I Totally Forgot! The Memoire1 Mechanical Memory Watch Was Unveiled

A new achievement in chronograph watchmaking -- The mechanical memory of the Maurice Lacroix "Memoire1".

via Timezone & Horomundi (much more information about the complications)

See also;
All Maurice Lacroix Posts

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Busybodies - Timberland HT2 Craterface, Invicta Blockhead, & A Watch Worth Owning

Two new unique inexpensive mult-functional, multi-dialed beasts. Above, the HT2 with plenty of junk in the trunk. An overdose on your wrist with analog-digital displays, four time zones, altimeter, thermometer, barometer, and an analog and digital compass. If you know someone that likes to get lost and be on time...$295-$345

via Technabob

This one? I don't know, it's just big, offensive and ugly. And generally, I appreciate an ugly watch from time to time, just not sure this is one of them. From Invicta

Personally, if we're going for multi-function overkill here, I'd much rather have this 1890 gunmetal world-time pocket watch. The front has a respectable dose of information with time, month, day, date, and moonphase but the back displays SEVEN time zones! And also understand, this is a mechanical timepiece, those are all moving parts gauging that much information in a little pod of blackened steel.

Granted it's about $9700 more than the other two watches above...but doesn't that seem like a deal now? From Bogoff->Link

Related posts;
Two-timing Bastards
Multi-function Monsters
Arnold & Son True North
Michael Jordi Double Deckers
Andy Warhol Five Time Zone Watch
World Time Watches
Compass/Thermometer Watches
Bullhead Chronographs
Math Watches
Dual LED-LCD Watches
History of Calculator LED Watches
James Bond Gadget Watch History
Anadigi (Analog-Digital) Watches

Check out my $100-$100,000 holiday gift guide!-->LINK


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Buggin Out! More Arthropoidal Watchworks from Insect Lab Studio

Artist Mike Libby's medium consists of dead bugs and watch-guts. His second series of mechanically enhanced insect art (previously featured here->link) has just been released at his Insect Lab Studio and it includes entirely new specimens like the scorpion above. Also new to the collection are grasshoppers, Praying Mantis, and beetles with their entire wingspans displayed with the rest of their horological augmentations.

I asked Mike about the new series and details about the improvements and new species being offered...

• "The quality of the work all around is notably improved due to higher quality insect specimens (larger ones too) and watchparts, also an improvement in insect spreading/handling skills has certainly made the final result more visually pleasing."

• "Beetles continue to be a big hit and especially lately since I have learned to include their secondary interior wings (responsible for flight, whereas the first set of wings act as a wing case). "
  

• "Development of new work with new specimens. Like I mentioned, scorpions, hoppers and praying mantis are all great new additions to my repertoire and have really challenged my customizing skills. I am always looking for a very thorough way to integrate the parts and gears to the specimen without overloading or suffocating it's natural form and beauty with technology. "How much is too much and how little is just enough?" is a question I ask myself constantly. All in all, the new hoppers (about 5" long!) and the improved beetles are certainly my favorite developments."

Arachnidae: Name Unknown

Scorpion & steel and brass gears, parts and springs
5” long (8” full length)
Displayed in 6" glass dome & walnut base, $850

Cetonidae: Polyphemus Confluens
Flower beetle with steel gears & parts - 4.5" width
Displayed in 6” glass dome & walnut base, $600

Dynastidae: Eupatorus Gracilicornis

Rhino Beetle with brass gears & parts - 5" width
Displayed in 6” glass dome & walnut base, $650

Orthoptera: Tropidacris Dux
Grasshopper & steel, copper, brass gears, parts and springs - 5”
Displayed in 6" glass dome and walnut base, $900

Mantidae: Name Unkown

Praying Mantis & brass, and copper gears, parts and springs
Displayed in 6" glass dome & walnut base, $850

Insect Lab Studio-->LINK

Related Posts;
Insect Lab Studio I
Motorcyclogical
Japanese Steampunk
Art of Movements
Wood & Bone Watches
Bennett Robot Works
Mr. Jones Watches
Vasarely Op-Art Watches


Check out my $100-$100,000 holiday gift guide!-->LINK


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Jim Henson's Time Piece - 1965 Experimental Film

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

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1947 Wrist Lighter from Mechanix Illustrated

In addition to the knife watch from Sicura, strangulation watch from James Bond and the self-Defenseband, this antique novelty lighter watch is the perfect gift for that murderous paranoid arsonist in your family!

"Wrist Lighter is the latest novelty for the smoker. Strapped on the wrist, and outwardly resembling a watch, it lights when the cover is flicked back, as demonstrated above. It is being marketed by Samuel Jones, Ltd., London."

via Modern Mechanix

1947 Issue of Mechanix Illustrated

Check out my $100-$100,000 holiday gift guide!-->LINK


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Flipping out over the new Antiquorum Flip-Catalog!

There is a incredible new feature for exploring the upcoming Antiquorum "Important Collector's Wristwatches, Pocket Watches, and Clocks" auction on Sunday December 5th in New York City.

