Horological Meandering

As I told you previously, the SalonQP 2014 was an impressive gathering of known and less known brands. The set was so large that I had to be very busy during two full days to see the main part (and not all of them) of the exhibitors!

I propose you to browse my selection of wristshots... almost all these watches are novelty except a few ones I wished to put in my selection because it was the first time I saw them or because... I love them!

Let's start without any particular order.

I was very happy to meet the Grönefeld brothers in the corridors of the Salon with their freshly awarded Parallax Tourbillon!





Stepan Sarpaneva introduced a re-edition of the Paroni watch in his other brand, SUF:




One of the main watches of the Salon was obviously the Complication One from Emmanuel Bouchet. First of all, I've always been a fan of his work and I didn't forget the Opus 12 which was for me, one of the most impressive Opus. The Complication One highlights the escapement wheel by giving it a role more important than its usual one. Of course, I will come back with more details!




One of the surprises around the Salon was the unveiling of the latest edition of the UR-110: the Eastwood is created in partnership with Timothy Everest! Tweed straps lovers, this one is for you! The watch comes in two versions... the meeting point between two worlds!




Akrivia was presenting this interesting prototype featuring a Tourbillon, the speciality of the brand and a jumping hours display:




Step by step, Pinion is enlarging its collection with this chronograph in a LE powered by a Valjoux 7734:




And this handwind watch powered by an Unitas:




Arnold & Son was playing at home... and so was one of the main exhibitors!




During the Salon, I could see and handle the new HSM1:




What a pleasure to put again the HM6 on the wrist!




Stepan again, with the K0 Moonphase! When the Moonphase finds a new contect with the 46mm case:




Not a novelty... but the Andreas Strehler's Sauterelle Lune Perpetuelle is a watch with a lot of charm without forgetting the horological contents:




Deep Space... shall I add more? This watch is one of the most fascinating ones of the last years!




This light dial of the Voutilainen GMT is very seducing. Not easy to use this kind of colour but it works great!




I would like to give my full support to Marc Jenni in the incredible situation he is currently. A Marc Jenni watch is more than a name on the dial, it is also the clever setting system.




Konstantin Chaykin unveiled this superb piece unique of the Decalogue created for a client. What an impressive dial!




Like a Rolling Stone !




De Bethune always manages to combine artistic approach with strong horological contents. This enamel dial is stunning.




The fumé dial becomes the speciality of Moser. And when you add the mesmerizing Tourbillon of this Venturer GMT, you get the best the brand can offer.




For me, it was my first encounter with the Geophysic! So I couldn't miss this opportunity thanks to the JLC team.




The mandatory watch of the Salon was the Chopard LUC 1963 Chronograph, Purists edition! If I missed it, Melvyn wouldn't have been very happy!




One of the key watches of the Salon was the Metamorphosis II by Montblanc. The transformation process is pure feast for the eyes. The speed of this dial transformation is perfect.




New H1 from HYT: the Velvet seduced me thanks to the case colour and atmosphere.




New line for ArminStrom! The Skeleton Pure is a good proof of the know-how from the brand.




Only Nomos could imagine a yellow canary dressed watch! And even if I don't like this colour, I have to confess it works well. And good news: the case becomes smaller which is a wise idea due to its shape.




The most intriguing watch of the Salon was the Bonhoff IP3.0! The trick? It offers a time display on demand! With the rotating bezel, you make the two large circles match: minutes are displayed. Turn again the bezel and make the two small circles match: the hours are displayed. It is 2 o'clock something on the picture. 

54mm! The Valour is an homage to the Sopwith camel Aircraft! At the end, the watch creates a stempunk atmosphere.

The Wright Flyer is my fav Bremont watch:

Bell&Ross took advantage of the Salon to present to the English visitors its most ambitious watch, the BR-X1:

The Histoire de Tourbillon 5 is exactly in the same spirit than the previous ones: excessive, with a daring design. And like a miracle, something works. The 3-axis Tourbillon is a true eye-catcher and even the large bubble finds its right place in the overall design of the watch.

Sicis is a famous italian brand dedicated to Mosaic. It was a surprise for me to discover their watchmaking offer, especially the male's watches. And frankly speaking, the memento mori dials are created with a lot of care to details:

This selection is over but of course, I will have the opportunity to come back to some of these watches during the next months.

I would like to thank a lot the SalonQP organization for this impressive and versatile gathering.

Fr.Xavier


This message has been edited by foversta on 2014-11-19 14:41:38

I read about the Complication One today and found it really nicely designed, a watch I'm looking forward to read from you (and the Opus 12 was my fav.).

I'll be Thursday morning I think at BellesMontres and will be delighted to see the Gronefeld, V Halter and Voutilainen watches which will be participating here for the 1st time since I attend it.

