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Best Super NEWS Watches
Over the past several years, Vacheron Constantin has been progressively expanding the range of perpetual calendar models that fall within the sporty world of their Overseas lineup. I know this well, maybe too well, as not only is the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin one of my favorite QPs on the market, but I've also written about this watch many times. But hey, what's one more, for white gold's sake? Almost one full year ago, VC announced they would be offering the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin with a full rose-gold bracelet....
Introducing: Montblanc Lands In The Gobi Desert With Latest 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition
Montblanc continues to grow the 1858 collection with a new Geosphere release at Watches & Wonders 2021. This is good news that should quiet any questions about the model's future in the wake of the recent departure of Davide Cerrato, former Managing Director of Montblanc Watch Division (and the architect of the current 1858 line). With a new MD on board (Swiss watch industry veteran Laurent LeCamp; stay tuned for more from him later this week) and the recent introduction of legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner as ambassador, the fate of the 1858 should remain in more than capable hands. The latest Geosphere limited edition features a sandy-beige fum dial w...
Questions? Send us a note, or let us know in the comments. Want to sell your vintage watch through the HODINKEE Shop? Click here. Want to sell your pre-owned watch? Click here. This Week's Vintage Watches Sure, you may have heard about the Ever Given's misfortunes in the Suez Canal, but did you know that the Moon helped the ship regain its freedom? Let us explain.Of the 12 to 13 full Moons in any C *cough* ever *cough* C given year, only six create a tide that's high enough to make an impact like the one seen earlier this week at the Suez Canal. Reports state that if the Ever Given was still stuck after the full Moon passed, the cargo...
Introducing: The Panerai Luminor Chrono
One of Panerai's major pushes for the 2021 Watches & Wonders?is its new Luminor Chronograph line, which features ?a new automatic chronograph caliber, the P.9200. At launch, we have three different versions of this watch in the main collection, all made of stainless steel, with dials in blue, black, or white. We also have a bracelet option as seen in the below blue-dialed reference, with links inspired by the Luminor safety clasp. Though chronographs are not likely the first thing that comes to mind when you think Panerai, the company actually has quite a bit of experience here. There are, of course, the Mare Nostrum watches, and somewhat more recently, ...
Introducing: A Pair Of Breitling Chronographs That Embrace Old-School Style C With A Twist
When Breitling launched the Premier line in 1943, it quickly became a pillar of the brand. Back then, the collection represented an evolution. Before '43, the brand was known for its utilitarian precision instruments, namely military and aviation watches. The Premier line shifted the emphasis to aesthetics and design. This intersection of function and form has remained essential to the modern Premier lineup. And now, the brand is welcoming a new subset to the line C the Premier Heritage Collection C inspired by Breitling's original multigenerational family leadership. The Premier Heritage debuts with three model families, includi...
Introducing: The Cartier Pasha de Cartier 41mm Chronograph
The major focus at Cartier last year centered around the return of Pasha de Cartier, one of the watchmaker's most instantly recognizable and unique designs, and one that is well remembered as a cult classic of the 1980s. Cartier made a big push with the Pasha redux, signing a who's who of cool young ambassadors from the entertainment world that included Rami Malek and Willow Smith. A year later, we're seeing the collection grow with a number of new pieces, including the 41mm chronographs you see here in 18-karat yellow gold and in stainless steel. The hallmarks of the Pasha design are front and center, including the distinctive crown capped with a cabochon (...
Introducing: Our Very First HODINKEE-Branded Watch
All year, we've been reading the comments (yes, we do read them all!) and taking note of what the enthusiast community really wants. We hear you loud and clear. Today, we're giving you a sneak peek at a limited-edition watch with all your favorite features. We call it the HODINKEE Professional. It all began when Jack Forster was meandering around CERN in 2019, working on a story about particle accelerators' potential application in horology, when he discovered a stock of unused radium in a laboratory closet. After greasing a few wheels with some phone calls to powerful European investors, Jack was able to smuggle the supply of radium ...
