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Results for Christie's Geneva: Rare Watches

20,175 articles · 98 videos found · page 334 of 676

Seiko’s Premier Diver-GMT Gets an Update with the Prospex SPB519 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT Worn & Wound
Seiko s Premier Diver-GMT Gets May 6, 2025

Seiko’s Premier Diver-GMT Gets an Update with the Prospex SPB519 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT

A new diver release from Seiko isn’t exactly going to set the world on fire, but it will surely please the legions of fans of the brand and its Prospex line. With a crisp white and blue colorway and nifty bracelet that can be microadjusted as wrist size changes throughout the day, the 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT looks to be a worthy-if subdued-addition to the ever-growing catalog of Seiko dive watches. Pulling from a long tradition of purpose-built Seiko dive watches, the new SPB519 reference features a stainless steel case measuring in at 42mm in diameter, 48.6mm lug-to-lug, and 13.3mm thick, giving it a heftier frame than 2023’s closely-related Heritage Diver’s GMT (SPB381). A unidirectional bezel, and screw-down caseback and crown at 4 o’clock further push the watch into “serious” diver waters, supported by the 300-meter water resistance rating. Stylistically, the SPB519 takes on a sort of jaunty sailor persona, with a navy blue ceramic bezel and a silvery white dial. The applied indexes and hands are coated in LumiBrite, as are numerals on the bezel, and an anti-reflective coating protects the inner surface of the sapphire crystal.  Inside, the Caliber 6R54 automatic hand-winding GMT movement adds some spice to the otherwise by-the-numbers functionality of the watch, and boasts a 72-hour power reserve and “caller-style” independent 24-hour hand. The most interesting feature of the 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT, however, lies with the bracelet, which ...

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Modifying Your Vintage Watch With A Sapphire Case Back Fratello
Seiko ref 45-7001 45KS Now May 6, 2025

Modifying Your Vintage Watch With A Sapphire Case Back

It will come as no surprise to our regular readers that I love vintage watches. Some of you may remember that I recently purchased a vintage King Seiko ref. 45-7001 45KS. Now, some months into owning that vintage King Seiko, I have decided to modify it with a sapphire case back. After some research, I […] Visit Modifying Your Vintage Watch With A Sapphire Case Back to read the full article.

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Dennison Collaborates With Collectability And Introduces Four New ALD Pieces Fratello
May 6, 2025

Dennison Collaborates With Collectability And Introduces Four New ALD Pieces

Just six months after debuting with the ALD model in four dial options, Dennison has returned with a group of new releases. The big news is the brand’s first collaboration, a new piece with Collectability. Four other watches join the catalog, proving this retro design is highly versatile. Last November, I reviewed the initial Dennison […] Visit Dennison Collaborates With Collectability And Introduces Four New ALD Pieces to read the full article.

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Hands On: Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time “Only Watch” SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time “Only May 6, 2025

Hands On: Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time “Only Watch”

While the most valuable lot at Phillips’ upcoming Geneva auction will likely be the Breguet Sympathique clock no. 1, the sale also includes a few unexpected and interesting lots. One standout is the Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time “Only Watch”, a unique piece created for the Only Watch charity auction in 2019. Consigned by the original owner – who is a prominent collector whom I greatly respect – the Spin Time is a flamboyant, gem-set take on Louis Vuitton’s signature complication. The centrepiece is a miniature enamel dial by Anita Porchet depicting a motif inspired by tattoo art. This unique Spin Time originally sold for CHF280,000 at Only Watch 2019. Now carrying an estimate of CHF40,000-80,000, the watch will go on the block at Phillips’ upcoming Geneva auction taking place on May 10, 2025. Initial thoughts I was a fan of this Spin Time when it was first revealed in 2019. In fact, I bid on it at Only Watch, but I was laughably uncompetitive and far from the CHF280,000 hammer. In contrast to the latest generation of Spin Time that is both refined and discreet, this watch is over the top and I like it because of that. The aesthetic is a lot, maybe too much, but it works. Most importantly, the watch is not just about extravagant styling. The dial is the work of Anita Porchet herself, combining both miniature painting and champleve. Certainly the motif is not for everyone, but the quality of craft is unmistakeable. A rose among the thorns This unique Spin Time...

