As we approach crunch time, I’ve decided to focus on cool gifts that you can still get for those folks who are hardest to buy for. To that end, here’s something decidedly cool and/or odd: it’s a handmade watch whose face is a smashed Nespresso pod. At about $600 it’s a bit pricey but, behind the silly facade is a handmade timepiece that the coffee-loving watch-hound in your life might enjoy. → Read More
A lot of watchmaking is aspirational. Since the 1700s, watchmakers have wanted to create simulacrum of the items that explorers, engineers, and soldiers carried into their daily scrum for dandies on the boulevard who ascribed a sense of romance to their professions. That’s why watch collectors love war watches. They basically allow folks who may have never been to war to feel like they own… → Read More
Blancier is a custom watchmaker. You can go to the site, pick out all the components, and get a handmade watch delivered to your door in a few weeks. I personally reviewed one and I loved it — they used Molnia movements and huge cases and have a neo-classical look that is just amazing. Well, they now have a few other “limited edition” pieces including this model, the Crazy… → Read More
Blancier makes handmade watches to order. You go on their cool flash builder and you select a case, movement, face, and strap. Your piece is then hand-assembled and engraved. I have one and it’s quite striking. Well, now they have a pilot’s model with large, luminous numbers and a bright hands. It comes in 42mm or monstrous 55mm models. This model looks great on a leather strap in… → Read More
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