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Best Super NEWS Watches
Photo Report: A Weekend In Miami With Audemars Piguet
This past weekend, team HODINKEE flew down to Miami to be present for the introduction of the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Lebron James limited edition.? Below is a photo report of the night's activities, along with some shots of some of our favorite watches we spotted along the way....
The Apple Watch is still months away from hitting shelves, and the number of accessories, both hard and soft, being announced for is just staggering. One small start-up caught our eye because, well, it brings the Apple Watch with all its proprietary, seamless (and admittedly excellent) design back down to a point where it's just a watch, totally customizable by its owner. Standap (or, "Standard Strap Adapter") is just that C it's a slide-in component that allows the Apple Watch to accept any form of traditional strap. Designed by a young engineer named Francesco Crema, the Standap will allow the Apple Watch to take anything from 20 mm up to 24 mm, based on whether you are using the 38 mm or ...
Christie's Launches Online-Only Watch Sales With "The Essential Watch Collection": BID NOW!
Christie's Recently Christie's has made a number of moves to connect more people with great watches, include Private Sales in New York City?and last week's inaugural Shanghai auction. Today Christie's launches its first online-only watch auction, running October 1 through October 8. Called "The Essential Watch Collection," this sale offers up popular and accessible references from brands including Rolex, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe, and more.? And you can bid on them from your home or office, and pay with a credit card.Some collectors and watch lovers find auctions intimidating and difficult to get involved in, but Christie's is working to bring a new ...
On Location: Chopard Opens Comprehensive Service Center In Miami
Chopard, best known around HODINKEE for the L.U.C line of watches, recently opened a new service center in Miami. This might not normally register on your radar, but this isn't just any service center. The new center is rivaled only by its Swiss counterparts, but in many cases has even newer equipment. We went on location to scope out the new facilities first hand and to get an impression of what we hope will become a trend in the industry: top-notch service with quick turn-around. Chopard's new service center is housed in an unassuming office building just inside Coral Gables, FL. Taking up the entire 9th floor, the center s...
Bring a Loupe: Some Promising Restoration Projects On eBay Plus A Few Sleepers
In this week's What's Selling Where, we are bringing you just five watches that could be promising restoration projects on eBay plus a few other watches I like, including a grail Patek Philippe in white gold and a Longines that likely saw service in World War II. We are also showing you two watches to avoid. Patek Philippe reference 3428 in White Gold If this white-gold Patek looks familiar, it is because the reference 3428 was the successor to the reference 2526 (the first automatic watch made by Patek) and a great white-gold 2526 was seen in Talking Watches with Matt Jacobson. The 3428 had essential...
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine Calibre 1731 Minute Repeater The minute repeater wasinitially designed in the 1700s to indicate time in the dark C remember, this was before theintroduction of electric lighting or luminous dial markings.?Its no small featto produce finely-tuned acoustics within a wristwatch movement; its even moredaunting to make that movement as thin as possible. Vacheron Constantin has done just that with the Patrimony Contemporaine Ultra-Thin Calibre 1731, its latest minute repeater that comes in at just8.09mm thick. The Patrimony Contemporaine Calibre 1731's Dial Bui...
Auctions: Titanium Patek Philippe Ref. 5004 Sells For $3,985,067 At Only Watch (Plus Other Results)
Just today in Monaco, the hammer came down at the bi-annual Only Watch auction. ?Of course, all eyes were on the unique, completely titanium Patek Philippe 5004, and it did not disappoint. ?In fact, it absolutely crushed expectations and sold for a downright silly 2,950,000 euros, or $3,985,067. ?This is an astonishing $2,000,000 more than the beautiful 3939A minute repeater that sold last time around - and everyone thought that was crazy. ?Still, not all results were so strong, and in many cases the results were below the pre-set "wish prices" as per the manufactures. ?Still, when one watch brings in almost $4,000,000, you'll have a good sale. ?In total, the sale raised over 5 million euros...
Introducing The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph LeBron James (Details & Pricing)
Long time Audemars Piguet ambassador LeBron James finally has his own watch, the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph LeBron James. This Offshore chronograph uses a mix of materials, including rose gold, titanium, and ceramic to make a bold statement in gold and grey. This latest collaborative piece from Audemars Piguet is limited to 600 examples and we've got all the details here. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore LeBron James In the past we've shown you Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher and Royal Oak Chronograph Leo Messi, and this watch is in the same vein as those. LeBron James was invited to design a watc...
A Week On The Wrist: Hamilton Khaki Pioneer Pilot Automatic Chronograph
Hamilton introduced the Khaki Pioneer Pilot at Basel earlier this year as an homage to the brand's notable history in aviation watches. This is a history that dates back nearly a hundred years, beginning with a Hamilton aeronautical watch accompanying the first American Airmail flight between Washington and New York. By the 30s, Hamilton was the official watch of commercial airlines including TWA, United, and Northwest. This laid the groundwork for military issue timepieces in WWII the second half of the twentieth century, which is the era that provides inspiration for the Khaki Pioneer Pilot we see today.The early 70s is a period we've seen Hamilton draw contemporary parallels before, such ...
Wanted: Horological Conservator At Buckingham Palace
Photo by David Iliff via WikiCommons Have you been torn between working for the British Crown and being a clockmaker? Well, you can do both. The official website of The British Monarchy has posted the position of Horological Conservator and is accepting applications through October 13th. While some sources scoff and call the job the royal "clock winder," we know the job must be much more complicated than that. Here are the details of the listing.?There are over 1000 clocks and instruments (barometers, thermometers, etc.) that must be maintained, set, and repaired as needed in Buckingham Palace and the other Royal residences. The Horological Conservator needs a comb...
