Best Super NEWS Watches
The Collector's Edition with Ben Clymer - Featuring Ed Sheeran
This week's episode of HODINKEE Radio marks the start of a new and very special series called?The Collector's Edition With Ben Clymer.?Presented within the same feed as surprise episodes, follow along with HODINKEE's founder (that's Ben) as he speaks with notable friends and watch enthusiasts about what it means to be a collector. For the inaugural episode, we're thrilled to have international pop icon?Ed Sheeran on for a chat with Ben about his start in watch enthusiasm, his tastes for specific brands, his personal path to a deep love of Patek Philippe, and more. We're also pleased to share a full video element for the series, w...
Swatch's Golden Merry Christmas Sweater Watch Review
'Twas the night before Christmas, and Hodinkee kept watch, praying Santa would bring us this Christmas sweater-themed Swatch. Like many of you, I've been dreaming not only of a white Christmas but praying that Ol' Saint Nick might come to town with a watch in his sack of toys. Sure, a "Jumbo" Royal Oak would be nice, or a Pepsi GMT. But I think lately even Santa would have to contend with waitlists, so I decided to be a bit more realistic and have been crossing my fingers for something simpler.? You see, a few weeks ago I heard one of my colleagues at the Hodinkee office laughing at her desk as she looked at a watch. I joined her to s...
Albert Coombs Watch Collection
Albert Coombs' watch-collecting journey took a number of familiar stops along the way. And then burst into uncharted territory. He started by admiring his father's watches (in this case, Seikos). Then moved on to borrowing those watches (as one does). From there he discovered the world of high-end watchmaking through a Rolex GMT. Since then, the 37-year-old Washington, D.C. dentist has built an impressive collection through relationships and patience. He also co-founded a pioneering collector group for watch enthusiasts. That group, CP Time, was born of Coombs and hi...
MB&F x Emmanuel Tarpin LM Flying T Ice & Blizzard Watches
MB&F is a unique organism within the watch ecosystem. The avant-garde Geneva watchmaker appeals to both left- and right-brain thinkers by underlining the importance of both physics and art. Put simply, MB&F is horological wizardry set inside radical design. And this combination is pretty much nowhere else to be found in the women's watch market. The MB&F Legacy Machine Flying T line is setting the benchmark for the future of women's watches. And in his latest Flying T venture, founder Max Bsser has called on esteemed jewelry designer Emmanuel Tarpin to create a new design for two watches. Created in 2019, the LM Fly...
The TAG Heuer Carrera 60th Anniversary Chronograph
Today LVMH Watch Week begins in Singapore, and TAG Heuer isn't messing around. This new year means the 60th anniversary of the brand's most iconic watch, the Carrera. To begin the year-long celebration, TAG is releasing a limited edition Carrera chronograph which pays homage to one of its most popular vintage pieces of old: The Heuer Carrera 2447SN. This new LE is called TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary Edition C straight to the point. Similar to TAG Heuer's current design ethos when it comes to revival or throwback watches, the case on this one measures 39mm in diameter (about 3mm larger than its vintage predecesso...
Talking Watches With Rolex, Panerai, And Patek
While we often feature athletes and celebrities on Talking Watches, we also like to highlight collectors who live outside the limelight. Enter our new friend Allen Wright. He's not an athlete or entertainer. He's a husband, father, and longtime crane operator who has since become the Business Agent for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 14. And over the years he's built up a watch collection from the heaviest of heavy hitters. Wright's collection revolves around personal passion. He isn't focused on what's popular or a good investment, but rather on what speaks to him. He wears what he likes. ...
New Vintage Watches In The Hodinkee Shop
To view the entire current selection of vintage watches available in the Hodinkee Shop, click here. This Week's Vintage Watches Another week, another solid collection of vintage watches hit the Hodinkee Shop. Six fresh-to-the-site watches are added to an already vast selection including a "neo-vintage" Lange 1 ref. 101.022 and a "true vintage" Rolex Red Submariner ref. 1680 C?there should be something for everyone here. Of course, as always, feel free to reach out to us directly via [email protected] and let us know what you are looking for! Beyond those in the title and highlighted in full by vintage...
