Leica Celebrates 100 Years: A Factory Tour In Wetzlar, Germany
Wetzlar, Germany is to optics like La Chaux-de-Fonds is to Swiss watchmaking. In fact, with Leica’s focus on handcrafting and precision, it could almost be part of the watch industry itself.
Small format photography as we know it today – also known as 35 mm – was born a century ago in Wetzlar, when Oskar Barnack made the very first Leitz camera.
Gustafsson and Sjögren GoS: Swedish Independents Forge A Horological Bridge With Bifrost
Quill & Pad has the honor to introduce the new GoS (Gustafsson and Sjögren, the “o” stands for “and” in Swedish), “Bifrost” Damascus steel watch and knife set, named for the famed rainbow bridge that the Norse Asgardians used to reach Midgard (earth).
Leica’s Very Special Limited Edition EL 1 Chrono With Valbray
Côme de Valbray, co-founder of Valbray watches, is the perfect example of the typical Leica customer. An avid amateur photographer for many years, the trained engineer perfectly understands and appreciates the luxury camera brand. Leica celebrated its centennial in May 2014 with a number of amazing new elements: inauguration of a brand-new factory building housed within a complex called the Leitz Park, a number of special new products and, of course, the Valbray EL 1 Chrono.
Evolution, Chocolate Cake, And The MCT Sequential Two. What?
The MCT Sequential Two S200 is a great example of product evolution as it has minor adjustments and major feature changes all in one. It makes the user immediately aware of why it is different from its predecessor, and to the seasoned watch nerd it provides more tidbits of excellence should the desire for inquiry be there.
LM101 By MB&F: Distilling The Very Essence Of Time
Legacy Machine 101. Just when we might next expect to see LM3 featuring some new and unusual take on another traditional complication, this being MB&F, we get the complete opposite: a pared-down version of Legacy Machine No.1 called LM101 with a 40 mm case and a completely new in-house movement.
Reflecting On The 2014 Mille Miglia
Last week Quill & Pad co-founders Ian Skellern and Elizabeth Doerr went to the Mille Miglia: Elizabeth as the guest of principal sponsor Chopard, Ian (in a support car) covering Roland Iten, a main sponsor with five cars in the event, and Mr. Roland Iten himself, who competed in the race in a 1953 Porsche 356 Pre A Coupé 1500 , driving more than one thousand grueling miles through the Italian countryside.
Ian, Elizabeth and Roland now discuss this unique adventure and invite you to listen in.
Will A Butterfly Emerge From The Metamorphosis At Corum?
Few of China Haidan group’s acquisitions in the luxury watch sector have made more recent headlines in the world of watches than the jewel among them, Corum. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. China Haidian’s group communications director, Marie-Alexandrine Leibowitch, responded to my queries regarding the recent ousting of former CEO Antonio Calce and yesterday’s dismissal of head watchmaker Laurent Besse along with a few other employees.
Attending An Auction With The Intent To Buy – And What Happened Next
Vintage watches are becoming more and more of a subject in our little world of ticks and tocks. So I set out for Frankfurt very early on a Saturday morning to meet up with an old acquaintance, vintage watch dealer Ron Geweniger. And we set off for the Dr. Crott auction so I could learn a bit of what goes on behind the bidding.
Behind The Lens: The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain
As part of my “enthusiast collector” role here at Quill & Pad I will be taking a look at watches that strike my fancy, and sharing the visual results with you along with a few observations on photography, the watches themselves, and the collectors who own them.
Let’s get started, shall we? Our subject for this episode: the F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain with remontoir d’égalité.
The Nine Muses And The De Bethune DB28 Digitale
The DB28 Digitale is a masterpiece that debuted earlier this year. While straightforward in its appearance, it is truly a work of horological expertise and pure beauty. But more so, it is clearly the result of a healthy dose of inspiration from Urania. The focus on this piece is actually the large expanse that is cleanly decorated but remains without superfluous ornamentation.
