The Geneva Seal is very old, having been proposed on November 6, 1886 by the Grand Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva as a way to certify a level of quality for which the canton was becoming known. Every piece produced with the Geneva Seal is equally outstanding, so let’s have a look at what goes into attaining this coveted seal.
In the early 1990s, WMMT was facing the same dilemma as today: modern or vintage? Problem was that modern watches actually all looked vintage, right down to the sizes. There was something lacking. Enter Vianney Halter in 1998 with the Antiqua Perpetual. And then what happened next: the birth of ICH (“Independent Creative Horology”).
A long-term keeper for GaryG is the wonderful Antiqua by Vianney Halter. He fell for the Antiqua when he first saw one more than a dozen years ago; while many of his friends will freely confess that at the time they were at first put off by its looks, Gary was smitten from the start. But that’s not all that he loves about this watch.
A generous friend recently offered GaryG the opportunity to shoot his white gold Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece Chronograph II so that Gary is able to share photos of both his custom pink gold Chronograph II in comparison to his friend’s custom white gold version.
In the “Objects of Desire” series, I look at pieces that fall into the categories unobtanium and timenotrightium, as my Quill & Pad colleague Joshua Munchow might say. And, where better to start on the topic of desire than with the watches of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey?
Seriously, who cares how many jewels their watch has? Watchmaker Ashton Tracy thinks that you’d be surprised how many people care as they’ve been duped by a vintage practice of announcing the amount of movement jewels on watch dials. What is the real story here?
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.
Nick Gould’s interest in the upcoming Phillips auction of a Steve McQueen Rolex Submariner was piqued when he read that McQueen had worn the timepiece himself in the 1960s before gifting it to stuntman Loren Janes, as Nick could not recall seeing any photographs of McQueen wearing a Rolex before 1970. So he began to research, and this is what he found.
Discover in this video how a Geneva symposium’s aim was to explain the indubitable reality of the arrival of synthetic diamonds in the world of watchmaking and to demonstrate how it is possible to differentiate natural from lab-grown stones.
Even seasoned watch connoisseurs will look twice when presented with a men’s watch fitted with what’s known as a “salmon” dial. If it is a fairly common model, a salmon-colored dial usually elevates the watch to a higher plane. What else did you not know about salmon dials? Find out here!