Type 21 by Dodane 1857 is entered in the chronograph category of the 2015 International Timing Competition

2015 International Chronometry Competition Now Underway, But Does Anyone Care?

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International timing competitions used to be the Formula 1 of watchmaking, and the watchmakers who prepared the high-precision (pocket) watches were treated like Formula 1 drivers. And that shouldn’t be surprising because until recently, the primary raison d’être of a timepiece was to tell the time. To tell THE time, not the approximate time. An error of 30 seconds day isn’t much . . . until you miss your train by 10 seconds.

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The Rolling Stones

Paint It Black: Zenith (And I) On Tour With The Rolling Stones

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It had been a long time since I’d been to a rock concert, let alone experience “the greatest rock band of all time.” So when Zenith offered me two tickets to the Dallas leg of the Rolling Stones’ multi-city North American Zip Code Tour at AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys), I jumped at the chance. I sprung them on my husband, who was equally excited about taking an overnight trip from our home in Houston.

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Eric Singer dressed for work

Kiss Drummer Eric Singer Joins The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie De Genève Jury

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Since its reboot four years ago, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – watchmaking’s highest profile event, often described as the “Oscars of watchmaking” – has attracted a few celebrity watch collectors to the jury in addition to some of the most knowledgeable experts in the world of watches.

Kiss drummer Eric Singer, an avid watch collector for decades, is the latest. During a recent interview session, he struck me not only as a serious collector, but also as an honest-to-goodness “watch guy.” I am very pleased he has joined the jury of this excellent event.

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Tourbillon Cylindrique Geosphères Vasco da Gama

World Travel Made Easy: Montblanc Villeret Tourbillon Cylindrique Geosphères Vasco da Gama

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The Tourbillon Cylindrique Geosphères Vasco da Gama is an insanely awesome watch style-wise, and the movement mechanics prove to be equally interesting to the WIS in all of us. It features two sapphire crystal half spheres painted to look like the northern and southern hemispheres side by side. Twenty-four lines of latitude and longitude indicating time zones are debossed on these tiny half globes. And that’s not all!

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"Cat on a Clothesline" by Jeff Koons. Cute, but is it 10 million dollars of cuteness?

Baselworld Vs. Art Basel: A Look Between The 2015 Fairs

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I have been involved in the watch world for 26 years; my first visit to Baselworld was in 1991. The massive fair halls have undergone two major reconstructive changes during this long period, in addition to several smaller updates. The last major reconstruction was finished in 2013. In no way, though, was I prepared for how the complex looks and feels when Art Basel is on compared to how I know it during the hustle and bustle of Baselworld.

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Jean Dunand Palace

Opinions From A Marquis: The Jean Dunand Palace

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Palaces by definition are usually very traditional, very ornate, and very large. The Palace by Jean Dunand has two of those three descriptives going for it – its size and the fact that it is very ornate.

But its design and inspiration are anything but horologically traditional. It is modern, it is complicated, and it is very unique, especially the two linear displays for the second time zone ( GMT) and power reserve indication.

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Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date

Glashütte Original Chronograph Caliber 37: Continuing Tradition (Exhibition In California)

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Glashütte Original’s goal for the chronograph movement inside the new Senator Chronograph Panorama Date was to have balanced functions with reliability, legibility, and a feeling of luxuriousness. To achieve this, the company’s experienced team took the best elements of its previous chronographs, added the company’s signature panorama date, and created the automatic flyback Caliber 37-01.

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The alarm winder/activator is discreetly concealed flush in the crown

Vacheron Constantin Reveals Elements of ‘Most Complicated Watch In The World’ For 260th Anniversary

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In honor of the manufacture’s 260th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin will present a new special order masterpiece on September 17, 2015 the company has called “one of the greatest man-made objects in the world.” Here we take an early look at a sampling of what is in store.

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Longines Conquest Classic Moonphase in a nest of tennis balls

Heartbeat: Longines Conquest Classic Moonphase And Arnaud Clément At Roland Garros 2015

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Every year since 2008, Longines has staged an exhibition match during Roland Garros featuring current and former professional tennis greats to play with the finalists of the Future Aces tournament. This year, the thirteen-year-old finalists, Xiaofei Wang and Jack Pinnington-Jones, had the pleasure of playing with French Davis Cup captain Arnaud Clément and 2007 Wimbledon doubles champion Michaël Llodra in an entertaining matchup of fake grunts and tricky hot dog shots.

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Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 GMT

Grand Seiko: Already Big In Japan And Getting Bigger Near You

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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.

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