HURRICANE COBBER The Merlin II sputtered into life, and only then my two wingmen started their Hurricane Is. After the usual checks, I waved the wheel chocks away and taxied off. The takeoff was uneventful, and we grouped in standard V formation and climbed towards the skies above Saarbrücken, soon leveling off at our patrol height. I knew exactly where the German border was. It was against orders to cross this border, but I wanted some action, and frequently crossed it, disregarding orders anyway. We just crossed the border into Germany when I spotted some Messerschmitt Bf 109Es above us; nine of them. “Here’s the action!” I said to myself. I closed the gap in an favorable position and opened fire on the leader. Two “Emils” broke formation to attack us. The Hurricane trembled as all the eight .303 calibre Brownings fired a deadly hail of bullets, tracers showing hits on the leading Me 109. It caught fire and fell in a plume of smoke.

Should the future of human civilization turn out to be flying among the stars and colonizing outer space, this could be the watch accompanying mankind on its journey. Man has always been driven by the desire to explore the unknown. From the darkest, pressurefilled depths of ocean trenches, to the chilling altitudes of the highest mountain peaks, from the blistering heat of the widest deserts, to the frigid cold of desolate arctic wastelands, there are few places that adventurous spirits have dared not to go. We followed their exploits. We read about them and we watched them. And long before man had exhausted all the exploration possibilities this planet had to offer, he had already turned his sights to the stars. Throughout all these adventures and explorations, man’s companion had always been his wristwatch. Not just any ordinary wristwatch, but one specially crafted and designed to withstand the extremes of heat, cold, or atmospheric pressure.

BALL WATCHES TAKE TO THE SKY. When Webb C. Ball set about to create a standard measure of timekeeping for the railroad industry that stretched across the American continent, manned flight was still more than a decade away. In 1891, Ball had just been appointed as chief inspector for Lake Shore Lines and in the aftermath of the Kipton train wreck, a devastating train collision that rocked the railroad community and highlighted the need for greater accuracy in timing. Webster Clay Ball began to implement sweeping reforms in the way time was kept by men who worked up and down the train tracks and he was able to devise a uniform and highly accurate means of time telling which eventually became the industry Standard. One important factor that weighed heavily in favor of the successful adaptation of this Standard was the strict requirement that Ball issued to all watch manufacturers that supplied timepieces used by all of his railroad workers.

This particular timepiece generates mixed emotions not just to its owner but also to many that happen to have the opportunity to study it up close. It’s a beautiful albeit very simply designed instrument.  Its craftsmanship and outright appearance are not what stimulates the undefined ratings of the watch. The primary source of the conundrum is the relatively new association with the mighty Ferrari brand. Certainly we regard the partnership to be more appropriate as both brands are Italian, but since 1992 until the seemingly abrupt cessation in 2003, Ferrari was synonymous with Girard-Perregaux which is considered by many horological critics, myself included, as the more superior house that can trace its roots back to 1791 as well as boast the fact that they manufacture a vast majority of their own movements and individual components as well. So with Girard- Perregaux there was a sense of powerful pedigree and master craftsmanship which includes Tourbillion complications.

References to the super Irish rock band aside, the first thing you notice about your average U-Boat watch is its diminutive size…all 50mm of it on the average model! Yes, your typical U-Boat timepiece is not for the weak of disposition: conservative types need not apply. Indeed, the alpha male types of Hollywood royalty grace several pages of the manufactures’ equally oversized brochures and press kits. In case you haven’t figured it out, U-Boat watches, just like their original submarine namesake, are bold, aggressive and oversized. One model, the FLIGHTDECK ECLIPSE, is so masculine, it actually resembles a vintage German WWII hand grenade; definitely not for the faint hearted or, for that matter, the limp wristed (no pun intended).

“Limitless possibilities,” is the phrase that comes to mind to describe the genius involved in the creation of the Opus Program set forth the by a genius in his own right named HARRY WINSTON. THE OPUS COLLECTION2001Opus 1: Francois-Paul Journe2002Opus 2: Antoine Preziuso2003Opus 3: Vianney Halter2004Opus 4: Christopher Claret2005Opus 5: Felix Baumgartner 2006Opus 6: Robert Greubel & Stephen Forsey2007 Opus 7: Andreas Strehler It is this kind of intellect that allows growth and pure exploration in the world of haute horology. The process in the Opus program is simple; though it can be said that Harry Winston can clearly create timepieces that will be envied by most, what he had done is clearly a breakthrough in itself, it is as though the captain of the ship relinquished the controls and handed it to someone else to manipulate and decipher the route to be taken.

