New Video Series! Week in Watches with IW Magazine
John and Gary Girdvainis' friendship goes back more than 20 years. With a combined 50+ years of experience in the Wrist Watch Industry, John is teaming up with IW for the future benefit of all involved.
Kicking off this partnership is a new video series on the WatchGauge YouTube Channel called "Week in Watches".
It will be a weekly/biweekly series that covers anything newsworthy that has happened since the prior episode. Topics will cover press releases from brands, tradeshows & events, and a host of other news.
For our inaugural episode, we comb through dozens of press releases sent to IW and Gary picks some of his favorite new releases.
First up is the Game of Thrones - House of the Dragon Collector Sets by Kross Studio
Renegade design studio and watch manufacturer Kross Studio once again pushes the boundaries by introducing a series of collector sets, each one dedicated to a dragon from the Game of Thrones franchise. The limited-edition sets include both a Kross Studio central floating tourbillon watch and a dragon egg functional sculpture. Each one-of-a-kind set in the series is dedicated to a single dragon from the fantasy epic “Game of Thrones” and its successor series, “House of the Dragon.” These masterfully crafted works of art seamlessly blend inspiration from the iconic world of Westeros with cutting-edge watchmaking.
Kross Studio Game of Thrones - House of the Dragon Collector Sets (CHF 150’000.- each) will be available for individual sale at kross-studio.com, or through official partners and select authorized retailers.
Next up is the Open Gear Resec Hurricane from Chronoswiss
For a fresh and noir take on the Chronoswiss Regulateur, the Open Gear Resec Hurricane is limited to 50 pieces.
The shape of a moving Hurricane was created by hand with the aid of a century-old rose-engine turning machine in the Chronoswiss atelier and appears to storm through all levels of the dial, that is in fact part of the movement. It seems as if the relentless Hurricane has revealed the complicated mechanics of this Modern Mechanical masterpiece.
Available at $12,400 USD on the Chronoswiss Website or through one of their Authorized Retailers
Next, just in time for spring, fresh new colors for the Club Campus from Nomos Glashutte: Cream Coral and Electric Green.
This uncomplicated youthful watch is striking. Brightly colored and robust, the new models in the Club Campus series are an expression of spontaneity and energy, and a personal engraving on the back of the case makes them a lasting memento of any wonderful occasion. The meticulously crafted hand-wound movement delivers future-proof precision.
Unmistakably Club Campus: Arabic numerals at the top, Roman below. Thanks to their Superluminova coating, the dial, hands, and hour markers illuminate in blue, when in the dark. Both mechanical watches are water resistant up to 100 meters. The reliable NOMOS Alpha hand-wound caliber provides the precise time of day.
Available on the Nomos Website or through an Authorized Retailer for $1,500 USD
And now for something outrageous to wrap up this Week in Watches, the $280,000 Casino Toubillon from Jacob & Co.
Forever pushing the limits, Jacob & Co. puts a new spin (pun intended) on gambling by strapping a roulette table to your wrist. According to the press release "True to its playfulness and ingenuity. Casino Tourbillon is ripe with the sense of exhilaration and excitement that has become Jacob & Co.'s unique signature"
Caliber JCAM51 is an entirely new creation. The Roulette module rests on a last generation base calibre, with a comfortable and week-end-in-Vegas-proof power reserve of 72 hours. Casino Tourbillon is the first Jacob & Co. timepiece to feature a tourbillon located on the back side of the case. Its carriage ushers in a new Jacob & Co. design as its arms are engraved with the letters spelling "Jacob & Co." lacquered in the exact same way as the wheelhead.
Learn more about this spectacular work of horological art on the Jacob & Co. website