Introducing Two New In-House Hand-Wounds From IWC (Details & Pricing)
Today we have additions to two of IWC's most well-known watch families C the Portuguese and the Portofino C from the Watches&Wonders fair in Hong Kong. Both are simple hand-wound models that features clean dials, in-house movements, and nice finishing. While much of IWC's effort the past few years seems to have been put behind its sport watches, these are the modern counterparts to the classic IWC dress watches of the 50s and 60s.This year for IWC is the year of the Ingenieur, with the whole family having received a massive update at SIHH in January. But, IWC also gave the Portuguese chronograph an in-house movement in the Portuguese Chronograph Classic (full Week on the Wrist review her...
Introducing The Zenith El Primero Lightweight, A New Take On The Striking Tenth
Zenith El Primero Lightweight Here at HODINKEE we're big fans of Zenith's Striking Tenth Chronograph (you can read the full Week on the Wrist review here). Now Zenith presents a new interpretation of the Striking Tenth, the El Primero Lightweight, which uses new materials to construct a lighter movement and case while keeping all that power. Like the Striking Tenth, this one is a limited edition and here we've got all the details. The first El Primero movement debuted in 1969 in the Zenith A386, inarguably one of the most important chronographs of all time. In 2010, the Striking Tenth came on the scene, again pushing boundaries while keeping a lot of the aesthetic ...
This isn't the first time this very watch has graced the cover of HODINKEE. No, no.? It was last summer, during the 2012 Olympic games that this prototype Richard Mille RM038 first mad its appearance on the 'Dink, on the wrist of Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake (see that article here).?? You see, what this watch is, is Blake's personal RM038 tourbillon, devised specifically for him, and worn during the Olympics and several other races.? And now this very watch is for sale at Only Watch 2013.? Click through for hands-on with this amazing watch. What makes this watch so interesting is that it essentially the same watch as Bubba W...
Event Recap: An Evening of Japanese Watchmaking With HODINKEE And Seiko
Last week we assembled a dedicated group of watch lovers at En Japanese Bistro in New York City's West Village to take a closer look at both Grand Seiko and the Seiko Astron. CEO of Seiko USA, Yosh Kawada welcomed guests and a master watchmaker was on hand to explain the finer points of Seiko's technical prowess. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Japanese watchmaking and the approach that makes it truly unique in the world of horology. Thank you to all our guests and to Seiko for a wonderful evening. We hope you enjoy these photos from the event:...
On The Block: Christie's To Host First China Sale In Shanghai
Patek Philippe Ref. 5159 Perpetual Calendar With Fully Engraved Case Christie's is currently in Shanghai preparing to host its first-ever sale in mainland China. This is new territory for the nearly 250-year-old auction house and the inaugural Shanghai sale includes fine art, wine, and (of course) watches. Here we take a look at some of the most interesting watches that will be hitting the block on Thursday, September 26th in Shanghai, including some exceptionally rare pieces. Another Look At The Unique Patek Philippe Ref. 5159 With Fully Engraved Case First up we have a Patek Philippe Ref. 5159 perp...
Hands-On: With The Unique Patek Philippe 5004T, Split Seconds Perpetual Calendar In Titanium
A few months back, we told you all about this very special C nay, UNIQUE C watch that Patek Philippe has gone and created for the bi-annual Only Watch charity auction. It is contains the very last Lemania-based CHR 27-70 Q caliber, that is a manually wound perpetual calendar with split seconds. The reference 5004 is one of Patek's most lauded watches, though it was replaced by the 5204 (the in-house version) at Basel 2012. The 5004 remains one of the most desirable modern watches in the world. It has been available in a handful of metals, including yellow gold, platinum, and even steel, but this last 5004 is something we thought we'd never see C it's made of titanium. ...
Hands-On: With The Arnold & Son Time Pyramid (Live Pics & Pricing)
The Arnold & Son Time Pyramid Before Basel World we introduced you to the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid, a new wristwatch based on nineteenth century pyramid clocks. The in-house movement is (as you would guess) triangular in shape and the styling of the watch is all focused on showing off the mechanics. We recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with this watch and have to say it's a sight to see. A&S1615 Movement Arnold & Son has introduced a number of very interesting movements over the last year or so, and the A&S1615 at the center of the Time Pyramid is no exception. As the "house br...
Introducing The Bremont ALT1-C Rose Gold Classic Chronograph
Bremont ALT1-C Rose Gold Classic Chronograph Bremont is known for making some of the toughest watches out there. These are the watches being chosen by modern explorers and militaries all over the world and they're taken to the poles and subjected to massive G-forces. Gold probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Bremont, but today we have the robust ALT1-C chronograph rendered in rose gold with classic styling, offering up a new elegant side of Bremont.This isn't the first gold watch Bremont has made C both the Victory and the Codebreaker are available in rose gold C but it is the non-limited edition gold watch from the brand. This new wa...
Heuer fans, we might be entering a whole new era of pricing.? Just this afternoon at NYC's fall Antiquorum auction, a manually wound Heuer Autavia brought down a price that, well, seems a bit crazy.? The watch in question is an early 1960s Heuer Autavia reference 3646, or a so-called "first execution" Autavia.? It features a 12 hour bezel, two oversized registers, and dauphine hands.? This particular example had a really great look to it, with all lume in place, making it a spectacular all original example.? These early Autavias are absolutely sought by big Heuer collectors, and according to this website that tracks Heuer prices, a great one should be around 6000GBP (or $9684).? Of course, t...
Just last night, HODINKEE was joined by a small group of collectors and watch lovers a the beautiful Girard-Perregaux boutique on Madison Avenue for an exclusive look at what is surely one of the most talked about watches of 2013, the Constant Escapement LM (which we showed you in detail here). ?This was the first showing of this game-changing watch in the US and we were thrilled to play a role in it. We'd like to thank everyone that came out. Have a look at our photo report below:...