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Results for Display vs Solid Caseback

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Display vs Solid Caseback

Sapphire window vs engraved metal. Haute-horlogerie standard since 1985 vs the Submariner / Daytona / Speedmaster heritage.

Audemars Piguet Board Member Olivier Audemars Shares A Piece Of Family History Revolution
Audemars Piguet Board Member Olivier Audemars Jan 28, 2013

Audemars Piguet Board Member Olivier Audemars Shares A Piece Of Family History

One of the advantages of the SIHH is of course that you see all you’d expect in terms of wonderful new watches.  Some of the greatest pleasures, though, are the unexpected ones. During a walk through the Audemars Piguet booth I was captivated by a fantastic display of complicated pocket watches, and noticed a tall, […]

Auctions: Ten Watches I Actually Care About This Fall Auction Season Hodinkee
Casio nal watch buyer So 2 days ago

Auctions: Ten Watches I Actually Care About This Fall Auction Season

If you were in NYC last week for watch week, there was a chance I saw you there. Yes, I actually showed my face in public – and it kinda felt good? Yeah, I think it did. And that got me thinking – what if I actually paid attention to the auctions again, like I used to! Not just from a professional standpoint, but from my perspective as a watch lover and occasional watch buyer. So I opened up some catalogs and started digging – and here are the ten watches I'd actually spend my own money on coming up for sale over the coming weeks – and don't worry, our actual auction savant, Mark, will be here over the next few days to give a much more in-depth take on what's happening this season. 1. The Earliest Known Lange 1, Ever A closed caseback Lange 1, without its caseback, reveals movement number....10. Did I mention it comes with a full set, dated to January of 1995, and with its original sales receipt? Photo courtesy of Auktionen Dr. Crott. Photo courtesy of Auktionen Dr. Crott. Photo courtesy of Auktionen Dr. Crott. You guys know about closed caseback Lange 1s – I love 'em. I've owned 'em. But I've never owned, or even heard of, a Lange 1 this early. Over at Dr. Crott, who also has a great PLM in platinum and from whom I sourced my Steel Lange 1 over ten years ago, and who has a history of great Lange watches – there is a remarkably early L1. How early? Movement number 10. Beyond that, it comes with paperwork dating it to January 1995, and an original handwritten...

Diving Into A Lesser-Known Chapter Of Tudor’s History At The Navy SEAL Museum In San Diego Fratello
Tudor s History Oct 8, 2026

Diving Into A Lesser-Known Chapter Of Tudor’s History At The Navy SEAL Museum In San Diego

Along the sun-bleached expanse of the Southern California coast, salt air and maritime tradition run deep. Where the urban grid of San Diego meets the historic naval facilities of Coronado, the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego documents the history of America’s specialized maritime units. Among the archival displays of uniforms, combat equipment, and other diving […] Visit Diving Into A Lesser-Known Chapter Of Tudor’s History At The Navy SEAL Museum In San Diego to read the full article.

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...

Celebrating a New Home for Watch Enthusiasts in Eastern Montana with Citizen Watch America and Riddle’s Jewelers Worn & Wound
Accutron Frédérique Constant Sep 24, 2026

Celebrating a New Home for Watch Enthusiasts in Eastern Montana with Citizen Watch America and Riddle’s Jewelers

Last week, Worn & Wound and Citizen Watch America headed west to Billings, Montana, for an evening of watches, conversation, and a little bit of Windup Watch Fair previewing at Riddle’s Jewelry’s Shiloh location.  Following our enthusiast night in Salt Lake, the Billings event was another chance to bring the Windup experience to a community that doesn’t always get the opportunity to see this kind of collection of watches in person. But more than anything, the evening was about establishing Riddle’s Jewelers as a welcoming home for watch enthusiasts in Eastern Montana—and kicking off what we hope becomes a new tradition of getting together, talking watches, and, naturally, buying a few new timepieces along the way. The evening welcomed local enthusiasts, longtime collectors, curious newcomers, and Riddle’s clientele, all with one thing in common: an appreciation for a good watch and an excuse to talk about them. With food and drinks on hand, the evening had the easygoing feel we love about enthusiast gatherings. Watches came off wrists, new ones went on, and conversations bounced from movements and materials to personal favorites and the watches everyone had been quietly keeping an eye on. Of course, there was plenty to get excited about on the watch front. The collection included standout pieces from Citizen, Bulova, Accutron, Frédérique Constant, and Alpina, including several watches that aren’t exactly easy to find sitting in a display case. And our new ...

