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Hodinkee

Hodinkee

New York, USA  ·  Est. 2008  ·  Collector culture, references, exclusives, luxury
Hodinkee is arguably the most influential watch publication of the digital era. Founded in New York, it transformed watch journalism by bringing a sleek, magazine-quality aesthetic to the web. Known for exclusive interviews, rare reference guides, and setting the agenda for collector culture, Hodinkee helped bring watch enthusiasm to a new generation of readers.
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Introducing: De Bethune DB27 “Night Hawk" In Collaboration With EsperLuxe Hodinkee
De Bethune DB27 “Night Hawk 45m ago

Introducing: De Bethune DB27 “Night Hawk" In Collaboration With EsperLuxe

What We Know For me, a De Bethune has to take a cue from Miles Davis. It better be "Kind of Blue." Over at EsperLuxe, the indie retailer outside of Boston, it seems like they agree with me. There are a few firsts in the new DB27 "Night Hawk," at least for the DB27 collection. Normally called the "Titan Hawk," it's previously come in a slightly more straightforward package, with concentric "microlight" circles engraved on the dial, the patented articulating lugs, and the crown at 12 o'clock. But there are many features here that the DB27 hasn't had before. For the first time, a titanium flame-blued "Starry Sky" motif appears on the dial, with stars laid out to mark the date and location where EsperLuxe finalized its partnership with De Bethune in 2021. Not new, but a good look, are the printed silver Roman numerals on the sloping middle dial, the printed railroad track, and the 5-minute intervals. The watch features mirror-polished flame-blued titanium hands with silver tips. The case is polished grade 5 titanium, with a midcase engraved in De Bethune's microlight style. But the kicker is the super-cool (again, first time ever) matte-blue titanium short, articulating lugs.  I know that it's weird to go on and on about lugs, but some of you haven't had a chance to try on a De Bethune. Yes, the case is 43mm in diameter, 9mm thick (which is pretty good, considering it has an automatic movement), but with the hinge on the lugs, the lug can vary in range from about 50mm to 47mm...

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Hands-On: The Tudor Monarch Hodinkee
Tudor Monarch It ain't always 22h ago

Hands-On: The Tudor Monarch

It ain't always Black Bays and Pelagi at Tudor. At least, not all the time. Since the brand returned to the U.S. market in 2012, Tudor's success has been rooted in the broad appeal of watches like the Heritage Chronograph, the Pelagos, and, of course, the Black Bay. These are heritage-coded, conventional watches that nailed the price point, specs, and aesthetic demanded by the enthusiast market at the time. In the preceding decade, we saw that formula become a playbook as the Pelagos and Black Bay evolved into increasingly specific slices of that original concept. But what about the Tudors that fall outside of the playbook? Remember the North Flag or the Fastrider? What about the Black Bay P01? While the playbook has successfully executed moves for left-side crowns, silver cases, and channel lugs, not all of the brand's explorations into other formats have been smash hits. And it's not merely a question of having a historical footing, sure, the North Flag and Fastrider were quite modern, but the P01 was a functional deep cut from the brand's archives. As a watch brand, a music act, heck, as just about anything in our oh-so-branded world, it can be hard to operate outside of "your lane". That can include what is actually your lane or what has become your lane in the current context of a given brand's media. For 2026 at Watches and Wonders, Tudor stuck to the playbook, offering refinement, additional specs, new bracelets, and the like – except for one watch, the Monarch. A...

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Announcements: Hodinkee Australia And New Zealand Is Live Hodinkee
Yesterday

Announcements: Hodinkee Australia And New Zealand Is Live

At Hodinkee, we have always believed that watch collecting is a global language, but one that is spoken with many different local accents. From the paved paths of Geneva to the neon-lit boutiques of Ginza and the steamy streets of New York City, the love for a mechanical heartbeat remains the same, yet the way we live with our watches is shaped entirely by the world around us. Today, we are thrilled to announce the next chapter in our journey: the official launch of Hodinkee Australia & New Zealand. The ANZ watch community has long been one of the most sophisticated and passionate in the world. For years, we've watched from New York as the Aussies and Kiwis became some of our communities' most ardent enthusiasts, known for a taste profile that is as rugged as it is refined. To bring Hodinkee to the region, we have partnered with Switzer Media + Publishing. With over 30 years of history, Switzer is one of Australia's most trusted names in media, already stewarding iconic titles like Harper's BAZAAR, Esquire, and Men's Health. This partnership functions as a local element from day one.  Speaking from my own perspective, with the continued success of Hodinkee Japan, I'm thrilled to be working with Jamie and the team at Switzer Media to offer a more locally relevant and engaging edition of Hodinkee for watch enthusiasts across Australia and New Zealand. The watch community in Australia and New Zealand is engaged, highly knowledgeable, and always an active part of the global c...

