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Best Super NEWS Watches
Watch Spotting: Premier League Champion Virgil Van Dijk Wearing A Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5168G
Today is a big day for Liverpool fans. After waiting 30 years for an elusive Premier League title, they were crowned Premier League champions after Manchester Citys defeat at Chelsea on Thursday. Thanks to a strike from Captain America, Christian Pulisic, and a penalty from Willian, Chelsea sunk title defenders Manchester City, making it mathematically impossible for anyone to catch up to Liverpool.Star central defender Virgil van Dijk was celebrating in style last night as his team watched the match together. He is seen below wearing a Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5168G in Khaki Green. Captain Jordan Henderson was also seen wearing a tough-to-get Patek, the Aquanaut Chronograph ref. 5968A in hi...
Introducing: The Yema Superman 63
The "Superman" nomenclature might call to mind mid-century children's comics at first, but consider this: Yema watches were the first French timepieces to reach depths of over 300 meters, the first French watch to go to space, and the first French watch to reach the north pole on an unsupported mission, according to Yema.? Put into context of the company's history, the Superman label is particularly apt. The name first appeared in 1963, and Yema has been releasing modern interpretations of the historic Superman models for the last few years. This iteration leans into the imaginative design from the early '60s with futuristic type...
Each and every Wednesday, we present a fresh installment of "My Watch Story," a video series starring HODINKEE readers and their most prized watches. The submissions continue to stream in, and we couldn't be happier to share them with the watch community. Today, we have five new stories submitted by Noor Rizvi, Steve Holness, Thabo Chiloane, Mark Rawlins, and Richard Pickup. Feeling inspired, or just discovering this project? Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to learn how to submit your own video. But first, we hope you enjoy this installment of My Watch Story. Noor Rizvi And His F.P. Journe Elegante 48 ...
Best of Watchville: A Collected Man Showcases Five Watchmakers' Favorite Movements
Even the top watchmakers in the world have to start somewhere. Often working as watchmaking apprentices, they begin their careers working with, or getting the chance to experience, a wide variety of movements from the most basic to the most intricate. When I checked out the Watchville feed and saw that A Collected Man had assembled a group of five of the best-known living watchmakers today to choose their favorite watch movement, I knew I had to check it out. Valjoux Calibre 5 movement (image from linked article). The watchmakers featured in the article include Bart Gronefeld, Stephen Forsey, and Roger Smith C who shares a ver...
Today at Phillips Watch Auction XI in Geneva, a crowd gathered under a tent at Hotel La Rserve, as well as a record number of attendees (according to Phillips) watching online, got quite a show as two closely watched lots C a "souscription" F.P. Journe Chronomtre Rsonance and "souscription" Tourbillon Souverain, both with a single owner and in fact from a single collection, shattered their high estimates. The Chronomtre Rsonance, lot 49, hammered for CHF 1,040,000 ($1,097,182 at the time of publication) and the Tourbillon Souverain, lot 101, for CHF 1,400,000 (about $1,476,976). Bidding for both watches was very dynamic, and the results dramatically exceeded the high estimates, whic...
Hands-On: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Memovox
As we enter the second half of what has been an unusual year for watch releases,?Jaeger-LeCoultre's refreshed Master Control line stands out as one of my favorites thus far. These modestly sized, affordably priced automatic watches tend toward the dressy, but I also think they have undeniable daily wear potential. They strike me as the kind of conservatively styled, high-quality wristwatches that can be cornerstones for a solid watch collection. The designs here feel well-executed with the potential for timelessness. And of course, because we're talking about JLC, everything is in-house. I've already raved about the full calendar chronograph version. ...
A Closer Look At The Ref. 605 HU Patek World Timer, One Of Last Weekend's Star Lots
The Patek Philippe 605 HU is one of the earliest references from Patek Philippe to employ the world-time mechanism invented by Louis Cottier, and the number made is quite small. Production began around 1937 and probably fewer than 100 were made over about a 30-year period. As rare as they are, the enamel dial versions are even harder to come by, and while the 605 HU commands respectable prices even in the plain-Jane version (which is, by the way, as lovely and elegant a pocket watch as a globetrotting person of means with a taste for leisurely pleasures might want, don't get me wrong), the much smaller number made with cloisonn enamel dials are far likelier to generate low-whistle-of-admira...
