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Best Super NEWS Watches
Hands-On: With The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Skyfall Limited Edition
The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean is the ideal candidate to accompany Bond, it's rugged, handsome and precise. It's ready for action. So, onto 007's wrist it went for the latest Bond flick, Skyfall, which hits theaters today. To celebrate the occasion, Omega has released a limited edition of the PO featuring a few visual nods to the Bond theme, and today we're going hands-on with Bond's latest ticker. To begin, we must recall the last Bond limited edition watch from Omega, the 50th anniversary Seamaster we showed you earlier this year. Some of you felt that it missed the mark with its "007" dial and bullet casing endowed rotor...
In 1999, Sotheby's sold the Patek Philippe "Supercomplication" made for Henry Graves for $11,000,000.? No watch has come close to reaching that price since.? It was unknown who owned this piece - the most prized watch on the planet....until today.Bloomberg is reporting that a member of the Qatari Royal Family, Sheik Saud Bin Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Thani, has pledged the Graves Supercomplication, along with three other watches and some art (to the tune of $83m) to Sotheby's to cover outstanding debt.? There are no details on why Al-Thani was unable to cover his debt with Sotheby's but this is BIG news for the industry because A) we had no idea who owned this watch, now we do and B) it sure looks...
What's Selling Where Weekly Round-Up: A Special Geneva Auctions Edition
For this week's "What's Selling Where" round-up, we're focusing on auctions.? The next four days are massively important one for the vintage and second-hand watch market.? Three of the four major auction houses are hosting their fall sale in Geneva, and some serious, potentially game-changing stuff is on the blocks? We've told you about a few of the items but we'll give you a recap here with what to look for. Christie's First, we have arguably the star of the show in Eric Clapton's Patek Philippe reference 2499/100 perpetual calendar chronograph in platinum.? This is one of the most important watches ...
You're Invited: HODINKEE Is Hosting A Special Night Of Timepieces And Tequila With Porsche Design
Hurricane Sandy can't hold us down! This coming Tuesday, November 13th, HODINKEE invites YOU to join us at the Porsche Design Soho store for an exclusive night of timepieces and tequila.? On display will not only be some of PD's latest designs, but also some of their historic pieces from the last forty years.? Details are below, and all are welcome as long as you RSVP here.? Hope to see you there!What: HODINKEE Presents A Celebration Of 40 Years Of Porsche DesignWhen: Tuesday, November 13, from 6:30-8:30pmWhere: Porsche Design SOHO / 465 West Broadway at Houston StreetWho: YOUPlease RSVP with full your full name and email to [email protected]...
Watch Spotting: On Savile Row: Inside The Collection of Simon Cundey, Director of Henry Poole & Co.
Simon Cundey, in front of some of the livery Henry Poole is responsible for. While in town covering the George Daniels sale at Sotheby's London, we decided to drop in on Simon Cundey, Director of Henry Poole & Co., the very first tailor to set up shop on Savile Row. In addition to his obvious passion for the best tailored clothing man can make, Simon loves watches and after we spotted him in that killer oversized Zenith at Goodwood, we had to find out what else he had he owned. Simon was kind enough to share some highlights from his personal collection below. 1943 Zenith Compax You may remember ...
Introducing The Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX7: A Clever New Chronograph In Partnership With Aston Martin
Coming in from the manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre today is a brand new AMVOX chronograph - the AMVOX7.? This new chronograph was announced on the eighth anniversary of JLC's partnership with Aston Martin, and as such, the new AMVOX features a lot of Aston in its execution - and a lot of Aston is never a bad thing.? The AMVOX7 is also the first vertical-trigger chronograph equipped with a radial power-reserve display.? What does that mean exactly? Let's find out.? VIDEO One of the most interesting aspects of this watch is the power reserve.? This indication appears through two apertures in the upper part of...
