A Few Favorite Watches From Italy’s Parma Antique Fair

Last week, I was supposedly taking a vacation between a few work trips in Europe, and, unable to resist the siren’s call of the Italian watch scene, I popped down from Milan to Parma. Actually, www.highluxurystore.ru I took the train back and forth twice on different days. Look, it’s very apparent I have a problem “turning off” when it comes to watches, but there’s something so magnetic about being around Italian collectors. But why Parma? Not (just) for the ham. Twice a year, “Mercante in Fiera” (Merchant at the Fair) takes place at a massive, sprawling, convention center outside the city of 200,000 people. I had the wrong image in my head when it comes to “the Parma Fair.” I expected a quaint, slightly dilapidated brick building with small booths and a few retailers. Not so much. Tens of thousands of Italian and international collectors – not just of watches but antiques, furniture, art, and more – gather at the fair for over a week, hoping to buy, sell, or trade their way into a good find. www.highluxurystore.ru Prices for watches at the fair have become stiff in recent years, but you can still find a few good pieces for sale or (more likely) on the wrists of visitors. I didn’t actually plan to work, I promise. But I brought my camera just in case. In fact, you could say I got cajoled into this photo report by this man below. If he tells me I need to take a picture of a watch, I take a picture of a watch. The process usually involved Goldberger picking up a watch, running his thumb over the crystal to clean it, weighing it in his hand, tilting it to get a quick look to see if it passed muster, and handing it over. After that, I started to get in the rhythm of doing it myself. There were dozens of Daytonas – sometimes four or five Paul Newmans in one case – Day-Dates galore, and all the other usual suspects. Here’s what I found. www.highluxurystore.ru

The Nodus x Raven Trailtrekker

What do you know? It’s me, James “GMT” Stacey, back with another solid entry into the value category for travel watches formed in a collaboration between two boutique sports watch brands – Nodus Watches of California and Raven Watches of Kansas. The resulting watch combines elements of each brand’s core lineup, taking specific inspiration from the Nodus Contrail and the Raven Trekker. The two formats come together in a hyper-matte travel watch that forms a nod to the American explorers who pushed west while heading towards California. It’s called the Nodus Trailtrekker. Starting with the broad strokes, the Trailtrekker is a 39.5mm steel watch that is 11.8mm thick and 46.6mm lug to lug. With 200 meters of water resistance, drilled lugs, a sapphire crystal, and a solid steel case back, it’s a straightforward offering that clearly takes some inspiration from the Rolex perspective on an adventurous watch that can manage two time zones.
Where we see a departure from the established proportions –and that bezel design – is in the Trailtrekker’s application of a full treatment of a matte grey-tone DLC finish. The treatment protects and colors both the case and the included steel bracelet, while the fixed 24-hour bezel goes a step further with a Cerakote ceramic coating. The coloring is a deep and very flat grey with just a bit of a sandy brown coloring that Nodus calls “clay”, and the treatment gives the watch a unique experience on wrist, one that looks like an exaggerated form of titanium (the watch has essentially no luster at all) and forms a stage for the highly legible dial design.

I have had a good deal of experience with Raven watches in the past, including lots of hands-on time with the brand’s Trekker series of dive-adjacent sports watches. I remain a fan of the brand and think they continue to offer the sort of product that helped to establish the idea of a “microbrand” over the past decade. I even highlighted the brand a few years ago in a consideration of the changing world of the microbrand (perhaps “boutique” brand is indeed a better description).
For Nodus, I have tracked the brand over the past few years. And though I’ve seen quite a few at meets up and Wind Ups in the past, I have had very little regimented experience with the brand’s products. That said, Nodus has earned a following by making fun watches at fair prices, along with collaborations with other enthusiast elements like The Smoking Tire, Random Rob, and Watch Clicker www.highluxurystore.ru.

Much like Raven, if you enjoy boutique watch product, Nodus sits solidly in the $500-$1000 category and offers a wide variety of designs and colorways. I’d say it’s worth having both on your radar, especially as both brands are open to interesting collaborations and continue to focus on value-driven products.
Back to the Trailtrekker, inside this watch, we find the increasingly popular Miyota 9075. It’s a 4 Hz automatic movement that offers local-jumping dual time functionality in which the user is able to jump-set the local (main) hour hand to update the watch to a new time zone without interfering with the accuracy/timekeeping of the watch. This is a movement made by Miyota, which is part of the Citizen group of brands, and we’ve seen it (or versions of it) used on several recent entries into the value-driven GMT market, including the Citizen Series 8 GMT ($1,695), the Bulova Oceanographer GMT (from $1,295), the value-packed Lorier Hydra SIII ($599), and options from additional brands like Vaer, Lip, Boldr, and Traska (to name only a selection).

Nodus goes a step further with the 9075 by regulating the movement in-house to a stated +/- 8 seconds per day. As I have a timing machine at home, I figured I would test that number on the loaner that I received. I measured the watch, fully wound, in six static positions, and this one averaged out at +7 seconds/day. Not bad at all.
With a fixed bezel layout, the Trailtrekker’s obvious inspiration from the Rolex Explorer II (specifically the 16570, to my eyes) is mirrored in its 9075-derived functionality. So you get a layout that is great for tracking two time zones, with a specific function for changing from one time zone to another. If you want more of a breakdown concerning how a rotating bezel augments how one can use a GMT, please see this guide to using a GMT bezel. Seeing as the Trailtrekker’s bezel doesn’t rotate, the functionality could not be more straightforward, and its travel focus is complemented by a date a six (which adjusts in both directions tied to the local hour hand, thanks again to the 9075).

