Entries by Ian Skellern

Grönefeld 1941 Grönograaf: My Once Predicted Winner for the 2022 ‘Best Chronograph’ at the 2022 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – I (kind of) Called it Right – Reprise

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When Tim and Bart Grönefeld showed Ian Skellern their prototype 1941 Grönograaf during Watches & Wonders 2022, he loved it. But he didn’t think it would win “Best Chronograph” 2022 at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève because he thought that prize would go to the then-soon-to-be-released MB&F LM Sequential EVO. Ian has since changed his mind, and here’s why.

In Praise of Anglage: Exceptional Hand-Finished Anglage is Difficult, Slow, and Expensive so the Big Brands have Given Up and Few Seem to Have Noticed (or Seem to Care): Thank God for the Indies! – Reprise

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Big brands are now making beautiful, reliable, and relatively accurate “traditional” mechanical watches, but the handcrafted work many of us value is disappearing. Highly skilled watchmakers and artisans are rare and expensive: there just aren’t enough of them available to churn out the large quantity of nice watches now being sold. And why bother when nobody seems to have noticed?

Only Watch 2023: Lots 33-48. All the Colors of the Rainbow (This Year’s Auction Theme)

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Held every two years, the Only Watch charity auction of exclusively unique pieces has grown into THE most anticipated watch auction worldwide and features some of the most creative and innovative horology on the planet. This year the theme is rainbows: some brands ran with that superbly, while others took a different path. Here Ian Skellern highlights Lots 33-48.

Patek Philippe Nautilus: Analysis of How Prices Have Changed Over Four Years – Reprise

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How much does a Patek Philippe Nautilus cost? How will Nautilus prices evolve? Answering these questions, as relevant as they are, has become extremely difficult following the bubble formed in the luxury men’s watch market. This article analyzes the price history of 31 Patek Philippe Nautilus models, revealing the models that have gained an absolute value, the most dramatic relative increases, and the influence of case and bracelet material.

Patria Brigadier Tourbillon Subscription Edition: A Beautifully Hand-Finished, Swiss Made Tourbillon for 18,000 Swiss francs is the Bargain of the Year, perhaps the Decade!

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Love them or hate them, one thing that most collectors know is that tourbillons are very expensive. That’s all changed with Patria’s Brigadier Tourbillon Subscription Edition costing ‘just’ CHF 18,000 for a beautifully hand finished Swiss Made tourbillon.