Monthly News Roundup: Richard Mille, IWC, Vacheron Constantin, MB&F, HYT, Nomos, Jaquet Droz, Fonderie 47, And Moser & Cie
This month’s news roundup includes a pair of limited edition humdingers by Richard Mille; an elegantly understated day-date by Vacheron Constantin; IWC’s Formula 1-powered new Ingenieur models; a complicated red gold timepiece by Fonderie 47; a black plastic rendition of MB&F’s HM5 called CarbonMacrolon; HYT’s latest collaborator; a Bauhaus beauty by Nomos; Jaquet Droz’s Enchanted Journey; Moser & Cie’s clever new tourbillon; and the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Calendar Pre-Selected Watches: Round Table Discussion Of The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2014
The pre-selected Calendar watches in the 2014 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève are as varied as they are superb: the A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar Terraluna, Montblanc Meisterstück Heritage Perpetual Calendar, Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planetarium, Breguet Classique Tourbillon Quantième Perpétuel, Zenith Captain Winsor Annual Calendar and the Jaquet Droz Perpetual Calendar Eclipse Ivory Enamel. Which would you choose?
A. Lange & Söhne: From Dresden To Madison Avenue
Ferdinand Adolph Lange had already been selling watches in Saxony’s capital city Dresden since 1844. Follow us on a historical journey through nineteenth-century Dresden to lightly trace the footsteps of the Glashütte watch industry’s founding father, which continues in the modern day with A. Lange & Söhne’s new boutique on New York City’s Madison Avenue.
Jaquet Droz’s Signing Machine: The Evolution Of Traditional Automata
The claim to fame of Pierre Jaquet Droz (1721-1790) was his lifelike automata, also called androids. Continuing this long tradition, at Baselworld 2014 Jaquet Droz released an ultra-modern rendition of an automaton called the Writing Machine, which utilizes traditional techniques that have been miniaturized and modernized. CEO Marc Hayek explains the premise of this contemporary android.
Circadian Rhythms And The Mad Rush: Speake-Marin Velsheda
The natural descendent of the Speake-Marin Shimoda model, the Velsheda is a one-handed watch. It tells the time to the nearest five minutes, but if you are wearing it, you may not even care. This watch uncouples you from the speedy second hand sweeping around the dial and even the noticeable crawl of the minute hand.
Chronograph Pre-Selected Watches: Round Table Discussion Of The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2014
Our panel picks their favorite chronographs from those pre-selected in the 2014 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. There is a very strong line-up of chronographs this year: Montblanc TimeWalker 100 Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon, Chopard L.U.C. 1963, Tudor Fastrider Black Shield, Zenith El Primero 410 and the De Bethune DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon.
Greubel Forsey And The Proverbial Loose Screw: An Anniversary Tale
On this sunny day in the La Chaux-de-Fonds factory, which is half charming eighteenth-century farmhouse and half state-of-the-art technical facility, I was entirely surprised by having learned something new about one of Greubel Forsey’s production elements: screws. The subject came up in passing at lunch, sparking great passion in Forsey despite what might seem to be a miniscule topic to the uninitiated.
Men’s Pre-Selected Watches: Round Table Discussion Of The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2014
Here’s what our panel thinks of the Men’s watches pre-selelected for the 2014 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève: Breguet Classique Chronométrie, Urban Jürgensen & Sønner Central Second, MB&F LM 101, Tudor Heritage Black Bay, Omega Seamaster 300, and the Bulgari Octo Finissimo. This category only allows men’s watches that do not have extra complications.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Fights Ovarian Cancer With Collector Events
I had the privilege of reporting on the wonderful project launched by photographer Howard Parr and supported by Jaeger-LeCoultre to advance the fight against the “silent killer” of women, ovarian cancer. Howard is also an avid Jaeger-LeCoultre collector. Jaeger-LeCoultre sponsored two Southern California receptions centered on Howard’s stirring photos of ovarian cancer survivors and benefitting the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA).
Habring2 Gets Happy (And Serious) With Felix, Featuring First Austrian Movement
Felix is more than just a name. Felix is Latin for “happy” or “fortunate” and I feel that Maria and Richard Habring have found just the right moniker for their latest creation. At the same time, Felix proves that it’s entirely possible for a talented, small team to make a fully in-house manufacture movement at a fully affordable price.