Monochrome
Exactly 30 years ago, on 24 October 1994, at the Dresden Royal Palace, Günter Blümlein, Walter Lange and Hartmut Knothe unveiled the inaugural collection of the rejuvenated A. Lange & Söhne brand, consisting of the Saxonia, the Arkade, the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” and, of course, the Lange 1. A watch that has been instrumental […]
SJX Watches
It seems like just yesterday that A. Lange & Söhne celebrated its 25th anniversary with the 10-piece Lange 1 set. But turning 30 is always a big deal, and the brand has risen to the occasion with limited editions of its flagship Lange 1 and its smaller sibling, the Little Lange 1, including a version with the brand’s first-ever mineral stone dial on a watch without gemstones. Both the Lange 1 and Little Lange 1 30th Anniversary are available in pink gold with a navy blue dial, or in platinum with a black dial – both versions evoking uncommon historical versions of the model. Lange typically reserves the latter configuration for its special editions, and in this case the degree of specialness is dialled up a notch with a dial crafted from black onyx. Initial thoughts It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for Lange. Nevertheless, I’ve never warmed up to their black-dialled watches, including the Datograph, which I feel look a bit flat. Judging by the press images, the black onyx dial of the Lange 1 30th anniversary is a different animal; deep and glossy. The pink gold and navy blue references are also attractive, but it’s the platinum and black models that immediately captured my attention and have continued to occupy my thoughts. In most ways, the 30th anniversary editions of the Lange 1 and Little Lange 1 are no different from the standard models. The cases measure 38.5 mm and 36.8 mm, respectively, and are about 10 mm thick. Naturally, the platinum models are ...
Revolution
Deployant
Lange released four new limited editions to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Lange 1: Two Lange 1 and two Little Lange 1 models.
Time+Tide
Andrew and Zach go head-to-head to pick the best dive watch, dress watch, field watch, and do-it-all GADA watch at Windup New York.The post Andrew & Zach pick the best watches at Windup Watch Fair New York – we need your vote for the winner! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
If you ask someone to draw or describe the perfect dress watch, I’m sure it would look a lot like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin. Its classic case with elegantly sweeping lugs looks good on anyone’s wrist, and the dial is one of the cleanest and most legible in the industry. In short, it’s truly […] Visit Introducing: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Date With A Modern Blue-Gray Dial to read the full article.
Fratello
Sternglas has come a long way since its first watch debuted in 2016. The earliest models were straightforward Bauhaus-styled watches. While this design still governs the brand’s offerings, straightforward dress watches no longer dominate the catalog. Today’s Merion diver is a good example of how Sternglas has expanded. When I recall my formative collecting years, […] Visit The Sternglas Merion Diver Is An Affordable Alternative With Innovative Touches to read the full article.
Monochrome
While there is plenty to be enjoyed when it comes to a finely crafted mechanical time-only watch, sometimes you want a little more than that, right? From GMT watches to chronographs, and from moon phases to perpetual calendars, there’s an absolute abundance of complexity within the watchmaking industry. But what if you’re looking for a […]
Hodinkee
All that and more in this week's edition of Hodinkee's What's Selling Where column.
Revolution
Teddy Baldassarre
The Stern family has been at the helm of Patek Philippe since the 1930s, and for all intents and purposes the family has been responsible for – or, at the very least, overseen – just about every notable iconic release from the brand in the modern wristwatch age. Sure, split-seconds chronographs and the first Patek perpetual calendar wristwatch pre-date the Stern legacy, but when it comes to pure iconography across known collections spanning the Calatrava, the Nautilus, the Ellipse, and the Aquanaut – names that make boutiques quiver at the notion of adding yet another name to a medieval scroll’s worth of a waitlist – we can all thank generations of the Stern family. And now we can add the Patek Philippe Cubitus to that list. Brothers Jean and Charles Henri Stern invested in Patek in 1932 and were tangentially a part of the brand when the first Calatrava launched. Henri Stern oversaw the development and release of the Ellipse, followed by a watch that has come to define the brand by the general salivating public: the Nautilus (though the ultra-thin Ref. 3940 is just as deserving of praise). Philippe Stern took over in 1993, and it was under his stewardship that Patek followed up on the Gérald Genta-designed Nautilus with a new take on the format: The Aquanaut. Patek loves to delight and surprise, and so, for a deeper look at Patek launches over the years, read Mark Bernardo’s piece here. You might be thinking to yourself that a whole host of watches are missin...
