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 Notesfrom 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.
To celebrate its 140th birthday, Alpina releases a limited edition rectangular watch with a restored manual-wind caliber made in 1938.
The new Alpina Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years.
The new Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years features Caliber 490, which was designed, assembled and finished in 1938 by one of the firms in the Union Horlogère, Alpina’s original entity. Such fully in-house construction was not typical of the era, when generic ébauches (movement-blanks) were more commonly used throughout the Swiss market.
Alpina has created two rectangular silver-cased models as a tribute to its anniversary. One new series features a black dial and is available in the United States and globally; the other offers a silvered dial and is available outside the United States.
Alpina explains that the slow frequency (18,000 vph) rectangular-shaped movement was built to provide extra protection against water and dust and was elegantly finished with a sun-brushed ratchet and fully beveled components.
The Alpina 490 Caliber.
Only a few of the movements still exist, and Alpina has done well to shape the new watch’s case to fit the shaped movement.
Alpina’s records indicate that the original case for a watch using the movement was made from steel or gold depending on the model. Alpina made the new 29.5mm x 35.7mm by 9.71mm case from mirror-polished silver and has placed anti-glare sapphire crystal on the front and back, which allows a clear view of the Caliber 490.
The Alpina 490 Caliber, pictured showing front and back.
Both of the limited editions (of fourteen pieces each) display Alpina’s period logo, two thin central hands and a typical 1930s small seconds. A period-truerail track minute circle runs around the dial.
On the U.S. version, Alpina places solid Arabic numerals on the black dial accompanied by beige hands and a circular small second hand display. The other version (not pictured here) sports a silvered dial, black hands and 1920s-style Arabic numerals. Alpina finishes the watch with a light brown ostrich leather strap, with vintage white stitching and pin buckle.
Price: $5,395.
Specifications: Alpina Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years (AL-490BA3C10, a limited edition of 14 pieces)
Movement: Alpina vintage AL-490 caliber, hand-winding with 42-hour power reserve, 18,000 vph.
Case: Polished silver 2-part, 29.50mm x 35.70mm by 9.71mm, anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 30 meters, engraved and see-through screwed case back.
Dial: Black with matte finishing, beige printed Arabic numerals and beige graduation, beige hour and minute hands, small second counter at 6 o’clock with beige hand.
Strap: Light brown Ostrich leather with off-white stitching, pin buckle.
The wonderful thing about the love of watches and horology is that you learn something new every day. You can learn about amazing companies, industry insiders, collectors, watchmakers and watches by reading books and articles, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, and of course, talking with fellow enthusiasts.
Oftentimes, you hear the same names—the famous watchmakers that have left a legacy behind or big brands that everyone wants.
However, sometimes you come across an unfamiliar name that’s worth learning about.
I was recently listening to John Reardon’s Collectability podcast, which focuses on Patek Philippe, while also reading George Daniels’ book about Abraham-Louis Breguet. As you likely already know, Breguet is recognized as one of the very best watchmakers of all time; he was also an excellent businessman who was ahead of his time.
In the book, Daniels explained that many collectors may be disappointed to learn that Breguet only built a few timepieces himself. He actually had a team of exceptional watchmakers to whom he gave a lot of freedom to develop and manufacture watches and clocks. Breguet would then inspect each piece to validate the work before sending them to clients.
A friend of mine, who is a watchmaker specializing in servicing grand complication pocket watches made by A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and other high horology brands, told me that he wanted to show me a watch signed “Louis Raby” and find out if I knew that name.
Who was Louis Raby?
The truth is, little is known in detail about watchmaker Louis Raby. I reached out to the archive of Napoleon III The Empereur in Compiegne, France, hoping to get some information. Unfortunately, they could not tell me anything.
His name appears in Dictionnaire des Horlogers Francais published by Tardy as “Raby – succeda a A. Benoit a Versailles.” In 1867, “il exposa une montre en aluminum” (he exhibited a watch in aluminum), which was an extremely rare and difficult metal to use and work with during the nineteen century.
Between the author G. H. Baillie (who wrote the book Watchmakers and Clockmakers Of the World), publisher Tardy, and one other spelling variation (Rabi), it can be pieced together that Louis Raby was the third or fourth generation of a watchmaking family working in Paris for approximately a century and a half.
In the book The Art of Breguet by George Daniels, he describes Louis Raby as being one of Breguet’s most talented pupils, surpassing even the Master in the execution of his own pendule sympathique. More details can be read in that book on pages 90 and 180.
