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Results for Vallée de Joux

25,173 articles · 177 videos found · page 363 of 845

First Look - The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond and Spectre Collection Monochrome
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Oct 5, 2026

First Look - The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond and Spectre Collection

For over 30 years, Omega and James Bond have shared a strong connection, with the Swiss watchmaker appearing in every Bond film, on the wrist of the secret agent since GoldenEye in 1995. Countless movie-featured watches and numerous special editions have been created, the latest dating to 2022 for the franchise’s 60th anniversary, but all […]

SJX Podcast: In Conversation with Benjamin Arabov SJX Watches
Jacob & Co. has evolved considerably over Oct 5, 2026

SJX Podcast: In Conversation with Benjamin Arabov

From the Five Time Zone to the Astronomia and Bugatti, Jacob & Co. has evolved considerably over the past 20 years. On the latest episode of the SJX Podcast, SJX speaks with CEO Benjamin Arabov about the family-owned brand’s transformation and the mechanical ingenuity sometimes obscured by its celebrity clientele and gem-set watches. The conversation explores how ideas become watches, why smaller cases have opened the door to new collectors, and what makes partnerships with Bugatti and The Godfather work. We also discuss the origins of the brand’s celebrity following, the continued importance of retail partners, and Benjamin’s approach to building a business that can outlast its founder while preserving his creative ambition. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  

Review: My Five Years on Earth with the Hamilton Cooper (H64615135) WatchRider
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 I Oct 4, 2026

Review: My Five Years on Earth with the Hamilton Cooper (H64615135)

In 2026, twelve years after Interstellar hit cinemas in 2014, I still think it is a masterpiece and probably the greatest film about time travel ever made. The film’s protagonist, Cooper, wears a Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Day Date Auto (H64615135), which I had to have as a huge Christopher Nolan fan. Inception had already led me to the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 I reviewed earlier. But why the Coop and not the Murph? The answer is simple: I had an offer I couldn’t refuse back in 2021. The Murph is still on my list and I’ll get one if a similar offer comes along. The 42mm Case: Dimensions and Fit on My Wrist My wrist measures 7.5 inches now, down from 8 inches before my recent weight loss. I had removed one link from the bracelet at 8 inches and have now removed a second. Even on my smaller wrist, the Cooper sits perfectly and looks right to me. The 42 mm Coop on my wrist (7.5 inch) with its original bracelet. With a digital caliper I measured the case at 42 mm without the crown and 45.5 mm including it. The lug tips are 48.2 mm apart, while the span from one bracelet link to the other is 53.4 mm. That extra span across the bracelet is worth knowing when judging the fit from the 42 mm case diameter alone. I measured the watch’s height at 12.5 mm, slightly more than the official thickness of 11.85 mm listed by Hamilton. On my wife’s 6.5 inch wrist, the Cooper still looks good to me. It does not wear as large as the numbers might suggest, so I would tell someon...

Introducing: Hamilton American Classic Cushion Mechanical Hodinkee
Hamilton American Classic Cushion Mechanical Oct 2, 2026

Introducing: Hamilton American Classic Cushion Mechanical

What We Know This week, Hamilton dropped the latest in their series of vintage-inspired watches. But where most brands lean hard on their mid-century offerings for their re-editions, here Hamilton takes a different tack, reaching deep into their archive to resurrect watches so old, they'd be better described as antique rather than vintage. So, it is with the Hamilton American Classic Cushion, which breathes new life into a century-old design. And before you ask, these aren't quartz fashion watches dressed up in vintage clothing; these are tried-and-true hand-wound mechanical watches. The new collection — and it really is a collection, with six models split across two case sizes — is directly inspired by cushion-case watches made by Hamilton in the 1920s. If they seem eerily familiar for watches designed 100 years ago, it may be because Cillian Murphy wore an antique Hamilton cushion watch in Oppenheimer. Here, those watches have been quite respectfully updated for 2026, and though absolute fidelity was not the goal here, these remain easily among the most faithful-feeling reissues we've seen from Hamilton recently. As I mentioned earlier, a big part of the appeal of these watches comes down to the choice to use a hand-winding mechanical movement in these watches, rather than the quartz movements so often used in these small-size vintage reissues. Here, Hamilton is using the H-42, a manual-wind caliber that is, in essence, Hamilton's branded version of the ETA 7001. It'...

