New look for 2011 spotted in Basel

Check out this guy sitting next to me! He looks so cool rocking his mullet and fu manchu. That's class - right in your face.

BaselWorld 2011 Pictorial - A few watches

Yesterday we flew to Basel for a quick visit to BaselWorld, the worlds biggest annual watch fair. Most major brands are represented and present their new stuff for 2011. We had very little time but still managed to snap a few pics. In this post it's just watches, we'll feature a few from the trip and the atmosphere in another post.
Not new, still cool: the diamond/ruby/sapphire GMT-Master in white gold. Too bad it's missing the diamond encrusted bracelet!




The new Explorer II. Killer piece measuring 42mm. Word is it'll be €6.080 in The Netherlands.


The classics - here to stay. DD trumps DDII anyday, no matter what Rick Ross wears ;)



Another heritage piece from Tudor: the Advisor. This watch features an alarm. Word is it'll be around 4k in €. It seems Tudor is taking the NATO hype very serious. We love it.


Omega Planet Ocean.. we're not the biggest fans but this diamond version is pretty bad ass LOL!


This matte bezel is not too bad either.


Speedmasters featuring Omega's new chronograph movement. Note how the minute and hour totalizer are in the same subdial. There's also a Planet Ocean with the same mvt. Google it.


Blancpain had a display with vintage Fifty Fathoms which was actually one of the more interestings bits of the show besides the lovely hostesses.

Final pic for now: the new handwound Patek manufacture chronograph with perpetual calendar reference 5170. Price will be approx. 140k in €. Ouch. Makes both the 3970 as well as the 5970 seem like a good buy.

Rolex Submariner 5512

The hints in the sneak preview posted below were not really subtle.. but for those of you who need a lil' more help: we got our hands on a Submariner 5512 in excellent condition!

The 5512 is the chronometer brother of the well-known Submariner 5513, in this case indicated by the two additional lines of text - superlative chronometer officialy certified. While the 5513 is an awesome piece the 5512 still trumps it - it's more rare and unusual and pretty hard to find in decent condition at reasonable price.

Our 5512 was built in '68 and features a GF rivet bracelet - killer cool. It was the watch of choice by Steve McQueen who wore it on the same bracelet. As seen in the pics it's in very good condition and the patina is awesome.

Sneak preview..

We've got something nice for you that will be posted later this week. It has something to do with these pics and no, it's not the Persol! LOL!

Omega Speedmaster Professional 'Albino'

Another piece we snapped up is this Speedmaster Pro with unusual eggshell-coloured dial, dubbed 'Albino' by TWW. A all-white Professional is a rare but lovely sight - 100% different from the usual black. We put it on a green nato and love it!

Rolex Milgauss 116400 GV

One of the watches we picked up yesterday in Cologne is this Milgauss 116400 GV - the green crystal model.

When introduced around 2007 the GV caused a lot of buzz and even commanded a premium over retail in the first months/year. Rolex also experienced some problems producing the crystal. Nowadays prices are a bit more reasonable and we think it's a very cool piece, very suited for everyday wear. Bullit-proof Rolex quality, nice size and heft, sober design with some unusual and quirky features.. killer cool.


As of yet this piece will remain in our personal collection.

Read all about the 116400 by clicking here.

Cologne Watch Fair

Polo-power on the Autobahn - GMT 1675 - 16700

Yesterday we took a trip to Cologne for the quarterly watch fair. Autobahning for 2.5 hours but wow, it was worth the drive! Clear skies, friends and watches.. the good stuff!

Almost there..

The fair. Nice location right in the centre of Cologne

The watches were wonderful but did not come cheap. We managed to snap up a few to bring to The Netherlands though. They will be featured later this week.

The coffee sucked hard. Life sucks.

Rolex Yacht-Master 16622

Together with the GMT featured below came this Yacht-Master reference 16622. When introduced, the Yacht-Master became an instant hit. Waiting lists at AD's and premiums for used examples were common practice, just ike they were with the Daytona until quite recently. The Yacht-Master was the first major change in years from the classic Submariner - both the GMT-Master and Seadweller look quite similar and the Explorer has always been somewhat of an ugly duckling.

The Yacht-Master is obviously the luxury edition of the Submariner. The case has the Daytona-style curves instead of the straight edges like found on other Oyster Professionals. The inlay is made of platinum. The same material was used in the frosted finish of the dial. It was the first Rolex of the sapphire-era using the maxi dial and hands.

Rolex GMT-Master II 16710

This GMT-Master ref. 16710 came to us last week featuring the classic pepsi-bezel. The 16710 is the last GMT using the old stye case (it was replaced by the 116710 ceramic) and is steadily increasing in popularity ever since it was discontinued.

Our 16710 is actually one of the last. The case is sans lugholes and the serial sports the additional T - 16710T in full. Connoisseurs might note that this is a so-called stick dial - the roman II in GMT-Master II is lacking the serifs.

Urban Alert - RIP Nate Dogg

Another legend gone forever.. R.I.P.

