The lines between form, fun, and functionality have been blurry, especially in recent years. Which is why we see more and more mechanical objects with relationships to time but perhaps not directly related. Here Martin Green explores three such objects by Jaquet Droz, Urwerk, and MB&F.
MB&F rarely introduces objets d’art so visibly rooted in horology as Kelys & Chirp: the Geneva-based independent watchmaker generally specializes in exotic and futuristic shapes. Kelys & Chirp doesn’t tell the time: it is an automaton – and most automata grew from advances made in horology in the 1600s.
This is a bit of an unusual article, but the story surreptitiously fell into my lap(top) just days before Christmas, and I thought that there is no better time of the year for publishing good news. Charris Yadigaroglou, MB&F head of communication, told me the happy ending to a scary incident earlier in the year at the MB&F M.A.D.Gallery in Geneva.
Urwerk and MB&F are two stalwarts of contemporary watchmaking with, superficially at least, much in common. Here Ian Skellern shares what he thinks are the significant similarities and differences between these two leaders in modern watchmaking.
A lot of great sports watches came out this year, many of which were able to break the mold of what a sports watch should look like or can do. This is vital for the industry as it retains the attention of potential buyers and shows that there is still creativity in one of the most popular watch segments. See what our panel thinks of the shortlisted watches in the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève’s Sports category.
One of the things I like so much about MB&F is that it always goes all in! And this is why it is now one of the most-loved watch brands. MB&F doesn’t hold back – and its contribution of a unique piece Horological Machine No. 8 with original artwork by a 15-year-old artist to the 2017 edition of Only Watch is no exception.
As if MB&F’s HM6 wasn’t already wild enough, HM6 Alien Nation features something you have never seen in a watch and are unlikely to ever see again: six white gold aliens, which appear to be “crewing” the “spaceship.”
The Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction: FOUR particularly interested us due to the presence of a subset of 43 watches for sale called “43 Watches & Encounters: The Laurent Picciotto Collection of Contemporary Watches.” Please enjoy our commentary of the auction results for these timepieces.
Whenever I think about a watch made by an independent watchmaker, a certain recollection comes to mind – one that could explain my passion for timepieces created by masters with diminutive production but gargantuan horological expertise. This particular story involves a watch brand, a trip to Switzerland, and what is normally a very casual thing: lunch.
Please join our traditional Quill & Pad round table discussion on Baselworld 2017, where we discuss what we did and didn’t like at at the world’s largest annual watch exhibition.