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Looking at the Louis Moinet Space Revolution, the latest in the brand's Cosmic Art collection, fills you with incredulity: is it a watch? Is it a piece of kinetic art? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or did it spring from the mind of George Lucas? Make up your own mind by checking it out right here.
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Champagne is not a wine that most people enjoy at home or by themselves as they might a good red or a top spirit. Champagne is for occasions and for sharing and enjoying with friends. If times have been tough for the large Champagne-based houses, they have been even worse for many of the small growers and their champagnes. Here Ken Gargett take a look at two up-and-coming growers for your consideration.
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In 2009 Christiaan van der Klaauw presented the world's smallest mechanical planetarium to the world. With the eye-catching Eise Eisinga edition, the boutique brand merges the stories of the world's oldest planetarium with the world's smallest planetarium.
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There are thousands of things to love about Greubel Forsey watches, but the thing that has always been the hook in the root of Joshua Munchow's brain is the variety of distinct shapes that atypically assemble to create very unique timepieces. With the release of 2020's Balancier S, yet another inspiring set of shapes entered his universe, which he share with us here.
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Ming Thein kindly discussed a far-ranging set of questions on his past, present, and future with GaryG. What follows are what Gary considers the best of many highlights of that revealing chat.
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The Breguet Tradition collection, as exemplified here by the Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde 7097, does just what it says on the label: provide tradition. And it does that very well as Ian Skellern illustrates in a comparison with an original 200-year-old Abraham-Louis Breguet Souscription pocket watch.
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The eleventh edition of Poland’s Watch of the Year by CH24.PL (WOTY) took all timepieces introduced in 2020 into consideration to compete across six categories. Discover all of the 2020 winners here, chosen by an international jury.
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One of the advantages of writing about watches is visiting the brands. And while we do our best to share these treasured experiences with you as best as we can, nothing can replace the pleasure and joy of experiencing things for yourself. Happily, Jaeger-LeCoultre is now offering Atelier d’Antoine masterclasses, manufacture visits, and discovery workshops not only to journalists but also to watch aficionados. Here's how you can get in on the fun!
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Our Quill & Pad panelists discuss the virtual evening of the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and what we thought of the big night’s winners. Plus we reveal how good (or poor) our predictions were.
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Of all the winners from the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, this was the one that really made Dr. Rebecca Struthers smile! Among all the glamour of the watch industry, it’s easy to forget the importance of education; here she reminds us why that – and Antoine Simonin – are important to the wellbeing of our ticking microcosm.
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The most obvious thing to note with these three Taylor’s Vintage Ports is that they will be linked together forever. For decades to come, there will be comparative tastings and their progress will be carefully monitored. There are critics who claim that Taylor’s is the “Latour of Vintage Port,” but Ken Gargett believes they have that backwards: Latour is the “Taylor’s of Bordeaux.”
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Jaquet Droz has already given us a few dragon watches and now offers another with its latest iteration of the Petite Heure Minute Relief Dragon, a showcase of Jaquet Droz’s magnificent Ateliers d'Art talents.
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When brands look to the past to find the absolute best details to combine into a killer timepiece, the result can be a terrific diver, a classy chronograph, or, in the case of American watchmaking company RGM, a fantastic pocket watch-inspired, enamel-dialed wristwatch like the Pennsylvania Series 801 Classic Enamel. Joshua Munchow feels this watch stands apart as a culmination of the brand's ideology.
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Derived from the historic Reference 798, Tutima's M2 Coastline chronograph is a heavy-hitter in terms of practicability and wearability. But Bhanu Chopra thinks the blue-dial version is also a perfect casual watch for beach days. And we know it can withstand anything the beach can serve up!
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While Dubai Watch Week did not take place this year, the popular Horology Forum discussion panels were fortunately held virtually. Here are three videos from it you may enjoy.
