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Best Super NEWS Watches
The Dive Watch, Deconstructed on Gear Patrol
Gear Patrol's Jason Heaton (hey wait, we have a Jason Heaton too!) drops some dive watch knowledge on you with a fantastic article that includes a little bit of history, a dash of reason, and some great photography of the world's most popular category of watches - the diver. Click on over to read, you'll be glad you did. Related Content: To see our Jason Heaton (who looks, acts, and smells a lot like GP's Jason Heaton) review one of the baddest divers in the world, the AP Royal Oak Offshore Diver, click here....
Found: Lou Gehrig's 1928 World Series Hamilton "Piping Rock" For Sale
Many Hamilton watch collectors believe that the Piping Rock is the pinnacle of the companys watch-making and design. Some even consider the Piping Rock to be the quintessential American wristwatch. With strong Art Deco influences, these watches feature hinged lugs and a black enamel bezel with Roman numerals. The Piping Rock was introduced in 1928 and the three watches introduced that year represented the first Hamilton watches not named after a geometric shape (i.e.cushion, square, oval, tonneau, etc.).Any vintage Piping Rock from 1928 is highly collectible, but the rarest of the rare are the 35 Piping Rocks made to commemorate the World Series Championship that year of the New Yo...
The TF Est. 1968 Tourbillon Pen: Sure, Why Not?
From the same people who brought you tourbillon cufflinks comes this tourbillon pen.? This decorative ballpoint pen is made of stainless steel (though a rose gold version does exist, too) and features a rotating balance that looks just like a watch's tourbillon.? Not much else to say about it, really.? Click through for closer look....
Watch Spotting: A Breitling Navitimer On The Wrist of Miles Davis, Circa 1969
Miles Davis was many things - cryptic, vain, insanely talented, ego-maniacal, the product not of a mid-western ghetto but rather the son of a dentist from east St. Louis. He was a $500/day cocaine addict, an actual pimp, saying in 1985 that he "had a whole stable of b****es out on the street" for him, and an anti-white activist. He was also one of the coolest guys to walk this earth in the 20th century. He helped create the post-war idea of what "cool" was by wearing dark Italian suits and Brooks Brothers shirts and ties. Bob Dylan called him his very definition of cool, and Davis knew it. Davis once said of himself "I was clean as a motherf***cker, cleaner than a broke-dick dog."The man ...
Happy 720th Birthday To Switzerland!
Today, August 1st, is a special day - it's Switzerland's 720th birthday!? Yup, the birthplace of 99% of our favorite watches was itself conceived today in the year 1291.? So, wish all your Swiss friends a happy Swiss National day! After all, it is their only national holiday....
A Year Before The London Olympics, The Omega Seamaster 1948 Becomes Officially Official
If you're an avid reader of HODINKEE, you know exactly you're looking at - it's the Omega Seamaster 1948, the watch Ben declared his favorite Omega of BaselWorld 2011 in a Letter from the Editor post.? You've already seen live pictures too (in the same post), because the watch was present at Basel.? But, in one of those weird watch industry foibles, this vintage inspired beauty with a questionable caseback (see readers' comments here) wouldn't become official until the London 2012 Olympics were exactly 365 days away.? Last Wednesday, we reached the imaginary line in the sand and we received official specs.The formal name of this watch is the "Omega Seamaster 1948 Co-Axial "London 2012"' and ...
Watchspotting In Sardinia: Not Much, Not Much At All
For those who have been following our Twitter account closely, you may have seen that I spent last week in Sardinia, Italy while Blake held down the fort.? I brought one watch with me, my trusty vintage Rolex Submariner (Ref 5512 dating to 1972) hoping that, this being Italy, I'd run into a few watch nerds in my travels.? No such luck.? But, I'm in Southern France now and have seen a few nice pieces here and there.? I'll be sure to let you know if I come across anything of note in the few days remaining before my return to New York.? Until then, keep following HODINKEE for more great posts....
