Best Super NEWS Watches
The HODINKEE Shop Introduces Gift Cards
Gift cards are available in six denominations from $25 to $1000. Need a last-minute gift for a fellow watch-enthusiast? Or perhaps you discovered that?you actually aren't?getting the hand-made honey brown crocodile strap you really wanted,?despite your obvious hints throughout the year. In either case, the safest best would be to pick up one of our newly introduced online gift cards, (or casually, but forcefully, tell someone else to buy one for you.) The gift cards come in six denominations, from $25 to $1000,?for budgets of all sizes.The best thing about the gift cards is that they can be purchased and delivered to the intended recipient immediately via email.?Th...
Hamilton Khaki X-Patrol WIll Help You Master The Metric System
Hamilton's Khaki line of watches have been popular among outdoorsmen/women looking for wallet friendly, rugged mechanical watches. Very useful watches, even if a tad uninteresting. The aviation inspired X-Patrol adds a new spin to these watches however, with the addition of conversion scales for world travelers that haven't quite nailed down units like kilometers, liters and meters. What's more, the X-Patrol has a new movement, various dial configuration options and a sub $2,000 price tag. What looks at first glance to be a gussied up Tachy bezel, is actually two rings that flank the dial, one of which rotates via the crown at 9 o'clock. On the inner ring are 4 separate data sets that can be...
Live Video Of The TAG Heuer MikrotourbillonS, The World's Fastest Tourbillon
TAG Heuer has been in a single horse race to develop ultra-precise mechanical chronographs using non-traditional engineering since their Mikrograph and Mikrotimer were revealed early last year. The culmination of this process was seen earlier this year with Mikrogirder 2000, which measured time at the breakneck pace of 1/2,000th of a second, and did so without the use of a balance wheel. But that wasn't all TAG Heuer had up their sleeve this year. There was one more Mikro series watch in attendance at Basel, and it saw the addition of not one, but two tourbillons to their 1/100th of a second timer. How can you be sure the watch has two tourbillons? It's right in the name, the Microtourbillon...
In-Depth: Introducing The Cartier ID Two Concept Watch
The Cartier ID Two Concept Watch - Complete with a transparent monobloc ceramic case and 32-day power reserve. The most beautiful thing about mechanical wristwatches is that one can love them for so many reasons C and in many cases, for diametrically opposed reasons. ?For example, I love the Rolex Submariner of the 1970s for its perfect proportions, the seemingly endless list of exploratory firsts for which it was summoned, and the way they have the ability to age with time better than arguably any other wristwatch. ?I love the MB&F Horological Machine 2 for the sheer audacity of the design, the magnitude of construction (which, for those who havent had the pl...
If brands like A. Lange & Sohne, NOMOS, Glashtte Original and Sinn get your heart pumping a little faster than their Swiss counterparts would, you're not alone. Showing off their stables of German craftsmanship are select members of the timezone community, featuring everything from the mighty Datograph, to the budget-friendly-but-every-bit-as-German NOMOS Tangente. Oh, and you're welcome to join with any German eye-candy you've got strapped to your wrist. Examples from each of these can be found in this thread over at timezone.com. Enjoy the scenery and add your own if you've got some German hardware worthy of being sho...
The Glycine Combat SUB Gets Dutch Makeover
Glycine isn't a brand we talk about much here at HODINKEE - but it's not because we don't love them - on the contrary. They're a great brand with solid aviation links, and make some great worldtime watches and are an all round solid brand, making solid watches. One such is the workmanlike Combat SUB. It's a great dive watch that comes in a few variations. The variation we'd like to show you today is a little bit special though. It's an exclusive limited edition for in2watches; and is the brainchild of our friend Gerard Nijenbrinks - and just quietly it's an absolute stunner.Gerard has given the Glycine a dark brown dial and bezel, rose gold dial printing and bezel markings, and finished off ...
Found: Elusive MIH Watch Up For Grabs
It's been nearly 2 years since our first look at the MIH Watch, which first struck us for its minimalist design and amazed us with the complications hidden within. We were smitten with the concept of collaboration to build an accessible watch that is much more than the sum of its parts. Turns out we weren't the only ones, as these watches are a rare sight on the second hand market, especially below retail price. As luck would have it, a lightly worn MIH Watch has come across our radar.Online enthusiast community timezone.com is currently sporting one MIH Watch in their sales corner, and for considerably less the retail price of 4,629 CHF. When you see the price, keep in mind that the modific...
