Best Super NEWS Watches
Reactions To The December 2021 Auctions At Phillips, Sotheby's, And Christie's
Rejoice! We're officially two weeks out from the end of the year and some much earned rest (hopefully). The watch industry had another tremendous year, with interest in watches and watchmaking at all price points surging to a degree we've never seen before. And nowhere was that more present than in the superlative season of auctions that wrapped up this past weekend in New York.? Don't miss out on my previous reporting from November's run of auctions in Geneva C right here. I had a unique vantage point into this final stretch of the auction calendar. I traveled to Geneva for the November auctions C?including Only Watch C?and t...
HODINKEE Editors Pick Their Favorite Watches Of 2021
We saw a lot of watches this year. We won't put a precise number on it, but between digital trade shows, in-person events, and hands-on in the office, we gazed at, handled, and tried on a big ol' amount of timepieces. And while we loved many and liked even more, a few extra-special watches rose to the top of the pile. Here are the HODINKEE edit team's favorite watches of 2021.? Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time Everest I mean it's a sporty titanium GMT from one of the best brands in the game - are you surprised that it's my favorite watch of 2021? Sporting lovely blue-orange coloring and a connect...
Point/Counterpoint: This Is Not The Year That Interest In Modern Watches Overtook Vintage
The working thesis for this holiday-season version of Point-Counterpoint pivots around a single question, to wit: Is this the year that interest in modern watches finally eclipsed interest in vintage watches? I think that while Point-Counterpoint is certainly a lot of fun when it's a sort of well-mannered free-for-all, in this case, the answer is more nuanced. Jon Bues has taken Yes as his point, and I am taking No as my counterpoint, and in the immortal words of Don Corleone, I will give you my reasons.? This is certainly the year that a relatively small number of watches, from a relatively small number of brands, attracted a lot of interest and got a lot of hea...
Introducing: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar In Pink Gold
Ahhh, the Audemars Piguet Perpetual Calendar. It's hard to find a rival to this model (remember the ceramic one last year?), so it should come as no surprise at SIHH this year there are a handful making their debut. The ultra-thin Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar RD#2 might be the splashier release, but there's also the more established 41mm perpetual calendar being offered in a pink-on-pink combination for the first time. The new addition to the QP collection features the same 41mm case that we know and love, now with a rose gold dial to match. The dial, has dark blue subsidiary dials which make it easier to read the day, date, moonphase, and whether or not it is a leap year (in case you forget...
Introducing: The Panerai Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio 47mm
Initially launched in 2016, Panerai's Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanio 47mm was one of the first examples in?high-end mechanical watchmaking of a timepiece's case being made with a method of 3D printing called direct metal laser sintering. Two years later, Panerai is presenting a revised edition of this watch, which still offers a wide open look at its tourbillon GMT movement. The difference between the model from 2016 and the one you see here is purely aesthetic: the blue of the hands is now matched by a blue flange and ?blue stitching of the leather strap.? Why This Watch Matters Lots of things these days are made with ...
Introducing: The Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar Montre cole
Laurent Ferrier has released a new in-house caliber, and it's?an annual calendar! The Galet Annual Calendar Montre cole houses the manually-wound LF126.01 and focuses on legibility, functionality, and wearability. The caliber itself also pays tribute to Ferrier's very first caliber, the tourbillon double hairspring, with a long "blade" type click. As you may know, an annual calendar has to be reset once a year on March 1 to account for the 28th of February (or 29th in a Leap Year). This example is no different, and it allows you to advance the date and month easily by turning the crown forward and backward. The day is advanced by the button on the left band of the case. You can also choose ...
Introducing: The IWC Big Pilot's Watch Big Date Edition '150 Years' (Live Pics & Pricing)
Many of the watches in IWC's 150 years Jubilee collection are existing models with new dial treatments. However, this watch is completely new to the catalog. The Big Pilot's Watch Big Date Edition "150 Years" is the first Big Pilot ever to feature the namesake big date complication. It's got the same 46.2mm case, rendered here in stainless steel, and you've got two different dials to choose from C dark blue with white printed markers or white with black printed markers. The watch has a closed caseback, so you can't see the hand-wound, eight-day caliber inside, though there is a little window so you can check the power reserve. The 150 Years Jubilee Collection ...
