Quill & Pad
Can you imagine buying a watch bracelet and then searching for the right watch to pair with it? Seems a bit far fetched, but that’s exactly what a good friend of GaryG's did a few years ago. And it led to him purchasing two beautiful 1815 Chronograph models from A. Lange & Söhne.
Quill & Pad
The Phillips' Geneva Watch Auction: XIV in November 2021 was one of the watch auctions of the decade. Here are the eye-watering results raised by the four historical Philippe Dufour watches.
Quill & Pad
In this final 2021 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève round table discussion, we discuss the evening of November 4, 2021 and what we thought of the big night’s winners. Plus, we reveal how we did in our predictions for the event. Sadly, not that well.
Quill & Pad
The Battista Tourbillon is slightly different from the previous Pininfarina collaboration models that Bovet has issued in that it puts more emphasis on the car it was inspired by. And what a car the Pininfarina Battista is! The all-electric hyper GT marks a significant moment in Pininfarina’s history. Check out both watch and car right here.
Quill & Pad
You may be asking yourself why Ken Gargett is reviewing yet another 2008 vintage champagne. For starters, he's doing it because 2008 is a great year. But also because the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne just might be the best of the 2008s. This champagne has a litany of high scores – most range from 98 to 100 – and praise from critics (including this one).
Quill & Pad
Following the record-breaking weekend comprising the Phillips and Only Watch auctions, the vintage world turns to the remaining houses yet to stage their auctions this season. And so our pals at The Watches TV went hands on with a few lots of Zurich’s Ineichen auction house from the year's final auction to be held on November 20 and 21, 2021.
Quill & Pad
The iconic Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, one of the most emblematic timepieces of all time, endlessly renews itself in countless embodiments, even 90 years after its birth. Here Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle reports on the 'Reverso: Timeless Stories Since 1931' exhibition in Paris, which just opened and will run through December 24, 2021.
Quill & Pad
A sense of unity and purpose evident throughout the latest edition of the biennial Only Watch auction, which took place on November 6, 2021, yielded a number of interesting results for the 53 participating watches. Here are those results listed in order of their generous bids.
Quill & Pad
Daniel Roth lives on in Bulgari in the Octo Roma Central Tourbillon Papillon, an incredible watch showcasing the results of creative combinations in both business and design. Joshua Munchow takes a closer look.
Quill & Pad
Despite all its scholarly technology, Elizabeth Doerr finds Antoine Preziuso's Stella Polare Tourbillon Muonionalusta to be far more wearable for slimmer wrists than some of his other creations. Not only that, this watch is the culmination of the independent watchmaker's journey to capture a shooting star.
Quill & Pad
Montegrappa is revisiting Harry Potter in a new limited edition pen aptly named Harry Potter: Hogwarts L.E. Nancy Olson reports on the collection comprising a fountain pen and a rollerball, each honoring the world’s most famous fictional school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Quill & Pad
The 2021 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève was full of surprises. Check out the complete list of laureates here and let us know what you think about the night's winners and losers.
Quill & Pad
The 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm Central European Time on Thursday the 12th of November. Follow the big night on Quill & Pad and let us know your thoughts on the winners (and losers) in the comments.
Quill & Pad
The Only Watch auction is a great place to see (and bid on!) unique pieces by some of the most talented artisans and watchmakers in the world. Here Joshua Munchow highlights five watches from Only Watch 2021 that feature a variety of spectacular artistic crafts.
Quill & Pad
The GPHG foundation describes the Aiguille d’Or as “. . . rewarding the best overall watch among all the categories (best in show), also deemed the most representative of the watch industry as a whole. It is the most prestigious award.” In this last GPHG prediction discussion of the 2021 edition, our panel reveals who we think might win the 2021 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève's big prize.
Quill & Pad
Petite Aiguille is a fun Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève category with a diverse set of contestants offered at a retail price equal to or under 3,500 Swiss francs. These include rising stars anOrdain, Furlan Marri, and independent specialist Massena Lab. Oris is also present here with the chic Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy, and Doxa represents the affordable diver corner with a SUB 200 model. Last but not least, there is Ciga Design’s interesting Blue Planet.
