GaryG was delighted when his favorite local independent watch retailer brought out a very special piece, one of five HM9 Sapphire Vision watches in white gold with a vivid purple movement. And he was even more pleased when he was allowed to take some photos to share before the watch was delivered to its happy new owner.
It’s all about the people! And right now people in Ukraine and refugees in its border areas are displaced – and, even worse, hungry. Some people in the watch community are stepping forward to help, and all of us at Quill & Pad are united in support of their effort: the #WatchFamForUkraine Solidarity Auction takes place from March 25 to March 28, 2022. Get the details here!
When someone says “I’m no prude,” it is pretty easy to imagine what typically comes next: a prudish commentary on some aspect of modern society or youth culture. GaryG likes sex. There we go! To the point and leaves no doubt as to intent. That said, he typically tries to keep his interests in sex and watches somewhat distinct. But has the watch industry at large done that, now and in the past?
GaryG was delighted to take possession of a Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 1 with its inclined double tourbillon, while a good friend of his replied in kind with a purchase of the quadruple-tourbillon Invention Piece 2. Ever since, he has been dying to get these two gorgeous monsters side by side in the light tent. And the time has finally come!
As GaryG prepares for his trip to Switzerland for Watches and Wonders 2022, the demise of Baselworld is very much on his mind. It seems to him that the era of all-inclusive mega watch shows is rapidly coming to an end.
The natural implication is that Watches and Wonders Geneva will be the next exhibition to change radically or that it will even cease to exist. Here he explains why.
Ask and ye shall receive, dear readers! Well, within reason. Quill & Pad reader and frequent commenter Greg has been after GaryG for a while to write a piece on his Vacheron Constantin Overseas Deep Stream Chronograph, most recently in response to Gary’s article on three “keepers” from his collection that don’t get a lot of wrist time. Gary didn’t include the Deep Stream on that list as it is a quite frequent wearer for him, but now its time in the spotlight has come.
One of the great pleasures GaryG has of being a contributor here at Quill & Pad is that it gives him an excuse to set aside other priorities on a regular basis and immerse himself in the world of macro watch photography. Along the way, he has been asked by a number of people to reveal techniques that he uses to create the images you see in his articles, so here he shares some of his tips.
“I have no secrets as past watchmakers had. There are graveyards full of secrets and that’s enough.” – Philippe Dufour, 2014. That quote alone is enough to understand why he matters. But, as GaryG writes, there is much more.
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.
GaryG seized a welcome opportunity to handle and photograph a unique version of The White by David Walter, which is equipped with Walter’s second prototype movement and a bespoke Chinese-character dial. The watch is owned by a friend who also happens to be a local-to-California expert watchmaker.