Welcome! In this series, we highlight some of the most compelling new watches that have entered the A:S inventory each month.
Each month, we assemble a gathering of 10 compelling new pieces from our inventory, attempting to show you, dear watch lover, the depth and breadth of our collection. This September, our job was particularly difficult — the sheer number of cool and quirky pieces available on our website is, if we don’t say so ourselves, slightly staggering. Take this beautiful engraved JLC Reverso, for example — a wedding gift from the 1930s. Or this exquisite Patek Philippe ‘Water Drop’ dress watch. And if precious metal or dressier silhouettes aren’t your thing, then what about the Ikepod Seapod we have on offer for under $1,000, or the Seiko Silverwave Diver — an awesome intro to vintage Seiko for below $2K? Pretty neat, eh?
In short, we can’t wait for you to discover the newness that’s available this month at Analog:Shift. See below for but a small preview, and then navigate over to our home page to see the rest for yourself!
Patek Philippe Water Drop ($14,500)
Patek Philippe Water Drop - IN THE SHOP
In addition to storied collections such as the Calatrava and Golden Ellipse, Patek Philippe was also responsible for beautiful shaped watches in precious metals. This ‘Water Drop’ is one such piece. Housed in a tiny 16mm round 18K yellow gold case with a stepped bezel, it’s paired to a wonderful gold bracelet that appears to ‘ripple’ outward from the watch head. The dial — simple and black with applied ‘Arabic’ and diamond-shaped indices — is a thing of rare beauty, and a manually-wound Patek Philippe movement finishes the package. Isn’t she lovely?
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 1935 ($11,500)
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 1935 - IN THE SHOP
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso was invented in order to protect its dial from the violence of the polo field, but its elegant design — complete with an articulating case that can be engraved on its blank reverse side — proved equally adept as dressier purposes. This otherwise simple silver-dialed example from 1935 features fascinating provenance: given as a gift from an English woman to her soon-to-be husband, it’s accompanied by its original British bill of sale from the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company, a period photograph of the original owner, and written family provenance.
Ikepod Seapod 'Zale' Automatic ($850)
Ikepod Seapod 'Zale' Automatic - IN THE SHOP
Founded by renowned Australian industrial designer Mark Newson in 1994, Ikepod attracted a cult following for its UFO-like silhouettes that broke with classic Swiss convention. In 2017, the company was reimagined under the creative direction of Emmanuel Geit, the designer of the Royal Oak Offshore. This Seapod ‘Zale’ Automatic dates to this time period: powered by an affordable movement from Miyota, it’s housed in a bulbous 46mm stainless steel case with a rotating dive bezel and a cool multidimensional black dial. Its lugless design helps it wear smaller than its dimensions might suggest, and a rubber strap keeps things comfortable.
Cartier Must de Cartier Tank Vermeil Large ($3,995)
Cartier Must de Cartier Tank Vermeil Large - IN THE SHOP
Though the Must de Cartier collection may have included references meant to attract a less affluent crowd, these same creations are also some of the maison’s most creative. Take this Large-size Cartier Tank from the 1980s, for example. Though it’s made of vermeil rather than solid gold, its dial is spectacularly cool: gold appliqués in different shades frame an inner, partial ‘railroad’ minute track, while signature blued steel ‘sword’ hands carry over from the classic Tank. In splendid condition, we’d argue it’s better than a solid-gold variant with an ordinary ‘Roman’ dial!
IWC Porsche Compass ($2,950)
IWC Porsche Compass - IN THE SHOP
This watch has so much going for it, we almost feel it’s unfair to other tool watches: produced by IWC for Porsche Design, it’s made from anodized aluminum, seating it firmly alongside the Chronograph 1 within the pantheon of early black-coated watches. However, its luminous tritium dial with date complication holds a secret: flip it upward, and a functional compass is hiding beneath. Powered by an antimagnetic ETA 2892 movement and paired to a matching anodized aluminum bracelet, it remains a classic model from a brand that never ceases to amaze with its creativity.
Breitling Co-Pilot Chronograph ($7,770)
Breitling Co-Pilot Chronograph - IN THE SHOP
Little-known next to its more famous cousin, the Navitimer, the Breitling Co-Pilot ref. 765CP is easily one of the brand’s most compelling 1960s creations. Housed in a roughly 42.5mm stainless steel case, it features a black aluminum 12-hour bezel for easy tracking of a second time zone, plus a black ‘reverse panda’ dial with three chronograph registers. Interestingly, the hand-wound Venus Calibre 178 movement inside powers a 15-minute register at 3 o’clock — which, in the quirky case of the 765CP, is demarcated with luminous tritium blocks. Idiosyncratic and utilitarian, this is also a distinctly beautiful design.
Piaget Onyx Dial ($10,770)
Piaget Onyx Dial - IN THE SHOP
The 1970s and 1980s were a golden era of creativity at Piaget, during which the Swiss firm produced some of its most exquisite creations. This 23mm octagonal dress piece is a fine example: made of yellow gold with a black onyx bezel, it features a deep black onyx dial with a gold ‘dauphine’ handset, the brand’s wordmark, and little else. Powered by the hand-wound Piaget Calibre 9P1 movement and paired to an integrated, woven gold bracelet with a signed locking clasp, it perfectly conjures ‘80s excess to a ‘T.’
Vulcain Multi-Scale Chronometre 'NOS' Chronograph ($9,950)
Vulcain Multi-Scxale Chronometre 'NOS' Chronpograph - IN THE SHOP
It’s almost difficult to articulate the ‘cool’ factor of this 1940s-era Vulcain chronograph without pictures. (Which is why we’ve provided some!) Fashioned from yellow gold, it boasts a traditional stepped bezel, articulating lugs, rectangular lugs, and an ‘onion’ crown. The dial, however, is simply spectacular — with multiple timing scales, dual chronograph registers, and blued steel ‘leaf’ hands, its most compelling feature is almost hidden: look carefully at the indices and you’ll notice they’re recessed, with the underlying blue color matching that of the hands and scales.
Seiko Silverwave Diver ($1,950)
Seiko Silverwave Diver - IN THE SHOP
Someone looking for an affordable entry point into the watch-collecting hobby could do much worse than this handsome Seiko Silverwave from the 1960s. Like many beloved Seiko models, it features a 4 o’clock crown protruding from its stainless steel case, with a cool inner rotating bezel to keep track of elapsed time. A silver dial with applied indices, a 17-jewel automatic movement, and a Seiko-signed beads-of-rice bracelet complete the picture of an easygoing tool watch from the golden age of watersports.
Hamilton Presentation Watch ($3,300)
Hamilton Presentation Watch - IN THE SHOP
Presentation watches are largely a thing of the past — which is what makes studying and collecting them so compelling. This example, a hand-wound Hamilton from the 1960s, is a spectacular example of the tradition: measuring 33mm in yellow gold, it features a matching dial with applied gold-tone indices, a ‘dauphine’ handset, and a sub-seconds display above 6 o’clock. But the caseback engraving honoring one “J.C. Bedsole” from 1965 is where the action’s at. Executed by hand, it’s a fitting trophy for 25 years of faithful service.
