MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual on the author’s wrist at SIHH 2016

Collectors Speak: Picks And Pans Of SIHH Week 2016

/1 Comment/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

It’s already been six consecutive years that I’ve had the delightful experience of going through SIHH week with several of my closest friends. Our closing discussions centered around four questions, which were focused more tightly on SIHH itself this year due to the inclusion of nine independent watchmakers: what watch did you think was best of show at SIHH? What was the worst watch of the show? What watch displayed at the show would you buy if money were no object? What watch did you see on display that would you buy with your own money?

Read more
MB&F HM6 SV

It’s Transparently Brilliant! HM6 SV By MB&F

/5 Comments/in , /by

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the MB&F HM6, but, it does have a serious design issue: except for that flying tourbillon, the incredible movement is hidden under a protective titanium case. And what a pity: it’s as if only half of the watch was available to be appreciated. The case shape reflects the movement architecture, but the movement architecture is concealed by the case . . . or it was until HM6 SV came along!

Read more
2016 SIHH Novelty: Kari Voutilainen Vingt-8

Sneak Peek – New Voutilainen SIHH 2016 Wristwatches With Live Photos

/4 Comments/in , , , /by

It’s SIHH 2016 week! And already, our California collector group was off to a splendid start with our traditional Saturday evening dinner with friend and genius watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. Kari brought along several of the watches that he will be presenting this week at SIHH, and was kind enough to grant permission for us to show them here before the official start of the show.

Read more
Two great decimal repeaters: the Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece 8 (left) and the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater

Sounding Off: A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater vs. Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece 8

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Recently, GaryG presented his take on the Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece 8 while Elizabeth wrote about the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater.

Here Gary, Elizabeth, and Ian compare and discuss six areas of these two rare and very technical timepieces: design, innovation, operation, finishing, sound, and overall impression.

And there’s a video so you can see and hear both decimal repeaters to make your own comparison.

Read more
Smooth operator: repeater actuation slider, Voutilainen Masterpiece 8

Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece 8 Decimal Repeater

/7 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
Genius Temporis by Konstantin Chaykin

In The Face Of Complexity, Simplicity Rules: The Konstantin Chaykin Genius Temporis

/2 Comments/in , , /by

In the early 1960s, engineer Kelly Johnson of Lockheed Martin came up with “keep it simple, stupid”, which became better known by its acronym, KISS. Watches that employ clever levers and clearly adhere to the KISS principle are always something that can turn me into a giddy fan boy, and one such piece is the Konstantin Chaykin Genius Temporis. Heck, even the name implies some genius.

Read more
Passion embodied – the Deep Space Tourbillon by Vianney Halter

The Top 10 Most Popular Posts Of 2015 On Quill & Pad

/2 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

It’s pretty interesting to us to find out what you like to read most, and we hope that it’s interesting for you to read, too – particularly at the end of the old year. For this reason, we bring you the top ten most-clicked posts of 2015 on Quill & Pad. Without further ado, here they are in no particular order.

Read more
Andreas Strehler with butterfly bridge

A Peek Inside Andreas Strehler’s Butterfly-Filled Workshop

/1 Comment/in , /by

A straight-talking watchmaker and engineer, since 1998 Andreas Strehler has been creating mesmerizing timepieces for his eponymous brand as well as complications and movements for a number of other brands. The cool Papillon, which gets its French name for butterfly from the shape of the very unusual bridge located on the dial side of the movement, is my favorite Strehler timepiece.

Read more
Sarpaneva Korona Northern Lights

Stepan Sarpaneva’s Striking Korona K0 Northern Lights

/5 Comments/in , /by

One of the most intriguing sets of watches I had the pleasure to see at Baselworld 2015 was Stepan Sarpaneva’s Korona K0 Northern Lights. The vivid colors (blue, violet, green) really capture the essence of Sarpaneva creations, and does so in the designer’s typically understated manner. And it’s not Sarpaneva’s iconic moon that takes center stage here; what really captured my attention was the extreme lume.

Read more
Men's watches pre-selected for the 2015 GPHG shown clockwise from top left: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Small Seconds, Laurent Ferrier Galet Square, Louis Vuitton Escale Time Zone, Voutilainen GMR, MB&F HMX, and Piaget Altiplano 900P

Quill & Pad’s Predictions For The Men’s Category Of The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by

Welcome to the 2015 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) predictions in which we pick our favorites and explain why. The six pre-selected finalists in the Men’s category are: MB&F’s anniversary HMX, the Laurent Ferrier Galet Square, Kari Voutilainen’s beautifully finished Voutilainen GMR, the Louis Vuitton Escale Time Zone, and Piaget’s Altiplano 900P, currently the thinnest mechanical watch in the world.

Read more