It is very easy to be cynical about the Hodinkification (Hodinkee-fication?) of our passion over the last decade, though just what that means is not well defined. Is that definition hype? Convergent tastes? Blasé mentions of MSRPs over triple the median yearly income of the US? Always matching your cardigan...

Is it an expression of pride in scholarship or admission of madness that collectors often adore outright mistakes in watchmaking? The most infamous of this bunch must certainly be the double nine Air-King, royalty of the skies and mistakes in equal measure. Perhaps lesser discussed, however, is Omega’s equivalent: the...

This sub truly does have it all: meters first, red single line, vanilla plots, chocolate dial, and faded fat font bezel. The 1680 was not Rolex’s first Sub with a red line of text (that was probably the 6536/8), but it was the most widely-distributed watch to do so. It...

Of all the innumerable iterations of the Tank, the Basculante (literally translates as tilting) is perhaps Cartier’s most spellbinding. This particular Basculante is a mechanique, released after the CPCP iteration and powered by the F. Piguet, gold, hand-wound calibre 610 in 1997 as part of the ‘I Love Cartier’ collection...

This may very well be the most killer iteration of all those very killer early Carreras. Reverse panda, three register, inner tachymetre scale. What this unpretentious chronograph has lost in minimalism, it makes up for in being true to form: motorsport heritage. A racing chronograph without a tachymetre scale is...

Casual, utilitarian, and subtle, IWC’s Mark XI set the template for much of the manufacture’s current design language. IWC proved their metal with the Type X, made for Armed Forces in the Second World War. This led the RAF to place an order for an updated aviator’s equivalent in 1948,...

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...

Common lore of the mythical Blancpain Air Command goes something like this: after Blancpain’s success with the US Navy Fifty Fathoms through Allen Tornek, the manufacture made just a few (estimates range from 8-12) flyback chronograph prototypes in the hopes of attracting Air Force contracts. Nothing really came of that...

As Patek’s 3945 is the 3940, so this extravagant, full-bracelet, engraved 5548 is the ‘standard’ 5548 (if there is such a thing). AP demonstrated with this precise reference that they are the masters at, and the last bastion of, mechanical horological artistry. Yet, this precise QP take that notion a...

As many have pointed out, I have a soft spot for four and five digit Rolex. I could nod toward the charm, immense history, or the fact that I regret letting many go in equal measure as cause. The thing is though, I don’t have to justify it. Everyone loves...

Independent watches which defy mechanic and design trends often impress on a very deep level. However, not all of these more audacious efforts remain front of mind or desire as time evolves. The 1941 Remontoire has not only crystalized Grönefeld’s deserved reputation as among the very best independent watchmakers, but,...

The humble three-register chronograph: executed by many, yet perfected by few. I am not claiming that the 22705/1 is a perfect chronograph, within Universal that’s probably something we call Nina. Outside of Universal, that title usually goes by 1463, 6263, or 2915. However, I am saying that outside of this...

Some watches require very little explanation; their appeal is inherent. FPJ’s resonance is intriguing on the dial side and downright bewitching once flipped over. VC’s skeletonized perpetual calendars will not let your eye rest. Watching a Lange rattrapante split seconds with complete equanimity is mesmerizing. Others take a bit more...

This unsuspecting yet charming diver holds a wealth of intrigue. This is partly due to its monoblock frontloading single-crown compressor case, immense legibility, and bakelite bezel. Perhaps even moreso, however, for its mysterious and shrouded military history embroiled in the Vietnam War. Scholarship is very much currently developing. The 6088...

The DB28 is modern De Bethune’s halo offering. It has won all the awards, sustained market interest, and was perhaps the brand’s most audacious project of all time. In the wake of that success, De Bethune have been iterating and, year on year, offering slightly more niche DB28s in smaller...

There are days where you just want an F-off brick of integrated gold on wrist. When those times arrive, it is hard to say F-off more tastefully than with a first generation Overseas. By the 90s, Switzerland’s renaissance of mechanical watchmaking was fully embraced at VC. Shortly after being acquired...

The Tank Cintreé has been around since 1921, very shortly after the first 1919 Tank. It was adopted by British soldiers in the Boer War for its relatively masculine proportion and the fact that it wasn’t a pocket watch. Post war, those same credentials propelled it to be the ultimate...

Somewhere inside the Venn diagram of horological significance, pop culture, and master-level trolling lies this: the very elusive Domino’s-signed Air-King. The standard Air-King is an oft-overlooked, undersized, and restrained bit of Rolex sporting metal. The reference ran from 1989 to 1999. Inside that timeline, Domino’s was flying higher than ever....