Hodinkee
Retailer Spotlight: M.P. Demetre Jewelers In Charleston, SC, And London Jewelers In Manhasset, NY
"This is a new nation based on a mighty continent, of boundless possibilities." -Theodore Roosevelt
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Hodinkee
"This is a new nation based on a mighty continent, of boundless possibilities." -Theodore Roosevelt
SJX Watches
Just last year Montblanc unveiled the 1858 Split Second Chronograph, a Minerva-powered watch that was warmly received for being well-finished and complex, yet reasonably-priced. A retro-inspired, rattrapante mono-pusher chronograph, the watch cost US$30,000 – a solid deal as such things go. A few months after, Montblanc debuted the one-off Only Watch edition with titanium case and blue-agate dial that sold for a whopping 100,000 Swiss francs, with proceeds going to charity. The brand has now stepped things up a notch with the 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100 that channels the spirit of the Only Watch edition, featuring the same titanium case and paired with a fired enamel dial in graduated blue. Despite the similar styling, the new watch costs a lot less than the record-setting Only Watch Edition – but isn’t quite as good value as last year’s model. Smoky blue And that’s because while the bronze model had an ordinary dial of brass, this has been upgraded with a grand feu enamel dial, leading to a jump in the retail price of about US$7,000, which is about the typical premium for such a dial. The enamel dial starts off as a solid-gold disc, which is painted with a mixture of enamel powder, water and oil. It is then fired in an oven at over 800℃, melting the enamel powder and fusing it to the gold base. The process of adding enamel powder and firing is repeated multiple times so as to achieve the desired depth of colour. But unusually, the di...
SJX Watches
Casio’s best selling G-Shock Full Metal – essentially the original G-Shock design of 1983 executed entirely in steel (or titanium) – is now available in yet another iteration. The G-Shock Full Metal ‘Grid’ (ref. GMW-B5000CS) is covered in a square-lattice motif that represents the “time tunnel that connects the past with the future”, a nod to the vintage inspiration of the Full Metal model. The case and bracelet are stainless steel that’s first finished with a black ion plating, and then laser engraved with the grid pattern, bringing to mind the laser-engraved pixel pattern on last year’s camouflage model. The laser not only light etches the surface, but also removes the black coating, revealing the steel substrate beneath. Both the case and bracelet are covered in the etched grid, with the motif continuing onto the crystal as a printed pattern, Aesthetics aside, the Full Metal ‘Grid’ is identical to the standard steel model. The case is the same size as well as weight, and contains the same electronic module that has the usual functions as well as smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth. It’s solar powered and charged via solar cells on the face; at full charge it’ll run almost two years with the power-saving function turned on. The screw-down case back also features the laser-engraved motif The Grid is priced at US$800, which is a step up compared to the US$550 for the entry-level black-coated model. That’s because it’s a limited-production s...
Revolution
Casio introduces the next Full Metal G-SHOCK with a laser etched grid design inspired by the concept of a time tunnel connecting the past with the future.
Time+Tide
Remember the moral of The Emperor’s New Clothes? When something is universally praised, you become unwilling to speak out, even if something is gravely wrong on a fundamental level. That’s how I feel about the Cartier Tank. I know this is wildly sacrilegious. The Cartier Tank is, after all, one of the most iconic watches … ContinuedThe post NOT ON MY WATCH: The one “truly strange and unnerving” detail that ruins the Cartier Tank for this writer appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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SJX Watches
A young French horologist who specialises in automaton clocks – his most recent work was a retro-automobile that tells time – John-Mikaël Flaux has just unveiled his most elaborate work to date, Le Guépard. Translating as “The Cheetah”, Le Guépard is an elegantly-conceived, hour-striking clock with its movement forming an automaton of a big cat. Made of brass and steel, Le Guépard tells the time on an open-worked dial on its right, but it is also a sonnerie en passant, chiming out the time as it passes. Mr Flaux, who attended the same watchmaking school as independent watchmakers Cyril Brivet-Naudot and Theo Auffret, describes Le Guépard as a “poetic take” on the hour-striking clock. At the top of every hour, the clock chimes the number of hours via a hammer striking the large bell on its rear. Triggered by a snail cam and front paw of the cheetah, the strike work propels the limbs of the cheetah, which moves in slow motion as the rack of the strike work “counts” the number of hours being struck. The clock can also strikes the hours on demand – a feature activated by pressing on the tail of the cheetah. Located behind the decorative panel are the hammer and bell that sound the hours Made up of 205 parts, most of the clock is produced by Mr Flaux using traditional methods, like turning wheels on a manual lathe. The movement is mounted on a steel platform, but sits against a background of an abstract starry night on the African plains. Executed in a...