The Case For Better Watch Storage
Watch storage is a problem with myriad solutions. A dresser drawer would be one option. Another would be a burly built-in safe with biometric locks and a fleet of winders to keep your watches wound and ready to wear. My current fix lies somewhere in the middle. It's simple, flexible, and low-profile, offering ease-of-access without sacrificing security. Over the years, I've tried using the original boxes (a pain for access and for storage, no real improvement in security), watch rolls (I've found these are good up to 4-5 watches, but have never liked how the watches touch when the roll is rolled up), and inexpensive display cases...
First Photos: The Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic
Often referred to as the "Master of Materials," Rado has long been known to get a little crazy with its watch designs. The brand was an early pioneer in the use of ceramic as a case material. Today, it has announced an unexpected addition into the ceramic fold: The Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic. Let's dive deep into the black, with these first photos. It's Bigger For a Reason The first thing to note is that the watch has been upsized from 42mm to 43mm, a product of using ceramic to construct the case. This is a monobloc case crafted entirely from ceramic with a matte finish, and it represents the fir...
Introducing: IWC's Smaller Pilot's Chronograph Is Cleared For Takeoff
To many, the IWC Pilot's Chronograph was that watch that built the strong reputation IWC enjoys today. An early version of the Pilot's Chronograph, the 3705 Fliegerchronograph, put IWC on the map in the '90s, and it's been a fan favorite since. But there's always been one caveat. It started at 39mm, but subsequent versions of the watch have grown larger. Now for 2021, there's a 41mm version, opening up a pathway for the Pilot's Chronograph to find new fans. And the size isn't the only new aspect C it now comes in both blue and green dial executions. Initial Thoughts Considerin...
Sunday Rewind: Comparing Three Affordable Mechanical Watches
We've long known that great watches can be found at a wide range of price points, and that you needn't break the thousand-dollar mark to get something interesting and enjoyable on your wrist. And that includes mechanical watches from established brands, like the ones you see here. It was just recently that the HODINKEE Shop added Tissot to its selection. That reminded us of the time we pitted the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, the Seiko SRP777 Turtle, and the Tissot Gentleman C three pretty different watches, each priced under $1,000 C against each other in an episode of "Three on Three." Which one reigned supreme? Well, you'll...
Introducing: A New Generation Of The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300
For Watches & Wonders 2021, TAG Heuer is going back to the roots of the Aquaracer with a brand new lineup that spans four 40mm references, three 36mm references, and one 43mm limited edition that has been directly inspired by a vintage Heuer diver from 1978. Reportedly thinner, lighter, and shorter lug-to-lug, with a bevy of colors and a smattering of titanium (and even diamonds), the new Aquaracer Professional 300 looks streamlined, thoughtful, and as versatile as ever. Initial Thoughts The new standard production 43mm TAG Heuer Aquaracers. Speaking specifically to the standard production models, ...
Introducing: A Panerai That's Almost Entirely Recycled
With few exceptions, mechanical watches are made to last C but they're still often built with virgin materials. So Panerai has made a significant breakthrough with the Submersible eLAB-ID, which is constructed from 98.6% recycled-based materials by weight. Panerai is announcing the watch, along with a list of the suppliers who helped make it, in order to provide a model for how circular watchmaking practices can apply to the watch industry. The brand describes this piece as "the watch with the highest percentage of recycled-based material ever made." Much of the Submersible eLAB-ID C the case, the sandwich dial, and the movement ...
Introducing: The Ballon Bleu de Cartier In 40mm With An In-House Mechanical Movement
When the Ballon Bleu was first released in 2007, it was a smash. You could even call it category-defining. If you wanted a "nice watch" from a reliable, stalwart brand, and you wanted it to be just a little bit different from what had come before, the Ballon Bleu was the move, and it quickly became the it-watch, found on the wrist of every celebrity and well-to-do person in major cities around the globe. It's by far the top selling watch in Cartier's category, and it's not uncommon to see reports suggesting that Cartier sells more Ballon Bleu watches than many other large watchmakers sell overall. So an update to the collection is a big deal. Cartier has just unv...
