As always for GaryG’s small group of enthusiast collectors from Northern California, SIHH week 2019 started with arrival in Geneva and a traditional dinner with independent watchmaking wizard Kari Voutilainen. It’s a chance to see many of the watches that he will be displaying at the show; and with Kari’s kind permission here they are.
When collectors gather anywhere and talk about their collections, recent purchases, and executed or potential sales, there’s a term that comes up more often than not: “getting hurt.” Here I provide a master class in how not to get hurt in the world of watch collecting.
There are some watches you fall for the moment you see them. Sometimes that initial infatuation passes and you move on to the next temporary obsession, but then there are those instances in which the more you see, talk about, and learn about a piece and its origins the more you resolve to save up to buy one. For GaryG, the Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire was one of the latter.
GaryG had the pleasure to handle, listen to, photograph, and write about two truly splendid minute repeaters, both property of a good friend: Patek Philippe Reference 5074P and Reference 5078P. They both look great, but you’re probably most interested in how they sound. Well, here’s your chance. Welcome to the great Patek Philippe chime-off!
Seems it wasn’t that long ago that GaryG wrote his first “Objects of Desire” article about the watches of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, finishing with: given the prices of their watches, he was unlikely to be able to buy any of those he truly lusted after anytime soon. Gary’s observation at the time was “go big or go home.” As you will see, he ended up going big and is now the proud owner of a Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 1.
GaryG roughly estimates that he has included around 400 photos in his 2018 articles, in turn culled from thousands of initial shots. He found it both enjoyable and a little difficult to select his favorites for the year, but has managed to squeeze it down to his favorite 24 photos, all first shown on Quill & Pad during 2018.
GaryG’s first rule when it comes to collecting is to avoid setting too many exclusionary rules. With watches, he believes that it’s the passion that separates collectors from investors and accumulators. Which brings him to another rule: deriving the full enjoyment from the things you own.
As our regular readers know by now, GaryG and a few watch pals have made it a regular practice to trek to Geneva for each year’s November watch auction weekend, do some bidding, and perhaps return home with a treasure or two. This year was no exception, but with the bonus of him being a jury member of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève as well. Here Gary shares how it all played out.
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 folks to reveal techniques that he uses to create the images you see in his articles, so here he shares some of his tips.
When it comes to the watch hobby, for GaryG it’s really all about the people! In his home area of California, in New York, and elsewhere he has had the pleasure of joining up with members of RedBar Group, the rapidly expanding global network of watch enthusiasts founded by Adam Craniotes, who he interviews here to find out more.