RECOMMENDED READING: Enter the secret labs of COSC and learn their secrets
Watchmaking can often seem like an intimidating world that’s inaccessible to all but the most tech-savvy. But Peter Speake-Marin is striving to change that with his fascinating website, The Naked Watchmaker. After exiting his eponymous haute horlogerie watch brand, Speake-Marin has worked as a consultant and started his site with a desire to demystify and inform. Or in his own words: “To bring to a new generation the magic and passion of watchmaking and to increase the knowledge of those already bitten by the horological bug.” Last week he gave us a free ticket into the shadowy world of the mythical COSC labs. The organisation that stands behind those four all-encompassing letters is enveloped in secrecy and, for some of us, embodies the raison d’être for collecting expensive mechanical watches. Because as we all know, no matter how embarrassing it may be, a bargain quartz watch is usually more exact than your mechanical wonder, unless COSC can prove otherwise. COSC was established in 1973 and are based in the heart of the Swiss watch industry, La Chaux-de-Fonds. The Swiss Official Chronometer Control (English language version COSC) is a non-profit association created by the five cantons of Bern, Geneva, Neuchatêl, Solothurn…
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Well. I don’t know if Nicki Minaj saw my recent story about six unexpected watch spots, which included Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. wearing his father’s Rolex – the most expensive one for sale at retail today. But it seems I may have been a little hasty in proclaiming Ronaldo Jr. the junior #wristgame champion. I genuinely believed flexing such a timepiece at the tender age of 10 would be impossible to top, but Nicki Minaj may have done just that. This week, Nicki shared the first public photo of her three-month-old son flexing some serious bling. Her post was captioned with the following: “#PapaBear thank you so very much for choosing me to be your mama Wishing you guys a happy & prosperous New Year. Thank you for your love & support throughout this journey. It’s meant so much to me. Becoming a mom is by far the most fulfilling job I’ve ever taken on. Sending love to all the superhero mothers out there. Big hugs to all the women who have been pregnant during this challenging time.” Speaking of prosperous, Nicki celebrated the new year and her newborn by dressing him in a $600 Fendi onesie, a “papa bear” chain…
Rolex may seem like a straight-forward brand with timeless references within the catalogue that have only incrementally changed over the years. But watchmaking is a game of microns and millimetres and, playing at the summit of watchmaking, Rolex watches are replicated and copied endlessly. Navigating the second-hand Rolex market can be frightening at times, with the inherent risk of investing in a forgery. The age-old advice is always to “buy the seller” and fortunately a vendor like Bob’s Watches is a master of all things Rolex. They not only handle some of the most in-demand Rolex models today, but have even gone to the length of creating a Bob’s Watches Rolex Watch Resource page to serve as a Bible for all things Rolex. Bob’s Watches Rolex Watch Resource is an easy-to-navigate guide with crystal-clear information on Rolex watches. Site visitors can explore more intel on the brand’s history, watch production dates, serial numbers, caliber specifications, how references have evolved over the years, and even general buying advice. Need to know if a watch has a hollow or solid bracelet? Was a particular reference produced with tritium dials? Or even start at the beginning and find out who this Wilsdorf fella…
Editor’s note: You may note one watch gets more air time in this article than the other two. When we originally tasked our team to put this together, we prompted our writers to pick the one watch they wore the most in 2020. But we decided to give you all more bang for your buck, and instead ask what were the three watches they wore most in 2020. Zach … take it away. When it comes to my watch collection, I always try to spread the love. Unless I am reviewing a watch, or in the honeymoon phase with a new addition to my roster, I rarely wear a watch for a week straight. In fact, I try to avoid wearing the same watch two days in a row. But a common trend I find each morning when I elect to strap a watch to my wrist is that I usually wear watches more frequently when they are on a bracelet – especially in warmer seasons. I am a bit OCD with my watches. I don’t baby them by any means, but I do take care of them. As an example, each time I take a watch off I’ll rinse it if it…