Christopher Ward Magazine - Spring 2014

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SPRING 2014

SPRING’S SPORTING SUPERSTAR

C7 ITALIAN RACING RED CHRONOMETER

-----------------------------------TERRY O’NEILL THE ’60S PHOTOGRAPHER ON SINATRA, THE STONES AND RAQUEL WELCH’S CHELSEA KIT ------------------------------------JOHN HARRISON THE GENIUS WHO INSPIRED OUR GREATEST WATCHES ------------------------------------PRIVATE WHITE VC FROM THE TRENCHES OF WORLD WAR I TO THE CATWALKS OF TODAY ------------------------------------“TAKE A U-TURN AT GPS” THE MAPMAKERS WHO HAVE TURNED THEIR BACK ON DIGITAL FOR THE SAKE OF CRAFTSMANSHIP ------------------------------------ROGER SMITH WHY BRITAIN’S GREATEST HOROLOGIST ONLY MAKES 10 WATCHES A YEAR -------------------------------------


Swiss movement, English heart

C5 MALVERN MKII AUTOMATIC ÂŁ350

Made in Switzerland / Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with 38 hour power reserve / 39mm, hand-polished, 316L stainless-steel case / Matt finish, optic white, one-piece dial, Anti-reflective sapphire crystal / Italian leather strap with deployment clasp E xc lu s i v e ly ava i l a b l e at

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SPRING 2014

CHRISTOPHER WARD MAGAZINE

Welcome to the latest edition of the Christopher Ward magazine. When you think of Britain and Britishness, what comes to mind? Well, there’s the obvious stuff – national pride, independence of thought, a love of tradition, but these days the country is equally celebrated for our modernity and innovation. It’s no coincidence that Sir Jonathan Ive, Head of Design at perhaps the world’s most admired company, Apple, is British. And in this issue of the Christopher Ward magazine, that’s what we’re celebrating. You’ll find that modern British spirit in spades at Christopher Ward, and nowhere more than in our Harrison range of watches. In a fascinating piece, horological specialist Robin Swithinbank charts the history of this most refined range of timepieces, uncovering its development from the classic C9 GMT to the revolutionary Single Pusher, the latter a symbol of Christopher Ward’s relentless drive for watchmaking excellence. In terms of gifted individuals, if you’re searching for horology’s very own Jonathan Ive, you should look no further than Roger Smith, the watchmaker whose beautifully crafted timepieces take nine months to make. Read about this fascinating character – and what he makes of the UK watchmaking industry – on page 32. Christopher Ward isn’t the only British company to merge traditional craftsmanship with contemporary methods of production, which is why in this issue you’ll find a profile of Private White VC, the Manchester clothing brand started by a World War I hero (hence the VC) which has become one of the most respected menswear manufacturers in the country with customers all over the world. Speaking of the world, a new generation of British map- and globe-makers is finding a niche market away from the digital efficiency of GPS and Google Maps, to create objects of beauty for those who want more than just route-finding from their maps. Read about three of the best on page 42. Finally, for those who like a bit of pop culture, we take a look at the work of 1960s iconic photographer Terry O’Neill, before donning some stout shoes for our very own horological walk around London – which sounds like a splendid way to spend an afternoon, much like reading this magazine.

Enjoy the issue,

Chris

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CONTENTS

CHRISTOPHER WARD MAGAZINE SPRING 2014

5 CWorld

From new launches to significant news about the forum, everything you need to know about Christopher Ward now

10 Harrison: the man

and the machines

The story of horological genius John Harrison and the Christopher Ward watches that bear his name

15 Negative impact

Alongside David Bailey, Terry O’Neill was the photographer who defined the look of ’60s London. Here we profile his work and chat to the man himself

20 It’s Mount

Christopher Ward!

The story of how one group of young explorers conquered a mountain in Tajikistan and named it in our honour

25 Classic Ward

Explore the beauty of the C4 Peregrine Chronograph

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Front cover: C7 Italian Racing Red Chronometer


26 A walk back in time

Nick Toyas takes a stroll through Clerkenwell, London’s watchmaking quarter, in search of the soul of British horology

30 Timespan

What’s the greatest try in rugby union history? Probably this one by the Barbarians from 1973…

on his side 32 Time We interview Roger Smith, Britain’s greatest living watchmaker – and he’s got plenty to say on the future of UK horology

37 Timespan

The lunacy of Monty Python’s Dead Parrot sketch

38 A Private education

Author Phil Thornton tells the tale of Private White VC, the Manchester clothing brand started by a World War I hero

world in their hands 42 The With the rise of GPS, traditional cartographers are now free to create maps and globes that are works of art. We meet three of the best around

we remember time 48 How Senior Lecturer at the University of York, Silvia Gennari measures the passage of time... Christopher Ward (London) Limited, 1 Park Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 1SL, United Kingdom. chris@christopherward.co.uk Customer Services: wera@christopherward.co.uk Editor: Anthony Teasdale. Design and art direction: ToyasO’Mara. Colour reprographics: JP Repro.

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Swiss movement, English heart

C7 RAPIDE C HRONOGRAPH MK II ÂŁ350

Made in Switzerland / Ronda 3540.D Quartz chronograph with 1/10ths second split-timing / 42mm, 316L marine-grade, stainless-steel case with aluminium tachymeter bezel / Anti-reflective sapphire crystal / Stainless steel bracelet with deployment / Italian leather and rubber strap versions available E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT

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CWORLD | CW

CHRISTOPHER WARD MAGAZINE SPRING 2014

First date for Harrison! WORKING OUT WHAT DAY IT IS JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT MORE STYLISH WITH THE RELEASE OF THE NEW C9 HARRISON BIG DAY-DATE

This is the first big day-date complication from Christopher Ward, and it’s fitting it should happen in the company’s most premium line. Chris Ward says: “The dial design of the Harrison collection has evolved into a new aesthetic over the past couple of years, and with only the limited edition blue version of the original C9 Harrison Automatic design remaining, we wanted its replacement to have a complication that better reflects the new look.” The watch features an ETA 2836-2 automatic movement which has been modified by Johannes Janke to incorporate a large calendar wheel showing both day and date. “The Big Day-Date works brilliantly with the new Harrison aesthetic and so was an easy choice as the entry point watch for the new collection,” says Chris. The improvements don’t stop there, either. The updated C9 will also feature the new Bader deployment as standard. Versions with a leather strap are priced at £650.

