Konstantin Chaykin And Svend Andersen Joker Automaton dial side

Konstantin Chaykin And Svend Andersen Joker Automaton: Haute Horlogerie Irreverence (On Video)

Svend Andersen and Konstantin Chaykin are a couple of watchmakers that don’t tend to follow the norms; two men that in some ways couldn’t be more different, but in other ways are like two peas in a pod. The pair recently collaborated on a watch bringing the most irreverent side of each watchmaker together with the Automaton Joker. It certainly brought a smile to Joshua’s face and will likely do the same for you.

The Superbia Humanitatis watch created by Louis-Elysée Piguet, Franck Muller, and Paul Gerber (photo courtesy Dr. Magnus Bosse)

Paul Gerber: Renaissance Man And Creator Of World’s Most Complicated Watch And Smallest Wooden Clock

A world-class micro-engineer, industrial designer, metalwork artist and accountant walk into a bar, and the barman asks . . . yes, Marton Radkai is talking about independent watchmaker Paul Gerber. Find out more about this genius right here!

Object of desire: Contemporaine Phase de Lune/Jour by Vianney Halter (photo courtesy Horlogerie-Suisse.com)

How Not to Buy a Watch: My Misadventure

In 2006 GaryG spotted two objects of desire at a California dealer: Vianney Halter’s dramatic Antiqua and Contemporaine timepieces. They were out of his reach, but in 2007 he found a Contemporaine in white gold offered at a price that was about one-third its original retail value on eBay. What could possibly go wrong?

Antoine Preziuso Tourbillon of Tourbillons

Tourbillon Of Tourbillons By Antoine Preziuso: Fractals Meet Inception (Archive)

AHCI member Antoine Preziuso’s mind-blowing Tourbillon of Tourbillons embodies the ideas of fractal geometry and recursion by producing a ten-minute tourbillon driven by three sixty-second tourbillons. It is an amazing machine. And as the only indications are minutes and hours, the Tourbillon of Tourbillons is something that exists as much for its own sake as it does for telling the time.

Bought pre-owned: the author’s Vianney Halter Antiqua

Why I Bought It: Vianney Halter Antiqua (Archive)

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.

Genius Temporis by Konstantin Chaykin

In The Face Of Complexity, Simplicity Rules: The Konstantin Chaykin Genius Temporis (Archive)

In the early 1960s, engineer Kelly Johnson of Lockheed Martin came up with “keep it simple, stupid,” which became better known by its acronym, KISS. Watches that employ clever levers and clearly adhere to the KISS principle are always something that can turn me into a giddy fan boy, and one such piece is the Konstantin Chaykin Genius Temporis. Heck, even the name implies some genius.

Philippe Dufour

Philippe Dufour 70th Birthday Celebration Film

In early June 2018, nearly 200 people from all corners of the planet traveled to the the quiet Vallée de Joux in Switzerland to celebrate independent watchmaker Philippe Dufour’s 70th birthday party. Ian Skellern thought the occasion might make for a nice film and asked a few old friends to help out.

Andersen Tempus Terrae worldtimer on the wrist

Worldtimers, Erotic Watches, And Poker-Playing Dogs: A.H.C.I. Co-Founder Svend Andersen Has (Semi-) Retired, But His Brand Lives On (Archive)

Late in 2015 the news came through that A.H.C.I. co-founder Svend Andersen had sold his company. But how did Andersen get here? Let’s take a quick tour of 53 years’ worth of independent horology the Danish way to find out, which includes an extravaganza of worldtimers, unusual erotic watches, and even poker-playing dogs.

Andreas Strehler Trans-Axial Remontoir Tourbillon: Focusing On Precision

Strehler’s latest watch, the Trans-Axial Remontoir Tourbillon, takes his definitive style to create an even more accurate timepiece than he has made before. And since he also likes to focus on impressive mechanics, he has done it in a way that stood out among the multitude of new watches presented at Baselworld 2018.

Standing out: the Haldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon

Behind The Lens: Beat Haldimann’s H1 Flying Central Tourbillon (Archive)

In the picturesque Swiss town of Thun, Beat Haldimann and his small team distinguish themselves by focusing on technical virtuosity of the highest order as typified by the Haldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon.