Manufacture Royale Opera Time-Piece Watch
Beat me with a stick! I just had to plod through Manufacture Royale's nine page long bloody press release - only to have reasserted what they mention in the first few lines; that they are "unashamedly elitist." Wipe my brow and hand me an ol' timey hallucinogenic absinthe, because I need to lay back in a hammock on a steamship and read some Jules Verne to appreciate this steampunk mechanaut.Oh how right it would be for the good people behind the conception of this watch to redo their text and branding on the watch. It is a cool thing, and the overgrown child in my loves this oddity - but they really need to take it down a few notches. I kid you not: in a nutshell, the brand would have you believe that this watch not only sets the bar upon which all future watches must be judged, but also claims that according to the designer this watch release is one step closer to realizing a dream of utopia. Please calmly take an axe to my forehead - for I cannot believe this.Ok, let's get back to th

Obris Morgan Nevon Review
Back in the summer of 2012, we brought you our review of the Obris Morgan Branco PVD, an ultra-affordable mechanical watch that exceeds your expectations for value from a watch that costs just $249. Naturally, when we saw Obris Morgan's next release, the Nevon, we knew we had to get our hands on one. Suiting a 60s/70s dive inspired aesthetic with a modern edge, the Nevon, like the Branco, combines quality components and solid build with a surprisingly low price of between $249 and $269. What's not to love?Movement : Miyota 8215Case : 316L Stainless Steel- Brush – Blasted – PVD Black CoatingBezel : 120 Clicks uni-directional bezelDimensions : 43mm diameter, 14mm thicknessLug width : 22mmLug to Lug width : 49mmWater Resistance: 20 ATM / 200 metersCrystal : Sapphire(Single side anti-reflective coated)Bracelet : 5 links 316L Stainless Steel (5mm thickness)Weight : 240gPrice: $249 (brushed)? $259 (blasted) $269 (PVD)CaseIn designing the Nevon, Obris Morgan hoped to bring "the st

Introducing: The Senfine Concept Watch From Parmigiani Fleurier, With An Amazing Escapement That Allows A 70 Day Power Reserve
?At any given SIHH or Baselworld, you’re obviously always going to see a plethora (to put it mildly) of new watches, but one thing you don’t see very often is a new escapement. That’s because designing a new escapement – much less one that can actually be produced in large enough numbers to be commercially viable – is probably the single biggest problem in watchmaking. Over the centuries since the very first – the verge escapement – was used in clocks, there have really been only a handful that have been used extensively, and in watchmaking, it’s a virtually certainty that any watch you buy is going to have a lever escapement. But not this one. 1 OF 7 Omega now uses the Daniels co-axial escapement in all its in-house movements but it was a huge challenge for them to make it and enormously expensive in both time and money to industrialize, and departures from the lever in modern watchmaking tend to be made in very small numbe

20 minutes with Thierry Stern
Was lucky enough to be invited at the gala dinner at the Saatchi Gallery last night.It was relatively cosy with a small-ish number of people and they walked us through all the galleries and watches with a personalised explanation and a few anecdotes.The most interesting was the 4 Patek Craftsmen (and woman) working in one of the galleries. I chatted with all 4 of them in French and they were the most down to earth nice persons you could find.Just out of that, i bumped into Thierry Stern, introduced myself and started chatting in French. My interest is more cars than watches and the conversation oscillated between the two. I made a reference to Ferrari's and Aston's from the 1960's and pointed to him that all cars made in small series had their own individual specificities making each and everyone unique. And that he should aim for that individuality..Then he explained how the stone encrusting guy I had just spoken to went to school with him and they were mates rather than boss / employ

Been a tough week for me....
Well a tough two weeks really. Saw a beautiful 1966 Rolex GMT gilt on a local auction site last week at a great price. My partner also saw value in it, so we bought it together as an investment. I also managed to sell my PAM190 and managed to fund a new GMT BLNR which I paid for two days ago. While at the AD, I asked about a 5167. They had just gotten it in. So fondled it a bit and realised I needed it. I have heard about Pateks speaking to people and can swear I heard it talk. It had been haunting me for the last two days and after a bit of forwards and backwards on the price, emailed them this morning to consider it sold. I'll go pay for it tomorrow. I am going to have to sell my Exp II and my SubC to help fund it, but that's what we do for Pateks I have learnt. Didn't set out to do this at all. But there you go. GregSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk