The natural descendent of the Speake-Marin Shimoda model, the Velsheda is a one-handed watch. It tells the time to the nearest five minutes, but if you are wearing it, you may not even care. This watch uncouples you from the speedy second hand sweeping around the dial and even the noticeable crawl of the minute hand.
It all started in 2004 when TAG Heuer first released the Monaco V4, the first watch to be driven by belts instead of the conventional wheel and pinion. After ten years of experimentation and redesigns, the Monaco V4 Tourbillon was released in 2014 to much fanfare. The V4 has always held a special place in my heart, and with the release of the newly designed movement specifically for the V4 Tourbillon I wanted to break down why it is incredible.
To fly like a squirrel you need a wing suit and to soar like an eagle you need a parachute. But what about the technical aspects of the activities, e.g. keeping track of exactly how long that flight was? Well for for that there is nothing better than the Zenith El Primero Lightweight.
Glass can also be incredibly beautiful and breathtaking. Exhibit A: the Ikepod Hourglass by Marc Newson. Without glass we would have lost ships at sea; we would never have seen the wonders of space or the marvels of the microscopic. The Ikepod hourglass begins with a long tube of perfectly clear borosilicate glass and continues with so much more. Including nanoballs.
The Louis Moinet compteur de tierces is one of the most remarkable finds in horological history in an extremely long time: it was the very first chronograph ever made, though no one knew this until recently. Get the details here!
I find intense joy and satisfaction in attempting to construct objects, images, or spaces based on science, mystery, and beauty and find that the color, design, materials, and inner workings of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Hermès Atmos Clock are a perfect marriage of all three.
Before I realized that I loved watches I was sure that I loved mechanical things, and stood in awe of the many mechanisms and contraptions that I saw over my young life. I eventually became aware of watches and the amazing marvels that they held within. To me, the Corum Golden Bridge stood out as an example of perfect horological exhibitionism.
The Masterpiece Mystery is one of my favorite pieces to come from Maurice Lacroix in a while, and it highlights said mystery very clearly with a giant subdial featuring a “floating” second hand. When I first saw this, I, like some others, had the initial impression that something was wrong with the hand. Until I saw it moving. At that moment, I knew I wanted to know how they did it, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a model to take a closer look.
To make a carbon fiber watch case, chopped carbon and resin material is lightly packed into a mold and then heated to the temperature at which the resin melts. For the SpidoLite II Tech outer case frame, this process enables Linde Werdelin to have a solid carbon fiber frame without any miniature layup. It also makes the material nearly indestructible under even the most challenging of circumstances.
One night I was doing my typical browse-for-tools-and-equipment-while-making-excuses-and-putting-it-off thing and I happened to be talking to my best friend about how I wished I could have what I needed to make the watch I had designed.
Having heard this story many times, she finally said, “Seriously, quit complaining and just do it.” Two days later I had an order of parts and raw materials headed my way on a FedEx truck. And here’s how I made my first watch.