Introducing: Sinn 103 St Sa Lufthansa For 100 Years Of Lufthansa Hodinkee
Sinn 103 St Sa Lufthansa Oct 2, 2026

Introducing: Sinn 103 St Sa Lufthansa For 100 Years Of Lufthansa

What We Know Sinn just dropped a new take on their classic 103 St pilot chronograph to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lufthansa, one of the world's largest airlines. The new watch, which — fittingly — is limited to just 100 pieces, takes the model 103 and strips it down to the bare essentials. The result is the Sinn 103 St Sa Lufthansa, a watch that's slightly outside the norm for Sinn and replete with details nodding to the German flag carrier. The most obvious of these is the use of Lufthansa's signature shade of yellow for the hands and subdials markings associated with the chronograph function. The only other "colors" used are several shades of grey, each of which is pulled directly from Lufthansa's style guide (Lufthansa's iconic dark blue didn't make the cut for this one). Other Lufthansa-inspired details include a special engraving on the watch's rotor, visible through a sapphire display caseback, and an opening in the chronograph seconds hand meant to evoke the shape of an airliner window. Notably, this is not the first collaboration between Sinn and Lufthansa (though it is the most limited I'm aware of). The first of these (again, that I'm aware of), was the 747-piece limited edition Sinn 144-747.CARGO. Released 25 years ago, this was a very cool take on the Sinn 144 that included a scale around the rehaut that indicates target flight altitude for a Boeing 747 loaded to a given gross weight under normal atmospheric conditions. This was followed up by the 7...

Bring a Loupe: A Lucien Piccard Telephone, A Mappin and Webb Dress Watch, An Omega Admiralty, And A Jaeger LeCoultre Master Mariner Hodinkee
Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar Oct 2, 2026

Bring a Loupe: A Lucien Piccard Telephone, A Mappin and Webb Dress Watch, An Omega Admiralty, And A Jaeger LeCoultre Master Mariner

Friday's upon us again. Happy pumpkin spice season to all who celebrate. While you're deciding whether to see Digger in the theater, planning your elaborate Halloween costume, penciling in time to watch the WNBA finals and MLB playoffs, and tracking fallout from the Man City scandal, here are a few watches to tide you over as the mercury drops. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the ZRC went for €6,000, the Omega Ranchero for €3,500, the Cartier Santos sells tomorrow, and the Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar for $14,000. Strays Here's an honest-looking early Heuer 844, which, yes, has a worn crystal and bezel, and it 'requires attention' according to the listing. That said, it's got a decent-looking Monnin case, cathedral hands (meaning Mk 1), and a movement that's common enough to be fairly easily resurrected. For those who at some point fell into the Omega Symbol watch rabbit hole, here's a pair of excellent men's versions—this one and that one—and an accompanying pair of women's versions (this and that), and if all of that is gobbledygook to you, count yourself lucky and move along. If you've been hankering for a great-looking 1979 Rolex Milgauss ref. 1019, your time has come. Photo courtesy of The Saleroom. This is in the running as the prettiest school pocket watch I've seen in a long time, and a good argument for why people should continue investing more time, energy, and money into pocket watches. Bonhams' upcoming New York auction on the 8th has plenty of wo...

Introducing - Gerald Charles Puts a Lot of Topspin into the Maestro GC Sport Tennis Turquoise Edition Monochrome
Gerald Charles Oct 2, 2026

Introducing - Gerald Charles Puts a Lot of Topspin into the Maestro GC Sport Tennis Turquoise Edition

Gérald Genta (1931-2011), the legendary watch designer, worked with so many watch brands and designed so many iconic pieces that it is easy to forget that he also created two watch brands bearing his name. Genta’s last personal brand, composed of his first and middle name, Gerald Charles, was founded in 2000 and sold to the […]

A New “Windtona” has Arrived Courtesy of Eric Wind and True North Worn & Wound
Oct 2, 2026

