Horological Meandering

This post is inspired by Ed Tonkin’s recent acquisition of an Antiqua . Steampunk is a design movement that has been described as ‘retro-futurism’. It fuses modern items with a Victorian steam power aesthetic then adds a sprinkling of Japanese anime and s...  

the Cabestan, however, is by far the best watch of the bunch and has been my real dream watch ever since i first saw it. i love the use of historic horological devices such as the tourbillon and fusee combined with the modern materials and cylindrical tim... 

I though the Cabestan was brilliant from the moment I first saw pictures of it. I was disappointed when Vianney distanced himself from the project (but you can still see his DNA in there) and despondent when the price of the production version was announc...  

Andrew, does that mean that when they finally start sending the Cabestan out to customers which i dont believe has happened yet, and we both win the lottery, they will have sold 2? i dont really consider them 'steampunk' i think they are just an original ... 

Yes, Graham, the watch that you can comfortably read while driving your Bugatti (or Suzuki) around Wales . Andrew...  

… to focus your thoughts. Computer by Jake vonSlott Keyboard Credit: Gruntzooki Computer mouse Credit: Geekologie Watch by Olga Narozhna StarWars Credit: Sillof...  

. . . but these designs find my ready approval: All these images of the Anchor Steam Brewery in San Francisco are from the www. The final product and an evidently satisfied customer . . . . . . cordially, Art...  

. . . ;-) . . . cordially, Art...  

I don't recognize him... Viciously yours, Nicolas...  

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By Mike Libby from Maine. Lovely creations. Reminds me of a time in history when science attempted to explain life in mechanistic terms. A...  

I have to admit that these " Steampunk " watches let me a bit perplex... To say all, I love to see new brands releasing some original watches, in the display of the hour, or / and the technology used for it. But I generally have a problem with these watch... 

Hi Nicolas, Several of the Romain Jerome designs carry the steampunk aesthetic as well as a few other aesthetics that I am less enamoured with. Certainly very confronting and polarising watches and you are correct that horology needs that. Here are a coup...  

I wanted to type Romain Gauthier, and I wrote Romain Jerome... Unexcusable mistake... Best, Nicolas

… Romain Jerome is definitely more steampunk than the classical Romain Gauthier. Whether we buy into (literally) the ‘history’ forged into the RJ watches or not, they can’t help but move us emotionally. Not a bland brand. A

i think the RJ cabestan is an insult to the Cabestan concept. who wants a rusty one ? i'm not a fan of the Titanic metal usage. i think its cleverer that they use some of the coal from the sea bottom to fabricate the dials, but overall i think there is a ... 

… and I agree with all you say, Graham. The design of many RJ watches, however, is definitely ‘steampunk’. Andrew

For a bit of satire-in-the-summer you may enjoy my thread "Some ligiht evening entertainment" at the AHCI Forum. So far, no one has responded to it. Perhaps better so... amerix

I love steampunk inspired watches and Vianney Halter's pieces are some of the best out there, I really do believe the romanticism of the old world combined with imagination derived steam driven technological marvels have an emotional human response to wha... 

While I enjoy watches tremendously, I think the whole steampunk thing quite off putting, if not down right ugly. It's as if each of the new manufacturers wants to outdo the other with it's unique brand of bizarre. Without insulting any of the members or m... 

Hi Salman, I partially agree with you about some of the Journe pieces although I see more 'Victorian steam' than I do 'punk' in the designs and colour combinations. The prototype tourbillon is probably the closest to 'steampunk' in his work. Some images c...  

BTW- Ha anyone been catching the new SyFy series, "Warehouse 13"? They did all the computer equipment in the officer in cool steampunk, with the story that most everything had been designed in the late 19th Century (by Edison and Tesla). Keyboards have ty... 

Sounds interesting. I will keep an eye open for “Warehouse 13”. Apart from “Steamboy” that Salman referenced, can you think of others? I can’t recall any TV series, but there are several movies that come to mind: “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” ha... 

Great Disney set design and James Mason in a classic role as Captain Nemo.

Made in 1954. I remember the TV re-runs very well from my childhood. The design of the Nautilus, the diving suits (and the giant octopus battle) are vivid in my memory. Perfect ‘early’ steampunk. Good call. Andrew...  

"Steamboy" was pretty cool a few years back. The whole Vianney-Halter, etc., scene reminds me of Captain Nemo's watch, if he had one. Sushi!=:^D

Actually I just had some Sushi and am going to watch Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and have me one of these S This message has been edited by SALMANQ8 on 2009-07-28 12:21:05...  

The steampunk aesthetic is to apply faux-Victorian era technology to modern appliances. Clockwork computers, Steam powered aeroplanes, etc. To apply this to mechanical wristwatches? Amusing, and a little backwards. Still, aesthetically, they free up the d... 

for actually defining what steam punk is. I have seen this word lots of times being bandied around and I guess I just realized after reading your great post that I am a fan of such movement! I figure that they will remain timeless. Why? For me at least, i... 

… and it is partly why I enjoyed seeing Ed’s Antiqua so much again. It’s always been a special watch, but doesn’t receive an airing very frequently and I got that old ‘tingle’ back viewing it again. The same for the VH Trio. Pleased you enjoyed the post, ... 

I agree with you that the Antiqua as well as the VH Trio don't receive as much airings as much as we seem to both hope. What is nice is that these few sightings still stir up that old "tingle" in me as well. Indeed, a MUCH enjoyed post, superbly written o... 

...in pop culture right now that have brought steampunk to the fore, but the movement certainly has been percolating for awhile. I remember reading an article during my college days (in the 90s) about the rise of a neo-Victoriana design aesthetic that see...  

That’s a very helpful essay shedding more light on the topic for me, Daos, and one that Rob should also enjoy. I can see the blending of gothic, industrial and Victorian aspects and your cross referenced music and couture is apropos. I love the nightmaris... 

We can sell our "vampires and steampunk go together like peanut butter and jelly" stickers and buttons at next year's Comic-Con. LOL! Daos

Hello Dear All, This is to inform you that there is an exhibition about SteamPunk that is to be held from Oct 13th 2009 to Feb 10th 2010 at the : The Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford, Broad St., Oxford, OX1 3AZ, UK Among others... 

interesting, i might take a drive down and visit that. Graham

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I must admit to liking the Cabestan, EB and the Gefica, I do think the K3 from Sarpaneva has a similar vibe due to the work on the dials, and the red moon. As for other steam punk objects I stumbled on a German maker some time a go, I will let you guess w...  

Thanks Speedster, I love the lamp and I agree with the Sarpaneva suggestion. For future reference, although we cannot link to most outside websites from PPro, I don't believe the Moderators get too concerned about us mentioning names of designers, compani... 

Well the name of the maker is in the alternate text for the picture. I think there are 12 quite different lamps in the selection. And they seem to be EXTREMELY well made. I just wish I had seen them live.