Horological Meandering

Vol. III of TimeWerke made its debut at the recently concluded Tempus watch fair in Singapore Click here for a look at Vol. I and here for Vol. II. On the cover is the much talked-about Gerald Genta Gefica, a preview of the 18-page spread inside on Gerald Genta and the Gefica. TimeWerke has kindly allowed me to reproduce the article on Gerald Genta. Click on the image below to view it in PDF format.

 

Aside from the cover story, TimeWerke Vol. III features many other excellent articles. One of my favourites is "An Excellent Tradition", which details the 5 pieces (so far) of the planned 8-piece Tradition of Excellence series of super-complications, created by the geniuses at AP (Renaud & Papi). The theme of cutting edge horology continues with a piece on Urwerk and its creators. This article details the little known history of Urwerk, and also includes the story of how Gerhard Baumgartner (father of Felix, founder of Urwerk) inspired the conception of Urwerk in 1995.

Immediately after this follows a write-up on Max Busser and the now famous Horological Machine No. 1. This is one of the best articles on the HM1 I have seen anywhere, for the main reason that it includes many, many images of sketches and technical drawings of the HM1 as it was being conceived and refined; one can see the evolution of the HM1 from an idea drawn on an airline napkin into the imposing masterpiece that it is today.

One of the most informative articles in the magazine is the one on blued steel. It talks about the process of blueing steel, and best of all, it includes a chart detailing the various temperatures and resulting colours of steel. Who knew you could get orange-red steel at 1600 degrees Celsius?

The theme of education on the finer points of watchmaking continues with several stories on enamelling, including a primer on the techniques as well as a story on DeLaneau, an up and coming brand specialising in high-end decorative enamelling.

Another outstanding piece (which was published in shortened form in the Business Times Watch Supplement in August) focuses on the super-complications of today, including the Franck Muller Mega Aeternitas (20 complications) and the IWC Destriero Scafusia (10 complications).

Forum visitors will recognise some photos in the magazine. Regular contributer to the forum, Harry Tan, also has several of his superb photos published in the magazine. There is also coverage of 'German Time, Taste and Technology', an event reported here some weeks ago.

Vol. III has something for everyone, including a look at the new BMW 335i Convertible. Even James Bond fans will not be disappointed, Vol. III also contains a 5-page piece on the various James Bond watches throughout the years.

TimeWerke Vol. III is available at book stores and newsstands in Singapore. For those overseas who are interested in a copy, PM or email me and I will put you in touch with the publisher.

- SJX

This message has been edited by SJX on 2007-09-15 04:27:49

Thanks for delivering the vol III. Each vol just gets better and better.

Thanks Timmy and the Timewerke team.

Noel

Thanks SJX for the book-review.

I enjoyed my little titter at the title of your piece  -  A True Genta Man  -  very clever play on 'gentleman'.

The new glossy covers also seem to reproduce the shiny watch surfaces in photos better.

As always, in the tradition of PuristS, I have to interject with a small critique. Editors of specialist periodicals like TimeWerke have to find the balance between 'informative' and 'geeky'; that is not easy with the plethora of horology magazines available today.

Starting up in Singapore, where the average hQ (horology quotient) of the population is pretty high on the global scale and it is government policy to raise that consumer awareness, TimeWerke has a ready-made and savvy audience. But, it has to cater also for the 'newbie' who has just graduated from the fashion or glossy magazines with watch advertisements. Perhaps, short 1-page Tutorial Corners in each issue will reassure newbies that it's not like the "British Journal of Horology", and even experienced watch-fans need refresher courses every now and then   e.g. deployant vs deployment.

In the final analysis, it's a fun read and that is most important.....even reading the British Journal of Horology has to be....er....fun?

Regards,

MTF

 

This message has been edited by MTF on 2007-09-15 09:20:11