Launch parties 🥳

aliveandticking

3 weeks ago

Jealous of all those in the Watch Collectors’ Club making their way to Watches and Wonders next week!

Has anyone ever snagged an invite to a watch launch before?

I was fortunate enough to see the Aurora launched by Bremont and Bamford last year, and the Mount Iwate Autumn Dusk, an EU-exclusive Grand Seiko. Both Watch Collectors' Club events!

They were both very fun experiences. The Aurora had both Davide Cerrato (Bremont CEO, formerly of Tudor, Montblanc, Panerai) and George Bamford working the room and allowing us to try on the watch. An astrophotographer gave a talk, with their videos and images being projected on large screens in what is usually an immersive art experience. Even the escalator down into the space was impressive.

The Mount Iwate launch was less hands-on, but featured a presentation by Andrew Morgan (of his own YouTube channel and formerly Watchfinder). They sent us home with cufflinks!

What I wasn’t counting on were some Credors and the incredible Kodo watch on display. This is a pièce-unique (1 of only 1 made), with a constant force tourbillon. Hodinkee has a fantastic write-up here on the watch.

It remains Grand Seiko’s most complicated mechanical watch. Now it has an accompanying ‘daylight’ edition. There are 20 of these if you missed out on the original!

It’s all behind a case but to see the constant force tourbillon in motion is amazing.

Piaget showed us their new Watches & Wonders 150th anniversary watches in a preview night, not so much a launch night. They knew the way to my heart was through my stomach with some fantastic canapés.