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First to the Summit?

In 1924, British mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set out to climb to the top of Mount Everest, nearly 30 years before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's successful ascent in 1953. Mark Synnott, author of The Third Pole, posits that photographic evidence of Mallory and Irvine's summit of Mount Everest may still exist from Irvine’s Vest Pocket Kodak camera.

I've long wondered whether Mallory and Irvine managed to make it to the peak—without supplemental oxygen, no less. Regardless of whether or not evidence ever surfaces that they did, Hillary and Norgay will forever remain the first to do it and live to tell the tale.

Image via Wade Davis

Hands-on With the OAK Collection

Ben Clymer, of Hodinkee, touches the tip of the ice-burg of Patrick Getreide's "One of a Kind Collection" (a.k.a. The OAK Collection) that is on display from May 19th to 25th, 2022 at the London Design Museum. One of the highlights includes a splendid tourbillon pocket watch, commissioned by Henry Graves Jr. in 1932, featuring a movement crafted by Pellaton for Patek Philippe.

While it may seem a little over-the-top for Getreide to employ a watchmaker for himself, when you consider the fact that servicing just one of the timepieces from his collection of over 600 rare and complicated timepieces would easily cost five figures at the manufacturer and potentially take years to get back, it makes sense. I have little doubt that maintaining this impressive collection for Getreide is both painstaking and a great pleasure for his watchmaker, Gabriel Tortola.

Image credit HODINKEE

Reticulating Precious Metal

While the open, arched indices on Philippe Narbel's inaugural ROOTS timepiece appear to have been 3D printed, that has yet to be confirmed. However, he has been very open about the fact that the texture in the center of the dial is crafted from sterling silver using a technique he stumbled upon by accident while studying to become a jeweller. That technique is known within the jewellery industry as reticulation and involves removing the copper content from the surface of sterling silver, or other precious metal alloy, and then proceeding to melt the core of the metal without melting the surface. As the surface is now pure precious metal and has a higher melting point than the alloyed metal below it, the liquified material below it deforms the surface as it heats and cools.

The linked video, by Andrew Berry, provides a full walkthrough of the process, from material preparation all the way through to punching out a desired section of the reticulated metal without damaging the texture.

Image credits Philippe Narbel

Benjamin Huntsman

An English clockmaker, born in 1704, credited with the invention of cast steel, which was far more consistent and reliable than the laminated steel that preceded it.

Borrowing techniques from glass blowers, Huntsman was able to heat the steel to a much higher temperature, paving the way for superior quality springs and other steelwork for horological purposes, among myriad other applications both within and beyond the borders of England.

Image source Crucible Steel Company of America Share Certificate

Capsoul

The company behind the design-led, diamond-growth technology used to create the 2.5 carat diamond crown of the Tag Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph.

The Tag Heuer emblem floating within the crown is a nice touch. The process employed by Capsoul to create this crown for Tag Heuer also enables them to inlay other colours of diamond, including black diamond, directly within the the lattice of perfectly clear diamond (and vice versa) allowing for incredibly diverse outcomes that are crafted from 100% pure diamond.

While synthetic diamond has been around for over half a century, it seems we're finally approaching the scale that would render the mass production of diamond crystals to protect the dial of a watch viable. Scratch-resistant sapphire crystals seemed like science fiction when Rolex first debuted one with the unveiling of the the Oysterquartz in 1970. Now they're ubiquitous in the realm of mechanical watches. I'm excited to see who will be the first to market with a truly scratch-proof crystal, machined entirely from a single piece of monocrystalline diamond.

Image credit Tag Heuer

Aion Group Cloning Rolex Tech?

One of the key images making the rounds in the Aion Group's latest press release depicts a sterile, Rolex caliber 3135. First produced in 1988, most of the patents on this caliber are now expired. While it is viable a new French upstart would have the audacity to bring a clone into mass production (the same way Sellita et al did with several ETA calibers after the associated patents expired), the prospect of it seemed suspicious. Particularly in light of the Aion Group's recent acquisition of Felsa's assets. Felsa, itself, having quite the back catalog of movements to choose from. Sure enough, it turns out this image first appeared online circa early 2020 and, like nearly every other photo of a movement on the group's website, is a stock photo licensed from LightField Studios.

On an infinite timescale, I think it is inevitable that a mass manufacturer of watch movements will eventually clone the 3135, and with good reason—it is a superlatively well-engineered watch movement. Indeed, a number of movements now coming out of China are already about 90% of the way there. The question is, will anyone ever come close to the best-in-class oscillator and supreme metallurgical expertise of the real-deal?

Image credit LightField Studios

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra

So thin that its engineers and designers had to ditch the crown.

