Revolution
Cartier Introduces Santos-Dumont Limited Editions For 2020
Along with the Santos-Dumont XL introduced earlier, Cartier in presenting four Santos-Dumont limited editions, inspired by Alberto Santos-Dumont himself.
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Revolution
Along with the Santos-Dumont XL introduced earlier, Cartier in presenting four Santos-Dumont limited editions, inspired by Alberto Santos-Dumont himself.
SJX Watches
Hot on the heels of the Santos-Dumont XL hand-wind, Cartier has dropped four limited edition variants of the same at Watches & Wonders 2020, each dedicated to one of Alberto Santos-Dumont’s most significant aircraft. Within just a decade, the pioneering Franco-Brazilian aviator designed and piloted diverse methods of conquering the skies, from balloons and dirigibles to heavier-than-air aircraft. The four flying machines commemorated by the new limited edition Santos-Dumont watches each represent a different milestone in his career, starting with his first balloon, the Brésil of 1898, to his greatest feat, the La Demoiselle plane of 1908. Increasing in edition size as the price decreases with the preciousness of the case, all four editions are mechanical, powered by the ultra-thin 430 MC found in the Santos-Dumont XL, which is actually a Piaget 430P. Though they share the same movement, the editions are not all the same size. The first three are in the large Santos-Dumont case, with dimensions of 43.5 mm by 31.4 mm, perfectly appropriate for a modern-day dress watch, offering just the right balance between elegance and presence. The last and most expensive edition, on the other hand, is platinum and XL size, meaning it is 46.6 mm by 33.9 mm. Santos-Dumont XL in platinum (extreme left), and the trio of large-size editions Santos-Dumont “Le Brésil” Limited to 100 pieces, “Le Bresil” is named after Santos-Dumont’s first flying machine, a hot-air balloon not...
Time+Tide
For anyone reading this in April 2020, you’ll agree that it’s a strange time to be alive. Somehow, we have already seen three months of 2020, a point that has felt both incredibly fast and agonisingly slow to pass. As the interconnected health and economic crises continue to unfold around the world, the news cycle … ContinuedThe post Nick’s 5 favourite new watches from the first quarter of 2020, including Audemars Piguet, Bulgari and H. Moser & Cie appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
With the sell-out success of the Revolution ‘Cover Girl’ Limited Edition, and the astonishing Midnight Collection for women launched in January, Zenith are officially on a hot streak. When I put that to CEO Julien Tornare, just before we started rolling camera, he said something quite unforgettable. “When I took over [at Zenith] two and … ContinuedThe post Zenith’s 2020 Collection for men, a flyover with CEO Julien Tornare appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Martin Green highlights three new watches that we would have seen for the first time at Watches & Wonders 2020 had the fair run: the new Montblanc Heritage Monopusher Chronograph, the Cartier Santos-Dumont XL, and Roger Dubuis's Excalibur Twofold that introduces a new material to watchmaking: LumiSuperBiwiNova.
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Akrivia, and by extension its founder Rexhep Rexhepi, became a star in independent watchmaking with the launch of the Chronometre Contemporain in 2018, a unique version of which went on to sell for 360,000 Swiss francs at charity auction Only Watch. While its success was recent, the brand was actually founded in 2012, having made its debut with the AK series, characterised by a wholly-different aesthetic, one that Rexhep himself describes as a startup’s attempt to make an impression. The bridge between the twin collections of Akrivia – the contemporary AK series and the classical Chronometre Contemporain – is the AK-06. It’s powered by a variant of the movement found in the Chronometre Contemporain, but enhanced by doing away with the dial to reveal the under-dial mechanics, but installed inside an AK-style case, albeit one that’s been redesigned and streamlined. The AK-06 in titanium (left) and steel Beyond being a blend of both Akrivia styles – the best of both worlds if you like the case design – the AK-06 is perhaps historically significant, being the last of the first-generation Akrivia models, since Rexhep has indicated the AK series will eventually feature a wholly new case design. But whatever you think of the case, the movement of the AK-06 is absolutely marvellous. In fact, it is arguably more compelling than the similar calibre in the Chronometre Contemporain, because with the AK-06 all of its engaging mechanics are revealed on the front. AK case...
