A look at one of Kari Voutilainen's later decimal repeaters, produced circa 2010, alongside a number of other independent timepieces coming up for auction at Phillips' Geneva Watch Auction XV.

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.

Under the dial of the new Fears Garrick, showing the inner workings of the power reserve complication developed for Garrick's caliber UT-G04 by Andreas Strehler. The finished timepiece is a collaboration between British watch brands Garrick and Fears, as well as Canadian type designer Lee Yuen Rapati

A beautifully hand-finished movement, based on the ETA/Peseux caliber 7001, inside a minimalist timepiece with a novel dial construction.

The free-sprung balance coupled with a swan's neck mechanism to control and lock in the beat error are both a pleasant touch.

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.

Watches—the first book ever written by George Daniels, alongside Cecil Clutton—is returning to print, with an updated cover featuring Daniels' Four-Minute Tourbillon.

Jack Forster goes hands-on with the Cartier Masse Mystérieuse.

The symmetry of the movement architecture is even more impressive on the back than the front.

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.

Also known as Thomson structures, in honour of William Guglielmo Thomson who published his findings 4 years prior to Count Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten.

Widmanstätten structures refer to distinct pattern of nickel–iron crystal lattices that form in meteoroids as a result of the extremely slow cooling of molten metal that occurs in the vacuum of space.

Crystal structures, like these, that are large enough to see with the naked eye are extremely rare in metals found on earth.

He’d start each day by drawing a circle with his compass, intersecting it with lines as if dividing into a pie, then dive right in with brushes and paint

Reporting for Hodinkee, Ming Liu, relays Genta's artistic process as recounted by his widow, Evelyne Genta.

Painted by Gérald Genta circa 1976.

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?

As one might expect, the thickness imbued by the layers of sapphire crystal is appreciably more pronounced than in the renders. Nevertheless, the end effect is wonderfully whimsical.