for two-tone watches has transitioned from a sort of general indifference to that of a loose, even nebulous, contempt. While not exclusive, the general vibe hits me as dated but not in a compelling way. And, while I am sure two-tone will one day rise to popularity, as hard as I've tried, I've only been able to warm up to a handful.? Below, I offer up a few examples with the hopes of highlighting two-tone methodology that feels thoughtful, fun, and maybe even stylish. Also, in the interest of variety, I've omitted the usual suspects from Rolex and Patek as yo...
Introducing: The New IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 And 42
Brace yourself, because IWC has brought a wonderful jolt of heritage back into the Portugieser Automatic. The brand has welcomed back the six o'clock small seconds subdial and, in so doing, a smaller case size. But don't think for a minute that they stopped there.?For this 2020 release year, they have also added to the much-beloved 42mm line with two watches featuring striking colored dials. Whether you're into a more conservative sizing, or the more modern iteration of the Portugieser, IWC has you covered.? The new Portugieser automatics come in two sizes, 40mm and 42mm. The 40mm models?are powered by the IWC automatic caliber 8...
Happenings: Watches & Wonders 2020 Will Take Place Online On April 25
There's been tons of news lately about the shifting landscape of trade shows and new watches, with major brands pushing their releases and annual events coming and going. That's to be expected, but thus far, we've mostly been telling you to sit tight and wait. Today, though, we've got some good news for you: This Saturday, April 25, Watches & Wonders will be launching an online platform on which more than a dozen brands will drop their new watches all at once. Can you say "New Watch Alert!?" This platform will have two main purposes: 1) It will act like a "virtual show" of sorts, giving the brands a central location where media, retailers, and consumers can f...
Breaking News: LVMH Watch Brands Leave Baselworld In The Wake Of Rolex, Patek Philippe, And Others
This week, the bad news for Baselworld just keeps rolling in. LVMH's watch brands have officially announced that they will be leaving the fair and will instead likely show their products in Geneva alongside brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, and the participants in Watches & Wonders Geneva, in April 2021. It's hard to believe that it was only this past Tuesday when Rolex, Patek Philippe, Tudor, Chanel, and Chopard announced their departure from Baselworld. Part of that announcement was that the five brands will be showing their products in April 2021 at a new watch fair, organized in partnership with the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), to run concurre...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 87: Wrapping Up Watch Madness While Watches & Wonders Goes Online
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! The last few weeks have been a wild ride, to say the least. I mean, even just in the watch world (yeah, let's forget about everything else for a minute), we've seen iconic trade shows upended and we found out that Tiger actually sleeps with his Deepsea on. But, on top of all that, we've had Watch Madness, our first-ever Talking Watches bracket challenge. To say it's been a blast and a success would be quite the understatement.? Over the ...
Introducing: The Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H
Look, ma, one hand! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. This is something you really don't see every day: A watch with a single hand. Like, just one. The aptly-named 1858 Automatic 24H takes the basic form of Montblanc's adventure-inspired sport watch collection, with the 42mm x 11.2mm case giving it a familiar wrist presence. The combination of the brushed steel case with the bronze alloy bezel and crown gives it a bit of that rugged "in-the-field" quality, too. There are three strap choices C a steel bracelet, a cognac-colored leather strap, and a black nylon NATO (which is what you see here). If we stopped here, you'd be forgiven for thinking this a minor update to the 1858 collection. ...