Hodinkee
Just Because: The Bulgari Octo L’Originale Blue Full Baguette Diamonds
Bling bling, baby!
2,650 articles · 15 videos found · page 30 of 89
The Swiss Jura town where Daniel Jeanrichard planted watchmaking c.1700. Home to Ulysse Nardin, Tissot, Zenith, TAG Heuer HQ.
39.3 mm × 9.75 mm, lug 19 mm, Cal. Powermatic 80
Hodinkee
Bling bling, baby!
Hodinkee
We're covering a lot of ground this week.
SJX Watches
Anyone who followed Formula 1 in the 1990s to the early 2000s would remember Rubens Barrichello as effective driver. Though the Brazilian did not win any championships, he notched up 11 wins and 68 podium finishes. Like many fellow Formula 1 drivers, Mr Barrichello likes watches and was once an Audemars Piguet ambassador; the Royal Oak Offshore Rubens Barrichello II of 2006 was one of the hottest watches of the era. Unsurprisingly, Mr Barrichello is apparently a fan of the Rolex Daytona – arguably the auto racing watch – explaining his collaboration with Artisans de Genève, a Swiss outfit that specialises in customising Rolex watches. They gave his Rolex Daytona a makeover to create “La Barrichello”, a strikingly and heavily modified Cosmograph Daytona with an open-worked movement. Notably, Artisans de Genève just last year performed a similar custom job on a Daytona belonging to Juan-Pablo Montoya, another F1 driver who was active in the sport at the same time as Mr Barrichello. Both drivers’ skeletonised watches are novel in a good way; much of Artisans de Genève’s other creations are modern Daytonas modified to look like vintage “Paul Newman” Daytonas, which is arguably less interesting. Creative differences “La Barrichello” started out as the all-steel Daytona ref. 116520, which is the preceding generation of Daytona that was first introduced in 2000 before being replaced by the ref. 116500LN (distinguished by its ceramic bezel) in 2...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
While I have accumulated a nice collection of timepieces , my pursuit of watches does not stop. I still see watches I like and will buy some here and there just because I know I can utilize them in my off time with the family.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Well, at this point in a career you are beginning to think about promotion and gravitating towards the managing and leading people role, as opposed to focusing on yourself for the most part. It's a lot like having children, except without the cuddling and bedtime stories. So, why not take this time, focus on yourself for just a little bit, and be selfish about what goes on your wrist.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Bulova Lunar Pilot chronograph is a watch that has plagued my mind for such a long time, I figured it was time to get my thoughts down and share them with the community. Close to a year ago, I pulled the trigger and purchased it from a small family jeweler selling the watch well below MSRP.
Revolution
Revolution’s editors pick holiday watches for each other - in secret.
Revolution
Extraordinary moment. A watch that transmits all the achievements of Berthoud as the father of French marine chronometer in a brilliantly contemporary timepiece. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has revived the mythology of one of horology’s most mythical names with beautiful modern eloquence. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is better known as the head honcho of Chopard timepieces, but he has […]
Revolution
“Precision and Splendor: Clocks and Watches at the Frick Collection” is an exhibit at New York’s Frick Collection of a stunning group of priceless clocks and watches, many from the collection of Winthrop K. Edey, who bequeathed his collection of clocks and watches –which includes remarkable timepieces dating all the way back to the Renaissance […]
Hodinkee
Two months ago, I spent a Friday lunch eating a sandwich called the Crazy Poulet at Notos Bar Restaurant in Le Sentier with Mark Schmid, who is a sort of jack-of-all-trades in the marketing and communications department at Audemars Piguet. Schmid has quickly become someone I'd consider a friend, whom I appreciate for our candid conversations, his willingness (and frequency) to correct my confusion between l'accent aigu and l'accent grave in articles, and, more recently, his gastronomic suggestions. I'm sure this story will require a few more corrections from Mark, for which I apologize (mostly to him) in advance, but I wanted to share a recent experience that illustrates why I love Switzerland's Vallée de Joux, past and present. Le Sentier, pictured back in 2022 on the author's first trip to Switzerland. The town, now home to the headquarters of Jaeger-LeCoultre, was the hometown of Samuel-Olivier Meylan, the first watchmaker in the valley who began crafting timepieces around 1743 and set the stage for what is arguably the most important geographic location in watchmaking. "People ask me what I'd want to do if I didn't work at Hodinkee," I said. "Sometimes I say that I wish I could be the head of the tourism bureau for the Vallée de Joux." "Well, maybe you could be our advocate in New York," he said. "But if you came back here on a Thursday night at 4 o'clock, this place would be full. You'd hear watchmakers talking about all the things they were up to at AP, JLC, Blancp...
