Cutting edge technology looked a little different in 1968. When Piquerez debuted the EPSA case circa 1960, it was a true step function change in water resistance. Heuer took that same tech on board in their all-purpose chronograph, the Autavia. Following the 2446C, this second generation Autavia debuted the Valjoux...

One of the many appeals in vintage Rolex collecting is the vastly different character that the same reference can have, simply as a result of having led different lives. Not all patina is equal. Everyone knows what a red Submariner is. But I’ll be damned if anyone knew it could...

Of all of Genta’s diverse work, the Polerouter is easily one of the most classically beautiful. Moreover, its calibre 218 micro-rotor was materially innovative, a groundbreaking movement engineered ground-up to in order to allow a gracefully thin case. Yet, for all its numerous merits, the Polerouter is still an attainable...

I make no bones about the fact that the LUC calibre 1.96 is the Chopard I find most attractive, save Ferdinand Berthoud; it is possible for something to be expensive and massively undervalued. Much in the way that a multitude of collectors have only recently begun to acknowledge the exceptional...

There is a highly divisive branch of theoretical physics which holds that there are infinite realities. Some call it the multiverse, others call it the twin-world model level IV. The latter more extreme theories hold that if you can imagine a reality, it has existed or will. Yet, I’m already...

Alongside all the sexy Pan-Am, Qaboos, or Tiffany-signed Rolex dials, there are also a wide variety of more salt-of-the-earth stamps at 6: Pool Intairdril, Honda, Domino’s Pizza, and this Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie are US supermarket franchise of the South who, for many years, had thing for Air-Kings and fresh produce. This...

Last year, an early-2000s Formula 1 Ferrari V10 engine known as the F2003-GA, capable of 845hp at 18,300rpm, was auctioned off for 36K EUR. The power unit was a piece of history, having taken Michael Schumacher to his sixth championship title. Here it was, separated from its context, sold alone....

This two register chronograph with a world time dial and rotating bezel has almost certainly become Gallet’s most famed model. The watch was introduced in 1939 and made for the US Army Air Corps, even being worn by Harry Truman at its height. Some have argued this is the world’s...

Through both a design and historic lens, the 14790 is perhaps the truest iteration of the 36mm mid-sized Royal Oak. After introduction taking over from the first ref. 4100 in 1992, it remained in production longer than any other mid-sized Royal Oak to date. This open window allowed for a...

Rolex’s fabled gold Submariner may in fact be the single watch most classically representative of the ‘fuck-you-money’ attitude. Or at least, it was. See, the gold Submariner has gone through this sort of inverse bell-curve of public acceptability from the 1960s through today in 2021. To start, it was a...

Any Patek Philippe executed in that noblest of metals, steel, could be said to be a significant watch. But a steel Tasti Tondi? That’s beyond special. Of the ref. 1463, just 750 are thought to exist across all metals. Those in steel make up just a handful of that production,...

The E853 is little-discussed corner of the vintage Memovox world that offers much of what modern collectors seek: history in the form of being the world’s first automatic alarm movement, minimalist dial signatures, 37mm steel proportions, and, perhaps most crucially, no date. See, the considerably more famous and more widely-produced...

The Day-Date (colloquially President) is arguably Rolex’s most iconic model, full stop. It is classic, subdued, sophisticated, timeless, and coveted. Like much of vintage Rolex the variety of iterations and custom-order examples within this one model could serve as subject to multiple volumes of research. This elicits the query, where...

The 1967 62GS really means something, both to enthusiasts of Grand Seiko and the manufacture, as Grand Seiko’s first-ever self-winding offering. In production for just two years, the 62GS defied trends in both case and movement architecture while fully realizing Taro Tanaka’s ‘Grammar of Design.’ 36mm, bezel-less, harsh facets with...

They say never meet your heroes; I’ve never met Eric Clapton. But I have met my hero, his watch, and they were wrong. The 881101 in any guise is near-perfection: discreet complication, total design balance in a panda dial, a lyre-lugged 36mm steel case, and immense history. The Tri-Compax holds...

Through the post WWII era, Longines’ engineering, quality, and design were nearly unrivaled. This era gave us the 13ZN, 12.68Z fly-back, 6630 ‘Swiss Air’, 3592 Type A-7, ‘Tasti a Spillo’, and many other. Among this innovative era were a series of extremely handsome calatrava-styled pieces with restrained aesthetics. The most...

The word steel very, very rarely appears next to FP Journe. Journe’s following has grown so vast and so dedicated that any small deviation from the usual recipe often results in pandemonium. There are few collector sets which become so frantic over rare dials, one offs, or limited series. You...

No-nonsense divers don’t come much more attractive than early Tudor Submariners. The 7016, released in 1968, was quite notable as it marked the first time Tudor utilized an ETA movement as opposed to the Fleurier of the 7928 it succeeded. The 7016 reference also covered the first ever-snowflake handsets, though...