The Moorea Anniversary Collection

From Pequignet -

Courtesy of Pequignet

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of it's iconic Moorea, Pequignet has released a new take on the classic.

Courtesy of Pequignet

And to make it something special, this model comes standard with Pequignet's Calibre Initial®.

Here are the pertinents, straight from Pequignet  -

Case

316L polish steel
Polish finish of the case with anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Crown with embossed « Fleur-de-Lys » logo
Crown protection

Details of the dial

Opaline white
Hour and minute’s polish steel hands, Super Luminova BGW9 (blue)
Polish steel second hand
Date display at 6.00nt

Type of clasp

Polish steel folding buckle with « Fleur-de-Lys » logo

Details of the movement

Calibre Initial®
Dual direction winding
Frequency of 4Hz (28,800 Alt./h)
21 jewels
Stop second
Pierced oscillating weight with snailing decoration and embossed « Fleur-de-Lys » logo.

Case thickness (in mm)

9.40

Waterproofing (ATM)

10

Back of case

Secured by 6 screws with sapphire opening on the movement

Power reserve time

65-hour

Greeting Card Holidays and Unrealistic Expectations

I used to sell watches. I also used to write the copy used by other people to help them sell their watches. And I was not above weaponizing FOMO to sell watches. I remember getting the sales memos from Tag, Baume, Cartier and others pleading with us to push watches priced $1,800 and up for Valentine's, Mother's, Father's and every other Hallmark Greeting Card holiday out there - both real or imagined. I once, only half joking as the sword of corporate retribution was dangling over my neck, penned this tagline for a diamond-encrusted piece:
"She carried you for nine months"
And for the man who brought you into this world, and can take you back out?
"He gave you life, consider this a meager thank you".

And as we are rapidly approaching "Dads and Grads" season, the Tempus Fugit inbox is full-to- bursting with watches priced around the price point of an entry level Toyota and the request that I include Watch X in my Mother's Day Gift Guide. This of course would mean I would have to bump my advertorials for Kay Jewelers and 1-800 Flowers! In other words, it's clear that the guys and gals in these PR agencies have not read Tempus Fugit before reaching out to for a Mother's Day favor.

Now curious to relate, if you were to visit the TAG Heuer or Hublot booth at any watch fair, you will see my picture carefully hidden at the reception desk with the instructions:
"Under no circumstances should you let this guy in, even if he has an appointment!"
Well, now that Mr. Biver has a less active role, you never know, I might get to see the inside of the booths once more ; )

And even more curious to relate? I have been watching Mr. Biver's interviews from a year or two ago and the one thing he keeps coming back to is gifting watches. What I loved about his comments about this were that these were carefully thought out purchases, with real intention and consideration for the person he was giving the watches to. Also important to note - these were significant event/holidays like birthdays and anniversaries. 

In other words, this was not a knee-jerk reaction to some feverish pitch to BUY, SPEND MONEY!

So, being the contrarian that I am, I would like to encourage something, well, contrary to the marketing brain trust of Watch Town -

Buy watches as gifts! But not just any gift or just any holiday, because then it ceases to be special. Buy a great watch for a graduation gift! Buy your dad a watch you know he would love but would never get for himself. Buy your partner a watch when they get that big promotion. These are all great reasons to head down to your independent retailer and buy something special. And hey - why not engrave it? And one other thing? A great watch does not necessarily mean expensive. It means that you thought about what the person RECEIVING the watch would like, not just what the PR agency told you to get them. Whether it be a Swatch or a Rolex, make it significant, and make it special. If you just feel the need to give something because the greeting card companies are telling you need to give something? Well, then give your Mother, Father, partner something else that is special - give them your time.

Anniversaries, Watches and Hermes

June 4th is a special day every year at Henki House.  And this year was particularly auspicious as Wendy and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Montreal, where we had our honeymoon back in 1994.

On the morning of the 4th, I set out from our hotel to fetch bagels (when in Montreal, do as the locals), and upon opening the door to our hotel room found this sitting in the entry way -

Now point of full-disclosure, I had toyed with the idea of an Apple Watch as a "work out" watch.  I certainly thought it was sort of cool.  But I had been burned by connected and smart watches before.  Functions never worked as advertised.  The watches frequently "pooped out" after a short amount of time.  I have given up on doing smart/connected watch reviews because of the three that I have done in the past:

1.  Watch crapped out in the middle of the 2 week review period
2.  Watch "soiled the sheets" approximately 3 weeks following the review period - i.e. it made it 1 month and 3 days.
3.  Watch worked great out of the box.  Ran fine for about 2 months, then software got buggy and never quite recovered despite multiple updates and re-sets.