A Week On The Wrist: The Vulcain Nautical Cricket
Vulcain is a brand perhaps best known for its presence on the wrists of US Presidents, having appeared on all of them since Harry Truman (excluding G. W. Bush). This fact has given ample exposure to the Cricket line of watches (most commonly gifted to POTUS), which remain fairly synonymous with the brand to this day. The story of the Cricket goes deeper than this however, emboldened by a fierce presence on the landscape of early dive watches. With roots dating to the 40's and a pedigree that places it alongside the likes of Rolex and Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Vulcain Cricket lives on with remarkable consistency to those that study the earlier days of sport watches. ...
This morning was the historic sale of the Horological Collection of George Daniels at Sotheby's in London. In advance of the sale we went inside the New Bond Street galleries to go hands-on with the grand and the curious pieces of Daniels' amazing collection. Here we have a report of what we found along with the auction's results. The Gallery Packed Wall-to-Wall Before the Sale During his lifetime, George Daniels made 23 pocket watches, 4 wristwatches, the 58-piece run of Millennium watches, 1 Mercer box chronometer, and 2 three-wheel Breguet clocks, as well as converted 4 clocks' regulators to grasshopper escapements and a ha...
A Week On The Wrist: The Zodiac Sea Wolf
1953 was the year the dive watch was born. Sure, the quirky Art Deco OMEGA Marine went underwater in 1932 and (Rolex-cased) Panerais were on the wrists of Italian commandos in Word War II, but it was at the 1953 Basel watch fair that the first purpose-built dive watches appeared. While the Rolex Submariner wouldnt make its official debut until the 1954 fair, two other brands proudly introduced their divers in 53: Blancpain with its Fifty Fathoms and Zodiac with the Sea Wolf. They say history is written by the victors and indeed, Blancpain and Rolex have capitalized on their long lineages while the Sea Wolf was all but forgotten, other than its dubious distinction as the wrist-wear of a ser...
While Eric Clapton's platinum Patek Philippe 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph (which Ben explained in detail here) is arguably the "coolest" watch for sale this weekend in Geneva, and an expensive one at that, with estimates pushing $2.5m to $4.2m, there is a very real chance it might not actually be the most expensive. The Clapton 2499 has a lot of things going for it, but lot 88 in the very same sale has one thing the 2499 does not - lot no 88 is completely unique, and according to some of the most astute collectors in the world, this is THE watch, above even the Clapton 2499. ?Let's see what makes this watch so special. ...
The guys from Autodromo are back with their first mechanical watch (see here and here for Autodromo's quartz offerings).? The Monoposto is a limited edition timepiece featuring a Miyota 821A self-winding movement with calendar.? The case is 43mm in polished stainless steel, with the same thoughtful points that we loved in Autodromo's quartz range.? This includes an exhibition caseback with a laser etched Autodromo logo, polished roller buckle just like the hood straps on a vintage racing car, and a red line applied to the inside of the proprietary domed crystal.? ...
On The Block: Hands-On With The George Daniels Space Travellers' Pocket Watch (Live Pics)
When man first landed on the moon, the Omega Speedmaster might have been the astronauts' chosen watch. But British watchmaker George Daniels had other ideas. Inspired by the 1969 moon landing, Daniels created the Space Travellers' pocket watch, which he described as containing "everything you'd need on a watch if you were traveling through space." We have gone hands-on with this amazing feat of cosmic horology in anticipation of it hitting the block at Sotheby's London on Tuesday.? The Dial's Amazing Three-Dimensionality The first think you'll notice is the symmetry of the Space Travellers' dial. On the left, under the white s...
More often than not, we expect to cover IWC of the sporty variety. Of the handful of IWC watches that weve covered this year, theyve mostly been Pilots models, Ingenieur racers, or the astronomically complicated Sidrale Scafusia. As great as those offerings may be, IWCs latest release of its Portofino Hand-Wound Pure Classic is a solid offering that further establishes balance to the manufactures lineup.IWC offers the Portofino Hand-Wound Pure Classic in two metals C 18 carat red gold (ref. IW511101) and stainless steel (ref. IW511102). The case is polished, and has a thin bezel and even thinner lugs. The feuille-design of the hands is slightly more rounded than usual (and, therefore, ...