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Introducing: The Vanguart Orb Pink Ceramic (Live Pics) Hodinkee
Vanguart Yesterday

Introducing: The Vanguart Orb Pink Ceramic (Live Pics)

What We Know If there's a young brand that's certainly made an aggressive push in the realm of industrial-aesthetic haute horlogerie, it's Vanguart. Mark Kauzlarich told the brand's founding story last year, highlighting a team with an absolutely stacked resume in high-end watchmaking. So today, we're taking a look at the brand's newest take on its second watch, the Orb, with its newest treatment—pink ceramic. It's a unique offering in the space, certainly due to its all-pink livery, but also thanks to its collaboration with retailer Material Good for this 25-piece limited edition. The Vanguart Orb Pink Ceramic's exclusivity with the retailer is probably no surprise, given the large push by Material Goods' Yoni Ben-Yehuda to promote the upstart brand through its sales channels. Here, what was originally an aggressive machine in black and silver gets toned down in shades of powdery pink thanks to the inclusion of colored ceramic within the 41mm by 10.5mm titanium case, seen in both the side of the case as well as the function selector pusher in the crown (more on that in a little bit). The accent extends onto the openworked dial of the watch, which is more a three-dimensional city of components that puts the flying tourbillon on full display. The handset, skeletonized and filled with lume at the ends, sits above everything else. Though telling the time probably isn't the strict mission of the Orb, a nicely decorated minutes track sits between strips of pink, color and tex...

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In Partnership - Video: Ben Clymer, Georges Kern Discuss Universal Genève’s Revival At Watches & Wonders Hodinkee
Breitling CEO 3 days ago

In Partnership - Video: Ben Clymer, Georges Kern Discuss Universal Genève’s Revival At Watches & Wonders

Universal Genève means a lot to us at Hodinkee. It's been one of my favorite brands since the early days of our publication—one that's been with me through various moments in my career, through my growth in knowledge and passion for vintage watches, and a brand I've watched with anticipation, hoping it would come back. And today, we are sharing a conversation between myself and Georges Kern, former Breitling CEO and recently appointed CEO of House of Brands, which includes Breitling, Universal Genève, and Gallet, to chat over the recent results of a long-term project to bring Universal Genève back to the forefront. I don't think there's been a more hotly anticipated brand relaunch than that of Universal Genève. The announcement that Breitling (now House of Brands) had secured the rights to the dormant brand sent shockwaves through the industry. We—both in the industry at large and at Hodinkee—had high hopes for the relaunch, but the proof would come with the first releases. Let me tell you, I don't think anyone thought Universal Genève would go this far to knock it out of the park. Just before Watches and Wonders 2026, Universal Genève essentially stole the show before it began by launching a few dozen of its most iconic watches in both heritage-styled and reimagined forms. The Gerald Genta-designed Polerouter? Returned, not just in one size but two, and in multiple materials, dials, bracelets, and more. Oh, and a brand-new microrotor (well, three-quarter rotor...

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Bring a Loupe: A Cornavin Diver, A Patek 1593 "Hour Glass," An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Square, And More Hodinkee
Vacheron Constantin 6394 4 days ago

Bring a Loupe: A Cornavin Diver, A Patek 1593 "Hour Glass," An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Square, And More

