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If John Keil was to recommend a brand-new functional diver’s watch to a friend who was looking to spend within a certain price range, these would be his suggestions. Or, more specifically, here is what he would purchase himself in a variety of price categories.
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Wandering hours has become an essential part of Urwerk's DNA. Unlike any other brand out there, they have explored, lived through, and lost sleep over wandering hours. Over the years, Urwerk have introduced different varieties of this way of displaying time, of which the UR-120 is one of the most spectacular.
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The first Black Tot Day was in 1970, the last day on which sailors in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy were issued their daily rum rations (“tots”). Pusser's has taken the exact recipe used by the Royal Navy when it discontinued the daily ration on July 31, 1970 and used it to make its rums, the only producer in the world to do so. Here, Ken Gargett fills us in on everything tot - he luckily doesn't go "sipping the admiral," though.
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Timepiece repairs can be expensive and often take a long time, so you generally want to avoid damaging a watch. Here John Keil lists five common things you may not be aware of that can damage a watch and how to prevent them.
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The United States celebrated several historic milestones in 2019, and Nancy Olson shares these events – which includes both trains and the moon – commemorated by four luxury writing instruments.
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By auctioning off unique pieces explicitly made for Only Watch, Luc Pettavino has given the brands a platform to go all in and all out. Many brands seize this opportunity to take their work to an even higher level, while collectors lust over the opportunity to own a unique watch from their favorite brands. Here are Martin Green’s Top Ten, and the last one, which is his absolute favorite!
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The history of commissioned timepieces is a long and colorful one, but collector group commissions are perhaps a more recent phenomenon. GaryG recently met with Adam Eisendrath of San Francisco-based collectors 49 Crowns to learn more about the club and to check out two customized watches commissioned from Swiss-based Finnish independent Torsti Laine.
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So far in 2023, GaryG has traveled to Switzerland twice: once for the Watches and Wonders week, and again in June for a very special event. Here he focuses on the independents, starting with a sequential journey through his first trip.
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Some people understand the benefits, limitations, and mechanics of duty-free shopping for a luxury watch at an airport: they know a deal when they see one. For these savvy individuals, shopping at the airport can and does make economic sense – sometimes. In this article Chris Malburg explains watch shopping at airports for the rest of us.
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Pol was the first champagne Ken Gargett ever tried – a sneak swig under the kitchen table from a bottle at one of my parents’ dinner parties. And he particularly loves the Sir Winston Churchill.
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The Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari is a stunning feat for two main reasons: it is the thinnest mechanical watch in the world and it meets some extreme requirements for shock and water resistance all while being only 1.75 mm in height. Here Joshua Munchow takes a deep dive.
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Not many brands first present a complex minute repeater only to then distill it back to its essentials to power a three-handed, time-only watch. But that's what Tutima has done with the charming Patria Small Second.
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The Hermès H08 in blue titanium is a very welcome and pleasing addition to the Hermès watch collection and one that Martin Green would wear with pleasure on vacation – or anywhere for that matter. Here he explains why.
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Has history been rewritten? An early Gérald Genta design made for IWC – regrettably never put into production – suggests so. On June 22, 2022 the not-yet-seen sketch was auctioned by Sotheby’s.
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Some think that a rapidly soaring price is proof of a watch bubble. They could be right. Or not. Financial bubbles are tough to identify when they’re forming. They’re even more difficult to declare finished as prices collapse. Financial expert Chris Malburg shares a few tips about recognizing and navigating a watch bubble, especially if you feel the need to buy during it.
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In this last of the four-part series, we look at Only Watch 2023 Lots 49-62. While there are many fantastic watches here, Ian Skellern particularly likes the imaginative story of Lot 51, the Richard MilleTalisman Origine and the space-age design of Lot 60, the Urwerk Space-Time Blade.
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In this first of a short series called “History of Ferrari Watches,” Elizabeth Doerr takes a look into the Panerai collaboration, which took place between 2005 and 2010. Start your engines!
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Diving in French Polynesia to test the new Blancpain Tech Gombessa? Somebody has to do it and her Dietmar Fuchs shares the experience and what he thinks are the pros and cons of this new technical dive watch.
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Alexandre Ghotbi takes a look at the more than 100-year history behind the high-precision Vacheron Constantin Chronomètre Royal . . . which came up because of a conversation about "the Batman." Find out what that means right here.
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Held every two years, the Only Watch charity auction of exclusively unique pieces has grown into THE most anticipated watch auction worldwide and features some of the most creative and innovative horology on the planet. This year the theme is rainbows: some brands ran with that superbly, while others took a different path. Here Ian Skellern highlights Lots 33-48.
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Thanks to its bezel, as Dietmar W. Fuchs explains, the diver's watch is a much more versatile timepiece than many people think. Aside from teaching you how to use it on land, in the skies, and under water, here he answers the perennial question of who made the first true diver's watch: Blancpain, Rolex, or Panerai.
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The theme for Only Watch 2023 is rainbows: some brands ran with that superbly, while others took a different path. One brand that nailed the theme created Ian Skellern's favorite watch of the whole auction: Lot 27. The Grönefeld 1941 Principia Mandala
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Held every two years, the Only Watch charity auction of exclusively unique pieces has grown into THE most anticipated watch auction worldwide and features some of the most creative and innovative horology on the planet.
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Joshua Munchow has a strong affinity for A. Lange & Söhne, for one because beginning with the Lange 1 and the later Zeitwerk, and now with the new Odysseus, the brand has created a very specific aesthetic around large digital displays. Here he explains why and how Lange's large numerals and letters work (and not only for him!).
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Launched in 1969, the Catena/Zeno Spaceman is special thanks to its funky design as well as its its fiberglass and chrome case. The Spaceman’s blend of ovals, curves, and straight lines was just right for that groovy time in fashion, touching a nerve in a hip watch-buying public. It was a polarizing watch: people generally either hated it or loved it at first sight, and remains so today. Here is the brief history of this fun vintage watch.
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Ken Gargett thinks that the 2015 Cristal is a wine of purity. Wonderfully fresh, we have notes of white florals, citrus, honey and chalk. Gentle notes of stonefruit emerge, with a walnut backing, all held together by that line of salinity. This is layered and complex, a beautiful Cristal with serious intensity. Great focus and such length. Impeccably balanced and with a lingering finish. It should drink beautifully for the next 10 to 20 years.
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Horophiles are pretty unique people and have some pretty unique traits and habits. In the theme of Jeff Foxworthy and his “you might be a redneck if” routine, John Keil pokes a little fun at our WIS brothers and sisters as well as ourselves. So without further ado, you know you’re a watch guy if . . .
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The Chopard Full Strike won the “Aiguille d’Or” award at the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). Chopard now launches this limited edition in blue sapphire.
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Just when Joshua Munchow thought he was out, Ming Watches pulled him back in! The brand is (still) on a roll with two pieces having been nominated for the final round of the 2020 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève plus a new concept featuring an AgenGraphe chronograph movement by Agenhor. Here Joshua checks out the GPHG contenders, Ming's 18.01 and 27.01, two very different watches.
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The short documentary film 'Time Piece' features two of the world's best living watchmakers, Philippe Dufour and Vianney Halter, and provides excellent insight into what makes the watches by these masters so special.
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