It's been a rough week here in New York. ?Hurricane Sandy has left millions without power, hot water, and even mobile phone coverage, still to this very moment. ?Our own HODINKEE offices have unfortunately been relocated from SoHo to SoPo, and our team hasn't been there in days. ?We've been doing our best to keep the site fresh every day, and even managed to launch a pretty bad-ass competition for you guys, but we do apologize for the seeming absence over this past week. ?We've heard that power should be restored to our offices (and hopefully the rest of NY) sometime this weekend. ?Still, it's Friday, and from our make-shift offices on West 79th street, we are here to bring you three of the ...
GIVEAWAY: Answer Ten Questions, Win A Trip To Visit The Piaget Manufacture In Switzerland
We're back at it, folks. ?We have partnered back-up with Piaget to send one HODINKEE reader to Switzerland on an all expenses-paid look into one of the oldest and most impressive high-end manufacture in the world. ?There, the winner will be able to meet the watchmakers behind the lauded and critically acclaimed Altiplano Skeleton in white gold, as well as president and CEO?Mr. Philippe Lopold-Metzger. It is one thing to read about manufacture visits here on HODINKEE, but it is another thing entirely to experience one for yourself. ?We're lucky enough to do it occassionaly, and we are thrilled to be able to offer you a chance...
ANNOUNCEMENT: PORSCHE DESIGN 40TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY POSTPONED DUE TO HURRICANE SANDY
Due to the after effects of Hurricane Sandy, we have been forced to postpone our celebration of Porsche Design's 40th Anniversary at their Soho boutique, which was scheduled to take place at 6:30pm on Thursday. We do not yet have a new date and time for the event, but we will keep you updated as plans are made.?If you have been impacted by the hurricane, stay safe, and we hope to see you at this event when everything returns to normal....
A First Hand Look at the Making of an Herms Watch Strap
Bits and Pieces Other companies do production line processes, leather seamstress Delia Ionescu told me on a delightfully sunny day in Brgg, near Biel. That is far less interesting work for leather artisans than working like we do here at Herms, where we work on our pieces from start to finish. Leather workers like it here because they can see the complete beauty of their work, she explained with a shy smile.Ionescu accompanied me for part of my day at Herms, where I had been invited to make my very own leather strap. She is from Romania and studied for years to reach her chosen profession - and her dream was always to work at Herms. The young woman patientl...
The Horological Society of New York is the oldest watch-related guild in the country. And as of last year, it's been going through a bit of a resurgence thanks to some new blood. Once per month, the group hosts speakers on various topics impacting watch lovers and watch makers. Tonight, January 5th, 2015, our own Ben Clymer will be speaking on the role digital publishing has played in the growth of the field.All are welcome and the details are below. Visit HS-NY.org for more details on this great organization.January Meeting Of The Horological Society Of New YorkGuest Speaker: Benjamin ClymerRiverside Memorial Chapel at 76th & Amsterdam7:15 p.m.Monday, January 5th, 2015...
VIDEO: A Look at HYT, The First Hydromechanical Watches
For your viewing pleasure: a new trailer for HYT Watches, the first hydromechanical watches. ?Sit back and enjoy, and for more details on HYT Watches, click here....
In-Depth: A Detailed Look At The Incredible 40 Years Of Porsche Design
There are plenty of automotive-inspired watches and watch brands that partner with car companies. However, few carry more bona fide automotive AND horological credibility than the one with the most storied of automotive names: Porsche Design. Porsche Design watches go beyond a mere co-branding exercise and instead carry the design DNA and philosophy of the company's founder, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. There is no arguing that over its 40 year history, it has produced some revolutionary, collectible, and important watches. The Porsche Design Chronograph I (1972) To understand Porsche Design watches, you must, as with so many ...