The Blueprint Dial
A literally & figuratively transparent dial design from Zenith
Armin Strom’s charming Lady Beat
Pragmatically, it would be better to have the dial on the right-hand side. However, aesthetically speaking, that would lend the watch a wholly different experience.
Lighting dials on fire at Donzé Cadrans
Inside one of the most famous & fabled of all the grand feu enamel dial manufactures in the industry.
The essence of innovation as practised by Rolex
Impromptu Storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful tool. According to this piece in Forbes, the power of story can even be used to overcome imposter syndrome.
Coral Gardening
Hope for our coral reefs.
At the turn of the millennium, the Richemont Group paid Audemars Piguet CHF 280,000,000 for their share of Jaeger-LeCoultre
A wandering mind is an unhappy mind
.pdf According to research by Daniel Gilbert et al, in stark contrast to flow, a mind bereft of purpose quickly devolves towards discontent
A technically & visually interesting evolution on the ETA 6498, by Keaton Myrick
A less simple Simplicity
Sustainably Scottish
Marloe Watch Company aims to bring watchmaking back to Scotland through an environmentally sustainable workspace on the outskirts of the Scottish Highlands.
“A new movement is often the overture to a symphony"
The latest in-house caliber from Oris boasts a 5-day power reserve along with a silicon pallet fork & escape wheel.
Phishers hack Instagram account of Jean-Claude Biver
An unusual & extremely minimal take on the concept of a wandering hours watch
The likewise novel & minimal strap attachment leaves lots of room for improvement.
Beyond Ken Kocienda's Solar face that shipped with the original Apple Watch, Geoff McFetridge's Artist face is one of the first to truly begin to explore the boundary pushing potential of the device
The first time that the thought of a constantly evolving watch face ever crossed my mind occurred while touring a small exhibit of digital works at the British Museum back in 2004, coincidentally, the exhibit also included a profile on Jony Ive & some of his design work for Apple up to that point
The Watchmaking Wizard Who Doesn’t Like Watches
The New York Times shines some long overdue light on the whirlwind work of Eric Coudray
Dressing planned obsolescence up in a biodegradable outfit does not make it sustainable
The mechanism inside the Sistem51 is riveted together. It cannot be serviced. Its “single screw” is a misleading marketing ploy.
Interesting take on a mobile stud carrier for a free-sprung balance by Christian Lass
A secret 'man cave' under New York City's Grand Central Terminal
While not nearly as elaborate, this reminds me a little of the Untergunther's secret hideout used during the clandestine restoration of the Pantheon clock in Paris
Swatch Group temporarily shuts down several systems on the heels of a cyberattack over the weekend
The industrial design team behind Lego's new paper packaging
L.A.-based RKS
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
The Mother of Pulsars
A watch that runs on water
JLC Master Ultra Thin Knife Watch for the forthcoming film, The King's Man
The fixed bow to allow for the strap to attach securely at the 12 o'clock position, coupled with the manually wound watch caliber & tiny crown, is unlikely to make for a pleasant owner experience as an everyday watch
Closing the loop
Adventures in pinning down the correct size for Apple's new Solo Loop watch bands, by John Gruber
Solid tips—both literally & figuratively—for micro-engraving
If you're a company or manufacturer looking to make your products last longer (and you should be), iFixit is stepping up its game to help
Twelve
A dodecagon inspired watch by Naoto Fukasawa for Issey Miyake
Why we sleep
An antique scroll-map navigator small enough to fit on the wrist
The Plus Four Wristlet Route Indicator from the 1920s
The New York Times touches on the tip of the iceberg as to why the process of getting a watch serviced today has become unnecessarily arduous
Goodbye planned obsolescence, hello longevity
The Optimist Toaster
Beat rate & power reserve
The two main differences between ETA calibers 6497-1 & 6497-2
"Nothing piques the interest of the high-end collector like being told they can't have something"
Jack Forster delves into the groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind, not-for-sale, T0 Constant Force Concept Tourbillon from Grand Seiko
Time may fly & eggs may be forever, but the real question is which came first? The incredibly quirky, Egg Master Watch
Magnetic bracelets & watches do not good bedfellows make.