A New “Windtona” has Arrived Courtesy of Eric Wind and True North

One of my favorite celebrity couples of all time is Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, who embodied that grungy sort of early-’90s aesthetic that, thirty-odd years on, I still gravitate toward. But one of the best bits of their relationship lore came in 1990, when Depp had WINONA FOREVER tattooed on his arm as a tribute to his undying love for the young starlet (they broke up three years later, and Depp eventually modified the tattoo to read “Wino Forever.”) I say this because the latest edition of Eric Wind and True North’s ongoing collaboration has arrived, and looking at the photos, I’m beginning to wonder if it wouldn’t hurt for Eric to get WINDTONA FOREVER tattooed across his own bicep. The Vintage Rally Timer IV “Dreamsicle” is the fourth watch the two companies have produced together, and once again, I’m reminded why I like these collaborations so much. It has the compact proportions and vintage chronograph cues that have defined the series from the beginning, reimagined this time in what I can only describe as “elevated sherbet.” The Dreamsicle pairs a pale orange dial with a light green tachymeter bezel and violet, blue and yellow registers, continuing the pastel palette introduced with last year’s VRT III. Wind’s affinity for pale orange, while his daughters’ love of pastel colors also played a role in the combination. The Paul Newman Daytona reference that gave the series its “Windtona” nickname is still central to the design, particul...

Hanhart Revisits Steve McQueen’s Personal Chronograph SJX Watches
Rolex but his personal watches Oct 2, 2026

Hanhart Revisits Steve McQueen’s Personal Chronograph

Steve McQueen is closely associated with Heuer and Rolex, but his personal watches also included the less conspicuous Hanhart 417 ES. The Hanhart 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition No. 1 commemorates that connection with a discreet dial signature and a strap modelled on his own, developed with input from his grandchildren. Initial thoughts Steve McQueen is inextricably linked to Hollywood, but also the objects he surrounded himself with — cars, clothing, sunglasses and watches. Though when it comes to the latter, he’s often mislabeled. The Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655 is often erroneously nicknamed the ‘Steve McQueen’ despite the fact he never wore one (it was a Submariner ref. 5513). But before the Rolex and Heuer Monaco years came the Hanhart 417 ES, which McQueen was rarely seen without as it accompanied him through everyday activities for many of his early years in Hollywood. McQueen’s loyalty to the comparatively low-key Hanhart 417 may have been function-led. An avid racer, sportsman and marksman, the flyback chronograph with ample shock resistance and a useful rotating bezel likely hit the mark for what he wanted from a tool watch. Hanhart has kept the tribute restrained. The actor’s signature replaces the text above six o’clock on the standard 417 ES 1954 Heritage Flyback, but is small enough not to overwhelm the dial. The watch can stand on its own, even for someone with little interest in McQueen. It’s a good story for a watch priced at €2,890....

Onwer’s Review: the Favre Leuba Raider Harpoon 42 Worn & Wound
Jaeger-LeCoultre Oct 1, 2026

Onwer’s Review: the Favre Leuba Raider Harpoon 42

Favre Leuba is a slightly curious brand. Despite being able to trace its origins back to 1737 (beaten only by Blancpain), the brand has undergone a succession of relaunches in recent decades as it attempts to re-forge its identity. As a result, it doesn’t perhaps register on the radar of many watch enthusiasts in the same way as other storied names. On their website, Favre Leuba are rightly proud to present a timeline of important events in their history, and it’s worth checking out, but the abridged version begins as follows: Abraham Favre begins making watches in Le Locle in 1737. The family business becomes A. Favre & Fils in 1792 under the stewardship of Abraham’s son and two grandsons. By 1815, the next (fourth) generation of the Favre family joins forces with August Leuba, and the Favre-Leuba name is seen for the first time. Many important developments are scattered through the next century and a half, including single-button chronographs, altimeters and barometers, and collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre. As was the case with many Swiss watch brands, the Quartz Crisis had a severe impact on Favre Leuba. The Favre family’s eighth generation was the last to be involved in the business before ownership was first transferred to Benedom SA, then LVMH, and Valentin SA. In 2011 the Titan Company Limited took ownership, and it was under their stewardship that the watch I’m writing about today was made. The Raider series of watches was influenced by cushion cased w...

