The moon and its astronomical implications was the overriding theme for Jaeger-LeCoultre at the 2015 edition of the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva. And there was no better way to illustrate this than to introduce new variations on some of the Le Sentier-based brand’s most complicated, astronomically-themed timepieces.
Montblanc’s watch division was motivated by Vasco De Gama, a Portuguese navigator, to write a horologically inspirational tale of pioneering spirit by creating a line of special edition watches accompanying the new Heritage Chronométrie collection.
Monday is usually a fairly easy day at the SIHH as the press conferences start later to allow visitors time to check in and get badges, etc. The Quill & Pad team kicked off SIHH 2015 with the Ralph Lauren, Richard Mille, and Montblanc press conferences.
Paradoxically, the SIHH really begins at least a day before its doors open; Sunday is the time to visit the smaller brands holding private exhibitions Geneva. So we put on our Sunday best and headed into town for a busy day of meetings with De Bethune, Urwerk, Laurent Ferrier, Revelation, Christophe Claret, Speake-Marin.
When it comes to a brand like Breguet, one expects nothing but the very best in every aspect of its representation. So I figured its pens, like its recent jewelry collections, would be solid and elegant expressions of the company’s overriding sense of quality and innovation. I was right.
Piaget added to its line of Altiplano rose-themed timepieces at the 2014 SIHH in spectacular fashion. Independent embroidery artist Sylvie Deschamps stitched a unique silk rose to form the dial of a white gold timepiece set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds in the shape of the Yves Piaget Rose.
If you are in Geneva during the SIHH week, you may want to consider going to one of the other horological exhibitions taking place in town at the same time as the main show: WAG (Watch Art Gallery) and SIWP (Swiss Independent Watchmaking Pavilion). Both exhibitions provide visitors with the chance to get to know independent creators and boutique luxury brands.
As much as we try to cover all the horological news that matters on Quill & Pad, despite our best intentions we just can’t write about absolutely everything. If only somebody could develop a platform to aggregate all of the news from the best watch blogs so it can all be viewed in one place.
Well somebody has and it’s called Watchville.
One year ago today, on a crisp and sunny New Year’s Day in Central Europe on the first day of 2014, Quill & Pad quietly went online. Since then, we have added four knowledgeable contributors with distinct areas of expertise to our little band of merry men and women − Joshua Munchow (technical nerd), GaryG (collector), Nancy Olson (pens), Boris Pjanic (vintage) − and have posted around 300 original stories. And this was just the start!
It seems like only yesterday, but it was all the way back in January of 2014 that I had the opportunity to sit down for the first time with Elizabeth and Ian and hear their plans for Quill & Pad. Before the year completely gets away, here are a few of my observations and reflections on the industry, my first year at Quill & Pad, and my year in watches.