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The auction world is in some disarray right now, but the 2020 Dr. Crott spring auction in Mannheim, Germany will take place online and/or in place with a date moved from the usual May position to June 29, 2020 at noon CET. Elizabeth Doerr shares eight of her highlights here.
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The Red Dot is one of, if not THE, world’s most important and widely recognized design awards. Here Elizabeth Doerr shares 2020's watch laureates with us.
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This year, 2020, marks the tenth anniversary of the death of one of the greats of the modern watch industry, Peter Baumberger. Dr. Helmut Crott, his longtime friend and founder of the Dr. Crott auction house in Germany, recently sent me a tribute he had written for the occasion. But first I’d like to first take the opportunity to share an anecdote of my own regarding “Peter, the utter bastard,” as I will always (fondly) think of him.
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The Henschke Hill of Grace 2015 Shiraz is a wonderful wine from a very fine vintage. In Ken Gargett's opinion, it's a wine with decades ahead of it. A great Hill of Grace and a brilliant example of just how great Australian wines can be. 99/100.
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Creating a successful ladies' watch is not easy, but Martin Green thinks that Tutima has done just that with the Saxon One Lady featuring a distinctive cushion-shaped case and intricate design details.
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Claude Greisler, co-founder and technical director of Armin Strom, talks resonance for the layperson with watch collector Michael J. Biercuk, professor of quantum physics and technology at the University of Sydney and CEO and founder of Q-CTRL.
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Limited editions used to be a rarity, but they started to become more popular in late 1980s and early 1990s, almost like a snowball rolling down a hill that gets bigger and bigger. Martin Green wonders if we can still take LEs seriously at all.
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Fibratech is the latest example of Panerai creating ever sturdier and more durable watches for those who seek adventure. Joshua Munchow examines the brand-new Luminor Marina Fibratech and delves into the cool technology of the new material. You might be surprised where it comes from!
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Standing before his eyes was the most perfect of God’s creatures, a wonderful mix of Audrey Hepburn and Penelope Cruz. What Makes Me Tick thought his heart had skipped a beat, and he heard the chimes of every single minute repeater Patek Philippe had ever created – all chiming at exactly the same time! Six months later the gentle creature and he were married. This extraordinary story reflects the marvelous world of vintage watches: finding the rare bird, linking it to a story, and never letting it go.
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The 2020 Hermès Slim d’Hermès GMT features two subdials: one for the date at 6 o’clock and one for the home time shown using the brand’s own “escaped numerals” at 9 o’clock. There is also a night-and-day indication for local and home times (L and H). And good news: unlike the original palladium-encased Slim d'Hermès GMT, this gorgeous new release is not limited.
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Elizabeth Doerr delves into four exciting new introductions by independent watchmakers that she looks forward to seeing in the metal as soon as the Coronavirus travel restrictions allow.
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The always perceptive and entertaining American importer Kermit Lynch has described Château Thivin wines as resembling “a country squire who is not afraid to get his boots muddy. Handsome, virile, earthy, and an aristocrat.” And Ken Gargett agrees. The Beaujolais 2018 vintage is already being talked about as legendary, heroic, special, brilliant . . . roll out whichever superlative you like and give it a go.
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The Chopard Mille Miglia collection has been meticulously fine-tuned over the years, resulting in a lineup that has always been in touch with its era. It can also rely on a worldwide audience of fans, and Martin Green counts himself among them. Check out the updates Chopard has added to both the 2020 Mille Miglia collection and the classic L.U.C Perpetual Twin right here.
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The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is a very cool dual-hemisphere world time watch that received an update for the digital Watches & Wonders 2020. It's coolness has inspired Joshua Munchow to daydream about seeing the world once again. And it might inspire you to do the same.
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There is little more mythical in the world of horology than the existence of a handful of stainless steel watches by A. Lange & Söhne, a brand that only officially makes its timepieces housed in luxurious precious metals. And the unique piece Tourbillon Pour le Mérite in stainless steel is perhaps the rarest of them all. Read on to find out more about this collector's item.
