The Watch Curriculum
Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash
Audio, visual, and written resources to make you smarter about watches
Watch collectors have always used the internet to share information, help fellow collectors identify and buy watches, and document their latest find. Over the decades, this has moved from forums to professional digital publications, but the premise remains the same: information is essential. You can’t buy a watch without digging deep into the story behind a particular brand or reference. I’ve attempted to compile some of the best in-depth articles, videos, and other resources on watches from around the web. The core of this page is (and will continue to be) these in-depth articles. I’ve also begun to collect various other links to videos, podcasts, serial number databases, groups, etc. that one might find interesting in their collecting journey.
This is a dynamic page, and I plan to add more to it — for example, in-depth explanations of movements and complications, recommended dealers, and more — let me know what you’d like to see from this page going forward.
Table of Contents
In-Depth Articles
Tips and Tricks
Serial Number Databases
Podcasts | Spotify Playlist
Videos
Talking Watches
Groups
In-Depth Articles
The following is a list of some of the best articles about specific models or references I’ve seen on the internet. I find myself constantly referencing them when reading about or researching watches. It’s helpful for me to have them all in one place; perhaps others will also benefit from this list too. Consider this something of a vintage watch “curriculum.” If you read and re-read these articles, digest them, and apply what you learn to your own collecting habits, you’ll go far. If you know of an article I missed, please reach out.
Stories
Project 99: The Race to Develop the World’s First Automatic Chronograph (by Jeff Stein)
12 of the Greatest Missing Watches (by Ben Clymer)
Your Complete Guide to the Watches of United States Presidents (by Eric Wind)
The Story of the 'Dirty Dozen’: The First Watches Commissioned for the British Army (A Collected Man)
How Travel Transformed Timekeeping (by A Collected Man)
The True and Sad Story of J.B. Champion, Jr. (by Eric Wind)
The Dalai Lama’s Patek Philippe, Gifted by FDR (by Eric Wind)
A History of the Pulsations Chronograph (by Dr. Andrew Hantel)
Confessions of a Watch Geek (by Gary Shtenygart)
A History of Horology, Clockmaking, and Watches (recommended by the students of Time Online!)
A Lange
How the Lange 1 Became a Modern Icon (by A Collected Man)
The Original A. Lange 1 Compared to the New Version (by Jack Forster)
Lange 1: Made in Germany dials (Subdial)
A Collector’s Guide: The Datograph (by A Collected Man)
In-Depth: The A. Lange Datograph (by Cole Pennington)
Audemars Piguet
A Guide: The Royal Oak Offshore (Phillips)
Reference Talk: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 14790 and How to identify mid-size Royal Oak references (Watch Brothers London)
The Early Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar (by James Stacey)
Audemars Piguet: Date Signatures by Year (by Josh Rankin)
Reference Talk: Audemars Piguet Quantieme Perpetual Automatique (Watch Brothers London)
Blancpain
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms MilSpec Watches (The Spring Bar)
Private Label Bathyscaphes (Worn & Wound)
Breitling
Breitling Top Time: A Collector’s Guide (The Spring Bar)
Cartier
Brief History: Cartier Santos (Rescapement)
The Daring Creations of Cartier London (by A Collected Man)
An introduction to the 'Collection Privée Cartier Paris' (Subdial)
A Collector’s Guide to the 'Collection Privée Cartier Paris' (A Collected Man)
100 Years of the Cartier Tank (by George Cramer)
The Past, Present and Future of Cartier’s Case Designs (by George Cramer)
The Surprisingly Complicated History of Watchmaking at Cartier (by George Cramer)
Doxa
Doxa300T.com (all things Doxa 300T)
Enicar
Enicar101.com (all things Enicar)
Enicar Sherpa Collector’s Guide (The Spring Bar)
Enicar Sherpa Pilot (The Spring Bar)
The 2019 book Time for a Change, Discovering Vintage Enicar, is a must-read for those interested in vintage Enicar.
