The Quill & Pad team was invited to a private chat at the Four Seasons hotel with Jean-Claude Biver, one of the most influential and important personalities in modern watchmaking. Biver, now 73, is embarking on what is probably a last hurrah: a watch brand under his own name. This video explains it all in his own words.
A very special new exhibition opens this week at London’s Design Museum: the OAK Collection (“OAK” stands for “one of a kind”). This exhibition comprises unique and ultra-rare museum-quality timepieces that have been amassed by a single collector over the last 40 years, including the largest number of Patek Philippe timepieces once owned by Henry Graves, Jr. But that is not all.
We are seeing more and more releases of vintage and prestige cuvees from the great champagne producers. Latest cab off the ranks is the 2014 La Grande Année from Bollinger (and the Rosé from the same year). Ken Gargett tackles questions about it including: where does 2014 rank? Is it a justifiable release? If so, what makes it so?
“May I have your full attention? This is one of the most important watches ever.” As Sotheby’s auctioneer Benoît Colson opened lot 72 on May 10, 2022, the room seemed to hold its collective breath for a moment. He continued, “The personal Royal Oak of Gérald Genta – you could not dream of a better provenance for a Royal Oak, an Audemars Piguet, or even any wristwatch.” And here’s how the world record price for a vintage AP Royal Oak went down from an eyewitness.
Popular? Bombay Sapphire is one of the most widely used gins and the fastest growing premium gin in the world. These days, with the gincredible popularity of the spirit, that means it is one of the most loved and drunk spirits on the planet. Ken Gargett takes a deep dive.
Trilobe’s Une Folle Journée expands upward and outward to expose the mechanical ingenuity behind the dial with a three-dimensional display reminiscent of an exploded view of a movement. Joshua Munchow is a fan and explains why here.
For many in the watch world, the fairly unassuming Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur – with no tourbillon, no chimes, and nothing insanely in your face – became the watch of the fair at Watches and Wonders 2022. In fact, in our post-fair round table it was the “best in show” for at least half of our on-location team. Elizabeth Doerr takes a closer look at this imaginative opus with practical use.
Imagine that after discovering and rebuilding the (imaginary) Time Viewer originally constructed by Leonardo da Vinci, an inventor saw the need for a navigational clock for time travelers. Well one inventor, Tom Bales, did just that and acted upon it.
The new Montblanc Patron of Art Homage to Victoria & Albert limited edition pen collection comprises two 4810 and two 888 editions, with one honoring Victoria and the other Albert within each edition. The LE100 and the LE8 editions each honor the royal couple together as one pen. Nancy Olson explains what makes them so special.
As both a Marvel junkie and a big fan of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Elizabeth Doerr is excited that the JLC Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar will feature again in the new Marvel film, ‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.’