This is an edition of the newsletter Box + Papers, Cam Wolf’s weekly deep dive into the world of watches. Sign up here.
Welcome back to the home of the original Instagram Watch Power Rankings, where the taste is unequaled and the rankings are always scientifically accurate. I haven’t unloaded my folder of bookmarked timepieces since March, so the exercise was even more painful than usual this time. I couldn’t believe some of the treasures I was stacking towards the bottom of this edition.
YEAH, I’M WHIMSICAL
18. @strange_vintage_watch’s Winnie the Pooh Timex
Forget funky-shaped watches like the Cartier Crash, Berneron Mirage, and Exaequo Softwatch. How about one shaped like the Hundred Acre Wood’s favorite lazy bear? Up, down, touch the ground, puts me in the mood for watches.
17. @tank_ismyname’s Mickey Mouse Tank
These have all the elegance of the Cartier Tank remixed with the second-most talented rodent in cinema history. (The first is Remy from Ratatouille (2007).) @Tank_IsMyName is also in contention for best stack this year with Serena Williams’s armful of mini Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks.
ODDBALL SNACK STATION
16. @otottoi.watches’ Bueche Girod Flavia
Can’t decide between a car or a watch for your next purchase? How about this Bueche Girod that offers the best of both worlds? BG is known for making automobile-inspired watches that mimic the grills of famous vehicles, like this one modeled after a Mercedes. The brand introduced a series of these—the last of the trio takes after a Volvo—in 1968. This one takes inspiration from the sturdy Lancia Flavia, a historic Italian car.
15. @constant_practice’s 1980s Tokio Kumagai ‘Minute’ Belted Watch
To paraphrase the immortal words of Cake, “I want a watch with a small face and a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG strap!” This is a vintage watch but weirdo straps are extremely in for 2024. Dimepiece recently coined the term “JAUTILUS,” in reference to the Patek Philippe Nautilus wearing a Canadian tuxedo. This Tokio Kumagai is bringing that same special-strap energy.
14. @timebyraf’s Piaget “Bones”
The Cartier Coussin “Bamboo” is perma-hot, but this Piaget deserves just as much love. I like @timebyraf’s suggestions that these are “bones, not bamboo,” which gives this piece a welcome macabre feel. Bonus intel: Apparently Spiro Theodore Agnew, vice president under Richard Nixon, received a square-shaped Piaget Bamboo as a gift. I know what you’re thinking: The Spiro Agnew?! I could hardly believe it myself.
13. @rejolesvintagemexico’s Universal Genève Secret Watch
This Universal Genève would be near the top of my wishlist if I were selecting pieces to bring to a big watch get-together. Imagine throwing this down on the table. Just when you think you’ve seen it all—when you’re all watched out—I drop a secret watch from UG with a mane of yellow topaz. As Relojes Vintage Mexico points out, the topaz setting is shaped like a bowtie.
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT ROLEX COULDN’T BE COOLER
12. @mentawatches’ Rolex Explorer II
A double-signed dial on a sporty Rolex is enough to get my attention. This one from dealer Adam Golden is stamped with something super unusual, though: the name of jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels. The VC&A name adds such a compelling dimension to this piece. The Explorer II is designed for spelunking (cave diving), about as rough an activity as you could propose a watch for. Adding in the name of one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world gives this piece an irresistible high-low mix.
11. @misterenthusiast’s Rolex Zerographe
Mister Enthusiast, aka Phillip Toledano, said he sold off some of his collection to fund his new watch brand Toledano & Chan. The venture has been a huge success, so it’s no surprise to see he’s back in acquisition mode. Lucky for us, because he’s constantly turning up craziness like this Rolex Zerographe from 1937. Toledano notes that this piece represents two first-evers for the Crown: its first in-house chronograph and the first of its watches with a rotating bezel. There are rumored to be only 12 in existence.
UNCONVENTIONAL PIECES FROM HISTORIC BRANDS
10. @4AAAAart’s Vacheron Constantin Prestige de la France
The Instagram Power Rankings welcomes its first-ever entry from X, where cool new watches are starting to bubble up. Regular readers of this newsletter will know I’m a sucker for watches with unconventional shapes and this VC exactly fits the bill. This is like if a Cartier Tank Américaine got stretched out on just a single side.