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Ian Skellern still remembers the sense of awe he felt when he had the opportunity to watch and listen to a recently restored centuries-old Jaquet Droz singing bird. The animation was compelling, and the quality of the birdsong sound was incredible. But as impressive a feat he thought that full-sized eighteenth-century Jaquet Droz singing bird clock was, shrinking that mechanical technology to wristwatch size is just mind-blowing. As The Naked Watchmaker Peter Speake highlights here.
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Designing a watch for the modern-day woman is one of the most challenging tasks in the watch world as fashion has a stronger influence on ladies’ models than men's. Martin Green thinks that the Armin Strom Lady Beat has got it just right.
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The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept took the Aiguille d’Or grand prize at the 2020 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, where there were many surprises and many well earned awards. Check out the complete list of laureates here and let us know what you think about the night's winners and losers.
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The 2020 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.
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The GPHG Aiguille d’Or rewards the best of the best. Which watch will be watch of the year? Our panelists think that there are three contenders, with two in particular most likely to take the prize. Which watch do you think deserves the accolade for best watch of 2020?
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Watches entered into the Challenge category are offered for a retail price under 4,000 Swiss francs. This is perhaps the most popular category as it's for watches that more people can afford, and the competition is tough. Which explains why our panel of five has three different picks for the winner.
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The GPHG Petite Aiguille category is for watches with a retail price between 4,000 and 10,000 Swiss francs. This is a category that stands closer to the general public as it comprises watches that are far more affordable than the other categories except the Challenge category (under 4,000 Swiss francs).
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As well as its sensational heat-induced colors, the magic of the De Bethune DB28GS Yellow Submarine is the mechanical dynamo system built into the movement to power four LED lights to illuminate the dial underwater or in the dark. Joshua Munchow takes a deep dive into what makes this watch so special, starting with what's on fire.
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Aventurine remains a decorative artisanal element used only by luxury watchmakers in small series or unique pieces for its beauty and decorative properties. While there is some public uncertainty about the origin of aventurine, it continues to add mysterious shine and scintillating glamour to watches. Here is the real story behind aventurine: what it really is and where it comes from.
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At only 38.5 mm in diameter and 10.5 mm in height, the Habring2 Chrono-Felix Panda is almost as svelte as its time-only sibling Felix, and the absence of a customary second pusher for the chronograph’s reset function makes it look much lighter than a two-pusher chronograph. Elizabeth Doerr fell in love with this test watch and was sad to send it back after the review; find out why here.
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Our friends at The Watches TV entertained a visit from Peter Speake, The Naked Watchmaker, as he took apart a Vacheron Constantin world time pocket watch from 1949 – a feat firmly categorized in the “don’t do this at home” rubric. This World Timer is 71 years old, displays the time in 41 reference cities, is housed in a yellow gold case, and is completely original with all of its original parts and even the dial.
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The grandeur of Place Vendôme is hard to match, and to say that about a location in a city like Paris is quite a statement. Follow Martin Green's tour of the horological history of the square and discover what makes this place so special.
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Watches in the Artistic Crafts category demonstrate exceptional mastery of one or several artistic techniques such as enameling, lacquering, engraving, guilloche (engine turning), skeletonizing, and more. Which make comparisons between the different crafts extremely difficult. But our five panelists accept the challenge and come up with three predicted winners.
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The Chopard L.U.C XP Il Sarto Kiton will not be for everybody, and Martin Green considers that a good thing. While more traditionally inclined clients are perfectly served by the regular L.U.C XP models, the collaboration with Neapolitan fashion house Kiton shows that this Chopard can overstep its invisible classic boundaries and become something more contemporary.
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The GPHG foundation’s rules for the Jewellery category state that the watches must demonstrate exceptional mastery of the art of jewelry and gem setting. This is an especially difficult category to judge from still photos as you really need to touch and manipulate the jewelry and see the gems reflecting from different angles. Our panelists settle on two favorites as top contenders despite the fact that they haven't had a chance to handle these treasures.
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