Watch Dandy

Christie’s is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Patek Philippe Nautilus in its own way, setting up a thematic sale of 40 rare Nautilus to be auctioned in four different cities. It’s a non-traditional way to do things, for sure, but it should prove very interesting. The first 10 watches were just sold at Christie’s Dubai, and all sold at or above their respective estimates. The leading Nautilus was an early steel reference 3700/1 with a Khanjar symbol on its dial, for which bidding finished just short of the $200,000 mark, making it the second most expensive watch of the larger 146-lot auction.

The latest news from Shinola isn’t a new watch. It isn’t even a new product of any kind. It’s a hotel. Seriously. Working with local developer Bedrock Detroit, Shinola plans to open the 130-room hotel in a former shopping and entertainment district as part of revitalization efforts. Details are still scarce, but here’s what we know now about this new development.

You very rarely see Roger W. Smith watches come up for sale online. If fact, we’ve only ever seen it happen once before. The watch in question? The very first Series 2 the Englishman ever made. Now, a second early Series 2 has appeared online, and once again its been secured by the folks from The Watch Xchange, a relatively young online platform with a focus on high and independent watchmaking (and with some good connections it seems). Oh, and they’re also selling one of the first Daniels Anniversary watches too. Both watches are fresh to market and come from separate consigners.

Baume & Mercier recently announced a quite interesting perpetual calendar (in a gold case, with a well-proportioned dial) as the latest in a series of watches in its Clifton collection that presents a high complication in a limited series. The opposite pole of the company, however, is its many more accessibly priced watches; though Baume & Mercier has had a pretty high-profile alliance with Shelby over the last few years, it is still wallet-friendly and gifting-oriented watches that form the core of what Baume & Mercier offers. In keeping with this general direction, Baume & Mercier’s just launched a new family of watches in the Classima collection called My Classima, which aim to be timelessly styled, classically-proportioned, and versatile wristwatches for under $1,000.