Guilloche: Patterns on a watch dial

Engraving on a watch dial can add real beauty to the overall appearance of the watch.  Guilloche is engraving technique done using a machine controlled by a skilled artisan .  Now you make think the machine is dong the work but you would be wrong.  The user is controlling it and the machine is helping to carve the material out of the dial.

Seeing it does give you a massive appreciation of how long it takes and the skill involved to achieve such a result.

I have found a couple of videos that provide the visual aid needed to fully appreciate this skill.

The first is from Vacheron Constantin

The 2nd video is from RGM, which is Roland Murphys company based in Lancaster Pennsylvania in the USA.  He gives a great explanation on how the machine works.

Clips from the Anitques Roadshow

The Antiques Roadshow is a program that runs both in the United States and The United Kingdom.  It a factual show where members of the public bring in items to learn more about them.  It is a entertaining program and is enjoyable to watch.

From time to time certain pieces are brought in which get my attention.  Thought I would post a few clips that were quite good.

The first clip is from the USA version.  A gentleman brought in a pocket watch by Patek Philippe that had been in his family for quite a long time.  This pocket watch was made in 1914.  This was before James Ward Packard and Henry Graves Jr had their superwatches made.

This watch eventually sold for $1.5 million at a Sothebys Auction. (Updated 16/05/14)

3 Titanium Patek Philippe pieces coming up for auction

In the watch world,  a watch made in small quantities usually gets major attention especially when it made by Patek Philippe and is made of a different material such as Stainless Steel.  Just look at the recent sale of Eric Claptons Patek Philippe 2499 in Platinum.  The reason why it sold for $3.65 million dollars was because one it was Eric Clapton's watch (He is an avid watch collector of Rolex and Patek Philippe) and secondly it was one of two pieces made in platinum.  The other piece resides in the Patek Philippe Museum.

At the upcoming Sothebys Watch Auction there are 3 Patek Philippes coming up for sale that are really rare.  Now we are not talking about stainless steel models.  We are talking about titanium pieces.  Patek Philippe have made titanium models for charitable organisations in the past, such as the Ref 5004T  Perpetual Calendar Splits Seconds for Only Watch. 

These new discovered pieces are completely bonkers!

Book Review: A Grand Complication

I copied this post from my old blog published last year.  As I am now starting fresh with Perpetual in Time this was something I wanted to copy over.

I have just finished reading A Grand Complication by Stacy Perman.

It documents the story of two of America's greatest watch collectors in the 20th Century,  Henry Graves Jr and & James Ward Packard.