The Best of 2025 (So Far)
Releases, reporting, and more from the first 6 months of Unpolished.
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Unpolished recently passed 10k subscribers. A bunch of you are new, so here’s the intro newsletter from January:
Tl;dr: Unpolished is subscriber-supported and committed to taking no advertising from brands (or press trips). Every subscription helps commission fresh voices, remain collector-first, and build a new type of media:
In this newsletter: The first Berneron Mirage hit the secondary market and sold for how much (?!). Plus, a 2025 half-year report, the 5 best watches of the year (so far), and collecting the Patek Philippe ref. 96.
2025 Half-Year Report
Highlights from the first 6 months of Unpolished
Reports & Features
My favorite newsletters are Reports or Features that talk to people or analyze larger trends or topics. A few favorites:
Beyond Unpolished: Let’s Talk About Restoration, talking to Eric Ku and Beau Goorey of LA Watch Works about case restoration.
Forget American, These Guys Just Wanna Make Great Watches, Josh Shapiro and Zach Smith on reinventing American watchmaking.
Buying A Watch Is Mostly Vibes—Here’s the Actual Data | Auction Report, This will come back bigger and better this fall.
For Your Reference: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, the most in-depth Collector’s Guide so far.
First Look: The New Berneron Annual Calendar, a preview of the second act from one of our favorite young indies.
Countdown
The Countdown is Unpolished’s monthly collector spotlight. So far, we’ve featured a mega vintage Rolex collector and a watchmaker. These have been popular, so more are coming this year:
Watchlist
The Watchlist is Unpolished’s monthly column for paid subscribers, featuring under-the-radar watches for sale on eBay or at small auctions. It’s also put the microscope on a few big-time watches, like:
A curious Paul Newman Daytona, offered by 1916 Company, and what it says about Rolex’s CPO program
A tale of two Patek Philippe 3970s: When a Patek Philippe perpetual calendar reappears 35 years later, with a different dial and a (way) bigger price
Photo Reports
I’ve traveled for a few events this year, and it’s always great to put together a Photo Report:
Subscriber-first. Some of the most fun newsletters feel more like a conversation with you—subscriber Q&As, watch price rants, how you wake up (without your iPhone), and your biggest gripes.
5 Best Watches of 2025 (So Far)
The Best: Nomos Club Sport Worldtimer. Just a great watch, with a clever new movement, perfectly executed. My only complaint: I wish I liked the standard production versions more.
Timex Marlin “New Yorker.” Timex deserves a lot of credit. I wasn’t sure which watch to pick, but I’m enjoying this version of the Marlin that celebrates the New Yorker’s 100th anniversary that a friend/subscriber sent me. ($250)
Lange 1815 34mm. A really well-executed dress watch at $25k. The Lange secondary market being what it is, there are some pre-owned Langes I’d buy first, but this is a solid release.
Daniel Roth Extra Plat (Yellow Gold). Gold guilloche dial, along with a case and movement improving on the ‘90s originals. $50k is a lot, but it offers more than releases from Patek and Breguet at the same price.
Chopard L.U.C Quattro (Platinum). Chopard is one of the modern brands I respect the most. In my Collector’s Guide to the Patek 96 (below), I wrote that Patek’s early in-house calibers were a pure expression of Swiss watchmaking, the ultimate in “functional elegance.” Those were Geneva Seal calibers with expressive architecture and finishing, but still prioritized precision. I’d say that about Chopard L.U.C today. Again, $50k is a lot, and the secondary market just doesn’t understand Chopard L.U.C. But it’s wonderful watchmaking.
The Roundup
Berneron, collecting the Patek Philippe 96, and subscription saturation
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