Japanese culture is only a recent fascination of the West—myself included. I have two Grand Seikos in my watchbox and Yamazaki 12 on my shelf. I adore both addictions. Japan has become so in-vogue in the last few years, however, that they’ve had to limit export. Yamazaki and Hibiki with...

It may seem only topical to feature a 16520 Zenith Daytona a few days after the Daytona-copy Zenith hit media, but I assure you this 16520 is above that noise. With its steel bezel, screw pushers, and running seconds at 9, there is no mistaking one for another. What’s more,...

If Bruce Wayne wears a ‘Batman’ GMT-Master II (with Nolan, in fact, he wore a Reverso), the actual Batman suit would include this Urwerk. Urwerk’s engineered approach to watchmaking lends such a unique aesthetic that it almost seems like it belongs on the pages of a comic book. Completely disregarding...

A watch can bring with it a strong hit of nostalgia like few objects can. Swatch created the Jellyfish in 1983 and it was their largest success of the time. Notorious B.I.G., Keith Haring, and Damien Hirst were all fans of the design. Follow-up models, accessories, and whole decade of...

I think what appeals to me so strongly in a tropical watch is that it’s a massive middle finger to the idea of putting a watch in a safe and waiting for appreciation. I like watches to be used as intended—embracing the effects as a consequence of a life well...

In the early 70s, Omega brought out the ref 145.023 chronograph. It featured a bulky, bright-tungsten finished 44mm case. With a bright white tachy scale, advanced 861 chronograph, and helmet-like shape, the watch became known as the Anakin Skywalker. A few months after initial release, they followed it up with...

The last of Heuer’s manually wound chronographs, the Camaro is a bit of an acquired taste. It is a simple design, yet one which has stood the test of time, looking better today than ever previously. This more subdued Heuer (relative to a Monaco) sports a 37.5mm case with a...

The Speedmaster varies so widely between special editions that it can near become a new model. At the extreme of that spectrum, there is this: the Alaska Project. It more closely resembles a space coconut than any new Omega. I posted that tagline on Instagram a few years back and...

Every collector has heard at least one journalist muse over the fine line between wear and abuse. Straddling that gap 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’ initial generation...

At a glance, this is a Cartier. But upon close study, this JLC ‘Tank’ presents a very charming alternative to the French monolith. If you like the aesthetic of Cartier but want a Swiss watchmaker’s expertise, this may be your best option. The 6129 features a slightly more rounded 18K...

I for one loathe all automaker to watchmaker analogies. As a keen enthusiast of each sphere, they are never right. Rolex is not like Porsche. Patek is not like Buggati and certainly not Rolls-Royce. Everything is too loosely connected to be useful, it’s always a vast over simplification. That said,...

Clebar is not a terribly well-known brand. They will not be at GPHG next year. But they—like Leonidas—had a partnership with Heuer that would see the creation of some lovely 70s chronographs. There were simple two-register affairs like this panda, pilots with large tachy scales, and a few slightly more...

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...