9. @wrist_wanderer’s Patek Philippe Les Grecques
Someone get Giannis Antetokounmpo on the horn. This watch, known as “The Greeks,” is better than a Mykonos vacation. The bezel is modeled after Greek columns and there’s a Grecian-style print around the dial. The rows of diamonds on the top and bottom are like the watch’s crispy filo pastry.
8. @crazykirbyh’s Cartier Basculante
This Cartier is so much fun. It does not surprise me in the least that this was made in 2004, when watches were at their wackiest and most maximalist. Even always-elegant Cartier couldn’t resist the siren call of Juicy Couture sweatpants and all-over print Louis Vuitton bags. Jumbling up the letters of Cartier like it’s in a suede Scrabble bag yields very appealing results.
HYPNOTIC DIALS
7. @bazamu’s A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1
There are only 25 of these watches in the world—and this newsletter counts two owners of them as its best friends in the whole world (is this sucking up working?). I first got a glimpse of this Lange on Geoff Hess’s Instagram. That makes two massive co-signs for this watch: 2022 GQ Watch Collecor of the Year Bazamu and Hess, the recently appointed global head of watches at Sotheby’s. The dial is made out of mother of pearl that is supposed to look like a cloudy sky. Maybe it’s the Bay Area boy in me speaking, but I’d much prefer this to a sunny day.
6. @goldberger’s Piaget Aura
I mean, it’s literally called the Aura. I could make the entire Instagram Power Rankings out of Goldberger’s page, but I am still testing highly positive for Piaget fever.
5. @VeraletWatches’s Audemars Piguet Piece Unique
Apparently, I love watches that are inspired by parlor games. Tudor’s “Monte Carlo,” which is reminiscent of a roulette wheel, is high on my wishlist. This Audemars Piguet piece unique is like the sexiest dartboard I’ve ever seen.
OLD DOGS SHOW OFF NEW TRICKS
4. @penny_watch_seoul’s Parmigiani Fleurier Pantographe
The PF Pantographe is a stunning watch before it even reveals its magic trick. The blue indices, milky white lacquer dial, and hands that look like they could power a springboard in your favorite video game are all A+ details. But! Did you know the Pantographe’s springy hands aren’t just for show? Because this is an oval-shaped watch, your ordinary static hands don’t do the job of always pointing to the most precise time. To solve for this, PF took inspiration from a 19th-century pocket watch and created hands that adjust lengths as they move from the shorter sides to the longer top and bottom hemispheres of the watch. See it in action here. Someone needs to bring this feature back ASAP.
3. @OldWatchLady’s Vintage Rolex
Funny story. After the last IG Power Rankings in March, @OldWatchLady messaged me on Instagram. “Pls look at my feed,” she wrote. “I’m sure there may be pieces you haven’t seen before.” She got me there. I’m happy to rectify my past sins by getting her where she belongs: in the top three of this edition. I do suggest everyone give her a follow—there were many worthy candidates on her page. However, I can’t resist showing you this Rolex, which shows off the brand’s versatility. It’s not just big beefy Submariners powering the Crown. The brand can just as skillfully make elegant trench watches on thin bracelets.
2. @johnson167’s Audemars Piguet
These beautiful multi-color stone dials are suddenly everywhere on my feed. This isn’t even the only one @johnson167 has shown off in the past few months. He owns multiple from Piaget, and our friend @CrazyKirbyH has her own from Vacheron Constantin, Audemars, and Piaget. The one I was most taken with is this AP with a bracelet that’s nearly as good as the Earth-pattern dial.
1. @lifeofyoni’s Audemars Piguet Cocktail Watch
This Audemars Piguet from Yoni Ben-Yehuda feels like a touring exhibit. There was a point a few weeks ago where I felt like I’d seen it on every cool watch collector’s Instagram. I also got to see it in person a few months ago at a party in Los Angeles celebrating John Mayer’s AP collaboration. No matter where I’m seeing it, this piece delivers. While @Johnson167’s dial looks like the view of Earth from a space station, Ben-Yehuda’s looks like something a mystical Matthew McConaughey character might encounter while existing outside time and space in Interstellar. This watch was originally designed as a women’s cocktail watch, which only makes me appreciate it on Ben-Yehuda’s wrist even more.
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