In-Depth: Jaeger-LeCoultre Launches The Reverso Quadriptyque, The Most Complicated Reverso Ever
Jaeger-LeCoultre has applied the Hybris Mechanica name to a number of different watches, starting with a trio of highly complicated watches sold as a set, for $2.5 million, in 2009. For several years, JLC followed a number-series naming convention (the 2014 Master Ultra-Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon, for instance, was launched as Hybris Mechanica 11). Today, however, the company uses the caliber number rather than a series number, and the most recent addition to the Hybris Mechanica collection, launching at Watches & Wonders 2021, is the Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque. It's not only the most complicated Reverso ever made, it's one of the most complicated watches Jaege...
Introducing: Moser's New Pixelated Eraser That Tells Time
Moser has never been afraid to go so far outside of the horological box that we begin to wonder if there even is a box. Take the most recent Swiss Alp Watch, made with a fully Vantablack (that means really, really black for those keeping tabs at home) dial, that looks strikingly like a particular smartwatch we all know C with a small seconds register meant to play on that theme even more. Fast forward to today, April Fools Day, and the brand is at it again C only this watch is no joke (but it is very limited). This is the collaborative H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept x seconde/seconde/ C and yes, the pixelation is intentional. ...
Introducing: A Zenith High-Frequency Chronograph That Goes For Bold
Are you ready for extreme watchmaking? It's always been out there, lurking in Switzerland's hidden valleys. But Zenith has gone ahead and brought it out in the open with the latest introduction in the Defy collection. There's a lot to take in here. Clearly. Zenith seems to have flipped a switch away from the hot-ticket Chronomaster Sport and vintage-inspired Chronomaster Revival models we saw in January at LVMH Watch Week, and into C?well C?more extreme territory. So what is it we're exactly looking at with the new Defy Extreme? Well, it's big. It's bold. And, notably, it's not a limited production re...
Introducing: The Panerai Luminor Marina eSteel
The major talking piece at Panerai this year is a concept watch that boasts 98.6% recycled-based materials by weight, setting a new standard for circular watch manufacturing. This year Panerai has also entered into a partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to develop ocean literacy activities for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).Panerai aims to get recycled materials onto quite a few more wrists through the Luminor Marina eSteel, a trio of 44mm automatic PAMs that look very much like your standard Luminor. But for the rubberized color crowns and dials signed "eSteel," these are watches that even a dyed-in-the-wool Paneri...
Introducing: Breitling's Datora Revival Hits A Symmetrical Sweet Spot
A new vintage-inspired sub-collection inside the flagship Premier line. A new chronograph. And a new manual-wind movement. Breitling is really going all out for fans of vintage chronographs with today's reveal of its new Heritage Premier line. We've already shown you the new 40mm Premier B09 Chronograph, with its fetching pistachio green dial option; a long-awaited rattrapante revival, in the 42mm Premier B15 Duograph; and here, we now have the Heritage Premier B25 Datora, a reissue of Breitling's original hybrid triple calendar chronograph model from the 1940s. Initial Thoughts ...
Introducing: The Long-Awaited Return Of The Breitling Duograph
I won't lie to you.?I love when blue-chip watch brands get down to business and provide their own spin on an area of watchmaking that was historically inaccessible. TAG Heuer de-pantsing the rest of the industry with its sub-$15k, Swiss-made tourbillon? Oh yeah. Montblanc coming out with a perpetual calendar for (comparably) pennies on the dollar, and then Frederique Constant pushing the barrier of entry even lower? You love to see it. So I was pumped when Breitling first released the Navitimer Rattrapante, powered by the in-house caliber B03, for under $11,000 in steel, in 2017. When that watch debuted, it piqued the attention o...