During Baselworld 2018 I had the great pleasure of interviewing Mark Schwarz for The Watchmakers Club. Mark's an incredibly driven guy who has fulfilled his dream of creating a fabulous and totally unique luxury watch - I was lucky enough to try on the V1+ and to find out more about Mark's incredible journey.
Just returned from a wonderful week seeing some of the finest watches in the world at Baselworld 2017.
With thousands of watches on display its pretty tough to pick favourites - and to be honest I fell in love with so many!!
Here's my Top 5 in reverse order
5.
H. Moser & Cie new 'Pioneer Centrer seconds' - gorgeously clear dial and indexes with bold white markers which pop up from the dial.
4.
HYT have reimagined a favourite with the sensational Skull Krome edition - Pure RocknRoll.
3.
Hautlence - Sandro is a genius! This Moebius piece is Ltd to 8 pieces in White Gold. The Hour change on the belt is beautiful and the challenges he has overcome to make the curved saphire case are incredible. (Pic stolen from Hautlence Facebook page - my pics simply couldn't do this piece justice)
2.
Greubel Forsey - Grand Sonnerie. It wasn't new at Baselworld 2017 but I missed getting hands on with this at SIHH in January.
Was a great pleasure to spend time with Stephen Forsey and really get to know what time, effort and invention goes in to making some of the most sensational watches ever created. A first chiming watch for GF and a beautiful sound. 935 parts, 10 years in the making and a cool 1,150,000 CHF. It's why I do the lottery!!
1.
Romain Gauthier - Logical one.
Again this is not a new for Baselworld 2017 but was the fist time I had a chance to really get hands on with this remarkable piece. Ruby-link chain to minimise friction, unique snail cam and sapphire-lined mainspring barrel to give approximately two days of constant force. The level of finishing in the Logical one is staggering and is as much a work of art as a timepiece.
I recently enjoyed my first visit to SIHH in Geneva and what an experience. A celebration of some of the finest watchmakers, displaying their amazing timepieces to an expectant press, retailers and for the first time to the general public.
This lavish showcase brings together the watch making giants under the Richemont umbrella, and this year included a select band of sensational independent brands into its Carre Des Horlogers.
With literally thousands of beautiful watches on display it’s an almost impossible task to choose a favourite but here is mine -
The Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision in Blue.
A 43.5mm platinum case, sensational vibrant blue dial and sensational finishing throughout. One of the most elegant, simple and accesible Greubel Forsey pieces I've seen. WOW!
The attached picture is of the amazing Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometrie FB 1 in Rose Gold. The White Gold version has just won the 2016 GPHG Aiguille D'or (overall best watch). Thank you Vincent Lapaire and Audrey Humbert for letting me have so much of your time detailing this amazing timepiece at last weeks Salon QP in London . It is beyond incredible and a very worthy winner. Congratulations!
I'm often asked by inquisitive friends and family, 'what is the best watch in the world?' My surprisingly simple response is 'the one you like the best!' For someone who has not spent his whole life working in watches, I have the advantage of an independant and untainted view of the horological landscape. I am fortunate enough to have seen and held some of the greatest timepieces ever created, from all corners of the globe, but I struggle to pick one over another.
As our lives evolve, for many of us the milestones are punctuated with horological investments. For me, my love affair with watches began with a Texas Instruments LED watch. It was probably the least aesthetic timepiece I have ever owned, however, it was a gift from my parents, Hilary and John, for my birthday when I was around 7 years old. Now my parents have passed, I look back at the watch with such affection and as a symbol of the happy childhood my parents gave me and my siblings and of the precious time they shared with me.
My 7 year old son is asking for a watch for Christmas this year. What can I choose to inspire a love of watches in our next generation I ask myself???
What I've learned to appreciate is that despite my desire for many of the beautiful timepieces I encounter, it doesn't matter what brand, movement, metal, size or shape your watch is - if it works and brings you joy then wear it in good health and with a smile on your face. After all, it is time that is the greatest comoditiy, and not the device conveying it.