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History

Hiroshima & Time

Hiroshima & Time

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum contains artefacts that have been donated by victims families and survivors relating to the event of 6th August 1945. In total there are over 120 timepieces held in the vaulted archives.

The history of time: A luxury obsession (From the archives)

The history of time: A luxury obsession (From the archives)

Time has always been a human obsession. The earliest cultures based their lives and customs on the changes of seasons, and movement of the moon and sun….

Crisis to innovation

Crisis to innovation

Following the crisis caused by quartz during the 60's and 70's…

Between 1875 & 1880 a Patek Philippe dial was made...(From The Archives)

Between 1875 & 1880 a Patek Philippe dial was made...(From The Archives)

Originally sold on April 19th 1881 and still working happily today, but, as with the majority of pocket watches finding itself in well earned retirement.

 From the 70's till tomorrow.  From Bhanu Chopra

From the 70's till tomorrow. From Bhanu Chopra

From the 70's till tomorrow. From Bhanu Chopra

The Dawn of Wristwatches  (From The Archives)

The Dawn of Wristwatches (From The Archives)

The dawn of wrist-watchmaking …

White Label and outsourcing.

White Label and outsourcing.

White Label” refers to the purchase of a completed product, made to custom specifications, normally to be sold forward. This practice has existed since the 17th century….

Forgotten landmarks, Automatics (3)

Forgotten landmarks, Automatics (3)

In the 1920s, Frédéric-Emile Blancpain met the British watchmaker, John Harwood…

Forgotten landmarks, Water resistance (2) (From the archives)

Forgotten landmarks, Water resistance (2) (From the archives)

… we take it for granted that virtually any watch we buy, whether mechanical, quartz, or smart should be able to resist a paddle in the pool, but …

John Arnold an English watchmaker and inventor

John Arnold an English watchmaker and inventor

Around 1768, Arnold constructed another watch for the King which was given the designation "Number 1" by Arnold —something he did when the watches he built was regarded as significant.

Joseph Knibb, a clockmaker of distinction

Joseph Knibb, a clockmaker of distinction

Knibb was considered as the finest horologist of his time, according to author Herbert Cescinsky, a renowned specialist on English clocks.

The Omega Marine – The World’s First Dive Watch (Guest Post)

The Omega Marine – The World’s First Dive Watch (Guest Post)

Dive watches today are among the most recognizable types of watches. And yet, their story at large is often obscured, diluted by that of the Rolex Submariner…

Robert Hooke, an English polymath who discovered the balance spring

Robert Hooke, an English polymath who discovered the balance spring

Hooke discovered the law of elasticity in 1660 which describes the linear variation of tension with extension in an elastic spring.

Deconstructing history (from the Archives)

Deconstructing history (from the Archives)

I was asked, what it was like to deconstruct a 200-year-old Breguet

The Orin Bell (From the Archives)

The Orin Bell (From the Archives)

The Orin bell both influenced the technical and cultural approach behind the Credor Sonnerie.