Posts by Erik Gustafson
165.014 Omega Seamaster 300
Why is it that transitional references are always criminally overlooked? Often, they’re some of the most interesting . . .and that’s definitely the case here. This is the ref. 165.014. To all intents and purposes, it’s a slightly updated 2913 yet still in the 2913 straight lug case. In many ways, what the Ed White…
Read MoreGreubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S2
The more one studies watchmaking, the more they come to respect Greubel Forsey. Now, I’m choosing my words carefully there, because respect is a very different thing to lust. Many of Greubel’s cases are imposing, not elegant. Their finishing is celebrated at full scale, never hidden. It’s a bit like the feeling you’d get as…
Read More8171 Rolex ‘Padellone’
This was, to all intents and purposes, the first and last time Rolex experimented with complication. If you want a Rolex with a calendar, you’re looking at a 6062 which came after this with an Oyster case, a Killy, or this 8171. The 8171 is known as the ‘Padellone’ (literally ‘frying pan’) for its flat,…
Read More‘Bart Simpson’ 5513 Rolex Submariner
Ah, Bart Simpson. For all the sexy nicknames that go along with the watches we love such as Nina Rindt, Padellone, Tasti Tondi, Newman, and all the rest, Bart Simpson is bit jaunty. But it’s actually a very significant dial in a lot of ways. These are the final years of the gilt dial Sub.…
Read MorePhilippe Dufour Duality
One of the ten Dufour Dualities ever made has surfaced and you can’t expect us not to point this out. What’s interesting here is that it’s on the market at all, but more on that later. While renown primarily for his superhuman finishing ability, Philippe Dufour first built his name in complication (much like Rexhep)…
Read More‘Lemon’ Dial 116520 Rolex Daytona
Is this the next Patrizzi dial? That is one of the most interesting, perennially-evolving questions in all Rolex. As watches progress from new to used, then neo or vintage, our relationship to them changes. Collectors are beginning to pay real attention, and sums, for ‘lemon’ dials. Now, these go equally by lemon, cream, or panna;…
Read More1563 Patek Philippe Split Seconds Chronograph
Little did we realize when our newsletter editor wrote ‘A Brief Guide to Patek Philippe’s 1563 Split-Seconds’ in an edition a few months back, one of the three known would be coming to auction later that year. It turns out, that’s the reality we live in. The 1563 is a lot more than just a…
Read MoreTerra Brown Dial 380.044 A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Automatik
It’s from Glashütte, so they won’t call it a Havana dial. But, make no mistake, that’s what this is. The 380.044 is a very interesting, somewhat unusual modern Saxonia. It has its imperfections and charms, . . .we’ll get there. But it was part of a revamp of the Saxonia Automatik mid 2016 which included…
Read More270.2.69 Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Chronographe Retrograde
Pre-Richemont JLC was unstoppable. 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 team then set about a decade long celebration of the Reverso from 1991 until…
Read More‘Obsidian’ Dial 1600 Rolex Datejust
Here’s just about the most controversial Rolex around today. It goes by Obsidian, a volcanic glass, and for recent years it has been hyped as one of the rarest stone dials made. But is it? That’s not an easy question to answer. The last few years have seen stone dial Day-Dates and Datejusts rise stratospherically…
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