Richard Mille RMS05 fountain pen

Five Top Writing Instrument Stories From 5 Years Of Quill & Pad

For many watch enthusiasts, writing instruments form a significant secondary fascination to timepieces. In a lot of cases, these two worlds have intersected as this fun post highlighting many pen stories from Quill & Pad’s initial five years shows.

Porsche 911 992 in blue

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (992): A Twin-Turbo-Powered Evolution

The Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (992) is the eighth (!) generation of the legendary 911 and it does not disappoint. According to Martin Green, it is more muscular, powerful, faster, and more connected than any Porsche ever dressed in the Carrera S trim before.

Parting shot: the author’s A. Lange & Söhne Double Split, bought at auction in 2012

Why You Can’t Afford To Buy Your Watch If You Can’t Afford To Break It – Reprise

GaryG’s first rule when it comes to collecting is to avoid setting too many exclusionary rules. With watches, he believes that it’s the passion that separates collectors from investors and accumulators. Which brings him to another rule: deriving the full enjoyment from the things you own.

Flor de Cana 25-Year-Old Nicaraguan Rum

Flor de Caña 25-Year-Old Rum: The Volcanic Spirit Of Nicaragua

Flor de Caña is not the only rum producer from Nicaragua but it dominates in a massive way. Ken Gargett rates its 25-year-old, single-estate rum 98/100 and explains why, while providing some interesting history.

Doors wide open: view from the back of parked McLaren 570s supercars

5 Top Car Stories From Five Years Of Quill & Pad

Here are five supercharged car stories from the last five years that stand out for the extraordinary experiences that went along with them. We hope you enjoy reading them and looking at the photos. But above all, we hope you can hear those engines roaring.

Greubel Forsey Grande Sonnerie on the wrist of Stephen Forsey

Five Top Chiming Watch Stories From 5 Years Of Quill & Pad

Here are five of the most interesting stories about repeating timepieces posted on Quill & Pad in the last five years. We hope you enjoy reading them, looking at the photos, and even hearing their chimes for yourself in many cases.

Phenomen Axiom

Phenomen Axiom: A Touch Of Familiarity Mixed With Awesome

An exciting new brand and its first watch aren’t things that come along often. So when Joshua Munchow saw this watch by chance at Baselworld, he exclaimed “Ooh that’s cool!” and hustled over to speak with the gentleman manning the very small stand. The brand was Phenomen, and the watch was its first model, the Axiom. For him, the Axiom feels a little bit MB&F, a little bit Urwerk, and a whole lot of cool.

All gold on earth came from outer space

All Gold On Earth Came From A Big Bang (Not That One) In Outer Space – Reprise

The most common choice for classic dress watches has to be gold, but have you ever wondered where that gold originally came from? And by “originally” Ian Skellern isn’t referring to a gold mine on earth but the original source of the gold before it even arrived on our planet. Spoiler alert: it involves an explosion, a very big explosion!

Million-dollar baby: Patek Philippe Reference 3974P at Phillips Geneva, 2018

You Are There: 2018 November Geneva Watch Auctions And Grand Prix d’Horlogerie De Genève

As our regular readers know by now, GaryG and a few watch pals have made it a regular practice to trek to Geneva for each year’s November watch auction weekend, do some bidding, and perhaps return home with a treasure or two. This year was no exception, but with the bonus of him being a jury member of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève as well. Here Gary shares how it all played out.

IWC Ingenieur with black ceramic bezel

Focus On Technology: Plastics In Watches And Why We Are Likely To See More Of Them – Reprise

Exotic materials: love them or hate them? And where are you in regard to plastics, which are ever-increasingly appearing in wristwatch cases and movements? Here’s a recap of that story so far.