Book Review: ‘Konstantin Chaykin: Haute Horlogerie, With Russian Soul’ – If You Love Independent Watchmaking, You Will Love This Book

Elizabeth Doerr was particularly pleased to receive a copy of ‘Konstantin Chaykin: Haute Horlogerie With Russian Soul’ and to discover it was expertly written by Alexey Kutkovoy, both of whom she has known and respected for many years. Her verdict? “There is nothing left to say but ‘spectacular’.”

Why I Bought It: Collector Koen Simon And His Two-Tone Christiaan Van Der Klaauw Orion

Koen Simon is a 26-year-old watch collector from The Netherlands. A regular reader of Quill & Pad, he is a fan of high-end watchmaking. He recently sent us this story about how and why he acquired his rare two-tone Orion timepiece by Christiaan van der Klaauw, which we are pleased to share here.

CH24.PL Watch Of The Year (WOTY) 2021: 7 Wonderful Winning Watches And One Iconic Personality

The twelfth edition of Poland’s Watch of the Year by CH24.PL included all timepieces introduced in 2021 competing across six regular categories. Brands did not have to enter their watches; the shortlists were made by the jury. And the wonderful winners are . . .

Biondi-Santi Brunello Di Montalcino: One Of The World’s Great Wine Estates And One With An Extraordinary History

Ken Gargett recently had the good fortune to partake in a wine-tasting lunch with well-heeled friends and judge who brought the best wines. The best (though there was some controversy) was a 1989 Krug champagne. But there was no debate over the best red: a 2010 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany. Here he shares some of the fascinating history of Biondi-Santi and its wines.

GaryG’s 2021 Year In Review: Acquisitions, Events, Trends To Watch, And Even Some Swag

GaryG looks back over 2021 to share his travels, acquisitions, thoughts, and even some of the more interesting swag he picked up in this delightfully comprehensive overview of a watch nut’s year.

Why I Bought It: Kudoke Flieger Concept (KFC) – Reprise

Bhanu Chopra picked up his unique piece Kudoke Flieger Concept from Stefan and Ev Kudoke over lunch at their favorite steakhouse in Dresden, Germany. Here he describes how and why he fell in love with this unique one-off timepiece and what makes Kudoke’s watches so special in general.

8 Favorite Fun Facts From 2021 On Quill & Pad

In no particular order, Elizabeth Doerr shares eight random facts that she found interesting, entertaining, and/or educational that are mined from Quill & Pad articles published in 2021. Enjoy!

Kingsman: The Golden Circle and the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45

The Sense And Non-Sense Of Watches In Movies – Reprise

There was a time when viewers didn’t consciously pay that much attention to what kind of wristwatches movie characters wore. This often meant that actors wore their personal watches on set, sometimes even when it didn’t suit the movie. Today placing a wristwatch in a big film is big business, which also changes the types of timepieces characters now wear.

Why I Bought It: Vintage Mathey-Tissot Type 20 Big Eye Chronograph – Reprise

This is the story of GaryG’s pursuit, and eventual capture, of a classic vintage watch: a Type 20 “big eye” flyback chronograph manufactured by Mathey-Tissot.

In Memoriam: People Who Left Us In 2021

Every year people working in the watch industry pass away, and brands come and go. Here Elizabeth Doerr highlights a special few of the people we lost in 2021.