What’s ticking? All the latest watch news, from Arcanaut to Zodiac
Clerkenwell may not be the highly sprung horological hub it once was, but a visit to Kensington is all it takes to wind back the clocks, both sides of the Channel; while a visit to Leicester Square come November will strap you into all that’s ticking fast today, from Arcanaut to Zodiac.
THE ENGLISH CONNECTION
If you didn’t know, the wonderfully, onerously titled Worship Company of Clockmakers (founded 1631) has its priceless museum on constant display at the Science Museum in South Kensington – relocated permanently in recent years from its HQ at Guidlhall (aka City’s campus of esteemed, no-doubt royally patronised ‘institutions’). And, in a bid for the modern, it’s launching a new annual programme of temporary displays, to showcase extraordinary objects from public and private horological collections.
The first of these, titled ‘Abraham-Louis Breguet: The English Connection’ is running till next September, created to mark the 200th anniversary of Breguet’s death on the 17th of September 1823, and brings together a selection of his ‘subscription’ commissioned masterpieces, united by their connection to England. The Paris-based Swiss ex-pat not only invented things like the whirring ‘tourbillon’, or ‘whirlwind’ balance assembly to counteract gravity’s frictional detriment to its core pivot, but Breguet built his enterprise with a keenly commercial nous. An influence that bled into the gentry of 18th-century London, despite the capital’s well-established watchmaking industry of of its own, equipping the Empire-building Royal Navy with highly precise ‘chronometers’.
Items on display include the gold four-minute tourbillon watch made for King George III in 1808 – the first time this rare and important watch has been on public display, since being sold by Sotheby’s in July 2020. All 19 other unique pieces, all commissioned by Brits, have their own stories to tell, which is testament to the genius of Monsieur Breguet and also testament to the import of horology at a time when cross-Channel politics might have been a touch strained.
sciencemuseum.org.uk/clocks
A CAPITAL HATTRICK FOR WATCHPRO SALON
Three’s a charm they say, and sure enough, November’s third edition of WatchPro Salon at The Londoner hotel near China Town is set to prove, unequivocally, the import of this hugely enjoyable, bijoux gathering – for watch enthusiasts as well as industry insiders. Especially encouraging, given the event’s necessarily tentative in-roads, post-pandemic.
With intimate class and calm, thanks to The Londoner’s subterranean complex of low-lit lounges and bar area, B2B title WatchPro is shepherding another considered mix of 30-plus horological players in the lap of five-star boutique luxury, from Friday 10th to Saturday 12th. In an age of wait-list boutique haughtiness, its Salon offers an all-too-rare opportunity for enthusiasts and the just-plain-curious to get up close and personal with pieces usually residing behind closed safe doors or website enquiry forms.
It’s not just walk-up brand stands, either, as the expo itself is complemented by relaxed Q&A sessions and talks, cocktail-fuelled soirées, plus yet more to be announced, spread over four day and evening sessions. There are well-known watchmakers such as Seiko (showcasing its ever-cultish ‘Prospex’ line of divers, featured elsewhere on this page), Ball, Perrelet, Victorinox and under-the-radar brands like Luminox – the choice of similarly furtive F-117 Nighthawk pilots.
Reflecting the zeitgeist rise of ‘CPO’ or ‘certified pre-owned’, WatchPro Salon is also doubling down on last year’s assocation with eBay. The online giant is hosting its Pre-Owned lounge for a second year, where the likes of Rolex, Patek Phillipe and Cartier are expected to be on show, all authenticated in-house at eBay’s London facility, as with any watch sold for over £1,500 on the marketplace.
Certainly one for your winter-weekend watch list.
WatchPro Salon 2023 tickets are still available to purchase in advance via watchpro.com, from £20 for general access 10am–6pm on Saturday 11th November, to £125 for access to the VIP preview on Friday 10th plus the evening cocktail reception