This outfit goes really well, surprinsingly to the UR110, it even makes it looking a little smaller...

Sadly, nor MB&F or DB will be there this year. I'll miss seeing the HM6 and the enamel De Bethune presented last year.

Thanks a lot for sharing Fx!

Cheers, Mark

I hope that your meetings with Kari, the Grönefeld bros and VH met your expectations.

Fx

and I'll be there tomorrow again for some brands I couldn't see (and a little back to the indies of course)

Nice to see you too

Cheers, Mark

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I never remember when this post is coming, and am always thrilled when I first see it.

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Gronefeld,Sarpaneva,vianney,de Bethune my favourite,.....

I post it very quickly!

Fx

... Transported us to a place where we all wish we could go.  Sure, you had to see all those Brits sporting poppies on their lapels, but hey, you also got to hang with the likes of Strehler and Voutilainen.  While I'm not a big fan of the skeleton watch per se', admittedly that Arnold & Son is really special.  The Gronefeld's Parallax is a stand out while the MB&F is just plain weird.  And let's face it:  Given the choice, in the real world I'd take the Geophysic in platinum over any of these pieces any day of the week.  But in the not so real world it would be Kari's GMT - that thing is just over-the-top, not-to-be-outdone, holy-father-of-time fantastic!

elliot55,

The poppies mean a bit more than an annual floral tribute to the Great War.

It was both public and personal reflection about conflicts..........

Waterfall and River of Blood

Regards,

MTF

... And in hindsight I probably could have said "Sure, you got to share in the special memoriam that honors the fallen and harks back to a famous WWI poem called "In Flanders Fields"".  But again, I meant no disrespect to any of the fallen from the UK.

elliot55,

No disrespect was implied nor received.

You mentioned poppies on lapels and I illustrated with pictures captured at the Tower of London on the same day as QP Salon.

The current Mrs MTF wanted to be at the poppy display and was enticed to attend QP Salon with that promise on my part.

I have to admit that I was moved more at the Tower of London than at the Saatchi Gallery, for obvious reasons.

Regards,

MTF

This message has been edited by MTF on 2014-11-21 16:59:37

You know, in a collection, we always have to listen to our heart! And the Geophysic would be a great choice in any case!

Fx

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Hi

But please say in the coming monthS... because there is a huge workload!



Fx

FrX

Thanks for the précis of the Salon pieces.

I'm sorry it was too busy to connect more in London.

You are correct: I am pleased that you tried the mandatory Chopard LUC 1963 Chrono HW PuristS Edition 

Regarding the Bonhoff watch, I walked around the display a few times but always there was a guest engaged with the presenter so I never got a chance of explanation. I assumed it was similar to the display system used by BLU watches but maybe I was wrong.

Your brief explanation implied that it requires more than a glance to tell the time; if the lining up of two discs needs to be done by hand at each occasion?

Regards,

MTF

To be done twice (minutes and hours) each time. I told you that this watch would create a different relationship with time!

Fx

Always a great pleasure to discover creations around your psots FX.

THe De Bethune enamel looks fabulous , I love the Chaykin, the Halter and the Strehler though they have a lot of presence.

The Emmanuel Bouchet complication is stunning, love the architecture, the way it is presented Wow. It reminds me a bit of the LM1 but I prefer this "Emmanuel Bouchet", the overall Display looks to me more coherent here. Truly beautiful !

I will obviously come back to this watch.

Fx

I will obviously come back to this watch.

Fx

Thank you, François! It seems you’ve made like a spinning top, over the SalonQP!!! :-D

I’d like to list my favourites:

-          Urwerk UR-110 Eastwood. This brand is among my preferred “contemporary” ones and I find this new proposal sooooo funny!

-          Stepan Sarpaneva K0 Moonphase. Another modern watchmaker I esteem a lot and this piece, for me, is eye-catching.

-          Andreas Strehler Sauterelle Lune Perpetuelle. I’m with you: it’s always a pleasure to look at this very fine timepiece.

-          Chopard LUC 1963 Chronograph. If Melvyn loves it, we all have to love it, don’t you? ;-)

-          Montblanc Metamorphosis II. Spectacular, simply spectacular! When a very bold idea is put into design in a so elegant way, I only have to applaud.

-          Bremont Wright Flyer. Nothing to add, nothing to remove with this simple, intelligent proposal by a concrete brand. Please continue this way, you’ll grow up well.

-          Sicis Memento Mori. I think I've never heard of them. As a first proposal in this horological world, the watch should be considered at least interesting. Let’s see how they will evolve in the future…

Again, thank you for your effort.

Ciao,

 

Elio

And now, I have to work on the reviews about some of these watches...

Fx

NT

And your usual standard of photos.

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I think less crowded in the normal opening hours but the cocktails were very successful.

Fx