Geneva Watch Days happens this week and there are plenty of releases on the horizon! There is certainly a buzz around the industry.

I am not headed to Geneva Watch Days this year, so I’ll armchair quarterback this one. But I will be getting input from friends on the ground in Geneva and hearing what they think is deserving of the title best in show.

Welcome to The Weekly!

What Happened

MB&F x Maison Alcée Nostromo

MB&F partnered with clock-kit maker Maison Alcée to deliver what is essentially LEGO for watch nerds in the form of the Nostromo clock kit. Designed by Maximilian Maertens, and inspired by H.R. Giger, the clock is delivered in a beautiful presentation box with tools and everything you need to build it yourself. The catch? You have to assemble it. It’s a wonderful extension of MB&F’s horological madness, turning the owner into part of the clockmaking process. Nostromo is limited to 50 kits, and already sold out. Congratulations to those who secured an allocation. I look forward to a lot of home-built horology in the near future.

MING 57.05 Comet

MING gets out ahead of the GWD buzz with the 57.05 Comet, a worldtimer featuring a patent-pending mechanism that allows for daylight savings time adjustment directly on the bezel. There is a distinctly vintage vibe to the 57.05 Comet, and I am intrigued to see it on the wrist. The dimensions suggest it will wear slightly larger than most of MING’s lineup, and the photos suggest the bezel is more substantial. These are the type of concerns that often disappear once the watch is on your wrist. The watch was offered on a strap or on the Polymesh bracelet, and all 200 pieces have already been allocated.

What Caught My Attention

Desiderata Pen Company

The Desiderata Pen Company Soubriquet has been my go-to fountain pen for the last 5 years. It offers a delightful writing experience, holds enough ink for a long day of writing, and is wildly comfortable in the hand. Most importantly, mine has aged beautifully — that is to say, not at all. The nib has broken in to exactly the pace and firmness with which I write, and I love the feeling of collecting my thoughts with this pen in hand. The feeds are all machined by hand, offering the craft experience I write about, but I appreciate just how functional it is while appreciating the mechanical simplicity of the fountain pen at the same time.

Visual Notes

One Thing Worth Reading

One thing worth reading this week is from Monocle: As AI reshapes the job market, a new trove of apprenticeships is in demand by Adrian Kai Fraile Itagaki, Desiree Bandli, and Alexandra Aldea.

Coming Next

I promised the third installment of the Language of Craft series and I simply haven’t got it nailed down yet. I will be back next week with my favorite objects from Geneva Watch Days and Part III of The Language of Craft.

On the final day of filming Seeking Perfect, I was struggling to put into words what I had learned.

We were recording voiceover takes to use as narration throughout the film, and I couldn’t quite articulate what I had experienced during my time with Denis Flageollet. I thought I had spent the last week making a film about watches.

I often think of the many watchmakers and craftspeople I have visited, and in particular Denis Flageollet of De Bethune.

Denis cares deeply about the watches he creates, finding inspiration in nature, the cosmos, and his daily life. His personal workshop is located a short walk from the main De Bethune atelier, and while he creates for De Bethune in his atelier, the space is unmistakably Denis’.

When you step inside, the workshop is filled with objects Denis has made because the commercially available options were disappointing. There are axes he has made for felling trees, with handles turned on the lathe in his workshop because the original “wasn’t functional.” There are knives made from old chainsaw blades and wood from barrels or trees felled near his house.

Everywhere you look there is evidence of someone constantly solving problems.

And yet, behind this extraordinary ability to seemingly teach himself any skill and craft any object he needs is a man who is late for a film shoot because he is helping his neighbors move their cows from one pasture to another.

Denis doesn’t rush because someone else has a schedule. He welcomes you with quiet generosity and a shy willingness to share some of what he knows. And if he really likes you, he might make you a fondue.

He’s unfailingly human.

Standing in his workshop looking at the objects and beauty Denis has created in the world, you cannot help but be moved by his creativity and his insistence on making things a little better than he found them. And that’s what I had been struggling to articulate.

I thought we had spent the week filming beautiful watches. I realized we had spent the last week filming the human being who made them.

I came into the project with a love and admiration of the watches. I left with a love of the human who made them.

That realization has shaped almost everything I’ve written since.

For years, I thought what fascinated me was the product: the watch, the knife, the object. But the more workshops I visited, the more I realized the object was simply the entry point.

What fascinated me were the people. The years spent developing skills most of us will never possess. The willingness to understand and care about details most will never notice.

Denis is proof that craft is the tangible result of sustained human care.

We’re back! This week has been slightly busier, and we are starting to see the announcements come ahead of Geneva Watch Days. The show runs September 2-6, so I assume this will be a big week for new releases.

On a more somber note, Jean Kazés, the Bulgarian-born Swiss watchmaker, passed away at the age of 96. He worked in his shop until his very last days. His work adorns both the entry way of Patek Phillippe and the MB&F Madhouse.

This is a great loss for watchmaking. His clocks were truly singular in their beauty. Rest in peace.

While the watch world may have lost one of Switzerland’s most interesting clockmakers, there are sure to be some rising stars at Geneva Watch Days. I am excited to see what brands bring to the show and what surprises are in store.

Welcome to The Weekly!

What Happened

Czapek Promenade Transparence Bleu

Czapek dropped a new version of its Promenade line with blue sapphire gradient dial, and it gives off serious Greubel Forsey vibes. I love the blue transparency, but I, like seemingly everyone else in the industry, am a sucker for a blue dial.

Powered by Czapek’s SXH5 micro-rotor movement, the watch is limited to 38 pieces and priced at $40,300 USD.

What Caught My Attention

Patagonia Black Hole Duffle

Traveling is often inconvenient, but that is precisely why we do it. When we are out of our comfort zone and in a new place, we often learn more than we would have had we stayed at home.

Traveling with children probably teaches you even more — and requires a lot of stuff.

On recent family trips, we have used the Patagonia Black Hole duffels, and they have been absolutely perfect for throwing in everything we need and still having room to spare.

Visual Notes

One Thing Worth Reading

One thing worth reading this week is the Financial Times Long Read, The Threats to ‘Swiss Made’. The piece interrogates what “Swiss Made” actually means, and the rising value of the Swiss Franc, and the difficult task of keeping manufacturing economically viable inside of Switzerland. It’s an interesting look at a manufacturing culture defined by quality and precision, and the pressures involved in continuing to make things there.

Coming Next

This week I am taking a longer look at craft, Denis Flageollet, and what I learned about craft from making Seeking Perfect.

Welcome to the newly refreshed The Weekly!

For the 25th edition, it felt like the right time for a change.

What began as Last Week in Watches has slowly become something broader. There will still be watches (probably plenty of them), but increasingly I find myself interested in the larger ecosystem around watches: craft, people making interesting things, what I am reading and listening to, and the objects, ideas, and stories that catch my attention.

Over time, I realized my work was never really just about watches. It is about craft, humanity, and care.

So, welcome to The Weekly!

What Happened

Berneron Teases Mirage Miroir

Berneron has teased its first integrated bracelet watch, the Mirage Miroir, in both white gold and yellow gold. I love the openwork architecture and the way the integrated bracelet continues the lines of the case. We’ll have to wait until Geneva Watch Days to see more, but it is spec’d on the Berneron website. This watch certainly has my attention.

What Caught My Attention

The Spybrary

Last week, and in previous editions, I’ve hinted at my love for the James Bond franchise. My love for espionage stories extends well beyond Bond: history, fiction, biographies, and the fact-is-stranger-than-fiction stories that is seems no novelist could invent. The Spybrary has become an invaluable resource for finding new books on the subject, especially when I am looking for a book to take on holiday. If spy stories are your thing, it is worth a visit.

Visual Notes

One Thing Worth Reading

One thing worth reading this week is Wesley Verhoeve’s You Have to Hold It Before You Can Fix It.

Wesley writes about the process of making a photobook, specifically taking his prints and assembling a physical dummy book to work through sequencing: Does the story make sense? How do the images work to tell the story? Does the book actually work when you hold it in your hands?

I never really considered working this way with photos, but I love the idea of making physical prints and laying them out in front of you. It’s useful advice for making a phonebook from a trip, a photojournalism project, but I think the idea works across domains. I did something similar when I wrote 32 Regrets. For most of us, I think the advice becomes take images from your summer holiday, print the images, lay them out, and see what story emerges. Sometimes you just have to hold something before you can understand it.

Process ☼ On Photography, by Wesley Verhoeve

255 ☼ You Have to Hold It Before You Can Fix It

Dear friends…

Read more

25 days ago · 34 likes · 12 comments

Coming Next

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about craft, and more importantly what we actually mean when we use the word craft.

Rather than settle for a definition, this week I laid out the qualities that make something feel crafted. Part II, coming this week, seeks to build on that and illustrate the story of craft.

I also want to thank a reader who sent me the following quote from Richard Sennett’s The Craftsman. I think it gets at the heart of what I have attempted to articulate in my new series The Language of Craft:

"Craftsmanship names an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake. Craftsmanship cuts a far wider swath than skilled manual labor; it serves the computer programmer, the doctor, and the artist; parenting improves when it is practiced as a skilled craft, as does citizenship."

In all my visits to workshops, I never truly had the words to define craft.

I knew craft when I saw it, I could explain to others why a product mattered, but I never had a framework to describe craft, or help others understand it. Writing and filming Seeking Perfect about Denis Flageollet actually became the tipping point for me in wanting to understand craft: why do I care so much about it? Why should others care? What is it about a craft product that makes it different to something available off the shelf? And why does craft matter?

After listening to James Eden defend craft on Monocle’s The Globalist1 podcast, I finally had a framework for how to view craft. Now, I could explain it beyond knowing it when I saw it.

What is Craft?

Today it feels like every brand is obsessed with craft, authenticity, and heritage. More often than not, it feels like brands are borrowing the language of craft to lend credence to their selling price without actually engaging in the arduous work of craft.

A craft product is simply the result of an obsession with quality. I would argue that most craftspeople began with disappointment and opportunity. They see a product that could be better and then dedicate themselves to improving it. Like so many other entrepreneurs, craftspeople aren’t trying to make something new, so much as they are trying to improve the experience of a product.

That pursuit of a better product never ends. Finding the right material, improving construction, modifying a pattern are all part of the continuous refinement. The craftsperson is never satisfied because they believe their work can always be a little bit better.

That is why craft objects feel different the moment you pick them up. You inherently know they are special. Every minute detail, no matter how insignificant we may think it is, has been considered.

Craft isn’t about price. It’s about intentionality. Not every expensive good is a craft good, and the inverse is also true. Price may reflect craft, but it does not define it.

As James Eden points out during his interview: “doing anything badly is very, very easy. Doing things on the cheap is very, very easy. Doing things properly, craftsmanship, is complicated and costly.”

Craft isn’t efficient. It demands experimentation, failure, and revision. It’s about years spent on a problem that few notice.

Craft is the pursuit of excellence and perfection, even if unattainable. Mechanical watches are a fantastic example of this: a mechanical watch may never be as accurate as our smartphones, or as accurate as an atomic clock. But the pursuit of chronometric perfection is what drives watchmakers forward, even with the knowledge that they may never attain the same level of accuracy. Many invest years in watchmaking school and then work for other brands before striking out on their own to create something new that solves the problem with which they are obsessed.

Art is for the Artist

It is said that art is for the artist and a product is made for an audience. Craft falls somewhere in the middle of these ideals. It’s made for the creator, to answer to a problem, but it is also for their audience, for their consumers and collectors who appreciate their specific niche of products.

Perhaps that is why the workshops of craftspeople feel so magical — they are the physical embodiment of that pursuit of perfection, obsession with quality, and passion for making something that will outlast the maker.

A craft product is the tangible result of sustained human care.

It is one human’s quest to solve a problem that bothered them. The craftsperson is part engineer, part artist, and part historian, blending all three effortlessly. The finished object is the evidence they leave behind.

James Eden eloquently defended his products in closing with “I’m not interested in competing on price. We compete on authenticity, provenance, and ultimately quality.” And that is exactly where craft products live. They are the embodiment of human care, development of materials and techniques over time, and an obsession with quality.

What object in your life has taught you the most about craftsmanship?

It’s officially gone quiet in the watch industry. For now, I’m enjoying the reprieve from new releases and making the most of summer before schools reopen and cooler mornings signal the changing of the seasons.

Let’s get into it.