Richard Mille Reveals RM 022 Carbon Limited Edition, Expands Our Vocab In The Process
If you're at all familiar with Richard Mille watches you're no stranger to the ultra-expensive and often exotic materials used in their construction (remember this guy?). The latest announcement from the brand is no exception, a quick read of the press release (get out your dictionary) will yield words such as "orthorhombic," "aluminide" and "nanofiber." So what is it? A limited edition of the RM 022 Tourbillon Aerodyne Dual Time. Limited edition as in only 5 LE RM 022 watches will be made. When you read how they are made, even that seems like a lot. The regular RM 022, which was released earlier this year, has a case made of titanium. Pretty ho-hum stuff inside the walls of Richard Mill the...
Breguet Exhibits Vintage Chronographs, Clocks, And Gauges In New York Through Sunday
1st Generation Breguet Type XX Chrono - pic via TZOne of the most fascinating watches of the 20th century was the Type XX ("Type Twenty") chronograph.? They were made by more than a few manufactures for the French air force, though the most commonly referenced and most sought after are those made by Breguet.This summer, Breguet is celebrating its history in aviation with a traveling exhibit of both vintage and new aeronautically-themed timepieces, including ten vintage pieces that have never before been shown in the United States.? The exhibit is open to the public and on display at the Breguet boutique this weekend in New York on Fifth Avenue. From here, it will go on to Bal Harbour and Bev...
For cycling fans, its the biggest month of the season: Tour de France time. For watch spotters, this is usually a non-event, since heavy mechanical watches dont do well in a sport where every gram is carefully considered. Most racers, if they wear any watch at all, strap on plastic digital heart rate monitors, the matching chest straps visible on their pale, gaunt chests under unzipped jerseys.Cycling-oriented watches have been few and far between. Anonimo made a special edition for Italian racer Ivan Basso, and Lance Armstrong used to wear a variety of Nike models. Festina has long been the watch brand associated with the Tour de France but doesnt get much respect among the watch cognosc...
Introducing The Longines Conquest 24 Hours: An Affordable Dual Timezone Wriswatch
Announced today from Longines comes a brand new affordable mechanical dual timezone wristwatch. An extension to the Conquest line, the new 24 hours is aimed at the travelers out there looking for a real mechanical watch capable of tracking two timezones. Sized at 41mm and available with silver, blue, and black dials, the Longines Conquest 24 Hours uses an ETA caliber - but not the 2893 that you might expect. This 41mm watch is using the new Caliber A07 171, which is part of the Valgranges line of ETA calibers, designed for larger watches, and as such are larger diameter movements. Here is a little more info on the Valgranges movements, including the one in this new Longines. Price for th...
CERN Discovers Higgs Boson Particle, Now Go Buy A Vintage Milgauss!
Big news yesterday out of the CERN labs in Switzerland: scientists have discovered a new subatomic particle that theyre saying is one of the primary building blocks of our universe. The Higgs boson, named for physicist Peter Higgs, who theorized about its existence 50 years ago, was finally proven to exist by a series of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at the famous European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN is the French acronym). Of course, this is huge news for the scientific community, but we are watch geeks first and foremost so were not even going to try to explain what the science of all this means. To us, it seems like a good an excuse to encourage our readers to go ...
Happy Fourth Of July From HODINKEE: Your Red, White, And Blue Zenith El Primero Chronographs
It's the fourth of July here in the US, and as such, we're sitting by the pool for the day.? We'll be back in action tomorrow, but in the meatime, enjoy this great picture of three early Zenith El Primero chronographs in - you guessed it - red, white, and blue.(Pic via LouS @ Chronocentric)...
