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Best Super NEWS Watches
Auctions: Urwerk Raises Nearly $100,000 With Charitable Sale Of Unique UR-100 Gold Edition
Over the weekend, Urwerk auctioned off the first production piece of its newly introduced UR-100 Gold Edition. This special version of the new precious metal UR-100, which is hewn from a solid block of 2N yellow gold, was made with a plate engraved with the words "FIGHT C19" in place of "25 PCS." Announced and run on the Urwerk site, the auction allowed the winner of the watch to designate a COVID-19 charity of their choosing as the recipient of the funds generated by the sale. The UR-100 is not the first instance of Urwerk dabbling with precious metals, though the company is indeed better known for working with robust materials ...
The Grey NATO: Episode 111: The Isolation Tapes // Tudor
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]). Episode 111 is the return of the TGN "brand focus" topic, this time taking a close look at none other than Tudor. From the brand's roots to its relaunch in North America, and an in-depth highlight of many core models, Jason and James break down the strengths and qualities of this well-loved Rolex sibling brand. From the Black Bay to the Heritage Chrono and even the recent P01, there's more than enough Tudor t...
The watchmaking of F.P. Journe is, I think, in the somewhat unusual position of having been so uniformly interesting and of such a high degree of excellence over so many years, that it is easy to somewhat take it for granted. However, it's worth remembering that while Journe's watchmaking has for many years been an established part of the horological landscape, it was not always thus, and that watches like the Chronomtre Rsonance and Tourbillon Souverain came into existence as a result of F. P. Journe's stubborn insistence on doing watchmaking his way, and nobody else's. This is, after all, the man who said that he stopped doing contract work for other brands and struck out on his own be...
Introducing: The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Tondagraphe Rose Gold Slate
Parmigiani Fleurier is probably the most important brand in Switzerland which doesn't get much attention in the United States, and for obvious reasons. It's not a firm that makes watches which are at first glance easy to like, based on the general tastes of the watch-buying public. Parmigiani generally strives for a kind of elegance and refinement that is alien to the desires of most watch enthusiasts, who nowadays overwhelmingly want something in stainless steel, and if at all possible, from a brand whose name rhymes with Polex or Flatek Pilfleep. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many of Parmigiani Fleurier's watches are quite expensive C it is an unapologetically haute horlogeri...
Recommended Reading: The Holy Grails Of Heuer Collecting
The word "grail" gets thrown around a lot in watch collecting circles. Typically, it means a watch that you'd love to own but that might be a hair out of reach, unbelievably rare, or otherwise unable to be added to your collection. Despite admittedly not liking the term, Jeff Stein, founder and proprietor of On The Dash, recently penned a thousands-of-words ode to the greatest grails to be found in the vintage Heuer world. If tropical dial Monacos and crispy "Big Sub" Autavias get your heart racing, this one is for you. I've had Heuer on the brain lately (something fun and Heuer-related is coming in Volume 6 of the HODINKEE Magazine...), so Jeff's timing couldn't be better. ...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 91: Inside An Epic Antiques Roadshow Find (Plus An Industry Update From Joe)
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! Way back in January, Jon wrote a story about an Antiques Roadshow segment featuring a veteran in North Dakota who found out that the nearly unworn Paul Newman Daytona he bought for $345.97 back in the 1970s is now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. He literally hit the floor when he was told what he had, and the watch community did much the same when they saw what happened. This week, we're lucky enough to have Antiques Roadshow executive producer Marsha Bemko ...
Should you be lucky enough to be passing the time in quarantine by searching for some new wrist candy, you've come to the right place. This week, we've got a more unconventional roundup than usual, thanks to the inclusion of a distinctly Art Deco pocket watch from Patek Philippe, a U.S. Navy "Life Barter Kit," and a camera disguised as a wristwatch. In an effort to keep things relatively traditional, there's a white-gold Calatrava and a seemingly normal GMT-Master II with a military twist.? 1975 Patek Philippe Ref. 3445 You know those weirdly adamant no-date dial guys? I'm one of them. If I'm ponying up t...
