No products in the cart.
Best Super NEWS Watches
An Early Look At The Hamilton Intra-Matic: A Winner From Basel 2012, Already
Hamilton invited us to breakfast this morning to see the highlights of their Basel 2012 collection.? There were some really excellent pieces, but the one that really caught our eye was the brand new intra-matic (all lower case).The watch is clearly vintage inspired, and just as it was in the 1950s, it will be the sister watch to the Thin-O-Matic, the tribute of which we saw last year.? The intra-matic feature simple stick markers with a domed crystal and dial.? It is a thin watch at around 7mm thick.? The intra-matic is great looking, and will be available in both steel and gold pvd, in 38mm and 42mm on leather or a bracelet.?The best part about the new intra-matic is the price: $845 for the...
Watch Spotting: At Pitti Uomo With Jeremy Kirkland And Justin Chung
Pitti UomoThe mecca of menswear.Do I sound dramatic? That's kind of the point.This is where the peacocks strut. Men from all over the world come to Florence, Italy twice a year to buy and show upcoming clothing collections, drink espresso, smoke cigarettes, and try to get photographed looking cool.Here you'll see brands like Kiton, Brunello Cucinelli, Lardini, and every other cool Italian clothier whose name you say softly to avoid someone hearing you mispronounce it.While most of you have seen photos from Pitti Uomo for years on The Sartorialist and GQ's Tommy Ton, few ever pay attention to the timepieces - believe me, they're worth seeing.Rollies on Rollies, Pateks on Pateks and yes, even...
Barcelona Soccer Player Eric Abidal Gives Cancer-Stricken 15-Year-Old The Rolex Right Off His Wrist
Eric Abidal is a defenseman for Barcelona.? He is also a cancer survivor, and one hell of a guy.Abidal survived liver cancer just last year, and since then has become very active in supporting the fight against all forms of the disease.? Recently, the father of a 15-year-old cancer-stricken boy named Juan Garcia wrote a letter to a Spanish newspaper describing how Abidal was his son's inspiration for the fight to get better.Abidal actually visited the cancer ward where he met with Garcia and several other sick children.? At the end of the meeting, Abidal took the gold Rolex Daytona he wears every day and presented it to the 15-year-old Garcia.? No matter what Garcia and his father said, Abid...
The Royal Oak comes in many different shapes and sizes, and this year, we saw two completely new sizes - both 41mm and 37mm. We've shown you the Jumbo, the watch the harkens back to 1972, but in this post we explain you the other Royal Oaks that you need to know. These are the watches that, in most cases, one will be buying. These two watches feature AP's excellent 3120 in-house movement and are absolutely perfect for daily wear. Below, we show you live pictures of all the new releases, show you how they compare to the Jumbo, and how they differ from the previous 15300 Royal Oak that is now discontinued. We also give you pricing on the entire Royal Oak line. This is a good one, people. ...
Hands-On: With The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomtre Quantime Lunaire 40.5 (Live Pics + Video)
This could be one of my favorite pieces from SIHH - here's why:The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomtre Quantime Lunaire 40.5, in spite of its long and arduous name (for those of us with an English tongue) is a very serious watch.? It is, what many would call, a piece of haute horlogerie.? Now this terms gets thrown around a lot, in fact the "HH" in "SIHH" stands for haute horlogerie and I can tell you with great certainty that not all watches shown at the salon warrant such a title.? The new Duometre does, however.You see, this watch uses a movement, the JLC Caliber 381, that employs a double-wing concept, meaning it has two unique energy sources.? The first, regulated by the escapement and the bal...
The Three Coolest Things We Saw Inside The MB&F M.A.D. Gallery (Plus One We Saw Outside)
The Sunday before SIHH kicked off, we paid a visit to the just opened M.A.D. Gallery, a new concept store owned and curated by MB&F.? The shop is unlike any other in the world, and if you make to Geneva, it would be a mistake not to visit.Inside the gallery you will find a host of things that, while not produced by MB&F, are very much in the same vein as their machines, both horological and legacy.? Here are three of our favorite pieces from our visit, three pieces that don't tell time.1. The Type 12 Light by Frank Buchwald Germany's Frank Buchwald designs lights just like Max designs watches, and these burnished steel an...
