Category: STRUCTURAL – Top Story

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Hands-On – Patek Philippe Calatrava 5226G

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Patek Philippe 5526G Calatrava

The 5226G draws on current trends that look to the past (e.g. aged lume, military minimalism) as a way to be current (big trend there) while also paying tribute to its own storied legacy (e.g. the Calatrava Ref 96 Nightwatchman, which sold for 322,000CHF in 2016) with an irreverent tendency toward pastiche – meaning, throwing various elements together – (e.g. numerals and hands from the wonderful 5172G chronograph and the even more wonderful 5320G perpetual calendar, hobnailing from the 6119X Calatravas and other older references, and a lug style reminiscent of the 3448 perpetual calendar, especially in white gold).

Curating the Collection – A Rolex Oyster Date Reference 6494 Captures My Heart

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Rolex 6494 Bubbleback

The Rolex Oysterdate 6494 comes in a 34mm Oyster case which is 11mm thick with a modest lug-to-lug measurement of 43mm. The lugs are 19mm across. The 6494 came with a variety of dials, but most were variations on white paint, black lacquer, or honeycomb engraved models also in white or cream. All Rolex 6494s sport a roulette date wheel: black for odd numbers and red for the evens. Hands are dauphine with a blued second hand.

Hands-On – Hemel x Mathey-Tissot TypeXX Pilot’s Chronograph

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Hemel MaseyTissot TypeXX 2022-16

When I learned of Hemel Watches collaborating with Mathey-Tissot to produce a small run of TypeXX chronographs, I was greatly interested. This collaboration felt genuine to me because Hemel had long based much of its catalog on the historically significant Type20 and TypeXX chronographs, which were originally French mil-spec units for pilots. 

Insight – The Argument for Cheap Tool Watches and Expensive Dress Watches

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Vacheron Constantin Tradionelle Triple Calendar Moonphase

Despite believing the subjective experience of watches is ultimately all we have, I am not one of those egalitarian folks who believes that because someone enjoys a watch it thus belongs in this world. Watch critics like that really aren’t critics at all. They practice what a colleague recently called reportage, as if by using the French word sucking up to advertisers for a living was somehow sophisticated.

Hands-On – Yema Superman 500 GMT 39mm

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Yema is a watch brand that grows on me a little more with every new release. Its designs range from the futuristic LED Kavinsky to the vintage-inspired Navygraph Marine Nationale. Yema’s designs are thoughtfully familiar while being unapologetically French. Yema has reached a point with enough unique design language that it’s unfair to classify the brand as a wishful homage. The latest iteration of Yems’a Superman 500 GMT is a welcome update to its catalog. 

Podcast Conversations E18 – Walt Odets On His Five Favorite Watches

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Walt Odets Five Favorite Watches

Walt Odets is legendary in the world of watch writing, having penned some of the most impactful watch criticism back before watch brands held sway over publications. In Walt’s second podcast with Allen, the two discuss Walt’s five personal favorite watches from his own collection. And they are stunners.

Curating the Collection – A Vintage Seiko Speedtimer 6139 Pogue Chronograph Ousts a Ceramic Daytona From a Rolex Collection

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Seiko Speedtimer 6139

Where I once thought of my Seiko Speedtimer 6139 as the anomaly in my Rolex-centric collection, I’ve since started to see that it actually plays an important role somewhere near center stage. The 6139 has somehow managed to work its way through my tangle of collecting rules and straight onto my wrist with nearly the frequency of any other watch I own.

Hands-On – Christopher Ward C65 38mm Sandhurst Series 2 Military Field Watch

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Christopher Ward Sandhurst Military Field Watch 38mm

The Skinny 38mm x 11.95mm 20mm lugs width Stainless steel case Water resistance – 150m  Black dial with Super-LumiNova Grade X1 Sellita SW200 autowinding movment with COSC chronometer certification and 38-hour power reserve  Date of release – October 2022  Price upon release – £1005 on stainless steel bracelet, £905 on leather, and £895 on canvas. … Read more »

Hands-On – Bremont 40mm Supernova Integrated Bracelet Watch with In-House ENG375 Movement

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Bremont Supernova 40mm Integrated Bracelet Watch

All images by Allen Farmelo. The Skinny 40mm x 11.1mm Stainless Steel with integrated bracelet 100m water resistance Colors: Midnight Blue, Pitch (black), Albus (white) Bremont ENG375 in-house automatic movement with big date and power reserve gauge (in-house Chronometer certification) Date of release – October 2022 Price upon release – $8995 USD First Impressions When… Read more »