‘Desert Eagle’ 6263 Rolex Daytona

Desert-Eagle-6263-Rolex-Daytona-UAE

Imagine being invited into Jean-Frederic Dufour’s palatial office, sitting in some absurdly sumptuous modern leather chair, and asking him if he might be able to remove the name ‘Rolex’ from his dial for you. Just a few pieces, of course. You think asking an AD for ceramic Daytona is implausible? I suspect Mr. Dufour would…

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Cartier CPCP 1575 Santos Dumont

Cartier-CPCP-Santos-Dumont

A bastion of utility with elegant design in the modern era, the Santos Dumont is what a pilot’s watch looks like when dressed to the nines. The ‘Dumont’ here is important, a deliberate naming choice made by Cartier to reference the full name of Louis Cartier’s pilot friend who, in 1904, needed a wristwatch instead…

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3770 Patek Philippe ‘Nautellipse’

Patek-Nautellipse-3770

The uncanny valley is a widely-observed phenomena whereby a humanoid figure (such as a figurine, robot, or CGI character) creates increasing feelings of unease or distrust the more closely it approximates a human appearance. Viewers of HBO’s Westworld will be familiar with this feeling. For example, dolls are inanimate objects which mostly don’t frighten us.…

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‘Cosmic’ Dial 16610 Rolex Submariner

Cosmic-Dial-16610-Rolex-Submariner

It somehow feels wrong to describe a Rolex as neo-vintage, and yet here we are. Everything about the 16610 is neo. I tend to over-index on four and early five digit Rolex, purely as much of modern Rolex lacks the romance I so desire in a steel tool watch. However, the 16610 still held on…

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Philippe Dufour Simplicity

Philippe-Dufour-Simplicity

What ink remains to be spilled on behalf of the Simplicity? This is it, as good as watchmaking gets, independent or otherwise. Where Patek Philippe are undisputed masters of their craft, that is an effort of some 1600 people to elevate watchmaking to an art. The Simplicity is one man’s effort to distill heaven into…

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Civilian Zenith A. Cairelli CP-2

Zenith-A-Cairelli-CP-2

The Zenith A. Cairelli AMI CP-2 represents a high-water mark of effortless Italian style, full stop. And that’s saying a lot: Turin gave us the Type 33 Stradale, Piedmont gave us Nutella (okay, maybe Nutella isn’t stylish but I love it), Florence gave us the Vespa, and Zenith gave Italy’s Air Force, and the world,…

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2597 Patek Philippe ‘Travel Time’ Calatrava in Pink Gold

2597-Patek-Philippe-Travel-Time-Calatrava

Developed just after the initial Worldtimers by Louis Cottier, the ref. 2597 is damn cool ‘Travel Time’ from 1956, the very start of the jet age. The reference can be thought of as a 570 Calatrava with a little je ne sais quoi complication. The watch featured an early iteration of a Travel Time, effectively: its wearer…

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Mk1 7763C Heuer Autavia

7763C-Heuer-Autavia

Cutting edge technology looked a little different in 1968. When Piquerez debuted the EPSA case circa 1960, it was a true step function change in water resistance. Heuer took that same tech on board in their all-purpose chronograph, the Autavia. Following the 2446C, this second generation Autavia debuted the Valjoux 7730 in place of the…

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Meters First, Tropical Mk2 1680 Rolex Red Submariner

Tropical-1680-Rolex-Red-Submariner

One of the many appeals in vintage Rolex collecting is the vastly different character that the same reference can have, simply as a result of having led different lives. Not all patina is equal. Everyone knows what a red Submariner is. But I’ll be damned if anyone knew it could look this good. This is…

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204612/2 Universal Genève Polerouter

Universal-Genève-Polerouter-204617/1

Of all of Genta’s diverse work, the Polerouter is easily one of the most classically beautiful. Moreover, its calibre 218 micro-rotor was materially innovative, a groundbreaking movement engineered ground-up to in order to allow a gracefully thin case. Yet, for all its numerous merits, the Polerouter is still an attainable proposition for many. Certainly, its…

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