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Phillips Perpetual has just unveiled its sartorial collaboration with The Armoury – a special edition of the City Hunter 2 jacket, a bestseller at the menswear retailer founded by Mark Cho (who once had the misfortune of buying a stolen F.P. Journe and then wrote a story about it). More importantly, the entirety of the proceeds from the sale of the jackets go to the COVID-Solidarity Response Fund set up by the World Health Organisation (WHO). As the London-based watch boutique of the eponymous auction house, Phillips Perpetual offers a selection of timepieces available for immediate purchase, a proposition meant to fill the gap between the traditional bi-annual watch auctions according to its founder James Marks, a hedge fund manager turned watch specialist. The Phillips Perpetual x The Armoury City Hunter 2 is its first offering beyond watches – and will support a good cause. A meld of several traditional European hunting jacket styles, the City Hunter 2 jacket is made of knitted jersey, essentially tightly-woven wool that is slightly stretchy and notably robust. The jacket is unlined and has a “seamless construction” where the fabric panels are joined edge to edge, giving it a relaxed fit. It’s usually available in dark blue, grey, or olive green with matching stitching, but the Phillips Perpetual version is in dark grey-houndstooth fabric with a contrasting white stitching. And perhaps more pertinently, Francois-Paul Journe himself wears a City Hunter jacke...
Revolution
Even while we find ourselves in these extraordinary times, Sotheby’s is keeping things moving with an all new online weekly sale.
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Having postponed its traditional April and May watch auctions till June and July respectively – no doubt with fingers crossed and a quiet prayer – as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Sotheby’s has just announced Watches Weekly, an ongoing series of online-only watch auctions starting April 1, 2020. The auctions will take place on a rolling basis, with each sale lasting a week, then followed by the next sale, and so on. Each auction be centred around a theme while being relatively compact – the first sale is made up of 19 watches by Rolex and Audemars Piguet. The subsequent auctions will be Patek Philippe Design and Horology from April 8-15, then something for bargain hunters, Swiss Wristwatches with no reserve on April 15-22. Sam Hines, Sotheby’s global head of watches, explained the move in the announcement: “[Clients] are also increasingly confident [of buying] important pieces online. This was demonstrated last week, when we set a new record for a watch sold online at Sotheby’s [162,500 Swiss francs for a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” ref. 6262].” According to Mr Hines, the newly-announced online auctions will “complement the calendar of live sales and other online auctions already planned for the rest of the year”, implying that the rest of the auction calendar will proceed as planned. Watches Weekly makes Sotheby’s the first mainstream watch auctioneer – its peers are Christie’s, Phillips, and to a lesser degree, Antiquorum – to s...
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: Seiko dropped what seemed like an innumerable amount of limited edition timepieces in 2019, and that got us thinking – which one was best? That’s a much tougher question than it sounds, but this SLA033 dive watch surely has to be in the running. A revival of the prolific 6105, a watch made … ContinuedThe post Was this the greatest limited edition Seiko of 2019? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Grand Seiko turns 60 this year, and it hits the watch industry with a slew of the greatest hits from the brand.
Hodinkee
Does the bronze Captain Cook get the gold seal of approval?
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: Breguet has a remarkable history of producing clocks and watches that were designed for travel. Whether it’s the marine chronometers made to set sail across the world’s oceans, or the more conventional GMT wristwatch, the brand has always understood the human urge to seek what is over the horizon. With the Hora Mundi … ContinuedThe post Breguet travel watches and the spirit of exploration – the Hora Mundi ref. 5717 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Just before the new year, Swiss competition regulator COMCO, also known by its German acronym Weko, announced a provisional suspension of ETA’s right to sell movements to third-party brands. Once the dominant supplier of mechanical movements in Switzerland, ETA and its parent Swatch Group have been embroiled in a decades-long dispute with COMCO over the movement maker’s allegedly anticompetitive practices. Now the dispute between Switzerland’s largest watchmaking group and COMCO has taken a fresh turn with the Swatch Group filing a complaint with the Swiss federal court on January 20, demanding a repeal of COMCO’s decision to suspend sales, a move first reported by Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ). An example of an ETA movement with upgraded features that ETA only supplies to sister brands; seen here inside a Hamilton According to the competition agency, the suspension of sales is meant to further weaken ETA’s market power as a major movement supplier, while allowing space for other movement suppliers to ramp up production and build their order books. The suspension remains in force until summer 2020, when COMCO will reach a final verdict on ETA’s rights and obligations. COMCO did allow a narrow exception to the ban, allowing ETA to sell its movements to small- and medium-sized watch brands that are existing clients. But the exception came a stipulation: Swatch Group has to treat all clients equally, which means selling movements to one small brand...
