Tim Mosso had saved a war chest for watches during his Navy and freelance writing years. Fueled by prescription-strength rationalization that a credible watch collection was a path to credibility in his new profession,he sought multiple JLC models long on his radar.
In Tim Mosso’s opinion, the F.P. Journe The Tourbillon Souverain Joaillerie is a halo model for a brand that sells almost nothing but halo models. It’s as special as the discontinued Journe Sonnerie Souveraine or current Astronomic Souveraine.
Breguet needs your love. Despite excellent products, a rich history, significant investment, and financial stability, the company bearing this most illustrious name often ranks among the most anonymous in the space. Tim Mosso thinks that needs to change.
Of all the questions Tim Mosso has been asked by other watch collectors, the most personal is the one that he has never answered in full. “What kind of watches do you like?”
The De Bethune DB17 Piece Unique is a technical tour-de-force by two of the greatest minds in modern watchmaking, and it embodies a thrilling combination of beauty and ambition.
In 2014, Girard-Perregaux induced triple-takes at Baselworld with its Tri-Axial Tourbillon. While the name is clinically literal, the romance is in the dance. And GP’s mega-watch is a thrilling dance partner.
While Tim Mosso has seen watches with long power reserves, huge power reserves, and absurd power reserves, the result always looked as outwardly awkward as it was technically adept. Every watch he has encountered with a power reserve beyond ten days was massive. But the Haute-Rive Honoris 1 is a compact marvel through clever design.
The Roger W. Smith Series 4 is a real crown jewel, both out of respect and a sense that its inherent quality is obscured by less extraordinary but more bombastic rivals. It’s austere, deliberately reserved, and quietly confident amid a world of indie watches buffed and beveled brightly enough to blind an eye.
Everyone loves a comeback. Except Lance Armstrong. And Mike Tyson. And probably Michael Schumacher, too. Ok… comebacks don’t always work out, but the 2023 Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription is a comeback candidate from a brand name with an illustrious past.
The Patek Philippe 5101 ten-day tourbillon isn’t perfect: it’s not notably shock tolerant, there’s no lume, and one could fault its 25-meter water resistance. But most important of all for Tim Mosso is that he can’t afford it! However, since its supernova 2003 debut, the 5101 has established a towering reputation that is, if anything, insufficient to convey the eye-watering beauty and milestone status of this sinuously shaped machine.