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Results for Florentine Ariosto Jones

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Florentine Ariosto Jones

Boston watchmaker who founded the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen (1868).

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IWC Pilot's Watches: The History and Ultimate Guide Teddy Baldassarre
IWC Oct 1, 2025

IWC Pilot's Watches: The History and Ultimate Guide

Few watch brands are as readily identified with aviation and the history of pilot’s watches than IWC, which not only gave the watch world two of the genre’s most iconic (and widely emulated) timepieces, the Big Pilot’s Watch and the Mark 11, but also has used both these groundbreaking models as foundations for a sprawling and diverse collection of contemporary aviation-inspired watches today. Here is the story of IWC Pilot’s Watches, from the Special Watch for Pilots to the Spitfire to the Top Gun, from simple three-hand to perpetual calendar, and everything in between.  F.A. Jones’ International Dream (1860s - 1930s)   IWC founder Florentine Ariosto Jones Other than the fact that he came to Switzerland in 1868, at the relatively tender age of 27, to become the first American-born founder of a Swiss watch company, little is known about the life of IWC patriarch Florentine Ariosto Jones. He was born in New Hampshire in 1841 and fought in the American Civil War for the Massachusetts Infantry. His postwar career at the renowned Massachusetts watchmaker E. Howard & Co. led to his European sojourn and the establishment of the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. From the outset, Jones’ business plan was to marry the generational watchmaking expertise of the Swiss with the then-new, assembly-line production techniques of the U.S.A. His decision to locate his factory in Schaffhausen, near Switzerland’s northern border with Germany, rather tha...

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What Are The Least Expensive IWC Watches? Teddy Baldassarre
IWC Nov 5, 2024

What Are The Least Expensive IWC Watches?

IWC Schaffhausen is the quintessential example of a watchmaker that set out to become famous for one thing but ended up being famous for something else. Founded in 1868 by American expat Florentine Ariosto Jones, the International Watch Company devoted itself chiefly to luxuriously decorated pocket watches in its early years but when the military needs of a European continent at war came calling in the 1940s, Jones’ firm shifted its production to focus on decidedly no-frills, robust, utilitarian wristwatches for use in the cockpits of planes. Fast forwarding to today, most watch enthusiasts still regard IWC first and foremost as a leader in the pilot’s watch genre. But that wasn’t always the case, and in fact, IWC’s 21st-Century collection is about as diverse as that of any watch brand out there. For a newbie to the brand, however, that diversity — and even the diversity within the vastly expanded Pilot’s collection itself — can prove daunting, especially when attempting to choose which IWC watches offer the price-to-value ratio that would motivate one to pull the trigger on a purchase. In this latest article in our recently inaugurated Price of Admission series, I will attempt to help you make sense of IWC’s modern collection from an entry-level pricing standpoint, homing in on the best models to consider as one’s “first” IWC watch.  PILOT’S WATCHES: IWC Pilot's Watch Automatic 36 ($4,350) It’s appropriate to start our exploration with the Pilot...

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REVIEW: Hands On With The Beautiful IWC Ingenieur WatchAdvice
IWC Ingenieur Jul 22, 2024

REVIEW: Hands On With The Beautiful IWC Ingenieur

The IWC Ingenieur is, in my opinion, one of Gerald Genta’s most underrated designs. But does it hold up compared to some of his most iconic pieces? Let’s find out! What We Love: Breathtaking design Moulds perfectly onto my wrist Genta heritage, but feels unique What We Don’t: A micro-adjust butterfly clasp would be nice Would love a display back Would be nice to have a COSC movement Final Score: 8.75/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 10/10 Build Quality: 8/10 IWC is a watch brand that for me personally, I hadn’t really done a deep dive into before. I feel that it is a brand that if you know, you know, and once you get into the brand, many people are hooked. But when I joined Watch Advice, I began to delve deeper into the industry and watchmaking itself. To my surprise (and nobody else’s), I discovered that IWC had contributed much more to horology than I had ever cared to know before. This and the fact that the guys visited the Manufacture in Schaffhausen in April, and regaled me of their adventures there! The giant perpetual calendar movement on the wall in the entry of the IWC Manufacture in Schaffhausen which we visited earlier this year before Watches & Wonders 2024 Founded in 1868 by Bostonian watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones, the International Watch Company found its roots during Jones’ time in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. From there, they would combine American manufacturing with Swiss craftsmanship to produce high-quality timepiece...

