In this age of digital information, watch companies try to get ahead of the competition by releasing news on their new timepieces ahead of the big watch fairs. This year is no different, and in honor of the upcoming 25th edition of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), we present you with an overview of some of the new models that have already been revealed.
This young award is just barely three years old, but indeed it has already managed to reward some of the greatest personalities in the world of watches for their “passion” and “talent” – which are undeniably the most essential ingredients for the finest watchmaking. A jury from the Cultural Council of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) honored two exceptional personalities in 2014: Philippe Dufour for his “talent” and Henry-John Belmont for his “passion.”
As the new millennium dawned on the watch world, and with it an unprecedented interest in mechanical timepieces, re-editions of past timepieces wiggled their ways back into Jaeger-LeCoultre’s collection, providing flares of nostalgia along with a bit more diversity. One such timepiece is the Geophysic 1958. Let me tell you a bit about it.
There were new models launched in Hong Kong at the second edition of Watches & Wonders from Jaeger-LeCoultre, Richard Mille, Vacheron Constantin, A. Lange & Söhne, Montblanc, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Roger Dubuis, and Panerai.
I had the privilege of reporting on the wonderful project launched by photographer Howard Parr and supported by Jaeger-LeCoultre to advance the fight against the “silent killer” of women, ovarian cancer. Howard is also an avid Jaeger-LeCoultre collector. Jaeger-LeCoultre sponsored two Southern California receptions centered on Howard’s stirring photos of ovarian cancer survivors and benefitting the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA).
I find intense joy and satisfaction in attempting to construct objects, images, or spaces based on science, mystery, and beauty and find that the color, design, materials, and inner workings of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Hermès Atmos Clock are a perfect marriage of all three.
During Quill & Pad’s on location visit to Jaeger-LeCoultre in Le Sentier, Ian and I had the unique chance to take a lesson in enameling from the brand’s self-taught master Miklos Merczel. Merczel’s story is an interesting one, and jibes with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s common history with this art form: historically and uniquely on request, Jaeger-LeCoultre has famously placed enameled miniature paintings on the flip side of the Reverso case.
To celebrate this month of the FIFA World Cup of soccer taking in place in Brazil, Quill & Pad brings you some unique looks at the correlation between timing and the world’s most popular sport.
Today we ask Pascal Ravessoud, Director of Delegations and General Secretary of the FHH’s Cultural Council, to Kick Us Five!
This hobby ostensibly centers on the watches, but in reality it’s all about the people. The first person in this story is friend, fellow collector, and photographer Howard Parr. Inspired by the memory of his late stepmother, Libby Parr, and her courage in the face of ovarian cancer, Howard undertook a photographic journey to capture images of other women who are fighting ovarian cancer. The resulting images are both beautiful and inspiring.
In 2009, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced a wristwatch so complicated in its premise and execution that it made my jaw drop: the Duomètre à Grande Sonnerie. Then earlier this year, the Le Sentier-based brand introduced the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon.