We may not be, as Rob Thomas serenaded us way back, seven inches from the midday sun, but hoo boy, however close we are is plenty (I know, I know: 93 million miles). I hope wherever you’re reading this is appreciably cooler and/or not too clogged with smoke, and for the dog owners, I hope your canine companion’s finally shaken off the terror of the holiday two weeks back.
Scorekeeping last week’s pick, the Tudor Inter Miami Pink sold for $29,700, the Longines Ultra-Chron went for £440, the Jaeger chronograph sells Saturday, and both Rangers are still (implausibly—what are you waiting for?) available.
Strays
If you missed the Tudor Ranger II from a bit back, here’s a hell of a nice example. This Jaeger-LeCoultre is the nicest plain jane, solid gold watch I’ve seen in a bit, and it’s powered by a P469/A, meaning you’ll have a watch using the same engine that helped tens of thousands of WWII guys stay on time. This Eberhard simply looks like it’d be a fun wear, and sometimes that’s plenty, and while this Edox Geoscope 42 is a bit on the complicated side, its fun factor is still real high. For those interested in flexing their maritime bona fides, here’s a great-looking near-NOS Heuer Regatta from Hess Fine Art, and, in the same auction, there’s also this Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 and this Mk1 Sea-Dweller ref 1665 (both from 1978, if someone’s hankering to buy me a birth-year watch). Finally, here’s an excellent Omega Seamaster Soccer Timer and a Breitling Football Timer, if you’re not quite ready to let go of your World Cup enthusiasm.
Hermès Caleche
Photo courtesy Huntington Company.
You know these watches: they look a bit strange, as if all but daring you to dislike them. Obviously, we each have our own idea of what these kind of watches looks like, and tastes change and styles shift, which is one of the things that makes watches so fun. I’d note, too, that they are not necessarily ugly, only that they do not, on first glance, sort of slot and settle easily into one’s mind. In music terms, they’d be discordant notes.
Which brings us to this Hermès Caleche. When I came across it while scrolling through listings, I figured the bit at the top was evidence of wear, but only by clicking through to larger pictures did I realize it’s actually the Hermès carriage symbol. I chalked it up to just being a little weird, closed the window, and continued.
But then I kept returning to the thing. Please know, Baller, that I am not sure I like this watch, but I also cannot quite stop looking at it. It is decidedly small—only 24mm wide—but it’s also totally engaging with its deep black dial and simplified minimalist dial. Regardless of your feelings regarding the embossed carriage symbol at the top, the case itself is absurdly pretty and in incredible shape. It’s a small, simple, manual-wind watch that, no, probably isn’t quite a perfect daily-wear watch, but I cannot shake its allure.
Huntington Company is offering this Caleche for $2,900, and I admire whoever’s got the chutzpah to nab this strange beauty before the model’s popularity booms and makes me feel silly for ever claiming it was anything other than flawlessly gorgeous.
Angelus Anti-Magnétique Calibre 215
Sure, its chrome-plated case already has wear, and maybe you, like me, have an odd allergy or resistance to chronographs with square pushers. Totally reasonable objections. However, this Angelus seems precisely like the sort of entry-level chronograph any of us would’ve been happy to land whenever we started looking at watches. Start with the fact that it’s powered by an Angelus caliber 215, a column-wheel vertical-clutch beauty of a movement. But then move on to that dial.
I’m no more immune to the charms of sector dials than the next guy, and this one looks to be in very good condition. The single picture that goes with the listing is fairly washed out, but I’d be willing to bet the watch looks even better in person with richer colors that will probably pop nicely against the blued hands. This watch sells on the 22nd of July, and the estimate is £800-1,200.
Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116748SARU
Gem-set Rolexes have always struck me as brain-breakers, though they probably shouldn’t. On the one hand, the Crown is the Crown, and they can do whatever they wish, but it will never not be just slightly strange that a brand that made its name based on Total Utility and Reliability (and for making watches engineered for being able to be perpetually serviced in the future) is also so unapologetically blingy.
