After obtaining a Delta Dolce Vita Oversized at the conclusion of my Italian period, I was a very happy man. The pen served me very well, and I was in love with the looks as well as the writing experience that it provided. As usual though, while I wasn’t looking for a replacement, it happened anyway. But this time with some very famous brands.
A Nobel prize laureate wrote in 1964 that, “The times they are a-changin’.”
It is now 2017, and the locus of the changes in the horological world is a company known as Compagnie Financière Richemont SA. And there are a lot of changes.
Richard Mille celebrates motorsport legend Jean Todt with three new editions of some of Mille’s best design work in Todt’s favorite blue color. The first is the new RM 11-03 Flyback Chronograph in a blue-and-white quartz TPT case. The other two highly limited editions compris the RM 050 and RM 056 Sapphire.
Anyone who visits online watch forums with any frequency very likely comes across at least a few heated discussions of “finishing,” a topic that seems to fascinate, and divide, enthusiasts. What is it and why are opinions divided?
Manufacture Royale doesn’t seek to be a small brand that does small things or a big brand that does all and knows all, but a brand that makes its own meaning and direction. The new 1770 Micromégas Revolution is a clear example of this thinking.
Impressively, the cathedral chimes remained audible as Stephen Forsey closed his palm completely around the Greubel Forsey Grand Sonnerie in a (knowingly) futile attempt to silence the gongs.
But how? And what else does this exceptional timepiece, one that I might call the best in the world, hold in store?
It is now a tradition for watchmakers to observe Chinese New Year by creating beautiful, decorative timepieces. The rooster is the eleventh sign of the 12-year zodiac cycle. According to Chinese astrology, the rooster is loyal and punctual – a great fit for a timepiece! Check out these pieces by Jaquet Droz, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Chopard, and Panerai.
I am a big fan of Portugal and Portuguese culture. I was therefore pleased to discover recently that the art of the filigree technique in jewelry, one of Portugal’s own traditional arts, is the main idea behind a luxurious 90-year-old jewelry brand called Eleuterio. And even more pleasing: I wore some of Eleuterio’s lovely jewelry to watchmaking’s biggest night, the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Can a watch with a tourbillon clearly visible on the dial side ever be understated? Common sense says no, but for the Traditionnelle Minute Repeater Tourbillon, Vacheron Constantin says yes! Find out why Martin Green compares this watch new to the Geneva-based brand’s arsenal of classic timepieces to a Tesla P100D with ludicrous mode.
The Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Paillonnée is a fantastic example of the craftsmanship found at Jaquet Droz. The Petite Heure Minute Paillonnée showcases a style rarely found in watches today, proving that style is almost always an individual decision.