Time+Tide
Released at Baselworld 2019, this SUB 200 130th Anniversary Limited Edition diver’s watch was profoundly popular, and the run of 130 pieces sold out almost before it was released. Time+Tide’s own stock of this model, 30 pieces, was sold in just under two hours. We are offering our own archive piece for sale here, brand … ContinuedThe post “Watch & Act!” Auction Item – Lot 13: DOXA – Celebrating 130 Years of DOXA appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
We asked for a sale, and for our sins they gave us one.
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Watches that are historical curiosities often make for good stories, and sometimes record-setting prices. The Patek Philippe ref. 2499 at Phillips’ upcoming New York sale, as it happens, is one such watch. Rare and usually expensive, the ref. 2499 is not the first perpetual-calendar chronograph made by Patek Philippe – that distinction goes to the smaller ref. 1518 – but it’s the most desirable, broadly speaking, because it has a largish case well suited to modern tastes. Introduced in 1950, the model is regarded to have been produced in four distinct series, each distinguished by various details like the shape of the pushers and the dial. The first series ref. 2499 is characterised by square, or rectangular, pushers, applied Arabic numerals on the dial, which also has a tachymetre on its periphery. For approximately the first two years of its production, the ref. 2499 relied on cases made by Emile Vichet, a Geneva specialist that was the go-to case maker for Patek Philippe during the period. Vichet case, round buttons. Image – Phillips Vichet and Wenger Vichet cases feature distinctive lugs, usually described as claw-like, which are elongated and curve sharply downwards. And because Vichet cases have a flat, as opposed to domed, case back, they sit slightly elevated, on the the tips of each lug, when placed on a table. The number of 2499s with Vichet cases is tiny: around four known in pink gold, and about 10 in yellow gold. Though Vichet went out of business i...
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The final watch auctions of the year take place in New York, and as usual Phillips is staging a thematic sale. Titled Game Changers, the auction is made up of watches owned by game-changing celebrities like Marlon Brando and Jack Nicklaus, or timepieces that were game changers in the horological landscape, like the F.P. Journe Octa Reserve de Marche prototype. Also in the sale is a would-be game changer: the Vacheron Constantin Overseas prototype in titanium, not yet a game changer since it has not been put into production, but being the coolest Overseas to date, it probably will. And also worth a look is the vintage Heuer Monaco with a hand-finished movement that’s being sold for charity. But this article is about a handful of Patek Philippe watches, including the sale’s top lot, a ref. 1518 “pink on pink”, as well as a less expensive but more intriguing skeleton pocket watch with paillonnee enamel decoration. The ref. 899 pocket watch decorated with blue enamel and paillons Lot 38 – Patek Philippe ref. 530 chronograph The ref. 530 is a desirable model because it’s oversized for a vintage watch – the case is 36.5mm in diameter – giving it proportions that are quite modern. And the ref. 530 is rare, although a several examples have come up at recent auctions. They sold for moderate prices, for varying reasons and perhaps a general market softness, so this one might be a chance to land a ref. 530 for a reasonable price. This example is attractive. The dial ...
Hodinkee
What happened when eight watches worn by the American astronaut and senator suddenly turned up at a little-noticed estate sale in a suburban home.
