The 130 was the first ever serially produced Patek Philippe chronograph, the daddy of the Tasti Tondi and so much else we take for granted today. Made for an astonishing (almost) three decades from 1936-1964, there are a bewildering number of dials, calibres, and even case sizes: 130 production is...

In and amongst all the Lange 1s, blue dials hold a special place in collectors’ hearts. ‘Prussian’ blue holds special significance within German culture as it was discovered accidentally by a German painter and became the first ever chemically produced blue pigment. The Prussian King chose this color, framed in...

There is nothing like vintage Breguet to show how much more modern Breguet could be capable of. The 3230 is a chronograph, yes. But it’s also almost independent in spirit, having been made under the eye of Daniel Roth while still wet behind the ears. This is kind of like...

Zenith in 1969 was firing on more than all creative cylinders. They went up to 11, 12, and then 36,000. The cases went for pure revolution over evolution. Gay Frères invented a new, very summery, and very 70s bracelet with ventilation where links should be. And then there’s the watchmaking....

The 2960 Or Massif is a difficult enough hunt already in this market, but meet the black dial. This is an impossibly uncommon Santos. It’s probably one of fewer than five, fairly concretely. Certainly, only two are known. They very likely have ties to Oman origin, despite no khanjar on...

The Vingt-8 is Voutilainen distilled, focused independent watchmaking with nothing to distract. Kari started his brand Voutilainen with the Observatoire in 2007. The Observatoire famously used NOS Peseux 260, an observatory calibre that was never actually cased for wristwatches. When it came time to rethink the offering in 2011, the...

If you want a vintage Rolex with a moonphase, you have two options. One is the Padellone, ref. 8171. The second is this, the ref. 6062. The 6062 is one of the most desirable and collected things in all vintage Rolex, and for once it’s not hard to understand why....

Where the Royal Oak market has been shuffling its feet for the last year or two, the Royal Oak QP seems like it might be having a moment. It was, in 1984, category making. Sporting watch, high complication. That’s taken for granted, but it truly had never been done. In...

This is a somewhat mysterious chronograph with a remarkable ability to charm just about everybody. It’s a LeCoultre V72 but, no, it’s not an E335 like the last one we featured. It’s not even a US market, as most were. The case is not the usual 14k, for US import...

It took until 2019 for Lange to give in and make a salmon dial. The logic tracks, as it’s a bit uncomfortably close to Swiss aesthetic. But these days, Lange are comfortable in their own skin. And that’s allowed some traditionally Swiss aesthetics to enter the chat. However, Lange are...

The 3417 Amagnetic is considered by many the most elegant tool watch ever made, a Calatrava-like peer which blurs the line between utilitarian purpose and the refinement of a formal dress watch. Well before the Nautilus, this was in its day the sole Patek Philippe reference to be made exclusively...

The 5959 is equal parts serious weapons-grade watchmaking with serious whimsy. Released in 2005, this was actually the very first fully in-house Patek Philippe chronograph. And they chose a split seconds monopusher, predating the 5170 by 4 years. More than that, CHR 27-525 PS was the thinnest split seconds calibre...

Exotic dials aren’t just for Rolex. Meet the Omega equivalent of Paul Newman, just no one ever frames it in that light. This is the 145.022 ‘Orange Racing’, a 1969/1970 Speedmaster variant with a grey Singer dial that I’ve often called ‘about as colorful as a Coldplay concert on acid’....

Splitting seconds is even more fun when it the watch appears to be a humble chronograph. FP Journe introduced the Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante in 2018, building off an experimental Split Seconds project for Only Watch which hammered at 1.15M CHF. FP Journe refined that calibre and included it in the...

It only took two short decades for the Submariner to rise from utilitarian instrument to object of desire. The Submariner was first made in gold in 1969, with the 1680/8. This was the very start of the premiumisation Rolex is built on today. And yet, that very genesis of Rolex-as-luxury...

In vintage and particularly Rolex, the name of the game is rarely determined by the reference number alone. Unless very rare, it’s about the dial, condition, and life it has lived. The 6265 is not a rare watch. It was produced, and it’s also mega-desirable. It’s also the last of...

There may never be a Patek Philippe this beautiful again. To those paying close attention, this era (Philippe Stern’s) is really having a moment. 3940, 3970, and 5004: they may as well be their own ‘holy trinity’ within the brand and there really is a magic about each that is...

The 1655 is one of the strangest anachronisms of the Rolex four-digit. By comparison to a GMT or Sub, it takes a very specific kind of collector: one who appreciates the start of a story, how a case wears, and dial beauty to exclusion of utility. We usually think of...