An Omega MoonSwatch Went To Space
The first MoonSwatch has gone to space and honestly, we're surprised it took this long. On October 26, 2022, a small carbon fiber rig made a slow weather balloon-assisted ascent into earth's atmosphere carrying one of the most in-demand payloads in recent watch history: Swatch's Bioceramic MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon C maybe you've heard of it. The watch was sent up as the first endeavor of a recently launched (launched, get it? Like a rocC okay nevermind) collective of horology fans called For Exhibition Purposes Only (FEPO), with the intention that the watch be sold and 20 percent of the profits go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Unlike Apollo 11, however, th...
A month ago, I was doing my usual weekend Instagram watch scrolling over coffee and an everything Ess-a-Bagel with whitefish salad and a pale slice of tomato, when a post stopped me in my tracks. I am a voracious eater and it's hard to get me to put my bagel down, but that Saturday morning it fell out of my hand like a stone. The post was from my West Coast horological brother-from-another-mother Suguru ("Sug") Nishioka, also known as @garactale, and it featured a GMT watch that did not look like a GMT watch, or indeed any watch I had ever seen. I lifted up my glasses as older people do when our sight fails us and brought the phone up close to my eyes. Sug ...
Pre-Owned Picks: Watches For Smaller Wrists
Over the past 50 years or so, the standard watch size has grown from a svelte 36mm to the 40mm to 42mm we see as the dominant case size today. While some of us are happy with this increase, it has left the smaller wristed and vintage sizing lovers behind. To borrow a phrase from YouTuber Jenni Elle C?members of the itty bitty wrist committee C this week's Pre-Owned Picks are for you. Six watches all under 36mm and ready to impart some style without overwhelming the wrist. Rolex Yacht-Master 169622 Before the Yacht-Master came along, you didn't have many options for smaller-sized Rolex sp...
Best Watch Releases The Week Of January 16
Welcome to our new weekend column. Think of this as a catch-up session for latecomers who were too 'busy living their lives' to consume every tiny morsel of watch content all week, and an extra helping for the true friends who just can't get enough. "New Watch Alert" will feature new watch releases from the week past, "In Case You Missed It" a collection of our favorites that deserve a second look, "Culture of Time" will highlight an interesting article from outside the Hodinkee universe, and "The Conversation" is where we respond to your comments. Grab your Saturday-morning coffee, and let's dig in.? Happy Saturday to you and yours, what a week!?We saw some very...
Zenith Defy Revival A3691 Review
Zenith's very first Defy, the A3642, came out in 1969. This was a huge year for the brand. In addition to the Defy, lauded for being tough and modern all at once, Zenith also unveiled the El Primero, the highest frequency chronograph in history. ?It was having a good run, and when it launched the Defy A3691 in 1971, it wanted to keep the party going.? This second iteration of the Defy took all the cues from the first ?an octagonal case, fourteen-sided bezel, those cool, square space-age hour markers with horizontal grooves, and a Gay Fre?res steel bracelet but instead of being a sort of dusty brown, it was the rich, deep color of cooked-down tomato sauce. ...
Christopher Ward and Fears Made A Jumping Hour Watch
English watch companies Fears and Christopher Ward have partnered on a cushion-shaped stainless steel piece, with a burgundy dial, burgundy leather strap, and Ward's jumping hour caliber. This is their first collaboration. The watch is principally Fears-designed, with a Christopher Ward movement. This watch, the Fears Christopher Ward Alliance 01, has been made in association with the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, who, since its founding in 2020, ?has been working to?forge partnerships between its trade members across the British Isles. In fact, this watch is only available to members of that association; but joining is just 55 and comes with all s...
how to deal with your new watch
You got yourself a new watch at holiday time. Congratulations, that's great. Now, if that watch didn't break the bank, well, try not to drop it in a toilet, and if it's waterproof, try to only drop it in a clean one. But if the watch set you back a little or a lot, you need to make some plans for the little guy. Just as you would not let your child just go to any daycare center you can't just put your watch on and walk off whistling into the sunset. I mean, you can, but taking good care of it will ensure that the enjoyment you feel today will extend into tomorrow and next week and next year, and maybe to the next generation. Here's a list of things to do, you don...
