Naissance d’Une Montre, Le Garde Temps at SIHH 2016

A Hero’s Journey Begins And Ends: Naissance d’Une Montre, Le Garde Temps

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After arduous and exhausting trials of skill and wit over many years of one’s life, sometimes the best path is the one with new challenges and goals. This is especially true if you are a watchmaker tasked with learning and disseminating all of the extremely difficult skills of traditional watchmaking. This is the true story of Michel Boulanger and the conclusion of his first epic adventure and the beginning of the next one. This is the end of the story of Naissance d’une Montre, Le Garde Temps. Or is it?

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Tsuba, a unique piece by Kees Engelbarts

Kees Engelbarts’ Unique Platinum Tsuba Features Rare Crafts And Imaginative Interpretations Of Japanese Art Forms

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A tsuba is the hand guard of a traditional Japanese sword. “These eventually became elaborate pieces of art – far beyond their practical use,” says engraver Kees Engelbarts, whose fascination with Japanese handcrafts led him to use the Japanese metal alloying technique called mokume gane as the first one in watchmaking. It has now also led him to dedicate a watch to the tsuba theme, inspired in particular by a piece by Japanese swordsmith Hamano Masanobu.

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Benzinger By Zanella

Benzinger By Zanella: Mechanical Art With Heart

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While you hear very often that watches are “mechanical art,” in this case the overused description makes sense: here mechanical art (Benzinger’s unique movement embellishment) meets conventional art in the form of the dial embellished with an oil-on-canvas painting by French painter Léon Zanella.

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Panerai Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanium

Prediction Comes True: Panerai Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanium With DMLS 3D-Printed Titanium Case

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Imagine my surprise when, in one of my rare predictions about the future of 3D printing in watchmaking, I got one right: the Panerai Lo Scienziato Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Titanium says it all. It is (as far as I know) the first production watch to utilize 3D direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) printing for the case construction. The case is made of titanium for extra lightness, but that’s not the only, or even the main, reason for using DMLS titanium.

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H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar in platinum on the wrist of U2 bassist Adam Clayton

Heartbeat: U2’s Adam Clayton Visits SIHH 2016 Wearing H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar

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Just as we were exiting the H. Moser & Cie stand at SIHH 2016, who should walk up but Adam Clayton, bassist for Irish band U2. What struck me first was the stylish look of his outfit. This extended to his wrist: Clayton was wearing the H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar in platinum with a grey/black dial the brand calls “ardoise.” Why is this watch so rock and roll?

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Photo Caption Competition No. 9 Featuring A Grönefeld One Hertz, Snow, And Dogs

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This week’s caption competition is a hard one as it has quite a disparate mix of subjects including a Grönefeld One Hertz, lots of snow (it was shot in the Arctic Circle), and a few dogs for good measure. What appropriate, funny, or sarcastic comment can you think up as a caption or for the optional speech bubble?

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Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph

2016 Vacheron Constantin Overseas Reflects Travel, Companionship, And Extremely Easy Strap Interchangeability

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On discovering the reinvigorated Vacheron Constantin Overseas collection at SIHH 2016, one thing I could not stop marveling over is how intelligent it is. Yes, I describe this new line as intelligent. The refresh, which includes five new models (for a total of 12 references) and an incredible new strap-changing system couldn’t have turned out better. Let’s examine why.

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The 2016 McLaren Honda Formula 1 car

Richard Mille Sponsors Two Formula 1 Teams In 2016: McLaren And The New American Team Haas Ferrari

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Just two days shy of the unveiling of the McLaren team’s 2016 Formula 1 car that drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso will be driving, McLaren CEO Ron Dennis and his team were shielding any possible view of the automobile from the curious eyes of the small group of watch journalists invited for the introduction of new corporate sponsor Richard Mille. Luckily for us, however, Button’s wrist was not off-limits, and neither were Richard’s comments.

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First view of the new watch by Dominique Renaud

Dominique Renaud: A Horological Grand Master Then And Now

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Dominique Renaud began working at Audemars Piguet in 1980. He received his watchmaker education in Besançon, though his family originally hailed from the Vallée de Joux. Renaud and Guilo Papi, both employed by Audemars Piguet at the time, struck out on their own, founding Renaud & Papi SA in 1986 to explore avenues of high complication. So why do I bring this up now?

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Parmigiani Senfine concept watch

The Parmigiani Senfine Concept Features Grasshoppers And Silicon

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Parmigiani Fleurier, Vaucher Manufacture, and the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) have released a cased concept watch called the Senfine. The idea for this escapement concept came as a way to reduce friction and drastically extend the power reserve of the average watch. At this time, the Senfine boasts 70 hours of power reserve thanks to a modified “grasshopper.”

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