Archive for January 2023
‘Pink on Pink’ 96 Patek Philippe Calatrava
When asked by journalist how he might go about uniting France in wartime, Charles de Gaulle famously replied, ‘How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?’ His response perfectly encompasses how I feel about the Patek Philippe Calatrava, a fundamentally good thing which has endured the inevitable slide…
Read MoreIsraeli Defense Force 113.603 Heuer Autavia
I watched the new Top Gun last night (I know, I’m behind) and I took two things away from it: 1. IWC must’ve gone nearly bankrupt paying for that pocket watch promotion. 2. People who wear PVD chronographs are cool. I know that’s not the moral Joseph Kosinski was trying to get across, I’m a…
Read MoreMeters First, Tropical Mk3 1680 Rolex Red Submariner
The path to learning is through making mistakes. Rolex are often said to never make mistakes. That’s not quite true. There’s the double 9 Air King, 16710 ‘Error’ Dial, Patrizzi Daytona, Fuchsia GMT, Cream Explorer, I could go on. There’s a trend here: do you see it? Rolex do make mistakes, but when they do,…
Read More206-705-504 Movado Super Sub Sea
Everyone loves an underdog story. We root for Argentina. Critics fawn when a shed-built Lotus edges out a Porsche. It’s why hipsters exist, always trying to hop on the small but rising trend. But when two underdogs collaborate? I really struggle to think of successes. For example, the recent Fiat 124 was a collaboration between…
Read MoreCloisonné Enamel Dial Blancpain B00Z1-1433-55
There has never been a more 90s Blancpain than what you see before you. Sure, there’s the six masterpiece collection which is probably the most lauded effort the Le Brassus manufacture besides the Fifty Fathoms. But a full cloissonné dial that looks like Piet Mondrian was inspired by the stained glass at St Peter’s Basilica…
Read MoreBrass Movement FP Journe Chronomètre à Résonance
Patek owns the perpetual calendar chronograph. If I say GMT you’re thinking of the soda company synonymous, not Omega. MB&F invented, and now owns, the double chronograph (not to be confused with split seconds). Almost every watch complication has a luminary entrant that dominants enthusiast headspace. FP Journe may have started with the tourbillon, but,…
Read MoreTiffany 16800 Rolex Submariner
Tiffany is not complicated. It’s a brand. It sells stuff. So why does everyone behave as if anything bearing the holy stamp is the second coming? I’ll tell you why, it’s personal. Collectors look for any excuse to stand out. It could be patina, a stamp such as this, hell even a total flaw. In…
Read More3211 IWC Yacht Club II Jumbo Automatic in Yellow Gold
If you’d hopped in a Delorean and accidentally found yourself in 1970s Geneva, you’d struggle to find a Aquanaut. Shop all you like, there were very, very few options for luxury sports watches designed to be worn on rubber. The Yacht Club II is the first watch I’m aware of which took the Royal Oak…
Read More1 of 12 Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin Opaline for Revolution
Amongst a certain set of watch enthusiasts, the dual-tone split of a sector dial inspires the same sort of awe as Moses parting the Red Sea. It’s not a complex task, a sector dial. They began in the 1920s as a means of additional clarity, often in pocket watches. They were a touch easier to…
Read More817 Breitling CP-1 Italian Army Chronograph
When you approach the entire world through watches, it’s easy to get a slightly skewed view of things. See, I imagine all Special Ops guys running around with Sea-Dwellers on their wrists. I imagine every runway model wears a vintage Tank. Every F1 driver must rock a vintage Autavia, right? George Santos must wear a…
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