In between the publication of our Summer issue and the one you are holding, the horological world found itself enthralled by something you are or were no doubt tracking. To be fair, I am personally aware of collectors who did not pay attention to the Antiquorum-Omega kerfuffle way back in 2008, and those who do not engage with the auction world anyway, who may thus be blissfully unaware. If this is you, then you might reasonably expect that this story is irrelevant; you probably did not get beyond looking at the visuals and the header, which might have left you scratching your head. On the off chance that you did, and are reading this, the good news is that this story is at least partially intended for you.
From the outset, the story of the Omega Speedmaster that fooled first the auction house Phillips, then the buyer, Omega itself, is a cautionary tale for everyone who is interested in timepieces. Even if you never bought a watch at auction, and never intend to, the socalled Frankenspeedy saga (aka Omegagate) tells us all something about the wider world of watches. It even speaks to the futility of knowledge itself, in the face of a determined adversary with bad intentions. To begin with though, let me lay out the big news event itself, which I will look at chronologically.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 70-utgaven av WOW Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Worth Its Weight
TAG Heuer scored an unexpected win with the Carrera Chronograph Skipper in the recent past, so the brand returned it to regular production in steel last year. For 2024, red gold marks the Skipper's triumph
When Imitation Is Criminal
In the second part of our special on the phenomenon of counterfeiting in watchmaking, we look at some surprising reasons behind consumer demand
The Conversation: Greater Expectations
With Geneva Watch Week behind us, the editors exchange views on the novelty showcases, the novelties themselves and all the watch news that is fit to print and some that is not)
GOLDEN HOURS
The first timekeepers may not have been cased in any precious metal but, given how precious time is, gold and silver soon made their marks here
FINE TIME
Precious metals promise to put the fine’ back into fine watchmaking, after years of being overshadowed by more prosaic materials. This special section continues the journey we began last issue, with a deep dive into that most desirable of all metals, gold. Of course, platinum is also back...
RED DAWN
Grand Seiko celebrates the 20th birthday of Spring Drive with a special edition Chronograph GMT SBGC275 with a unique dial
NEW DEPTHS
Breguet surprises with the gem-set Marine Chronograph 5529, opening up new vistas for the collection
NEW AND NOTED
As you might expect, we have been covering Watches and Wonders Geneva since it began as a physical fair in 2022 and of course when it was confined to the ether, from 2020.
OPEN SEASON
The world's biggest and most important watch fair gets a little bigger and a little better. As for the watches, they got more than a little precious...
GREAT LEAP FORWARD
With the Portugieser Eternal Calendar, WC demonstrates its mastery in the realms of the calendar and moon phase complications