The case design is smooth, with softly faceted lugs, protruding crown guards, and a black knurled crown. The short, drilled lugs meet the bracelet via solid-fitted endlinks that have tool-less quick-release spring bars. The bracelet’s links are thin, with plenty of articulation for comfort and the added plus of single-sided screws (which make the bracelet very easy to size). Tapering from 20mm at the lugs to 16mm at the clasp, the solid steel clasp also includes a push-button closure and a fully integrated tool-free micro-adjust system called NodeX www.highluxurystore.ru.
The system, which is proprietary to Nodus but is available for licensing by other brands, is entirely built into the clasp and offers a simple button that releases a sliding extension that offers 10mm of adjustability. It’s no harder to use than Tudor’s T-Fit system, and I know I’m not alone in my continued appreciation of brands that add this functionality to their bracelets.

As a guy who has largely avoided bracelets for years, the ability to finely adjust the fit makes the whole concept much more comfortable on my wrist. As a quick aside, while boutique brands largely made their market by offering genuine enthusiast products at a price and speed that was commonly not possible for larger brands, the whole scope of these brands has continued pushing evolution within the category. One of the core value statements comes from the consideration of many small elements, which are often ignored by larger brands. This could be as simple as drilled lugs or single-sided screws for the bracelet but has grown to include quick-release bracelets, tool-less micro adjust, and special coatings like Cerakote.
While these design elements are not unheard of by many brands, the Trailtrekker checks the boxes while also still costing less than you’d pay for a bracelet for many luxury steel sports watches. Sure, these elements may not matter or even register on the radar for the average watch buyer. But for the qualified enthusiast – i.e., you, me, and our (mostly online) friends – these small elements can have a big effect as we weigh one watch against another. The details matter, and I love that the microbrand/boutique space continues to offer value without nickel-and-diming us out of the features that make the watches easier to live with. Aside over www.highluxurystore.ru.

On-wrist, the Nodus Trailtrekker lives up to its proportions with a relatively lightweight experience that offers a specific, pseudo-tactical experience that contrasts the matte finish with a legible dial set with Nodus text, the Raven logo, and a see-it-from-space oversized orange-yellow GMT hand that reaches all the way to the edge of the dial with a distinctive shape hallmarked by its chopped tip. With large applied markers and matching brushed-finish hands, the lume on the Trailtrekker uses Super-LumiNova BGW9 that glows a strong blueish hue in low light. The framed date at six takes the place of the marker and uses a black-on-white date wheel for an easy-reading effect.

Sized for my 7-inch wrist, the Trailtrekker weighs 140 grams and is quite comfortable, especially thanks to the NodeX micro-adjust system. The flat links and short lugs ensure that the watch maintains an even balance. The contrast between the 12-hour and 24-hour handset aids in further simplicity when it comes to reading either of the displayed time zones. Included with the watch is a second strap option, an olive green NATO-style strap made from a ballistic fabric. I’ve been up and down most of the NATO-like options on the market and haven’t come across something all that similar. It’s soft and pliable while feeling nicely made, casual, and quite comfortable. A nice addition to a complete bit of kit from Nodus and Raven.

Ultimately, and not unlike my experience with the Lorier mentioned above, I have very few complaints when it comes to the Trailtrekker. Yes, I would have personally opted for a less Rolex-inspired bezel design, but I also think the watch eschews that connection with its dial design and the fully grey coloring, which also helps to build a bit of distance from another similar watch – the Tudor Black Bay Pro (which is also a watch inspired by the Explorer II). That said, with a list price of $875, it is really the end of the world if the Trailtrekker bears some bezel-related resemblance to a Rolex? Or a Tudor meant to invoke the same (or at least similar) Rolex? As always, it’s up to you to vote with your wallet, but despite being an owner of a 16570 Explorer II, the similar bezel didn’t manage to bother me all that much, especially in person www.highluxurystore.ru.

Also, let’s not forget that the Nodus offers double the water resistance of the Rolex and matches that of the Tudor while being nearly 3mm thinner – for $875. And that’s not a short-term preorder price, as the Trailtrekker is not a limited edition. It launched today and goes on sale via Nodus on March 15th at 9 AM PST. As is common for boutique watches these days, production is planned in batches, and that’s largely an acceptable way of doing such things as long as the communication is clear with prospective buyers. As a modern interpretation of the boutique watch scene spurred onward by the availability of a novel movement, the Trailtrekker is an effective platform for the talents and perspectives of the teams at Nodus and Raven www.highluxurystore.ru.

As literal enthusiast product – the watch equivalent of preaching to a very specific choir – the Trailtrekker appeals to the type that likes sports watches with good specs, meaningful details, travel-ready functionality, and a price point that hinges on solid value for the asking price. Is it for everyone? No, but that’s the fun of the enthusiast’s choice. In this case, I’m certainly among the choir, and I’m sure many of you are as well.

A Cadre Of Swiss Industry Veterans For A New Independent

The watch world is small enough – and the concept of a “secret” is often so loosely followed… that you probably already know some of this story. But as of today – March 11th – we finally get to see the first watch from a new United States-based independent brand called Fleming, the “Series 1 Launch Edition.” The time-only dress watch, made with Swiss partners, is the first in a line of three watches already in various stages of planning from the brand. And while you might not know the name “Fleming,” you may know some of the people behind this new brand. The Fleming Series 1 comes from the mind of young American founder Thomas Fleming, a collector who began dreaming of founding his own brand during the pandemic. To make that dream a reality, Fleming enlisted the help of some of the greats of the Swiss watch industry. He also connected with James Kong, better known by his Instagram handle @waitlisted, who left an 11-year career as a corporate attorney in New York to join Fleming as its COO and art director at the start of 2023. “It’s a project that comes down to passion,” Fleming says. “There are very few brands in the last 50 years that have started and survived more than a few years at any real big scale, so to take something on like this, you have to have a passion for it. And when it came down to it, I thought that because of my passion for watches, it’d be fun to make my own watch. But I also wanted to make sure I thought I had unique concepts for watches and an approach to watchmaking and creating a brand that would be different from anything else out there.” www.highluxurystore.ru

