When the 3940 began, it started at the top. Beyer, the world’s oldest independent retailer in business for 266 years, got the first 25 examples. They even got their name on the dial, over doré, individually numbered. Numbers 1 to 15 have a German dial, while 16 to 25 are...

Well before the Land-Dweller and even before the Oysterquartz, there was this: the 1530. Known colloquially as the ‘mechanical Oysterquartz’, this is in fact an entirely mechanical wristwatch. It is not the first integrated bracelet Rolex (either the Midas, Texano, or ref. 9083 depending on your definition), but it is...

This is the first 2523 made, the prototype. Thanks to records from scholar Brandon Thomas, who acquired original workshop notes from Cottier’s atelier, it’s known that this was marked down as a prototype. Likely made with two different interchangeable center dial styles as test, this example sported this unique guilloché...

The 5970R we know and love usually has a silver dial. Those who were lucky enough to be able to place a special order, though, could opt for this black. Only one other has come to auction, this will be the second. Patek Philippe have a long history of granting...

This is a Lange 1A, that’s not a typo. This is the very first limited production Lange, ref. 112.021 made in 100 examples in 1998. It sports a name which nods toward what was then a new manufacture building named 1A. It was also the very first Lange to sport...

This is a superwatch both physically and in terms of complications. Very few sports watches can split seconds. FP Journe introduced the Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante in 2018, building off an experimental Split Seconds project for Only Watch which hammered at 1.15M CHF. By popular demand, FP Journe refined that calibre...