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As has become tradition, a good part of Phillips’ upcoming New York watch auction is a memorabilia sale of sorts, including watches owned by Marlon Brando, golfer Jack Nicklaus, and astronaut John Glenn, as well as the Urwerk worn by Robert Downey Jr. while playing Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. The auction also includes a piece of historical horological memorabilia: an F.P. Journe Octa Réserve de Marche prototype. The prototype is largely identical to the later, serially produced version of the watch – the case is platinum and the dial, yellow gold – but is marked as a prototype on the case back, and also bears the various traits unique to early watches made by Francois-Paul Journe. The cal. 1300 Launched in 2002 and discontinued in 2014, the Octa Réserve de Marche was the brand’s first entry-level wristwatch, powered by an automatic movement, the cal. 1300. Originally conceived to have an eight-day power reserve – hence “Octa” – the movement instead has a power reserve of 120 hours, or about five days. Reputedly constructed with a gear train borrowed from a robust and well-known hand-wind movement plus an extra-large mainspring, the cal. 1300 was the base calibre for the entire Octa line. Although a variety of complications were added on top, ranging from the Octa Chronograph to the annual calendar of the Octa Calendrier, all versions of the movement had identical height of 5.7mm regardless of function. The slimness and smart construction did come at th...
Time+Tide
There is a plethora of watches out there with an equally large amount of claims. First watch with a date complication. First watch with a GMT complication. First waterproof watch. However, of all the watches on sale today, the coolest claim surely has to be: “The first watch worn on the moon.” I’m sure that … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED WATCHING: How NASA tested the Omega Speedmaster appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Last time I covered a Sotheby’s Australia auction, it was my first time attending a watch auction, and while there were a number of highlights, the sale was heavily weighted towards jewellery. In December, however, Hamish Sharma, the Head of Jewels at Sotheby’s Australia, and his hardworking team have produced a sale that not only … ContinuedThe post 7 exceptional watches at the next Sotheby’s Australia auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Ulysee Nardin calls in support from a Navy SEAL.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: Well, this is something that you’re probably not going to see every day, not least because, apart from the Rado Tradition 1965 presenting a very eccentric aesthetic, the rectangular wonder was limited to just 1965 examples, in both its medium and XL iterations. It’s got to be one of the more quirky releases … ContinuedThe post Taking another look at the Rado Tradition 1965 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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While the first instalment of highlights in Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong auction covered mostly complicated watches, this is a look at the simpler and sportier stuff. A good number of the sports watches are in First, the opening session of the sale that is made up of watches consigned by the original owners. Some of these watches are distinguished by thorough historical documentation, as with the Rolex Submariner ref. 5512 below that includes several photographs of the original owner wearing the watch. And the rest of the sale also includes a few gems that are not exceptionally valuable, but attractive in both style and price. One example is the Vacheron Constantin ref. 6378Q automatic in white gold, with a diamond-marker dial to boot. This is part two of the highlights; you can find part one here. And the full catalogue is available on Phillips.com. The 6378Q First lot 813 – Cartier Crash Radieuse Launched last year, the Radieuse is one of just a handful of limited edition versions of Cartier’s iconic asymmetric watch. It takes the “crash” theme literally – the case and dial feature a radiating shockwave motif that starts on the dial and continues on the case, which has a relief, concentrically lined surface. The case is 18k yellow gold, while the crown is set with a brilliant-cut diamond. And inside is a small hand-wound movement made by Jaeger-LeCoultre. And in a big plus for potential Asian buyers, the watch is numbered “08/50”. Purchased from one of Ca...
SJX Watches
Happening in just over a week, the Phillips Hong Kong watch auction is a 321-lot event spread over two days. Notably, the first session is an evening sale titled First, made up of 52 watches consigned by their original owners. The offerings in First, as well as the main sale the next day, are diverse array ranging from a possibly unique Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon with a black dial, and a wonderfully elegant Vacheron Constantin minute repeater (pictured above) – both consigned by the first owners no less – to vintage sports Rolex watches and Omega Speedmasters. The Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002G Another original owner Patek Philippe grand complication, the ref. 5033P Here we cover some of the complicated watch highlights, while other vintage and sports watches will be featured in a subsequent article. The full catalogue is available on Phillips.com. First, lot 833 – Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph One of the best values in the segment of perpetual calendar chronographs is a pre-owned Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. This example is in platinum, with a largish 43mm case that is suited to today’s taste for larger watches. The layout is traditional for a perpetual calendar chronograph, though the calendar windows are slightly small relative to the size of the dial. But this has a decorative flourish few of its peers have: the moon phase is a hand-engraved disc of white gold that features a tiny...