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Introducing: The Limited-Edition Christopher Ward × Mr Jones Watches Celestial Fratello
Christopher Ward × Mr Jones Watches Mar 27, 2025

Introducing: The Limited-Edition Christopher Ward × Mr Jones Watches Celestial

A couple of weeks ago, the British Watchmakers’ Day occurred in London. Not only was it a day to get to know almost 45 British watch brands but also a chance for people to get their hands on one of the more than 30 special-edition watches presented there. Both Christopher Ward and Mr Jones Watches […] Visit Introducing: The Limited-Edition Christopher Ward × Mr Jones Watches Celestial to read the full article.

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Halloween Watches: Be Afraid, Very Afraid This Year! - Ghoulish Wristwear From Bell & Ross, Mr Jones, Scurfa, And More Fratello
Bell & Ross Mr Jones Scurfa Oct 31, 2024

Halloween Watches: Be Afraid, Very Afraid This Year! - Ghoulish Wristwear From Bell & Ross, Mr Jones, Scurfa, And More

What better way to celebrate the dark day of Halloween than with some scary wristwear? I’m not talking about electrified watches that’ll zap you in the night, but it could mean some newfound color for your watch box. In fact, some Halloween watches are cool all year round. This year, I have found great examples, […] Visit Halloween Watches: Be Afraid, Very Afraid This Year! - Ghoulish Wristwear From Bell & Ross, Mr Jones, Scurfa, And More to read the full article.

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New releases from Zenith, Vacheron Constantin, Mr Jones and more Time+Tide
Vacheron Constantin Mr Jones Aug 26, 2023

New releases from Zenith, Vacheron Constantin, Mr Jones and more

With Geneva Watch Days inching ever closer, more and more watches are being presented. As always, we chose only ten, with some amazing releases being left out. Considering the fair looming ever closer, we’re maybe just a touch worried, as the European summer holidays come to an end and GWD reach their peak. Either way, … ContinuedThe post New releases from Zenith, Vacheron Constantin, Mr Jones and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Just Because: A Few Standout Pieces From Quincy Jones’ Collection Are Heading To Auction Hodinkee
Girard-Perregaux World Time Control Shadow May 6, 2026

Just Because: A Few Standout Pieces From Quincy Jones’ Collection Are Heading To Auction

Quincy Jones was an absolute king. He was a towering figure in the music industry, leaving an indelible stamp on popular culture through his producing, arranging, and film score work. From early collaborations with Count Basie, Ray Charles, and Frank Sinatra to producing one of the top-selling albums of all time (Thriller by Michael Jackson), not to mention We Are The World, he made the soundtrack for many of our lives. During a well-lived lifetime spanning 91 years, he was rewarded with accolades, including the entertainment industry grand slam 'EGOT' (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards).  There were also plenty of watches and jewelry gifted and collected during his epic life and career. Now some of Quincy Jones' unique pieces are heading to auction at Christie's in Geneva this month. We got a sneak preview of some of the catalog, including these three pieces, that the family has consigned. A couple of them were gifts from notable celebrities to Jones. They all give a sense of some of the objects worn and cherished by one of the most important figures in entertainment history.  Girard-Perregaux World Time Control Shadow 'Quincy Jones' Sized at 43mm in diameter with both a flyback chronograph and a worldtime complication, this Girard-Perregaux, dated from 2011, has a lot going on. The beefy case features a smooth black ceramic exterior, a titanium caseback, and an interior housing, in a size and style that's very representative of the era for the Swiss brand. The watch...

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Hands-On With The Tadaima By Mr Jones Watches - A Poetic Ode To Tokyo Fratello
Mar 8, 2024

Hands-On With The Tadaima By Mr Jones Watches - A Poetic Ode To Tokyo

Sometimes, a watch brings something very different from actual time-telling. And when it hits all the right notes, the watch might as well be an artwork for your living room, but it’s on your wrist and happens to tell the time. This is the modus operandi for the British company Mr Jones Watches and its […] Visit Hands-On With The Tadaima By Mr Jones Watches - A Poetic Ode To Tokyo to read the full article.

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A Special Tour Of Mr Jones Watches And Interview With Crispin Jones Fratello
Feb 17, 2024

A Special Tour Of Mr Jones Watches And Interview With Crispin Jones

Mr Jones Watches is an indie, artsy watch company on the rise. It’s not hard to see why. Playful dials thumb their noses at convention in watches decidedly not for telling time. In the digital age, when watches are obsolete, Mr Jones Watches celebrates disconnecting from the matrix and having a little fun. I had […] Visit A Special Tour Of Mr Jones Watches And Interview With Crispin Jones to read the full article.

