Social media has experienced quite the discussion of a Chinese phone “by Kari Voutilainen,” a Swiss-based Finnish independent watchmaker, which turned out to be not a phone but a SIM card cover. If not a social media storm in a teacup, then a brisk zephyr in a thimble, which also involved another Finnish independent watchmaker, Stepan Sarpaneva.
Welcome to the 2016 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève predictions in which the team picks favorites and explains why. The watches in competition for this category are: Manufacture Royale’s 1770 Haute Voltige, the De Bethune DB25 World Traveller, the Fabergé Visionnaire DTZ, Louis Vuitton’s Escale World Time, Bovet’s Virtuoso VI Triple Time Zone, and the unique Montblanc 4810 Orbis Terrarum Pocket Watch 110 Years Edition.
This is a photo of the movement of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia triple-axis tourbillon: even that one-carat diamond “globe” counterbalancing the earth rotates on two axes! I’m sure there are people who believe the fiction that this is a movement destined for a wristwatch, but I’m hoping you are not one of them. Let us know what you think this contraption is really for in the comments!
It’s usually difficult to fully grasp the changes that have occurred to the automobile from our modern perspective, but recently I attended an incredible event that unknowingly provided a detailed look into the history of the passenger car: the inaugural Atlanta Concours d’Elegance 2016.
This photo was taken of just a few of the watches at a recent collector’s GTG (get-togtether) in Brisbane, Australia.
But what else could explain this diverse array of mechanical marvels?
And I’ll add bonus points for naming all of the watches correctly.
Welcome to Quill & Pad’s 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève predictions in the Calendar category in which the team picks favorites and explains why. The pre-selected watches in the running for this category are: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, H. Moser & Cie.’s Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept Funky Blue, the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Chrono, Andersen Genève’s Perpetuel Secular Calendar “20th Anniversary” Blue Gold Dial, the Andreas Strehler Lune Exacte, and the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual.
Welcome to Quill & Pad’s 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève predictions in the Jewellery category in which the team picks favorites and explains why. The pre-selected watches in the running for this category are: the Voutilainen Scintillante, Audemars Piguet’s Diamond Fury, Graff’s Princess Butterfly, the Chanel Secret Watch Signature Grenat, the Hublot Big Bang Impact Bang, and Chopard’s Precious Chopard Watch.
Caran d’Ache is a Geneva-based manufacture of pencils and fountain pens. And Caran d’Ache is a manufacture in the true sense of the word ― much like MB&F, one of today’s most forward-thinking watch brands. Even though the two manufactures generally exhibit very different design language, they have come together more than successfully for the exceptional Astrograph, a pen that is also an MB&F Machine.
Our panel members choose their winners in the Tourbillon category of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie between the Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton Tourbillon, Bovet 1822’s Ottantasei Flying Tourbillon, Girard-Perregaux’s La Esmeralda Tourbillon, Louis Moinet’s Sideralis Evo, the Rudis Sylva RS 16 Harmonious Oscillator, and the De Bethune DB28T Kind of Blue Tourbillon.
Pictured is an object that has a strong horological tie, but does not tell the time. It is something that might be used every day, but is less-used these days. It looks like it might fly, but it does not have wings. What do you think it is? Or, even better, in your wildest imagination what might it be? Let us know in the comments.