Quill & Pad
Featuring watches in the price segment from 3,500 to 10,000 Swiss francs, the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève's Petite Aiguille category is extremely competitive. High quality and a little something extra are, or should be, a given; but here we are looking for a lot of something extra. The great thing about this category is that these are all very wearable, affordable, and accessible watches. So how did our panel do in choosing a winner?
Quill & Pad
In November 2021 collectors have the chance to see (and possibly buy) all four Philippe Dufour watches in one place, making Phillips' Geneva Watch Auction: XIV what could well be the watch auction of the decade. Joshua Munchow takes a look at each of the four Philippe Dufour models on the block and examines why this is likely to leave its mark on the auction world for years to come.
Quill & Pad
De Bethune's Dream Watch 5 is more a beautifully sculptured piece of jewelry than a wristwatch, and its organic shape looks fantastic from every angle. The latest Dream Watch 5 Maestri’Art Cempasúchil honors and celebrates Mexico's Day of the Dead with a colorful, exquisitely engraved case that is also a metallurgic wonder. Horological art doesn't get better than this!
Quill & Pad
Creating a watch like the Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Día de los Muertos is walking a thin line, but it perfectly demonstrates how whimsical haute horlogerie can become. It is the eye for detail and the execution of those details that make the difference. Happy Halloween!
Quill & Pad
Bell & Ross’s unique BR 01 Instrument stole the spotlight at its launch in 2005 thanks to its unusual circle-in-a-square case, becoming an instant hit. The BR 01 was then used as a jumping-off point for a variety of designs, beginning in 2009 with the then-trendy skull motif – which in Elizabeth Doerr's eyes was a perfect addition. How has the skull motif evolved at Bell & Ross? Find out here!
Quill & Pad
It could not be a more diverse bunch of crafts in the 2021 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève Artistic Crafts category! We have exquisite guilloche combined with rare blue gold, peacock marquetry, an art dial made of enamel and silk thread, an automaton with exquisite enameling and engraving costing half a million, and two more engraved masterpieces. How to choose a winner from all this art?
Quill & Pad
Many brands participating in the 2021 Only Watch auction took inspiration from the orange-colored livery of the 2021 auction and worked it into their watches. While all of these watches are very different, what they have in common is their highly creative approach. Here Martin Green highlights five watches with orange in them from the 2021 Only Watch auction.
Quill & Pad
Today's high-end automata beautifully illustrate that extraordinary engineering can be combined with impressive artistic crafts to wonderful ends. But even in the highest quality examples, the principles of what drives automata are largely the same as they have been for centuries because most are based on very straightforward mechanical principles to create motion. Everything you ever wanted to know about automata is right here.
Quill & Pad
The rules for the GPHG's Jewellery category state that the watches must demonstrate exceptional mastery of the art of jewelry and gem setting and are also distinguished by the choice of stones featured in them. Once again our panel has a favorite, but there's no consensus.
Quill & Pad
One of Martin Green's favorite watches of 2021 is the Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem. At rest, the time is not visible on this watch. However, after pushing a snake-shaped button the entire dial comes to life as a rattlesnake begins to move and the skull begins to laugh at you. And finally you can see the time (but only if you need to).
Quill & Pad
A. Lange & Söhne launches the Zeitwerk Lumen in a limited edition Honeygold case on October 24, 2021. The brand’s own special gold alloy adds fresh appeal to one of its technically most complex pieces. But there is much more to this launch rooted in history as Sabine Zwettler notes.
Quill & Pad
Martin Green still vividly remembers admiring the Minimatik in the comfort of the Nomos booth at Baselworld 2015. Other watches were presented to him during this appointment, but he kept reaching for the Minimatik. Now he has bought one for himself, and here Martin explains why.
Quill & Pad
In the 2021 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève Diver's category we see a mix of tool watches that one might actually choose to use underwater as a dive computer backup and “desk divers” that will see their toughest duty during a light rain shower on the way to the office. In this round table, our panelists pick their choices as the best dive watch of 2021.
Quill & Pad
The Louis Moinet Space Revolution for 2021 displays two tourbillons orbiting the dial in opposite directions. But that’s not all: each of these tourbillons carries a little titanium spaceship on its “tail” to create an epic science fiction space battle on the wrist!
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.
Comments
No comments yet, be the first to weigh in.