Bring a Loupe A Military-Issued Lemania, A Ladies Rolex, And A '60s Audemars Piguet Dress Watch

It's been a few weeks, but fear not, I didn’t forget about you guys! Feeling recharged as ever, the column returns for another year of tempting picks galore, hailing from all corners of the globe. In this week's roundup we've got a couple uncommon Rolex references for both him and her, along with a military-issued Lemania. There's also a stainless steel Audemars Piguet, and a wildly special piece by Van Cleef & Arpels, which I got to get up close and personal with at the Miami Beach Antique Show. Speaking of which, it was great to meet so many readers while browsing the show — shout out to Charlie and Rich! Without further ado, let's kick off the breakdown of the fruits of the year's first hunt. 

Like other symmetry obsessed collectors, I'm usually one to opt for a no date variant over a slightly more complicated timepiece in favor of cleaner aesthetics. For me, a date window at four thirty will always be a deal breaker, whereas one at six o'clock can be easily gotten over. It's those three o'clock situated apertures that really are a tossup, with some inducing audible confusion, and others surprisingly fitting right into the fold. More often than not, this is the case with sophisticated, well-finished dress pieces of the 1960s, with painstakingly considered details. Patek's Ref. 3445 is a fine example, with its gold surrounded window that elevates the aperture to something more than a hole in the dial. 

Our next pick of the week is not the aforementioned Patek Philippe, but instead a considerably rarer timepiece of roughly the same vintage. This is the Ref. 5281 from Audemars Piguet, which is powered by the watchmaker’s Cal. 2072 movement. This caliber is based off a Jaeger LeCoultre ebauche, which was also employed by Vacheron Constantin as the Cal. 1072. Make no mistake, this mechanism is no instance of an off-the-shelf afterthought, as its widely regarded as one of the finest automatic calibers ever produced. With friction-reducing ruby rollers and an advanced shock absorption system, it’s got quite a lot going for it. 

I had the pleasure of handling this very example in the metal this past weekend, and what initially drew me to it were its black enamelled indices, which Audemars Piguet also incorporated into the Ref. 5273. These indices modernize the reference the degree, and separate it from the bulk of dress watches introduced in this period. The fact that all this magic is housed within a 36 mm waterproof stainless steel case only amplifies its cool factor, making it a dress piece you could easily wear on the daily. Thanks for showing me this one, Ali! 

The Miami-based dealer Matthew Bain has this Audemars Piguet listed for $17,000. Check out his instagram for more information. 

Also at the antique show, I also got to catch up with my good friend Eric Wind of Wind Vintage, and former Bring A Loupe fame. Naturally, he came ready with a varied selection of stellar pieces for purchase, including a number of top tier vintage pieces from the usual suspects, but it was the more unique offerings of his which caught my eye. After checking out a one-off Patek I’d featured not too long ago, Eric handed me what was without question the coolest watch I saw all weekend, which I’d now like to share with you. For context, there were multiple Explorer dial Submariners and comparable heavy hitters at the show, but this piece easily takes the cake. 

Though Van Cleef & Arpels is most commonly known as a jeweller, they do have a rich history of both watch and clock production that dates back to the early 20th century. As one would expect, their watches were made to the same demanding and detail-oriented standards at the rest of their offerings, and this one is no exception. While other pieces which emerged out of the 1930s visibly show their age, this bracelet watch is harder to place in time than its contemporaries, as a result of its many subtle details and finishing touches. All of this has been preserved astonishingly well for its age, making it all the more fascinating. 

My favorite details on this piece include the dial, which has been carved to mimic the appearance of the bracelet, making it blend in with the rest of the watch, and the bracelet itself, with its large and bold links. This is the one and only time I’ve ever encountered a dial finished like so, and to the best of my knowledge, it's never been done again in the history of watchmaking. Also of note is the clasp, which you'd be forgiven for not spotting. That's because like the dial, it was designed to blend into the bracelet, making the watch double as not only a timepiece, but a true piece of haute joaillerie. This is the perfect watch for someone who appreciates great design, demands the very best, and wants something they're guaranteed to not see on another wrist.

Peter Planes and Eric Wind are offering this piece together for $35,000. Check out the listing on the Wind Vintage site to claim it as your own. 

Contrarian naysayers are quick to write off Rolex for the brand's choosing to not stray far from designs established long ago. On one hand, I totally get it, and hear such folk loud and clear. On the other, to dismiss the brand like that is to disregard the lasting power of truly great design. Sometimes you get it right the first time, and in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with being well aware of it. Having said that, it isn't as if the offerings of today are carbon copies of those found in the 1965 catalogue, as they've always introduced tasteful updates which modernize the designs, all while remaining recognizable as the icons they are. This highlights one of the brand's many strengths — aesthetic and technical innovation within a framework — as demonstrated best by the current Submariner, GMT Master, and Daytona. 