Given that May 1st is celebrated as International Workers Day, it seems almost compulsory to reward yourself with a little mid-day Mayday watch ogling, right? Congrats, Baller, you've done it again. Happy Friday. Scorekeeping last week's picks: the Certina Argonaut chrono went for £1,620, the Vacheron Constantin 6394 for £7,400, the IWC Mark XII for £2,400, and the Cartier Coussin for CHF 42,000. Strays Everyone's encouraged to take a closer look at this, described as an "18k Vintage Vacheron Constantin Geneve Quartz Watch," and let's take a moment to collectively register the fact that, in the pictures, the second hand has clearly moved, so either a) the battery's still got some life in it after all (impressive!), or b) maybe it's not quartz. Mr. Hoffman wrote earlier this week about the Patek 5322G, "[a] chiming alarm in a mechanical watch today is a purely romantic complication that recalls an earlier era." While he presumably wasn't specifically referencing the LeCoultre Memovox, it's certainly what springs to mind when I think of the alarm watches from an earlier era, and if you've made it this far in life without one, here's a pricey way to address that lack.  Photo courtesy Precious Collections. Yes, the dial is imperfect, but look, if you're going to scare the bejesus out of yourself with an old mechanical alarm that sounds like a tattoo machine suddenly buzzing to life on your wrist, don't you owe it to yourself to do so with lots of gold? Finally, if you've w...

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Hands-On: The Citizen Eco-Drive Photon Keeps The Brand Ahead Of Their Light-Powered Competitors Hodinkee
Citizen Eco-Drive Photon Keeps 4 days ago

Hands-On: The Citizen Eco-Drive Photon Keeps The Brand Ahead Of Their Light-Powered Competitors

A little over a month ago, Citizen celebrated the 50th anniversary of Eco-Drive with a massive bash in New York and a few new releases. The most striking, and unlike anything they had released in the past, was the new Photon. Aptly named, of course, because of the very particles—oh wait, or is it waves?—that power Eco-Drive movements. And before we get any further, these aren't solar watches like most watch movements that could be considered a "competitor" on the market. They are powered by any light around you, whether it's your office lights, home lights, or yes, the big bright ball in the sky that's starting to peek out more and more in New York. If you want to know more about Eco-Drive, our friend Griffin recently published a story about the technology (and its history) here. But this watch requires a slightly different history lesson. If you take a look at the dial below, you'll see it has a very unusual design. It's also out of the ordinary for Citizen, which prides itself on creating watches that can pass for any other watch aesthetically and don't require slits in the dial to transmit light (a problem other brands have struggled to engineer around). The new Citizen Eco-Drive Photons are two watches measuring 39.6mm by 9.9mm with integrated bracelets, all of which are made of Super Titanium with Duratect coating. One features a titanium carbide finish, while the other, with a two-tone dial and case band, uses a DLC finish. Each is limited to 5,000 pieces and ava...

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Hands-On: The Chopard L.U.C 1860 In Aeruse Blue Hodinkee
Chopard L.U.C 1860 4 days ago

Hands-On: The Chopard L.U.C 1860 In Aeruse Blue

If there's a watch that seemingly stole the hearts of many collectors this year at Watches and Wonders, it's definitely Chopard's new blue-dialed L.U.C 1860 dress watch. The funniest part is that the new model is really only a dial color change. That's it. And yet, among a sea of new designs and complications, Chopard managed to pull off something much larger than its description on paper, and ended up being one of my personal favorite releases from the show. If you're familiar with the previous, now-discontinued salmon dial version of the L.U.C 1860 released back in 2023, well, chances are you already know much about this watch. But its identical specs are very much a good thing, as I think Chopard has really hit a home run with the 1860 as a proper, compact, and thin (8.2mm) dress watch amongst its larger L.U.C. movement-powered siblings.  The 36.5mm case in Chopard's Lucent Steel alloy is very safe in its design, with smooth, curved lines and a fully-polished, rounded bezel and top lugs. While there aren't any little extra design touches that add any additional flair, the sides are vertically brushed to create a bit of contrast. Is the case boring as a result? Certainly not in my eye, as its subdued character works well in the 36.5mm format and, most importantly, it serves as a very nice frame for a spectacular dial. That dial, produced by Chopard's in-house dialmaker Metalem, is an absolute home run. And it surprises me to say this, given that I typically don't care a...

