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HSNY Exhibits “Pocket Genius” 

The new exhibit “Pocket Genius: The Watch Collection of Alex Ku” at the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) headquarters in New York explores the evolution of timepieces through an extensive collection of pocket watches. 

On view from June through December 2023, the exhibit features more than fifty time-only pocket watches, inventive escapements, gem-encrusted cases and highly complicated pieces. 

The exhibit, with watches on loan from California-based watch aficionado Alex Ku, highlights timepieces dating from the 1690s to the 1990s, examining the role that watches have played in society, from their use in navigation and timekeeping to their use as status symbols and works of art.

From the exhibit, a George Graham work, London, c. 1740, No. 6091, key-wind movement with brass-wheel cylinder escapement and fusee, engraved pierced dial with rotating hour disk and single stationary hand, 45mm.

Highlights include a dumb quarter-repeating jump-hour pocket watch by Abraham-Louis Breguet, a co-axial escapement by Charles Fasoldt, complicated timepieces like Louis Chanson’s skeletonized perpetual calendar with a lunar indicator, and enameled masterpieces by Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co.

A 55mm pocket watch made by Jean -Antoine Lepine, c. 1780, 18K gold case, quarter-dumb-repeating Lépine-caliber movement with wolf tooth wheel train and a lateral lever escapement.

The exhibit is currently on display at HSNY’s Jost Bürgi Research Library, and is divided into four sections: “Historical Watchmakers,” “Escapements,” “Complications” and “Aesthetics.” In addition, the HSNY has added a ‘bonus’ display: a George Daniels co-axial escapement model, on loan from British independent watchmaker and Daniels protegee Roger W. Smith OBE.

“To carry a pocket watch crafted by a historical master watchmaker is to feel that you hold a piece of horological history in your hand,” says Ku. “For many pieces in my collection, the mission to discover their stories really began only after acquiring them. I’m proud to share pieces from my collection for all to view and learn from, as I have.” 

HSNY is offering a a fully illustrated catalog for the collection that includes macro photography by Atom Moore and Collector Notes from Ku. The catalog is available for purchase in-person and online. Proceeds from the sales go towards meeting HSNY’s mission of advancing the art and science of horology. 

Pocket Genius is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free. HSNY is located at 20 West 44th Street, Suite 501, New York, NY 10036.

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The Watches

Porsche Design Celebrates 75 Years of Porsche 

Porsche Design celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Porsche 356 ‘No. 1’ roadster, the first namesake automobile made by Ferry Porsche.

The new Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition.

The celebratory model, called the Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition, echoes the first blackened steel Porsche Design watch from 1972 with its Porsche dashboard-inspired matte-black dial with Porsche Design logo and lettering, red seconds hand and tachymeter.

For the new model, Porsche Design updates the 40mm case, which here is glass-bead-blasted and carbide-coated black titanium. And instead of the Valjoux 7750 found in the original, Porsche Design’s own excellent COSC-certified WERK 01.140 powers the chronograph.

For this limited edition, however, Porsche Design also adds a few flourishes, starting with the caseback. This Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition features a winding rotor in the shape of the famed Fuchs wheel, including a Porsche crest in color, as well as the specific limited edition number.

Porsche Design has also created a new textile/leather strap with light blue stitching and a woven red stripe in the middle to mark the anniversary. The chronograph is also available with a black leather strap and matching black stitching. Both straps can be changed quickly using Porsche Design’s snappy quick-change system.

Porsche Design is offering the Chronograph 1 – 75 Years Porsche Edition as a special edition limited to 475 pieces. Price: $11,000. 

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The Watches

Oris Celebrates 119 Years With Purple-Dialed Diver

Oris celebrates its origin story with the Hölstein Edition 2023, a 250-piece limited edition watch named for the watchmaker’s hometown in the Swiss Jura mountains.

The Oris Hölstein Edition 2023.

For the first time Oris draws from its Aquis dive watch family to create its birthday watch, a series Oris began four years ago. And to celebrate its 119th birthday, the independent Swiss watchmaker offers its first purple dial and also adds some extra celebratory joy to the 41.5mm watch’s caseback.

 

There, you’ll find an engraved image of the Oris Bear diving in his scuba gear alongside the watch’s limited-edition number. As Oris explains, it decided to add the engraving simply because of the fun factor.

 

“Why? Because why not.” Oris explains. “It’s fun and it made us smile. And to be literal for a moment, because it shows this is still a diver’s watch water-resistant to 30 bar (300 meters).” 

The purple-dialed, fun-backed Aquis also celebrates Oris’s birthday with an omission: For the first time, Oris creates an Aquis with no date display.

 

Oris customers have requested the date be removed from Aquis in the past, according to the watchmaker, and those requests are answered in this Holstein Edition.

 

Inside the steel-cased watch Oris fits its much lauded Caliber 400 automatic movement with five-day power reserve, enhanced anti-magnetism, better than chronometer accuracy (-3/+5 seconds a day) and ten-year warranty. As a limited edition of 250 pieces, each watch is delivered in a wooden presentation box.

 

Oris offers the Holstein Edition 2023 exclusively on its website. Price: $4,300.  

