Best Super NEWS Watches
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 99: Golfer Rory McIlroy And Collectability's John Reardon
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 big nine nine. Wow. It's crazy to think that we started this show a little over two years ago and that we're almost to that big three-digit milestone. There's something special planned C don't worry C but that doesn't mean we're not going to bring the heat this week too. To kick off Episode 99, we've got a preview for you of something we'll be dropping on HODINKEE.com later this week: A conversation between our own Danny Milton and Rory McIlroy. In addition to b...
Sunday Rewind: The Watches Of Polar Exploration
If you got to the end of Danny's wondrously exhaustive look at the 14270 Rolex Explorer and wanted more exploration-style content, we got you C just head for the poles. In this post most Heaton, grab your heaviest jacket and your glacier goggles and take a frostbitten look at a handful of watches that have seen actual use at the North and South Poles.? Polar exploration is among the world's most difficult pursuits, and part of the challenge comes in finding gear that can take the endless abuse and keep on ticking. From funky Yemas and classic Speedmasters to Kobolds and mega-cool Panerais, you won't need air conditioning while yo...
Editors' Picks: Our Favorite Chronographs From The 2020 New Releases
Who doesn't love a chronograph? HODINKEE editor-in-chief Jack Forster has written that chronographs seem to have the ability to bring out the worst in watch designers, but they can bring out the best as well, and as a complication, they are not, unlike things like perpetual calendars and minute repeaters, restricted to the high-end of the price spectrum. They can, instead, be found in everything from reasonably priced, tough-as-nails tool watches to ultra-high-end examples of the watchmaker's art at its most refined (and most expensive) and pretty much everywhere in between. Since they first began to be produced in pocket watches in the mid-19th century, chronographs have been made to time j...
In-Depth: Three Post-Quartz Crisis Mechanical Masterpieces You Probably Forgot About
The Quartz Crisis is one of those moments in the evolution of an art (if we wish to grace watchmaking with that term, and why not?) which marks a point in which it becomes necessary for both the art and the artist to re-invent themselves. The handwriting was on the wall for mechanical horology for some time, of course C electronic watches, such as the Hamilton Electric, were never serious competitors to a good mechanical watch (too expensive, too fragile, and not enough of a performance improvement in exchange), but the Accutron showed, starting in 1960, that technology would no more leave watchmaking untouched than any other domain, and with the advent of the quartz watch on Christmas Day i...
Welcome to the fifteenth installment of "My Watch Story," a video series starring HODINKEE readers and their most prized watches. The submissions continue to stream in, and we couldn't be happier to share them with the watch community. Today, we have five new stories submitted by Elijah Morin, Joshua Polansky, Oscar Tan, Chris Gagliano, and Austin Lyon.Feeling inspired, or just discovering this project? Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to learn how to submit your own video. But first, we hope you enjoy this installment of My Watch Story. Elijah Morin And His Cartier Tank When Elijah was planni...
Rory McIlroy's accolades are numerous. He is a four-time major champion, the reigning FedEx Cup Champion, and one of the most recognizable names in the game of golf C if not all of sports C today. On the eve of this year's PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco, we sit down with Rory to talk all things golf, watches, and more. McIlroy's Omega Speedmaster '57. Photo: @rorymcilroy/Instagram From his days growing up in Northern Ireland learning the game to running away with the U.S. Open at age 21, Rory gives some valuable insights on playing golf at such an elite level. More than that, he clues us in on what the profe...
Business News: Geneva Watch Days To Take Place August 26-29
To say that this years calendar of new watch releases has been more scattered than any in recent memory is surely an understatement. The COVID-19 pandemic has made traveling and holding large events ever more difficult, and shows have had to be canceled or converted to digital formats. But that hasn't done much to stop the steady flow of new watches. We've done our best to present them to you as they've been announced, and in an easily digestible format that can be referenced as a whole. There is, however, a major watch event on the horizon for later this month, and HODINKEE will, of course, cover it.? Originally planned for Apr...