“The dial design of the Harrison collection has evolved into a new aesthetic over the past couple of years, and with only the limited edition blue version of the original C9 Harrison Automatic design remaining, we wanted its replacement to have a complication that better reflects the new look”

The new C9 Harrison Big Day-Date will be available to pre-order from February. Read our history of the Harrison piece on page 10. christopherward.co.uk 5


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CHALLENGER PROGRAMME

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GUIDES SAM TO RIO “OUR CW CHALLENGER PROGRAMME HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO SUPPORT PEOPLE AND EVENTS THAT HAVE WORLD CLASS POTENTIAL BUT WHO ARE OFTEN UP AGAINST MORE ESTABLISHED, WEALTHIER OPPOSITION...” MIKE FRANCE

Yachtsman Sam Brearey is the latest person to benefit from the CW Challenger Programme after the company announced it was sponsoring him as he attempts to qualify in the NACRA 17 class at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Christopher Ward co-founder, Mike France says: “Our CW Challenger programme has been designed to support people and events that have world class potential but who are up against more established wealthier opposition and are trying, to achieve success with the odds stacked against them. Parallels between the programme and Christopher Ward taking on the mighty Swiss watch brands are wholly intentional!” Sam, as one of the UK’s leading young yachtsman, fits the programme perfectly and CW is delighted to be his main supporter as he and his team look to add to the GB’s haul of yachting gold at Rio. “While Sam is a yachtsman,” says France, “the programme is not limited to sports, and can apply equally to other areas such as art, photography, music, literature and even some events – they just need to demonstrate real potential and the underdog spirit that Christopher Ward embodies.”

ITALIAN DOES IT BETTER No watch embodied Christopher Ward’s love of timekeeping and motor racing more than the C7 Italian Racing Red. Appropriately, it was CW’s fastest-selling watch of 2012 so it’s no surprise the brand is launching a 500 piece, limited edition, chronometer version this spring just in time for the Formula 1 season. Available to pre-order in February for April delivery, the C7 IRR Chronometer will retail from £599. 6 christopherward.co.uk


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“We said it ten years ago and we’ll say it gain now: the forum will have complete editorial independence”

FORUM COMES HOME After nearly ten years online, it’s been announced that the Christopher Ward forum will shortly be under the ownership of the brand. But co-founder, Peter Ellis, stresses that the forum will retain “complete editorial independence.” The move was prompted by owner Hans van Hoogstraten looking to sell the forum to concentrate on other projects. It was decided that it was best in company hands, but when asked about possible editorial interference, the answer was forthright. “We said it ten years ago and we’ll say it again now: the forum will have complete editorial independence.“ says Peter Ellis. “They have our word.” The forum will still be moderated by Kip McKewen, and over time Christopher Ward will invest in the infrastructure to ensure the best possible experience for members. Peter again: “Working with the forum, we’ll try to accommodate any improvements that they think will benefit the community, whether from a technical, aesthetic or functional point of view. All enhancements should result in a more enriching experience and greater enjoyment of the site.” www.christopherwardforum.com

NEW

TYPHOON LANDING A new version of the C1000 Typhoon will touch down at the end of January, after Christopher Ward was inundated with requests from fans who wanted a Typhoon without the RAF roundel. The Typhoon, inspired by the aircraft of the same name, is powered by an ETA 7750 Chronograph movement, while the case is made of a ceramic that’s seven times stronger (and a whole lot lighter) than steel. It’s virtually indestructible. At £1500 (US $2060) the new version retails at the same price as the original.

WorldTimer clocks in first The Christopher Ward forum has named its most significant CW watch of 2013 – the C900 WorldTimer, which won 44 per cent of the votes in the online poll.

In second place came the C61/W61 Trident Pro on 23 per cent, while the C8 Regulator claimed third with 13 per cent of votes cast. The WorldTimer is one of CW’s most revolutionary watches, both in the way it looks and how it functions. The movement is a variation by Johannes Jahnke of the ETA 2893, which allows both time zones to function on a 24-hour clock basis. Each timezone is indicated by the individual airport codes for the city – London being represented by ‘LHR’, the code for Heathrow airport. orderline 0844 875 1515 7


CW | MAP MAK E RS

Swiss movement, English heart

C1000 TYPHOON FGR4 ÂŁ1500

Made in Switzerland / Self-winding, modified ETA Valjoux 7750 chronograph with hour and minute bi-compax sub-dials / 42 hour power reserve / 42mm,high-tech ceramic case with titanium sub-frame / AR08 coated, museum grade, sapphire crystal / Delta and canard wing shaped stop-second hand / Deep-etched case-back engraving / Military style, high density webbing and leather strap with Bader deployment E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT

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DIVE IN FOR A NEW TRIDENT Christopher Ward’s premium diving watch, the C60 Trident Pro will be available in two new colours, green and red. The Trident Pro takes its cues from the Rolex 1954 GMT Master, and is powered by a Sellita SW 200-1 movement, with a power reserve of 38 hours. The new colourways will be available from March. Prices from £450.

Going, going…

ONE!

This year sees the tenth anniversary of the founding of Christopher Ward – the first timepieces were released a year later in 2005.

TON UP FOR KIP

The moderator of the Christopher Ward forum Kip McKewen has just reached a memorable milestone – the purchase of his 100th CW watch. Kip’s latest buy is the C1000 Typhoon which will go alongside his huge collection, which began with the purchase of now-discontinued C4 Peregrine in 2007.

As part of the celebrations, Christopher Ward has decided to auction ten of CW’s prized #1 serial number watches, with all proceeds going to charity. While the range of watches has not been finalised there are rumours that the very first Ward watch, a C5 Malvern Automatic, may be included. The auction will take place online with details appearing on the CW website soon.

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WHAT LINKS THE SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM THAT BEDEVILLED THE ROYAL NAVY FOR DECADES TO THE MOST AMBITIOUS TIMEPIECES TO COME OUT OF THE CHRISTOPHER WARD STABLE? ROBIN SWITHINBANK TELLS THE STORY OF THE BRILLIANT JOHN HARRISON AND THE WATCHES THAT BEAR HIS NAME

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ou probably don’t need to be told that it’s all but impossible to imagine the inadequacies of 18th century navigation, fully aware, in our 21st century state of Earth’s every contour. We have the world and its mysteries available to us as and when we please, making the notion of say, taking to the high seas with only the sun, the stars and our own wits to guide us seem as cavalier as it surely was. The consideration might be prosaic, but it does at least serve to remind us of the courage shown by mariners of the time. They went to sea in search of new lands, adventure and war without the benefit of being able to pinpoint themselves on a map. Not having GPS or Google maps at their fingertips was as dangerous to them as scurvy or the enemy itself.