SJX Watches
Though Casio describes them as clad in “the colours of streetwear”, the new G-Shock Street Utility collection feels very much like a military-inspired line-up, varying from olive green to desert camouflage. The collection includes both of G-Shock’s bestselling models, starting with the classic DW-5600 that has the same form as the first-ever G-Shock, the DW-5000 of 1983 (which was revived in solid 18k gold as the Dream Project). The G-Shock Street Utility DW-5610SU retains the signature oblong case and bezel, but is now constructed of two parts, instead of being one-piece as on the original. As a result, the Street Utility DW-5610 has a two-tone case the bezel in black resin while the case band is in another colour. It’s available in three styles, including a khaki version with a desert camouflage face as well as an additional fabric strap; the other two are sold only with the standard resin band. Street Utility DW-5610SU And the other variant of the collection is the G-Shock Street Utility GA-2100 series, based the popular Royal Oak-esque watch launched last year. The thinnest G-Shock to date, the GA-2100 has a case made of a carbon-fibre composite that’s now also offered in a two-colour finish. The olive green and yellow models have two-layer cases fitted with black bezels, but the black version is one piece, with the jungle camouflage motif printed on the bezel. Street Utility GA-2100 Key facts and price G-Shock Street Utility DW-5600 series Ref. DW-5610SU-...
Time+Tide
TAG Heuer has beefed up its popular Aquaracer GMT lineup with their latest release – the TAG Heuer Aquaracer GMT Ref. WAY201T.BA0927. And is it just us or is that ‘WAY’ in the title sent to trigger a subtle reference to you know who? If that’s the intention, there are many interesting details this Aquaracer brings … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The TAG Heuer Aquaracer GMT with black and blue bezel. Shut the garage door, Batman! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Despite their resilient nature, modern tool watches show no lack of subtle details and sparkle with refinement as these three brand-new pieces prove. Here, Sabine Zwettler introduces a trio of instrument watches by Bell & Ross, Breitling, and Panerai.
Deployant
We take a detailed look at the Chopard Happy Sport Oval in rose gold and stainless steel with bracelet, and highly recommend this beautifil ladies watch.
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Hodinkee
From the Carolina Watch Club to a 160-year-old business across the sea in Glasgow.
SJX Watches
A contemporary take on the brand’s iconic watch – itself based on a 18th century pocket watch – the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One Plasma Ceramic is a sleek and modern open-worked wristwatch, now in a new, high-tech case material. Originally available in ordinary ceramic, the watch has now been given a case of “plasma ceramic”, an unusual material that’s best described as a ceramic that resembles metal. The material begins are white ceramic that’s treated with a plasma gas, essentially ionised gas created at 20,000°C. The process of plasma carburising transforms the surface layer of the white ceramic into a metal oxide, giving the ceramic a grey, metallic finish while retaining all of the desirable properties of ceramic including hardness, low density and scratch resistance. Though plasma ceramic has been a hallmark of the Swatch Group and its many brands, including Rado, Omega and Blancpain, it is being used for the first time by Jaquet Droz. The case measures 41.5 mm across and 12.48 mm high, making it a tad larger than its gold counterparts, which is typically the case for ceramic cases due to the necessities of construction in an ultra-hard, but potentially brittle, material. Unusually for ceramic that is typically mirror-polished all round, the case is finished with contrasting surfaces – the bezel and top surfaces of the lugs are brushed while the case band has a polished finish. A clear sapphire disc forms the Grande Seconde dial, wit...
