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Fantasy, high artistry, and solid watchmaking whimsically coalesce in Oris’s limited edition Sun Wukong Artist Edition, the just-introduced timepiece inspired by the Chinese animated film 'The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven.' And in a novel twist for this usually affordably priced brand, the dial presents hand-rendered cloisonné enamel, an art form used by Oris for the first time.
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In Ken Gargett's opinion, the Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 2006 champagne is still quite exuberant and has a chalky/minerally backing with a little grip on the finish, entwined with a hint of bitter almonds. Ken would happily drink this any time he could as it is undoubtedly one of the best champagnes from the 2006 vintage.
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Thrill of the chase. Intellectual satisfaction. Investment. There are nearly as many reasons for collecting things as there are things to collect. But when it comes to watches and writing instruments, a variety of shared motivations, perhaps catalyzed by the obvious common characteristics of the objects themselves, make them conspicuous crossovers for collectors.
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The rise of Brunello has been recent. And, arguably, the single most convincingly 100 percent Brunello example of fine wine is Soldera at Case Basse according to Ken Gargett and other wine experts. But Soldera and the region have a dramatic background, one that might not be common knowledge outside Tuscany. Read on for a Hollywood script-worthy story and mouthwatering descriptions of Tuscan wines you may not (yet) be acquainted with.
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As the resident gentleman of Quill & Pad, the H. Moser & Cie x The Armoury Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse should have Martin Green's name written all over it. Yet when he first saw the watch, he didn’t boil over with excitement. This is not the first logoless, minimalistic watch that Moser has made, so what does it add to what is already there? Read on to discover the answer.
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One streaming series Elizabeth Doerr was really looking forward to was 'And Just Like That,' the much-anticipated sequel to 'Sex and the City.' She has always loved the taboo-laden adventures of the quartet of New York City fashionista heroines of this story and their diverse love lives – escapism at its best with lots of funky fashion to ogle and girl talk to laugh along with. It was the perfect show for Cartier to fill with product placement, too, even if reviews haven't been the greatest. Here's why.
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Ken Gargett has tasted several Louis Roederer Cristal vintages over recent years, but how did the recently disgorged wine fare in 2014? Could it match the 2012 or 2013? Read on to discover what Ken thinks of the Cristal 2014 and whether it can stand up to the hype.
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Women have played a significant role in Breguet’s history, acting as inspiration or catalyst for some of the company’s most memorable timepieces – a phenomenon that continues today. So in 2018, when Breguet launched a timepiece in honor of St. Valentine’s Day, it was the start of an annual ode to love that has become as highly anticipated for watch lovers as the holiday itself. Here are all five of these limited edition timepieces.
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Elizabeth Doerr is the last of the Quill & Pad team to pick her top ten watches of 2021. And even though she has been thinking about such a list for most of the year – seeing as a relatively significant portion of it was spent in lockdown – she still had a hard time narrowing it down to just ten pieces. Do you agree with what she chose?
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Tool watches continue their evolution among the watch industry’s most luxurious and coveted brands. Here Chris Malburg explores where their evolution has gone and might still go.
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Greubel Forsey's Art Pieces are among the world’s most notable art-related timepieces and not just because they tackle the subject of art for art’s sake but also because the Art Pieces highlight the relationship horology has with art. Elizabeth Doerr doesn't think that there is any denying that the modern art of watchmaking has a synergy with art as a whole. And that is abundantly visible in these watches.
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The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Hidden Treasures collection consists of three Reverso watches featuring dials with exquisite miniature reproductions of lost paintings by three master painters: Gustave Courbet (1876), Vincent Van Gogh (1888), and Gustav Klimt (1917). Each piece's painting has its own interesting story highlighting why it was considered a “hidden treasure." Joshua Munchow shares those stories with us here.
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Japanese whisky distillery Mars Shinshu is still working to establish its house style. "Searching for its soul,” distillery manager Koki Takehira calls it, and he is off to a wonderful start. At this stage, the whiskies appear to be from the elegant and complex end of the spectrum, and there is a gentle sweetness, more so than found in most Japanese whiskies. Ken Gargett takes us through the history of Mars Shinshu and shares tasting notes of a few of the whiskies.
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Every time Ian Skellern writes the words “relatively affordable” here on Quill & Pad, he braces himself for the stream of comments reminding him that he must live in an alternative reality to most of the world. So he doesn't describe the Patria Brigadier Flyback Chrono as relatively affordable (though compared to most of the watches we review on Quill & Pad he thinks it well merits that description), but he does think that it’s fantastic value and the bargain of the year. And here he explains why.
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A fountain pen’s nib is the source of its magic. Yes, there are many beautiful pens out there but without a great nib a pretty pen is just a pretty pen. A good pen point can transform an ordinary writing experience into a memorable melding of mind and hand. Montblanc’s new Meisterstück Calligraphy Solitaire Burgundy Lacquer is a desirable pen by any measure, not the least of which is contributed to by its 18-karat gold flexible nib.