Navigational failings led to the death of more than 1,500 men in 1707, in what remains one of Britain’s worst maritime disasters. Returning from Spain under the cover of darkness, a fleet of Royal Navy ships struck rock as they approached the Isles of Scilly. Because he had no reliable indicator of longitude, the fleet’s admiral had believed he and his men were miles from land, somewhere off the coast of Brittany. He was wrong. The loss hit the nation hard and in 1714 the government passed the Longitude Act, offering a prize of £20,000 — roughly £3m in today’s money — for solving the problem of determining a ship’s longitude, and therefore preventing such a tragedy from happening again. Astronomers, scientists and mathematicians of the day put their minds to it, but it wasn’t until 1761 that

© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

Harrison: the man and the machines Y


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Harrison’s timepieces displayed a standard of accuracy never seen before, saving countless naval lives and helping to propel British power around the world

a solution was found by a Yorkshire carpenter-turned-clockmaker called John Harrison. After decades of development, the self-educated Harrison devised a portable timekeeping instrument called the H4, also known as a marine chronometer. Harrison’s son William set sail for Jamaica with the H4 on November 18th, 1761. He arrived on January 19th, 1762 and the H4 was found to be only 5.1 seconds slow. Its unprecedented accuracy had enabled navigators to position the ship’s landing point more accurately than had previously been possible. Harrison’s masterpiece meant the difference between life and death, and in war, between winning and losing. It was also a major stepping stone towards perfecting watchmaking and a catalyst

to the expansion of the British Empire. Today, he’s widely acknowledged as one of the greatest Britons that ever lived. A memorial plaque bearing his name was unveiled in Westminster Abbey in 2006. It was with this in mind that Christopher Ward picked the name Harrison for a series of watches that would become the company’s flagship series – a particularly fitting description, in this instance. “Apart from the navigational breakthrough, in the history of watches the ship’s chronometer was revolutionary in that it made accurate timekeeping portable,” says Chris Ward, reflecting on why he chose the Harrison moniker for his watch. “This had implications for the development of pocket watches right into the 20th century. Watches became increasingly smaller and were ➸ orderline 0844 875 1515 11


CW | H ISTORY MAK E RS

eventually small enough to be switched from pockets to wrists — an important development that was only properly used for the first time by pilots in World War I.” The first Christopher Ward Harrison watches were launched in the autumn of 2010 ahead of the 250th anniversary of Harrison’s invention. The C9 Harrison collection included series production automatic and GMT models, and a chronograph limited to 250 pieces.

Under the bonnet, the watch housed a special movement, an adapted version of ETA’s tried and tested 2824-2 automatic: the 2824-2-MODJJ01. The clue to its genesis lay in the initials ‘JJ’, which belonged to German watchmaking wunderkind Johannes Jahnke (right). Jahnke had made his name with a watch called the King Albert of Saxony, a platinum masterpiece made on behalf of Dresden-based company

Harrison’s masterpiece meant the difference between life and death, and in war, between winning and losing Powered by a Valjoux 7750, which was visible through an exhibition case back, the chronograph was the halo in the Christopher Ward collection at the time. The following year, the Harrison was chosen to carry Christopher Ward’s most ambitious horological project to that point. The C9 Harrison Jumping Hour MkI put Christopher Ward in a small, elite group of watch brands producing a watch with this unusual complication. In a ‘jumping hour’ watch, the hour hand is replaced by an aperture at 12 o’clock that displays the hour in numerical form. This number sits on a disc that jumps forward on the hour – hence the name – much like a date indication. In keeping with the Christopher Ward philosophy, the watch went on sale for a fraction of the cost of watches with the same complication.

Lang & Heyne that retailed at around £70,000. He’d come to Christopher Ward’s attention during a conversation with the company’s Swiss watchmaking partner Jörg Bader and the two were soon introduced, and a partnership formed. The project was a success and ensured Jahnke’s involvement in Christopher Ward would not be a oneoff. In 2012, the company launched its most ambitious horological piece yet, the C900 Harrison Single Pusher, a beautifully understated limited edition chronograph operated entirely through one push button, rather than the usual two. Again, the watch was fuelled by a movement imagined by Jahnke, this time dubbed the ‘JJ02’. The JJ02 took three years to develop and was based on the Unitas 6497, a hand-wound calibre that’s been used

C A L IB RE JJ0 1

C A L IB RE JJ0 2

C A L IB RE JJ0 3

The Jumping Hour and Single Pusher timepieces (left), the Jumping Hour MkII and The C900 Worldtimer (right) are fitting tributes to John Harrison’s genius

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HI S T O RY M A KER S | CW

by numerous prestige watch brands over time. The difference here was that Jahnke’s adaptation added in the monopusher chronograph function – most have done little more than add their own finishes and branding, leaving the base calibre’s hour, minute and small seconds indications unaltered. The chronograph is rarely credited as the complex mechanical complication that it is, such is its ubiquity (Patek, we shouldn’t forget, produced its first as recently as 2009), but the addition of a monopusher takes a watchmaker to the next level of horological ambition and skill. Last year, Christopher Ward launched an updated version of the Jumping Hour, the C9 Harrison Jumping Hour MkII. Like the original, it featured vastly improved accuracy for a watch with this complication. Conventional jumping hour watches release the power held in the mainspring

“It’s so precise now, that you can’t see the thin Roman numeral ‘I’ below the minute hand when it shows exactly 60 minutes” JOHANNES JAHNKE

unevenly because of the surge required to move the hour disc forward every 60 minutes. Jahnke’s discovery was to even out the release of power by taking its power from the central minutes wheel, making the watch more efficient and therefore more accurate. “The Mk II model uses generally the same system as the MkI,” says Jahnke, still yet to turn 30. “We have improved the power of the jump and the positioning of the hour disc. Now we can adjust the position of the disc with a small ex-centric. It’s so precise now, that you can’t see the thin Roman numeral ‘I’ below the minute hand when it shows exactly 60 minutes.” Last year, the Harrison collection was chosen as the home for another classic complication – a world timer. No ordinary world timer, mind. The Harrison C900 Worldtimer carries a novel take on the function. The first clue to its hidden talent is in the aperture at 12 o’clock, which shows threeletter airport codes, LHR for London Heathrow, for example. What makes it unique is the corresponding red dot that appears in the globe graphic on the dial – move the central second time zone hand forward by one hour and the red dot will move from the UK to central Europe.

