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As Zenith is a sponsor of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, Elizabeth Doerr had the opportunity to attend the 2021 edition where she handled a number of Zenith’s most recent watch releases, falling in love with two in particular: the new Chronomaster Original and Chronomaster Sport Gold, both powered by the legendary (and now updated) El Primero chronograph movement.
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The Antiquorum auction in Monaco on July 21, 2021 represented the first time that a brand-new stainless steel Patek Philippe Nautilus with olive-green dial came up at auction. Elizabeth Doerr shares the eye-watering result of that lot plus other notable auction highlights.
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The clous de Paris engravings of Piaget Reference 908 4C give it a masculine appearance, yet at the same time a generous dash of elegance. That is the true power of clous de Paris and the reason why it played an indispensable role in the Piaget collection of the early 1950s up until the 1980s. And you just might fall in love with it too.
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Rieslings are generally particularly refreshing and relatively low in alcohol. And they go superbly – generally better than white Burgundy and other Chardonnays – with food. Nowadays most Riesling is dry, not sweet. And German dry Riesling is one of the wine world’s undervalued treasures. Here Ken Gargett suggests three of his favorites.
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Bulgari has set record upon record for thinness, and another was added to the list with the release of the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, a groundbreaking complicated timepiece measuring a scant 5.8 millimeters in height. The seventh world record in as many years, the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar is another pinnacle of engineering and slim thinking.
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To the “right” person and for the “right” price anything can be customized – whisky, cars, shampoo, and, of course, timepieces. This second article in Chris Malburg’s watch customization trilogy shines a light on the high-end of the watch customization spectrum, uncovering three uber-exclusive brands that work in the stratosphere of the customization price range revealing what it takes to get the job done.
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Sports fans, ahoy! The Olympic Games have just started, making it a perfect time to look back on a few Olympic-sized sports-and-watch stories. The Olympic Games are always a fun focus time for watch sponsorships, and Elizabeth Doerr loves to keep an eye on what athletes might potentially be wearing. Here are some from past games.
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Ken Gargett has been reliably informed that there are tequilas now considered quality spirits, designated for sipping – he admits that he swallowed this obvious falsehood on an occasion many years ago, but in the interests of research once again he sallied forth. Sharing the results of his investigations here, he dips into two high-end tequilas: Fortaleza and Calle 23. Olé!
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The A. Lange & Söhne Langematik Perpetual is pure WIS geekery wrapped up in a totally classic – and Germanic – design. But maybe your outfit calls for something else? In that case, Elizabeth Doerr suggests the new Saxonia Thin with aventurine dial, which she finds irresistible.
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You are heading to a special event for the evening. You’re feeling elegant, you’re a fan of decorative arts, and you also have a real penchant for classic mechanics with a twist. What do you wear on your wrist? Elizabeth Doerr can’t think of many watches better than A. Lange & Söhne’s new Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskunst.
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Ken Gargett reminisces and rambles about visiting the Saar region of Germany and tasting some of the world's best Tieslings. And then there was that Vegemite incident at the Madrid airport.
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The new Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon and Star Legacy Metamorphosis are both watches that might convince anyone that Montblanc makes only high-end mega creations. They are standout pieces from a brand normally known for more accessible luxury in the watch world. But these timepieces are incredible examples of high horology and worth further inspection.
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Our friends at The Watches TV visited Laurent Jolliet, the last “chain maker” in business in Switzerland according to Marc André Deschoux. As Jolliet crafts his bracelets and chains fully by hand, Deschoux and crew were able to find out in detail how Milanese bracelets are made, an art form no longer formally taught, and they share the secrets with us here.
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The first weekend of November 2016 was a big one for GaryG: in addition to attending the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, he collected not one, not two, but three spectacular watches. The watch he left home certain to bring back was one that he had been waiting patiently for since January 2016: the split-seconds chronograph Reference 5370P from Patek Philippe. Here Gary explains why he bought it.
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The Watches TV goes deep into explaining a resonance movement in an easy way. The quick answer to the question of what resonance is in horological terms is that it encompasses two independent escapements in one watch that influence each other to average out timing errors. This video brings horological resonance to life and makes it easy to understand.
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I’m not sure it’s possible to experience a Spike Lee film without being changed in some profound way. Lee loves writing with a pen, and Montblanc's new fountain pen in his honor is crafted in classic black resin with a sleek cap and decorated with Lee’s signature eyeglasses. Purple, the artist’s favorite color, also figures prominently.
