Quill and Pad

1 week ago | quillandpad.com | Tim Mosso

The 2004 Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon wasn’t the first wristwatch to feature a tourbillon with more than one axis, but the totality of its innovation was staggering. Engineered by tourbillon savant Eric Coudray, the Gyro rocketed to GPHG recognition and collector esteem. It had only one problem: an anonymous shape. Cue the 2008 Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2. Supercharged by JLC’s iconic reversible case, the Gyro 2 left nothing on the table.

3 weeks ago | quillandpad.com | Tim Mosso

French-built watches are historically pivotal but recently scarce. As with many former watchmaking powers, France’s era of volume production and engineering leadership lapsed long ago. But at the indie level, its watchmaking is experiencing a renaissance. French watchmakers in Switzerland such as Daniel Roth, F.P. Journe, and Denis Flageollet helped to blaze a trail of invention that’s led back to the mother nation itself.

1 month ago | quillandpad.com | Tim Mosso

The Amelia 2022 was my first experience, and it left an impression. In fact, it left such a mark that one article cannot encompass the entirety of the experience. Explore my initial Part 1 retrospective  review of Amelia Island ’22 for a primer on the type and variety of cars that turn out for a premier event like Greenwich, Pebble Beach, and The Amelia. Once you’re up to speed, this installment delves even deeper into the scope of classic machinery on the field during my visit.

1 month ago | quillandpad.com | Tim Mosso

The Amelia Island concours d’elegance – “The Amelia” – has been held annually in the Florida region of the same name since 1996. Local climate offers an agreeable escape from northern weather during the late days of winter, and it’s for precisely this reason that America’s finest classic cars and their admirers make the trip each year. The diversity and quality of the classic metal on display demands both respect and reflection; this is a rare pleasure.

2 months ago | quillandpad.com | Tim Mosso

Thank goodness for Tim and Bart Grönefeld. If not for the self-styled “horological brothers” from Oldenzaal in the Netherlands, I’d probably forget the keyboard prompt to generate an umlaut, but I digress. We’re here to appreciate the Grönefeld One Hertz Titanium, and there’s more to it than meets the eye. Deadbeat seconds is a subtle complication, and this machine goes about its business with stealth sophistication. It is a watch that reveals its charm by charismatic degrees.