SalonQP was launched in 2009. Since moving to the Saatchi Gallery from Number One Marylebone, the annual event has continued to gather momentum and reputation, helped, no doubt, by its new owners, the Telegraph Media Group. This year, over 90 watch and watch-related brands were represented, ranging from well-established manufacture to independents, including some names that had…
OnlyWatch is a biennial charity auction of specially-designed, one-off pieces from some of the best watchmakers and manufacture in the world in aid of research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The auction is organised by Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, the Monaco Yacht Show and Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo. It’s a good cause, and showcases some…
Thomas Prescher is a difficult man to describe. On the one hand, he’s a technical watchmaker with an extraordinary pedigree. A prodigy, he worked with Richard Habring on a half-flying one minute tourbillon while an apprentice at IWC. On the other hand, he’s a steampunk visionary, with a gift for designing wonderfully esoteric and often whimsical pieces like…
It’s possible that we may never know for sure when the first wristwatch was made, although that hasn’t stopped a number of Swiss brands laying claim to the production of some iteration of that ur-device. The Patek Philippe N° 27’368 is such a piece – a six line, gilt, cylinder escapement encased in a rectangular gold…
While attempting to discover when The Watchmaker’s Apprentice would be available on general release, I was approached by DAM Production’s / Bulldog Distribution’s marketing partner, Organic Marketing, and offered the chance to interview Roger on one of his increasingly rare trips to London. Unfortunately, I was unable to see him in person, but he did…
The Watchmaker’s Apprentice – the story of the late Dr George Daniels and his apprentice, Roger W Smith – has had a succession of successful screenings at film festivals, both in the UK and United States. Most recently, the documentary was shown at Birmingham City University (home to the UK’s only Horology BA-Hons Degree), in…
I’m putting this here for the time being to commemorate the announcement on this unique pocket watch, the Reference 57260, that celebrates the 260th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin. I’ll try and update is as more information about this staggeringly impressive movement, the Calibre 3750, is revealed. a Plate 350: Chrono & Hebrew perpetual calendar…
The burial chamber of king Tutankhamun was, it seems, saved from tomb raiders by a combination of poor memory and natural disasters. Although plundered at least twice in the years after Tutankhamun’s interment, the thieves appear to have taken only a few small objects; further incursions may have been curtailed by floods or rockslides, or simply because the…
Eight years ago, on the subway on the way back home from a lunch held by Kobold Watch owner Michael Kobold, two New Yorkers got talking. It transpired that they worked a few blocks from each other in Midtown, and had a shared interest in collecting and discussing watches. What was once a monthly post-work chat…
While Patek Philippe and others are able to throw seemingly limitless resources behind their brands, we’re yet to see similar amounts supporting the watch media. There are successful magazines – Revo, IW and (of course) QP, for whom I have written previously – but to date, there’s no clear cut online leader. However, with the…