There are some watches you fall for the moment you see them. Sometimes that initial infatuation passes and you move on to the next temporary obsession, but then there are those instances in which the more you see, talk about, and learn about a piece and its origins the more you resolve to save up to buy one. For GaryG, the Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire was one of the latter.
Most people know anOrdain because of its stunning handmade enamel dials. Elizabeth Doerr’s own hands-on experience occurred because her interest was piqued by the nature of these tiny made-in-Glasgow works of art. Here she shares a personal visit to the anOrdain studio in Glasgow.
The history of commissioned timepieces is a long and colorful one, but collector group commissions are perhaps a more recent phenomenon. GaryG recently met with Adam Eisendrath of San Francisco-based collectors 49 Crowns to learn more about the club and to check out two customized watches commissioned from Swiss-based Finnish independent Torsti Laine.
GaryG was sitting at his breakfast table on the morning of January 18, 2013 when during his morning scan of news he saw a photo of something breathtaking. It was Logical One by Romain Gauthier – a watch he immediately knew that he would own someday. He was captivated by the white gold version with frosted gold movement: this was “the one” for him.
The new Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance First Edition is what some might call a reboot of the collection. But Joshua Munchow looks at it more as a rebirth. The new release has a high percent of shared “DNA” with the original Mirrored Force Resonance, but it is obviously made for a new era.
Elizabeth Doerr reports on the long history of the new brand LANG 1943 and its premier timepiece, Field Watch Edition One. This launch timepiece fulfilled every expectation and ticked every box that she hoped it would, thanks in big part to the influence of grandmaster Gerd-Rüdiger Lang.
GaryG had the good fortune to photograph two sensational unique timepieces from independent German watchmaker Christian Klings.
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 set them apart. And, at the highest level, this style goes beyond “branding” to become an expression of the personality and artistic vision of the creator. 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.
Check out The Watches TV founder Marc-André Deschoux as he explains how the personal watch of Ressence’s founder, Benoît Mintiens, works in this video. Mintiens wears the Type 2 e-crown and lent it to our pal Marc-André for several weeks.
GaryG outlines why he bought a Vianney Halter Deep Space Tourbillon, providing commentary on a collector’s mindset and the motivations, delights, and possible misgivings. And, of course, there are amazing photographs.