1. The return of ‘Made in Hong Kong’? Companies hope to revive city as manufacturing hub
Hong Kong was one of the leading manufacturing hubs of the world. In the early Fifties, and up until the Seventies, Hong Kong was one of the world’s top producers of toys, plastic products, clothes and, quite oddly, artificial flowers. Today, very few things are made in Hong Kong. However, things are about to change, as companies are returning to Hong Kong to setup workshops and manufacturing plants. Incidentally, one of them is Memorigin, a Hong Kong watch company that was setup only just three years ago. Now, Memorigin hopes to produce 5,000 pieces a year, with each costing at least HK$30,000 ($3867). Find out what the company’s plans are and what difficulties they face.
Source: South China Morning Post
2. Why I Bought It: A. Lange & Söhne Double Split
When I meet like-minded watch lovers and ask about the watches in their collection, I’m often intrigued as to how and why they ended up with what they did. Often times, there is an interesting story behind it, and even if there wasn’t, it is interesting to hear how people reason and rationalize their purchases. And this is why I find Quill & Pad’s “Why I Bought It” articles interesting. This time around, the watch in question is the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split. The movement, like most watches from the famed German watch brand, is simply breathtaking to behold and is reason enough for me to get the watch. Now if only I had the money…
Source: Quill & Pad
3. EXCLUSIVE: The truth about the real Armstrong’s and Aldrin’s Speedmaster references and how the Omega Speedmaster became the Moonwatch
The story of how the Omega Speedmaster became the Moon Watch is widely known. It’s a cool story, to be sure, but what if I told you that it is not true? Yup, sadly, NASA did not just go out onto the streets and bring a couple of watches back to test and find that the Speedmaster was the last one standing. Well, the Speedmaster did meet all of NASA’s requirements, but the way that it did that is actually less interesting. Additionally, this article also dispels all the speculation surrounding the exact reference that Buzz Aldrin wore during Apollo 11. So if you are curious to find out, hit the link below.
Source: Monochrome
4. A. Lange & Söhne commemorates 20 years of the Lange 1 + 25 years of German Reunification
A. Lange & Söhne is arguably the most exciting German watch brand right now and has been churning out hit after hit. This year saw the release of the exquisite Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar “Terraluna” and last year brought us the mega Grand Complication. And then, there is the fantastic Datograph and the equally awesome 1815 Tourbillon. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Lange 1 and also the 25th anniversary of the reunification of Germany, the company has just released this video, which I think is well worth a watch.
Source: Quill & Pad’s YouTube Channel
5. Q & A: Audemars Piguet’s Olivier Audemars
Audemars Piguet is unique in the world of horology because it is not only one of the few brands that are independent; it is also, to this day, still run directly or indirectly by the founding families of the Audemars and Piguet families. In this interview, Olivier Audemars, the great-grandson of Edward Auguste Piguet, talks about how he got involved in the family business, the importance of the company remaining independent, and also his own watch collection.
Source: IW Magazine
6. Stopping Time: The Vintage Audemars Piguet Chronograph
Despite being widely acknowledged as one of the Holy Trinity of Swiss horology – along side who else but Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin – vintage Audermars Piguet watches have not garnered as much excitement and interest as those from Patek Philippe. We would not speculate as to the reasons why, but Audemars Piguet is keen to impress upon enthusiasts about the rarity and importance of their vintage chronograph watches. For example, did you know that from 1930 to 1950, Audemars Piguet made less than 300 chronographs? And of these, the rarest and most desirable is perhaps the No. 45589? Find out about these and more here.
Source: Audemars Piguet