Watch Dandy

As many watch aficionados know, IWC is in the unique position of being the only Swiss watchmaking firm to have been founded by an American, Florentine Ariosto Jones, who left the United States after the end of the Civil War. Jones went to Switzerland hoping to introduce American production line manufacturing techniques and to take advantage of both Switzerland’s home-grown watchmaking knowledge and lower labor costs, in order to produce high quality watches that could be sold into the U.S. market. From the beginning, Jones insisted on making very high-grade, accurate timepieces, and some of the earliest, and best quality, “Jones caliber” pocket watch movements were marked “D. H. Craig,” – it’s thought, in honor of Daniel Hastings Craig, who IWC historian Dr. David Seyffer believes may have been Jones’s principle start-up investor. The Portugieser Hand Wound Tourbillon Edition “D.H. Craig USA,” is a limited edition tourbillon intended to commemorate both Jones and Craig, who helped make IWC a reality, and it’s a variation on the existing Portuguiser Tourbillon Hand-Wound.

I am an unabashed lover of purely utilitarian watches. To a fault, in fact. The more purpose-built, the better. This has led to a collection of timepieces that leans heavily (literally and figuratively) towards bulky oddballs like a Seiko MarineMaster “Tuna Can,” a first generation Citizen Aqualand, an Oris ProPilot Altimeter, and an old Breitling Emergency, watches each with some historical significance, but that, more importantly, can still be used as intended. But this summer, Neptune smiled on me and I was able to pick up a vintage dive watch that, while it will never see water, is perhaps the pride of my collection – a Doxa SUB 200 T-Graph Searambler.

MB&F is primarily known, of course, for its Horological Machine wristwatches. However, anyone who’s followed MB&F over the years, or visited MB&F’s M.A.D. Galleries, which showcase unusual design objects ranging from electric guitars to motorcycles, knows that founder Max Büsser’s interests go far beyond just watches. We’ve seen some very unusual clock designs from MB&F, produced in collaboration with L’Epée 1839, including the robot-like Balthazar and the Arachnophobia. MB&F has also done music boxes in collaboration with Reuge, inspired by various science fiction universes. MB&F’s most recent collaboration is with another Swiss company: Caran d’Ache, which makes everything from crayon boxes for school children to high-end luxury writing instruments. Meet the Astrograph.

For vintage lovers, the launch of any re-edition is both a blessing and a curse. It does recognize the beauty of a piece from the past, but at the same time the new interpretation often involks disappointment over any change from what was seen by many as already perfect. To be fair, any watchmaker finds itself in a tricky position when assessing how much modern spin is required in these circumstances. There is no real way to appease everybody, and any design decision will be judiciously considered from many angles. Yet, the strong emotional response triggered is also the best asset for any re-edition, rarely do they meet polite indifference (the worst possible reaction for any new product). The Zenith Cronometro Tipo CP 2 is about as interesting a re-edition as you’ll find and a perfect watch to look at when considering why and how a watch of this sort comes to life.