The MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual (or LM Perpetual) is one of those watches that can’t fail to impress. The most complicated watch in the MB&F collection to date, it relies on a surprisingly classical complication – the perpetual calendar. Somewhat unexpected in the line-up of MB&F’s habitual watches, it still managed to feel like a Büsser …
Visiting the Romain Gauthier manufacture is an eye-opening experience. One of the best representatives of the Vallée-de-Joux expertise, the independent watchmaker crafts just over 50 pieces a year with an exceptional level of finishing and uncompromising watchmaking ethos. To demonstrate this, we take a look at the ultra-detailed and complex Romain Gauthier Logical One.
Visiting the Romain Gauthier manufacture is an eye-opening experience. One of the best representatives of the Vallée-de-Joux expertise, the independent watchmaker crafts just over 50 pieces a year with an exceptional level of finishing and uncompromising watchmaking ethos. To demonstrate this, we take a look at the ultra-detailed and complex Romain Gauthier Logical One.
Music exists in time. Uniting two traditional Swiss crafts, the Jacob & Co. Opera is a highly complicated timepiece and a wearable music box at the same time… Moreover, it is a spectacular show on the wrist that is pretty hard to depict. The ballet of its triple-axis tourbillon and its musical mechanism in action is surprising and captivating. Technically, the combination of these two rare complications is impressive. There is indeed a lot happening and if a picture is worth a 1,000 words, a video is worth a million… It is even a must to present a timepiece that defies traditional labels by playing the Godfather theme and by featuring a miniature Don Vito Corleone in its center!
After introducing Michiel Holthinirichs as a watchmaker and brand yesterday, it is time for the in-depth review of the Holthinrichs Ornament 1. I already explained some elements of the 3D printing used to create Michiel’s first watch but feel it is important that this is not a gimmicky watch. It is not a watch that leans on the concept of 3D printing, this is a watch that incorporates 3D printing into its design and architecture. It’s not the first time we investigate 3D-printing, but this is 3D-printing on a whole other level; the Holthinrichs Ornament 1.
For centuries, people have relied on their hands only to manufacture stuff. Everything from raw material to finished products relied on craftsmanship and hard labour. Of course, the industrial revolution changed all of this, with the rise of machine-controlled production – and the same goes for the watchmaking industry. What took the skilled hand of a master craftsman to achieve the goal of precision timing, eventually moved into fully laser-guided, machined watches. Now though, we are perhaps on the brink of a new revolution: 3D-printed watchmaking. We dive into the world and mind of Michiel Holthinrichs, a young Dutch pioneering watchmaker.
After a long day admiring traditional watch fare from the more conservative brands, a visit to MB&F offers an energising boost of unorthodox horology. Surrounded by a fleet of intergalactic watches, Balthazar the robot, an eight-legged table clock and even a chirping turtle automaton, it is plain to see that Max Busser’s enterprise is a bubbling cauldron of creativity. Busser is fast becoming the matchmaker extraordinaire of the watch world inviting talented friends from different disciplines to join in his creative cocktails where unlimited imagination coupled with impeccable craftsmanship are the main ingredients.
A brand of recent creation, the name Franck Dubarry may sound familiar. Franck Dubarry is a French entrepreneur and watch designer. Before launching the eponymous brand, he made his reputation in the advertising sector and in the watch industry by creating TechnoMarine in 1997. A fantastic commercial success, TechnoMarine presented truly original concepts; for instance, it was one of the first to combine diamond and rubber. After 10 years and selling over 2.5 million watches, Franck Dubarry sold his brand to a private equity fund.
As SIHH 2018 excitement has settled down, it is time for us to look at some of the watches presented in Geneva (understand, not at the SIHH) that week, in particular, some we have not covered yet – or only with press pictures. LVMH brands exposed on a boat on the Geneva Lake or hotels, while several independent watchmakers showcased their latest creations in different locations across the city. Last but not least, the WPHH (World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie) was the opportunity for Frank Muller, Cvstos, Backes & Strauss and other affiliated brands to present their novelties at their Watchland site in Genthod.
Clearly, this watch is far from usual standards, in terms of elegance and proportions. Clearly, it is not meant for the masses – whether we talk about design or retail price. Clearly, it is not the average vision of a classic timepiece. Yet, the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon is quite a watch, especially from a technical point of view. It is bold but mechanically fascinating. This year, Jacob & Co. unveils an exceptional new version of its uber-complicated piece, the Astronomia Tourbillon Clarity Octopus.