With the massive increase of watch-afflicted addicts in the last decade, it is rarer and rarer for eBay to throw up obscure, extremely attractive wristwatches. Private collectors, retailers, and auction houses are all keeping a hawk’s eye. That is why I was so surprised to stumble across this Monday morning—a...

I like completely fucked watches. As the collector mantra goes ‘condition is everything’. Yet, I think there’s something so honestly charming about a watch which has been worn without regard and the patina which ensues. Additionally, I think it comforts me subconsciously. A watch with abusive wear across all of...

Now of course, this isn’t actually Rolex Everose alloy. Everose is Rolex’s propietary pinkish rose gold alloy, first introduced in 2005. The 6241 shown today is a late 60s icon. This acrylic bezeled, pump pusher icon is rare in any guise. However, this example is both a precious metal and...

Grand Seiko’s First (the 3180) is lore among Japanese horology. Perhaps slightly lesser known, King Seiko also had their debut aimed against Swiss haute horology. The King Seiko First was available in variety of metals and many dial variations. The variant I present today is probably the most attractive to...

The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève does not fuck around. Their Aiguille d’Or Award, or ‘Golden Hand’ (best watch of the year to us unilingual peasants . . .also shouldn’t it be golden wrist?), is one of the highest honours a piece of metal can receive. I can remember having...

As a sweeping rule, watch people care about details. We fixate on fonts, deliberate over detent escapements, scrutinize split seconds. Lange are one of very, very few watchmakers who concentrate more on details than their clientele. Way, way more in fact. If one made a list of the most visually...

Why do I feature a mechanically standard 1803 Day-Date? Because every single khanjar Rolex has a story to tell. Additionally, they are just fucking cool. The khanjar, a traditional J-shaped dagger (which is a symbol of pride in Oman’s history), was used on Rolex commissioned for Omani royalty. Frequently, these...

When I think Mad Men and Don Draper specifically, this is the very first watch that comes to mind. Now, strictly speaking that is an anachronism. Madmen chronicles the insanity that was the early 1960s America. This Constellation comes to us from 68. However, the Constellation design DNA—which this latter...

In my mind, a Speedmaster needs alpha hands. This is, I know, nonsense. There are plenty of meaningful references with broad arrows, batons, or even lollipops. Neil Armstrong didn’t need alphas. And yet, I feel an unbalanced attraction to pre-moon and FOIS Speedmasters simply because of their hand silhouette. The...

As a bit of an automotive enthusiast, rust terrifies me. It is the cancer of all mechanical art. One which we seek desperately to avoid. To see it celebrated openly seems simultaneously beautiful and sacrilegious. If any niche could pull off the celebration mechanics and rust, it would be independent...

I live for fun dials. My life is sad, I am aware. But nonetheless, I cannot hide my enthusiasm for this ultra-outrageous 1970s diver from Opera watches. I know nothing about Opera other than that they created some shouty divers from ETA bases in the mid 70s. This 2783-base example...

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but with this 1655 Freccione (Italian for arrow, or orange-hand today), I’m beginning to think beauty is better defined by the eye of the market. In the last five years 1655 values have been steadily trending upward at an increasing...

After having recently featured Universal’s international variant, it seems timely that a lovely example of the genuine article is now on offer. This Compur, which later became the Compax, was a chronograph contemporary of Patek’s 130 and VC’s 4072. Neither of those chronographs are exactly unattractive. The same goes for...

Haute horology is normally obsessed with elegance, fit, and finish. Romain Gauthier hits the latter two, but opts for a more industrial approach to watchmaking’s top end. The Logical One is his principle work, a brave movement design with little consideration given to tradition. GPHP has acknowledged the genuis in...

Audemars Piguet has never shied away from limited releases. There are boutique Royal Oaks, commemorative Royal Oaks, and custom-order Royal Oaks from early in the model’s history. Modern limited releases usually vary in dial hue or material. Today’s feature changes both. The white gold and salmon 15202BC was released in...

My recent pet fascination has been neo-vintage—particularly limited—pre-instagram watches. You may recall seeing the Septantieme, SSASS Alpinist, or early steel Franck Muller recently. I may need to create a category here. The deeper I dive, the more vast this space seems to become. While searching out a strong vintage Tissot...

The Seamaster 1948, if you don’t know, was released in 2011. If you don’t know Omega, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. The model was design to recall one of the best vintage Seamaster designs with modern updates. They pulled a Singer on their own history. This Seamaster 1948,...

Modern sleeper watches are few and far between. Discretion is not as marketable as it once was. This Ulysse Nardin Monopusher is a true sleeper in three contexts. First, the watch may wear a marking from Ulysse Nardin, but was originally designed by a young FP Journe for La Joux-Perret....