# Sticky  New Year's Eve - A Watchnerd Top 10 - Philosophy Included



## JMunchow

Ahhh, New Years is here! In just two days 2013 will be but a memory and 2014 will be born upon the hopes and dreams of billions, and a few tons of fireworks. Seriously, a LOT of fireworks. Independence Day here in the U.S. is the typical holiday associated with blowing your fingers off with ill conceived pyrotechnic displays, but for almost everywhere else in the world, New Years Eve is when children and parents alike look to the sky and are filled with amazement. There is something magical about explosions which are not intended to harm but astonish. They can invoke a wide-eyed wonder in even the most hardened souls, because everyone can remember being a little child and seeing their first blue, red, and green sparkling star bursting in the night air.









For this wondrous eve, as many reflect on the events of the last twelve months and make resolutions to make the next twelve better, I would like to take this opportunity to look back on 2013 and the horology I've shared with you. In doing so, I hope to remind you all of the wonder and awe that is around us everyday, and maybe provide you with a few reasons to strive ever higher in this new calendar year. So without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I would like to present you with my "Watchnerd Top 10 Timepieces" and how they could help change the world one idea at a time.

*WARNING* I will be waxing philosophically from here on out, with profound implications. Maybe.

10. Romain Gauthier Logical One









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The Logical One from Romain Gauthier is a true beauty of mechanics and proportion. The display of the movement with emphasis on the innovative constant force snail cam, reminiscent of a traditional fuseè and chain, takes the viewer on a trip down memory lane. The gorgeous ruby links and multilayered dial keep the eye busy and elicit an emotional response. But that emotion is complicated. The Logical One shows us that the past isn't best forgotten, but also isn't best enshrined. Love the past, learn from the past, and honor the past. Be proud of who and what came before us, and where we are because of them. But also take that past and improve upon it, grow and explore new ideas, and push the boundaries of what was considered cutting edge. To consider that which came before as inspiration instead of canon is the most advanced form of respect. Nobody wishes for their descendents to stand still, but instead to run!

9. Ressence Type 3









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The Ressence Type 3 by Benoît Mintiens is a horological standout, for the obvious reason that it abandons traditions and begins fresh! The screen like dial that eliminates almost all refraction takes advantage of space age optics. The dial assembly which receives its motion from the movement via magnets is a leap in materials science and its application. Finally, the complete distillation of what a watch is and de-materializing of the watch is completed with the singular case shape and rear crystal winding feature. This watch is running for all it's worth! It understood where it came from and knew where it had to go. It respected the past but knew that the future contained something different. We shouldn't allow ourselves to become trapped in honoring those that came before us, lest we forget to strive and imagine like they once did. By completely departing from the path spread before us we sometimes can find a new tomorrow, one that even our forbearers could have never imagined for us.

8. Antoine Martin Slow Runner









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The Slow Runner from Antoine Martin is an Art-Deco marvel, with a turtle of a surprise waiting on the back. The dial is a bit misleading when you gaze at the seconds hand moving only twice every second. Based on experience one might imagine a form of dead-beat escapement or constant force mechanism with a remontoir. But you would be wrong. What is really happening is much more mesmerizing. The Slow Runner has taken a concept familiar to watchmaking and turned it on its head. As the science progressed, balance wheels got faster for more precise timing, but Antoine Martin did a 180 and went as slow as he could go. The balance beats at one hertz meaning two slow ticks a second. By doing this, Antoine Martin reminds us of the ancient Zen masters. In an ever quickening world, sometimes the way to keep up is to slow down. Let those around you expend all the effort and simply flow with their energy allowing yourself to be one with your environment. Energy flows like a river, why shouldn't you too? To borrow from the master Bruce Lee, "Water can drip and it can crash. Be like the water, my friend."

7. Ochs Und Junior Moonphase









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The Moonphase from Ochs Und Junior is an unassuming watch. Its unfinished case and utilitarian design belie the intent and engineering that went into its making. The key feature of the Moonphase is, you guessed it, a moonphase complication. But this is a very special moonphase complication. Unlike most moonphase's, this one is successfully completed using only 5 components, and is accurate to a mind boggling 3,478.27 years. This is what sets Ochs Und Junior apart; they are like diamonds in the rough. The most accurate mechanism conceived for a moonphase is left unadorned and unglorified, it is what it is. In this day and age of internet celebrity and people who are famous for being famous, the true worth of this world isn't found on a reality TV show. It's found in the hard working people all over the world who raise their families, build their community, and make the things that help the world go round. They aren't polished to be pretty, but underneath a possibly rough exterior lies an amazing component of this machine called mankind.

6. Christiaan Van Der Klaauw Planetarium









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The Planetarium by Christiaan van der Klaauw is a work of miniature scientific art. It uses a relatively simple set of gears to display in real time the movement of the first 6 planets of our solar system. These tiny orbs slowly dance around your wrist to remind you of your place in the universe. That is the real secret behind the CVDK Planetarium, an understanding that we are but a tiny part of a vast universe that sees us as one infinitesimal speck of dust suspended in a sunbeam. (Thanks to Carl Sagan for that analogy) If there is one idea that all astronauts agree on and that could unite the world like none other it might be the simple fact that we are here, on this fragile blue marble, together. There are no divisions as seen from space, only the Earth with humankind struggling to connect on its surface. Floating in the darkness of space we glow like a beacon, and we must unite together for our lasting survival.

