Revolution
2019 Revolution Awards: Revolutionary of the Year
Revolution editors and writers pick the most outstanding timepieces of 2019; but let’s not forget the people and companies behind these stellar creations.
34,255 articles · 147 videos found · page 236 of 1147
Revolution
Revolution editors and writers pick the most outstanding timepieces of 2019; but let’s not forget the people and companies behind these stellar creations.
Hodinkee
From Talking Watches to Watch Spotting and Introducing to In-Depth, here are some of the year's highlights.
Revolution
Revolution editors and writers pick the most outstanding timepieces of 2019, celebrating the best in a competitive field of many greats.
Quill & Pad
Colin was wearing a steel watch with blue dial when the receptionist at the trading company he was working for, a chirpy lass straight out of the BBC’s 'Eastenders' soap opera, looked down disdainfully and said, “I hate watches with blue dials. They remind me of old men in pubs.” What happened after that can only be described as a case of gerontohorologyphobia: fear of inadvertently wearing an old man's watch.
Quill & Pad
As read by you, here are the top 10 most viewed articles on Quill & Pad in 2019. There are likely to be a few surprises. Drum roll, please: in no particular order, our top ten most viewed articles of 2019 were . . .
Quill & Pad
As Joshua Munchow looks back over 2019, he is reminded what an exciting year it has been in the world of watches – from changes to the major fairs and exhibitions to corporate acquisitions and right on down to surprising launches from brands. There was definitely enough to keep us on our toes.
Hodinkee
Discovering the roots of "clockwise" and when it's okay to break the format.
SJX Watches
Just over two weeks ago the annual George Daniels lecture took place at the City University of London, an institution supported by the late watchmaker’s charitable trust. This year’s speaker at the sold-out event was none other than Roger W. Smith, protege and successor to Daniels. Just over an hour long, including questions, the lecture is erudite, accessible and packed with nerdy trivia, like the fact that a movement running at 28,800 beats per hour will make 252,288,000 vibrations per year. Roger explained the history and rationale behind the mechanical watch, and how watchmakers are working to improve it even today. That naturally led into the lubrication-free co-axial escapement invented by Daniels (pictured above), which Roger delves into in a satisfyingly detailed manner, like comparing the sliding friction of a lever escapement against the tangential impulse of the co-axial. Fortunately, the entire proceedings were recorded and are now available online:
Quill & Pad
If ever there was an unlikely concept, it would have to be the idea of Greubel Forsey – the masters of ultra-finished, mechanically inventive, and (at least in GaryG's view) imposingly dressy watches – coming out with a sporty watch.
Quill & Pad
1969 marked the introduction of the world’s first self-winding chronographs. These were presented by Zenith with its El Primero, Seiko with the 5 Speedtimer, and an illustrious group consisting of Breitling, Heuer/Leonidas, and Hamilton/Büren, with the Chronomatic Caliber 11. Sabine Zwettler takes us through the history and looks at three of the latest-generation commemorative automatic chronographs by these early pioneers.
Hodinkee
Exploring the enduring interest in how an action-movie hero tells time.
Hodinkee
Ok, boomer. But, like, what time is it?
Revolution
After the launch of the Full Titanium G-SHOCK on Shop.Revolution.Watch, we were honored to co-host an exclusive dinner with the father of the G-SHOCK, Kikuo Ibe
Hodinkee
The "hole in one" of Talking Watches.
Quill & Pad
If there is one complicated element that has been in a whirlwind (pun intended) of developments, it has been the tourbillon. And while tourbillons are still fairly expensive, you don't have to spend $100,000 anymore, as many brands now have great offerings for even a third of that amount.
Quill & Pad
It was a cold, wet, and windy autumn day when Van Cleef & Arpels invited Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle and a few colleagues on a boat ride along the Seine river through central Paris. The occasion (and the boat ride) was just the start as the launch of the new and improved Lady Arpels Pont des Amoureux, which has now been expanded into an entire collection gathered under the umbrella of "Love Stories," was the main attraction.
SJX Watches
Since Edouard Meylan took the top job at H Moser & Cie. in 2013, after his family acquired the struggling brand a year earlier, he righted the ship and the brand is now forging ahead with technical ambition and a surprising degree of commercial nous. Wielding a Wharton MBA, Mr Meylan devised creative, and at times, controversial marketing campaigns – from the “Frankenstein” watch to one covered in grass – that have allowed Moser to punch above its weight as a maker of just 1,500 watches a year. Yet Moser has retained its technical know-how that has allowed it to refine its signature perpetual calendar, amongst other things. That’s aided by the fact that besides Moser, the Meylan family interests also control its sister company Precision Engineering, via a 90% ownership of the holding company Moser Watch Holding. The component specialist produces hairsprings, as well as other key movement components like escape wheels, pallet forks, and balance wheels, supplying Moser as well as a host of the independent brands. The ingenious Moser perpetual calendar movement During his recent visit to Singapore to inaugurate the newly inked partnership with retailer Cortina Watch, we sat down with Mr Meylan to discuss a spectrum of topics, from his mischief-making promotional activities to the firm’s manufacturing, as well as the soon-to-be-launched chronograph. The interview was edited for clarity and length. When you took over the company seven years ago, it was struggling ...
Science fiction meets spacecraft technology with a clockwork rover on the surface of Venus.