Introducing: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication In White And Black Ceramic
In case you were wondering if Audemars Piguet was going to unveil anything complicated this year, wonder no longer. The caliber 2885 movement includes a ?minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and split-seconds chronographs, and has been in use for a number of years now. Since 2014, AP has been utilizing it in the 44mm Offshore case with some element of ceramic (originally black ceramic bezel, pushers, and crown), but this is the first time we're seeing the Offshore Grande Complication in full ceramic configurations, and we're getting contrasting black and white models to boot. Why This Watch Matters Audemars Piguet hasn't been shy about th...
Breaking News: H. Moser Retracts The Swiss Icons Watch
In an official statement released this morning, H. Moser announced that they will not be presenting the unique Swiss Icons Watch at SIHH next week, nor will they be auctioning off the piece in support of the Fondation pour la Culture Horlogre Suisse after the fair. We first noticed something wasn't quite right yesterday, when all traces of the watch disappeared from Moser's website, social media accounts, and YouTube channel sometime mid-morning Eastern Time. After contacting a representative of the brand, we were told that they did not wish to comment at the time, but that an official statement would be coming soon.? That official statement arrived this morning...
SIHH 2018: Follow Along With The Entire HODINKEE Team
The 2018 SIHH is fast approaching. Monday morning at 9:00 AM CET, the doors to Geneva's Palexpo center will open and Team HODINKEE will dive headfirst into one of the year's biggest horological happenings. We're going to have 10 (yes, TEN) team members on the ground, and we're going to be bringing you more coverage than ever before. This year, SIHH has continued to expand, adding a few new brands to its ranks, including some big names like Herms. In all, there are 35 exhibitors, from Audemars Piguet to Van Cleef & Arpels. You've probably noticed that new releases are starting to trickle out ahead of the actual start of SIHH, but a lot of watches will drop la...
Introducing: The MB&F MoonMachine 2 With Stepan Sarpaneva
For its latest Horlogical Machine, MB&F has once again teamed up with Stepan Sarpaneva, the independent watchmaker from Helsinki. The result is MoonMachine 2, which has an automotive-inspired case punctuated by Sarpaneva's signature gold moons. There ?is one large moon (8.5mm in diamter, .45mm thick) set into the titanium winding rotor that you can see through the sapphire window on the case's top, and two smaller moons (4.5mm in diameter, .35mm thick) utilized in the all-new moonphase display that is visible between the jumping hours and wandering minutes. The watch is available in three metal and color combinations, each of which has its own distinctive character. ...
Introducing: The Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra-Flat In Stainless Steel And Yellow Gold
These two new models of the Drive Extra-Flat are very much the same watch we saw a year ago at SIHH 2017, just in different metals. The classic yellow gold and stainless steel cases are great choices for a design like this and the approximately 39mm size (technically the watch is slightly wider than it is long) means both will wear great on a variety of wrists. The svelte 6.6mm?profile makes this a true ultra-thin too. Sitting alongside the time-and-date, moonphase, travel-time, and even tourbillon versions Drive, this is the simplest watch in the Drive collection and the purest expression of the design. In White And Rose At last year's SIHH, Cartier...
Introducing: The Cartier Tank Cintre In Three New Editions
Though details are scarce, it's easy to see at first glance that these three new Tanks are awesome. There are three different metals to choose from C platinum, pink gold, and yellow gold C and each comes with a unique dial, all of which have a distinct vintage feel. At 46.3mm x 23mm, the curved case is both a little longer and a little slimmer than the "Large" size Tank Amricaine, so these should wear like a true old-school Cintre too. As they should be, all three are manually-wound with slim movements fitted inside the 7.2mm-thick cases. The Tank Turns 100 Last year was the Tank's 100th birthday. To celebrate, Cartier released a collection of spec...
