Simon Cudd taking a selfie

Introducing Resident Visual Enchanter Simon Cudd

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If you are a regular user of social media in the watch world, then you are likely to have crossed paths with some of Simon Cudd’s work over the last few years. I certainly have, and his artistic images never fail to capture my attention. Simon is a visually creative guy who, by his own admission, usually chooses to express his passion for things horological through images rather than the written word. We welcome him to Quill & Pad as our newest contributor.

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Vacheron Constantin Harmony Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph: Conquering Childhood Fears

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The Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph is part of the new Harmony line that Vacheron Constantin launched at the 2015 SIHH in Geneva in honor of its 260th anniversary. As the crown jewel of the collection, the Grande Complication Chronograph shows some serious style, mad mechanics, and a feature that brings back oh-so-many memories of standing in fear while friends have a blast at the carnival. And that has made this a new favorite for me.

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Scent flask with singing bird by Pierre Jaquet-Droz circa 1785

Jaquet Droz Leads Sotheby’s Swiss Mechanical Marvel Automata Auction (Updated After Sale)

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Auction house Sotheby’s will stage an auction in New York on June 11, 2015 featuring items from a private collection of musical automata within its sale of important watches. The auction pieces, mainly made for export to royalty throughout Europe, Turkey, India, and China, are headed up by a singing bird scent flask made by Pierre Jaquet-Droz in 1785.

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The Richard Mille RM-60-01Regatta Flyback Chronograph

Richard Mille Introduces RM-60-01 Regatta Flyback Chronograph At Voiles De St. Barth

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Richard Mille introduced the RM 60-01 Regatta Flyback Chronograph during an annual event held on the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Barth: the exciting young regatta called Voiles de St. Barth. The 60-01 was conceived and designed for open-sea racing with a unique titanium rotating bezel containing an integral compass and a special crown/pusher locking system.

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Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Spherotourbillon Moon

Precession Obsession: Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon

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While we see Polaris as the North Star for now, our descendents 20 generations down the road from now will not. This is due to an astronomical process called precession. There is something that mimics precession that you can wear on your wrist and pass on to those descendents: the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon, the most recent addition to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s already stacked Duomètre collection.

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Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Michael Kobold on Mount Everest

Michael Kobold Helps Devastated Kathmandu With Fire Truck Expedition. You Can Help Too

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Michael Kobold and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes created the Kathmandu Fire Truck Expedition, which will see a group of adventurers drive several fire engines from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Kathmandu. But before they could set out on this harrowing expedition planned for December 2015, Kathmandu was devastated by an unimaginable earthquake on April 25, 2015. Find out about the Fire Truck Expedition and how you can help Kobold and his admirable team help Kathmandu.

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Kobold Himalaya Everest Edition

The Kathmandu Backstory: Michael Kobold And Sir Ranulph Fiennes On Conquering Everest, Being Loyal, And Literally Exercising Gratitude

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Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Michael Kobold first went to Kathmandu together in 2008, the latter having spontaneously decided to accompany his ambassador on a Mount Everest summit bid. They did not make it to the summit, but Kobold came back in 2009 and 2010 to successfully complete his bids despite life-endangering complications, becoming the first German national to summit Everest twice along the way. What then transpired is innovative and thankful.

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Until next time: McGonigle Tuscar One of Ten in white gold

Behind The Lens: McGonigle Tuscar One Of Ten

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For those of you who are regular readers of my “Behind the Lens” series, it’s no secret that my watch pals and I are big fans of independent watchmaking.

Here at Quill & Pad we’re also fans of the independents, prominently including Irish watchmaking brothers John and Stephen McGonigle.

Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph an example of the Tuscar One in Ten owned by a good friend. Let’s take a look at some of the results.

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Romain Gauthier HMS Ten in white gold

Romain Gauthier Celebrates Ten-Year Anniversary With HMS Ten

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“This is a kind of homage for me,” Romain Gauthier explained as he showed me his superbly finished HMS Ten at Baselworld 2015. Gauthier celebrates a milestone with the appropriately named wristwatch: ten years of his company’s existence as a boutique watch brand. While this watch appears solidly classic in style at first glance, don’t be fooled by that. It contains a number of elements that are bound to make it an interesting evergreen in the years to come: compelling movement design, intriguing dial design, and great crown placement.

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Hublot private concert at Baselworld 2015 with singer Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), guitarist Tommy Thayer (Kiss), bass player Jack Blades (Night Ranger and Damn Yankees), and keyboard player Teddy “Zig Zag” Andreadis, who has toured with Guns N' Roses

Hublot Celebrates 10 Years Of Big Bang With Rock Concert Featuring Members Of Kiss, Skid Row, Night Ranger, And Guns N’ Roses

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In honor of ten years of the Big Bang, Hublot brought five bona fide rock stars to Baselworld 2015 to play a small concert for its clients to celebrate this grand achievement, thereby forming an extraordinary ‘80s supergroup: singer Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), guitarist Tommy Thayer (Kiss), bass player Jack Blades (Night Ranger and Damn Yankees), keyboard player Teddy “Zig Zag” Andreadis, who has toured with Guns N’ Roses, and watch aficionado and drummer from Kiss, Eric Singer.

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