This is my entry to the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) competition about counterfeit watches. This entire film was created by me, Alexander Miller. Thanks to everyone that has helped me to make this short film possible. Filmed in 24p 1080p with a Canon 7D. Youtube wasn’t correctly uploading the 1080p version after numerous attempts, so this will have to suffice. This film can be translated into any language as needed with very minimal modifications.
“What Is Up With Yo Eye!?” – The great Eddie Griffin in the seminal 2001 comedy “Double Take”Vintage Patek chronographs are in many ways perfectly proportioned. There is a reason that they are regularly considered the archetypes of the the modern wristwatch. But, say the year is 1942 and you aren’t very happy with a perfect case and idealic symmetry to your wristwatch’s dial. Say, you want strange scroll lugs and an oversized minutes register that just doesn’t seem to make any sense. Well, then you’d be the person responsible for the watch above – a completely unique and totally bizarre Patek Philippe chronograph reference 1491.
From:HODINKEE
Last fall, we were the first to introduce you to the decidedly automotive-inspired watches of Autodromo. The young brand’s Vallelunga, Brescia and Veloce models are exercises in well-thought through design and great builds, especially for the refreshingly affordable prices which are well south of a grand. The watches have been a hit with everyone from motorheads to diehard watch geeks who usually sniff at anything with a battery (yes, they’re all quartz, get over it).
While we loved the time-only pieces, a line of automotive watches cries out for a chronograph and Autodromo has been dropping hints for a while now. Today we bring you the first look at Autodromo’s new Vallelunga Chronograph.
By now, you should know about the One Hertz from Gronefeld. We showed you a detailed look at it over a year ago, and even had Bart Gronefeld explain it to us in video. The One Hertz is a real watch dedicated to true chronometry and holds the title of the world’s first serially produced watch with independent dead beat seconds. This year, it beat out heavyweights like the Patek Philippe 5270, the JLC Reverso Tribute To 1931 and Vacheron’s excellent 37-timezone worldtimer to become TimeZone’s Watch of the Year (a celebration we documented here).
Bart Grönefeld paid a visit to NY a few weeks back and we got to see the One Hertz in person again, so we thought we’d snap a few photos. The watch as seen above (in titanium) retails for 39,900 euro, and One Hertz in red gold is 49,500 euro. More details can be found here.
Earlier today, we showed you the new Jaeger-LeCoultreReverso Limited Edition that will use a hand-made strap from world reknowned polo boot makers Casa Fagliano. In this special edition of HODINKEE Field Notes, we’ll take you inside the workshop of these true artisans to show you just how this family of Argentine men (with Sicilian roots!) have come to be known the world over by not only championship riders, but celebrities, presidents, and more than a few kings. This is a study in how things used to be done, and after viewing the Faglianos at work, we can say how things should be done.
Imagine a cushion shaped mono-pusher chronograph wristwatch from a storied brand like VacheronConstantin, that dates to 1930. A watch such as this is surely a valuable one and the type of thing an auction house like Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Antiquorum, or Bonhams would love to have. In fact, the Vacheron you see above, the reference 2990 mono-pusher from 1930 is in fact a watch that was sold by Christie’s in May of last year (2011) for over $ 56,000. In other instances, examples for the 2990 mono-pusher from VC has broken $ 100,000.
But, if you happen to be cruisin the ‘Bay (that’s “browsing watches on eBay” for those who don’t speak watchnerd), and enter “vintage Vacheron,” you will come across a watch that looks very much like this one. Actually, the seller claims it is this one – a VacheronConstantin reference 2990 mono-pusher chronographer in a solid gold cushion style case from 1930. And, it’s only at $ 2,175! What a bargain!
The greatest watch collector of the 20th century, if not of all time, was Henry Graves Jr.. His rivalry with James Packard is, according to some experts, what saved Patek Philippe from bankruptcy – thereby making possible many of the developments we take for granted within the watch industry as a whole.
