engraving

Grieb & Benzinger Platinum Minute Repeater Watch With Vintage Patek Philippe Movement

My favorite German watch engraver Jochen Benzinger (aka company Grieb & Benzinger) has a new creation. While Benzinger doesn't always do watches themselves, they sometimes have special items such as this. A lot of the time their special talents are called upon by others who want their watches to have the awesome styles of traditional guilloche engraving that only they can seemingly accomplish.

Here is a new creation from them that is like a sophisticated Frankenstein. The watch case is in all platinum and a larger 49mm wide (heavy at 130 grams, which is good). I like the tradition style engraving on the bezel. The shape of the case is very classic, and looks pretty interesting with the blue reptile strap.

Inside the watch is a very cool item. A vintage manually wound movement made by Patek Philippe in 1887 for Tiffany & Co. Very cool to see Benzinger restore and finish a pocket watch movement that is over 120 years old and put it into this wrist watch. The movement has been modified so that it displays the time in a regulator style format. Plus, the real draw is the minute repeater function of the movement that is operated by the slide level on the left side of the case.

Benzinger created a beautiful skeletonized dial (in their typical style) over the movement. It created a fully operational set of makers, but also allows for a good view into the movement. Such a view is good, given the extensive finishing and polishing of the movement. There is also a healthy use of blued steel all over the watch and movement. So much, that it was wise to compliment the deep blue tones with the colored strap. Overall it is a very cool watch with a mix of personalities from Benzinger, Patek Philippe, and Tiffany & Co. Not sure about the exact price, but Grieb & Benzinger minute repeater watches are between 175,000 - 250,000 euros. Not sure how many of these watches are available, or if it is a one of a kind piece.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Grieb & Benzinger Platinum Minute Repeater Watch

Tags: engraving, Greib Benzinger, GreibBenzinger, minute repeater, MinuteRepeater, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, platinum, watch

Luxe Stationer Dempsey & Carroll to the Rescue

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

Last month we reported that stationer Mrs. John L. Strong, one of the world's leading boutique luxury brands whose customers included Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Oprah Winfrey and the late Duke and Duchess of Windsor, was shutting down after 80 years. Many of them were caught out short when the New York-based firm abruptly ceased all its operations; as a result the costly handcrafted metal dies and engraving plates (above) used for luxurious engraved stationery which customers had stored at Strong's for decades may never be recoverable.

Another luxury stationer, Dempsey & Carroll, is coming to the rescue. It is actually a much older establishment than Strong's, founded in 1878 by engraver John Dempsey and businessman George D. Carroll in New York. The firm soon became a society staple, providing the best in engraved cards and writing paper to the city's Gilded Age elite, a tradition continued to this day. Through the end of the year D&C is extending a special offer of reduced cost for custom engraving to all former Mrs. John L. Strong clients placing new orders, and has set about recreating their precious stationery.

Dempsey & Carroll custom stationery is created using hand-engraved steel dies and copper plates made to specification. Words and images are cut into the metal in an incuse fashion, a method similar to that used in manufacturing coins that has changed little since the 16th century process of engraving ascended to an art form. D&C is one of only a handful of stationers still using these distinctive hand-engraving techniques to create beautiful luxury paper products with their own unique stamp of history and tradition.

Tags: Anna Wintour, AnnaWintour, Dempsey Carroll, DempseyCarroll, engraved, engraving, Mrs. John L. Strong, Mrs.JohnL.Strong, New York, NewYork, oprah winfrey, OprahWinfrey, stationery

Smithsonian Museum Unveils Graffiti In Abraham Lincoln's Pocket Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Do you remember 1861? I know I do, and that little event at Fort Sumter that started a 'bit of a clash' here inside the United States. Well watchmaker Jonathon Dillon felt pretty strongly about it at the time living in Washington DC at the outset of the Civil war. On April 13th he happened to be in possession of President Lincoln's gold pocket watch (likely for servicing). It was a common practice for watchmakers to engrave markings inside of watch cases to memorialize that they are serviced the watch and when - similar to a graffiti tag. On this occasion however, knowing the owner of the watch and the ramifications of the Fort Sumter attack, Mr. Dillon was influenced to be prolific and felt it necessary to record the actions on the watch. "Fort Sumter was attacked by the rebels [the South] on the above date [April 13, 1861]...Thank god we have a government."

No one, not even President Lincoln himself had seen this inscription until just recently when the Smithsonian Museum opened up Lincoln's pocket watch on rumors of a "secret message," communicated by a descendant of watchmaker Dillon - who was not actually the person who made the pocket watch itself. The watch was purchased over a decade earlier in the 1850's while Abraham Lincoln was a successful attorney in Illinois. Other markings where included on the watch movement face by other watchmakers, but nothing quite like Dillon's words. Lincoln's pocket watch was originally given to the Smithsonian in 1958 by a descendant of Lincoln, who decided the timepiece was important enough to be included in America's greatest historical collection.

Via the National Museum of American History.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: abraham lincoln, AbrahamLincoln, civil war, CivilWar, engraving, jonathon dillon, JonathonDillon, pocket, pocketwatch, secret message, SecretMessage, smithsonian, watch

Custom Les Paul Guitar For Lover of Music and Fish

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Vintage Les Paul guitars often fetch six figures but if you are looking for something a little less pricey but still special this could be your new guitar. Provided of course, that you also like fishing. Electric Guitar Review clued us in on this Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Special with a hand engraving by Darryl Thornbury. The guitar which is on sale at Musician's Friend for $12,999 has an anodized black-aluminum pickguard and a hand-engraved with a fish jumping for a lure (the person who commissioned the guitar is also a pro fisherman).

Source

Tags: engraving, guitar, les paul, LesPaul