Walked into a watch boutique today with zero intention of purchasing anything.
Just wanted to see some new releases. Handle the Tudor Burgundy. Look at the Land-Dweller in person. Get a feel for current stock.
I’ve seen more Land-Dweller content in the past six weeks than I’ve seen for any watch release ever. Every YouTube channel. Every forum. Every Instagram account.
And I can’t decide if it’s genuinely exciting or just hype-cycle machinery doing what it does.
Four months after the January increase, Rolex bumped prices again. This time by 4%, effective May 1st.
Two price increases in five months. That’s new territory even for Rolex.
That Submariner Date that cost €9,550 in December 2024? After January’s 5% jump, it was €10,030. Now it’s €10,430.
Tudor had a strong showing at Watches and Wonders 2025. Nothing revolutionary, but solid expansion of their lineup in directions that make sense.
This is the headline. A deep wine-red bezel on the 39mm Black Bay 58 platform. Tudor calls it burgundy, but it shifts between dark red and brown depending on lighting.
“What watch should I buy as my first nice watch?”
I get this question weekly. And I’ve stopped giving direct answers.
Not because I don’t have opinions. I have too many opinions. But the question reveals a misunderstanding about what makes a watch valuable.
Cartier’s best announcement at Watches and Wonders wasn’t a Santos or a Panthère. It was a rectangular watch with no visible hands.
The Tank à Guichets is back. Originally introduced in 1928, this jumping hour complication disappeared from the catalog around 2005. Now it returns as part of the Privé collection.
Rolex dropped a bomb at Watches and Wonders. The Land-Dweller is real, and it’s more significant than anyone predicted.
The Land-Dweller is Rolex’s first entirely new collection since the Sky-Dweller launched in 2012. That’s 13 years between genuinely new product lines. When Rolex creates something new, they mean it.
Geneva transforms this week. Watches and Wonders 2025 kicks off today, and the rumor mill has been running hot for months.
All the usual suspects will be there. Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Tudor, Omega (sort of - they have their own thing but still participate). IWC, Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre. The list goes on.
11 PM. Can’t sleep. Open Chrono24.
This is how mistakes happen.
Found a Zenith El Primero from 1992 with tritium dial. Original bracelet. Service history. €4,200.
That’s a fair price. Maybe even a good price. The seller has positive reviews. The photos look legitimate.
Buying coffee this morning. The barista had a Submariner 5513 on her wrist. No date, matte dial, faded bezel insert. Looked like a 1970s example.
I asked about it. Her grandfather bought it new in 1974. Wore it every day for 40 years. Now she wears it every day.
Seiko just announced three limited edition pieces to mark 60 years since their first diver. The original 62MAS from 1965 started something big. Six decades later, Seiko dominates the affordable dive watch market.
Four hour layover in Munich. Perfect opportunity for some watch spotting.
Count for today: three Submariners (two green, one black), two Apple Watches Ultra, one Lange Saxonia on a guy in business class, and what I’m pretty sure was a fake Patek Nautilus.