Over the last 12 months we have published an unusually high number of articles about drummers, the timekeepers in nearly every musical band or group. Actually, it kind of stands to reason that drummers would particularly like watches – even if they can’t (or shouldn’t!) wear them while playing – as both fields have extreme time-keeping functionality.
In the Real Moon Tides, Christiaan van der Klaauw’s watchmakers incorporated an indication of the phenomenon that is the most real-world expression of the moon’s effects towards life on earth: tides. The most incredible aspect of tides is how variable they actually are when you really get into the nitty-gritty details. And this watch reflects them in a beautiful way.
We see a lot of photos here at Quill & Pad that have us scratching our heads, not all of which are of watches. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these images are destined to remain digitally encoded on a hard drive tucked away in a cupboard, probably never to be seen again. So for your (hopeful) enjoyment we have decided to start a photo caption competition in which we publish an image. The following Saturday we will publish the best caption (or captions) received for a lot of lighthearted fun.
Quite a while ago I was approached regarding an interesting project by my friend Anders Modig, who was in the throes of planning a large book project with the rather creative marketing and PR team at Glashütte Original. The book was to be a large compendium of, well, impressions of Glashütte Original by authors from ten different countries. And it was to be called ‘Impressions.’ So what’s it about?
Following on from the amazing Inversion Principle timepiece, Fonderie 47 now introduces the Peerless Fonderie 47 pen by Cross. The limited edition Fonderie 47 pen is characterized by gold interspersed with black elements made of re-purposed steel from destroyed AK-47s from Africa that are melted down in Fonderie 47’s foundry in Brooklyn.
Have you ever wondered how Titleist gets its logo on bumpy round golf balls? Well this is your lucky day as I’m about to discuss the secret of one very specialized printing process that goes on in the world and how it has its roots in watchmaking. In fact, you still see the results of this process every time you look at your watch dial.
This fascinating book closely examines a crucial 15 years in the life of the long, long career of Breguet, the brand. This is the unadulterated story of how the modern Breguet brand was created after the Chaumet brothers, Jacques and Pierre, acquired it in 1970 “for a modest sum.”
“Työ puhuu puolestaan.” This Finnish proverb means, “A man is valued by his work, not his words.” And it most definitely characterizes the introverted, Finnish master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen to the proverbial tee. ‘Kari Voutilainen Horlogerie d’Art’ is an epic book written by Theodore Diehl that would make a perfect gift for the horophile in your life!
U.K. retailer The Watch Gallery has released an interesting one-minute video that very nicely shows a watchmaker dismantling a Rolex 3135 movement. The video reminded me of what a great movement Caliber 3135 is. Its less fancy movement finish and less exclusive image is counterbalanced by the fact that the movement is never likely to be fickle or give any trouble. What else is special about it? Read on to find out.
During the launch of the bombastic Reference 57260 on September 17, 2015, Vacheron Constantin launched a second rhapsodic item: the truly encyclopedic oeuvre ‘Artists Of Time.’ This beautifully photographed 456-page tome takes an extensive look at both the inner workings of Vacheron Constantin’s craftsmanship and its grandiose history, telling the whole story of the only Swiss watchmaker to have been in continuous operation for 260 years.