Hodinkee
The third time is the charm, as we recently hosted the third edition of what's quickly becoming a regular fixture on the calendar—Hodinkee Happy Hour. Grotta, our local watering hole, was the venue this time around, and the room delivered the same energy as always. Great conversations, great company, and no shortage of great watches to look at—a few of which you'll see below. If you made it out, thank you for coming. If not, we'll be doing it again at the end of July. Follow us on Instagram to be the first to know when RSVPs open. Blancpain Léman Perpetual Calendar Flyback Chronograph A Cartier Tank Basculante in it's natural form... ... and in motion. Alex Chou wearing his A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1. Katie Penner, of Watches of Switzerland, and Hodinkee Video Editor Max Rosen. A trio of Ressence. A look at a F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain (on bracelet, no less) from the front... ... and the back. Vertex M36 Desert Edition. A little two-tone love for the Zenith Chronomaster Sport... And Rolex Datejust. Rolex Submariner. Rolex Cosmograph "Alcaraz" Daytona on an Oysterflex bracelet. Vacheron Contantin 333. A Swiss "Chronographe Suisse" Chonograph... (Swiss, chronograph, Swiss, chronograph, swiss...) Omega Seamaster De Ville and a good ol' pie-pan Omega Seamaster. Panerai Luminor Marina. Right, Editor-in-Chief James Stacey is wearing his DWC Terra. Urwerk UR-120.
Hodinkee
What We Know Just in time for the hot and humid summer ahead, Doxa has just unveiled a new generation of its distinctive, cushion-cased dive-watch-slash-chronograph with the new Sub 200 T.Graph II. The best part? It's no longer a limited edition, but rather a permanent offering for the brand. Oh, and thankfully, it's priced less than that previous 300-piece LE. At a quick glance, nothing seems to have changed on Doxa's tribute to its 1969 design, and you'd be sort of correct. The dial layout, with two subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock, along with an oversized arrowhead chronograph seconds hand, remains the same in this new generation. But the main changes here are sure to make almost everyone happy: a slight reduction in diameter and case thickness. While the previous Sub 200 T.Graph measured at 43mm in diameter with a thickness of 15.15mm, the steel case on the Sub 200 T.Graph II measures 42mm in diameter and 14.6mm in thickness. Rather than the new old stock Valjoux 7734 chronograph caliber that the limited edition housed, this new T.Graph II uses a contemporary automatic Sellita SW510 chronograph caliber, with a slightly higher 56-hour power reserve and a much higher beat rate of 28,800 VpH. New to the Sub 200 T.Graph II is also another dial color, Caribbean (Doxa's name for blue), which is a familiar livery within the brand's other models but never before offered on a T.Graph. The dark, slightly dusty navy dial joins the three other colorways found in the original design: ...
Hodinkee
What We Know It's been a while since we've heard from Autodromo. The motorsports-inspired boutique brand is a longtime favorite of many here at Hodinkee. Heck, we did a pretty cool LE with them back in 2023, featuring a special-edition series of Group B Chronographs. That same year, the brand unveiled its Group C, a watch that captured the spirit of digital '80s watches rather nicely. Today, Autodromo is launching its first totally new model since then. Meet the Autodromo Group C Turbo Sport, a fresh take on the practical analog-digital (ana-digi) watches like the Tissot Two Timer, the Heuer Manhattan Chronosplit GMT, and, of course, Breitling's Aerospace and Pluton that once adorned wrists behind the wheel and at the track a couple of decades back. The case is 38.5 millimeters in diameter and made from anodized aluminum – that's the alloy that your BMX bike parts used to be made from back in the day – or at least mine were. The new Group C Turbo comes in three anodized aluminum flavors, clear, grey, and gold. Each has a stainless steel caseback and features a grid dial that's meant to evoke the tachymeter instruments of the Group C Turbo racing era that ran from the early 1980s until about 1993, and was defined by European endurance events including the 24 hours of Le Mans. The Group C cars of the era that inspired these watches featured clean lines, ground effects that delivered high downforce, and turbochargers, offering outsized horsepower that demanded physi...
