You Are There: Visiting The Vianney Halter Workshop
One of the great things about making friends in the watchmaking communities is that sooner or later, one starts receiving invitations to visit the places where the beautiful handwork in horology actually happens: the manufactures of the big brands and the ateliers of the independents. I’ve now had the opportunity to take part in many such visits and I can tell you with some confidence that there is nothing quite like visiting with Vianney Halter at his workshop in the small Swiss town of Sainte-Croix, Switzerland.
6 Ways To Spot A Fake Watch, Even If You Don’t Know How To Spot A Fake Watch
One evening while we were sipping away at his ex-wife’s stock of 1945 Pétrus, my buddy Slippery Steve and I contemplated a few of the essential questions in life, the kind that rarely find a real answer. Where do I come from? Is there life after death? Can I wear brown shoes after 6:00 PM? Is my Audemars Piguet a fake? Following on that conversation, Slippery Steve and I offer you six easy ways to recognize if your watch is fake. No prior knowledge needed and entertaining photography guaranteed!
Art Basel 2015: Synchronicity And Resonance Characterize Audemars Piguet Installation With Robin Meier
“It’s a tent,” Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias jokingly explained during Art Basel at the opening of Robin Meier’s installation “Synchronicity,” pointing to the large, soft structure barely discernible behind him in the dark room. It did indeed look like a tent. A tent encompassing the most unusual type of art installation I had ever seen. Welcome to the world of synchronous firefly flashes and grasshopper chirps in the name of art.
Opinions From A Marquis: The Jean Dunand Palace
Palaces by definition are usually very traditional, very ornate, and very large. The Palace by Jean Dunand has two of those three descriptives going for it – its size and the fact that it is very ornate.
But its design and inspiration are anything but horologically traditional. It is modern, it is complicated, and it is very unique, especially the two linear displays for the second time zone ( GMT) and power reserve indication.
Video: Stéphane Belmont Of Jaeger-LeCoultre Explains The Gyrotourbillon Collection
The multi-axis regulator of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon has been fascinating watch aficionados since the introduction of the Gyrotourbillon 1 in 2004. In this video by The WatchesTV, Stéphane Belmont, international marketing and product director of Jaeger-LeCoultre, explains some of the thinking and history behind this groundbreaking line of timepieces.
The 2015 Red Dot Has A New Watch Category. And The Winners Are . . . .
There are an unusually large number of design awards, but not one of them holds a candle to the Red Dot, which is inarguably the most famous and important of them.
The Red Dot awards prizes for design in a multitude of categories, from refrigerators to lawn mowers and everything in between. These prizes are also awarded on many levels, e.g. Best of the Best, Honorable Mention, etc.
However, until the 2015 edition of the competition, there has never been a dedicated watch category.
Two of the watches in 2015 received the highest honor of Best of the Best: Horological Machine 6 Space Pirate by MB&F and the Apple Watch.
Vintage Jaeger — Not Jaeger-LeCoultre — Panda Dial 4 ATM
You often see watches signed “LeCoultre,” but very rarely simply signed “Jaeger.” The reason is that Edmond Jaeger of Paris and Jacques-David LeCoultre of Le Sentier, Switzerland merged their businesses in the early 1900s and it became Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1937. While we often see the”LeCoultre” name on dials, we very, very rarely see one signed “Jaeger.” So, take a good long look, you may never see one again.
The Whimsical Song Of Jaquet Droz’s Charming Bird
When historians, journalists, and informed clients think of Pierre Jaquet-Droz, thoughts soon automatically turn to the songbird. Adding the songbird to a modern Jaquet Droz timepiece celebrates the brand’s past and pays homage to its founder by reviving this ultra-rare miniaturized technology. The Charming Bird wristwatch is now in production. And all I can say is, “Wow!”
Watchspotting At The 24 Hours Of Le Mans 2015 Starring Chopard, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Rebellion, And Franck Muller
The 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race is legendary among motorsports enthusiasts, and I was overjoyed to have been Chopard’s guest during what is for many the most famous motorsport race in the world. At this year’s event I counted a great number of watch brands in attendance in some way including Rolex, Chopard, TAG Heuer, Rebellion, and Franck Muller.
Porsche Wins 24 Hours Of Le Mans 2015 And Chopard Presents Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Jacky Ickx Edition
Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele loves Porsche. “We are one of the rare watch brands with a genuine connection to cars,” Scheufele sums up the ultra-successful weekend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans during which Chopard’s partner Porsche added to its mythos by winning the race a seventeenth time. “Not every brand can say that.”