Early Urban Jürgensen can easily go unnoticed, but really shouldn't. This, I suspect, because the brand has one of the most convoluted and difficult-to-follow histories of any. Here’s what’s relevant to this, their 90s Reference 1. The storied Danish pocket watch brand was acquired by a Peter Baumberger, an enterprising...

In 1983, Vacheron Constantin announced to the world their intentions to return to traditional, complicated mechanical watchmaking in the wake of the quartz crisis with the ref. 43031 Perpetual Calendar. Switzerland had been decimated, with watch industry employment falling from 90,000 to 28,000 and the number of dedicated watchmakers employed...

We’ve all gotten used to wild Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillons, FPJ Sport Rattrapantes, or even RMs today, they’re all over. But this was the first time high complication met sporting ambition. It is impossible to overstate the significance of reference 5554, the Royal Oak QP, first debuted in 1984....

Genta didn’t just do the Royal Oak and Nautilus. He penned IWC’s original 1832 Ingenieur. And then he went clubbing. Literally. This is still contested today, but on the balance of evidence it is extremely likely that Genta also penned the Yacht Club II, Polo Club SL, and this. This...

Not all Daytona are created equal. Not even all 6262 Daytona are close to equal. Daytona is highly stratified based on how obsessed you’re willing to get with the dial. This 6262 comes from early in the production of the reference and features the tri-color dial often seen on 6239...

The Tank À Guichets is back and more vintage-leaning than ever. But this is not that watch. This is a CPCP Tank À Guichets. The Tank À Guichets has always been a limited release in Cartier, from first commission in 1928 until this 100 example run in 2004 over 90...

From 1941 until 1952, Patek Philippe made 210 of these. Almost all in yellow gold, a fraction are in this pink gold, and there’s one in steel. It’s the 1526, the very first serially produced Perpetual Calendar wristwatch from Patek. About 10 were made per year, which was all the...

The 25668 is the ultimate evolution of the 5548, produced from 1988 until 1993 to celebrate the resurgence of complicated mechanical watchmaking to Switzerland. 154 examples were made in 18k yellow gold. They're divided into two case types, an earlier extruded pusher and this later flat pusher. Arguably, this is the...

This is peak Philippe-Stern-era Patek Philippe. The 5004 is the watch that built so much reputation and rapport under the brand that Patek could afford to erode it for a generation or two. It is the modern classic, Ed Sheeran gets it (read Time lately?). To bring the brand onto...

This is a Zephyr, a watch which Rolex themselves once described in an ad as, ‘possibly the handsomest watch in the world.’ You can think of it as an Oyster Perpetual that got dressed up to go to the Opera. The Zephyr has a rather bizarre history that involves motorsport...

The phrase 'a workhorse', is a bit of a cliché these days. Well, this actually is one. Not because of how it was made, but because it truly worked for a living. It's a professional Submariner, not a 5513 sold in Miami to your local banker. It's a 5513 that...

The Day-Date exists in part because this was not a commercial success in period. However, today, Rolex collecting knows no greater heights. This is the 6062, one of just three forays Rolex made into complication. But this one is quite unusual. It’s called the Soleil dial, and it’s actually a...

This is not what it appears at first glance. Sure, it’s a Nautilus. And yes, it’s the mid-sized 3800. But it’s the 3800G. G as in white gold. And there really aren’t many of these. While you’ll trip and find a yellow gold or steel, the other three metals are...

Special non-Paul Newman is a ton of fun these days. This is a 6265 in 18k yellow gold. It’s about as accessible as something akin to JPS can get. Despite nearly 2 decades of production, just a fraction of manual Daytonas were made precious, most estimate about 8%. Only ~2000...

Red Submariners are as varied and characterful as owners who wore them. We’re in the height of Watches & Wonders currently and while there are some marvelous things which debuted, the vast majority of them share one flaw. Cases are mirror finished, dials are flat Luminova, and bezels are ceramic...

White gold and wood is peak 80s Day-Date. Rolls Royce’s PR arm has run amok using the phrase ‘post-opulence’ to describe their current portfolio. The definition is loose, but something akin to quiet excellence. This is post-opulent Rolex collecting. It’s wood, not diamonds. White gold, not platinum. Everything about it...

It took this, the Snowflake Sub, to prove that Tudor could improve upon Rolex’s success in ways other than value. The larger tritium plots with harsh angles were designed to be maximally legible at a glance, nothing more, likely at the request of the Marine Nationale. Ever since, it has...

If you turn up a 5513 to 11, you wind up here: 1665. Specifically, double red. Vintage Sea-Dwellers are nothing like what you might know post 1990s. It was a beast in 1967, but you could almost call it svelte compared to a modern Maxi case. And then there’s the...