Quill & Pad
Montblanc’s earliest history is in pen making, and each of the lifestyle products that followed – watches, jewelry, leather, fragrance, and more – in some way acknowledges the foundational writing instrument. The new Meisterstück leather collection is no exception, paying very evident respect to the pen whose name it shares as Nancy Olson relates.
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Ian Skellern generally likes relatively restrained, traditional, high-end watches that are not too big for his small wrists. So with its large, high case, blingy, spinning “LOOK AT ME!” rotor on top, and mass-market Miyota movement, the M.A.D.1 ticks all of the boxes on his “may be interesting, but not for me” list. Here he explains why he bought one anyway and his first impressions.
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In 2021 MB&F; celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Legacy Machine collection and, fittingly, introduced a brand-new model to mark this milestone. While that watch is definitely increditastic, Joshua Munchow takes us on a journey through all the models, looking at key points and how the concept has evolved over the years before ending up with MB&F;'s piece for the anniversary, LMX.
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Ineichen Auctioneers’ first auction of 2022, aptly entitled “La Vie en Rose,” took place in Zurich and online on March 12, 2022. As the name of this auction professed, all 40 of the watches offered in the white glove sale were encased in pink – “rose” – gold. Here, Elizabeth Doerr brings you the results, including five of the less “mainstream” independent offerings and one rarity from an established brand that interested connoisseurs.
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It’s all about the people! And right now people in Ukraine and refugees in its border areas are displaced – and, even worse, hungry. Some people in the watch community are stepping forward to help, and all of us at Quill & Pad are united in support of their effort: the #WatchFamForUkraine Solidarity Auction takes place from March 25 to March 28, 2022. Get the details here!
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While the increasing popularity of green dials contributes to a more colorful universe of watches, Martin Green sometimes finds the use of this color a bit much these days. That said, the following recently introduced watches are home runs for Martin because their green dials are just right!
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As GaryG prepares for his trip to Switzerland for Watches and Wonders 2022, the demise of Baselworld is very much on his mind. It seems to him that the era of all-inclusive mega watch shows is rapidly coming to an end. The natural implication is that Watches and Wonders Geneva will be the next exhibition to change radically or that it will even cease to exist. Here he explains why.
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Best Australian wine of all time? There are a few options, but for Ken Gargett there's a clear winner: Penfolds Bin 60A 1962, a wine that was never commercially released. And whether the Bin 60A 1962 is indeed the GOAT of Australian wine hardly matters. He does suggest, though, that if the opportunity to try it ever comes up, cross oceans to do so. You’ll never regret it.
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One of Ian Skellern's highlights during Geneva Watch Days 2021 – in fact one of his highlights of 2021 altogether – was meeting a new young independent watchmaker called Vincent Deprez, who showed him an early prototype of his first watch, the Tourbillon Classique. Ian was immediately impressed by both Deprez’s obvious passion for traditional watchmaking and the extremely high quality of his watch.
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Ineichen Auctioneers’ first auction of 2022, aptly entitled “La Vie en Rose,” takes place in Zurich and online on March 12, 2022. As the name of this auction professes, all 40 of the watches offered are encased in pink – “rose” – gold. Here, Elizabeth Doerr highlights five of the less “mainstream” independent offerings and one rarity from an established brand that will certainly interest connoisseurs.
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Early American historian and Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich titled her 2008 book 'Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History.' Ulrich would probably be very interested to know about three famous Swiss and French brands whose very first wristwatches were made for – and in a way by – women. Their watches have made history as some of the first examples of wristwatches in history, too.
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Join Alp Sever of Langepedia, collector Michael Hickcox, WatchBox’s Mike Manjos, and our very own Elizabeth Doerr as they discuss A. Lange & Söhne in some depth, examining the German brand’s history and its extraordinary rebirth in the 1990s. This WatchBox Studios video was recorded during Dubai Watch Week 2021 and we bet you learn some things you never knew before.
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The Vault V2+RCT is a very modern creation, yet grounded in old-school craftsmanship and the desire to bring it to a higher, more contemporary level. It is the latest technology combined with the oldest skills – understated by day and extroverted by night. And it is a unique piece made for an industry insider.
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“I have no secrets as past watchmakers had. There are graveyards full of secrets and that’s enough.” – Philippe Dufour, 2014. That quote alone is enough to understand why he matters. But, as GaryG writes, there is much more.
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With the new Batman movie hitting theaters this week, Elizabeth Doerr looks at some of what Batman – or perhaps more precisely, his alter ego Bruce Wayne – has worn (or might want to wear) on his wrist.
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Over the last few days, Dan-Andrei Kluska has watched the news in horror. He has lost sleep, he has cried a lot, and he feels that he has been paralyzed by the eruption of war in Europe. After the first shock wave passed and his tears dried, he started to think about the future and was sincerely fearful because a nuclear war would wipe out humanity as we know it. Here he challenges us all to do something (and some have answered the call).
