We are always scouring the web for the most amazing watches currently available, and each Friday we share five standout pieces with you.
The modern landscape of watches features designs rooted in history, and this week’s curation highlights parts of that foundation. Building a collection requires patience, knowledge, and enthusiasm—for these are the watches that should spring from, and drive forward, your own curiosity. The watches below each represent the deep roots of the brands on the dial, and each offer a plethora of opportunities for discovery by their owners. Not only for their literal history, but for the personal history you’ll make owning them.
What I find inspiring about these watches are their ability to connect to a period of innovation and ingenuity, and how they might inspire a new generation of enthusiasts to continue carrying that torch. They go beyond the mere practical elements, and their influence is felt in the fashion and design worlds now more than ever. These watches say something deeper about our relationship with design, with time, and with ourselves.
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Cartier Tank Normale Limited Edition
Image Credit: The Keystone The Tank Normale boldly presents a square architecture defined by two parallel case lines, the brancards serving as tank treads, for which the watch takes its name. This square yellow gold case measures 33 x 26 mm, falling in line with contemporary trends on both a man’s and woman’s wrist. This limited edition reference from 2024 utilizes a hand wound mechanical movement and is individually numbered on its gold caseback. As distinctive as the case it, I adore the subtle texture of the silvered opaline dial on this one, and the unique shape of the Normale makes this example all the more special.
Cariter is a sure bet for collectability, as the brand is experiencing a cultural moment, with a renewed interest and appreciation from collectors and enthusiasts new and old. The brand’s robust back catalog of historic references have served as a cornerstone of fashion inspiration, once again having a broad impact on the world around them. The Cartier Tank is undeniably one of the most sought after collections, and has been represented in a diverse range of shapes and sizes. The Normale, however, was the very first Tank ever produced—a true cassic.
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1970 Rolex Submariner 1680 (‘Red Sub’)
Image Credit: Angel City Time The storied Rolex Submariner has earned its reputation thanks to generations of consistency and lore-building feats. The Submariner was first introduced in 1954, but wouldn’t receive a date complication until nearly 15 years later in the reference 1680. Early production runs of the new Submariner with a date would receive a distinctive red line of text at the bottom of its dial, similar to what the then new Sea-Dweller collection was doing with the reference 1655. The practice would phase out for both models by the mid ‘70s (with ~4.0M serial numbers), making nice examples of these references highly collectible today. If you ask me, the subsequent dials with fully white lines of texts don’t quite have the same personality as exhibited by these early 1680 “Red Subs.”
This 1680 ‘red’ features a MKII dial with open ‘6s’ and the red text of the ‘Submariner’ printed over white. The quickest way to identify it, though, might just be the thin typeface used for the ‘ft’ in the depth rating. When it comes to vintage Rolex, the dial is everything, and this one is evenly aged without too much patina, leaving much of the original character of the watch unchanged. The case is very strong, with clear chamfers along the outside of the lugs. This is a complete kit that dates to 1970. All in all, this a remarkable example of one of Rolex’s finest eras.
Robb Report’s digital watch editor, Allen Farmelo, has purchased from this seller before, as have other people he knows, and they’ve always had good experiences.
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2001 Rolex GMT-Master II 16710BLRO (‘Pepsi GMT’)
Image Credit: Angel City Time The Rolex GMT-Master with a blue and rouge bezel (BLRO), aka “Pepsi” bezel, represents the brand’s novel approach to tracking multiple time zones. Originally designed at the behest of PanAm pilots, the GMT-Master has gone on to help define the modern travel watch genre. The distinctive colors help the watch immediately stand out while serving the practical purpose of quickly differentiating day and night cycles for the 24 hour hand. The collection was originally launched in 1955, and remains a hallmark of Rolex ingenuity and consistency to this day.
The five-digit reference 16710BLRO (BLueROuge) represents one of the most wearable and approachable eras of the GMT, now called the GMT-Master II. This is thanks to the long production run from 1989 to 2007, and its incredibly wearable case. The five-digit references find a real sweet spot for wearability prior to the shift to wider cases and ceramic bezels, making it a watch you’ll want to return to time and again.
This specific neo-vintage example from 2001 also features a bracelet with solid end links, and the 3185 movement with an independently adjustable hour hand. In addition to the BLRO aluminum bezel fitted to the watch, it is also being offered with additional ‘Coke’ (RONR) and black (LN) bezel inserts. This one ticks a lot of boxes, and represents one of Rolex’s finest sport watch collections in a more approachable fashion than true vintage references, and the larger modern references.
Same seller as the Red Sub above, so we feel quite confident about this one.
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Roger Dubuis Hommage H40 Monopusher Chronograph
Image Credit: A Collected Man Roger Dubuis boasts a rich history of exceptional chronograph workmanship. Prior to creating the brand, Mr. Dubuis worked for 14 years as a watchmaker in the high complications workshop of Patek Philippe. In 1980, Dubuis would launch a workshop of his own name, with some serious pedigree in tow, creating distinctive complicated watches that weren’t afraid to embrace unconventional shapes and features. The creation of the Hommage collection served as connective tissue to a classic contemporary aesthetic, and housed exceptionally finished Lemania based movements that showcased Dubuis’ finishing skill.
And now Dubuis’s watches are breaking records at auction!
This Hommage Monopusher being offered by A Collected Man provides a glimpse to the very best of the collection with a 40 mm white gold case and an ivory dial with applied Breguet numerals. The beautiful caliber RD 65, a monopusher chronograph, is based on the Lemania 2310, and presents beautifully through the exhibition caseback. Just 28 examples of the Monopusher H40 were produced, making this watch a unique proposition that you’re unlikely to see on the wrist of a fellow collector.
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Omega Speedmaster ‘Alaska Project’
Image Credit: Wind Vintage 1969 was a cornerstone year for chronographs. Zenith, Heuer, and Seiko became the first brands to release an automatic chronograph to the public, and just a few months later the world watched as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to step foot on the moon with their Omega Speedmaster watches. It was also the year the Omega developed a very different kind of Speedmaster made to withstand extreme environments that NASA Astronauts might be subjected to on future missions. These prototypes were codenamed ‘Alaska’ and represented the bleeding edge of material engineering, and would set the tone for a new generation of watches.
The results of the Alaska project watches were varied, but they have since gained legendary status of the ideas they put forth, and for how they would influence the future development of the Speedmaster family. In 2008, Omega released a limited edition Alaska Project Speedmaster in celebration of its history, complete with the red ‘radiation’ shield . The modern rendition of the watch keeps the white dial and rocket shaped totalizer hands, with a clean, almost chic, representation of its functions. This example, available from our freinds at Wind Vintage, retains all of its original case lines, and is presented as a full kit.
Please note that we are not affiliated with the sellers of the watches we recommend. We may point out aspects of a listing that we feel are positive, but only you can vet a seller.