Industry Watch: What’s New

MING 37.06 Royal Selangor

The MING 37.06 Royal Selangor has officially sold out. That didn’t take very long. It just goes to show what happens when a collaboration between craftspeople who genuinely care about their products comes to fruition. Well done, all.

What I’m Loving

Packing Lists

I am not headed anywhere in the near-term, but I have long been obsessed with packing lists — what well-dressed friends and writers take on a holiday, how they pack, and how they think about packing. I have taken long-term inspiration from Nish de Gruiter’s interview on Hodinkee Radio and his thoughtfully curated packing list.

I recently stumbled across a James Bond themed packing list on Instagram. I have to admit I am a sucker for anything related to the James Bond franchise, and I loved this packing list from the James Bond Dossier.

It’s really more about the romantic idea of traveling rather than the packing lists themselves. My feed is currently full of photos from Lake Como, the Riviera, Bali, and beaches across the globe. We might not dress quite the same here on the shores of Lake Michigan, but I’m enjoying summer by the water while dreaming of far-flung adventures yet to come.

Visual Notes

In Case You Missed It

Last week I published a single Last Week in Watches.

Coming This Week

This week: The Language of Craft.

I have been refocusing on craft, and, more importantly, what craft actually entails. Rather than settle for a simple definition, I have been working to illustrate it. That has taken a little longer than expected — perhaps nothing could be more fitting for an essay on craftsmanship.

It’s another quiet week in the world of watches.

With Geneva Watch days now just a month away, anticipation is building. Friends in Switzerland are heading out on holiday, enjoying the last of summer before school begins and we settle back into a familiar seasonal rhythm.

There is something fitting about the industry slowing down for a few weeks. Watches are objects that are meant to accompany our daily lives, and August feels like a good time to step away from the constant industry news cycle, and pay attention to whatever watch is on your wrist.

Let’s get into it

Industry Watch: What’s New

MING 37.06 Royal Selangor

Partnering with Malaysian pewter maker Royal Selangor, a firm with over a century of experience in the craft, MING presents a titanium cased 37.06 with a Royal Selangor hammered pewter dial. The watch is even delivered in a hammered pewter presentation box.

It’s a beautiful sight to behold. This collaboration feels thoughtful and connected to brand, location, and heritage all at once. I wish more brands could find and deliver on collaborations like this. Congrats to the teams at MING and Royal Selangor — very well done.

Limited to 88 pieces and available starting August 6th for CHF 5,000.

What I’m Loving

Monocle Globalist Interview with James Eden of Private White V.C.

This interview began with a simple question: “Why is the British Prime Minister wearing an £80 t-shirt?” and developed into a beautiful defense of craft.

James Eden, CEO of Private White V.C., doesn’t just explain why craft matters, but how to recognize it. I suspect anyone who is fascinated by handmade and craft objects will enjoy this discussion as much as I did.

Visual Notes

In Case You Missed It

Last week I published a single Last Week in Watches.I have an essay on craft coming this week, it simply took longer to finish than expected.

I’ve also had a number of people ask when my thoughts on Rolex were coming. The honest answer is I am still thinking through them.

What I thought would be a straightforward essay turned out to be a far more complicated subject. I keep returning to something my friend and former colleague, Josh Srolovitz, Director of Trading at the 1916 Company, said of Rolex:

Looking back through time Rolex is really one of, if not the first brand, to understand the importance of product placement. Having their watches on the wrists of those who changed the course of history, or impacted the world in a significant way, world leaders, celebrities, athletes, and musicians alike. Every year during the watch shows in present day Rolex never does anything crazy. They stand firm on their path to perfection and do nothing to jeopardize that. Their stability in both design and presence in my mind makes them the glue that holds the watch industry together. They don’t try to be anything that they are not. On a daily basis I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by the most beautiful and rare watches despite that I still get excited by Rolex’s everyday. It may be the product of brilliant marketing, but that doesn’t mean that it is not a brilliant product.

Thank you for your patience.

Coming This Week

This week: Thoughts on craft, maybe Rolex, and maybe something else. The editorial calendar is still a pretty fluid concept over here, but the focus on craft remains clear.

Another quiet week in the world of watches.

My heart goes out to everyone in France and Spain battling wildfires. We’ve had more than enough across the United States, here in Chicago we were just inundated with smoke from the Canadian wildfires. I don’t envy anyone having to be closer to those fires.

It’s been a slow week across the industry, and I expect that trend to continue until the last week of August, when brands begin unveiling launches ahead of Geneva Watch Days to get out ahead of the media frenzy.

I am enjoying this slower pace. I don’t think watches were ever really meant to be the spectator sport that we’ve turned them into. Quiet weeks like this remind me that the point isn’t to chase new releases, rather it is to enjoy the watches we already own and let them quietly accompany us on life’s adventures.

August will be spent with fewer hours behind the keyboard and more hours out in the world working on some deeper projects and thinking carefully about what comes next.

Let’s get into it

Industry Watch: What’s New

H. Moser Endeavour Minute Repeater Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Cosmic Rain

While Moser is not new to the world of the minute repeating tourbillon, this new variant is visually striking. The domed dial is covered in two types of aventurine glass and fired multiple times to create Moser’s signature fumé effect. Thin strips of mother of pearl are added to evoke shooting stars across the night sky. The result is a beautiful dial on an already dramatic watch. Limited to 20 pieces, and available for CHF 378,350.

What I’m Loving

Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks

I have used these notebooks since 2016. I have a whole collection of them filled with ideas, meeting notes, mind maps, product ideas, and writing projects all dating back nearly a decade. I love the softcover version, they fit into any bag and serve as my journal, notebook, and landing pad for any idea before it finds a permanent home.

The only downside is when I finish one, the notebook requires an audit to ensure article ideas and half-formed thoughts don’t get left behind.

Kodak Gold 200 Film

I have overlook Kodak Gold 200 for the past few years, dismissing it as a film not meant for professionals. Boy was I wrong.

I have shot several roles this summer and I now understand why people love it. It seems to have a magical way to capture summer exactly as a I remember it. It is warm without being overly nostalgic, and seems to require a little less effort to get “right” after scanning. I think Gold is quickly becoming my default film for summer.

The Albion Cycling YouTube Channel

While working on Seeking Perfect, Rapha and Albion were constant creative references. I have loved cycling since a young age, and although my relationship with the sport comes and goes, I never tire of beautifully made cycling films.

Albion’s videos capture something beyond bicycles. They convey adventure, self-reliance, the ability to overcome challenges, and the joy of spending a long day outside. Every time I watch one, I want to kit up, leave my phone in my pocket, and disappear for a hundred miles.

Perfect viewing for a rainy summer afternoon, or a winter day spent grinding it out on the indoor trainer.

Visual Notes

In Case You Missed It

Last week I published a single Last Week in Watches.

Two weeks ago I published The Watches Haven’t Changed, But I Have.

If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ve probably noticed this publication beginning to evolve. Watches remain a lens through which I explore craftsmanship, but they are no longer the destination.

More and more, I find myself drawn to the people who make thoughtful, beautiful things, the creative process behind them, and the pursuit of a meaningful life built around craft rather than consumption.

I hope you’ll come along for the journey.

Coming This Week

This week: why nearly every new collector thinks they need a Rolex and why I think everyone should question that instinct.

Well, this might officially become a bi-weekly note on watches, travel, tools, craft, and living well.

Summer has settled over the watch industry. Brands have gone quiet, collectors are traveling, and the pace has slowed before Geneva Watch Days arrives in September. Rather than spend every week talking about watches, this feels like the right moment to actually wear them. Or better yet, leave them at home and forget about time entirely while you’re away.

So, what’s on tap for your summer?

We’ve still got plenty of summer ahead of us, and I’m always curious where everyone is headed. As for me, I’m looking forward to staying close to home, enjoying the long evenings, and saving my travel for when the air turns crisp and the days are noticeably shorter.

Let’s get into it

Industry Watch: What’s New

Krayon Parhelion

Krayon has taken its Anywhere watch, covered it with 159 baguette-cut sapphires, and paired them with a mother-of-pearl dial to create the radiant Parhelion. The bezel transitions from white sapphires at 12 o’clock to deep blue sapphires at 6, creating a gradient that evokes sunrise and sunset.

I will be the first to admit that gem-set watches don’t do much for me, but this one is spectacular. Now part of Krayon’s regular production, the Parhelion is available for CHF 430,000.

Anoma A1 Prehistoric

The Anoma A1 Prehistoric feels like the love child of a Cartier Crash and an Urwerk UR-101 T-Rex. Priced at £2,900, it’s powered by a Sellita movement, but that’s not the point. The story is in the case. Each one is hand-chiseled by French engraver Steven Brunel, who spends roughly five hours engraving every case and buckle.

It might not be an independent watch from the mind of a single creator, but it certainly feels like it has a story to tell. Learn more.

What I’m Loving

Daniel Milnor’s Thoughts on Film Photography

I’ve followed Daniel Milnor’s YouTube channel for the past few years after a recommendation from a friend on one of our weekly coffee rides (thanks, Daniel).

I don’t always agree with him, but I almost always leave thinking differently than when I arrived.

His recent videos arguing that film photography can hold photographers back are well worth watching. These days I shoot instant film, 35mm film, and digital cameras interchangeably. I don’t think one medium is inherently better than another, I simply reach for whatever camera I happened to grab on my way out the door.

Part I: Film is Holding You Back

Part II: Film Follow Up

Tour de France

Bicycles, espresso machines, watches, cutting-edge technology, spectacular crashes, crushing defeats, and glorious victories. What’s not to love?

It’s been another fantastic Tour, and watches seem to be becoming a larger part of the pro peloton every year. I especially enjoy seeing Tudor’s investment in professional cycling through the Tudor Pro Cycling Team. The pursuit of the smallest margins, whether it’s time gains, or just a little space in the group sprint, feels spiritually aligned to the watch industry, inching ever closer to mechanical perfection. Perfection is impossible, but the pursuit is what keeps up coming back.

Visual Notes

In Case You Missed It

Last week I published The Watches Haven’t Changed, But I Have.

If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ve probably noticed this publication beginning to evolve. Watches remain a lens through which I explore craftsmanship, but they are no longer the destination.

More and more, I find myself drawn to the people who make thoughtful, beautiful things, the creative process behind them, and the pursuit of a meaningful life built around craft rather than consumption.

I hope you’ll come along for the journey.

Coming This Week

This week: why nearly every new collector thinks they need a Rolex and why that instinct might be worth questioning.

Stay Connected

If you enjoyed this week’s edition, forward it to someone who appreciates thoughtful objects and well-told stories. Word of mouth remains the best way this publication grows.

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Thanks, as always, for reading. I appreciate every one of you who believes there are still great stories hiding beneath the surface, wherever craftsmanship and curiosity collide.

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I fell in love with watches when I was six years old. I remember seeing my father standing outside amongst his colleagues. They all wore some variation of the same boring uniform: oxford button down shirt, khakis, brown loafers, and a gold watch of some description. It was all rather unremarkable.

Then one of his contemporaries showed up wearing a dive watch with a yellow dial on a yellow rubber strap. That watch spoke to me. It was different. Long before I understood that watches could do more than tell time, I understood that watches could be a form of self-expression.

From that moment on, I was hooked.

Every once in a while, scrolling Instagram leads to an interesting thought, even though I try to do less and less scrolling. GQ recently posted an excerpt from an interview with actor Daniel Dae Kim about watch collecting that caught my attention.

The quote wasn’t necessarily profound or a particularly unique perspective on collecting. What struck me was that I could see almost every stage of my collecting journey and subsequent journey into the watch industry reflected back at me. Not just as a collector or writer or filmmaker, but as someone who took a passion for watches and built a career around that passion.

From my “yellow dive watch moment” forward, I dragged my parents into every store that had watches in the window. It didn’t matter if it was a Timex display in the local hardware store, trekking watches at REI, or a high-end watch shop. I wasn’t shopping, I just wanted to appreciate these mechanical marvels that fascinated me.

After university, working alongside another watch enthusiast the bug truly bit. As work wound down each afternoon we’d read Hodinkee and Uncrate together, discussing new releases, arguing over design, and talking about what we thought was cool.

I will never forget opening Uncrate one day as the hours grew late at my desk to see the MB&F x Felix Baumgartner collaboration C3H5N3O9 “Nitroglycerin Watch.” That watch blew my mind. My concept of watches changed in an instant.

Who would make such a watch? Who would buy and wear such a watch? What kind of madness was I looking at? I realized there was a world of watches that I knew nothing about - I didn’t know the makers, the collectors, and the world in which these watches lived. But I wanted to.

