Beyond the Fifty Fathoms: The Case for Neo-Vintage Blancpain
The Other Blancpain Ask most collectors about Blancpain today and within a minute the conversation turns to water. The Fifty Fathoms, introduced in 1953 and arguably the first modern dive watch, has become the brand’s identity. The 2023 Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms then carried that story to an audience that had never heard […]
From Taboo to Essential: The Rise of the “Murse”
The Bag That Stopped Being a Joke Not long ago, a man carrying a bag was the punchline of a sitcom. Jerry Seinfeld’s friends teased him mercilessly for his “European carryall,” and for years that was the reflex: a man with a purse must be hiding something, or trying too hard. Today, walk through the […]
The New Datograph Is Better. I’d Still Buy the Original.
There are watches you admire because they’re technically impressive, and there are watches you actually want to own. For me, the original A. Lange & Söhne Datograph falls firmly into the second category. I’ll admit something from the beginning: the current Datograph Up/Down is probably the better watch. It has a longer power reserve. The […]
Is Selling an Independent Watch an Act of Betrayal?
When the man who made your watch is also your friend, are you still free to sell it? I have sold watches. There, I said it. What surprised me is how little it hurt. Like most collectors in the early, wonderfully irrational stage of this disease, I was convinced every watch I bought would stay […]
The Cost of Clarity: My $6MM Lesson in Collecting and Life
I have spent nearly $6 million on watches. That number might sound excessive, perhaps even reckless, but I prefer to look at it differently: that $6 million was my tuition fee for clarity. My journey began in childhood, where the humble Casio Pro Trek became my first obsession. I spent hours calibrating my father’s glider […]
Collecting Watches at 23
Collecting watches at 23 is exciting, but it comes with a particular kind of pressure. My interest and knowledge are often far ahead of my financial capacity. I can understand why a watch is special and genuinely want it while also accepting that I am not yet in a position to buy it. Being surrounded […]
Why the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Is Still the Watch That Matters
The Nautilus may get more attention. A minute repeater may be more exotic. And Patek Philippe has certainly made watches that are more complicated. But if there is one watch that explains Patek Philippe, I believe it’s the perpetual calendar chronograph. For more than 80 years, this combination has represented something fundamental about the manufacture: […]
The Courage to Stand Still
Why the Rolex Submariner Became One of the Greatest Designs of the Modern Era There is a curious assumption in modern life that progress must always be visible. Each year automobiles receive sharper lines. Smartphones become thinner. Fashion reinvents itself every season. Even watches—objects whose primary purpose has remained unchanged for centuries—are expected to become […]
How the AHCI Organized the Renaissance of Independent Watchmaking
Founded by Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese in 1985, the AHCI gave isolated creators a shared stage, a measure of legitimacy, and direct access to the public—helping turn endangered craft into one of modern watch collecting’s most influential movements. The most radical innovation of the independent-watchmaking renaissance was not an escapement, a tourbillon, or a […]
NEW TIMEPIECES TELL TIME…OLD ONES TELL STORIES…
My name is Andres, and as long as I can remember, I have always worn a watch. For the past few years, I have focused on vintage mostly. Watch collecting is an ongoing journey I began somewhat accidentally in 1991 with my first Swatch, but the flame truly caught hold during my first year of […]