Etiqueta: quillandpad

One of the things that I appreciate most about Hermès is the brand’s subtlety in design. No matter which of the objects you take in hand, it has that sense of understated luxury. Hermès achieves this by combining high-quality materials and craftsmanship with a certain restraint in expression. That also makes this brand the first that comes to my mind when talking about Parisian chic. In this light, the Hermès Arceau is a stroke of brilliance. It is rare that an asymmetrical watch case works so well – and for…

The great British automotive genius Colin Chapman was known most widely for founding Lotus in 1952. Of course, simply founding a car company wouldn’t make someone famous, it came down to what he did with that company: he revolutionized the sport of racing. Aside from popularizing the mid-engine layout for IndyCar and developing the first monocoque Formula One chassis, Lotus also pioneered wings and ground effects for aerodynamics and invented active suspension. Underlying this success was Chapman’s core design and engineering principles, which he eloquently summarized when he said, “Simplify,…

My colleague Elizabeth Doerr published a very well appreciated article entitled How Does Nomos Glashütte Make A Beautiful Watch With Manufacture Movement For Under $3,000? In this article, though, I look at the other extreme using the example of movement decoration: why do high-end watches cost so much? There are quite a few reasons, including low production numbers (mass manufacture brings prices down) and high complexity, but the one I will focus on here is hand-finishing. Hand-finishing is taken very seriously at Romain Gauthier I decided to concentrate on hand-finishing…

Hairsprings are miniscule. Generally no more than one centimeter in overall diameter when coiled, they are roughly 50 microns thick and 150 microns wide. Tiny they may be, but insignificant they are not. In fact, they are so significant that Rolex refers to them as “the guardians of time.” Fitting a Rolex balance wheel and Parachrom hairspring The hairspring, which has long played a vital role in the accuracy of timekeeping, has come a long way with various technological advances over its lifetime. The latest in that long line is…

If there’s one thing that beats building up your own collection over a number of years, it’s having a group of good friends with extensive collections of their own who generously share pieces with the other group members. The variety is great, and it’s intriguing to handle (and, for me, to photograph) watches that you might not have considered for yourself or might otherwise never have the chance to see. And the best part is that they are already paid for! It’s good to have friends: Vianney Halter Anniversary on…

With Geneva Watch Days (GWD) now less than a month away (August 26-29), and COVID-19 outbreaks flaring up both in Europe and worldwide, I’m still hesitant enough not to have booked my travel and accommodation just yet. But it has become evident that there is a good chance the event will take place. And I very much hope it does. But whether GWD takes place or not, and whether it’s deemed successful or not because of all the travel and quarantine restrictions, doesn’t change the fact that there was a…

The horse, an imposing majestic creature, is our earliest form of long-distance vehicle. Equus ferus caballus is inextricably linked to all kinds of history and has played an extremely important role in the development of modern civilization. Only in the last century has the horse lost its status as the primary mode of transportation except in the most remote areas of the world. While dogs, cats, sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs were domesticated first, domestication of the horse around 3000 BCE was a big turning point, one that allowed humankind to…

Buzzwords like tradition, precision, and prestige often come to mind when mentioning the time-honored Swiss watch industry. This comes as no surprise to anyone involved in the industry, especially with luxury giants like Patek Philippe, Rolex, Omega, and other famous names shining their bright lights over the whole horological landscape. Having withstood industry shifts ranging from the quartz crisis to the release of the Apple Watch, the world of Swiss watchmaking continues to stand for long-lasting quality, keeping loyal fans and collectors coming back for more. With watchmaking icons that…

In an article published by Quill & Pad in 2015 – Here’s Why You Should Learn To Service Your Own Watch– fellow contributor Joshua Munchow incurred the wrath of watchmakers and haute horlogerie enthusiasts alike by suggesting that you can learn to service your own watch if you set your mind to it, thereby acquiring a fascinating new life skill and saving yourself a fortune in watchmakers’ fees at the same time. A few lengthy, irate rants were left in the comments section, pointing out the years of study it…