I had the extremely good fortune to be a guest of Jaquet Droz at a stunning Béjart Ballet performance in Tokyo in late 2014, where I became a huge fan of the extraordinary troupe. But why do I find it so important for luxury brands to support the arts? Jaquet Droz and the Béjart Ballet provide an excellent example.
This possibly intergalactic, underwater, time-traveling machine is actually the business end of a CNC lathe at the Uhren-Werke-Dresden manufacture in Germany. Let us know what you think this machine might really be for in the comments. May the force be with you.
In April 2016 a new attraction opened its doors in Switzerland, one that has attracted a lot of attention in the Helvetic country due to the unusual touristic nature of its existence: Chaplin’s World. Come with me on a tour of the museum property and find out why Charlie Chaplin lived in Switzerland and which timepieces he proudly owned.
My personal quest for the ultimate fountain pen began unexpectedly and over the following decades I learned many things, including: nothing compares to writing with a gold nib! Join me on part 1 of my personal fountain pen journey, which includes an inherited piece, a demonstrator, over-the-top colors, and cloisonné enamel.
In the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale collection the patterns are truly the stars of this collection, not just because they are taken right from the folds of fashion, but because they are all incredibly difficult to engrave due to their complex designs. Every single line is engraved by hand on a rose engine lathe using guilloché.
This week is easy, because today I’m giving you the caption: “Nice watch, duck!” What watch was “duck” wearing and why? I’ll give extra points for the best suggestion for his favorite watch and why in in the comments below.
It must have been a horror for Mercedes to see its position as the ultimate German luxury automobile brand challenged by BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen. Its reaction was to bring the Maybach back as the ultimate version of an already ultimate car, the Mercedes S600 powered by the same twin-turbo as the S600, a 6-liter V12 that provides 523 HP.
The past few years have seen the steady rise of the all-black watch, but this color trend is also in fashion and home décor . . . and at least one exceptional pen. Leave it to Montblanc to shake things up a bit with the latest introduction reaching Montblanc boutiques this month: the Meisterstück Ultra Black Special Edition.
Prosthetic limbs have come a long way since wooden peg legs and pirate hooks. Which explains why I was surprised by the fact that this arm below looks so evidently non-lifelike. What do you think this robotic arm might be for? Not what the arm is for per se, but the fictional story this photo might reveal in your mind.
In 2010 I had the pleasure of visiting a Swiss artist, whose talents spread across a broad spectrum of artistic domains. However, he would be much better known to anyone reading Quill & Pad as the designer of some of the most revolutionary wristwatches of the last century. Can you guess who he is and the watches he has designed from the clues provided?