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The Three Watch Collection for $5,000: Reader Edition – Garrett Jones Worn & Wound
Omega Speedmaster Ref 3570.50 ~$3,700 Jan 26, 2024

The Three Watch Collection for $5,000: Reader Edition – Garrett Jones

Editor’s Note: In this week’s installment of our ongoing “3 for 5k” series, reader Garrett Jones submits an affordable collection with cleanly defined categories for each piece. While the classic Speedmaster might not fit everyone’s definition of a “dress watch,” in the context of Garrett’s collection, it makes a lot of sense. These are all sporty and robust watches perfect for an active lifestyle, they just get to that place in different ways, making each well suited to specific circumstances. Garrett had some money left over after picking three watches, so he’s also selected an additional item in a category many would agree is adjacent to watches, and somehow makes Garrett’s watch picks even more logical.  You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. Being an avid collector and watch enthusiast, owning only three watches excites and scares me simultaneously. In a world where my watch collection would be limited to three pieces, the perfect collection would feature the following three styles: a dress watch, a travel watch, and an everyday workhorse. With that three-piece combination, you can dress for any occasion and have a watch that fits in anywhere. At first, I thought that a budget of $5,000 would be extremely restrictive, but I quickly realized that one of the best ways to stretch this money is by looking at pre-owned watches.  Omega Speedmaster Ref. 3570.50 ~$3,700 – The Dr...

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Mr. Jones Continues to Expand their Mechanical Collection with the Release of The Accurate, A Clever Take on the Memento Mori Worn & Wound
Aug 17, 2023

Mr. Jones Continues to Expand their Mechanical Collection with the Release of The Accurate, A Clever Take on the Memento Mori

Mr. Jones, the brand whose slogan is “The Most Unique British Watches,” continues to update their eclectic collection with mechanical versions of their most popular and talked about quartz watches. Back in April, we told you about the mechanical release of “A Perfectly Useless Afternoon,” a watch that told time via a display that brings one of the laziest activities imaginable – floating aimlessly in a pool – into fluid motion on the wrist. That design is a perfect example of the Mr. Jones ethos, which is to use a watch dial as a blank canvas to tell a story in a highly specific way, and to get people talking. Their watches, while certainly not to every taste, are undeniably full of ideas, and remarkably creative in a way that most watches simply aren’t, as the brand isn’t inspired by traditional watchmaking. The newest watch in their mechanical collection actually does take an idea that has existed in watchmaking for just about as long as the practice has existed, the memento mori, and puts a uniquely Mr. Jones spin on it. “The Accurate” doesn’t use traditional memento mori iconography, but it is, as the brand says, the most accurate watch ever made.  The Mr. Jones collection is full of visual puns, and The Accurate is a good example. The words “remember you will die” appear spread across the hour and minute hands, such that whenever you read the time, you get a not-so-subtle reminder of your own mortality. This, of course, is the point of a mem...

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Premieres this Month, and a Hamilton Boulton is Featured on Indy’s Wrist Worn & Wound
Hamilton Boulton Jun 1, 2023

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Premieres this Month, and a Hamilton Boulton is Featured on Indy’s Wrist

The fifth, and presumably final, installment of the Indiana Jones series hits theaters at the end of June, and with a title like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, you kind of had to expect that there would be a watch tie-in. For this film, the watch on Indy’s wrist is a Hamilton, a fitting choice given the character’s occupation (the most heroic archaeologist in cinema history) and the long history of the brand showing up in major Hollywood movies. Hamilton watches have been featured on the wrists of movie stars for nearly 100 years, worn by everyone from Elvis Presley to Matthew McConaughey (with the watch sometimes playing a critical role in the storytelling). While it remains to be seen if the watch itself is a plot point in Dial of Destiny (we’ll let you know as soon as we see the film), the Hamilton Boulton selected for this new installment helps draw in some of the finer details of one of the all-time great movie characters.  Indiana Jones is a character with a well established aesthetic. He’s one of a small handful of characters that movie buffs can easily identify with only a silhouette, or by the sight of a key prop. Indy’s fedora and whip have helped to establish a specific iconography for the character since Raiders of the Lost Ark premiered in 1981, so it’s important to get the watch right as well – it has to exist within an environment that is already well established and understood by fans of the franchise.  The Boulton is part of Hamilto...

