SalonQP 2014

SalonQP 2016 London: Quill & Pad Curating A Métier d’Arts Exhibition And In Discussion With Kari Voutilainen

At SalonQP 2016, London’s premier watch show, Quill & Pad will have a bigger presence than ever before with both myself and Ian actively taking part in the exhibition. Ian will be hosting the seminar “In conversation: Kari Voutilainen” while I have curated the exhibition, “Métiers d’Art: Art of Time.”

F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain Anniversaire

F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain Anniversaire: A “Rolling” Anniversary Piece

F.P. Journe is celebrating a big one: the tenth anniversary of all of the boutiques with the rolling release of the Centigraphe Souverain Anniversaire. Read on to find out what is so special about this chronograph with displays able to measure 1/100th of a second and what’s different on the anniversary edition. Also find out what a rolling release is.

Kari Voutilainen with a 8848 Ti M3 mobile phone with a special SIM card cover

The Real Story Behind The Stepan Sarpaneva/Kari Voutilainen/8848 Ti Chinese Phone: Yes, There’s More, Much More

Social media has experienced quite the discussion of a Chinese phone “by Kari Voutilainen,” a Swiss-based Finnish independent watchmaker, which turned out to be not a phone but a SIM card cover. If not a social media storm in a teacup, then a brisk zephyr in a thimble, which also involved another Finnish independent watchmaker, Stepan Sarpaneva.

Pre-selected Travel Time watches in the 2016 GPHG

Predictions In The Travel Time Category Of The 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve

Welcome to the 2016 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève predictions in which the team picks favorites and explains why. The watches in competition for this category are: Manufacture Royale’s 1770 Haute Voltige, the De Bethune DB25 World Traveller, the Fabergé Visionnaire DTZ, Louis Vuitton’s Escale World Time, Bovet’s Virtuoso VI Triple Time Zone, and the unique Montblanc 4810 Orbis Terrarum Pocket Watch 110 Years Edition.

Earth: The Blue Ball. Is This How The Universe Works?

This is a photo of the movement of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia triple-axis tourbillon: even that one-carat diamond “globe” counterbalancing the earth rotates on two axes! I’m sure there are people who believe the fiction that this is a movement destined for a wristwatch, but I’m hoping you are not one of them. Let us know what you think this contraption is really for in the comments!

Brigitte, Nathalie and Elizabeth admiring the graphics in ‘The Magic of Watches’ by Louis Nardin

Book Review: ‘The Magic Of Watches’ By Louis Nardin

What strikes me again and again about Louis Nardin is his enviable energy and passion for the subject of watchmaking. ‘The Magic of Watches’ is one of the best books on the subject: it is written in easy, clear, and down-to-earth language. This would surely make for the perfect holiday gift.

Guilo Papi trying a Supersonnerie on for size (blue is protective tape)

Hearing Is Believing: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie And The Science Of Sound

If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody there to hear it, does it make a sound? That’s not a trick question; the answer is no. And this is the scientific base behind the incredible Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie, which is guaranteed to be the loudest minute repeater you have ever heard.

‘The Wristwatch Handbook’ By Ryan Schmidt

Book Review: ‘The Wristwatch Handbook’ By Ryan Schmidt

Fans of the art of watchmaking are in luck: not only can they read a beautifully written and comprehensive overview of what goes into the making of a watch. Ryan Schmidt is a newly engrossed watch enthusiast – and his enthusiasm and knowledge permeates the tone of his book, a comprehensive tome called ‘The Wristwatch Handbook.’

Pre-selected Sport watches in the 2016 GPHG

Unanimous Predictions In The Sports Category Of The 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

Quill & Pad’s early 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève predictions in which the team picks favorites and explains why. In contention this year are the Tudor Black Bay Dark, the Eberhard & Co. Scafograf 300, Montblanc’s TimeWalker ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph Limited Edition, the TAG Heuer Heuer Monza Chronograph, Ressence’s Type 5b, and the Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbillon.

Dashboard of a Pontiac Silver Streak at the 2016 Atlanta Concours d’Elegance

You Are There: Fantastic Vintage Autos At The Inaugural Atlanta Concours d’Elegance 2016

It’s usually difficult to fully grasp the changes that have occurred to the automobile from our modern perspective, but recently I attended an incredible event that unknowingly provided a detailed look into the history of the passenger car: the inaugural Atlanta Concours d’Elegance 2016.