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Introducing: Naoya Hida & Co.'s 2026 Slate Of Releases, Including Two Brand-New Models And Their First Porcelain Dial Hodinkee
Naoya Hida 4 days ago

Introducing: Naoya Hida & Co.'s 2026 Slate Of Releases, Including Two Brand-New Models And Their First Porcelain Dial

What We Know It's spring, which means it's time for Naoya Hida's annual trunk show, where the brand tours the world to showcase its new watches. If you're in town for one of their few stops (like next week in New York), you can treat it like any tailor's trunk show and find out if the watch is a good fit. And every year, Hida-san and his team unveil a few new styles. In fact, you can see the ten releases on offer below. Some are familiar; others have small tweaks (the Type1 is now the Type1E because of the new domed crystal that makes it 10.9mm). But there are three watches that are so distinctly new that it's worth talking about. Let's go in numerical order, starting with a watch that is essentially just a dial revision, but it's a dramatic one at that. The Type2 series has been around for six years now as the brand's central seconds movement, followed by revisions in 2021 and then the coveted collaboration with The Armoury in 2022, called "The Lettercutter." I know a lot of people fought to get that piece, but there's a new Type2C-2 that's going to get some attention. While a big draw for Naoya Hida is the hand-engraved German or Argentium silver dials (in fact, that's where a lot of the price goes), they've pivoted here to their first-ever porcelain dial. The watch, powered by a Cal. 3020CS manually-wound movement with 45-hour power reserve and 4Hz beat rate, is cased in 37mm by 11.4mm stainless steel with a 44.8mm lug-to-lug. The glass is a curved sapphire crystal with...

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Business News: Watches And Wonders Attendance Climbs Despite Geo-Politics And Economic Challenges As Brands Make Case For Value Hodinkee
Ming 5 days ago

Business News: Watches And Wonders Attendance Climbs Despite Geo-Politics And Economic Challenges As Brands Make Case For Value

The watches that prove commercial and collector successes emerging from Watches and Wonders 2026 will have climbed a wall of worry. There was plenty to fret over heading into the watch industry's largest and most important annual salon this year. The eruption of war in the Middle East challenged travel plans and clouded the outlook for visitors from the region and beyond. Indeed, sales have certainly been impacted in the Middle East, and the question remains how quickly stability might return.The existing bugbears of the watch sector – rising input costs from raw materials, including record gold values, ongoing U.S. tariffs, not to mention the continued strength of the Swiss franc, as well as years of retail price increases – remained omnipresent. All told, these factors could have set the stage for a subdued, cautious event. Instead, the industry converged in Geneva, striking an optimistic and inclusive tone where it worked hard to show it's been paying attention to the demands of clients and customers with new watches that drove home a theme of demonstrating value in often, but not always, familiar packages. With public-facing events including Montreaux Jazz concerts in the Geneva city center, Watches and Wonders emphasized its role as a cultural tent pole for the industry and the Swiss watchmaking region, aiming to be more open and welcoming. The new, more public-oriented strategy certainly paid off as attendance jumped to nearly 60,000 unique visitors, a record for...

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Introducing: The Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” Hodinkee
Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 5 days ago

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...

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Introducing: Christopher Ward Overhauls The Sealander Line With Design Refinements And Upgrades Hodinkee
Christopher Ward Overhauls 5 days ago

Introducing: Christopher Ward Overhauls The Sealander Line With Design Refinements And Upgrades

What We Know The Sealander sits at the core of Christopher Ward's lineup, serving as its everyday, approachable, price-conscious, do-it-all Swiss-made watch. For those considering a Christopher Ward for the first time and looking for a sport watch with the most bang for the buck, the Sealander GMT or Automatic three-hander has been a logical go-to. It's also been a major seller, with the 39mm white dial GMT often taking the honors as the top-volume model for the U.K.-based company. So when Christopher Ward embarks on a major overhaul and redesign of the Sealander collection, it's a significant moment.  Unveiled today, and on sale beginning tomorrow, the new models bring a slimmer case and upgraded movement for the Automatic, refinements to the case and dial design for both models, a new 42mm size for the GMT, and upgraded, more user-friendly bracelets with tool-free adjustment and link removal. Starting with the Sealander GMT, the brushed case has been redesigned, giving a more refined, thinner profile and sporty finish, and is available in 36mm, 39mm, and, for the first time, 42mm. The new case offers sharper lugs with distinctly faceted, polished edges. The upgraded, refined finishing further emphasizes the crown guards that remain on the GMT case, adding to the overall rugged appearance.  The brushed 24-hour fixed bezel with black lacquer-filled numbers is now less angled with a flatter profile to improve legibility while giving the watch more presence across the thre...