Full disclosure: Kong has worked for Hodinkee as a freelance photographer and is a friend who I met at several New York watch events long before I joined Hodinkee. I connected with Fleming similarly over Instagram, and we started chatting a few years ago. But since day one, I’ve told both that any possible coverage of this launch would be solely predicated on them making a product worth talking about. I certainly think they’ve delivered. The Fleming Series 1 Launch Edition is what I’d consider a perfectly sized modern dress watch. The watch measures 38.5mm wide by 9mm thick (one millimeter of that coming from the dome crystal) with 46.5mm lug-to-lug length and cases made in three materials. Thomas Fleming dialed in the proportions by 3D printing “hundreds of cases” and wore them around to get the dimensions right. The midcase has three parts: brushed top and bottom surfaces, a polished case band, and a skeletonized opening in a horn-shaped lug. The watches will come in tantalum (25 pieces), rose gold (seven numbered pieces), and platinum (nine numbered pieces), with pricing ranging from CHF 45,500 to CHF 51,500. Inside the case is the Caliber FM-01, developed by renowned independent watchmaker Jean-François Mojon and his team at Chronode. The movement features traditional hand-finishing and semi-skeletonized bridges and barrels, allowing you to see how much wind has been given to the two barrels that impart a seven-day power reserve (there’s also a power reserve indicator on the back side of the movement) www.highluxurystore.ru.

The inclusion of Mojon is a real boon for the project – his work is (somewhat quietly, compared to his impact) legendary. From the movements for the MB&F LM01 and MB&F LM02 with Kari Voutilainen to the Harry Winston Opus X, Hermès’ L’Heure de la Lune, Czapek’s Quai des Bergues – the list goes on and on. A similar benefit to the project is the hand-decorated dials made at Comblémine, owned by master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. The skills of the team there are apparent. The rose gold watch (made in seven numbered pieces) has a mix of hand-hammering on the inner dial and running seconds subdial and a hand-guillochéd outer ring. The platinum model’s dial is solely done in hand-turned guilloché. Finally, the tantalum model will have a dial with a mix of frosted platinum and dark blue aventurine. In addition to those suppliers, the brand gets additional parts from TMH SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds and works with Neodesis in Le Locle on the design. Efetor in Bassecourt, Switzerland, tackled the cases, including those in tantalum. Because of the skeletonized lugs, Fleming told me that no other casemaker thought a tantalum case would be possible.

Finally, and as a comforting bonus from a new brand, Fleming partnered with an insurance provider for one year of complimentary coverage activated at the time of sale with no enrollment or approval needed by the buyer. If the watch sounds more familiar than something made by people you follow on Instagram, there’s a reason. Fleming came out of nowhere last year when three-time Grand Slam finalist – and avid watch enthusiast – Casper Ruud basically “hard launched” the brand at Roland Garros in June 2023. It was a bold move, both for Fleming and Ruud. For Fleming, it was a gamble to speak (even in broad terms) about a brand that didn’t even technically exist and to do so before any guarantees the watch wouldn’t get stuck in the mire of production and parts delays that often hit even major brands – issues that did push back the brand’s official launch by months. The announcement elicited press coverage in the tennis world and a massive response on Instagram, as Rudd shared a post with Fleming with nearly 28,000 likes. It was likely a shock for people following tennis (and Ruud). When Fleming began their collaboration with Ruud in 2023, he was the number two-ranked men’s tennis player in the world, fresh off a season where he made the Grand Slam finals and was the ATP Finals’ runner-up. Undoubtedly, this drew the attention of watch brands who would have happily sponsored him for a chance to show up on his wrist, which would have arguably been the smart choice for Ruud. Instead, Ruud decided to join Fleming before a complete prototype of a single watch even existed and he took a stake in the brand www.highluxurystore.ru.

“We had nothing,” Fleming told me about when he approached Ruud. “All I had were really crude renderings I made myself. But I had to try. One of the first times I remember seeing a watch and paying attention was when I was a kid. I was a huge Rafa [Rafael Nadal] fan, and I saw his Richard Mille and thought it was crazy. The price, sure, but the idea of making a lightweight and advanced watch but with generally already existing technology. As a big tennis and golf fan, I thought, that’s something that I’d like to do too and I started thinking about people I’d love to have as a partner in a dream situation.”

“I tracked both sports and when someone came up that might be a good fit, I took note,” he continued. “You look at what Rolex has done in terms of partnerships, and it’s great. They align themselves with people who lead to a lot of stories behind their watches. I immediately saw Casper as the perfect partner, and since I’m half Norwegian, I really wanted to work with him. But then he started winning a lot, and I figured he’d eventually find a partner, so it was now or never. I sent an email to a contact page on his website so that I couldn’t say I didn’t try. Eventually I heard back from his manager, spoke with him and his family, learned that he’s a watch lover, and that’s how it all started.”

Fleming is also developing, for Ruud, a watch called the “Series 1 Ghost,” an ultra-lightweight version of the Series 1, with some “aesthetic twists” that will keep the general elegance of the Series 1 while being unobtrusive and wearable on the court. That watch will serve as a basic sketch of what the brand hopes to create with the Series 3, a highly shock-resistant and lightweight technical model. It’s a move that makes sense as we’ve seen Rafael Nadal sport a Richard Mille for some time, and recently, De Bethune has gotten into the tennis arena by sponsoring Tommy Paul and Jessica Pegula. In the meantime, work on the Series 2 is well underway. While the Series 1 was always planned as a classic dress watch, the Series 2 will be an integrated-bracelet sports watch from Fleming, designed in collaboration with Emmanuel Gueit. For those who can’t place the name, Gueit was the genius behind the (at the time controversial) Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore design, so it seems the plans are in good hands. As for the Series 1 Launch Edition, the prices are as follows: CHF 45,500 for the tantalum model; CHF 48,500 for the rose gold; and CHF 51,500 for the platinum. The brand anticipates producing around five to 10 pieces per month, with the first deliveries planned for April. At this time, all sales are being done direct, with buyers given 14 days to secure their piece with a 25% deposit and the remaining balance due pre-delivery www.highluxurystore.ru.

