Oyvind Von Doren Asbjornsen wasn’t content with slapping a rook or a bishop on a watch and calling it a chess-themed timepiece. A watchmaker who also is an avid player, he wanted a sophisticated design, yet one that resonated with aficionados of the game. So in 2019, his brand, Von Doren, based in Oslo, released…
“Nice” tends to be dirty word in business. The cliché holding that nice guys finish last has seldom seemed more true than in the landscape of contemporary retailing, where business is dominated by corporate consolidation, monopolistic practices and shareholder returns as the ultimate value. Yet nice, as it turns out, may not be altogether pejorative…
David Dorward was a young boy when he first visited the Floral Clock, a combination of horology and horticulture initially installed in 1903 on a south-facing slope of the West Princes Street Garden in Edinburgh’s New Town area. “I remember when I was a child,” he said, “my mum and dad would bring me down…
Specialists have begun the restoration of the Edinburgh Time Ball, one of the Scottish capital’s best known horological attractions, which hasn’t been operating since 2020. A time ball is a signaling device, a sphere that drops down a pole at a predetermined time — the best known now may be the New Year’s Eve ball…
A 10-time winner at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the annual industry event often called the “Oscars of watchmaking,” Kari Voutilainen is among the most prestigious figures in independent horology. And in March, his work actually went to the Academy Awards: Cillian Murphy, who won best actor for “Oppenheimer,” wore a yellow gold brooch…
Phillip Toledano, a visual artist and watch collector in New York City, and Alfred Chan, a watch designer and collector in Hong Kong, have never met in person. But last week, after three years of communicating online, they introduced the Toledano & Chan B/1, a 33.5-millimeter stainless steel wristwatch with an integrated link bracelet. The…
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the most attention-getting independent candidate for president since Ross Perot, may not have the poll numbers to end up on the debate stage next month. But he increasingly has something else: a reputation as the electoral “X factor.” Which means it is increasingly impossible to ignore what may be termed his…
It seems to be all about the timing for the British tenor Freddie De Tommaso. In late 2021, at 28, he stepped into the role of Cavaradossi in “Tosca” at the Royal Opera House in London when the scheduled tenor had to bow out. Mr. De Tommaso saved the evening, garnering huge applause in what…
“The holidays are meant to be a special time when you bring out your Christmas sweater — and why not your special watch?” asked Summer Anne Lee, a fashion historian and adjunct instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. “Seasonal watches are not over-the-top like the ugly Christmas sweaters,” she said. “But…
Want to go viral on TikTok right now? Grab some pink ribbon and a random object. A roll of toilet paper, a houseplant, or a kosher dill spear will do. Tie it up in a bow and film it. Post the video online, and voilà. In recent weeks, bows in all the wrong places have…
