Type 21 by Dodane 1857 is entered in the chronograph category of the 2015 International Timing Competition

2015 International Chronometry Competition Now Underway, But Does Anyone Care?

/2 Comments/in , , , /by

International timing competitions used to be the Formula 1 of watchmaking, and the watchmakers who prepared the high-precision (pocket) watches were treated like Formula 1 drivers. And that shouldn’t be surprising because until recently, the primary raison d’être of a timepiece was to tell the time. To tell THE time, not the approximate time. An error of 30 seconds day isn’t much . . . until you miss your train by 10 seconds.

Read more
Eric Singer dressed for work

Kiss Drummer Eric Singer Joins The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie De Genève Jury

/2 Comments/in , /by

Since its reboot four years ago, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – watchmaking’s highest profile event, often described as the “Oscars of watchmaking” – has attracted a few celebrity watch collectors to the jury in addition to some of the most knowledgeable experts in the world of watches.

Kiss drummer Eric Singer, an avid watch collector for decades, is the latest. During a recent interview session, he struck me not only as a serious collector, but also as an honest-to-goodness “watch guy.” I am very pleased he has joined the jury of this excellent event.

Read more
"Cat on a Clothesline" by Jeff Koons. Cute, but is it 10 million dollars of cuteness?

Baselworld Vs. Art Basel: A Look Between The 2015 Fairs

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

I have been involved in the watch world for 26 years; my first visit to Baselworld was in 1991. The massive fair halls have undergone two major reconstructive changes during this long period, in addition to several smaller updates. The last major reconstruction was finished in 2013. In no way, though, was I prepared for how the complex looks and feels when Art Basel is on compared to how I know it during the hustle and bustle of Baselworld.

Read more
Horological Machine No. 6 on the wrist

The 2015 Red Dot Has A New Watch Category. And The Winners Are . . . .

/3 Comments/in , , , /by

There are an unusually large number of design awards, but not one of them holds a candle to the Red Dot, which is inarguably the most famous and important of them.

The Red Dot awards prizes for design in a multitude of categories, from refrigerators to lawn mowers and everything in between. These prizes are also awarded on many levels, e.g. Best of the Best, Honorable Mention, etc.

However, until the 2015 edition of the competition, there has never been a dedicated watch category.

Two of the watches in 2015 received the highest honor of Best of the Best: Horological Machine 6 Space Pirate by MB&F and the Apple Watch.

Read more
Patek Philippe P1655 Aviator

Eleven Regal Timepieces From Patek Philippe’s Grand Exhibition At London’s Saatchi Gallery

/0 Comments/in , /by

During twelve days at the end of May and the beginning of June 2015, Patek Philippe took over the trendy Saatchi Gallery in London for its wonderfully orchestrated Grand Exhibition. The exhibition was meticulously organized to be followed in an ordered sequence and featured the brand’s modern core ranges along with a host of vintage watches, including a number of royal examples. And even two watches belonging to queens of England.

Read more
Corum Gold Bridge on the wrist of Vincent Calabrese

Artisans Du Temps: 30th Anniversary AHCI Exhibition At MIH Museum In La Chaux-De-Fonds

/1 Comment/in , , /by

In 1985, Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese founded the AHCI: Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants. The aim was to help independent watchmakers survive at a time when large brands and quartz watches were dominating the horological world. In 1985 very few people even knew that there was such a thing as independent watchmaking, as advertising and exhibitions (of which there were very few) were far too expensive for them to participate in. Today, 30 years later, the AHCI boasts 35 members and four candidates. Not bad for an organization I once described as “like herding cats.”

Read more
Getting there: partially assembled Audemars Piguet Caliber 3090

You Are There: San Francisco Collector Master Class With Audemars Piguet

/5 Comments/in , , /by

Audemars Piguet in collaboration with WENY (Watch Enthusiasts of New York) hosted an event in San Francisco that had it all: a watchmaking master class, in-depth talks with the brand’s historian while perusing a few vintage beauties, checking out some of the current collection, a whiskey tasting, and time spent with one of the brand’s ambassadors: the iconic golfer Nick Faldo.

Read more
Hublot private concert at Baselworld 2015 with singer Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), guitarist Tommy Thayer (Kiss), bass player Jack Blades (Night Ranger and Damn Yankees), and keyboard player Teddy “Zig Zag” Andreadis, who has toured with Guns N' Roses

Hublot Celebrates 10 Years Of Big Bang With Rock Concert Featuring Members Of Kiss, Skid Row, Night Ranger, And Guns N’ Roses

/3 Comments/in , , /by

In honor of ten years of the Big Bang, Hublot brought five bona fide rock stars to Baselworld 2015 to play a small concert for its clients to celebrate this grand achievement, thereby forming an extraordinary ‘80s supergroup: singer Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), guitarist Tommy Thayer (Kiss), bass player Jack Blades (Night Ranger and Damn Yankees), keyboard player Teddy “Zig Zag” Andreadis, who has toured with Guns N’ Roses, and watch aficionado and drummer from Kiss, Eric Singer.

Read more

Round Table: Reflections On Baselworld 2015

/1 Comment/in , /by

Please join our Quill & Pad round table discussion on Baselworld 2015 as we discuss mood, trends, and timepieces we liked and didn’t like so much. The participants of this discussion are: Ian Skellern, Elizabeth Doerr, Boris Pjanic, Nancy Olson, Louis Nardin (editor-in-chief The Watches TV), and Benjamin Clymer (executive editor Hodinkee).

Read more
Logical one Black by Romain Gauthier

Quill & Pad Baselworld Awards 2015

/4 Comments/in /by

Welcome to the 2015 Quill & Pad Baselworld “awards,” in which we highlight a few of the watches and ancillary Baselworld potpourri that caught our eyes at the world’s largest watch exhibition. Please accept these citations in the way they are presented: generally tongue-in-cheek, sometimes serious, always fun!

Read more