Steel 565 Patek Philippe Calatrava
Perfect simplicity is more difficult to create than complication. As the often misattributed quote goes, ‘If I had more time, I would’ve written you a shorter letter.’ I don’t have time, so I’m going to fully expound the many virtues of the 565 with complexity. It’s one of the earliest examples of Patek Philippe flirting…
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Hodinkee ‘Friends & Family’ 79030 Tudor Black Bay 58
You’re probably asking yourself now, ‘What is Hairspring doing talking about a Black Bay 58?’ Look a little closer at that dial. If one needed convincing that Tudor are operating today in the role that Rolex did 50 years ago, we need no further evidence. This is the Hodinkee ‘Friends & Family’ Black Bay 58,…
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43032 Vacheron Constantin Skeleton Quantième Perpétuel
The case could easily be made that the three ‘holy trinity’ neo-vintage perpetual calendars, the storied refs 5548, 43031, and 3940, are the most important complicated serially produced watches of the modern era, particularly the 5548 for bringing the category back. But that’s like saying David Gandy is handsome; duh. What isn’t discussed as often…
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‘Green DON Bezel’ 2998-6 Omega Speedmaster
A watch may lead an infinite number of lives, but only some result in patina. As the saying goes, one should use their tools. This is a ‘pre-moon’ 2998, and no, your eyes do not deceive you, that bezel is green. Only a very narrow range of 2998 bezels are known to occasionally exhibit this…
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3521 IWC ‘JLC’ Ingenieur
If the new Ingenieur just doesn’t land quite right for you, vintage might have the answer. And it doesn’t just have to be the quite-expensive, OG ref. 1832. The Ingenieurs which arrived after, that only very few of us obsessive enthusiasts seem to talk about, are just as if not more interesting. The ‘skinny’ midsized…
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‘Evil Nina’ 885103/01 Universal Genève Compax
A few days ago, I was debating with a friend just what the purest expression of the Valjoux 72 was. There’s a lot play with here, he holds it’s an Oyster Paul Newman, which is hard to argue with. But the Daytona was just one of hundreds of references that the noble Valjoux 72 powered,…
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6001 Audemars Piguet ‘Beta 21’ Quartz
The ref. 6001 is not something you’re likely to have seen before. It’s not a Royal Oak, designed by Jean-Fred Meylan not Genta, and it shares almost no visual identity with any other AP save for its petite tapisserie dial. Fewer than 350 are thought to have been made from 1974 until 1978, succeeded by…
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6150 Rolex Precision Pre-Explorer
What is a Rolex Explorer? A 3-6-9 dial and sterile, steel bezel? Wearing a cardigan and doing no Exploring? Or does it have to say Explorer on it? This is the central question fueling a debate that’s been raging between the farthest gone of us for some time. This 6150 defined the case shape and…
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Anthracite, Matte Grey Dial 1803 Rolex Day-Date
Stone dials are fraught, Tiffany stamps are equally perilous, and the only thing less common than a Stella dial is one without a crack in the lacquer. That’s the cynic’s view of the state of Day-Dates, and it’s definitely somewhat supportable. However, not all that glimmers in Day-Date is quite so loud or need be…
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H37 Roger Dubuis Hommage Perpetual Calendar
Early Roger Dubuis is often compared to Patek Philippe, which is a telling thing in itself. But RD’s detractors will often ask, ‘Why not just buy the original?’ It’s a sentiment I entirely sympathize with, the imitation of anything is rarely on par with its inspiration (particularly off-brand Doritos). But some early RD is distinct…
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