“We’re only making two hundred and fifty of them,” they say, causing your ears to perk up like a Doberman’s. “Just two fifty,” you ponder, eyebrows raised. “Correct,” says the salesperson, pulling a well-rehearsed “You don’t see one of these every day” face. Dazzled by the prospect, you throw your credit card down.
If there were a watch enthusiasts’ encyclopedia, under “embarrassment of riches” the image might just be a side-by-side shot two of contemporary watchmaking’s great complicated pieces: the “mighty” A. Lange & Söhne Double Split and Patek Philippe’s Reference 5370P split-second chronograph.
Thanks to its bezel, as Dietmar W. Fuchs explains, the diver’s watch is a much more versatile timepiece than many people think. Aside from teaching you how to use it on land, in the skies, and under water, here he answers the perennial question of who made the first true diver’s watch: Blancpain, Rolex, or Panerai.
Tamim Almousa explains with a bit of satire how it’s impossible to be a good Muslim without being modest and humble. Wearing a gold watch goes against these virtues. It’s less the material itself and more the Glengarry Glen Ross statement it makes: See this watch? How obnoxious. But that’s a rule he is happy to break for a few special watches.
When Tamim Almousa hears or reads the word “jewelry,” he automatically divides it into two distinct categories: tacky and classy.However he doesn’t think, “A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk.” Here he explains why.
After reading article after article discussing the virtues of Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, it became clear to watch enthusiast and Quill & Pad reader Perry Heim that none stated a self-evident truth that appears obvious to him. In this “letter to the editor” Perry explains in detail what he finds so appealing about the Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 5711. And he stacks the Nautilus up against some serious contemporary contenders.
Tamim Almousa has always maintained that lume is the least impressive part of any luxury watch. If you want to get a sense of just how unimpressive it is, try explaining it to a layman and see how long you last before inevitably describing it as “glow-in-the-dark paint.”
Now, it seems fairly evident that we are on the down slope of either a cyclical correction in prices or, if one takes a less optimistic view, a permanent loss of watch value as the mechanical timepiece industry faces a variety of challenges and potential disruptions. So what’s a collector to do?
Like many connected to the watch industry, Ian Skellern has wondered at just how much of an impact the US tariffs are likely to have on the watch industry. And todate he has found no clearer explanation of what’s likely to happen than by Teddy Baldassarre, who is both a US watch retailer and prominent watch reviewer and journalist.
Watch brands often promote the tourbillon as a mechanism that improves the chronometric performance of the watches their watches. Sergio Galanti looks at if the tourbillon really more than just a complex, fascinating, and usually very expensive, mechanical regulator.