Bring a Loupe A Fiery Gold GMT-Master, A Square 1950s Patek, And A Habring Limited Edition

Alright, back to watches. Results from last week are pretty straightforward: our Van Cleef & Arpels x Gerald Genta sold at Discreet Peacock, with the asking price being $6,499. The "Bidder Beware" Breguet from 1951 has been marked as sold for a best offer of $34,843.20, and it'll be interesting to see what happens to Breguet No. 466 from here. I'm sure we will see it somewhere soon if we keep an eye out for it.

Let's get into this week's picks!

Starting with something decidedly non-vintage yet vintage in spirit, Habring²'s 2021 collaboration with Monochrome watches was one of the most successful chronograph launches of the past decade. Limited to 33 pieces, the entire run was spoken for within minutes of the watch's announcement and the pre-sale opening.

While watch demand may have been at an all-time high in June 2021, when this all went down, the popularity of this watch has continued in the subsequent years. In May 2023, a unique split-second chronograph variant of this Habring² sold at Phillips for CHF 31,750, with all proceeds going to the charity Save the Children.

Beyond demand and auction results, the Habring² x Monochrome edition expertly navigates the fine line between vintage inspiration and homage. Drawing on chronographs of the 1940s, the golden era, the Montre de Souscription 1 sits in the nicely proportioned Habring² Chrono-Felix case (38.5mm wide, 12mm thick, and 46mm lug-to-lug), but differentiates itself from other iterations of this model with its salmon sector dial. It's the perfect blend of modern tactile feel and build quality, yet vintage aesthetic touches. The dial is finished beautifully with vertical brushing in the center, radial brushing in the hour sector, and snailed finish inside the sub-registers.

Many independent collectors wrongly snub their noses at Habring²'s movements. Yes, the Habring² A11C-H1 monopusher chronograph caliber inside shares its architecture with the ETA 7750. But Richard Habring knows the ETA 7750 better than anyone else in the world, so why not? Additionally, none of the parts used to create this movement are sourced from ETA — all components are either manufactured in-house or obtained from independent suppliers. The A11C-H1 features a Carl Haas hairspring and hand-finishing, which includes blued screws, bridges with circular brushing, beveled edges, and a blued steel cam. In 2021, the pre-order price was approximately $7,070.

The auctioneer, Loupe This, is located in Los Angeles, and the current bid price at publication is $5,600. The auction for this Rolex Bubbleback is set to end on Tuesday, July 1st, at 11:59 AM ET. Get all the details right here.

Coming from the dealer who prefers uniquely aged dials so much that he named his whole business after them, this solid gold GMT offers an opportunity to decide when patina or a tropical dial is too much. A chance to look inward and honestly ask ourselves, "Is this gracefully aging, or is this damage?"

Let's zoom out first. The 1675 is a shared reference across both steel and gold examples, the latter of which is sometimes, but not always, denoted exactly as the ref. 1675/8. Compared to other all-gold Rolex sport-watches of the 1960s and 1970s, it seems as though a few more GMT-Masters were made than, say, Daytonas or Submariners. My theory is that if you were a big shot businessman, flying around the world, the all-gold GMT was for you, whereas the Daytona and Submariner didn't have that same utility excuse. Gold GMTs have been in production since 1958, running almost as long as the model has been around, as it was introduced in 1955.

After the crown-guardless and Mercedes hands-less "Concorde" of the 1960s, this gold GMT is a bit more similar to the 1675 in steel of the era. The hour markers are slightly different and have earned the nickname "nipple dials" over the years due to their small format and lume infill, which resembles a nipple. While possibly more popular than other vintage gold Rolex sport models, GMTs like this are becoming increasingly difficult to find, especially in good condition.

Speaking of condition, the dial here, described by the seller as "solaris," is all about personal taste. In my opinion, this is preferred over a "normal" dial and gives the watch a truly unique look, but I can understand someone saying this watch is damaged and the dial ruined – to each their own. The fiery copper tones are bursting from the warm brown, and while this patina is slightly off-center, leaning more towards nine o'clock than three, it works well from where I'm sitting.

The seller, Jacek, at Tropical Watch, is in San Diego and asking $36,550 for this vintage Rolex GMT-Master. Click here to check it out.

When we discuss vintage Patek and feature watches here, we often focus on complications or simple round Calatravas; however, this reference belongs to another world within the brand. Throughout the midcentury, Patek produced a litany of elegant rectangular and square wristwatches for both men and women that are often overlooked as "just another old Patek." Especially with the ref. 2472, that could not be further from the truth. There is real intrigue and real value in a watch like this.

At first glance, the reference is about clean lines and structure, but upon closer examination, we can see the masterful design come to life. The fluting or vertical ribbing along the case flanks resembles corduroy and significantly enhances wrist presence, especially in this example, given the crisp condition. 

When over-polished, this case could easily come off as uninteresting, but take a look at the hallmark on the rear of the five o'clock lug for evidence of near "unpolished" condition. While the dial has a few spots from age, to my eye, it remains unwashed and unrestored with a high enamel signature at 12 o'clock. And of course, the markers. The cardinal indices are more standard, but at the other hours, the three stacked lozenges are distinctly 1950s and unique.

To top it all off, the watch is paired with an if not original, at least period-correct, Patek Philippe signed woven-link bracelet by Gay Frères. This completes the look and, importantly, is nice and long, fitting up to an 8-inch wrist. The silky, articulated links drape like fabric and balance the bolder case architecture perfectly.

The seller, Justin and team, at The Keystone, is in Los Angeles and asking $29,500 for this vintage mid-century Patek Philippe. Click here to take a closer look.

A nice-looking vintage Movado up for auction on eBay seems to always inevitably find its way into Bring A Loupe. This is the Datron HS360 Super Sub Sea Chronograph, the ultimate sport iteration of Movado's El Primero-powered offerings of the early 1970s. You read that right, El Primero. In 1969, Movado and Zenith merged to form a single company, located in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

The watches are more Zenith than they are Movado, but remain fascinating to collectors. Most interesting are the prices; these Datrons have long been seen as a value play, selling for significantly less than a comparable Zenith El Primero. Jason Heaton wrote a love letter to the Datron HS360 here on Hodinkee back in 2015, and most of his points still ring true today.

As a Super Sub Sea, this example is housed in a slightly larger-than-standard case with crown guards and, of course, a "waterproof" screw-down caseback. The bezel mimics the look of a Rolex Daytona from this era, but is made of bakelite plastic rather than aluminum, making it a bit more interesting. However, there appears to be some cracking on this example's bezel. Otherwise, the condition looks really nice, with some attractive patina on the lumed bits and no notable flaws. The seller notes issues with the stem and the chronograph, so it will certainly need a full service – bid accordingly. That said, the bracelet pictured is a nice plus! This is the original Movado-signed and Gay Frères-made "ladder" bracelet – such a great look.

An eBay seller in Gladwin, Michigan, has listed this Movado for auction, ending today, Friday, June 27th at 10:25 PM ET. At the time of publication, bidding had reached $710. Get all of the details right here.