Since the Queen of England winds her clocks and watches, does that mean you should too? The Queen has a position amongst her staff of that of a Horological Conservator and one of the duties is to keep the watches, clocks and other mechanisms wound and working.

 

Now that is definately an important question and one that a number or watch collectors ask.

We all agree that the care and upkeep of your personal timepieces is an important factor to keep them running well and on time, but does keeping watches ticking preserve them for longer and keep them more effective or is it better to let them wind down?

The Queen has a position amongst her staff of that of a Horological Conservator and one of the duties is to keep the watches, clocks and other mechanisms wound and working.

Our good friends, over at Christes Watch Blog Longitude, have uncovered the job post as posted by the Queens office and look into the question and answer in depth for us. here is the article on Longitude…

To read the entire article and see Meehna’s views along with other experts in the field please go to http://blogs.christies.com/longitude/brands/jaeger-lecoultre/to-wind-or-not-to-wind-that-is-the-question-queen-elizabeth-says-wind/ … You can see the views of Jack Freedman, Sam Hines along with Meehna and the Queen herself…

 

As you all know we concentrate on haute timepieces, Nomos is a brand based out of  Glashutte, Germany with arich tradition in producing quality timepieces, very clean designs and subtle but impresive cases. Up until recently they have manufactured all their timepieces in round cases, but with the introduction of the Tetra, as the name suggests it is the only square watch in Nomos’s stable. The Nomos Tetra is also probably the most feminine style watch in the Nomos manufacture

So who better than Meehna Goldsmith to talk us through the Nomos Tetra on Longitude – Christie Watch Blog, here is a bit of what you can expect

The Nomos Glashutte Tetra is not only for Ladies it can certainly do the job with its well-proportioned 29.5mm size. Smaller, more vintage-sized watches have circled back round to become fashionable again.

Adding some color to the Tetra family, Nomos mixes it up with some new dial colors creatively called world white, bittersweet, scone and heavenly blue. My translation: cream, dark chocolate, raspberry and, okay, I’ll go with heavenly blue on this one. 

Read more and the full article and more insight from Meehna Goldsmith on the Nomos Glashutte Tetra read the full article at http://blogs.christies.com/longitude/function-movement/manual-winding/the-nomos-tetra-adds-more-tint-to-the-rainbow/

Maximilian Busser is the type of guy who really doesn’t care what people think about him. That’s a huge statement to make. Most of us attempt to do an elaborate tango in the social and work arena because we’re trying to gain friends and good will. Busser just won’t do the dance. And this is a good thing, especially in the often times-constrained world of watches. If Busser were to tippy-toe around, we wouldn’t have the quirky and playful creations from his company MB&F like the HM3 JWLRYMACHINE and the Legacy Machine 1.

Though Busser grew up in the conventional world of watch brands, first with Jaeger-LeCoultre and later as the head of Harry Winston rare timepieces, he never lost his Wild West spirit. There were glimpses of his mad scientist tendencies in the Harry Winston Opus series, where he partnered with independent watchmakers and said have at it, boys. The results were beautiful oddballs from the likes of Felix Baumgartner, Andreas Strehler and Vianney Halter. Busser discusses the Opus series in this video here.

Busser may not be involved in the Opus series anymore, because, believe it or not, in that environment he still couldn’t cook up the alchemy in his mind. He needed even more freedom without a board of directors looking over his shoulder and shaking their heads. Busser is still up to his experimentation. Next to come from the test tube is concept C3H5N3O9, dreamed up with Felix Baumgartner of URWERK. In this separate company, Busser and Baumgartner have the liberty to create outside their established brands’ DNA. The name is actually the molecular formula of nitroglycerin, an explosive chemical compound, which is practically impossible to remember and I’m sure this brings a mischievous smile to Busser’s lips. That’s why it’s nicknamed Nitro for short.

