If you want Genta but you want it niche, integrated steel does not come much more nuanced than this 1830. IWC’s Golf Club SL 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...

It is difficult to imagine a modern dress watch more perfectly judged than this throwback. Students of Grand Seiko will recall the first-ever 2011 reissue of the Grand Seiko First (ref 3180), the ref SBGW033. Catchy name. In every iteration of this design since the 3180, GS have remained true...

While Franck Muller is known as the ‘master of complications’, it is his single complication watches which have stood the test of time. While I think most, myself included, admire the extreme creativity on display in some of his more eccentrically vivacious offerings, there is a distinction drawn between admiration...

I’ve featured a Reverso or two around these parts before, but, since the start, have been waiting for one of the all time great references to surface. Aside from the technical masterclass that is the Hybris Mechanica, which seems unlikely to appear ever in our market, this is the one...

Bizarre trends form consistently in a fascination as niche as ours. One, a recurring feature here, is in-period unpopularity leading to latter rarity and, by extension, collectability. The logic behind this process is, perhaps, questionable. Yet, the effect is no less real or common for its dubious nature. However, the...

When one contemplates all that is Universal Genève, sport watches almost always come to the fore. Things like the Compax series and Polerouters dominate their easily-recalled legacy. However, a part of Universal’s charm is the incredible depth that manufacture had achieved before folding. One forgotten reference was quite popular just...

What ink remains to be spilled on behalf of the 3800 which has not been spilled already? I would suggest that the jar is on its side, hardened, and evaporated. Therefore, my work here is a bit redundant. However, I defy one to find a worn gold-on-gold 3800 this charming...

In 1970, the Chaumet brothers were hired to bring Breguet back to their former glory. One of the longest running and most historically significant manufactures of all time (ever heard of the Breguet hairspring or overcoil?), Breguet was to be made the high-end name in Switzerland once again by new...

The Seamaster 300 story began in 1957 with the CK2913. In that first Seamaster 300, Omega had created a reliable water resistance with handsome lines that recalled naval pieces of WWII, decades earlier. It was a monumental success, one which Omega built upon in this iconic, oft-overlooked second generation ref....

Cartier are something of a master at evolving variations on a theme, all equally elegant. However, some are more equal than others. The CPCP era is, if not the most classic, Cartiers most sincere attempt to flatter enthusiasts of traditional watchmaking. This Tank à Vis hails from that time, but...

Those who explore the very extremities which modern tool watches have to offer will very often zero-in on Sinn. While there are watches which can dive deeper, watches with greater shock resistance, and and watches with higher legibility, Sinn consistently place themselves at the center of the correct Venn-diagrams for...

Nineties Blancpain is a distinct beast entirely, from all of horology. Famously, toward the ceasefire of the quartz crisis, Blancpain ran ads claiming ‘since 1735, Blancpain has never produced a quartz watch and we never will.’ Blancpain and Jean-Claude Biver may not have quite singlehanded dragged Swiss mechanical watchmaking into...

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...

I am of a generation where cigarette advertising has been banished and demonized for the entirety of my years. Despite this, and largely due to a Formula 1 livery addiction, I find myself very nostalgic for cigarette-adjacent advertising from the late 60s and early 70s. Mission Winnow doesn’t quite do...

I often the more archetypal, restrained offerings from a house the more attractive options. This Pioneer, for example, is a distilled essence of Moser. The Pioneer offers a classic Fumé dial with a contemporary case, crown, and handset design. Zero frills. Instead, Moser focussed on perfecting their craft in execution....

Last month, I featured a light-dial 3506 in a blind attempt to describe my admiration for the ‘slim’ case Genta Ingenieur SL. That article proved I was in good company, as many echoed the same sentiment. Since then, I have not been able to get that watch out of my...

Greenland is an unrelenting place. Cold, wet, windy, rocky, and unconquered in places even today. We, the horological hardcore, know and love the fact of Smith’s co-ascension on Everest with an early Explorer. These were watches built to purpose, that of weathering all conditions. This ref. A404 is in fact...

1969 was quite the year. Aside from Omega’s all-time greatest product placement, the Swiss were manufacturing some seriously attractive metal. There was the iconic Speedmaster, the 6263 Daytona, and the El Primero. Zenith’s chronograph did not receive attention in proportion to the impressiveness of its engineering in period. The El...