A simple Lange is an oxymoron, to be sure. But what better contradiction is there than this Saxonia thin? Lower independent manufacturers can often hide behind complication, as reverse engineering them is actually easier than developing a high standard of finishing. When you pair back all the the jumping hours,...

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...

Grand Seiko and Omega are never ones to shy away from good limited edition. If it’s Tuesday, there’s a new Speedmaster LE. If the seasons are changing, count on Grand Seiko to turn that mood into a dial texture. One of the downsides to fairly frequent LE releases is that...

You likely know Gerald Genta’s design and the Nautilus story—sketched over dinner on a napkin whilst staring at a yacht. The iconic porthole case was born later that year and, despite pricing above the Royal Oak, to immediate success. Then Hublot bought some tracing paper. What happened to the Nautilus...

If I’ve featured JLC a little heavily in the last month, I apologize. In my defense, I’m not sure you can feature JLC too heavily. There have been a few very appetizing references surfacing lately. I remember a period of four months where there wasn’t a single Polaris LE 190.8.96...

In today’s edition of rare Speedmasters you probably won’t see again this year, here’s the white gold Apollo XI. The lovely thing about white gold Speedmasters, as platinum, is the stealth wealth. If you’re not a fan of metallurgy, and most aren’t, it looks like a steel Moonwatch at a...

I am constantly amazed at how variably different pieces may patina. A bakelite GMT from the 60s can look well and truly fucked, while simultaneously this Compax from the 40s looks under a decade young (if it weren’t for the proportion & design). That is testament to how well constructed...

In today’s collector climate, where Rolex buyers obsess over the slightest font alignment of a rail dial, it’s refreshing to find an authentically unique dial. An authentically unique piece, at that. Khanjar or Omani Rolex are their own market with a dedicated following. In recent years, they’ve become more highly...

If you’d like a 9F equipped Grand Seiko to try out the brand, you could do worse than this JDM-Only SBGV003. Almost as a rule, I prefer mechanical movements. But there are exceptions. Well, basically three exceptions: G-shock, Beta-21s & Oyster Quartz, and 9F Grand Seikos. But that’s just me....

I often the more archetypal, paired-back offerings from a house the more attractive options. This Pioneer, for example, is like a distilled essence of Moser. The Pioneer offers a classic Fumé dial with a contemporary case, crown, and hand design. No frills. Instead, Moser focussed on perfecting their craft. The...

A traditional double rattrapante is a notoriously difficult complication to engineer, assemble, and service. In 2004, Lange introduced a double split that was for many years a king of the genre. Lange are famous for machining and assembling an entire movement only to fully disassemble, check for wear, and finally...

The SuperOcean reference 2005 is a diver decidedly unlike any other. First, there’s the ‘slow’ minute-step chronograph to measure time elapsed underwater. Second, there’s the fact that the chronograph hand is effectively spatula-shaped with a rotund lume plot. Third, Breitling included an indicator above 6 on the dial to mark...

I’ve already written at length about the 3705 when we sold one in 2018. Even then, the 3705 was a highly coveted and rare reference. Today, it’s the same only more. I can’t add anything to the previous article’s story, except that this IWC only looks better every time I...

If you’re after just any vintage diver these days, you’re well cared for. There are no shortages of Submariners, Seamasters, T-Graphs, or even 62MASs. However, if you get off on the lesser-known vintage models, your work is increasingly cut out. It’s quite difficult to come across a decent Enicar Sherpa...

The Royal Oak Offshore, nicknamed the Beast, is a grail to many. D-Series serial numbers designate this beast as one of the first 200 examples ever to have been produced. These very rare, very early production pieces had some unique processes in their dial production resulting in a highly varied...

Recent re-editions of the Breitling AVI, Heuer/Sinn Bundeswehr, and Zenith’s A. Cairelli have brought increased attention to vintage Air Force chronographs. There’s one that often goes forgotten, simply because the manufacture no longer exists. Leonidas merged with Heuer in 1962. Before that union, they made small batches of beautiful chronographs...

Hajime Asaoka is a self-taught, high-end, and independent watchmaker taking on Swiss heavyweights. Moreover, winning against Swiss heavyweights. Asaoka started as a product designer. Like many of us he fell in love with horology. Unlike many of us, he started machining and tinkering. He read George Daniel’s bible, watched too...

Describing a gold wristwatch as elegance personified would be an incredible pretentious thing to do. And yet, here typing this, I am tempted to. These 6238s, like many early Rolex chronographs, don’t shout with bright colors or oversized lugs. They simply are icons. I’ve written before about the legacy of...