The Rise (And Rise) Of Independents: A Live Panel Discussion From Geneva Watch Days 2021 Featuring Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk), Pierre Jacques (De Bethune), William Massena (Massena Lab), Alexandre Ghotbi (Phillips), And Elizabeth Doerr

/0 Comments/in , /by

Independent watchmakers and brands have experienced an unbelievable uptick in not only business and sales during 2021 – despite, or even perhaps because of, the pandemic – but also in recognition and general respect and understanding. During Geneva Watch Days 2021, Elizabeth Doerr moderated a live panel discussion hosted by Phillips exploring in detail this new and unexpected position in the luxury watch industry. Please enjoy the recorded discussion here.

Read more

Why I Upgraded My D.Dornblüth & Sohn 99.1 Watch With A Handmade Ceramic Dial – Reprise

/2 Comments/in , /by

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.

Read more
Remarkable achievement: Voutilainen Masterpiece 8 decimal repeater

Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece 8 Decimal Repeater – Reprise

/0 Comments/in , , /by

One of the big introductions of 2015 in the collector’s world was A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk Minute Repeater: a watch that both shows and chimes off the time using a “decimal” format of hours, tens of minutes, and minutes rather than the more traditional hours, quarters (15 minutes), and minutes. But the first decimal repeating wristwatch to reach the market wasn’t the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater. It was by independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen.

Read more
Oscillon's l’Instant de Vérité

Oscillon l’Instant de Vérité: The Most − If Not The Only − Fully Handmade Watch Available Today

/3 Comments/in , /by

I know of only three watchmakers making watches completely (no CNC machines) by hand today: Greubel Forsey with its Hand Made 1 and Dominique Buser and Cyrano Devanthey, who are hand-making watches they call l’Instant de Vérité under the umbrella of their own micro brand Oscillon. And what a watch this is!

Read more

5 Of The Best De Bethune Models In The Last 12 Months Plus Bonus Video Of The De Bethune x Voutilainen Kind Of Magic For Only Watch 2021

/5 Comments/in , , /by

The second edition of Geneva Watch Days (August 30 through September 3, 2021) is upon the Quill & Pad team, and among the many brands Ian has looked forward to catching up with is one of his all-time favorites: De Bethune. Here are six watches the brand has recently released as seen through Ian’s lens, including the brand’s unique Only Watch 2021 piece.

Read more
Rick Hale shaping wood gear

Rick Hale: Wooden Clocks Designed And Built As If By John Harrison Except Today And In The USA (Beautiful Photos + Videos) – Reprise

/0 Comments/in , /by

Clockmakers rarely get the credit they deserve, and Elizabeth Doerr believes that Rick Hale is deserving of at least a few minutes of your attention because this young autodidact clockmaker is doing something unique: handmaking self-designed clocks out of wood according to some of John Harrison’s principles.

Read more

Behind The Lens: Unique Kari Voutilainen 28Sport

/14 Comments/in , , /by

One of the best things about dealing with independent watchmakers is the ability to request unique touches on your watch. That’s just what happened after GaryG’s new friend first saw Kari Voutilainen’s Sport28, a titanium-cased watch that itself is quite rare with only eight examples made in total.

Read more

Why I Bought It: Ressence Type 2 e-Crown

/8 Comments/in , , /by

Until recently, George Cramer has exclusively collected watches from classic brands with long histories and traditional styles of watchmaking. But that all changed when he bought himself a Ressence Type 2 e-Crown. Here he explains why.

Read more
The Time Bandit concept for the Opus 5 had a slot machine type indications. The time would display after pulling the handle and the rollers stopped spinning around

‘Time Bandit’: The Urwerk Opus 5 For Harry Winston That Almost Was – Reprise

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

The Opus 5 by Felix Baumgartner/Urwerk for Harry Winston is one of the best of this series of exceptional timepieces. But, as this drawing by Urwerk designer Martin Frei from June of 2003 shows, one of the original ideas behind Urwerk’s Opus 5 was a digital display in a model christened with the working title “Time Bandit.” Check out this superb almost-was timepiece!

Read more

‘The Persistence Of Memory’: Online Museum And Ode To Independent Watchmaking

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

The “great lockdown of 2020” gifted us with something outstanding: from the depths of an anxiety-inducing existence arose an online exhibition called “The Persistence of Memory,” which can be described as an !online museum” honoring some of the most influential and important independent watchmakers of the modern era. Here Elizabeth Doerr speaks with its creator Michael Tay for an inside view on what this “exhibition” surveying 50 years of independent watchmaking is. And what it isn’t.

Read more