None of this is a bad thing, and this GMT-Master II serves as a perfect example of the total not-badness of such bling. That SARU in the reference, just FYI, stands for SApphire and RUby, and obviously the bling’s not limited to the bezel, given the watch itself is made entirely of 18k gold. You probably already know the extraordinary lengths Rolex goes to in order to control and maintain the quality of such products (i.e., the watch case and bracelet were made in-house, using gold from Rolex’s own foundry, and the bezel was made by one of its in-house gem-setters, using only internally flawless stones). Certainly, all that effort is pretty obvious in an example like this.
While still ostensibly a tool watch, this particular watch is almost anything but: it’s fancier than 99.9% of watches anywhere, and priced accordingly at just under $92,000 at Tropical Watch. The question of what a watch is worth will always be too tricky to merit much of a debate, but certainly anything this nice to begin with, and in such excellent condition—the thing comes with box and papers and has only the lightest signs of wear—should be a significant financial lift, and Tropical Watch has this watch, ready for whoever’s able to afford such a purchase.
Bulova “White Prince”
Jump Hour watches have certainly been having their moment for a while now, but what’s strange is that, generally, the price of getting older jump hour models hasn’t jumped (sorry) all that much. You can still find plenty of old chromed or steel-cased jump hours from a variety of brands for under $1,000. This Bulova White Prince is a fair bit more than that, but it is also a bit more watch than the standard jump hour you’ll find. Introduced in 1932, the Bulova Prince was the brand’s first digital watch, and this particular example—on offer from Craft + Tailored for $4,500—is as good as you’re going to get from the time period.
Photo courtesy Craft+Tailored.
Available on its original bracelet—which is itself hardly common—this Bulova’s got a ton going for it. If you’ve spent any time looking for vintage jump hour watches, you can already see that this one’s avoided the usual fate of worn/darkened/dirtied discs. Past that, even if you’re not a typographer, the numerals on the discs look incredible—look at that 0 in the 10! The case itself is beautifully ornate and looks to be in fine condition overall, and lest you’re tempted to zoom past it, just think of how long it would have taken to make such a case. Look at the apertures for the discs; consider that they’re not only beveled but polished. It may not strike us as much of a Big Deal watch now, but it sure was at the time.
Again, C+T has this for $4,500, like the SARU above; debates about worth are probably beside the point. It’s a lovely, lovely watch.
A Pair of Omega 2852s from Goldberger
Monaco Legend Auctions is hosting The Goldberger Omega Time-Only Collection auction on the 25th, which is catnip on multiple levels. John Goldberger’s a legendary collector (with a flair for MacGyver-like methods for opening watches), Monaco Legend Auctions is the sort of place you go when looking for a Patek 1518 in steel, and time-only Omegas speak for themselves.
Photo courtesy Monaco Legend Group.
The whole auction’s worth going through, but the two lots that stood out to me were a pair of 2852 Constellations. The first is this seemingly unpolished stainless steel example with a honeycomb dial and shark-tooth hour markers. The dial’s not without flaws, but its minor detractions are (I’d argue) more than made up for by its overall excellence (and, for those who’d rather avoid radium, you’re set: it’s a lume-free example). The decagonal crown is present, and the watch comes on an Omega beads of rice bracelet. Its estimate is €1,000-2,000, and it sure seems worth it.
Photo courtesy Monaco Legend Group.
The second example is this pink-gold stunner, and I can’t imagine what I could say about the watch that couldn’t be better said by pictures of it. That dial’s the stuff dreams are made of, the bracelet’s as sexy as they come, and the caseback retains clear markings and hallmarks. I can’t tell from the pictures whether the case has seen a light polish at some point, or if it’s just showing its age as a (relatively) softer metal, but nothing about it should dissuade interested buyers. The estimate is €4,000-8,000, and the auction closes on the 25th, so leave your absentee bids before then.
(If neither of those addresses some deeper desire in you for a time-only Omega, here’s a lovely patina-bomb of what’s almost certainly an Omega Seamaster ref 2846 at Goodwill).
