Unmistakable style: Haldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon

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

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In GaryG’s view, every successful independent watchmaker has elements of a “house style” that may attract some buyers and put off others, but nonetheless sets him or her apart. And, at the highest level, this style goes beyond “branding” to become an expression of the personality and artistic vision of the creator. 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.

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Rhapsody in stainless steel: Patek Philippe Reference 5950A-001

Behind The Lens: Patek Philippe Ref. 5950A-001 Split-Seconds Chronograph (Archive)

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Given GaryG’s musings on these pages about the relative roles of rarity and complication in driving the value of a watch, he thinks it appropriate to dedicate this “Behind the Lens” entry to a piece that is both complicated and limited in production: Patek Philippe’s Reference 5950A. What’s so special about this watch? Well, first of all it’s a split-seconds chronograph. What else?

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Day and night: two unique Kari Voutilainen chronographs

Behind The Lens: Two Unique Masterpiece II Chronographs From Kari Voutilainen

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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.

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Soul you can touch: Philippe Dufour Duality

Behind The Lens: Philippe Dufour Duality (Archive)

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For this edition of Behind the Lens, GaryG shares a series of photographs of one of the great watches of our time, the Philippe Dufour Duality. The Duality, with its linked twin escapements, was originally planned for production in a series of 25 watches. In a turn of events that seems almost unbelievable today, a lack of initial demand eventually led Dufour to limit production to just nine pieces.

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Independent art: Tourbillon Souverain from F.P. Journe

Behind The Lens: The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain (Archive)

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As part of my “enthusiast collector” role here at Quill & Pad I will be taking a look at watches that strike my fancy, and sharing the visual results with you along with a few observations on photography, the watches themselves, and the collectors who own them.
Let’s get started, shall we? Our subject for this episode: the F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain with remontoir d’égalité.

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Standing out: the Haldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon

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

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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.

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A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 in stainless steel with black dial

Behind The Lens: Rare Lange 1 Limited Editions (Archive)

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In this edition of ‘Behind the Lens,’ GaryG pays tribute to the introduction of the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 on October 24, 1994. He brings us stunning images of two very special variants of the classic watch: the rare Cellini limited edition, of which only 25 were made for the New York City retailer, and the even rarer stainless steel Lange 1, which was not a limited edition per se, but certainly a (very) limited sort-of production watch.

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Side by side: two examples of Vianney Halter’s Antiqua in pink gold

Behind The Lens: Twice The Fun With Two Vianney Halter Antiquas

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It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Vianney Halter and his work. I strongly believe that one of the defining moments of my development as a collector was taking the plunge and buying an example of his landmark Antiqua in pink gold. But how do two of these rare watches look side by side under the unforgiving lens of my camera?

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Oblique view, Patek Philippe Reference 5078P

Behind The Lens: Patek Philippe Reference 5078P Minute Repeater

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Recently, a good friend and avid collector gave me the mouth-watering opportunity to photograph two splendid Patek Philippe minute repeaters: the 5074P and 5078P. If you’re one of those people who believe in wearing a watch with your tuxedo, I don’t think you’d ever go wrong in pulling the 5078P out of the safe to wear. What else is interesting about it?

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Imposing presence: high-contrast photo of the Patek Philippe Reference 5074P

Behind The Lens: Patek Philippe Reference 5074P Minute Repeater

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Here begins a very special three-part series looking at, and listening to, two of Patek Philippe’s splendid minute repeaters: References 5074P and 5078P. If there’s any curiosity about which of the two I prefer, I’ll get that question out of the way right now: I consider the 5074P to be one of the finest contemporary wristwatches; it is a piece that awes me every time I handle one.

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