Introducing: The Richard Mille RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough
As always, Richard Mille has something totally insane to show off on the first day of SIHH. This year it's the RM 53-01 created in partnership with Argentinian polo player Pablo Mac Donough. The watch immediately looks like a classic Mille creation, with the tonneau case in Carbon TPT, the visible spline screws, and the futuristic-looking openworked movement taking center stage. This movement happens to feature a large tourbillon at six o'clock and to be suspended from the sides of the case by a system of steel cables and pulleys. As with many other Mille's, there's also plenty of less in-your-face tech at work too, including a high-efficiency winding system, a fast-rotating barrel for more ...
Introducing: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin With Sunray Dials
What we have here are three new versions of the Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin, each with a colorful sunray-finished guilloch dial. There's a purple version (which AP is calling "plum') with stainless steel case and bracelet, a rose gold version with a blue dial, and, at the very top, a smoked blue execution with matching sapphire-set bezel and C wait for it C a platinum case and bracelet. If you look closely at the patterns on these dials, you can see that they represent an evolution of the expected Tapisserie style that has long been linked to Audemars Piguet and the Royal Oak, only now it radiates out from the tourbillon. Why This Watch Matters ...
Watch Madness: The 2020 HODINKEE Talking Watches Tournament, Day 15
After three weeks of Watch Madness action, the votes have been tallied, the engraver is fast at work on the trophy, and we are thrilled to announce the winner. Out of 53 episodes, hundreds of watch stories, thousands of watches, and millions of plays, Your Favorite Talking Watches of All Time is ... Talking Watches With John Mayer What is it about our inaugural episode? Well, you say it best:From reader "Jam": "Mayer, like HODINKEE, talks not just about watches, but about why being into watches and watch collecting is important to us. People who ask, 'Why would you spend that much on a watch?' or peop...
Best of Watchville: Monochrome Remembers Motorsports Legend Stirling Moss (And His Watches)
In the annals of international motorsports, one of the most resonant names is that of Sir Stirling Moss. Moss began driving at the rather unbelievable age of nine, when he received an Austin 7 as a gift from his father, and got his driver's license at age 15. Having grown up at the wheel proved to be a tremendous asset when he began his racing career in 1948 at the age of nineteen. By the time of his official retirement in 1962, following a devastating crash at Goodwood, he had competed in 529 races, of which he won 219 outright. Moss was, in the cutthroat world of racing, as notable for his sense of sportsmanship as for his instinctive connection to the cars he ...
Just Because: All 10 A. Lange & Sohne 25th Anniversary Models Together At Last
Last year was a big one for A. Lange & Sohne, as the German brand celebrated the 25th anniversary of its post-Cold War revival. ?It's crazy to think about all that Lange has accomplished over the last two-and-a-half decades, including major technical innovations, developing a dedicated collector community, and pushing watch design forward (to mention just a few of the brand's achievements). To celebrate, Lange took an interesting approach, releasing a collection of 10 limited edition anniversary models, but doing so one-per-month instead of dropping them all in January at the SIHH. What that means is that some models were easier to check out than others, and ...
Recommended Reading: Gear Patrol In Conversation With Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann
Have you ever wondered how Omega ended up as the official timepiece of 007 himself, James Bond? Well, I hesitate to spoil it for you here, but I do recommend you check out Gear Patrol's recent interview with Omega CEO, Raynald Aeschlimann where they touch on everything from the Moon landing to Omega's Olympic partnership, and everything in between. This is not a simple recitation of the brand's accomplishments over the years, but rather an insightful view into Omega as a brand from the perspective of Aeschlimann, who has spent years with the company and grew up in Switzerland surrounded by watches.? In the interview, Aeschlimann ...
Sunday Rewind: A Look Inside Baselworld's Past
With huge news coming out this week following the continued exodus of major brands from the once-loved Fair, the future of Baselworld is in jeopardy. For a helpful dose of context, and a look back at how the Fair operated before the age of smartphones and digital cameras, take a trip back to 1979 with the man himself, Joe Thompson. Not only is this an interesting overview of the Fair some 40 years ago, but it's also the story of Joe's introduction to Baselworld and a fascinating look at the starting point of a legendary career in watch journalism.? The ties were wider and the photos far grainier, but the story still shows a lovel...