Movement of the Fabergé DTZ (Dual Time Zone) with the mystery winding rotor filling the whole space dial side

First Look: The Surprising Movement Of The Fabergé Visionnaire DTZ (Dual Time Zone)

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Fabergé: it is one of the world’s most well known and well-respected brand names, but until recently few would have associated Fabergé with fine watchmaking. But that all changed last year and now Fabergé is following up its success with more interesting watches this year, including a new GMT model called the Visionnaire DTZ (Dual Time Zone), which is set to be presented at Baselworld 2016. But this article isn’t about the Visionnaire DTZ; it’s about its movement. I think you will like it.

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F.P. Journe Élégante 48 mm

Quartz Crush: F.P. Journe Élégante 48mm

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When you hear the name François-Paul Journe spoken out loud, the vision of a men’s quartz watch is probably not what immediately springs to mind. Essentially, the Élégante 48mm is an upsized addition to F.P. Journe’s Élégante collection, which made its debut two years ago as a ladies’ watch. As far as high-end analog quartz watches go, this one is pretty darn neat. It’s also quite polarizing.

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Dominique Renaud's DR01 Twelve First in pink gold

Dominique Renaud’s DR01 ‘Twelve First’ With Blade Resonator, Experimental Rotary Escapement, And Panoramic 360° Views

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Look at this. Just look at it. If you’re anything like me, you were in awe when you first saw this watch – just the sheer technical look of it was enough to send my heart racing. And then the questions come. Why does it look this way? What kind of technology is behind it? Is this really just an instrument to tell the time? Spoiler alert: questions are answered inside.

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Andersen Tempus Terrae with exclusive blue gold dial

Worldtimers, Erotic Watches, And Poker-Playing Dogs: A.H.C.I. Co-Founder Svend Andersen Has (Semi-) Retired, But His Brand Lives On

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Late in 2015 the news came through that A.H.C.I. co-founder Svend Andersen had sold his company. But how did Andersen get here? Let’s take a quick tour of 53 years’ worth of independent horology the Danish way to find out, which includes an extravaganza of worldtimers, unusual erotic watches, and even poker-playing dogs.

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Naissance d’Une Montre, Le Garde Temps at SIHH 2016

A Hero’s Journey Begins And Ends: Naissance d’Une Montre, Le Garde Temps

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After arduous and exhausting trials of skill and wit over many years of one’s life, sometimes the best path is the one with new challenges and goals. This is especially true if you are a watchmaker tasked with learning and disseminating all of the extremely difficult skills of traditional watchmaking. This is the true story of Michel Boulanger and the conclusion of his first epic adventure and the beginning of the next one. This is the end of the story of Naissance d’une Montre, Le Garde Temps. Or is it?

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Tsuba, a unique piece by Kees Engelbarts

Kees Engelbarts’ Unique Platinum Tsuba Features Rare Crafts And Imaginative Interpretations Of Japanese Art Forms

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A tsuba is the hand guard of a traditional Japanese sword. “These eventually became elaborate pieces of art – far beyond their practical use,” says engraver Kees Engelbarts, whose fascination with Japanese handcrafts led him to use the Japanese metal alloying technique called mokume gane as the first one in watchmaking. It has now also led him to dedicate a watch to the tsuba theme, inspired in particular by a piece by Japanese swordsmith Hamano Masanobu.

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Photo Caption Competition No. 10 Featuring Two “Hard” Men Rugged Up For Cold Weather

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Thanks for the entries in last week’s caption competition and congratulations to Martin Moore for his winning caption linking smartwatches and dogs. You can check that out at Photo Caption Competition No. 9.

This week’s caption competition looks relatively easy (I know, that’s easy for me say): statues of two men rugged up for the cold. One has a what looks like a briefcase so they may be commuters.

Or maybe not. That’s for you to decide.

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Benzinger By Zanella

Benzinger By Zanella: Mechanical Art With Heart

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While you hear very often that watches are “mechanical art,” in this case the overused description makes sense: here mechanical art (Benzinger’s unique movement embellishment) meets conventional art in the form of the dial embellished with an oil-on-canvas painting by French painter Léon Zanella.

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Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Ages fountain pen with cap on and off

Pure Basaltic Lava Reinforced With Resin Is The Secret Ingredient In The Visconti Homo Sapiens Pen

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More than five years ago, Visconti introduced the Homo Sapiens collection featuring a new concept in writing instrument design: lava straight from the active volcano Mt. Etna on the island of Sicily was used to craft the bodies of the pens. Now, a new era is being explored with the Homo Sapiens Dark Age. And though the Dark Ages signified cultural decline, ironically this pen represents nothing if not the opposite.

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Aurora Borealis seen in Germany, note how bright the scenery looks for a dark night

The How, What, When, Where And Why Of Seeing The Aurora Borealis, AKA Northern Lights

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My wife and I serendipitously chanced upon “seeing” the aurora borealis while visiting Jackson Hole, Wyoming last year, and the excitement of that led to months of research. And that research led more recently to spending a few days in the Arctic Circle in the north of Sweden. Here is what I’ve learned about the northern lights so far, some of it firsthand.

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