If I’m being critical, entering the market at this price point could be challenging. Price is an interesting topic for independents; many upstart independents make very little (if any) profit as they try to get started and entice customers, then raise prices later. Another factor is that, over the last few years, suppliers have seen a massive uptick in demand, which has meant rising prices and, therefore, rising costs for brands that aren’t always passed along to the customers. You could argue that Simon Brette’s Chronomètre Artisans set the bar for independents in this price range last year, providing more value in design and finishing than you often see around $50,000. Fleming is certainly no stranger to that watch – Kong himself was one of the people to support Brette early on by committing to a souscription piece. But Brette’s wait list has stretched to the unobtainable lengths we see with watchmakers like Rexhep Rexhepi, Roger Smith, or Kari Voutilainen. His prices have also nearly doubled for his precious metal watches. Fleming has said that while they’ve sunk a lot of money into design and R&D on things like their cases, this is the price you can expect from them long term – no “surprise” increases will come if the watch is a success.

Sure, $50,000 is a lot of money no matter which way you slice it, but by choosing to focus their first watch around the FM-01 movement, plus the high-end finishing and dial work of Comblémine, the brand brings something different to the table instead of going directly head-to-head with the options already on the market. The choice to use so many notable names in the industry should do a lot to comfort buyers on the fence as well.

After hearing about the project for more than two years, I’ve been very anxious to see the final product in person. Despite a level of anticipation that can often lead to disappointment, the watch exceeded my expectations. From the front, the materials and textures on the dial, mixed with a more modern case shape, provide a combination that you don’t really see on other independents. Of the two versions I saw (the tantalum was unfortunately tied up in Switzerland), the rose gold model is far and away my favorite; the dial matched the case wonderfully. In some ways, it’s classic yet eye-catching; in other ways, it’s modern yet not over-the-top. The watch reminds me a little bit of Kari Voutilainen’s 28Sport (not surprising, given where the dials are made) but dressed up a bit with the high-polish applied indices and lack of lume and with a more refined case shape. The skeletonized spider lugs not only are a nice design element but elegantly integrate into the midcase. With many independents, you’ll see movement designs done in ways that allow certain finishing styles to reign supreme. Some brands skeletonize their movements to the extreme to show off anglage as an added value to outsourced movements. Other brands will design their movements in-house and have nice full surfaces for Côtes de Genève with deep angles on the side (I’m thinking of the Chronomètre Contemporain here). With Fleming’s Series 1, you can immediately see that the double barrel design limits their ability to take either path. While the FM-01 movement doesn’t have the deepest anglage, it strikes a nice balance of hand finishing with technical watchmaking with an aesthetically interesting and relatively modern design. Finally, for some inexplicable reason, the Series 1 is one of the most comfortable-wearing watches I can remember recently. Maybe it’s the way the slightly longer lug length balances out the 38.5mm case. My only hope is that the Series 1 may eventually be made in a more affordable case material (like stainless steel or, in the case of the forthcoming Ghost, I’d guess we’d see titanium), which could be the key to Fleming unlocking a wider audience (like myself) www.highluxurystore.ru.

In that vein, Fleming shared a few other future projects they have planned at varying price points, things that – if they come to fruition – should result in a well-rounded brand with offerings for a large number of buyers. But until then, I can’t fault Fleming for taking the path they’ve done from the beginning; if you’re going to make your dream watch, dream big.

Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hours Sakura And Astronaut

Finally, Louis Vuitton released a pair of new Tambour Jumping Hours watches: Sakura and Astronaut. In a bit of myth-making, Louis Vuitton says that Vivienne, a character created by the brand in 2017, is now its “mascot.” So for this pair of new Tambour jumping hours pieces, it’s put the mascot in two playful motifs. The first, “Sakura,” takes inspiration from the Japanese cherry blossoms, infusing the dial with flowers, monograms, and a pink mother-of-pearl dial. The second, “Astronaut,” sends little Viv to space, a blue MoP aventurine dial with some planets, and diamonds dutifully in orbit https://www.highluxurystore.ru/.
In both, Vivienne sits inside a diamond-set white gold case measuring 38mm. It’s powered by the caliber LV 180, an automatic double aperture jumping hour developed and assembled by LFdT. The pair of jumping hours watches combines LV’s expertise in crafts and high watchmaking to create something that’s impressively LV.
The Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hours Sakura and Astronaut measures 38 x 12.2mm. The white gold case is diamond set, and in total but watches have more than 3.8 carats of brilliant cut diamonds and another rose cut diamond https://www.highluxurystore.ru/

Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding 43mm With Rubber Bezel, Ref. 15605SK