SJX Watches
Phillips Perpetual has just unveiled its sartorial collaboration with The Armoury – a special edition of the City Hunter 2 jacket, a bestseller at the menswear retailer founded by Mark Cho (who once had the misfortune of buying a stolen F.P. Journe and then wrote a story about it). More importantly, the entirety of the proceeds from the sale of the jackets go to the COVID-Solidarity Response Fund set up by the World Health Organisation (WHO). As the London-based watch boutique of the eponymous auction house, Phillips Perpetual offers a selection of timepieces available for immediate purchase, a proposition meant to fill the gap between the traditional bi-annual watch auctions according to its founder James Marks, a hedge fund manager turned watch specialist. The Phillips Perpetual x The Armoury City Hunter 2 is its first offering beyond watches – and will support a good cause. A meld of several traditional European hunting jacket styles, the City Hunter 2 jacket is made of knitted jersey, essentially tightly-woven wool that is slightly stretchy and notably robust. The jacket is unlined and has a “seamless construction” where the fabric panels are joined edge to edge, giving it a relaxed fit. It’s usually available in dark blue, grey, or olive green with matching stitching, but the Phillips Perpetual version is in dark grey-houndstooth fabric with a contrasting white stitching. And perhaps more pertinently, Francois-Paul Journe himself wears a City Hunter jacke...
SJX Watches
As modern, high-end chronographs go, the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 is one of the most desirable, being a beautifully executed remake that’s faithful to the vintage original, while powered by an upgraded version of a well-regarded movement. The latest version of the Cornes de Vache 1955 has a steel case, making it even more unusual amongst high-end chronographs, which are almost always found in precious metal cases. As a result, the Cornes de Vache is now significantly more accessible – while retaining the retro design and excellent movement – at least by the standards of such watches. Cornes de vache French for “cow horns”, Cornes de Vache comes from the shape of the lugs, a slight variation on the better-known “teardrop” lugs. The inspiration for the watch is the ref. 6087, the brand’s first water-resistant and anti-magnetic chronograph that was in production from 1955 to the mid-1960s – and featured the very same “cow horn” lugs. Made in yellow or pink gold as well as platinum, the ref. 6087 is rare – only 36 pieces were produced over a decade or so. A vintage ref. 6087 “Cornes de Vache” in yellow gold that sold for 106,250 Swiss francs at Phillips in 2015. Photo – Phillips Like the vintage original, the modern-day Cornes de Vache was initially only available in precious metals: first in platinum, followed by pink gold, with the steel model only making its debut last year. It is worth noting that steel is used s...
Time+Tide
There are many talented and passionate people in the watch industry. People whose daily work for their brand goes far beyond a job. Too many to mention. Watches, after all, attract and retain a certain type of person. And if you don’t love watches, to your very core, the daily task of singly focusing on … ContinuedThe post Bored? Enjoy the power and the passion of Omega Museum Director Petros Protopapas in this incredible video from our vault appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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SJX Watches
French watchmaker Cyril Brivet-Naudot made his debut two years ago with the Eccentricity, a time-only watch that’s fascinating and impressive on many fronts. Not only is it almost entirely made by hand, the Eccentricity is intriguing in design and mechanics – from the overall architecture to details like the key-winding mechanism and regulator-style time display with a twist, and above all, the proprietary escapement. Just 29 years old, Mr Brivet-Naudot began working on the Eccentricity after graduating from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), one of Switzerland’s best technical universities. Prior to that, he earned a diploma in watchmaking from the Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau, a small town in eastern France that borders Switzerland. The school has gained a reputation for producing imaginative watchmakers, many pursuing a similar style that’s inspired by 19th century pocket watch movements, including Theo Auffret, a peer of Mr Brivet-Naudot. The result of three years of development, the Eccentricity is very much in the same vein as the watches produced by Mr Brivet-Naudot’s fellow graduates. It artfully combines a 19th century aesthetic sensibility with exotic features, including a novel, free-eccentric escapement, for which the watch was named. And it is built by hand: with the exception of the mainspring, hairspring, jewels and crystals, every component of the watch was made from scratch by Mr Brivet-Naudot, without the aid of CNC machine...