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Introducing: The Bradley Taylor Ardea Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Level II service certification 6 days ago

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...

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Introducing: The Zenith Chronomaster Revival A384 Gets A Tropical Overlay (Live Pics) Hodinkee
Zenith Chronomaster Revival A384 Gets 6 days ago

Introducing: The Zenith Chronomaster Revival A384 Gets A Tropical Overlay (Live Pics)

What We Know Today, Zenith adds another variation of its modern revival of the unique A384 chronograph to its catalog, with the Chronomaster Revival A384 Tropical. This is, at a high level, just a new dial that's been added to the collection, and one that's done in a familiar Zenith way at that. Here, the inspiration is very much around tropical dials, with a base dial in a softly grained white, contrasted by brown accents in the subdials and tachymeter scale. Zenith calls it a "chocolate panda" configuration, and I think that's a pretty apt name. Text on the white portion of the dial is printed in black, including the "El Primero" script under the Zenith logo, while printing on the brown portions of the dial, such as the tachymeter and sundial markings, is all done in white. The aged, tropical theme continues with lume on the applied markers and handset executed in Old Radium Super-LumiNova, which certainly complements the warmth of the overall look. A bright red chronograph seconds hand sits front and center, and a date window sits between the four and five o'clock hour markers. The dial sits in that distinctive A384 case, with a compact, angular tonneau silhouette measuring 37mm. Pump pushers and a Zenith star-signed crown sit on the right flank of the case. Finishing is interesting throughout the watch, with radial brushing on the front slab of the case, polished facets, and horizontal brushing on the sides. It's complemented by Zenith's revival of the Gay Frères ladd...

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Introducing: The Patek Philippe 5322G Brings A More Modern-Sized And Styled Chiming Alarm Function To The Catalog (Live Pics) Hodinkee
Patek Philippe 5322G Brings Apr 28, 2026

Introducing: The Patek Philippe 5322G Brings A More Modern-Sized And Styled Chiming Alarm Function To The Catalog (Live Pics)

What We Know Unveiled as part of a slew of new releases for Watches and Wonders 2026, the Patek Philippe 5322G offers a chiming 24-hour alarm complication in a modern case and design, with a new movement and a slightly smaller size than the discontinued model it replaces. The watch is housed in a white gold 41mm Calatrava case that's 12.22mm thick and features hollowed-out lugs, the brand's signature 'Clous de Paris' or "hobnail" guilloché pattern on the case middle, and a single pusher at 2 o'clock. The alarm is programmed through the pusher, and it can be set via the crown in the second position, which the brand says works "intuitively."  With a water resistance of 30 meters, Patek says the new 5322G is the only water-resistant chiming watch in the current collection. The new model replaces the Ref. 5520 Pilot Alarm Travel Time, which debuted in 2019 and was inspired by an historical aviator watch in the Patek museum in Geneva. Photo courtesy Patek Philippe. The model continues Patek's modern Calatrava style with a textured, lacquered dial in green or blue. The applied Arabic numerals and white-gold, syringe-style hands are both filled with luminescent material, adding to the contemporary feel. A hand display date sits at 6 o'clock, while the double-window aperture of the alarm function sits above the handset at 12 o'clock. Powering the 5322G is the new self-winding AL 30-660 S C caliber that chimes the alarm with a single hammer striking a classic gong around the case...

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Auctions: Our Massive 2026 Geneva Spring Auctions Preview: Phillips and Antiquorum To Kick Things Off (Part 1 – Live Pics) Hodinkee
Cartier Apr 28, 2026

Auctions: Our Massive 2026 Geneva Spring Auctions Preview: Phillips and Antiquorum To Kick Things Off (Part 1 – Live Pics)

