Entries by Elizabeth Doerr

Our Predictions In The Men’s Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): All 6 Are Potential Winners But Our Panelists Ruthlessly Whittle Them Down

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Relatively simple men’s watches are perhaps the most popular watches by sales, and the nominated watches in the 2020 GPHG highlight that this is a vintage year for the genre. So it’s not surprising that our panelists are split three ways in their predictions for the winner. Find out what we think about all of the contenders and how ruthless we were in comparing them here.

Our Predictions In The Ladies Complication Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): Is A Tourbillon Complicated Enough?

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The GPHG foundation describes the Ladies Complication category for watches entered as “women’s watches that are remarkable in terms of their mechanical creativity and complexity.” And our panelists wonder: is a tourbillon enough to take home the prize?

Jacob & Co Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon: As Exuberant And Fun As The Hypercar It Is Inspired By (Video)

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The Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon almost serves the timekeeping function as a side dish: the most eye-catching part of this watch is the sapphire crystal engine block with 16 working “pistons” and a “crankshaft.” It is absolutely mesmerizing to see these little pistons do the same work that their life-size W16 cousins do. Check out this video to see it for yourself!

175 Years Of Watchmaking In Glashütte: A History Of Fine German Watchmaking

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Watch- and clockmaking has a long history in Germany, as evidenced by the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century timepieces from the Nuremberg/Augsburg area and the academic discussions of Peter Henlein, who is said to have made the world’s first pocket watch around 1505. But the country’s roots in great watchmaking do not stop there: Elizabeth Doerr takes us on an historical journey of Glashütte, the birthplace of modern Germany’s fine watches.

Our Predictions In The Ladies Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): A Sprinkling Of Jewels, A Mismatched Date, And The Ever-Raging Debate On Quartz

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The GPHG foundation describes the Ladies category for watches entered as “comprising only the following indications: hours, minutes, seconds, date, power reserve, and/or classic moon phase. These timepieces may be adorned with a maximum of eight carats’ worth of gemstones.” While our panelists aren’t quite unanimous, we do have a clear favorite as a winner here. Read on to find out why.

MB&F HM10 Bulldog: Forget The Dog, Beware Of The Owner (Video)

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Inspired by a bulldog, MB&F’s Horological Machine No. 10 features a rounded, stocky body; the time display forms its eyes; and the stout legs form the lugs, hugging its owner fiercely and loyally. But what is more likely to attract your eye are the wildly canine jaws with teeth that open and shut according to the amount of tension in the mainspring. The Watches TV takes a close look (but not too close – woof!).

Q: Who Was Alfred Helwig? A: Inventor Of The Flying Tourbillon

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Close to 120 years after Abraham-Louis Breguet patented the tourbillon, master watchmaker Alfred Helwig (1886-1974) created a “flying” tourbillon at the German School of Watchmaking in Glashütte. The flying tourbillon became somewhat characteristic of Glashütte and lives on in a few very special watches today. Who was Alfred Helwig? Find out here.