Jean-Claude Biver Of Hublot, Blancpain, And Omega Fame To Start New Watch Brand (Video)
The Quill & Pad team was invited to a private chat at the Four Seasons hotel with Jean-Claude Biver, one of the most influential and important personalities in modern watchmaking. Biver, now 73, is embarking on what is probably a last hurrah: a watch brand under his own name. This video explains it all in his own words.
Incredible One-Of-A-Kind OAK Collection Premieres At London Design Museum On May 19, 2022
A very special new exhibition opens this week at London’s Design Museum: the OAK Collection (“OAK” stands for “one of a kind”). This exhibition comprises unique and ultra-rare museum-quality timepieces that have been amassed by a single collector over the last 40 years, including the largest number of Patek Philippe timepieces once owned by Henry Graves, Jr. But that is not all.
Bollinger La Grande Année 2014 Champagne Highlights Just How Special The 2014 Vintage Can Be
We are seeing more and more releases of vintage and prestige cuvees from the great champagne producers. Latest cab off the ranks is the 2014 La Grande Année from Bollinger (and the Rosé from the same year). Ken Gargett tackles questions about it including: where does 2014 rank? Is it a justifiable release? If so, what makes it so?
Cartier Rotonde De Cartier Masse Mystérieuse: Its Ingenious Gearing Is Simply Magical
The Rotonde de Cartier Masse Mystérieuse appears magical thanks to the apparent lack of any connection to the case while putting most of the mechanics on full display. It may be a time-only watch with no complications or tourbillons, but it is a most impressive accomplishment. Joshua Munchow explains the magic trick.
Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 6119: Dressed For Success – Reprise
Designing a new Calatrava may be one of the most difficult tasks a watch designer can be given. As a benchmark model in the dress watch arena, anything less than perfect is unacceptable. The new Reference 6119 highlights the fact that the Calatrava is capable of both changing and remaining true to its roots as Martin Green explains here.
False Scarcity And Steel Sports Watches: A Collector’s View – Reprise
The “unobtanium” phenomenon isn’t limited to watches from the past, there are a variety of references for which supply seems to lag demand. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the current market for select steel sports watches. Here GaryG highlights some interesting dynamics caused by that imbalance, led by a loud chorus of complaints from prospective buyers.
Why I Bought It: Patek Philippe Reference 5740/1G-001 Nautilus Perpetual Calendar
After years of thinking that a Nautilus wasn’t for him, in 2018 the Patek Philippe Reference 5740 was introduced and GaryG immediately asked for one. That started a four-year wait during which his gentle nudges were met by polite head shakes. And then . . .
The Return Of The Dress Watch! Back From The Brink With 5 Watches From Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Chopard, And Montblanc – Reprise
“Dress watches” were initially just “watches.” While their popularity may have dwindled over the years as more casual and sporty watches have taken off, many brands have stayed faithful to the concept of the dress watch as Martin Green highlights here with five beautiful examples from 2021.
Strange Laws In The World Of Wine And Spirits: The Good, The Bad, And The Idiotic – Reprise
As with every aspect of our lives, the world of wine and spirits is heavily regulated. Growing grapes, making the stuff, distilling, selling, even (perhaps especially) drinking it. Here Ken Gargett takes a light-hearted look at some of the newer and crazier laws and regulations around the world.
New Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer: Classically Cool In Yellow Gold
At Watches and Wonders 2022, Martin Green was impressed with the Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer, a striking watch with a yellow gold case and a forest-green dial. So he made a little video for Instagram that went viral. Here he explains why.
