New IWC Portugieser Chronographs Now With In-House Automatic Movements

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One of IWC’s most emblematic timepieces, the Portugieser chronograph has been a cornerstone of the brand’s collection for many years. The Portugieser, which first appeared back in 1939, has not always been a bestseller. The truth is, IWC failed with three separate launches before the Portugieser finally became a success in the early 1990s. Sabine Zwettler shares a brief history of the Portugieser here and introduces the six new chronograph variations powered by an in-house movement.

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Dr. Loosen And Jim Barry’s LoosenBarry: Two Suspenseful Rieslings From Germany’s Mosel Region And Clare Valley, Australia

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Clare Valley winemaker Jim Barry has teamed up with one of the most famous German producers, Dr. Loosen, to form a new joint venture called LoosenBarry. It currently offers two blends of Rieslings: one using Mosel grapes but made in the Australian style, while the other Riesling comes from Clare Valley grapes, but made in the German style. And the results are in!

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Leap Day Giveaway: We Have A Winner Of A Gorilla Fastback GT Bandit!

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And we have a winner for our February 29 Leap Year competition: find out here how one lucky Quill & Pad reader will soon be receiving her new Gorilla Fastback GT Bandit!

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Geneva Watch Days 2020 Is On: Good News Or *Covid-19 Cough* Desperate, Short-Sighted, Money Grab?

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Ian Skellern’s feelings regarding the rapid series of announcements of watch events like the cancellation of Watches & Wonders and Baselworld as well as the full-steam-ahead project Geneva Watch Days have been equally quickly undulating: from initially being enthusiastically for, Ian ended feeling against Geneva Watch Days. Why put anyone’s health at risk, especially with perhaps little in return but a few photos and a persistent cough? But it is a tough call.

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Breguet Classique Extra-Thin Self-Winding Tourbillon Reference 5367: The Power Of Blue

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What makes an enamel dial so magical? That is the question Martin Green asked himself when presented with the new version of the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Automatique with a blue oven-fired enamel dial that Breguet recently launched. You may enjoy the answer he came up with.

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Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon: The Goldilocks Tourbillon? It’s Definitely Not Your Average Blue-Dialed Stainless Steel Sports Watch

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Launch yet another me-too blue-dialed steel sports watch today and you can expect flack. The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon is, you guessed it, a blue-dialed steel sporty watch. But as Joshua Munchow explains, it’s much more than that. And you’ll probably really like it.

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The ‘Watch’ painting by American artist Gerald Murphy

‘Watch’ Painting By American Artist Gerald Murphy On Display In Dallas Museum Of Art – Reprise

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A visit to Texas offered Elizabeth Doerr a surprise: she came across a very large painting simply entitled ‘Watch’ at the Dallas Museum of Art. Further inquiry into its painter, Gerald Murphy, revealed a fun historical anecdote and a bit of a mystery. Why did Murphy paint a giant Cubist impression of two watches in 1925, and which watches were they?

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5 Perpetual Calendars In Time For February 29, 2020 From Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, Bovet, Habring2, And Parmigiani

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The perpetual calendar is often the perfect way for watch manufactures to show off craftsmanship and ability, but how brands do this varies. Here Elizabeth Doerr highlights five very different perpetual calendars introduced in 2019, just in time for the leap year turn on February 29, 2020.

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Romain Jerome Spacecraft on the wrist of brand CEO Manuel Emch (photo courtesy Erik Meza)

RIP RJ Romain Jérôme: First Horological Casualty Of The Coronavirus Fallout?

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RJ Watches – formerly known as Romain Jérôme – has declared bankruptcy with immediate effect. Elizabeth Doerr takes a brief look at the 16-year run of this quirky boutique brand, its design-focused existence having formed an interesting tribute to the power (and limits) of marketing.

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Watches & Wonders (SIHH) 2020 Cancelled Due To Coronavirus, Baselworld Next? Here’s What Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe Thinks

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The news broke like a hurricane on the morning of February 27, 2020: Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) has been canceled for 2020. In the words of Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, “The future of the fairs is already [hanging] in the balance – to cancel them [this year] is really bad news for them, and for Baselworld in particular.” Read on for more of his opinion.

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