Watches - another OCD problem
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I went along to Salon QP yesterday, and got to look at way too many stupidly expensive timepieces. Here are some of the highlights.
Habring2 are a small, independent watchmaker in Austria. They've mainly used heavily modified variants of ETA and other movements in the past, but have their own calibre coming next year. That's probably down to the Swatch group restricting supplies to their competitors. One of my favourite pieces was their dead seconds Pilot Watch. I shot a short video of it in action.
I got a chance to speak to Richard Habring, the founder, who showed off the watches, and there are some cool options available. The chronograph that's controlled by twisting the crown was particularly cool.
They retail for about the same price as something like a Bell and Ross. I know which I'd buy.
Speaking of them, here's the watch that Giles is looking at. Looks good on the wrist.
At the other end of their range is the World War 2 Tourbillion. It uses some highly authentic vintage materials in its construction, such as carbon fibre and titanium. But I was rather taken by it.
Also for Giles, there's a very tasty 1970s Blancpain Aqua Lung in the upcoming Watches of Knightsbridge auction. The estimate is around £5,000.
The Schofield Watch Company Black Lamp. It's got one of the nicest carbon cases that I've seen, and there's a glowing ring around the dial.
Giles Ellis, the company's founder, has a gnarly beard and a taste for workwear. He spotted the cuff of my IHSH-62, and asked me what it was. He runs a blog about the scene, but I didn't catch its name.
I'm sure that the denim scene is like the Masons, only with cooler clothes.
This is the Urwerk EMC. The crank on the right side of the case is used to charge up a capacitor that powers an electronic circuit that measure's the watch's accuracy. You can then adjust the timing with a screw on the back. It was my favourite high-end piece.
Konstantin Chaykin Lunokhod. The case is made from Wootz steel.
The HYT H1. The green ring around the bezel is a liquid that indicates minutes.
The Ressence Type 3. The dial rotates as the minutes change.
And lastly the Hoptroff No. 10 pocket watch, which is driven by an atomic clock. It's still under development, and the back will have an equal number of dials when it's done!
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After much deliberation, a year of saving and multiple other watches sold I finally managed to pick up a new Patek Aquanaut.
Picked it up yesterday from one of the UK main dealers who had it in stock.
I went for the basic entry level Aquanaut on a rubber strap. I am not keen on the bracelet that goes with this watch and reckon it suits the rubber much better. It is light and very comfortable to wear.
I had considered the nautilus also as they are closely related. The Nautilus is still on the wish list but this time the Aquanaut won due to its rubber strap being more durable and less prone to showing wear.
The movement is stunning and makes a nice whirring sound when the automatic winding rotor is whizzing round.
All in all pretty pleased with it and just glad to have finally managed to scratch that Patek itch that I have had for a couple of years now
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Davito
thanks for the kind comments. Currently mesmerised by the subtle colours on the dial that change from black through to greens and blues depending on the light.
May be that or just one too many drinks before heading back offshore to work tomorrow!!
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Gorgeous!
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amazing piece right there!
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Lovely watch there Ddtrash.
Incidentally, for all you Tudor fans, the Heritage Black Bay won the Revival Prize in the 2013 Grand Prix d'Horologerie de Geneve. That puts it in amongst some pretty exalted company. Oh, and the Habring2 Pilot's Watch I posted above got the Petite Aiguille gong.
More over at Hodinkee.
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Although all the new Tudor models look good, (a surprise for me, as I'm not a fan of Rolex styling, generally speaking) I think the Heritage Chrono Blue is the cream of the crop. That's just a sexy watch.
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It is nice to see Tudor come from out of the shadow of the parent company. The new designs are very nice and work well as pieces in their own right. They suffered for years from the image of being the "poor mans Rolex".
I love the fact that the Pelagos dive watch is the first titanium case watch that a Rolex group brand has commercially attempted. Looks like Tudor may be the new proving ground for Rolex group technologies and materials.
With the new designs it looks like Tudor is fashioning it's own identity.
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I'm glad the Black Bay won. I've had mine for about six months and love the thing. In about a week I'm going to pop it on the fabric strap it came with while we are on vacation.
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It is nice to see Tudor come from out of the shadow of the parent company. The new designs are very nice and work well as pieces in their own right. They suffered for years from the image of being the "poor mans Rolex"…
...With the new designs it looks like Tudor is fashioning it's own identity.
I agree with you on Tudor's perception issue and the direction of their new designs, and I hope you're right about them forging a new identity. Like I said, I like all of their new models; I'd like to see more good things from them.
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No Giles, The Tudors are in the past, your hot tub time machine is malfunctioning again!
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Just been watching the Sotherby's Red Auction. I had half an eye on a customised Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox with a red dial.
But it got up to $200K, and that was a bit too rich for me! :o
I saw the watch when it was on display at Sotherby's in London, and it was a nice looking piece. Had it gone for the estimate ($10K to $15K), it would have been a good buy.
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I've tired of watches that only exist in, and can only document the passage of time in, this dimension, so for my next timepiece I'm looking for something with little more flexibility…
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I've tired of watches that only exist in, and can only document the passage of time in, this dimension, so for my next timepiece I'm looking for something with little more flexibility…
I have that. I bought it in 2026.
