If manners maketh man, patina maketh Rolex. Patina can arrive in many forms: wrist wear, consistent sun exposure, and manufacturing defects are the most common. It is the rare bird which displays multiple forms of weathering. Just such an example is what a have here: an early 16550 which sports...

There is something undeniably charming about a watch with a voice. Of all complications, a simple alarm is often most practical. Sure, your iphone times things. But when your watch can do it too, you will find yourself setting a reminder on your wrist for sheer novelty. JLC’s Memovox is...

Obscured, understated, and extremely rare, the 49002 was released toward the start of VC’s Les Historiques range. Much like Cartier’s CPCP or even Zenith’s Revival line, the collection aimed to revisit the best of their immense past with exceptional modern watchmaking technique. So why has no one heard of the...

Watches which have lived a full life and have that story to tell on their exterior hold pride of place for many us. In that pantheon, Rolex’s milsubs are arguably the most highly collected military watches of all time. Records denote ~1250 delivered examples across the three reference varieties. The...

For many, a huge attraction to any sub-genre of watch collecting is the community which forms around it. Rolex and Patek collectors, with their relatively recent mainstream appreciation, cover the spectrum of humanity. Some of the very best of us, some . . .well, not. When a marque becomes synonymous...

Where exquisite design meets considered watchmaking, great things happen. This is perhaps no more evident than Cartier’s 1998 Paris Collection Privee (CPCP) era. The collection aimed to resurrect greats from their past like the Cintrée, Santos, Tortue, and Tank à Vis with masterful mechanical movements. It is often forgotten that...

If you want Genta but you want it niche, it does not come much more nuanced than this 1829. IWC’s Golf Club has brief and somewhat shrouded history, one which is still being excavated today by enthusiasts even sadder than myself. Yes, they exist. This faceted cushion case sister of...

It is difficult to overstate the importance of the 16520. The Cosmograph had become undesirable and a stagnant seller by the year 1988. For context, there are stories from that era of customers asking to buy special production Day-Dates, but having to purchase Daytonas to sweeten the AD’s books. What...

Of the last decade, Universal’s Polerouter has slowly shifted from being a niche enthusiast’s micro-rotor to a foundational reference of attainable watch collecting. No one will argue that this is not deserved; the Genta-designed aesthetic is graceful as they come, the movement is technically impressive, and the dial is bewitching....

In collectible Daniel Roth, those years where the man himself oversaw operations stand clearly distinguished from post-2000 Bulgari-acquisition watches. Many enthusiasts have preference for the very early years, where modified Lemania calibres powered much of the manufacture’s offerings. However, one or two grail-level pieces were also produced throughout the latter...

While Heuers with Autavia, Carrera, and Monaco on the dial tend to dominate industry attention, the manufacture has an almost bewildering history of obscure and interesting low-production references. The Cortina is one model at the apex of that category, though substantially less famous than the Skipper, Seafarer, or even Solunagraph....

If Rolex had an essentials album, the 1803 would undoubtedly be a starred track. In production for nearly three decades as the halo product, Wilsdorf’s innovative Day-Date complication became synonymous with status after a 1966 ad with a red phone which simply stated, ‘the president’s watch.’ Day-Date collecting could be...

It’s rare enough to find original Seamaster 300s. Yet, often, the original examples are worn to hell with flaking lume, abused cases, and corrosion peppering the movement. Today, we have the opposite: an original, yet very composed Seamaster 300. The 300 was introduced at the end of WWII to British...

It is simply not possible for any mere mortal to out-cool Eric Clapton; eternally influential guitar genius, CBE, friend of all the rock greats, and, perhaps most relevant to today, a dedicated watch enthusiast. Clapton has not just been a watch collector since fame and fortune, no. Clapton has been...

The words Rolex and complicated very rarely appear together. Rolex stands for professional watchmaking. Originally tools for purpose, elevated throughout the decades to objects of luxury. In all the coronet’s magnificent lore, there are only a handful of references that fall into the general definition of complicated. Offhand, there’s the...

If last round’s Nivada Datomaster represents one of the most niche enthusiast chronographs ever produced, surely this is the diver’s equivalent. The Submariner and Fifty Fathoms are generally regarded as the world’s foremost early dive watches. However, Doxa, Gruen, Breitling, and this Eberhard were all there from the very start....

In 2004, FP Journe made a fairly monumental shift to begin manufacturing all of their movements from 18k gold, following brass. In that year, Journe updated the Resonance with a new reference, the RN (Resonance Nouveau) series with a 1499.2 calibre. Shortly thereafter, that movement was updated to include a...

Condition is king. Condition is the new rarity. Condition, condition, condition. We’ve all heard the aphorisms praising sharp cases and original dial finishing. Here’s the thing though: these rules don’t just apply to Phillips auctions or vintage watches worth median home values. Condition is also a clear differentiator in more...