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Best Super NEWS Watches
Best of Watchville: Simon De Burton Argues For Patina
While scanning the Watchville RSS feed yesterday afternoon, I came across an article on A Collected Man and noticed that its author was Simon de Burton, a writer whose watch stories I've enjoyed in the Financial Times for many years. I gave it a read and decided pretty quickly that this editorial and its accompanying photographs were well worth sharing in this section of HODINKEE. Julian Shoolheifer with another Land Rover he is restoring. The author frames his article by recounting the story of a wonderfully unmolested Land Rover that?sat in an English barn for the better part of 50 years. Chassis number 860001 is not just an...
There's a story behind every caseback inscription, but the timeliness and significance of the inscription on a Patek Philippe pocket watch manufactured in 1905 up for auction at Heritage Auctions in Texas are particularly haunting in the context of 2020. The City of San Francisco gave this specific pocket watch to Dr. Rupert Blue in 1908 for his outstanding achievements in ridding San Francisco of the bubonic plague. Dr. Blue was a leading physician of the era and eventually went on to become the Surgeon General and the president of the American Medical Association. His efforts against the bubonic plague in San Francisco came early in his career. Hearing the phra...
Best of Watchville: Watchonista On Identifying A Watch By Its Hands
When it comes to watches, the word "iconic" gets used quite often. One popular definition of an icon is "a sign whose form directly reflects the thing it signifies." On today's Best of Watchville, the team over at Watchonista gives us a fun article that fits with that exact idea. They took the premise that many watches can be easily identifiable by their hands and turned it into a challenge to see if readers can guess a watch just by looking at an illustration of its handset.? You might guess some of the pieces instantly, but there are a few doozies in there as well. With the reveal of each watch, the article provides a brief his...
Introducing: The Czapek & Cie. Antarctique Collection
The imperative to make a stainless steel sport watch has left few high-end watch companies untouched. It makes sense: This is, after all, a style that collectors seem to want. Today, we see that Czapek & Cie., the Geneva-based watchmaker perhaps known best for its hand-wound dress watches with extended power reserves, is no exception.?Czapek has announced a new range of stainless steel sport models with integrated bracelets along with a new automatic movement to power them. Let's have a look. At its launch, the Czapek Antarctique is available in two versions: a main collection of 99 pieces and a special edition with a hand-va...
Just Because: Study Shows That Yes, People Who Wear Watches Really Are Superior Humans
One of the unexpected side-effects of recent events is that, while working from home, I have found that I have more time than I'd have thought to explore some of the less well-trodden byways of horological culture. Recently I ran across a scientific study C while looking for something entirely unrelated, I might add C which was originally published by researchers at the University of Glasgow, College of Science & Engineering and which looks at the personality traits associated with wristwatch wearers versus individuals who do not wear a wristwatch.? IWC's Kurt Klaus, at SIHH 2019. The study, which was meticulously construc...
Retailer Spotlight: Oliver Smith Jeweler In Scottsdale, AZ, And Aspen, CO
Handing down a watch to the next generation is special, but even more special is being able to hand down a watch business. This is the case with Oliver Smith Jeweler, with whom I spoke last week. Oliver's daughter, Elizabeth Smith, is now heading up the second branch of Oliver Smith Jeweler, opening in Aspen, Colorado, this July. At first there was Oliver Smith Jeweler in Arizona, ?then a Panerai Boutique in 2014, and now the location in Aspen that Ms. Smith will oversee opening this upcoming July. Read on to see how Oliver and Elizabeth are serving the horological community in the Great Southwest.? Elizabeth Smith, Oliver's daughter, the second generat...
As the age-old adage goes, those who patiently wait for seven days to pass are rewarded with breakdowns of five silly cool vintage watches by some guy named Isaac. It still rings true, as we're back with another superb selection, with picks ranging from a military-issued chronograph from Breitling, to a Movado retailed by Tiffany & Co., plus a Patek Philippe Calatrava awarded to someone involved in a Ponzi scheme of sorts. In a more regular realm, we've got what's likely the cleanest Red Submariner to hit the market in a while, and a uniquely tasteful Zenith chronograph. Now that you're hooked, it's time to reel things in.? Patek Philippe Ref. 3565/1 ...
