Posts Tagged ‘Haute Horology’
5240 IWC Portuguese Minute Repeater
Discretion is something of a lost art to much of modern watchmaking. In many ways, a relatively thin, time-only minute repeater could be said to be the antithesis of an orange RM or rainbow Daytona. There’s nothing wrong with outward flamboyance, but it’s a breath of fresh air to see something so understated yet so…
Read MorePiece Unique Roger W. Smith Series I
With every day that passes, the horological marketplace which consumes my attention becomes a more diverse and interesting place. It would be callous of me not to discuss this development. A Collected Man, the long established leader in independent retail, recently changed the game by announcing ‘exceptional’ auctions. These single lot auctions will exist to…
Read More3417 Patek Philippe Amagnetic
I would be willing to bet a great bottle of Glenrothes that, if you asked industry luminaries for their top five most beautiful Patek Philippe references of all time, the 3417 Amagnetic would feature in the majority. This is an elegant Calatrava belying the soul of a steel tool watch. It’s like seeing Tom Ford,…
Read More1 of 10 Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor in Black Titanium
Romain Gauthier make some of the most intimidating watches of any modern independent. This is due to their immense finishing, masculine proportion, precise manufacturing, and, perhaps most of all, industrial aesthetic. There’s also the fact that RG produce just a few dozen watches per year, far fewer than almost everyone else. Seeing one in the…
Read MorePhilippe Dufour Simplicity
What ink remains to be spilled on behalf of the Simplicity? This is it, as good as watchmaking gets, independent or otherwise. Where Patek Philippe are undisputed masters of their craft, that is an effort of some 1600 people to elevate watchmaking to an art. The Simplicity is one man’s effort to distill heaven into…
Read MoreCartier CPCP Tank Louis in Platinum
Where exquisite design meets considered watchmaking, great things happen. This is perhaps no more evident than Cartier’s 1998 Paris Collection Privee (CPCP) era. The collection aimed to resurrect greats from their past like the Cintrée, Santos, Tortue, and Tank à Vis with masterful mechanical movements. It is often forgotten that their most enduring design of time, the Louis Cartier…
Read More43050 Vacheron Constantin Mercator
It’s not often that Vacheron throw caution to the wind and adopt a unique time display. It’s a bit like peering into your grandfather’s record collection and seeing David Guetta or something . . .you sort of forget that they’re capable of developing new tastes. In 1994, Vacheron went raving (does this analogy even make…
Read More5495 Blancpain Villeret Perpetual in Platinum
Of all complications, the perpetual calendar might just be the watchmaker’s darling. By that, I mean the essence of what a certain brand or effort represents is often very well captured by their perpetual calendar offering. The complication requires immense skill not just mechanically, but in how to arrange such a wealth of information. I’m…
Read MoreFP Journe Chronomètre Bleu Byblos
This is a rare and eccentric showing of playfulness from Mr Journe, not likely to be repeated. Like much of Journe’s work, there is a story behind the visually striking watchmaking on display. This partially openworked dial is not executed in a remotely traditional way. In addition, it is one of just a few watches…
Read MoreFP Journe T30 Tourbillon Historique
Albert Camus once wrote that ‘a true masterpiece does not tell everything.’ There is beauty in artistry, but perhaps even more in mystery. Journe’s T30 has a magic about it, not because of what is revealed at first glance, beautiful though it is, but because of its unimaginable depth in engineering, finishing, and story it…
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