Rolex changed the 1680 sub over to the 16800 in 1980. As usual, the changes were subtle. The bezel became racheted and uni-directinal, the crystal went sapphire, a slimmer case was introduced with a 100m deeper rating, and quick-set date function was added to a higher-beat movement. Okay, maybe the...

Rolex’s storied professional line conjures images of Pan-Am, Comex, Hillary, the Daytona 500, and, if you like 5s on your dial, the British RAF (Air-King). Yet there is one professional’s tool which often received little or no mention. Many Rolexes today a marketed under the heading ‘rare’. The 6541 Milgauss,...

This is not a dream, what you see is accurate. Somehow, a collector has decided to let go of a Yacht Club II Jumbo in steel, with the full integrated bracelet, and Beyer-signed no less. The confluence of perfection here is on display only for those who appreciate just how...

Grail watch gets thrown around a lot. And yet, here we are. This is not the commercially retailed 2008 Alaska Project, which I like to call the space coconut. No, this is that watch’s inspiration. ‘Alaska’ Projects were the codename given internally at Omega for wristwatches intended to be supplied...

A few nights ago, I had an epiphany of omission. There has not yet been a single Black Bay in all the multitude of watches on this platform. For a watch which has contributed so much toward modern wrist culture, that seems an unforgivable sin. The vast majority of Black...

For what is ‘just’ a Speedmaster with an orange hand, a great deal of lore surrounds the original Ultraman. For many years, there was contention in forums about just what was or was not kosher. Did production cover multiple years? Was the hand produced in collaboration with the Japanese TV...

There has been an interesting shift in the last year or two around these parts. It used to be, whenever I featured any quartz caliber, opinion would clearly polarize about 50/50 in favor or stark opposition of battery-based timing. In recent months, not a single quartz watch has received anything...

I am continually perplexed that lovers of dive watches know the Fifty but have not yet made familiar with the civilian version. Yes, there was a civilian model. The Navies of France, Germany, and the United States all used the Fifty Fathoms and in so doing made it a relatively...

When someone says piece unique Rolex, one imagines the Paul Newman, Bao Dai, 6265/9 Unicorn, Clapton’s Oyster Albino Daytona, or, if you’re really odd, perhaps the Lapis 16516 Zenith Daytona. But Honda? They make very well-built if a bit pedestrian mid-sized sedans, lawnmowers, and Asimo (the robot who falls down...

Unconvential case design is sexy, end of story. I have a vendetta against the endlessly derivative cases and lugs we see in over half of modern watch releases. Watches and Wonders every year presents a series of vintage throwbacks and minor tweaks. Consistent recall of past work is admitting a...

In a speech given to a group of investors and businessmen in 1920, Dietrich Gruen stated, ‘It has always been our aim, ever since I started the Guild idea, to foster those ideals of the ancient guilds, of quality and craftsmanship; to make useful things in a beautiful way, under...

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...