The 34mm Omega Seamaster Is the Last Sleeper Hit In Vintage Watches
The other day, I found myself looking C as I often do C at my watch. This day was a bit different than other days however,?as I was in a particularly introspective mood. The subject of my observation was my vintage Omega Seamaster. The reason I was thinking so hard was that I didn't know the full story of my own watch. Much of that has to do with the fact that it is a watch which was passed down in my family, and its full origin had been somewhat lost to time. The other reason is that it is a 34mm Omega Seamaster from the 1950s. There were so many of them made (ranging from 33mm to 35mm for that matter), that being able to find reliable information about any one particular watch can prove di...
Recommended Reading: Four (Highly) Recommended Movement Deconstructions From The Naked Watchmaker
The technical watch review was pioneered on Timezone.com back at the beginning of this century by Walt Odets, whose activity as a horological writer represented, and represents, a rare combination of traits. He was an active and avid collector and enthusiast, but he was also an extremely skilled watchmaker and machinist, who thought nothing of spending four or five figures for a watch on Monday and taking it apart on Tuesday to see just what made it tick. Since then, the technical watch review, done firsthand by an enthusiast who's also a watchmaker and accompanied by an actual movement teardown and analysis, has largely lain fallow, for obvious reasons. For one ...
While this three-part series may focus on the advent and popularity of incredibly thin watches, it's anything but light reading. The idea of "ultra-thin" watchmaking is one of surprising density as the term has become something of a catch-all for so-called thin watches, the technical push for thinner movements, and a whole lot of branding within the space (thin as it may be).? Want to cut through all of that fat and get to the svelte wafer-thin core of the matter? Jack's got you with this juicy trio originally posted back in April of 2016. From the history of ever-thinner movements to the push of fashion and the development of so...
Introducing: The Remy Cools Tourbillon Souscription
Last year, I wrote an article for HODINKEE titled Five Under-The-Radar Watchmakers To Follow On Instagram. One of the watchmakers highlighted was Remy Cools, a graduate of the Lyce Edgar Faure, in Morteau, France. Cools had won the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition in 2018 with his Mechanica Tempus Pendulette Tourbillon desk clock, and finished his impressive school watch. Now, Cools has introduced his first series of wristwatches, the Tourbillon Souscription. The concept of subscription (souscription in French) watches started with Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1797. A down payment of 25% was required when the order was placed, a...
Introducing: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Frosted Gold Flying Tourbillon
There are few watchmakers who can go all-out like Audemars Piguet can go all-out. Some brands specialize in making high complications in-house; others are known for their eye-catching dial and case designs; others yet are defined by the ways in which they push the boundaries of what modern watchmaking can be. AP can do all three, and when they bring these approaches together into a single watch, the results are astounding. The new Royal Oak Concept Frosted Gold Flying Tourbillon is just that. When I first saw a photo, I uttered an audible "whoa" at my MacBook. The watch starts with AP's smaller 38.5mm Concept case (which we've seen used here before) and gives it ...
Auctions: Bonhams Announces An All-Seiko Online-Only Auction
Update: since publication, numerous issues with many of the lots have been noted and it appears the auction may have been canceled. As of 7AM EST (8/8/20) we have reached out to Bonhams UK and HK for clarification; stay tuned. Heads up, Seiko-Folk! Bonhams auction house has announced a two-part online auction that is 100% classic and collectible Seikos. Starting on August 17 and called "Making Waves: Seiko C A Private Collection of Japanese Wristwatches," there will be more than 200 lots available, with each and every piece having been sourced from a single, and seemingly quite impressive, personal collection.? ...
