A Theo Jansen Strandbeest on the beech during Art Basel Miami 2014

Audemars Piguet Partners Art Basel Miami And The Locomotive Strandbeests By Theo Jansen

Audemars Piguet is much more than a sponsoring partner of the Art Basel fair; at the Miami Beach Art Basel exhibition, the brand from Le Brassus staged a spectacular exhibition of Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests right on the famed beach.

Jules Audemars Chronometer in pink gold

Discovering A New Friend: Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Chronometer With AP Escapement

The high-frequency 6 Hz Audemars Piguet Escapement burst onto the block in more ways than one. First off, and probably most significantly, it is of the direct impulse variety. This latter element was only made possible thanks to improved precision now available in manufacturing combined with a two-hundred-year-old design inspired by Robert Robin’s escapement of 1791.

It is easier to appreciate the details in this large scale Montblanc nib

The Height Of Fine Writing: On Location With Montblanc Fine Writing Instruments

Making the nib of a fountain pen – the point of the instrument that directs the ink – does not differ much from working precious metals to be used as watch components, but it does entail a heck of a lot of work done by hand. The nib alone needs about 40 steps until completion; making a whole pen, including barrel, cap, feed and, of course the nib, takes about 200 individual steps.

The distinctive label of Mumm champagne

Guillaume de Seynes Of Hermès On Wristwatches And The Power Of Orange

Quill & Pad speaks with Guillaume de Seynes, member of the Hermès family and now managing director in charge of manufacturing and equity investments, to understand the brand’s corporate philosophies and history in watches a little better. De Seynes, previously in charge of the timepiece division, was the force behind supplier acquisitions such as the group’s stake in movement maker Vaucher.

The full-pavé R822 calibre "Predator" buckle by Roland Iten

Photo Essay: Making Of The R822 Predator By Roland Iten, The World’s Most Expensive Belt Buckle

While $450,000 (give or take a bit of change) isn’t a sum that even the richest among us is likely to scoff at, it’s quite possible that a more expensive belt buckle exists that I don’t know about. However, it’s very unlikely that any buckle exists that comes even close to the high levels of sophistication and engineering found in the Roland Iten R822 Predator. The diamonds really are just the icing on the cake.

Classic cosmetics: The Reference 7727 is instantly recognizable as a Breguet

Why I Bought It: Breguet Classique Chronométrie Reference 7727

Read about my recent purchase of the lovely Breguet Classique Chronométrie Reference 7727, which is not only the 2014 Aiguille d’Or winner of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, but also an excellent example of how classic can successfully meet high-tech and live to tell about it.

Histoire de Tourbillon 5 by Harry Winston

Harry Winston Histoire De Tourbillon 5: Myth Or Reality?

We now know that the Histoire de Tourbillon 5 isn’t a hypothetical creature lost to time and remembered in lore. But what makes it so amazing beside the fact that it may very well be the last of the Histoire de Tourbillon series? All in all, I think it may be the culmination of the Histoire series, and if it is to be the last, then it is good that it is by far the best.

The Zenith Academy Favre Jacot

Monthly News Roundup: Jaeger-LeCoultre, Ulysse Nardin, IWC, Vogard, Zenith, Nomos, Armin Strom, Linde Werdelin And More

This month’s news roundup includes a big announcement by Vogard; an unexpectedly high auction sale of a 1958 Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic Chronomètre; a beautifully enameled Classico Cloisonné Amerigo Vespucci by Ulysse Nardin; a complicated timepiece by Zenith; Nomos CEO Uwe Ahrendt wins an important award; a Pure Skeleton by Armin Strom; and a high-tech carbon case from Linde Werdelin.

Carefully placing the movement of the Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 into its case from the back

Photo Essay: Casing A Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 Chocolate

The days getting shorter and the nights much cooler remind us that the holidays are fast approaching, so it’s the perfect time to have a close look at a watch that would look great under under any angel-topped, tinsel-covered tree: the Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 Chocolate.

Bright lume on the Rolex Submariner 5512

Afterglow: A 1967 Rolex Submariner Reference 5512 With Tritium/Zinc Sulfide Markers

I recall when I first found a Rolex Submariner 5512 with zinc sulfide on the dial. It led to a major discussion on an Internet forum about whether the dial had been re-lumed or not. Well, years later, we know a lot more; and one thing that is now certain is that the dial had not been re-lumed, but that it was an original zinc sulfide dial.