EDIT NOTE
POSITIVE SIGNS ?
As we start a new year that I can only hope will offer watch collectors more to cheer for than the generally downbeat 2016 , I ’ ve already seen a few positive signs of what ’ s ahead in 2017 .
The first inkling of good news came just a few months ago as Patek Philippe announced plans for a large-scale historic timepiece exhibition in New York . Watch fans who attended the Geneva watchmaker ’ s exhibition at London ’ s Saatchi Gallery two years ago know that when this company wants to woo the public it mobilizes resources available to very few others .
The upcoming exhibit , called “ The Art of Watches , Grand Exhibition New York 2017 ,” is scheduled to open July 13 at Cipriani on 42nd Street just across the street from Grand Central Terminal . It will consist of ten themed rooms chock full of vintage pocket watches and wristwatches as well as several Patek Philippe models rarely , if ever , seen outside of museums or private collections .
As Patek Philippe vows to use the space to inform the public about centuries of watchmaking history , visitors can expect to see , and learn about , much more than Patek Philippe ’ s own history . In addition , the company will position watchmakers and artisans throughout the space to demonstrate the many skills needed to create today ’ s haute horology .
We hope to see you there during the ten-day exhibit ( which is open to the public at no charge starting at 10 am daily .) In the meantime , I invite you to turn to page 78 to take a look at just a few of the drool-worthy timepieces Patek Philippe plans to display during the exhibit .
More glass-half-full evidence can be read between the lines of our special long-read story “ Re-Birth of a Royal Timekeeper ” by German-based writer Marton Radkai ( starting on page 50 ) where we learn details about a new high-end watch brand that , despite many odds stacked against it , has made a splash in today ’ s challenging high-horology environment .
Radkai ’ s chronicle of the events leading up to the debut of the brand , Czapek & Cie , paints a picture of enthusiastic founders with an insistence at top-notch materials and design that appropriately echo the work of its namesake watchmaker to French royalty . The strong response to these debut designs from a generally skeptical watch-buying public gives me hope that even in tough times an interesting watch design that is well executed can still gain traction among collectors .
And , as you may know , Czapek & Cie did more than simply get itself noticed by the watch press . Just a few months ago , the brand took home the coveted Public Prize at the 2016 Grand Prix d ’ Horlogerie de Geneve . We congratulate them and look forward to detailing many more Czapek & Cie debuts in the years ahead .
Regards ,
Michael Thompson Editor-in-Chief mike @ isochronmedia . com
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WRISTWATCH | 2017