 

First up under C3H5N3O9 is the watch deemed Experiment ZRO12. Using the concept of a Wankel engine (employed by Mazda in the RX7), it presents a way to tell time in a newly minted package. Two Wankel engine eccentric rotating Reuleaux polygons, triangular-shaped rotors!, indicate hours and minutes. The back of the zirconium case houses the power reserve indicator, which shows where you are in the 39-hour cycle. To ensure comfort, the titanium lugs, a compound front lug and articulated rear lug, wrap around the wrist. The movement’s gear train is sourced from Girard Perregaux/Sowind, while the whole complication is from the URWERK team. The C3H5N3O9 website gives a great explanation of the technical aspects.

When Martin Frei, URWERK’s designer, and Baumgartner first suggested the Wankel concept for a new watch, Max was totally in. His best friend’s father, who was an inventor, drove Busser and his son to school every day in an NSU Ro80. Busser was wowed by this outlandish and revolutionary car, which drove off a Wankel engine, particularly because his best friend’s father explained how cool it was.

Who is the customer for this watch? “I have no idea!” Busser exclaims. “Somebody who thinks like Felix, Martin, Serge, Eric or myself I suppose. A dreamer, a rebel, a misfit, a passionate individual, or all of the above perhaps? We will soon find out.”

 

Busser doesn’t go through elaborate marketing exercises to come up with his watches. No, that wouldn’t be any fun. Four years ago, he and Baumgartner came up with the plan during a lunch in Geneva, probably doodling the idea onto a napkin that got scrunched up in one of their pockets. This is the research part of the process. Next comes development to get the thing to work. Busser and his partner Serge Kriknoff enlisted watch designer Eric Giroud to design and produce the case, while constructor Cyrano Devanthey was charged with developing and producing a movement.

Here’s where it gets extremely interesting. Companies are designed to profit. Busser and Baumgartner are actually prepared to lose money on Nitro. But this is of no consequence to them. “URWERK and MB&F have effectively booked all the C3H5N3O9 project as a potential loss in our accounts,” Busser casually remarks. “If all 24 pieces (12 in Zirconium this year and 12 in red gold next year) are sold, then we might break-even.”

Going a step further, Experiment ZRO12 can only be obtained through their site. Imagine buying a watch that sells for over $100K on the net. That’s insane at the same time it is forward thinking and foresees the new marketing model. Of this bold move, Busser says, “I believe that in the future any part [of the watch buying process] that does not bring added value to the “creator to customer” chain will disappear. Darwinism applies to economics as well as biology.”

Busser was inspired by Ron Johnson, the creator and manager of the Apple Store concept for over 12 years, who said that it isn’t enough for brick and mortar retailers to differentiate themselves from on-line sales just by displaying the physical product, they have to really engage potential customers. “And ‘engaging’ is what the digital world is all about,” Busser says.

We can only wonder what the next experiment to come from the C3H5N3O9 will be…

 

This article written by Meehna can also be seen on Christies Watch Blog Longitude at http://blogs.christies.com/longitude/function-movement/manual-winding/the-wacky-and-wonderful-world-of-busser-and-baumgartner-c3h5n3o9-redefines-the-watch-world-yet-again/

 

By Meehna Goldsmith

In Meehna’s WatchMatchmaker series as published on Longitude – Christies Watch Blog , Meehna and her contributors have restyled fashion and manners king K. Cooper Ray along with Mike Ross from the hit TV show Suits. This time Meehna has got some advice for Brooke Lewis.

Brooke is a talented actress and producer. She’s won many awards for acting including, Excellence in Film for Sprinkles, Scream Queen of the Month on ScreamQueen.com and the Silver Lei Award for Ms. Vampy’s Tween Tawk, Teen Tawk & In Between Tawk, my personal fav.  I love her saucy and straightforward vampire, providing valuable insight and advice to young girls in a supportive environment. Without the teeth and cape, she also runs a successful business as a sought after life coach. A very smart cookie, this adorable and fiery brunette possesses the acceleration of a souped up Ferrari. You don’t want to get in her way when she wants to get something done.

