Firstly, thanks to those that submitted entries to last week’s caption competition and to Martin for his winning entry, “First wife to say ok gets to buy it!” This week’s photo features Philippe Dufour at the Naissance d’une Montre stand at SIHH 2016 along with an exuberant fan. Click to join in the fun!
In the early days of TimeZone and ThePurists when you posted a question you had to wait a few days for an answer you. And that answer was often detailed and knowledgeable. Then came the guys who had no idea what a free-sprung balance was, but posted ten times a day or more with content that included calling watchmakers and CEOs by their first names. Today, we would probably describe all of these categories of forum posters as internet gurus. The problem being, most are just using up bandwidth.
This year I attended my third SIHH. With the introduction of an independents’ lounge called Carré des Horlogers, it was certainly a changed place, energized with new blood added to the existing Richemont and other brands that comprise the exhibitors at the SIHH. Here I’d like to share with you a selection of wristshots I took with the Leica Q during the 2016 edition of SIHH. Enjoy!
This week’s Photo Caption Competition was shot at a watch launch in late 2015.
Bonus kudos to anyone who can guess where this photo was taken and what watch was being launched.
Give us your suggestions for an interesting or entertaining caption!
It’s not often that I come across a fountain pen that I consider mechanical art, so I was really excited when the new Richard Mille Mechanical Fountain Pen was introduced at SIHH 2016 alongside the new timepieces.
Equally thrilling was the fact that this pen was introduced as neither an add-on to the watch collection nor as an aside: it debuted front and center as it should have.
In addition to its Richard Mille-esque aesthetic, the Mechanical Fountain Pen represents a revelation in fountain pen design.
Peter Speake-Marin’s eponymous brand’s creation, the Dong Son Tourbillon, finds its inspiration in an ancient style of bronze drums found in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. This gorgeous tourbillon with its finely etched dial interspersed with blue lacquer is an amazingly beautiful unique piece addition to it. And, naturally, Speake-Marin drew from the most notable examples of Đông Sơn drums for the layout of this extraordinary dial.
Today we have a horologically themed caption competition that involves one of my favorite brands: De Bethune.
The photo below was shot at SIHH 2016, and I have to thank regular contributors Simon Cudd and Joshua Munchow for posing as wrist models. I will not reveal who is wearing which watch, but regular readers are likely to be able to make a fairly educated guess. Leave your caption ideas in the comments!
In the watch industry, there are many brands struggling to find just the right balance of modesty and pride in their accomplishments, but one brand that does a pretty darn good job of juggling the balance is Manufacture Royale. And one of the best pieces of evidence for this is the 1770 Voltige. Read on and I think you’ll see why.
In 2008, Jaeger-LeCoultre placed its revolutionary Gyrotourbillon in the Reverso case for the first time. In 2016, in celebration of the 85th anniversary of the Reverso, a new edition called the Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon arrives on the scene in a 75-piece limited edition. And it is about 30 percent slimmer than the original thanks to the addition of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrolab balance wheel and a semi-spherical hairspring.
Passion for historical items, objects, and ideas are quite prevalent in timepieces that emerge from the modern watch industry. While HYT captures the passionate feel such items in its new H2 Tradition, it also manages to unwittingly create a true steampunk object . . . if it wasn’t for the cool microfluidic technology. Nonetheless, HYT itself calls this piece “traditional.” Read on to make up your own mind about whether it’s traditional, steampunk, or simply technical.