It's time for the Geneva spring auctions, the premier venue for the biggest lots and market-moving of the year. That's not to say that Hong Kong (which sometimes comes before, sometimes comes after) or New York (which rounds out the season) won't have some big lots. Sotheby's Hong Kong sale—which we covered previously—closed over the weekend with an absolutely shockingly great result, with massive prices across the board, especially for Cartier. The final total? $52,875,885, which is more than $10 million more than their previous record.  That included nearly $2 million for a Cartier London Crash, a London Tank Asymétrique went for a surprising $750,000, a skeletonized Baignoire was just shy of a million at $950,000—and that doesn't count things like the $1.96 million for a unique single-button Patek chronograph or $1.5 million for a "John Player Special" Daytona. Truly remarkable results up and down the board. Which begs the question: do we think crazy prices for Cartier will hold long term, or was it just excitement for the first round of sales? 8.3%Checking in on other results, the Monaco Legend Auction sold 98.3% of their lots for a total sale of €26,471,620. Big results include €2.106 million for a unique doré-dialed Patek 3448 “Padellone,” €1.88 million for a unique platinum Daytona, and €390,000 for a Cartier Tank à Guichets that was made in 3 examples, among some other solid results. A unique woven Cartier ”Pebble” did massively well as at...

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Introducing: The Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole [Live Pics] Hodinkee
Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole Apr 27, 2026

Introducing: The Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole [Live Pics]

What We Know Bulova nerds, rejoice! Finally, after years and years of customers and collectors pleading, the Lunar Pilot is now available in a smaller size. Now, if you were hoping that you'd be able to run out and buy the classic Lunar Pilot design just downsized a bit, sadly, you're not in luck for now. But those looking for a twist on the original may be intrigued, as Bulova introduces the smaller case size in a new, blacked-out design called the Lunar Pilot Black Hole. The new case maintains the cushion-cased silhouette of the original, but is slimmed down from the original 43.5mm diameter to 41mm. The case thickness is 13.05mm, and the lug-to-lug is 48mm. The matte finish of the case and bracelet is achieved through sandblasting and PVD coating, lending it a stealthy look with a darkness that permeates the entire design. Parts like the crown, chronograph pushers, and top bezel ring are in glossy black PVD. The dial also leans completely monochromatic, with grey accents on the sandblasted hands and applied hour markers, and grey printing of the minute track, Bulova logo, and sundial markings. The base of the dial itself is coated in Musou black paint, which theoretically absorbs 99.4% of light for a truly black look. A nice touch is the grey Super-LumiNova on the indices and hands that glow blue in the dark. Sitting underneath the tall sapphire crystal is an internal tachymeter in relief, adding an extra layer of dimensionality to the dial. While the 60-minute counter ...

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Photo Report: The Miami Beach Antique Show 2026 Hodinkee
Apr 27, 2026

Photo Report: The Miami Beach Antique Show 2026

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show (OMBAS) is one of my favorite trips of the year. For those of us deep in vintage watch appreciation, it's an absolute must-see. The show sees watch dealers and collectors flying in from all corners of the world for arguably the most important vintage show in the world. OMBAS is the sort of show you can find stuff you'll never see again, as well as things you simply didn't know existed. Ever wanted to see numerous Tasti Tondi's, Paul Newmans, and 2499's all in one room? This is where you do it. As its name suggests, it's truly a diverse show, with all manners of antiques you could think of, and those you couldn't, all for sale within the colossal Miami Beach Convention Center. The Miami Beach Convention Center Typically, the show is held just after the holidays in January, but for 2026, it was moved to March, a decision that also ensured much better weather for those fortunate enough to have spare time to explore. Held over six days, I picked up a few key takeaways from my time there compared to previous visits. Firstly, prices. Previously, it felt more possible to find deals at the show. Not as much with the watch dealers who know exactly what they have, but from those stands that stock all sorts of antiques, who also just happened to have a few watches hidden away. They were always the gold mines for vintage scores. Nowadays, it seems everyone knows what they have, which seems to be down to one thing: the price of gold. The desirabili...

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Photo Report: The Sights, Watches, And Style Of Watches & Wonders 2026 Hodinkee
Ming experience Apr 24, 2026

Photo Report: The Sights, Watches, And Style Of Watches & Wonders 2026

Each year, as spring returns to the shores of Lake Geneva, bringing with it contrasting days of grey rainy dreariness and crisp, shimmering sunshine, a storm descends upon the picturesque canton. But this storm doesn't contain the aforementioned April showers; instead, it's thousands upon thousands of passionate professionals, journalists, retailers, brand representatives, and collectors, all congregating for that most celebrated of horological weeks: Watches & Wonders. For those who attend, it is a marathon of epic proportions, with days spent rushing from one appointment to the next with barely a moment to breathe and evenings spent either at fabulous dinners or hunched over laptops until the wee hours of the morning. It's a pace that gives you whiplash (and for those who work for the brands, be it in sales, PR, marketing, or otherwise, it is even more grueling). For everyone else following along at home with a love for watches, it is the Super Bowl, Christmas Morning, and the Emerald City at the end of the Yellow Brick Road, all rolled into one. Walking into the show for the first time is an overwhelming experience. The sheer scope and scale of the installations (to call them 'booths' deeply undersells the grandeur) are hard to understand. Each brand spends months, if not years, designing and building entire flagship boutiques within the halls of Palexpo, each trying to make an impact on the industry and communicate its themes, strategies, and identity for the coming ye...

