Comments:
But I really need to see it in person (and hear it). I think I might dig it though. Thanks!
_john
I'm at one with you, Gary.
The concept of "challenging" the audience is not a new one and I agree that it is an ambivalent mindset, one which is prone to abuse and overkill. I honestly feel that Beat is far from such a way of thinking. I even go as far as to think that Beat doesn't so much care about how the H9 is perceived - not out of arrogance or complacency but because he has been so immersed by the creation of the H9, the genius that went into it and the craft.
I share your hope that we will always hear a ticking inside Beat's creations. No one wants the cat to die.
Thanks, Valentin
Very interesting
Hi Valentin,
Very interesting essay. I'm intrigued by the H9 and have to be honest that if given the choice I would rather have the H1 because this H9 is too abstract for my simple mind.
Thanks for this exclusive and for posting your thoughts on the Haldimann.
Regards,
ED-209
Very interesting essay. I'm intrigued by the H9 and have to be honest that if given the choice I would rather have the H1 because this H9 is too abstract for my simple mind.
Thanks for this exclusive and for posting your thoughts on the Haldimann.
Regards,
ED-209
Thank you, Ed. I hope you
and your loved ones are well. The H9 is indeed a very abstract project, dancing on the borderline between watch and sculpture. That's what made it so intriguing for me to write this essay.
Thanks, Valentin
It may seem silly to say...
But I really need to see it in person (and hear it). I think I might dig it though. Thanks!
_john
You're absolutely right, John. The H9 is
an object that needs to be experienced in real life. No picture and no description can do justice to its captivating essence. Hopefully you will have time to see the H9 soon!
Thanks, Valentin
Well, VB, you're the only guy i know who can pull off and manage a post on ...
what is essentially a polarizing piece.
very calm and cool and collected, mr. blank.
anyway, i don't think this watch is out to make a statement per se.
it almost strikes me as a personal piece that one might wear in times of deep introspection... like how one fingers a cross in times of, say, anxiety.
a watch with a clear dial may distract. this one, it draws you deeper into thinking.
ok, now, that's my attempt at trying to understand what this piece is all about... the every day man looking inside a modern art gallery through the glass, from the street.
intriguing.
from the gentleman who created the H1... but, of course, one needs to give this the proper context and perspective when viewing. at this level you're more interested in the inner workings of BH on how it led to the H9 more than the watch itself.
wondering if it's going to be expensive :p
good one, VB. but, of course 
Echi, hello! How are you? Thank you very much for
your kind words. I think it is very appropriate of you to mention the H9 in the context of introspection. Somehow, you are on a similar line of thought than Andy with his Pistoletto post.
Although it is of course interesting to know what led Beat to create the H9, I do think the H9 can make a statement per se - without the need of any background. Holding this piece in your hands really makes you feel how strong it is.
Thanks, Valentin
OK, the Schrödinger's cat comment almost had me sold…
…but, no, this watch is just selling creativity for creativity’s sake.
Maybe as a unique piece, destined for a display at the MoMA, I could accept it. But as a watch? Sorry, no.
I think this perfectly exemplifies just how detached from horology some within the modern watch industry are becoming. I want a watch to tell time.
Emil
Thanks, Emil. This is precisely the point. The H9
is not a watch. It is more than a watch - or less, it depends on your perspective. As I wrote in my reply to Tyler (as well as in my essay) in the case of the H9 the watch was just a point of departure, of which it has then freed itself.
Cheers, Valentin
I LOVE IT TOO!
Ok, I don't love it--because I have no idea what it is.
But it struck me that if everyone were to say "I love it!" Beat would very likely feel he had failed.
It must be nice to 'masturbate' at such a high level!
(I don't mean to offend, but... please take this in the humorous spirit intended)
I mean, clearly the man is a superb watchmaker.
But in this sort of 'game', your irritation is the hoped-for reaction. Oh look, he hates the "watch-not-watch." He is closed minded.
Oh look, he LOVES the "watch-not-watch" ... haha! Look at the mice! See what they do!
Look at how polarizing the "watch-not-watch" is!
If it were not extremely expensive, it would be more amusing, even genuinely provocative.
But because it is so expensive, it reeks of an almost contempt for the very, very, very rich man.
I wonder if Beat 'hates' the rich?
because this is a great way to laugh at them.
By the way, I don't feel anything I just wrote.
I wrote it with my mind, not my hands.
In fact, it isn't writing.
I leave you with this quotation. " ".
Mostel, I like this quotation!
Seriously, your reply made me think of the I Am Rich app. For those of you who haven't ever heard of it, I Am Rich was an app available for the iPhone that according to its author is "a work of art with no hidden function at all". The only purpose was thus to show other people that you were able to afford the app. It sold for $999. (Apple later pulled it from the AppStore.)
Some may see in the H9 an analogous approach. You, at least, seem to do so. Personally, having known Beat for a couple of years now and having had the chance of holding the H9 in my hands, I think nothing could be further from the truth. However, your post illustrates very well just how incredibly thin the line we discussed earlier in this thread is.
Thanks, Valentin
The way of Zen......
Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest. For it's just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and waters once again as waters. 13
13 Ch'uan Teng Lu , 22. (The Way of Zen 126)
In this case, the mountains and waters are the watches
It is a process of self discovering, it resets everything and put all things in perspective.
