The new Louis Moinet Memoris places emphasis on the chronograph function rather than the time-telling displays. CEO and creative director Jean-Marie Schaller has an interesting viewpoint: not to see the chronograph as a complication here, but rather as the primary function: he says it is a “watch chronograph” rather than a “watch.”
Philippe Delhotal, creative director of La Montre Hermès, looked a bit apprehensive as he pulled out his new line to show me. He hadn’t had much feedback from anyone outside La Montre Hermès yet, and he was probably more than curious to know what others would think. Still, he needn’t have worried. The Slim d’Hermès is . . . well, really so Hermès; the perfect synthesis of the things that Hermès does so well. Which means that it is by no means ordinary and beyond perfect in every detail while remaining eminently wearable.
Timeburner represents the first instance of two AHCI members − Miki Electa and Marc Jenni − publicly working together. Eleta (clockmaker/kinetic artist) came up with the concept and created a functioning prototype, while Jenni (watchmaker) developed and produces the production models. Miki Eleta’s name is on the dial, while the back of the nicely modified Unitas movement is engraved “Powered by Marc Jenni.”
For this edition of Behind the Lens, I’m sharing a series of photographs of one of the great watches of our time, the Philippe Dufour Duality. The Duality, with its linked twin escapements, was originally planned for production in a series of 25 watches. In a turn of events that seems almost unbelievable today, a lack of initial demand eventually led Dufour to limit production to just nine pieces, one of which is owned by a good friend of mine.
Science fiction asks that you remember those that tell you “it can’t be done” are right . . . if you believe them. Never believe them. The watch I want to focus on today is from a brand that always brings its A-game. This brand is a science-fictionalist. This brand is De Bethune. And the watch we’re talking about here is the DB28 GS.
Sunday, the 15th of March, was the last day of the 85th Geneva International Car Show. You might call the last day of the show the “butt end.” I would never use such a term myself, but you might − so what butter, uh, better way to celebrate than a lineup of superbutts; eight perfectly polished posteriors for your personal perusal.
To many car buffs, the Geneva International Motor Show is renowned for being the first big car exhibition of the year.
To many watch buffs, fast cars and haute horlogerie are renowned for being two peas in a pod.
The 85th edition of the Geneva International Motor Show once again provided an interesting view of 2015’s new luxury automobiles.
It seems that the turbo-charged V8 and V10 supercars are getting much of the attention today.
One of the last of the so-called Radium Girls passed away at the age of 107 in late 2014. These were women working in factories tasked with painting the numerals and other markings on watch dials with a luminous paint comprising glue, water, and radium powder. Little did they know the consequences this job would have.
Jaquet Droz’s dials are some of the most beautiful in the world of watches due to their timeless simplicity. To me, it makes perfect sense to translate this beautiful, minimistically inclined design to other lifestyle objects, in this case a high-quality writing instrument and matching cufflinks. As I don’t wear French cuff shirts, I opted to give the pen a try for a few weeks and test out Jaquet Droz’s first foray into this area.
The collector community has christened vintage Rolex models with a great many nicknames. One of these is the “rail” dial. While the exact origins of the word “rail” are not clear, this name is used for Rolex dials on which the letter C within the two lines stating “superlative chronometer” and “officially certified” line up as straight as train tracks. Have a look at an Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller, a watch water-resistant to a depth of 610 meters (2,000 feet), with a “rare” rail dial.