Gosset Celebris 2008 Champagne: History And Tasting Notes
The style of Gosset champagnes tends to complex, richly flavored wines. Powerful Pinot components and the steel and elegance of fine Chardonnay. Ken Garett shares his thoughts on the 2088 vintage.
Visiting Torsti Laine, Independent Finnish Watchmaker In Switzerland, And His Festival Of Color – Reprise
Finnish independent watchmaker Torsti Laine’s timepieces feature strong individualization, bespoke designs, “dream color” dials, movements, colors, guilloché, lovely hands, and applied numerals – especially Breguet style – in any shape or language. Avid Quill & Pad reader Thomas Brechtel visited Laine in his workshop in Le Locle, Switzerland, and shares what he learned there with us right here.
Why I Bought It: The Zenith Chronomaster Tribute To Charles Vermot
Quentin R. Bufogle could go on and on about the Zenith Chronomaster Tribute to Charles Vermot’s stunningly beautiful, metallic blue dial, silicon escapement (visible via the open heart feature), COSC chronometer certification and that it’s one of the last truly great Chronomasters, but that would be missing the point, i.e. how Charles Vermot saved Zenith.
Vulcain x Seconde/Seconde/ x Revolution Cricket Tradition “Vulcain Salute”: Live Long And Prosper!
Long name aside, the Cricket Tradition “Vulcain Salute” is an awesomely vintage reissue of a Vulcain Cricket with a quirky twist.
Depth-Testing My Seiko SKX013 Dive Watch: Jumping In At The Deep End – Reprise
Professional watchmakers have specialist machinery for testing the water resistance of their watches, but Colin Alexander Smith does not. So after servicing his Seiko SKX013 he was on the lookout for an opportunity to take it down deep. And he found the perfect opportunity while summer holiday diving at Aiguablava cove on Spain’s Costa Brava. But it didn’t go quite to plan and his Seiko came out of the experience a tad better than he did.
Vintage Watch Restoration: Should You Or Not? A Guide To The Oft-Controversial World Of Making Things Worse By Trying To Make Them Better – Reprise
Deciding whether or not to restore a vintage watch is a tough decision to make. The internet is awash with tales of watches butchered by an incompetent independent watchmaker or, worse still, the brand itself. Even more confusing is deciding which options offered should be accepted. Refinish the case? Change the hands? Replace the crystal? Here is some help for you.
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon: A Machine With Heart And Soul – Reprise
The A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon lives up to its name. It has a date, a chronograph, a perpetual calendar, and a tourbillon. But it has more: this watch has character. Assigning human traits to a cold machine is a – romantic – fool’s errand, but it’s also irresistible in the presence of a masterpiece. A. Lange & Söhne’s warmest watch is more than a machine with a heartbeat. It has soul.
The Grail Of Attic Finds: Reunited With The First Watch I Ever Owned, A West End Watch Co Sowar Prima – Reprise
Colin Alexander Smith is reunited with his first watch and discovers an intriguing watch manufacturer that has been producing mechanical watches in Switzerland continuously since 1886.
Durian: The King of Fruits – Absolutely Delicious, But The Smell Is Unforgettable (And That’s Putting It Mildly)
The first description Ken Gargett ever heard of the durian fruit was that it was like “eating custard over an open sewer”. He never forgot that . . . but it made him curious. He he reveals why despite its obnoxious odor, durian is considered by many as ‘The King of Fruits.’
Vanessa Redgrave’s Rolex Reference 5513 Submariner With Explorer Dial: Could It Be The Female ‘Paul Newman’ Daytona?
Are there special vintage watch dial variations named after notable women in a vein similar to that of the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona? Nick Gould was wondering just that and researched. Finding a photo of Vanessa Redgrave wearing a Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 with “Explorer” dial in 1966, he ruefully opines that this rare model would sound so much cooler as the Rolex “Vanessa Redgrave” Submariner rather than what collectors call it now: Rolex Reference 5513 Submariner with Explorer dial.