Ladies watches pre-selected for the 2015 GPHG. Clockwise from top left: Hermès Arceau Petite Lune with diamonds, DeLaneau Rondo 42 Peony, Hublot Big Bang Broderie, Audemars Piguet Millenary, Ulysse Nardin Jade, and Piaget Limelight Gala

Happy Wife, Happy Life: What Women Want. In A Watch, That Is (Reprise)

Chris Malburg set out to buy his wife a watch. After many happy years of marriage to a lovely woman it was time. He knows enough about her and her tastes to take the leap. Or does he? If you’re a female reader you probably already know this ends badly. If you’re a guy, keep reading. Showing up is 80 percent, and you just showed up.

Logical One by Romain Gauthier in white gold

Big Brand Investments In Independents: Sellout Or Salvation?

GaryG has already written about the struggles that independent watchmakers face simply to survive. Expressing oneself through horological art may well be a noble calling, but it’s definitely one of the tougher ways to make a living. Chanel’s very recent investment in F.P. Journe caused Gary to think about the pros and cons of outside investment into indies and he shares his thoughts here.

Colorful watch straps at Jean Rousseau, London

Watch Straps: Jean Rousseau And The Current State Of The Strap Industry

We tend to forget that the production of straps is an industry in and of itself, which functions both reactively and proactively. Manufacture Jean Rousseau not only offers prêt-a-porter watch straps, but also crafts custom-made products. Learn more about it here!

De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius Chronomètre Tourbillon

Quill & Pad’s Predictions For The Aiguille d’Or Of The 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, And We Have 4 Winners

The GPHG defines the Aiguille d’Or category as, “a prize rewarding the best overall watch among all categories and is the most prestigious award.” Judging that is no easy task, and our panel has predicted four possible winners: the De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius Chronomètre Tourbillon, Ulysse Nardin Freak Vision, Habring2 Doppel-Felix, and Akrivia Chronomètre Contemporain. Read on to see why.

Omega co-axial-escapement

Customer Service: Hotly Debated And Introduced At A Snail’s Pace, The Five-Year Warranty Becomes The New Standard

Good customer service has been a hotly debated topic in the watch industry for decades. The increase in both service intervals and warranty periods is certainly a welcome one, but it does beg the question what changed? In the years leading up to 2015, what dramatic horological advancements were discovered to make longer service intervals possible? Watchmaker Ashton Tracy investigates.

A brace of Patel Philippe Reference 5196 Calatravas

Death Of The Dress Watch: Is It Time To Write Its Obituary? – Reprise

As the resident gentleman of Quill & Pad, Martin Green feels that the time is soon approaching to write an obituary announcing the death of the dress watch. He thinks that its passing is coming and it’s not an isolated event, but it still hurts.

Bathys Hawaii Cesium-133

Measuring The Time Between The Seconds: The Truth Behind High-Frequency Movements (Reprise)

Marketing material for the modern mechanical watch almost always includes a description of the the movement’s frequency. You may have even sensed that the higher the frequency, the more accurate a movement gets. But is this entirely true? Ryan Schmidt shares what he has learnt here.

A certain sameness: brand promotion journalism lives!

Whither Watch Websites? The Future Of Online Watch Journalism (You Read It Here First)

Several months ago, Ian Skellern published a provocative article taking issue with the current state of online watch journalism. Specifically, he criticized what in his view is the low quality and repetitive nature of what we see online. But are things really uniform and uniformly bad or are there distinct types of online sources and content? GaryG wonders how we think about the different business models and value propositions of watch sites, and what it tells us about how the future may unfold.

Longines Heritage Aviation over Day and the Dawnstar by Herbert James Draper (image courtesy @thehealer74)

What Makes Up The Soul Of A Watch: A Contemplation. You Will Not Want To Miss The Imagery! (Reprise)

Why watches? Ask what makes a watch enthusiast tick and the idea of the “soul” of a watch might well feature in the response – the idea that something elevates the watch from a cold object of engineering to something of greater import. Here Ryan tracks “soul” down and gets contemplative on its nature along with some very special imagery.

Philippe Dufour Simplicity

The Independent Watchmakers’ Struggle: Why It’s So Hard And What They Can Do To Better Survive (Archive)

GaryG loves independent watchmaking and independent watchmakers; one of his great joys as a collector is having the feeling that, in a small way, he is supporting their efforts. So he put some thought into why independent watchmakers struggle in a business sense and how they can remain relevant in changing market situations.