SJX Watches
Another of the strikingly elegant, one-off minute repeaters that’s part of Vacheron Constantin’s 2019 Les Cabinotiers line-up is the Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘Dance of the Gemstones’. Well, it is actually two repeaters, a matched pair of his-and-hers watches (that are available separately nonetheless) with eggshell grand feu enamel dials and ruby hour markers. The dials are extravagant yet elegant, evoking prominent watches of many decades ago. They are inspired by high-end gentlemen’s wristwatches of the 1950s that combined silvered or enamel dials with ruby hour markers, with baguette-cut stones for the quarters and brilliant-cut in between. These were often special orders for royalty or as royal gifts, with the best known being the pocket- and wristwatches made for King Saud bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia that bore his portrait on the enamel dial. His and hers A Patek Philippe ref. 2481 from 1955 with a cream enamel dial bearing a portrait of King Saud bin Abdulaziz. Image – Christie’s Both the repeaters share a similar case design, but different diameters and decoration – the men’s version is 41mm while the ladies’ watch is 39mm with a diamond-set bezel and crown. The watches are otherwise identical, powered by the same cal. 1731, an extra-flat, hand-wound movement that was developed in-house. Key facts and price Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘The Dance of the Gemstones’ Men’s model – ref. 6630C/000R-B662 Ladies’ model – r...
Quill & Pad
Back in 2018, Ian Skellern published a provocative article taking issue with the current state of online watch journalism. Specifically, he criticized what in his view is the low quality and repetitive nature of what we see online. But are things really uniform and uniformly bad or are there distinct types of online sources and content? GaryG wonders how we think about the different business models and value propositions of watch sites, and what it tells us about how the future may unfold.
Revolution
Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers department introduces a complete line up of one-off creations as part of their 2019 La Musique du Temps collection
Quill & Pad
When writing 'Bridging Art and Mechanics: The Unabridged Story of the Corum Golden Bridge,' Elizabeth Doerr discovered much more about Corum’s artistic co-founder, René Bannwart, including the fact that he was the creator of Omega’s flagship Constellation and Seamaster lines.
Time+Tide
NOTE: We understand that you’ve found a new watch to add to your collection (congratulations!). But rationalising this fact – coupled with the fact that it’ll cost a bucket-load of cash – may not always sit well with the less horologically minded. That’s where we come in … Use The Enabler’s advanced levels of sophistry … ContinuedThe post The Enabler: How To Justify Buying Another Watch #3 … “It’s A Symbol Of Moral Resistance Against The Spiritual Decay Of Modern Life” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Voutilainen watches are well loved for their dials, which are made in-house and offered with a myriad of finishes – primarily guilloché or enamel – as well as numerous colours and appliques. But unconstrained freedom leads to hesitation, and too many choices make a decision difficult. American psychologist Barry Schwartz, writing in The Paradox of Choice, notes that consumers are often happier having to choose from fewer options, rather than more. The author’s custom GMT-Villes But in my own collecting, perhaps the opposite is true. When I work with an independent watchmaker on a custom or bespoke watch, exploring the abundance of possibilities is the main attraction, particularly when I can specify the details face to face with the watchmaker himself. Investing sufficient time to figure out my goal makes the process of choosing not a task to be feared, but an enjoyable journey leading to the unique piece. This is my story of commissioning the GMT-Villes from Kari Voutilainen (which happened slightly before I embarked on a similar project with Andreas Strehler). Kari Voutilainen in his showroom. Image – FHH The beginning of custom work After setting up his own workshop in 2002, Kari, then 40 years old, made his debut as an independent watchmaker with the Masterpiece series of wristwatches, starting with Masterpiece 6 unveiled at Baselworld in 2005. The Masterpiece watches were all one-off minute repeaters relying on rebuilt and finely decorated vintage ebauches ma...
Deployant
We take a close look at the Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Petite Mother-of-Pearl in this in-depth review and reveals its charms with our Ladies View column.
SJX Watches
As the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) is gearing up for its 20th anniversary next year – and a week after the 2019 winners were announced – the foundation that administers the industry awards has announced the Academy. This adds an additional layer of nominations and votes to the awards to better encompass a wider swathe of the watch business. Slated to be several hundred strong – 300 was the number mooted – the Academy will be composed of individuals from across the watch industry, from brands to the media to retailers. The large size of the Academy and its diversity is to ensure the GPHG awards represent the industry’s views as much as possible. The GPHG trophy takes the form of a gilded hand The Academy will be able to nominate watches for the awards – in past years only brands could propose their own watches – as well as vote in the earlier shortlisting process. The final vote and physical evaluation of the shortlisted candidates will then be undertaken by a 30-member jury meeting in Geneva, which is similar to the voting process today. The first members of the Academy will be announced in early 2020. Subsequently, new members can join the Academy when nominated by existing members.
Revolution
Belgian watchmaker Ressence releases a limited edition of its Type 1 Squared to mark its partnership with UAE luxury retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Seiko SNE329 is a solar powered field watch that wears surprisingly well in spite of its generous proportions... and very tiny hands. Check out the full review.
Quill & Pad
Phillips Game Changers is a compact auction featuring 74 lots, among them the usual array of rare, fine, and attractive Rolex and Patek Philippe models. But there are a few watches in this auction that are notable for reasons outside of the fact that they fine, rare, attractive, and made by certain brands. And it is these watches that Elizabeth Doerr highlights here. Oh, and spoiler: there are indeed two Rolex models among them, but you’ll see why.
Revolution
A complete list of all the prize winners from the 19th edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Gèneve, GPHG 2019.
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