A Special Edition Worth Your Attention: Audemars Piguet ROO GINZA 7
On March 11 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck northern Japan. Over 15 thousand were killed and countless others displaced. A global effort to aid the victims has been underway since the shaking ceased. Joining the releif effort is Audemars Piguet, pledging 10 percent of sales of 2 special edition Royal Oak Offshore watches, dubbed the GINZA 7. This is all a part of their "SUPPORT JAPAN" project, which has a long-term goal of raising 100 million yen for Red Cross Japan.Under most circumstances, I feel that special editions and limited editions add little value to a watch. However, these special edition GINZA 7 watches from AP are truly worthy of the label and any attention it bestows upon the...
Something Sexy from the 70s: A Playboy Presentation Watch
At HODINKEE we like a good presentation watch. They are a great way to add some history to an otherwise run of the mill watch. Presentation dials seem to be particularly popular in the Middle East, and in America. They are strongly associated with he big names of American industry, like, you know C Winn Dixie.The presentation watch weve got for you today is from perhaps one of the most culturally influential, quintessentially American brands, and (excluding perhaps Ralph Lauren) perhaps the most significant brand continuously associated with its creator and founder. By now Im sure you will have all guessed that we are talking about the one, the only - Playboy.Fittingly then, the watch wev...
The Patek Philippe 5020: A Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Shaped Like A TV
When discussing Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronographs, the subject will likely turn to watches such as the reference 1518 (the worlds first perpetual calendar chronograph) or reference 5270, which was recently introduced at BaselWorld. Likewise, when the topic turns to watches of cushion form, most are likely to think of the Heuer Camaro?rather than a Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph. But the reference 5020J defies any such stereotype.First introduced in 1995, the reference 5020 had a dial and case reminiscent of a 1960s television set, which is why this is sometimes referred to as the Patek TV set watch. It was not a great success for Patek Philippe as collectors were...
Historic manufacturer Vacheron Constantin is opening its first boutique on US soil this month, along New York's prestigious Madison Ave. This marks the brand's 28th boutique worldwide, and is born of roots first laid in the city back in 1831, courtesy of Jean-Barthlmy Vacheron himself. To mark the occasion, VC has built three new references exclusively for the American market.?The new watches, bearing the suffix: Boutique New York, each evoke a part of the brand's storied past, interpreted for American sensibilities. The exclusive models are: the Overseas Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Boutique New York, the Historiques American 1921 BNY and the Patrimony Traditionnelle caliber 2755 BNY. W...
Spotted: TAG Heuer Carrera Caliber 1887 On Lewis Hamilton At German Grand Prix
McLaren F1 driver, Lewis Hamilton took top honors at the German Gran Prix this past weekend, and celebrated with a Carrera 1887 on his wrist. We've followed the less-than-linear development of the Carrera 1887 and its in-house Caliber 1887 chronograph movement since its announcement last year. And even that wasn't the final word. Hamilton, the 2008 F1 World Champion and TAG Heuer ambassador, shows off that final design on the podium after winning the 10th race of the F1 season in Germany.?Heuer watches have been synonymous with racing sports for decades. The relationship has yeilded some of the most iconic sports watches ever produced, thanks to some of the coolest spokespeaople on the plane...
The TAG Heuer Edge: An Innovative Design That Never Saw The Light Of Day
Our buddy C the titan on TAG, the Hercules of Heuer (otherwise known as Calibre 11) has been on a roll lately. Last week he shed some light on the little known Heuer Easy-Rider. And this week hes discovered yet another obscure Heuer, or rather TAG-Heuer. Say hello to the TAG Heuer Edge, conceived in the late 90s but never saw the light of day.?The Edge was a watch intended to compliment the venerable Professional range as an entry-level quartz. The Edge was a design unlike another other Heuer, with an oversized, square case and a rather unusual squared rotating bezel.Well be the first to admit that TAG-Heuer in the late 90s produced some pretty ho hum watches, but we reckon the Edge is a d...
