Mk2 ‘Freccione’ 1655 Rolex Explorer II
The 1655 isn’t just where the Explorer II began, it’s one of the strangest anachronisms in the Rolex back catalogue. By comparison to a GMT or Sub, it takes a very specific kind of collector: one that appreciates the start of a story to exclusion of all things. We usually think of the Explorer II…
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Coral Red Stella Dial 1803 Rolex Day-Date
The emoji Day-Date isn’t the first time Rolex let their hair down, but when they did so in the past, man, it was just so much more tasteful and elegant. They say subtlety is an art that’s been lost on our generation and I’m inclined to agree. Back in the 70s, this ‘cherry’ red Stella…
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‘European Market’ E857 Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm
In 1959, before the formula for what would become a dive watch was well-established, JLC had a go. And what they came up with was markedly different to what we think of as a dive watch today, leaning more into their technical ability to leverage complication. What resulted was this, the E857 Deep Sea Alarm….
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1530 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date
Long time readers will know by the rehaut, this is a Rolex that is not what it first appears to be. If you love watches, you’d spot this case from across the room. You’d say ‘Nice Oysterquartz’, and in 19/20 passes, you’d be entirely correct. But this is the one time you’d be off. This…
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3508 IWC Ingenieur 500K A/m
The new Ingenieur is great. Or maybe great-ish. Fine, it’s just okay. Here’s my gripe and it’s not the RRP: IWC have gone a bit out of their way to not advertise its magnetic resistance, it’s not listed on their site. It’s not even on Hodinkee. Somehow, everyone missed the a-mag rating of IWC’s a-mag…
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25643BA Audemars Piguet ‘Sun Ray’ Tourbillon
If the tourbillon is often utilized a bit garishly (and let’s be honest, it is), it certainly didn’t start that way. Despite almost no one knowing the reference and it rarely receiving a mention at all, this ‘Sun Ray’ ref. 25643 was the world’s first self-wound tourbillon wristwatch and the first to be serially produced….
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Burgundy Dial 25720PT Audemars Piguet Star Wheel
This is a 25720PT Star Wheel, obviously, but not as you know it. A handful of very rare, very unusual iterations were created. There are fewer than five known with gem set bezels. In yellow gold, a couple ‘tiger eye’ dials were made. But in platinum, two colored dials were created in blue and burgundy,…
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‘Obsidian’ Dial 1601 Rolex Datejust
Much has been discovered since this first Finds post on an Obsidian Datejust. Below is a copy of our updated perspective on these stone dial Datejusts, taken from our most recent article written 2024. Here’s just about the most controversial Rolex around today. It goes by Obsidian, a volcanic glass, and for recent years it…
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‘Grand Prix de Monaco 1996’ 16520 Rolex Daytona
This is one of those rare occasions where a solid caseback is way, way more interesting than the dial. Simply engraved, ‘Grand Prix de Monaco 1996’, it unlocks a whole world of unknowns and potential history. We know for certain that in the ’96 Monaco Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher took pole with some controversy, causing…
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2917 Cartier CPCP Tank Louis Dual Time
It’s been at least two years since I’ve seen one of these surface in the market, but that ends today. If over the last few years anyone thought the increased interest in vintage Cartier was a fad, neo or true vintage, nothing could be further from the truth. We’ve seen Cartier and particularly the watchmaking-focused…
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