Did You Know Brooke Shields Collects Watches?
One moment, you're writing 600 words on the supply of Rolex steel sport watches, and the next you find yourself standing in the kitchen of one Brooke Shields, preparing to sit down for a little conversation about C what else C watches. In a gorgeous 19th century townhouse in the heart of New York City's historic (and iconic) West Village, Shields pulled out all the stops, and all the timepieces, for an honest discussion about her career, and how it's mirrored through the watches she's owned and worn. Through her collection, which is a bit different from some we've seen in the past, you get a sense of a story. Look at each component individually, and you'll surely...
Kari Voutilainen Lecture At The Horological Society Of New York
Watch manufacturing has always been a complex endeavor that requires expertise in many different areas. That expertise is usually spread out with a network of suppliers or a large manufacturer. Being able to concentrate that expertise with one small team, independent of traditional industry suppliers is not an easy thing to do. But some watchmakers have done exactly this and have shown remarkable success. One such independent watchmaker is Kari Voutilainen. At the February 6 meeting of the Horological Society of New York, Voutilainen will discuss his journey from a "one-man show" to a small and totally independent workshop producing incredible mechanical watches. ...
The IWC Mark XVIII Has Been Discontinued
Way back in 2016, IWC released the Mark XVIII, its latest in the line of smaller pilot-style watches. At the time of release, our own founder Ben Clymer considered it to be "just right" aesthetically and proportionally and deemed it "the heir apparent to THE most important and iconic pilots line in the world." He was referring to the historically significant IWC Mark 11 that was designed in the 1950s based on specifications from the British Ministry of Defense. The recently departed IWC Mark XVIII (right) and the long-departed and legendary IWC Mark 11. The 2016 Mark XVIII was a design refresh of a model range which had,...
IWC Portuguese Chronograph 3714 Review
There are few modern watch designs more recognizable than the IWC Portugieser Chronograph. Its beautiful design, Goldilocks dimensions, and relatively affordable price made it a long-running favorite in the IWC catalog. Wrist Size - 6.5 in | 16.51 cm After its introduction in 1998, there's a reason IWC left the Portugieser Chronograph unchanged for the next two decades: don't mess with success. Sure, it's large C?a 41mm diameter and slim bezel mean it wears big C but the minimal design and relatively thin case (12.5mm) make it completely balanced. Inside, the Valjoux 7750 ticks reliably. What's ast...
Watches At The Miami Beach Antique Show
If you took 47th Street, your favorite vintage dealers from Instagram, a few Italians, a couple charming antiquarians and estate dealers, and shoved them all in a fluorescently-lit warehouse, you might end up with something like the Original Miami Beach Antique Show. Probably the biggest annual jewelry show in the Western Hemisphere, it serves double as an annual gathering for watch lovers from North America and Europe.?We visited in 2013, 2014, and 2015, so we were happy to be back in the halls of the Miami Beach Convention Center, spotting (mostly) vintage watches like the old days. At least a couple of Talking Watches alums were seen roaming the rows of ...
Tag Heuer Carrera 60th Anniversary Hands-On Review
It was once considered to be the most dangerous automotive race in the world, and then it ended. The Carrera Panamericana did more than just leave legendary racing stories behind. It would inspire one Jack Heuer to take the name Carrera and turn it into an equally legendary watch. So legendary in fact, that when the name Carrera is uttered, you're more than likely to see an image of a chronograph in your mind before you start daydreaming of open-road racing. The first Heuer Carrera was released 60 years ago, and you know TAG Heuer isn't letting an anniversary pass it by. In fact, the brand has plans for a roll-out of celebratory pieces throughout the year a...