Here at Quill & Pad we are quite smitten by Romain Gauthier’s award-winning Logical One. But one thing that often gets glossed over somewhat is the subject of one of this watch’s four patents: the incredible high-precision chain made of synthetic ruby links. Combined with the snail cam, it is this element that provides the ingenious movement with constant force.
Until the advent of Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260 in 2015, Patek Philippe’s Caliber 89 held the record for being the most complicated timepiece in existence; it remains Patek Philippe’s most complicated timepiece. And now Sotheby’s is auctioning it in May 2017.
Ronnie Wood, a celebrated painter outside the realm of his duties as guitarist for the Rolling Stones, explained that it was he who searched out a horological collaboration and very naturally came across Bremont as a British marque of note. “I Feel Like Painting” represents his second dial for Bremont’s B-1 Marine Clock.
At the 2017 SIHH in Geneva I particularly liked the Carré des Horlogers, as the SIHH independents’ hall is known, which showcases some of the industry’s finest creative minds producing amazing watches, both traditional and contemporary. So without further ado, here are my SIHH highlights, most of which come from that hall.
Seiko’s story is much more complicated than most people might think. This is a manufacturer that doesn’t follow trends, but has created a few of its own, capitalizing on various types of expertise and knowledge that were the mother of necessity for a manufacturer located so far away from the established centers of watchmaking in Europe. Grand Seiko is the most appealing line to connoisseurs of fine watchmaking, and we look at it in some depth here.
It’s not all that often that you get to see a behind-the-scenes, actors-eye view of the Academy Awards. But that is exactly what Aldis Hodge gifted his Instagram fans on Oscar night. And the ‘Hidden Figures’ actor was rocking the Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30° Technique Sapphire on his wrist!
The Geneva Seal is very old, having been proposed on November 6, 1886 by the Grand Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva as a way to certify a level of quality for which the canton was becoming known. Every piece produced with the Geneva Seal is equally outstanding, so let’s have a look at what goes into attaining this coveted seal.
I’m an expat Aussie who has now lived longer out of Australia than in, but in a few years my (Swiss) wife and I are planning on moving from Switzerland to Airlie Beach in North Queensland, Australia. In September 2016, I flew to the region for a week’s worth of face-to-face meetings to help lay the groundwork for our move.
It was a tight schedule, especially as I was sure to be suffering from jetlag, but it was doable. Especially with the Ulysse Nardin Dual Time on my wrist to help keep track of time there and at home.
I hadn’t had much contact with Parmigiani over the past few years, so I was eager both to wear one of the brand’s most distinctive watches and to learn more about its current collection and plans. The moment I liberated the Pantographe from its box I was impressed: this is one serious watch. Read on to learn what I thought about this watch and what the brand might do to bloom.
Fine watch and fine whisky, for many the two go together like single malt birds of a feather. Urwerk founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei have been known to enjoy a smooth amber tipple or two, and as discerning gentlemen with discerning taste in haute horlogerie, it’s perhaps not surprising that Baumgartner and Frei also have discerning taste when it comes to whisky: single malt by The Macallan.