Not That Pepsi: Heuer 2446C GMT
For the last decade, I’ve been slowly watching Heuer’s Autavia (short for automotive/aviation) gain favor from collectors besides Jeff Stein. There is a limit to how much one can spend on a 6263 before alternatives start to look more appetizing. Today, I think I can say the same for the 6542. This 2446C isn’t just…
$801.12
Upvote
Wittnauer Valjoux 71 Chronograph
Wittnauer, later absorbed by Bulova and Longines, used to make some beautiful chronographs. Wittnauer began as an American pocket watch manufacture who adapted during wartime to wristwatches. The later 242T and 7004A are probably their best known references. But well before either came this wartime chronograph. This early reference is radium-lumed with a salmon dial…
$801.12
Upvote
European Market Jaeger Lecoultre Deep Sea Alarm
Very little today is as unassuming as this humble JLC. The classic size, slight hint of super-compressor casing, and near-empty dial… This is the antithesis of a rainbow Daytona. And yet, it is rarer. Dare I say, in time, it may be more valuable as well. It’s the type of piece that tells even the…
$801.12
Upvote
Fiona Krüger’s Memento Mori
I often lament just how structured and predictable most Swiss watchmaking has become. Rolex increased the case size of the newest sub by .3mm and the media thought this was actually a story. That lazy attitude is what makes pieces like Ms Krügers work, and other independents, all the more special. You’ll never see someone…
$801.12
Upvote
2310 in an Evening Dress: Vacheron Les Historiques Chronograph
Lemania’s 2310 architecture has found its way to the moon, Patek complications, and even the odd Tissot. It’s a highly collected, storied, and tested movement. If you wanted, you could get one on your wrist under a few grand in the form of a Seamaster 321. Alternatively, if you wanted to celebrate its many accomplishments,…
$801.12
Upvote
Blancpain Air Command Flyback LE
Unfortunate timing can break an otherwise impenetrable product. This year, that wrecking ball was called COVID. Last May, right when the uncertainty was at a height, Blancpain thought just the thing we all needed was a new chronograph. Maybe not their most strategic play. However, I think it’s worth drawing a little more attention pieces…
$801.12
Upvote
Tiffany-Signed Triple Six Sea Dweller
Some collectors go gaga for haute complication. Others prefer a good tropical dial. But there’s an entire category of watch addicts who just like double-signed dials: Serpico, Beyer, Gubelin, and above all Tiffany. But not all Tiffany dials are created equally. Tiffany Sea Dwellers are substantially rarer than subs. Tiffany triple sixes (my preference of…
$801.12
Upvote
Reasonable Grail: the Tudor Big Block 94200
There’s a strong demand from collectors for vintage Rolex chronographs (even vintage Rolex-ish chronographs). Exhibit A: all Daytonas. Exhibit B: all Monte Carlos. But the under-appreciated Exhibit C comes by way of the Tudor Big Block. It used to be the Big Block was considered a means to an end; a path toward Rolex. These…
$801.12
Upvote
One Seamaster to Rule them All
There are more accurate, more ornate, and more complicated Seamasters. But there isn’t a more significant Seamaster than this military 165.024 T-dial. This is a watch that is invisible to almost everyone. No one will mug you for it in East London. But if you know, you really know. This mil-spec Seamaster varies from the…
$801.12
Upvote
Seiko SLA039 Anniversary Limited Edition
For a lot of people, a Seiko diver priced near 6K is going to be a tough pill to swallow—but you should consider taking the medicine. The SLA039 has a Rolex-level outlay because it packs Rolex-level engineering (but with fewer of the ostentatious associations). Stealth wealth is one of my favorite categories in wristwatches. Discretion…
$801.12
Upvote