This is the company's 8th record breaker in 8 years. 8 sides. 8 patent applications. I'm surprised they didn't limit it to a run of 8 pieces. It's certainly understandable why Bulgari has limited this to a run of just 10, though. While I'm sure it's a delight on the wrist, I can see a piece this delicate returning for service often if worn with any degree of regularity. Particularly in light of the omission of various safety mechanisms typically found around the escapement and oscillator. That said, the engineering exhibited in this chef-d'œuvre is nevertheless impressive and the hybrid tungsten carbide mainplate that doubles as the caseback may prove any supposition of fragility unfounded—provided it doesn't fracture.

Beyond being the current record holder as the world's thinnest mechanical watch, it is entirely feasible the Octo Finissimo Ultra might very well house the thinnest free-sprung balance wheel ever produced.

Image credit Bvlgari

Micro RC Smart Car

This is an impressive hand-built, small-scale mod—right down to fully functional steering and lighting.

Fun fact, the "smart" in Smart Car is a quasi-acronym for Swatch Mercedes ART. The watchmaker, Swatch, and car maker, Mercedes, worked together on the initial prototypes for the original Smart Car. When Mercedes chose not to continue pursuing making the vehicle electric and opted to go all-in on scaling up production for a gasoline-powered version instead, Nicholas G. Hayek Sr. pulled Swatch out of the project.

Tiny

I've had the Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 101 set up as an ebay alert for over a decade, in hopes of acquiring one to perform an in-depth disassembly and review at some point. Today is the first time a complete movement has popped up, albeit in a fully functional watch. While justifiable for what it is, $10,000 CAD is too steep to rationalize spending simply to take it to pieces. For now, here's a candid picture of what once was—and may very well still be—the smallest mechanical watch movement ever mass produced.

Image from ebay listing

Movement Design as an Exercise in Artistry

Delightful perspective from Jack Forster on the often unsung hero of truly fine watchmaking, opened with some equally excellent perspective, in cameo form, from John Davis.

Coincidentally, had this article been published prior to today, the MRE reference would have flown right over my head. Not being American and having never served in any military capacity, I was oblivious to the existence of Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) kits, which are standard fare for troops serving in the field, until reading about them in Catherine Price's Vitamania this morning. Engineered to be as lightweight and durable as possible while still delivering the full array of nutrients and energy a soldier needs to perform at peak capacity for a sustained period, they're an apropos comparison to the austere, workhorse movements that power the vast majority of mechanical timepieces.

More Pure

"Almost exactly the same but executed with more finesse, the pocket watch is a perfect tribute to turn-of-the-19th century watchmaking."

A delightfully in-depth look at Philippe Dufour's Grande Sonnerie Pocket Watch No. 1 by JX Su, Sheng Lee, & Richard Lee.

One thing that has perplexed me about Philippe Dufour's Grand Sonnerie in the past, which this article addresses tangentially, is how Philippe would go about letting down the power in each of the gear trains when working on this piece—both in development and later on each time it required service. As it turns out, the satellite ratchet system nested into each of the ratchet wheels is not the full story. The visible ratchet system solely governs winding direction, similar to the way a pair of reversers would operate in an automatic winding system. Beneath these ratchet wheels is another set of clicks, which are responsible for holding the power in the barrels, and it is these clicks that a watchmaker would disengage to let down the power in a controlled manner. It's a masterful solution to a complex problem, in a masterfully complex watch.

Image credit JX Su

AP Caliber 7121

Debuting in the new Royal Oak Extra Thin, this caliber improves on its predecessor, the AP 2121, in a number of significant ways.

I am incredibly happy to see the barrel get a dedicated bridge. Previously, in the caliber 2121 (itself based on the Jaeger-LeCoultre 920), if there were any issues with the barrel, such as a broken mainspring, nearly the entire movement would have to be disassembled to address it. Mirroring it handsomely on the other side, I am pleased to see this caliber also make the move from a balance cock to a full balance bridge. The move from peripheral automatic winding to a centrally driven system, mounted on ball bearings, is a likewise welcome change.

I am curious to learn more about the specifics of the implementation of the new stud holder. Ostensibly, the mechanism to move the stud holder, in order to adjust the beat error, appears to be mildly over-engineered and the screw to lock in the beat error once corrected is precariously close to the soft metal of the balance bridge.

Image credit Audemars Piguet

Leery on NFTs

Kevin O'Leary sits down to talk watches with David Lin.

I've seen this interview making the rounds. While there are nuggets of truth in here, this interview is rife with misinformation. When it comes to the watches, the errors are ultimately inconsequential. Of greater concern is those with deep enough pockets to be investing in this echelon of timepieces being duped out of serious coin on NFTs for the secondary watch market. I know enough about the underlying tech behind blockchains, camera sensors, and machine learning—not to mention authenticating watches—to state flat out that what he is intent on selling doesn't hold water.

UPDATE: O'Leary also announced his intention to create and sell NFTs for the secondary watch market at Watch Week in Dubai. In his announcement he stated that he had the backing of the Horological Society of New York. I have it on good authority from multiple officers of the HSNY that this claim is unfounded.

Going Back in Time