 

Specifications: Oris Holstein Edition 2023 

(Limited edition of 250)

Case: 41.5mm multi-piece stainless steel case, uni-directional rotating bezel with grey ceramic bezel insert. Sapphire crystal, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside. Caseback is stainless steel, screwed with numbered engraving, Oris Bear printed motif. Stainless steel screw-in security crown with crown protection. Water resistance to 300 meters. 

Movement: Automatic Oris Caliber 400, Accuracy of -3/+5 seconds a day (within COSC tolerances), highly anti-magnetic, 120-hour power reserve.

Dial: Purple, hands and indices filled with Super-LumiNova.

Bracelet: Multi-piece stainless steel metal bracelet, security folding clasp with clasp extension.

Price: $4,300. 

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Nomos Honors Glashütte Watchmaking History with Orion Trio

Nomos celebrates 175 Years of watchmaking in Glashütte with three classic watches in the Nomos Orion neomatik collection.

The larger (41mm) of the Orion neomatik – 175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte watches trio.

Student watchmakers historically create so-called practice watches, generally time-only or time and date models, and Nomos honors this tradition with the Orion neomatik – 175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte trio. 

The new three-hand Orion neomatik watches measure 36mm, 39mm and 41mm in diameter with the larger of the three sporting a date display. Each watch is signed, numbered and limited to 175 pieces.

All three debuts offer a three-part stainless steel case with a domed sapphire crystal and caseback. All also present the time with thin tempered blue hands above the domed, polished, galvanized and white silver-plated dial with gold embossed indexes.

Nomos does not recess the small seconds dial into the dials of these Orion neomatik – 175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte watches – a first for Nomos and a nod to the elegant nature of the trio.

Inside the time-only models Nomos fits its DUW 3001 automatic caliber (pictured above on the 39mm model). The larger date model features DUW 6101. All calibers are built with traditional Glashütte three-quarter plate, Glashütte ribbing and tempered blue screws, and each is adjusted to chronometer standards.

As noted, Nomos has signed and number each watch in the Orion neomatik – 175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte series, which is limited to 175 watches of each model.

Watches this elegant, with superb in-house calibers and the fine detailing typical at Nomos are rare at these prices, so expect these to sell quickly. 

Prices: $3,580 (36mm), $3,920 (39mm) and $4,200 (41mm with date).

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Doxa Honors Clive Cussler

Doxa honors American adventure novelist Clive Cussler with a specially finished version of its SUB 300T dive watch. Cussler’s novels were highly influential in spotlighting Doxa watches, especially as depicted on the wrist of fictional adventure hero Dirk Pitt, who wore an orange-dialed Doxa while exploring or on a mission.

The new Doxa SUB 300T Clive Cussler (above) retains all the technical specifications you expect from this pioneering Swiss maker of professional-grade dive watches (see specifications below), but adds a series of distinctive finishes and design choices aimed at creating a weathered look to its 42mm case, dial and even the strap.

To create the aged appearance, Doxa has opted to replace the SUB 300T’s traditional, late-1960s dial with a dial that looks like a vintage compass, much like Dirk Pitt might use.

In addition, the watch’s case, bracelet, clasp, and pin buckle are made using steel that Doxa has purposefully finished to appear aged, as if Pitt himself once wore the watch.

Doxa also honors Cussler with a series of unique dial design features, notably by finishing the dates 7, 15, and 31 in red to commemorate the author’s birthday of July 15th, 1931.

Doxa also engraves each watch with its own exclusive number on the side of the bezel to indicating authenticity.

“I extend my heartfelt appreciation to DOXA for honoring my father’s legacy with a watch that exemplifies his courage, originality, and love of exploration,” says Dirk Cussler, author and the son of Clive Cussler.

On the back of the watch Doxa has engraved the names of shipwrecks and other historical artifacts that have been discovered or surveyed by NUMA.

Doxa has earmarked a percentage of sales from this special edition Clive Cussler watch for donation to NUMA, the National Underwater and Marine Agency Cussler founded in 1979. On the back of the watch Doxa has engraved the names of shipwrecks and other historical artifacts that have been discovered or surveyed by NUMA.

“Cussler’s internationally famed novels were a natural platform for Doxa watches, highlighting them as essential tools for his heroic characters,” says Jan Edocs, Doxa CEO.

Doxa supplies each SUB 300T Clive Cussler with an aged stainless steel coated “Beads of Rice” bracelet with a folding clasp and ratcheting wetsuit extension, as well as a beige NATO strap.

An additional black FKM rubber strap with an aged stainless steel coating folding clasp is available for purchase. 

Price: $2,690.

Specifications: Doxa SUB 300T Clive Cussler

(Ref. 840.80.031.15)

 

Case: 42.50 mm x 44.50 mm x 14 mm steel with aged stainless steel coating, screw-down crown, water resistance to 1,200 meters (4,000 feet), screw-down engraved case back, flat sapphire crystal, unidirectional rotating bezel for calculating and monitoring no-decompression dive times, helium release valve.

Movement: Automatic (ETA-based) with a 38-hour power reserve.

Dial: Vintage compass design, hours, minutes, seconds and date display. 

Bracelet: Aged stainless steel coating “Beads of Rice” bracelet, folding clasp with ratcheting wetsuit extension, additional beige NATO strap.  Black rubber strap with aged stainless steel coating folding clasp and wetsuit extension also available for $490 extra.

Price: $2,690. 

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