Jaw-Dropping Phillips Auction Of The Tiffany & Co Double-Signed Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018: Some Deep Thoughts And Wider Implications, Plus Auction Video

/2 Comments/in , , /by

The Phillips watch auction in New York on December 11, 2021 sold a brand-new Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 5711/1A-018, double signed “Tiffany & Co”. The hammer fell at a jaw-dropping price of $5.35 million. The buyer’s premium on the sale was an additional $1.153 million. Brendan Cunningham reflects on that auction result and the possible wider implications for the market.

Read more
A close up look at the dial of the Patek Philippe Advanced Research Reference 5550P Perpetual Calendar

Behind The Lens: Patek Philippe Advanced Research Reference 5550P Perpetual Calendar

/8 Comments/in , , , /by

Welcome to a new installment of “Behind the Lens.” This time our subject is the Patek Philippe Advanced Research Reference 5550P, a truly lovely perpetual calendar with some interesting technical twists.

Read more

Seiko Presage: A 2020 Overview – Reprise

/1 Comment/in , /by

Seiko has always made it a point to deliver bang for your buck. And in recent years, the brand has been realigning its different collections with the aim of offering collectors exciting products in every price category. For the Presage, this means that there are now two tiers to the collection: Prestige and Basic. Martin Green takes us through a number of models from 2020.

Read more

Lewis Hamilton vs. Max Verstappen / IWC vs. TAG Heuer: The One Formula 1 Race Where Everyone Wins

/7 Comments/in , , , /by

With the 2021 Formula 1 season’s last race taking place this weekend, December 10-12, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) tied for first place, the heat is on like never before. The battle between Hamilton and Verstappen is, in essence, also a competition between the two watch brands who sponsor them: IWC (Hamilton) and TAG Heuer (Verstappen), with both brands benefitting from the battles on the track. Martin Green takes a closer look.

Read more
A gaggle of Rolex Submariners

Why I’ve Never Owned A Rolex – And Why I Might Yet (Update: I Do Now!) – Reprise

/16 Comments/in , , /by

Once in a while on the collector forums a question is posed: is there anyone in the collector community who has never, ever, owned a Rolex? As a general rule, respondents to these queries tend to express disbelief that such a creature could possibly exist given the quality and ubiquity of the brand’s watches. Well, folks, GaryG is here to tell you that such people do exist, and that he is one of them. And then what happened . . . ?

Read more

3 Race-Ready Chronographs From The 2021 Bell & Ross Alpine F1 Collection

/1 Comment/in , /by

As we race toward the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi on December 12, 2021, Elizabeth Doerr takes a look at Bell & Ross’s three limited-edition chronographs celebrating Formula 1’s Alpine F1 team, which have also been worn throughout the season by the team’s staff.

Read more

November 2021 Ineichen Auction Sets A New World Record Price For The Sale Of A Vianney Halter Antiqua

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Ineichen Zurich held two days’ worth of watch auctions in Zurich and online November 20-21, 2021 with 198 ticking specialties that included a bevy of independent timepieces and two new world records for the Vianney Halter Antiqua. Get the results here!

Read more

Bollinger B13 Champagne: Not So Much ‘No Time To Die’ As ‘A Great Wine To Drink’

/0 Comments/in , /by

Ken Gargett takes a look at the new Bollinger Blanc de Noirs one-off, the B13 from the (unusual) 2013 vintage. And decides that this is no shrinking violet and that no one is going to taste this and start thinking how delicate, how elegant. It is a big, bold, full-of-flavor champagne.

Read more
You know you’re a watch guy if . . . at a restaurant you photograph everyone's watches but not the food

You Know You’re A Watch Guy Or Gal If . . . – Reprise

/3 Comments/in , , /by

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 or gal if . . .

Read more
De Bethune DB28 with silicon/platinum annular balance

The Schmidt List: 5 Extraordinary Balance Wheels – Reprise

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The balance wheel, the critical regulatory organ of a mechanical watch, is expected to deliver a consistent frequency with a tolerance of as little as 0.001 percent. With so much at stake, why complicate things by altering a pure and simple geometric shape? Why reinvent the wheel? Well, here are five balances that definitely did reinvent the wheel.

Read more