Stéphane Linder, former product director of TAG Heuer, was appointed CEO mid-2013.
Q&P: Do you have a favorite TAG Heuer complication?
SL: I have two favorites: the Monaco V4, which is a true breakthrough in watchmaking as it contains the first belt-driven movement in the world; it has a fantastic avant-garde design.
Christened Margot, this magnificently complicated timepiece for the feminine wrist allows the wearer to play the whimsical petal-picking game “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.”
At Baselworld, Girard-Perregaux presented the Neo-Tourbillon with Three Bridges, a relatively profound re-issue of an old favorite. While it retains the original codes and architecture of Constant Girard’s oeuvre, the major changes that have occurred – but which are not so obvious when taken individually – have to do with the shape of the bridges, the crystal, and the completely redesigned caliber.
Two brand-new chronographs debuting here at Baselworld illustrate extreme sides of the coin: De Bethune’s manually wound DB29 Maxi Chrono Tourbillon and Glashütte Original’s Senator Chronograph Panorama Date.
At Baselworld 2014, Bremont introduced the next incarnation: the MBIII. The new model goes a step further than its predecessor with the addition of a new GMT movement; however it still retains the distinct feel of the original.
Patek Philippe’s booth at Baselworld made for big news at both the 2013 and 2014 fairs: last year for not having been upgraded, and this year for being the only brand in Hall 1.0 to debut a brand-new, chic structure designed by a big-name architect.
Hermès’ introduced two exceptional timepieces at Baselworld 2014: a playfully complicated watch called Dressage L’heure masquée and Arceau Millefiori, which features an artisanal crystal dial made by Cristalleries Royales de Saint-Louis, an Hermès manufactory in Alsace, France.
You’ll forgive me, but these days the show “season” seems to run pretty much year-round. SIHH in January and Basel in the spring, and then before you know it we’re into Watches and Wonders (Hong Kong), Salon QP (London), SIAR (Mexico) and Belle Montres (Paris).
Recently I found myself at a bit of a crossroads. Horologically I mean, as I was having trouble with a new discovery I had made. You see, I had just been slapped across the face by something entirely unexpected. Unexpected by me at least and I needed to come to terms with the fact that I may have been wrong if this new development was to be accepted as reality.
It turns out I was completely wrong.
Elizabeth Doerr and I had the honour of being interviewed by The Watches TV founder, Marc-André Deschoux recently about our motivations for launching Quill & Pad.