Entries by Ian Skellern

Video: Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur

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At the 2015 edition of the SIHH, Richard Mille introduced the stunning RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur.

The tourbillon is nestled within and concealed by a magnolia flower. Every five minutes, or on demand via a pusher, the flying tourbillon rises up from the movement as the flower opens. The petals of the flower are engraved in gold and hand-painted.

In this exceptionally aesthetic video, The Watches TV visits the Richard Mille workshop to discover the story behind the RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur.

Video: Greubel Forsey And The Art Of High-End Finishing

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A very significant percentage of the (hand) work − and therefore cost − of a high-end watch goes into the finishing of components.

Today, fine finishing is no longer essential from a practical point of view as watches are assembled in dust- and moisture-free environments, and waterproofing generally does a good job at keeping moisture and dust out of the timepiece during daily use.

But fine finishing isn’t just about mechanical practicality: contrasting finishes visually break up large surfaces, and reflections off mirror-polished steel catches the eye. Finishes can be a signature of sorts: think of Breguet’s guilloche dials or Greubel Forsey’s English-style frosted plates.

Few brands take hand finishing as seriously as Greubel Forsey, where each and every component is individually decorated. Just finishing one bridge can require two days of work. And that’s just one of hundreds of components in the brand’s usually quite complicated movements.

And then the watchmaker has to assemble all of these beautifully decorated parts, without a single scratch.

In this video by The Watches TV, Stephen Forsey explains why finishing is so important to Greubel Forsey and takes a look at the whole process.

Dubai Watch Week Inaugurates In October 2015

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Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority is set to launch Dubai Watch Week, the first dedicated horology exhibition in the UAE.

Dubai Watch Week will be held in Dubai from October 18 through 22, 2015.

The five-day event targets both local and international watch collectors and aficionados in what is sure to be the Gulf’s largest dedicated watch event.

Is The Biggest Risk To National Security The Apple Watch And Fitness Bands?

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Security breaches of company databases have been in the news recently, but what if there was a spy who knew everything you were doing, including when you slept, ate, had sex, exercised, and worked – at what and for how long. A spy that monitored not just what you were doing, but how you were doing it, for how long, and how well. Have you really thought about what your fitness bracelet knows?

The Hautlence Vortex: Is This The World’s Slowest Tourbillon?

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Over its eleven years of existence, Hautlence has experienced the tumult of both changes in investors and senior management. Hautlence co-founder and CEO Guillaume Tetu has been through it all. And he’s still smiling!

Vortex is the brand’s latest, and most complicated, watch post-MELB acquisition, and it’s success, or lack thereof, will be an important milestone for Hautlence as it looks to the future. So how is the watch?

Full List Of Watches Competing In The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

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It’s that time of year again when the list of watches competing in the next edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) is published. The list represents all of the watches competing in the first round of the competition from which the jury will preselect six in each category for a total of 72. Check out all of the competing watches as well as those we have written about here.

Marguerite By Christophe Claret: A Daisy By Any Other Name . . .

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While the “she loves me, she loves me not” complication on Christophe Claret’s first ladies’ watch, Margot, is highly original and very poetic, it’s not the kind of thing a wearer is likely to use frequently unless in a particularly tempestuous relationship. In which case it might be better to lock the watch away until things calm down. Margot might be better suited, a watch featuring luminous butterflies and disappearing and reappearing declarations of love.

Video: The Difference Between Mexicans and Swiss, Explained With Music

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There are surely lots and lots of differences between the citizens of Mexico and Switzerland. These differences really come to light when you see national music styles played one after the other, though. Have a look at what we caught on video during the recent TAG Heuer introduction of its sponsorship of the Carrera Panamerica. What similarities and what differences do you spy through the music?

2015 International Chronometry Competition Now Underway, But Does Anyone Care?

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International timing competitions used to be the Formula 1 of watchmaking, and the watchmakers who prepared the high-precision (pocket) watches were treated like Formula 1 drivers. And that shouldn’t be surprising because until recently, the primary raison d’être of a timepiece was to tell the time. To tell THE time, not the approximate time. An error of 30 seconds day isn’t much . . . until you miss your train by 10 seconds.