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...

1990s IWC was daring, cerebral, and of utmost quality. They were all guns blazing thanks to Blümlein and the mid-sized Ingenieur is no exception. This is the ref. 3521, sometimes called the ‘JLC’ Ingenieur for obvious reasons, the 887/2 ébauche, but it is perhaps most notable as the first COSC...

The ref. 25594ST ‘Owl’ is a Royal Oak that made its name from its Day Date apertures, wide-eyed with a strangely Rolex-adjacent complication. It’s decidedly not a QP, but also no 4100. And, for that, collectors adore it. It is an eclectic Royal Oak, neither as crazy valuable as say...

The 1016 is where function meets restraint. There are more robust Rolexes. There are more luxurious Rolexes. But I’m not aware of any better designed Rolex dials. The 3-6-9 is divine intervention, so good that even the Sub had to start somewhere. We’re all very aware, also, that this is...

With all the ‘Black Knight’ insanely valuable 6238s, it’s easy to forget just what an insane value the silver dial ‘last of the Pre-Daytonas’ is. Introduced in the early 1960s and produced in large overlap with its successor, the 6239, the 6238 ran until 1967. It was notable lacking a...

This isn’t a Day-Date, it’s a dial from a very different place and time in Rolex. It’s Eastern Arabic Hindi, it’s tropical chocolate, and it’s wrapped in pink gold. This is an 1803, same as any other. Except the dial certainly spent some degree of time in the desert, it...

The 14k gold 6265 is a unique artifact of a time and place. It was born out of gold old fashion import duty dodging, as the US at the time had different rates depending on the gold alloy. More than that, though, and not often discussed, the gold variants of...

The 6263 is the final manual Daytona, alongside its steel bezel counterpart the 6265. While not the first Daytona and not the first to have screw-down pushers, it was the first reference to fully cement the use of both with the Rolex Oyster Cosmograph or ROC signature. It also introduced...

This, Audemars Piguet’s 1986 ref. 25636, is the first AP skeletonized perpetual calendar of any sort. It was released in 1986, a full two years ahead of the 36mm ref. 25668 skeleton in a circular case. It’s not the first-ever skeleton QP, VC’s 43032 were released in 1984. But it...

Despite the hype cycles, the Nautilus is a very significant and enduring design. It changed the gravity of the brand in the modern era. After being asked by Patek Philippe to design a sports watch to rival the new Royal Oak, Genta designed this porthole-shaped on a napkin while at...

In 1995, Audemars Piguet turned 120. AP looked into their catalogue, deciding the most prestigious and representative piece they could use to celebrate the occasion. This is the ref. 25810OR, a 120-example run of the RO QP. It’s like a 25686, only pink on pink, with a week pointer, and...

Well before the Daytona, even before WWII, the 13ZN was the beautiful chronograph calibre made and by some margin. Longines dominated chronographs in the transition from pocket watches to wristwatches, going back to this watch’s predecessor the 13.33Z. However, the 13.33Z was largely a monopusher. Modifications were made but still...

If the Ellipse case is not for you, the good news is that some of Roth’s best-ever work occurred outside of it—both in Breguet and JDN. This is a 3355, which might sound a lot like 3350 if you know your Breguet. Roth worked closely with Lemania for three years...

While the 1675 is effectively a perfect watch, the yellow gold 1675/8 can be even more perfect. Since the earliest days of the 6542, the GMT-Master has embraced gold. While there were Pre-Daytonas which already existed, it is one of the earliest Rolex sport watches to embrace precious metal. However,...

This is the most interesting variant of a not-very-currently-popular Royal Oak. Yes, it’s an Offshore. Yes, Genta would’ve hated it. While it might easily be mistaken for ‘The Beast’, it’s actually the very first Royal Oak Offshore QP. AP manufactured fewer than 50 of these, ref. 25854ST, in 1997. It...

Early Urban Jürgensen has been one of the better kept secrets of independents for a few years, at least till this year. This, I suspect, because the brand has one of the most convoluted and difficult-to-follow histories of any. The beauty, though, is easily understood. This is their 90s QP,...

This is the ref. 25668BA, the ultimate evolution of the original 5548, produced from 1988 until 1993 to celebrate the resurgence of complicated mechanical watchmaking to Switzerland. In yellow gold, just 94 examples of the ref. were made. It is one of the most highly collected, highly finished QPs of...

There are watches you love immediately. To most, this ref. 25594SA is not one of those watches. The 25594 is one of those iconoclast watches that’s so polarizing that it somehow circles back around to being completely attractive. To start, the midsized Royal Oak isn’t for everyone. Then two-tone: it...