Try seeing this more than a watch
H9 may be a watch again, but one that has truly mastered Zen......3 handed , n tourbillons, a simple elegant piece?
*CL
This message has been edited by CL on 2011-10-27 08:37:13Nice, CL, but
this sort of mysticism is the opposite of materialism, in my view. And as much as we love watches, they are 'just' material things. If Beat were offering some sort of free teaching to us, or a free inspiration of some kind... it would be a point well taken. To question form, question function, question time, etc. But when it comes at a huge price... it is like a psychic who ask 1000 dollars to read your palm... not very spiritual.
I think this is quite a brilliant piece....
if it is regarded and presented as an art piece.
The tourbillon hidden in it almost a representation of life, of us. The black crystal reflects the world around us.
It tells us how irrelevant time is if we do not see our own existence.
We all have a varied time path in our life journey and most of us simply just let it wander away.
This is a very reflective piece of art and I totally love it.
Well done Beat
It will be a great collection for those collectors who are also into contemporary art collection.
I hope the sound of the piece will be audible enough.
Super.
*CL
Beautiful thoughts, CL
Thank you. I think Beat will be very flattered to read your reply.
Cheers, Valentin
Very provoking, Valentin...........
I don't consider myself to be an expert in the field of horology, but with all due respect, I cannot appreciate Haldimann's work. Aesthetically, the watches are intriguing, provoking at some point and at other times, frustrating. I respect his work, but cannot accept it.
I can't help but be reminded of the fairytale, "The Emperor's New Clothes". In an extreme sense, there is no watch, because it failed to perform its only function of telling the time. However I do recognize the fact that, apart from not telling the time, it is every bit of a well constructed looking timepiece.
Last of all, you once said "...[by looking at] the tourbillon], I realize how ephemeral and insignificant our life is compared to time". I tend to agree that one's life is often viewed as ephemeral and insignificant , and it is precisely because of this that the Haldimann watches should all the more tell the time because life is previous and we need to live it! I can't help but quote Horace: Carpe diem.
Just my lousy two cents. So no offense.
I can't help but be reminded of the fairytale, "The Emperor's New Clothes". In an extreme sense, there is no watch, because it failed to perform its only function of telling the time. However I do recognize the fact that, apart from not telling the time, it is every bit of a well constructed looking timepiece.
Last of all, you once said "...[by looking at] the tourbillon], I realize how ephemeral and insignificant our life is compared to time". I tend to agree that one's life is often viewed as ephemeral and insignificant , and it is precisely because of this that the Haldimann watches should all the more tell the time because life is previous and we need to live it! I can't help but quote Horace: Carpe diem.
Just my lousy two cents. So no offense.
True, Mr. Gatsby, the tourbillon of the H8 made me
realise how ephemeral and insignificant our life is compared to time. Now, the H9 on the other hand has helped me (re)direct my attention to the relative time in contrast to the linear time. The latter is measured by your regular watch. The former is something you experience within yourself and most prominently so during childhood. The relative time is a personal time, one that cannot be measured by any apparatus. It is your time for it encapsulates all your intimate memories – the beautiful and the sad ones. And this is why the relative time is so strong. The H9 for me is a wonderful work of art that holds the key to the precious realm of the relative time.
Carpe diem.
Thanks, Valentin
Andrew, confusion is a precious state of mind
as it is – in my humble view – the unavoidable first step to a deeper understanding of whatever problem you choose to ponder. The more we accept confusion as a helpful, if challenging state of mind, the more will we be able to develop a free mind.
Thanks, Valentin
Perplexed, I'd like to see this black hole in person...
Concept is wonderfully different; a true artist's concept. But how can one appreciate the movement if it is not to be seen? How can one appreciate the time, if it cannot be read. This is truly an art piece; for those who are content simply knowing that the time is there... Everything is there, present, and accounted for. But it is just not tangible or able to be read...
An art piece for the few. That is my interpretation.
Thank you, Patrick. Seeing the H9 in person is indeed the
only way of grasping the genius behind it. What may seem like a sophisticated joke to some of us suddenly becomes really meaningful once you hold it in your hands, hear it and experience it in three dimensions.
I hope you will soon find an opportunity to "meet" the H9.
Cheers, Valentin
Well, it saves service costs, I assume ....
Well, my wife once called me crazy when I spent gadzillions of minutes detailing areas on my ship and plane models that would be hidden forever, once the hull was glued closed. I used to reply "But I KNOW it's there, honey!" Next time, when I came home from work and asked her about dinner, she pointed to the closed oven and stated: "You will never see or eat it, but I KNOW it's there ..."
Very satisfying ...
Marcus
Very satisfying ...
Marcus
Here's a quote for you, Marcus, or for your wife actually
Steve Jobs (as quoted by Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs, 2011 New York):
When you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.
Does that sound familiar? Beautiful, isn't it. We die-hard PuristS are all the same, aren't we. I hope this little quote helps your wife understand the difference between the insides of your ship and plane models on the one hand and the actually empty oven on the other hand. The difference is that we sleep well while she doesn't.
Enjoy your meal!
Valentin
They shoud partner up with Buggati on it, I can see it now, Veyron in a welded shut safe. [nt]
No message body
I think H9 has been very successful
Just look at or measure the length of the posts/replies.
I don't know whether I will like it but at least I will ask: "What is that?"
Regards
Ling