FHH Mastery of time ribbon cutting ceremony. L-R: Ambassador Yutaka Nishimura; Ambassador Urs Bucher and wife; Swiss President Didier Burkhalter and wife; FHH president Fabienne Lupo

Weekly Roundup: 7 February 2014

* Celebrating the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Japan, the FHH presents an exhibition called The Mastery of Time, the first in a series of events honoring friendship between the two countries.

Inversion Principle by Fonderie 47: central 3-minute tourbillon, juming hours, retrograde minutes, dual display power reserve indicator

Forget Ploughs To Ploughshares: Fonderie 47 Transforms AK-47s Into Haute Horlogerie

It was all over the news just six weeks ago: Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47, had died at the age of 94. The weapon originating in post-World War II Soviet Union is one of the most widely used assault rifles in the world thanks to its low production costs, relatively simple design, durability, easy use, and – let’s face it – availability.

Sketch of the GreubelForsey double tourbillon 30° proof-of-concept Meccano

Quill & Pad Celebrates Launch With Free Prize Giveaway

Thanks to your support Quill & Pad has had a fantastic first month. To celebrate this momentous moment, we are having a party…a launch party! And you are invited.

Register to receive regular updates before March 3 and you will have a chance to win some serious “party favors”!

Linde Werdelin Oktopus Moon Tattoo dial

Heartbeat: Linde Werdelin Oktopus Moon Tattoo

In just over 10 years, Linde Werdelin have established themselves as a serious player in the highish-end sport watch category, with very credible claims in the domains of skiing and diving models.

However, for those looking for a dressier casual approach, Linde Werdelin do branch out of their more casual titanium case timepieces,

Girard-Perragaux Constant Escapement spring

7 Reasons The Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement Is Fit For Starfleet

Exploration, diplomacy, and research; these are the core values of Starfleet. Starfleet, to the uninitiated, is the deep-space exploratory organization around which the fictional Star Trek universe revolves. Basically the space-nerds of the future.

De Bethune Dream Watch 5 top

Heartbeat: De Bethune Dream Watch 5

Before Dream Watch 5, the world of modern independent watch brands was a much simpler place and De Bethune’s place in it was clear: superlative movements housed in either traditional or contemporary, but not extreme, cases.

JeanRichard Arsenal players Alex Oxlade, Chamberlain Wojciech-Szczesny andKieran-Gibbs

Weekly Roundup: 31 January 2014

While it is certainly hard to focus on events outside the SIHH in the world of watches this week, rest assured that the globe continued to revolve and there were other happenings. Here is a summary of some of them.

Ulysse Nardin enameled Classico horse

Give Me Five! Happy Chinese New Year Of The Horse

This New Year rings in the year of the horse, and thus a select group of horse-themed watches by high-quality watch manufacturers.

A sign of respect, though perhaps not necessarily authenticity as some crucial elements (such as the color red) are not in evidence, these ticking treasures celebrating an extremely festive moment of Chinese culture are unique heirlooms in and of themselves – mainly thanks to the rare, handcrafted work that goes into them.

Montblanc Homage to Nicolas Rieussec lume shot

Unexpected Answers: A Round Table Discussion Of SIHH 2014

This coming Monday will be the start of the 2015 edition of the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva, although our coverage will begin on the weekend with a few of the independent brands. To get you in the SIHH mood, here’s another look at our recap of last year’s exhibition.

Did you ever wonder what it sounds like when journalists get together among themselves and chat about impressions from a week-long watch fair? If so, wonder no more because here we’re providing you with the opportunity to listen in on some private conversations between well-known tastemakers of both the print and online worlds right here at Quill & Pad.

Welcome to our post-SIHH 2014 discussion in which we bring you some of the best and most educated opinions in our industry on the fair, the mood and the watches we saw right here!

The Greubel Forsey stand at the 2014 SIHH in Geneva

360° Views Of The 2014 SIHH

Take a 360° tour of the 2014 SIHH! As the first big watch exhibition of the year, the annual SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva attracts plenty of interest. However, as a very restricted, invitation-only trade show, it is difficult for the watch-loving public to get an idea of what the SIHH really looks like.