Last Tuesday we had a very special #LAWatchGang GTG with Hartmut Kraft (aka H). For those unfamiliar with H, he is the President of DKSH (responsible for the distribution of Maurice Lacroix, Glycine, and several other brands in North America). Before he became an executive in the watch industry, H was and is simply one of us... a true watch enthusiast.
This GTG was so action packed that I have decided to split the GTG report into two parts. In Part I, we will cover our time spent at Feldmar Watch Company.
The evening started with a horological overload of insane pieces at Feldmar Watch Company. Feldmar was kind enough to allow us to play with their watches... besides drooling all over them, we talked about the features on the different timepieces and shared our honest opinions on each watch. Always interesting to hear what H thinks of certain brands and models ;-).
We began our horological journey with the Glashutte Original case...
Senator Diary. Set an alarm up to 30 days ahead of time.
Sixties Panorama Date
Next stop, the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement. The Constant Escapement not only looks amazing, it also beats at a constant rate no matter the amount of energy left in the barrels (a traditional escapement losses amplitude as the mainspring uncoils). Not cheap though, you will have to pay around $130,000 to enjoy this feature.
Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement
We then continued with a brand that has made an amazing comeback this year, Arnold & Son.
Arnold & Son TB88
Arnold & Son Time Pyramid
Arnold & Son DBG
Beautiful manufacture movement on the DBG.
And then there was Bovet...
The handcrafted $270,000 Bovet Fleurier gold tourbillon.
Bovet by Pininfarina Sergio.
Arnold & Son vs Bovet
The popular Fifty Fathoms Bathyscape from Blancpain... People seem to go crazy for these Fifty Fathoms models, but honestly I do not understand the appeal.
Fifty Fathoms Bathyscape
The last stop at Feldmar for the night was Breguet. I have always been a fan of their Tradition collection... and they are quite reasonably priced too! But of course we had to end the night with a tourbillon and what better way than with the Classique Tourbillon.
Breguet Classique Tourbillon
Breguet Tradition in white gold.
Breguet Tradition vs Maurice Lacroix Gravity
The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity can definitely hold its own!
A wrist shot with the Breguet clock.
What did the #LAWatchGang members wear you ask? Here are three...
Audemars Piguet Diver, Rolex GMT-Master II, and Rolex Daytona.
One of the watches that caught my attention that night was this Glycine Airman World Timer that H was wearing.
Glycine Airman World Timer
And of course... the mandatory group shot, #LAWatchGang with Hartmut Kraft.
But the night was far from over! After Feldmar, our next stop was dinner at The Bazaar. For that portion of the evening, please see Part II.
Last November, Linde Werdelin and Jewells at Galpin hosted an exclusive event for #LAWatchGang at the Galpin Aston Martin dealership in Van Nuys. Many Linde Werdelin models were on display and attendees were able to get a close look at them without the pressure of a salesperson. Overall, an amazing night full of fantastic watches, beautiful cars, and great company.