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The Reluctant Watch Designer

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 Expert engineers design luxury watches with care and precision.   Experts and enthusiasts consider certain engineers “masters” and “artisans.”  Some of their names are synonymous with companies (Audemars Piguet, Giovanni Panerai, Adrien Philippe, Cartier) – others are not as well known.   These individuals have fascinating stories.  This is the first in a series of blogs where we present their tales.   We’re going to first look at Gérald Genta (1931 – 2011).  His tale will take a few blogs to tell, as well.    With all his success, respect, and dedication, he often said that he did not like watches and did not wear them.  Nonetheless, Genta designed over 100,000 (no, that is not a typo – he actually designed over 100,000 watches).  Many watch enthusiasts and experts consider Genta the premier luxury designer and say that he had the most impact on luxury watch history.  His designs literally revolutionized the industry.   Genta was born in Geneva, Switzerland during the Second World wa
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The Reluctant Watch Designer

 Expert engineers design luxury watches with care and precision.   Experts and enthusiasts consider certain engineers “masters” and “artisans.”  Some of their names are synonymous with companies (Audemars Piguet, Giovanni Panerai, Adrien Philippe, Cartier) – others are not as well known.   These individuals have fascinating stories.  This is the first in a series of blogs where we present their tales.   We’re going to first look at Gérald Genta (1931 – 2011).  His tale will take a few blogs to tell, as well.    With all his success, respect, and dedication, he often said that he did not like watches and did not wear them.  Nonetheless, Genta designed over 100,000 (no, that is not a typo – he actually designed over 100,000 watches).  Many watch enthusiasts and experts consider Genta the premier luxury designer and say that he had the most impact on luxury watch history.  His designs literally revolutionized the industry.   Genta was born in Geneva, Switzerland during the Second World wa
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Fingerprint Watch Winders Further Protect Your Automatic Watches

 What is an Automatic Watch? As its name suggests, an automatic watch automatically winds itself.  Basically, the wearer provides the watch’s energy simply be wearing it – their motions transfer the energy to its mechanisms.   What is a Watch Winder?   As its name suggests, a watch winder keeps the automatic watch properly wound.  The watch winder’s motor simulates the wearer’s motions and continues the required energy transfer.   A good watch winder also doubles as a storage and display unit.  And, fingerprint based watch winders also offer security and ease of access. What are Fingerprint Watch Winders? Most things that hold precious items and information claim to offer security.  Websites, emails, social media, and other online accounts require logins and passwords.  Safes and home alarms require similar codes.  But, sometimes, these security measures fail and someone with malicious intent hacks into an account and accesses personal information.  Thieves also break into homes and op
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In What Luxury Brand Watch Should You Invest?

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 A prior blog noted that investing your money, rather than simply saving it in a bank, allowed it to grow faster and let you do more with it.   Popular investments (stocks, real estate, funds, bonds, commodities), however, are risky, especially considering the recent pandemic.    Financial experts have lately looked at and favored investing in luxury items, specifically luxury watches.   One major reason:  luxury watches are tangible – you can see and feel them – wear them and show them to others – pass them down to other generations.    Additional reasons include:   Marketability:  should you need cash, you can simply sell a luxury watch. Insurability:  you can easily insure and protect a luxury watch.    In Which Luxury Watch Should You Invest? Rebag, an authority in luxury accessory trading, selling, and buying, reported that Rolex presently dominates the luxury watch second-hand market.  It’s 2021 Clair report found that a Rolex retains over 80% of its value and that some styles se
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Are Luxury Watches a Good Investment?

 We all want to save money.  Besides the bills we all must pay, we all want to enjoy vacations, purchase special items for ourselves and loved ones, educate our children and help them with their dreams, plan for retirement, and also plan for unseen circumstances.  So saving money in a bank or credit union, where it earns interest, is smart.   Investing your money, however, is a  better choice.  It allows your money to grow, which lets you do even more.  Popular investments include stocks, funds, bonds, and real estate.  But, there are risks with those investments and you must know exactly what you are doing, otherwise, you might lose everything.   Kevin O'Leary, star of the series “Shark Tank,” has said that making money in the stock market is getting difficult and that bonds do not pay that much. He recommended a more tangible investment.   So, in what do you invest?   Luxury items.   Investing in Luxury Items Today, luxury items excite investment experts, including O’Leary.  Luxu
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COSC Certified Watches

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Previous blogs discussed chronometers and mentioned that an authenticated luxury watch is a chronometer.   So, who certifies these watches and determines whether they are chronometers?  The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC).   The COSC Five Swiss areas created the COSC in 1973:  Geneva, Bern, Vaud, Neuchâtel, and, Solothurn, together with the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS).   It is, however, a non-profit, independent organization that freely self-regulates watch designers and watch production.    The COSC rigorously tests each watch over a two week period in five separate positions, at three temperatures.  Inspectors repeatedly adjust and remove movements from the watch and tests each at various different temperatures, in various positions, over certain time periods.  Inspectors employ cameras to observe watch functions and take careful measurements to painstakingly compile data, all of which measures the watches average daily rate of accuracy.   Inspectors
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The Harrison Chronometer

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 We also provided a brief look into the chronometer’s history and revealed that John Harrison essentially created the first chronometer.  So understanding what is a chronometer will help you understand luxury watches.   Let’s take a closer look at Harrison’s work and his series of chronometers, which continue to impact today’s watches (his story is certainly a lesson in perseverance and dedication).    But, once more, let’s again see what inspired the chronometer, as it greatly influenced and affected Harrison’s work.   1707 Scilly Naval Disaster On October 22, 1707, five Royal Naval fleet ships struck the Gilstone Ledges’ rocks off the Isles of Scilly - between 1400 and 2000 sailors perished.  Today, it remains one of the worst British maritime disasters.  The navigators’ inability to precisely gauge the ships’ positions and other course-plotting errors contributed to the tragedy.     In 1714, the terrible loss motivated Parliament to create the Board of Longitude (Board), which offer
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