The Gavox Aurora - Why I Bought it

When you write a watch blog, even one that caters to a small readership such as Tempus Fugit, you get to test drive a lot of watches. And when you stop worrying about satisfying advertisers and stroking egos, you get to be honest.  This past spring I got to review the Gavox Aurora and to say that it made an impression on me would be a great understatement.

As I have said more than once, I am not a person driven by gadgets or the latest technical whimsy. I suspect whatever thirst for knowledge of the horological minutia of micro mechanics I might have once had got beaten out of me during my time at DOXA listening to armchair blowhards wax on about their superior knowledge (yes, that is sarcasm) of the fine points of the ETA 2824-2, or other sublime topics.

So the question is, what made such an impression on me?  Simple Complexity.  Yes, the Gavox Aurora has some pretty cool and sophisticated functionality, but all of the functions can be controlled even by a brain as "un nimble" as my own. 

But the other thing I really liked about about the Aurora was that it didn't just roll on its back like a faithful puppy waiting for you to rub its tummy.  No, if you wanted to check out or use the functions, you actually had to engage your brain, and the watch, by way of the crown/central pusher.  It makes the entire experience a bit more personalized, a WHOLE LOT MORE interactive.  It makes a complicated watch fun, without being an exercise in "haute behavior".  

So yes, this watch made a big impression on me, and hence I found myself in New York, cash in hand, to pick up my own and visit with Mr. Happe.

To a large extent, a watch is a watch is a watch.  And maybe it is just where I am emotionally, spiritually and intellectually in this world of watch fanatics of which I am a  member, but I want more than the latest innovation.  I want something that registers on a human, an emotional scale.

Something that provides a warm and fuzzy feeling.  And that is what the Aurora provides me.

When you find that special watch, well it is a love affair of sorts that you indulge in form the beginning of the day, until the sun sets.

So as the kitchen calls and I go to rattle a few pans to make dinner, remember that watches should be fun, as well as functional. The two are not mutually exclusive! So now I've got mine, and I am a happy guy!

I hope you find yours, whatever it is, or whoever makes it.

That's all for now - enjoy your watches!

A Grand Complication from Audemars Piguet

So I just finished Stacy Perman's A Grand Complication.  It is essentially the story of two men who competed (albeit surreptitiously) with each other to imagine and own the world's most complicated watch.

Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

Patek Philippe was their preferred supper, but I thought in light of "competition", why not look at some other examples?

Breguet Acquires Two Antique Watches for a Record Price of Nearly 7 Million Swiss Francs



2667 Courtesy of Breguet

The Breguet Museum and its President, Marc A. Hayek, have acquired two exceptional Breguet watches that made their mark on Fine Watchmaking history, for a record price of nearly 7 million Swiss francs. Bought at a Christie's auction in Geneva on Monday, May 14th, these masterpieces are the most expensive ever purchased in Breguet's history, and the costliest Breguet antique watches ever sold at auction to date. The first watch, no. 2667 dating from 1814, went for the unequalled price of over 4 million Swiss francs. This thin pocket watch with two movements is based on the chronometer principle (resonance).  It is an extremely rare piece made in 18-carat yellow gold, of unsurpassed delicacy and elegance. A.-L. Breguet designed it to confirm his theory that two oscillating bodies in close proximity will influence each other.  This objet d'art has two separate dials, the first numbered with Arabic numerals, the second with Roman numerals.  It is an extraordinary timepiece that reflects both Breguet's refined aesthetic sense and his innovative inventive genius.

4111 Courtesy of Breguet

The second antique piece, no. 4111, is a thin flat equation-of-time and repeater watch, built on the chronometer principle. It repeats hours, half-hours, quarter-hours, and half-quarters. This "Grande Complication" watch dates from 1827 and was purchased for more than 2.5 million Swiss francs. It has an annual calendar as well as a manual perpetual calendar, and also displays mean and apparent solar time. In pursuit of aesthetic and functional perfection, the balance wheel was especially worked so that the watch would be extremely thin, fascinating technical feats in a "Grande Complication" watch. Montres Breguet is proud to announce the arrival of these treasures for its museums. This unique event confirms Breguet President and CEO Marc A. Hayek's commitment to preserving the Manufacture's historic and cultural legacy.