Newsletter 9.25.2022

By Charlie Dunne

 

Wristcheck: Audemars Piguet 50 Years of Royal Oak Exhibition in Hong Kong

Expanding upon the video recommendations, I am finding new channels to subscribe to on YouTube. This week, I took some time to check out Wristcheck’s channel. Although by the time this goes out the Audemars Piguet 50 Years of Royal Oak Exhibition in Hong Kong will be in the past, thankfully some hi-def highlights were shot by the Hong Kong based company. AP’s exhibitions are always enjoyable and I have been lucky to catch the traveling collection a few times thus far. The highlight timepiece in the video for me has to be the pocket watch (with perhaps serving a pendent on a necklace) at 1:11 in.

Wristchat with Style and Heritage Director at Vacheron Constantin: Christian Selmoni

Also, rockstar journalist and Media Director at Wristcheck Neha S. Bajpai spoke with Vacheron Constantin’s Style and Heritage Director Christian Selmoni within the Wristchat series from the channel. The conversation centers around the revamp of the Historiques 222, the manufacturer’s future in steel, and most importantly enthusiasm around VC’s vintage timepieces! Anyone that appreciates brand ambassadors who truly represent the heritage/vintage side of a brand are well aware Selmoni is at the top of the list. When speaking on Vacheron’s approach to offering vintage timepieces for sale, Selmoni emphasizes the manufacturer’s position on originality:

"Clients who might be new to the Maison are [able to become better acquainted] with the universe of Vacheron & Constantin. There is a great interest for Les Collectionneurs. This is an offering which will always remain very exquisite because we are selecting iconic, emblematic designs, and important timepieces from the past. We are selecting timepieces in very nice condition and in our concept of Les Collectionneurs we basically do not want to touch the watches. Let’s say for example if there are some scratches, or oxidation, on the timepiece, we are keeping the watches the way they are as much as possible. These traces of time’s passing on the watches is something that collectors really love. [In the restoration process] if we have to change several components inside the timepiece, we replace the damaged components with a new old stock part.”

Sidenote on the additional guests on the Wristchat videos: You can also see interviews with MB&F’s Maximilian Büsser, Edouard Meylan of H. Moser & Cie., Akrivia’s Rexhep Rexhepi, and more. It is definitely a series to follow.

The Curious Case of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Lamp Post Clock

By Troy McHenry

This week I am excited to share a comprehensive article by Troy McHenry. This is the first article on Strictly Vintage from a guest contributor, and it is a real privilege to publish this article on the website.

McHenry had been connected with me about a write up on JLC’s Lamp Post Clocks a few weeks back by a dear friend, The Great Tony Traina, who emphasized I would find this project fascinating. While I was somewhat familiar with these clocks, I quickly realized McHenry had created an extensive guide filled with primary source material, personal experience and extensive internet investigation. These are the articles I really enjoy coming across, and once again, it is an honor to publish this one.

Read ‘The Curious Case of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Lamp Post Clock’ by following the link below:

https://www.strictlyvintagewatches.com/the-curious-case-of-the-jaeger-lecoultre-lamp-post-clock

You can find Troy McHenry on Instagram @TheGrumpyCollector and his podcast, The Grumpy Collector, on all major streaming services. Troy is a co-leader of RedBar, Raleigh Chapter, and one of the newest members of HSNY and NAWCC. He resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Several Jaeger clocks for the French market. Image credit: Europa Star (LATIN AMERICA | 1964 | ISSUE #84).

“Of course when you think Jaeger-LeCoultre and clocks, the first thing that comes to mind is their famous Atmos carriage or mantle style clocks. The idea of a “perpetual” clock that is wound by miniscule changes in temperature is pretty hard to pass up. I ended up buying an Atmos clock a few years ago at an auction near my house. It had a plaque for a 40 years of service anniversary for an employee at AMC (not the meme stock, but American Motor Company, maker of such timeless models like the Pacer and Gremlin). Unfortunately, the bellows in my clock, the small bladder that expands and contracts with temperature changes, has a leak, so it’s never kept accurate time, except twice a day, and while there are several clockmakers that specialize in restoring Atmos clocks to their former glory, the relatively high cost and limited warranty on the aftermarket parts hasn’t exactly made me want to greenlight the repair just yet.

