As material science progresses, the watch industry finds itself flush with ever more ways to disrupt the conventional norms of finishing and coating surfaces, many of which have persisted in traditional watchmaking for centuries. Joshua Munchow takes a look at some of this disruption and evolution, which recently culminated in the use of Vantablack.
The Hermès Arceau Grands Fonds is a rare and precious beauty. Its glass mosaic dial is a work of art, framed by a case made of white gold. And, as is nearly everything with Hermès, the Arceau Grands Fonds is also a functional object: the brand wants you to enjoy this watch on the wrist, where it belongs!
Winemakers across the Champagne region are still in raptures over the 2008s; the 2008 Dom Pérignon, for example, has been declared the greatest Dom ever made. And how does the Bollinger 2008 La Grande Année stack up for Ken Gargett? Find out here.
Mountaineer, adventurer, and photographer Cory Richards wore his unique-piece Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time prototype during a summit bid on Mount Everest in 2019. This is very likely to be Vacheron Constantin’s first (and perhaps only) watch on the wrist of an explorer on Mount Everest. But there is definitely more to it than that, which Elizabeth Doerr uncovers here.
Jaquet Droz released a brand-new automaton masterpiece in the spring of 2019 called the Magic Lotus, which uses the theme of the “zen garden” as the basis of a brand-new complex animation. The mechanics are expertly hidden beneath a tapestry of artistic crafts, creating a soothing scene exquisitely capturing the tranquility of the Japanese garden.
It turns out gem-setting is a lot more difficult than many appreciate. Diamond-setting watches requires the expertise and craftsmanship of about half a dozen highly skilled craftsmen, each a master of their craft, as highlighted here by Martin Green.
Martin Green asks whether perfection exists. Then he hypothesizes that it just may well exist in the form of an interesting and exciting new watch for men: H. Moser & Cie.’s Venturer Concept Vantablack.
Many of us have seen and heard the auctioneer’s hammer crash down on the final bid of a famous well-fought-over item. What interests Chris Malburg – apart from the artifact itself – is the seller. Why the sale? Is this is a one-off event or does he or she have more to offer? What brought them to this hammer time? This article explores motives for and provides expert advice on selling a watch at auction.
The latest offering from Shinola is a gorgeous hotel planted smack in the center of Detroit: the long-awaited and brutally beautiful Shinola Hotel. Elizabeth Doerr reports on a night spent there.
Here we take a deep-dive view of the ultra-complicated Greubel Forsey GMT Quadruple Tourbillon with brand co-founder Stephen Forsey, and no corner of this timepiece is left unturned (or unfilmed)!