Introducing: The Oris Social Club Edition II Hodinkee
Oris Social Club Edition II Sep 2, 2026

Introducing: The Oris Social Club Edition II

What We Know As part of the brand's varied releases for Geneva Watch Days, Oris has announced the Social Club Edition II, a special creation sold exclusively online in partnership with the Oris Social Club. The group spans some 62 chapters all over the world, and the latest offering to the acolytes is a handsome expression of the Aquis Relief that incorporates a green nylon NATO-style strap.  Measuring in at 43.5mm, the Social Club Edition II builds upon the standard Aquis Relief by complementing the steel bezel design with a frosted silver finish for the dial. Look a bit closer, and you'll see that there is an easter egg for the date, too, as the first-of-the-month position will feature an image of Oris' mascot, the Oris Bear. Flip the watch over, and you'll find a custom caseback showing the Oris factory in Holstein and "OSC | INT" to mark the club's international membership.  The full specs are provided below, but the Oris Social Club Edition II is 13.1mm thick and 51mm lug to lug with 300 meters of water resistance protecting the Oris 733 movement within. The 733 is based on the Sellita SW 200-1 and is an automatic, Swiss-made movement that ticks at 4 Hz and offers a date, which, for this model, is at 6 o'clock.  Perhaps most interesting – or perhaps I just like NATO straps – Oris has elected to fit lug adapters to the Aquis' proprietary lugs to enable the use of a green NATO strap. The Oris Social Club Edition II is not limited and will be available in Septembe...

Hands On: Rolex Submariner Date Desk Clock Ref. 909010LN SJX Watches
Rolex Submariner Date Desk Clock Jul 23, 2026

Hands On: Rolex Submariner Date Desk Clock Ref. 909010LN

Late last year, Rolex unveiled its accessories line, comprised of a range of cufflinks and the Submariner Date Desk Clock ref. 909010LN. In the typical Rolex fashion, the new accessories are conservatively styled; the desk clock is essentially a Submariner face enlarged to 80 mm. But in typical Rolex fashion, the clock is impressively made. The Submariner desk clock is an impressive piece of desk-bound timekeeping. Execution is top class with flawless fit and finish, while the mechanics (or more accurately, electronics) are advanced: the quartz movement incorporates a 400-year perpetual calendar, and surprisingly, decorative finishing. Initial thoughts The Submariner desk clock is an impressive object, sizeable, heavy, and clearly well made. It has to be seen – and held – in person to understand the quality of make. Elements like the brushed steel case (that’s ironically not water resistant), engraved bezel insert, and decorated movement speak to the precision manufacturing and finishing. This clock is a beautifully-made industrial creation. That said, the design is a boring. It’s basically a Submariner face blown up to 80 mm. Fans of the design will be pleased as Rolex did replicate the details of the wristwatch artfully, right down to the engraved flange around the dial and tiny crown within “Swiss made”. Fortunately, the insides of the clock are more advanced than the design. The cal. 8335 displays the time and date, but the date is actually a secular calend...

