Welcome to the second installment of “Behind the Lens.” This time, our subject is the Patek Philippe Advanced Research Ref. 5550P, a truly lovely perpetual calendar with some interesting technical twists.
The Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach in California sees the world’s finest classic (and modern) cars assemble each August for a week of sheer automotive heaven. One of the most anticipated releases of 2014 was re-edition of the Jaguar Lightweight E-Type, the very first re-creation project that Jaguar has ever engaged in.
Before I realized that I loved watches I was sure that I loved mechanical things, and stood in awe of the many mechanisms and contraptions that I saw over my young life. I eventually became aware of watches and the amazing marvels that they held within. To me, the Corum Golden Bridge stood out as an example of perfect horological exhibitionism.
Many watches hold a special significance for their owners. The watch I am chronicling here didn’t just change someone’s life, it changed MY life: the Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon by Daniel Roth.
In 1995, Piaget was part of the Vendôme group that would later become Richemont. Piaget entered the highest end of the watch market by releasing a grande sonnerie wristwatch, which was developed by François-Paul Journe. At the time, Journe was a freelance movement designer and hadn’t officially founded F.P. Journe yet.
The movement beating within the Lady F by Laurent Ferrier is the brand’s emblematic Galet Micro-Rotor movement. Despite all the highly visible outer beauty of this timepiece, horological enthusiasts will likely be fixated on one particular point of interest: the escapement inspired by Breguet’s échappement naturel.
The Masterpiece Mystery is one of my favorite pieces to come from Maurice Lacroix in a while, and it highlights said mystery very clearly with a giant subdial featuring a “floating” second hand. When I first saw this, I, like some others, had the initial impression that something was wrong with the hand. Until I saw it moving. At that moment, I knew I wanted to know how they did it, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a model to take a closer look.
After the markets closed on July 30, 2014, luxury group Kering (previously known as PPR and the Gucci Group) sent out the announcement that it had acquired 100 percent of Ulysse Nardin as part of its quarterly report.
In the “Objects of Desire” series, I’ll be looking at pieces that fall into the latter two categories – a mix of unobtanium and timenotrightium, as my Quill & Pad colleague Joshua Munchow might say. And, where better to start on the topic of desire than with the watches of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey?
Ninety years is a ripe old age to reach for anyone, and few actually reach it. But it doesn’t surprise me that Walter Lange has reached this age so gracefully. He was, after all, 66 – retirement age for most people – in 1990 when he embarked upon the new business venture with Günter Blümlein to refound his family’s birthright.