Long time readers will know by the rehaut, this is a Rolex that is not what it first appears to be. If you love watches, you’d spot this case from across the room. You’d say ‘Nice Oysterquartz’, and in 19/20 passes, you’d be entirely correct. But this is the one...

The new Ingenieur is great. Or maybe great-ish. Fine, it’s just okay. Here’s my gripe and it’s not the RRP: IWC have gone a bit out of their way to not advertise its magnetic resistance, it’s not listed on their site. It’s not even on Hodinkee. Somehow, everyone missed the...

If the tourbillon is often utilized a bit garishly (and let’s be honest, it is), it certainly didn’t start that way. Despite almost no one knowing the reference and it rarely receiving a mention at all, this ‘Sun Ray’ ref. 25643 was the world’s first self-wound tourbillon wristwatch and the...

This is a 25720PT Star Wheel, obviously, but not as you know it. A handful of very rare, very unusual iterations were created. There are fewer than five known with gem set bezels. In yellow gold, a couple ‘tiger eye’ dials were made. But in platinum, two colored dials were...

Much has been discovered since this first Finds post on an Obsidian Datejust. Below is a copy of our updated perspective on these stone dial Datejusts, taken from our most recent article written 2024. Here’s just about the most controversial Rolex around today. It goes by Obsidian, a volcanic glass,...

This is one of those rare occasions where a solid caseback is way, way more interesting than the dial. Simply engraved, ‘Grand Prix de Monaco 1996’, it unlocks a whole world of unknowns and potential history. We know for certain that in the ’96 Monaco Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher took...

It’s been at least two years since I’ve seen one of these surface in the market, but that ends today. If over the last few years anyone thought the increased interest in vintage Cartier was a fad, neo or true vintage, nothing could be further from the truth. We’ve seen...

I’ll just say it, people who don’t appreciate vintage Zenith are philistines. Zenith were wildly experimental with case design and developed the most technically proficient automatic chronograph movement of the decade, still in use today. And yet, everyone still conflates them with 90s televisions. But don’t take it from me....

The 6240 is, arguably, the most important Cosmograph reference not to be hyped. It would not be a stretch to say that all screw-down Daytonas exist because of this reference’s lineage. Production numbers of the 6240 were exceedingly small at fewer than 2000 examples, as is the frequency of conversation...

Lug design counts for at least half of the way a watch wears, its importance cannot be overstated. Assuming a case is reasonably proportioned, which is a tall order for some brands, the lug makes or breaks it. In car design, brands carefully construct a wheel & tire package with...

Nothing on Earth says ‘F-you money’ like a gold Sub. In much the same way that an S-Class wafts past in total opulence, the 1680/8 wears with similar imperious grandeur. Except this particular example, it’s a bit different. One of the primary joys of vintage is that two watches, which...

What happens when you take a Reverso and force it to listen to Take Me Home Tonight by Eddie Money (what a jam) on loop for a year? You wind up at one of the great oddities of the 80s. This is the ref. 186.0013, arguably the height of Omega’s...

There aren’t a huge number of Submariners post-white gold surrounds that possess the quality we vintage lovers so carelessly label as soul, but this certainly is one. In fact, it’s probably the most characterful Sub that’s still tough as nails. This is a ref. 16800, a sweet spot for many...

The interest of Day-Date collecting lies in nuance. All Day-Dates share a similar proportion, functionality, and design. But the details can vary so wildly as to leave a completely different impression: lapis dials, gem setting, retailer signatures, claw indices, or Florentine finishing are all so distinct that they may as...

If you’re still of the belief that Tudor is a stepping stone, or for those who simply can’t yet afford a Rolex, you’re living in 1973. This is a Tudor that will cost you two Batgirl GMTs, or four at retail. No, Tudor today fulfill the role that Rolex did...

The Tortue Monopoussoir is easily one of the most desirable collected Cartiers of the CPCP years, with some of the greatest modern names contributing to its THA-ébauche calibre before it was cool to do your own thing. A young FP Journe, Denis Flageollet (now De Bethune), and Vianney Halter all...

The Speedmaster has no shortage of nuance. Its ardent supporters will not let you forget. But arguably, the clearest delineation in the pre-moon time, when this was just a chronograph aimed at racing, was its lugs. Straight lugs became lyre lugs directly after this, the 105.003 better known as the...

Any vintage Patek Philippe in steel is something special. Where most manufactures create their most special offerings in precious metal, precious metals are the standard at Patek Philippe. When a reference is produced in steel, it’s always an occasion. But this steel Calatrava might not be as vintage as you...