A Breguet Pendule Sympathique from 1814.
Fine finishing
After doing this research, I sensed that Louis Raby had a lot of credentials and that his work would be spectacular. My intuition was correct; when I saw the Louis Raby pocket watch in person, it was magnificent. Even my friend Don Loke, who was the former head of the technical department at Breguet, was speechless upon seeing the quality of the watch. He said it was, “one of the finest finished watches from the 1800s that I have ever seen.”
The Louis Raby piece in question is a splendid quarter repeater pocket watch with an instantaneous jump calendar with day, date, month, and moon phase. It is also the first pocket watch Don saw with a gold train through the repeating mechanism.
The level of quality and work on this 300-plus-part timepiece is outstanding. Don details the hard fire enamel white dial, followed by the blue enamel moon phase disk. In this video, Don presents the watch in detail including all parts of the movement. It is a real journey of beauty.
What makes these timepieces so valuable is a compilation of many things, but mostly name (provenance), complication, dial, screws, and quality. This was probably a pocket watch commissioned by the Emperor since the quality of the work is so remarkable. Don shares how he services a watch and the process he follows. It is a work of art. In the video he shows us how to put back the dial and hands – and the meticulous work it takes to do it.
I invite you to watch the video to not only discover this astonishing piece but also find how a watchmaker services a timepiece by walking us through the complexity and precision of timepieces. The video ends with the presentation of his next project and introduces us to his watch collection called D Loke, which includes his double escapement patent.
TAG Heuer earlier this month revived the cushion-cased Monza, one of the watchmaker’s historic auto-inspired designs, with a contemporary tribute that features a lightweight carbon case and an unusually colorful dial.
The new TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronometer.
The new TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronometer is a special edition with a 42-mm case and a two-register black dial with a translucent fumé blue sapphire crystal chronograph counter at 3 and the permanent second at 6 o’clock. Even more unusual is the luminescent blue date window, the blue lacquered indexes and the black and white lacquered, luminous hours and minutes hands.
TAG Heuer revived the Monza (which debuted in 1976 as one of the first black-cased watches) in the early 2000s, but offered infrequent updates since that initial reboot.
In addition to its almost startling colors and intense luminosity, the new watch retains the dark case but opens up its dial with a skeletonized layout that exposes an in-house Calibre Heuer 02 Flyback, a chronograph movement with COSC certification.
A new movement for Monza, the caliber is the watchmaker’s much-lauded chronograph movement with COSC certification. Previously TAG Heuer has only utilized the flyback chronograph in its contemporary collections inside the TAG Heuer Autavia.
TAG Heuer also includes the expected tachymeter scale here, but adds a pulsometer, which helps determine heart rate per minute. The rate might quicken as the wearer eyes his or her dial, especially with its luminescent blue and bright red chrono counter hands and date window frame.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is offering a curated selection of vintage watches from within its extensive collection in an ongoing series called The Collectibles.
Timed to coincide with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 190th anniversary, the online offerings will represent “rare and sought-after timepieces that represent high-water marks for both Jaeger-LeCoultre and 20th-century watchmaking,” according to the watchmaker.
A Memovox Speed Beat GT, circa 1972.
Every watch offered through The Collectibles will be vetted by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s own historical experts and will include models considered as close as possible to their original condition. The watches will also be fully serviced and restored in the Manufacture’s restoration workshop.
A vintage Memovox Polaris II, circa 1970.
“Being able to restore these remarkable timepieces and offer them once again is a nice tribute to our current environment, in which sustainability and second lives have come to the fore,” says Catherine Rénier, Jaeger-Lecoultre CEO. “It is fantastic to see fifty-or eighty-year-old pieces given a new life.”
A 40mm LeCoultre Shark Deep Sea.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is making the series available via its website and will also create small, ‘capsule’ collections of the vintage pieces that will tour the world.
The Collectibles debuts with seventeen watches, thought several have already been sold. The watchmaker will add new models to the series as they are restored by its in-house experts.
First up are restored examples of the watchmaker’s Geophysic, a Memovox Parking, a Master Mariner Deep Sea and a Shark Deep Sea. Each watch will be sold with an extract from the Jaeger-LeCoultre archives, a new watch strap and a complimentary copy of The Collectibles coffee-table book. And when available, the watch’s original box and papers, strap or bracelet will be included.