At the same time, a bygone era of watches captivated my imagination. Vintage watches with their lived-in patina, a reminder that the watch had a life before you. Vintage Rolex and Omega references spoke to me. Their lived- in aesthetic gave the watches soul. I loved that feeling and the feeling that your watch could tell a story about you when you entered a room before even saying a word.

I began buying pre-owned watches, and then trading them out for something new after I lost interest in the watch of the moment. Every watch taught me a lesson, they were part of my tuition in acquiring knowledge and developing my own taste.

As I experimented with more and different watches, those relationships with dealers turned into event invites. I met other collectors who seemed to have everything, who had a collecting ethos, who seemed to have a plan, compared to my hodgepodge way of buying/selling/trading.

Something shifted within me as I attended these events. I wanted to be like the “serious” collectors I was spending time with. I wanted a collection, a group of watches that made sense for me, with an ethos and a story behind every watch. I wanted to be like those seasoned collectors, to get a call from my AD offering me something new, or being in on a watch at launch.

Independent watchmaking lured me in. I wanted to be relevant to a maker. I wanted to know their name and work, and for them to know my name. I wanted proximity to the makers who created things no other brand could. That’s what I wanted: to be an insider. I wanted to support artisans and craft.

The realization hit when I started a new sales role. I wasn’t feeling fulfilled, I was making deals and closing sales, but I wanted to work on something that felt creatively fulfilling and deeply meaningful. Something that brought knowledge to others and shared my enthusiasm for watches. There was a longing to take this passion for watches and horology and the stories of brands, and turn it into a career.

I wanted to enter the industry. I wanted to be seen, no longer as a collector, but as a story teller extolling the virtues of watches, of craft, of these amazing and emotional products that defy any logic and rational need. I wanted to share this curiosity and passion with others, I wanted to help others see what I saw in the watch industry.

That love of independent watchmaking, and the makers behind the watches, made me want to evangelize the craft. To write about, photograph, and film watches. To share them and to share the message of craft with the rest of the collector community.

It began in earnest writing contributed articles. And slowly, that practice built, until I was writing before and after work, early in the morning, and late into the evening. In equal measure I told stories about brands that I loved, and brands and watches I didn’t. I wrote weekly columns, interviews with collectors, and produced the documentary Seeking Perfect: The Art of Watchmaking, taking an intimate look at the life and work of Denis Flageollet of De Bethune. I felt awestruck when we wrapped the film — we had told so much of the story, but there was still so much more to tell. So many insights hidden in the atelier, so many details, so many projects in progress in Denis’ workshop, it felt like just the beginning.

I knew there were deeper stories to be told.

Collectors and brands knew who I was from writing and films, rather than from Instagram. They knew the type of work I created and I got to work my craft alongside some of my favorite makers. My curiosity and my passion took me on an incredible journey through the watch industry - from collecting, to stories, to creating for brands. For a while, it was everything I hoped for.

Somewhere along the way I found it increasingly difficult to remain curious about watches and passionate about all sectors of the market. At Geneva Watch Days 2025 I realized I was both an industry insider, and still an outsider. I had spent years working with brands and moving closer to the industry, closer to independent watchmakers, closer to collectors, and closer to this dream of storytelling.

On day two of Geneva Watch Days I was finished early when a sudden downpour had me trapped inside the Hôtel Beau Rivage. I couldn’t wait to escape. At that moment I realized I didn’t care about any of the new releases, this was commercial, transactional. I wanted stories with meaning and staying power. But I dutifully went to brands I had meetings scheduled with for the next day and asked to meet early. I met with three more brands and decided to put on my raincoat and walk to dinner.

As I walked across the Pont du Mont-Blanc in the pouring rain, I realized proximity isn’t the same thing as wonder. I was an industry insider, but just maybe I was also still an outsider.

As I flew home from Geneva, I was thinking about the concepts of awe, wonder, and joy. Somewhere along the way these mechanical marvels began to feel ordinary. The desire to discover new makers and wanting to learn about them quieted. I began to dread product launches because I didn’t want to have to make another appointment at a watch fair to cover another novelty or release.

In reading Daniel Dae Kim’s quote, I suddenly realized I have lived every stage of collecting he is describing. Somewhere along the line my identity as a collector became inseparable from my work. I realized that the watches hadn’t changed.

But I had.

These days I’ve come full circle. I was a collector, I was known to ADs and brands, and I was an industry voice on independent watchmaking.

Now, I am back to being a collector who is buying for the story, for the love of the watch, and with a view of someone who's been at every level of the industry: neophyte, hanger on, collector, industry insider, and now I am back to simply being a collector. I couldn’t be happier.

As I read this quote and think about watches with stories, I am reminded of my undying love of the Rolex GMT-Master. At certain points I have thought about having a GMT-Master only collection — curating interesting references and watches I love. Not for anyone else appreciation, simply because it is a watch and a reference I love.

The evolution of the GMT-Master over time is evident, something like a Leica M camera or a Porsche 911. A design language that has by and large remained the same, but has subtle differences over time. There is lineage, heritage, and craft all baked in. These watches, like the 911 and the Leica M, keep telling the same story generation after generation. They are simple, dual-time tool watches that were built for a purpose and can still be used for the same purpose today, and that is design that endures.

Part of losing the awe in watchmaking came as the watches I wrote about and spoke about became more complex. I missed the simplicity of a watch that will just work, tell you the time elegantly, and be present on your wrist, a constant companion through life. I realized I wasn’t looking to tell complex stories, rather I was searching for objects that would become companions for life, and then tell stories of how collectors live with these objects in the real world.

What I’ve been trying to discover isn’t the next watch that will fetch millions of dollars at auction. I’m not chasing relevance, but I am still chasing better stories. Stories about people, collectors and craftspeople, stories about objects that carry something of the people who made them, and something of the people who wore them.

For years I’ve been chasing an ideal that I think six-year old me understood intrinsically. The joy was never belonging in or to the watch industry. It’s simply falling in love with your version of the yellow dive watch.

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It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Vacation season has arrived, people are headed to the beach or pool, and there is no shortage of live sport to watch.

The watch industry is entering the annual lull. Brands are catching their breath before Geneva Watch Days, GPHG, and the fall auction season.

It feels like the right time to take a break. Europe is sweltering through a heat wave, the Tour de France in full swing, Wimbledon has begun, and Switzerland faces Colombia in the round of 16 at the World Cup tomorrow. Switzerland’s last appearance in the round of 16 came in 1954. it would be great to see them advance to the quarterfinals.

Without further rambling, let’s get into it.

Industry Watch: What’s New

Marteau & Co.

Marteau & Co. celebrates its first anniversary as an auction house. As the first auction house dedicated to independent watchmaking, and the first auction house to give back via their Maker’s Fee, Marteau has hosted three online auctions, selling 86 watches, for a total of CHF 9.85 million.

Three auctions in their first year is an impressive an achievement.

I also appreciate Marteau’s transparency. Some makers have chosen not to accept their Maker’s Fee, and Marteau is working alongside those makers to find a use for the funds to support the future of independent watchmaking.

Congratulations to Arthur and Leonard the best, and hopefully I can convince them to conduct an interview here.

Breguet 225th Anniversary Tradition Launch

A fellow collector sent me Breguet’s announcement of the new Tradition models, including the Classique Tourbillon 7357, an homage to the original Daniel Roth-designed 3350. The updated Calibre 558 is well executed and the connection to the history and lineage of the 3350 is maintained.

My hesitation is not with the watch — I would love to own one, maybe even alongside a 3350. My hesitation is with Breguet in today’s market. With so many extraordinary independent watchmakers producing amazing work with a proven market behind them, and vintage 3350s still available for a fraction of the price, I struggle to understand the value proposition.

Given the opportunity to be Breguet CEO for a day, I would go the opposite direction. I would dramatically reduce production. I would dramatically reduce references. I would build a collection around a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar, a moonphase, and perhaps a pocket watch. I would only make 200 watches annually and chase excellence across every department.

Breguet already has the history and the name. It does not need more references. It needs focus. If Breguet did that, I could see spending this type of cash for one of their watches.

What I’m Loving

Byzantium Review Robert Spangle Interview

I have interviewed Robert here before, yet for as much as we have spoken, I tremendously enjoyed reading his interview with Bunny Hanley in the Byzantium Review. Robert shared stories I’d never heard before, and the interview offered a deeper glimpse into both how he works and why he does it. It left me ready to go pitch a whole bunch of projects I have been thinking about.

Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing by Robert Caro

At the recommendation of a friend, I picked up Working, Robert Caro’s memoir about his writing and research process. It’s a compilation of essays that have been published, stories never fully told, and Caro’s insights into the process of his work. It was incredible to hear him explain the research, developing stories, and how deeply he researches and the lengths he goes to for each book.

I finished the book and took a few minutes just sit with what I had just learned. I found the entire book inspiring, and combined with the Byzantium Review interview, it’s hard to not feel inspired.

Visual Notes

In Case You Missed It

Nothing new from last week.

I am working on getting back into a consistent rhythm here, just as the rest of the industry heads off on holiday.

Coming This Week

This week I am taking a look at a quote about watch collecting that made me stop scrolling. It made me think about my own collecting journey, where I’ve been, and where I might be heading next.

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The New York and Marteau & Co’s The Heat Wave are in the rearview mirror. They left me with more questions than answers. Given what happened at Phillips, are we now living in a world where every Voutilainen is a million dollar watch?

I had hoped to get this email out sooner, but sometimes life has other plans.

The last few weeks have brought plenty of industry news, and there is certainly more on the horizon. Two dates worth putting on the calendar now are Geneva Watch Days confirmed for September 2-6, 2026, and Watches & Wonders returns April 5-11, 2027.

In the last few weeks the industry has lost two remarkable figures.

Nigel Cabourn wasn’t a watchmaker, but few designers have collaborated on watches that standout in my mind, and few designers embody craft quite like Nigel did. Cabourbn’s fascination with vintage clothing, his obsession with uncompromising standards, and his complete authenticity made him a source of inspiration. I will always love the story of his chasing down of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Everest Expedition parka in order to recreate the jacket in faithful execution to the original. The level of curiosity, a willingness to be oneself in all occasions, and respect for history is rare, and we lost something great in Nigel.

Watchmaking lost Philippe Stern, who led Patek Philippe from 1993 to 2009. Under his stewardship the company strengthened its long-term identity, opening the Patek Philippe Museum and preserving traditional crafts such as clockmaking and pocket watch production while overseeing some of the brand’s most significant modern chapters, including the Nautilus, to name just one. My thoughts are with the Stern family.

Let’s get into it.

Industry Watch: What’s New

MB&F HM12 The Guardian

What happens when a room full of horological adults with disposable income decide they want the world’s most complicated LEGO set?

You get the HM12.

Part watch, part kinetic sculpture, the (slightly late) 20th anniversary piece transforms into the head of a robot built by L’Epée. Beneath the playful exterior is a serious mechanical watch, complete with a flying tourbillon, rotating hour and minute displays, and a generous application of Super-LumiNova that comes alive under the robot’s UV torch.

One of my favorite details is the articulated “mask,” six moving panels that slide into place over the dial like Iron Man’s helmet. Flip the watch over and the caseback is unmistakably Legacy Machine, a nod to the craft and tradition of watchmaking.

The robot itself includes both a loupe and UV light, making it equal parts display piece and functional companion.

The most significant detail isn’t the watch or robot. It is that HM12 wasn’t designed by Max Büsser, rather it was designed by Maximilian Maertens. If this is any indication, the creative future of MB&F appears to be in very capable hands.

Available in three color ways (Green, Blue, and Purple) and limited to 12 pieces each. Priced at CHF 280,000

De Bethune DB25XS Sand Winds

De Bethune continues to crank out the novelties, especially in their smaller sized (perhaps more approachable is a better way to phrase it) case. The new DB25XS Sand Winds features a titanium dial decorated with the brand’s in-house “Wandering Guilloché” before being heat-treated to a warm golden hue. The result evokes wind carving patterns across desert sand: subtle, organic, and endlessly engaging.

Available as part of the permanent collection offered at CHF 70,000.

What I’m Loving

Polaroid

I’ve used Fuji’s Instax instant film, and I think its color reproduction and tones are more true to life than modern Polaroid. But there is something undeniably magical about a square photograph slowly appearing in your hand, chemically (or magically) developing just minutes after you press the shutter.