It was Graves’ supercomplication watch that sold for $ 11,002,500 in a December 1999 Sotheby’s auction – still the highest amount paid for any watch – and it is the Graves gang that remains the first family of watch collecting. The Henry Graves collection, built mostly before the second world war, was passed on to Mr. Graves daughter, who in turn passed it on to her son, Mr. Reginald “Pete” Fullerton. Pete, like his grandfather, was a perfectionist, and demanded that all the cases and dials not be touched in any way during services, and he requested completely original straps and buckles for all his watches. Mr. Fullerton is not really a known entity in the watch collecting world, as he rarely sold any of his collection at all and almost never spoke of it publicly. Mr. Fullerton loved these watches, and wound them daily, until the day the he died in March of this year. With his passing, Mr. Fullerton, the heir to the Graves watch collection and an impressive collector in his own right, asked that Sotheby’s handle the sale of his prized watches.
The Official Henry Graves Jr. “SOTC” photograph – eight out of the ten wristwatches shown will be sold this June.On June 14th of this year, Sotheby’s NYC will present the largest assembling of Graves watches on offer in history, with over 50 pieces for sale to public, thirteen of which belonged to Mr. Graves himself, while the others belonged to his grandson, Pete Fullerton.
We got an early look at the incredible collection yesterday in NY. Click through to see some of our favorites.
The 40th anniversay of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak exhibition officially opens to the public today and runs through this saturday. The exhibition will include 100 timepieces, many of which coming into public viewing for the very first time. Included in these lots will be the very first Royal Oak “A-Series” from 1972, Gerald Genta’s personal Royal Oak, and even Guy Laliberte’s one-off grand complication that made it into space!
On top of all the watch goodness, there is a large modern art component to the exhibit – Dan Holdsworth’s photopraphy of the Vallée de Joux, where Audemars Piguet is based will be on display, alongside artist Davide Quayola’s installations experimenting with photography, geometry, sculpture and audiovisuals; and Sebastian Leon Agneessens’s multi-channel sound installation.
We swung by the Park Avenue armory yesterday to get an exclusive early look at the 40th Anniversary Royal Oak Exhibition as it was being assembled. Watch the video above to see what you might expect from this incredible exhibition as it kicks off today, as well as hearing from AP North American President and CEO Francois-Henry Bennahmias, and visual designer Sebastian Leon Agneessens.
Event Reminder: We will be hosting a private, HODINKEE-only reception this coming Friday in celebration of the Royal Oak. Details are here.
Last year, we brought you a look at the first watch from Belgium industrial designer, Benoit Mintiens called the Ressence Type 1001. Since then, Benoit has figured out a way to seamlessly integrate the innovative dial platform to the domed crystal. At Basel this year, he was kind enough to show us a peak at what we can expect from the new model.
The dial of the new watch carries a few visual updates, including a slight redesign of the minute index and AM/PM indicator. Also, the crown has gone missing, instead moving to a system that requires twisting the bottom portion of the case for both winding and setting. These aren’t the first details you’ll notice however. The new watch has a crystal that eliminates any visual bezel, rounding itself out right down the wall of the case. The space between this crystal and the dial is filled with a liquid that creates the effect of the dial being literally printed on the glass. The effect is astonishing when you see the dial spring to life as your brain struggles to make sense of the illusion.
We’ll have more on this watch when it gets closer to market, but until then enjoy the live pics we snapped at Basel this week. For more information about the concept, check out the Ressence website.
Geneva based independent watchmaker Laurent Ferrier is showing off a new dial at this years Baselworld fair (Ferrier’s third year), and it’s a lot more than meets the eye. The red gold case is now accompanied by red gold applied roman indexes on the dial. But it doesn’t stop there, the entire dial, which has a rich brushed slate appearance in the flesh, is actually in itself 18k gold.
The unique slate color is achieved by a galvanic treatment, which send electrons through the metal submerged in a liquid bath. Even with the altered color, the dial retains the depth of a Rothko painting which you find yourself staring at for an hour.
Within the watch is the impeccable caliber 916.01, complete with “double spiral tourbillon” and contemporary finishing. Learn more about the movement at their site, right here. Words fall short when it comes this movement and dial, so have a look at more pictures after the break.
