Posts Tagged ‘Precious Metal’
Vacheron 222 Ref 46003 in YG
The 222 is the forgotten Swiss savior of the quartz crisis era. While the Royal Oak and Nautilus are celebrated to the point of being on the wrist of every soundcloud rapper, the 222 has not found fame. The final memeber of the holy trinity was fashionably late to the party, but perhaps excessively so.…
Read MoreVacheron Constantin 6194 Signed by Cartier
We all know collectors go a bit mad at a good double signature. A Comex Submariner will sell at 100x the production dial and let’s not even mention Tiffany Pateks. In that league of rarity (but not price) are Cartier signatures. Before Cartier was a watchmaking titan, they were a watch retailer of the very…
Read MoreAnniversary Patek Philippe 3940G Salmon Dial
When the 5711 was discontinued a few weeks back, asking prices rocketed north of 100K. That is an astonishing sum for the humble Nautilus. When the market goes mad, you have to maintain logic. And in that vein, you have to consider this Anniversary 3940G. For a paltry additional 50K (laughable statement, I am aware)…
Read MoreAn FP Journe TN Tourbillon in Double Rose Gold
The phrase grail watch gets thrown around a lot these days. I’ve heard the term applied to Tudor Big Blocks, Doxa No Ts, Seiko Spacewalks, and the last Speedmaster article I wrote. It seems to me, however, that when a piece is truly a grail no one need say it outright. The headline for this…
Read More1 of 500: Jaeger Lecoultre Reverso Septantième
Amongst today’s quick pace of limited editions and Instagram hype, it’s easy to forget that JLC has been making grail-worthy watches since before hype was a word. This grail-to-me, the Septantieme, has largely faded into the background of watch collecting attention. Or perhaps, having pre-dated Instagram, it was never there in the first place. Either…
Read MoreThe Collector’s Cosmograph: 6265 Daytona in Yellow Gold
It’s not hard to make the case for a gold Datyona. Some might call it predictable, even. Amongst vintage collectors, the Daytona has become such a theme that today it is its own genre. If you’re the kind of person willing to splash a hundred grand on a YG 6265, chances are this isn’t your…
Read MoreCartier Tank Americaine CPCP
Cartier’s re-entry to mechanical watchmaking was a strong one. Famed initially for the 1920 mechanical Tank, Cartier was a quick adopter of quartz. By the mid 1980s, 75% of their range was entirely electric (due to some acquisitions/mergers that created quartz vertical integration). In fairness, the technology was suited to the application. The Tank is…
Read MoreJaeger Lecoultre ‘Tank’ 6129.21
At a glance, this is a Cartier. But upon close study, this JLC ‘Tank’ presents a very charming alternative to the French monolith. If you like the aesthetic of Cartier but want a Swiss watchmaker’s expertise, this may be your best option. The 6129 features a slightly more rounded 18K YG case with a snap…
Read MoreThe Simple Lange: Saxonia Thin
A simple Lange is an oxymoron, to be sure. But what better contradiction is there than this Saxonia thin? Lower independent manufacturers can often hide behind complication, as reverse engineering them is actually easier than developing a high standard of finishing. When you pair back all the the jumping hours, triple splits, and moonphases, a…
Read MoreScarce Speedmaster: White Gold Apollo XI 3692.30
In today’s edition of rare Speedmasters you probably won’t see again this year, here’s the white gold Apollo XI. The lovely thing about white gold Speedmasters, as platinum, is the stealth wealth. If you’re not a fan of metallurgy, and most aren’t, it looks like a steel Moonwatch at a glance. Only you know it’s…
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