In addition, Greubel Forsey just announced their new headquarters, also in La Chaux du Fonds. Symbolizing their impact on the horologogical landscape, their new building designed by Pierre Studer appears to have risen from the Earth (or fallen from my first impression). "Its original shape reflects a geological fold as seen in the topography of the Jura mountains, further enhanced by a ‘green’ or garden roof."
To me, I see a powerful new company so heavy in talent, the ground is unable to support them...
More about the MIH Gaïa Prize ; The Gaïa Prize was created in 1993 by the Musée international d’horlogerie with an aim to honour prominent figures who have contributed and who contribute to the reputation of watchmaking – through its history, its technology and its industry. The only one of its kind, this Prize has the particularity of honouring the best of the best.
A memoriam of dead rock stars and seiko watches...very strange indeed, especially when they show a pool for Brian Jones. I was totally expecting to see a toilet for Elvis. Their point? Maybe if they wore a Seiko, their time wouldn't have run out?? Video-->Link
A group of three commercials that include Mary Lou Retton creeping out a Doberman, A supercool car with hydrolic watch storage and lastly a commercial that can only be seen, not described. Video-->Link
Just back from Baselworld in Switzerland and am resting my legs from the many miles of walking and digesting the hundreds of photos from thousands of exhibitors... My first experience at the Basel Fair might be summed up best by professional poker player Tom McEvoy, "Hours of boredom filled with minutes of sheer terror". Kidding aside, I had a blast seeing some of my favorite modern watches and spending time with some of my favorite watchmakers and fellow horolojournalists.
There were a few shockers from both Basel and Geneva at the SIHH. Will be posting them in the coming days...
And some random videos upon entering the ginormous watch fair...
And a few more vintage spots below including a live dolphin licking/ticking test and hidden at the end of this reel (the spot after the Heinz pickles ad) is...well, I'll just say one very scary word. Mimes.
Jim Henson's 1965 Experimental Film "Time Piece"-->Link
"Dislocation in time, time signatures, time as a philosophical concept, and slavery to time are some of the themes touched upon in this nine-minute, experimental film, which was written, directed, and produced by Jim Henson-and starred Jim Henson! Screened for the first time at the New York Museum of Modern Art in May of 1965, Time Piece enjoyed an eighteen-month run at one Manhattan movie theater and was nominated for an Academy Award for outstanding short subject."
Jim Henson, puppeteer, Kermit creator, surrealist filmaker?
For more, visit the Time Piece Wikipedia page here-->Link
Check out my $100-$100,000 holiday gift guide!-->LINK
Fantastic vintage 1960s television commercials for the Bulova Accutron. The humming transistorized electromagnetic coil tuning fork watches invented by Max Hetzel in the fifties.
Thanks to devout Accutron enthusiasts Horst Knebel and Hummin Georgie Stalzer for digging these out of the dusty vaults.
Max Hetzel - ACCUracy through ElecTRONics
"When the Accutron was introduced in 1960 it was described as the first electronic watch but it also had another revolutionary feature, the time keeping was controlled by a tuning fork. The tuning fork vibrated 360 times per second and the vibrations were maintained at a constant amplitude by means of a transistor, dispensing with the mechanical contact which had been a source of trouble with earlier electric watches. The tuning fork was made of Elinvar, for temperature stability, and Bulova was able to guarantee that it would not gain or loose more than a minute a month thoughout its life. It was designed by a Swiss engineer, Max Hetzel, and manufactured in the USA. It remained in production until 1976, by which time five million watches had been sold." --via Science Museum
"Bulova Accutrons were also subjects of the other famous space era rivalry with Omega Watches for being the first watch on the moon. Ultimately, the Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph wristwatch (known as the "Moon watch") was designated by NASA for use by the astronauts in all manned space missions, becoming the first watch on the moon on the wrist of Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin.
However, all instrument panel clocks and time-keeping mechanisms in the spacecraft on those missions were Bulova Accutrons with tuning fork movements, because at the time, NASA did not know how well a mechanical movement would work in zero gravity conditions. The Bulova company currently manufactures a limited edition "Astronaut" model under its Accutron line of watches." -via Wikipedia
Part of the very well conceived marketing campaign by Maurice Lacroix for their upcoming "Memoire1" chronograph. Billed as the most complicated three hand chronograph ever, the watch is also credited to have chrono functions that can remembered, stored, and redisplayed -- A feat never accomplished before. Basically, you can switch back and forth from the running chronograph functions to the time and back again while the watch 'remembers' it's calculations that weren't displayed. Not sure why this is good, but whatever, I enjoy snowballing the hype! Hopefully the design will live up to it.
More to come... Here is my previous post about the Memoire1 with mechanical memory-->Link
Count how many times they say "Fine Watch Fine" in this 1947 Jam Handy film for the Hamilton Watch Company and you'll get dizzy. Also, hang in there through the awesomely corny beginning for the high tech American watchmaking bravado that follows. Video-->Link
"How A Watch Works", Jam Handy's 1949 educational film about mechanical wristwatches and how they work. Video-->Link
Thanks to Archive.org for these kitschy nuggets of watchmaking history!
Recently featured here-->Link, the Opus 7 developed by Andreas Strehler for Harry Winston Fine Timepieces really needs to be seen in (on) the flesh. The video shown above doesn't really do it justice but it does help illuminate the complex simplicity of its unusual alternating mechanical digital display. As the watch journalist, Ian Skellern describes, "With only one display indication, the Opus 7 can 'remember' hours, minutes or the power reserve while displaying only one of them." These innovative mechanical memory devolopments are being discussed at Horomundi-->Link, where a post about another watch, the Maurice LaCroix "Mémoire1", the world's first, and yet unseen by the public, chronograph with memory. (...and which I'll be posting more about this week)
But back to the video...More brands need to shoot live action videos of their complicated watches in motion. Potential enthusiasts and future collectors would really appreciate seeing the convoluted mechanics mingle. Computer animated presentations are fantastic, they go inside the watches like no other physical possibility. They all start to look the same with the spiraling video game slickness. Why not hire a filmmaker who shoots insect documentaries and could really examine the watches in its their actual micro-mechanical-environments.
You'll need a cigarette after being this intimate with the HL and HLS models of Hautlence. A great animated video of both styles of this exciting new brand. (previously featured here-->link and link)
At 3:05 of the YouTube video is when you finally see the kick-ass retrograde and jump hour functions of the watch. Or you can view it at their website in higher resolution in the HLS and downloads section.
Yeah, it is likely this ad will creep you out but I thoroughly enjoyed it. A perfect blend of mental illness and style! Perversion-chic!
