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
“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
A handy round-up of where to buy watch straps, by Paul Hubbard
"A truly wonderful podcast in which The Perfectionists is picked apart in the greatest detail and yet emerges unscathed"
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
Why the classic wristwatch will always be popular
An engaging read by Jason Heaton for Outside Magazine
Phoenix rising
Angelo Bonati reflects back on the resurrection of Panerai