Watch Dandy

Way back when, in November 2015, Ben wrote a little story about the highlights of the Christie’s Geneva sale. You might recall that there was one watch in particular that caught our eye: the Patek Philippe reference 2497 with black gilt dial. It was the first time that a black gilt dial 2497 had hit the market – for an estimate of CHF 500,000 to 1 million – and the auction world was abuzz. On top of being totally fresh to market, the watch had a rich provenance (literally) as it formerly belonged to Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, who later gifted it to a friend (as one does). A descendent of this friend was the consignor and listed it with Christie’s – and that is where things got sticky.

Another 10 splendid vintage watches have been meticulously curated for this week’s offering. The funky, the sleek, the practical, and the practically flawless have all been invited. A few exciting highlights include a 1985 Rolex GMT-Master II “Fat Lady,” named as such for its oversized case, an incredibly cool 1970s Zenith chronograph with all black PVD coating, and a 1950s Ernest Borel Incastar boasting multiple complications, including a triple calendar. But those examples are merely the beginning. A full-set Tudor Submariner reference 76100 with lollipop hands, an Excelsior Park chronograph signed Zivy & Cie., and a solid white gold Rolex King Midas from 1974 round out the selection.

Baltic Watches has been getting quite a lot of attention from the watch community lately, and that’s even before its Kickstarter campaign officially launched today. Indeed, there is a lot to love at first sight: the nod to vintage watches with the return of the step case and a very reasonable price (well below $500) for a chronograph are just two things that come to mind. While it sounds great on paper, there is no better test than some proper hands-on time with the watches. And this is exactly what we got when the young French brand came to New York recently. Let’s take a closer look at the much-talked-about Baltic Watches.

For the last two weekends in April, the Horological Society of New York will continue its 2017 Traveling Education tour by visiting two often requested cities. Horological Education classes will be offered in Washington, D.C., over the April 22 and 23 weekend at the Crystal City Marriott; the next weekend, April 29 and 30, HSNY will head to Boston, where it will hold classes at the Marriott Long Wharf.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has introduced three new dial options for the Reverso Classic Large Duo Small Second as part of its Atelier Reverso program. This officially makes this trio the manufacture’s first customizable men’s watches. Atelier Reverso was introduced in 2016 to celebrate JLC’s 85th anniversary; initially only for women, it was launched with the Reverso Duo and Duetto models and allowed clients to customize their own watches, swapping out special dials and straps. Now, the Reverso Classic Large Duo Small Second joins the program, with Electric Blue, Military Marble, and Tiger’s Eye dials.

Sometimes a watch photo is meant to give a clear sense of what a watch looks and feels like in the metal (like most of what you see here on HODINKEE), but other times it can be a work of art all on its own. Photographer Atom Moore, who you might know as the art director at Analog/Shift, creates totally original compositions from detailed macro photographs of both modern and vintage watches. Starting April 30, a collection of his work will go on display at the National Watch and Clock Museum as the exhibition Watch Portraits.