Here at Quill & Pad we are quite smitten by Romain Gauthier’s award-winning Logical One. But one thing that often gets glossed over somewhat is the subject of one of this watch’s four patents: the incredible high-precision chain made of synthetic ruby links. Combined with the snail cam, it is this element that provides the ingenious movement with constant force.
Until the advent of Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260 in 2015, Patek Philippe’s Caliber 89 held the record for being the most complicated timepiece in existence; it remains Patek Philippe’s most complicated timepiece. And now Sotheby’s is auctioning it in May 2017.
Ronnie Wood, a celebrated painter outside the realm of his duties as guitarist for the Rolling Stones, explained that it was he who searched out a horological collaboration and very naturally came across Bremont as a British marque of note. “I Feel Like Painting” represents his second dial for Bremont’s B-1 Marine Clock.
Seiko’s story is much more complicated than most people might think. This is a manufacturer that doesn’t follow trends, but has created a few of its own, capitalizing on various types of expertise and knowledge that were the mother of necessity for a manufacturer located so far away from the established centers of watchmaking in Europe. Grand Seiko is the most appealing line to connoisseurs of fine watchmaking, and we look at it in some depth here.
I’m an expat Aussie who has now lived longer out of Australia than in, but in a few years my (Swiss) wife and I are planning on moving from Switzerland to Airlie Beach in North Queensland, Australia. In September 2016, I flew to the region for a week’s worth of face-to-face meetings to help lay the groundwork for our move.
It was a tight schedule, especially as I was sure to be suffering from jetlag, but it was doable. Especially with the Ulysse Nardin Dual Time on my wrist to help keep track of time there and at home.
The Chanel Première line celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, and it does so with more imaginative mechanical style than usual. The new Premíère Camellia Skeleton features the brand’s second in-house movement with camellia-inspired bridges within a Place Vendôme-inspired case.
Many watch auctions appear to be dominated by notable sales of Rolex and Patek Philippe timepieces. And I’ve nothing against those two lovely brands, but the world of big auctions is becoming ever more monotone. Here are some genuinely exotic, decidedly out-of-the-ordinary timepieces currently on offer at Christie’s Important Watches auction, which takes place in Dubai on March 19, 2017.
Most brands celebrate or commemorate a prestigious partnership with an event like the 35th America’s Cup with just one watch, but Panerai presented an incredible number of five watches. Come with me to Bermuda, where Panerai introduces its involvement in the oldest trophied sporting even in the world.
Yard-O-Led is not exactly your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill brand name. And it’s especially not an everyday, run-of-the-mill luxury brand name. However, although Yard-O-Led is an unusual name, it also happens to be a very practical one as it states right up front precisely what made it famous.
If you’re ever going to find five great British watches anywhere, it most certainly would be at SalonQP, the UK’s premier watch event. So without further ado, I present you five British watches on show at the 2016 SalonQP in London.