Eterna
For Your Reference: Eterna Super-KonTiki (by Rich Fordon)
F.P. Journe
A Collector’s Guide to Early F.P. Journe (A Collected Man)
Reference Points: F.P. Journe Tourbillon (Hodinkee)
Heuer
Heuerchrono.com (see especially their Skipper Grid)
The Very First Heuer Carrera, Explained (by Eric Wind)
On the Dash: Master Heuer Reference Table
Ultimate Guide to the Vintage Heuer Autavia (Calibre 11)
The Definitive History of the Abercrombie Seafarer (On the Dash)
Vintage Heuer Buying Guide (Calibre 11)
Favre-Leuba
Brief History: Favre-Leuba (Rescapement)
Gallet
Gallet World (the definitive source for everything Gallet)
IWC
History of the IWC Portugeiser Reference 325 (by David Seyferr and Michael Friedberg)
Lemania
The Complete History of the Amazing Lemania Chronograph Calibre 2310 (Wei Koh)
Longines
In-Depth: Longines 13ZN History (by PH Zhou)
Mido
Mido Reference 5907 (‘Rainbow Diver’) (Alpha Hands)
Movado
For Your Reference: Movado 95M (M95) Chronographs (by Rich Fordon)
Nomos
Brief History: Nomos Glashutte (Rescapement)
Omega
Omega Vintage Watches Databases (Official)
Speedmaster
ChronoMaddox: History of the Omega Speedmaster
Speedmaster101.com (how to buy an Omega Speedmaster)
Fratello: Omega Speedmaster Buyer’s Guide, Part I and Part II (by Robert-Jan Broer)
Reference Points: Omega Speedmaster (by Ben Clymer and Eric Wind)
Omega Speedmaster 145.022 Buyer’s Guide, Part I and Part II (by Robert-Jan Broer)
Omega Speedmaster Professional: A study of the 6 case types (Chronoholic)
Seamaster
Omega Diver Generations (Watchuseek)
The History of the Omega Semaster (Timepiece Chronicle)
Other
Omega Chronostop: A Collector’s Guide (The Spring Bar)
Omega Railmaster: A Collector’s Guide (The Spring Bar)
Patek Philippe
Your First Vintage Patek Philippe Guide (John Reardon)
Reference Points: Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronographs (by Ben Clymer)
The Complete Guide to Patek Philippe Vintage Chronographs (by Wei Koh)
The Patek Philippe Calatrava reference 2526 and Why It’s a Watch to Pay Attention to (by Ben Clymer)
Why You Should Care about the Patek Philippe Reference 3970 (by Cara Barrett)
History of the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Part I, Part II and Part III (Monochrome Watches)
Understanding the Patek Philippe Reference 3940 (A Collected Man)
Understanding the Aquanaut, Patek Philippe's Most Versatile watch (A Collected Man)
The Curious Case of the Patek Philippe Reference 3448 ‘Senza Luna’ (Cara Barrett)
A Collector’s Guide to the Nautilus 3800 (A Collected Man)
Patek Philippe and General Motors: Reference 1578GM (Rescapement)
Hands-on with the Henry Graves Supercomplication (Hodinkee)
Brief History: Patek Philippe (Rescapement)
Piaget
Piaget: The history of Piaget watches (A Collected Man)
Rolex
GENERAL
The Vintage Rolex Buyer’s Guide (Phillip Stahl)
Analyzing the Condition of Your Vintage Rolex (Rolex Passion Report)
9 Things to Look at Before Buying a Vintage Rolex (by Louis Westphalen)
The Importance of the Vintage Rolex Dial (Rolex Passion Report)
Rolex Fat Font Inserts Mk1 through Mk3 (WatchProSite)
In-Depth: The Story of the Rolex Oyster Bracelet (by Louis Westphalen)
Case Polishing and Vintage Rolex
The Bart Simpson and the Classic Coronet (Rolex Forums)
‘Transitional’ Rolex: A Primer (Rescapement)