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The Fibonacci number sequence is a discovery of mathematics and nature that has both amazed and confounded the scientific community for centuries. And it is the inspiration for the stunning engravings on the unique La Rose Carrée, a masterfully restored grande sonnerie minute repeater pocket watch made to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Parmigiani and launched to mark the seventieth birthday of the brand’s founder and master restorer, Michel Parmigiani.
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It never fails: pull out a bottle of wine from a friend or family member’s birth year and the entire event becomes just that little bit more special. Of course, the older we get the harder that becomes, but it is far from impossible. And, of course, if you were so fortunate as to have arrived on earth during a great “vintage,” so much the better. Here, Ken Gargett makes some wine recommendations for celebrating a big anniversary or birthday in 2022.
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It is now a tradition for watchmakers to observe Chinese New Year by creating beautiful, decorative, limited edition timepieces adorned with symbolic depictions of the appropriate sign of the Chinese zodiac – often using rare, artistic techniques paying tribute to the eastern calendar. The Year of the Tiger – which is the third animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle – begins on February 1, 2022. Elizabeth Doerr shares eight auspicious examples here.
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As there is no official, universally accepted, or legally binding description of what a dandy watch is, Martin Green takes it upon himself to coin one. A dandy (like Martin) doesn't follow fashion, but walks to the beat of his own drum. Here Martin shares a few watches that he thinks are just dandy.
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"It's not a pocket watch," Felix Baumgartner, Urwerk's co-founder and chief watchmaker, emphasized, "It's a 'Zeit Device'." This ultra-complicated calendar-cum-pocket watch is one of the most unique timepieces in the horological world today. Enjoy its starring role in this new 'Easy Rider'-style video.
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Stephen McGonigle, co-founder of McGonigle watches and founder of Magon watches, has developed (or perhaps more accurately “is developing”) an IOS app called Livingwatch, now available (for free) on the Apple Store.
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On January 24, 2022, two Swiss watch brands, Ulysse Nardin and Girard-Perregaux, were reorganized in response to men’s fashion developments in Rome, Italy. In a vacuum, it is hard to see how one would lead to the other: their connection is the Kering group. And then there's LVMH, but how does that group fit in here? Professor of economics Brendan Cunningham offers some thoughts on how all of this might just go together.
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If you’ve been watching the 2022 Australian Open (as Elizabeth Doerr has), you may be wondering about the prominent watch seen on Rafael Nadal’s right wrist (he’s left-handed), which has been a constant companion no matter what he’s doing – even while playing his grueling matches on court. It's a Richard Mille RM 27-04 with an innovative mesh tennis-string-style "plate" as Elizabeth explains here.
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On January 1, 2022, watch spotters were flummoxed by a photograph of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in their New Year's Eve party dress. The former POTUS appeared to be wearing a black Royal Oak-style chronograph on a rubber strap. The watch in question turned out to be a collaboration between Teleport, a little-known U.S.-based fashion watch producer, and Actively Black, a U.S.-owned leisurewear company. Colin Alexander Smith managed to get his hands on one for a closer look, which he shares here.
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Joshua Munchow has separated his top 10 watches of 2021 into two groups, the first being his top five mechanical marvels: watches showcasing some incredible mechanics that get his creative juices flowing. The second group constitutes his top five daily-wear watches: pieces that are so beautiful that he would have a hard time wanting to wear something else. Let’s dive in!
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There was a time when the walls of many children's rooms were decorated with images of iconic supercars cars like the Ferrari Testarossa, Porsche 959, Lamborghini Countach, and McLaren F1. Today those same walls in the rooms of a new generation of kids are decorated by a completely different type of car: the super SUV. Martin Green explains why in this satirical editorial.
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It's no exaggeration to say that here at Quill & Pad we are big fans of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. And in 2017 Urwerk introduced its own, very robust version of a reversible watch: the UR-T8 Transformer. It's a T-Rex for the wrist that acts much like a Reverso!
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The inaugural edition of 'The Watch Annual' came out just before Christmas 2020, and now Elizabeth Doerr is pleased to hold the second edition – 'The Watch Annual' 2021 – in her hands. This book is about the watch community, a reflection of social media, the watch fam, and, of course, new watch releases. But it’s also about something else too: charity, appreciation, and giving back.
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Some wine books are absolute must-haves for any serious, wine-obsessed drinker/collector. Jasper Morris’ 'Inside Burgundy,' released just over a decade ago, is right at up the top of that list. Put simply, it was as thorough and thoroughly competent an examination of a region and its wines as exists anywhere. And Morris has just released an updated second edition, which Ken Gargett reviews here.
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Today Elizabeth Doerr highlights two of the world’s best female players and their current wristwear: world number one Ash Barty with her Rado HyperChrome Ash Barty Limited Edition (which also has a cool charity component built in) and last year’s Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka, who now wears the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition.
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