Retailer Spotlight: Bernie Robbins Jewelers In Somers Point, NJ
Today, we're winding down our Retailer Spotlight series by looking at a great authorized dealer out of New Jersey.?Businesses are finding inventive ways to make up for lost time and lost revenue thanks to the pandemic, and Bernie Robbins Jewelers out of Somers Point, New Jersey, is among them. Their story is one of persistence. For eight years, Harvey Rovinsky wrote to Rolex asking to become an authorized dealer. And one day, they answered.? Now, a lot of watch enthusiasts in the South Jersey area are very happy they did.? Everyone has a creation story. What's yours? I had a genetic predisposition to both ...
Introducing: The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 'Navy Blue'
Well, well, well, here's the latest new addition into Tudor's Black Bay family, a fully blue version dubbed the Black Bay Fifty-Eight "Navy Blue." While this will come as little surprise to anyone who frequents any of the Tudor enthusiast bases online, the original black/gilt BB58 ranks among the hottest watches on the market today (even more so at its price point), so a new addition C especially one that doubles down on the vintage inspiration C is huge news (even if some of you saw it coming).? The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight "Navy Blue" with its available fabric strap (left), steel bracelet (center), and synthetic "soft touch" strap (right). ...
One of the most widely discussed launches of 2020 so far was from Audemars Piguet, and it was not a Royal Oak, nor was it a new model in the Code 11.59 family. It was instead the [Re]Master 01, which is an unusual take on re-imagining a vintage timepiece in contemporary terms C a chronograph based in terms of design language on a very stylish and unusual vintage Audemars Piguet chronograph (although, to be fair, you could say that about just about any vintage Audemars Piguet chronograph as they're very rare; only 307 total were made). The modern version is automatic, rather than hand-wound, and it's been upsized to a more up-to-date diameter as well C 40mm, with a thickness of 14.6mm. The in...
Sunday Rewind: The History Of FPJ Tourbillons (By FPJ Himself)
This past week, we saw a pair of special watches from F.P. Journe hammer for an incredible amount of money at Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XI. One of the two models was a Souscription Tourbillon Souverain, and the bidding on this bad boy (lot 101) went all the way to an impressive $1,400,000. That's a huge result and, while Journe's watches have always been collectible, a 7-figure lot would suggest things are definitely heating up.? For some context on these results (and a closer look at what makes F.P. Journe watches so special), we thought it might be fun to rewind the clocks to September 2016 when Ben published a Reference Po...
Cartier Announces New Ambassadors To Promote The Pasha
Earlier this year, we covered the release of the new Pasha de Cartier collection. Now, Cartier has announced a stable of ambassadors who will join the brand in the launch of the newly redesigned watch. The celebrities taking part are Rami Malek, Willow Smith, Troye Sivan, Maisie Williams, and Jackson Wang. Each one of them comes from a different artistic background, ranging from cinema to television to music. They each bring an independent, non-conformist spirit, which the brand says fits with the intended design code of the Pasha de Cartier as a watch "for those who take a wider view of the world." Speaking of the newly formed g...
HODINKEE Radio: Episode 95: The Call-In Show, Volume 1
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! While most of us here in the U.S. are taking the day off from work, celebrating the long July 4th weekend, we've got an awesome episode of HODINKEE Radio for you. This is one that I've wanted to do for a long time, and one that, judging by all of your Instagram DMs, comments on HODINKEE, and random emails, you all have wanted to do for a long time too. This is our first-ever call-in episode. A few weeks back, we gave you a phone number to call, and we asked you to p...
