There are a few sports watches that, if they came up for sale would surely create unprecedented buzz among collectors and no doubt fetch high prices, such as a Moon-worn Omega Speedmaster, Siffert’s Heuer Autavia or Newman’s own Daytona. HODINKEE has learned about one of the most important Rolex Submariners to come available and we’re featuring it here today in an exclusive first look.
In the mid-1960s, while newspaper headlines were focused on the daring exploits of men pushing boundaries in outer space, a lesser-known feat of exploration was going on in an equally hostile environment hundreds of feet under the sea. The U.S. Navy was undertaking pioneering experiments in technology, human endurance and physiology under the name of the SEALAB program. SEALAB was the Navy’s first foray into saturation diving, in which “aquanauts” lived in a pressurized habitat underwater for days, even weeks, on end. The program, which continued over five years, though grossly underfunded and underpublicized, laid important groundwork for the future of saturation diving. And, of particular interest to watch lovers, SEALAB was also the birthplace of the Rolex Sea-Dweller.
prva pesma sa albuma “OD POCETKA PA DO KRAJA” pod nazivom “POCETAK” (-rodjenje-) by Sale RdZ Sick Touch —baby,baby =) Delight Drama—Lozana album u pripremi…..
Last week we showed you five watches from the May sales from AudemarsPiguet that were all pretty awesome, and yet none of them were Royal Oaks. Today, we are showing you two watches from AP in a May sale that are indeed Royal Oaks, but they aren’t just any Royal Oaks, they are two very special, super early Royal Oaks…
Today is an exciting day for us – it marks the opening of the HODINKEE shop, hosted right here on our fair little website. You see, a watch is a great thing, and we have always enjoyed customizing our pieces with different straps depending on how we’re feeling. So, by popular request, we’ve gone ahead and sourced a limited supply of those beautiful hand-made straps you often see on the wrists of vintage watch collectors exclusively for HODINKEE readers.
Each strap is made by hand by a single artisan in a small town in Tuscany (seriously) and due to this factor, plus the fact that he uses different cuts of leather for each style, no two straps are identical. The straps are divided into three categories: leather, distressed leather, and suede. Then, we also offer single watch travel pouches in both leather and suede, as well as a six watch travel roll. While these straps were designed with the great sport watches of the 1960s and 70s in mind, they will fit on any watch with a 19 or 20mm lug width.
All products in the HODINKEE shop are available for shipping worldwide and both PayPal and all major credit cards are accepted as payment. Again, all of these straps were made for us in a limited run, so they might not be around for long.
Swiss Legend is becoming an increasing relevant brand as it continues to provide some great looking watches but without the large price tags. We decided to put together some of our favorites from their huge collection. You can see them all here on our Swiss Legend page and let us know in the comments which ones are you favorites!
For this weekend only we have chopped prices down for Swiss legend to as much as %88 off! So take a look, who knows your next watch might just be a Legend! http://mywat.ch/promos
SWISS LEGEND SL Pilot Chronograph 22828.BB.01
SWISS LEGEND Eograph 30041.YG.06
SWISS LEGEND 20028.BB.01.YEL
SWISS LEGEND Neptune Women’s 11844.WWRA
SWISS LEGEND 21848P.BB.01.OBS
SWISS LEGEND Eograph 30041.GM.014
SWISS LEGEND SL Pilot Chronograph 22828.YG.010
SWISS LEGEND Commander Women’s 10114.YG.02
SWISS LEGEND SL Pilot Chronograph 22828.BB.01.GA
Which ones are your faves? Let us know in the comments!
With the 40th anniversary celebration of the Royal Oak coming to New York next week, Audemars Piguet just sent us the specs on a brand new, 300 page book documenting the history of the most famous of Mr. Genta’s designs – a book written by Martin Wehrli, Audemars Piguet Museum Director for the last 20 years, and one that takes a look at the watch through the eyes of several men and women who have worn them over the past four decades.
The Royal Oak Book will be available on March 21st, 2012 at both the AP boutique in NYC and Bal Harbour, as well as the Royal Oak exhibition. The book will also be available at select bookstores in the near future. The price will be approximately $ 100.
Reminder: We’re hosting a private, HODINKEE-only celebration of the Royal Oak on Friday, March 23rd. If you would like to attend, please send us a note at Events@HODINKEE.com.
Vintage Vacheron chronographs are, in our humble opinion, massively undervalued. When you compare what the average vintage VC chrono sells for compared to the average vintage Patek chrono – you’ll see what we mean. Vintage VC chromos feature the same type of movements and finishing you’ll see with the Pateks, and in many cases, the actual design of the watch itself is arguably more interesting.
Take for example the quintessential vintage Vacheron chronograph, the reference 4178. The dial, those perfect teardrop lugs, and the fantastic manually wound movement make this watch a must for a VC collector, and it’s a watch so good, that when Gene Stone, the author and travel watch collector whom we featured here, was chosing the cover image for his seminal horological book “The Watch,” he chose the 4178.
And if you’re looking for 4178, there isn’t a better one available than the one present in Antiquorum’s Geneva sale this Sunday. We stopped by the office just yesterday to take these pictures of it
The condition of both the dial and case are superb, and it even comes on beautiful Vacheron alligator with a VC buckle. At an estimate of $ 16 – 22k, could you ask for a more beautiful watch?
