Entries by Ian Skellern

A Tale Of Belt Buckles Starring Sylvester Stallone, Roland Iten . . . And Me (Archive)

For those of you not aware of who, or what, Roland Iten is then the two words − though not the only two − you need to know are “belt buckles.” High-end belt buckles. Belt buckles crafted like high-end watches. Crafted so well that both Sylvester Stallone and Ian Skellern are big fans.

Back To The Future: The Urwerk UR-105M (Archive)

Established brands with centuries of tradition tend to basically recreate the past in the, “if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-or-change-it-(much)” approach to watchmaking. But in not feeling constrained by tradition, Urwerk is one of the young brands consistently presenting us with a steady supply of exciting new models like 2014’s UR-105M. Take a look at it here!

Wake Up And Smell The Coffee: “Effective” Marketing Doesn’t Have To Mean “Expensive” Marketing

On a recent trip to Bordeaux to check if they were still making decent plonk (yes, job done), I noticed a small coffee shop near my hotel doing a roaring trade day and night despite being tucked away on a small side street. I decided this had to do with its street advertising, and it made me think that watch marketing managers could wake up, smell the coffee, and make us smile more!

Blue Vs. Green At Baselworld 2018: Green Isn’t The New Blue (Hint: It’s Green)

Baselworld 2018 began for the Quill & Pad team on Wednesday, March 21, and from our very first meetings it looked obvious that green was back. But is it the new blue?

The follow day further confirmed that view as we saw one fantastic green-themed watch after another. On remarking on the apparent predominance of green this year over the perennial blue to one brand representative, their reply was, “Green is the new blue.” But two days do not a Baselworld make and blue came back in force.