When I wrote about John Kennedy’s Omega last year, I was not expecting to revisit the topic just eighteen months later. The elegant yellow gold rectangular timepiece, gifted by his friend Grant Stockdale, is famous for its presence on the newly elected President’s wrist on the day of his Inauguration, January 21, 1961. A piece not just of watchmaking history but simply of history. L’Histoire avec un grand H, as we say in French. The watch is proudly displayed at the Omega Museum in Bienne.
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”In watchmaking, the devil is only in the detail. A watch is made only of details. When we say shorten an indice by two tenths of a millimeter, it’s not for the sake of it. It’s because it matters. You can see the difference.” Listening to Manuel Romero, co-founder of White Brand Design, and his passion — not to say obsession — for details, it seems like he was born to design watches. Well, not quite.
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When you love watchmaking cities, a visit to Le Locle is always a treat. And if you are heading to its most prominent watch company, Tissot, to meet the CEO, Sylvain Dolla, well, you know it will be memorable. Sylvain Dolla, previously at the helm of Hamilton before taking over Tissot in 2020, is one of those CEOs who is also the best ambassador for their brand. Approachable, elegant, fun and always very sharp, those attributes could equally describe both Tissot and the man running it.
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Heviloupe is one of my favorite accounts on Instagram. I especially enjoy the captions, full of solid watch knowledge and personal anecdotes from its author, Luigi. Over the years, the Zurich-based collector has become a close friend of Time Files. For the first time today, he is also a guest contributor, on perhaps his favorite topic: Patek Philippe. An aficionado and collector of the maison, he shares his experience visiting the exceptional exhibition that took place in Geneva earlier this month. Header image ©PATEK.
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Nathalie Jean-Louis likes to do things with utmost precision. Her work — hand beveling and decorating high-end watch movements — but also everything else. She has built her career with a calm yet powerful determination and explains her choices with words as carefully picked as the grit of sandpaper she was applying on a double barrel bridge as I knocked on her door.
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After reviewing several watches, and even a film, I am about to add a third string to my bow of impostures and share my thoughts on a book I just finished. You have been warned and should only keep on reading at your own risk!
At the end of last month, the renowned watch industry historian Pierre-Yves Donzé released a book that immediately made headlines in French-speaking Switzerland, from newspapers to television: La Fabrique de l’excellence, an in-depth historical study of what has made Rolex’s unparalleled success.
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A selection of the best local watchmaking sites you can visit.
Themed itineraries for those who love one brand in particular or watches in general.