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Tudor Adds a Limited Edition Carbon Chrono to the Black Bay Chronograph Lineup Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer whose parent company LVMH May 5, 2025

Tudor Adds a Limited Edition Carbon Chrono to the Black Bay Chronograph Lineup

We haven’t remarked on it all that much to this point, but one of the inescapable trends at Watches & Wonders this year was a prevalence of F1 cars making appearances around the Palexpo. If you scheduled your meetings in a particular way, you could easily be convinced that every Swiss watch brand has some level of involvement with the sport. IWC, of course, is just beginning to promote F1, the highly anticipated new film starring Brad Pitt that is said to feature many, many IWC watches. And then there’s TAG Heuer, whose parent company LVMH secured a lucrative deal with Formula 1 in the off season, and returned TAG to official timekeeper status. Both of these brands had actual cars in their booths, and they drew a crowd all week. Then there’s H. Moser, a sponsor of the Alpine team, and finally (please get in the comments if I’ve missed one) there’s Tudor, a partner of the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team, who took this weekend’s Miami GP as an opportunity to release their latest racing themed watch, the Black Bay Chrono Carbon 25.  The limited edition (2,025 numbered examples) chronograph is modeled on the Black Bay Chronograph, a watch that has seen its share of special editions in the last few years, mostly by way of colored dials. This watch is a little different as it represents an all new case material for the Black Bay Chrono, making use of Tudor’s carbon fiber composite material (the caseback, pushers, and crown are all rendered in titanium ...

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Cartier Tank Alternatives For Every Budget Teddy Baldassarre
Cartier May 5, 2025

Cartier Tank Alternatives For Every Budget

Inarguably, the Cartier Tank in its many iterations is one of the most significant, easily recognizable, and, ultimately, iconic watches of all time. One can easily spot its quintessential mixing of a rectangular case and simple, legible dial design (most commonly, with Roman numerals, thin sword hands, and the signature Cartier script), out in the wild. It’s a watch that was unisex before unisex was a marketing buzzword across the industry, and since it went into serial production in 1919 has been executed in as many sizes, colors, and materials as one could dream up. Most would agree that the Tank still retains the title of the ultimate rectangular watch in the larger cultural consciousness.  While all of the above is true, we are gathered here today not only to wax poetic on the subject of Cartier’s illustrious Tank, but to dive into a somewhat controversial subject - more wallet-friendly alternatives to the Tank. I will go bravely forth into what might be looked upon as a horological faux-pas. Still, given that I am personally subjected to the plight of needing to be different, have a natural hesitation towards what is most popular, and am not afraid to stick to a budget when necessary, I think I am uniquely fit for the task. Additionally, I am of the mind that imitation is the ultimate form of flattery, so you can also feel free to read this as a love letter to the Cartier Tank.  Down below, I’ve rounded up some contemporary alternatives to the Cartier Tank ...

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Hands-On: Taking The MeisterSinger Kaenos Open Date Out For A Spin Fratello
MeisterSinger May 5, 2025

Hands-On: Taking The MeisterSinger Kaenos Open Date Out For A Spin

Not too long ago, I expressed my frustration regarding watch brands with no history of releasing sports watches with an integrated bracelet. I wrote, amongst other things, “get a grip on your FOMO, embrace the JOMO, and do something else, please.” As I expected, I was not alone in my opinion. One of the comments […] Visit Hands-On: Taking The MeisterSinger Kaenos Open Date Out For A Spin to read the full article.

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Sunday Morning Showdown: Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Vs. Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer Fratello
Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer It’s Sunday May 4, 2025

Sunday Morning Showdown: Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Vs. Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer

It’s Sunday morning again, so it’s time for another installment of our famous Showdown. Last week, we featured two rather expensive and hard-to-get watches - the new Rolex Land-Dweller and the new 40mm Patek Philippe Cubitus. That’s why we’re going for something a little more affordable and readily available this week. Both Nomos and Frederique […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Vs. Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer to read the full article.