By 2008, Polaroid was on life support. All but one of its production facilities had been shuttered before the remaining factory was rescued by what became The Impossible Project. Since then, the company has reclaimed the Polaroid name and steadily rebuilt a brand centered on film, cameras, and accessories.

Today’s Polaroid isn’t simply selling film. It is selling a physical experience in an increasingly digital world.

I’ve come to appreciate the imperfections. The uneven exposures, inconsistent development, and generally finicky nature of the film can still be frustrating, but they’re also part of the charm.

Part of what is alluring about Polaroid is similar to the feeling I get with watches. There is a real, tangible photo. It’s not something that is going to sit in iCloud or on a hard drive. The finished print is right in front of me.

Polaroid leaned into this narrative, and created an ad campaign rebelling against the digitization of our entire lives. One tagline that deeply resonated with me was:

“Real Stories. Not Reels and Stories.”

That sentiment resonated deeply. This same campaign captured that energy in a quote from Patricia Varella, Brand and Creative Director at Polaroid:

“We are analog creatures, built to connect through our senses but the more we lose ourselves in digital algorithms, the more we drift away from empathy and real connection. There is something magical in a Polaroid picture. It captures the humanness in all of us, wrinkles and all, and reminds us that the best of life happens in the real, physical world.”1

I think independent watchmaking succeeds for exactly the same reason.

The watches matter, but the relationships matter more. The more time you spend with the people making them, the richer the objects become. That’s something many luxury brands seem to forget in pursuit of scale.

The world of luxury products could use more of this - more empathy, more human connection, and more genuine relationships with the people who ultimately buy and wear these products.

I’ve also been experimenting with both modern Polaroid cameras and the classic SX-70.

The SX-70 has all the charm I remember from childhood, but I still miss the manual controls of the I-2. Fortunately, several specialists are rebuilding and modifying vintage SX-70s, and I suspect that’s where my curiosity will take me next.

Longer term, I’d love to shoot 8×10 Polaroids. The combination of large-format lenses and instant film feels wonderfully irrational, and exactly the kind of rabbit hole I enjoy disappearing into.

I can’t wait to photograph watches with Polaroid’s 8x10 film.

More to come.

Visual Notes

Coming This Week

I’m still deciding exactly where this week’s writing will go.

I want to spend more time looking at the New York auction results and trying to understand what they actually tell us. I could write about the highest prices, but my lingering question feels more about the broader health of the market.

I’m also increasingly interested in the wave of newly launched independent watches. Is this another golden age of creativity, or are we approaching saturation?

Finally, I want to spend some time studying brands outside watchmaking that consistently communicate well. Or those that had an amazing approach and lost it along the way. There are lessons there from which the watch industry would benefit.

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It feels like Idea 33 has been auction-heavy lately, but that’s simply the rhythm of the watch world. The spring auction season concludes this month in New York before the circus packs up and returns to Geneva, Hong Kong, and New York again in the fall.

Auctions occupy a strange place in modern watch collecting. The industry often treats them as market-making events, but auctions shouldn’t be the ultimate determinant in market value. More often, they reveal what one person is willing to pay for a particular watch on a particular day against a particular set of competitors.

Modern watch auctions are a funny thing. Historically, auctions were reserved for the rare, the important, and the unique. Today, they increasingly serve as a venue for anything that can fill a catalog and generate commissions. The result is more inventory, but that doesn’t mean that every lot is significant.

This final stop of the spring season includes Marteau & Co.‘s latest online auction, The Heat Wave, alongside New York sales from Christie’s, Phillips, and Sotheby’s. There is a lot to like across all four catalogs, but a handful of watches stand out. More than a few were former grail watches of mine.

There is a lot of offer, but let’s remind ourselves how this is going:

• Marteau & Co’s latest online auction The Heat Wave kicks off on June 10 and runs through June 17th.

• New York Auctions

  • Christie’s Important Watches 12 June, 2026

  • Phillips: The New York Watch Auction XIV: 13 and 14 June, 2026

  • Sotheby’s Important Watches: 15 June 2026

The Heat Wave

Aptly named for rising summer temperatures in Geneva, Marteau & Co’s The Heat Wave kicked off yesterday, June 10 online and runs through June 17.

What continues to separate Marteau from nearly every other auction house is its commitment to independent watchmaking. Through its Maker’s Fee program, 3% of the hammer price is returned directly to the watchmaker, creating a model that acknowledges the creators behind the watches rather than simply the collectors trading them.

Marteau & Co’s first two auctions have highlighted some of the best of independent watchmaking, and The Heat Wave is no exception. The catalog is small at 33 lots, but it is packed with independent talent: Journe, Voutilainen, Vianney Halter, Urban Jürgensen, De Bethune, Urwerk, Romain Gauthier, Ludovic Ballouard, Pascal Coyon, Konstantin Chaykin, H. Moser, and more.

There are enough watches here to warrant a deep dive into the auction, yet there are three lots that keep pulling me back.

For me, Lot 2, The SpaceOne x Baltic Seconde Majeure “Graté” Workshop Prototype is a fantastic lot. The pre-order for the Seconde Majeur is closed, so this feels like a rare opportunity to acquire the watch, and it shows in the bidding, which as of this writing is up to CHF 24,000. Offering the prototype for sale is something unique that a lot of independent brands have the opportunity to do. Independent watchmaking thrives on process, experimentation, and iteration. Seeing a piece of that development story offered publicly feels far more interesting than another limited-edition dial. This watch has a neat way of telling time and aesthetically feels completely balanced. This preproduction prototype features the Graté dial, which is different from each of the production models.

Lot 6, The Kari Voutilainen Piece Unique Regulator Decimal Repeater is an interesting watch. I love the aesthetics of this watch. The proportions, the dial, the warmth of the 4N gold case, all of which feels unmistakably Kari.

I do have some questions about the watch, however. As a unique piece produced in 2024, the arrival of this watch at auction feels remarkably fast given Kari’s now decade long waiting list. I wonder why? More importantly, the movement originates from a Louis Elisée ébauche(read as: movement kit, like LEGO but for qualified watchmakers) rather than being fully developed in-house by Kari and his team. Kari is an incredible watchmaker, and I would feel disappointed buying a watch without a movement developed by Kari in the watch, something that I think is paramount to choosing an independent anyway.

It does make me think about what collectors are actually buying when they pursue independent watchmaking. Is it the design language? The finishing? The name? Or is it the direct expression of a watchmaker’s vision through a movement of their own creation?

Lot 18 is my favorite watch in the auction. The De Bethune x Urwerk Moon Satellite was made for Only Watch in 2019.

Great collaborations in the watch industry are rare, yet this is a shining example of what happens when a collaboration just works. The Moon satellite brings the design hallmarks from each brand to the fore. De Bethune’s signature articulating lugs, hand blued moonphase at the six o’clock position, and polished titanium case are all Denis Flageollet signatures. The satellite time telling not only makes it incredibly easy to glance at your wrist and know the time, it is the essence of Urwerk’s design language.

Neither brand overwhelms the other in this watch. Instead, it is the harmony of the strengths of each brand that create something new. The Moon Satellite is what happens when two brands with very strong deign languages work together to create something that honors their work and their design language. It’s a masterpiece in collaboration.

Marteau’s The Heat Wave runs through June 17, so take your time, watch the bidding, and jump in when the moment feels right if something catches your eye.

Christie’s Important Watches

Comprised of 140 lots, Christie’s Important Watches auction in New York takes place on June 12.

Oddly, the sale begins with a collection of F.P. Journe figurines, which feels like a perfect illustration of modern collecting’s stranger tendencies. I understand why they exist. I understand why they’ll sell. I still don’t think they belong in a sale called Important Watches.

I am drawn to Lot 40, the BVLGARI Octo Finissimo Carbon CTP Minute Repeater, because this remains one of the purest expressions of the Octo Finissimo project.

Ultra-thin, lightweight, mechanically ambitious, and visually distinctive, it demonstrates just how aggressively BVLGARI has pushed modern watchmaking over the last decade.

The 2025 edition of this watch just sold in Hong Kong for ~$78,000 USD, so I am curious what the 2019 version does. I don’t think BVLGARI receives enough recognition from the industry for these watches and just how fantastic they are. At just under 7mm, this is an incredibly wearable minute repeater, that has all the interesting angles, materials, and movement intrigue one might desire.

Lot 117, a Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium in Pink gold caught my eye because I remember seeing this watch upon its release and loved it. Still do.

The combination of the aventurine dial and the pink gold is stunning to behold. Developed with Christiaan van der Klaauw, the watch transforms the solar system into the primary display. The wearer follows the movement of planets rather than minutes. Time telling is secondary and relegated to the outer ring of the watch. Most watches place time at the center of the experience. The Planétarium does the opposite. Time becomes secondary to wonder. It’s a great reminder to slow down.

Time is indicated by a shooting star in a 24-hour format, There is also a star on the dial which indicates a specific date, and you can choose the date, something personal and meaningful to you, and the bead representing the earth will fall in the middle of that star on your chosen day, indicating time for celebration.

Phillips: The New York Watch Auction XIV

Phillips arrives in New York with 156 lots. There are, as always, a slew of heavy hitters: 17 Journes, 7 Richard Mille’s, four De Bethune’s, and four Voutilainen’s. There are a few watches to highlight here, and I love them all for various reasons.

First up on my list is Lot 56, Cartier Tank Louis Cartier x The Armoury. I love this take on the classic Tank Louis, with the three color brushed gold mosaic dial. The three-color gold mosaic dial is matched by a hand-made bracelet from Maia in Hong Kong, creating a piece that feels simultaneously vintage and contemporary. The bracelet is the brainchild of Mark Cho at The Armoury.

The match between dial and bracelet is playful and fun, yet feels like something that is too risky for Cartier.

Robin Williams was one of my favorite actors and comedians and this watch was part of his personal collection. Even without that provenance, Lot 76, the Urban Jürgensen Reference 3 Perpetual calendar feels special to me.

Executed in platinum with a Derek Pratt guilloché dial, the watch feels like it has aged beautifully and will continue to do so. It is subtle and restrained, and for me the moonphase is the main selling point, it feels like it has aged to perfection.

This watch just feels like a classic and I love the look — perhaps I am still in my old man phase of collecting, but this watch is one that feels like a fantastic representation of all that Urban Jürgensen stood for.

In spite of the hype around Journe, there was a time when this was a grail watch for me. If I’m being honest, it probably still is.

I absolutely adore Lot 79, the Journe T30 Tourbillon. The T30 represents what I love most about traditional tourbillons: elegance, restraint, and mechanical beauty.

I love the combination of pink gold and silver, and the simple beauty of the two blued screws on the dial. Flip the watch over and you are greeted with a guillochéd hunter casebook which opens to revel a tourbillon and the mirror polished inside of the hunter casebook to create mirror through which one can appreciate the beauty of the tourbillon. There are also five matching blued screws in the movement. This watch is everything I think a classic tourbillon should be — hunter caseback (with mirror polished inside, of course), beautifully simple and elegant dial, and an incredible tourbillon. One worth watching.

Another watch on my grails list, one of the first watches I got to put on and write about while working with WatchBox is Lot 106, a Richard Mille RM61-01 Yohan Blake. This watch is everything that RM stands for in my book - a purpose driven timepiece that is a racing machine for the wrist, albeit in this case a human powered racing machine, not an automobile.

Created in collaboration with Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake, the asymmetrical case and bold colors aren’t just decorative. They were functional design decisions prioritized for movement, speed, and athletic performance.

I am surprised as you are to highlight two Richard Mille’s in one auction. Of all the RM11’s made, Lot 132, RM11-05 GMT represents my favorite variant. What can I say, I am sucker for blue and orange together, and a GMT function…

Sotheby’s Important Watches

Sotheby’s closes auction season with 211 lots. I did not expect Sotheby’s to have so many picks that I wanted to highlight. This auction feels like it’s got it right, yet it still has an F.P. Journe construction helmet from the construction of the New York Boutique…Could we just all agree to call it quits on the Journe figurines and construction helmets, please?

The first trio that caught my eye was Lots 13-15. Lot 13 - F.P. Journe Vagabondage I in platinum, Lot 14 - F.P. Journe Vagabondage II in platinum, and Lot 15 - Chronomètre Bleu Byblos. I would love to see the F.P. Journe Vagabondage III in this group, too, to complete the set. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

Part of the mystique of the Vagabondage series is that Journe wouldn’t put his name on the dial side of the watch because he was worried about accuracy with the jumping mechanism, so he joked that he would only put his name on the back.

