Collecting Obsessions: GaryG’s Journey With Native American Jewelry
Those of you who share the collecting bug see where GaryG is going: the start of a journey of learning about Native American arts and the artists behind them while amassing a set of treasured items that now stretches well beyond what he would have predicted. And he ups the fun by matching up rings, buckles, cufflinks, and bolos with watches.
How To – And Not To – Photograph A Watch – Reprise
One of the great pleasures GaryG has of being a contributor here at Quill & Pad is that it gives him an excuse to set aside other priorities on a regular basis and immerse himself in the world of macro watch photography. Along the way, he has been asked by a number of folks to reveal techniques that he uses to create the images you see in his articles, so here he shares some of his tips.
Make Mine A Double! The Macallan Whisky Mechanical Hip Flask By Urwerk (With Video) – Reprise
Fine watches and fine whisky, for many the two go together like single malt birds of a feather. Urwerk founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei have been known to enjoy a smooth amber tipple or two, and as discerning gentlemen with discerning taste in haute horlogerie it’s perhaps not surprising that Baumgartner and Frei also have discerning taste when it comes to whisky: single malt by The Macallan.
Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono: A ‘Big Friendly Giant’
Martin Green doesn’t usually like large-diameter watches, but he felt that the 44 mm Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono looked (and more importantly felt) profoundly better than he expected. Martin thought it large but not overly so, and that wearing comfort was exceptional for a watch this size. See for yourself right here!
Ulysse Collin: Grower Champagnes With Serious Elegance
It seems only appropriate that such a fascinating champagne Grower as Ulysse Collin has an even more fascinating backstory. David heading toward toppling a sparkling Goliath. For well over 200 years, since 1812, the Collin family had worked vineyards in the region and for a century of that time also worked as coopers. The family vineyards were first lost, then recovered, and now the firm goes from strength to strength, slowly but surely building the crown as king of the Grower movement.
De Bethune DB Kind Of Two Tourbillon: Two Dials Means Double The Pleasure (Plus Video)
There’s a new double-faced superstar in town: the De Bethune DB Kind Of Two Tourbillon. Co-founder and chief watchmaker Denis Flageollet wanted to create a watch with two distinct identities, incorporating two sets of brand “DNA” on the same watch. He also wanted to use the brand’s signature, patented floating lugs to their fullest extent. Elizabeth Doerr thinks Flageollet succeeded in his goals and explains why here.
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “IWC Racing”: Haute Horlogerie Contrasts
The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon “IWC Racing” edition piques Joshua Munchow’s interest thanks to its connection between time, flight, and mechanics. This latest iteration of the Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon is new for 2021 and provides an extremely attractive proposition for the historically minded pilot’s watch fan. Here Joshua explains why.
Behind The Lens: Shooting Watches With The Hasselblad X1D-50C – Reprise
GaryG ordered a Hasselblad X1D. He had never shot with a medium-format camera before, and the resolving power, color rendering, and ability to seemingly wrap light around a subject completely blew him away. So when Hasselblad announced that it would be offering a 120 mm macro lens for the X1D, he was among the very first to sign up. But did it make a difference in his watch photography?
Last Drop 1971 Blended Scotch Whisky: Is This The World’s Most Exclusive Whisky? – Reprise
The idea of Last Drop is to source rare and first-class spirits, usually with considerable age. Some of these products – and in the company’s decade of operations, there have only been 13 releases – are extremely limited and seriously expensive. But is it worth it? Ken Gargett reverently sips a dram and shares the results with us here.
Mythbusting: 3 Persistent Patek Philippe And Rolex Myths Debunked
The rise of the internet, and the consequent evolution of the watch-watching community, has inevitably amplified the phenomenon whereby certain objects have come to exert an extraordinary hold over the collective imagination. Here, Colin Alexander Smith debunks three watch myths circulating widely and freely online and in print concerning former French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s Rolex and Patek Philippe, the Khanjar Rolex Sea-Dwellers, and what in fact Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were wearing on their wrists as they summited Mount Everest.