I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Royal Oak Offshore, probably because I didn’t come up in the era where they were “hot.” The Offshore Diver in “khaki” was one of the few exceptions. Funny enough, they brought this new 43mm Offshore out on a tray to tease me, and maybe that did a little extra to convince me, but this new Offshore with a rubber bezel is kind of cool. The 43mm by 14.4mm case is a bit big, and since it’s not a diver, the watch only has 100m of water resistance. But making it a non-diver, non-chronograph ROO makes it kind of uncommon. The smoked blue dial has the new generation Méga Tapisserie pattern, rhodium-toned gold applied hour-markers, Royal Oak hands with luminescent material, and a blue inner bezel (which does not rotate since, again, it’s not the diver). The exterior rubber blue bezel is reminiscent of the Royal Oak Offshore Rubberclad ref. 25940 launched in 2002, the first watch to use rubber anywhere but the bracelet, and it’s fun to see it come back http://www.chrono4usale.com/.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding 43mm with Rubber Bezel, Ref. 15605SK; 43mm diameter by 14.4mm thick stainless steel case, with 100m water resistance. Smoked blue dial with new generation Méga Tapisserie pattern, rhodium-toned gold applied hour-markers, and Royal Oak hands with luminescent material, blue inner bezel. Hours, minutes, center seconds, date. Self-winding Calibre 4302 running at 4Hz and 70 hours of power reserve. Interchangeable blue rubber strap and stainless steel AP pin buckle. Additional interchangeable black rubber strap http://www.chrono4usale.com/

A Rare Vintage Heuer Carrera With Racing Provenance

The link between Heuer and racing is about as strong as ordering a whiskey neat.

I grew up in Indianapolis going to the Indy 500, where a TAG Heuer logo atop the Speedway’s Pagoda casts a shadow over the track. But there’s a rare vintage Carrera coming to auction that reiterates the connection more than any childhood nostalgia: a rare Heuer Carrera 3647 with a Sunray DX logo that tells another chapter of this connection is part of Sotheby’s Fine Watches sale this month.

The Carrera comes from the original owner, Gary Goss. Gary joined the Sunray DX racing team in 1967, just as the team hit its stride thanks to Chevrolet dealer and car tuner Don Yenko, who was known for making Chevys go faster. Just 21, Gary became the racing team’s hauler and a pilot, getting the Sunray DX team and its cars wherever they needed to go across the country.
At the end of the ’67 racing season, the team manager gave Gary and a few other team members a Heuer Carrera with the red, white, and blue Sunray DX logo printed at 6 o’clock. According to Jeff Stein of On The Dash, it came with the words, “You earned it.”

“Probably only 12 of these watches were made, and Goss was standing there when they were handing them out to the other team members too,” Jeff Stein of On The Dash told me. Stein published the full story of the Corvette, Sunray DX, and the Carrera on his site – I recommend giving it a read https://www.highluxurystore.ru/.
Stein said that this Sunray DX Carrera really represents an important time for Chevy, when “Sunray DX and Yenko finally succeeded in building the ultimate performance Corvette that could finally take on the Shelby Cobra.”

By the mid-1960s, oil company Sunray DX sponsored a number of regional races and teams. But in 1967 it went all in, funding a full-time racing program. Its first car purchase? A Corvette from Yenko Chevrolet, and Don Yenko became the team’s lead driver. And not just any Corvette: the first one with a super-charged L-88 engine.

While Chevy introduced the Corvette in 1953, it fell behind Ford in performance in 1962, when Carroll Shelby created the Cobra, putting a Ford V8 engine in a sports car.
By 1967, Chevrolet finally had its response: the L-88 Corvette, a thinly veiled race car designed to go fast. Don Yenko secured the first production model just weeks before the 12 Hours of Sebring, one leg of the “triple crown” of endurance racing, along with Le Mans and Daytona. Yenko would go on to win his class at Sebring, which would become the beginning of a hugely successful racing run for the Sunray DX team.

The peak came at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1968, when Yenko, along with the other two L-88 Sunray DX Corvettes pulled even to take a steep bank side-by-side.
As for Gary Goss, after his short stint as a pilot and hauler with Sunray DX, he moved to Florida where he had a long career in law enforcement with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. In addition to being a police officer, he logged more than 8,000 hours as a pilot. Most of the time, the Sunray DX Carrera he received in the summer of 1967 was on his wrist. As you can see, it’s on a Seiko bracelet, which I absolutely love https://www.highluxurystore.ru/.

As we covered in our Carrera Reference Points, there are a number of different racing- and car-related logos that can be found on Carreras over the years.

“To me, the great thing about the [Sunray DX Carrera] is that it’s connected to an important car – a fantastic looking logo and car – and it’s straight from the original owner,” Stein said. He said it ranks right near the top in terms of logo-dial Carreras. “I’d rather have a racing watch like this than a dealer watch,” he added.

“The movie was Ford vs. Ferrari, but growing up in the U.S. in the ‘60s, my friends didn’t pay much attention to Ferrari,” Stein said. “If you were turning 16, you were either a Ford or a Chevy guy.”

And this Sunray DX Carrera tells the story of the L-88 Corvette, the watch that finally let Chevy take on, and beat, Ford and Carroll Shelby.

The Braun BN0279 Center Seconds And Braun BN0279 Sub-Seconds

Maybe you’ve heard of Braun for its reputation as the playground of “the Designer’s Designer,” Dieter Rams. Maybe you have one of their modern electric razors lying at home in your bathroom drawer. Or maybe you have only the vaguest sense of the brand. Whatever the case, Braun’s industrial design legacy has touched your life just the same. If you need some enlightening, the iPhone in your pocket might be a good place to start. While the sleek lines, minimalistic industrial color palettes, and function-forward modern elements have become ubiquitous features of the objects we interact with daily, it was Braun’s holistic vision that would launch these aesthetic principles into the forefront of the public consciousness, beginning a movement that is nothing short of revolutionary.
While Braun introduced several alarm clocks beginning in the ’70s, wrist-sized timekeeping, especially analog wristwatches, would make their debut much later – which is where the story of our latest Limited Edition collaboration truly begins. After a duo of round and square digital watch designs released by Braun in the ’80s, it would be one of Dieter Rams’ pupils – an industrial designer named Dietrich Lubs – who would come to define the guiding aesthetic principles of a truly “Braun-worthy” analog wrist watch. As the story goes, a young Lubs was horrified at the cheap, Japanese-made wristwatches that were being handed out to returning clients as a token of thanks. After making his rage at these flimsy watches clear to his mentor, Rams encouraged him to right this injustice by making a wristwatch worthy of bearing the Braun name.

