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Best Super NEWS Watches
Introducing: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Moon
It's kind of a tough time to be a tourbillon. Complications generally have at least a little bit of an air of let-them-eat-cake about them (okay, probably not the chronograph), but they can often get away with it for different reasons. Chiming complications can plead the undeniable craft which, even today, it still takes to make one; perpetual calendars can argue their connection to the cosmic rhythms of the Earth's rotation and its annual journey around the Sun; the rattrapante chronograph can play the craft card (at least in its most classic version) and its greater utility than a standard chronograph. But the tourbillon? It's long since been generally conceded by even its most ardent fans...
It was late on a Monday afternoon in NYC when I received something I never, ever expected to see come in via WhatsApp. In fact, it's something I've never seen in my 12 plus years of involvement in watches C an official statement from one Philippe Dufour. Actually, it might even resemble a press release. As of today, November 16, 2020, Mr. Claude Sfeir, legendary collector and jeweler, will handle all commercial responsibilities for future creations from Philippe Dufour, beginning with the 20th anniversary of Simplicity 20-piece collection. Mr. Dufour's wife, Elizabeth, ever by her husband's side, will continue to handle any and all matters related to communicatio...
Business News: Watches & Wonders Geneva Cancels On-Site 2021 Show
Watches & Wonders Geneva, the annual trade show scheduled for April 7 to 13, 2021, will be a digital-only event, show organizers announced today.? "In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibitor committee has decided to cancel the physical Salon that would have been held at Palexpo," the show said in a statement. "The decision is seen as the most responsible course of action, given the current health crisis and uncertainties as to how the situation may evolve." Instead, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, which owns and organizes the show, said it would hold a 100% digital edition of the show, in which all 34 brands sch...
Introducing: The Oak & Oscar Olmsted Matte
Oak & Oscar, the Chicago-based maker of affordably priced mechanical watches, has something new up its sleeve. For the company's latest release, it's offering a mid-size, stealthy, matte-black ceramic-coated version of its classically styled automatic Olmsted field watch. Underneath the ceramic coating is a case made from 316L steel. The movement powering the Olmsted Matte is one that we know well, the Swiss ETA 2892-A2, but Oak & Oscar says it has modified it in order to remove the date function. This means that not only is the dial clean and uninterrupted by a date window, but there isn't any phantom date-setting functi...
Our Favorite Watch Nicknames, Ranked
Every watch comes off the factory floor with an official name C or at least a reference number. But a nickname? Watches have to earn a nickname. First, the community of watch lovers has to care enough to bestow one, and then, that name has to be good enough to catch on. The best ones supersede whatever the company had in mind, much in the way that the sports world decided the young man born as Earvin Johnson would instead be known as "Magic." Nicknames are fun. Nicknames are cool. They're also pragmatic. They make a watch easier to remember. They capture the shape of the case, or the color of the bezel, or an important person who wore it. The "why" becomes less i...
We believe every vintage watch has a story to tell. That's what HODINKEE was founded on, and since 2016, we've used our knowledge to bring you a curated selection of vintage watches in the HODINKEE Shop that you won't find elsewhere, all delivered with an emphasis on education, transparency, and storytelling. And now, we're kicking things up a notch.? You'll still find us here every Wednesday morning, and we'll still be highlighting what we love and what you should know about every vintage watch that appears in the HODINKEE Shop. What's new, however, is the amount of watches you'll discover each week. We've grown our team of specialists, and we're now able to del...
Introducing: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon
What originally started in concept form has now hit the mainstream. Audemars Piguet has just announced a 41mm Royal Oak featuring a flying tourbillon, and it's available in three surprising variants C 18k pink gold (not that surprising), titanium (OK, OK, OK), and...steel (hey now). While this is not at all the first time that the Royal Oak has played host to a tourbillon, this is the first time that a non-concept model has rocked a flying tourbillon, and they've even thrown in automatic winding to boot.? The new Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon in steel, pink gold, and titanium (left to right). Initial Thoughts ...
The Grey NATO: Episode 131: TGN Film Club Vol. 5
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 - 131 - Flim Club Vol 5 After a six month hiatus, it's the return of The TGN Film Club! Now in Volume 5, Jason and James reprise their roles as would-be movie critics to bring you ten varied films to add to your winter watch list. From cycling in hell to canoeing into the unknown, learning to be a spy, saving the world, and taking on a neo-nazi played by Patrick Stewart, it's safe t...
In the 1970s, it was a tradition for Jack Heuer to gift 18k gold Heuer Carrera reference 1158CHN watches to Ferrari Formula One drivers (Heuer and Ferrari had a partnership at the time) as a show of good luck. Those watches were engraved on the back with the driver's name, though legend has it that their blood type was also engraved. Now, some 40 years later, TAG Heuer is making a similar gesture to Jack himself, by releasing the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Jack Heuer Birthday Gold Limited Edition. This is a modern 42mm, 18k rose-gold chronograph inspired by that very 1158CHN C Jack Heuer's favorite watch C in celebration of his 88th?birthday.? ...
Culture Of Time: Chess Clocks, Time, And 'The Queen's Gambit'
The Netflix series The Queen's Gambit is a very unusual kind of show about a very unusual kind of person C you wouldn't think chess, or a championship player, would make for gripping TV, but it's become an unlikely hit. The player is a woman named Elizabeth Harmon (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) who, orphaned at eight years old in a car accident that kills her mother, finds herself sequestered in a Kentucky orphanage right out of Dickens (well, maybe Dickens by way of Faulkner). There's more than a hint in the first episode of the chaos in Beth's life before the orphanage, and though it's presented with a deft touch, the senselessness of life's unpredictable violence casts a very long shadow int...
