Professional Diver Nigel Band And The Unusual Rolex Sea-Dweller And Oyster Perpetual Models That Plumbed The Depths And Scaled The Heights – Reprise

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Nigel Band is a professional diver with over 30 years’ worth of commercial and teaching experience. He also owns two rather unusual Rolex watches: a 1986 “triple-six” Rolex Sea-Dweller Reference 16660 and a Himalayan mountain climbing 1952 Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Put on your breathing apparatus as the fascinating stories of these two watches are told by Colin Alexander Smith here.

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Behind The Lens: The Ultra-Rare Patek Philippe Reference 5070J-013

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As most folks who follow Patek Philippe are aware, the brand has long been in the habit of making unique watches for special customers, including in recent times entertainment luminaries such as Eric Clapton and Michael Ovitz. It was not until 2015, however, that Patek Philippe publicly issued a number of small editions of previously discontinued references, each in previously unmade metal/dial combinations. This Patek Philippe Reference 5070J-013 is one of those ultra-rare birds. And GaryG wonders if it might bring yellow gold back into fashion single-handedly, as for him the combination of the yellow gold case and sunburst-brushed brown dial is as gorgeous as it is unexpected.

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Louis Vuitton Monterey II

Monterey I & II: The (Almost) Forgotten First Watches Of Louis Vuitton

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Many think that Louis Vuitton’s first watch was the Tambour, which was launched in 2002. However the brand actually began with a watch collection called Monterey in the 1980s. The Monterey I, an unusual worldtime watch designed by Gae Aulenti with date and moon phase, was soon followed by the ceramic-encased Monterey II that added an alarm function.

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Piaget Reference 908 4C: Clous De Paris Guilloche At Its Finest

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The clous de Paris engravings of Piaget Reference 908 4C give it a masculine appearance, yet at the same time a generous dash of elegance. That is the true power of clous de Paris and the reason why it played an indispensable role in the Piaget collection of the early 1950s up until the 1980s. And you just might fall in love with it too.

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Missing link: look above the numbers 30 and 31 of this Vacheron & Constantin Reference 4560 triple calendar

Why I Bought It: Vacheron & Constantin Reference 4560 Triple Calendar – Reprise

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Oh, those Geneva auctions! While GaryG’s intention is usually to browse the rare pieces on offer, gain an education from his auction-house friends and escape unscathed, it seems that more often than not there is a piece that puts him into bidding mode. And sometimes that piece is entirely unanticipated as was the case of the Vacheron & Constantin Reference 4560 triple calendar that he stumbled across at a Sotheby’s preview. Here is why he bought it.

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Vintage Longines with diamond-set bezel

How, When, And Why Diamond-Set Watches For Men Were Commonly Accepted And The Significant Role America Played – Reprise

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Post-war United States boasted unique market conditions that allowed for diamond-set men’s watches from a variety of brands to thrive. Martin Green takes us on a journey to discover how and why diamond-set watches for men became part of the American Dream.

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Vintage 1950s Vacheron Constantin Reference 6087 chronograph

Vintage Watch Snobbery – Reprise

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Standing before What Makes Me Tick’s eyes was the most perfect of God’s creatures, a wonderful mix of Audrey Hepburn and Penelope Cruz. He 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.

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Do as I say, not as I do: Patek Philippe Reference 2526

Why I Bought It: Patek Philippe Reference 2526 ‘Gobbi Milano’ – Reprise

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A good friend of GaryG’s owns a cream-dialed Reference 2526, and Gary has often admired it over the years but hadn’t really understood the role that the 2526 plays in Patek Philippe’s history until talking with him and other watch pals and doing some late-night online research. Read on to learn why he bought this special “Gobbi Milano” edition from 1954 in an exciting spur of a moment.

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Behind The Lens: Vintage Patek Philippe Reference 3450J

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Despite the virus restrictions, GaryG has managed to venture out from time to time for brief, top-secret rendezvous in parking lots and on park benches to receive and return the generous loans of friends’ watches to photograph. Recently, he had the chance to shoot a true classic: a second-series Reference 3450J perpetual calendar made by Patek Philippe, which he shares with us here.

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Vacheron Constantin Chronomètre Royal: Flamboyance, Precision, And The “Batman”

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Alexandre Ghotbi takes a rather in-depth look at the more than 100-year history behind the high-precision Vacheron Constantin Chronomètre Royal . . . which came up because of a conversation about “the Batman.” Find out what that means right here.

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