Posts by Erik Gustafson
‘Desert Eagle’ UAE Dial 6263 Rolex Daytona
Some of the sickest, most historically significant Daytonas in the world don’t say Daytona anywhere on them. But only a handful are so important that they don’t even say Rolex. Rolex did not bow this deeply for Tiffany, Beyer, or Assad. Rolex only agreed to make dials that didn’t say Rolex at the special request…
Read MoreBlack Dial 1019 Rolex Milgauss
The Milgauss is dead. Except, if you love Rolex, you’ll know the best core scientific Rolex offering was never called Z-Blue. It was called 6541 or maybe 6543. However, if you’ve glanced recent auction results to find the last great 6541 hammered at 2.5M, don’t lose hope. The 1019 has always been the awkward child…
Read MoreCoral Dial 18238 Rolex Day-Date
Fewer than 5 years ago, this was a 50K (USD) Day-Date. Today, this is a 200K Day-Date. It is a stone dial, but not one you’re likely to see ever, known as coral. This is not to be confused with coral-red Stella dials, this is coral stone. The tones of coral can range from peach…
Read More4300V Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar, Pink Gold
The Vacheron Constantin Perpetual Calendar has always been the unobvious choice. AP were first to both the post-quartz revolution QP and later integrating that QP with a sports case in the 25554 in 1983. They invented the category. Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin only brought perpetual calendars to their sports lines in 2018 & 2011…
Read More5004A Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Split Seconds
Patek Philippe only has the reputation today that can see it ‘get away’ with things like the rainbow minute-repeating Aquanauts because of the reputation it built with watches like the 5004. In 1994, Patek Philippe faced a question. They’d successfully brought high complication to meet serial production, in a way that few marques had, in…
Read More5040G Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar
Shaped watches are often overlooked and there might be no case more unjustly maligned than the Patek Philippe 5040. The 5040 is the lesser famous Don Swayze to the 3940’s Patrick Swayze. Why is that? This is a micro-rotor cal 240Q perpetual calendar, same as the 3940, in a Tortue-like case. But for all the…
Read MoreHaldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon
There’s no CNC machine at Haldimann, an independent whose philosophy is about as far from Rolex as watchmaking gets. The most modern machine they have is an optical microscope from the ’60s. I suspect if you showed an iPhone to Beat Haldimann he’d shout witchcraft and report you to the church immediately. Haldimann’s workshop and…
Read More270.2.68 Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tourbillon, Pink Gold
JLC of the later 80s and early 90s, or pre-Richemont acquisition rather, knew how to throw a party. Then CEO Henry-John Belmont, French designer Janek Deleskiewicz, and new recruit Günter Blümlein (of later Lange fame) wanted to take the Reverso and elevate it considerably. Using the model’s 60th anniversary as a bit of an excuse, the…
Read More‘Jochen Rindt’ 2446 Heuer Autavia Third Execution
To us, Heuer are not a quartz Moonswatch-me-too Hodinkee marketing exercise. Similarly, Heuer are not 18mm thick, uninspired chronographs made to give Frédéric Arnault something to do other than party. No modern marque may be so far off course from its roots as TAG. So let’s focus on the second half, Heuer, instead. Heuer were,…
Read MoreLapis Dial 1601/8 Rolex Datejust
Here’s a hot take to some: stone dials suit the Datejust even better than a Day-Date. If you’ve been into the more formal side of Rolex for any time at all, most roads lead to vintage Day-Date. But stone dials are the only place where a Datejust stands on equal footing with the Day-Date, spec…
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