Archive for October 2022
1803 Oxblood Stella Rolex Day-Date
The Day-Date (colloquially President) is arguably Rolex’s most iconic model, full stop. It is classic, subdued, sophisticated, timeless, and coveted. Like much of vintage Rolex the variety of iterations and custom-order examples within this one model could serve as subject to multiple volumes of research. This elicits the query, where to start? Well, when both…
Read More1 of 100 SBGR091 Grand Seiko 62GS
The 1967 62GS really means something, both to enthusiasts of Grand Seiko and the manufacture, as Grand Seiko’s first-ever self-winding offering. In production for just two years, the 62GS defied trends in both case and movement architecture while fully realizing Taro Tanaka’s ‘Grammar of Design.’ 36mm, bezel-less, harsh facets with contrasting mirror polish, offset crown,…
Read More881101/01 ‘Clapton’ Universal Genève Tri-Compax
They say never meet your heroes; I’ve never met Eric Clapton. But I have met my hero, his watch, and they were wrong. The 881101 in any guise is near-perfection: discreet complication, total design balance in a panda dial, a lyre-lugged 36mm steel case, and immense history. The Tri-Compax holds lore itself in watch collecting…
Read More3864 Longines Sei Tacche
Through the post WWII era, Longines’ engineering, quality, and design were nearly unrivaled. This era gave us the 13ZN, 12.68Z fly-back, 6630 ‘Swiss Air’, 3592 Type A-7, ‘Tasti a Spillo’, and many other. Among this innovative era were a series of extremely handsome calatrava-styled pieces with restrained aesthetics. The most famed of these are known…
Read MoreSteel FP Journe Octa Automatique
The word steel very, very rarely appears next to FP Journe. Journe’s following has grown so vast and so dedicated that any small deviation from the usual recipe often results in pandemonium. There are few collector sets which become so frantic over rare dials, one offs, or limited series. You can imagine, then, the furor…
Read More7016/0 Tudor Submariner
No-nonsense divers don’t come much more attractive than early Tudor Submariners. The 7016, released in 1968, was quite notable as it marked the first time Tudor utilized an ETA movement as opposed to the Fleurier of the 7928 it succeeded. The 7016 reference also covered the first ever-snowflake handsets, though earlier examples such as these…
Read MoreFirst Series 43031 Vacheron Constantin Perpetual
The 222 is not VC’s only reference forgotten to the evolution time, now only known to enthusiasts. The phrase ‘post-quartz perpetual’ brings to mind almost exclusively AP’s 5548, debuted in 1978. However, just a hair behind (in terms of investment in time it takes to develop an in-house, ultra-thin perpetual calendar), were VC with this…
Read More1530 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date
This is not an Oysterquartz. Many of you will be unfamiliar with the 1530; this is easily forgiven. The reference is not on John Mayers wrist, Hodinkee haven’t done a reference points covering it, and its story is one which requires a deep understanding of Rolex. If you’ve always lusted after the harshly angular, integrated…
Read More‘Ed White’ 105.003-63 Omega Speedmaster
In 1965, Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. Needless to say, he is a hero. But he was so much more: an aeronautical engineer, USAF Officer, fighter pilot, crewmember of Gemini IV and Apollo I. He puts my entire life, and likely yours, to shame. Mr White tragically passed in…
Read MoreExotic Dial 73443T Heuer Camaro Dato
While the Camaro is not a particularly rare chronograph, some executions are harder to come by than others. The exotic dial 73443 with a date at six is one of the more scarce and attractive. The Camaro was Jack Heuer’s attempt to capture the heart of the American muscle car market in watch form, strategically…
Read More