Modern Day Dates and Datejusts are a bit of a different story, with their continually strict adherence to the designs that came before them. However, they've managed to keep the line fresh and exciting through the fitting of unconventional dials, many of which they’ve produced in stone. One of the most compelling and demanding from a manufacturing standpoint are the lapis lazuli and onyx "pyramid" stone dials, which feature a dizzying array of protruding pyramids on the dial's surface, and bezel set diamond hour indices. Given the fragility of carving out pyramids in such thin pieces of stone, there's a not so insignificant failure rate when producing these dials, hence their rarity. 

With this in mind, you’ve gotta wonder what the failure rate might be of producing a markedly smaller version of the same dial variant, as seen on the 26 mm Lady Datejust. Regular sized stone pyramid dial pieces don't surface often, and their smaller sisters even less so, which is why I was delighted to learn of an onyx example coming up at auction. Though it does seem to have been worn a bit over the years, the watch looks to be in excellent shape, and its dial as radiant as ever. If even just slightly interested, I'd recommend jumping on this one, as it’s going to be a good long while until you come across another. 

Catch this ladies piece going up for sale on the 18th of January at Auktionhaus Bossard in Chemnitz, Germany, where it's being offered with a starting bid of €3,000. Further details and the rest of the catalogue can be found here. 

I indulge the whole "new year new me" thing as much as the next guy, but one thing about me that's not bound change is my love for military issued watches. As I've said before, there's something about a purpose-built timepiece which saw action that no store-bought luxury can compete with. This is most definitely true of this week's next pick, a Ref. 818 from Lemania, which is powered by the manufacturer’s Cal. 1872, which is a two-register interpretation of the same base caliber that Omega modified into the Cal. 861. 

This piece is interesting one in that although technically a Royal Air Force watch, it's also a Royal Navy issue. Allow to me explain. Its multiple branch associations come as a result of it being issued to members of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA), which was an organizational unit of the RAF which flew aircraft embarking from Royal Navy ships. As you'd expect of a military issued piece like this, its caseback is engraved with all the pertinent details that indicate its origins, plus it has fixed bars through which you’d most commonly find a NATO strap woven. 

Collectors have come to appreciate these military chronographs for a number of reasons, especially for their size and the infrequency with which examples surface. At 40 mm across, the watch has decent presence on the wrist, and a unique one at that, thanks to its asymmetrical proportions. As for how often examples go up for grabs, that's not an everyday occurrence, largely due to how just 500 pieces of the reference were produced in total. Lemania issued the watch to the MoD for only two years - 1975 and 1976 - supplying just 250 pieces per year. The design's hard-wearing nature might've helped more examples remain in circulation today, though 500 is still 500, and that number won't be increasing. 

This Lemania is being offered by a collector from Washington D.C. on the Omega Forum, with an asking price of $6,500. Get in touch with him by visiting the post. 

Those who've seen me browse eBay lately know that I scroll through pages at lightning fast speeds. That's because the quality of watches regularly listed on the platform just isn't what it once was, making the hunt more of a needle in a haystack scenario than a goldmine ransacking. While I don't believe I've missed a piece by moving at the pace I do, I have mistakenly thought something looked good and opened it up in another tab, only to be let down by a poorly refinished dial. On more occasions than one, this is exactly what’s happened with the reference we're about to discuss, but fear not, today's example in question checks out. 

You’re looking at a Ref. 4218 Precision from Rolex, which isn't the usual coronet-signed fare most are used to. Instead, it's an elegantly oversized non Oyster, powered by a high grade manually wound Cal. 700 movement. As the dealer notes, this piece's sister reference is the 4222, distinguished by the presence of center seconds and a smaller movement. While both impressive watches, the 35 mm Ref. 4218's superior movement affords it a slight edge over the 4222, which is also why examples of the former reference is notably more scarce. 

Even more scarce, is an example of the reference without a refinished dial. Given the age of these watches, many have fallen victim to the effects of time, scratches, and water damage, resulting in the bulk of remaining 4218's now bearing poorly redone dials. This example however, has not met such an unfortunate fate, as evidenced by its visibly original dial. What’s more, is its "disco volante"  style stainless steel case remains unpolished, checking off another box on the proverbial desirability-intensifying grading scale. Though I might've already used the "it’ll be a long time til you find another one of these" line, it's even more so true of this piece. Should you dig it, jump on it. 

Golden Hour Time is offering this example of the rare and early Rolex on their website for a reasonable $7,500.