Entries by Ian Skellern

Photo Caption Competition No. 20: You Looking At Me, Sarpaneva?

Independent Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva has horologically personified the moon. Sarpaneva’s moonface is a stylized version of his own face. The colorfully bejeweled Moonshine highlights the dial like few, if any, watches I’ve ever seen. But the obvious question I’m asking here, is: what is this face thinking or what does he/she/it want to say?

Photo Caption Competition No. 19: A Horological Fairground

Believe it or not, this Rube Goldberg/Jean Tinguely-style contraption is actually an astronomical clock by A.H.C.I. member Miki Eleta that displays retrograde minutes, jumping hours, day of the week, a three-dimensional moon phase, and world time. And it’s all regulated by Eleta’s own constant force gravity tourbillon with chronometer escapement.

But the question I’m asking here is: what might this assembly of gears be and/or be doing if it wasn’t a clock? Please leave your ideas (fun or funny also welcome) in the comments.

Signature 1 By Greubel Forsey And Didier Cretin: Traditional In A Non-Traditional Way (And Check Out The Click!)

In 2009, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey were considering a number of options for what had become a quest to safeguard traditional watchmaking knowledge and experience. One was to help somebody working internally at Greubel Forsey to create a watch from scratch. Senior movement designer Didier Cretin was given responsibility for the project and developed the traditional Greubel Forsey timepiece that became Signature 1.