They took my rings, they took my Rolex
I looked at the brother said "damn, what's next?"

Little swagger boy

Little I. rocking his Seadweller.. no one on the corner got swagga like us

Kaws

KAWS dissected company keychains

Our friend K. - a.k.a. Kozay - just emailed us a few pics from his collection of designer toys. All toys featured in these pics are designed by Kaws, a New York-based artist and designer of limited edition toys and clothing. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York (wiki). It is said by collectors he's the uncrowned king of designer toys and judging by these pics they might just be right.. Killer.

Kaws x Disney Jimmy Cricket

KAWS x Disney Pinocchio

KAWS Stormtrooper, Japan only

Kozays signed copy. Does it get any better?

KAWS signing

Ingenieur in detail

F@TWW found some time to shoot a final set of pics of our Ingenieur. The Royal Oak, Nautilus, Ingenieur and others all have in common that a big part of the design is in the details.. the different finishes, the angles, the edges. Once polished by the wrong guy, the whole look can be ruined... But this one is in near pristine shape, proudly displaying it's powerful and rugged design. Killer piece.

This cardboard outer box is quite an unusual item to find with IWC

Full set with EU warranty.

1675 @ leather nato - NICE

Yesterday our friend D. e-mailed us this pic of his 1675 with leather nato strap. The black bezel and brown strap work well together and give this GMT-Master a whole different look. NICE!

The effects of time

Well, to be honest the title is a bit misleading.

Some watches have developed their own unique look over time. Today we had the chance to pick up a cheap Datejust reference 16233: quickset, sapphire glass, two-tone on jubilee. The dial displayed some kind of even spotting throughout, presumably caused by moisture. Very cool.

The phenomenom of colour-changing dials is not unfamiliar to the collector of vintage watches and Rolex in particular. Well known examples include;

- the cream dial Explorer II ref 16550: a defect in the paint caused the white dials to turn cream
- Patrizzi Daytona, whose silver subdials turned brown
- Spider webbing, most often seen on first gen gloss/white gold dials like on the 5513 and 16660. In this case the colour is not changed, but the lacquer is cracked into a pattern resembling a spiderweb.
- Tropical, black dials turning brown

and so on.

While some collectors love the unique appearance of these dials, others view them as being damaged.. it's a matter of opinion and taste. We love it!

Urban Alert - Rick Ross - 10 Bricks

We'd love to be able to pull off ice like Ross does, but that ain't gonna fly over here in Europe.. life sucks. We'll stick to vintage Rolex.

*please add a pinch of salt to this statement to your liking

IWC Ingenieur 3227

For a change of pace in a week filled with Rolex, we'd like to show you something else: the Ingenieur. The first models used a rather conservative design but IWC hired Gerald Genta to spice things up in the second half of the seventies. The result was the now iconic Ingenieur SL, a model that served as inspiration for the 3227.

This generation of Ingenieurs was (and still is..) made in quite a few different variations - AMG, chronographs, Zidane, Climate Action, 7-days and so on.. But this is the original version, no weird coops to be seen here. The size is still reasonable, whereas the newest versions tend to be a bit over the top. IWC however dropped this model from the line-up some two years ago and ever since it's been gaining popularity.

The movement in this Ingenieur is an IWC 'manufacture' which uses the Pellaton-winding system.

The Traveler

We love real life shots like this one. Close-ups and catalogue shots are nice, but hardly resemble the way a watch looks in daily life..

Rolex Submariner 16610

Our second new arrival for this week is this Rolex Submariner ref. 16610 Swiss-only with box and papers. A great classic that's rapidly increasing in price as a lot of people seem to prefer the old school Rolex style. The Swiss-only dial was only used around 1998-1999 as the transition from tritium to luminova was taking place.

Ouch..

Where's Dr. Emmett Brown (Doc) when you need him?! We could use the Delorean.. a few days would be just fine..

All that glitters is gold

We love gold..

- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, vintage 37mm automatic in 18ct yellow gold
- Rolex Day-Date 1804, vintage with silver diamond Sigma dial in 18ct yellow gold
- Ray-Ban Clubmaster, vintage Bausch & Lomb
- Louis Vuitton Abbesses, Monogram Canvas

Rolex GMT-Master 16700

One of our new arrivals for this week is this Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16700 with lovely tritium dial and faded coke bezel. This transitional model used a movement similar to the one found in the 16750 and is thus the only sapphire GMT featuring a quickset date. A killer neo-vintage at an affordable price. Rolex rules - period.

An emerging pattern

The urban warrior

We love the classics.

Louis Vuitton is the way to travel - in timeless style, wether it's the classic Monogram or the Damier pattern. Pictured is al well-used Abbesses in Monogram Canvas

Our friend D. and his 1675

Yesterday our friend D. of Denham Amsterdam came by to pick up his 1675 GMT with black bezel. Working for one of the hottest fashion labels, D. knows vintage Rolex is the best way to roll.. We love this vintage style sneak preview and the ink!

D., enjoy!