Walk No. 14 Stopping to Mourn David Bowie (1/11/2016)

David Bowie, rock star and so much more tragically passed away yesterday at age 69 from cancer.  Although many of his songs reflected the concept of time passing, did he have any specific connection to wristwatches?  The answer is only obliquely at best -- that being through the artifice of Bowie's friend, artist, Derek Boshier.

Bowie’s concept-album Lodger (1979) contains pictures of an Omega Speedmaster Professional and an Omega Flightmaster. The images can also be found in Boshier's stunning new monograph documenting his work, Rethink/Re-entry published this fall.

Did Bowie select these?

No, according to Boshier who designed the album's inside sleeve where the Omega images appear.  “I chose them from a lot of watch pictures because I liked the double watch image and it was a good, clear photograph. It could have been other watches, by any brand. I never even knew they were Omega’s”.

Read the entire story in Paul Dezentjé's  Speedy Tuesday Fratellowatches' post (February 17, 2015),  "How a Speedmaster and Flightmaster ended up in David Bowie’s album art."

In tribute to David Bowie, I am posting a recent photograph, Looking Skyward Major Tom in his memory.

© Maryhelen Raciti-Jones

 

Walk No. 13 Visiting the National Watch & Clock Museum's YouTube Channel (1/10/2016)

Love to watch YouTube?  You and 1.3 billion others! So it's good to know that the The National Watch & Clock Museum, located in Columbia, Pennsylvania   maintains its own YouTube channel.

On it, the general public as well as National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) members can access themed playlists, Museum objects, educational and publicity videos, and vintage horological films.

Among the picks are An Introduction to Antique Clocks (17 videos); a short, six minute tutorial on how to photograph a wristwatch; and a video examining President James Monroe's pocket watch during his time in office. 

(Thanks to Steve Humphrey, NAWCC Executive Director for bringing this to my attention in his Executive Director's Weekly Newsletter January 10, 2016.)
 

Walk No. 12 And the Winner Is: GEM Awards Watch Design (1/9/2016)

Last night, the Jewelers of America hosted its 14th Annual GEM Awards in New York City. Considered the Academy Awards of the fine jewelry industry, the event "recognizes the outstanding achievements of individuals and companies whose work raises the visibility and status of fine jewelry and watches."

The nominees for Watch Design, an inaugural achievement category at this year's ceremony were Cartier, Piaget, and Roger Dubuis. All three are exhibitors at SIHH 2016 and are part of the Richemont group, a Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company.

For this category, "Innovation in Design" and "Technical Expertise" were two of the primary criteria for the nominees' initial selection.

And the the Award goes to Cartier. 

The firm's watchmaking was recognized for its longstanding history of capturing Parisian flair in its watch forms and movements.  Case in point is the new Clé de Cartier Collection -- its shape, new house movement, and new crown which is seamlessly integrated into the watch's case.

Strapped for time, watch the Watch Design Awards Presentation segment (1:18:42-1:26:50). 

Walk No. 11 SIHH's Magnetic 24 -- Saunter Three (1/8/2016)

For the context of this Saunter see Walk No. 9 (1/6/2016).

SIHH's Main 15 (Third/Last 5):  Piaget; Richard Mille; Roger Dubuis; Vacheron Constantin; Van Cleef & Arpels.

SIHH's Carré 9 (Third /Last 3): Laurent Ferrier; MB&F; Urwerk. 

Walk No. 10 SIHH's Magnetic 24 -- Saunter Two (1/7/2016)

For the context of this Saunter see Walk No. 9 (1/6/2016).

SIHH's  Main 15 (Second 5): IWC Schaffausen; Jaeger-LeCoultre; Mont Blanc; Panerai; Parmigiani.

SIHH's Carré 9 (Second 3): Hautlence; HYT; Kari Voutilainen. 

Walk No. 9 SIHH's Magnetic 24 -- Saunter One (1/6/2016)

In 2016, magnetic is poised to be the perfect, emotion-rich adjective to describe luxury watch brands that have demonstrated uncontested allure. It's an appropriate choice for the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) 2016 group of 24 exhibitors.  Nine of these exhibitors represent a new addition to SIHH's previous years' collective of 15.

The new nine are being referred to by the dedicated show space they occupy, "Carré des Horlogers."  They are "artisan-creators and independent workshops and representatives of watchmaking 'new guard.' "

In this walk and the next two that follow (Saunter One, Two, and Three), I'll simply list five exhibitors from the Main 15; and three from the Carré 9.  Take the next several months, before Baselworld 2016, March 14-24 to explore all of their magnetic time pieces.

SIHH's Main 15 (First 5):  Audemars Piguet; A. Lange & Sőhne; Baume & Mercier; Cartier; Greubel Forsey.

SIHH's Carré 9 (First 3):  Christophe Claret; De Bethume; H. Moser & Cie.

 

Walk No. 8 Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso's 85th Anniversary Tribute (1/5/2016)

Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH 2016) watch collection previews are hitting the industry blogs.  Among these is the celebration coverage for Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso's 85th Anniversary models.  Hodinkee, A Blog to Watch and Watch Time are among the digital harbingers previewing the Reverso offerings.

Jaeger-LeCoultre's original Art Deco-inspired Reverso debuted in 1931, the same year Manhattan's Empire State Building, an Art Deco icon became the world's tallest building.

Jaeger-LeCoultre will launch three anniversary-related collections at SIHH, the Reverso Classic, the Reverso Tribute and the new Reverso One. SIHH begins on January 18, so consider that the official showcase date for the trio's debut.

(Note: I wrote about the original Reverso in my Wrist Watch Redux post on December 30, 2014.)