How women created the wristwatch. To honor women, the actual inventors of the wristwatch, the next watch I release will be a ladies' model, which will be available on November 17th at 13:00 GMT. Understanding how ladies' watches have evolved illustrates how all wristwatches came to be. For centuries,...
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Quartz vs. Mechanical Movements: Which is Best? I get a lot of questions about movements in collectible watches, especially about the differences between quartz and mechanical watches. This is a subject that always generates passionate reactions, especially from some self-described “purists collectors.” I've been collecting watches for more than...
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The Skyline Pen: The Pinnacle of Art Deco Design for Writing Instruments I've been home for more than four months, and like you, taking the time to organize everything I’ve been putting off for months. I must say that “mining” at my own home has been a delight because I’ve...
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I bought a rare Omega Speedmaster MoonWatch this week, and my experience negotiating the deal and studying to authenticate the watch made me realize there are some important issues to consider as you do your research before buying an unusual watch. Estimating a price for some of the important watches...
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Three years ago I launched the Timeline.Watch to present my collection of vintage watches in an unprecedented and intuitive way. The website was extremely well received by the watch community; the first blog that found me was Hodinkee, and they immediately wrote a story about my collection. Nine months later, Dan...
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It’s easy to find articles about the "classic” vintage watches, such as the Speedmaster, Submariner, Zenith El Primero, or Heuer Autavia. I thought it would be interesting to explore one of Omega's least remembered and most misunderstood watches: the Chronostop. Unlike conventional chronographs that record seconds, minutes, and hours with...
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Diverting a Pocket Watch from the Melting Pot retrieves a Timepiece of Historical Significance I have always considered myself a collector of “tool watches” – precision instruments with technical uses, such as timepieces for divers, the military, sportsmen, engineers, aviators, and astronauts. These timepieces are different from watches that simply...
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Prices for Vintage Watches have Never been Higher, and the Issue is Worth Discussing. There are many reasons for the increases, but I think it is especially important to talk about a subject that blogs and magazines about watches do not typically explore: what I call the "conspiracy theory" of...
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I’m often asked if I attend BaselWorld, the annual show that is considered the focal point of the wristwatch world. I think many people imagine BaselWorld as a glamorous showplace where visitors compare Rolexs and exchange fine cigars as they stroll through beautiful displays while sipping premium cognac. Yes, it’s...
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For me, collecting watches isn’t just a hobby. It's a full-on obsession that, at times, gets close to the kind of single-minded mania that gets people locked up in rooms with soft walls. Even if I walk past a drug store, I’ll peer in the window to see if there’s...
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I’ve always focused my collection on high-quality, precision watches. For me, what’s most important about a timpiece is its quality, and not whether or not you can wear it. As a result, in addition to collection sports chronographs and tool watches, I’ve ended up collecting marine chronometers and dashboard timers...
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The best watches always have a story. It’s why we love watches, like the ref.1655 McQueen Explorer, that sold in tiny numbers but carries a rich narrative with it. Collectors sometimes argue, a little self-deprecatingly, that they’re strange or a little mad to like watches with faults and mistakes -...
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It’s that moment in the movies when Bogart casually snaps open his lighter, reaches over and lights Lauren Bacall’s cigarette. The message is clear - if you want to get the girl, don’t turn up with a packet of Swan Vesta. Lighters are cool. In fact, even if you’ve never...
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When is a watch not a watch? If you want a vintage travel watch, the usual suspects would be Rolex’s 1954 GMT Master (first made for PanAm aircrew) or even a dual-movement Sandoz or Delma from the 1970s. But there’s a hidden gem of a watch that pre-dates the GMT...
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For sailors, accurate time at sea is critical. Because one hour corresponds to 15° of longitude, a navigator with an accurate timepiece can work out exactly where he is. And that makes the difference between sailing safely past hazards and not knowing what lurks beneath the surface.Today, if you want...
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You could be forgiven for thinking that being called a “Curta-cranker” was a bit of an insult. The nickname describes someone who constantly cranks their Curta (!) to make calculations. However, the Curta calculator, as the hallowed invention of concentration camp survivor Curt Herzstark, has become such a collector’s item...
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Shopping for antiques at a street market isn’t just a hobby or a habit. It’s a bona fide vice-obsession that oftentimes occupies entire weekends for me. Walking the aisles and the shops for hours on end, while convening with friends with whom I’ve found camaraderie over the past couple of...
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My passion for watches started well before I could even tell the time. As a child, I immediately became fascinated by the look, the feel and the function of timepieces. That fascination didn’t end as the years passed, either. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, my interest in watches only grew...
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