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New Indiana Jones trailer shows Harrison Ford wearing a Hamilton for the saga-ending film Time+Tide
Hamilton May 5, 2023

New Indiana Jones trailer shows Harrison Ford wearing a Hamilton for the saga-ending film

If you could only watch movies from one series for the rest of your life, what would it be? Personally, due to the fact that the Marvel cinematic universe is far too expansive, the three I’d choose between are the Star Wars films, the Harry Potter films or the James Bond films. But were it … ContinuedThe post New Indiana Jones trailer shows Harrison Ford wearing a Hamilton for the saga-ending film appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Mr Jones Adds A Perfectly Useless Afternoon to their Growing Lineup of Mechanical Watches Worn & Wound
Apr 27, 2023

Mr Jones Adds A Perfectly Useless Afternoon to their Growing Lineup of Mechanical Watches

Mr Jones Watches is a British brand that has been around since 2007, and in that time has carved out a niche that is really occupied by them and them alone. The brand specializes in “unusual watches that tell a story,” with dials that are full of unique artwork, visual puns, and feature curious methods of telling the time. For example, a favorite of mine is “The Accurate,” which is modeled after the concept of memento mori and features the words “Remember” and “You will die” incorporated into the hour and minute hands, respectively. Another watch, “Number Cruncher,” puts a bright blue monster front and center, with a jumping hour mechanism in its hand, and minutes reflected in a cross section of its stomach. You get the idea. Now, one of their most popular watches is available for the first time in a mechanical version, and it’s particularly appropriate as we approach the lazy days of summer.  The watch, which is dubbed “A perfectly useless afternoon,” takes a bird’s eye view of a pool scene, with a figure lounging and floating peacefully across its surface. Naturally, the figure rotates around the dial, with their leg pointing to the correct hour. Minutes are read through the pool’s only other occupant, a rubber duck at the dial’s perimeter. The watch was designed by Belgian illustrator Kristof Devos, who was inspired by words of Chinese writer and philosopher Lin Yutang, who said “If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perf...

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CHEAP THRILLS: Mr. Jones Watches will brighten your day every time you look at your wrist Time+Tide
Aug 13, 2022

CHEAP THRILLS: Mr. Jones Watches will brighten your day every time you look at your wrist

Welcome to Cheap Thrills, where we highlight offbeat watches that are pure fun, at prices that won’t sear a hole in your wallet. Today, we’re taking a look at the unique, artsy offerings from Mr. Jones Watches. When you first see one of the quirky timepieces from London’s Mr. Jones Watches, you may be thinking, … ContinuedThe post CHEAP THRILLS: Mr. Jones Watches will brighten your day every time you look at your wrist appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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The Original Miami Beach Antique Show with the Jones & Horan Auction House Worn & Wound
Jan 22, 2024

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show with the Jones & Horan Auction House

The Miami Beach Antique Show is known to be the largest vintage and antique show in North America and is typically held every January at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, FL. It brings collectors and vendors from all over the world to arguably the biggest treasure hunt one could undertake. Miami is my hometown, so making the choice to attend this year’s show (my third overall) was an easy one. At the show, I met up with the team from Jones & Horan auction house. This was my first time connecting with them and they were certainly a treat. They were kind enough to show me some of the most interesting watches that they had at their booth and share stories about the watches and their owner, George. Based in Goffstown, NH, Jones & Horan is a small “mom and pop” auction house with an interesting story. It all began with owner George E. Jones and his father George F. Jones selling milk from their farm and bartering with customers for found items around their homes. Eventually, this led the younger George to start selling and buying other items. Some fun facts I learned at the show about George: He’s fist-fought a baboon, he was gored by a cow while protecting his son, traveled around England buying English estates, and he’s rumored to have been featured in National Geographic while exploring parts between Asia and the Middle East (the crew are still hunting for that issue). He’s what some might call a real life version of “the most interesting man in...

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Zach Goes to the Movies: The Ancient Mechanical Device at the Center of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and the Vintage Inspired Hamilton Worn on Indy’s Last Great Adventure Worn & Wound
Hamilton Worn Jun 30, 2023

Zach Goes to the Movies: The Ancient Mechanical Device at the Center of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and the Vintage Inspired Hamilton Worn on Indy’s Last Great Adventure

There are endless stories in the watch community of the random things that spark an interest in this hobby. We’ve all heard many variations on the watch as a hand-me-down artifact from a relative being the curiosity driving agent behind an interest in horology. Just the other day, an old friend sent me an Instagram post from an account that specializes in cataloging toys from the 1980s – it was a Transformers watch, and when I saw it I immediately remembered that I’d begged in vain for this weird item as a Hanukkah gift, only to come up empty. This very well could have been my Rosebud – the thing that without even realizing it set the stage for an adulthood of staying up way too late on internet forums looking for a great deal on a pre-owned Seiko. When I saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that this movie could be that defining moment for a new generation of watch enthusiasts. Hyperbole? I don’t know, maybe. The movie features, as a primary plot point, a mechanical watch-like device, referred to in the film as the Antikythera. Hardcore watch enthusiasts and horology scholars know that the Antikythera is very much a real thing, even if the version in the new film comes out of the imagination of the screenwriters. But it’s that nebulous “real or not real?” status that I imagine will make some younger, future watch nerds curious, and set them down a path that leads, inexorably, to sites like this one, and spending way ...

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