I hadn’t had much contact with Parmigiani over the past few years, so I was eager both to wear one of the brand’s most distinctive watches and to learn more about its current collection and plans. The moment I liberated the Pantographe from its box I was impressed: this is one serious watch. Read on to learn what I thought about this watch and what the brand might do to bloom.
Fine watch and fine whisky, for many the two go together like single malt birds of a feather. Urwerk founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei have been known to enjoy a smooth amber tipple or two, and as discerning gentlemen with discerning taste in haute horlogerie, it’s perhaps not surprising that Baumgartner and Frei also have discerning taste when it comes to whisky: single malt by The Macallan.
In the 1980s you may have read perhaps a few entertaining books by Jackie Collins, who passed away on September 19, 2015 at the age of 77. She was a very wealthy woman after 47 years of publishing bestselling romance novels, and now Bonhams is set to auction her estate of 1,000 lots for an estimated total of $3 million on May 16 and 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, and there are a few interesting watches included. In fact, I’d say surprising watches.
While passing through New York City recently, I decided to duck into the historic Waldorf Astoria hotel to have a look at its famous lobby before the hotel closes for construction at the end of February 2017. And what I found was a historical clock with electrifying presence.
The Chanel Première line celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, and it does so with more imaginative mechanical style than usual. The new Premíère Camellia Skeleton features the brand’s second in-house movement with camellia-inspired bridges within a Place Vendôme-inspired case.
I could wax poetically about how amazing and interesting the Ulysse Nardin InnoVision 2 is, however I think a detailed breakdown of just what exactly is inside the InnoVision 2, how it is all made, and what it might mean for the future of Ulysse Nardin is better. So let’s get into it!
Many watch auctions appear to be dominated by notable sales of Rolex and Patek Philippe timepieces. And I’ve nothing against those two lovely brands, but the world of big auctions is becoming ever more monotone. Here are some genuinely exotic, decidedly out-of-the-ordinary timepieces currently on offer at Christie’s Important Watches auction, which takes place in Dubai on March 19, 2017.
Most brands celebrate or commemorate a prestigious partnership with an event like the 35th America’s Cup with just one watch, but Panerai presented an incredible number of five watches. Come with me to Bermuda, where Panerai introduces its involvement in the oldest trophied sporting even in the world.
I have attended the odd auction. I have even gone to auctions with the intent to bid on a watch. But that hadn’t yet worked out for me. Not until I 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. I had little hope.
While having a chat over coffee one day with Giles Ellis, CEO, designer, and owner of Schofield Watch Company, we began discussing materials and colors for future straps. I suggested making a strap from an old pair of yellow Converse hightops that I had outgrown . . . and the idea went down well. Here’s how it looks.