“He showed a combination of determination, grit, fortitude and perseverance plus a touch of genius. He’s probably the finest watchmaker we have ever had and his legacy goes on today” CHRIS WARD ON JOHN HARRISON

Rarely has a base ETA 2893 calibre been given such an intriguing lease of life. The brains behind it? Johannes Jahnke, no surprise. In early 2014 Christopher Ward will launch a Harrison Big Day-Date complication and another new, as yet-unconfrimed movement. “As a business, we find John Harrison a real stimulus to our work,” says Ward. “He showed a combination of determination, grit, fortitude and perseverance plus a touch of genius. He’s probably the finest watchmaker we have ever had and his legacy goes on today.” Given the heights realised by movements developed by the company in recent memory, expectations will be high. Harrison would demand it, you would imagine. christopherward.co.uk 13


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Swiss movement, English heart

C60 TRIDENT RED ÂŁ450

Made in Switzerland / Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with 38 hour power reserve / 42mm, marine-grade, 316L stainless-steel case with uni-directional aluminium countdown bezel / Water resistant to 300 metres / 4mm anti-reflective sapphire crustal / 316L stainless-steel deployment bracelet / Rubber and leather strap versions also available E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT

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I M A G E M A KER | CW

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impact © Terry O’Neill

FROM SINATRA TO BARDOT, THE BEATLES TO THE QUEEN, PHOTOGRAPHER TERRY O’NEILL HAS GOT UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE MOST FAMOUS PEOPLE ON THE PLANET, AS HE REVEALS TO ANTHONY TEASDALE

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he 1960s may have been defined by its soundtrack of Beatles, Stones, and Kinks, but it was those that produced images of these – and other – stars of the decade who held the key to their success. Terry O’Neill, along with David Bailey and Terence Donovan, was that very ’60s animal, the celebrity photographer. As pop music exploded, so printed media needed young, savvy snappers to capture the ➸

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“I never took pictures, I got forced into it. I was a jazz drummer and wanted to play in America... ” equally youthful stars who were elbowing the long established celebrities out of the way. O’Neill fitted the bill perfectly. Like Bailey and Donovan, O’Neill was from an ordinary background (working class people simply didn’t do jobs like his before the ’60s), a Londoner with a love of jazz absolutely in tune with what was starting to ferment in the capital’s clubs. A lucky break and plenty of hard work led him on a path that would lead to him photographing, not just domestic celebrities, but Hollywood stars like Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Brigitte Bardot, and perhaps most famously, Frank Sinatra, who O’Neill developed a strong friendship with over 30 years. To be photographed by Terry O’Neill was to become an icon. Described by Michael Caine as “one of the best photographers in the world”, it’s fitting then that O’Neill’s work has finally been documented in one volume, which showcases his reportage-influenced portraits of everyone from Muhammad Ali to Amy Winehouse to his stunning photo of the Queen. It reads less like a photography book and more like a retrospective of the pop culture age. Here, in an exclusive interview, he tells Christopher Ward about leading a very charmed life in pictures.

No, I never took pictures, I got forced into it. I was a jazz drummer and wanted to play in America, so I went to BOAC (the forerunner of British Airways) in 1960 as they’d starting ➸ 16 orderline 0844 875 1515

© Terry O’Neill

Hi Terry. Growing up, were you one of those kids who liked taking photos?


“They said, ‘Who else is any good?’ I loved the blues, so I told them the best group was The Rolling Stones. They were horrified with them, and said, ‘Can’t you get a good-looking group?’”

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flying to America, and applied for a job as an air steward. They weren’t taking anybody on for three months, but if I took a post there I’d stand a better chance of getting a steward’s job. So I got a job in the photographic unit and learnt the trade. We used to photograph the inside of aircrafts or went up to take photos of planes in flight. As I was just an assistant, for homework they got me to take pictures around Heathrow at weekends – and that’s where I accidently took a shot of a bloke in a pin-stripe suit surrounded by African chieftains. That photo changed your life…

and asked if he could have my roll of film to show the picture editor at his newspaper. I gave him it, and rang up this guy who was the picture editor of the Sunday Dispatch. He told me he loved all the shots and was going to use the Butler picture, for which he paid me 25 quid. He said he wanted me to cover the airport for him every Saturday. I told him that I didn’t really know what I was doing and he said, “Just do what you’ve been doing on that roll of film.” That was the start of my career. What happened then?

I met up with another guy who I worked with for a while, then he died in a plane crash, so I got his job on the Daily Sketch. I still didn’t really know what I was doing! When I was there, the

paper said they wanted to attract younger people by doing pop groups – in those days it was all individual singers, a pop group was unheard of. They said, go down to Abbey Road and cover this group, The Beatles. I took this amateurish shot of them. The paper published it and sold out. Suddenly, everyone was tuned into the ’60s. And it wasn’t just the Beatles, who you covered, was it?

They said, who else is any good? I loved the blues, so I told them the best group was The Rolling Stones. They were horrified with them, and said, “Can’t you get a good-looking group?” So I told them about the Dave Clarke Five, though only one of them could play anything. They said it didn’t matter, go and photograph

© Terry O’Neill

A reporter came up to me and said, “Do you know who that is?”. I said no, and he told me it was [the politician] Rab Butler,

“When Sinatra was in town, the whole town revolved around him. He had an incredible personality, very strong natured”

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“I often feel God was looking down, pointed his finger and the light shone on me” them. And they ran the photos under the headline of “Beauty and the Beast”. That was the first picture spread of a pop group in a newspaper. What did it feel like to be in the eye of that pop culture storm?

We all used to go to a place called the Ad Lib club – me, The Beatles, the Stones and all the models. We used to talk about what proper job we’d get when it was all over in a couple of years. It was only when I went to Hollywood a couple of years later and met Fred Astaire, and all he wanted to do was talk about the Beatles, Stones and Jean Shrimpton, did I realise that it must be for real if someone like him wanted to talk about it. What was Hollywood like then?

