It might seem an unlikely comparison as the age difference between the Piaget Altiplano and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin in this article spans more than four decades, yet as Martin Green explains these two ultra thins have a lot more in common than you might think.
Standing before his eyes was the most perfect of God’s creatures, a wonderful mix of Audrey Hepburn and Penelope Cruz. What Makes Me Tick thought his heart had skipped a beat, and he heard the chimes of every single minute repeater Patek Philippe had ever created – all chiming at exactly the same time! Six months later the gentle creature and he were married. This extraordinary story reflects the marvelous world of vintage watches: finding the rare bird, linking it to a story, and never letting it go.
Loved the world over by collectors and watch brands alike, the Zenith El Primero has been keeping the world on time since 1969. And Rolex choosing to use the movement was high praise for Zenith indeed. The El Primero is still considered an exceptional chronograph to this day, watchmaker Aston Tracy explains why.
Oleg would like to start a collection with a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch and his budget is $6,000-$12,000. What should he buy? We ask readers for suggestions.
The Tank Louis Cartier Jumbo, which was available in the 1970s, is the only Tank Louis Cartier equipped with an automatic movement, Caliber 170, However, what really appeals to George Cramer is the Jumbo’s perfect size, coming neatly between the Classic and XL models.
In all the years that Martin Green has been active in the watch world, he has grown very fond of a wide variety of brands. Among these is Eberhard & Co. What he likes about this brand is that it has established itself over the years as a very consistent performer, highlighted by the vintage Les Quantièmes complete calendar that he recently acquired.
The vintage watch train keeps rolling right along – in great part thanks to enthusiast authors like watchmaker Sébastien Chaulmontet (who co-wrote ‘Chronographs for Collectors’) and vintage forum owner Alistair Gibbons, who has just published a book on vintage watches called ‘Chasing Time.’ Find out much more about the book right here.
In recent years, the Rolex GMT-Master with its multi-time zone display has become one of the most desirable Rolex watches to own. And the very first GMT-Master, Reference 6542, is easily the rarest and most sought after of all the vintage GMT-Master references. Especially in the version we show here.
When it comes to selecting a watch for the purposes of getting the job done, there are three qualities that must be looked for: simple, robust, and reliable. And no movement can be more greatly heralded on all three qualities than IWC’s Caliber 89 according to watchmaker Ashton Tracy.
The Louis Moinet compteur de tierces is one of the most remarkable finds in horological history in an extremely long time: it was the very first chronograph ever made.