At Baselworld 2016, Nomos Glashütte introduced its new automatic DUW 3001 caliber in the familiar (but usually manually wound) Tetra case, turning it into part of the Neomatik line. Big deal? Yes, big deal! Tetra is square, which is unusual in today’s watch world. The result is an unusual watch that appeals to people looking for something out of the ordinary.
Introducing Czapek & Cie., a nascent watch brand that is looking to the village to help it grow. The first interesting thing to learn about Czapek is that it is a brand not atypically reviving a historical name with some pretty serious horological street cred for the purists out there. But first let’s take a good look at the Czapek Quai des Bergues collection.
Believe it or not, this Rube Goldberg/Jean Tinguely-style contraption is actually an astronomical clock by A.H.C.I. member Miki Eleta that displays retrograde minutes, jumping hours, day of the week, a three-dimensional moon phase, and world time. And it’s all regulated by Eleta’s own constant force gravity tourbillon with chronometer escapement.
But the question I’m asking here is: what might this assembly of gears be and/or be doing if it wasn’t a clock? Please leave your ideas (fun or funny also welcome) in the comments.
I recently went to a boutique opening thrown by Richard Mille in Munich. Sounds like fun, but think about it for a minute: who opens a standalone boutique in a country filled with really, really traditionally minded collectors – in this financial atmosphere? And, there was a surprise in store, in this case it was a new ambassador. Meet world rally champion Sébastien Ogier.
Hybrids in the watch world are rare, but in general perform the same way as hybrid automobiles, with chronometric performance improved significantly thanks to the quartz. For many it was a bit unexpected for Piaget, the “king of ultra-thin watches,” to introduce the Emperador Coussin XL 700P in 2016, but it did not emerge from thin air; it is the latest in a 40-year legacy of quartz innovation.
Kim Djapri, a watchmaker with Lang & Heyne and boutique manager at Tempus Arte in Dresden, exhibited at the A.H.C.I.’s Baselworld 2016 booth a micro-brand and a timepiece all his own. His new brand Bélier is the banner under which his new watch, christened Reverse, has been built. This watch is perfect allegory for reflection in a timepiece.
Styljoux unveiled another twist on writing instruments with the new Le Calibre collection, whose sleek look belies what’s going on inside the barrel. The limited-edition pens with sapphire crystal barrels incorporate a weight adjustment mechanism that engages by simply twisting the ring on top of the barrel and effectively changing the center of gravity to the taste of the pen user. Wow!
Again, if every picture tells a story, this one is likely to be interesting. It was taken on the shores of the solidly frozen Torneträsk (Lake Träsk). What fun, funny, or sarcastic caption can you suggest for this image? Let us know in the comments.
André Kusni is only 17 years old, yet the teenager already owns several horological masterpieces and plans on collecting many more. Kusni first came in contact with fine watches when his grandmother gifted him a Rolex Submariner Deepsea Sea-Dweller. Since then, the fortunate teenager lives his passion, now mostly attracted to rather rare watches made by independent boutique brands.
I am always excited when I see a new example of whimsy in the world. And Van Cleef & Arpels is always a good source of whimsy; the brand’s latest Poetic Complications creation, the Lady Arpels Ronde des Papillons, exemplifies this. It takes a very serious and complicated new movement and uses it for a fanciful display of beauty and cheer that includes exquisitely hand-painted butterflies and a swallow as hour and minute indicators.