For me, the Byblos is also just the coolest version of the Chrono Bleu and is unique in the Journe lineup as it was a series of 99 watches to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the boutique in Beirut, Lebanon. The J in “Journe” on this watch is replaced with the letter in the Phoenician alphabet. Just a few cool touches that make this pieces standout. Expect serious numbers across all three watches.

Lot 16 is the Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans in rose gold. I’m less interested in the watch itself, but rather what the result might tell us. The first Simon Brette to appear at auction generated an enormous amount of excitement. This example arrives under different circumstances.

It is not a zirconium Souscription, it is not a titanium first series. As a relatively recent release, I’m curious to see where this watch lands.

Some watches stop you in your tracks. The Patek 5951-P does that for me every time. Lot 18, is a Patek Philippe 5951-P perpetual calendar, moonphase, mono pusher split seconds chronograph. The combination of a perpetual calendar, moonphase, and monopusher split-seconds chronograph is impressive enough on paper. But this watch just looks and feels elegant.

Comprised of 400+ components and just 7.3mm thick, this watch is the epitome of best in class and beauty to me. I love the tonneau case, and the mono pusher just sets it off. Apparently only 150 were made, so it is a limited edition by Patek standards.

Sometimes a watch simply reminds you why Patek Philippe earned its reputation. The 5951-P is one of those watches.

The next two lots caught my eye as I have been living in and learning about the world of vintage, and vintage Rolex in particular. It’s something I’ve spent more time on this year than expected. The deeper I go, the more I appreciate watches like these.

Lot 76 is a ref. 5510 Big Crown Submariner, which is claimed to be in like New Old Stock condition, which if true is incredible. The story of this watch is incredible from an original owner. It’s a watch with historical significance and provenance - what more could you ask for?

Lot 77 is a Rolex Ref. 5508 Small Crown Submariner, which caught my eye because I love the design of the Big Crown and Small Crown Submariners. I love the lack of crown guards, which feels like the way the watch is supposed to be. I am a sucker for the red triangle at the 12 o’clock position on the bezel.

These watches are everything I could want in a vintage Rolex. No crown guards. Red triangle on the bezel. Smaller cases. Simplicity. They don’t make ‘em like they used to.

Again, another former grail caught my eye in the form of Lot 86, the Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire in stainless steel with a sky blue Voutilainen dial. With just 188 movements made, plenty have come up for sale recently, and I want to see where the market shakes out on this watch. I have seen them hit some crazy numbers, yet I also feel like the market has cooled for these. I am curious to see where collectors ultimately settle on this piece.

I called out the RM61-01 at Phillips, so for the same reasons here at Sotheby’s I want to call out Lot 91, an RM61-01Yohan Blake. This watch is just the epitome of Richard Mille and innovation for me. Definitely a fun color scheme with a great story.

If I could choose one vintage watch from this auction Lot 198, a Patek Philippe Calatrave Ref 565 retailed by Le Palais Royal in Havana might be it. This pink gold 565 caught my eye when this watch, or its partner, was first up for sale a few years ago with Matthew Bain in Miami. I loved the watch and I loved that it was signed by a retailer in Havana. It feels like a watch that has lived a life and has stories to tell. This is one of two known pink gold 565s to bear the Le Palais Royal name on the dial. Watches like this that have lived life, feel alive, and have stories to tell are the ones I have the hardest time forgetting.

Closing Thoughts

What interests me most isn’t where these watches sell, but what the results tell us about the broader market. For the last few years, auctions have increasingly been used as a pricing mechanism rather than simply a venue for exchanging rare watches. That works as long as collectors remain confident and demand remains strong.

The question for me is what happens when it isn’t.

How much longer can this continue? It’s a question that seems to be on everyone’s mind, and it’s certainly on mine. I don’t believe the current environment lasts forever. At some point there will be a pullback. Some brands will adapt. Others won’t.

What gives me hope is that, despite the enduring hype, speculation, and noise surrounding the market, there are still extraordinary watches hitting the auction block. The watches that stayed with me weren’t necessarily the most expensive or the most hyped. They were the ones that felt alive. The Havana-signed Patek. The Urban Jürgensen. The Moon Satellite. Watches with stories to tell.

In fact, I was surprised by the watches I found myself highlighting in these sales. Maybe I’m finding my way back to watches after a somewhat rocky spring. If nothing else, these catalogs reminded me why I fell in love with collecting in the first place.

In the meantime, I hope you spend your time well and enjoy the grand finale of the spring auction season. I’ll be watching these sales live, which feels like a luxury in itself.

I’m curious: What’s catching your eye?

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Lately, I’ve found myself drawn to vintage watches.

Part of it is an appreciation for objects that have lived a life before me. They carry stories in a way that new objects simply can’t. The patina, faded colors, scratches, and signs of wear are all reminders that these watches were worn, traveled with, and depended upon. No two age exactly the same because no two lives are exactly the same.

As I’ve looked at vintage watches, I’ve realized I’m searching for something familiar: a little worn around the edges, but still going. Something that has taken a few knocks, accumulated a few stories, and kept ticking.

A friend of mine possesses an almost absurd depth of knowledge when it comes to vintage watches, and spending time with him has only accelerated my interest in the category. That influence has been especially strong when it comes to the Rolex GMT-Master, my favorite Rolex reference and, in a surprise to no one, my favorite watch, vintage or modern.

He happens to own a beautiful Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 6542 with a bakelite bezel and wears it almost daily. His enthusiasm for the watch has proven contagious. What started as an affection for the Ref. 1675 has gradually led me further down the rabbit hole to the watch that started it all: the Ref. 6542.

This isn’t so much an auction preview as it is a love letter to two specific watches appearing in Monaco Legend Group’s Exclusive Watches auction occurring tomorrow, June 4th.

As happens to all collectors, my tastes have shifted. The avant-garde still interests me, but lately I’ve found myself gravitating back toward classics: designs that have endured for decades and remain as compelling today as when they were first introduced.

For me, few watches embody that better than the Rolex GMT-Master.

I have been on the hunt for a GMT-Master with soul, something with meaning to me personally as a collector and a human. The origin story of development for pilots, the connection to international travel, and the connection to the history of watches and Rolex makes a GMT-Master feel special to me.

I’ve been searching for a GMT-Master with soul. A watch that means something. The origin story, developed for the dawn of intercontinental jet travel. The connection to exploration. The association with pilots, travelers, and an increasingly connected world. All of it makes the GMT-Master feel special.

Monaco Legend Group’s Exclusive Watches features two exceptional examples of the Ref. 6542 Rolex bakelite GMT-Master, one in yellow gold and one in stainless steel.

Lot 37 is a Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 6542 in yellow gold, which is presented with all the correct documentation. The papers date the watch to October of 1958, and this watch feels special. Not just because it takes the iconic 6542 and cases it in yellow gold, perhaps because it began to signal the luxury of intercontinental jet travel.

There’s something wonderfully extravagant about a gold GMT from the dawn of the Jet Age. It feels like a watch built for the emerging international elite, the travelers crossing oceans aboard Pan Am flights while the world became smaller by the day.

The case appears sharp and the bakelite bezel looks to have survived in incredible shape. The overall package is simply breathtaking. As my vintage-loving friend likes to say, “What are we even talking about anymore?” Exactly.

In the afternoon session, Lot 86: A Stainless Steel Tiffany Signed Ref. 6542 GMT-Master takes center stage in my book. If the gold 6542 represents luxury, this one represents pure collector fantasy. The Tiffany & Co. signature replacing the standard Rolex GMT-Master text on the dial elevates an already significant reference into something truly special. It feels like an early chapter in the story of retailer-signed dials.

This watch wears its history more visibly. The bakelite bezel shows evidence of a life well lived, and somehow that only adds to the appeal. This is the sort of watch that reminds me of why vintage collecting can be so compelling.

Has the Ref. 6542 become my watch obsession of the month? Perhaps.

But when I think about the ultimate examples of the GMT-Master Ref. 6542, these are precisely the kinds of watches that come to mind. One speaks to luxury and the romance of the Jet Age. The other embodies the cool, understated confidence that has made the GMT-Master an icon.

There’s other watches worth watching at Monaco Legend, but as I am sending this with less than 24-hours before the auction, I’ll leave it there. Happy bidding.

Auction season moved on to New York next to wrap up the spring auction season. Stay tuned for a preview of what’s coming to the auction block in New York in a few short days!

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The Hong Kong auctions mark the second stop on the spring auction circuit, we’ve already closed out the Christie’s auction and awaiting Phillips over the weekend.

• Christie’s Important Watches: Featuring “Kronos: Titans of Time”, “The Eternity” and “The Chronicle” Collections: 27 and 28 May, 2026

• Phillips The Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII: 30 and 31 May, 2026

Christie’s

Christie’s kicked off the auction week in Hong Kong with 288 lots on Wednesday, May 27th, continuing on Thursday, May 28th.

The midweek auction days might feel a little confusing, they did to me at first before I thought about it. The Christie's Hong Kong watch sale isn't a consumer event — the room is dealers, serious collectors, advisors, plus phone and online bidders coordinated by Christie's specialists across multiple time zones. For all of those people, an auction is work, so during the work week makes sense.

In the days before the Hong Kong watch auction, Christie’s had a wine sale, a handbag sale, and a jewels sale, so it was a busy week for Christie’s.

There is a tremendous amount packed into 288 lots — perhaps too much. Frankly, I struggled to find many watches I would personally chase. The first 12 lots are all from Patek, and then I feel the catalog is a little boring through the first 100 lots. Lots 2332 - 2336 represent a range of Daniel Roth’s work which is fun to see in succession. There is Patek hand crafts galore.

Personally, I was curious about Lot 2343, Naissance d’Une Montre 1 between Greubel Forsey, Philippe Dufour, and Michel Boulanger, case number 2⁄11. The number 1 watch just sold at Phillips in Geneva and I am curious how this watch does in comparison. I do find it curious that two have come to the auction block in such close succession. N° 1/11 sold for CHF 1,651,000 (USD ~$2.1M) all in, including buyers premium. I would have been surprised to see this example reach the result achieved by N°1/11, which it did not match.

There is something special about owning N°1 and not waiting for N°2. I didn’t watch the bidding on the lot at Phillips, but perhaps there is an under bidder who had their eyes set on this piece. This piece sold for roughly $1.5M USD.

Staying on the Grebuel Forsey train, I was excited about Lot 2340, a GMT Balancier Convexe with the bracelet. I love the Greubel Forsey GMT series, and the bracelet adds to the watch and makes it something special. While the GMT Sport is my favorite and most grail of watches, the GMT Balancier Convexe succeeded the GMT Sport with a slightly more restrained approach, bringing back hallmarks from the Invention Pieces. I love those callouts and they make this watch feel connected to the rest of the brands DNA, especially the hands from the Invention Pieces.

While I love this watch, it is certainly for a particular buyer. It is big, and the bracelet adds a factor to the watch that adds or detracts, depending on your point of view, and I think many see this as a detractor. This watch sold for $275,000 USD.

In the back half of the action there was a lot on offer from Audermars Piguet, Rolex, Richard Mille, and MB&F.

Phillips

Phillips once again assembled the strongest catalog of the Hong Kong season. The Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII features 296 lots spread across two days, balancing expected auction staples with genuinely special watches. Journe, Daytonas, Cartier, rare handcrafts, independents, clocks, pocket watches. Everything is in this auction.

Where Phillips wins here is in the special lots, beyond those expectations of the current market. The first lot that caught my eye is Lot 829: Audemars Piguet x Carolina Bucci Royal Oak in Black Ceramic with rainbow sapphire dial. It’s not the Carolina Bucci collab I would choose, I am certainly partial to the Florentine Finish collabs between Bucci and AP, but this one is a beautiful black ceramic with the rainbow sapphire dial. They pair beautifully and I love this collaboration between AP and Jewelry designer Carolina Bucci. I love all of Bucci’s creations, even though as a male I am not her target audience, but I genuinely think everything she makes is beautiful, so this collab pulls at my heart strings.

Lot 843: Yosuke Sekiguchi Primavère 2023 in rose gold. This is the second of these to come up for sale in the last year - Sekiguchi may have one of the best stories going in independent watchmaking. Launching his brand in 2020, Sekiguchi produces 20 watches a year, and launched the Primavère in 2022.