5. Roger W. Smith Series 2









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The Series 2 by Roger W. Smith is a thing of handmade excellence. Working in the old English tradition, he and his team make each watch, one by one, entirely by hand on the tiny Isle of Man. Smith was the only real apprentice that the late master George Daniels ever had, and Smith is carrying on his legacy one watch at a time. In talking about respecting the past and moving on, Smith has taken to respecting the past by striving to keep it alive. In the many ways of honoring those that came before us, we will be proud of them and remember them in our hearts and minds. But Smith wants to remember Daniels in his hands, and in his skills. The legacy of a man, or of a generation, can be more than just words or works, but in the act of making its self. The way in which something is made, and the skills used to make that object, and the life of learning to acquire these skills is something worth preserving. Sometimes there is no better way to preserve that but by constant practice and teaching a new generation.

4. Girard Perregeaux Constant Escapement









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The Constant Escapement from Girard Perregeaux was a groundbreaking release this past year, and one that I was very excited about. By utilizing cutting edge technology and materials, GP created something that everyone thought was improbable, a TRUE constant force escapement. They conceived an old idea in a new way, a way that was a pure accident discovered by watchmaker Nicolas Dèhon while playing with a train ticket on his way to work. If this watch teaches you one thing, it should be that at any moment, in any place, you can discover something spectacular that has been sitting right in front of your nose. The reality of this situation is apparent to people every day. That tree across from your window at work that is actually the most perfectly shaped tree you have ever seen. That reflection in your soup at a restaurant that inspires you to go home and paint the most beautiful abstract the world has ever seen. Or maybe it could be that paperclip spinning on your finger which could inspire you to create the machine that produces energy from smiles. Just keep your mind open and the world could be a better place for it.

3. Jaquet Droz Charming Bird









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The Charming Bird from Jaquet Droz is as close to magic on your wrist as you can get. A tiny bird chirps and whistles while flapping its wings and spinning around for all to see. This watch was physically impossible with the technology available to us before now. The miniaturization of such mechanisms was thought to be impossible when the project began. With the release of the Charming Bird, Jaquet Droz reminded people how to be a kid again. To suspend disbelief and stand in awe of magic, it is one of the greatest gifts of life, and one lost to most adults. Somewhere along the way, along the path towards adulthood, we lose this gift, we lose the ability to imagine and hope and believe that the impossible is possible. This gift must be fostered, or remembered, as it is what has made us the greatest species to ever walk this planet. We can dream, and when we dream big, not even the sky is the limit.

2. Urwerk EMC









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The EMC by Urwerk is pure science meets technology. Most people will say that you can get a mechanical watch for the passion or a quartz watch for the accuracy. For the folks at Urwerk, they had to disagree. Adding in a microcomputer and a timing sensor, the EMC allows the wearer to monitor the accuracy of the watch and adjust it as needed with nothing more than a screwdriver. You don't even need to take anything apart, just flip it over, adjust, and that's it. This is a watch for people who are uncompromising in their mechanical and technological passions. I am glad it exists, because this watch shows what can happen when outside of the box thinking is applied to a problem nobody thought needed addressing. Innovations sometimes aren't the ones that are obvious and logical. Sometimes they are in the place that people had abandoned long ago. Seeing potential where others see none can change the course of history. Always be open to potential.

Finally, the number ONE watch that I shared with you this year and the one that sums it all up&#8230;

1. C3H5N3O9 Experiment ZR012









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The Experiment ZR012 is simply mechanically and horologically stunning. It is the brainchild of not one but 2 amazing companies, MB&F and Urwerk. This collaboration resulted in an idea that they wanted to see whether or not could even be done. They didn't need to make it, there wasn't a market segment for it, and it didn't fit within either of their brand's core ideals. It was made because they had an idea, and needed to know if it could be done. While many might argue that doing something just to see if it can be done is a waste and sometimes just plain wrong, it actually is the driving force behind almost all technological discovery in history. Pushing the limits of what we can do and what we can make has given us the pyramids of Giza, the Hoover Dam, the F/A-22 Raptor, the International Space Station, and the insanely amazing Curiosity Rover (including landing sequence). We have begun to explore the solar system not because we need to, but because we want to see if we can. This core motivation should always be present in your heart and mind. Fear can cloud your thoughts and keep you from greatness, but if you are motivated to simply KNOW if something can be done, you can do great things. Just ask Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the best examples in human history.









I hope you found these examples wonderful and inspirational; I know I have over this past year. I want to thank everyone who has read, liked, and commented on my posts in 2013. Starting in January, I will be starting a new adventure writing for a new platform, all thanks to Watchuseek and its readers. While I will miss writing here, my nerd spirit will travel with me and I will stop in from time to time to offer wonderfully nerdy opinions on some WIS ideas and amazing pieces. I would like to thank our illustrious leader Ernie Romers for all of his help and for providing us with a great place to talk watches. This community is truly one of a kind and its place among the great forums is assured. I wish you all a Happy New Year and best of luck with all future endeavors.

Have a great week and DFTBA!

Cheers and Happy Watching,

Joshua.


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## Ernie Romers

Amazing write up (again), Joshua. I feel I was blessed to have you write for Watchuseek, and I wish you the VERY best on your new adventure. I'm glad our paths crossed at Baselworld, and I'm glad I can call you my friend. We'll cross paths again, and that is a promise. Thanks again, you are truly talented and unique. Take good care of yourself and Happy New Year to you and yours!


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## Bhanu Chopra

All the best Joshua!


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## Gareth96

That an exquisite list and an educational read. Thank you!


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## wedafuqawi

What an awesome list, and what incredible watches.

It would appear I need to richer 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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