Link – Page 34 – Freesprung

Orbital O2

Currently, the most powerful tidal turbine in the world. Based just off the coast of Orkney, Scotland.

The Complete Set

All four of the timepieces conceived of and created by Philippe Dufour, together in one place.

ArtyA Purity Tourbillon

The movement architecture of ArtyA's latest tourbillon is aesthetically well-balanced. With respect to the balance itself, I applaud the use of a free-sprung balance wheel—any tourbillon without a free-sprung balance, isn't taking itself seriously. I do have some concern about the one-to-one ratio of the gear train delivering power to the tourbillon itself, though.

Image credit ArtyA

Rolex USA Provides Official Comment on Yahoo! News Story Regarding Supply

It's worth noting that this comment is from Rolex Watch USA Inc. & not from Rolex SA. While a good degree of care clearly went into this response & the reasons provided are both sound & in line with the brand's values, the official comment itself lands a stride short of the excellence that Rolex SA is renowned for.

BECS Sàrl

Creators of tooling & case components for the horological industry. Their lapping equipment, previously operated under CNJ Duret, is particularly exceptional.

PX Group

Creators of high-precision tools & supplies for the watch industry, including extrusions for mass production of watch cases.

"An Encyclopaedia of Exemplary Finishing"

An in-depth look at Derek Pratt's Oval Pocket Watch, written by Dr. Helmut Crott & beautifully photographed by Jess Hoffman. Pratt's work here is masterful, in every degree. The layout & execution of the movement is simply sublime.

Image credit Jess Hoffman

The Pen-Y-Gwryd

The British mountaineering hotel, nestled in the Welsh countryside, where Sir Edmund Hillary stayed while training in Snowdonia for the first-ever successful summit of Everest.

Letters to Rolex

Every timepiece has a story to tell.

Apple's Purpose-made Dial Typography

Kudos to the type designer behind the Apple Watch Series 7 edge-hugging indices.

Image credit Apple Inc.

The Less Glamorous Side of the Watch Business

Notably absent from the brands mentioned in this piece from the New York Times? Rolex.

Few, if any, other watch brands on the planet treat their watchmakers & technicians with the same reverence & respect as Rolex. All of the service centers under their purview that I have ever visited have been pristine & well-appointed.

The Lionel Messi of Fine Watchmaking

Kari Voutilainen reflecting on his first encounter with the craft of watchmaking:

"It's difficult to explain, but since that day I have never felt like I’ve been working."

Inside the Workshops of Kari Voutilainen

With thoughts from Voutilainen on the transmission of skill & the future of mechanical watchmaking. A two minute video from SwissInfo.

Voutilainen & Cattin SA

The case-making manufacture, that crafts watch cases for Kari Voutilainen et al. Fun fact, its co-founder, Philippe Cattin, is the son of Henri Cattin, who runs the renowned Watch Case Museum in Le Noirmont.

Progenitor of the Decimal Repeater

GaryG takes an in-depth look at Kari Voutilainen's Masterpiece 8. Being a musician, Gary’s preference for the tonal interval in a minute repeater being a full third is interesting to note.

Hour Striking Module

The implementation of the hour-striking mechanism on the Meistersinger Bell Hora is clever.

Image credit Meistersinger

Phillips to Auction a Full Set of Philippe Dufour Timepieces

Deauther Watch

Hacked together by DSTIKE & Spacehuhn, I'm sure glad this watch didn't exist when I was a kid. The lack of executive functioning in the underdeveloped prefrontal cortices of my peers & myself likely would have resulted in a trip or two to the principal's office—provided the staff in the IT department were savvy enough to catch on. Packet sniff, run deauth attacks, & Rick Roll available Wi-Fi networks, all from your wrist. It even has a built in flashlight.

Image credit DSTIKE