The Science of Colored Ceramic Through Three New Hues in Earthen Company’s Summit MK II Worn & Wound
Oct 1, 2026

The Science of Colored Ceramic Through Three New Hues in Earthen Company’s Summit MK II

It started with a topic that’s readily on watch collectors’ minds over the past few years in particular – a topic we even discussed on a recent podcast: watch prices are climbing and pricing younger collectors out of the hobby. Jonathan Chan, a collector himself and co-founder of The Horology Society (a Hong-Kong based global collector community), decided to create the brand he wanted to see in the market. After two years of conceptualization, research, development, and prototyping, he founded Earthen Company in 2025 with a mission to democratize watches with a focus on high-tech ceramic and a goal to keep price tags below $1,000. The brand’s inaugural offering, the Summit Collection, presented a mix of old and new, past and present with dichotomy of vintage pilot and field watch design codes rendered in modern ceramic. Over the past year, Earthen Company’s offerings have continued to expand with an evolution of the original line called the Summit Mark II and a totally new addition with the Aventurine Collection. The Summit MK II refined the composition of the collection that started it all. It retained the original proportions and signature ceramic build while upgrading the finer details like dial symmetry and legibility. Now, we get the latest additions to the MK II lineup with a trio of new colors.As a journalist in this industry for the better part of almost 15 years, I’m often a bit underwhelmed when the headline of a new release is simply a new colorway. ...

Ladies First: Patek Philippe Debuts Gondolo 7043 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Debuts Gondolo 7043 Patek Oct 1, 2026

Ladies First: Patek Philippe Debuts Gondolo 7043

Patek Philippe expands its feminine offerings with the Gondolo Ladies First ref. 7043 in white and rose gold with the option of diamonds, or even more diamonds. Housed in the Gondolo case with ergonomic articulating lugs and powered by a simple, well-decorated movement, Patek Philippe pitches the inaugural quartz Ladies First model as an easy-to-wear, design-led watch for a discerning (and well-heeled) clientele. Initial thoughts The Gondolo Ladies First launches alongside a new marketing campaign, helmed by London ad agency Leagas Delaney, responsible for the well known generations campaign and the famous slogan, “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation”. Until now, “Ladies First” meant complicated watches, including the 2009 debut of Patek Philippe’s excellent hand-wound chronograph calibre, as well as a perpetual calendar and a minute repeater. In this context, a two-hand quartz watch is another first. The selection available at launch is arguably more characterful than the quartz-powered Twenty-4 models, and strengthen Patek Philippe’s catalogue in a segment that the industry has long overlooked. The indices on both the regular and jewellery models deserve special mention — the use of trapeze-cut stones, rather than more common rectangular baguettes, was, to my eye, a make-or-break decision for these dials, and Patek Philippe made the right choice. But, as usual for the brand, the value proposition may be ...

Introducing: Patek Philippe Revisits The Ladies First With The New Gondolo (Live Pics) Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Revisits Oct 1, 2026

Introducing: Patek Philippe Revisits The Ladies First With The New Gondolo (Live Pics)

What We Know: Milan is one of the world's great fashion capitals. At the Watch Art Grand Exhibition Milano, Patek Philippe fittingly unveiled the Gondolo Ladies First, a collection that revisits a significant modern women's watch for the brand while taking a decidedly different approach to its execution. The new collection comprises six versions of the Ref. 7043, all sharing the same 31 x 34.8mm cushion-shaped case. Three feature diamond-set dials, while three Joaillerie versions take gem-setting considerably further, with the dial, case, and lugs covered in diamonds. The watches are available in rose gold, white gold, or a combination of both, with colorful straps and gemstone hour markers, offering the most obvious departure from the more restrained watches that inspired them. That inspiration is the 2009 Ladies First Chronograph Ref. 7071, a watch that marked an important moment in Patek Philippe's history with women's watches. Patek Philippe had, of course, been making women's watches for well over a century. In fact, its first wristwatch—created in 1868 for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary—was a ladies' watch. But the 2009 Ladies First watch achieved something else. It brought Patek Philippe's new in-house CH 29-535 PS chronograph movement to a watch designed specifically for a woman's wrist. At the time, the watch made something of a statement. Patek Philippe was putting serious mechanical watchmaking at the center of a watch created intentionally for women, rather ...

