Making the nib of a fountain pen – the point of the instrument that directs the ink – does not differ much from working precious metals to be used as watch components, but it does entail a heck of a lot of work done by hand. The nib alone needs about 40 steps until completion; making a whole pen, including barrel, cap, feed and, of course the nib, takes about 200 individual steps.
Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your favorite WIS, collector, or watch lover? Look no further than the ultimate Omega Speedmaster reference book ‘Moonwatch Only: The Ultimate Omega Speedmaster Guide.’
The jump hour has a long history, but first things first, it can’t technically be called a complication since the accepted definition of complication is a mechanism that provides information other than the time. However, anyone who gives a hoot will say in the same breath that there are many complications that don’t fit that definition. And I couldn’t agree more.
Earlier in 2014, Jaquet Droz announced a partnership with Lausanne’s Béjart Ballet. A ballet dancer perfectly masters the movements of his or her body, which makes for perfect allegory to Pierre Jaquet Droz’s lifelike mechanical androids using flow, flux, movement, and human expression through motion. Meet The Vulture and The Chief, two extraordinarily artistic Jaquet Droz timepieces paying homage to the dance.
Hermès, whose 177-year-old roots are in saddles and harnesses, has “grown up” to become a multifaceted luxury brand whose oeuvre today includes leather goods, fragrances, serious watches . . . and now the new Nautilus pen collection, which was designed by Marc Newson in conjunction with Pierre-Alexis Dumas.
Meet Caran d’Ache, a fully Swiss made, completely traditional pen and pencil manufacture located right in the heart of Geneva. This family-owned, family-run business operates like a watch manufacture. Indeed, the haute écriture products emerging from the workshops are at times comparable as unique works of art. Like the just plain amazing Caelograph, which allows one to see the position of the stars and the constellations.
Follow us on a day spent with professional golfer and Richard Mille ambassador Diana Luna at the Ladies Lacoste Open de France. The picturesquely-situated Chantaco Golf Club near Biarritz, France, set the sunny scene for golf, watches, and champagne: the perfect environment for Richard Mille timepieces such as the RM 007, the brand-new RM 07-01 and the RM 016.
The Sports watch category has always been one of the most hotly contested prizes because these are the watches that many people actually wear. Our pre-selected contenders in the Sports category this year are: the Bell & Ross BR126 Vintage Sport Heritage GMT Flyback, Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback, the Aerofusion Chronograph Pelé by Hublot, Tissot’s T-Touch Expert Solar, the Tudor Heritage Ranger, and the El Primero Lightweight by Zenith.
Joshua Munchow had the good fortune to accompany Blancpain to the final race of the 2014 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo USA racing series at Road Atlanta. Follow him on his heart-pounding ride through the Super Trofeo Village, the Lamborghini race paddock and – naturally – on a hot lap around the track in a 2014 Aventador with one of the drivers as he test-drove L-Evolution-R Chronograph Flyback Rattrapante Grande Date in carbon fiber and red gold.
Today we introduce the latest resident writer to Quill & Pad, one who literally puts the “quill” into it! Nancy Olson has been an advocate of pens and the art of handwriting for twenty-five years, as well as probably the foremost authority on fine writing instruments, and we have the immense pleasure of adding yet another layer to our repertoire of luxury journalism and musings.