This is a you won’t see every day: the Submariner Big Crown Four Liner 6538. Four Liner refers to the four lines of text on the dial that not only indicates the model name (Submariner), depth rate (200 meters / 660 feet) but also that it is an Officially Certified Chronometer.Submariner Big CrownAlthough it is definitely related to today’s Submariner, this reference 6538 chronometer

Juan Pablo Montoya?“I've always been passionate about the? Daytona, I won the? 24?three times, and it's a watch that really relates to all of my racing. So I?was amazed when the idea came along to do a?skeleton Daytona.Artisans de Genve embodies what I wanted in somebody who would build a watch for me. They are that somebody that was happy to go with?no limits to how a watch should be built

Since 2017, Oris actively supports the Movember foundation. To raise awareness about men’s health and the need to improve it (and to raise donations), Movember supporters reveal themselves by growing a mustache in November. So, November is the perfect time for an event to accentuate Oris’ dedication.Having started in 2017, Oris each year presents a special Movember edition of one of th

Recently, Gregoire Rossier and Anthony Marquie introduced the third edition of their masterpiece ‘Moonwatch Only’. Where the 2nd edition was subtitled ’60 Years of Omega Speedmaster’, this third edition has a ‘The Ultimate Omega Speedmaster Guide’ subtitle.When this new edition was dropped on the @Watchbooksonly account of the authors, I put my order in via thei

We take a look at the Oak and Oscar Olmsted 38, the brand's re – entry into the field watch segment.By the time you read this, about a week will have passed since a small group came together in Frankfurt, Germany with Oak and Oscar's Chase Fancher (founder) and John Hatherly (creative director) at my absolute favorite cocktail bar on the planet (a shameless plug for Antony's?thanks for hosti

I?am a?self-diagnosed vintage watch nerd. You can only imagine how many parcels, packages, and boxes I?have received over the years. What you cannot imagine is the creativity of some of the packaging that comes through. Watch collecting is supposed to be fun, right? Well, some of the featured wrapping techniques definitely prove it.If you have ever spent more than $3k or $5k on a watch, you can re

A couple of weeks back, I introduced the newest watch from one of my favorite brands. The Schofield Strange Lights was surely an early Christmas gift and would certainly make a very generous stocking filler. But for those of us that don’t quite have that kind of spending power, I have some other options from the Sussex-based brand. I’ve got straps, pens, and perhaps the most opulent, d

There are accounts on Instagram that do nothing but showing famous people wearing specific watches. Steve McQueen wearing a Submariner 5512, Tom Selleck with his GMT-Master 1675, Joe Biden wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional, Jacky Kennedy with her Cartier. In this article, I will share my personal heroes and their watches.It is an interesting phenomenon that people actually care what watch

If you are on the lookout for an affordable field watch, the chances are pretty solid that Hamilton’s name will be at the top of your shortlist. With a pretty extensive range of Khaki Field watches available for under $1,000, the brand has a lot to offer. The latest addition to the Khaki Field King line-up is a stealthy full black version. I went hands-on to determine if this black version o

In this video, I talk about the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto, a 43mm diver in stainless steel that weighs a whopping 212 grams.While the trend is towards smaller and lighter watches, this diver from Hamilton is the contrary. A big case and chunky bracelet. For those who prefer smaller and lighter diver’s watches, there’s a 40mm version as well that you can wear on a rubber strap. But

With just over a month to go, it's time to look back on another Seiko year. As you would expect from the Japanese watch giant, there was an abundance of new watches in all of its product families. Does that make it easy to sift through and distill a list from? Not really, no. The watches I selected made their mark. Have a look at what I think were the five best Seiko watches of 2021. Well, the fir

I've said it before, and I'll say it once again today: Louis Moinet is a brand that's not afraid to reach the highest summits of innovation and creativity. When it comes to the highest form of watchmaking, few brands dare to be as bold as Louis Moinet. The latest release of the ASTRONEF shows that the brand is also not afraid to strike a more classic chord within the wild watchmaking realm in whic

The race roars on with the Cartier Roadster Chronograph versus the Seiko SRQ029. And what a spectacle it will be! It’s going to be a track battle between two watch equivalents of early 1970s race cars. The Cartier Roadster will be represented by the Matra-Simca MS670, a Group 5 prototype equipped with a howling 2,999 cc V12 engine - the one which, some say, is the best-sounding engine ever p

After a hectic couple of years documented in My Seiko Diver Journey - Part One, I started to feel torn. In an increasingly diameter-reducing media environment, I felt like Jekyll and Hyde, with dressy, 36mm vintage-inspired pieces for the office and big Seiko divers for the weekend.And they felt increasingly too big, so the Turtle had to go. Nevertheless, the green Sumo remains. It’s the lar

Independent brands, which we can also call microbrands, have been working hard to create some neat stuff. Yes, I decided to say neat instead of outstanding because what they recently released is quite refreshing. This article will look at three trends that define independent watchmaking in 2022. I did use the word innovation in the title. Not to bait you into reading an article that is not about i

I can’t believe we are at this point again. The year 2022 has flown by, and I still remember compiling my list of the best watches of 2021. It’s now 12 months later, and I have enjoyed a great number of new releases this year. But as it tends to go with lists like these for me, the majority of my picks will be pieces that I actually want and can add to my collection. I’m always l

Is this a difficult story to write as a watch journalist? Yes. But the intriguing thought of selling off everything and starting fresh is immensely tempting nonetheless. And as I am in the middle of a consolidating process before the holiday season, the exercise is needed. I would very much enjoy building the perfect watch collection from scratch again.The problem is, to my chagrin, age hasn’

When it comes to perpetuating the values of Haute Horlogerie, longstanding brands like Breguet, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin never let us down. It’s thanks to such brands and their persistence that mechanical watchmaking is at the high level that it is right now, and many of them will keep developing new technology for the foreseeable future. But nowadays, there a

Now here is something special! A space-flown Omega Speedmaster Professional 3570.50 and the EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) glove it was worn over in space will be up for auction on December 3rd at Koller Auctions in Zurich, Switzerland.Cosmonaut Padalka’s space-flown Omega Speedmaster and EVA gloveThis watch was on the wrist of cosmonaut Gennady Padalka (born 1958) during the International S

Recent auctions in Geneva concluded with a relative bang. Eye-watering results occurred for some truly rare pieces. For many watches, though, the sales were solid but not awe-inspiring. I’ll kick off today’s article with my thoughts on the market, and then we’ll look at several lots.My colleague Lex recently penned an article about the current sales slump the global watch market