Horophiles are pretty unique people and we have some pretty unique traits and habits. In the theme of Jeff Foxworthy and his “you might be a redneck if” routine, I’d like to poke a little fun at our WIS brothers and sisters as well as ourselves. So without further ado, you know you’re a watch guy if . . .
It is with a bit of trepidation that I turn my attention to independent watches from Baselworld 2016 that are now on my “desire” list; we’ll see whether any of these watches from Sarpaneva, Grönefeld, Voutilainen, Akriva or even Renaud & Papi make it onto my wrist as a result! In the meantime, enjoy these gorgeous timepieces.
André Kusni is only 17 years old, yet the teenager already owns several horological masterpieces and plans on collecting many more. Kusni first came in contact with fine watches when his grandmother gifted him a Rolex Submariner Deepsea Sea-Dweller. Since then, the fortunate teenager lives his passion, now mostly attracted to rather rare watches made by independent boutique brands.
Two of Elvis Presley’s watches are being offered in the upcoming auction “Music Icons 2016,” held by Julien’s and taking place on May 21, 2016 at the Hard Rock Café in New York City. Both the Mathey-Tissot day-date and Waltham pocket watch are in good shape and offer interesting backstories.
The last time I wrote here on Quill & Pad about my relationship with the world’s greatest mass luxury brand was last year when I explained ‘Why I’ve Never Owned a Rolex – And Why I Might Yet.’ Well, to know me is to know that if I say I “might yet” buy something it’s likely only a matter of time. So, too, with this Rolex: the GMT Master II BLNR “Batman” with black-and-blue bezel.
Conditions of sale, Antiquorum Hong Kong, June 2015: “Antiquorum confirms no ability or obligation to perform due diligence on any lot.” Imagine one of the worst things that could happen to you as a watch collector: your home is invaded by robbers and your entire collection is spirited away. Amazingly, Antiquorum listed and sold just such a watch involved in a collector’s worst nightmare. What now?
The date: January 13, 2012. The place: Glashütte, Germany, where one of my best friends had arranged for the two of us to visit A. Lange & Söhne. The vision: my friend extended his arm from the sleeve of his shirt, and what I saw left me reeling – my first view of the Lange Datograph Perpetual in white gold. I was confident from that very moment that this was a watch for me; but pursuit of the piece took four long years.
I was sitting at my breakfast table on the morning of January 18, 2013, when during my morning scan of news I saw a photo of something breathtaking. It was Logical One by Romain Gauthier – a watch I immediately knew that I would own someday. I was captivated by the white gold version with frosted gold movement: this was “the one” for me. Read on to find out why.
In the early days of TimeZone and ThePurists when you posted a question you had to wait a few days for an answer you. And that answer was often detailed and knowledgeable. Then came the guys who had no idea what a free-sprung balance was, but posted ten times a day or more with content that included calling watchmakers and CEOs by their first names. Today, we would probably describe all of these categories of forum posters as internet gurus. The problem being, most are just using up bandwidth.
In honor of what would have been Elvis Presley’s 81st birthday on January 8, Graceland is putting on an auction of some significant artifacts with 126 lots going under the hammer. Included in this auction are two interesting watches once purchased by Elvis Presley: a 1973 Omega Time Computer and a 14-karat gold Baume & Mercier. Both watches are individually engraved with personal inscriptions from the King to people in his life.