Independents

Some individual wrist shots: My Observatoire on a friend's wrist: Gorgeous RG with anthracite face and RG Romans. Note the absence of guilloche on the outer ring of the dial and the use of soleil guilloche on both of the inner circles (rather than barleyc...  

And was mesmerized by its dangerous Beauty. But a round wite metal one would make my day..;Maybe one day! Cab't wait to see your other pics! Best, Nicolas

NT

www.youtube.com br, Dirk

Anyway to get one of these pieces other than emailing the master himself? Thanks a lot!

I think you'll find him very responsive and engaging! Best, Gary G

No message body

Here are some detail shots that may be of interest. Apologies in advance that the lighting (and my lack of skill) resulted in many of these shots being less than ideal, but in each case I wanted to point out some unique design features. No two of these wa...  

You have provided a comparison of Observatoire variations better than any other post I have seen. Of the approximately 40 watches in this series, I think it is likely that no two are exactly the same. And amazing to have 8 Observaotires together for the i... 

Given the lighting it was very hard to pick out (in photographs) that Masterpiece 8 does indeed have the VIII in a different color than the other numerals. Excellent catch -- and thanks for the kind remarks! I felt privileged to be able to attend the GTG,... 

present at the GTG was in an Observatoire (probably unique in the series?) with "wolf's-teeth" winding gears. This also results in a distinctly pleasurable winding feel. I wonder if you have a pic of that one to add to your comparison shots. This message ... 

Tough to see, but this may (or may not) be the set of "wolf's tooth" winding gears: In reviewing the photos, I also saw that on the two fast-beat movements, one has perlage on the visible portions of the lower plate while the other one is fully frosted......  

on Kari being THE consumate Independent? Differences in each of these watches show the expanse of his internal sense of style that ONLY a few select and very fortunate collectors are able to be a part of. Doing something in routine is MUCH easier as one's... 

I think Kari is unmatched in his combination of design, finish, customization, range of offerings, exclusivity, and brand-building. Only problem this creates is that it may be even harder in the future to get on the list for his watches.......

on your spot on assessment that it is making the chase to get his masterpieces even harder. Oh well.... Good thing this site shows us enthusiasts the different pieces currently out in the wilds. Vicarious living then. Have a good one tahoeblue.

Yes, and the wolf's teeth watch also has a balance spring holder next to the tourbillon style balance cock. Fantastic report Gary. Very good photos too! Michael

On the two standard beat movements with tourbillon balance cocks, one balance cock is polished and the other has Geneva stripes... Thanks for the kind words, Michael! Best, Gary

...  

No message body

...tell a little more about the story of the balance spring holder we see to the right of the "tourbillon" balance on this watch, and the black balance spring? Thanks! Gary

about the balance spring holder or "stud holder" is that it's a one off design and it's free standing, adjustable and not fixed to the balance wheel bridge. I'll have to check with Kari about the background of the design next time. Regarding the different...  

Thanks for sharing this great pic of the wolfs teeth movement, and the info regarding the springs. These details make the Observatoire all the more interesting.

The individuality of each piece is extraordinary! The Masterpiece 8 is a work of art. I would trade a limb for that watch! Craig

The Masterpiece 8 is really special -- right now I'm considering exactly which limb it would be for me... Best, Gary G

Good to see some familiar faces in the gathering, despite the Kari masks. - SJX

nt

We're in the home stretch: some images of many of the other watches present at the GTG on Thursday night. Highest representation (other than KV watches) went to PSM. We had one Piccadilly, two Shimodas, two of the "1 in 20" series (a white dial and cream ...  

stand out GTG! Thanks for sharing GaryG. cheers fernando

The Speake-Marin Piccadilly w/RG case & Kees Englebarts stunning single dragon dial piece is technically called "Captive in Time", it together with "Fighting Time" are two of Peter's art pieces that resonate most with me. "Fighting Time" is and I think al... 

Thanks for the correction, Tim -- I went to Peter's website to check the name on the Phoenix, but thought that I had the Captive correct -- oops! As you know, Fighting Time has a lot of meaning for me based on earlier experiences in my life (specifically ... 

Karifest is about to become a permanent holiday in my calendar! Beautiful watches from a great workshop! Thanks for sharing!

All that I can say is that it was an honor to be there in the presence of the 5 distinguished collectors in the group, and a pleasure to form closer bonds of friendship with them. We all have occasions in our lives (personal, work, relationship) that some... 

The evening was a treat for me -- I'm very pleased to be able to share a bit of it. Best, Gary G

Very impressive. What a great treat! Also how nice to see Dufour, Journe, VH, PSM in the collection -- they are my favorite independents as well!

...to see the similarity in tastes and depth of quality in the collections of this small group of enthusiasts. Thanks for the note -- I'll hope to see you soon! Best, Gary

NT

No message body

I am more than ever dreaming of a book on the Observatoire series... One watch, yet so many expressions of Kari's mastery. Here just one more to prove the point....  

Do tell us more about that one (and include some more pics). Is that WG with black dial? And, yes, a book on the Observaotire series would indeed be special. Really a special series, with enough pieces to be widely recognizable, but not too many such that... 

Herewith, just one more picture for I do not want to divert attention from Gary's brillant post. I could always post more another time. As rightly guessed, the hands and indexes are rhodiated WG just as the case is. The dial is galvanised blue. Ztirual...  

Looks like rhodiated WG or steel hands -- perhaps even one of the steel cases, or is it WG? I do see that you chose the brushed caseband -- looks really good to me in the white metal. I considered brushing for my RG piece, but in the end was seduced by th...