Slightly discouraged, I settled onto the idea of getting a smaller, more traditional mechanical powered table clock. Many great ones by Jaeger-LeCoultre feature their renowned eight-day movements requiring it to be wound only once a week. After looking at various tattered leather travel clocks and floating mystery dial and in-line movement clocks, I discovered the lamp post series of clocks by Jaeger-LeCoultre. They’re not hard to miss, fairly ubiquitous on eBay and they also pop-up from time to time in the catalogs of the larger horological auction houses like Antiquorum. Originally marketed as the “Gaslight Clock”, what I’ve come to realize is they are singularly unique to the maison and among small clocks. They have also been very illustrative of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s history during the 1960’s and as I later discovered, hold a wealth of mysteries and surprises unto themselves.”

 

R.I.P. Watchville

Watchville Is Being Retired

It appears as though the website Watchville, a platform which aggregates several watch website’s latest articles into a single feed is soon to be retired. This week, the following prompt has appeared when arriving at the homepage:

“Watchville is being retired. We'd like to thank the content producers who made the platform tick through the years.”

The platform was established in 2014 by entrepreneur and watch guy, Kevin Rose. In 2015, the platform would merge with HODINKEE.

 

Culture Of Time King Charles' Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronograph Is A Real Collector's Choice

By Tony Traina

Horological homie Tony Traina continued to “rummage around the corners of the watch collecting world” this week within his inaugural article as HODINKEE Editor. The timepiece he focused in on was the under-discussed independent brand Parmigiani Fleurier, specifically the Toric chronograph worn by none other than the newly-crowned King Charles. Traina expands upon the 26 year old manufacturer’s history, as well as the Sandoz Family Foundation’s role in the manufacturer. *Golf clap on that find.*

“Parmigiani Fleurier is a young brand, launched in 1996, amid the flurry of neo-vintage and independent watchmaking that collectors have come to love. Watchmaker Michel Parmigiani is a bit like horological royalty himself. He got his start by opening his own restoration workshop in 1976 – that's basically in the middle of the Quartz Crisis, if you're keeping track – thinking that, if this newfangled technology is going to destroy the watchmaking craft like the doubters thought it might, then someone better preserve the significant pieces of generations past.

Luckily, the doubters were wrong – and Parmigiani's reputation as a master watchmaker was firmly established. He restored watches and clocks for some of the world's most important collections, from the hallowed halls of the Patek Philippe Museum to the humongous pocket watch and automaton collection of Maurice-Yvez Sandoz.

In 1996, with the support of the Sandoz Family Foundation, Parmigiani finally launched his own brand, Parmigiani Fleurier. Today, the brand is still held by the foundation.”

You can read the full article below:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/king-charles-parmigiani-fleurier-toric-chronograph-is-a-real-collectors-choice

Stay up to date with Traina’s writing through his website below:

https://www.tonytraina.com

 
 

Significant Watches Episode 23: IDF Watches

In Episode 23 the gang discuss the forthcoming event Eric will be participating in at Dubai Watch Week NYC. The "Made in America" panel discussion will be moderated by Cara Barrett (HODINKEE alumna and Parchie founder) and also features actor and horologist Aldis Hodge. Additionally, Gabe’s latest IDF wristwatch is brought up followed by a discussion on Isreali Defense Force timepieces. Gabe would share his thoughts on the recent news of LVMH’s plans for revival of the Daniel Roth brand. Eric highlights the forthcoming charitable auction of ‘Pope Francis' Swatch, and The Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation. Also, the group discusses Owen Lawton’s recent article ‘How Rolex Became Rolex: The Oyster Case Story’.

 

What’s On My Wrist