Though it is most famous the aesthetic, Breitling’s Navitimer by no means had a monopoly on the sliding scale rule chronograph. Breitling owned the patent from the very outset of WWII. This early 1940s Chronomat could easily masquerade as a model from decades later. The Chronomat’s design was advanced, its...

In the cult of Speedmaster, there is a sort of hierarchical nerd strata . . .or, perhaps I should say fractal. One may venture as deep in any niche direction as they desire. Like modern Speedmasters? That itch can be scratched by an Ed White 321, Apollo 8, or Moonshine...

In the Mad Men era of pie-pan Constellations, UG Monodates, and waffle Princes, value alternatives existed alongside these heavyweights. Tissot may be largely famed today for quartz consumables and bright orange adolescent designs, but it wasn’t always so. Seeming acknowledging their sinful modernity, Tissot have released one or two throwbacks...

It’s hard to articulate just how desirable I, and many other collectors, find the mythical Big Eye. So named for its oversized thirty-minute subdial, the two-register chronograph does not come in a more nuanced form. In production between 1963 and 1965, most estimate the quantity of genuine original dial examples...

The Germans have a thing for tradition, amongst a more broad fixation with efficiency and currywurst. I am not sure I would consider any modern watchmaker to be more traditional than D. Dornblüth & Sohn. Sinn may be more Germanic in their construction philosophy. Lange may be more Germanic in...

In any sane market, when a new model debuts, consumers prefer it to the previous. Take modern autmotive enthusiasts as an example. The new G82 M4 will likely be more appealing to a new buyer than the previous F82 M4 (okay maybe that’s a bad example). But as a general...

I don’t even think it’s contentious for me to admit that I fundamentally distrust people who don’t love the 1016. An Alpinist for the affluent, the 1016’s humble can-do practicality and tritium dial prove irresistible in the long-term for the vast majority of watch collectors. Many Rolex devotees have a...

Every so often I find myself lamenting the fact that watches cannot speak. On rare occasion, the story a watch would be able to tell is enough to merit what the snobs call horological ‘significance’. Franck Müller, in the 1980s, was innovating. Truly. Having created multiple complicated calibres on his...

Small engravings and stampings can mean a lot to collectors. Daytonas engraved ‘drive carefully, me’ are something entirely separate to a ‘standard’ 6239 (if there is such a thing). A Lemania chronograph engraved with the name of a particular PM, well that’s something just a bit special. Some engravings are...

The 222 is not VC’s only underappreciated reference. The phrase ‘post-quartz perpetual’ brings to mind almost exclusively AP’s 5548, debuted in 1978. However, just a hair behind (in terms of the investment of time it takes to develop a perpetual calendar), were VC with this in 1983. Patek only introduced...

As nods to a vintage past go, this one is damn cool. The original 1970s Divingstar (the name given to yellow-dialed Doxa Subs) ‘Poseidon’ is a very, very rare thing. Poseidon were a Swedish dive gear company who created a run of 300Ts with Doxa and signed their dials for...

Thanks to the 2014 reissue, the Longines Legend Diver is one of the most iconic divers from all the EPSA Super Compressor era. The lesser discussed and earlier 6921 may be more historically significant, but it lacks the outright style and perfection in design that this tool acheieved. The latter...

The Calatrava has endured in many forms and may be considered the quintessential dress watch. However, this 3504 with its tropical grey-honey dial, wedged indices, and dauphine hands, feels somewhat more industrial that your average three-hander from the Sterns. The dial’s vintage warmth is accented by the white gold case...

This extremely niche Oysterdate was commissioned prior to the formation of the joint UAE Armed Forces for the 1970s Abu Dhabi Defence Force. In 1976, the force was joined with the UAE’s Federal Armed Forces, Dubai Defence Forces, and the Ras Al Khaimah Mobile Force to create the joint UAE...

Speedmaster collectors are notoriously as focussed, educated, and enthusiastic as any discipline of watch collector may come. Their scholarship is legendary and nearly unrivaled. Despite that, there are still some ultra-rare references that remain not fully researched. Rather, they are not fully understood. Over time, these darker corners of Speedy...

As under-the-radar vintage picks go, most anything that says Rolex on the dial is out of contention. Today, I present to you what may be the sole exception to that rule which is also attractive. The 6512 Veriflat was an oyster-cased Calatrava equivalent that only ever sold in rose and...

In terms of historically significant flagships, the Aviator’s Compact Chronograph (Aero-Compax) sits right alongside the Polerouter as modern collector’s iconography. This mid-1960s second major iteration of the famed chronograph shifted focus from timing dual events to displaying a secondary 24 hour time through its very unique bezel. The aviation theme...

The peace brought about in the interim between WWI and WWII yielded many fruitful inventions. The ballpoint pen, nylon, chocolate chips, and helicopters were all first debuted in the early 30s. For watch addicts, however, one invention stands above the rest: Lecoultre’s original Reverso. First created (this contentious but go...