Lone bison in Yellowstone National Park

Give Me Five: 5 Reasons To Visit Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Jackson Hole, Wyoming may not be on the bucket list of many except the keen fly fishermen among you, but here are five reasons why nature lovers and photographers might consider a visit: stunning scenery, animal life, Yellowstone National Park, Brakeman burgers, and the northern lights. September is my favorite time to visit Jackson Hole because the summer tourists have thinned, the trees are starting to dress for fall, and the animals move down from the mountains to eat in warmer climes.

Chronograph watches pre-selected for the 2015 GPHG. Clockwise from top left: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher, Longines The Longines Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph, Louis Moinet Memoris, Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 18 Chronograph, Piaget Altiplano Chrono, and Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph Vasco da Gama

Quill & Pad’s Predictions For The Chronograph Category Of The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

Welcome to the 2015 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) predictions in which we pick our favorites and explain why. The six pre-selected finalists in the Chronograph category are: Louis Moinet Memoris, Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph Vasco da Gama, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher, Longines Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph, Piaget Altiplano Chrono, and the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 18 Chronograph.

Bovet 19Thirty with blued-steel dials

Bovet’s Extraordinary Journey To Entry Level: Why The 19Thirty Is So Much Watch For The Money

Bovet makes extraordinary watches. That is an absolute fact.

But what happens when Bovet decides to take its extraordinary know-how in craftsmanship and put it to good use in a svelte stainless steel watch that is simultaneously the brand’s new entry-level timepiece?

What comes out in the end is extraordinary. And at a price of just 16,800 Swiss francs (approximately $17,500).

Ferdinand Berthoud FB 1 on the wrist

Ferdinand Berthoud Is Reborn With FB 1 Thanks To Chopard’s Karl-Friedrich Scheufele

The first timepiece to emerge from the new Ferdinand Berthoud brand is called FB 1. It is intended as a natural continuation of the work accomplished by Ferdinand Berthoud. “It has to be something special,” said the man behind the reborn brand, Chopard’s Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. “It’s a big responsibility to make the first Berthoud wristwatch meaningful and contemporary.”

Anita Porchet at the 175 anniversary of Patek Philippe in 2014

The 2015 Gaïa Awards: Giulio Papi, Anita Porchet, And Jonathan Betts Honored

In 1993, the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds (MIH) created the Gaïa Award to honor the memory of one of the earliest partrons of the museum, Maurice Ditisheim. In sharp contrast to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, which can be seen more as the Academy Awards or Oscars, the Gaïa has often been called the Nobel Prize of the watch industry. Anita Porchet is not the only deserving laureate this year. Giulio Papi and Jonathan Betts have also been honored.

High Mech Ladies watches pre-selected for the 2015 GPHG. Clockwise from top left: Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock, Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower, Montblanc Bohème Perpetual Calendar Jewellery, Piaget Altiplano 1200S, Chaumet Hortensia Creative Complication, and Bulgari Il Giardino Notturno

Quill & Pad’s Predictions For The Ladies’ High-Mech Category Of The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

Welcome to the 2015 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) predictions in which we pick our favorites and explain why. The six pre-selected finalists in the Ladies’ High-Mech category are the Bulgari Il Giardino Notturno, Chaumet’s Hortensia Creative Complication, Fabergé’s Lady Compliquée Peacock, the Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower, the Montblanc Bohème Perpetual Calendar Jewellery, and the Piaget Altiplano 1200S.

L. Leroy Chronomètre à Tourbillon

Leroy Chronomètre à Tourbillon: A Proverbial Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

Now, I know you are thinking, the Leroy Chronomètre à Tourbillon seems like a nice enough watch.

And at first glance it is.

If you have gotten close enough to gaze at the beautiful enamel and understand the secrets hidden within the dial, then there is a good chance you will see and understand the real goods – those that make you wonder what is going to be inside the case.

Flipping over the Chronomètre à Tourbillon you find an unassuming hunter case back, but getting it open, again, precludes a secret: a hidden button underneath the crown. Pressing that button throws you back and rocks your world.

The movement from the Ferdinand Berthoud pocket watch from 1806, which is on display at Chopard’s L.U.C.eum in Fleurier

Who Was Ferdinand Berthoud And Why Should We Care?

Ferdinand Berthoud was born in 1727 in Switzerland. When he passed away in 1807, after having lived most of his life in Paris, he left behind a vast body of work in marine chronometers, clocks and watches, tools, scientific measuring instruments, and written publications including dozens of specialized books and treatises encompassing 4,000 pages and 120 engraved plates. The search for precision was his life. But why are we bringing this up now?

Vacheron Constantin’s second most complicated pocket watch in history: the King Farouk I

Give Me Five! Vacheron Constantin’s 5 Most Complicated Pocket Watches Ever

Vacheron Constantin’s history has been filled with extraordinary, complicated, and elegant timepieces.

In honor of the introduction of the world’s most complicated timepiece on September 17, 2015, let’s stroll through the annals of the horological history books to take a gander at the five most complicated pocket watches the traditional Genevan “maison” has produced throughout its 260-year history, beginning of course with the record-holder itself, Reference 57260.

Calendar watches pre-selected for the 2015 GPHG. Clockwise from top left: Hermès Slim d'Hermès QP, Blancpain Villeret, Quantième Complet, Claude Meylan Full Calendar, Ulysse Nardin FreakLab, Tiffany & Co CT60 Annual Calendar, and Hublot Classic Fusion Aeromoon

Quill & Pad’s Predictions For The Calendar Category Of The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

Welcome to the 2015 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) predictions in which we pick our favorites and explain why. The six pre-selected finalists in the Calendar category are: Blancpain’s Villeret Quantième Complet, the Claude Meylan Full Calendar, Hermès’ soon-to-be-iconic Slim d’Hermès QP, Hublot’s Classic Fusion Aeromoon, the Tiffany & Co CT60 Annual Calendar, and Ulysse Nardin’s FreakLab.