Tropical Heuer 1163 GMT ‘Red Needle’

Tropical-Heuer-1163-GMT-Red-Needle

The 1163 GMT is one of the Heuer’s diamonds in the rough. Though the myriad vaguely-racing-oriented chronographs they’ve produced can easily be confused, this GMT stand out. It may not have been a commercial success for Heuer, but, like the early Daytonas, that has only made it more desirable to collectors today. Pieces like this…

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The Controversial Cream Dial 16570 Explorer II

Rolex-16570-Explorer-II-Cream-Dial

Few defects are as beautiful as the Explorer II cream dial. Early white dial Explorer II production runs had a paint defect which, after a few years, aged the dials to a beautiful ivory. Less than halfway through the run, Rolex corrected this and left collectors with two rare references to hunt. Like all good…

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Japan-Only Grand Seiko SBGJ231 GMT

Grand-Seiko-SBGJ231-GMT-Japan-Only

Japanese culture is only a recent fascination of the West—myself included. I have two Grand Seikos in my watchbox and Yamazaki 12 on my shelf. I adore both addictions. Japan has become so in-vogue in the last few years, however, that they’ve had to limit export. Yamazaki and Hibiki with age statements above 12 are…

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Not That Pepsi: Heuer 2446C GMT

Heuer-Autavia-GMT-2446C

For the last decade, I’ve been slowly watching Heuer’s Autavia (short for automotive/aviation) gain favor from collectors besides Jeff Stein. There is a limit to how much one can spend on a 6263 before alternatives start to look more appetizing. Today, I think I can say the same for the 6542. This 2446C isn’t just…

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The Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller Boréal

Laurent-Ferrier-Traveller-Boreal-Luminous-Sector

High-end, in horology, is a relatively useless demarcation. To one, high-end could mean an Omega Seamaster 300. To another, high-end could be a CasiOak. So let’s say this: people who have gone to school to become watchmakers for Patek Philippe, who have a complete understanding of excellence, would consider this amongst the highest level of…

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Value Proposition: the 16758 GMT-Master

Rolex-GMT-Master-16758

It’s no secret that steel sports Rolex are in their own class these days. Hell, people are even willing to sell a kidney for a Lange 1 in steel. As steel Rolex auction results routinely break new highs, it seems worth considering their precious metal-based siblings as an alternative. In the decade of its release,…

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