Last year I published an article on the long and complicated story of Hebdomas, the 8-day watch with the exposed balance wheel. As I discussed then, the watch dates all the way back to 1889 and remains in production to this day, a remarkably long life for a fussy old fashioned design! But I did not then have access to some of the sources of information that inform my research today, and a few readers pointed out some areas I missed. Today I am diving deep into the origins of the Hebdomas, the inventor Irénée Aubry, the watchmaker Arthur Graizely, and the industrialist Otto Schild.
Paul Picot Firshire Chrono: Classic Movement, New Case
Today’s “Watch A Day” is my Paul Picot Firshire chronograph, which I described extensively back in 2014. It’s combines a classic hand winding chronograph movement with modern build quality in a dressy yet sporty tonneau case. Four years on, I find myself wearing it about once a month, which is above average in my collection.
2002 Paul Picot Firshire Chrono
With so many brands making watches it can be difficult to track down some of the oddballs you run across. Such was the case recently when I stumbled on a lovely tonneau-cased Paul Picot Firshire Chrono for sale at auction. I had never heard of the brand or model, and the description was less than helpful. So I set about learning more.