So that's me, a little cynical.  

Now although we are only 2 weeks into this relationship, I take a lot of comfort in Apple's track record for reliability is pretty strong, and as an "Apple Guy" since 1987 I am definitely a fan of the interface, look and feel of Apple products.


And as I said, for a long time I have always been a mechanical fan, and even developed an appreciation for "clever quartz" pieces like Michael Happe's passion project, the Gavox Aurora -

As well as a new-found love for G-Shock following my visit to their factory last September -

But then I started wearing this -

The Apple Watch, in and of itself is quite a nice little timekeeper.  I refuse to call it a "wearable" because I feel if you're going down that road, you have to apply it to pretty much everything (just one man's opinion).  After a few weeks of blissful wear, I have discovered some of the pleasant benefits of wearing an Apple Watch.  The "walk measure" meter I use daily.  While driving if I am using my phone as GPS through the CarPlay?  The watch will "buzz" on my wrist with an arrow indicating what direction I need to turn.  I have not set-up the ECG function yet, but as a man of a certain age?  It's on the to-do list.  Other updates are pushed through, and again I actually appreciate it.  Before, anytime my phone pinged I was distracted and felt I needed to pull my phone out of my pocket, and check it.  Now?  A quick look at my watch tells me if it is important or not.  Also, like my two GPS enabled G-Shocks, I can be certain that the time is correct.

I love the ability to change faces.  I know, sort of silly, but I dig it!

While a standard Apple Watch gives you quite a few face options, the Hermès Apple Watch gives you, well, the 

Hermès faces!  So far I am sticking to the black, white and orange options as they really go with the tri-color straps.  

Another Hermès touch is (and I know this is VERY un-Henki), the packaging!

A larger Orange 

Hermès box holds two smaller boxes within.  One of them holds the watch head and an Orange rubber strap. The second box holds the AMAZINGLY wonderful 

Hermès leather strap -

Now I have seen 

Hermès straps on Hermès watches at BaselWorld, but in truth had never worn one.  I realize that hyperbole is an annoying trait displayed by those in the 4th and 5th Estates specializing in the luxury industry, but this is one wonderful strap.  

So much so, that I am already saving my pennies for 2 options -

Courtesy of Apple

Courtesy of Apple

One suggestion I would put out there for 

Hermès and Apple?  Make an Hermès strap case/pouch that could hold 3 or 4 different straps.  I know that you can park the straps "wherever", but let's be honest, when you're talking about an Hermès product, you are willing to go a little bit further to have something special.  So Hermès, if you go for it, no charge for the idea ; )

And when it comes to the Apple Watch itself?  Well I know that it is early days, and yes the Apple Watch has a few drawbacks, most notable for many of us is the need to re-charge it on a fairly regular basis.  And for many people out there, the feeling is that it is a LOT of money for something that might be outdated in a year or two.  Well, yes and no.  Ultimately, nothing is 100% permanent.  I have several friends and colleagues who are still wearing and enjoying their early versions of Apple Watches.  In addition?  Apple does offer a trade-in (providing your watch is "trade-in-able". 

Lastly, I will say that I was, and continue to be, profoundly touched by this gift.  If I had any doubt that Wendy "gets" me, well let's just say that she does.  

Enjoy your watches!

C9 5 Day Automatic Chronometer Anniversary Model

From Christopher Ward -

Courtesy of Christopher Ward

Celebrating the 1 year anniversary of the launch of the C9 5 Day Automatic Chronometer in a stunning and stylish green.

Here are the stats -

Features

·In-house Calibre SH21 automatic movement (100% Swiss made) by Johannes Jahnke

·COSC certified chronometer

·Twin barrel construction in a series connection

·120 hour power reserve

·31 jewels

·Date display at 3 o’clock

·Full tungsten automatic rotor with ball bearings

·Continuous central second

·Stop-second hacking mechanism

·Galvanic sun-ray one-piece metal dial with raised nickel indexes and nickel hands

·Hand finished, surgical grade, stainless steel case and crown

·Museum-grade sapphire crystal with AR08 anti-reflective coating

·Screw-down transparent case back with full diameter AR08 anti-reflective sapphire crystal

·Embossed alligator pattern Italian leather (green) with Bader deployment

·Limited Edition of 100

·Luxury presentation case and owner’s handbook

Technical

·Diameter: 43mm

·Height: 13.45mm

·Calibre: SH21 automatic

·Vibrations: 28.800 vph

·Case: 316L stainless steel

·Water resistance: 5 bar

·Strap width: 22mm

 Priced at $1,895 US