Hands-On: The Baltic Aquascaphe GMT
Editor's note: Shortly after publication, Baltic acknowledged an error in its manufacturing regarding the caseback, which it has pledged to address. Please find Baltic's full statement at the bottom of the article. As of this moment, the Baltic Aquascaphe GMT is no longer available in the HODINKEE shop. A GMT watch is the horological equivalent of your favorite childhood stuffed animal. Wherever you go, a little piece of home goes with you. You'll often come across old Rolex GMT-Masters in the wild with faded bezels, banged-up cases, and bracelets dangling from their last limbs. Why? Because they're watches of function and purpose. Most of all, they were very muc...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 113: Explorer & Educator Josh Bernstein
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! Josh Bernstein is an explorer, educator, storyteller, anthropologist, and a whole lot more. And if his name sounds familiar, it's because you probably remember him either from his episode of Talking Watches, which aired earlier this year, or from his time as the host of travel and exploration TV shows, including The History Channel's Digging For The Truth and Discovery's Into The Unknown.?Since he's on HODINKEE Radio and has done Talking Watches, it probably comes a...
Sunday Rewind: A Quintet Of Pure Mrite
After a week in which Audemars Piguet announced its first-ever Royal Oak with a flying tourbillon, we figured it best to keep the scene as complicated as possible with a look at the oh-so-lovely 'Pour le Mrite' line from A. Lange & Sohne. Unified by their noteworthy use of a fuse-and-chain, all five of these Langes represent core (and complicated) strengths within this storied German brand's repertoire.? Originally posted in December of 2017, we've got tourbillons, Tourbographs, marine chronometers, and even a perpetual calendar C so general complications are well covered. All told, it's a lovely collection of very special ...
Auctions: One Sale, Two White Gold Pateks: The 2526 And 3448 At Christie's
The way people sell watches has changed a lot in 2020, even at the very high end. Phillips has proven to have a robust retail business in its Perpetual platform, helmed by the great James Marks, but they also continue to consign, organize, and market watches into flagship sales in the major markets of Geneva, Hong Kong, and New York. The results prove that the best watches will continue to bring exceptional prices, and Paul Boutros's "Racing Pulse" sale next month will be one any watch lover will be looking forward to, no matter if they plan to bid or not.?The other two big players in auctions, Christie's and Sotheby's, have taken different tacks, and are now running regular (weekly, really)...
Introducing: The Rado Captain Cook Bronze Burgundy (Live Pics & Pricing)
Earlier this year, our own Cole Pennington went hands-on with the Rado Captain Cook Bronze, featuring ceramic for both the bezel and the dial. That watch came in variants sporting deep earth tones of green, blue, and grey C and, of course, bronze cases. Now, Rado is announcing a new addition to Captain Cook Bronze lineup C a watch so red that it evokes images of a certain other captain with a distaste for one flying child in green tights, and something that conveniently rhymes with "cook"?for a hand. The Captain Cook Bronze Burgundy is the first time Rado has endeavored to make a watch using red-colored ceramic, which is a particularly onerous undertaking. Unlike...
Welcome to another 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 Justin Brayman, Anirudh Kallakuri, Raoul D., Greg Johnson, and Stephen Owens.?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. Justin Brayman And His Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 'Navy Blue' ...
To the average watch owner, few modern factors present a bigger challenge to a mechanical watch movement than the scourge of magnetism. Sure, water resistance is important, but you can generally see water coming and work to avoid it if you don't want to get wet. Conversely, magnetism is a silent, unseen threat to the daily wearability of your watch and Id wager that many of you have dealt with one (or several) of your watches getting magnetized.? The new Oris Aquis Caliber 400, which uses the brand's latest anti-magnetic movement design. Magnetized watches run poorly because major components cannot interact as they normally w...
A Thanksgiving Message To Our Community
Hey Everyone,Today is Thanksgiving here in the United States, where most of us are based. And when we held hands around our virtual table and took turns saying what were thankful for in this ridiculous year, the answer was unanimous: Its all of you.?Its the readers who wake up every morning excited to visit this website. The fans whove stuck with us over the years as weve evolved. The commenters who keep us honest and bust our chops. The customers who, during tough times, chose to spend a few bucks ordering straps, watches, magazines, books, and more from us. From us! You inspire us and challenge us, and lets be honest C you keep our lights on.? W...
The Turtle Watch That Ruled Thanksgiving
You thought turtles were slow, right? ?If you want to score the $125 retail Timex x Noah watch this Black Friday, you'll have to point your browser to Ebay (where one sits at $400), Grailed ($1,000), or some other resale platform and pony up, because this one went fast. Buzzy collaborations selling out quickly isn't exactly a new thing, but I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't a bit surprised to see that this one, which launched at 11 AM Thanksgiving morning, was gone by 11:09. You know Timex, of course, but what's Noah and what the heck is this watch all about? In the five years since?Brendon Babenzien restarted Noah C a New York...
Introducing: The Oris Big Crown Pointer Date x Fratello Limited Edition
Of the many things that Oris does well, few elements sit more front and center within its modern line up than its continued use of bronze and a fascination with rich and distinctive colors. For the brand's latest collaboration with our friends at Fratello Watches, we see a special combination of these two elements come together in a limited edition Big Crown Pointer Date that sports a bronze case and deep red dial. With a unique wrist presence and tons of personality, this Pointer Date is limited to 300 pieces that will be split between Fratello and Oris' own boutiques.? Initial Thoughts For me, the Oris ...