The Grey NATO: Episode 128: Aquastar, Doxa, And Hayabusa Swaps With Rick Marei
The start of the new vintage trend and how old brands can be made new again.
Are high-value vintage watches pandemic-proof? The auction market results from 2020 say yes…
This year has been remarkable in many ways. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve said to myself, “Well, I never thought I’d see that happen in my lifetime.” Despite these surprises, the watch industry has demonstrated a remarkable stability. Sure, we lost a few trade shows. But there was also a regular flow of new releases from a wide range of brands, despite some early signs to the contrary. Equally impressive was the resilience of the auction industry. In this article, we investigate why high-value vintage watches have appeared to be pandemic-proof at a time when most segments of the wider industry are in steep decline. Another year of broken records at watch auctions, despite broken economies everywhere I remember watching the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XI live stream back in May and marvelling at what they were pulling off. There were people gathered together, in person, bidding on some truly impressive lots while the pandemic was still roiling economies worldwide. Equally impressive was the result: more than CHF 30 million in revenue, all lots sold, a world record for a Patek Philippe 1518 at CHF 3.4 million, and a pair of F.P. Journe early references sold for…
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Introducing – De Bethune DB28GS “Yellow Submarine”
De Bethune is a fascinating brand capable of mixing Haute Horlogerie, neo-futuristic designs and groundbreaking technological innovations into an enticing cocktail that tastes like nothing else out there. Immediately recognizable, De Bethune’s watches have clocked up many prizes over the years. The DB28GS is the brand’s interpretation of the sports watch. Very much a De […]
HANDS-ON: The Bulgari Aluminium time-only – a summer-fresh take on a ’90s lightweight classic, still a winning formula, still fresh
The strangest feeling is to be had when you first put on the Bulgari Aluminium time-only — if you actually get it on in the first place. Holding it makes you do a double take and shift it from left to right hand as if to check your own function as a makeshift human set of scales. Yes, this is metal, but we’re not used to light, cool, matt aluminium in a watch case. Then there is a chunky rubber bracelet. Yes, a linked rubber bracelet, in itself a novel concept that surprises in equal amounts. My entire image of Bulgari is changing as I am handling the watch for the first time. An image that in 2020 is one of record-breaking Haute Horlogerie, the unfathomable elegance and thought-provoking feeling of a paper-thin watch with the magic of a tourbillon, somehow at odds with this fresh breath of summer. And I love it. The unbearable lightness – and coolness – of aluminium My first associations are close to the cool technical feel of a Leica camera body when I peruse the details — details that surprise and amuse. First, the surprising nature of its chunky yet light case – an angular…
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Introducing – Chopard Mille Miglia Lab One
A new automatic tourbillon housed in a futuristic case inspired by high-performance race cars speeds full throttle into the Mille Miglia collection. Although many Mille Miglia watches take their design cues from the classic automobiles that participate in the 1,000-mile Brescia to Rome race, the Chopard Mille Miglia Lab One is the vision of a future […]
If you missed out on the Sydney-based WatchFest 2020, prepare for SOMO (the Sadness Of Missing Out)
Against all odds. That was spirit of the conversation I had with Paxton Wong a couple of weeks ago, when we were discussing what he had planned for WatchFest 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t a reason to cancel the event this year, it was the reason it had to go ahead. Not just because Paxton wanted to keep his 2019 promise of “bigger and better” for 2020, but because the Australian watch industry has been terribly affected by local lockdowns, and WatchFest 2020 was the perfect opportunity to rally the community. WatchFest 2020 ran over four days last week and was held predominantly over Zoom to allow as many people to attend as possible, considering the challenges of current travel and the remaining need to socially distance. “Zoom?!” you might scoff. But these were no normal Zoom sessions, with Bell & Ross kicking the event off with a cooking class from Australia’s beloved celebrity chef, of My Kitchen Rules fame, Manu Feildel. Perfect steaks were seared and enjoyed. Other virtual highlights included a session with the Omega Head of Product Management, Gregory Kissling, who offered one of the world’s first presentations of the new Omega Speedmaster ‘Silver Snoopy Award’ 50th…
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Introducing – The Bell & Ross BR 05 Chrono (Live Pics & Price)
As most of you might know, the history of Bell & Ross is mostly linked to military watches created for pilots and special forces. The brand’s most emblematic models, the BR 01 and BR 03, have become modern classics thanks to their bold, signature design described as a “circle within a square”. Yet, the brand […]
Introducing – The American-Made RGM Model 222-RR, now with “Montgomery” Railroad Dial
RGM, the initials of Roland G. Murphy, is an atypical brand, being the only vertically integrated manufacture in the United States – and by that we mean a company that produces components and movements, not just assembling watches from Swiss or Asian parts. Known for its use of large hand-wound calibres and guilloché or enamel dials, […]
My Watch Story: Naming Your Watches, A Rolex With A Domino’s Dial, A Grandfather’s Croton Nivada Grenchen, And More
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
Introducing – Zenith Chronomaster Revival Liberty
Zenith celebrated an important milestone last year when the world’s first high-frequency automatic chronograph movement, the El Primero calibre, turned fifty. Following the introduction of the calibre in 1969, a trilogy of watches was released bearing the winning chronograph movement. One of these was the famous reference A384. With its tonneau-shaped case and panda dial, […]