Rather than beginning with CAD renderings and industrial production methods, Sekiguchi studied the work of Jules Jürgensen and began hand-shaping steel for his movement architecture. Needless to say this is a significantly cool independent watch, foregoing much of the superlative laden finishing to which we have grown accustomed.

Lots 844, 845, and 846 are all of interest to me. Lot 844, a Haldimann H11/12 Central Balance, Beat Haldimann is another craftsperson who is connected to working in a non-industrialized way. Crafting watches by hand, this Haldimann H11/12 is offered in pink gold, a departure from the platinum or stainless steel of his other watches, and serves as a reminder that simplicity in watchmaking is often far more difficult than complexity. Offered with small seconds, the Rhodium plated dial is beautiful frosted and offers great contrast for reading. Haldimann offers lifelong service on watches to owners, and is an incredible rarity to find a watchmaker working in this capacity.

Lot 845, an Urban Jürgenson Ref. 11C Prototype Detent Escapement, one of 12 prototypes of the detente escapement made in stainless steel with a silver guilloche dial. This watch has a great story behind the development of the movement, with the team at Urban Jürgenson working alongside many big names in the industry to develop a limiting plate to eliminate any shocks to the escapement. Originally designed by Derek Pratt, this is a beautiful example and I love the tone-on-tone case and dial. This is absolutely an Urban Jürgensen worth studying closely if you care about the brand’s technical history.

Lot 846 is a Chopard L.U.C. Full Strike in carburized steel. I love the Full Strike and Chopard’s innovative use of sapphire gongs — I think these repeaters sound amazing and the carburized steel here is a pretty neat look for the watch.

Lot 877 - Philippe Dufour Simplicity in Steel. The only known steel Simplicity out there, complete with Breguet numerals, while the color scheme isn’t to my taste, this is certainly going to be an important lot. While this is a later Simplicity, it certainly feels like these watches carry the historical importance of independence and each one matters.

Lot 878 - Oscillon L’instant de Vérité is movement number 5 from the workshop of Cyrano Devanthey and Dominique Buser, an homage and long-term project to make watches by hand. This Moment of Truth features a few innovations from the workshop including the hourglass shaped balance and a proprietary Tensator mainspring provides constant torque to the movement. Two mainspring barrels connected by an s-shaped spring provide nearly constant torque throughout the unwinding of the springs and offer 80 hours of power reserve. These watches are made almost entirely by hand on century-old machinery, save for crystals, gaskets, and jewels. You can learn more about Oscillon in my piece on their monastic approach to watchmaking.

Lot 879 is a J.N. Shapiro Infinity, and I think this trio of watches, the Simplicity, the L’instant de Vérité, and the Infinity represent modern handmade craft. I like the white gold with blue dial motif here, and I am personally curious to see where this sells. I’d love to understand further what the secondary market thinks of Shapiro and what the market is willing to support in terms of pricing. I think the estimates for the watch are low, but we will see what this watch commands.

Lot 943, F.P. Journe Octa Sport Indy 500 is coming to market too late to make it to the Indy 500 this year, but it would be an amazing watch to wear to Monaco for the Grand Prix. The watch is part of a limited series of 99 Octa Sports to commemorate Jean Alesi’s participation in the race. It’s certainly a unique take on the Octa Sport series, and likely as close as many of us will ever get to actually getting on track and racing.

Lot 986, the MING 20.09 Tourbillon from the Special Projects Cave, one of a 10-piece series, seriously caught my eye. Last year MING auctioned off his personal watch from this series at Marteau & Co.’s opening auction, so I am curious to see how this one fares at auction. I love the watch, even though it’s not an in-house tourbillon, I think this was a neat project for MING to take on, and I hope he has his sights set on future tourbillon editions.

Lot 1049 is my favorite rose gold hockey puck, the Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30° Technique. I got to wear this watch around the office for an afternoon and it is hefty and large, but all that space gives beautiful vies into the depths of the movement and the tourbillon. There is no forgetting this thing in on your wrist, but that is rather the point with these older Greubels.

Lot 1050 is the BVLGARI Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon ref. 102794. This series is one of my favorite series of watches, and I think the minute repeater in carbon is beautiful for it’s thinness, the carbon works so well in this case shape and execution, and the hours chime is surprisingly strong. I would love more from the minutes chime, but I think there is probably something to do with the resonance of the case material.

Closing Thoughts

I was late to the party in getting this one out. I still think that Phillips sources and builds the best catalogs, as evidenced by the number of pieces I wanted to highlight at Phillips.

Increasingly, auction coverage feels less connected to the makers and watches themselves, and more tied to value, speculation, and market positioning. That simply isn’t the reason I entered the world of watches.

I care about the human side of watchmaking: craft, obsession, years spent learning how to make something by hand. The auctions remain fascinating, but I find myself increasingly drawn toward the stories behind the watches rather than the final hammer prices.

Perhaps that means future coverage here becomes more selective and more intentional. More to come on this in the future.

For those of you bidding this week and weekend, good luck!

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to follow along. I’m slowing things down here — fewer posts, more intention, and more attention on craft and meaning.

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It was a hectic weekend of auctions in Geneva, with record-setting prices and some truly head-scratching buys. I am going to hold off on commenting too much on the results for now: I want to wait until the spring auction season wraps to see what broader trends emerge.

I am already looking ahead to Hong Kong and New York to see where collector interest is heading and which watches are drawing the most attention. It was difficult to fully follow the Geneva auctions with Mother’s Day celebrations happening in the US, but I managed to catch some of the craziness unfolding in Geneva.

This week also brought a few additional launches, including the Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop. It is not for me.

I am not sure I am fully prepared for the Hong Kong auctions yet, and the time zone differences may make following them in real time a futile effort. Still, there are some fantastic watches headed to the auction block in Hong Kong, and I am hoping to put together a preview this week covering the pieces I will be watching most closely.

Let’s get into it.

Industry Watch: What’s New

Baltic and SpaceOne Team Up To Deliver the Seconde Majeure

An unlikely duo, Baltic focused mostly on traditional watches, and SpaceOne focused on more avant-garde designs have joined forces to create the Second Majeure, a jump-hour wandering-minute beauty with a central seconds display.

With both brands rooted in Paris and a desire to keep interesting watchmaking at an attainable price point, the collaboration makes sense. Powered by a Soprod P024 with a jumping hour module developed by Théo Auffret and offered at €2,500 with a brushed dial plate or €3,500 with a charbonné dial plate. Choose charbonné. Deliveries begin in November.

What I’m Loving

The Hunt of Collecting

Part of what I loved about watches and collecting when I first entered the hobby was the hunt. Searching for the next watch, chasing down something released in limited quantities, or finally finding the perfect vintage piece.

Recently, collecting has begun to feel more like an investment exercise than a hunt. People are lining up to overpay for relatively simple three-hand watches based on the belief that the watchmaker might become the next François-Paul Journeor Rexhep Rexhepi. Good luck.

Lately, I have found myself enjoying the hunt again, this time for a few vintage watches and vintage cameras. To me, being a collector means being patient. It means waiting for the right example to appear and understanding that it may take time. Eventually, the right piece comes along.

The thrill of the chase is where most of the fun lies anyway.

Typewriters

Most of my posts begin life on paper, written on one of two typewriters that I own: a Hermes 3000 built in Yverdon by Paillard S.A., or a Royal Quiet De Luxe.

I love both for different reasons, and I enjoy trying new typewriters whenever I come across them. I find it easier to enter a state of flow on a typewriter, free from distraction and better connected to my thoughts.

For much the same reason, I have also been on the hunt for a Blackberry-style smartphone. I used to write white papers and longer documents on my Blackberry, and I still miss the tactility of a physical keyboard. I’ve seen a few options on the market, including the Clicks Communicator and the Minimal Phone, but if you know of any other good options, I would love the recommendation.

Visual Notes

In Case You Missed It

Last week I wrote a preview of the Geneva Spring Auctions. Hong Kong and New York are coming up, and I can’t wait to break down learnings from the spring auctions. You can read that here:

Coming This Week

This week I am taking a look ahead at the Hong Kong auctions at the end of the month!

Stay Connected

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After Watches & Wonders comes the spring auction season, heading to Geneva, Hong Kong, and then New York. The auction season kicks off this weekend and it is a star studded weekend from a watch perspective.

• Geneva Auctions

  • Antiquorum Important Vintage & Modern Timepieces: 9 and 10 May, 2026

  • Phillips The Geneva Watch Auction XXIII: 9 and 10 May, 2026

  • Christie’s Rare Watches: 10 and 11 May, 2026

  • Sotheby’s Rare Watches: 10 May, 2026

• Hong Kong Auctions

  • Christie’s Important Watches: Featuring “Kronos: Titans of Time”, “The Eternity” and “The Chronicle” Collections: 27 and 28 May, 2026

  • Phillips The Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII: 30 and 31 May, 2026

• New York Auctions

  • Christie’s Important Watches 12 June, 2026

  • Phillips: The New York Watch Auction XIV: 13 and 14 June, 2026

  • Sotheby’s Important Watches: 15 June 2026

After Watches & Wonders comes the spring auction season, moving from Geneva to Hong Kong and then New York. The season kicks off this weekend in Geneva, and from a watch perspective, it is an absolutely stacked slate.

With four major auctions taking place over the weekend, there is no shortage of important watches heading to the block. What will be particularly interesting is not just how these watches perform in Geneva, but how the results compare across Hong Kong and New York through June. I suspect we may begin to see some meaningful signals about where the market stands.

My first pass through the catalogs left my head spinning, there are heavy hitters in every catalog. I cannot tell whether dealers are trimming inventory, collectors are rotating out of pieces, or whether some sellers simply believe the market has peaked.

There is serious heat across all four catalogs. I would encourage anyone interested to spend time digging through them carefully. Two things immediately stood out to me: there are two Bernhard Lederers appearing across the sales, and there are a surprising number of skeletonized watches in each sale – not sure if that is signal or noise at this point.

There is also a Rolex Milsub available at each Phillips, Christie’s, and Sotheby’s. It is fascinating to see three come up at once. Pricing on these has become ridiculous, and while I still think they are historically important watches, I am curious whether they continue climbing or if we are beginning to see the market cool.

Antiquorum

Antiquorum is, as usual, jammed with lots. 672 of them to be exact. The catalog includes lots of Rolex dials, and the middle of the auction is almost entirely pocket watches and clocks. To be honest, I glossed over this section so if there is something worthwhile in there, you will need to dig through the catalog to get it.

Of note to me are lots 51, 52, and 53, a trio of Otsuka Lotec watches for sale, references 7.5, 6. and 5, in that order.My assumption is that these either came from someone attempting to capitalize on the recent attention around the brand, or from a collector deciding to exit all at once. Either way, that is a lot of Otsuka Lotec and given their participation in GPHG, this might be a gamble to see how these actually sell on the auction market.

There are a number of Rolex dials in this auction, if that is something you are on the hunt for. Antiquorum has a lot of accessories, dials, hand sets, and other parts if you need them for a specific watch. There is a lot of ephemera to hunt through, but if you are looking for something in particular it is worth the look.

Lots 259-262 from Journe are interesting here. It seems like even Antiquorum is catching onto the Journe fever, and I will be curious how these watches sell - I’ll add Lot 671 to this list, a brass movement Reserve de Marche, which should sell well.

It’s always curious to me to see what lands at Antiquorum. The auction house tends to have a bit of everything, which is reflected in the enormous lot count. It is hard to imagine the logistical challenge of managing and selling nearly 700 lots across a weekend. The Journe’s will almost certainly find buyers, even if not at the levels consignors hope for. The Otsuka Lotec pieces are more interesting to me because they appeal to a very specific kind of collector, and I am not convinced the broader market fully understands them yet.

Phillips

Phillips plays seller to 225 lots over two days of auctions, with a lovely variety of watches, with a heavy presence, as usual, of independent watchmakers. Phillips always seems to source and deliver the best watches, and with that comes the expectation that Phillips will go all out to sell the watches for the highest possible price, including Aurel Bacs taking awkward pauses to stare down the crowd to will someone to bid.

Off the bat, Phillips opens with an F.P. Journe Èlégante 48, and I am certain it will hit a crazy number. They follow lot 1 immediately with Lot 2, a Krayon Anywhere Métiers d’Art Azur. I love what Remi Maillat has done with Krayon. I think the watches are stunning, and I love this example with the blue dial - it feels like staring at the sky before sunrise, or staring at the ocean, or in my case Lake Michigan. I hope for Remi that this watch sells above retail, and I believe this one will.

