If there’s one thing that enthusiasts love, it’s access! Here GaryG shares his thoughts on the a set of two limited references by Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein developed in collaboration with Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry that are available now (until sold out).
As most folks who follow Patek Philippe are aware, the brand has long been in the habit of making unique watches for special customers, including in recent times entertainment luminaries such as Eric Clapton and Michael Ovitz. It was not until 2015, however, that Patek Philippe publicly issued a number of small editions of previously discontinued references, each in previously unmade metal/dial combinations. This Patek Philippe Reference 5070J-013 is one of those ultra-rare birds. And GaryG wonders if it might bring yellow gold back into fashion single-handedly.
CB thought it was a great idea to add a legendary platinum bracelet to his A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Lumen. At first it looked like it would be easy, but then there were a few unforeseen “issues.” GaryG tells the up-and-down story of one man’s search (and willingness to fight) for his dream grail.
Often with incoming pieces GaryG resists the temptation to wear a watch until he has had the chance to photograph it in pristine condition, but in the spirit of fun he chucked out the principle of restraint and slapped his new Hajime Asaoka Kurono Anniversary Green Mori right on his wrist. When you read Gary’s story and see his photos you will know why.
Do you consider yourself a collector? For years GaryG resisted the label, however, he slowly tipped over into having, for lack of a better term, a watch collection. Here Gary shares what collecting means to him.
It’s not easy to have a single product line that spans all the way from entry-level pieces to multimillion-dollar halo watches, but Jaeger-LeCoultre has achieved it with the Reverso. It’s still possible for a young collector to do exactly what GaryG did almost 30 years ago and enter the world of true high horology with a first Reverso purchase.
GaryG represented Quill & Pad at the 2022 DWW Horology Forum in New York (and he took a few favorite watches with him). Here’s his take on the weekend event with lots of photos.
GaryG wears all of the watches in his collection, though some watches are more suited to daily wear than others. A reader’s question got Gary thinking, both about which pieces in his assortment are the go-to routine watches for frequent wear and, at a more fundamental level, what makes a watch a “daily wearer.” Read his opinion on that right here.
If cases get too little attention from watch collectors, GaryG feels that the straps and bracelets that turn a timepiece into a wristwatch seem to get even less. And of late, especially with the controversy surrounding the introduction of the “integrated” bracelet of A. Lange & Söhne’s Odysseus, he has been pondering metal watch bracelets and what makes them so special.
A couple of years ago, GaryG wrote about one collector’s obsession with the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Lumen and the platinum Lange bracelet made by Wellendorff, and wanting to combine the two. The result was spectacular, and now he brings us another view of it told through his own photographs.