While this minimalist magnetic bracelet from Crossover Industries may be super handy for holding stitch markers when knitting & accessorizes nicely with a minimalist timepiece in the promo shots, it's pretty much guaranteed to kill the accuracy of—if not downright stop—the quartz watch it's pictured with.
“Escapement design is something horologists have been fiddling with for 500 or so years, but while many are called, few are chosen, and the timeline of horology is littered with the sad, silent, inert corpses of escapements which enjoyed, as it were, a brief moment in the sun”
Jack Forster takes a deep dive into the world of escapements
The IWC Cyberloupe
I hacked together my own version of this around 2009. IWC’s take in 2020 is much more compact & refined. I’m looking forward to where this goes as augmented reality tech develops further.
Jens Olsen’s Astronomical Clock
Restored by Soren Andersen
Affolter CNC gear cutting machines for the horological industry
An in-depth discussion covering their microbrand’s early explorations & experimentation with precision gear cutting at Nicholas Hacko in Australia
Inside the watchmaking studio of Luc Monnet
With insight into his frosting & polishing techniques around the 9:05 & 16:30 marks
Intriguing to learn that the alchemist, Maria the Jewess, was likely the first person to create niello (a black silver) as well as the invent the concept of a double boiler
Now 69, Jean-Claude Biver to begin scaling back his role overseeing Louis-Vuitton/Moët/Hennessy-owned watch brands TAG Heuer, Zenith, & Hublot
This counterfeit has a faux balance bridge glued in place over top of the actual balance cock, likewise for the “screw” at the center of the oscillating weight.
“I don’t know if that’s going to be dozens of lives or thousands, but no matter the number, that’s really a hell of a thing.”
John Gruber on the lifesaving potential of Apple Watch Series 4. I agree.
‘Matic’
A multi-script type family inspired by typography from vintage timepieces, thoughtfully crafted by Lee Yuen-Rapati
Thanks to Rene Ritchie’s insights & experience interviewing in this sphere, Episode 157 of Vector serves up an excellent compliment to Ken Kocienda’s new book Creative Selection
Vaucher seems to be the movement maker of choice for up-and-coming independent watchmakers as of late
RT @OffHours: EP 25: A Box of Bandaids
Chris’ first watch is taking shape. He and Jon chat through some of the process so far and where th…
,https://twitter.com/OffHours/status/1039628665372459008/photo/1
Still my favourite sundial
Dual processor chip architecture from Qualcomm promises to deliver always-on displays for smartwatches
Took me longer than it should have to diagnose that the position of this casing screw was what was keeping the minutes from chiming on this minute repeater
Far from the most important or insightful aspect of @elonmusk’s wide-ranging interview with @joerogan, it was interesting to catch a billionaire genius’ perspective on watches around 2 hours in
A magical episode of Talking Watches
After sales service is a challenging needle to thread. Few companies truly excel here. For the few who do, though, it pays dividends.
“This isn’t a great feeling as a customer — that they’re not only not taking my word that I didn’t do anything to it, but that they’re analyzing my Watch as if it were the Zapruder film.”
Some insight into the structure & manufacturing capabilities of Schwarz Etienne
A handy round-up of where to buy watch straps, by Paul Hubbard
RT @OffHours: EP 24: Renaissance Version of a Twitter Troll
Jon and Chris discuss follow up books to read, tricks for beating the Vatican…
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“Life is too short for boring stuff and too long for things that don’t last.” @JamesStacey on the rise of microbrands
Stoked to see such a glowing review from @AlmostStephen for the work of fellow Canadians, Charles Birchall & Brad Taylor, up on @HODINKEE today
A watch face like this seems like an inevitability when you put a man who oversaw the development Photoshop in charge of watchOS
,https://twitter.com/UnderTheLoupe/status/1035305476089688064/photo/1
The name Nivachron seems to play a bit off of Rolex’s Parachrom, which boasts similar properties. However, the “chrom” in Parachrom is a nod to the spring’s deep blue colour, while the “chron” in Nivachron is a nod to time.
Nivachron A promising new hairspring alloy from Swatch Group subsidiary Nivarox
Impressive first piece by 21-year-old watchmaker, Remy Cools
"A truly wonderful podcast in which The Perfectionists is picked apart in the greatest detail and yet emerges unscathed"
In distinguishing between precision & accuracy: It is possible to be precisely wrong. It is not possible to be accurately wrong.