Revisiting The Watch That Came In From The Cold
In recognition of Memorial Day, we take a look at a story that combines military heritage, espionage, heroics and, of course, watches. The focus is on Norman Schwartz, a Marine fighter pilot who flew covert missions for the CIA, and the unfortunate aftermath of an extraction mission gone wrong. The article follows the mission itself, the individuals involved, and the story of a truly unique Rolex watch. The story really gets to the core of how watches can serve as keepers of memories, and on Memorial Day, there is no better time to showcase that.? This deep and detailed piece, written by Cole Pennington, originally appeared in HO...
In-Depth: Four Stainless Steel Lange 1s Have Come Up For Auction In Less Than A Year. Why?
The world of collectible watches is an odd one. Sometimes, great watches C ones that are objectively wonderful and rare C languish well below retail price, even after theyre out of production. And then, one day, they pop! And their value sky-rockets. An example of this is the early F.P. Journe Tourbillons, which we called out in 2014 as seriously undervalued. We even did a Reference Points on them two years later, putting them alongside the most iconic watches in the world, and you could still get them for a relatively reasonable amount. And then, one day, things changed and they more than doubled in value. And we are currently living in a world where early Journe watches are immensely desi...
Introducing: The Krayon Anywhere Universal Sunrise-Sunset Complication
The sunrise-sunset complication is a surprisingly straightforward one to implement mechanically, and yet it remains relatively rare in a wristwatch. While the complication has existed in clocks for centuries and in pocket watches for many decades (including, perhaps most famously, the Patek Philippe Star Caliber pocket watch, and the Caliber 89, as well as the earlier Graves Supercomplication), it was not introduced in wristwatches until the Jules Audemars Equation Of Time in 2000, which was followed a few months later by the Martin Braun EOS watch (two of the least deservedly forgotten watches of the last two decades, if you ask me). The Jules Audemars...
Each week, we present a fresh installment of "My Watch Story," a new video series starring HODINKEE readers and their most prized watches. Today, we have five new stories submitted by C.J. Dennis, Maria Garcia, Paul Worley, Luke Roskelley, and Hamed Mokhtari. My Watch Story See all of the videos in the series here. Already sent your video, and don't see it here? Fear not C it's likely to appear here in the weeks to come. Due to the large volume and quality of submissions, we are happy to announce that we will be presenting five more videos each week going forward.Feeling inspired, or just discovering this project? Please scro...
Hands-On: The Extra-Flat Ming 27.01
Extra-flat or ultra-thin watches present an interesting challenge to a watch designer. The interpretation of the idiom tends to follow a pretty narrow design language: Round, two hands, precious metal more often than not, and with a minimum number of dial elements. The reasons for this are pretty straightforward: The fewer dial elements there are, the thinner the watch can be, and making extra-flat watches has always been at least partly about being able to boast about just how much thinner your watch is than the competition's, as well as conventional watches in general. A major exception to this rule in recent years has been Bulgari, whose Octo Finissimo watches have a unique design vocabul...
Retailer Spotlight: Kirk Jewelers In Miami, FL
In this installment, we're chatting with Allison Strongin and Jeff Newbauer, co-presidents of Kirk Jewelers in Miami. During the post-war boom, Julian Newbauer Sr. moved to Miami from New York City and expanded his business. His descendants have been tending to the family business for over 70 years now, and?the pair offers some insight that I found noteworthy: "While we are aware of the insatiable demand for professional steel watches, we are recently seeing a tremendous interest in all-gold pieces. Great examples are the Rolex Submariner in yellow gold or the Rolex Daytona with green dial." That's exactly the kind of watch I'd wear if I lived in Miami.? ...
