Hinged Caseback Chopard LUC 16/1860/1

Hunter-Caseback-Chopard-LUC-16/1860-Limited

This is a rare bird, even though at first glance it appears to be your average 16/1860. This is a first edition 16/1860/1, but the first of the first. It’s not often discussed, but the first 100 examples of the 16/1860, regardless of case metal, were made numbered in series with a hinged or ‘hunter’…

Read More

3508 IWC Ingenieur 500K A/m, Bimetal

3508-IWC-Ingenieur-500K-A/m

The mid-sized Ingenieur is one of the great undersold integrated bracelet designs of the last half century, but that’s starting to turn. In today’s climate, things can only remain enthusiast favorites for so long before others catch on. This is the 3508, a triumph of engineering able to withstand 500K A/m, something not even modern…

Read More

‘Hampton Court’ 405.047 A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down

Hampton-Court-405.047-A-Lange-Söhne-Datograph-Up/Down

405.047 is reference not likely to ring any bells, and that’s because it’s a piece unique. Lange have a long tradition of sponsoring automotive Concours, specifically Villa d’Este. They don’t necessarily indulge in one-offs often, which makes what we’re about to cover rather unique. The Lange-Concourso d’Eleganza partnership makes sense, and not just because Lange…

Read More

‘Small Floating’ Dial 6240 Rolex Daytona

Rolex-Daytona-6240

This was the start of the legendary screwdown Daytona pusher. Okay, maybe not the very start, it’s not a Solo, but reference-wise with millerighes (more on that later). This is the ref. 6240 and it would not be a stretch to say that all screw-down Daytonas exist because of this reference’s lineage. Two years after the…

Read More

Romain Gauthier Logical One, Titanium

Romain-Gauthier-Logical-One-Titanium

Pause a moment and just contemplate the insanity here. The fusée and chain is surely the most spectacular way possible to deliver a constant force from the mainspring. A fusée and chain made of a snail cam with a chain of individual rubies used as roller bearings is, well, madness. As if that weren’t enough,…

Read More

‘Lemon Paul Newman’ 6264 Rolex Daytona

Lemon-Dial-Rolex-Daytona-6264-Paul-Newman

Lemon normally describes a defect, yet in Paul Newmans it’s anything but, it’s seven figures to start. The 6262 and 6264 will be known to collectors as the transition reference Daytonas; either is relatively uncommon in its own right. The pair of Cosmographs introduced the Valjoux 727 and its higher beat rate, the last of…

Read More

‘Type 7’ Dial 3700 Patek Philippe Nautilus

Patek-Philippe-3700-Nautilus-Type-7-Dial

The greatest green dial Nautilus that’s ever been made didn’t start life that way. It wasn’t made in 2021. It wasn’t even made on purpose. Some of the most painstakingly excellent scholarship of the last decade was made by a collector and anonymous superhero who goes by ‘Mstanga’ on forums. Mr. Stanga studied all 3700 dial…

Read More

FP Journe Vagabondage II, Platinum

FP-Journe-Vagabondage-II-Platinum

No one remembers who comes in second. That was the fundamental problem facing FP Journe’s first attempts at the digital time display, the Vagabondage series, in the wake of the Zeitwerk. However, by third go, FP Journe’s manic obsession had yielded his own first, running digital seconds. Despite that massive and somewhat insane accomplishment, it…

Read More

43031 Vacheron Constantin Perpetual Calendar, Platinum

Vacheron-Constantin-43031-Perpetual-Calendar-Platinum

The 43031 is a QP made for posterity to enjoy. Shortly after the 5548, Vacheron brought back their take on the ultra-thin 920 QP, distinctly quirky and slightly more expressive than the AP. To be certain, it was not appreciated properly in period. Between AP’s 5548 and Patek’s 3940, the 43031 sold far, far fewer…

Read More