In 2016, TAG announced a tournament to pit classic Heuer Autavia designs against each other in an online voting tournament. The winner, by a landslide, was what you see here today. It’s not difficult to understand the charm. The 2446 worn by German F1 legend Jochen Rindt was simple three...

If I’m aggressively, incriminatingly honest, the Navitimer tends to bore me slightly. Even the AOPA dials. I much prefer something like a Co-Pilot, Chronomat, early Premier, Unitime, or this. Breitling’s history is rich enough that they need not rely on the Navitimer’s past as heavily as they have historically. When...

If you’ve been here a little while, you’ll know I have a fascination with the alarm complication. You may also know I’m a bit biased toward the JLC Memovox and Deepsea Alarm. This is largely because I owned a Deepsea years ago and parted with it in a pinch, a...

In my view, a 247th anniversary celebration should not be the rager. 250th deserves the splash. And while Vacheron Constantin’s 2005 Esprit des Cabinotiers (the golden clock-egg) was incredibly impressive, I like unique wristwatches. For reasons I cannot surmise, in 2002, Vacheron arrived a few years early with this incredible...

The classic, iconic small-crown Submariner is ageing remarkably well. Every single Black Bay 58 you see plastered across your Instagram feed owes its existence to this design. The red triangle bezel, proud small crown, tapered lugs, and Mercedes handset went on to define a design language for the following decades....

If Urwerk took a more classical approach to watchmaking, I think the result would be something like this marvelous AP Star Wheel. The Wandering Hours complication, a recent revival, has seen Urwerk shot to fame alongside a handful of smaller brands. But Urwerk’s real innovation is in presentation and design....

I’ve been casually waiting on the sidelines to feature a very special Seiko for some time now. I have search alerts set up for a wide range of rare references. Today, I was astounded to find this recent listing. Alpinists are, at risk of sounding pretentious, the beginner Seiko enthusiast’s...

Legendary and storied independent watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva recently announced a line of more attainable, simplistic field watches. The SUF Helsinki brand aimed to bring Finnish design philosophy and simplicity to the masses. This all feels deeply Scandy in philosophy and aesthetics. Think of this as the Volvo XC90 of mid-level...

This watch has all the hype words: nipple-dial, root beer, two-tone, tropical, GMT, and Rolex. And yet, I don’t feel it’s a hype watch in the slightest. This is a nuanced, Rolex collectors’ choice. The tropical (if indeed that is the correct term) dial holds a perfectly reddish/brown marble patina,...

The DS, short for double security, is Certina’s bread and butter diver. The double security moniker was a reference to a case design incorporating water and shock resistance. In essence, a water resistant case with a rubber cushion inside. The early 5101, 5301, and 5601 DS divers were steel bezel-ed...

For all intents and purposes, IWC owns the modern pilot’s chronograph. Their original fliegerchronograph design changed little in the last in the last few decades. Ever the Germanic-Swiss manufacture, they took their time and got it right the first time. That painstaking attention has served them well in recent decades....

Since the mediocrity of releases peddled by most Richmonte, Swatch, LVMH, and other mainstream conglomerates, independents have begun to takeover the role of truly creative watchmaking. Trust Rolex to make the Submariner .3mm larger. Trust Omega to celebrate a 1/4 year since Buzz Aldrin shaved with a Speedmaster LE. Trust...

I occasionally feel privileged to share some of these watches with you. This is, of course, quite silly. I don’t own any of the pieces I feature. I often have no acquaintance or relation to the seller. But in spending hours digging through forums and retailer pages, I occasionally find...

When you think military-issued pieces, you probably think milsub for the Royal Navy, MN Tudors, or the dirty dozen. You probably do not imagine Heuers for the Kenyan Air Force. And yet, funky-vintage-cool does not come much more funky-vintage-cool than this KAF-issued 73663. The Autavia was, as I’m sure you...

If you want a classic Japanese ‘grammar of design’ and the early GS 36000 vph hi-beat movement, 45GS is your choice. Although modern Grand Seiko impresses mostly with their technical and detailed approach, they are leaning on something. They’re leaning on rock solid, beautiful designs forged in the mid 60s....

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: one of the great weaknesses of my generation (Y and over) is the un-appreciation of subtlety. For the most part, we like flash. Rolex knows this. I believe deep in my core that the Stella dial OPs released last year were...

I’ve written multiple times here on why I love the 7150. I love all EPSA Super Compressors for the most part, but this design hits just right. One property of the 7150 that never fails to impress me is their sheer diversity. Some go grey, some go rusty, some go...

Although field watch is somewhat ambiguous and meaningless designation, I think this RAF Hamilton could be a perfect working definition. The watch is completely without pretense, function over all other considerations. Mildly undersized for comfort, tritium for legibility, an uncluttered dial, and simple (easily fixable) movement. I long for simplicity...