Telephone companies are not glamourous. Telephone companies are not sexy. Likewise, state-owned telephone companies are a particularly lackluster proposition. And yet, in 1970s Sweden, this particularly stylish steel Breitling defied that paradigm. Televerket, as mentioned, operated all phone lines in Sweden in period. The Swedish military had a brief romance...

Amongst the soon-to-be-discontinued Z-blue, CERN, and white-orange dialed Milgausses (Milgausss, Milgausses, or Milgaussi?), it’s easy to forget the that antimagnetic Wilsdorf family member can sport a more subdued tone. In black, the 1019 looks absolutely pedestrian in the best way possible; mostly because it is absolutely anything but. The level...

I strive to feature wholly original watches at all times where possible, though in the world of vintage that is an increasingly grey line. Is a watch that has been serviced with a replacement crystal still original? What about a mainspring, as they pose huge risk to the entire movement...

Trilogy Seamasters are great, but this is something else entirely. 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...

How good does this look? If you’re anything like me, the only valid reply is ‘quite’. In fact, I’ve said before that the two-tone Barilotto is perhaps the only Rolex which is simultaneously very conspicuous and very tasteful. The tones are loud, the profile is discreet. The manufacture is Rolex,...

As Patek’s first chronograph produced at meaningful scale, the 130 holds a special place in many collector’s hearts. It also happens to be one of their most diverse and longest-reaching vintage production runs ever. The design was given space to evolve from 1934 until 1964, with changes going so far...

Yeah, alright, this is probably my pick amongst all the modern IWC lot. I know it’s simple. I know it’s humble. I know I’ve featured it before. But with IWC’s recent reissue and collectors becoming increasingly accepting of ceramics, I thought it fit to revisit just what makes the 3705...

You are not a Navy Sealab/Comex diver. You are not an astronaut. You are not a factory Porsche driver. At least, based on relative viewership and statistics. Despite these many shortcomings, you and I may still enjoy a small link to these outrageous professions. In 1977, the reference 1665 Sea-Dweller...

Tropical dials have a tendency to polarize watch collectors like few other topics. Godiva 1665 DRSDs, caramel 321 Speedmasters, and latte-brown Cosmographs all have one thing in common: encompassing adoration or outright hatred. I have yet to encounter any middle ground ambivalence in the zeitgeist. Think Patek’s green 5711 caused...

Although Doxa’s Sub 300 is not nearly as lauded by the market as Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms or Rolex’s early Subs, it was a serious tool widely circulated in commercial and recreational diving in the late 1960s. Not widely discussed, Doxa’s first-generation of dive offerings are affectionately known as ‘No-T’s. The...

I have said for some time that I aim to feature rare, interesting, or undervalued watches here. This beautiful 216570 definitively falls into the latter category. I don’t tend to feature a huge amount of modern Rolex here, they tend to sell themselves. I also shy away from all the...

Everyone loves an unfussy, two-register, 1960s Carrera analog. Everyone. We find them from Leonidas, Zodiac, Clebar, and even Sears (yes, that Sears). Lip, the quirky and often flamboyant French manufacture, used to make some more reserved designs. Among them: this somewhat classic two-register reverse panda. The simple design was available...

Who knew a love letter to pocket watch architecture could still stir up so many emotions? Breguet introduced the 7027 in 2005 to little fanfare. Over a decade later, this reference is still a niche enthusiast’s choice. Breguet designed an open dial aesthetic that was defiantly avant-garde. Yet, when specified...

‘The want’ is very strong with vintage Zenith. I want an original covergirl, G381, A277, Moonphase Calibre 3019 PHF Prototype, I could go on. . . In that list most definitely lies the Mk1 A386. This is, to put it on the nose, the first of the first automatic chronographs....

I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve nearly purchased an Oyster Prince. The range offers value, diversity, slim proportions, water resistance, and, in this case, gilty-waffle-goodness. Tudor’s ‘Oyster Perpetual’ equivalent began humbly in the 1950s but eventually went the distance, picked up by Arctic explorers before the explorer....

Allow me to begin by saying I am not an expert in all things, or indeed most things. I am particularly aware of my shortcomings particularly where Enicar is concerned. I have a deep craving for Enicar scholarship and this Big Eye is provoking it. Sure, I know the EPSA...

Vacheron Constantin, in my estimation, is the most underrated of the big three. In constant manufacture since 1755, the brand has the kind of history Rolex would kill for. Moreover, they use that history well . . .like, really well. The Les Historiques range was introduced in the early 1990s...

Watchmakers like FP Journe, Philippe Dufour, and Roger Smith each carry individual philosophies that take time to understand. However, while infinitely esteemed and laudable watchmakers, Dufour and Smith are not in the collector zeitgeist in the same way that Journe is today. The former are names whispered only in the...