The dead beat seconds complication in a modern wristwatch was developed to allow the second hand to move in the same way as that of a traditional high-precision clock. And the dead beat seconds complication is the main focus of Jaquet Droz’s new automatic Caliber 2695SMR.
Now, it seems fairly evident that we are on the down slope of either a cyclical correction in prices or, if one takes a less optimistic view, a permanent loss of watch value as the mechanical timepiece industry faces a variety of challenges and potential disruptions. So what’s a collector to do? And what lessons can we draw, both from recent watch auction results and the history of other luxury categories, to guide us?
“Työ puhuu puolestaan.” This Finnish proverb means, “A man is valued by his work, not his words.” And it most definitely characterizes the introverted, Finnish master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen to the proverbial tee. ‘Kari Voutilainen Horlogerie d’Art’ is an epic book written by Theodore Diehl that would make a perfect gift for the horophile in your life!
One of the most incredible timepieces François-Paul Journe has ever created is the Sonnerie Souveraine. This chiming masterpiece took six years to develop and warranted ten patents. Joshua Munchow revisits the reasons why this masterpiece and its maker are legends in their own time, while Ian Skellern provides original photography and video of the stainless steel-encased grand sonnerie.
U.K. retailer The Watch Gallery has released an interesting one-minute video that very nicely shows a watchmaker dismantling a Rolex 3135 movement. The video reminded me of what a great movement Caliber 3135 is. Its less fancy movement finish and less exclusive image is counterbalanced by the fact that the movement is never likely to be fickle or give any trouble. What else is special about it? Read on to find out.
The year 2015 represents the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, founder of the illustrious watch manufacture A. Lange & Söhne in Glashütte. To celebrate, A. Lange & Söhne book-ended the year with special watches, including the 1815 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, which has been exquisitely and painstakingly engraved using the ‘tremblage’ method.
The La Montre Hermès’ factory has something that no other watch brand can boast: its own in-house strap production. The leather strap workshop was added to the purpose-built factory resembling the headquarters in Paris in October 2009. And though it is located in a “factory,” the strap-making process can hardly be called industrial; I would describe this craft needing a great deal of artistic grace as artisanal.
A straight-talking watchmaker and engineer, since 1998 Andreas Strehler has been creating mesmerizing timepieces for his eponymous brand as well as complications and movements for a number of other brands. The cool Papillon, which gets its French name for butterfly from the shape of the very unusual bridge located on the dial side of the movement, is my favorite Strehler timepiece.
I loved Nomos Glashütte for what it stood for: creating manufacture movements and selling watches with little pretense and a whole lot of charm. But Nomos Glashütte didn’t have that standout piece that made me say, “Yup, that’s the one I would definitely buy.” Then the Zürich Weltzeit arrived.
During the launch of the bombastic Reference 57260 on September 17, 2015, Vacheron Constantin launched a second rhapsodic item: the truly encyclopedic oeuvre ‘Artists Of Time.’ This beautifully photographed 456-page tome takes an extensive look at both the inner workings of Vacheron Constantin’s craftsmanship and its grandiose history, telling the whole story of the only Swiss watchmaker to have been in continuous operation for 260 years.