Our Quill & Pad panelists discuss the virtual evening of the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and what we thought of the big night’s winners. Plus we reveal how good (or poor) our predictions were.
Is the universal attraction of a chronograph found in the ability to control part of the timekeeping yourself using the often-dynamic-looking extra dials and hands? For the GPHG, at any rate, this is an important category with, as usual, a very strong lineup. So how is our panel leaning when it comes to picking a winner? Find out here.
In the GPHG Chronometry category, we find mechanical watches that contain at least one tourbillon, and/or a special escapement, and/or another development improving precision timekeeping. What we don’t find, though, is much hard data regarding precision like timing test results or in most cases even a second hand. Precision watches without a second hand? Despite that, our panel predicts a clear winner.
Martin Green reports on five green-themed watches he saw during the loose Geneva Watch Days fair, timepieces that made such impressions that they have stuck with him this past week.
Joshua Munchow genuinely loves moon phase watches, and here he looks at the most accurate moon phase wristwatches in existence. Their precision is truly out of this world!
GaryG loves a surprise! And in the case of the newly-minted H. Moser x MB&F Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon and MB&F x H. Moser LM101, he is surprised not once, but twice: two distinctive watches that somehow manage the tricky task of maintaining the core brand identity of the lead brand for each, while successfully integrating identifiable cues from the other.
There is no shortage of tourbillons in every manufacturer’s collection, and standing out from the crowd is challenging. Here Martin Green highlights three new tourbillons that, thanks to a generous dash of creativity, manage to differentiate themselves from the rest of the field.
Elizabeth Doerr highlights five new watches by independent watchmakers that we would have seen for the first time at Watches & Wonders or Baselworld 2020, had these fairs run as scheduled in late April.
The Streamliner Flyback Chronograph is about firsts for Moser: its first chronograph complication, its first bracelet, its first cushion-shaped case, a brand-new dial, hands, and a new movement. But what grabbed Joshua Munchow from the start was the bracelet, and that is when the amnemori began. What is that? Joshua explains here in detail.
GaryG has been to Monterey Car Week around 20 times now to meet up with friends and enjoy the array of cars and, more recently, watches on display. While in recent years they have focused on the “big” events at The Quail and Pebble Beach, this year the group decided to add some variety and go off the beaten path a bit – with satisfying results.