That was around 1964-’65 – I loved it. It was like the south of France. I got on great with all the movie stars as they were used to posing with 5x4 cameras and I0x8 cameras, they’d never met someone with a 35mm one. I got paid by the film companies to work on movies for two weeks – photographing people like Paul Newman working, not working, hanging around. I often feel God was looking down, pointed his finger and the light shone on me. What did you have that made you so in-demand?

I have no idea. I still don’t know. I was young and hard-working, quietly spoken. Never pushy. You famously took a snap of Raquel Welch in the Chelsea home strip… O’Neill photographed everyone from Liz Taylor and David Bowie, to Stevie Wonder and Cindy Crawford

Yeah, I got her in Peter Osgood’s outfit. She was great and loved Chelsea. They were all great.

Obviously, if you’re with people too long you’ll see a bad side, nobody’s perfect, but I was around Sinatra for 30 years and he was fantastic. I never overstepped the line. There was a time when I could be the one out drinking with him, but I didn’t want all that. What pictures are you most proud of?

Brigitte Bardot with the wind blowing in her hair, Sinatra on the boardwalk, Paul Newman. Audrey Hepburn, she was fantastic, too. My only regret is that I didn’t work harder. When I tell people that, they laugh. But I could have worked harder. Out of everyone, who was the most amazing to be with?

Frank Sinatra. When he was in town, the whole town revolved around him. He had an incredible personality, very strong natured. He lived up to it. He wasn’t loud though… a very cool guy. Who are you snapping now?

I don’t take many pictures now, I did photograph Pelé as he’s the face of the World Cup. There’s not many people I want to photograph any more – I’ve done everybody who’s anybody. It’s been good to you, this job. Are you happy?

I am happy. Really happy with my life, I don’t worry about anything. I’ve had cancer, I’ve had heart problems, but I just keep pressing on. Terry O’Neill is published by ACC Editions. Go to www.antiquecollectorsclub.com/uk for more information. Find out about Terry’s exhibitions at www.terryo.co.uk

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IT’S MOUNT CHRISTOPHER WARD!

HOW ONE INSPIRATIONAL GROUP OF MOUNTAINEERS WENT TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD – AND PUT CW ON THE MAP FOR GOOD

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left; The Christopher Ward flag is raised at the summit right; The team visited Christopher Ward HQ on their way to Tajikistan

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here’s something very British about taking on a seemingly impossible challenge for no other reason than the feeling that someone has to do it. It’s the spirit that Captain Scott sacrificed his life for as he attempted to reach the South Pole in 1912, the itch that has to be scratched no matter what the danger. In summer last year, a group of remarkable young people following in that tradition took on one of the last great unexplored mountain ranges of the world, located around the Rog Valley in Tajikistan – an expedition that inspired Christopher Ward so

“A brief lapse of concentration on an exposed and steep scree slope saw Struan’s rucksack tumbling into the river below. Despite our best efforts we were unable to retrieve it – in it was Struan’s passport, visas, bank card and, most devastatingly of all, 7kg of salami”

much, the company decided to sponsor it. And in return, a previously unconquered 16,000ft-high mountain – taller than any in Europe – would take the name of the watchmaker, provided the explorers climbed it. The expedition, ‘The Silk Road: Tajikistan 2013’ was masterminded by Struan Chisholm, a management student at Cambridge University. The 20-year-old was joined by four mountaineer friends, Calum Nicoll, Theo Scott, Leo Horstmeyer and Max Jamilly (plus logistics coordinator Sam Newmark back in the UK), and perhaps most vitally of all, a 1995 Mitsubishi Shogun, which proudly displayed the Christopher Ward logo on the outside. Setting off from the group’s base in Inverness on July 3rd, the team popped into CW in Maidenhead en route where they were presented with five Makaira Pro 500 watches, a timepiece able to withstand the toughest of conditions – as was proved time and time again during the expedition. It took the group two weeks to get to Tajikistan, travelling through the likes of Germany, Ukraine and Belarus, before heading into the more alien

territory of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Along the way, they encountered everything from corrupt border guards to a shop owner who wanted to take the group bear-hunting. And, it being late summer, heat was also a factor, temperatures of up to 40°C making exploration in the lower parts of the country extremely hard work. But it as was only as they neared the Rog Valley, and began their climb, that the first real setback occurred, as was recorded on the group’s Facebook page: “A brief lapse of concentration on an exposed and steep scree slope saw Struan’s rucksack tumbling into the river below. Despite our best efforts we were unable to retrieve it – in it was Struan’s passport, visas, bank card and, most devastatingly of all, 7kg of salami.” It took several days to get this sorted, but by late July the group were heading high into the Tajik mountains in search of unconquered peaks. Their Facebook updates were reminiscent of earlier explorers. “A high-altitude shepherd mistook us for gold prospectors on our way up to second base camp. Reached 3600m; air thin and sun intense.” By early August, the group ➸ christopherward.co.uk 21


CW | CH AL L E NGE RS

Dresden-based company Lang & Heyne that retailed at around £70,000. He’d come to Christopher Ward’s attention during a Swiss watchmaking partner Jörg Bader and the two were soon introduced, and a partnership formed.

The expedition traversed wetlands, deserts and glaciers before their arrival in Tajikistan

22 christopherward.co.uk

were well into the Rog Valley with their eye on the third and highest peak in the area – the unnamed mountain that would be soon be called Mount Christopher Ward. However, as group member Leo Horstmeyer’s diary records, there was a sense of apprehension as they prepared for the final push to the top. “There is excited silence as one of us tentatively opens the tent door, slightly hoping for bad weather, to prolong our rest. But the sky is clear and the mountains are illuminated in the moonlight. We wolf down last night’s couscous and hop about to warm up. We get packed. Harness. Ice axes. Crampons. Ropes. Everything in the bags and by 2am we’re feeling our way through the boulder fields, heading for the base of the snow slope. Before long we reach the start of the climb – the steep mass of white towering above us.” It’s hard for people not familiar with mountaineering to understand what drives people to overcome their natural fears at times like this, but the team – despite (or perhaps because of)