In-Depth: Twelve More Mistakes New Watch Enthusiasts Make (And How To Avoid Them)
One of the HODINKEE stories that we get the most questions and comments about, year in and year out, is one that Ben penned back in late 2016, "Twelve Mistakes New Watch Guys Make, And How To Avoid Them (From Someone Who's Been There)." It's a fantastic guide for anyone interested in watches, whether they're someone new to the game or a vet who's been on the auction circuit for decades. But there are way more than 12 pitfalls in the horological hobby; we're fortunate here at HODINKEE to see how they pop up and how people push past them on a daily basis. With that in mind, here are 12 more bits of friendly advice from myself and my colleagues. I've made basically ...
Best of Watchville: Monochrome Goes (Very) Deep On The CODE 11.59 Chronograph
To say that the Code 11.59 Collection launched to mixed reviews when it debuted in January of 2019 is to say nothing at all. It was, easily, the most polarizing watch launch in memory, although it was also the single biggest product launch for Audemars Piguet in memory as well. The company, whose classic round Jules Audemars watches and elegant rectangular Edouard Piguet collection had fallen by the wayside, launched at one fell swoop not only an entirely new collection, but a slew of new movements as well. To me, one of the most interesting watches in the collection was the chronograph, and much of the interest of the watch is in its movement C the Audemars Pigu...
Sunday Rewind: The Patek Philippe 175th Anniversary Collection (Five Years Later)
As 2020 may well become a year without any new watches from the hallowed halls of Patek Philippe, let's take a trip down memory lane to February 2015 and the launch of the brand's jaw-dropping 175th Anniversary Collection along with a retrospective on some specific heat launched to commemorate previous anniversaries. Want Supercomplications? We got em'! Need some Grandmaster Chime for your Sunday? Say no more.? As Patek does, it's a wide collection of both stealthy and entirely over-the-top pieces that each reflect their own facet of the brand's considerable skill set. From jump hours to lovely engraving, this collection has a bi...
No, you're not crazy. It's not Friday yet. Mark your calendars, notify your neighbors C?My Watch Story has indeed relocated to Wednesday, which means from now on, you won't have to wait until the end of the week for the next round of reader-submitted watch videos.This new series has quickly become a favorite for us at HODINKEE C hearing your stories is a heartening reminder of why we do what we do and of what makes the watch community so special. Today, we have five new stories from Philipp Schwend, Hush Leareng, Richard Zinman, Daniel Warren, and Dennis Mok. My Watch Story See all of the videos in the series here. Already se...
Introducing: The Infinity Series P.01 By J.N. Shapiro For Collective
Following their successful Zenith collaboration last year, the watch enthusiast club Collective has announced a new and very limited project with a brand that's a bit closer to the club's core in the greater San Francisco area. They've teamed up with California-based Josh Shapiro for a limited run of his Infinity Series that features handmade and engine-turned meteorite dials. Engine-turning, a slow and very detailed process of finishing intricate patterns into metals, has become the calling card for Shapiro and his brand, J.N. Shapiro.?The company believes this is the first time ever that a watch has incorporated a dial made from a four-billion-year-old slice of meteorite with engine-turned...
Business News: Richemont: Coronavirus Wiped Out $880 Million In Sales In 3 Months
For the first three quarters of its fiscal year (April through December 2019), Compagnie Financire Richemont SA was rolling along quite nicely, thank you.? Despite a U.S.-China trade war, Brexit, and political protests that closed stores in two major markets (Hong Kong and France), Richemont Group sales were up 5% at constant exchange rates (8% at actual exchange rates) as the company entered its final quarter. Then came the coronavirus. On Friday, Richemont, the world's second-largest luxury-goods group (after LVMH), released its financial results for the full fiscal year ended March 31. The report offer...
