Posts Tagged ‘Independent Watchmaking’
Meteorite Dial Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller
Meteorites are perpetually traveling, searching around through spacetime before eventually striking a larger body like Earth. Now, there are surprisingly few elegant-refined leaning GMT offerings. There are endless GMT/travel watches which scream, ‘I’m a professional doing serious things, manly tool watch things.’ But really only a handful that offer old-style Pan-Am easy smile and sophistication…
Read MoreDB8 De Bethune Monopusher Chronograph, Pink Gold
In 1989, when independent watchmaker was more a slur rather than ambitious height, there was a company called THA. THA (short for Applied Watchmaking Techniques in French) was founded by a young FP Journe, Vianney Halter, and Denis Flageollet of De Bethune, eventually including Nicolas Court of Janvier SA. The trio were an ambitious set,…
Read MoreHaldimann H1 Flying Central Tourbillon
There’s no CNC machine at Haldimann, an independent whose philosophy is about as far from Rolex as watchmaking gets. The most modern machine they have is an optical microscope from the ’60s. I suspect if you showed an iPhone to Beat Haldimann he’d shout witchcraft and report you to the church immediately. Haldimann’s workshop and…
Read MoreKikuchi Nakagawa Murakumo
Japanese independent watchmaking has blossomed in the last 5 years like few areas of watchmaking. From Norifumi Seki’s independent display watch to Asaoka’s gorgeous Tourbillon Noir, there’s a wealth of personality being expressed in metal. One, though, has recently enjoyed the brightest spotlight of all thanks to Ed Sheeran and John Mayer saying this is,…
Read MoreCharles Frodsham Double Impulse Chronometer
It’s not often discussed in these terms, but in the very early days of watchmaking, before even pocket watches were commonplace, the Swiss looked toward the English as the more established regional watchmaking industry. It was only after John Calvin banned things like dancing and the wearing of jewelry that the Swiss turned their focus…
Read MoreVoutilainen Vingt-8, Titanium
This is one of the most unusual Voutilainens I’ve ever seen surface and it’s not like there are many I get to talk about to begin with. The Vingt-8 is Kari’s aesthetic sense, distilled. What the Chronomètre Bleu is to FP, the Vingt-8 is to Kari. Only this Vingt-8 is in titanium with a space…
Read MoreH37 Roger Dubuis Hommage Perpetual Calendar
Early Roger Dubuis is often compared to Patek Philippe, which is a telling thing in itself. But RD’s detractors will often ask, ‘Why not just buy the original?’ It’s a sentiment I entirely sympathize with, the imitation of anything is rarely on par with its inspiration (particularly off-brand Doritos). But some early RD is distinct…
Read MoreFP Journe Chronomètre à Résonance RT
The RT series Resonance (RT stands for Resonance Trois) is the most bizarrely distinct in all his five series so far. For no logic I can understand, Journe decided to make the left hand time zone a disc display, while the right remained unaltered. It was the tenth anniversary of the Chronomètre à Résonance, and…
Read MoreSteel FP Journe Chronomètre à Résonance RN
Steel and Journe are almost antonyms, in FP precious metal is the standard. That is, except for one short blip around 2015 (forgetting minute repeaters and the Holland & Holland). Collectors will know, there are two closely linked, but slightly separate major transitions in FP Journe’s history. The first came when his movement’s base metal…
Read MoreFP Journe Vagabondage III in Pink Gold
Imagine trying to invent an entirely new movement with digital jumping seconds for fun. That’s the madness, manic compulsive obsession, that is FP Journe on full display. If you’ve ever been there, it’s actually kind of a lovely feeling. The Vagabondage series has always felt like the result of a total flow state to me,…
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