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Best Super NEWS Watches
Watching Movies: Russell Crowes Special Omega Speedmaster In 'State Of Play
When done right, a thriller can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any great movie. State of Play (2009) is that kind of thriller C pairing high-stakes power politics in Washington with down-and-dirty investigative journalism. The film follows Cal McAffrey (played by Russell Crowe), a classic newspaperman (with an amazing movie name) who uncovers a conspiracy at the highest levels of government, following the death of a congressional staffer. Every journalist needs a good watch, and Crowe's is as good as they come. Robin Wright, Ben Affleck, and Russell Crowe in State of Play. Photo courtesy: Universal Pictures. Why We're Wat...
Just Because: Herms Just Threw A Dance Party About Time
It is too early for this heat. June should be the month that eases you into summer, the month with bright sun, with cool breezes, the month that welcomes you back outside. Instead, it is 90 degrees and almost 200% humidity on Tuesday afternoon at the Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York for the Herms Texture of Time event. It is also, for many of us, our first large gathering in almost two years. We make gleeful small talk about the weather. The Noguchi museum and garden is a mix of industrial grays and polished umber stone. The high ceilings of the industrial space and wind chimes in the garden give the space a calming and meditative vibe. Herms, a brand never s...
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! This week we're bringing back a HODINKEE Radio alum, Mr Mark Cho, the co-founder of style destination The Armoury and co-owner/proprietor of London haberdasher (and HODINKEE collaborator) Drake's. Mark joined us all the way back in episode 43, but after seeing him give a virtual lecture at the Horological Society of New York back in April, I knew we had to get him back on the pod ASAP.You might remember from that original episode that Mark is obsessed with smaller w...
Culture Of Time: The Father-Daughter Duo Keeping Horology Haute At Parmigiani Fleurier
Half a world away, the Parmigiani family is calling. I'd been told that if I didn't know Michel and Anne-Laure Parmigiani were father and daughter, I'd be able to tell right away. And sure enough here they are, video-chatting from brand headquarters in Fleurier, with the same chin, same nose, and same gentle demeanor. They're here, in anticipation of Father's Day, to tell me what it's like running a small, independent business (we're talking 53 employees at the Fleurier headquarters small) in an industry so dominated by large conglomerates. When Anne-Laure (41) was a little girl, about 10 years old or so, the family home had a clock with an audible ticking sound,...
Finding My Father In His Watch
My father was a criminal defense attorney on the south side of Chicago. He made quite a name for himself C so much so that, after he died, Id continue to hear stories about him from people I often thought were strangers: a roofer from a job one summer, one of my doctors, countless business owners, and, of course, family and friends. Things were going well for him at work, at a firm he owned with another partner. So, in 1988, two years after I was born, he bought a brand new yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date 18038. This was basically the watch of the decade and I remember my dad wearing it pretty much everywhere. My father wearing ...
The early aughts saw the start of an internet-powered renaissance of watch enthusiasm and, with it, certain elements of watch design became available to more cost-sensitive enthusiasts. More complicated case shapes, increasingly elaborate finishing, and even display case backs moved down-market and onto the wrist of a wider array of collectors. The rise of display casebacks presented something of a double-edged sword. It was a fun time to be brand new to watches (as I was). And to see these movements in the light of day felt so special, but as the display caseback trend continues to this day and I've come to feel that something h...
Happenings: The New Vacheron Constantin Flagship Is A Sight To Behold
Over the past 15 months, many of us have barely left the couch C much less the house. But while weve been shut inside, the illustrious Swiss brand Vacheron Constantin has been renovating a space on 57th Street in New York City to house its North American flagship. The boutique is now open. And after visiting last week for a sneak preview, we can testify that its absolutely worth spending a day out of your pajamas to see this place in person. The space is simply stunning. It echoes the minimalism and glass openness of Vacherons manufacture in Geneva, designed by Bernard Tschumi, but with its own Art-Deco touch. When you walk in, youre greeted by a large-scale ...
