Why I Bought It (The Day Before It Was Discontinued): Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 With White Dial Reference 114300 – Reprise
After years of consideration, Bhanu Chopra took the plunge and bought both a Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 mm and a Submariner Reference 114060. And less than 24 hours after finally taking ownership of them, Rolex discontinued both watches! Here he shares the story of how it all went down. Spoiler alert: he couldn’t be happier!
Why I Bought It: Nomos Ahoi Ref. 552 – It’s Both Relatively Affordable And Very Versatile
Sometimes the right watch has a way of finding you instead of the other way around. And that happened to Marin Green with a Nomos Ahoi Ref. 552.
How Watches are Made – the Engineering of Watchmaking by John McGonigle (Video)
Master Watchmaker John McGonigle of Oileán Watches, in the first of two presentations, gives a brief history of the development of watches and how they were initially made, their progression to precision instruments, the industrialisation of watchmaking, how modern techniques and materials have been adapted and how current hand-crafted watches fit into all of this.
Mothers Of Invention: Behind The Lens With Invention Pieces 1 And 2 By Greubel Forsey – Reprise
GaryG was delighted to take possession of a Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 1 with its inclined double tourbillon, while a good friend of his replied in kind with a purchase of the quadruple-tourbillon Invention Piece 2. Ever since, he has been dying to get these two gorgeous monsters side by side in the light tent. And the time has finally come!
Piper Heidsieck Hors-Serie 1982: A Sensational Champagne From A Sensational Vintage
The Piper Heidsieck Hors-Serie 1982 champagne is a superb champagne. There is no rush to drink it. The wine should continue to age well over the next decade, but that said, there is no reason not to enjoy it now. For Ken Gargett it rates, 96/100.
Omega Specialties CK 859: A Sector As Sweet As Nectar
When the Omega Specialties CK 859 launched in the spring of 2022, it flew a bit under the radar as other releases were still garnering a lot of the press (fairly typical for spring in Switzerland). But it quickly picked up steam as people realized what a little gem this watch was, and it became a star in the eyes of fans of sector-dialed watches.
Behind the Lens: Oileán H-B1 Triple Calendar Chronograph by John McGonigle
GaryG had so much fun shooting the Oileán HB-1 by John McGonigle that he has more images to show than words to say!
Behind The Lens: Three Black-Dialed Gold Treasures From Patek Philippe, Akrivia, And A. Lange & Söhne – Reprise
When GaryG recently took a good look at the current state of his watch collection, he was surprised by the large proportion of dark-dialed pieces in the mix. He has enjoyed – and photographed – each of three of these watches a great deal, but it isn’t until recently that he pulled them together in one place for side-by-side shooting and direct comparison. The results (and the watches) are simply stunning.
A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split Chronograph: The World’s Only Watch That Can Time Two Separate Events For 12 Hours – Reprise
In the annals of A. Lange & Söhne history, the Double Split was one of the most widely celebrated releases. It introduced the idea of a split-second and split-minute chronograph allowing the wearer to time at least two events lasting up to an hour. The Triple Split is the inevitable progression of it, adding a split-hour function to allow timing two multi-hour events up to 12 hours.
Victor Monnin And Alexander Hazemann’s School Watches: Two Talented Next Generation Watchmakers To Look Out For
One of the most important things for the watchmaking industry is to ensure that today’s watchmakers have successors that can repair old watches, make new watches, and develop the next generation of watches. Fortunately, the next generation is coming on and is coming in hot, as Victor Monnin and Alexander Hazemann, two young watchmaking students, highlight as they take things to the next level with their school watches.