Recently, GaryG had the opportunity to handle, photograph, and wear a good friend’s Balancier Contemporain in white gold. His pal had long been a fan of the brand but had always been put off by the size of the watches. At 39.6 mm wide, though, the Contemporain is the most compact Greubel Forsey ever.
The Urwerk UR-120 is a thematic update for the UR-110 using what appears to be a very similar mechanism and dial layout. Even the case is generally the same. But while at first glance it shares much with the UR-110 in essence, when you start to compare the two this is a dramatically different watch, in particular when it gives you the Vulcan salute!
During a visit to D.Dornblüth & Sohn in eastern Germany, Bhanu Chopra noticed a new matte black ceramic dial in the workshop and loved the look so much that he asked the independent watchmaker to replace the more standard silver dial on his Dornblüth 99.1 with the new black one. And he’s very pleased with the result.
The Lundis Bleus arts and crafts are a very special aspect of watchmaking. It is not so much about the mechanical side – escapements, micro rotors, gearwheels, and gold chatons – but more the artistic and aesthetic (dial) side of independent watchmaking. Is this why Thomas Brechtel chose to buy two custom-made watches from the boutique brand?
anOrdain is not your average watch company. Located in Glasgow, Scotland, its name derives from a remote loch deep in the Scottish Highlands. There, Lewis Heath, a trained architect, first got the idea of creating a modern watch brand honoring traditional crafts. And the new Model 1 Payne’s Grey Fumé exemplifies how anOrdain not only honors these crafts but superbly progresses them.
Often with incoming pieces GaryG resists the temptation to wear a watch until he has had the chance to photograph it in pristine condition, but in the spirit of fun he chucked out the principle of restraint and slapped his new Hajime Asaoka Kurono Anniversary Green Mori right on his wrist. When you read Gary’s story and see his photos you will know why.
The skull is one of art history’s most referenced objects thanks to its powerful ability to instantly remind us that we are only flesh and bone. Fiona Krüger, specializing in skulls, partnered with L’Epée 1839 to produce Vanitas, a skull-shaped clock based on her Skull Collection with an unexpected function: it yawns as its movement tires.
Astronomical complications are poetic in nature, more emotional than practical. Calendar complications are the exact opposite: perfectly practical and useful complications for time management. Since the category doesn’t dictate specifically what should be valued and only outlines what fits into the category, it leaves a lot up to our panel on what we subjectively value more and why in this latest round table of 2022 GPHG nominations.
As both an aesthetic and a mechanical evolution of the Krayon Everywhere, the Anywhere is first and foremost a sunrise-and-sunset watch. It has been significantly streamlined for a much cleaner dial so that much less effort is required by the wearer. Joshua Munchow has the complete lowdown here.
Stepan Sarpaneva’s Nocturne is a stunning example of Finnish creativity and collaboration between two very different types of art. And once the sun goes down and the dial starts to glow, this watch’s visuals create a different world altogether.