Breguet has just announced a new version of one of its most appealing watches. The Breguet Tradition watches have been with us for some 15 years now (they were first introduced in 2005), and the ref. 7097 combines the going train layout of Breguet's souscription watches from the early 19th century with a self-winding system derived from his perpetuelle watches. The new 7097 has a blue guilloch dial and will be available only through Breguet's boutiques (as of this writing, I'm told that all the firm's U.S. boutiques are open).? The Tradition family of watches, and the 7097, have been around for long enough that they are a bit ea...
Hands-On: The Hublot Big Bang Integral
For the past two years, the collective appetite for watches featuring integrated bracelets has been larger than ever. The emergence of the Big Bang Integral isn't necessarily a surprise, as there has never been a better time to release a Hublot with an integrated bracelet, but it does represent an interesting departure from one of the core tenets of the Big Bang design. It ditches rubber in favor of a bracelet.? In 2005, after a short leave of absence from the watch world, Jean-Claude Biver launched the Hublot Big Bang to an industry that was watching his every move. The Big Bang wasn't universally accepted right when it came out...
Introducing: The Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin Opaline
It's interesting to consider what Laurent Ferrier has accomplished in terms of establishing itself as a highly desirable marque for collectors, and then to consider how it happened in the space of the last ten years. When you look closely at the watches, it seems pretty obvious why they have garnered a following. They blend a high-level horological craft with a design sensibility that pays respect to classic watch design without copying; this is an incredibly difficult thing to do. One can look at an LF watch on a distant wrist and know exactly what it is, and one can also venture reasonable guesses about the collector it's strapped to: where their tastes lie, and what other watches might in...
Bring a Loupe: An Impossibly Clean Zodiac, A Radical Mido, And A Dressy Calatrava
If you're wondering what time it is, don't look down at your wrist for the answer: It's time for the weekly round-up once again. This week's lot is a varied bunch with obscurities aplenty, including a Zodiac Autographic in excellent condition along with an early Mido which uses small spheres to tell the time. Closer to the realm of normalcy is a clean and complete Omega Constellation, and that's complemented by a more dressy Patek Philippe Calatrava in rare stainless steel. Since five is the magic number, there's also a Breitling-manufactured chronograph retailed by a little-known name, which ought to rouse some emotions. Let's find out. Zodiac Autographic Ref. 6...
Introducing: The Bovet Rcital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two
Bovet has recently debuted the latest Rcital model C the Rcital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two (the Brainstorm Chapter One having debuted in 2019). The Rcital 26 is similar in broad outline to the Rcital 22 Grand Rcital, which launched in 2018 and which would go on to win the Aiguille d'Or (grand prize) at the 2018 GPHG. There is the same basic layout, in terms of the positioning of the various complications, but where the Rcital 22 concentrated on astronomical complications (the watch is a tellurium, which displays the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth relative to each other) the new Rcital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two focuses on time-zone displays and a slightly more open architecture t...
Hands-On: The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 'Navy Blue'
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." Not unlike the sentiment put forth by King Henry IV, there is an immense amount of pressure that comes with being considered a shining example for the masses. The stakes are often high, and the ability to please in a manner writ large may well be considered all but impossible. For the newly announced Black Bay Fifty-Eight "Navy Blue," this means living up to the expectations projected upon one of the most respected dynasties in watchmaking, the house of Rolex and Tudor. And, while each and every enthusiast that numbers among the unwashed masses (myself included) knows exactly what Tudor should make if he or she were king of the castle, few know the ...
Introducing: The Ressence Type 1 Slim X, An 'Hourglass For The Wrist'
Ressence is ten years old this year,?and despite the tendency for anything successful in the watch industry to spawn a raft of imitators, there's still no other company doing what Ressence does (and given how well Ressence founder Beno?t Mintiens has staked out the territory Ressence occupies, I doubt there ever will be). The basic idea behind the company's watches hasn't really changed all that much since the first Ressence debuted, but the mechanisms and designs have continued to evolve in a fashion that has put to rest any doubts one might have had at the outset that Ressence was a one-trick pony, and the latest Ressence C the new Type 1 Slim X C shows yet again just how versatile the bas...