Talking Watches With Yoshihide Isogai
In a laid-back chat with Hodinkee's Kyosuke Sato, Yoshihide Isogai discusses early Patek wristwatches, the craftsmanship that drew him to independent watchmakers, and Shellman's thoughtful foray into quartz watches fit for the Musée international d'horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
A Visit With David Candaux
There are watchmakers, and then there are watchmakers.
Logan Baker, reporting for Phillips Auctioneers, pays a visit to the atelier of David Candaux.
With regards to Candaux's choice of titanium for the bridges of his timepieces, Baker writes:
For Candaux, titanium is the ideal material for modern watchmaking because, unlike nickel silver, which was once considered innovative due to its non-magnetic and stainless properties, it is also highly resistant, biocompatible, and a natural material, ensuring exceptional longevity for each timepiece.
Image via Phillips Auctioneers, LLC
Control & Greed
Arial Adams, of A Blog to Watch, shares some salient thoughts on parts restrictions and the adverse impacts that have occurred as a result:
Often, such decisions were made by brand managers who knew they would no longer be in the role when the crisis would become apparent. With this in mind, they made decisions that made them look good in the short term, only to create long-term problems they didn’t care too much about.
While I don't foresee any grand changes to restrictive parts practices coming imminently, increasingly negative consumer sentiment toward the most egregious brands may eventually turn the tide. Hopefully brand managers don't choose to wait until they've drowned out the last remaining independent watchmakers.
The Earliest Map
The fascinating backstory of the first map of the known world, crafted in Babylon and presented here by Irving Finkel, the longstanding curator of the British Museum who was eventually able to decipher what remains of its clay tablet thanks to the effort and dedication of Edith Horsley.
Omega "Mondo"
Quite literally launched alongside Armand "Mondo" Duplantis' world record, 6.25-meter vault pole vault at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Omega has unveiled a new Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Ultra Light bearing the colours of the Swedish flag.
While I applaud the manually-wound, lightweight, titanium caliber 8928 and can appreciate why Duplantis would favour a recessed crown like that, with a 72-hour power reserve, I can't help but be reticent about how tedious this timepiece must be to wind.
The bright colourway and Olympic provenance are reminiscent of the lightweight, Richard Mille RM-38 that Yohan Blake wore alongside his world-record-setting teammate, Usain Bolt, at the 2012 London Olympics. Unlike Blake, however, Duplantis won't face the threat of being levied a half-million dollar fine for wearing his ultralight timepiece, thanks to Omega's keystone prominence as the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games.