Determined to create a watch that was boiled down to its most essential elements, Lubs would go on to create the first Braun wristwatch in 1989 – the AW10. Designed to be as functional as possible, the AW10 was a simple and streamlined time-only design, complete with Braun’s signature bright yellow seconds hand and typeface. The numeral-free AW50 would follow shortly after in 1991, introducing a date window flanked by a red chevron detail, known as the chevron, for enhanced legibility and functionality.
Drawing inspiration from these original wristwatch designs from the brand’s heritage vault, we are thrilled to introduce you to our first collaboration with Braun: the BN0279 Center Seconds and BN0279 Sub-Seconds Limited Editions For Hodinkee. In a run of only 100 units each, these time-and-date models infuse Braun’s quintessential mid-century modern design language with a contemporary touch, opting for a 40mm case and a Swiss-made mechanical movement, a first for Braun watches.

While the 40mm sizing of the bead-blasted, stainless steel case feels particularly contemporary, the connection between both the AW10 and AW50 is apparent at a glance. This is felt most obviously in the presence of the clarifying red chevron by the date window at three o’clock and the yellow seconds hand, which has been a Braun signature since its 1975 alarm clock days. Trimmed down only to the essentials, you won’t find any numerals to disrupt the visual harmony of the dial – the time is indicated with just a slim, lume-filled set of hands and the white minutes track that encircles the dial’s perimeter. Additionally, we worked with Braun on a unique-to-us, bead-blasted case, which is more rugged than the finish you would normally find in watchmaking, ultimately leading to incredible visual interest under a loupe.

At twelve o’clock, Braun fans will be pleased to find the brand’s iconic logo has been printed plainly in black with its signature oversized “A” character on full display. To set these two apart, you’ll see that we outfit one model with a black center seconds hand and yellow tip, and the other with a yellow-handed sub-seconds register at 6 o’clock.
Founded in Frankfurt in 1921 by German mechanic and engineer Max Braun, the cornerstone of the Braun company’s legacy is its unwavering commitment to innovative solutions, impeccable quality, and convention-defying ideas. After a string of early successes, Braun reached prominence in 1932 by distinguishing itself as one of the first manufacturers to produce a device that successfully combined a radio and record player in one unit. After Max Braun’s unexpected death in 1951, his two sons – Artur and Erwin – took over the management of both the company and its legacy, pushing the Braun brand to new heights https://www.highluxurystore.ru/.

Acutely aware of the changing tastes and ideals of the time, the Braun brothers moved toward incorporating the aesthetics of modern design and the Bauhaus movement into their consumer product repertoire. This unconventional and tradition-defying approach founded on function-first design would go on to become the calling card of the Braun brand identity. In 1955, the public would finally encounter this revolutionary design-first process. This culminated at the brand’s 1955 Radio Exhibition, in which Braun showcased its new line of radio players made to feel right at home, displaying their new aesthetics of modern architecture in an exhibition booth that was as austere and minimal as the product itself.

In a time before industrial designer was even an official job title, thanks to its groundbreaking emphasis on interdepartmental collaboration, Braun cultivated a unique environment for interdisciplinary thinkers, creators, and makers to come together to create consumer products that placed the aesthetic experience at the forefront of the design process – thus transforming the everyday into the extraordinary. Today, Braun’s stylistic influence on the world of industrial design is just as strong as it ever was – directly impacting the aesthetic approach of contemporary world-class companies, including Apple.
The Braun BN0279 Center Seconds and Braun BN0279 Sub-Seconds Limited Editions For Hodinkee are available now in the Hodinkee Shop for $950, while supplies last. Each watch comes with complimentary domestic and discounted worldwide shipping. Combining a Swiss mechanical movement and a distinctive bead-blasted case with classic Braun wristwatch elements, we pay honor to one of the design world’s most revered brands with a few Hodinkee flourishes.

Ochs Und Junior Perpetual Calendar and Habring² Chrono Felix Perpetual

My favorite perpetual calendar of all time is the Ochs und Junior Perpetual Calendar. Yes, I might be a little biased because I own one. But in a sea of watches where complexity in parts and execution is celebrated, I love that the ochs und junior Perpetual Calendar exists to act as a (often polarizing) celebration of minimalism. In an infinitely customizable array of bespoke finishes, the dial eschews numerals and hands for dots and disks. Instead of a complex movement of 300+ parts, founder Ludwig Oechslin’s perpetual calendar complication comprises only 9 additional parts on top of a time-only Ulysse Nardin caliber. Most importantly, the perpetual calendar complication is completely forward and backward adjustable through the crown and the watch is water resistant to 100m, making it one of the most everyday-wearable perpetual calendars on the market.

If you’re unfamiliar with Ochs und Junior and Ludwig Oechslin’s design philosophy for the brand, I highly recommend reading his thoughts on date displays. You will see how his dots and circles language is an attempt to fix the “problem” with date windows as an indication. In personal experience, I’ve found the display on my perpetual calendar extremely intuitive, easy to read, and extremely discreet to outsiders since there’s no endless sea of text on the dial to account for the information the complication conveys https://www.highluxurystore.ru.

I also have to admit that I love the watch also because of the community around it. There have been plenty of die-hard Ochs und Junior fans I’ve met over Instagram who love to share their enthusiasm for the brand, and the entire creation process of my watch was also a sentimental one, getting to configure mine in their Lucerne HQ back in 2019 with co-founder and then-CEO Beat Weinmann. It’s definitely a very niche product within an already specific complication, but this leap year, I know exactly what watch is going to be on my wrist.
I’ll never understand why there is not more love for Habring². The brand is a different kind of independent. In a watch landscape where the majority of celebrated independents are heralded for producing watches “like they used to” with old-world craftsmanship at the forefront of brand identity, Habring² has a different idea of what it means to be an indy. Where your typical independent will draw on ideas like vintage Patek, Breguet, or pre-1900s escapement technologies, Richard and Maria Habring have roots on the more industrialized side of the watch world. And that shows. The brand hand-crafts a watch with a unique, very Austrian, eye for utility.