Time+Tide
DOXA’s revival is something easily missed if you’re not paying close attention. Vintage-inspired or re-issued dive watches aren’t exactly selling for double the retail price due to lack of supply, but this DOXA SUB 200 isn’t just another trendy microbrand with an aesthetic and a good marketing team. When determining the legacy of a watchmaker, … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The DOXA SUB 200 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Rumours were percolating for some time that Audemars Piguet was going to unveil a vintage-inspired watch to mark the opening of its recently-finished, hairspring-shaped museum. But when the Audemars Piguet [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph 40 mm was revealed, it was still surprising. In the metal, the “remastered” watch is appealing; it looks good and the execution is impressively high quality in all aspects. The dial in particularly is sharply done, with even the tiniest details done right. And the movement inside is modern – and looks modern – but is impeccably constructed. But at the same time, the watch is a bit thick, and also expensive. The [Re]master01 in steel and 18k pink gold The ref. 1533 As with many reissued or “remastered” timepieces, the inspiration for the [Re]master01 is a well-known and well-documented watch: the ref. 1533, a chronograph wristwatch produced in the 1940s. It was 36.5 mm in diameter, extra-large for the period, and a three-counter chronograph, instead of the two registers typical then. Only nine of them were made, three with two-tone, steel-and-gold cases. The archive photograph of the ref. 1533. Photo – Audemars Piguet Two examples of the steel-and-gold ref. 1533 were sold in recent years at Phillips auctioneers, both setting price records for the most expensive vintage AP chronograph sold at auction. The first sold for 305,000 Swiss francs in 2015 – going to the Audemars Piguet Museum – and the second, 384,500 franc...
WatchAdvice
In 2018, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M celebrated its 25th anniversary since the first release back in 1993. To celebrate this momentous occasion for one of the brands popular range, Omega gave the Seamaster Diver 300M a complete changeover while still retaining some of the design cues from the original model. The original 1993 Omega Seamaster 300M was introduced as a replacement for the Seamaster 200M model. Jean-Claude Biver cleverly marketed the original 1993 Omega Seamaster Diver 300M to raise the popularity of the model quite a bit, by having James Bond wear it in the 1995 film ‘Goldeneye’. Since the first Seamaster Diver 300M, there have been four generations of models including the latest 25th-anniversary release. Almost all generations kept the same design cues with changes coming from different materials and movements. From first glance, the most notable changes throughout the four generations are the case sizing and the bezel design. The bezel seems to get larger numerals in each of the latest generations. Design: The 25th-anniversary edition has a laser-cut wave pattern dial, similar to the 300M model released by Omega in 2006. The latest version, however, has more prominent waves, making them much more easily visible. The wave pattern certainly adds a unique look to the dial while drawing attention to what the watch is really about. Even with the wave pattern, however, the dial is still easily legible. This is thanks to the rhodium-plated hour indexes ...
SJX Watches
Last month IWC premiered a limited edition that has all the qualities of a hit: a bestselling classic in an exotic material, made in a very small run – and also incorporating nerdy, collector-oriented details. Instead, the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Black Carbon was debuted quietly, delivered to clients, and pretty much went unnoticed around the world. The first ever Big Pilot with a carbon fibre composite case, the Big Pilot Black Carbon has a black dial with grey hands and markings, replicating the colour of the composite case. It’s livened up by red accents on the power reserve indicator and seconds hand (and also the date disc, for a small number of special watches, more on that below). The famous “fish” More unusually, the Big Pilot Black Carbon has a “fish” crown – the oversized, onion-shaped winding crown has a stylised fish logo on its top. Despite being a seemingly trivial detail, the “fish” crown is dear to IWC enthusiasts, being a memorable element from IWC’s 20th century history – one many collectors regard as a golden age. From the 1950s until the mid-2000s, most water-resistant IWC watches featured a “fish” crown. The very first generation of the Big Pilot, the ref. 5002 introduced in 2002, featured a “fish” crown. Not long after, the “fish” crown was dispensed with in favour of a crown featuring the IWC “Probus Scafusia” emblem. This happened sometime in 2006, first with a “transitional” ref. 5002 that was equi...
