Roger Dubuis Hommage H37 in Guilloché
Amidst the Lamborghini collaborations and diamond-set double tourbillons, it’s easy to forget that Roger Dubuis also did understated elegance. He did it really, really well. Roger sadly left us in 2017, but is remembered as one of the more innovative and eccentric independent watchmakers. While today’s louder pieces are all good fun—the kind of thing…
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Rare and Attractive: Zenith A384
Phillip’s Auctions (and Aurel Bacs) are notorious for overusing the phrase ‘rare & attractive’ in listing descriptions. However, if they wrote ad copy for this A384, I would make an allowance. To address the former, it is actually rare. Rössler’s book Zenith: Swiss Watch Manufacture Since 1865 estimates just 2600 examples were produced. And to address…
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Grail-Level Speedmaster: the BA145.022
In my theoretical holy trinity of Speedmasters, this BA would feature alongside the radial Alaska III. Third place is yet to be decided between the Silver Snoopy or original CK2915 broad arrow. Why does a 145.022 in gold carry such weight? It’s the story. To commemorate the moon landing, the US government hosted a dinner…
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Waffle-Dial Tudor Prince 7909
Unassuming, I think, is the adjective that best suits the Prince. Tudor’s ‘Oyster Perpetual’ began humbly in the 1950s but eventually went the distance, picked up by Arctic explorers before the explorer. Ever Rolex’s experimental sibling, even in the 1950s, Tudor utilized a range of dial and hand configurations inside the 34mm case. One of…
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Red-Depth Double-Reference 6536/8 Submariner
For a very small number of cases produced in the middle of 1955, Rolex doubled up on references. They wrote 6538, crossed off, and rewrote 6536 to re-designate a small crown. It is not clear if this was done intentionally as a transitional model or as a simple repurposing of existing cases. Either way, the…
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Tropical AP 14802ST Royal Oak Jubilee
In 1995, well after the Royal Oak had become an icon, Audemars Piguet launched a reference 14802ST to commemorate its 20th anniversary. Limited to 1000 pieces, this ‘Jubilee’ model was available in platinum, gold, and the steel we see here (this was back when limited editions weren’t multiples of 1000). The steel models, when worn…
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1 of 38: Montblanc Minerva Heritage Small Second
I’ve been on a bit of a manual-wind three hand bend lately. You may have noticed. If the GS I posted a day ago didn’t appeal to you for lack of being loud and/or limited, I give you this Mont Blanc. I think brands should be applauded when they uphold the honest definition of a…
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The Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller Boréal
High-end, in horology, is a relatively useless demarcation. To one, high-end could mean an Omega Seamaster 300. To another, high-end could be a CasiOak. So let’s say this: people who have gone to school to become watchmakers for Patek Philippe, who have a complete understanding of excellence, would consider this amongst the highest level of…
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Japan-Only Grand Seiko SBGW235
Three-hand dress pieces don’t come much more classic than this quiet gem from Grand Seiko. Most of us saw the2017 SBGW231 37mm manual-wind dress model in the world’s media. However, as is often the way with Grand Seiko, if you looked a little deeper you would also see a Japan-only variant listed on the Japanese…
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Value Proposition: the 16758 GMT-Master
It’s no secret that steel sports Rolex are in their own class these days. Hell, people are even willing to sell a kidney for a Lange 1 in steel. As steel Rolex auction results routinely break new highs, it seems worth considering their precious metal-based siblings as an alternative. In the decade of its release,…
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