Quill & Pad
Elizabeth Doerr Retires As Editor-In-Chief Of Quill & Pad
After nine hectic years as Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Quill & Pad, Elizabeth Doerr announces her well-earned retirement.
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After nine hectic years as Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Quill & Pad, Elizabeth Doerr announces her well-earned retirement.
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Ken Gargett takes a deep dive into vermouth and tasted the gin and vermouths of Italian producer Elena Penna.
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Every time Ian Skellern writes the words “relatively affordable” here on Quill & Pad, he braces himself for the stream of comments reminding him that he must live in an alternative reality to most of the world. So he doesn't describe the Patria Brigadier Flyback Chrono as relatively affordable (though compared to most of the watches we review on Quill & Pad he thinks it well merits that description), but he does think that it’s fantastic value and the bargain of the year. And here he explains why.
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The HYT Moon Runner is straight out of cyberpunk, blurring the line between terrestrial and interplanetary travel, with massive, diverse, and dark cityscapes filled with glowing neon. And then there’s its semi-spherical moonphase, capillary hour display, minutes, date and month. Joshua Munchow takes a closer look.
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Wine can be so much more than just an enjoyable drink. It can link us to times, people, and places. A traditional concept for so-called anniversary wines is to celebrate a milestone, perhaps a birthday or wedding or even anniversary, with a fine bottle from the vintage of the birthyear or anniversary year in question. With that in mind, Ken Gargett shares a few suggestions.
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On January 1, 2022, watch spotters were flummoxed by a photograph of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in their New Year's Eve party dress. The former POTUS appeared to be wearing a black Royal Oak-style chronograph on a rubber strap. The watch in question turned out to be a collaboration between Teleport, a little-known U.S.-based fashion watch producer, and Actively Black, a U.S.-owned leisurewear company. Colin Alexander Smith managed to get his hands on one for a closer look, which he shares here.
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It's no exaggeration to say that here at Quill & Pad we are big fans of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. And in 2017 Urwerk introduced its own, very robust version of a reversible watch: the UR-T8 Transformer. It's a T-Rex for the wrist that acts much like a Reverso!
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The Saxon One Chronograph offers a lot of watch for the price (€4,600). It does so many things so well, but it is most of all, an original proposition. The big question for Martin Green is, strap or bracelet?
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GaryG looks back over 2021 to share his travels, acquisitions, thoughts, and even some of the more interesting swag he picked up in this delightfully comprehensive overview of a watch nut's year.
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Joshua Munchow is the fortunate owner on a M.A.D.1 Red. Here he explains how he came to have a M.A.D.1 Red and what he thinks of it after a few months on his wrist.
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Including established shapes, mechanics, and components within a watch that bucks the norm is a great way to gently pull people along as a watch brand goes in a new direction. Greubel Forsey has subtly mastered this technique, and the new Balancier S2 is the awesomely unique result. The Balancier S2 has the warmth of classic Greubel Forsey intermingled with the crisp future of the brand.
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Jacky Ickx and Chopard co-president Karl-Friedirch Scheufele have been friends for 27 years. In 1989 Scheufele and Ickx drove the Mille Miglia together. “We got to know each other there. He turned up and said, ‘Well, I have no intention of driving. You’re driving; I’m going to watch the scenery’,” Scheufele recently laughed. It is such shared events in addition to the legendary race car driver's achievements that have inspired Chopard to continue to dedicate timepieces to Ickx, honoring a man who can certainly be called one of the world’s very best drivers.
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Vacheron Constantin released a watch that crosses the bridge between the worlds of watches and wine: a single-piece edition called Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus. Ken Gargett understands that watch people find this as exciting as wine lovers might find the new vintage of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Romanée-Conti.
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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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