Nemo's Garden
A pioneering project exploring the viability of undersea agriculture, initially conceived of by Italian chemical engineer, Sergio Gamerini, when the harvest from his food-bearing plants was detrimentally impacted by an unexpected bout of cold weather.
The sea's near-constant temperature off of the coast of Liguria helps to stabilize the temperature in the agricultural biodomes, which are suspended from the sea floor on chains. Open on the bottom and surrounded by water, the humidity inside each biodome is also naturally kept stable, and a continuous supply of fresh water is produced for the plants as sea water beneath the domes evaporates and then condenses inside.
Image credit Nemo's Garden
A Nivarox Branded Observatory Competition Peseux 260 From the 1950s
Today Nivarox operates largely behind the scenes, supplying the beating heart inside the vast majority of spring-powered Swiss timepieces, from Swatch to Patek Philippe. The low escape wheel in this caliber allowed for a larger balance wheel & thus better rate stability. Kari Voutilainen later employed the Peseux 260 in his series of Observatoire timepieces, which were awarded certificates of chronometry from Besançon Observatory.
Image from ebay listing
Citizen Calibre 0200
Free-sprung balance wheel, LIGA escapement, locking stud, & a high level of finish. Crafted in partnership with Citizen-owned, Swiss-based subsidiary, La Joux-Perret, Citizen has done an applaudable job developing their first in-house, high-end caliber.
Image credit Citizen Watch Co.
40Hz Silicon Oscillator
While I have a deep appreciation for bi-stable mechanisms & admire the pioneering work Flexous has achieved with this new oscillator & escapement for Frederique Constant, I think it's a mistake to show it off through an aperture in the dial.
There is something humane & almost soothing about watching a mechanical timepiece tick away at rate of five to eight times per second. Witnessing the oscillator vibrating a literal order of magnitude more than that every time you look at your wrist is going to feel downright unnerving.
A Movie Prop Crafted by Breguet
This period-correct pocket watch made by Breguet specifically for the film Master & Commander, starring Russell Crowe, took months to fabricate & was visible for only a handful of frames. The hourglass on the ship's deck captured more screen time.
Image credit 20th Century Fox
Mechanical Appreciation
Had quartz watches not come about, people wouldn't have appreciated mechanical watchmaking.
An interview with Michael Tay, the driving force behind The Persistence of Memory, a superb, online exhibition of artisanal watchmakers that was recently launched by the The Hour Glass.