A 1966 Rolex Cosmograph ‘Big’ Daytona, A 1970s Heuer Autavia, And A 1968 Rolex Day-Date ‘Red Quarter Dial’ replica watches
We believe every vintage watch has a story to tell. That’s what HODINKEE was founded on, and since 2016, we’ve used our knowledge to bring you a curated selection of vintage fake Cartier watches in the HODINKEE Shop that you won’t find elsewhere, all delivered with an emphasis on education, transparency, and storytelling. And now, we’re kicking things up a notch.
You’ll still find us here every Wednesday morning, and we’ll still be highlighting what we love and what you should know about every vintage watch that appears in the HODINKEE Shop. What’s new, however, is the amount of replica watches you’ll discover each week. We’ve grown our team of specialists, and we’re now able to deliver a larger – and broader – selection of vintage watches than ever before. You’ll also learn about the highlight pieces in each week’s assortment in articles like the below, directly from the team members who are most excited about them. The comments section is also now open for discussion, because we want to hear replica watches from you – don’t hesitate to let us know what you think and what you’d like to see from us going forward.
This Week’s Vintage Watches
With this week’s vintage lineup, we have a selection of over 15 new watches in the HODINKEE Shop. Among them are six standouts our team has highlighted here – one born out of a racing-inspired ad campaign in the 1970s, one whose play with innovative materials and design will make you feel like a secret agent, one that’s an unexpectedly great work-from-home desk companion, and three that are some big players with subtle strength. Spoiler alert: One of these is a Rolex ref. 6239 ‘Big’ Daytona whose finer points are sure replica watches to appeal to a collector with a keen eye for the right details and nuances of a real vintage gem. You can check out all these watches for yourself in the HODINKEE Shop, or you can read on to learn more about the six watches teased here.
A 1942 Longines Pocket Watch Ref. 3005 And A 1966 Rolex Cosmograph ‘Big’ Daytona Ref. 6239
These last few months, spending more time working from home, have helped me gain an appreciation for more aspects of watch collecting – specifically pocket watches. Personally, I don’t own any proper pocket watches, but I do have a few stopwatches that I’ve been playing around with more recently. These have the same feeling as a traditional pocket watch, just with a different function. After all this time thinking more about pocket replica watches, this Longines came across my desk, and it was love at first sight.
This stainless-steel pocket watch from the ’40s has a beautiful silvered cross-hair dial with small seconds at six o’clock and blued steel hands. When first holding it, I was surprised how solid this thing felt and had to double-check to see if it was gold. I love the way this Longines has aged with patina on the dial. The bow at the top around the crown has even remained tight when adjusting it. Legibility was clearly the motivation behind this pocket watch, with bold hour markers and hash marks around the dial. Today, pocket replica watches might seem a bit anachronistic, but they are an ideal desk companion, especially when working from home more. Warm up your work-from-home space now by popping over to the HODINKEE Shop.
In the realm of chronographs, the Daytona is considered king by many. And for good reason, too. Once you put this watch on your wrist, you can’t help but stare at it. This model we have here, the 6239, is the original reference Rolex came out with in 1963. However, this very watch is from 1966. By this time, it was already being referred to as the “Daytona” instead of the original “Cosmograph” name, yet it features both “Daytona” and “Cosmograph” on the dial. The watch we have here today has a black dial with silver-white registers in the reverse panda fashion. In addition, the combination of the steel bezel and pump pushers are very sleek and unassuming.
This very watch is called the “Big” Daytona because of the large font used for the Daytona name at the top of the dial. In the watch collecting world, it’s all about the small details, and the same goes for this Daytona. The combination of the “Big” Daytona verbiage and other early features, such as the “300” unit bezel and “long hour hand,” gives this watch some serious character – but, to be honest, these details are quite subtle. This 6239 is really a connoisseur’s watch. It’s a bit under the radar compared to an exotic dial, and for that reason, I am really into it. Check out all the details here in the HODINKEE Shop.
A 1970s Porsche Design By IWC Compass Watch And A 1970s Heuer Autavia ‘Pre-Viceroy’ Ref. 1163
I truly appreciate the vision and creativity Porsche Design and IWC came up with for this Compass watch in 1978, a time when most companies were focused on large cases and multi-colored watches. Just from a watch design standpoint, it’s stoic and zeroes in on functionality with an all-black PVD finish on a super-light aluminum case and bracelet (which only weighs 70 grams). Altogether, it was a fresh use of unexpected materials and finishing at the time.