Introducing: Patek Philippe Launches Six More Limited Editions With Two New References In Milan Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Launches Six More Limited Oct 1, 2026

Introducing: Patek Philippe Launches Six More Limited Editions With Two New References In Milan

When it comes to collecting vintage watches, all roads lead back to Rome. Literally. Well, Rome’s home country, at least, where the passion for horology (and vintage Patek Philippe) permeates the culture, and has done so for decades, in a way that you really can’t find anywhere else. Add to that Milan’s status as fashion capital of the world, and it makes sense that Patek Philippe would host the seventh Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan. The free exhibition (with reserved tickets) is meant to celebrate the art of watchmaking viewed through the lens of the craftsmanship (both technically and artistically) of Patek past and future. It opens tomorrow, October 2, and runs until October 18. As is tradition, the brand has launched new watches to celebrate the moment—7 new limited editions and 25 Rare Handcrafts models using various métiers d’art.  Ben wrote about the big news of a new manual-wind perpetual calendar chronograph (limited to 120 pieces) here. We'll also be sharing all the Rare Handcrafts pieces soon in a Photo Report from Milan. But while they're not all new references, the new treatments of a few pretty outstanding watches deserve their own story. First things first, all of these watches are ostensibly for the Italian market. But hey, better to have loved and lost (...out on a chance to buy them) than to never know they existed. As of launch, Patek has not released pricing for this model. We will update the article when more information becomes avail...

First Look - The Patek Philippe 5978P-010 Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Limited Edition Milano 2026 Monochrome
Patek Philippe 5978P-010 Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar Oct 1, 2026

First Look - The Patek Philippe 5978P-010 Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Limited Edition Milano 2026

Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibitions are important milestones for the brand, offering a unique opportunity to showcase its savoir-faire, heritage and exceptional métiers d’art to both an audience of watch enthusiasts and the wider public. Especially for these exhibitions, Patek Philippe introduces special and limited editions; sometimes even introducing new watch references, movements or […]

Patek Philippe’s 5978P Steals Milan Spotlight SJX Watches
Patek Philippe s 5978P Steals Milan Oct 1, 2026

Patek Philippe’s 5978P Steals Milan Spotlight

Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition has just opened in Milan, three years after its last residency in Tokyo. The regular exhibit pops up in a new city every few years, and serves as a local demonstration of the brand’s prowess across complications and métiers d’art. For the Milan edition, the flagship new release is the Perpetual Calendar Chronograph ref. 5978P-010, which combines the instantaneous perpetual calendar system from the ref. 5207 with the brand’s manually wound cal. CH 29-535 chronograph movement. Visually, this combination of elements resembles the more upscale ref. 5208, but without the minute repeater functionality. Debuting in platinum, the blue-and-red ref. 5978P is limited to 120 pieces, but additional (non-limited) variants seem likely at some point in the future. Initial thoughts Patek Philippe was the first brand to combine the perpetual calendar and chronograph complications in a wristwatch. This breakthrough came surprisingly early in the history of the wristwatch — the fabled ref. 1518 debuted all the way back in 1941. Since then, this format has become almost synonymous with the brand. The ref. 5978P builds upon this legacy without retreading the same territory. For one thing, the watch eschews the familiar triple calendar dial layout of the refs. 1518, 2499, 3970, 5970, 5270, and their cushion-shaped and split-seconds variants. Instead, the dial adopts the layout of the ref. 5208, characterised by three calendar windows across...

In-Depth: 200 Odd Years of Hacking Tourbillons SJX Watches
Breguet stopping Oct 1, 2026

