pplater
5432
Nothing escapes you, does it Richard?...
It is not quite a 'world exclusive', in the sense that our good friend and fellow PurisT 'aptronym' was in Geneva and present at the handover (present also, it has to be said, for the quickly degenerating evening/morning that followed!). Aptronym performed shutter duties, and therefore claimed first right to a sneak preview of a couple of the shots a little while ago.
It is also fair to say that the now-traditional smiley face hides a huge 'cheese-eating grin', and probably a couple of eyes verging on haemorrhaging!
The box, however, is a very straightforward piece of work compared to many. There's quite a story that comes with the box; it will take a review of the email inbox to find the story, but 'watch this space'.
As for the Haldimann? Yes: amazingly, John stripped off his prototype RG Tuscar seconds before the photo was snapped, reached into his rucksack again and strapped on the Haldimann H9! He swears by it - says it's a modern marvel of haute horology. We agreed to call it a night when the H9 showed midnight...
;-)
Cheers,
pplater.
What’s a lighthouse got to do with it???...
It was an uncharacteristically sunny day in Geneva when an earnest and clearly overworked young Irishman found himself standing amongst a sea of IWC ambassadors at the Mandarin Hotel. Out front, a stream of IWC-branded limos disgorged a steady stream of f...
This is pure...
... awesomeness! P, you never cease to amaze. Your posts always make me feel like I was right there with you. - Scott
Honestly, this is a superb watch. A good friend of mine let me play with his...
And yes, I must say that I loved it. The finish of the movement, this dial ,the nice clin d' oeil porvided by the hands to some well known vintage watches. Yes, I liked it! Superb post, which was a pleasure to read. Best, Nicolas
Great report pplater!
It was also great to have you guys join us for our small gathering with the rock hall of fame and beyond... I would publish some photos of later (and much later) in the evening but my photoshoping skills are not to your level. Also useful for future black...
Much appreciated Andrew...
...and, as you can tell, the night out with you, Rob and 'the band' was a major highlight of the SIHH period and indeed the trip. Speaking of 'bands', there is probably one photo which you could show without photoshopping (if you are minded to do so), alt...
I had the chance to see the Tuscar in 2011 if I remember well...
And I was immediately seduced by its inspired design. But it is the Tourbillon which always remains in my mind: Thanks Pplater for your great post! Fx ...
what a fantastic experience and essay!!
Here in Rome logging in to make sure there are no trouble makers on this august forum and ended up reading this wonderful a hearty congrats to you. Was there another that you considered before chasing this beauty? Best, Horo
Ave, Caesar!...
Hopefully Rome is treating you in the style to which you wish to become accustomed? Thanks for the kind words. This one was not so much a choice or a chase: it was an opportunity which seemed too good to pass up. It was a little wait, but nowhere near as ...
Is this a world exclusive?
...Well, at least a puristpro exclusive. What a wonderful day you had. Perhaps Kurt Cobain was somewhere in the background, as it seems you were in Nirvana. And great that aptronym was there to capture the moment for posterity. My guess is that may be the...
Nothing escapes you, does it Richard?...
It is not quite a 'world exclusive', in the sense that our good friend and fellow PurisT 'aptronym' was in Geneva and present at the handover (present also, it has to be said, for the quickly degenerating evening/morning that followed!). Aptronym performe...
The box...
It has taken a while, Richard, but for the sake of the record here you have it. In John's words: "With regards to the box; we wanted to avoid the problems we had with the presentation case of the tourbillon. We ended up lavishing so much time and expense ...
Thanks. Very understated but appropriate
And perhaps a secret compartment for a flask of .... :). Regards, Richard.
Well, cen...
...it was a most unexpected (and a little embarrassing) honour to be favoured with the first delivered, but that was the happy coincidence of SIHH. You'll have to be careful to go every year from now on! :-) Looking forward to sharing two of ten with you ...
Brilliant post, very well written.
Two of the most amazing watchmakers, who happen to be lovely fellows with whom one can easily spend time. I am excited to catch up with John in Basel, having just had Stephen here to stay. To my mind that Tourbillon pictured in Foversta's post is sublime ...
Appreciated, Tim, thanks...
Kind words from an Indie guru such as yourself. If you are seeing John in Basel you have just enough time to get into training and organise the ensuing transfusion - good luck with that! Some of us will still be in rehab then... All the best, Cheers, ppla...
Jorma Kaukonen . . .
. . . of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, right off the top of my head. My favorite memory of John was his wry reaction to my standard line about being a quarter Irish. "Which side?", he asked, to which I replied, "It's my liver that's Irish." Without mis...
