Entries by Ian Skellern

Tell Us Your Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève-Worthy Contenders: The 2020 GPHG Nominating Academy Members (Well At Least A Few Of Them) Are Listening

May 26, 2020 /38 Comments/in , /by

The GPHG Academy will soon be making its submissions for the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. As Ian Skellern began putting rough lists of watches together, he realized that he was likely only aware of a fraction of watches that are both eligible and noteworthy. And as his favorite niche sectors are likely to be different than yours, many of you will know about watches that he, and perhaps other Academy members, don’t. So please let us know your favorite new watches in the categories here and we’ll take them into consideration.

Tribute To Peter Baumberger (1939-2010): RIP You Complete And Utter Bastard!

May 20, 2020 /8 Comments/in , , , /by

This year, 2020, marks the tenth anniversary of the death of one of the greats of the modern watch industry, Peter Baumberger. Dr. Helmut Crott, his longtime friend and founder of the Dr. Crott auction house in Germany, recently sent me a tribute he had written for the occasion. But first I’d like to first take the opportunity to share an anecdote of my own regarding “Peter, the utter bastard,” as I will always (fondly) think of him.

De Bethune DB28: How I Launched It, Why I Bought It, And Why It’s The Perfect ‘One Watch’

May 17, 2020 /10 Comments/in , , /by

De Bethune celebrates the tenth anniversary of its groundbreaking DB28 in 2020 and, as Ian Skellern’s relationship with the model goes back the full decade, it seems an appropriate time for him to share the story of how he came to launch the DB28, own a DB28, and what he thinks of the DB28 after wearing one regularly for seven years.

The Watch That Changed My Life: The Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon By Daniel Roth – Reprise

May 3, 2020 /4 Comments/in , , /by

Many watches hold a special significance for their owners: some may be a powerful emotional reminder of an esteemed person, place or event, while others the long-searched-for keystone in a valued collection. There are watches that generate a smile just by thinking about them and a few have even changed lives. Ian Skellern shares the story of a watch that changed his life.

Urwerk And The Gustave Sandoz Clock That Doesn’t Tell The Time – Reprise

April 26, 2020 /1 Comment/in , , /by

In Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, the great man introduced the concept of “spacetime: henceforth, space by itself, and time by itself, are doomed to fade away into mere shadows, and only a kind of union of the two will preserve an independent reality.” Which segues nicely into the discovery of a clock by Gustave Sandoz that doesn’t tell the time: it tells distance.

Winners & Losers In The Watch World Of 2021 And Beyond: There Will Be Fairs, Jim, But Not As We Knew Them

April 14, 2020 /0 Comments/in , , /by

The point of the large watch fairs is (or was) the sheer scale of their visitor numbers. In no other venue can brands meet with so many clients, collectors and press, and vice versa. If a large fair is limited in visitor capacity by health restrictions, can it still dominate the launch cycles of big brands? Ian Skellern examines likely winners and losers of the brave new world of exhibitions in 2021.

Watch Brand Marketing And Communication Teams: Here Are 3 Relatively Easy Steps That You Can Start Taking Right Now To Maximize Your Efficiency (And Sales)

April 5, 2020 /2 Comments/in , , /by

In the old, pre-COVID-19 watch world, the far-too-prevalent low standard of press material supplied by brands to journalists was amply counterbalanced by the sheer number of journalists and collectors around the world supplying lots of hands-on, third-party information, opinion, and photography. Now that’s gone, so it’s time for brand marketing and communication teams to lift their games. Ian Skellern shares three easy ways how.

To Mr. Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari: Geneva Watch Days In August 2020 Isn’t Optimistic, It’s Delusional!

March 29, 2020 /18 Comments/in , , /by

“Dear Mr. Babin, I’m speaking as a fan, but you are sure making it difficult. It gives me no pleasure to take shots at you like this, but if you keep standing up and saying these things, I’ll keep rebutting you,” Ian Skellern begins his second open letter on this subject . . .

Why We Will Keep Writing About Watches You Can’t Afford, And Why You (Hopefully) Will Continue To Read This Under The COVID-19 Cloud

March 27, 2020 /12 Comments/in , /by

Have you seen the prices of high-end (and not so high-end) wristwatches? Crazy! None of us can afford the watches that we want, and the world economy is tanking. So in the middle of the coronavirus crisis why are we still publishing pointless stories about watches and why are you still reading them? Ian Skellern shares his theory here.