In our feature article yesterday, we discussed the Top 10 Watch Blog Articles Of 2014 or, more specifically, ten of our articles which have seen the highest traffic in 2014. Today, we are giving you our Top 10 Editor’s Choice Watch Articles Of 2014, a selection of posts which have fired up heated discussions among members of our audience, have amazed watch enthusiasts around the globe, and have provided previously unseen and unavailable insight and analysis. Let us now discover ten of these articles which we thoroughly enjoyed making.
1. How One Guy Made A Shockingly Good Urwerk UR-202 Watch Homage
In this article, we meet Karel, a young engineering student from San Ramon, California. Fueled by his love for horology and the more unusual timepieces of the 21st century, he quickly grew fond of Urwerk and their unique ways of displaying time. In fact, he liked them so much, that he set out to harness his studies as an engineering student and design and craft his very own homage to his favorite high-end watch brand – and in this beautifully detailed article he shared his experience and achievement with us.
2. How And Why Rolex Prices Have Increased Over Time
In this special feature article, we go on a quest to better understand what is behind the unremitting rise of luxury watch prices – and to do so, we explore how and why Rolex prices have increased over the last 60 years. While the steep increase of high-end watch prices has become evident to every discerning watch buyer on this planet, it remains difficult to point out exactly why and how things have changed so radically… or, if they have changed at all.
3. Movement Hands-On Series Episode 1: MB&F HM6 Space Pirate
With this unique article, we have launched a new series of articles dedicated to watch movements, looking at calibers that we consider to be historically important, technically challenging and special, or just quite simply fascinating. We began with a very close and detailed look at the movement beating inside the brand new MB&F HM6 Space Pirate, with all our attention dedicated to the movement (which we will always be looking at uncased, and not through a sapphire case back). Visit the article and dive head first into the amazing world of MB&F movements and, more specifically, that of the MB&F HM6 Space Pirate.
4. When You Wear A Watch, Who Do You Wear It For?
When you wear a watch, do you wear it for yourself… Or do you wear it for everyone else? As an avid watch collector with a self-admitted wrist fetish, I am curious to know the varying answers to this question… and varying answers we received, as this topic has made for a heated discussion about trends, watch wearing habits, and the (greatly different) roles and purposes of timepieces in people’s lives.
5. Visit To The Richard Mille Manufacture
Since its launch in 2001, and especially during the last couple of years, Richard Mille has been one of those very few modern watchmakers who have not only dreamt big time and time again, bringing down at least some of the old-fashioned walls which older governors of fine watch making had built around themselves, but also had the know-how to back up those extremely bold ideas and realize them. We visited their manufacturing facilities to see how those plans and know-how are put into practice.
6. How Screwed Is The Watch Industry Thanks To The Apple Watch?
While the market for smartwatches has been steadily growing in recent years, bringing a tirelessly increasing demand for these devices, without a doubt, it was the official announcement of the Apple Watch that stirred the waters up and introduced the idea of the smartwatch to the greater masses. In our feature article, we discussed the possible effects this new release may have on the traditional watch industry. With over 260 comments and counting, this clearly is a hot topic with many concerned watch enthusiasts voicing their opinion and ideas about what is to be expected in the very near future as far as the fate of traditional watchmaking is concerned.
7. Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair 2014: The Progress Of The Chinese Watch Industry
The Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair is unlike any other in the sense that it is the largest industry event of its kind, comprising over 750 exhibitors and 19,000 visitors each year. We attended the event and in our report we provide a unique look at where the Chinese watch industry as a whole is headed, what interesting developments it has achieved and what we can expect from both the high- and low-end spectrum of this massive industry.
8. The World’s Most Expensive Watches Book Party Photos
2014 marked the release of Ariel’s first book, titled The World’s Most Expensive Watches. In it, over 100 watches are presented in detail with beautiful illustrations – from the $200,000 mark, all the way up $5 million. In this article, we bring you to the launch party of the book and discuss the way people have reacted to seeing this bold new publication – making for some extremely exciting times for all of us, as it was the first time we got to see how this large format book, the result of an incredible amount of work, was received.
9. The History Of Dive Watches
There are many things we take for granted when speaking about modern timepieces, and one of those is water resistance. The history of water resistant watches really began in the 1920s, but it was not until later that the serious water resistant diving watch came into existence. Today, dive watches are the most popular type of sport watch, not necessarily because people use them to dive, but because of their style, promise of durability, and utilitarian value. In this highly detailed article, we go on a journey through the intriguing history of water proof watches from the firsts, like the Rolex Oyster and Omega Marine, all the way to the record holders which have visited the deepest points on the planet.
10. The Rarest And Most Expensive Patek Philippe Watches
The name Patek Philippe is among the most powerful in the entire watch industry. Patek Philippe remains an independent company whose secrets and plans are tightly guarded, and its most exclusive watches often go directly from the factory to the hands of the world’s most prestigious collectors – never to be displayed in a store counter or window. When it comes to high-end timepiece auction prices, Patek Philippe leads the pack, easily dominating all other watch makers in regard to achieving regular, record-setting prices. In this up-to-date selection we picked 17 of the rarest and most expensive watches the manufacture has ever created, so see them go from $1.5 million all the way to $24 million.