130th Anniversary ‘First’ Grand Seiko SBGW033

Grand-Seiko-SBGW033-130th-Anniversary-First

It is not difficult to understand the timeless appeal of a well-executed dress watch. When complication is removed, effort in finishing is allowed to be a watch’s main focus. Total simplicity, finished to an absurd standard. I believe this appeal is, in large part, responsible for the recent astronomic rise in Chronomètre Bleu values of…

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Grand Seiko SBGY003 Spring Drive

Grand-Seiko-SBGY003-Spring-Drive

If you were to take Seiko’s Presage Cocktail Timer and turn it up to 11, this would be the result. The SBGY003 features one of Grand Seiko’s most spectacular radial textures, simplicity in all elements, and a case more subtle than you might expect. But then there’s the absurd level of finishing, the blued steel,…

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Breguet 7027 Tradition

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Who knew a love letter to pocket watch architecture could still stir up so many emotions? Breguet introduced the 7027 in 2005 to little fanfare. Over a decade later, this reference is still a niche enthusiast’s choice. Breguet designed an open dial aesthetic that was defiantly avant-garde. Yet, when specified in this rose gold coin…

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FP Journe Chronomètre Bleu

FP-Journe-Chronomètre-Bleu

As a long-standing Journe supporter, the time for me to feature a Bleu had to approach eventually. Few watches are as recognizable or iconic in the modern world. However, a watch can only double in value so many times before the value proposition it offers no longer makes sense. A Bleu at 20K is a…

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Ludovic Ballouard Upside Down

Ludovic-Ballouard-Upside-Down

One of the most singularly amazing recent trends of modern independent watchmaking is a decoupling of innovation from purpose. I’ve heard it said before that for something to be art it can have no purpose other than itself. In that regard, this Upside Down certainly earns its title as a work of art, though one…

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Tissot 6916 Chevron Dial

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In the Mad Men era of pie-pan Constellations, UG Monodates, and waffle Princes, value alternatives existed alongside these heavyweights. Tissot may be largely famed today for quartz consumables and bright orange adolescent designs, but it wasn’t always so. Seeming acknowledging their sinful modernity, Tissot have released one or two throwbacks to their unimpeachably great back…

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Rolex Veriflat 6512 in Rose Gold

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As under-the-radar vintage picks go, most anything that says Rolex on the dial is out of contention. Today, I present to you what may be the sole exception to that rule which is also attractive. The 6512 Veriflat was an oyster-cased Calatrava equivalent that only ever sold in rose and yellow golds. There aren’t many…

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Jaeger Lecoultre Grande Duoface Reverso 1931 Boutique Exclusive

Jaeger-Lecoultre-Grande-Duoface-Reverso-1931-Boutique-Edition

The peace brought about in the interim between WWI and WWII yielded many fruitful inventions. The ballpoint pen, nylon, chocolate chips, and helicopters were all first debuted in the early 30s. For watch addicts, however, one invention stands above the rest: Lecoultre’s original Reverso. First created (this contentious but go with me here) at the…

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Deep-Blue Dialed Patek Philippe 3445 Calatrava in YG

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The 3445 Calatrava was every bit as modern as it was gorgeous in 1961. This petite seconds three-hander was Patek’s first automatic watch with a date window. Watch collectors today tend to turn their noses up at any dial aperture. But this is different. The 3445’s date window was a first, a true innovation. If…

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Audemars Piguet 25643 Sun-Ray Tourbillon Automatique

Audemars-Piguet-Sun-Ray-Tourbillon-Automatique-25643

Something very interesting was posted to AVW this morning. That is not to say their inventory is not interesting, there is almost always something very appetizing for a horological nerd whenever I check in. Perhaps one for the more eclectic among you, this ‘sun-ray’ dialed AP is the first self-wound tourbillon. A wild and original…

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