Royal Navy Clearance Diver 116660 Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea
At this point, you might be asking why Hairspring is talking about a modern Deepsea. Well, flip it over, and you’ll find this is not like any other modern Rolex you’re likely to have handled. Milsubs don’t really exist today in the traditional, issued sense. Today, Tudor will make what we now call ‘Unit Watches’…
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Derek Pratt by Luca Soprana Remontoir d’Egalité
Watchmaking suffered a severe blow in 2009 when Derek Pratt left us. But Pratt’s legacy lives in his inimitable work, teachings (from which there is much to study), and through his friends like Luca Soprana. Pratt is often considered to be one of the greatest and most determined watchmakers that few have heard of, a…
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‘Graph Paper’ 3505 IWC Ingenieur SL
Graph paper isn’t the sexiest thing in the world. And, yet, put it on an IWC dial as texture and it just might be. One of the best parts about this mid-sized Ingenieur from the early 80s is that there are multiple generations that each have equally attractive personalities. Are you a COSC kind of…
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25558BA Audemars Piguet Quantième Perpétuel Openwork
Despite the fact that they’ve almost entirely forgotten about it in favor of things like Spider-Man Royal Oaks, strange permutations of the Code 11.59 that nobody asked for, and stroking John Mayer’s ego, Audemars Piguet saved complicated mechanical watchmaking in 1978 with the reference 5548. This is the 25558, the first openwork (skeletonized) model of…
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MB&F LM Perpetual Calendar
I know this looks like another insane Legacy Machine creation from Max & co, and it is. But it is also one of the most significant updates made to the perpetual calendar complication of the last century. This is ground-up, first principles thinking as applied to keeping track of days in months and leap years….
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Tropical Dial A384 Zenith El Primero
Zenith in 1969 was firing on more than all creative cylinders. They went up to 11, 12, and then 36,000. The cases went for pure revolution over evolution. Gay Frères invented a new, very summery, and very 70s bracelet. Wether the calibre 3019 PHC was the first automatic chronograph or not, it was certainly the…
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‘150 Years of Harrods’ 3923R Patek Philippe Calatrava
As a plebeian born in the US, my first contact with Harrods was in 2008 when I heard Jeremy Clarkson talk about Lamborghinis posing outside Harrods. But if you’re English, it means a whole lot more than that. And if you’re Patek Philippe, it’s one of your most important retailers. Harrods celebrated their 150th in…
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Burlwood Dial, Bark Finish 18078 Rolex Day-Date
Not only is this a burlwood Day-Date, quite an uncommon thing already, but it rather fittingly is sporting a what is known as (and I’m not making this up) a bark finish case. You see how the bezel and centre links are almost textured like tree bark? It’s a finish that was made at Rolex…
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Skeleton 3355 Breguet Classique Tourbillon, Platinum
Breguet around Daniel Roth was something else. This is a 3355, which might sound a lot like 3350 if you know your Breguet. Roth worked closely with Lemania for three years to develop this one-second tourbillon, which debuted in 1989. In fact, after Roth branched out on his own, this movement served as the ébauche…
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Serpico Y Laino Dial 6605 Rolex Datejust ‘Ovettone’, Pink Gold
Before Paul Newmans got everyone hot and bothered and way before anyone cared about the Nautilus, early Ovettone Datejust were what collectors thought should be all the rage. When there was no social media and you weren’t yet qualified to operate a motor vehicle, this was original hype watch at auction. And, honestly, I think…
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