A Week On The Wrist: The Omega Speedmaster Co-Axial Chronograph
Everything that can be said about the Omega Speedmaster had already been said, at least that was the case until Basel World 2011.? At its core, the basic Speedmaster - the Speedmaster Professional - has remained largely unchanged; a 3-register chronograph with a fixed tachymetre bezel built atop a Lemania-based manually wound movement. Its unmistakable proportions and details have come to define what most folks think of as a classic chronograph? The automatic Speedmaster, though, has always taken a backseat to the professional employing less than classic designs and movements, often based on very simple ETA or Valjoux ebauches. All that changed last March when Omega introduced an entirely ne...
The Baume & Mercier Hampton Emblematic: A Fitting Nod To The Brand's Past
Baume & Mercier continues their string of hits with a special emblematic version of their Hampton. Modeled after an historic Art Deco model from the companys past, this Hampton features an arched case profile and curved crystal, with a vintage-looking Roman numeral dial. Fitting of a vintage-inspired timepiece, the watch is powered by a decorated handwound movement, visible through the display caseback, built for Baume & Mercier by LaJoux-Perret. The gold Hampton Emblematic will sell for $15,000.Click through for pictures of the caseback and the original Baume & Mercier from which this new model is derived....
Sneak Peek: The Omega Seamaster Limited Edition James Bond 50th Anniversary Watch
2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film series.? To celebrate, it looks like Omega is releasing a special edition James Bond 50th anniversary watch (despite the fact that fifty years ago, Bond was not wearing an Omega at all).?The watch is in the Seamaster series, uses a "007" theme on the black lacquer dial with "50" filled in with red on the outer bezel, and uses Omega's caliber 2507 co-axial movement. The winding rotor looks like a bullet and is inscribed with "50 years of James Bond."? The Omega Seamaster Limited Edition James Bond 50th Anniversary watch is sized at 41mm and will be available some time early this year.?Oh, and just how limited will this limited edition be?...
VIDEO: John Reardon Takes Us Inside The Patek Philippe Museum
John Reardon really knows his Patek Philippe.? In addition to heading up Sotheby's New York watch department, authoring a book or two on Patek, and moonlighting as a HODINKEE contributor, Reardon actually spent a few years within the hallowed halls of The Henri Stern Agency in New York, otherwise known as Patek Philippe USA.In this special video put together by Sotheby's, John takes us inside Patek's Geneva museum.? This is absolutely worth your 5:57....
Click to enlargeSIHH can really distort your horological reality. The absolute best watches in the world are everywhere, and you can actually touch them! One highlight of the week was getting to play with not one, but two IWC Siderales. The Siderale is the most complicated IWC ever produced, and costs roughly $750,000 (so, do the math for what's in my hand above). We'll have a video explanation of the IWC Siderale in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!...
Photo Essay: The $1.65 Million Richard Mille RM056 In The Metal (Errr....Sapphire)
Richard Mille's RM056 split-seconds chrono tourbillion is encased entirely in sapphire and costs $1.65 million - that much you know thanks to our post about it on Monday.? The feedback to this x-ray of a watch has been tremendous, and according to Richard Mille, all five of the production RM056's have already been sold - what recession, right?So, we went back and gave the RM056 the HODINKEE photo treatment.? What does, exactly, this watch look like in the flesh?? Well, it is visually striking.? With light behind it, it glows.? The RM caliber is, as always, just beautiful. The sapphire case almost looks plastic (we assure, it's not). The RM056, of course, reminds us of the first sapphire-cent...
Does it get any better than the Cartier tank? No, it simply does not.? I mean, the watch is as iconic as they come, and has been worn by everyone from General Pershing in 1918 to Clark Gable in 1948 to Muhammed Ali for many years.? And this year, not only did Cartier introduce an entirely new case design for the Tank (which we'll show you in the coming days), they also brought in a new model within the Louis Cartier family, the Louis Cartier Tank XL Slimline.The original Louis Cartier Tank (or "Tank L.C.") line was introduced in 1922 as "the ultimate watchmaker's manifesto of elegance and timelessness."? This year, the Louis Cartier Tank XL gets a sleek profile, which Cartier is calling slim...
