The watch community remains divided on patina. Some collectors send vintage pieces immediately for restoration — relumed hands, refinished dials, polished cases. Others refuse to touch anything, preferring watches that show every year of their age. I fall firmly in the second camp. A watch that has lived tells stories. The faded gilt printing on […]
A decade of collecting watches teaches lessons that no book or forum can convey. Here is what I have learned through purchases both wise and foolish. Buy What You Will Wear The watches that bring me the most satisfaction are the ones I actually wear. That limited edition in the safe? It sparks less joy […]
Certain watch movements transcend their technical specifications to achieve legendary status. The Rolex 3135. The Omega 321. And for vintage chronograph enthusiasts, the Valjoux 72. Produced from the 1940s through the early 1970s, the Valjoux 72 powered some of the most collectible chronographs ever made: the Rolex Daytona 6263, Heuer Carrera 2447, and Universal Geneve […]
The watch industry spent the 2000s and 2010s in an arms race toward ever-larger cases. Forty-two millimeters became the new normal. Dive watches pushed to 44mm. Even dress watches crept toward 40mm. Somewhere along the way, the classic proportions that defined mid-century horology were forgotten. I have watches ranging from 34mm to 42mm in my […]