Archive for June 2021
Value Proposition: Tissot Janeiro Z199 LE Chronograph
My recent pet fascination has been neo-vintage—particularly limited—pre-instagram watches. You may recall seeing the Septantieme, SSASS Alpinist, or early steel Franck Muller recently. I may need to create a category here. The deeper I dive, the more vast this space seems to become. While searching out a strong vintage Tissot 33.3 recently, I stumbled upon…
Read More‘London 2012’ Omega Seamaster 1948
The Seamaster 1948, if you don’t know, was released in 2011. If you don’t know Omega, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. The model was design to recall one of the best vintage Seamaster designs with modern updates. They pulled a Singer on their own history. This Seamaster 1948, the 2011 one, was redesigned…
Read MoreUlysse Nardin Monopusher 386-88
Modern sleeper watches are few and far between. Discretion is not as marketable as it once was. This Ulysse Nardin Monopusher is a true sleeper in three contexts. First, the watch may wear a marking from Ulysse Nardin, but was originally designed by a young FP Journe for La Joux-Perret. This not widely known. Secondly,…
Read More3-6-9 ‘Explorer’ Big Crown 6200 Rolex Submariner
Just when you think vintage Rolex ‘barnfind’ possibilities have fully dried up, something like this happens. 6200 Submariners are not exactly common. They are so uncommon, in fact, that I’d wager most owners could name half of the other owners. What I am saying is this: there are only a handful of collectors with the…
Read MoreKurono Tokyo Anniversary Mori Green
Hajime Asaoka’s sub-brand Kurono Tokyo started with a bang in 2019. No matter what you think of the recent trend of independent sub-brands, the ground Kurono have covered in a very short time is remarkable. In two short years, they have left a true imprint on the collecting public’s consciousness. Through a series of very…
Read MoreFinnish Finesse: Sarpaneva Korona K0 Northern Lights
I like misfits. As a guide to life, they are generally more embracing of themselves and interesting. Granted, one could say all smackheads are also misfits. The rule is not absolute. In watchmaking, there are monolithic corporations like Richemont or Swatch. Then there are the established independents: think Journe, Dufour, RW Smith, etc. Finally, there…
Read MorePanda Tudor 79170 Big Block with Graduated 12-Hour Bezel
Few watches will ever experience the fame that the Daytona has gathered in its recent few decades. Perhaps the Nautilus and Royal Oak have seen similar ascensions, but that’s all I can think of with a massive 10 seconds of thought dedicated to the effort. However, there are no other in-house, ‘simplified’ Nautilus (don’t you…
Read MoreBerthoud Genève Compur
If you’re a watch collector hardcore, you likely love Universal Geneve. If you’re a bit of a watch obsessive, may be aware some of their movements made their way into watch assemblies under other names. By no means was UG the ETA of their era. However, some sales did take place. One of those was…
Read MoreBlancpain Léman Moonphase in Steel
Blancpain and Jean-Claude Biver are often credited with leading the charge of mechanical watchmaking’s return to dominance post-quartz crisis. Defiant ads proclaimed ‘there has has never been a quartz Blancpain and there never will be’. Pieces like the revived Fifty Fathoms, 1735 Grande Complication, and (toward the end of JCB) this Léman Moonphase were meant…
Read MoreUnrestored 1940s Movado M90 Chronograph
The Movado M90 is an early two-register chronograph that has largely been consigned to the history books. Recent explosions in value of François Borgel (FB) Patek Tasti Tondis has also pulled up values of M90 and M95 Tasti Tondi case variants. The humble non-FB cased M90 and M95, however, are also exceptional period chronographs. These…
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