Halloween, a word contracted from “All Hallow’s Eve,” is a predominately American celebration whose traditions come from late nineteenth-century Celtic origins. And now along comes a modern mechanical time-telling spider, the MB&F Arachnophobia – a realistic-looking arachnoid made of metal and other materials traditionally used in watchmaking. Look upon it if you dare!
There has been a lot of talk and promises made by the watch industry about ceramics and their use in timepieces, so it would seem that a primer on the subject might make us much more informed consumers.
The evening of Thursday, October 29, 2015 played host to the red-carpet gala evening in Geneva for the presentation of prizes in the 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. We will be sharing our thoughts and insights on the winners of the big night, and why those not so lucky may have missed out. But without further ado, here are the brands and watches that went home with a well-deserved trophy.
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) is THE premier horological red carpet event of the year.
For those not able to make the trip to Switzerland, Quill & Pad is very pleased to be able to invite you to Geneva “virtually” to watch the evening as it unfolds.
At the same time you can learn how our panel did in predicting the winners of the 2015 GPHG.
The Harry Winston Opus 14 was introduced at a celebrity-studded event in Baden-Baden, Germany. The real star of the event for watch enthusiasts in attendance, of course, was the watch itself: the new Opus 14 with a second hidden time zone designed by Franck Orny and Johnny Girardin, the same movement geniuses behind the Montblanc Metamorphosis. Watch Marc Hayek demonstrate the Opus 14’s big trick: revealing and hiding the second time zone and displaying a “Route 66” style American star.
Ian Skellern deliberately wrote the headline as “Why We Are In A Golden Age For Appreciating Superlative Hand-Finishing . . . ” because the fact is that if many people do not appreciate superlative hand-finishing, then fewer will pay for superlative hand-finishing, so there is likely to be less superlative hand-finishing on offer. So what does any of this mean for the future of superlatively hand-finished timepieces?
For this special article, I have the pleasure of covering the wonderful Grönefeld One Hertz! For a watch fanatic, and especially for lovers of independent watch brands, it’s a dream come true to meet the makers of the watches that we admire. With the Grönefeld brothers, it’s that pleasure multiplied by two.
The Arnold & Son Golden Wheel presents a fresh take on a centuries-old complication.
Instead of traditional hands, the hours are displayed on a disk that passes over a semi-circle arch to indicate the minutes. With a quick glance, you can see how much of an hour has gone by without necessarily needing to know the precise minute. This is a highly fluid and poetic manner of depicting the time first seen in the seventeenth century. And now Arnold & Son puts it into a modern wristwatch.
I’m glad to see secret watches making a bit of a comeback since I find them to be seductive anachronisms that are very feminine and very functional. Very much in vogue in the 1930s, ҆40s, and ҆50s, “secret watches” kept the time confidential by hiding the watch dial behind a decorative hinged or swiveling cover. Following are five examples introduced earlier this year.
The inaugural Dubai Watch Week (DWW) has just closed its doors. And what a week it has been: sunny days filled withintroductory watchmaking classes, informative and often entertaining discussion panels, conversations with CEOs and watchmakers, and a multitude of watch collectors and aficionados enjoying all the event had to offer. But before we take a look at what was good about DWW, let’s get the “bad” and the “ugly” out of the way first.