Purnell’s latest model, Escape II, features two spherical tourbillons developed by Eric Coudray, the definitive expert in the field of three-dimensional multi-axis tourbillons. This is just one example of how the independent brand works with the best of the best in the watch industry to achieve such monumental timepieces. Martin Green reports after visiting the Swiss workshops.
Our friends at The Watches TV recently visited Laurent Jolliet, the last “chain maker” in business in Switzerland according to Marc-André Deschoux. As Jolliet crafts his bracelets and chains fully by hand, Deschoux and crew were able to find out in detail how Milanese bracelets are made, an art form no longer formally taught, and share the secrets with us here.
Glashütte Original dial factory manager Michael Baumann guided Bhanu Chropa through the complex process of manufacturing dials. He explained that depending on the complications of a given watch model, it takes 70 to 80 steps to manufacture a perfect dial. See for yourself in this interesting personal tour behind the scenes in Pforzheim, Germany.
To celebrate its enduring legacy, Grand Seiko has re-created the original Grand Seiko model from December of 1960, and it is all the right kinds of vintage Japanese minimalist design that any self-respecting WIS would appreciate. The Grand Seiko 1960 Re-Creations are the essence of Grand Seiko.
One of the great advantages of belonging to the relatively close-knit community of watch collectors is having the opportunity to see and photograph a lot of great watches. Here GaryG takes on the formidable F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain with his mighty camera and collecting knowledge.
Elizabeth Doerr has attended the odd auction. She has even gone to auctions with the intent to bid on a watch. But that hadn’t yet worked out for her. Not until she saw that Parisian auction house Artcurial was auctioning off what was left of Alain Silberstein’s inventory and put in an absentee bid on a long shot. She had little hope, but then . . .
There are clocks that deserve to be talked about, written about, bought, and enjoyed. And this goes double for any and all of the unique timepieces by independent horologist Miki Eleta. Elizabeth Doerr had the pleasure of seeing Eleta’s latest masterpiece, Natuhrzeit, at Baselworld 2019 and she has not been able to get it out of her mind since. Enjoy the show!
If John Keil was to recommend a brand-new functional diver’s watch to a friend who was looking to spend within a certain price range, these would be his suggestions. Or, more specifically, here is what he would purchase himself in a variety of price categories.
Today many premium watch brands look for that certain “extra element” to get ahead of the competition, and one hot item now is straps. If it is true that shoes make the man, then the strap must make the watch. Jan Lidmaňský shares a selection of interesting partnerships between the worlds of watches and leather.
Tutima has one leg in the realm of fine watchmaking and the other firmly placed in its lower to mid-priced Grand Flieger collection, composed of German pilot-style watches. Bhanu Chopra visited the Tutima manufacture in Glashütte, Germany for a closer look at how this duality works and what role it plays in the company’s history.