Rewind: The Talking Watches Guest Who Inspired His Kids To Collect
This year, we're revisiting some of our favorite stories about dads and dad-like figures for Father's Day. Heartwarming, funny, or thrilling, these posts highlight the personal and familial connections around watches and timekeeping and are worth a second read. It's a refrain we hear often when filming episodes of "Talking Watches," in one form or another: "One day I hope to pass on my collection to my children... I just hope they're into watches." In the case of Fred Savage, the kids are not only into watches C they are also getting a jumpstart on the hobby. During our time in L.A., Fred's three kids showed off their burgeoning collections, graciously posed for ...
My Father Was A Legend In His Time
I own a lot of records and have music playing pretty much at all times, but the sound that puts me most at ease is the ticking of a clock. Actually, its not just the ticking, but rather the ringing and whirring and quarter-hour Westminster chiming of the dozens and dozens of clocks that filled the ranch house I grew up in. Im talking wall-to-wall clockseasily numbering in the triple digits. As an adult, when my wife Ann and I would visit my parents in Mississippi, our girls could hardly sleep at night surrounded by all that ticking, but I just exhaled and felt right at home. My dad collected and worked on antique clocks in a way that would qualify him as more ...
Hands-On: My Fathers Graduation Watch
Growing up, I thought my father a needlessly stern man. Now that Im in my 30s, with children of my own, I see what I couldnt as a teen. Raising a big family C Im one of six kids C he and my mother had a lot on their minds. My parents' priorities werent luxuries like watches, cars, and fine food, but rather providing for a growing family with a near-endless thirst for chocolate milk. Though, admittedly, I represented the lions share of the milk problem. My father, Brendon, now older and ever more sentimental, enjoys a few select objects and experiences that connect him to his past, including one specific watch. Back in 2013, not too long after I jumped head-f...
Introducing: The New Patek Philippe Sky-Moon Tourbillon At 'Rare Handcrafts' Geneva
The Sky-Moon Tourbillon is Patek Philippe's second most complicated watch, after the Grandmaster Chime C the latter is probably going to remain unbeaten as Patek's most complicated watch for the foreseeable future, thanks to the necessarily high parts count associated with chiming complications. This is not to say the Sky-Moon Tourbillon is anything like an also-ran technically. The watch, which first came out in 2001, and therefore celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has a grand total of 12 complications, including a repeater chiming on cathedral gongs, a display of sidereal time, and a perpetual calendar. The new watch is ref. 6002R-001 and it replaces its predecessor, the black ena...
Introducing: Patek Philippe Launches 3 New Repeaters At 'Rare Handcrafts' Geneva
There's a hierarchy to complications. Probably the simplest is the simple calendar. You put the numbers one through 31 on a disk, stick it under the dial, add a couple of gears to move it one increment forward per day, and you're in business. As parts counts start to climb (along with prices) mechanisms require more and more hands-on attention from a watchmaker. At the top of the heap are minute repeaters and other chiming complications, which unlike the perpetual calendar and the rattrapante, have resisted industrialization. For all that, it's hard to think of Patek Philippe nowadays without thinking of a certain blue-dialed Instagram clich, what put Patek on the map historically, and has ...
Introducing: Patek Philippe Breaks Out The Mtiers
Complications and a certain stainless steel sport watch tend to stir the most excitement at Patek Philippe. But one of my favorite parts of visiting Baselworld was checking out PP's Rare Handcrafts. Each year these unique or highly limited watches and table clocks were on view in the company's booth. They were always worth a look on the way in or out of the ole Patek Philippe appointment. Proudly displayed in vitrines, they weren't the kinds of things you'd see at a typical trade show press meeting. The enamel dials, in particular, remind me of the kind of stunning cloisonn we associate with the mid-century, golden age of watchmaking.This year, Patek has its richest Rare Handcrafts presenta...
Introducing: The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Gets A Small Seconds Subdial (Live Pics)
The sun had barely risen on the East Coast this morning when Omega dropped some new additions to its Aqua Terra line. These new variants look largely the same except for one tiny yet important detail C a small seconds sub-dial at six o'clock. This is a first for the Aqua Terra line and it's being implemented in a big way as it's now featured on a wide variety of size, color, and material options. The new Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Small Seconds comes in either 41mm or 38mm sizing. You can find it in just about every conceivable configuration, from stainless steel to two-tone Sedna (read, rose) gold to full 18k Sedna gold. Some of the dials are even diamond-set wi...
Birth-Year Watches For The Next Generation
Finding a birth-year watch is a deeply personal and sentimental exercise for many collectors. To find something made at the time of one's birth and reunite with it through space and time is no small feat. Traditionally selected by serial number or archival documentation, a birth-year watch isn't picked for when it came out, but when a particular example was manufactured. With Father's Day approaching, we thought it would be fun to think of birth-year watches in a slightly different way. We asked ourselves which birth-year watches, introduced in each of the past 18 years, we'd want to give a kid on their 18th birthday. The idea was to give a watch that came ...
Rewind: Carl Brashear's Legacy Lives On
This year, we're revisiting some of our favorite stories about dads and dad-like figures for Father's Day. Heartwarming, funny, or thrilling, these posts highlight the personal and familial connections around watches and timekeeping and are worth a second read. Oris doesn't make a watch to honor just anyone, and Hollywood doesn't make a blockbuster about the most ordinary, mundane folks, either. Luckily, legendary Navy diver Carl Brashear was an extraordinary gentleman, so it's no surprise Oris created a limited edition watch in his honor. But the story doesn't end there. Phillip Brashear, Carl's son, received one of those watches, and you'll have to read the sto...
To view the entire current selection of vintage watches available in the HODINKEE Shop, click here.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 through Crown & Caliber? Click here. This Week's Vintage Watches Watches come to mind a lot around a holiday like Father's Day. In the HODINKEE office, many employees point to their fathers as the reason they are interested in watches at all. These objects are made to tell time and maybe offer a function or two yet come to mean so much more to the people around them. Our o...
After the success of our Mothers Day stories this past May, we figured it was time to let the dads of the HODINKEE community get their time in the sun, too. We reached out to readers, writers, and enthusiasts far and wide to hear how fatherhood and watches intersect in their daily lives. Read on for some lovely little stories - and add yours in the comments below and we might feature it later this week. Christopher Perry, Twinsburg, Ohio One positive of the Pandemic is that we were fortunate to spend more time with our children than ever before. We know each other better now. One thing theyve taken noti...
HODINKEE Radio: Who Won The 2021 Independent Watchmaking Fantasy Draft?
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! This week we've got an exciting three-part episode for you, culminating in the announcement of who won the 2021 Independent Watchmaking Fantasy Draft, from a few weeks back. If you haven't already listened to that episode, go do that now, and then come back to hear who just became the reigning Indie Champ at HODINKEE HQ. Is it Jon, with his trio of no-punches-pulled complications? Or Cole's quartet of watches hailing from four different countries? Could Danny or I s...
Seikos New Collab With Rowing Blazers Is A Stroke Of Genius
In 2005, two young preps C Jack Carlson and Eric Wind C met as incoming Georgetown freshmen. Carlson was a coxswain on the crew team, and he talked his new chum into trying out. Wind lasted exactly two days. But the duo stayed friends through college and after, when their careers diverged. Wind became a Palm Beach vintage-watch dealer of great renown. Carlson founded a clothing and lifestyle brand called Rowing Blazers, based on his 2014 coffee table book of the same name. The book had its release party at the old Ralph Lauren store on Fifth Avenue (an event Wind covered for HODINKEE, with an epic edition of Watch Spotting) and celebrated the sartorial stylings o...