Antiquorum developed a really fantastic online flip-catalog where you can view over 400 lots including some of my favorites like a vintage asymmetric Gilbert Albert Patek Philippe, ginormous Omega Ploprof, iconic Heuer Monaco Chronograph, as well as some really interesting antique 1930's Leon Hatot & Atmos Art Deco clocks, classic Rolex Explorer & Daytona, and modern masterpieces such as the mind-boggling F.P. Journe Vagabondage & Seconde Morte, bizarre Gerald Genta retrograde Grand Complicaton, revolutionary Urwerk Nightwatch, stylish Patek Philippe Nautilus, Pagoda & Bombe, retrograde Vacheron Constantin Mercator, confounding Audemars Piguet Grande Complication, and 1 of only 3 ultra-complicated Breguet 250 year anniversary watches.

Go here for the flip-catalog-->Link

Paul Boutros of Timezone also features some of the above in his large intimate four-part photographic reviews-->Link


Check out my $100-$100,000 holiday gift guide!-->LINK


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Buggin Out! More Arthropoidal Watchworks from Insect Lab Studio

Artist Mike Libby's medium consists of dead bugs and watch-guts. His second series of mechanically enhanced insect art (previously featured here->link) has just been released at his Insect Lab Studio and it includes entirely new specimens like the scorpion above. Also new to the collection are grasshoppers, Praying Mantis, and beetles with their entire wingspans displayed with the rest of their horological augmentations.

I asked Mike about the new series and details about the improvements and new species being offered...

• "The quality of the work all around is notably improved due to higher quality insect specimens (larger ones too) and watchparts, also an improvement in insect spreading/handling skills has certainly made the final result more visually pleasing."

• "Beetles continue to be a big hit and especially lately since I have learned to include their secondary interior wings (responsible for flight, whereas the first set of wings act as a wing case). "
  

• "Development of new work with new specimens. Like I mentioned, scorpions, hoppers and praying mantis are all great new additions to my repertoire and have really challenged my customizing skills. I am always looking for a very thorough way to integrate the parts and gears to the specimen without overloading or suffocating it's natural form and beauty with technology. "How much is too much and how little is just enough?" is a question I ask myself constantly. All in all, the new hoppers (about 5" long!) and the improved beetles are certainly my favorite developments."

Arachnidae: Name Unknown

Scorpion & steel and brass gears, parts and springs
5” long (8” full length)
Displayed in 6" glass dome & walnut base, $850

Cetonidae: Polyphemus Confluens
Flower beetle with steel gears & parts - 4.5" width
Displayed in 6” glass dome & walnut base, $600

Dynastidae: Eupatorus Gracilicornis

Rhino Beetle with brass gears & parts - 5" width
Displayed in 6” glass dome & walnut base, $650

Orthoptera: Tropidacris Dux
Grasshopper & steel, copper, brass gears, parts and springs - 5”
Displayed in 6" glass dome and walnut base, $900

Mantidae: Name Unkown

Praying Mantis & brass, and copper gears, parts and springs
Displayed in 6" glass dome & walnut base, $850

Insect Lab Studio-->LINK

Related Posts;
Insect Lab Studio I
Motorcyclogical
Japanese Steampunk
Art of Movements
Wood & Bone Watches
Bennett Robot Works
Mr. Jones Watches
Vasarely Op-Art Watches


Check out my $100-$100,000 holiday gift guide!-->LINK


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Born with Discs Instead of Hands!

A few interesting examples of vintage watches with off-center discs in place of traditional hands. Above and below are two 1960's Juvenia with this rare deformity.

And below, a vintage Russian Raketa "Rocket" (printed in cyrillic as Paketa) with double disc-hands. One solid sphere for hours and outline disc for minutes. See it here-->Link

1960s Raketa Sun & Moon Dial

Related Posts;
History of Russian Watches
Juvenia Architecture Watch
Alternative Time Displays
Jumping Hours

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More Accurate Than God! Two vintage 60s Bulova Accutron Commercials

1960s Clocktower Video-->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.

Original 60s Accutron Commercial-->Link

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

Related;
Other vintage watch commercials-->Link

Accutron enthusiast websites;
Accutron Spaceview
Accutron 214
MS Accutron
Rob's Accutron
Timezone Accutron

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Watchismo's Timewarp - Max Büsser's 19th Century Steel & Gunmetal Pocket Watch Collection

After many opportunities to address my proclivities in my Timewarp column in QP Magazine, I wanted to turn the loupe on people who never fail to impress me, to explore what makes them tick. First on my list was modern pioneer, Maximilian Büsser and his rare & unusual 19th century unsigned laminated iron, gunmetal and steel pocket watches.

Click here to read article-->LINK

Ian Skellern's amazing photos of the collection;

Green enamel Jumping Hour

Blackened steel with full triple calendar on back

Blackened seven day power reserve

St. Imiers 1100 year anniversary one-handed pocket watch

Article available in issue 27 of QP Magazine

And of course, Max has just unveiled his remarkable HM2 (Horological Machine No.2) here-->LINK

An interview with Max at PuristsPro-->link

Related posts;
All Horological Machine Stories
Previous Timewarps

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