Bring a Loupe: A Million Valjoux 72, An 18k Gold Constellation, And A Sarpaneva Moomin Hodinkee
Grand Seiko SBGW235 Jul 3, 2026

Bring a Loupe: A Million Valjoux 72, An 18k Gold Constellation, And A Sarpaneva Moomin

Happy Friday again, Ballers, and congrats to whoever snagged the Omega 2998-4 on Goodwill earlier this week. I'm fighting multiple aspects of my nature—as a midwesterner and a dad—to avoid making lame jokes about the heat, but fingers crossed, the fever's breaking, and it'll return to average temperatures sometime soon for all of us. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Hamilton sold for $4,300, the Speedmaster Soyuz for €18,000, and the Universal Genève Rattrapante for GBP 4,250 . The Goldpfiel Vianney Halter sold, but the auction house hasn't listed the price online and hasn't responded to my email, so we'll all have to live with the mystery. Strays I mentioned Always Sunny last week, and now this week there's this exquisite Movado Ermeto with a caseback dedication—Dennis from Mac—that feels too good not to include. I figured it'd be fun to stir the pot last week and argue the Hamilton Model 21 as the Most Important American Watch in history. For whatever it's worth, the runner-up would've been the Bulova Accutron, and the purest expression of that watch is the Spaceview, of which there's a nice (though non-running) version available here, which auction lot also includes a Spaceman watch (also not working), and the Spaceman, for what it's worth, deserves more oddball attention.  Photo courtesy of Seuyco. Here's an almost comically reserved but gorgeous Grand Seiko SBGW235, and, in the same auction, here's what sure seems to be a great example of an IWC 'Steril...

Bring a Loupe: A Broken Mulco Chronograph, A Gold Rolex Paul Newman, And A Lot In-Between Hodinkee
Patek Philippe 570 Jun 19, 2026

Bring a Loupe: A Broken Mulco Chronograph, A Gold Rolex Paul Newman, And A Lot In-Between

Go Knicks. That is all. Scorekeeping last week's picks: the Grand Seiko sold for $29,700; the Patek Philippe 570 is still available; the Certina CD sold for €120; and the LeCoultre Uniplan sold, but the auction house didn't upload the final price. Strays Photo courtesy Goodwill. Here's a Breguet Classique 5907 on Goodwill. Yes, a Goodwill in Minnesota received, as a donation, a solid-gold Breguet with a four-day power reserve, a manual-wind 510DR movement, a full guilloché dial, Breguet hands, and, as if all that weren't enough, the watch comes with its original box. As Warren G advised, mount up. Beyond that heavy-duty watch in the least likely place, this Dodane Diver is very cool, and this Vincent Calabrese (who also made the Corum Golden Bridge) Wandering Jump Hour on Meticulist is incredibly cool. Apparently, it's my time—or a good time generally—to be excited by rectangular-cased non-Reverso JLC models, and if you've been after a Juvenia Architect, this one seems like it'll be gorgeous once it's cleaned up a bit. I don't know anyone who collects Verity watches, but this diver sure looks great with its classic Monnin case and—there's no other word for it—rad hand set. Finally, here's another IYKYK from Zenith, this time a 40T, which has absolutely nothing going for it other than a beautiful, simple case and a dial marking beneath the handset that has to be one of the coolest movement-related badges on any model I'm aware of. In an effort to balance out last...

Dispatch: A Visit to Philippe Dufour's Workshop, Twelve Years Since Our Last Hodinkee
Jun 3, 2026

Dispatch: A Visit to Philippe Dufour's Workshop, Twelve Years Since Our Last

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...

Introducing: The Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” Hodinkee
Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon Apr 30, 2026

Introducing: The Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26”

What We Know Ahead of this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, Tudor has announced the Black Bay Chrono "Carbon 26," a follow-up to last year's Carbon 25. While Tudor's ties to motorsport date back to the late 1960s with the Tudor Watches Racing Team, its current partnership with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team began in 2024, and they have been quick to make the most of it, with two limited editions in two consecutive seasons. The Carbon 25 marked the first limited-edition release from that relationship, with the Carbon 26 continuing the same approach in 2026. At its core, the update centers on a revised color scheme reflecting the livery of the VCARB 03 car. The watch retains a 42mm carbon fiber case with a fixed tachymeter bezel, along with a titanium caseback, crown, and pushers with a black PVD finish. The dial remains "racing white," now with yellow accents and carbon fiber subdials. The carbon fiber case, introduced last year, carries over unchanged. It replaces the steel case used in standard Black Bay Chronographs, while keeping the same 42mm diameter, fixed tachymeter bezel, screw-down crown, chronograph pushers, and overall case profile. Inside is the Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813, an automatic chronograph with a column wheel, vertical clutch, silicon balance spring, and a 70-hour power reserve. It is COSC-certified, and it also meets Tudor's more rigorous standards of -2/+4 seconds per day. The Black Bay Chrono "Carbon 26" is priced at $8,625, produced in a...