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The Horological Society of New York has started a program called the “Working Watchmakers Grant” funded by donors and made available to watchmakers in the United States who have lost work due to the Coronavirus lockdowns. It will provide a bit of support to tide them over during these difficult times. GaryG shares the details with us here.
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Although the morphing meanings of words is not a new phenomenon, it is one that has continued to irritate Elizabeth Doerr over the years and decades as the abuse and misuse of the words “novelty,” "limited edition," and "iconic" continues. Here she rants why.
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To aid the fight against COVID-19, Urwerk will auction “Fight C19,” the first production piece of the UR-100 Gold Edition with a special engraving, "FIGHT C19," instead of the regular limited edition plate displaying the limited edition number up to 25.
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Last year, Colin Alexander Smith's mother showed him a silver pocket watch. All she could tell him about it was that it had belonged to his grandfather. The watch appeared to be older than his grandfather, though, and he embarked upon a quest to identify it and discover the original owner. The story took a few interesting turns as he reveals here in a truly interesting trace of the origins.
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Beluga vodka hails from Siberia, from the Marlinsk Distillery, which was founded in 1900. The water used is from Siberian artesian wells. Ken Gargett thinks that if James Bond was drinking Beluga's Gold Line, he would sip it straight rather than tip it into martinis, whether shaken or stirred.
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There is no shortage of tourbillons in every manufacturer's collection, and standing out from the crowd is challenging. Here Martin Green highlights three new tourbillons that, thanks to a generous dash of creativity, manage to differentiate themselves from the rest of the field.
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The Hermès Arceau Cheval Cosmique comes in two limited-edition designs and derives from the Cheval Cosmique design found on other Hermès objects. Both prominently feature the hand-engraved white gold cosmic horse, which takes the artisan almost a week to complete, and artist Gianpaolo Pagni's signature squiggles. For Joshua Munchow it's all about the art and the contrasts.
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Vacheron Constantin launches two new brown-toned FiftySix models – Self-Winding and Complete Calendar – in 5N red gold cases. Elizabeth Doerr likes their retro vibe very much. What do you think?
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Ah, gift giving! If there’s another ostensibly positive activity so burdened with the risk of a negative outcome, GaryG has yet to find it. And a watch that looks like a skull for a special present isn't perhaps a conventional choice, but he had no doubt that this particular skull would receive an enthusiastic reception. Find out why right here.
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Elizabeth Doerr is currently enjoying watching 'The Last Dance' miniseries about Michael Jordan's career, and even more so thanks to glimpses of the great watches she keeps spying as the series progresses. She's only two episodes in at present, but what grabbed her right from the first minutes was the fact that both Jordan and Bulls forward Scottie Pippen are wearing large, noticeable watches by Roger Dubuis. Find out which ones here.
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David Shrigley is not your conventional artist. He says what’s on his mind without beating around the bush. Not taking himself seriously while opening our eyes to the bigger picture is why French champagne house Ruinart commissioned the 51-year-old artist to present the champagne house in a new light as its 2020 carte blanche artist,
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These four new additions to the Jaeger-LeCoultre 2020 Master Control collection are powered by manufacture movements of the highest quality combined with refined aesthetics and an elegant, instrument-style allure. Sabine Zwettler takes a closer look at them here.
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The Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Oster Edition is the result of an informal meeting between Denver-based retailer Jeremy Oster, Armin Strom head of watchmaking Claude Greisler, and independent watchmaker extraordinaire Kari Voutilainen. Not surprisingly, the collaboration resulted in a stunning, technical watch limited to just 10 pieces and available only through Oster Jewelers. It's a must-see!
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Throughout the years, IWC has carefully extended its collection, adding complications and new variations, yet always under careful consideration of its original “DNA.” In 2020 IWC expands the Portugieser collection with new automatics, perpetual calendars, and chronographs.
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In 2020, De Bethune celebrates the tenth anniversary of its groundbreaking DB28 with three limited edition DB28XP versions taking the model from thin to ultra-thin and upping the power reserve from five to six days. And wait until you see what they look like!
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