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Seiko Baby Alpinist Review Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko May 2, 2025

Seiko Baby Alpinist Review

Before I get into my owner's review of the Seiko Baby Alpinist, I want to talk about field watches as a category. What makes a field watch? Is an explorers' watch the same as a field watch? Is a mountaineering watch? I wouldn’t necessarily call this, or rather these, age-old questions. Instead they illustrate an intellectual conundrum I’ve personally faced, being a fan of a certain format of watches. Many who know me will also be sure to know I have a certain proclivity toward Rolex watches. I once wrote some of a definite treatise on the Rolex Explorer Ref. 14270 - the now neo-vintage version of the watch that was born right at the start of the 1990s and which has since served as the template for all Explorers to come. Its 36mm size, legible dial, and overall no-nonsense field-watch format have made it one of the best watch designs of all time. But it’s also not really a field watch, is it? It was born as a marketing exercise in the wake of Sir Edmund Hilary’s summiting of Everest alongside Tenzig Norgay. It’s an explorers watch, one with alpine roots. The Seiko Baby Alpinist SPB155 Speaking of alpine, we cannot mention the word without invoking one of the most well-known attainable icons of the 1990s and 2000s: The Seiko Alpinist. But let’s go back even further, to the late 1950s and early ‘60s, when Seiko launched the small, 35mm Laurel Alpinist – a design that was revived by the brand in 2021. Fast-forward to 1995, when Seiko released a familiar forma...

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Introducing – Konstantin Chaykin Presents the Final Version of the 1.65mm ThinKing, the World’s Thinnest Mechanical Watch Monochrome
Konstantin Chaykin May 2, 2025

Introducing – Konstantin Chaykin Presents the Final Version of the 1.65mm ThinKing, the World’s Thinnest Mechanical Watch

The king of ultra-thin watches is back… Mostly known for his popular Wristmons series, we tend to forget that Konstantin Chaykin is also a highly talented independent watchmaker, a member of the AHCI and a man capable of creating extremely complex watches and clocks. He has, for example, applied for close to 100 patents. Last […]

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Record Breaking Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Debuts at Auction SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Calibre 89 ref 989J May 2, 2025

Record Breaking Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Debuts at Auction

If you want to own the world’s thinnest mechanical watch, the Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing, you’ll have to fight for it at The Geneva Watch Auction: XXI, which will see the first production example go under the hammer. The 1.65 mm stature of the ThinKing is even more impressive coming from a small Russian independent watchmaker, considering previous records were set by big Swiss brands ranging from Piaget to Richard Mille. Notably, this is not the first time a landmark release has been trusted to an auction that isn’t linked to a charity. The most famous example of this was the Patek Philippe Calibre 89 (ref. 989J) back in 1989 at Antiquorum’s thematic sale. The ThinKing will be sold in the first session of the auction, which starts on May 10, 2025, at 2 pm. The ThinKing in profile. Image – Phillips Mr Chaykin achieved the record-setting height with clever construction, including a “double balance wheel” system that places an intermediate wheel between the balance and escapement, allowing both to sit on the same plane. Another notable technical feature is a barrel that is open on both sides, and no thicker than the mainspring itself. And unlike most serially-produced Konstantin Chaykin watches, each ThinKing is made, finished, and assembled by Mr Chaykin himself. Wearability is enhanced by the bolt-on protective shroud in titanium christened “PalanKing”. This increases the height to 5.4 mm, but adds key-less setting and winding, and automatic winding by a...

