Chinese New Year of the Pig is upon us, and a few brands have created special edition timepieces to celebrate. Here are eight artistic porcine-themed watches by Jaquet Droz, Vacheron Constantin, Chopard, and Blancpain.
The perpetual calendar is a great example of a complication that is outdated by at least a couple of decades. Yet perpetuals still know how to capture the attention of watch collectors and connoisseurs with a very complex movement, even if some components only jump into action once a year. The perpetual calendar is often the perfect way for a watch manufactures to show off craftsmanship and ability – but the way that brands do this varies. Here are three very different examples we found at the 2019 SIHH.
The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat adapts to the needs of its wearer by maintaining two frequencies that the wearer can choose between, resulting in a spectacular 65-day power reserve for this perpetual calendar watch thanks to a reconfigured balance spring beating at 1.2 Hz as desired.
Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art line includes highly artistic watches featuring a creative movement and artistic expression thanks to a novel display. The manufacture’s Caliber 2460 G4 forms the basis of various Métiers d’Art collection pieces, including the sensational Les Aérostiers collection.
Vacheron Constantin has just revealed a collection of unique Les Cabinotiers timepieces called Mécaniques Sauvages under a homogenous theme of wild animals that adorn their dials and/or cases.
Standing before his eyes was the most perfect of God’s creatures, a wonderful mix of Audrey Hepburn and Penelope Cruz. What Makes Me Tick thought his heart had skipped a beat, and he 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 he 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.
Vacheron Constantin’s history has been filled with extraordinary, complicated, and elegant timepieces. Here are the five most complicated pocket watches the Geneva maison has produced throughout its 260-year history, beginning with the record-holding Reference 57260.
Vacheron Constantin surprised the watch world at SIHH 2018 by introducing new FiftySix line designed to appeal to a younger clientele. Elizabeth Doerr thinks this giant of the luxury watch industry just might be on to something.
There was much to enjoy at Dubai Watch Week 2017’s day 2, but the best part wasn’t written on the formal schedule: it was the many moments throughout the day when little knots of people gathered here and there to chat about watches – and not just any people, but the who’s who of watchmaking from all over the world with “ordinary” watch fans welcomed to join in. For that alone, Dubai Watch Week is unlike any other horological event in the world.
In this final round table discussion of the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the Quill & Pad team discusses the amazing evening of November 8, 2017 and what we thought of the big night’s winners (and losers).