Hodinkee
Watch Spotting: Trevor Noah Wearing A Gem-Set Rolex GMT-Master II At The Grammys
Bling is king.
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Hodinkee
Bling is king.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Mike is back and he’s just in time for Kaz’s #newwatchalert! This week the guys are going over some big end of year news items that have come up within horology – plus, it’s that time of the year 0_o – a review in some highlights from the TBWS Crew’s choices for last minute holiday gift ideas.
SJX Watches
Just over two weeks ago the annual George Daniels lecture took place at the City University of London, an institution supported by the late watchmaker’s charitable trust. This year’s speaker at the sold-out event was none other than Roger W. Smith, protege and successor to Daniels. Just over an hour long, including questions, the lecture is erudite, accessible and packed with nerdy trivia, like the fact that a movement running at 28,800 beats per hour will make 252,288,000 vibrations per year. Roger explained the history and rationale behind the mechanical watch, and how watchmakers are working to improve it even today. That naturally led into the lubrication-free co-axial escapement invented by Daniels (pictured above), which Roger delves into in a satisfyingly detailed manner, like comparing the sliding friction of a lever escapement against the tangential impulse of the co-axial. Fortunately, the entire proceedings were recorded and are now available online:
Quill & Pad
This richly illustrated coffee table book weighing close to two kilograms is both an invaluable reference tool and a fascinating read. The chapters do not scrimp in detailed information, expert opinion, and rich historical illustrations: even the book’s structure points are a pure joy to read or simply thumb through. Elizabeth would recommend it heartily for anyone with even a passing interest in the subject and here's why.
Quill & Pad
The Swiss press is reporting that the tug of war between Swatch Group and Comco is now back on the table – and could result in dire consequences for the entire industry as soon as 2020, when ETA may stop delivering movements to outside brands. Get the story here.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
This week, Kaz and Mike tackle a substantial listener question submitted by @gmtchronodive on Instagram. Space, land, air, and sea - what are the ultimate watches that'll tackle these environments? Tune in, enjoy the show, and share your picks. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far!
Quill & Pad
Increasing demand for timepieces, especially Rolexes, with the Omani emblem is understandable given the high quality, good condition, demonstrable provenance, and rarity of most of these watches, combined with the fact that they had often been presented to their first owners in the 1970s by Sultan Qaboos in person as a token of gratitude for services rendered. Colin Alexander Smith takes a very close look at the meaning behind these rare timepieces.
SJX Watches
Voutilainen watches are well loved for their dials, which are made in-house and offered with a myriad of finishes – primarily guilloché or enamel – as well as numerous colours and appliques. But unconstrained freedom leads to hesitation, and too many choices make a decision difficult. American psychologist Barry Schwartz, writing in The Paradox of Choice, notes that consumers are often happier having to choose from fewer options, rather than more. The author’s custom GMT-Villes But in my own collecting, perhaps the opposite is true. When I work with an independent watchmaker on a custom or bespoke watch, exploring the abundance of possibilities is the main attraction, particularly when I can specify the details face to face with the watchmaker himself. Investing sufficient time to figure out my goal makes the process of choosing not a task to be feared, but an enjoyable journey leading to the unique piece. This is my story of commissioning the GMT-Villes from Kari Voutilainen (which happened slightly before I embarked on a similar project with Andreas Strehler). Kari Voutilainen in his showroom. Image – FHH The beginning of custom work After setting up his own workshop in 2002, Kari, then 40 years old, made his debut as an independent watchmaker with the Masterpiece series of wristwatches, starting with Masterpiece 6 unveiled at Baselworld in 2005. The Masterpiece watches were all one-off minute repeaters relying on rebuilt and finely decorated vintage ebauches ma...
