
Deceptive Layers
Due to the inherent nature of how TPT composites are made, which Richard Mille employs adeptly in the fabrication of its cases, in profile the layers resemble the build lines that are equally inherent in the output of additive manufacturing processes, like 3D printing.

Louis Vuitton × Rexhep Rexhepi
Reviving the spirit of Harry Winston's Opus series of collaborations from the turn of the millennium, which were initially spearheaded by Maximillian Büsser, Jean Arnault of Louis Vuitton has unveiled the LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie in partnership with Rexhep Rexhepi's Akrivia. This chiming chronograph with 5-minute tourbillon represents the first of five collaborations that Jean Arnault intends to embark on with Louis Vuitton and other independent watchmakers over the coming years.
Of note, according to Jean Arnault, this collaboration marks the first time in its nearly 170 year history that Louis Vuitton has integrated its logomark into the logotype of another brand. Meanwhile, Rexhepi has stated that this particular piece will be the last to be branded with the Akrivia trademark. All future timepieces will follow the lead of his Chronomètre Contemporain in bearing his name instead.

A Visit to F.P. Journe's Trinity of Manufacturing Facilities
Brandon Moore, writing for Watches by SJX:
Arguably both the largest founder-led artisanal brand and the smallest industrial brand, F.P. Journe occupies a market niche all its own, making watches like no other.
Interesting to note that in addition to the new dials that Journe's Les Boîtiers de Genève (BDG) produces for itself and others, BDG also provides restoration services for a number of storied brands.

Bacchus & Venus
I've long admired miniature enamel painting—even before I trained to become a watchmaker. One thing I did not anticipate appreciating about them until after working on a few, though, is how much easier these small masterworks make it to spot pieces I've worked on at auction and how much more strongly my mind associates with them than their plainer counterparts. This is the second time this unique piece that was painted by Hélène May-Mercier for Patek Philippe has hit the auction block since it first crossed my bench a little over a decade ago.

anOrdain Model 3 Method
Replicating the texture carved into a block of ash wood onto a sheet of enamel-coated silver, the dial of the Model 3 Method serves up an interesting play of texture and light.
My brother is a fine carpenter and has integrated this texture into the handles of cooking utensils and other items I have the pleasure of using around my house on a daily basis. On the one hand, I have a deep appreciation for the craft that inspired this new release from anOrdain. On the other, I am disappointed they opted to use laser ablation as the penultimate step toward achieving the same texture in silver.

One-of-one Patek Philippe With a Diamond Crystal
An unequivocal piece unique, the Patek Philippe reference 3843 was commissioned in 1990 and completed in 1994. The lasque diamond that protects the blue, sunburst dial of the timepiece is thought to be the third largest of its kind in the world.
Over the long arc of history, I firmly believe we are on the cusp of seeing synthetic diamond crystals supplant the synthetic sapphire crystals that have become par for the course in high-end watchmaking. Nevertheless, a unique and storied timepiece like this, with the subtle inclusions of its natural, cleaved diamond will retain a steadfast charm and rarity.

PowerMEMS
Created by the Besançon-based company, SilMach, PowerMEMS are high-resolution, electrostatic motors etched from silicon wafers. Compact, non-magnetic, low-energy, extremely light, and mass produceable to within incredibly tight tolerances, PowerMEMS appear to be an ideal candidate as a successor to the Lavet-type stepping motors traditionally used in battery-operated, analog wristwatches.
Francéclat
Formerly two distinct entities, CPDH and Cetehor, Francéclat is the modern trade body that oversees and promotes the economic development of the jewellery, tableware, and timepiece trades in France.
Serge Maillard, writing for Europa Star, delves into the group's history and ambitions for the future of French watchmaking.

Mobius Ring Calendar Clock
Designed by Zanwen Li, the Mobius Ring Calendar Clock captures both the infinitude and cyclical nature of time.
Utilizing magnets hidden within the three-dimensional form of the möbius ring, the owner of the calendar can move the ferrous marble indicating each day and month by hand to record the passage of time.

Epicycloidal Time Display
In clocks and watches that employ cycloidal tooth forms, the upper portion of the gear tooth flank employs an epicycloidal form (versus the hypocycloid arc that leads into the valley formed between two gear teeth inside of the pitch circle). Sophie Houlden has taken this same mathematical principle, normally used to form gear teeth, and applied it to display the time in a unique but intelligible way on the dial of virtual clock.

Mono-piece Tape Dispenser
While a multiplicity of one-piece tape dispensers made of plastic have existed for decades, the Push tape dispenser made by German Industrial Designer, Jasper Ohainski, while he was a student at Kunsthochschule Kassel in Northern Germany, takes the concept to a sculptural level.
Fit for display at a museum of modern art—or, at the very least, fit for sale in its gift shop—the (almost) one-piece tape dispenser was crafted from a single sheet of laser-cut, bent, formed, and polished brass with a small support rest inserted as a convenience for the end of the tape to stick to after it has been cut.
Shunting Magnetism
Anti-magnetic timepieces employ Mu metal shielding to redirect magnetic fields around, rather than through, the watch movement.
From the MuMetal Magnetic Shield Corp. FAQ:
MuMetal re-directs magnetic flux so it lessens the magnetic field’s influence on the item being shielded. Shielding does not eliminate or destroy magnetic fields, nothing does. It does, however, provide an easy path for the magnetic field to complete its path. You may think of it as a magnetic field conductor or shunt.
Hat tip Jack Forster.
Staying Levelheaded
JX Su in conversation with Rexhep Rexhepi on the pressures of one of his time-only timepieces recently selling for 7 figures at auction and what the fallout from that entails. The duo dive into Rexhepi's history, the watchmakers he looks up to right now (Kari Voutilainen and F.P. Journe), and the journey still unfolding in front of this promising, young watchmaker.
I think in life we have ups and downs, so it is very important that we remember that. You have to learn to go slowly.
Novel Means of Spider Silk Production
Leveraging the same biotech stack that enabled the rapid development and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, scientists at Donghua University have genetically engineered silk worms to produce spider silk.
At 6x the toughness of Kevlar, spider silk is a supermaterial. However, as the teams involved in providing spider silk for fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore will attest, harvesting it in any useful quantity is no easy feat. Silk worms, on the other hand, have been used in the mass production of silk for millennia, through a process known as sericulture.