This is a bit of an unusual article, but the story surreptitiously fell into my lap(top) just days before Christmas, and I thought that there is no better time of the year for publishing good news. Charris Yadigaroglou, MB&F head of communication, told me the happy ending to a scary incident earlier in the year at the MB&F M.A.D.Gallery in Geneva.
There was a small horological polemic recently out of Geneva caused by an employment advert from a high-end watch brand looking for a “chargé d’industrialisation métiers d’art.” First they industrialized horological crafts, now it’s the arts. What’s next?
The balance wheel is the regulatory organ of a mechanical watch, which is expected to deliver a consistent frequency with a tolerance of as little as 0.001 percent. With so much at stake, why complicate things by altering a pure and simple geometric shape? Why reinvent the wheel? Well, here are five balances that definitely did reinvent the wheel.
Graphene has the potential to usher in the future that many dreamers, inventors, and science-fiction writers have been hoping for since the discovery of electricity and the invention of computers and spaceflight. The Richard Mille RM 50-03 Tourbillon Split Seconds Chronograph Ultralight McLaren F1 is infused with graphene, making it the stuff of science-fiction dreams and Formula 1 impossibilities.
La Montre Hermès presents two additions to its Cape Cod line: one with a decidedly new take on the Chaîne d’Ancre (“anchor chain”) motif as the hallmark transfers to the dial for the first time and one with an alluring mirror-polished face. And, of course, interesting strap variations in single and double wrap.
It took my breath away. I saw a heart beating: a golden heart truly beating . . . seemingly pulsing to a human rhythm. The effect was astonishing. But what attracted me to Paul Forrest’s Heart’s Passion even more than the motion of the heart was the patented movement entirely crafted in Fleurier, Switzerland that gave it “life.”
It doesn’t often happen that the convertible is more beautiful than the coupe, but the DB11 is a fortunate exception to this rule. Without a roof the lines of the DB11 become far more fluent! But, wait, there are even more changes that you might just find surprising.
Grayson Tighe’s Blue Dragon is a one-of-a-kind fountain pen created for an American collector, who wanted something with a personally meaningful theme. “The client had the idea for the Blue Dragon, and he was specific about the eye and mane color, placement of the pearl on the barrel, and the symbols and details that were important to him,” says Tighe. And what a beauty this turned out to be!
The new Excalibur Aventador S is the first collaborative piece between Lamborghini and Roger Dubuis. A joint effort between engineers and designers at Centro Stile (Lamborghini’s design studio) and Roger Dubuis, the Excalibur Aventador S paves the way to the new partnership with an entirely new movement featuring 45-degree dual balances.
Our friends at The Watches TV visited Agenhor and have published a very interesting video with a behind-the-scenes visit at the Meyrin (Geneva) workshop. Enjoy the video!