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There is one Australian winemaker who has not only been extraordinarily consistent, but produced world class Pinot (and Chardonnay), vintage after vintage, across the board: Bindi Wines, thanks to owner and winemaker Michael Dhillon. It would be a brave critic to leave Bindi out of any list of great Aussie Pinots and Ken Gargett rates the small winery among the very top.
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GaryG seized a welcome opportunity to handle and photograph a unique version of The White by David Walter, which is equipped with Walter’s second prototype movement and a bespoke Chinese-character dial. The watch is owned by a friend who also happens to be a local-to-California expert watchmaker.
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Blast from the past! This post is a "reprint" of an article by Ian Skellern that was first published on The PuristS in 2005. This article is divided into four parts: Felix Baumgartner and Urwerk, Harry Winston Rare Timepieces and the Opus V, The Urwerk 103.03, and The Urwerk 103.03 user review.
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Are there special vintage watch dial variations named after notable women in a vein similar to that of the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona? Nick Gould was wondering just that and researched. Finding a photo of Vanessa Redgrave wearing a Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 with "Explorer" dial in 1966, he ruefully opines that this rare model would sound so much cooler as the Rolex "Vanessa Redgrave" Submariner rather than what collectors call it now: Rolex Reference 5513 Submariner with Explorer dial.
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Twenty-five years – a quarter of a century – is a long time. But it’s not that long for a watch manufacturer. In 1996, Chopard's co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele proudly introduced Caliber 1.96 to the world, his brand's very first in-house movement. Here Martin Green highlights a few of his favorites from the 25-year-old L.U.C collection.
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Basically, sake comprises rice, water, and the fermenting agent called koji, resulting in an alcoholic level that usually sits between 13 and 16 percent. And you might be interested to know that the rice used is different from the standard table rice so popular with Japanese food. Ken Gargett takes a deep dive into what sake is, what types of sake are available, and whether you should drink it warm (like James Bond) or cold. Kampai!
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To celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2021, Lustau released a set of three special sherries at the end of last year. These only come as a set, and there are only 2,500 bottles of each of the trio. Beautifully packaged, they have never been seen before, and they represent not only the history and the very DNA of Lustau, but also the three towns of the sherry triangle with one wine from each. Ken Gargett thinks that for sherry lovers these are an absolute must.
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As a longtime Leica camera admirer, Nancy Olson was intrigued when she learned that this notable German company was introducing two new watch models: the Leica L1 and the Leica L2. Apparently they’ve been in the works for a few years, but for whatever reason, their time is now. So say cheese and smile!
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Sotheby’s is currently auctioning off a set of Gérald Genta’s original drawings – including the original sketch of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak – and our pals at The Watches TV took the opportunity to get his widow, Evelyne Genta, on camera to discuss the famed designer’s life and legacy. See it here!
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Independent Swiss watchmaker Raul Pagès has released his new Régulateur à Détente RP1. A clean and minimal design with superlative finishing, the Régulateur à Détente RP1 is Pagès’ take on the detent escapement, proving that evolution is still possible.
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This Breguet souscription pocket watch number 1836 was created just after the French Revolution in 1796 and was sold in 1807 for £600. A testament to the quality of the movement’s design and the skill of its watchmaker, after more than 200 years it still runs impeccably today, which makes it the perfect role model for Breguet's modern Tradition line. But what relationship does Ian have to it?
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If you are interested in a look behind the curtain of how watch journalism is conducted in both the digital and Coronavirus ages, then this video is for you. Join Tim Mosso, media director of Watchbox, and Elizabeth Doerr as they discuss watch journalism in the digital age and other hot topics and current events. Getting right to the heart of every matter, this fast-paced conversation ranges from shutdowns, conflicts of interest, and whether print is dead to "celebrity collectors" on Instagram and the current status of independent watch brands.
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If there is one thing Martin Green likes, it is a well-designed diamond-set watch. And while there are quite a few around, there aren’t many as good as the Corum Classical Billionaire, which focuses on displaying the art of diamond cutting and setting. No less than 424 diamonds (for a total of 13.46 carats) decorate the white gold case. That is a lot of stones, but diamonds alone don't automatically make for a great watch. It’s the way that the gems are cut and set that ultimately decides if they add something more than just their precious and pricey nature.
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In the annals of A. Lange & Söhne history, the Double Split was one of the most widely celebrated releases. It introduced the idea of a split-second and split-minute chronograph allowing the wearer to time at least two events lasting up to an hour. The Triple Split is the inevitable progression of it, adding a split-hour function to allow timing two multi-hour events up to 12 hours.
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