I do come, in parts (!) from the Black Irish
and remember seating myself on the dent left by Grace Slick, who was not completely or in the least Irish, on the edge of a mattress that she had settled upon only an hour before. It was still warm! I always arrive when everybody else has left. Can somebo...
I will respond to your Irish post with my own recently-learned Australian term...
...Bwah hah ha haaaah! (exclaimed at the Cafe Penéy on a memorable recent Monday evening). A beautiful piece, my dear friend! Great to see you enjoying this piece, and your tale of its construction and delivery has the unmistakable erudition and humor tha...
"Ya gotta work on the accent, cobber!"...
But a very passable effort from an imbedded Septic ( 'oversexed, overpaid and over here' , as our truculent servicemen used to say of the 'occupying' US forces in Oz). As for 'AWHO' - too cool! To borrow a line from an Australian movie which has passed in...
Congratulations my dear friend!
Tuscar is very unique in many ways. It's distinctive design is like no other watch out there. When I saw aptronym's post about the Tuscar I suspected it must be for our common friend and how right was I! :) Great choice of another quality Indie to add to ...
We can share, one day...
... the Tuscar and your incoming KV. Sound fair? :-) Thanks for those kind words, Sidney; hopefully there will be a reason - an excuse - to catch up soon. Cheers, pplater.
More than fair!
I already took advantage of your generosity with sharing the Dufour and the Grand Sonnerie! It's more than fair that I return a small part of that favour in the form of the KV :) It'll be in my hands VERY soon!
Congratulations on the...
...addition of another wonderful indie piece to the collection! I have a soft spot for all things Irish, and the work of the brothers McGonigle is no exception. I've long been enamored of their tourbillion. You wear your new Tuskar well, my friend! Cheers...
Everything that an 'indie' post should have...!!
An intriguing title, a well-told yarn, excellent pics, some nice technical pics/diagrams/info, and a generous dose of humour ! Mermories of a great evening indeed. It was a real pleasure to meet such a discerning gentleman as yourself pplater, I'm glad ou...
Wowzah..another beautiful watch. Not so easy to come by these days in this form.
The watch has an argument for and against aesthetics...always healthy. This is another watch I will buy when I have money. Not if. I am not smitten by its beauty, but rather by its controversy.
Late to the show....
...but I blame...well...stuff. But here I am, and there I was, in Geneva, for part of the shenanigans, for which I owe pplater more thanks than I can manage to articulate. As for the unexpected Indie Rock Concert, what happens on tour stays on tour, thoug...
I still can't believe...
That I met the famous Aptronym that evening and didn't realise it until about 3 days later... ;-)
The story becomes part of the watch
The memories, the adventures, the people all add to the life of the watch. What a fantastic introduction of the Tuscar. I'm sure the wait seems like a millisecond now. Given the shape of the pincer I'm not sure if it's a bridge or a cock. But it is certai...
pplater, you mean this photo ...?
...of the new RM ambassador...?! (Sorry I only just noticed your earlier comment...) :-D ...
Thanks Rob!!!...
That is absolute gold! Permission to re-publish when the time is right? Cheers, pplater.
Yeah, I like the pic...
...it's not the first one I have of Kari with 'another' watch, and it's good to see his "don't take yourself too serious" side. (Although I meant to post it smaller, not poster-size !) Permission granted Kevin, but only minimum 1 week after April 1st... ;...
Shhh...
...and here I was thinking that this photo would remain forevermore just in 'private hands'.... :P
Great one Rob!
Missed this shot but glad to see that you did not! Catch up with you guys soon, Andrew
Thank you very much Pplater for this very, shall I say .....
Poetic introduction for a very nicely made time piece. The idea of using conical gearing makes good sense to me and certainly add to the sophistication of this watch. The balance bridge has a definite unique beauty and is, to me the most striking visual p...
An amazing Post PPlater...
What an exceptional timepiece, I know you have been waiting a long time and I can feel from your post that you are happy with the outcome. Congratulations my friend....the experience sounds like it was half the payoff....the watch of course the other half...
Thanks Donut: great to 'see' you here again!...
Yes, it was a bit of a wait: still, not as long as some waits we have endured, eh? Hopefully, you will be just as thrilled with yours when it arrives. It's important for people to understand that, without the faith and commitment of people such as yoursel...
Superb!
The Tuscar is a delightful watch. As the other Purists have said, it's everything an independent watch should be. it is a real piece of art. Regards, Jon