Introducing: The Bradley Taylor Ardea Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Level II service certification Apr 29, 2026

Introducing: The Bradley Taylor Ardea

What We Know Bradley Taylor, a Canadian independent watchmaker working out of a 1,000-square-foot workshop in North Vancouver, has released the Ardea, his third watch and first with an in-house movement. Taylor, a rising talent in the space, trained in Le Locle under Henrik Korpela, earned a Patek Philippe Level II service certification in Geneva, and produced two sold-out series before beginning work on the Ardea in late 2023. The Ardea is offered in stainless steel or platinum 950 and measures 37.8mm in diameter with a 46.4mm lug-to-lug and a thickness of 10.9mm, including the crystals. The sapphire caseback is very slightly domed for wrist comfort, and the watch is rated to 5 ATM.  The dial is 925 sterling silver, engine-turned on a rose engine that Taylor estimates is roughly 120 years old, and he restored it over three months. The pattern is a 36-scallop rosette with a progressive phase shift between each concentric pass, producing a characterful swirling texture. After the engraving, the dial is depletion-gilded, a silversmithing process that involves repeated heating and acid treatment until the dial's surface is pure silver. It is then sealed with Zapon lacquer. The text and markings are pad-printed on a Tampoprint machine that Taylor also restored himself. The applied numerals are machined from solid platinum and hand-polished to a spherical shape. The dial lettering and wordmark were designed by Ian Brignell, a Toronto typographer whose work includes the Paramou...

Watches & Wonders: Grand Seiko Introduces the SBGY043 “Iwao Blue” Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko Introduces Apr 14, 2026

Watches & Wonders: Grand Seiko Introduces the SBGY043 “Iwao Blue”

At Watches & Wonders 2026, Grand Seiko’s newest addition to the Elegance Collection brings together the things it does best. Namely, intricately textured dials with a nod to Japanese artistry, and its flagship Caliber 9R Spring Drive.  Engraved to resemble a weathered rock face, the SBGY043’s striking dial suggests the appearance of a mountain at dusk: Grand Seiko calls this pattern iwao, which translates to rock or crag. Depending on the angle it’s viewed from behind its domed sapphire crystal, different facets take on intermingling light and dark tones of blue, purple, and black. Its color is inspired by the tradition of katsuiro dyeing, a centuries-old technique and reportedly a favorite among the samurai class, which produces a deep indigo hue. Set against bright silver markers and hands - no blued seconds hand here, which is almost its own Grand Seiko tradition - it makes for an especially understated contrast.  This Iwao Blue version runs on the Caliber 9R31, a manual-wind Spring Drive movement with a 72-hour power reserve and visible through a clear caseback. The case is among the slimmest in the Elegance Collection, with standard zaratsu polishing and soft, rounded lugs. A nine-row stainless steel bracelet is the only option, which reflects the craggy-faced dial’s aura of ruggedness.  Grand Seiko enthusiasts, of which there are many, might remember this dial from 2021 - albeit in a sharp-angled Heritage case and with a Caliber 9R65 Spring Drive mov...