Rolex Reference Numbers: A Guide (Rescapement)
Air-King
Brief History: Rolex Air-King (Rescapement)
For Your Reference: Rolex Air-King Reference 5500 (Rescapement)
DAYTONA
The Very First Rolex Daytona, Explained (by Ben Clymer)
The History of the Exotic Paul Newman Dial (Rolex Passion Report)
Reference Points: Paul Newman Daytona (by Ben Clymer)
Rolex Daytona Past and Present (by Paul Boutros)
Explorer
Brief History: Rolex Explorer (Rescapement)
The Rolex Explorer Ref. 14270 (Walt Odets)
Everything You Need to Know about the Explorer Ref. 14270 (by Danny Milton)
GMT-Master
Reference Points: GMT-Master (by John Bues)
Milgauss
A Brief History of the Rolex Milgauss (Timepiece Chronicle)
SEADWELLER
Reference Points: Sea Dweller (by Louis Westphalen)
Rolex Reference 1655 Sea Dweller Patent Pending History (Rolex Passion Report)
SUBMARINER
5513mattedial.com (and 5512 Gilt-Gloss Dial)
Reference Points: Rolex Submariner (by Stephen Pulvirent)
The Rolex Big Crown and Small Crown (James Bond) Submariner History (Rolex Passion Report)
What to Know before Buying Your First Vintage Submariner (Rescapement)
Everything You Need to Know about the Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 Maxi Dial (Ross Povey)
Rolex Red Submariner Reference 1680 Full Reference Primer (WatchProSite)
Rolex Submariner Ref. 16800 Matte Dial Variations (Jake’s Rolex World)
Other
An in-depth look at star dials (by Edmund Saran)
In-depth on the Rolex ref. 6838 Pre Daytona (by Edmund Saran)
The Rolex Reference 6062 in Steel (by Cara Barrett)
Rolex in aviation and space flight (Rescapement, excerpt from the Vintage Rolex Field Manual)
Every type of stone used for a Rolex dial (Rolex Forums)
Stefao Mazzariol Library (many valuable Rolex articles behind a paywall)
Seiko and Grand Seiko
The Grand Seiko Guy (the definitive source for everything Grand Seiko)
Your Vintage Seiko Chronograph Buying Guide (by Felix Scholz)
Vintage Grand Seiko: Rescapement’s Brief History, Part 1
Collecting the Grand Seiko 62GS (Rescapement)
Vintage Seiko Chronographs: Reference 6138, Reference 6139, and Reference 7018 (Vintage Watch Inc.)
Vintage Seiko Divers (Fratello) and a Look at Early Seiko Divers (Worn & Wound)
Titus
Tudor
Tudor Collector: The Collection (resource for most Tudor references)
For Your Reference: Tudor Ranger (Rescapement)
TudorSub.com (Guide to all vintage Tudor Submariners)
Brief History: Tudor Submariner (Rescapement)
The Tudor MilSub: Part II and Part II (by Ross Povey)
Tudor Snowflake Submariner Collector’s Guide (The Spring Bar)
Tudor Oysterthin: Not extra, not ultra (Rescapement)
Universal Geneve
Brief History: Universal Geneve (Rescapement)
Omega Forums: Universal Geneve Information
Universal Geneve Ferrovie dello Stato (“FS”): The Italian Railway Watch (Rescapement)
Compax
Reference Guide: Universal Geneve Tri-Compax, 1944-49, 1950-59, and 1960-69 (Timepiece Chronicle)
Universal Geneve Film Compax Reference 22522 (by Sacha Davidoff and “Mr. A”)
Universal Geneve Tri-Compax Reference 881101 ‘Eric Clapton’ (Alpha Hands)
Universal Geneve Compax Reference 885103 ‘Nina Rindt’ (Alpha Hands)
Why I Bought This Tri-Compax at the Henry Graves Auction (by Ben Clymer)
For Universal Geneve (chronograph) collectors, Universal Watch Geneve by Sala is the bible, which you can buy directly from the author on eBay.
