Posts Tagged ‘Chronograph’
1 of 100: A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split
A traditional double rattrapante is a notoriously difficult complication to engineer, assemble, and service. In 2004, Lange introduced a double split that was for many years a king of the genre. Lange are famous for machining and assembling an entire movement only to fully disassemble, check for wear, and finally re-assemble a completed caliber. Most…
Read MoreBreitling SuperOcean 2005, Beauty in the Details
The SuperOcean reference 2005 is a diver decidedly unlike any other. First, there’s the ‘slow’ minute-step chronograph to measure time elapsed underwater. Second, there’s the fact that the chronograph hand is effectively spatula-shaped with a rotund lume plot. Third, Breitling included an indicator above 6 on the dial to mark when the chronograph is running…
Read MoreIWC Ceramic Fliegerchronograph
I’ve already written at length about the 3705 when we sold one in 2018. Even then, the 3705 was a highly coveted and rare reference. Today, it’s the same only more. I can’t add anything to the previous article’s story, except that this IWC only looks better every time I see it. Both the 3705…
Read MoreLeonidas CP-2 Flyback Italian Air Force
Recent re-editions of the Breitling AVI, Heuer/Sinn Bundeswehr, and Zenith’s A. Cairelli have brought increased attention to vintage Air Force chronographs. There’s one that often goes forgotten, simply because the manufacture no longer exists. Leonidas merged with Heuer in 1962. Before that union, they made small batches of beautiful chronographs issued to the Italian Air…
Read MorePre-Daytona Rolex 6238 in Yellow Gold
Describing a gold wristwatch as elegance personified would be an incredible pretentious thing to do. And yet, here typing this, I am tempted to. These 6238s, like many early Rolex chronographs, don’t shout with bright colors or oversized lugs. They simply are icons. I’ve written before about the legacy of the Daytona and how the…
Read MoreWittnauer Valjoux 71 Chronograph
Wittnauer, later absorbed by Bulova and Longines, used to make some beautiful chronographs. Wittnauer began as an American pocket watch manufacture who adapted during wartime to wristwatches. The later 242T and 7004A are probably their best known references. But well before either came this wartime chronograph. This early reference is radium-lumed with a salmon dial…
Read MoreBlancpain Air Command Flyback LE
Unfortunate timing can break an otherwise impenetrable product. This year, that wrecking ball was called COVID. Last May, right when the uncertainty was at a height, Blancpain thought just the thing we all needed was a new chronograph. Maybe not their most strategic play. However, I think it’s worth drawing a little more attention pieces…
Read MoreReasonable Grail: the Tudor Big Block 94200
There’s a strong demand from collectors for vintage Rolex chronographs (even vintage Rolex-ish chronographs). Exhibit A: all Daytonas. Exhibit B: all Monte Carlos. But the under-appreciated Exhibit C comes by way of the Tudor Big Block. It used to be the Big Block was considered a means to an end; a path toward Rolex. These…
Read MoreRare 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…
Read MoreGrail-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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