Grönefeld One Hertz – A Collector’s Journey
For this special article, I have the pleasure of covering the wonderful Grönefeld One Hertz! For a watch fanatic, and especially for lovers of independent watch brands, it’s a dream come true to meet the makers of the watches that we admire. With the Grönefeld brothers, it’s that pleasure multiplied by two.
The Arnold & Son Golden Wheel Offers Animated Wandering Hours
The Arnold & Son Golden Wheel presents a fresh take on a centuries-old complication.
Instead of traditional hands, the hours are displayed on a disk that passes over a semi-circle arch to indicate the minutes. With a quick glance, you can see how much of an hour has gone by without necessarily needing to know the precise minute. This is a highly fluid and poetic manner of depicting the time first seen in the seventeenth century. And now Arnold & Son puts it into a modern wristwatch.
Give Me Five! Keeping Secrets With Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, Harry Winston, Chopard, and Boucheron
I’m glad to see secret watches making a bit of a comeback since I find them to be seductive anachronisms that are very feminine and very functional. Very much in vogue in the 1930s, ҆40s, and ҆50s, “secret watches” kept the time confidential by hiding the watch dial behind a decorative hinged or swiveling cover. Following are five examples introduced earlier this year.
Dubai Watch Week: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
The inaugural Dubai Watch Week (DWW) has just closed its doors. And what a week it has been: sunny days filled withintroductory watchmaking classes, informative and often entertaining discussion panels, conversations with CEOs and watchmakers, and a multitude of watch collectors and aficionados enjoying all the event had to offer. But before we take a look at what was good about DWW, let’s get the “bad” and the “ugly” out of the way first.
Quill & Pad’s Predictions For The 2015 Aiguille d’Or, The Top Prize Of The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve
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. In this article we predict who will take the top prize called the Aiguille d’Or (“golden hand”), the best of the best of all the watches pre-selected in the 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Initial Impressions Of Dubai Watch Week
Quill & Pad is in Dubai for the exciting inaugural event known as Dubai Watch Week. Dubai Watch Week (DWW) targets both local and international watch collectors and aficionados with five different sections of activity. So far, these have been popular and busy. “Dubai Watch Week is a first for the Middle East and an incredible initiative by the Seddiqi Group,” said Maximilian Büsser of MB&F of the event co-organized by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Ulysse Nardin Marine Diver Artemis Racing Watch Race Winner In Bermuda
The second half of 2015 was an exciting time for Ulysse Nardin, continuing the brand’s roots in conquering ocean time with marine chronometers. And now even more exciting that the brand has taken to the seas with Swedish challenger to the America’s Cup, Artemis Racing. And what a great way to start the retail introduction of the new Ulysse Nardin Marine Diver Artemis Racing: with Artemis Racing winning its first America’s Cup challenger bid in Bermuda!
The Bovet Dimier Recital 15: Middle Knows Best
In my mind, the Bovet Dimier Récital 15 stands alone as the coolest of the Récital line for its functions and displays. Let’s take a look!
It begins with the jump hour, my favorite “because we can” complication. Of course I would write about another jump hour!
The jump hour, situated at 3 o’clock, is positioned so that it is the first thing you see when you begin to pull up your shirt cuff to check the time.
Now this may be a happy coincidence based on movement layout, but it is more than likely that is was conceptual. What else does it contain?
Understanding The America’s Cup’s Fascination With Time
The America’s Cup, the world’s oldest international sporting trophy, first became a serious topic in the world of watches back in 2003, when Audemars Piguet became the partner of Cup challenger ‘Alinghi.’ In this thirty-fifth edition of the America’s Cup, we see a number of watch brands involved aside from principal sponsor, Louis Vuitton. Beginning with Ulysse Nardin, the timing partner of Artemis Racing.
A Love Letter To De Bethune
Dear De Bethune,
Can I call you Thunie? Or, even better, just DB?
I have decided to place quill upon pad after all these years of watching you . . . no, I’m neither a stalker nor a star-struck groupie.
But more often than not you have intrigued, baffled, dazzled, and surprised me.
You do not remember our first meeting; how could you? You were just a baby, very different from what you are today. You had rather classic looks inside and out, but there was a je ne sais quoi implying that you might grow into something more interesting and perhaps flamboyant . . .