Just Because: In Other News, Your Wristwatch May Harbor A Flourishing Microbial Ecosystem
A million years ago, when Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, I scraped a bit of beer money teaching an undergraduate survey course in human pathology, as one of those pilot fish of academia who ekes out a living on the scraps of behemoths (and by behemoths, I mean, people with tenure). If you are teaching a science class to a group of young, bored, anxious undergrads, many of whom have not had terrific experiences in science classes and for whom the idea of having to take one is actively upsetting, you had better have a couple of ice-breakers up your sleeve C a schtick, in a word. Out of a desire to both amuse and instruct, I used to open by distributing Xeroxes (which ought to tell you how long ago...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 100: Year In Review, Part Two
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 first thing I want to say is, "Thank you." Thank you to everyone who listens to HODINKEE Radio, thank you to the incredible guests who sit in front of microphones with us to tell their stories, and thank you to my awesome HODINKEE colleagues who are all a part of this show. It's crazy to think that we're two years and 100 episodes into this adventure, and I can honestly say that making HODINKEE Radio has been, and continues to be, one of the most rewarding and e...
Breaking News: Bonhams' Seiko-Only Auction Disappears In The Wake Of Collector Scrutiny
Yesterday, I wrote a piece highlighting the announcement of an upcoming Seiko-themed auction at Bonhams. It was originally slated to start on August 17, but it now appears to have been pulled from Bonhams' website entirely. This comes after considerable backlash from the Seiko community due to several problematic watches with incorrect and aftermarket parts, which started almost immediately after the full listings were published to Bonhams website yesterday. While the idea of a Seiko-only auction is exciting (I said so in the original post, though admittedly my mouth tastes a lot like crow at the moment), few online communities are more dialed-in than that of Sei...
Breaking News: Bonhams Seiko-Only 'Making Waves' Auction Not Canceled (Updated)
Following our report on Bonhams having removed their "Making Waves" auction amidst criticism about the legitimacy of several lots and widespread speculation the auction had been canceled outright, we have received the following statement from Benedict Tsang, Bonhams Head of Communications in Asia:? "There has been strong interest in our Making Waves: Seiko online sale since the sale page went live on our website on Friday. We have temporarily removed the preview function in order to upload the condition reports accompanying each lot. We apologize to anyone who hasnt been able to access the sale page. We invite everyone to revisit the page this week to see all th...
Just Because: The Strange Allure Of The Monopusher Chronograph
The word "nostalgia" is a compound of two Greek words C ͦϦҦӦϦ ?(nostos) and ˦æϦ (algos). The first is attested in Homer and means "homecoming," and the second means "pain." Though it's often described as a term from classical Greek, it is in fact a more?modern term and was apparently coined by one Johannes Hofer, in Basel, in 1688, to describe the homesickness felt by Swiss mercenaries. The term was intended as an actual medical diagnosis, and while it was originally thought that only the Swiss were susceptible to it, by the 19th century, it had become generally recognized as a universal human experience C so much so that during the first two years of the American Civil War, 2,588 cases w...
Welcome to the sixteenth installment of "My Watch Story," a video series starring HODINKEE readers and their most prized watches. The submissions continue to stream in, and we couldn't be happier to share them with the watch community. Today, we have five new stories submitted by Garrett Kinsman, Doug Morton, Holger Henning, Riyad Seervai, and Mark Friedman.Feeling inspired, or just discovering this project? Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to learn how to submit your own video. But first, we hope you enjoy this installment of My Watch Story. Garrett Kinsman And His Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph ...
Why The USAF Thunderbirds Still Use A Mechanical Stopwatch In The Cockpit
Major Michelle Curran has gone through the start-up sequence of the F-16 Fighting Falcon thousands of times. She has more than 1,500 hours on the airframe, with 163 of those logged as combat hours during Operation Resolute Support and Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan.? The F-16 is officially designated the "Fighting Falcon," but many know it by its colloquial name, the "Viper." Note the bubble canopy that offers unparalleled visibility. Curran was promoted from Captain to Major since this photo was taken. Now, as Thunderbird no. 5, the lead solo pilot of the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, there...