Introducing The JeanRichard Diverscope LPR, Complete With One Crazy Power Reserve Display
This is perhaps the most unique rendering of a power reserve complication Ive seen. The new JeanRichard Diverscope LPR (Linear Power Reserve) incorporates an intuitive, subtle gauge directly in the cutout 12 oclock marker. As the mainspring gains tension, either via the automatic rotor or by hand winding, the power reserve meter rises inside the 12, from E to F. Clever? Certainly. Gimmicky? We cant decide.The entire Diverscope line is oft-overlooked but a worthy alternative to the usual suspects in dive watches, thanks to its 43mm x 43mm 300-meter water resistant cushion case with dual crowns, bold dial styling and movement chops. According to JeanRichard General Manager, Massimo ...
Hands-On: With The (Awesome) Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph
We showed a quick preview of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph last week - now we've gotten our hands on it, and are proud to show you these live pictures and impressions.Here's the thing: Jaeger-LeCoultre never made a chronograph that looked like this in the 1950s or 60s. So while last year's tribute to the Deep Sea Alarm was a historical reference revisited (this historical reference), this year's chrono is really a tribute to a watch that could've been (and definitely should've been).? Essentially, the Deep Sea Vintage Chrono took the stylings of the DSA and made it a chrono.? Is it historically important like the Polaris and Deep Sea Alarm tributes? Nope. Does it still lo...
SPY SHOT: A Ceramic Tourbillon Pocketwatch From Panerai
Historically, Panerai is known for oversized cases containing pocketwatch movements. So it was only logical that one day Panerai would make a pocketwatch but we didnt expect this. Something of a design exercise, this prototype pocketwatch is on display in a darkened room at Panerais booth at SIHH (hence the grainy photo).? Actually, the glass case this watch is held in appears to have some sort of photography distoriting properties to it.The skeletonized case, which bears more than a passing family resemblance, is entirely made of ceramic and so is the chain. The movement is Panerais handwound P.2005B (for black) calibre with tourbillon and GMT indication. There's no official word if an...
Introducing The Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater (Live Photos)
For 2012, Girard Perregaux has added a minute repeater to their 1966 collection. With an enamel dial, applied gold Arabic numerals, blued hands and distinctive G-P movement bridges, it is a simple, elegant addition to the brands throwback line. The repeaters tone is bright and clear, resonating through the 38mm 42mm rose gold case. No word yet on pricing....
LEFT: Royal Oak Ref 5402 Circa 1972 RIGHT: Royal Oak Ref 15202 Circa 2012I love the Royal Oak Jumbo, I think that is pretty clear by now.? So when we were showed the new RO's from AP yesterday at SIHH, I just had to bring along my own early Royal Oak to see how the new Jumbo would compare.? My RO is an A-Series, that dates to 1972 - that's the watch at left.? The watch at right is the brand new 15202 Jumbo with "AP" at 6 o'clock, a watch that was literally introduced to the world first just 24 hours ago here on HODINKEE, and won't hit stores for some time.These watches are 40 years apart, but it doesn't look like it, right?? They are incredibly similar, and use the exact same movement.? The ...
New TAG Heuer Mikrogirder 2000 Re-Defines Fast, Ditches Balance Wheel In The Process
Apparently not content with chronograph speeds of 1/1,000th of a second, TAG Heuer have gone ahead and built a new concept watch, the Mikrogirder which has the ability to time events to 1/2,000th of a second. But that's not even the most surprising element of the watch. It accomplishes all this without the use of a balance wheel or even that Pendulum concept we saw a few years ago. The movement developed for the Mikrogirder uses a vibrating linear oscillator to attain its freakishly fast pace of 1,000hz. What's a linear oscillator? We hope to have an answer to that one soon.?The Mikrogirder 2000 bears a familiar looking dial to that of the Mikrotimer, but distinguishes itself with "bullhead"...
Hands-On: With The New A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Up/Down (Live Pictures)
The Datograph from A. Lange & Sohne is a sacred object amongst watch collectors.? It is, according to some, one of, if not the chronograph of this generation.? It is most sacred of course, to Wilhelm Schmid and the gang in Glashtte at Lange.? So, when they decided to update the Datograph, they knew they had to do it with great poise and restraint.? (For those who don't understand why the Datograph is so important, click here.)The Datograph Up/Down was announced in mid-December with a bigger case size (now 41mm instead of 39) and a vastly improved power reserve (60 hours instead of 36).? There were also small cosmetic changes, such as the removal of roman numerals from the dial and the a...