During a recent trip to Paris, I stopped by Hermès’ Faubourg Saint-Honoré boutique to look at the Crafting Time exhibition. A highlight was the intriguing Hermès Arceau Pocket Ailes et Ecailles, whose dial is uniquely embellished with scarab beetle elytra fragments in a beautiful shimmering mosaic.
The first of the Ulysse Nardin Marine line arrived in 1996 in tribute to the 150th anniversary of the brand founded in 1846, and it was very simply christened with the words “Marine Chronometer 1846.” It marked the beginning of what has become one of the brand’s most recognized collections.
I’ve been trying, but have not managed, to come up with a more diplomatic way of saying this, so I’ll just come out with it: up to now, I have not generally been a fan of Bovet 1822. So I was surprised by just how much I was impressed with the Ottantasei by Pininfarina and would be very happy to wear one daily. But there is one niggle that I just can’t shake off.
When Piaget introduced the manual wind Caliber 9P at the 1957 Basel Fair, at only 2 mm in height, it was considered an impossibility. Three years later, in 1960, Piaget stunned the watch world once again with Caliber 12P, an automatic movement that broke world records for its svelteness.
The incredible UR-105 T-Rex is an extinct-reptile-inspired bronze creation using forced oxidation to create a dramatic patina on the surface, while the insides and the rear of the case remains crisp, black, and new as one would expect from Urwerk. My initial response was ‘whoa,’ but among observers there was no middle ground: the Urwerk UR-105 T-Rex is polarizing.
Date: late February 2010. Place: a small San Francisco restaurant. Players: an informal group of Northern California watch collectors, all owners of at least one Kari Voutilainen watch. One of the members of the group nonchalantly mentioned, “I’ve been talking with Kari about something . . ..” It was a set of bespoke Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece Chronograph II models. Time: two seconds later. Response: “I’m in!”
Michel Parmigiani does not dwell in the past. Instead, he has utilized his considerable expertise to create a brand that is more focused on the future of watchmaking. The partnership between Bugatti and Parmigiani has led to some extraordinary timepieces, which not only embody the essence of Parmigiani but that of Bugatti as well.
Seriously, let’s face it, criminals are flippin’ stupid! Here are 6 reasons why stealing watches is a really bad idea (aside from the obvious) and those who try probably won’t get away with it anyway.
Carl F. Bucherer proved once again at Baselworld 2016 that the brand certainly knows how to pack a punch. One of those punches was delivered by the Manero Peripheral, which looks like the manifestation of a classic dress watch . . . until you turn it over and realize you don’t immediately see a rotor winding the automatic movement.
Too little is usually written about the few great watchmakers located in the United States. And, admittedly, they are few and far between. Here is a glimpse into the work of Roland Murphy of RGM by way of my own watch, the RGM Reference 151BE, shot against the backdrops of the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park.