Maybe that is hard to wrap your head around but it differentiates the brand in an increasingly crowded space. Yes, many of their movements share an architecture with the Valjoux 7750 (or 7760). Some may snub their nose here but I implore those to see a Habring movement in the metal – this is not Valjoux quality or finishing. In fact, as of 2017, Habring² no longer uses a single part from Swatch Group, all components are either made in-house or sourced locally.

Now for the Chrono Felix Perpetual. In my eyes, this is the best watch yet from the brand. Previous criticism of Habring² offerings often centered around case size and thickness, this was first addressed in 2014 with the time-only Felix and culminates here in a 38.5mm x 13mm perpetual calendar chronograph. Those stats should jump off the page especially considering the last Habring² complication at this level, the Perpetual-Doppel, clocked in at 43mm x 12mm.

I’m in love with this watch. From the no-nonsense case with stepped bezel to the expertly proportioned dial design with eight uninterrupted Breguet numeral hour markers and an overall unfussy feel, the Chrono Felix Perpetual is everything I want in a perpetual calendar chronograph. I’ll be watching closely for future dial options, I just don’t love, love salmon dials, sorry https://www.highluxurystore.ru

Four Of Our Favorite Takes On Heritage Reissues

Last week was big for G-SHOCK and Casio fans with several new releases from the brands, including a new Mudman collab with the Toyota Land Cruiser, new environmentally friendly editions of the GA2100, a mesmerizing new Oceanus Manta, as well as a vintage gold edition of Casio’s ultimate geek-chic accessory.

On the pre-owned side of things, this OMEGA Speedmaster perfectly toes the line between classic and avant-garde. If you’re ready to jump on the small watch train, we have this Tudor Sub, which is a 36mm version of the model featured in last week’s edition of “How To Wear It.”
Four Of Our Favorite Takes On Heritage Reissues
Hello, and Happy President’s Day to all our stateside readers out there. I hope you have been blessed with a break from the regularly scheduled work-day tedium for the next 24 hours. While this holiday is largely looked forward to as a bit of time to relax and possibly enjoy a sale or two, it is also one that, could be argued, is one of historical significance. If you’re catching my drift here, you would agree that it just might be a good excuse to dive into some modern interpretations of historically significant watches.

There is no shortage of heritage reissues within the watchmaking world, and there are just about as many ways to be successful in this overly saturated market as there are opportunities to go wrong. For my entertainment as much as yours, I have selected four heritage-inspired pieces that lean very much into decidedly quirky territory, and all have their unique way of carving out their means of success within the abyss of vintage remakes.
As you might have picked up on already, I am in the habit of beginning my musings with the piece that fascinates me the most, and Vulcain’s 2022 revival of its chirping Cricket series continues to be unequivocally one of my favorite modern remakes of vintage pieces released in the last few years. Do yourself a favor and take a minute to peruse some of the ads for the original models now – there’s a poetry about them all that is sadly missing from today’s advertising strategies.

The lasting charm of Vulcain’s Cricket, aside from its status as the original chirping alarm watch, is largely thanks to the strength of its origin story. Confronted with the technological problem of crafting an alarm complication that was both slim enough to fit within the small case of a wristwatch and loud enough to wake a deep sleeper, engineers at Vulcain were stumped on this feat for over two years. As fate would have it, a walk through the Swiss countryside would lead to a new source of inspiration for the engineers as the loud cries of crickets rose through the tall grass. This realization of the humble cricket’s power – its ability to create lots of noise despite its small stature – led to an unexpected breakthrough in invention, and thus, the Vulcain Cricket was born. Now, that’s the kind of vivid storytelling that just tugs at your imagination, huh? I will say I’m not the only one who gets a bit wistful when the subject of the Cricket is brought up – feel free to refer back to this article we ran in 2021 if you’d like.
While it will come as no surprise that the Salmon Dial limited edition asserted itself as the immediate victor of my heart when this line was revived, it has since sold out, so I will be directing my attention now toward another worthy contender, the Cricket Classique in black. This piece retains the endearing qualities of its vintage predecessor’s design and functionality – including the chirping alarm mechanism, of course – but adds contemporary upgrades where it counts. Seen here in the slightly larger 39mm variant, this modern sizing option makes for a unique blending of the classic aesthetic elements, namely the art deco sector dial and formal case design.
Other than its relation to one of the most influential automatic chronograph movements of all time, the Zenith El Primero, my fascination with this revival is its steadfast commitment to the bit. In the case of the Revival El Primero A385, Zenith embarks on a strict pursuit of verisimilitude to the original 1969 design. For my own silly fun, I spent quite some time clicking back and forth in quick succession between the reissue model and this 1970s vintage A385 we have in the Shop to spot how they align and diverge.
Upon first glance, the vintage and the Zenith Revival El Primero A385 are nearly identical – the largest point of difference is that the modern interpretation has an effect of upping the contrast of all the individual elements and functions on the dial, and to my eye, comes off as a touch more legible. The visually striking fumé style dial remains, as well as the tonneau case, 37mm sizing, and the El Primero movement within. All details considered, this watch is unwavering in its dedication to the spirit of the original, but its subtle upgrades bring it up to speed for the watch wearer of today.
While we’re more accustomed to seeing revivals from Rado that are eccentric, often to the extreme (like the retro-futuristic DiaStar), there is something that’s grown on me about this reissue that doesn’t immediately clamor for the spotlight. My courtship with Golden Horse 1957 has admittedly been something of a slow burn.