There could be no turning back, no second thoughts – the group simply had to reach the summit of the mountain before the melting ice made it impossible their youth – took it all in their stride, even when it became clear that the final ascent would have to be executed quickly, as the ice wall they were climbing was melting. Though that wasn’t the only difficulty, as Struan Chisholm explains: “We reached a false top and were greeted again by the notorious Tajik weak-stone. Like climbing a 200m nearvertical wall of crisps, its only redeeming feature being that new handholds can be made easily by tearing out the existing ones. The summit loomed 100m above us, but two steep sections of ice had to be scaled to reach it. The most challenging ice climb yet and already the sun was melting the ice – making each step softer than the last. Speed was of the essence.” There could be no turning back, no second thoughts – the group simply had to reach

the summit of the mountain before the melting ice made it impossible. Struan again: “Theo led the final push to the top, chopping ever upwards with his axes. An enormous drop to the left made our stomachs churn and our grips tighten. Arms burning, we reached the summit at 08:30 in blazing sunshine, and raised the Christopher Ward flag at 4,922 metres.” They had done it! The news reached Christopher Ward HQ on August 6th via satellite phone with this message. “Lat: N3921-0. Long: E70-0-18. 2am start. Shooting stars darting across the sky. Glacier creaking. Gruelling ascent culminating in a vertical ice climb. We reached the peak of the icy white giant dominating our valley – Mount Christopher Ward.” Understandably, there was jubilation in both Tajikistan


C HA L L E NGER S | CW

“The summit loomed 100m above us, but two steep sections of ice had to be scaled to reach it. The most challenging ice climb yet and already the sun was melting the ice...”

The mountain was higher than any found in western Europe

and London, with a feeling of pride that Christopher Ward’s support had gone a little way to ensure the success of the project, as co-founder Mike France says. “The expedition was all about skill, endurance and adventure and these are qualities that characterise our brand too. As a small company, we identified with the expedition as a wonderful expression of British spirit on a shoestring budget setting out to achieve something new and, quite eccentric. We’re very proud to be associated with

Struan and his team.” And finally, what of the watches – the tough timepieces that went every step of the way on this magnificent expedition? Theo Scott, who led the final ascent couldn’t praise the sturdy watch more. “We were really impressed with the Makaira Pro 500. We took it to -20°C, then swimming in hot springs, up to 16,000ft, through sandstorms in the Kazakh desert, and finally got it covered in oil doing car repairs… it’s tougher than us!” Now that’s some compliment.

Not just for diving, the C11 Makaira PRO 500 Named after the Greek word for sword – and also the name of several types of marlin – the Makaira is Christopher Ward’s most serious diving watch. Able to withstand 735lb of pressure and waterproof to 500m, its luminous hands proved invaluable to the Tajikistan team as they prepared for their perilous climbs in the dark.

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CW | MAP MAK E RS

Swiss movement, English heart

C60 TRIDENT GREEN ÂŁ510

Made in Switzerland / Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with 38 hour power reserve / 42mm, marine-grade, 316L stainless-steel case with uni-directional aluminium countdown bezel / Water resistant to 300 metres / 4mm anti-reflective sapphire crustal / 316L stainless-steel deployment bracelet / Rubber and leather strap versions also available E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT

christopherward.co.uk


2006 C L A S S I C WAR D | CW

T HE C4 P E R E GRIN E CH R O N O G R A PH R E LE A S E D 2 0 06

CLASSIC WARD

THE MOVE INTO SPORTS CHRONOGRAPHS WITH THE C4 PEREGRINE WAS A SIGN OF CHRISTOPHER WARD’S AMBITION TO BECOME THE UK’S BEST WATCH BRAND

THE C4 PEREGRINE CHRONOGRAPH

Photo: Ken Copsey

The watch that became a favourite with armed forces around the world One of the things that marks Christopher Ward out as a watchmaker to be taken seriously is the sheer breadth of the designs. And while the company’s 2005 Malvern could be seen as its breakthrough timepiece, the move into sports chronographs with the C4 Peregrine was a sign of CW’s ambition to become the UK’s best watch brand. Released in September 2006, the 42mmdiameter C4 was a feature-laden quartz watch powered by an advanced ISA 8154-220 calibre movement. Fantastically good value (it retailed at £185), the timepiece became popular with RAF squadrons around the country, with versions later designed specifically for the armed forces. Named after the fastest animal in the world, the design was unashamedly masculine with a stainless steel case, thick leather strap and multi-function chronograph. The 12-hour alarm, date window and day indicator merely added to its appeal. In all, Christopher Ward made ten versions of the C4 Peregrine, with the Corax (shown here) and limited edition C4 Red eventually becoming the most sought-after. Such was the success of the C4 that it became the template for CW’s first automatic chronograph, the C40 SpeedHawk. And that really took Christopher Ward into the stratosphere. christopherward.co.uk 25


CW | H ISTORY MAK E RS

THE NEIGHBOURHOODS OF CENTRAL LONDON HAVE BEEN AT THE HEART OF BRITAIN’S WATCHMAKING INDUSTRY FOR CENTURIES, AS NICK TOYAS DISCOVERS WHEN HE TAKES A HOROLOGICAL HISTORY STROLL THROUGH THE CAPITAL

The walk begins near Tower 42 and takes in the haunts of Thomas Tompion, like Gresham College

A walk

back

in time

26 christopherward.co.uk

To the Tower We begin at Tower 42 in Bishopsgate (Underground: Liverpool St.), in the north of the City of London, the site of the original Gresham College, where we’ll uncover the story of Thomas Tompion (1639–1713) ‘the father of English clockmaking’. Tompion was a blacksmith by trade but came to London in 1671 to join the Clockmakers’ Company and soon found employment with physicist Robert Hooke. Tompion’s watches developed a reputation for superb craftsmanship and mechanical ingenuity, and Hooke and Tompion collaborated on some of the first watches to have balance springs. A true polymath, Hooke was Professor of Geometry at Gresham College and Curator of Experiments at the Royal Society, itself formed at Gresham College following a lecture by the then-Professor of Astronomy (and architect of St Paul’s cathedral), Sir Christopher Wren.

It was at Gresham that Hooke introduced Tompion to the leading scientists and intellectuals of the period and he received many important commissions. Tompion’s workshop would build about 5,500 watches and 650 clocks until his death in 1713. Recommended pub: The George, 40 Liverpool St, EC2

© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

F

or someone with a keen interest in all things watchmaking, London is the place to be. Starting in the City and then up into the districts of Clerkenwell and Holborn we’re about to go in search of the places where our greatest watchmakers, not only changed horology but navigation, scientific measurement and the concept of time itself. As is only right, along the way we’ll be recommending some friendly hostelries, should you fancy doing the walk yourself. Now, where were we?


