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In GaryG's 30 years of “serious” participation in the watch hobby, he has met few, if any, more interesting individuals than William Massena Rohr, founder and leader of Massena Lab, and Luca Soprana, an independent complications specialist. Here, Gary reviews (and photographs) the Old School watch collaboration between Soprana and Massena Lab.
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Ken Gargett thinks that the Victor & Charles Karma champagne is an interesting addition to the champagne firmament and is certainly magnificently presented. And if anyone finds a practical purpose for that diamond, please let him know.
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While we are already quite a bit into 2023, Martin Green contemplates the year we left behind. He finds that sometimes it takes a while to understand and appreciate a new watch. Here he looks at a few of his favorite watches of 2022.
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There was a time when viewers didn't consciously pay that much attention to what kind of wristwatches movie characters wore. This often meant that actors wore their personal watches on set, sometimes even when it didn't suit the movie. Today placing a wristwatch in a big film is big business, which also changes the types of timepieces characters now wear.
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While these days community building in the enthusiast realm seems increasingly the domain of brand-agnostic organizations, there remain old-school organizations whose members are devoted to the watches of a single maker. One such example is the Journe Society, a small, low-profile group of enthusiast collectors. GaryG sheds some light on the group and its specially commissioned group watch.
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The annual calendar is much more practical than a standard calendar, which needs correction in all months with 30 days or less; the annual calendar only needs correcting once a year in February. For owners of this noble yet practical complication, making this adjustment marks a yearly highlight. In celebration of the annual calendar, here are three exciting new models to kick off 2022 in style.
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The BR 05 Copper Brown is very eye-catching in Martin Green's opinion and the sunburst effect on the dial gives a beautiful play of light, with the hue of the dial going from salmon to a darker tone of brown, depending on the angle and lighting.
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New year is traditionally a time for taking stock and wine lovers are no different. Many will review their own cellars, assess what is ready for drinking, what needs more time and in some cases, what might have passed its best window. They will also look to the future. What should they target? Ken Gargett shares his tips on the wines to consider adding to your cellar.
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Purple has been Joshua Munchow's favorite color for years, so it's no surprise that he is a fan of the UR-100V Ultraviolet, an extremely purple watch bordering on the edge of human vision.
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When Ball Watch asked Dietmar Fuchs to test dive one of the company’s newest watches, the Engineer Master II Diver Chronometer, he hesitated at first. Ball didn’t jingle a diving bell for him, but something else from its history jangled: a brand’s “history” section is always the first thing he checks before testing a watch and he discovered Ball Watch has the credentials. So he dove in and now shares his experience and thoughts on the watch here.
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The mechanical watch industry has a long history of being cyclical. And with war, COVID-19, and inflation, is the bubble about to burst yet again? Ian Skellern shares his thoughts on what 2023 may bring.
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A large part of the appeal of owning anything from Alain Silberstein is his use of primary colors. They make for a bold statement exuding positive vibes. With the KB2 in either black or white, there is a different appeal, as Martin Green explains here.
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In the real world, some complications are pretty useless. And that's not saying they aren’t cool. Here Joshua Munchow runs through his top 5 most useless complications and why they are simultaneously cool.
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Bolivar, Gigantes cigars might be strong and powerful, but they always seem balanced. Sadly, this will be an experience that becomes rarer and rarer in the coming years as they have been discontinued and are harder to find. Ken Gargett highly recommends that If you ever come across any, grab them fast!
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There exists a droll class of watch for which telling time takes a back seat to the packaging itself. And the Azimuth Mr. Roboto Bronzo Artist Series is a great example of this class, Tim Mosso explains why.
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The Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous is a watch with delightful complications: an alarm watch with a day-night indicator. And the Rendez-Vous Sonatina Peaceful Nature offers a busy world some tranquil zen.
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Since the Swatch Group took over Harry Winston, a continuation of the Opus series has been somewhat in doubt. But in 2015 the Opus 14 finally arrived. And now it has been quietly said that an Opus 15 is on the way. Which makes this a great time to look back over the groundbreaking series.
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Mars is a planet with a lot of mystery, its red sand surface occupying the dreams of those who ache to set foot on its surface. For watch enthusiasts who want to make waiting until that happens a bit more bearable, Christiaan van der Klaauw introduces the Planetarium Dunes of Mars.
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From the torrent of really well done watch photos appearing on Instagram and other media these days, it appears as though lots of watch enthusiasts have been spending at least some of their time in COVID-19-induced shutdowns polishing their macro photography and wrist shooting. And GaryG is among them. Here he shares a few of the thousands of photos he has taken recently using a new-to-him flash style.
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It’s that time again! As in prior years, GaryG is in the process of moving his 2022 photos into backup storage, and before they go into the vault he has scanned through them and picked out his personal favorites from the past 12 months to share with us here. Enjoy!
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The Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra Plat Anniversaire 5365 marks the 220th anniversary of the invention of the tourbillon by Abraham-Louis Breguet, and it approaches the milestone with restraint and an 'Easter egg' nod to those in the know.
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Santa came early for Ian this year with this fun casual dinner that Watches TV founder Marc André Deschoux hosted for young independent watchmakers. It was one of the most pleasurable short clips he's seen all year: you feel you are at the table with them and can smell the raclette.
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As read by you, here are the top ten most viewed articles (plus a bonus one) on Quill & Pad this past year. There are a few favorites and a few surprises. Drum roll, please: in no particular order, our top ten most viewed articles of 2022 were . . .
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When your F.P Journe isn’t a typical F.P. Journe, but it is a 100 percent real F.P. Journe through and through, it must be a Vagabondage. The Vagabondage I Gold of 2022 is Journe's final foray into the alternate reality of the Vagabondage lifestyle and Joshua Munchow takes a look back at how and why we arrived at this final Vagabondage edition in 2022.
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The De Witt Academia Mathematical of 2015 has a digital time display with jumping hours, tens of minutes, and minutes. And although its full numeral carousels are just barely visible under a smoked sapphire crystal dial, Tim Mosso was willing and able to take a closer look.
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For many watch enthusiasts, it is probably not a stretch to say that fine timepieces are often enjoyed with a fine glass of bubbly. So without further ado, here are five much-heralded prestige champagne releases from the stellar 2012 vintage that stand out for their extraordinary “taste.” Just in time for you to toast the start of 2023!
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If you follow the world of independent watchmaking, by now you’ve almost certainly heard of watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi and his Akrivia watches. Since arriving on the scene in 2012 with its first tourbillon-based watch, Akrivia has continued to delight. But is this independent bound for glory? GaryG predicts the future.
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The year 2022 marks the centenary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Here Nancy Olson highlights regal new limited edition pens from Montegrappa and Visconti that commemorate the 100-year-old discovery.
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Ken Gargett recently caught up with Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago at the Penfolds Melbourne Recorking Clinic. And he had the opportunity to taste a few very special wines, one of which is his 2022 wine of the year – though that may change as the year isn't quite over.
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Not long after Walter Lange reestablished his forefathers’ company A. Lange & Söhne, once Germany’s most famous watch manufacture, he recognized that training the next generation of watchmakers would be crucial for both the long-term prosperity of his company and the local watchmaking industry and population. Sabine Zwettler takes a look at how that training has evolved.
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