Posts Tagged ‘Integrated’
‘Graph Paper’ 3505 IWC Ingenieur SL
Graph paper isn’t the sexiest thing in the world. And, yet, put it on an IWC dial as texture and it just might be. One of the best parts about this mid-sized Ingenieur from the early 80s is that there are multiple generations that each have equally attractive personalities. Are you a COSC kind of…
Read MoreCzapek Antarctique Passage de Drake
Last year, I had the chance to have a short chat with one of Czapek’s three founders. Straight away, I asked him the query I always do when I don’t really understand a brand, ‘Can you tell me a little about this effort, why it needs to exist, and what it means to you?’ I…
Read MoreLapis Lazuli Dial 4316 Rolex King Midas Cellini
Last evening, Rhianna made some noises which could be described as music in front of 28.5M viewers. You may have gathered, I’m not terribly fussed over modern pop. But I am, you may be surprised to hear, a massive fan of Riri. Because she has been snapped a handful of times sporting a King Midas,…
Read More46004 Vacheron Constantin Square 222
Vacheron Constantin are famously reserved and austere about their watchmaking, in philosophy, design, and engineering. But that’s actually a more modern branding construction than anything. VC went full experimental in the 80s, to an unparalleled extent. The square 222 is that genre of watch which will make zero sense to anyone outside the depths of…
Read More3521 IWC Ingenieur
Despite all the admiration, scholarship, and even Jack Forster’s article in the last year, the 3521 remains an alternative and yet-to-be-fully-appreciated modern classic. Whatever it means precisely to be a modern classic, I know not. But it seems to me as if the category were invented for these Ingenieurs. This is a Germanic chunk of…
Read MoreIWC Ingenieur Jumbo SL 1832
IWC has this sort of unapologetically tool-competent aesthetic which may have culminated in this: the 1832 Ingenieur. I can be fairly accused of being overly fond of the more svelte 666AD, an antimagnetic dress which was grandfather to the integrated sports offering shown here. However, that watch lacks the magical pen of Genta. The 1832…
Read MoreThe Titanium Bulgari Octo Finissimo
Creating an icon is no easy task. AP, Patek, and Vacheron succeeded in this some 40 years ago. This holy trinity (a term created by AP, Patek, and Vacheron to describe the Royal Oak, Nautilus, and 222/Overseas) saw a rise to fame in the years after their introduction. All three remain icons today. Integrated bracelets…
Read MoreVacheron Constantin 222: A Swiss Savior
The great Vacheron Constantin crossed some treacherous ground in 1970. The oldest watchmaking house in continuous operation, it had seen trouble before; but nothing like the 1970s. The quartz-crisis spelled impending doom for all of Switzerland. Audemars Piguet had just introduced the Royal Oak and Patek Philippe followed with its Nautilus. The last of the Swiss…
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