In-Depth: 200 Odd Years of Hacking Tourbillons

Conventional wisdom holds that stopping a tourbillon for precise time setting — “hacking” in watchmaking parlance — is a difficult endeavor given the constant rotation of the cage. The hacking tourbillon wristwatch didn’t arrive until 2008, courtesy of the A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret. In fact, hacking of any sort remained a rarity until the last few decades — ironic, since the primary function of the seconds hand has arguably evolved from a way to assess accuracy into an indicator that a watch is running. Some brands are still in the process of adding stop-seconds features to their basic calibres, and hacking remains scarcer still in wristwatch tourbillons, appearing with regularity only in the last two decades. But building for the waistcoat pocket, historical watchmakers have been stopping tourbillons for almost as long as they’ve been building them, and developed a number of solutions for this problem along the way, each stopping the tourbillon, or merely the seconds, in a different way. Breguet – stopping the seconds without stopping the watch Almost 225 years ago to the year, the French Ministry of the Interior granted Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747 – 1823) a patent for his most famous creation, the tourbillon, a clever way to improve a watch’s marks during accuracy testing. For a mechanical watch to keep the same time across all vertical positions, the “balance complete” — comprised of the balance, staff, roller, collet and balance spring — mu...

Photo Report: Toronto Timepiece Show 2026 Hodinkee
Baltic Sep 30, 2026

Photo Report: Toronto Timepiece Show 2026

Walking through the halls of the Meridian Arts Center in Toronto, through the 90-ish brands assembled for the event by Jason Hutton and his team, it's hard to believe the Toronto Timepiece Show is only in its third edition. The show feels far more established than you'd expect from what is still a relatively nascent endeavor. It's an impressive feat, made all the more impressive by the explosion of Hutton's Timepiece Shows across Canada. Besides Toronto, this year's Timepiece Show made stops in Vancouver and — for the first time — Montréal. But Toronto is the original, and so I'm glad to have finally made it up to the Great White North to see what it's all about. This is what these shows are all about — finding moments to connect with other enthusiasts. Although, checking out the watches — like the latest offerings from Baltic — is important too. If you're not familiar with the concept, the Toronto Timepiece Show is one of several open-to-the-public watch fairs that have become core gathering points for enthusiasts around the world in recent years. Having now seen the Toronto Timepiece Show in person, I'm also convinced it's not one to miss. So, without further interruption, below is a look at just some of the watches, people, and moments I saw at 2026's edition of the Toronto Timepiece Show (and if you want to check out some of last year's show, you can see James's coverage here) Tudor Black Bay 54 The iconic Seiko Alpinist. Early Seamaster Professional 300M wi...

Introducing - Moritz Grossmann Injects a Contemporary Air into the Benu Power Reserve Monochrome
Moritz Grossmann Injects Sep 30, 2026

Introducing - Moritz Grossmann Injects a Contemporary Air into the Benu Power Reserve

Bearing the name of one of the founding fathers of 19th-century German watchmaking, Moritz Grossmann is today an independent high-end Glashütte watch manufacture producing low-volume, hand-finished pieces. Marking the bicentennial of the founder’s birth, Moritz Grossmann presents two more contemporary, dark-themed versions of the elegant Benu Power Reserve. The Benu was the first watch to […]

Hands On: Raymond Weil Millesime Jubilee SJX Watches
Raymond Weil Millesime Jubilee Raymond Weil Sep 30, 2026

Hands On: Raymond Weil Millesime Jubilee

Raymond Weil kicked off its 50th anniversary earlier this year with the Fifty, a vintage-inspired limited edition chronograph powered by an appropriately historical vintage calibre. The party continues with the Millesime Jubilee, a larger but more accessible “panda” variant that borrows the Millesime’s “sector” dial and appealing “pump” pushers. Limited to 500 pieces, the Jubilee exchanges the vintage movement for a modern automatic calibre, and looses its predecessor’s white gold bezel. But it retains much of what made the Fifty attractive at less than half the price. The Fifty (left) with the Jubilee Initial thoughts Raymond Weil appears to be claiming renewed relevance after years in the wilderness. Established in 1976, it was one of the few watch brands founded during that difficult period to survive and prosper. Classical designs at accessible prices, backed by widespread advertising, made it a familiar name. At its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the brand was selling some half a million watches per year. But the affordable luxury category became crowded, and Raymond Weil gave up ground to new entrants, languishing for a number of years. The Millesime has given the brand a more convincing identity, combining familiar vintage styling with unusually good attention to detail for the money. The Jubilee chronograph is no exception. The conical flange carrying the tachymeter scale is particularly appealing. Attractively snailed, it slopes gently tow...

