Parting shot: G.N. Papi No.1 pocket watch

Exclusive: The Giulio Papi No. 1 Pocket Watch

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Sometimes persistence pays off. After a few well-placed questions, the shopkeeper brought out a relatively innocent looking skeletonized pocket watch. With a wry smile, he suggested that the buyer take a look at the tiny lug, leaving my friend flabbergasted. “G.N. Papi No.1” is a clear reference to Giulio Papi. The legendary watch industry figure who leads Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi and now my friend has stumbled across what could be his very first timepiece from 1984.

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Guy Martin in the Isle of Man TT race

Here’s Why A Watch Is More Like A Motorcycle Than A Car

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This is the first installment in a new series of articles focusing on a single concept. I’m calling it “Here’s Why.” Here I explain here’s why a watch is more like a motorcycle (and an iPod) than a car. To help me find the answers, I spoke to a few serious motorbike riders who also love mechanical watches, such as Bremont ambassador Charley Boorman and motorcycle enthusiast and watch journalist Keith Strandberg. The answers will surprise you.

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Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Regatta Flyback Chrono Titanio (Reference PAM 526), released in 2013, is a real head-turner

Dramatic Scenery On And Off The Wrist: Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge At British Classic Week

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I have been an admirer of Panerai since the late 1990s, so getting a chance to go out to the Isle of Wight for the British Classic Week in Cowes, where Panerai is the time partner for the Classic Yachts Challenge, was a fantastic experience. I had the chance to see and photograph a number of recent Panerai releases in their natural habitat over the race weekend.

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The Time Bandit concept for the Opus 5 had a slot machine type indications. The time would display after pulling the handle and the rollers stopped spinning around

The Urwerk Opus 5 For Harry Winston That Almost Was

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The Opus 5 by Felix Baumgartner/Urwerk for Harry Winston is one of the best of this series of exceptional timepieces. But, as this drawing by Urwerk designer Martin Frei from June of 2003 shows, one of the original ideas behind Urwerk’s Opus 5 was a digital display in a model christened with the working title “Time Bandit.”

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An Omega Seamaster from Baselworld 2015: the newest James Bond-inspired Aqua Terra 150M version

Element Of Surprise: Omega’s Constellation And Seamaster Were Designed By René Bannwart, Founder Of Corum

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When writing ‘Bridging Art and Mechanics: The Unabridged Story of the Corum Golden Bridge,’ I discovered much more about Corum’s artistic co-founder, René Bannwart, including the fact that he was the creator of Omega’s flagship Constellation and Seamaster lines.

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Titanium cased Romain Gauthier Logical One Black

Back In Black: Romain Gauthier’s Logical One Black

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Romain Gauthier’s Logical One is a masterpiece of complicated mechanics, boasting − as with all of the models in his collection − a level of finishing rivaled only by the likes of Philippe Dufour, Greubel Forsey, and Kari Voutlainen. That’s high praise, indeed. With its four patents, Logical One delivers what it promises: a re-imagined complication laid out very logically. And the most recent edition of the timepiece taking home the 2013 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève prize for best men’s complication is a surprising all-black version.

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H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Funky Blue

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar On The Wrist

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Having the chance to wear the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar for several weeks reminded me a great deal of the evening the brand launched in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. So in addition to reporting here on the watch itself, I’m going to also provide a few details of recent history regarding this lovely, classic perpetual calendar.

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Close up of the dial of the Greubel Forsey Quantième Perpétuel à Équation. At 6 o'clock you can see the small indication for the leap year (B for bisextile, which is French for leap year). To the left of that is a 24-hour display, with areas in red (around midnight) indicating that it isn't possible to set the calendar

Mechanical Computers From Then To Now: Greubel Forsey Quantième Perpétuel à Équation

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Calculating large numbers is a pain if all you have handy is your brain and a pencil. This is why people have created systems and objects to make the process easier. The Greubel Forsey Quantième Perpétuel à Équation has a mechanical computer that calculates the dates for the perpetual calendar and equation of time. This is a complete departure from the traditional perpetual calendar mechanism.

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This surely must be the world's wildest tourbillon. Alain Silberstein we salute you!

My First Auction Purchase: Alain Silberstein Pendant Watch

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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.

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The distinct Tudor Blue Pelagos

Legendary Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes And The Tudor North Flag With In-House Movement

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Burrells in Tunbridge Wells, Kent (UK) recently showcased the new Tudor releases from Baselworld 2015. However, a particularly pleasurable element of the event was the invited speaker: none other than Sir Ranulph Fiennes, a man the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ has called “the greatest living explorer.” Fiennes spoke articulately, humorously, and humbly for an hour, both wowing and at times shocking the one hundred plus invited guests gathered at Burrells, to hear him tell, almost playfully, his stories about life at the extreme limits.

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