Fair warning, this may devolve to a love letter. I’ll try to remain objective. Today we feature a hardly-worn white gold A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk from The Keystone. As a ‘standard’ striking-time Zeitwerk (if there is such a thing) 145.029, it’s not a particularly rare reference. However, it is...

The Zenith A. Cairelli AMI CP-2 represents a high-water mark of effortless Italian style. In its period, Turin gave us the Type 33 Stradale, Quant gave the world the miniskirt, Florence gave us the true Vespa, and Zenith gave Italy’s Air Force the CP-2. All of the above mark high-water...

It’s rare enough to find original Seamaster 300s. Yet, often, the original examples are worn to hell with flaking lume, abused cases, and corrosion peppering the movement. Today, we have the opposite: an original, yet very composed Seamaster 300. The 300 was introduced at the end of WWII to British...

I must plead guilty to sleeping when Contrapante introduced this Grönefeld to their inventory; I should have been more attentive. They’ve always kept a staggering inventory and this remontoire is no exception. Leave it to the slightly unhinged Dutch to design a constant power escapement like none other in this...

Every collector has heard a journalist musing over the fine line between wear and abuse. I’ll save you that. Straddling the line today we have a reference that has become, at least in my eyes, a bit of an icon. Or perhaps I should say ‘Legend’. The 7150 was Longines’...

I’ll be the first to admit I’m given to hyperbole, but on this occasion I’m free of exaggeration. This 5508 is about as perfect as they come. The small-crown sub is a cult favorite amongst Rolex collectors and for good reason. The 5508 was the genesis for all modern submariner...

The great Vacheron Constantin crossed some treacherous ground in 1970. The oldest watchmaking house in continuous operation, it had seen trouble before; but nothing like the 1970s. The quartz-crisis spelled impending doom for all of Switzerland. Audemars Piguet had just introduced the Royal Oak and Patek Philippe followed with its...

A beautiful example of one of the all-time great dials today, courtesy of the Keystone. The Blue Monte Carlo variation is amongst the most representative of the chronograph’s character (outside exotic dials). Considering Tudor as Rolex’s wild side, one may as well have the louder aesthetic. The 40mm Oyster case...

I apologize in advance for those of you who aren’t into the Speedmaster. But its one of my favorite lineages and for all of its unique intricacies, there is a lot of ground to cover. Although this is a relatively recent piece, dating to 2005, this Speedmaster Gemini IV presents...

The 13ZN is one of collectors’ favorite calibers from Longines and rightly so. The Longines 3756 13ZN movement, circa 1936, was truly innovative and beautiful. It featured an ‘in house’ (before it was cool) movement, one of the first ever chronograph complications in a wristwatch (argued, intentionally left vague), 17...

Some intangible thing about the early El Primero references is ultra-desirable. The movement is remarkable, the case is perfectly proportioned, the dial perennially interesting. They came from a time when Zenith was innovating hard with the first automatic chronograph and leaving the rest of the pack to catch up. The...

There is good reason for collectors to favor gilt Rolex in some circumstances. There is also no need to explain the appeal of the Datejust design. When you combine these two descriptors and apply them to a 6605 that has clearly seen some life, the result is simply incredible. This...

I have occasionally had to admit that I gave myself an out in the tagline for this site, “bringing notable wristwatches to enthusiasts.” You see, the vast majority of pieces that I find intriguing were either innovative for their time (in mechanics or design) or succeeded in attaching themselves to...

For those uninitiated, sit comfortably and pour yourself a cup of coffee (or scotch, timezone dependent). The 6263 Big-Eye is one of my all time favorite references and here, over my morning coffee, I’ll explain why. I have been accused of being too partial to the great coronet, but there...