SJX Watches
After a record-setting auction weekend in Geneva, the action moves to Hong Kong in the last week of November. Chatter about the Hong Kong auctions this year are dominated by one watch, the Patek Philippe ref. 2523 twin-crown world time in pink gold with a blue enamel dial, because it carries the highest pre-sale estimate in watch auction history of 55m-110m Hong Kong dollars, or about US$7m-14m. Instead of being sold along with the rest of the watches on November 27, it will be the opening lot in the evening sale of 20th century and contemporary art on November 23. With the top lot in the evening sale – Five Nudes by Sanyu – having an estimate of HK$250m-550m dollars, or about US$32m-70m, the twin-crown world time hardly looks out of place. The Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Equation of Time But the ref. 2523 aside, the rest of the Christie’s sale is made up of 239 more affordable timepieces, including an ultra-rare Patek Philippe ref. 3651 chronograph and a value-buy Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Equation of Time in platinum. Here’s a look at highlights from the sale. And the full catalogue can be found here. Lot 2298 – Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3800/108G in white gold, with diamonds and emeralds This is shameless 1990s bling – a Nautilus ref. 3800/108G. The suffix means it’s 18k white gold, fully set with brilliant-cut diamonds and having 11 baguette-cut emeralds for the hour markers. The watch feels weighty in the hand, though the case is compact. An...
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Having just signed on as a sponsor of the Vendée Globe 2020-2021, Ulysse Nardin has unveiled a pair of dive watches for the solo, nonstop, round-the-world yacht race. Each named after points along the race route, the Diver X Cape Horn and Diver X Nemo Point are based on Ulysse Nardin’s well-priced dive watch – both are below US$10,000 – powered by the in-house UN-118 movement. Diver X Cape Horn Vendée Globe Often described as the toughest sailing competition in the world, Vendée Globe is a nonstop, single-handed race – meaning a solo sailor in the boat – requiring competitors to circumnavigate the globe. Sailing monohull yachts, the contestants start and end at Les Sables d’Olonne, a beach town in the Vendée department on France’s Atlantic coast that is usually a quiet place, until the race begins. According to The New York Times, some 1.5 million spectators descended on the town in 2016 for the last race. The start of the Vendée Globe 2016-2016. Photo – Vincent Curutchet/DPPI and Vendée Globe Yachts in the harbour. Photo – Vincent Curutchet/DPPI and Vendée Globe The sailors – there were 29 in the Vendée Globe 2016-2017 – have to travel 40,075km in a north-south direction, without any assistance along the way. In the eight contests since the Vendée Globe began in 1989, three sailors have died. The next race starts on November 8, 2020, and will take several months to complete. In the last Vendée Globe, the winner completed the course in j...
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Only Watch 2019 is the biggest watch auction ever – and it was the most exciting sale in a notably quiet Geneva auction season – with 50 lots selling for 38.59m Swiss francs. The last Only Watch auction in 2017 raised a mere 9.29m francs in comparison. And of course 31m francs of that came from just one watch, the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime in steel, which went to a determined buyer from Asia bidding via telephone with Wei-Ting Jud of Christie’s London. Presided over by Christie’s jewellery department head Rahul Kadakia, the best watch auctioneer who is not a watch specialist, the saleroom in Geneva’s Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues was jam-packed, so full even Audemars Piguet chief executive Francois-Henri Bennahmias had to stand. And there was even a famous face in attendance, or at least in the same building – former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is a a known watch collector, was spotted in the lobby of the hotel. Luc Pettavino, who founded only watch after his late son was stricken by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the very disease that Only Watch raises funds to research a cure. Photo – Alex Teuscher Photography Though the Patek Philippe accounted for most of the sale proceeds – which all go to a medical charity – the other 49 lots in the auction still sold for an average of 155,000 Swiss francs, which is well above the average for a watch auction. The Antiquorum watch auction that took place a day later, for instance, averaged only...
Quill & Pad
Only Watch by Christie’s will be held in Geneva on November 9, 2019, and a surprisingly high number of skeleton watches are among the 50 unique pieces for sale. Skeletonizing is a technical and aesthetic art that allows for fascinating insights into the movements’ inner workings. Which pieces might you be interested in bidding on?
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