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Just Because: The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback Next To Some Classics From Patek Philippe And A. Lange & Söhne Hodinkee
A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph just so Apr 24, 2026

Just Because: The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback Next To Some Classics From Patek Philippe And A. Lange & Söhne

Ask people about the most exciting thing they saw at Watches and Wonders, and I'm willing to bet that a few people might just mention something that wasn't even at the show, but rather tucked away in Old Town—the new Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback. And you know what? That's understandable. I mean, the new RRCHF has been the talk of the town since its introduction earlier this month, marking the first release from Rexhepi and his brand in literal years. Years in which the brand has continued to climb in legend, desirability, and hype, thanks to the growing recognition of Rexhepi's previous Akrivia line of watches, as well as icons like the Chronomètre Contemporain I and II. If you came here looking for a lengthy read about the new chronograph, I'll steer you instead to Ben's original article covering the release, which has plenty of words that encapsulate everything around the watch and the history leading up to it. And not to spoil anything, but Mark's working on a deeper, hands-on look at the new watch, hitting Hodinkee this summer. So, during our visit last week to Rexhepi's Atelier Akrivia, we decided to do something fun and expand on Ben's initial write-up, which compares the RRCHF to two iconic, high-end, hand-wound chronographs that seem most similar to the RRCHF in the vein of a classically designed chronograph. So we brought along a Patek Philippe 5170P, as well as an A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph, just so I could shoot them alongside Rexhepi's chronogra...

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Bring a Loupe: A White-Gold Vacheron Constantin, An IWC Mark XII, And A Cartier Bamboo Coussin Hodinkee
Vacheron Constantin Apr 24, 2026

Bring a Loupe: A White-Gold Vacheron Constantin, An IWC Mark XII, And A Cartier Bamboo Coussin

It was bound to happen. I've written nine Bring a Loupes, covering 38 watches (excluding Strays or Buyer Beware watches). Two weeks back, I picked a clunker of a Doxa Sub 300T, which, among other issues, had the wrong hands (I'd actually been more concerned with the dial), and in my enthusiasm for vintage Doxa divers, I screwed up and included it. My apologies, though, as Coleman Hawkins consoles, "If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't really trying." Scorekeeping the picks from two weeks ago, the Esso Breguet sold for €15,2000, the Juvenia Arithmo's still available, the Blancpain Bund sold for €15,500, the Doxa Sub 300T passed, the Chaumet sells Friday afternoon and has been bid to $12,000 at the time of writing, and the black dialed Seamaster sold for CHF 1,000. Strays A Universal Genève Railrouter. For sale on OmegaForums. A Gübelin Cioccolatone at Monaco Legend this weekend. For absolutely no reason whatsoever, here's a lovely Doxa Sub 300. As Stefon (from SNL) would say, this watch has it all: original (correct!) black hands, no-T dial, signed expandro bracelet and screw-down crown, and, of course, the OG thin case. These early thin-cased Doxa Sub 300s were made for only a year, and aside from minor paint loss on the bezel, this looks like an excellent example. If the Doxa's not your flavor and/or diving's not your bag, maybe this UG Railrouter'll do it for you. I have an overdeveloped fondness for railroad watches, which fondness is equaled by my appreciati...

