Why is it that watch brands celebrate watch anniversaries so
enthusiastically? The answer isn’t as complicated as you might think . . . here we illustrate the answer with some major brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Chanel, and Omega.
The Superbia Humanitatis Louis-Elysée Piguet/Franck Muller/Paul Gerber super complication is one of the most legendary watches of our time. And what a story! And here it is in its entirety: from 1892 when Piguet made the movement through 1992 when Franck Muller altered it, all the way through the present day when Paul Gerber modified it three more times to make it the most complicated wristwatch in the world.
Elizabeth Doerr reports on the long history of the new brand LANG 1943 and its premier timepiece, Field Watch Edition One. This launch timepiece fulfilled every expectation and ticked every box that she hoped it would, thanks in big part to the influence of grandmaster Gerd-Rüdiger Lang.
As a great many watch lovers know, straps and bracelets can make or break a watch. While many might find the “vintage” appearance of mesh too delicate for today’s watches – for me mesh remains one of the most beautiful ways to dress up a watch, whether new or old.
Launched in 1969, the Catena/Zeno Spaceman is special thanks to its funky design. It was a polarizing watch: people generally either hated it or loved it at first sight, and remains so today. Here is the brief history of this fun vintage watch.
Clockmakers rarely get the credit they deserve, and Elizabeth Doerr believes that Rick Hale is deserving of at least a few minutes of your attention because this young autodidact clockmaker is doing something unique: handmaking self-designed clocks out of wood according to some of John Harrison’s principles.
If you would’ve told Quentin R. Bufogle six months ago that he’d pass on a Breguet Type XX in favor of an Omega, he might’ve thought you were crazy. What changed his mind? Granted that in terms of sheer aesthetics, it ticks all the right boxes for him. But there’s much more to it.
Koen Simon is a 28-year-old watch collector from The Netherlands. A regular reader of Quill & Pad, he is a fan of high-end watchmaking. He recently sent us this story about how and why he acquired his rare two-tone Orion timepiece by Christiaan van der Klaauw, which we are pleased to share here.
Every day Koen Simon looks out for special watches, and a couple months ago he noticed an IWC on an online marketplace that looked rather odd because of three things: the shape of the case, the dial, and a “Türler” signature. So he investigated the history of this beautiful watch and now shares his rather personal love story with it here.
Which Rolex models will be most sought after by collectors in the future? That’s not a trick question. And Watchbox’s director of media Tim Mosso and global head of trading Mike Manjos are here to answer it for you in the second episode of Watchbox’s new video series “Around the Crown,” which is dedicated to future classics from the Rolex catalog.