Recently Joshua Muchow has become somewhat informed about gemstones and related techniques in studying for the jewelry-heavy Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève categories we discuss annually. This new information has sparked a significant amount of passion for the topic, leaving him wanting to share some of what he’s learned about one of the most beautiful sides of haute horology: gems and their settings.
Joshua Munchow talks about steel here, the metal that made the world! Watch cases and other movement components are commonly made from certain stainless steels, 304 and 316L being the most common. It also happens that some brands hold exclusive rights to use specific alloys in the production of its watches. Here’s what you should know about steel.
Since 2013, Arnold & Son has had a stunning watch series called the Time Pyramid inspired by early pyramid-shaped clocks seen in English clockmaking. At Baselworld 2019 the Arnold & Son Time Pyramid got an awesome update with a new tourbillon and some other tweaks.
Breguet is one brand that does “remakes” beautifully, and the recent release of the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 is clear evidence. The watch is incredible while feeling entirely classic and well within the boundaries of what is considered typical for Breguet. And yet it also feels like a departure into something a bit new that makes you take another look at the brand.
The concepts of the Cyrus Klepcys Vertical Tourbillon and Vertical Tourbillon Skeleton rotate around a vertically oriented tourbillon in the center of the movement. Joshua Munchow sees an awesome spaceship with an artificial gravity ring in the center; how about you?
Girard-Perregaux’s Bridges Cosmos, a major release from the brand at SIHH 2019, is a magnificent astronomical watch featuring two views of the cosmos and standing as a mechanical love letter to it.
The GNS1.2 by Genus is an absolutely stunning mechanical creation from Sébastien Billières, a genius independent watchmaker behind a variety of great watches and already in the business for more than 20 years. Find out here how this timepiece’s captivating figure-eight serpentine works and why it is worth taking a close look at.
Stunning and technically fantastic says Joshua Munchow of the Zenith Defy El Primero Double Tourbillon. Based around a previous technical achievement from LVMH sibling brand TAG Heuer, the Defy El Primero Double Tourbillon is the best of two worlds married into a seriously winning combination. Find out why here!
As material science progresses, the watch industry finds itself flush with ever more ways to disrupt the conventional norms of finishing and coating surfaces, many of which have persisted in traditional watchmaking for centuries. Joshua Munchow takes a look at some of this disruption and evolution, which recently culminated in the use of Vantablack.
Jaquet Droz released a brand-new automaton masterpiece in the spring of 2019 called the Magic Lotus, which uses the theme of the “zen garden” as the basis of a brand-new complex animation. The mechanics are expertly hidden beneath a tapestry of artistic crafts, creating a soothing scene exquisitely capturing the tranquility of the Japanese garden.