SJX Watches
While the first instalment of highlights in Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong auction covered mostly complicated watches, this is a look at the simpler and sportier stuff. A good number of the sports watches are in First, the opening session of the sale that is made up of watches consigned by the original owners. Some of these watches are distinguished by thorough historical documentation, as with the Rolex Submariner ref. 5512 below that includes several photographs of the original owner wearing the watch. And the rest of the sale also includes a few gems that are not exceptionally valuable, but attractive in both style and price. One example is the Vacheron Constantin ref. 6378Q automatic in white gold, with a diamond-marker dial to boot. This is part two of the highlights; you can find part one here. And the full catalogue is available on Phillips.com. The 6378Q First lot 813 – Cartier Crash Radieuse Launched last year, the Radieuse is one of just a handful of limited edition versions of Cartier’s iconic asymmetric watch. It takes the “crash” theme literally – the case and dial feature a radiating shockwave motif that starts on the dial and continues on the case, which has a relief, concentrically lined surface. The case is 18k yellow gold, while the crown is set with a brilliant-cut diamond. And inside is a small hand-wound movement made by Jaeger-LeCoultre. And in a big plus for potential Asian buyers, the watch is numbered “08/50”. Purchased from one of Ca...
Hodinkee
This is rare air for independent watchmaking.
Hodinkee
The king is dead – long live the king.
Deployant
A short introduction to the Seiko Instruments factory in Singapore, which manufactures mechanical and quartz watch movements.
Hodinkee
With Swiss exports there down for six consecutive months, the U.S. is poised to become Switzerland's top export market.
SJX Watches
IWC’s latest limited edition is a surprisingly small run – 80 pieces to mark the 80th anniversary of the flight of the giant Latécoère 521 flying boat Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris from New York to Lac de Biscarrosse in Southwestern France. Starting on Bastille Day, July 14, in 1939, the flight was the first nonstop crossing of the North Atlantic by flying boat. A passenger on the 28-hour, 27-minute journey was French aviator Antoine de Saint Exupéry. And it happens that one of IWC’s most popular sub-collections of pilot’s watches watches is Le Petit Prince, named after the famous novel by de Saint Exupéry. So the Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Chronograph Edition “80 Years Flight to New York” is an offshoot of the Le Petit Prince collection, with a few tweaks. It retains the vaguely retro flavour, with Gothic-esque numerals and lozenge hands, but instead of the standard blue dial of Le Petit Prince, the anniversary watch has a brown metallic dial, matched with brown ceramic bezel. The edition is based on the Timezoner Chronograph, usually available only in the standard black and white livery of IWC’s basic Pilot’s Watches. It’s an unusual watch that combines both a flyback chronograph and IWC’s proprietary “timezoner” mechanism. Originally developed by the defunct watch brand Vogard, the timezoner mechanism has a rotating world time bezel linked to the second time zone, so turning the bezel moves the 24-hour hand in one-hour ste...
SJX Watches
Designer of some of the most striking wristwatches of the 1960s, jeweller Gilbert Albert (1930-2019), passed away in his hometown of Geneva on October 1 , 2019. He was 90. Son of a newspaper deliveryman, Albert trained as a jeweller at Geneva’s l’Ecole des Arts Industriels and was only in his mid 20s when he joined Patek Philippe in 1955 as a designer. In his seven years at the watchmaker, which was then led by Henri Stern, himself a trained jeweller, Albert was responsible for some of the most radical watch cases of the era. These strikingly asymmetrical timepieces, like the Asymétrie wristwatches and Ricochet pocket watches, are still incredible designs six decades on. Gilbert Albert. Photo – lenouvelliste.ch He then set up his own workshop in 1962, where he became known for the use of unusual materials like coral and meteorite, all installed in quirky, unique jewellery desirable enough that frequent fakes eventually emerged. Albert also designed watches and jewellery for other watchmakers, most notably Omega, where he created several collections, including the Maille d’Or and Arabesque d’Or, all characterised by a distinctive, almost organic style. With his success, Albert built a small but highly regarded jewellery business. He opened his first store in his hometown in 1973, sited on rue de la Corraterie, a street just outside the walls of Geneva’s Old Town. Ten years later that was followed by a boutique in Zurich. Albert’s boutique in Gen...