Retailer Spotlight: Weir & Sons In Dublin, Ireland, And Edmund T. Ahee Jewelers In Grosse Pointe, MI
Today, we're taking a look at a retailer that was founded in Ireland during the time when America was still healing from?the Civil War. Weir & Sons has seen a number of distinguished clients, and they've enjoyed a partnership with Patek Philippe lasting over 70 years. The relationship has even resulted in a stunning limited-edition watch. Read on to learn about it. We're also putting the spotlight on Edmund T. Ahee Jewelers in Michigan, a business that's been family-run since the post-war boom in 1947. I spoke with Alex Ahee, current Vice President, to find out what the operation is doing to turbocharge the watch scene locally.? W...
Introducing: Apple Launches New Straps Celebrating Pride
With Pride celebrations around the world having to go digital as a result of COVID-19, Apple has released two new colorful straps for the Apple Watch C the Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Band and the Apple Watch Nike Pride Edition Sport Band.?These are the first Sport Bands that Apple has released in what has become an annual tradition celebrating pride.Though Apple has released its Pride Bands in the past, this is the first time it has done a version with Nike. The announcement of the new straps, which are available starting today, came via a feature on the Apple Newsroom site highlighting the LGBTQ organization GLSEN, one of the groups whose work Apple supports. ...
When it comes to luxury watches, and especially a brand like Audemars Piguet, so much of what makes the timepieces what they are is the build quality C a result of the very process by which each watch is manufactured. Today on Best of Watchville, we get the chance to see that process in action with the Royal Oak and get an inside look at how this watch is made. This article from Watch Collecting Lifestyle delivers a firsthand experience of what it is like to visit the AP factory in Switzerland and see each piece of the operation come together to produce the iconic watch from top to bottom, inside and out. ? What makes this piece ...
Retailer Spotlight: Scherer's Jewelers in Buffalo, NY, And Armstrong Rockwell In Hartford, CT
Few entrepreneurs are passionate about accounting or garbage collection, but where's there's a need, there's someone to fill it. Watches are different, however. Folks often get into the business out of sheer passion. That pattern has become clear in the responses of?the 30 retailers we've now profiled. The two today are no different. I spoke with Chris Scherer, a fifth-generation Scherer carrying the family torch of Scherer's Jewelers, and Alexis Armstrong, who is also part of the third generation of family employees at Armstrong Rockwell Watches & Fine Jewelry to find out what they're doing to keep the business alive during difficult times.? Scherer's Je...
Hands-On: The Doxa Sub 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers Limited Edition
Given that a watch is not needed in most of our everyday lives, for many C arguably most C watch brands, creating and maintaining modern context is synonymous with success. While certainly functional, a watch provides a service that has been entirely saturated by other devices and technologies in the world (including those that allow you to browse a site such as HODINKEE). Thus, context becomes a paramount requirement in translating the idea of a watch to a modern buyer that quite likely doesn't need the raw function it provides. And so, we enter the realm of the emotional, where everything from decorative house plants, to supercars, Hi-Fi stereos, chocolate milk, and even most watches C exi...
Interview: With Catherine Rnier, CEO Of Jaeger-LeCoultre
Like her colleague Chabi Nouri at Piaget, Catherine Rnier took her position as CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre at the beginning of what would prove to be an extremely fraught time for the Swiss watch industry, and indeed for the world at large. Rnier, who was previously at Van Cleef & Arpels, joined JLC in 2018, and since then, of course, the modern watchmaking landscape has changed out of all recognition, and probably for good. In a recent interview conducted over Zoom (itself a symptom of the drastic alterations in communications practices which have become par for the course in recent months), Rnier told us that, while Jaeger-LeCoultre is as deeply rooted in th...
It was only about a month ago that Breiting announced its new Superocean Heritage '57 Capsule Collection during a digital summit necessitated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. You may recall that there was one version of this watch, a limited edition of 250 units, that garnered quite a lot of attention. With graduated markers and hands that spanned the colors of the rainbow, the Superocean Heritage '57 Limited Edition offered a pop of vibrance in a collection of watches nodding to the last century. Now, the watch is back in a second version, a limited edition of 1,000 units that will support healthcare workers battling COVID-19 in countries that have been most affected by the pandemic. ...