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Deployant
F.P. Journe extends the Automatique Lune with the new Havana: with enlarged big date and bigger moonphase on a warm, tobacco coloured dial. Details within.
SJX Watches
Seiko produces a wide – really wide – variety of dive watches. Many are based on historical watches, with several of the high-end models in particular being inspired by the brand’s first 300 m dive watch of 1968. As a result, a good number of Seiko dive watches look pretty similar. When Seiko unveiled the Prospex LX line at Baselworld last year – the range is made up of six sports watches catered for air, land, and sea – the diver’s watch seemed, well, pretty similar to other Seiko dive watches. But the LX was not a typical range of sports watches, because it was designed in collaboration with Ken Okuyama, one of Japan’s most famous car designers – specifically, Mr Okuyama is best known for his work for Ferrari. The Prospex LX Spring Drive Diver SNR029 is a typical Seiko dive watch – it’s functional and solidly engineered, with a notably high quality of construction. But Mr Okuyama’s design adds a surprising degree of refinement to the design, which reimagines the retro style of the classical Seiko Hi-Beat diver of 1968 by sharpening the design and refining the details. Initial thoughts Seiko dive watches are highly regarded for their strong price-performance ratio at every level of the price spectrum. The Prospex LX Spring Drive Diver SNR029 is a mid-range model, more affordable than a Grand Seiko but more upscale than the base-model Prospex diver. In terms of functionality, fit and finish, the SNR029 scores highly. Legibility is excellent, Spring Dr...
SJX Watches
In 2015, an Audemars Piguet ref. 1533 sold for 305,000 Swiss francs, setting the record for a vintage AP chronograph at auction – which was then topped two years ago by another example of the same reference that sold for 384,500 Swiss francs. An extra-large wristwatch with an unusual three-counter chronograph, instead of the two registers common at the time, the ref. 1533 was produced in the 1940s. Only nine were made, and three of the nine had two-tone, steel-and-gold cases, making them the rarest of variants. Unsurprisingly, both of the record-setting ref. 1533s were two-tone. And now the two-tone ref. 1533 has now been “remastered” as the modern-sounding but appealingly vintage [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph 40 mm, a limited edition of 500 watches to coincide with the new, spiral-shaped Audemars Piguet museum that’s scheduled to open around middle of the year. Vintage details Looking very much like the ref. 1533, the [Re]master01 recreates all of the key elements of the original. Characterised by large, teardrop lugs, the case is steel with its bezel, crown, and pushers in 18k pink gold. It’s 40 mm to accommodate the large, automatic cal. 4409 inside, but because the original was already 36.5 mm – enormous in the 1940s – the increased diameter still maintains the retro style. To match the gold accents, the dial has a gilt finish, which was unique amongst the vintage original – just one of the three two-tone ref. 1533s had a yellow gold-tone dia...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
TBWS is keeping things light this week. Listen in to hear more about the latest “TBWS Writers’ Room” episode and get a detailed SOTC rundown from both Kaz and Mike. Plus, the guys challenge each other to a fun little exercise at the end that you won’t want to miss.
Quill & Pad
The Naked Watchmaker (TNW), aka Peter Speake-Marin, does a series of deconstructions of a broad selection of modern Breguet watches and movements, starting with the Classique 5177, a relatively simple (for Breguet) three-hand dress watch with date. Here Ian shares a few details that The Naked Watchmaker didn't reveal.
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