See Meehna’s take on the perfect match for Brooke at Longitude Christies Watch Blog

 

 

Harvey got Mike fitted in a tailored suit and Italian shoes but he forgot the watch. Mike’s got to ditch that plastic number that he probably bought at the drugstore. It’s tacky. Especially for an associate at the prestigious firm Pearson Hardman. You don’t want to scare off a client with an off-the-rack polyester leisure suit and garage sale shoes. The wrong watch has the same effect. It doesn’t exude confidence and sophistication. And without a decent watch, Mike’s look just isn’t complete.

To see what is in store for Mike as an associate, he’s making a pretty good salary and it’s important he invest in a good watch for his career. But, Harvey being Harvey would probably throw in $5k for the purchase. After all, when Mike looks good, so does Harvey. What do you think Meehna suggests as a perfect match see it on Longitude – Meehnas home for watch articles here

The Full and original article can be found at http://blogs.christies.com/longitude/brands/jaeger-lecoultre/watch-matchmaker-mike-ross-from-suits-should-wear-a-jaeger-lecoultre-memovox/

In the first in the Watch Matchmaker Series we will be focusing on K.Cooper Ray of , Enjoy…

As K. Cooper demonstrates, manners aren’t just in the way one acts but also how one dresses. Showing up to any function but a house cleaning party in a torn shirt and flip flops is verboten. After all, a well-turned out man (not classy, as K. Cooper abhors this word) stands himself in good stead and is ready to handle any situation. So what’s a man to do if he’s lost in the forest of clothing choices? Well, K. Cooper will lead him out with advice and even offer up some clothing. He has a reversible bow tie collection at Brooks Brothers. Yes, bow ties are cool. K. Cooper brings a new and modern pizazz to the neck gear with his contrasting patterns and colors.

Certainly when it comes to habiliments and impeccable comportment, K. Cooper is the go-to man. However, the dear fellow is in dire need of a watch makeover. He gallivants around in a Timex with interchangeable bands. When I spoke to him, he said he also has a stainless steel Datejust from 1959 that belonged to his grandfather, which he rarely wears. A delightful heirloom; I love old Rolexes. But, the Timex has to go and fast.

After careful consideration of K. Cooper’s overall look and personality—he’s a lovely phone companion, by the way, very polite but yet bubbly fun—I would recommend an IWC Portofino Hand-Wound 8 Days, Ref. IW510103, which comes with a Santoni strap. Bonus! The watch is produced in stainless steel and rose gold, but both for presentation and price I choose the stainless steel version with a silver-plated dial and rhodium indices for K. Cooper. The color combination goes with all clothing options yet is discreet.

In a manly 45mm case that wears well on all wrist sizes and a 12mm height that will slip under a cuff, the Portofino has a well-balanced dial that shows the date and power reserve. If K. Cooper is anything like me, he will forget the date and have to fumble around for his SmartPhone or else ask around. This is not every elegant. With the Portofino, a simple glance at the wrist reveals the proper time of the month. And, while the movement will last for a full 8 days (nine really, but 8 days keeps the mainspring within the right range) without winding, which is very convenient!), the power reserve reminds when a simple turn of the crown is needed. And having a hand wind to enjoy the process of interacting with your watch is quite dignified.

Inside the Portofino is a real movement, one that watch enthusiasts respect. It’s the IWC-manufactured 59210 calibre, a large and accurate movement following in the 5000-calibre tradition. It features an indexless balance wheel beating at 28,800 per hour, a Breguet overcoil and hacking seconds, which allows for setting the watch to an exact moment.

Here’s where the Portofino 8 Days completely jives with K. Cooper’s sensibilities. It hugs the wrist with a Santoni strap with a color of your choosing, you know, the company that makes those luscious handmade shoes and boots in Italy. If you want hand-sewn seams and the anticatura finish, cultivated through a process of applying multiple coats of leather dye, then Santoni is your company.

How can K. Cooper resist all this? And it doesn’t come at a wallet-busting price either. This specific model clocks in at $10,800

The original article is courtesy of Meehna and Christies Watch Blog Longitude and available at http://blogs.christies.com/longitude/brands/iwc/watch-matchmaker-k-cooper-ray-gets-a-horologic-makeover/