Quill & Pad
It’s not easy to have a single product line that spans all the way from entry-level pieces to multimillion-dollar halo watches, but Jaeger-LeCoultre has achieved it with the Reverso. It’s still possible for a young collector to do exactly what GaryG did almost 30 years ago and enter the world of true high horology with a first Reverso purchase.
Fratello
We watch collectors come up with “rules” regarding our hobby. For example, “Every watch collection should have a dress watch, a sporty piece, and a beater.” This is the imperative many of us live by. While the former two may not be the cornerstones of my collection, at least not intentionally, I do have a […] Visit An Ode To The Casio G-Shock GW-B5600-2ER to read the full article.
Monochrome
While single-hand watches are the mainstay of German brand MeisterSinger, it would be a mistake to associate this display with simple watches. Since its foundation in 2001, MeisterSinger has sported many complications and, in a surprising turn of events, the Bell Hora. Known as a sonnerie au passage, this complication chimes on the hour, every […]
On episode 91 of A Week in Watches, Zach discusses some new releases from the last few weeks. First up is an awfully odd Nomos with a unique but unnecessary take on a date complication. Following is an overview of the newest Reversos from Jaeger-LeCoultre. A well-received launch from the historic house, it included four new styles, including a new case size. Lastly, Omega has launched the First Omega in Space for a second time, and we’re here for it. This week’s episode is brought to you by Windup Watch Fair New York City. This year’s event has earned the title of the biggest watch fair in the world, with over 130 brands from 16 different countries. Windup NYC is happening Oct 18th – 20th at 415 Fifth avenue in the heart of Manhattan. It’s free and open to the public, as always, so we hope to see you there. For more information, head to windupwatchfair.com The post A Week in Watches Ep. 91: Omega Drops the First Speedy in Space, Again appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Time+Tide
"Like a scuba diver’s tank in a bonfire, the post exploded."The post The “Dude With Sign” Instagram post that surprisingly offended #watchfam… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The watch that made A. Lange & Söhne what it is today.The post The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 is a true modern classic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
A. Lange & Söhne is marking the 30th anniversary of arguably its most famous wristwatch with an exhibition in Singapore. 30 Years of the Lange 1 will take place in ION Orchard October 24-29, 2024. Besides showcasing significant Lange 1 models, the exhibition also encompasses demonstrations by a master engraver from the Lange manufacture in Glashütte. The event is open to the public but registration is required. A cornerstone of the German brand since it was revived in 1994, the Lange 1 is defined by an orderly, yet asymmetrical dial with an outsized date and power reserve. The design instantly distinguished itself from practically everything else on the market at the time and became the “face” of the Lange 1. The exhibition will present the many variations of the Lange 1 introduced over the years, starting with the original yellow gold model of 1994. Also on show will be the 10-piece Lange 1 “25th Anniversary” series, as well as less common models like the Lange 1 “Luminous”, which is not part of the now-famous Lumen series and instead was originally conceived as a sporty Lange watch. Present daily at the exhibition will be an artisan from Lange’s engraving department, which is responsible for the hand-engraved balance cocks found in all Lange movements. Armed with a fine-tipped burin, the artisan will demonstrate the art of engraving, just as it is done at the manufacture in Glashütte. Finally, the exhibition will also debut video interviews of Lange owne...
Worn & Wound
While much of the focus when discussing Hamilton’s history centers on World War II (for good reason), the brand was making waves within its repertoire decades earlier. In the mid-1930s, the country was in the throes of economic recovery after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Initiatives like the Social Security Act and the Works Progress Administration, created in 1935, began to reflect a positive return to some stability. The same year, Hamilton Watch Company – then based out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania – offered a new design to the public: a handsome, fully gold watch called the “Ardmore.” This watch was manufactured for only three years and included a 14K gold case, domed crystal, and curved case design. Newspaper ads from the time show the Ardmore typically priced at $100 – steep enough, given the overall context of the Great Depression, which spanned the entirety of the 1930s. Perhaps this accounted for the Ardmore’s relatively short run. While most would agree we are seeing a trend towards smaller watches in the past few years, the last year alone has seemed to hasten the move towards the teenytiny. Timothee Chalamet is the current face of the Itty Bitty Watch Committee with his various elegant Cartiers, but brands are also driving forces in this movement. Audemars Piguet dropped their 23mm “Mini Oaks” in May of this year in various shades of gold. Cartier released the Tank Louis Mini in April. Similarly, Hamilton’s newest addition to their America...
SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin is marking the 20th anniversary of its vintage-inspired line of dress watches with a limited edition conceived by French designer Ora Ito (whose studio is known as Ora ïto). The Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding Ora ïto is all about “Simplexity”, Mr Ito’s preferred design philosophy: a simple appearance that belies complexity. Although the Patrimony looks like a simple, conventional model at first glance, the dial incorporates additional details visible only upon close inspection, such as the wave-like concentric pattern that decorate its surface. Initial thoughts Vacheron Constantin is considered one of the “Holy Trinity” in Swiss watchmaking, and the Patrimony Ora ïto demonstrates why. It is a simple watch, showing just the time and date, yet presented with an intricately detailed dial and excellent in-house movement. Moreover, the Patrimony Self-Winding model is based on the ref. 6187 of 1957 but the design still feels current and avoids seeming like a vintage remake. The Patrimony Ora ïto costs US$35,300, which is fair value all things considered. It’s a small run of 100 watches with an appealing, unique dial design and it retails for less than a regular production Patek Philippe Calatrava. Simplexity The intricately patterned dial is gilded brass and stamped with a concentric patterns that’s meant to evoke ripples on the water. The pattern starts at the centre and continues to the periphery, with a subtle break to form th...
Worn & Wound
The last few years have been good for enthusiasts of classically designed, complicated watches. Historically the purview of the exorbitantly wealthy, the complicated dress watch has become increasingly democratized in recent years, thanks in no small part to brands like Kurono Tokyo. That impactful role was rewarded with ardent fervor with new releases selling out near-instantaneously. Recently, secondhand availability and the introduction of various anti-flipping techniques have made getting your hand on one of Hajime Asaoka’s affordable creations far easier. But that sense of ease may well renege with the brand’s latest offering, the Kurono Special Projects Réserve de Marche ‘Sensu N.O.S.’ The signature feature of the new Réserve de Marche (and the complication from which it borrows its name) is the power reserve indicator found between the nine and ten o’clock positions, a first for Kurono Tokyo. This function is made possible thanks to the new old stock Cal. 9134 movements from Citizen. True to form for Kurono Tokyo, that movement has been reworked here; not only to meet Kurono Tokyo’s internal timekeeping standards, but also to remove the movement’s date function, though the 24-hour secondary hour display at six o’clock remains. What results is a classically beautiful, and undeniably well-executed take on a classic complication. Of course, given the inherent limitations created by the use of NOS movements, the Sensu N.O.S. will be “very limited,”...
Monochrome
Vacheron Constantin celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Patrimony collection with a special edition produced in collaboration with French designer Ito Morabito, more widely known as Ora ïto. The understated soul of the Patrimony is inspired by Vacheron’s slim men’s dress watches of the 1950s, a formula applied across the board to all Patrimony references. […]
Hodinkee
Japan has become a mecca for the best vintage Calatravas, but even in a country of the best, Nagayama's passion – and collection – stands out.
Fratello
Welcome to another installment of Sunday Morning Showdown. Last week, we threw two fairly affordable dress watches into the ring. This week, we’re going to do something completely different. Recently, both the Czapek Antarctique and Girard-Perregaux Laureato came out in new full-gold versions. Most of us will probably never seriously consider buying either of today’s […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Czapek Antarctique Mount Erebus Vs. Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm In Rose Gold to read the full article.
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