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Jeff Kingston and WatchTime
Bring Switzerland to San Francisco
Photos and text by
Mike Disher
May 8, 2006
About 115 watch collectors and enthusiasts were
transported to Basel and Geneva on Saturday May 6, courtesy of Jeff
Kingston and WatchTime magazine. This was the second stop on Jeff's 5 city
Basel/SIHH tour. The first show played to a similar size crowd at the
Beverly Hills Country Club, and the next stops on Jeff's tour are
Manhattan and Philadelphia in June, and Chicago in September - see
details below. We were also fortunate to have with us
executives from Girard-Perregaux, A. Lange & Söhne, Ulysse Nardin, and
Maurice Lacroix, each of whom brought along a wonderful assortment of
timepieces, plus goodie bags for the attendees. G-P went above and beyond,
generously giving each guest a set of hand-made wine glasses to
commemorate the event!
Also on hand were WatchTime Editorial Director
Wolfgang Blum and renowned horological journalist and WatchTime Editor in
Chief Joe Thompson. Of course Jeff Kingston was also meeting guests and
sharing his personal insights. There isn't any place else where you can
meet over 100 fellow enthusiasts, executives from leading manufacturers,
the head honchos of the top watch magazine, and get the scoop on the
newest watches from an inside source. We've had many great collector
events in the San Francisco area over the years, and this one certainly
ranks close to the top.
Guests began arriving around 11 a.m., and they were
greeted by WatchTime Associate
Editor Aubrey Allia, who is coordinating reservations for these shows. Unlike the
other dates on Jeff's tour, this was a luncheon, and soon after the doors
opened, eager enthusiasts were trying on pieces from Lange, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux and Maurice Lacroix. Several guests
brought pieces from their personal collections, and there was something
for everyone, from simple handwinders to exotic complication cocktails and
pieces by leading independent watchmakers.
At 12:15 Jeff started trying to move people to their
seats. It took some effort to pry the collectors away from the
manufacturers tables, but the cattle prods brought in for this purpose
ultimately proved effective, and by 12:30 the show was underway. Wolfgang Blum
introduced the manufacturer executives, each of whom addressed the crowd
briefly, highlighting their big news for 2006. For A. Lange & Sohne, there
are two new models: the complicated and beautiful Datograph Perpetual, and
the simple and elegant Richard Lange. Girard-Perregaux brings us exciting
new variations on their signature three bridge tourbillons, some great
looking new Laureatos, and more. You can learn more about G-P's new models
by reading
this interview. Ulysse Nardin celebrates their 160th Anniversary with a new manufacture
movement featuring exotic materials and a Freaky escapement, and Maurice
Lacriox joins the manufacture club with an impressive and technically
sophisticated column wheel chronograph movement.
Following the manufacturer presentations, Jeff took
over the podium and his slide show got under way. Jeff takes his own
pictures when he visits the Baselworld and SIHH booths, and during these
visits he's able to converse with the watchmakers in French,
so he gets the clearest understanding of each nuance. Jeff distills the
information overload that is Basel and Geneva into a delicious blend of
technical analysis, newly spotted trends, personal insights, and behind
the scenes reportage. These presentations are like going to Basel and
Geneva with the best personal guide. Here are the remaining dates
on Jeff's tour:
Manhattan - June 21
Philadelphia - June 22
Chicago - September 14
There is a link at the bottom of the page that you can use to register.
Don't miss it!
And now, some images from the day. Click the images
to view larger versions. We begin with scenes of collectors and
enthusiasts browsing manufacturer displays, meeting old friends, and making new
ones...
Some beautiful watches were on
display...
Jeff gets the presentation under way...
... and introduces WatchTime's Joe
Thompson, who acknowledges well deserved applause...
Next Jeff introduced WatchTime
magazine's Editorial Director Wolfgang Blum. Much of the credit for these events goes to Wolfgang, who saw the potential to bring in partners
and develop these presentations into something truly revolutionary in the
world of fine watch appreciation. This is the first time a leading
magazine has teamed up with top manufacturers and an independent industry
commentator to present the news from the Swiss shows directly to
collectors and enthusiasts via live events. Below, Wolfgang shares his excitement with the
audience....
Wolfgang then introduced the
manufacturer executives, each of whom took a few minutes to update us on
their latest projects. Below, Wolfgang brings out Ulysse Nardin's Patrik
Hoffmann...
who discusses UN's news for 2006...
Below, Girard-Perregaux's Ron Jackson...
A. Lange & Söhne's Marcia Mazzocchi...
and Carol Levey from Maurice Lacroix...
Following the manufacturer comments,
Jeff's Basel/SIHH presentation gets started...
To find out what Jeff has to say about Basel and SIHH 2006,
you will have to attend one of the remaining shows in Manhattan (June 21),
Philadelphia (June 22) or Chicago (September 14). Please use the link at
the bottom of this page to
register!
Following Jeff's presentation, there
was more time to mingle. Below left, UN's Patrik Hoffmann shows a piece to
a collector, and on the right, Patrik with a representative from San
Francisco retailer Shapur...
Below left,
Tunde Csorba (L) and Carol Levey of
Maurice Lacroix, and on the right, Marcia Mazzocchi of A. Lange &Söhne
talks with collectors...
Below left, Marcia talks with a
collector at the Lange table, and below right, Ron Jackson of Girard-Perregaux
speaks with the Robb Report's James Malcomson.
On the way out, guests were able to
pick up bags full of goodies from each manufacturer...
Thanks again to Jeff Kingston, Wolfgang
Blum, Joe Thompson, Aubrey Allia and all the great folks at WatchTime magazine,
and to our participating manufacturers for this event Girard-Perregaux, A.
Lange & Söhne, Ulysse Nardin and Maurice Lacroix!
Remember, Jeff and WatchTime will be in these cities
on these dates:
Manhattan - June 21
Philadelphia - June 22
Chicago - September 14
Click here to register!
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