The short documentary film ‘Time Piece’ features two of the world’s best living watchmakers, Philippe Dufour and Vianney Halter, and provides excellent insight into what makes the watches by these masters so special.
Vianney Halter’s Deep Space Tourbillon marked the triumphant comeback of one of the single most influential and innovative horological artists of his generation. Elizabeth Doerr looks back on the genesis of Halter’s futuristic triple-axis tourbillon and the watches that preceded it, including the mythical Harry Winston Opus 3, and speculates a bit on his future.
GaryG bought a Vianney Halter Deep Space Tourbillon and hopes that you will find his commentary on a collector’s mindset and the motivations, delights, and possible misgivings interesting and helpful. And of course there are the amazing photographs that only GaryG takes.
One of the inconveniences associated with the current restrictions on gatherings is that GaryG’s local watch gang hasn’t met in person so he hasn’t been able to borrow interesting watches to shoot. However, just prior to the lockdown in California, he did pick up an intriguing piece from a pal: the Anniversary by Vianney Halter. Check it out in every great photographic variation here.
It’s no secret that GaryG is a big fan of Vianney Halter and his work. He strongly believes that one of the defining moments of his development as a watch collector was taking the plunge and buying one of Halter’s landmark Antiquas in pink gold. But how do two of these rare watches look side by side under the unforgiving lens of GaryG’s camera? Find out here!
A friend of GaryG’s recently purchased a real object of desire: a unique piece Classic from Vianney Halter that includes a date indication. When asked about his motivation in adding this to his collection, his friend told him, “I’m interested in what history will determine to be the ‘greatest’ watchmakers of our time.”
Since the Swatch Group took over Harry Winston, a continuation of the Opus series has been somewhat in doubt. But in 2015 the Opus 14 finally arrived. And now it has been quietly said that an Opus 15 is on the way. Which makes this a great time to look back on the groundbreaking series.
In 2006 GaryG spotted two objects of desire at a California dealer: Vianney Halter’s dramatic Antiqua and Contemporaine timepieces. They were out of his reach, but in 2007 he found a Contemporaine in white gold offered at a price that was about one-third its original retail value on eBay. What could possibly go wrong?
The short documentary film ‘Time Piece’ features two of the world’s best living watchmakers, Philippe Dufour and Vianney Halter, and provides insight into what makes the watches by these masters so special.
When GaryG first considered an article on this topic some time ago, the title was going to be “How High is Up?” in reference to what, at the time, was the ongoing escalation in the prices of both new and used watches and the flood of higher-end, highly complicated timepieces from makers both large and small. Times have changed, and so has the market. Here is GaryG’s advice.