Franck Muller is often called the ‘master of complications’, but in truth there’s only one of his that I care about. It’s a simple chronograph, made before he discovered blow (after saying this for years I can now blame that framing on our friends at Amsterdam Vintage Watches), and it...

In 1950, you had few options if you wanted a chronograph that leaned more toward dressing than driving. You could wander down to Patek Philippe and grab a 1463. In retrospect, good move. Audemars Piguet would sell you a Valjoux 13 VZAH ref. 5522, which is quite an amazing thing,...

Tom Landry is one of the most important and influential figures there has ever been in American football. And this is his Day-Date. No, not just the same reference. This is Landry’s actual Rolex, the precise one that’s been immortalized and carved on his statue’s wrist outside Texas Stadium. Head...

The perfect companion for a Rocky III-style training montage, Rolex’s ‘Tiger Eye’ dials are one of the lesser seen but always noticed hardstone dials. They’re a product of the 70s, unapologetically so, and carry the flag for the brown aesthetic revolution still today. Lapis and Onyx dials have soared in...

No, you’re not having an aneurysm. This is a 16520, but not as you know it. This is a test dial, often called a prototype though that’s not exactly correct, made by singer for Rolex before the Zenith Daytona existed for COSC testing. And yet, it looks like what would...

I can count on two hands the number of times a watch released post 2018 from a non-independent stopped me dead in my tracks. Four of those fingers are taken up by Lange. And three of them are Vacheron’s. Two of Vacheron’s are what happens when a watch brand listens...

Valjoux 72 is a broad church. Everyone thinks manual Daytona first. But the legendary chronograph calibre is behind much of great vintage Heuer, Universal, Breitling, and Enicar. Lesser known, its widespread adoption even intersects with the history of the esteemed ‘Grande Maison’ Jaeger-Lecoultre. And where V72 meets JLC, it is...

When watch lovers throw around the phrase ‘exit watch’, which is a fanciful concept in itself, they usually mean ‘the next watch I can reasonably see myself attaining.’ If a sole watch is going to pull you off the hedonistic treadmill entirely, it has to be an order of magnitude...

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 time you’d be off. This is a 1530, it’s mechanical, and it’s what came first. The 1530 confounds expectation, made in...

The Santos Dumont was designed for aviation yet, in my head, it belongs permanently on the French Riviera, casually cruising the cliffs between Monaco and Cannes in an Aston. Some watches exude a certain presence that you can’t get away from. For example, a 5513 is no-nonsense, here to get...

I believe wholeheartedly we’re all in the outset of something pivotal happening right now with the 3940. Since ceasing production in 2007, there were always those who appreciated its proportions and font. But quickly thereafter, collectors also began to appreciate its role in pulling PP toward the modern era and...

To any sane outsider, perhaps someone who just bought their first 40mm 5226G Calatrava, vintage Rolex lovers seem a bit deranged. Like Tolkein’s Ringwraiths, we scour Middle-Earth in search of the one, obsessing over its most insignificant minutia. We have our own tongue, whispering things to each other like rail...

Every discipline has its greats. Rock has the Stones. Italian has risotto. Le Mans has the 917. Absolute pricks have Kim Jong Un, second only to Jake Paul. But ski racing? Skiing has Jean-Claude Killy. The French alpine skier took home a trifecta of golds in the 1968 Winter Olympics,...

This is something of a final boss for those who worship at the altar of Moonwatch. It’s known as the ‘Red Racing’ or sometimes ‘Black Racing’, as both colors are distinct to this dial. There are two iterations, with and without a professional line, and fewer than 10 examples of...

In the time the very first 36mm Royal Oak, the 4332, was released, bimetal was the most desirable. The Royal Oak was introduced to elevate steel beyond its initial tool watch remit. But almost as soon as the ink from Genta’s pen had dried, it was introduced in precious metal....

So, you’ve decided you want a vintage Tank. You’re probably a bit French, or at least aspire toward that. Your evenings are all fine tailoring followed by some light chainsmoking with five glasses of vin. You’re ready to show the world that your refined elegance has evolved beyond a Calatrava...

Speaking plainly, this is the only ‘John Mayer’ Daytona I really care about. Okay, his is a Desert Eagle but go with me here. This Oman 6265 and the Desert Eagle 6263 (& 6265) are the only two recent sport Rolexes to share a very distinct privilege. Unlike nearly all...

You don’t change the recipe to Gordon Ramsay’s beef bourguignon. It’s perfect, he’s already painstakingly worked out every measured gram and second through repeated trial and error. That’s also why the 16/1860 has aged so gracefully, Chopard didn’t squander a perfect inheritance for the sake of just doing something new....