Posts by Erik Gustafson
Brown Guilloché Dial Voutilainen Observatoire
Despite sharing a strong family resemblance, this Observatoire is not a Vingt-8. It’s what came before, in tiny numbers, powered by a quite modified and ridiculously-beautifully-finished Peseux 260 before Kari’s own calibre 28 was ready. There were fewer than 50 examples of the Observatoire made before the Vingt-8 took over the throne. It was so…
Read More5970P Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
The 5970 is aging with same sort of dignity the 3970 is currently enjoying. In due time, this pair might come to represent as great a complication as Patek Philippe have ever created. You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again, this is the last of the Lemania ébauches; 5270 that followed axed that…
Read MoreLang & Heyne König Albert Von Sachsen
Lang & Heyne, not to be conflated with Lange, are quite unlike anything in the independent world. Taking inspiration and terrior from Dresden, Mirko Heyne and Marco Lang slowly built an audience for German watchmaking that is of equal quality to anything Glashútte but entirely distinct, though much of that was accomplished with hire Jens…
Read More4537 Rolex Chronograph
Meet the Daytona’s rather handsome grandfather. Before the Daytona were series of chronograph references called Pre-Daytona: 6032, 6034, 6232, 6234, and 6238. Before the Pre-Daytona things get really complicated. This is from just before the 6032, the very end of Pre-Pre-Daytona. Did that make any sense? What you’re looking at is a ref. 4537, the…
Read More‘Bart Simpson’ 5512 Rolex Submariner
Much like the 6263 and 6265 are the last of the manual Daytonas, this thing is in many ways the end of an era. This is a Bart Simpson 5512, a not super sexy nickname for what is a very sexy Submariner. Thanks to Rolex putting out numbers for once, the collecting world only recently learned…
Read MoreSpace EVA-Worn Omega Speedmaster from Gennady Padalka
This is a Speedmaster from 2015, just like any other. Except it was worn on a real-world spacewalk, this very example. This might actually be the best-documented space or EVA-worn Speedmaster in the world, and it’s coming up for sale (with the actual spacesuit glove, just in case it gets cold out). It was worn…
Read MoreHinged Caseback Chopard LUC 16/1860/1
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 More3508 IWC Ingenieur 500K A/m, Bimetal
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
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
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…
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