Each week, we present a selection of our favorite watches from the pre-owned side of our collection. Captured by our talented in-house photographers, you get a closer look at what makes these watches so special. This week, we have a killer Onyx Dial Day-Date, a full gold AP Royal Oak in 36mm, a two-tone Zenith Chronomaster, a white gold Cartier Tank Americaine, and enamel dial Jacquet Droz.
When we think Rolex Day-Date Onyx dials, it’s hard not to recall one of our favorite episodes of Talking Watches with Aziz Ansari in which he shows off his very own Onyx Day-Date and talks about how he loved it so much he ended up buying one for his father as well. There is just something so mysterious about the all-black aesthetic of the stone dial – as if the time is secondary to the watch itself.
The particular Onyx Day-Date that we have today takes things to an even more special place as it introduces two diamond markers into the equation, making this watch about as interesting as they come. With this piece, you are getting all of the heritage and weight that comes with owning a Rolex Day-Date on a bracelet. You have the iconic day and date displays overtop the stark Onyx surface with the added beauty of the diamond indices. This is a special one, folks.
There are times when there is only so much that needs to be said about a particular watch – especially when much has been said about a particular watch. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, especially in steel, is one of the most desired watches in the known world. Today, we are looking at something different, something less steely, and something in a size that just might float your boat.
The Zenith El Primero holds such an important place in the annals of horological history as a pioneer of automatic chronograph watchmaking. The brand has continued to push and innovate in that regard, taking the original design format of the Chronomaster and making versions fit for the modern day. No model better epitomizes that ideal than the watch we are looking at today in a two-tone execution of steel and rose gold.
When you’re on the hunt for a Cartier Tank, the trick is to try to find a truly special one. Lucky for you, we happen to have one right here in the Hodinkee Shop by way of this – wait for it – full white gold Tank Americaine on a bracelet. This is the medium size version of the watch, and it makes for an amazing wear experience for basically every single wrist size.
The Jacquet Droz mythology is one that dates back to the 1700s, and today’s watch – the Grande Seconde Email Ivoire J014013201 – is inextricably tied to that mythology as the Grande Seconde display is one that harkens back to the historical watchmaker himself who developed t in order to emphasize the fast pace of urban life in Europe during the Enlightenment. We’d venture to guess there aren’t many “enlightenment-inspired” watches out there these days.