‘Doré’ Dial Patek Philippe 3940J
What is the most desirable 3940? Having recently extolled the virtues of the quintessential modern Patek Philippe QP, the natural question to follow is, well, which? Are you a white metal or gold type of person? Does the more proportional and minimalist balance of a first series dial appeal more, or do you like some…
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‘Lemon Paul Newman’ 6264 Rolex Daytona
Lemon normally describes a defect, but in Paul Newmans it’s anything but, it’s seven figures to start. Blame the Italians. The 6262 and 6264 will be known to collectors as the transition reference Daytonas; the 6264 is quite uncommon in its own right. The pair of Cosmographs introduced the Valjoux 727 and its higher beat…
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‘King Sub’ 6200 Rolex Submariner
The earliest years of the Submariner encompass many beautiful references. But only one is nicknamed the ‘King Sub’, ref. 6200. The 6200 is lore: an Explorer dial in its own case with the first 8mm Brevet ‘big crown’ and no depth rating on the dial. Not even a Submariner line (mostly). Production numbers were extremely…
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Jasper Dial 18039 Rolex Day-Date
Of all standard production Rolex models, white precious metal and a jasper dial has to be in the top five of outright rarity. You’ll see jasper in yellow gold with some frequency, a handful yearly popping up in the market. But in white precious metal, not gem set, fewer than 10 are known. My current…
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2515 Cartier Baignoire Allongée in Pink Gold
Baignoire Allongée sounds incredibly sexy in French, but translates literally as long bathtub. The naming conventions at Cartier have always proven quite literal, but not all are equal. The first Baignoire-like case was created in 1912, a unique gift from Louis Cartier to Russian Grand Duchess Pavlovna. Note 1912 is well before the Tank. The…
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Tropical Dial ‘Thunderbird’ 1625 Rolex Datejust
No one knows precisely how the Turn-O-Graph bezel wound up on the wrists of the USAF Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds. Lore holds that one pilot previously bought one for himself on his wedding, and, after discovering how useful the rotating bezel was, the US government placed an order for his team. Others…
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6595 Blancpain Complete Calendar Moonphase
So you’ve been watching the fall auctions and standout Rolex 6062 lots, pining. Some have used the headline ‘most beautiful Rolex ever made’. But let’s say you don’t have the spare 2M CHF sitting around that one commanded a few days ago. Fret not, JCB and Blancpain’s best ever sequences of releases from the 90s…
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‘Blank Dial’ 44018 Vacheron Constantin 222 Jumbo
This 222 is the archetypal double take watch. Glance once, and it’s a bimetal 222 jumbo. Incredible watch, in any dial. But glance twice and your mind begins to process that this is something bizarre. The hands are non-luminous dauphine, solid gold, and not batons. In attention to detail, the dial is signed Swiss alone,…
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Steel FP Journe Chronomètre à Résonance RN
Steel and Journe are almost antonyms, in FP precious metal is the standard. That is, except for one short blip around 2015 (forgetting minute repeaters and the Holland & Holland). Collectors will know, there are two closely linked, but slightly separate major transitions in FP Journe’s history. The first came when his movement’s base metal…
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Early Franck Muller 3 of 50 Sport Limited Edition Chronograph
Franck Muller is often called the ‘master of complications’, but in truth there’s only one of his that I care about. It’s a simple chronograph, made before he discovered blow (after saying this for years I can now blame that framing on our friends at Amsterdam Vintage Watches), and it stands in stark contrast to…
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