‘Ruri’ Dial Credor Eichi II

Credor-Eichi-II-Ruri

For decades, it seemed like Seiko never knew exactly what to do with Credor. The subsidiary brand was invented in 1974 in order to take the fight back to the Swiss in high-end watchmaking (quartz and mechanical). But hang on, wasn’t that the purview of Grand Seiko already? Or King Seiko maybe? The answer is,…

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‘Digital’ Breitling 765 AVI

Breitling-765-AVI-Digital

If you want to keep people guessing, a Rolex ghost dial is a great start. But if you want to take anonymity to its ultimate extent, who would have guessed Breitling would outdo themselves? Far from the garish oversized Breitling for Bentleys of the early 2000s, this is an aviators chronograph that represents the polar…

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Lapis Lazuli Dial 4316 Rolex King Midas Cellini

Last evening, Rhianna made some noises which could be described as music in front of 28.5M viewers. You may have gathered, I’m not terribly fussed over modern pop. But I am, you may be surprised to hear, a massive fan of Riri. Because she has been snapped a handful of times sporting a King Midas,…

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25594SA Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Day-Date Moonphase

There are watches you love right away, watches that shine brighter than Margo Robbie and have Nelson Mandela’s depth of character. 1518s, Rexheps, George Daniels, etc. Others though, take a little warming to. The two-tone (SA) ref. 25594 is neither. This is a watch that is so iconoclast that it somehow loops back to being…

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401.026 First Series A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph

There’s an old German proveb that goes ‘Das billige ist immer das teuerste’, or ‘The cheapest is always most expensive’. Germans invest in quality. You get the sense that a watchmaker on a bench at Lange wouldn’t be able cut a corner if they tried, that in their mind anything less than perfect mirror anglage…

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Ghost Dial, Bark Finish 18078 Rolex Day-Date

Ghost dials are the ultimate form of discretion through patina. Something about the philosophy of wearing a Rolex which doesn’t say Rolex anywhere (or only just) is very enticing. I’ve previously likened the effect to de-badging a luxury German sportscar, which is surprisingly common over there. But, given more thought (and drink), I think it’s…

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96054 1980s Cartier Santos Dumont ‘Extra Flat’

Last year, Cartier outsold Omega by turnover for the first time, taking second place behind Rolex as Switzerland’s largest watch seller. This worries me slightly. It’s not that I don’t want Cartier to do well, quite the opposite. But I also don’t want Cartier to become more associated with Harrods than Fifth Ave. I worry…

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165.024 Omega Seamaster 300

One of the greatest food critics ever, AA Gill, would always write that the quality of the food in a restaurant is inversely proportional to the splendor of the view. The structure of this dichotomy applies very well to hype watches equally, where the intrigue of the watchmaking or history is, often, inversely proportional to…

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H40 Roger Dubuis Hommage Perpetual Calendar

There is no greater shame than seeing a once pioneering, irreverant watchmaker become diluted in selinity, as different ownership structures muddle that once-crystalline purpose. There’s a terrible feeling that acquisition will see an independent go from unbridled passion to release after release of tired and thoughtless nouveau-riche cash grabs. That doesn’t have to be the…

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Tropical 1680/8 Rolex Submariner

For decades, a gold Sub has always been the universal standard ‘F-you money’ watch. In much the same way that Rolls Phantom wafts past in total opulence, the 1680/8 wears with similar imperious grandeur. People know what it is, people know what it means. This one, though, it’s a bit different. One of the primary…

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