Dial & Crown: Vintage https://dialandcrown.com/ The latest vintage stories from Dial & Crown. en The King of Cool Gets an Official Edition: Hanhart’s 417 ES for Steve McQueen https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/hanhart-417es-steve-mcqueen-limited-edition/ https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/hanhart-417es-steve-mcqueen-limited-edition/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700 Developed with McQueen’s grandchildren and limited to 300 pieces, the first official Steve McQueen edition of the 417 ES ties a Bundeswehr pilot’s chronograph to the 1964 International Six Days Trial. Patek Philippe Ref. 2499: The Collector's Guide to Four Series https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/patek-philippe-2499-collectors-guide/ https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/patek-philippe-2499-collectors-guide/ Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700 Thirty-five years, four series, 349 watches: how to read the most important perpetual calendar chronograph ever made, and why the market just set another record. The CHF 1.143 Million Drawer Find: Sotheby's Sells a Gold Paul Newman 6239 https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/rolex-daytona-6239-gold-paul-newman-sothebys-2026/ https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/rolex-daytona-6239-gold-paul-newman-sothebys-2026/ Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700 A 1967 yellow-gold Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 with a Paul Newman dial sat untouched in a family drawer for 45 years. In Geneva, it set a world record. The 2001 Ulysse Nardin Freak, and How Silicon Went Serial https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/ulysse-nardin-freak-2001-silicon-revolution/ https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/ulysse-nardin-freak-2001-silicon-revolution/ Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700 Twenty-five years on, the Freak's wager still defines it: no dial, no hands, no crown, a carrousel that tells the time, and the first serial use of silicon in a movement. The Rolex GMT-Master 6542, and the Material That Made It an Icon https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/rolex-gmt-master-6542-bakelite-bezel/ https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/rolex-gmt-master-6542-bakelite-bezel/ Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700 The first GMT-Master wore a red-and-blue Bakelite bezel that cracked. In 1959 the 1675 replaced it with metal, and the fragile original became the collectors' prize. The Calibre That Was Hidden From the Furnace: Zenith's El Primero https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/zenith-el-primero-saved/ https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/zenith-el-primero-saved/ Wed, 23 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700 In 1969 Zenith built the high-frequency automatic chronograph. In the 1970s its owners ordered it destroyed. One employee said no. The Crash: How Cartier's Strangest Watch Became Its Most Wanted https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/cartier-crash-london-story/ https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/cartier-crash-london-story/ Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700 Born in London in 1967, shaped like nothing else in watchmaking, the Cartier Crash spent decades as a curiosity. In May 2026, a 1990 London example made $2 million. Reference 2523 'South America': The World Timer That Crossed $10 Million https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/patek-philippe-2523-south-america/ https://dialandcrown.com/vintage/patek-philippe-2523-south-america/ Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700 Patek Philippe's double-crown world timer with a cloisonne map of South America, one of two known, had not appeared at auction since 1988. In May 2026 it made CHF 7.96 million.