HI S T O RY M A KER S | CW

Harrison… the father of precision The trail now leads us down Old Broad St and along Bartholomew Lane to the Guildhall (the ‘town hall’ of the City) and the Clockmakers Museum. Here we’ll find John Harrison’s first wooden, longcase clock movement. In 1713, the year Tompion died, Harrison, then a 20-year-old carpenter from Yorkshire, built his first clock. Although there was nothing particularly revolutionary about the mechanics of the movement – it was a poor timekeeper owing to its wooden construction – it marked the beginning of an extraordinary horological journey. Signed ‘John Harrison 1713’ in ink on the calendar wheel, this modest looking creation was a statement of intent and as Harrison painstakingly developed his technique, his mastery of the clockmaker’s art would revolutionise timekeeping and navigation for the next 200 years. And we’re not done with him yet.

“For every 15°that one travels eastward, the local time moves one hour ahead. Similarly, travelling West, the local time moves back one hour for every 15° of longitude”

Recommended pub: The stylish subterranean bar at Hawksmoor Guildhall, 10 Basinghall St, EC2

The Guildhall is the ‘town hall’ of the City of London, known to John Harrison and the Guild of Clockmakers

Following the money into Holborn John Harrison lived the greater part of his life at Red Lion Square, Holborn, just a mile from the Clockmakers Museum, so that’s where we’re off now. Harrison dedicated the greater part of his existence to solving what was known as the ‘longitude problem’ – the difficulty sailors had in determining their exact longitude at sea. According to the Royal Observatory, which was founded by Charles II to solve the problem: “For every 15° that one travels eastward, the local time moves one hour ahead. Similarly, travelling West, the local time moves back one hour for every 15° of longitude. Therefore, if we know the local times at two points on Earth, we can use the difference between them to calculate how far apart those places are in longitude, east or west.” What was needed was a clock that could keep time accurately at sea so mariners could determine their location. John Harrison vowed to make it – incentivised, no doubt, by the £20,000 prize on offer from the government to the person who could make such a timepiece. ➸ orderline 0844 875 1515 27


CW | H ISTORY MAK E RS

Red Lion Square was the home of John Harrison, maker of the H4 – the timepiece that solved the ‘longitude problem

Harrison devoted many years of experimentation to creating a series of timepieces which would be sufficiently accurate at sea to win the prize. His fourth timekeeper met the exacting requirements of the Admiralty, but after a protracted dispute, he was required to produce a further timekeeper, the H5, which was seatrialled by the king himself before the prize was reluctantly awarded. It was an astonishing triumph of determination and innovation, and one which would have a profound effect on what was then the world’s foremost maritime power. A comprehensive history of Harrison and the longitude problem can be found at the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth

The man who guided Darwin We’re staying in the area now, going round the corner to 119 High Holborn: Thomas Earnshaw’s workshop. While John Harrison’s work proved the theory that timekeepers of sufficient accuracy and reliability could be made for maritime use, his clocks, though brilliant in conception, were complicated, difficult to make and very pricey. Building on the development of Harrison’s work by John Arnold, it was another London maker, Thomas Earnshaw who developed what were now known as ‘chronometers’ which were practical to produce and fit for daily life on the ocean.

From his workshop, Earnshaw began producing chronometers to a design that survived almost unchanged until the advent of electronics and satellite navigation. Earnshaw’s chronometer No. 506 was carried on HMS Beagle between 1831 and 1836 on a voyage to circumnavigate the globe and establish a chain of points around the world of accurately known longitude. This was also the voyage that carried Charles Darwin who was inspired to write his book, On the Origin of Species upon his return. Therefore, without Earnshaw we’d have had to wait a little longer for someone to come up with the theory of evolution. The world certainly has a lot to thank him and Harrison for! Recommended pub: Cittie of York, 22 High Holborn, WC1

Thomas Earnshaw’s chronometer was taken by Charles Darwin on his journeys around the globe

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© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

Recommended pub: Old Nick, Sandland St, WC1


HI S T O RY M A KER S | CW

Swiss movement, English heart

CWFORUM

WATCH OF THE YEAR

C900 WORLDTIMER ÂŁ1,575

Calibre JJ03 modification (Patent pending) of ETA 2893 self-winding movement / Personally assembled by Master Watchmaker Johannes Jahnke at CW’s Swiss atelier / 2 x 24 hour time-zone display / 24 airport code identification and simultaneous world map indicator / 43mm, marine-grade, 316L polished steel case with sapphire crystal and transparent case-back / Ethically sourced, midnight blue, Louisiana alligator strap with Bader deployment E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT

christopherward.co.uk


Š PA Photos Limited

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SPAN

TIME

24 sec. Cardiff, 1973

It’s a cold, grey January day at Cardiff Arms Park, the spiritual home of rugby union in Wales. There’ll be no singing of the national anthem at this afternoon’s match, though, for the home team are not the usual men in red but the Barbarians, an invitational side made up of the best players in rugby union. Today, against the fearsome All Blacks, they will score perhaps the greatest try in the game’s history. It’s early in the match – the first minute in fact – when the ball finds its way to Phil Bennett just in front of the Barbarian goal posts. He picks it up and dances away from the clutches of four New Zealanders, who can only grasp fresh air as he evades them. Bennett then releases the ball to JPR Williams, who passes it to John Pullin and eventually it goes to Derek Quinnell who somehow manages to scoop the ball to Gareth Edwards coming up from behind. It’s on. By now, the crowd is roaring, willing Edwards forward as he slices through the All Blacks’ defence and makes for the line. As he approaches it he launches into a dive, burying the ball into the turf as he lands, the crowd now in hysteria. From Bennett first picking up the ball to Edwards touching down is just 24 seconds. But 40 years later, we’re still talking about it. Truly, the greatest try ever.

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CW | WATCH MAK E RS Smith uses antique watchmaking machinery that once belonged to his mentor, George Daniels

great The

apprentice

THERE’S LITTLE DOUBT THAT ROGER SMITH PRODUCES THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE WATCHES IN THE WORLD, BUT WHAT REALLY MAKES HIM TICK? MIKE FRANCE MEETS THE MAN WHO LEARNT HIS TRADE UNDER THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE GREATEST WATCHMAKER OF THEM ALL, GEORGE DANIELS

R

oger W Smith is the brightest hope of the British watchmaking industry. From his modest-looking studio in the Isle of Man, Smith’s company produces just ten timepieces a year, following the methods of George Daniels CBE, the master watchmaker who devised 34 disciplines that a horologist must master to produce a timepiece entirely on his own. It should come as no surprise that Smith’s methods follow Daniels’ so strictly. As a teenager, he was enrolled at the Manchester School of Horology, given a copy of Daniels’ classic Watchmaking book and went on to build his own pocket watch from scratch, a process that took two years. After showing it to Daniels – and being told that it looked “handmade” – Smith went back to work on a second model, one that took five years to create. Taking it to Daniels once more, this time the master watchmaker gave it his seal of approval and invited the Mancunian to the Isle of Man to become his apprentice. Roger set up his own studio there in 2001.