Next on my list is Lot 5, the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Regulateur Double Face White Gold. The ellipsocurvex case is a Daniel Roth tell, and the double face on this watch is a pretty cool offering, with time and tourbillon on the main dial, and date and power reserve on the reverse. It feels like an early declaration of independence from Roth after leaving Breguet.

There are two great Charles Frodsham pocket watches on offer (Lot 11 and Lot 13). I do not think owning one will move you meaningfully up the waiting list for a modern Charles Frodsham, but it certainly would not hurt.

I don’t think I could write this with mentioning Lot 36, the Akrivia AK-06 in steel. I am guessing this one will crest the million CHF mark without issue. It’s less interesting to talk about pricing, but it is hard to ignore the amount of collectors clamoring to get their hands on anything made by Rexhep.

It is also hard to overlook Lot 65: Naissance d’Une Montre 1, N°1/11, between Greubel Forsey, Philippe Dufour, and Michel Boulanger. Few projects better capture the spirit of independent watchmaking. The goal of the Naissance d’Une Montre series was not simply to create a watch, but to preserve knowledge. Specifically the traditional handcraft required to build a watch almost entirely by hand using historical methods and tools.

As industrialization, automation, and now AI continue to reshape creative industries, Naissance d’Une Montre stands as a reminder that certain forms of knowledge only survive if they are actively passed from one generation to the next.

Lot 100, a Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer Inverto Prototype 00, is just fantastic. I love this watch and love that it is a prototype. Cased in stainless steel, which has never been offered in a production variant. The Inverto takes it to another level, putting everything on display. This is one of two Lederer’s at auction this weekend, and I think this one will outperform. This watch comes with Bernhard’s original sketches for the watch, an amazing add to the collectability of this piece.

Across the auction there are a number of Urban Jürgensen lots, that I love for their simplicity and aesthetics. They feel elegant and refined, yet also restrained. I think there is value to be found in these pieces.

Christie’s

Christie’s features 229 lots over two days, with no shortage of firepower in this auction. Christie’s also opens with Journe, attempting to set the tone for the auction.

My favorite row of the auction catalog is Lots 73-76, particularly striking for the green color way that unites all of these lots. Lot 73 is a Ulysse Nardin UFO Clock, which I have always admired for its technical capabilities as well as its display of three time zones on three separate dials. The green color way is striking, and I love that the domes for all of these clocks are hand blown, and have a success of production rate of 1 in 3, so there is a lot of production time in these.

Lot 74 is the Vianney Halter Deep Space Tourbillon is a piece unique executed in green. This watch, despite the retail price, is spectacular and I love the watch. I think it will likely take a special buyer to purchase this version, but I like the colorway and think it works particularly well for this watch.

Lot 75 is a Richard Mille 67-02 in yellow and green Quartz TPT. I love this watch. I have had the opportunity to wear a few of these and they are amazing how nicely they fit on nearly every wrist and just how light they are. I think this might be my favorite variant of the watch for the vibrant green and yellow case, legibility be damned. The 67-02 has been a great producer for RM, and I am curious what the appetite is for these watches, or rather what appetite remains.

Lot 76 is not a watch, rather a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse lighter in green enamel. It’s the perfect exclamation point on this group of watches and an elegant lighter. It’s an appealing piece of collector memorabilia, especially from Patek, and while not produced by them, unique and certainly of a time within Patek’s history. Smoke if you got ‘em.

Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s brings a respectable 151 lots to the block on May 10th. Across those 151 lots, there are a number of heavy hitters, and a lot of F.P. Journe represented. Beyond Journe, there are some deeper cuts in this auction that I think demand respect, and I think make killer additions to any collection. Cartier, Journe, Rolex Daytonas, multiple Urwerks, and many odd shaped watches, rectangles, and square are available in this auction.

I am curious to see how Lot 4, the Cartier Tortue Chronograph Monopoussoir 'CPCP', Reference 2396, sells. These were in demand for a bit because of the story of THA (Journe, Vianney Halter, and Denis Flageollet) developing this movement. I am curious too ee if this draws attention, and with what seems like low estimates I am sure it will.

I think Lot 21, The Audemars Piguet Skeleton Audemars Piguet Reference 35693BA in yellow gold, is a neat watch and representative of what AP was capable of. I’d love to see them return the their extra-plat, skeletonized roots.

There is a lot of Cartier in this auction, and a lot of square and rectangular watches, if that is something that catches your eye. I think there are great options here, including Lot 26, a Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Triple Bridge Tourbillon. Girard-Perregaux is rarely the first name mentioned in modern tourbillon conversations. That said, this watch, Executed in pink gold, with three bridges and a tourbillon all on display on the dial side feels like something special.

I am a sucker for a John Player Special livery, and Lot 78, a Rolex Daytona 6241 Paul Newman, caught my eye. I love the yellow gold with black bezel and dial. It’s beautiful and the pump pushers here set it off against the bracelet. It has that beautiful patina of aged gold, and these always feel special to me.

On the indie side, lot 128, an Urwerk UR-105TA bronze and titanium 105, feels like a special piece from Urwerk, Urwerk co-founder Martin Frei is a history buff and the Bronze Age in specific captures his attention. Martin loves talking about the use of bronze in their watches. This watch feels deeply tied to Martin Frei’s fascination with history, archaeology, and material aging. I love the oxidation on the bronze and how it adds darker hues and bright greens against the black coated titanium.

Shortly thereafter is Lot 131, a Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer. While this is a production watch, I think it is interesting to see two Lederer’s in the auctions, and I am curious to see how they perform, with this piece being the less special of the two as it is a production model.

Closing Thoughts

A collector recently remarked to me that they miss talking about watches, not just about prices. That comment stayed with me.

Looking through these catalogs, I keep wondering whether we are watching more people enter the hobby, or whether seasoned collectors are quietly deciding it is time to step away. There is an enormous amount of capital tied up in these auctions, but there is also an enormous amount of emotion, history, taste, and identity wrapped up in these watches.

Auctions have always reflected the psychology of collecting as much as the economics of it. Sometimes they reveal enthusiasm and confidence. Other times they reveal exhaustion, rotation, or shifting priorities.

What strikes me most this season is the sheer number of important independent watches appearing all at once. Journe, Lederer, Rexhep, Krayon, Urwerk, Vianney Halter. These are not random watches, these are the kinds of pieces we as collectors once swore we would never sell.

Maybe this is simply the natural maturation of the independent market. Or maybe collectors are beginning to ask themselves harder questions about what they truly want to live with long term, and what brands they believe in long term.

Either way, the spring auction season should tell us a great deal about where collecting stands in 2026, not just financially, but emotionally.

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to follow along. I’m slowing things down here — fewer posts, more intention, and more attention on craft and meaning.

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Feel free to share this with your watch inclined friends, or anyone looking to make a purchase at the spring auctions.

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I hinted at this last week: many brands were holding back at Watches & Wonders. Part of that is certainly due to the broader global climate and brands with the flexibility to wait, did.

In some cases, however, it’s not necessarily caution that prevent brands from launching during Watches & Wonders, it’s strategy.

Launching during Watches & Wonders comes with a real cost: dilution. With so many brands releasing at once, even strong ideas struggle to hold attention. You get a few reads, a moment of visibility, and then your work is swept away in the noise of everything else happening at the fair and around Geneva.

The expectation that every brand must release novelties for each fair creates its own problems. Development timelines get compressed. Plans are adjusted. And too often, that pressure results in projects that feel average, delivering watches that exist because they had to, not because they should.

It also explains the flood of material and dial variations. When a truly new product can’t be ready in time, incremental change becomes the default.

I don’t say this lightly. I appreciate the work it takes to develop and launch a new watch. But the expectation that every fair must be met with newness feels like something that has outlived its usefulness.

More brands are beginning to push back. They are choosing to launch off-cycle, where they can capture full media and collector attention rather than compete with 100+ brands over the course of a single week. It’s a smart business decision.

But it raises a larger question: does the current cadence of Watches & Wonders, Geneva Watch Days, and Dubai Watch Week, among other regional shows, still make sense? And should expect new product for each of these fairs?

I enjoy the steady stream of releases. They give me something to write about, and something to think through. But lately it has felt like brands are forcing ideas just to meet the moment, and the result is a lot of work that the industry could do without.

Time, as ever, moves forward. If watch week remains the industry’s primary annual release moment, brands will either accept diluted attention or choose a different path.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the rest of the year. Will we see more launches around Geneva Watch Days? Or will more brands go rogue and release on their own timelines?

Industry Watch: What’s New

Tudor Black Bay Chrono Carbon 26

Just in time for the Miami Grand Prix, Tudor’s Black Bay Chrono gets a carbon cased update for 2026. Tudor continues its partnership with the Racing Bulls Formula One team. The update leans heavily into the motorsport theme, with carbon fiber chronograph sub-dials, yellow accents, and the chrono hand tipped in red. The checkered flag motif on the caseback pulls it all together. Priced at $8,625 and limited to 2,026 pieces.

This one is a head scratcher for me - I feel as thought Tudor missed significantly on their 100-year anniversary at Watches & wonders, and I sincerely hope there are more off cycle releases due this year to properly mark the centennial.

Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition

Inspired by their Masterpiece 2, their 2020 launch, Armin Strom returns with the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition. I failed to mention this in my Watches & Wonders recap, but I think this watch is one of the most compelling offerings from Watches & Wonders.

The Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 expands from two gongs to four, delivering a full Westminster chiming sequence. The “12:59” refers to a second striking mode, where the watch can chime the longest possible sequence on demand, a theatrical way to experience the mechanism at its most complex

The titanium case measures just 11.7mm thick, housing both the resonance system and a fully exposed repeater mechanism. It’s a rare combination of technical density and visual clarity.

Limited to 25 pieces and priced at CHF 390,000.

Bravo, Armin Strom, bravo.

Naoya Hida 2026 Lineup

Naoya Hida is currently on its annual trunk show circuit, presenting its 2026 lineup and taking applications.

Highlights include:

• Type 2C-2 with a porcelain dial

• Type 7A chronograph powered by the venerable Valjoux 23

• NH Type 8A, a smaller, Calatrava-inspired time-only model

The lineup continues Hida’s disciplined evolution. These watches offer subtle refinements and a clear understanding of where collector taste is moving.

What I’m Loving

Instant Film

Photography has always been part of my life, and recently I have been lucky to make it part of my work. Instant film has brought a new level of playfulness to this, and the ability to shoot either directly to instant film, or shoot digitally and print on instant film has opened some new creative channels for me.

I’ve got some projects I am bringing to life and I can’t wait to share more of these with you. Stay tuned.

Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player by Robert Rodriguez

I tremendously enjoyed Robert Rodriguez’ Rebel Without a Crew, a tale told by journal entries of how a university film student made a film that upended the Hollywood production vision, and how Rodriguez found himself writing and directing in Hollywood, eventually ending up as a producer with a long career.

The outcome is fantastic, and truth is stranger than fiction. However, it is the mindset that sets this story apart. Rodriguez didn’t wait for permission. He made something with what he had, and let the work find its audience.

It’s a reminder to just get out there and make something because you want to, and the rest will follow.

Visual Notes

In Case You Missed It

Last week I wrote about the releases that stood out to me at Watches & Wonders. You can view it here:

Coming This Week

This week I am writing about the upcoming Geneva auctions - what’s catching my eye, and what to watch.

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Watches & Wonders has come and gone. The dust is settling on new releases, and I am left with the feeling that Watches & Wonders 2026 was a restrained affair. Given the state of the world, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

I am not planning a deep dive into every release. I want to touch on a few highlights, a few trends, and a few things that caught my eye, or struck me as curious.

I wasn’t on the ground in Geneva this year, a welcome reprieve, so I cannot comment on the feeling in the halls of Palexpo or around town. From afar, however, I could feel the electric pulse of the watch industry as it descended upon Geneva for the first major fair of the year. Despite the electric energy, the new releases themselves felt subdued. There was an air of restraint, and that is likely for the best.

The overwhelming sense that brands were holding back felt echoed across collector groups. It did feel as though brands were waiting for a better time to but their biggest new ideas forward.

Rolex and Patek Philippe, in particular, felt measured in their launches. Vacheron released a number of interesting watches, but in doing so they risk diluting their limited edition Overseas Dual Time Everest Limited Edition. I have to admit, I am a fan of the latest release of the Overseas Dual Time, particularly the green and blue dial variants.

What Caught My Eye

A handful of releases caught my eye. There were some notable non-releases worth paying attention to.

IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive

The first watch to really grab me was the IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive.

The watch was designed for the next step in space exploration — for astronauts headed into orbit, to the space station, or for those of us on Planet earth who want to feel connected to space exploration. And this is what watches are all about and what makes them compelling: they offer us space to dream. They connect us to something larger than ourselves. If that isn’t the definition of cool, I don’t know what is.

Technically, the watch is impressive. The ceramic case composed of white zirconium oxide ceramic, the rotating bezel and caseback made of Ceretanium, means the watch is immune to temperature fluctuations. The bezel-driven control system, paired with a rocker switch at 9 o’clock, allows the wearer to toggle between winding and setting functions—built with zero-gravity use in mind.

The true draw for me is the dual time, or “Mission Time” function, and the white case and strap. This watch will be the perfect summer travel watch, equal parts fantasy and practicality.

This is one of those watches that I think will pique the interest of many aspirational collectors, and likely sell on the secondary market for 50% off. That doesn’t really bother me here. I think the watch is cool enough, stands on its own merits, and makes a statement for IWC: They are coming for the Speedy, Omega.

Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback (RRCHF)

Rexhep is a standout for me, not just for the watch, but for the pricing strategy. Sure, most of us will never see one and existing customers will likely absorb the first production watches in the next few years. But it is the pricing strategy — CHF 150,000— feels intentional in a world where his watches are selling for millions at auction. This gracious and self-aware pricing that makes me want to believe in Rexhep, and support his work.

This feels like an obtainable price point for an established independent watchmaker. Newer and unproven Indies are charging similar prices for school watches, or time only watches. Sure, it’s still a shitload of money, and sure it has CHF in the name, but the watch could be sold for so much more, and that makes me respect Rexhep and his process even more.

MB&F, Urwerk, and Journe

I often treat MB&F and URWERK as bellwethers for what’s happening in the watch industry, not because they are mainstream, but precisely because they are not.

Both brands take risks in design — it is in fact their strong suit, their willingness to take risks and make watches that other brands dare not.

Yet they felt noticeably quiet this year.

MB&F was busy with a launch od the M.A.D. Editions M.A.D. 2 R&B, and URWERK launched a diamond set UR-101 Diamond Sky. While nothing revolutionary was offered by either brand, I think this shows a sign of the times.

When the most experimental brands play it safe, it’s clear that something has changed.

For those of us who were expecting to see an Horological Machine 12 (HM12) from MB&F the wait continues, though based on some rumblings I saw from @NYCWatchGuy on instagram about Maximilian Maertens, I assume that HM-12 is coming soon.

Hopefully there is more to come from both brands, and I guess the most logical next big release point is Geneva Watch Days, although I don’t think we will have to wait that long.

It’s also worth nothin F.P. Journe’s approach to watch week.

Rather than making a larger public announcement, Journe privately hosted existing collectors at their Geneva atelier.New releases were shown, but only to those already within the fold.

That choice says a lot.

The brand is oversubscribed. And instead of expanding access, Journe is leaning further into exclusivity, rewarding existing collectors rather than courting new ones. This move makes sense for the brand, and to an extent I think this might become a playbook for the future for independents.

Chopard

I think Chopard has been slowly and steadily moving the needle on their watchmaking, and building momentum.

Amongst collector groups, Chopard is well represented. I have loved some of their dress watches, their tourbillons, and recently their Alpine Eagle series. Many collectors I have spoken to regard the Alpine Eagle XPS as a genuine contender to the Nautilus and the Royal Oak, while being lesser known, equally as functional, beautiful, and at home on the beach or paired with a tuxedo.

I am still waiting for the team at Chopard and KFS to launch a travel time Alpine Eagle. It would consolidate a lot of watches into one, functional piece for me, and be a true daily driver.

I was hoping we might see it this year at Watches & Wonders. It wasn’t to be, but the Alpine Eagle did get micro adjustment in the clasp, something I think a lot of current Alpine Eagle owners will be asking to retrofit on existing watches.

BVLGARI

It’s well documented that I love the Octo Finissimo. This year, BVLGARI continued to push boundaries, releasing the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon in platinum and the 37mm Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater executed in titanium.

The tourbillon is a continuation of their Ultra Tourbillon launch last year in titanium. This year, it is executed in platinum in a limited series of 10 watches, priced at a whopping $785,000 for the 1.85mm thin platinum tourbillon. The minute repeater in a 37mm titanium case is a limited edition of 20, and is priced at $192,000.

The bigger shift is the launch of the Octo Finissimo in a 37mm case, a size that is representative of the markets move towards smaller watches, with most brands settling between 37-39 millimeters. Really, it’s majoring in the minors, but it seems to be resonating with consumers, so I cannot fault BVLGARI for this move.

I would love to see BVLGARI execute a GMT or a travel time complication in the Octo Finissimo series, which is something they are capable of, no doubt. Yes, this is also a personal thing - I just love travel time watches and find them an increasingly useful commodity.

Independents

Every year it feels like more and more Indies make time to head to Geneva for Watches & Wonders to meet with collectors from around the world and to show off their watch, or garner support for their souscription edition. Instagram makes this possible on many levels.

It was nearly impossible to track all of the independent watchmakers present in Geneva. Yes, there is The Makers House, The AHCI, and all of the brands located in Geneva exhibiting, yet it feels like every year many aspiring watchmakers show up with a school watch, a render, or a rough prototype to show off to potential clients.

This year felt no different, in fact it felt, if anything, there were more aspiring independent watchmakers around Geneva. I can’t keep track at the moment - I don’t really have the brainpower to. Needless to say it seems like the creative economy of independent watchmakers is thriving. There will certainly be amazing watches to see in the near future from all of these makers.

Closing Thoughts

I am turning my attention to spring and summer, as I am curious to see if more releases trickle out. I am also curious to see what Geneva Watch Days bring.

For me there is a broader question: how sustainable is the current pace of shows and the expectations of novelties at every show?

My impression from all the shows I have attended is that there is a general fatigue with the current rate of shows and expectations of novelties. For many, Watches & Wonders and Geneva Watch Days are an opportunity to connect with friends from around the globe, meet new watchmakers, and see amazing watches in that order.

While I wasn’t at Watches & Wonders this year, I don’t feel like I missed out on all that much on the product side. But I did miss the people.

Ilook forward to seeing so many of you again, hopefully at Geneva Watch Days from September 2nd to September 6th.

I’d love to hear what caught your eye at Watches & Wonders this year? What watches stood out to you, from the 66 brands exhibiting at Palexpo, to the Indies scattered across Geneva?

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to follow along. I’m slowing things down here — fewer posts, more intention, and more attention on craft and meaning.

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Feel free to share this with your watch inclined friends, or anyone looking at any of these new releases.

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This one has been a long time coming.

Welcoming a new child, whether it’s your first or your fourth, reshapes time in ways you can’t quite anticipate. This season has been no exception. I’m finding that the hours I once had for writing look different right now, and that’s okay.

I am working to find a steadier rhythm here, while also trying to connect with my passion for watches. By the end of 2025, it was clear to me that I was burning out — on collecting, on writing about, and working in the watch industry. Something had to change.

Welcoming our new addition gave me an opportunity to take a break, to stop reading press releases, and to step away from watches for a while. It’s given me space to think.

Idea 33 for me was always driven by passion, but as my passion for watches has shifted, my interest in sharing other facets of life has grown. Photography, cameras, gear, travel, the process of making things—these are all part of the same thread for me.

When I started writing about watches six years ago, I was fully immersed. That passion hasn’t disappeared, but it’s no longer the only thing I want to explore. And I don’t think this publication can, or should, focus solely on watches anymore.

I am still figuring out what that next iteration looks like.

I’ve paused paid subscriptions and returned to a free model while I find the right direction forward.

More to come soon.

For now—let’s dive in. Welcome back to Last Week In Watches.

Industry Watch: What’s New

To be honest, there have been so many releases since my last update, I don’t want to go back and catalog them. There have been so many releases in the last two weeks, Hazemann & Monnin won the second edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, and Watches & Wonders is right around the corner. Which means one thing: the floodgates are open.

Brands have already begun to announce their releases ahead of Watches & Wonders, trying to avoid being lost in the inevitable noise from the launches of Patek Philippe and Rolex. Expect that to continue throughout this week.

Watches and Wonders begins on April 14th and, as always, the releases will set the tone and shape of the year ahead.

Personally, I am curious to see what Tudor has on offer for their 100th anniversary, and I am always excited to see what Rolex and Patek have in store — I feel as though their releases are telling of what industry trends are coming to the fore, and the broader direction of the industry.

Breitling Joins Aston Martin On Track

Somehow I missed this, but Breitling has signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. This partnership includes all Aston Martin racing teams, including F1. They’ve launched with an underwhelming (not unlike their F1 car this season) Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Formula One Team. I hope a more compelling offering is coming.

Rexhep Rexhepi Releases Chronograph Flyback (RRCHF)

Rexhep releases his latest piece of unobtanium. With production somewhere around 50 watches per year, demand for pieces from Rexhep is extreme, and his latest release will fare no differently.

The Chronograph Flyback is a manually wound flyback chronograph made in-house, with a diameter just shy of 39mm and a stunning 9.7mm thick. Offered in rose gold with a black dial or platinum with a storm blue dial, with both dial variants being Grand Feu enamel. The movement side of this watch means business and it is a stunner, to be expected from Rexhep. Available in limited production, and priced at a very reasonable CHF 150,000.

Desder D001

Backed by an anonymous duo, Mo Coppoletta and Luca Soprana team up to release a watch that looks like a cross between a De Bethune Dream Watch and an MB&F Horological Machine. Powered by a movement which is regulated by a triple-axis tourbillon, the watch features jump hours and wandering minutes, sweeping seconds, and a GMT function and a power reserve indication. Limited to 6 pieces with price upon request, we can assume this much watchmaking prowess comes at a price.

Stéphane Pierre Launches Eponymous Brand With l'Impétrant

Partnering with Julien Tixier, Stéphane Pierre launched his first watch, l'Impétrant, a double retrograde mechanical marvel that has all the hallmarks of modern independent watchmaking: sublime finishing, skeleton dials, and importantly a personal perspective on timekeeping. The retrograde hours and minutes is displayed on the dial, while a running seconds and power reserve indication are located on the caseback. The Soucription series of 15 watches is executed in rose gold and zirconium. The production run of 50 watches will be executed in titanium. Priced at CHF 84,000, this feels like a compelling entry into the world of independent watchmaking.

Mathieu Cleguer Launches The Inspiration One

Mathieu Cleguer continues the rise of French independent watchmaking, adds his voice with the Inspiration One. Focused on chronometry and leveraging concepts from across the world of horology, Cleguer has created a watch that reaches deep into the world of technical watchmaking. Yet the watch maintains an air of modern French independent watchmaking. The first series of 12, executed in titanium, are spoken for. Future releases will come in small runs of 12 across four different materials, with the next in yellow gold at CHF 98,500.

What I’m Loving

Camera Gear

I have to admit I have professed my love for many cameras in this section over the last year. I have used a lot of cameras, and like many a photographer, suffer from gear acquisition syndrome.

I am working on simplifying gear now.

I realize most of my photos revolve around wrist shots, family life, and travel. I have a lot of updates and a lot to share, but that is for a longer post.

Lately, I have been enjoying the simplicity of printing my images. I was gifted an Instax Mini printer and I have been enjoying the immediacy and imperfection of these prints, without having to edit and process. It’s changing how I relate to the images I make. I’ll share more on that process, soon.

An Impossible Project

Speaking of instant film, the revival of Polaroid is one of the more fascinating analog stories of the last decade. The story is documented in the 2020 film An Impossible Project. I didn’t fully understand the appeal of instant film until working with my Instax Mini printer. Now, having something physical, immediate, imperfect, and shareable makes complete sense.

There’s a parallel here with watchmaking: analog objects, made with intention, embracing the notion of perfection and imperfection all at once. If you’re interested in craft and weird analog obsessions it’s worth a watch.

Visual Notes

In Case You Missed It

I haven’t written anything in a while, but the archive is now open for anyone interested!

Coming This Week

This week I am still focusing on getting out Last Week In Watches. I’m not sure if I will return to a regular publishing schedule for a little while yet.

Stay Connected

If you liked this, forward it to a friend - It helps more than you know.

Share

Thanks as always for reading and for being part of a community that knows that there are still great stories in watchmaking beyond the hype.

Subscribe now