One of the most interesting things about writing about watches is that as the years gradually unwind, you have an opportunity to observe to what degree various companies follow the vagaries of fashion and the demands of markets, and to what degree they stand apart from various ups and downs and stay the course in terms of remaining committed to their own identity. At one extreme, I suppose, you have the perennial example of Rolex as a company which seems to take no more notice of world events and market fluctuations than an aircraft carrier takes of a brine shrimp. At the other extreme you see companies C often, but not always, smaller ones with a great deal at s...
Introducing: The Ressence & Sotheby's Design Competition's Winning Watch
About a month ago,?Ressence and Sotheby's launched a design competition and auction to support COVID-19 research called #WatchAgainstCovid19. The premise of the competition was to allow any entrant to create their own interpretation of a Ressence Type 1 Slim based on a hi-res outline of the watch. The winning watch design would be produced as a unique offering and auctioned through Sotheby's with the proceeds benefiting COVID-19 research.? There were 466 entries in the competition, ranging from children and professional designers to watchmakers. Ressence designers selected four finalists and then turned things over to Instagram, where followers could vote on thei...
Business News: Watch Industry Braces For Historic Downturn
For the Swiss watch industry, the new decade got off to a super start. Swiss watch exports rose 9.4% in value in January compared to January 2019. Sure, Hong Kong was still a worry, down 25% that month due to the ongoing political turmoil there. But Switzerland's new number one market, the United States, was going great guns, up 15%. So were the other top markets, including China (+7%), Japan (+15%), and Singapore (+23%). Twelve of Switzerland's top 15 markets were up in January, most by double-digit percentages. Then the world as we knew it ended. The coronavirus pandemic has been a breathtaking global calamity. What follows is a rev...
Introducing: The HODINKEE Magazine, Volume 6
It's magazine time! You thought a global pandemic was going to keep us from producing this thing? Not a chance. It's hard to believe that we're already up to Volume 6, but here it is, ready for you all to enjoy. Travel might be restricted for most of us these days, but Volume 6 offers plenty of opportunities to explore disparate corners of the world from the comfort of your favorite armchair, coffee or whiskey in-hand.Each volume of the HODINKEE Magazine takes on a unique character, and this one is no different. Volume 6 balances in-depth, first-person storytelling about watches, vintage tube radios, and unique sports cars with incredible photography that transports you to places like Tokyo,...
Watch Spotting: An Omega X-33 On-Board The SpaceX Falcon 9 With The Crew Dragon
UPDATE: Unfortunately the launch today was scrubbed due to weather restrictions, specifically the strength of electric fields around the launch pad. However, the new launch date is set for Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 P.M. EDT, or 19:22 UTC. NASA will be?broadcasting the launch?on Saturday, so you still have some time to prepare to spot the X-33 on the wrist of Behnken. Today marks the (hopeful) historic launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon capsule on top. Inside the craft, astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will lift off en route to the International Space Station.This is the first time ever that NASA astronauts will utilize a commercially b...
The Grey NATO: Episode 113: The Isolation Tapes // May Q And A
Subscribe to the show: (Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Google Play and Spotify). 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]). thegreynato The Grey NATO C Ep 113 C The Isolation Tapes // May Q And A Lucky number 113 coming in hot with extra spice from all of you that sent in your voicemails! With messages from all over the world, the TGN boys are delighted to talk about everything from watches to gear and so much more. But before they dig into the questions, Jason and James chat new old audio gear, adding a clock to the Land Rover, ...
Bring a Loupe: A Full-Set Seamaster, A Fiery Gold GMT-Master, And A Clock Owned By Elvis
You're in for a treat this week as the roundup is jam-packed with a variety of showstoppers fit for top-tier collections. At the relatively tamer end of the spectrum, we've got a gold GMT-Master with oodles of character, along with a full-set Seamaster 300 from Omega. Those that enjoy less commonly-seen pieces will enjoy the Herms-retailed Tavannes chronograph, plus the prototype dial-fitted Autavia that's the stuff of Heuer collecting lore. And, just because, a clock owned by Elvis and a watch gifted by Bill Graham to Phil Lesh. It's about to get heady.? Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 16758 There's something tha...