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Rolex Oysterquartz: The Complete Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex May 1, 2025

Rolex Oysterquartz: The Complete Guide

When Rolex introduced its Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller watch at Watches & Wonders 2025, some longtime fans of the brand experienced a bit of déja vu for a Rolex watch - and a Rolex era - that have been largely consigned to the mists of history. Why? Because the Land-Dweller's angular case and integrated-bracelet design reminded many enthusiasts of the Oysterquartz models introduced during the early heyday of quartz watches in the 1970s. That's correct: once upon a time, Rolex, one of the undisputed champions of luxury watches with mechanical movements, jumped on board the Quartz Revolution bandwagon and not only produced its own in-house quartz calibers but marketed the watches that housed them as the pinnacle of the Crown's timepiece portfolio at the time. Here is everything you need to know about the Rolex Oysterquartz and its quirky but significant place in horological history.  Rolex Oysterquartz: The Early Days Of Electric Watches The wristwatch industry, like any other industry, is uber-competitive and every watchmaker wants to be the first to market with The Next Big Thing. In the 1950s and into the ‘60s, that Next Big Thing was a watch that could be powered by electricity. American companies like Hamilton, with the Ventura, and Bulova, with the Accutron, were among the pioneers, even though the movements that resulted from these early efforts proved to have difficulty maintaining reliability in mass production. The Japanese, particularly Seiko, took a diff...

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[VIDEO] Owner’s Review: the Fears Brunswick Aurora Worn & Wound
Fears May 1, 2025

[VIDEO] Owner’s Review: the Fears Brunswick Aurora

I’ve never really thought of myself as someone who jumps on trends. When it comes to music, movies, and other things I enjoy, I don’t pay much attention to whatever is in the zeitgeist at the moment. Or, more accurately, I don’t let whatever that is define my taste. I tend to be somewhat skeptical of whatever is becoming hyper popular at the moment. In watches, it’s fairly easy to spot a trend when it’s happening, but a bit more difficult to figure out what’s going to take hold before it actually happens. Jumping onto a trend in watches always seemed particularly silly to me. Watches have an heir of permanence embedded into them, so a “trend” in this hobby is anachronistic to what watch ownership is all about, and what a “good watch,” or one that ultimately stands the test of time, really is. Being trendy in watches carries a larger risk that you’ll wind up with regrets. Example: I don’t feel bad at all that I got really into Canadian post-rock when it had a moment during my college years. Twenty years later, it’s passed, but I still get excited when a new Godspeed You Black Emperor record is announced. Will watch enthusiasts who have collected every MoonSwatch variant still lose their minds over plastic watches a decade from now? Maybe, but it seems unlikely.  I’m not naive to the fact that we’re experiencing a trend with respect to mother of pearl and stone dials. It’s quite possible that at this very moment we might actually be on the ta...

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Caliber Cravings: New Ebauche Watch Movements We Would Like To See Fratello
May 1, 2025

Caliber Cravings: New Ebauche Watch Movements We Would Like To See

Manufacturers of ebauche watch movements have a major impact on the watch industry. They might not be the sexiest of companies, but their decisions directly determine what new watches we can expect to see from brands. When Miyota recently announced a flyer GMT caliber (Caliber 9075), we soon saw a flurry of new affordable flyer […] Visit Caliber Cravings: New Ebauche Watch Movements We Would Like To See to read the full article.

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Hands-On With The Sublime Doxa Sub 250T GMT Fratello
Doxa Sub 250T GMT When May 1, 2025

Hands-On With The Sublime Doxa Sub 250T GMT

When Doxa dropped the new Sub 250T GMT a month ago, it was met with near-universal praise. Nine different dial options debuted, including the most famous Doxa colorways. We saw all of them in Geneva and had the opportunity to spend time with them at Fratello HQ. Today, I’ll review these pieces and address the […] Visit Hands-On With The Sublime Doxa Sub 250T GMT to read the full article.

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Introducing: The New Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT 60th Anniversary Edition SPB519 Fratello
Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s Apr 30, 2025

Introducing: The New Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT 60th Anniversary Edition SPB519

Seiko is marking 60 years of diver’s watches with a new take on its successful GMT line, the Seiko SPB519. Today, Seiko has released a new Heritage Diver’s GMT watch in the Prospex collection. The brand has been on a powerful streak of late with their Prospex line, including improving the calibers on offer. The […] Visit Introducing: The New Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT 60th Anniversary Edition SPB519 to read the full article.

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