The Best Outdoor Watches For Every Budget Teddy Baldassarre
Timex Expedition"] Because I couldn’t Feb 18, 2026

The Best Outdoor Watches For Every Budget

In the wild and wonderful world of watches, many brands have made pieces geared towards just about every specific sport, adventure, and niche-within-a-niche under the sun. Down below, I’ll be embarking on a journey through the best watches made to brave the great outdoors, spanning from watches that make great light-hiking companions to those that are made to face the most punishing terrain. So there’s a little something for everyone here in this humble guide. I’ll be casting a wide net in terms of price point, ranging from the accessible entry points to the more luxury-leaning end of the spectrum. [toc-section heading="Timex Expedition"] Because I couldn’t choose just one watch from Timex’s collection geared towards outdoorsy folk, I’m going to rapid-fire through the highlights. If I were to pick out one watch for myself, I would probably go with the Expedition Chrono-Alarm Timer. It’s small and discreet, and realistically, I live in New York City, and my adventuring moments are usually quite tame. It’s water resistant 100 meters, I like the convenience of a digital display when I’m out on a leisurely hike upstate, and I like the added alarm and countdown timer functionality. It’s also $87, which is a comfortable price for me to spend on an outdoor watch.  Pivoting to a more classic field watch option, I think the Expedition Camper is a pretty compelling, no-nonsense option. Its monochrome colorpalette is sleek, we got a nice fabric strap in case we w...

Best of 2025: Value Propositions Below US$10,000 SJX Watches
Grand Seiko moved up beyond Dec 22, 2025

Best of 2025: Value Propositions Below US$10,000

It was a mixed year for affordable watches, led by segment stalwart Tudor. While appealing offerings from brands like Grand Seiko moved up beyond the US$10,000 mark, the gap was filled by a slate of interesting releases from so-called micro-brands. Here is a selection of affordable releases under US$10,000 that stood out this year. Tudor Ranger 36 - SJX I’m a fan of Tudor – I own several – because its watches are well made and priced even better. But the brand is increasingly appealing because of its gradual evolution towards enthusiast-friendly designs. The Ranger 36 illustrates that. The original Ranger was a little bit too large for this vintage-inspired design. Tudor doubtlessly received feedback to that effect. It took the brand a while, but now the 36 mm version is pretty much spot-on. The compact size fits the design well and the watch also feels good on the wrist. And because the case and bracelet are both entirely brushed, the Ranger 36 also has a low-key look that makes it a practical watch in almost any situation. The “dune white” dial is also a nice touch; it’s a nod to the “albino” dials found on some vintage sports watches (from Rolex rather than Tudor, but that’s a distinction without a difference for most of the brands’ histories). And importantly, the Ranger 36 is the most affordable Tudor with an in-house movement. It’s a solid entry into Tudor’s world of sports watches with high-spec movements. As an aside, Tudor clearly excels ...

Insight: Shaping the Rolex Identity with a Century of Strategic Positioning SJX Watches
Rolex Identity Dec 2, 2025

Insight: Shaping the Rolex Identity with a Century of Strategic Positioning

The marketing history of Rolex shows a brand building its public face step by step through symbols, carefully chosen moments, and tightly controlled messages. From its beginnings in 1905, Rolex shaped a clear, recognisable image, with a strong emphasis on visibility, control and consistency. The company spent real effort defining what the name Rolex should evoke and how that image would appear in print, in shop windows and on people’s wrists. Where many watchmakers leaned on language around heritage and handcraft, Rolex developed a communication style rooted in achievement, trust and broad recognition. The brand favoured association: with pilots, swimmers, climbers, tennis players, orchestras, laboratories and prize-giving institutions. Sponsorships, endorsements and even model names formed a linked pattern, presenting the Rolex watch as the natural companion of records, frontiers and public success. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder, treated promotion and product as parts of the same task. He saw that a claim about performance gained weight when tied to a visible test or public event, and that reputation could grow through displays of endurance, accuracy and elegance under pressure. The waterproof Oyster case, observatory trials, Channel swims, aviation flights and Himalayan expeditions all served as stages on which the watch and the story moved together. Across the decades this approach produced one of the most coherent brand stories in modern watchmaking. Through long-standi...