Since tourbillons have become much more common since the end of the 20th century C largely due to modern manufacturing and assembly techniques that make it easier to achieve the precision necessary for them to work properly C now more than ever, it's not so much a question of whether you can do it, but how well it's done. With that in mind, let's take a look at an unusual, and unusually designed, example of the tourbillon as a piece of wearable, high-craft, design: an objet d'art for the wrist from Jaquet Droz. As always, with tourbillons it's good to have some context for what you're looking at. In this case, we've got a tou...
Undoubtedly one of the most technically innovative watchmakers of the 20th century, Audemars Piguet is also one of its major creative forces. With the Royal Oak, they did with watches what Apple and Nike were able to do with computers and sneakers C that is, to subtly alter the usual lines of a standard product, and turn it into an icon. In fact, Audemars Piguet has been able to create not one, but two of the most recognizable timepieces of the modern era C the Royal Oak and the Millenary. The Royal Oak's design is widely lauded as a stroke of genius today, but at its launch many found it either disturbing or implausible or b...
Bring a Loupe: A Rolex 6062 Moonphase In Steel, A Rare Heuer Autavia, A Sleeper Seiko, And More
This Bring A Loupe might surprise you; while you know the brands selected, you might never have considered these watches before, except the crazy good looking Rolex 6062 we've found C arguably one of the most complicated vintage watches Rolex ever made. So let me introduce you to a late Heuer Autavia, a very dressy Seiko Credor Node, and a vintage Longines Diver. This is your Bring A Loupe for March 4, 2016. A Seiko Credor Node Reference GBBE 979 C A Beautiful Modern Dress Watch Let's start with this Credor Node, the most under-the-radar piece of our entire selection this week. You might remember Cred...
The Watches Worn By NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, Holder Of New U.S. Spaceflight Endurance Record
(Above, astronaut Kelly flashes a victory sign after landing, wearing a Speedmaster Professional; photo via AP Images.)American astronaut Scott Kelly recently returned to Earth after a record-breaking 342 days in space C a record for any American astronaut (though not the absolute record; currently that's held by cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who was aloft on Mir in 1995 for a staggering 437 days). The purpose of the experiment was to further study the long-term effects of weightlessness on the human body C critical information for any contemplated human-crewed mission to Mars, for instance. Kelly's twin brother provided a comparison benchmark, and interestingly enough, Mark Kelly is also an as...
Matt Damon, And What Might Be The Most On Point Watch Anybody Wore To The Oscars
Above, Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso at the 88th Academy Awards; Photo by REX/ShutterstockWe enjoyed taking a look at some of the watches that found their way onto wrists on the red carpet at this year's edition of the Academy Awards, but we've got one more for you C one which several of you pointed out to us that in our haste, we'd forgotten to make sure came along with the others. Ironically, or maybe aptly, enough, it was the watch worn by none other than Matt Damon, who was up for an Oscar for his performance as astronaut Mark Watney, in the film The Martian. That watch was from Van Cleef & Arpels, and it was probabl...
Hands-On: The Breitling Emergency, Or The Safest Weve Ever Been With A Watch
Last week, we welcomed astronaut Scott Kelly back to Planet Earth following his 342-day mission in space by taking a look at some of his watches C both in flight and on Earth. And many of you expressed some interest in what appeared to be a larger-than-life 51 mm wristwatch. It is in fact very real C developed specifically for the most perilous missions. Today, we go hands-on with the Breitling Emergency (not Kellys mind you). A follow up to the 1995 Emergency, this version (originally introduced as the Emergency II, although the "II" has been dropped) the watch presents an improved personal locator beacon (PLB) capable of t...
The Value Proposition: The Mido Baroncelli Heritage, A Great Looking Simple Watch At A Great Price
Mido is a Swatch Group brand that doesn't have a tremendous amount of mindshare among wristwatch enthusiasts in the United States, although the company's been around for some time (founded in 1918) and the Group has retailers for Mido watches around the world. Its current collections have preserved some of the company's more popular vintage models, including the Multifort, Commander, and Ocean Star lines, and they've just announced a new model in the Baroncelli line: the Baroncelli Heritage. This is not a watch that's necessarily going to take the world by storm, but it doesn't need to: it's a good-looking watch for just a bit over $1,000, that's noticeably better thought out than a lot of i...