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Martin Green relishes discovering an exquisite watch in peace and quiet with plenty of time; it's a luxury he appreciates. All the more so in a quiet comfortable salon on the first floor of the Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique at Place Vendôme, Paris, with a Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue.
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Ikepod has recently launched its second Kickstarter campaign with a new collection, the Megapod. Focusing on a three-hand dial with modern minimalistic details, the Megapod feels very much the descendent of the original Megapode collection and definitely fulfills the requirements for a solid, high-quality mechanical watch featuring incredible design at an affordable price.
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"Dear Mr. Babin, I’m speaking as a fan, but you are sure making it difficult. It gives me no pleasure to take shots at you like this, but if you keep standing up and saying these things, I’ll keep rebutting you," Ian Skellern begins his second open letter on this subject . . .
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These are tough times. People around the world are fighting for their lives against the novel coronavirus, and far too many have already lost the battle. However, as GaryG explains, as with many other challenges in life, there is one sure-fire solution to lift the spirits: watches!
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Have you seen the prices of high-end (and not so high-end) wristwatches? Crazy! None of us can afford the watches that we want, and the world economy is tanking. So in the middle of the coronavirus crisis why are we still publishing pointless stories about watches and why are you still reading them? Ian Skellern shares his theory here.
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Swedish boutique brand GoS may be inspired by Viking aesthetics and Scandinavian northern lights, but the appeal of its timepieces to the watch collecting community is global. And now the first of only five GoS Skadi models, named for the Norse goddess of winter, is on its way to its happy owner in the USA. What makes this watch so special? Anders Modig reports.
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New Zealand native Steve Smith has partnered with Brian Sheth to create a new operation: Smith & Sheth Cru. Ken Gargett believes this young winery co-founded by Smith, a highly decorated and experienced winemaker, could well take its place among the world’s exciting emerging wineries.
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The history of the world time complication is intimately connected to Patek Philippe. Due to its pedigree, this brand is often considered to offer the ultimate in world time watches. And when Patek Philippe introduced the 5231J World Timer at Baselworld in 2019, many applauded the continuation of the tradition since it’s a perennial favorite. Joshua Munchow explains what makes this model so special.
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In its simplest form, the equation of time is defined as the difference between the time displayed by the position of the sun (as by a sundial) and the time displayed by any modern clock or watch. But that's just the beginning; watchmaker Ashton Tracy explains more.
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Over the last few years, we have published an unusually high number of articles about drummers, the timekeepers in nearly every musical band or group. It kind of stands to reason that drummers would particularly like watches – even if they can’t (or shouldn’t!) wear them while playing – as both fields have extreme time-keeping functionality. Elizabeth Doerr highlights a few of these stories right here.
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The year 2019 was one of subtle improvements in Rolex’s mainstay Oyster Perpetual collection. Elizabeth Doerr highlights the seven main new Rolex models introduced in 2019, plus a few surprise variations.
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From his perfect perch in Geneva, Marc André Deschoux of The Watches TV discusses in depth the effects of the current COVID-19 crisis as it affects the watch world.
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The Naked Watchmaker (TNW), aka Peter Speake-Marin, does a series of deconstructions of a broad selection of modern Breguet watches and movements, starting with the Classique 5177, a relatively simple (for Breguet) three-hand dress watch with date. Here Ian shares a few details that The Naked Watchmaker didn't reveal.
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Elizabeth Doerr highlights five new watches by independent watchmakers that we would have seen for the first time at Watches & Wonders or Baselworld 2020, had these fairs run as scheduled in late April.
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Ken Gargett thoroughly reviews the rare Hoyo de Monterrey Escogido Cuban cigars right here. They may be very hard to find at the moment, but when they do hit the shelves everywhere they are definitely worth your interest. See what else he says.
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Adding some color to what is in most parts of the western world a self-isolated or even quarantined St. Patrick's Day celebration, Elizabeth Doerr highlights a few watches with eye-catching green dials ranging from about $2,000 all the way up to $89,000.
