When Nancy Olson first saw the Breguet Reine de Naples at Baselworld many years ago, she remembers being taken by its absolute gorgeousness. It was so much more than a jewelry watch and it seemed to be made just for her wrist. Many years and many “try-ons” later, the Reine de Naples is Breguet’s flagship ladies collection, the most recent of which is the Reine de Naples 8938, which is available in two beautifully diamond-set versions.
Penfolds has recently launched the annual release of its wines, which the winemaker calls “the Collection,” and a couple of stellar new wines have joined the fold: the Superblends. However, it’s the Grange that everyone wants to try, and Ken Gargett does. Luckily for us he tastes everything else too!
The Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One Tourbillon is a more complicated version of the original Grande Seconde Skelet-One in which an inverted dial and streamlined skeleton architecture made for an impressive watch. This even more impressive version has also spawned a one-off piece for the 2021 Only Watch charity auction beautified by artistic plique-à-jour enamel.
One of the inconveniences associated with COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings was that GaryG’s local watch gang hadn’t been meeting in person so he wasn’t able to borrow interesting watches to shoot. However, just prior to the lockdown in California he did pick up an intriguing piece from a pal: the Anniversary by Vianney Halter.
Glenfiddich Grand Cru is a malt that is finely crafted and utterly superb according to Ken Gargett. Whether it offers value for money is up to each individual, but he thinks that there is no question that it’s a really lovely whisky with some unexpected notes.
From the torrent of really well done watch photos appearing on Instagram and other media these days, it appears as though lots of watch enthusiasts have been spending at least some of their time in COVID-19-induced shutdowns polishing their macro photography and wrist shooting. And GaryG is among them. Here he shares a few of the thousands of photos he has taken recently using a new-to-him flash style.
Tim Mosso of YouTube and Watchbox fame recently hosted Elizabeth Doerr again on his podcast, “Talking Time With Tim” (episode 21). They discuss some of their favorite new watch releases so far in 2021, the democratization of independent watch brands and their products, and the brilliance of one their mutually favorite designers, Alain Silberstein. Give it a listen!
The lead single from the new collaborative album by Tom Morello and The Bloody Beetroots is called “Radium Girls,” and its lyrics cannot be mistaken for anything other than what they are: a tribute to watchmaking’s Radium Girls. And Elizabeth Doerr is enamored of the music, too. Give it a listen!
The Watches TV founder Marc André Deschoux shares his thoughts on celebrity watch brand ambassadors, starting with Tudor and David Beckham, which he personally felt was counterproductive: so much so that the announcement pushed him to not make a Tudor purchase he was leaning toward.
Fino Viña Corrales Pago Balbaína is phenomenal sherry. Ken Gargett thinks that it is not simply an aperitif or simple quaffer, but a serious wine that should take its place at the table as a great white deserves. Here he gives us some history and tasting notes on the exceptional Spanish white.