Polerouter
Universal Geneve Polerouter Guide (Omega Forums)
Vacheron Constantin
For Your Reference: Vacheron Constantin Reference 4072 Dial Variants (by Peter Toot)
The story of the Vacheron Constantin 222 (A Collected Man)
Reference Talk: Vacheron Constantin Overseas 1st Generation References (Watch Brothers London)
Reference Talk: Vacheron Constantin Automatic Quantieme Perpetuals (Watch Brothers London)
Zenith
A Short History and Overview of the Zenith Chronomaster (Watchuseek)
An Overview of Vintage Zenith El Primeros (Watchuseek)
For Your Reference: Zenith S.58 (by Rich Fordon)
Zenith A386 El Primero (Alpha Hands)
Most articles about the original Zenith El Primero end up referencing Rossler’s definition work on Zenith, Zenith Swiss Watch Manufacture Since 1865
Other Independents
What is independent watchmaking? (A Collected Man)
A collector’s guide to early Daniel Roth (A Collected Man)
Ikepod: Design and the art of time (A Collected Man)
The rise of neo-vintage watches (A Collected Man)
Other Articles and Resources
Rescapement Brand Guide: Who Owns What?
An Exploration of Double-Signed Watches (A Collected Man)
The art of dial finishing (A Collected Man)
Two-Watch Collection: The Patek Philippe 3940 And The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph (by Ben Clymer)
A Guide to Super Compressors (Worn & Wound)
A Detailed History of the Split-Seconds Chronograph and Its Cousins (by PH Zhou)
Charles Spillman: A Famous Watchmaker, Forgotten (Rolex case maker, among others)
The Borgel Watch Case Company of Geneva and The Taubert Family — Watch Case Makers of Geneva (by David Boettcher)
Borgel: The casemaker you haven’t heard of (A Collected Man)
Berner’s Professional Illustrated Dictionary of Horology
WatchBase: Online Watch Database
Ranftt: Watch Movements Database
Grail Watch: Movements Database
Alpha Hands Stolen Watch Registry (in general, the Alpha Hands website is one of the best resources in all vintage watches)
Tips and Tricks
The Vintage Rolex Buyer’s Guide (also linked in the Rolex section, but this is a good one)
Guide to Buying Watches on eBay (by Eric Wind) (or, the abbreviated “10 tips for buying a vintage watch on eBay”)
12 Mistakes New Watch Guys Make, and How to Avoid Them (by Ben Clymer)
Horology 101: Understanding Your Watch (Omega Forums)
How to Spot a Restored Dial (by PH Zhou)
Omega Forums: Learning How to Fish
5 tips to make your watch photography better with @waitlisted (Rescapement)
Serial Number Databases
Rolex Serial Numbers (Bob’s Watches)
Universal Geneve (Omega Forums)
Podcasts
I don’t listen to watch podcasts on a regular basis — fashion is a visual, not an auditory experience! — but some podcasts have featured great guests or interviews that I would recommend.
I’ve put together a Spotify playlist of 20+ episodes with guests from the watch industry that I’d recommend.
Rather than link other podcasts, I’ll mention a few of the most popular watch-related podcasts so that you can search for them in your podcast player of choice:
Blamo!
Calibre (by Watches of Switzerland)
Hodinkee Radio
Worn and Wound
The Grey Nato
Time 4A Pint
Two Broke Watch Snobs
There are a number of smaller, lightly produced podcasts that follow the tried-and-true format of “two bros drinking beers and talking watches” including: 40 and 20, Watch and Listen, The Trading Desk (from WatchBox).
Videos
Eric Wind’s 2019 Lecture at the Horological Society of New York
Watchfinder: How an Automatic Watch Works
Hamilton: How a Mechanical Watch Works
There are a number of watch-focused YouTube channels churning out content on a weekly basis. The quality of the content varies from bearable to enjoyable, often taking the form of a guy talking about why he loves X watch, or close up macro shots with a sultry voice-over. These channels include:
Talking Watches
The best of Hodinkee’s signature video series
Groups
Horological Society of New York — non-profit with events and speakers, mostly in NYC
RedBar — collector groups with local chapters in many large cities
National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors — membership group for watch collectors, with events throughout the country
American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute — trade association for watchmakers and clockmakers, focused on the technical aspects of watchmaking
When not congregating in person, watch collectors can be found in a number of online forums, including (in addition to a number of other brand-specific forums):