Event Recap: Harry Winston Celebrates The Ocean Sport Collection At Sunset Beach
The folks over at Harry Winston invited us to a really great event last Friday night at Sunset beach on Shelter Island. The cocktails and dinner (which was served on just an incredible 80 foot long table) was to celebrate the Ocean Sport collection - a casual, summery line of watches perfect for the beachside setting.The event was hosted by Winston CEO Frdric de Narp, and was attended by a whole bevy of beautiful people (us notwithstanding, of course), including Russell Simmons, Hillary Rhoda, and Andr Saraiva, who tagged the step and repeat in front all the guests.? There was also a live performance by the Virgins and just a fantastic mix of interesting people. Oh, and of course, some pr...
Introducing The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition Chronograph
Announced just this morning is the brand new limited edition Royal Oak chronograph designed by Audemars Piguet ambassador and incredibly awesome soccer player Leo Messi.? The Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition is based on the new 41mm Royal Oak chronograph announced this year at SIHH, and will come in three different varities as seen below.? Notice we didn't say "Offshore" for this one? Click for more details on this great looking chronograph, tons of pics, and a video on this collaboration. At left, you have the watch in steel with a tantalum bezel, anthracite dial and leather strap (keep in mind steel Royal Oaks do not nor...
Omega Pushes Further Into Golf, Names US Ryder Cup Team Captain Davis Love III As Ambassador
On the rooftop of Rockefeller Center this morning, Omega announced a new ambassador as the golf arms races heats up.? You see, Omega is the official timekeeper of the PGA (what that entails is anybody's guess as golf isn't really a time-sensitive sport) and it appears as though with the likes of Richard Mille's boy Bubba winning the Masters, Rolex's Tiger winning three tournaments this year already, and AP having a fleet of top-tier players, they decided to name one of golf's most steady and likeable players and someone who will undoubtedly receive lots of media attention in the coming months as ambassador.Davis Love III has not only won 35 professional tournaments, but he has also played in...
Hands-On: With The Tissot Seastar 1000 Automatic Professional Chronograph Valjoux
Tissot has always made some nice looking watches.? The problem is, the majority of them are quartz-based, and no matter how good looking a watch is, we (collective "we," nay, royal "we") just can't take a watch seriously if it's got a battery (unless, of course, it looks like this, this, or this).?So when Tissot showed us their new Seastar 1000 Automatic Chronograph, we said, "Ok, this will do."? Granted, it's enormous (49mm) but some people are into that.? The Seastar 1000 is a certified diver, and it uses a Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph.? It is rated 30 bars, or 990 feet and will be limited to 1000 pieces at a price of $2250. But that isn't the full story. ...
The George Daniels Birkin Bentley Sells For 5,041,500, Becomes Most Valuable Bentley Ever Sold
The pre-war 4?-Litre Supercharged 'Blower' Bentley Single-Seater belonging to George Daniels - the incredible vehicle we showed you here - sold today for the highest price ever paid for a Bentley automobile at the Bonhmans Goodwood auction in the UK. The price? An astonishing 5,041,500, or $7.9M by today's exchange rate.More details can be found via Bonhams. Click through for a slideshow of the car we shot while it was visiting NYC....
Found: A Mint Condition Universal Geneve Compax Chronograph
It's no secret that we have a serious penchant for late 1960s / early 1970s sport chronographs, and that the product offering from Universal Geneve in the middle part of last century was incredibly strong (read our previous posts about UG here for validation).? On that note, the watch we've found for you today is very much a product of the late 60s and early 70s, and it reminds us a lot of some truly classical chronographs, but it is arguably cooler, because, well, it's not a Heuer, Omega, Breitling, Hamilton, or Rolex.This Unviersal Compax Chronograph has everything you want in a vintage sport chronograph - it's a three-register using the lauded Valjoux 72 caliber, the dial is brigh...
Introducing The Chopard Mille Miglia GMT Chrono For 2012
Here's a look at the brand new Mille Miglia GMT Chronograph for 2012 from Chopard.? Released in honor of this year's 1000 mile Mille Miglia run from Brescia to Rome, this year's watch features oversized counters at 12 and 6 o'clock for maximum legibility.? It also features at GMT hand for second timezone reading.? The strap, as always, is in a 1960s Dunlop tire motif, and this year, the watch will be made in 2012 examples in steel and 250 in rose gold.?More pics after the jump....