Urwerk EMC Black on the wrist of Felix Baumgartner

Back In Black: First Live Photos Of The ‘Smart’ Urwerk EMC Black

Let’s get one thing straight: Urwerk’s EMC Black is not a pretty watch and it’s not meant to be, it’s a proof-of-concept instrument. And a very good instrument at that, one that is not only extremely precise, but is the world’s first watch capable of measuring its own precision without external tools or meters.

Urban Jürgensen Tourbillon Minute Repeater

Simply Divine: The Urban Jürgensen Unique Piece Tourbillon Minute Repeater Regulator

Around 1995, the founder of the modern Urban Jürgensen & Sønner brand, Peter Baumberger (1940-2010), went into partnership with the then-independent movement manufacture Lémania to develop a minute repeater tourbillon movement. This project was finished in 2000; however, very few of these movements were ever made by Lémania, but Baumberger received three, each with different indications and finishes. One was a regulator.

Zenith El Primero Lightweight

Adventure, Adrenaline, And The Zenith El Primero Lightweight

To fly like a squirrel you need a wing suit and to soar like an eagle you need a parachute. But what about the technical aspects of the activities, e.g. keeping track of exactly how long that flight was? Well for for that there is nothing better than the Zenith El Primero Lightweight.

Natalie Portman’s Arachnid Tourbillon RM 19-01: A Richard Mille Love Story

I love Richard Mille. Not the man (well, perhaps in a way), but his creations. I have loved the tonneau-shaped models from the moment I set eyes on them. They are masculine, sexy, beautifully proportioned, full of new technology goodness and unique in such a way that when you have one on your wrist, people instantly know what you are wearing. So why has brand ambassador Natalie Portman chosen a spider for the spotlight and how does it figure into the tourbillon and movement mechanics?

The Hautlence Invictus Morphos resting on a cover image of its designer, Eric Cantona

Hautlence, Branding, Eric Cantona, And The 10-Year Anniversary

The date was March 2004. The place was Basel. I had gotten wind of a new “brand” and was heading down the street from Baselworld’s Hall 1 toward the local Starbucks to meet with the founders. In the ten years since that coffee-fueled day, Hautlence has basically experienced its own birth, middle age, near death and reincarnation. That’s quite a lot of history for any 10-year old brand. Read this story to find out where it is now and why Eric Cantona is the new “gentleman rebel” face.

Karin Voutilainen 28 Sarasamon with dial from Unryuan studio in Japan. The Saiei Makie and Somata zaiku lacquering of this dial takes months to complete and uses gold dust), gold leaf, great green turban (a snail) shell and abalone shell from New Zealand

Kari Voutilainen Wins The 2014 Gaïa Award For Artisanal Creation

In the world of complicated watchmaking, that which might appear simple when seen from the dial may often be quite complicated when you turn a watch over and peer into its depths.

In Kari Voutilainen’s case, not only does his style comprise an uncommon sort of complicated simplicity, it is also riddled with the thing that eludes many watchmakers: near perfection.

HGSS80 Ikepod Hour Glass by Marc Newson

Glass, Nostalgia, And The Ikepod Hourglass

Glass can also be incredibly beautiful and breathtaking. Exhibit A: the Ikepod Hourglass by Marc Newson. Without glass we would have lost ships at sea; we would never have seen the wonders of space or the marvels of the microscopic. The Ikepod hourglass begins with a long tube of perfectly clear borosilicate glass and continues with so much more. Including nanoballs.

Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Quantieme Ivory Enamel

Monthly News Roundup: Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hublot, George Daniels and Roger Smith, Speake-Marin, MB&F, Arnold & Son, Jaquet Droz, Grieb & Benzinger, Chronoswiss

This month’s news roundup includes a complicated new timepiece by Audemars Piguet, a famous wrist wearing Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hublot’s latest high-profile partnership, George Daniels and Roger Smith’s only serial timepiece up at auction, Speake-Marin worn by the world’s most famous spy, MB&F’s MusicMachine 2, Arnold & Son’s elegant ultra-thin tourbillon in a new case, Jaquet Droz’ latest timepiece, a unique bespoke timepiece containing an historical movement by Grieb & Benzinger, and a wristwatch Chronoswiss has created to auction off for charity.

Sir Jackie Stewart in a 1955 Maserati 250F Monoposto at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Video: Racing Legend Sir Jackie Stewart Talks Rolex At Pebble Beach 2014

“If you’re wearing a Rolex, you’re wearing something special,” Sir Jackie Stewart said as we sat and talked on a sunny day in Carmel Valley, California during Pebble Beach car week.

However, the fascinating congregation of food, wine, people, and some of the world’s most expensive and interesting cars faded well into the background as the Flying Scot began to tell stories.

1957 Aston Martin DBR2, Laguna Seca

Pebble Beach Classic Car Week 2014: The Enthusiast Collector Goes To Car Heaven

If you are a watch enthusiast or know people who are, I am sure that it has not escaped your notice that watch nuts are often car nuts and vice versa. Generalities aside, I can tell you that in my specific case I have been car crazy for as long as I have been a watch fanatic.