A modern reimaging of the first wristwatch that made Rado, well, Rado, the Golden Horse 1957 is a faithful interpretation of the original vintage model. While its classic and formal mid-century style isn’t an immediate shock to the system upon first glance, like quite a few other designs in the brand’s vault, its strength is in the execution of the details. The vibrancy of the green fumé-style dial is just killer, and it demands to be subjected to various angles of light to achieve its full effect.
All of the stainless steel components on this piece are meticulously polished and gleaming – which makes the “beads of rice” style bracelet and the true-to-vintage 37mm case just killer. If you’re looking for something a bit more subdued and classic yet interesting enough to invite a closer inspection, the Golden Horse 1957 is a piece that flies under the radar and is about due for its shot in the limelight.
Closing out this roundup with the most quirky reinterpretation of a heritage reissue, I will leave you with the limited edition variation of the Mido Decompression World Timer.
With this 2023 release, Mido captured the spirit of its iconic rainbow-dialed 1960s diver and reimagined it in a new sunset orange color palette. In addition to its aesthetic revamp, the brand also sprinkled in GMT functionality to really up the ante. Of course, the Decompression World Timer maintains the inner decompression scale of its namesake and has added a World Cities scale on the bezel that helps appeal to frequent travelers – making it a multi-functional, thoroughly modern tool watch with just enough mid-century appeal to connect it back to its vintage predecessor. Despite the additional functionality, this piece sports very wearable 38mm sizing and has a robust power reserve of 80 hours. Not too shabby http://www.chrono4usale.com.

Zenith teams up with Aaron Rodgers to launch new Chronomaster Sport

Zenith has partnered with brand ambassador and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers to launch the first Chronomaster Sport limited edition watch.
Functionality is the same as the standard model, but it introduces the first green dial and ceramic bezel to the series.
It was also the first watch to use Arabic numerals on the dial.

For better or worse, the Zenith Chronomaster Sport has been compared to the Rolex Daytona since its launch. Considering the respect in which the king was held, this was by no means a dishonorable thing to do. Whether it’s ceramic or steel bezels, the watch world finds itself with modern and neo-retro models alike. Of course, those in the know know the connection between Zenith and Rolex, which has used Zenith’s legendary El Primero movement to power the Daytona for years. Currently, the Chronomaster Sport stands out technically with its high-beat movement, whose central chronograph seconds hand rotates a full revolution every ten seconds and is accurate to a tenth of a second. So, all the noise aside, they are equally striking chronographs with unique characteristics. Today, however, Zenith has irrefutably done something their rival chronographs have never done before and launched the first-ever Chronomaster Sport limited edition. To pay homage to its brand ambassador, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Zenith cheap has launched the Chronomaster Sport Aaron Rodgers Limited Edition with a green dial and green ceramic bezel – something we’ve always wanted but never had. Never owned a Hulk chronograph, until now.

The Chronomaster Sport Aaron Rodgers is limited to 250 pieces and has the same dimensions and features as the standard production model. The difference, of course, is the green ceramic bezel and dial, which many will associate with Rodgers’ current NFL team, the New York Jets. For those unfamiliar with American football, the New York Jets home jersey is green with white accents. Before joining the Jets this year, Rodgers spent the first 17 years of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers, whose home uniforms also feature green. The Jets simply complemented the green with white, while the Packers used yellow and white accents on their green home jerseys. I point this out because the green on this watch is instantly clear and there is a white to gray spectrum of white SuperLuminova and tri-color register.

Look closely and you’ll notice that the tips of the chronograph hands are a Packers-style yellow. coincide? I’m just being cheeky here because there’s no official statement from Zenith about how they arrived at the color combinations, but when you think about it, having a green background means you have to tilt the chronograph hands to the correct color for legibility. Go through them in your mind. Red is too Christmassy, orange is a bit vomit-inducing, white is too uniform, and black or blue is a bit hard to tell. Ultimately, yellow has the loudest pop of color and, in my opinion, complements the dial beautifully. Especially given its (un)conscious, subtle symbolism. BTW – I have to give Zenith props for perfectly matching the color of the date window to the dial. Many brands gloss over this detail, but Zenith took its time to get it right. https://www.proreviewwatch.co

Another first for the Chronomaster Sport is the use of Arabic numerals for the hour markers rather than a full set of baton numerals. The use of numbers is meant to be reminiscent of the numbers on the front and back of NFL jerseys. On the back, the El Primero 3600 is displayed beneath a sapphire crystal. The crystal also features a commemorative etching of Aaron Rodgers’ personal “AR” logo, slightly blocking the view of the movement below.

As an American, I’m biased against Aaron Rodgers’ popularity. Domestically, he certainly has influence. From an international perspective, I can’t say for sure. Watch fans, Jets fans, Packers fans or Aaron Rodgers fans will all be interested in this version, but in the context of the broader watch community who are less familiar with Rodgers or the NFL, I predict this Chronomaster Sport Sales will be quite fast due to its green dial and green ceramic bezel. Not only was green the recently certified color of the year, but executed in this manner, it offers watch collectors a brief opportunity to own a Hulk colorway chronograph that is a heavyweight in the category. replica watches for sale

Zenith Chronomaster Sport Aaron Rodgers
Brand Zenith
Model Chronomaster Sport Aaron Rodgers Limited Edition
Housing dimensions 41mm (D) x 13.8mm (L) x 47mm (L)
Case material stainless steel
Water resistance 100 meters
Dial green three color counter
Crystal Sapphire crystal front and back
Strap: stainless steel bracelet, folding clasp
Mobile El Primero 3600, Manufacture, Automatic, Column Wheel Chronograph
Power reserve 60 hours
Functions hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph