The tenth edition of Poland’s Watch of the Year by CH24.PL included all timepieces introduced in 2019 competing across six categories. All of these watches were nominated by an international jury comprising journalists from six countries (including Elizabeth Doerr). Brands did not have to enter their watches; the shortlists were made by the jury. So who took home the big prizes?
Halloween, a word contracted from “All Hallow’s Eve,” is a predominately American celebration whose traditions come from late nineteenth-century Celtic origins. And along comes a modern mechanical time-telling spider in celebration, the MB&F Arachnophobia – a realistic-looking arachnid made of metal and other materials traditionally used in watchmaking. Look upon it if you dare!
The skull is one of art history’s most referenced objects thanks to its powerful ability to instantly remind us that we are only flesh and bone. Fiona Krüger, specializing in skulls, partnered with L’Epée 1839 to produce Vanitas, a skull-shaped clock based on her Skull Collection with an unexpected function: it yawns as its movement tires.
Bell & Ross’s unique BR 01 Instrument stole the spotlight at its launch in 2005 thanks to its unusual circle-in-a-square case, becoming an instant hit. The BR 01 was then used as a jumping-off point for a variety of designs, beginning in 2009 with the then-trendy skull motif – which in Elizabeth Doerr’s eyes was a perfect addition. How has the skull motif evolved at Bell & Ross? Find out here!
The Bremont H-4 Hercules’ rotor incorporates original birchwood veneer that flew on Howard Hughes’ historic trip in the ‘Spruce Goose’ off the coast of California in 1947. Shaped into four propeller blades, the precious and historical wood was shipped to the UK from the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where the plane resides today. Here Nancy Olson tells us what else is cool about this watch!
Six pre-selected watches, five panelist judges, and four predicted winners. You want variety, our predictions for the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Petite Aiguille category has more variety than you can strap on two wrists. Check out the reasons for the disparate views here.
Joshua Munchow thinks that the Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon may be one of the best tourbillon models in modern watch history since it actually tries to achieve the goals of the tourbillon in the first place: increased precision and consistency in timekeeping. Here he explains just how it does that.
Ever wondered what the inside of a Rolex Submariner looks like, then (sensibly) thought better of trying to find out? Well, wonder no more. The Watches TV has teamed up with The Naked Watchmaker, Peter Speake-Marin, to take a modern Rolex Submariner completely apart – diving right into the heart of this famous diver’s watch.
How many years before we even start to recognize what the most popular timekeeping devices over the last 70 years were? Another 20 years? Forty? Who will use timekeepers? And for what purposes? What will they look like? I posed these questions to a few top watch industry professionals; their replies were perhaps surprising.
While GaryG thinks it’s all the more impressive that designers continue to delight us with new looks, many watches are often very similar. And trying to describe the slippery slope from vague resemblance to outright theft is not a simple task. So he begins down at the lower end of the grade with so-called homage watches and moves up the GaryG Styling Statute of Limitations from there.