The first description Ken Gargett ever heard of the durian fruit was that it was like “eating custard over an open sewer”. He never forgot that . . . but it made him curious. He he reveals why despite its obnoxious odor, durian is considered by many as ‘The King of Fruits.’
Are there special vintage watch dial variations named after notable women in a vein similar to that of the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona? Nick Gould was wondering just that and researched. Finding a photo of Vanessa Redgrave wearing a Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 with “Explorer” dial in 1966, he ruefully opines that this rare model would sound so much cooler as the Rolex “Vanessa Redgrave” Submariner rather than what collectors call it now: Rolex Reference 5513 Submariner with Explorer dial.
Seriously, let’s face it, criminals are flippin’ stupid! Here are six reasons why stealing watches is a really bad idea (aside from the obvious) and those who try probably won’t get away with it anyway.
The Ming 20.01 Series 2 AgenGraphe Mosaic chronograph was only made in a series of eight prototypes for early backers of the brand. Happily for collectors including Chuck, a modified Series 2 version of the 20.01 did subsequently go into production, and thanks to his kindness GaryG is able to present it to you here.
London, one day in the not-too-distant future, the final board meeting of the Lux Timepieces III Fund had been a stormy one. Principal investor Igor Abramovich had flounced out after throwing his Roger W Smith Series 1 on the boardroom table, where it shattered into dozens of meticulously handmade pieces . . . hang on to your hats because this is a wild and laugh-out-loud ride!
Unless you have been residing under a large rock in recent years, you are most probably (and perhaps quite painfully) aware that the classic steel sports watches designed by Gérald Genta for Audemars Piguet (Royal Oak) and Patek Philippe (Nautilus) are both beyond the financial reach of most people and in many cases simply not available even if you can afford them. Here Colin Alexander Smith shares six more affordable and more available sports watches that have caught his eye over the last few years.
Tool watches continue their evolution among the watch industry’s most luxurious and coveted brands. Here Chris Malburg explores where their evolution has gone and might still go.
Engineers Ireland is hosting two seminars by John McGonigle in which he will talk about the engineering of watchmaking, i.e. how watches are made. The first seminar will start at 18:30 of the 23rd of February 2023 and the second a month later on the 23rd of March 2023. Both seminars will be streamed online, but you do have to register.
After nine hectic years as Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Quill & Pad, Elizabeth Doerr announces her well-earned retirement.
George Cramer looks across more than one hundred years of evolution of what may well be called the world’s first pilot’s wristwatch: the Cartier Santos-Dumont.