A version of this appeared on the RedBar Group’s global website in June 2023. “I thought it might be larger,” says Dr Roger Smith OBE, as he holds Pocket Watch No.2, the watch he presented to Dr George Daniels over twenty-five years ago. We’re sitting in a room off Phillips’ London auction space, where items from the New York Watch Auction EIGHT (which will take place on June 10 and 11) are on display. It’s the first extended period of time he’s had to spend with it, having sold Pocket Watch No.2 to a collector in 2004. Smith had set out to create something that would reflect the ideals of the ..read more

London Lectures – 18 July 2019 This article is a version of one that appeared in Antiquarian Horology, Number Three, Volume 40 (September 2019). Lectures are free to attend for all AHS Members. If you would like to join the AHS, please visit the Membership Page. Members also get a host of other free (fully searchable) digital resources, including the Horological Journal from 1858. Dr Andrew Hildreth (Ph.D Cantab) gave a lecture on the nature and value of uniqueness in vintage and modern watches, particularly those at auction. Supported by numerous examples and a bespoke valuation Ind ..read more

Tweet A version of this review was written for the Journal of the Antiquarian Horological Society (“AHS”): It is easy to join the AHS online. Members receive the peer-reviewed quarterly printed journal, Antiquarian Horology, as well as free online searchable access to the entire AH archive from 1953, as well as other archives, such as the BHI’s Journal. Subscriptions to the AHS can be purchased from this link. Photo (C) Black Bough Books 2020 https://www.blackbough.co.uk/product/prestel-the-watch-a-twentieth-century-style-history-alexander-barter/ The Watch, a Twentieth Century ..read more

Tweet It’s a song that’s been playing quite a bit over the past few months. That refrain was even referenced by Her Majesty the Queen, in a rare non-Christmas broadcast to the nation. Strangely, I have a feeling that this watch, the new LANGE 1 TIME ZONE from A. Lange & Söhne, might well provide a solution, although speaking to both Zeina Dakak (from PR Agency ZDLux&Co) and Tony de Haas (Director of Product Development at A Lange & Söhne) over Zoom, I was reminded that it may be some time away. At this point, I should probably state that I have no financial links to A. Lange & ..read more

Tweet The deepest parts of the world’s oceans are named for the god of the underworld, Hades. This hadal zone, below 6,000m, includes some of the least visited parts of the planet: until recently, four times as many people had walked on the surface of the moon as had dived to below 10,000m. In May 2019, that number increased from three to five*. The Five Deeps expedition is a privately funded attempt to dive the deepest parts of five of the world’s oceans: Atlantic; Southern; Indian; Pacific; and Arctic. The number of dives that have so far been undertaken is truly mind-blowing, with an expect ..read more

Tweet It’s been some time since I published a piece on this ‘blog. In the months since I last wrote an article, much has changed: the online world has become more polarised; the #watcherati has further stratified; and many, many new watches have been released. During the past year, I’ve also changed, taking time to focus less on what I was writing, and more on why I was writing. The why has been the problem: I’ve been trying to understand what it is about this ‘blog, and the process of writing articles, that makes me happy. It turns out that learning and research make me far happier than finis ..read more

Tweet Nine years ago, in a piece in the BHI’s Horological Journal, Derek Pratt FBHI set out a history of double-wheel escapements. The article encapsulated many ideas and approaches, from Breguet’s échappement naturel, to Daniels’ Independent Double-Wheel and Co-Axial Escapements, and described Derek’s own work to further develop these ideas into the Soluthurn* pocket watch in 1997. In a postscript, Derek also revealed conversations he’d had with Charles Frodsham & Co in May 2004 which lead to the development of a new double wheel wristwatch movement that had been shown at the BHI’s 1 ..read more

Tweet Nostalgia is generally defined as a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one’s life; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time. I doubt I’ll feel much nostalgia for 2017, but I am increasingly feeling nostalgic towards earlier, perhaps simpler times. While the full-on monetization of the HODINKEE ‘blog was not a surprise, the scale of the endeavour may have caught some observers off guard. Following the success of their limited run collaborations with #watchnerd favourites Ressence, MB&F and Vacheron Constantin, the bre ..read more

Tweet Disclosure: there is no financial relationship between the #watchnerd and Andersen Genève. I paid for my own travel and accommodation during my visit to Geneva in January 2017. If you wander away from the centre of Geneva along the Rhône, past the big hotels and the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, you might stumble upon Andersen Genève’s atelier. Given the slightly out-of-the-way location, it’s probably unlikely, but if you do, you may be lucky enough to find Svend Andersen working at his bench. Mr Andersen is something of a legendary figure in the world of independent watch ..read more

Tweet Disclosure: there is no financial relationship between the #watchnerd and Time4APint. Sometimes it’s best just to admit when you’re wrong. And I’m almost *always* wrong. As way of apology, here are a few links, errata and other information to assist you in navigating through the mess I created of Chris Mann’s rather lovely podcast series, Time4aPint. Please scroll down for a gallery of linked images. Origin stories: If you’d like to read more about the steps Jeffrey Steingarten took when he became food critique for Vogue, I suggest The Man Who Ate Everything (1997) and It Must Hav ..read more