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At the top levels, the Grand Crus, Faiveley is making some wonderful Burgundy wines and the very best are yet to come. This is a domaine that must be considered among the region’s top producers. After tasting quite a few at a themed lunch, Ken Gargett advises that older Faiveleys benefit from time in the cellar and that early decanting seems wise. And much more!
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It’s no secret: GaryG is an immense admirer of Philippe Dufour. Part of greatness, of course, is leaving a legacy; not only through one’s works, but in the skills and inspiration passed on to those who follow, which Dufour has liberally done. But who, if anyone, will history regard as the lineal heir to the Dufour tradition? Gary has reached what may seem a counterintuitive conclusion: Romain Gauthier.
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While its convertible Amadeo case allows the Bovet Miss Audrey watch to be easily converted to a pendant or desk clock, the focus of Sweet Art is its incredible sugar crystal dial. Joshua Munchow was skeptical when he first heard about the sugar being used but the results speak for themselves, and it is hard to argue that the dials aren’t indeed gorgeously crafted. You must see this for yourself.
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Can a serious watch manufacture get away with producing such a “gimmicky” timepiece as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Black Panther? Serious and gimmicky are not mutually exclusive, but they were posed as two different questions in the same breath by Marc André Deschoux of The Watches TV in a special video taking a look at the first timepiece to emerge from the collaborative energy between Audemars Piguet and Marvel Studios. What's your opinion?
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The majority of today's numerous flieger-style watches are inspired by the now-iconic German pilot’s and navigator's watches of World War II, becoming a genre unto themselves. Bhanu Chopra flies high to take a deep dive into the long history of this popular style.
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The date: January 13, 2012. The place: Glashütte, Germany, where one of my best friends had arranged for the two of us to visit A. Lange & Söhne. The vision: my friend extended his arm from the sleeve of his shirt, and what I saw left me reeling – my first view of the Lange Datograph Perpetual in white gold. I was confident from that very moment that this was a watch for me, but pursuit of the piece took four long years.
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Antiquorum will be holding its next auction in Monaco on July 21, 2021, where collectors will have a chance to bid for the very first time on a Patek Philippe Reference 5711/1A-014. Yes, this is the brand-new stainless steel Nautilus with olive-green dial introduced in April 2021 as the model replacing the blue-dialed Reference 5711/1A-010. While that's noteworthy, there are a number of other lots worth looking at too.
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Ahead of Geneva Watch Days at the end of August and the European summer break, some independent watch brands have announced new watches. Here, Elizabeth Doerr highlights three of these new watches with eye-catching dials that really caught her own eye.
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Caran d’Ache’s acclaimed Fixpencil was conceived in 1929 by Swiss engineer Carl Schmid, who invented and patented a unique clutch-style lead holder that made it possible to accept leads of different diameters. Zurich-based designer Alfredo Häberli is a fan, which led to the creation of the colorful new limited edition Caran d’Ache + Alfredo Häberli Fixpencil.
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At watch auctions by Phillips, Christie’s, and Sotheby’s held in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, 22 timepieces hammered for more than one million Swiss francs. And to date in 2021, there have been (at least) 13 watches selling for more than one million Swiss francs. Elizabeth Doerr highlights the top auction results of the pandemic era so far, and, yes, Patek Philippe still reigns supreme.
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Ken Gargett thinks that there is plenty of support for the claim that the Trinity Hill Homage is New Zealand’s best red wine. Homage is a wine that should be in every serious wine lover’s cellar, and with each passing vintage these get better and better. New Zealand’s best wine, though? It is right up there.
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One thing that doesn’t change as you travel in the same hemisphere (and only travel east/west) is the night sky. It unites us. And combining watchmaking, travel, and the night sky is a terrific trifecta. The De Bethune DB25GMT Starry Varius is an incredible synthesis of what makes this brand so great.
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When brands look to the past to find the absolute best details to combine into a killer timepiece, the result can be a terrific diver, a classy chronograph, or, in the case of American watchmaking company RGM, a fantastic pocket watch-inspired, enamel-dialed wristwatch like the Pennsylvania Series 801 Classic Enamel. Joshua Munchow feels this watch stands apart as a culmination of the brand's ideology.
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Have you ever wondered how Titleist gets its logo on bumpy round golf balls? Well this is your lucky day as Joshua Munchow discusses the secret of one very specialized printing process that has its roots in watchmaking. In fact, you still see the results of this process nearly every time you look at your watch dial.
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