The Bulgari Carillon Tourbillon has three gongs playing a three-note tune. While the dial-side gongs and the tourbillon are the headliners to this show, the real superstar is the repeater movement that you see when you flip over the watch and get a view from the back. With some careful observation one could even understand the entire system simply using one’s own two eyes. Have a look!
On May 1, 2015, Hartmut Kraft took over as the brand-new president and CEO of Kering North America, a position that includes leading three very well established brands, Ulysse Nardin, JeanRichard, and Girard-Perregaux in the North American markets. With his unbroken enthusiasm for watches, he is not “just” another executive in the watch industry, but rather a true watch enthusiast with genuine respectful admiration for horology. Read on to hear what he has discovered in his first days at Kering.
The very solid and spacious tent on the grounds of the La Reserve hotel in Geneva on May 10, 2015 turned out to be a very special time and place as the world’s most prestigious watches went under the hammer for the inaugural Phillips Watches auction in association with Bacs & Russo. Let’s have a look at how a few of the most interesteing pieces did at this premier event, which was presided over by auction guru Aurel Bacs.
Standing before my eyes was the most perfect of God’s creatures, a wonderful mix of Audrey Hepburn and Penelope Cruz. I think my heart skipped a beat, and I heard the chimes of every single minute repeater Patek Philippe had ever created – all chiming at exactly the same time! Six months later the gentle creature and I were married. This extraordinary story reflects the marvelous world of vintage watches: finding the rare bird, linking it to a story, and never letting it go.
It was a sunny but cool autumn day in 1775, yet young Madeleine was sweating profusely and cussing quite colorfully at young Eugene – her husband. “Bloody zut . . . I can’t take this any longer! When is it finally coming out?” she hissed through gritted teeth. Young Madeleine was giving birth, a most unpleasant affair at the beginning. Once the child was born, he became the star in her sky. Later, she gazed at him tenderly as his dashing good looks brought tears to her eyes . . . like that of all the women blessed enough to cross his path. Meet Quill & Pad’s new contributor, a humble man.
Geneva was abuzz with activity just days before the first round of 2015 auctions took place in May. Once in a great while, interesting timepieces pop up at auction that would probably receive a lot more attention if the auction world wasn’t currently quite so fixated on Patek Philippe and Rolex. One such beauty is this historic minute repeater wristwatch by Audemars Piguet.
With the advent of the R60 Diablo mechanical belt buckle, Roland Iten now assures the world that you no longer have to be a princess to wear an incredible jewel in an everyday setting. Or even a prince. The highlight of the red gold and titanium chassis of the R60 Diablo mechanical belt buckle is a fairly well camouflaged fancy cognac diamond weighing in at 60.66 carats.
Sometimes watchmakers come up with something that appears to come straight out of a medical textbook. Like a mainspring that’s not a mainspring, even though it’s a mainspring. And this is the kind of incredible thing present inside the Breguet 7077 La Tradition Independent Chronograph, which, as its name implies, has a chronograph gear train independent of the main going train even powered by its own spring. And they are designed to do two very different things.
If you know Peter Speake-Marin, then you know why he is so popular with collectors: as a creator, he goes the extra mile to conceive something absolutely stunning and unique. He has also made one of the most breathtaking timepieces I had the pleasure to see at Baselworld 2015: the spectacular Kennin-ji Temple Masters Project, which was realized with the help of two engravers and a leather maker.
Phillips’ inaugural watch auctions were held on May 9 and May 10, 2015. A relative newcomer to the world of highly collectible timepieces, its partnership with the highly experienced Bacs & Russo team has led to an amazing array of watches on offer. However, I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I was asked to preview a selection of the stunning timepieces featuring in The Geneva Watch Auction: One. What I found took my breath away.