Takeaways from the Record-Breaking Rolex Daytona Auction SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref 6300A Sep 29, 2026

Takeaways from the Record-Breaking Rolex Daytona Auction

In just a couple of weeks, Rolex and Phillips pulled off the near-impossible: a record-setting auction where the unique Daytona “Four Seasons” set sold for £37.3 million, equivalent to US$49.5 million. The sum is the largest tally ever for a charity watch auction of any sort, and also surpasses the US$31 million achieved by the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300A in 2019 – which was admittedly a single watch. All of the proceeds from the sale of the “Four Seasons” go to charities founded by Roger Federer and Leonardo DiCaprio, global celebrities and Rolex “Testimonees” who lent star power to the evening, which took place on September 28, the day after the Laver Cup that Mr Federer attended. The venue was the Raffles London, perhaps the latest and greatest hotel in the British capital, a city with no shortage of grand hotels. Reputedly the most expensive hotel project in the city’s history, having cost some £1.5 billion, the colonial building was once home to the British Ministry of Defence. The four Daytonas were on display in a room that appeared to be a basement bunker. The lavishly rebuilt interiors of the “Old War Office” were a fitting venue for the record-breaking evening, which was populated by a mix of celebrities, including Mick Jagger and Jon Bon Jovi, as well as many anonymous but well-heeled watch collectors who are clients of Phillips. Some of the world’s most significant watch collectors were in the room. Despite the short time...

Owner’s Review: the Norqain Adventure Sport Worn & Wound
Norqain Adventure Sport One Sep 29, 2026

Owner’s Review: the Norqain Adventure Sport

One of the recurring topics of conversation I’ve long heard among watch collectors is the fantasy of a pared down collection. Sometimes, the dream is by the numbers – a seven-watch collection (one for each day of the week), the sweet spot three-watch collection (dress, sport, and wild card), or the ultra-ambitious one-watch collection (but how could you ever choose just one?!). Other times, the musings on a pared down collection get more specific – a single brand, a single style, a single material. For me, the collecting fantasy revolves around color – or rather, the absence of color – an all-white collection. At the current moment, I only have three, but there is one in particular that has solidified my love of white watches not just for summer but all year round (yes, white watches look just as good on snow bunnies). This is the story of my Norqain Adventure Sport. For those of you who know me outside the page, I’m the antithesis of the all-black New Yorker. Perhaps it’s my southern roots showing (shoutout ATL), but in recent years, I’ve become a self-proclaimed rainbow girl. This wasn’t always the case. In high school, I hailed from the emo era, and to the horror of my fairly traditional Midwest parents and southern upbringing, I dyed my hair dark, cut asymmetrical bangs, painted my nails black, and wore clothes that matched my angst and musical taste (btw we will circle back to this seemingly superfluous detail later on in the story, stay tuned). When...

Hands-On: Seiko Alpinist GMT HBC007 Hodinkee
Seiko Alpinist GMT HBC007 Sep 29, 2026

Hands-On: Seiko Alpinist GMT HBC007

For the life of me, I can't remember if I've ever owned an Alpinist. I think I did, for a little while. I know I at least borrowed one for a while, but the Alpinist was never as central to me as it has been for a lot of watch guys of my vintage (by that, I mean collectors who got into this whole thing in the late 2000s). If I did own an Alpinist, it was a brief, flirtatious affair meant to satisfy curiosity before I found my way back to the SKX (a watch I have owned many, many examples of). Still, the Alpinist — specifically the SARB017 Alpinist with its green dial, compass bezel, and gold numerals — seemed as close to omnipresent as a watch could get in my early days of collecting and learning. They made daily appearances on wristcheck channels on forums, and their sudden appearance on one of my friends' wrists was a great sign that they were becoming properly watch-enthused. It's hard to quantify the Alpinist's impact, but here's the thing: while the Alpinist may not be the Seiko thatmost watch enthusiasts collect today, if you control for "dive watch," I'd hazard a guess it's at least close. And in an era when it felt like a Seiko was the price of entry to "watch enthusiast," it was a watch that mattered. And then, it vanished. Okay, that's maybe a little dramatic. The Alpinist had a long run, and like so many of the watches Seiko introduced in the '90s and '00s, it was eventually sunsetted and, a few short years later, replaced with something that looks awfully sim...