The detail is in the dial for Louis Vuitton’s Only Watch entry
The other week, Nick showed us some of the highlight pieces from the upcoming Only Watch auction. There was a bunch of spicy pieces destined for charity greatness, but one watch kept drawing my attention — the Louis Vuitton Spin Time. There are a few reasons why this watch stands out. Sure, there’s diamonds (3.33 carats of them) — but that’s par for the course in a watch playing at this level, and then there’s the unique Spin Time display, which is quite cool, as Andrew discovered here. And, of course, being Louis Vuitton, this watch comes with a pretty dope hand-painted, high-watchmaking trunk. But really, the reason this watch stands out is the dial. Grand Feu enamel on a white gold base, hand-painted with an LV logo and a pretty awesome, ’90s-inspired rose motif. It’s an arresting enough miniature picture on its own, but the fact that it’s the work of Anita Porchet takes it to the next level. There aren’t many people who can do miniature enamel painting at this level (it was one of the dying arts that the fine watchmaking renaissance of the ’90s prevented from being lost forever) and Anita Porchet is — along with…
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“We were initially thinking about buying a watch for me for a wedding piece, but the thing about buying for a watch collector is that it’s hard to buy something they don’t already have.” ‘Every Watch Tells A Story’ is a new series we’ve filmed, encouraging people to come in to our HQ, live how we live at Time+Tide and get in front of the camera and talk. The subject is personal. It’s your watch. How it came to be on your wrist. The journey in the lead-up. The particulars of its purchase. In my story, I talk about a very lucky eBay pickup of a watch at well under 10 per cent of its current value. It’s pretty much no holds barred too. So far, we’ve heard about watches being handed over in casinos in lieu of cash. There’s a little yarn about $20 Rolexes in op-shops (which I was shocked and amazed to hear happened in my village on the coast just outside of the city). And here, Dane gets to the heart of the charm of tiny independent watchmakers who are able to customise their timepieces. ochs und junior produce just 130 watches a year, and all…
In yet another flash of creativity and marketing cunning, H. Moser & Cie have lit up watch lovers all over the world by sending out one of their watches — the Pioneer Centre Seconds Funky Blue Black Edition — on a tour with no road map. And absolutely no guarantee of whose couch it will be crashing on from continent to continent, let alone its safety along the way. Track its live location here, and with #pioneertour. The concept of the #pioneertour is elegantly simple. They will give it to a friend with these instructions: keep it for a week, take some happy snaps of what you did with it, and where, and then bestow it to another worthy watch-loving friend to do the same. Preferably one who is soon jumping on a jet plane. Because this tour, like the watch itself, is all about a pioneering spirit. It’s about wanderlust. Adventure. And exploration. You will be able to track the journey of the Pioneer Centre Seconds Funky Blue Black Edition on this dedicated landing page, as well as on Instagram @moserwatches under the hashtag #PioneerTour. Subscribers will receive H. Moser & Cie. newsletters with a recap of all the Pioneer adventures,…
Skeleton dials are interesting, not because they offer a garish look at something exposed but because they showcase the sheer level of complexity involved in modern watchmaking. Without searching for photos of the movement of your watch online, or doing a John Goldberger (and opening your million dollar Rolex 4113 with a cheese knife), the regular watch enthusiast can’t just look at the mechanism of their watch. A skeleton dial offers a view of the mechanism that is less invasive, and more intimate, by offering a window into a part of the watch usually saved for the eyes of watchmakers. To celebrate this style of dial design, we wanted to have a look at the 10 best skeleton dials from 2018. TAG HEUER CARRERA GMT HEUER 02 The Heuer 02, the next generation of TAG Heuer’s mechanical chronograph movement, has been augmented with a GMT complication for the first time inside this avant-garde take on the sporty Carrera. A stripped-back dial features an additional bright red hand that indicates a second time zone by pointing to the 24-hour scale of its bicoloured ceramic bezel. This watch is large and very much in charge on the wrist. Ref No. CBG2A1Z, Case…
For better or worse, Kickstarter is now a firmly entrenched part of the watch production, retail and marketing landscape. Watches have historically been a phenomenally popular category on the crowdfunding platform, but for every glittering success story, there’s an equal number of projects left on the cutting room floor. If you’re the kind of curious cat who’s wanted to know more about the data behind Kickstarter watch projects, boy is it your lucky day. WatchPro posted this snazzy report from Swiss consulting company Mercury Project, who break down the data in interesting, and meaningful ways. Turns out just more than half (52%) of watch projects fail. A rate that has been consistent for years. The real interesting takeaway, though, is this: “Overall, the number of projects is flat since 2017, but the number of backers is drastically down. To reach their financial goals, creators have now to become more professional in term of product proposal, but also in term of marketing, in order to attract backers.” Read more at WatchPro.
Editor’s note: The other day I was spending some time at my local Blancpain stockist, and I found my eyes consistently being drawn to the Bathyscaphe (which was only a little awkward as I was meant to be checking out Blancpain’s 2019 releases, which was a decidedly Bathyscaphe-free zone). And while the Bathy is offered in a few variants, one of the coolest is the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe in black ceramic … Blancpain’s Bathyscaphe is one of those rare, chameleonic watch designs. A watch that, broadly speaking, owes great fidelity to its primogenitor, but a watch that doesn’t look dated. It’s a neutral watch — something that gives the Bathyscaphe broad appeal and great versatility. In steel, it’s a classic, traditional dive watch, but here, in black ceramic, it’s something much more modern in style. And the execution of the ceramic really is gorgeous. Crisp lines, even brushed finishes, really lovely stuff — the material is finished like metal, but with ceramic’s advantages of light weight and scratch resistance. No matter how you slice it, the case of this watch is cool. The dial isn’t half bad either, and I quite like how reserved Blancpain has been, keeping the hour…
Dan Henry is a pretty great little watch brand — the brainchild of a Brazilian watch collector who is dedicated to making affordable modern versions of classic designs. And while other brands go down this path of well-priced retro nostalgia, too often it comes across as inauthentic pastiche. But this isn’t an accusation you can level at Dan Henry. There is so clearly a level of love, care and attention that goes into these watches that the intention is never really in question. And the brand new Dan Henry 1962 Racing Chronograph is a great example of this. As you might be able to deduce from the name, the 1962 Racing Chronograph is inspired by racing chronographs from the, um, 1960s. The 39mm steel-cased chrono comes in three dial variants — panda, inverse panda and blue — and is powered by a meca-quartz movement (a Seiko), which gives you quartz accuracy, battery life and price tag combined with the feel of a mechanical chrono. We got out hands on the panda and the blue options. It’s a solid option for this sort of watch. The dial, hands and tachy are all lovingly done, with strong Universal Genève vibes (especially the straight-up Panda), thanks to the…