As Joshua Munchow looks back over 2019, he is reminded what an exciting year it has been in the world of watches – from changes to the major fairs and exhibitions to corporate acquisitions and right on down to surprising launches from brands. There was definitely enough to keep us on our toes.
The most interesting aspect of the Aiguille d’Or is how the winner won’t always be the most complicated, expensive, or groundbreaking. To win the Aiguille d’Or, a watch needs to be a fantastic all-around watch and have that little something extra, that ‘je ne sais quoi.’ So which watch has our panel set its sights upon? There is much discussion, of course . . .
Halloween, a word contracted from “All Hallow’s Eve,” is a predominately American celebration whose traditions come from late nineteenth-century Celtic origins. And along comes a modern mechanical time-telling spider in celebration, the MB&F Arachnophobia – a realistic-looking arachnid made of metal and other materials traditionally used in watchmaking. Look upon it if you dare!
With our second set of predictions we take a look at the Ladies Complication category, a surprisingly packed collection of timepieces for women with more than an added moon phase or power reserve. These are very clearly designed to be different, and while we are collectively pretty sure one already has the win in the bag, it will definitely be an interesting category for the judges this year. Our panel was unanimous in its selection of one very beautiful and cleverly complex timepiece.
Creating a proper, high-end mechanical ladies watch is something even the best of brands struggle with. Some simply take a men’s watch, make it a bit smaller, add some diamonds or mother-of-pearl, and call it a day. Others create what they think women would like (but are not quite sure). Here is what MB&F has done, and rest assured it is anything but ordinary!
The components of a mechanical watch movement are little more than a series of springs and wheels held together by plates and/or bridges. No matter the configuration, complication or finish, the ensemble is secured by the humble movement screw. So it’s a pleasant surprise that several watchmakers have boldly ventured beyond the thread and the slot to reimagine the movement screw.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who has read his articles, that Joshua Munchow likes a good jump hour mechanism. Actually, he loves a good jump hour mechanism. There is just something about that instantaneous change driven entirely by mechanical means that fascinates him. And yet not all “digital” watches require the use of jump hours and minutes; some don’t even use a jump at all yet still read digitally. So today he breaks down a list of his seven (plus change) favorite “digital” watches.
Martin Green ranks the Horological Machine N°6 Sapphire Vision, which MB&F released in 2016, as one of the most memorable watches ever created. And now with the final edition of Horological Machine N°6 he asks whether MB&F saved the best for last.
Joshua Munchow thinks of the new MB&F MoonMachine 2 as the “wolf MoonMachine.” Built on the HM8 platform, it contains only the third moon phase complication in MB&F’s history. But there has never been one quite like this!
Now celebrating its twenty-fifth year, the 2018 Gaïa Awards have honored three outstanding individuals in the world of watchmaking: MB&F’s Maximilian Büsser, Reinhard Meis, and Bovet’s Paul Clementi.