Monochrome
Designed in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, the acclaimed artistic director of Hermès who defined le gout Hermès, the elegantly asymmetrical Arceau echoes the brand’s longstanding equestrian ties with its stirrup-shaped lugs. The latest Arceau Cavalier en Formes is an amalgamation of the collection’s strengths, combining a highly sophisticated tourbillon and minute repeater complication with a […]
Hodinkee
It's been some time since we visited Philippe Dufour's workshop—at least officially. I'm not sure if my colleagues have stopped in before, which wouldn't surprise me. Once you know Dufour, stopping by his workshop in Le Solliat becomes much more informal. But until two weeks ago, I actually hadn't stepped foot inside the old building that was once his kids' schoolhouse and that has become his workshop. Back in 2013, Ben stopped by during the "Road to Basel" series, but a lot has changed since then. Or has it? Despite being a watchmaker for over 59 years now, all Philippe Dufour seems to want to do is make watches. And where better to do it than the famed "Valley of Complications"? When we last left him, Ben noted that he had just delivered the last of his Simplicities, after about 200 watches. "He will never make another," said Ben, and that Dufour was working on a more complicated follow-up. Well, since then, he certainly has delivered more Simplicities, including one with an aventurine dial that was auctioned for charity, and there are still more watches on the bench. And it's not just him at the workshop; his daughter Danièla is also working away as well. Tools on the display cases inside Philippe Dufour's workshop and a selection of pocket watches In 2022, I traveled to Switzerland and the Vallée de Joux for the first time to research and photograph a story on the watchmaker Charles-Henri Meylan. I immediately fell in love with the place. The three-dimensiona...
Hodinkee
What We Know Big, bold, and unapologetically brash, the Royal Oak Offshore has never been the watch for everyone. But with three fresh colorways for 42mm chronographs in steel and titanium, and a triumvirate of brand-new 37mm models in titanium and pink gold, the vaunted watchmaker from Le Brassus is giving us a few more reasons to consider its dedicated diver. There are three new 42mm models in three new color combinations, all featuring luminescent white 'bathtub' style hands, Arabic numeral hour markers in 18 carat gold, a flyback chronograph with hour, minute, and second counters, and a tachymeter scale rehaut inner bezel and date window at 3 o'clock. First up, the only new titanium model at this size, it features a dark grey méga tapisserie dial with dark grey and silver-toned counters with yellow and turquoise accents. The Arabic numeral hour markers are turquoise while the yellow chronograph hand matches the counter hands at 9 and 12 o'clock with a white seconds hand at 6 o'clock. Sections of the tachymeter scale are printed in yellow and white, while the AP logo in white sits just left of the date window. The silver hour and minute chronograph counters are accented in turquoise and grey. The case is 15.3mm thick and features a sapphire open caseback, a black-rubber and titanium screw-down crown with contrasting yellow and black rubber push pieces, and boasts water resistance of 100 meters. The new titanium Offshore chronograph comes on an interchangeable dark ...
Monochrome
Last year, Louis Erard entered the integrated sports watch segment with the 2340 collection, a sharply designed and relatively accessible proposition built in titanium and steel, with a nicely executed integrated bracelet. Named after the postal code of Le Noirmont, the brand’s home in the Swiss Jura, the 2340 marked a departure from the regulator […]
Monochrome
David Candaux, born and raised in Le Solliat, in the Vallée de Joux, belongs to a lineage of watchmakers. Yet his work consistently merges classical craftsmanship with highly personal engineering and design solutions. After years at Jaeger-LeCoultre, where he contributed to some of the manufacture’s most ambitious projects, and later collaborations with some of the […]
Deployant
We were in Le Solliat, up in the Valée de Joux last November, and met up with David Candaux. Here is our hands on comprehensive review of the DC12 MaveriK.
Teddy Baldassarre
Our editors might still be reorienting themselves to their local timezone after being on Geneva time the past week, but the challenges of Watches & Wonders Editors' Picks must continue while the show is fresh in their minds. For this edition, we tasked our editors with selecting the watch complication that has stuck with them most from this year's lineup. From the sophisticated to the decidedly playful, down below, you'll find the watch complications that have risen above the pack, as decided by our editorial team. Explore our full editorial coverage of this year's show here. D.C. Hannay: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronometre Perpetual Calendar Another luxury watch pick, another slam dunk for Jaeger-LeCoultre. Whichever way the wind is blowing in the Vallée de Joux, it’s been doing wonders for JLC of late, exemplified by the new Master Control Chronometre series. The brand has finally gone and made a modern, real-deal integrated luxury model, and enthusiasts are pricking up their ears. Along with the sleek Chronometre Date and the symmetrically gifted Chronometre Date Power Reserve, they’ve come up with a truly breathtaking riff on one of the most complicated complications, the Chronometre Perpetual Calendar. Absent of the hype surrounding the Royal Oak or the Nautilus, we’re presented with a beautifully balanced dial and cohesive design, packaged in a startlingly svelte 39mm case just 9.2mm thin. Also available in a glowing pink gold with a complementary br...