Craftsmanship. Prestige. Longevity. Three pillars of watchmaking A thoughtful commencement speech address by John Davis, for this year’s graduating class at Rolex’s Lititz Watch Technicum, peppered with the flavor of wisdom that only experience can bring.
Valid point. More than likely true.
Clever use of wax (or perhaps nail polish 🤔) by French watchmaker, Pascal Cotton, to protect the milled out recesses for the crown & ratchet wheels while applying a high polish to the chamfers that surround them
Charmed to see Jaeger-LeCoultre’s caliber 101 make a comeback
Unusual balance wheel configuration in this one-minute tourbillon by Karsten Frassdorf
,https://twitter.com/UnderTheLoupe/status/1027892870202699777/photo/1
“Rolex wants you to destroy its watches” Or, how to turn a @HODINKEE article into click bait, courtesy of @Bloomberg
The fact that this watch managed to continue ticking, with some degree of accuracy, to the point that it ground this pivot into oblivion is testament to the build quality of the rest of the piece
The pivot on the left is from a watch that has run almost continuously for 24 years, with routine service & fresh lubrication. What’s left of the pivot on the right is the same gear, from a different watch, that ran for 9 years & 11 months with effectively zero lubricant.
The design process behind @alangesoehne’s Zeitwerk
How to make springs
“For us it lasts a moment, for you, a lifetime.”
Two facets of Patek Philippe’s legendary advertising over the past several decades:
,https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/untold-story-patek-philippe-generations-advertising-campaign
RT @billg: It's not a wearable if no one wants to wear it
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Elaborate crystal watch dials, hand-crafted by Japanese watchmaker, Daizoh Makihara
The NAWCC museum has an open position to fill the role of their new Hamilton Watch Collections Research Fellow & Project Archivist. If that sounds up your alley, email jobs@nawcc.org
The current limitations & future potential of additive manufacturing in horology, from @thewatchestv
RT @OffHours: EP 22: The Memory Thief
Jon and Chris talk about buying art, stone carving, and managing notifications without a wearable.…
,https://twitter.com/OffHours/status/1024699786786693120/photo/1,https://twitter.com/OffHours/status/1024699786786693120/photo/1
While it remains a little too hefty for my own wrist, James & crew did a superb job showcasing Tudor’s new Black Bay GMT in this video for @HODINKEE
Watchmakers: What material is your floor made of? Or what material would you ideally like the floor of your shop to be made of?
Why the classic wristwatch will always be popular
An engaging read by Jason Heaton for Outside Magazine
Sometimes it’s best to scrap what you’re making & start from scratch, even when it’s costly A detailed look at what went into creating the iconic starship that became the Millennium Falcon. HT Brad Slavic @HODINKEE
The art of guilloché at modern Breguet
“Annual watch fairs, as they exist today, no longer make much sense” Swatch Group—owners of Omega, Breguet, Rado et al & one of the tentpole exhibitors at Baselworld—announces it will cease exhibiting its brands at the world’s largest annual watch fair
A thoughtful editorial piece on brutalist watchmaking, by @jackforster (Had to bust out my dictionary a few times for this one. Brilliantly articulated, as always.)
The ‘Ribbon Chapel’ by Hiroshi Nakamura reminds me somewhat of Audemars Piguet’s forthcoming museum Mind you, it’d make for one hell of a hairspring to untangle
,https://twitter.com/UnderTheLoupe/status/1022892887090978816/photo/1
A balanced take on the tourbillon, from @jackforster
RT @kocienda: I wrote a book about my Apple career. Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs.…
The dance of the sun & moon around the dial of @ochsundjunior’s new Day/Night serves up a charmingly logical perspective on the waxing & waning of the moon The underlying execution of the sunrise/sunset feature is ingenious
The most common noun used in the English language is
“a great reminder that you can actually build things that last.” – @jasonfried talking watches with @tferriss Followed by a persuasive case for repasturing “Nature is never in a hurry, but it accomplishes everything.”
George Daniels achievements & contributions to the craft as a watchmaker are noteworthy This film provides rare perspective into his methodology & day-to-day life at the ripe young age of 50. Much gratitude to @rogerwsmithltd for making it available.
200-year-old definition of “watchmaker” found in Rees's Cyclopædia