This watch is actually pretty cool as it is, but just like a gadget watch found in a spy movie, what makes this model extra interesting is the compass and emergency beacon mirror hidden inside. I hope no one has to use these functions in a real-life emergency situation, but if you do, you’re sure to escape in style! Channel your inner secret agent by snatching up this model in the HODINKEE Shop.
The Heuer Autavia Viceroy grabs your attention immediately for its red and black colorway. The watch was a cross-promotion between Heuer and Viceroy (a U.K.-based tobacco company) in 1972, which ran for seven months and was geared toward auto-racing fans. This promotion would be unlikely to happen today, of course, but how tempting would it have been to be able to buy this chronograph for $88 (taking inflation into consideration, it would still be around just $550 today).
This example is technically a pre-Viceroy example that dates prior to the start of the partnership, as it lacks a “V” marking on the case. More importantly, however, the watch comes from the original owner, who purchased it at the time and took care of it for almost 50 years. When the owner shared his story with me, he fondly recounted his memory of learning about this watch through his interest in racing. This type of interaction with owners of vintage replica watches is one of the things I appreciate most – it’s a reminder that each watch has a story and often takes a person back to a specific time in their lives. Make your own memory with this Heuer Autavia by visiting the HODINKEE Shop.
A 1968 Rolex Day-Date Ref. 1803 ‘Red Quarter Dial’ And A 1970s Cartier Tank In 18k Yellow Gold
This week, I’ve chosen two models I consider to be “power watches” in their own right: the Rolex Day-Date and the Cartier Tank. Both models have a story as old as time. The Day-Date quickly became the ultimate status symbol for businessmen and world leaders after finding its place on the wrist of countless U.S. presidents and other influential figures. And, while the Cartier Tank is invariably a unisex model, it’s become a status symbol (similar to the Day-Date) among some of the most prominent women of our time, from Princess Diana to Jackie Kennedy-Onassis and Michelle Obama. Their history precedes them, and thus, these two models could easily sell themselves. However, it’s worth highlighting what makes the particular iterations of these icons we have in the Shop today so special.
Over time, the President variation of the Day-Date has often come to overshadow the collection. If you’re looking for a bold presence on the wrist, the yellow-gold Day-Date with a traditional President bracelet is the way to go. However, if you find yourself seeking a more subtle watch that says, “I’ve arrived,” to those with an eye keen enough to notice, I think you’ll appreciate this unique Day-Date ‘Red Quarter Dial.’ At its core, you have everything that makes the Day-Date the highly functional yet equally handsome model you know and love. It features the day function discreetly placed at noon and the date window with cyclops lens at three o’clock. However, you’ll notice this particular iteration has a Spanish language day disc. Still, what really makes this Day-Date special is the minute track featuring fifteen-minute increments with ‘Red Quarters’ markings at 60, 15, 30, and 45. These red accents at the quarters of the hour not only enhance the readability but also add a nice piece of visual interest to the dial beyond the standard Day-Date. Lastly, I love the addition of our HODINKEE Smooth Calf strap in taupe as opposed to a bracelet. Altogether, the combination of the ‘Red Quarter Dial’ and strap give this Day-Date a quiet confidence that I really appreciate. You can make it yours by heading over to the HODINKEE Shop.
I don’t personally own a Cartier Tank, but in my previous life as a freelancer, this is the model I would request on loan time and time again from my vintage clients. And when I say, “this model,” I mean something strikingly similar to this iteration on a supple, dark-toned leather strap as opposed to a bracelet. Whether I was attending a cocktail attire soiree or a more formal black-tie gala, the Cartier Tank always fit the bill. (Of course, I would wear the watch in between events with a simple sweater and jeans, and it looked just as great). As cliché as it sounds, the Cartier Tank is truly that versatile watch you can dress up or down, any season, anytime, any place. And, on top of being really beautiful and functional, it holds a special place in both watchmaking history and our culture. The Cartier Tank was one of the first watches designed for style over function and laid the foundation for a more contemporary approach to design. Yet, it also retains elements, like the black Roman numeral hour markers, the sword-shaped hands, and the sapphire cabochon on the crown, that make it unmistakably Cartier and decisively timeless. The enduring replica watches nature of the Cartier Tank’s design is exemplified through its array of iconic wearers, like the aforementioned women and outstanding men, such as Andy Warhol, Muhammed Ali, and Cary Grant. Check out this model, now in the HODINKEE Shop.
To view the entire current selection of vintage watches available in the HODINKEE Shop, click here.