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Hublot has just announced closure of its factory for an indeterminate amount of time, as stated in a press release on March 17. The news comes a day after Rolex announced closure of all its manufacturing facilities for two weeks.
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Piaget is one of Martin Green's favorite brands ever; he ranks it on par with Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Apart from an exciting history, Piaget has also been at the forefront of Martin's favorite 'complication,' the ultra-slim watch. Check out the latest versions of Piaget's svelte Altiplano here!
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The Hautlence HL Vagabonde Tourbillon has the perfect nom de guerre for a watch that both mechanically wanders and represents an attitude upholding its values of exploration, creativity, and innovation. Joshua Munchow explains how this watch works and what sets it apart from other tourbillon models.
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In April 2016 a new attraction opened its doors in Switzerland, one that has garnered a lot of attention in the Helvetic country due to the unusual touristic nature of its existence: Chaplin’s World. Come with me on a tour of the museum property and find out why Charlie Chaplin lived in Switzerland and which timepieces he proudly owned. Hint: Jaeger-LeCoultre figures prominently.
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Tutima Glashütte has launched two pretty colorful variations of the Grand Flieger Airport, one of the brand’s eight cornerstone collections. With their generous portions of pure pilot DNA, gradient dials in expressive green and blue hues and ceramic bezels, these day-date and chronograph watches are perfect for this spring's outdoor activities.
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Grand Seiko’s Blue Snowflake Spring Drive has pushed the venerable Japanese watchmaker to the top of Chris Malburg's horology charts. After spending considerable time with this timepiece, Chris relates the Snowflake’s triumphs and reveals its shortcomings.
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American actor Aldis Hodge recently landed his biggest Hollywood role playing alongside Elisabeth Moss in 'The Invisible Man.' The massive publicity surrounding the film has seen him showcasing two indie watchmakers: MB&F; and Hajime Asaoka, whose Kurono Classic he wore in character during filming of the movie.
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If anyone ever questions rums as a sipping spirit, Ken Gargett directs them to Angostura's Cask Collection and they never again doubt. For those who enjoy this style, he thinks that Angostura will very quickly become a go-to choice for a sipping rum. In this article Ken delves into the entire delicious Angostura collection, too.
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As much as they may glitter, the diamonds are not the most critical thing in a diamond-set watch: the setting is. Creating a diamond-set watch is not at all as easy as many think, but when done right the result can be spectacular – as is the case with the Patek Philippe Diamond Ribbon Joaillerie.
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The Cartier Ronde Louis Cartier Regard de Panthère is a stunning mosaic watch that must be seen and handled personally for the full effect. Often jewelry pieces can look stunning on the screen, however Joshua Munchow feels that this piece as a work of art is not best represented in digital pixels but perfectly suited for a real-life experience.
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Despite feeling that Geneva Watch Days was wrong, hope, stupidity, and self-interest prevailed enough to cause Ian Skellern to hold off on canceling his accommodation in Geneva previously booked for the now-canceled Watches & Wonders 2020. He was hoping organizing brand Bulgari would cancel the event first and take the decision and uncertainty out of his hands. But it didn’t. Now’s the (well-overdue) time to say bye-bye to Geneva Watch Days 2020 in his opinion.
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Early American historian and Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich titled her 2008 book 'Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History.' Ulrich would probably be very interested to know about three famous Swiss and French brands whose very first wristwatches were made for – and in a way by – women. Their watches have made history as some of the first examples of wristwatches in history, too.
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For International Women's Day, I'd like to introduce you to Rebecca Struthers, the most academic and studied watchmaker in horological history. And she has the singular honor of achieving the very first doctorate in horology. This is a very modern watchmaker with a rather old-fashioned way of doing things.
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A friend of GaryG's recently purchased a real object of desire: a unique piece Classic from Vianney Halter that includes a date indication. When asked about his motivation in adding this to his collection, his friend told him, “I’m interested in what history will determine to be the ‘greatest’ watchmakers of our time."
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