As the saying goes, “There’s an ass for every seat.” I still find it so hard to believe that some watch designs are ever even considered, much less actually produced and ultimately purchased. In fairness, the following list may not actually contain the five ugliest watches ever, but they sure aren’t easy on the eyes.
This week, we are trying something new. We are taking a break from our regularly scheduled broadcast of vintage wristwatches to bring you a special selection of rare finds. You may remember the rare finds section of the HODINKEE Shop from when we launched it back in March. Well, today my friends, we have some really cool and fresh objects for you to shop, including vintage lighters, sterling silver flasks, and unusual travel clocks. Take a closer look.
We came across this amazing story of an Omega Seamaster. The owner was swimming in the sea and the watch, his grandfather’s heirloom, slipped off his wrist and disappeared. It was found months later, and when the watch was reunited with the owner, a light shake was all it took, and the watch seemed to be ticking. This is the incredible…
If there’s one thing Oris is good at, it’s to create interesting and nicely designed limited editions, especially of dive watches. Well, it’s not that difficult when your base for these editions is the reliable, rugged, efficient but pretty affordable Aquis Date. We’ve seen for instance the Great Barrier Reef edition or the Carlos Coste version. This time, Oris teams up with the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, to create a volcano-inspired version, the (of-course) black and red Oris El Hierro Limited Edition.
Hailing from northern Sweden, Kaj Korpela came to become an independent watchmaker by way of Ulysse Nardin and then a one year stint at Janvier S.A., Vianney Halter’s workshop. He then struck out on his own in 2008, setting up shop in Bern, the federal capital of Switzerland. He then produced timepieces and components for other brands, all […]
Ateliers deMonaco might not be the most famous company around. In fact, some of you might not know this watch manufacture (and yes, it is a manufacture and not just a watch brand). However, Ateliers deMonaco has solid basis and isn’t new in the game. Indeed, it was founded in 2008 and it is in fact the high-end brand behind Frederique Constant, sharing the same owners, the same facilities and also being used as a laboratory for future developments at FC. And their latest creation has some appeal. Here is the Ateliers deMonaco Admiral Chronograph Flyback Saphir.
Introduced at Baselworld 2016, the Frédérique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture was one of the highlights of the convention, with enthusiasts fawning over its good looks, slim design, in-house perpetual calendar movement, and most amazingly, an estimated price of around 8,000 CHF.
Explorer Last week Michael Stockton wrote quite a ‘love letter’ (as one of our readers wrote in the comments) on the Rolex Explorer 1016. While the reference 1016 Explorer was being produced already in 1963 and kept in production for 26 years, Rolex introduced another Explorer in 1971. The Explorer II. This watch was not […]
No risk of second-album syndrome here – this slightly larger take on the Divers Sixty-Five is a worthy, if slightly more mainstream, follow-up to the original release.
There must be something good in the water at Hölstein, because Oris has been on fire lately.…
One of the biggest announcements of Baselworld 2013 came from an unlikely entity: Swatch. The plastic watch-fueled behemoth debuted the Sistem51, a $150 watch made in Switzerland with a 51-component movement made entirely by machines, mostly out of plastic. It was an instant hit with high-end collectors and new watch lovers alike. And now it’s available in steel.