DELIGHTFUL DERIVATIVE The revolutionary Panerai P.2005 watch movement set a standard for diving watches, thanks to world-reknowned accuracy, a GMT function, manual winding and three spring barrels that accumulates enough energy to operate the watch for at least six days. One delightful derivative of this calibre (the movement of the watch) is the Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT 47 MM Titanium. This watch combines tradition, sports qualities and exclusivity, along with durability characterized by a strong yet light case created in Grade Two titanium. The new Luminor is distinguished in particular by the tourbillon, a device invented by horologist Abraham-Louis Breguet at the end of the 18th century in order to eliminate errors of rate (faster or slower variations in time indication) caused by changes in the center of gravity, inaccurate workmanship, the thickening of the lubricating oil and the consequent varying friction in the different positions assumed by the watch.

We enter a small shop on Jermyn Street, and we can’t leave … Jones’s ‘New Portable Orrery’ English, 1794 Signed ‘Designed for the New Portable Orreries by W. Jones and made & sold by W. & S. Jones, 30 Holborn, London’. ‘A table of the principal affections of the Planets. January 1st 1794. Published as the Act directs by W & S Jones’. The base is supported on three wooden turned legs and mounted with Jones’s printed and hand coloured paper calendrical ring, with twelve fine illustrations of the Zodiacal, compass and degree scale and the Saturn and Jupiter Satellites, a lacquered brass structure comprising of the two planets Mercury and Venus and an earth globe with its moon. The mechanism is operated by means of a handle. It shows the position of the Moon and the Earth in relation to the sun, and the position of the Earth in the Zodiac.

ORANGE, simply put is a color between red and yellow. But what has this got to do with diving or the DOXA SUB? It has been tested and proven that when you go diving, the color that is most visible underwater is the color orange. The DOXA SUB has built its reputation on this fact and the color orange. Few non-divers have heard of the watch company DOXA, but if ever a definitive history of the dive watch is written, one manufacturer will stand along side the likes of Rolex, Blancpain, and Omega as being a great dive watch. DOXA S.A. Is a small company from Bienne, Switzerland, but it did more to push the boundaries of submersible watches than many bigger competitors. DOXA was founded in 1889 in the heart of Switzerland’s Canton District of Neuchatel’s Jura mountains by George Ducommun (1868-1936). In 1910, he registered the name DOXA, which in Greek means glory, and began to use it on all his timepieces.

The Breguet Type XX isn’t what most budding enthusiasts would consider typical of the storied name’s offerings. It doesn’t have many of the popular innovations and details of worksmanship you come to expect from the watchmaking company.The casework is simple, though it does carry the fluting on the side. The dial shows none of the legendary detailwork expertise for which Breguet has become known and popular, especially if you choose the unique carbon fiber dial that comes with the titanium case. You have no guillochage, no “secret number,” no signature. Even the byword “Breguet hands” only make an appearance on the Chronograph’s seconds hand.A Type XX from 1954 with flyback and straight line lever escapement. Note the similarity in details with the modern XX, including the shape of the subdial hand at 3 o’clock. Note the differences also, the central seconds hand uses a diamond shape rather than the recognized Breguet circle.

IWC reminds us of the real reason why our time is valuable.When my son was born, I, as a hardcore watch enthusiast, began the process of figuring out what his first watch would be. It had to be the right watch for the right reasons. Many of the moneyed choose a Rolex for this occasion because, and I quote them on this, at least it can always be pawned. A perfectly good reason you have to admit, but not one I necessarily want as prominent in my thought process. You could also go the extreme expense route, looking at only the Pateks and Vacherons of the horological world. While that from an enthusiast view is fine, it didn’t fit well with my own vision of what I wanted the watch to say. About myself and my dreams and priorities, and about what I thought about when I looked at my son. I ended up choosing something that spoke of history, heritage, expertise and even a bit of humor and fun.

Three hundred might not sound like that much in street terms, but we were in a full on race car in which what made that power was the heaviest thing it had to propel. The tubular chassis of this Solution F Touring Cup racecar was meant to keep rigidity to a maximum and weight to its barest possible minimum. Also, there were no nods to comfort and convenience here. No sound deadening material, no comfy padding of seat or shell. So yeah, it was justifiably jarring especially when we pitched into the curves while only making a fleeting acquaintance with the brake pedal.I began in the passenger seat, with the pilot’s seat being occupied by Philippe Charriol. For those who know only his brand, he is a popular watchmaker and designer. For those who have met him before, in person or in the pages of Calibre, he is a hard core car guy. This is his racecar, and he is shaking it down and getting some serious seat time in preparation for his assault on his latest motorsports campaign.