Deployant
Is green the new blue? We take a look at some of our favourite green dial watches, in this week's Throwback Sundays column.
SJX Watches
Best known as a maker of ultra high-end fountain pens, Michel Perchin is named after one of the workshop directors of Faberge, the legendary jeweller of Imperial Russia famed for the lavish annual Easter Eggs produced for the Tsar. Amongst Faberge’s signature creations were incredible enamelled objects of all sorts finished in brilliantly coloured translucent enamel. The modern day Michel Perchin pens were decorated in the same style, and though the pen business is now defunct, the founder of the brand, Patrick Pinkston, has revived the name to produce a watch similarly decorated in fired enamel. Produced mostly in England but powered by a Swiss movement, the Michel Perchin watch is large, rectangular and decorated with vitreous enamel and diamonds – an aesthetic that’s not for everyone but impressively crafted, albeit at a steep price. The highlight is the “drapery” motif on the dial, that consists of a drapery guilloche engraved by a traditional, hand-operated rose engine, which is then covered in pale blue enamel. Three brilliant cut diamonds form the quarter hour markers, while a solid gold appliqué of the Michel Perchin elephant logo marks 12 o’clock The enamel is done the traditional way by a craftsman in England who first grinds the enamel powder with a mortar and pestle, then adds water or oil to create the mixture that can be painted onto the case surface. The case is then fired to set the enamel, and the process repeated to build up several layers...
Hodinkee
Every one of these watches is ready for the sun and the surf.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: In 2019 heritage reissues are NBD. But back in 2015 the rules of the game hadn’t yet been nailed down. One of the standouts back then (and indeed now) was Oris, with their Divers Sixty-Five - it was a near perfect take. And one worth taking a second look at … The story … ContinuedThe post Still one of the greatest – the Oris Divers Sixty-Five appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
We recommend six watches which retail for below S$5,000 from our archives. And none of your usual suspects either. But watches with unusual qualities.
Hodinkee
The war for our wrists is far from over.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: I’ve got a thing for beaten-up watches. It shows they’ve lived a life, and that their owners aren’t thinking primarily about resale value. They’re watches being worn in the spirit in which they’re made. And that’s a good thing. A few months ago I ended up wearing the Omega Seamaster 300 for a … ContinuedThe post Spending a month with a beaten-up Omega Seamaster 300 – a watch that wears its scars proudly appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
The question of what watches represent good value usually comes from younger people taking their first steps in the industry. They’ve heard somewhere that luxury watches are a good investment, and that storing your money on your wrist can be as lucrative as it is enjoyable in the meantime. Except, and we’re sorry to … Continued
Two Broke Watch Snobs
You too can “fly” through the hills thinking you’re Chuck Yeager with very little investment needed. All you need to do is find yourself a Citizen Avion AW1361-10H!
Hodinkee
Don't call it a Brashear, its a new Divers Sixty-Five Chonograph in steel.
Revolution
To celebrate its Year of Cinema, Hamilton is introducing the Khaki Field Murph.
Time+Tide
Few names loom larger in the collective consciousness of horological history than Gérald Genta. He’s one of the few individual designers whose name - because of the strength of his work - stands as tall as the great houses for whom he worked. But later in his career, Genta launched his own eponymous brand which … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: Bulgari bring back a legend with the Gérald Genta 50th Anniversary Watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Nigo is well known for being a big collector of all things. From toys to furniture and also for maxed out bling watches. We spot 2: an AP and a Cartier.
Deployant
Charlie Sheen is well known for his love of watches and affiliation to Patek Philippe. As we have never covered him before, here is Charlie and his Pateks.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: An affordable Swiss-made tourbillon. Words like that were once considered something of an oxymoron. That all changed, however, when in 2016, TAG Heuer’s Carrera Heuer-02T came along, causing something of a stir amongst the watchmaking elite. Well, with this year’s release of the chronometer grade TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Tête de Vipère, those shock … ContinuedThe post EDITOR’S PICK: Can TAG Heuer’s affordable tourbillon match it with the big dogs? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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