Ariel Adams

POSTS BY Ariel Adams

Song Bang: Hublot Big Bang Minute Repeater Tourbillon

Hublot has a secret weapon located in its manufacture. The weapon’s name is the Confrérie Horlogère Hublot, led by Mathias Buttet (founder of now defunct complex watch movement maker BNB Concept). Mathias started the Confrérie Horlogère at BNB Concept, an idea that Hublot has wisely chosen to continue. The Confrérie Horlogère is like a free think tank of incredible movement and watch ideas, giving talented watch makers the ability to execute wild concepts that would never make sense for mass production. Buttet’s workshop is separate from the main Hublot manufacture and feels more like a lab. Here his team experiments READ MORE

Peek-a-Moon: Jaquet Droz Eclipse Watch

The odd member of the so called “prestige brands” of high-end luxury watch makers under the Swatch Group umbrella has always been Jaquet Droz. The brand’s history is linked to a man (Pierre Jaquet Droz) who created moving dolls in the 18th century called “automat.” These were machines existing somewhere between puppets and robots. These mechanical dolls used primitive ‘programming’ (thematically similar to that of mechanical music boxes) to perform preset animations that wowed the wealthy elite of the time. Even by today’s standards those historic automata Jaquet Droz creations are considered highly sophisticated. Why did Pierre Jaquet Droz create READ MORE

A Product of Passion: Blancpain 1735 Grande Complication Watch

A good way of setting the tone to discuss this timepiece is to explain how a single master watch maker toiled away for an entire year to make it, and only thirty pieces were ever produced. The reason Blancpain had to make such a watch? Essentially a gentleman’s challenge among highly-skilled watchmakers; to merge six previous masterwork timepieces into a single watch that included the complexity of the previous six, in one highly sophisticated mechanical movement. All done in a very traditional style. The resulting effort includes painstaking hand-finishing of 740 tiny parts in the movement alone. Look at the READ MORE

Conquer With Size: Franck Muller Conquistador Grand Prix Tourbillon Watch

I’m completely overwhelmed by the massive watch that I just put on my wrist. I can easily see the brand DNA, but this “very different” type of Franck Muller watch is extremely nonchalant with its less than characteristic looks. Some might call the design “crazy,” while other will quickly call the tastefulness of the design into question. A polarizing design for the chronograph and tourbillon version of this watch is to be expected, and is certainly part of Franck Muller’s way of doing business. Franck Muller watches gained respect for being a bit odd. The archetype Franck Muller watch has READ MORE

An Air-istocrat: IWC Big Pilot Limited Edition Perpetual Calendar Watch

There are few better timepieces that combine luxury sport and ‘complication watches’ together than this limited edition IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar watch. The piece is literally an intersection of IWC’s highly popular Big Pilot watch and their Perpetual Calendar collection of timepieces. Those who desire the looks of the Big Pilot, with the complication of the Perpetual Calendar, have had their prayers answered right here. The Big Pilot watch is all about heritage, legibility, and the romance of flight. IWC’s beloved 46.2-mm wide watch has its share of faces, and is universally adored for its shape, utterly easy to READ MORE

Zurich on Your Terms: Maurice de Mauriac Moon Chronograph Watch

Brands like Maurice de Mauriac that provide good looking watches with mainstream appeal, but also a personal customization experience are rare. The brand prefers that you contact them directly when wishing to order one of their timepieces. This is because each of their watches comes with more than a dozen customization options. Not only that, but after you’ve enjoyed your Maurice de Mauriac watch for a while, you can send it back for drastic modifications like an entirely new dial. The result is a very rewarding experience, and a timepiece that promotes your own personal taste and choices. It also READ MORE