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In Partnership - Happenings: Join Us For A First Look At The Future Of Gerald Charles In SoHo Hodinkee
Gerald Charles Apr 24, 2026

In Partnership - Happenings: Join Us For A First Look At The Future Of Gerald Charles In SoHo

With the dust finally settling on Watches & Wonders 2026, the conversation shifts from the halls of the Palexpo to the cobblestone streets of SoHo. On May 6, Hodinkee is partnering with Gerald Charles for an exclusive community event at the Watches of Switzerland SoHo showroom. This evening serves as an intimate destination for collectors to go hands-on with the latest novelties from Geneva, offering a rare opportunity to experience the brand's evolution in a localized setting. The new Gerald Charles Masterlink Perpetual Calendar. The highlight of the evening is a thoughtful discussion featuring Federico Ziviani, CEO of Gerald Charles, and Hodinkee's own Deputy Editor, Tim Jeffreys. The two will explore the brand's unique heritage as the final creative chapter of Gérald Genta's career, as well as its strategic vision for the future. It is a deep dive into the "Maestro" DNA, punctuated by cocktails and the chance to be some of the first in the U.S. to handle the latest pieces. The new Gerald Charles Masterlink Perpetual Calendar. Registration:To attend this intimate community event, please RSVP to events@hodinkee.com with your first and last name. If you would like to bring a guest, kindly include their name and email address. A confirmation email will follow to finalize your RSVP. Details:Date & Time:Wednesday, May 6, 20266:00 pm – 8:00 pm ET Location:Watches of Switzerland SoHo60 Greene St, New York, NY 10012

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Hands-On: The Patek Philippe 50th Anniversary Nautilus Collection, Reference 5810G and 5610G Hodinkee
Patek Philippe 50th Anniversary Nautilus Collection Apr 23, 2026

Hands-On: The Patek Philippe 50th Anniversary Nautilus Collection, Reference 5810G and 5610G

Here's the thing. The 50th Anniversary Nautilus Collection was going to sell no matter what caliber was used, what case material was chosen, or what format was given. This is just a reality of the strength of Patek Philippe in the world today, and how in-demand integrated bracelet watches are. And to be clear, the Nautilus, along with the Royal Oak, set the tone long ago and remains at the pinnacle of the category. Actually, one would say the Nautilus remains at the pinnacle of *watches* in general when it comes to simple demand. It's the one that the most powerful people I know lust after the most – and I'm not saying that's good or bad, but it really just is. And here's the thing: the 40th anniversary of the Nautilus was a bit of a let-down for me. Because the Nautilus really is *the watch* for so many of us, and indeed, I am a true fan and always have been, and indeed, always will be, no matter how many dinguses I see wearing them today. 3700G Circa 1980, 5711R Circa 2015, 5811G Circa 2024 – Yes, I like the Nautilus a lot. As many of you know, the very first Patek Philippe I ever purchased was a 3940G. The very second? A Nautilus reference 3700A (I paid $18,000 for it, in a group buy with Paul Boutros, who bought a 222 for even less 😵‍💫). Some years later, I bought a very rare 3700G (I sold it to a close friend and mentor when he sold his company because it was something he'd always dreamed of owning). In 2015, when Nautiluses were still sitting in cases,...

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Auctions: Phillips Bringing Three Mega Pateks to Its Spring Sales Hodinkee
Patek Philippe Apr 23, 2026

Auctions: Phillips Bringing Three Mega Pateks to Its Spring Sales

We'll have further auction coverage in the coming weeks, but it's worth giving Phillips a bit more attention, as it continues to lead in year-over-year sales. The auction house sold a record total of over $290 million in watches last year and has had five years in a row with over $200 million in sales. The market has shifted (I'd argue at least twice) in the past few years, but despite the growing F.P. Journe, independent, and pocket watch (yes, pocket watch) markets, the top lots for Phillips continue to be Patek Philippe. At each of their spring auctions, Phillips is selling an important Patek to headline the sale, and each is the kind of watch that could be the pinnacle of the world's top collections. Normal caveat here: I haven't seen these watches in person yet, and anyone considering bidding should make sure to check any watch in person if at all possible. A Patek Philippe ref. 2523 Two-Crown World Time With Cloissoné Enamel South America Dial First, we have the star of Geneva, to be sold on May 9: the Patek Philippe ref. 2523 two-crown world time with cloisonné enamel map of South America, from 1953. Aside from rare variants of 2499s or 1518s (and a few repeaters), these two-crown watches, with their incredible, angular lugs and giant open canvas at the center of the dial, have become the holiest of Holy Grails for many collectors. They are rare enough to be hunted and coveted, but there are also enough out there to be studied, understood, and codified. Too rare o...

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