Roman Gauthier Logical One Secret Kakau Höfke

Christ The Redeemer On A Watch: Logical One Secret Kakau Höfke By Romain Gauthier

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There is not much art that that packs as much into such an aesthetically pleasing parcel as Romain Gauthier’s Logical One Secret Kakau Höfke. This watch uses one of the world’s finest timepieces as a “canvas” for the artwork of two renowned artists: Kakau Höfke and Olivier Vaucher. These two work in very different fields and even on different continents: Höfke is a painter located in Rio de Janeiro and Vaucher is a stone artist at work in Switzerland. What all three have created is nothing short of a masterpiece.

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Fountain pen from the Montblanc M collection

The Montblanc M With Marc Newson Heralds a New Generation Of Pens

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There’s no doubt that the M is a Montblanc pen, due in part to its glossy black body and crowning snowcap. But the similarity ends where the transcendence begins, thanks to Australian designer Marc Newson’s signature biomorphic style. For the first time in Montblanc’s history, a fountain pen’s gold nib is plated in two tones using rhodium and ruthenium. But that’s not all.

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Tourbillon watches pre-selected for the 2015 GPHG. Clockwise from top left: Antoine Preziuso Tourbillon of Tourbillons, Blancpain L-evolution C, Tourbillon Carrousel, Bovet 1822 Braveheart, MB&F Horological Machine N°6, Ulysse Nardin Ulysse Anchor Tourbillon and Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision

Complete List And Photos Of All Pre-Selected Watches In The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

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The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) has just published the list of 2015’s pre-selected watches in the run-up to the big red carpet event in Geneva on October 29. The pre-selected watches will go on a world tour that includes stops in Hong Kong, Seoul, Dubai, Geneva, and London in October and November. But enough preamble, let’s have a look at the watches that are now in serious contention to take home big prizes this year.

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Richard Mille’s Luxurious Paris Boutique, Complete With Handpicked Champagnes, Cigars . . . And Full Of Rare Wristwatches

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Richard Mille opened his new boutique in Paris. The chic new location just off the Champs-Elysées, whose vicinity is also home to Christie’s and several art galleries in addition to luxurious high fashion boutiques, showcases the now quite substantial collection well. This gorgeous boutique is home to amazing timepieces, while downstairs VIP guests can be treated to private showings while relaxing with a cigar and a glass of fine French champagne.

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The courtesy Porsche at Chopard's Hôtel De Vendôme in Paris

Hôtel de Vendôme In The Heart Of Paris: Now Owned By Chopard

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I recently had the chance to spend two nights at the Hôtel de Vendôme, which is situated as the gateway to Paris’ swankiest shopping square: Place Vendôme. I stayed there as a guest of Chopard on the way to Le Mans, and this is when I learned a very interesting fact: the beautifully appointed hotel housed within an eighteenth-century mansion now belongs to the Swiss brand.

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Dial close up of the Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain in red gold

Video: Greubel Forsey And The Art Of High-End Finishing

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A very significant percentage of the (hand) work − and therefore cost − of a high-end watch goes into the finishing of components.

Today, fine finishing is no longer essential from a practical point of view as watches are assembled in dust- and moisture-free environments, and waterproofing generally does a good job at keeping moisture and dust out of the timepiece during daily use.

But fine finishing isn’t just about mechanical practicality: contrasting finishes visually break up large surfaces, and reflections off mirror-polished steel catches the eye. Finishes can be a signature of sorts: think of Breguet’s guilloche dials or Greubel Forsey’s English-style frosted plates.

Few brands take hand finishing as seriously as Greubel Forsey, where each and every component is individually decorated. Just finishing one bridge can require two days of work. And that’s just one of hundreds of components in the brand’s usually quite complicated movements.

And then the watchmaker has to assemble all of these beautifully decorated parts, without a single scratch.

In this video by The Watches TV, Stephen Forsey explains why finishing is so important to Greubel Forsey and takes a look at the whole process.

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Slim d’Hermes Koma Kurabe "La femme aux semelles de vent" (photo courtesy Claude

Koma Kurabe: The Slim d’Hermès With Authentic Japanese Porcelain Enamel Dial

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La Montre Hermès announced its brand-new core collection called Slim d’Hermès at Baselworld 2015, which was an instant hit with critics and collectors alike. At the very same time this creative company co-announced a limited edition of 12 pieces decorated using a special artistic technique found in Japan. Called Koma Kurabe, the edition honors Kamo Kurabe Uma, a famous Japanese horse race. A talented Japanese artisan graces the elegant new timepieces with porcelain dials that reproduce scenes of the horse race that still takes place once a year in the spring when the picturesque cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

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Nixie Machine for MB&F by Frank Buchwald, idea and Nixie tubes by Alberto Schileo

Science Fiction Incarnate: Frank Buchwald’s Nixie Machine For MB&F

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When you think of fantasy and science fiction, what do you think of? I sometimes allow my imagination to drift into the paranormal and early twentieth-century years of discovery. This is the world that inspired the creation of Frank Buchwald’s latest creation for the M.A.D. Gallery, which is, of course, the Nixie Machine, a fantabulous clock featuring rare and giant Nixie tubes produced in the 1960s by the state-owned RFT in East Germany. I can imagine this clock in a variety of fictional settings from the worlds of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and even Isaac Asimov.

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J.R. Laing clock at the Laing watch store in Edinburgh

Laing: The Oldest Jeweler In Scotland

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It was somewhat of a serendipitous coincidence. I had just been in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city, a few hours on personal business when Twitter informed me that someone had mentioned Quill & Pad – from Edinburgh.

It turned out to be two young watch-fanatic sales associates from Laing, a branch of Edinburgh’s oldest jeweler. They had been perusing Quill & Pad’s Instagram and tweeting about it.

Since I was in the area, I went to visit the Laing boutique in the picturesque city the next day. And that’s where I found this antique clock.

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Imperial Black Visconti Millionaire

Visconti’s Marvelous Marble Pens: Look Out, Michelangelo!

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Dante Del Vecchio’s love of culture and innovation led him to found Visconti, an Italian brand with a remarkable assortment of pens, watches and accessories. Each of the collections tells a story – about art, archaeology, philosophy, literature or history – through the eyes the founder and, of course, his chosen city: Florence. Historically used as the material for creating sculpture, architecture, and objets d’art, Visconti is now using marble for its latest pen collection, Millionaire. Crafting a marble pen, however, is not simple.

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