Hodinkee
From Dakar to Le Mans, WRC to Formula 1, to road safety and spinal cord research, Jean Todt's collection of watches reflects the remarkable and multifaceted passions that have defined his life.
Monochrome
Geneva-based independent brand Akhor presented its inaugural Le Temps en Équilibre collection in 2025, built around a patented dual-disc display system, and it was immediately recognised for its innovative dial concept and proprietary movement. The new Lumière Blanche editions expand the concept with a new artistic direction, where white becomes the central design element. The […]
Fratello
Oldies but goldies. Reverso watches from the 1930s comprise Jaeger-LeCoultre’s fifth capsule collection of The Collectibles. As you can see, this time, the focus is squarely on the brand’s iconic model, the reversible Reverso, originally launched in 1931. All eight watches were fully authenticated and restored in the brand’s restoration workshop in Le Sentier, Switzerland. […] Visit Introducing: Eight Curated Reverso Watches From The 1930s to read the full article.
Fratello
If you’ve listened to Balazs and me on Fratello On Air, you’ll know that I have a huge crush on Parmigiani Fleurier. Specifically, the Tonda PF 36mm is on my radar, but if my wrist were larger, today’s watch would be a likely candidate. Specifically, the brand has introduced the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Agave Blue, […] Visit Introducing: The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Agave Blue to read the full article.
Fratello
We have seen quite a lot of news from Le Brassus this week, haven’t we? If you thought we were done, think again! In fact, we’re barely getting warmed up. Today, I get to introduce you to possibly the most impressive of all the new releases, the Audemars Piguet 150 Heritage pocket watch. Now, before […] Visit Introducing: The Mind-Blowing Audemars Piguet 150 Heritage Pocket Watch to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Few other watchmakers enjoyed as much success and cachet as Heuer, especially during the fervent 1960s and 1970s. Not only had it launched one of the world’s first automatic chronographs, but it pushed the envelope on modern design with midcentury-cool chronographs like the uniquely square Monaco. Heuer was riding high on the glamor of Grand Prix: the Heuer shield was as indelible to the backdrops of Monza and Le Mans as Ferrari, Porsche, and McLaren themselves as the official timekeeper of Formula One. But, inevitably, the quartz revolution came for Heuer. Jack Heuer was the third-generation CEO of the company that bore his name, and he had been a savvy marketer, personally hawking chronographs to drivers like Jo Siffert and Nikki Lauda. By the 1980s, however, he found himself backed into a corner, and in 1982, he was forced to sell the company to Piaget and Lemania-a humiliating low point in his life, as he recounted in his autobiography. Yet, before he departed, he gave Heuer one saving grace. In 1979, he commissioned Heuer’s first dive watch, the Professional Series. At a trade show Jack had overheard a brief conversation about the unreliability of existing dive watches, and he aimed to emulate Rolex’s success with the Submariner and Sea-Dweller. (Incidentally, Rolex owned half of Heuer’s stock market shares, and nearly took over the company around this time.) Photo by Blake Rong Heuer had spent the decade building an electronic timing division, which b...
Monochrome
A perpetual calendar is a complication very much dear to Audemars Piguet. Since the mid-20th century, the manufacture in Le Brassus has offered many variations on how this “celestial” mechanism could be presented, displayed and used. From the world’s first leap-year perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1955, to the ultra-thin automatic QPs of the late 1970s, […]
Fratello
LVMH Watch Week is underway, and some of the most anticipated releases at this annual event always come from TAG Heuer. Thankfully, this year, people will likely not be disappointed. The Carrera is front and center for 2026 with an array of exciting new releases. Today, we’ll give a brief overview of each. TAG Heuer […] Visit TAG Heuer Introduces An Exciting Handful Of Carrera Novelties to read the full article.
Hodinkee
For a second outing following last year's LE, this luminous shark-themed collab gets a helping hand (it's a GMT).
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