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In 2011, Daniels died, and it was left to Smith to carry on his work. Today, Roger’s watches, like the Series 2, are regarded as some of the best in the world, unsurpassed in their elegance and mechanical ingenuity. Here, Christopher Ward co-founder Mike France speaks to Roger about Daniels, Swiss mass production and the future of British watchmaking. MF: Hi Roger. So, why watchmaking? RS: I’d always been practical and excelled at

making models and working with my hands. My dad was interested in antiques, and I loved going around and meeting antiques dealers. Clock-and watch-repairing were related to that world. After reading Watchmaking, you decided to learn the “Daniels Method” of watchmaking. An intimidating task, surely?

To me it seemed reasonable, really. Here was a man I first met aged 17 and he pulled out this pocket watch which was astonishing. I read his book, and I re-read it several times. At first ➸


After showing his first watch to Daniels – and being told that it looked “handmade” – Smith went back to work on a second model, one that took five years to create

christopherward.co.uk 33


CW | WATCH MAK E RS

“The education in the watch industry is good, but it’s generally orientated toward watch repairing, which is never going to give people a helping hand toward making timepieces”

I thought it was impossible, but I became convinced I could make a watch by hand. Was Daniels dismissive when you took him your first watch?

Yes, he was very disappointed when he saw it. He did rally slightly and say I had a watch that was working, but I had to concentrate on making a watch that looked nice, that was a beautiful piece of work. That’s what I did for the next five years. What was your aim? Did you want to work with him?

Of course I was hoping that would happen. Initially, I wrote to him at the age of 19 and asked if he’d apprentice me but he told me to go away and make a watch. I was trying to prove myself to him. I trained as a repairer of quartz watches, but that really didn’t excite me, it worried me that I could be spending the rest of my life repairing watches. Moving on to today, you said in your speech at Salon QP that you think there’s a lot of PR puff around British watchmaking?

Yes, there’s a distinct lack of honesty. My comments on that day were out frustration on what’s being said about watchmaking. Open a magazine and every watchmaker is a great watchmaker. It’s damaging the new era in British watchmaking. We should all be honest and open. There’s no shame in buying a Swiss movement – after all they’re the best at making mechanisms. They’re the only people who’ve industrialised that level of quality…

They’re creating a wonderful product. That’s why many people in England are using their 34 christopherward.co.uk

mechanisms. We can never touch the Swiss, but if we can start being honest and open, it’s a way of starting something new. What needs to happen so we can get to a point where we can manufacture movements in this country that are affordable?

The education in the watch industry is good, but it’s generally orientated toward watch repairing, which is never going to give people a helping hand toward making watches. The Daniels method gives somebody a foundation in building timepieces – it enables the person to visualise a complete watch. Where’s that being taught?

The only place it’s being taught is here in the studio. We have six people and they’re being indoctrinated into that education on a daily basis, but it’s a tiny drop in the ocean. Perhaps the only thing we can aim for in Britain is intellectual leadership. We won’t see an industry like Switzerland… The Swiss are great at what they’re doing, making mass produced, high quality mechanisms

What the British have always been great at is the hand-crafted side of things. If you look at luxury goods like Bentley, Rolls-Royce or even Brompton folding bicycles, they’re getting a worldwide audience. There’s room for British watchmaking at a handcrafted level. At Christopher Ward, we have a low cost model that allows people to access high quality watches. How do you price yours?

People have said I could charge anything,

Smith’s Series 2 watches can take up to two years to make, all of which are inspired by the beautiful movements created by George Daniels

but it’s a world I don’t understand. I’m comfortable with our prices. If I added another name on the dial they’d be a lot more expensive, but our clients understand what we’re doing and it seems to work. Not like George Daniels, only selling to people he liked then…

Ha-ha! I haven’t exactly refused… it’s almost self selective. We’re not in a world of easy money. We don’t get celebrities. People have to wait for it, they like my story. My clients are self-made businessmen and they’ve created wealth. They’re all fascinating. Have you got any grandiose plans for your company?

Well, we make ten watches a year, but can’t see us making more than that because it’s so labour-intensive. It takes about nine months for each piece. What’s the hardest part of the process?

There’s no individual part, it’s a culmination of all them, particularly when you get to the finishing. Every part has been hand-finished. One lapsed moment could set you back hours, sometimes days. It’s about bringing everything to that pinnacle. Finally, do have any unfulfilled ambitions?

What I’m trying to do is create a body of work. To remind people how watches can be made – and were made in the past. There’s still a lot to do.


christopherward.co.uk 35


Swiss movement, English heart

C11 MSL MKI AUTOMATIC – VINTAGE E DITION £475

Made in Switzerland / Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with 38 hour power reserve / Satin-brushed 316L marine-grade stainless-steel case / Museum quality AR08 anti-reflective sapphire crystal / Old radium finish SuperLuminova™ hands and indexes / Vintage finish leather strap with tunnel stitching E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT

christopherward.co.uk


TIME

And so begins perhaps the best loved moment in British alternative comedy, Monty Python’s Dead Parrot sketch. The premise of the sketch is simple – simple but brilliantly absurd. A man, in this case Mr Praline (played by John Cleese), walks into a pet shop to complain about a parrot he bought “not half an hour ago”. A parrot that is obviously dead. The pet shop owner (Michael Palin) spends the next five minutes trying to deny this obvious fact, by claiming, among other things, that the parrot, a “Norwegian blue” is “pining for the fjords”. Praline retorts that, “’E’s not pining! ’E’s passed on! This parrot is no more!”

SPAN

“’Ello, I wish to register a complaint”

Broadcast as part of the first Python series on December 7th, 1969, the sketch, written by Cleese and co-Python Graham Chapman, was inspired by an earlier routine based around a car salesman who refused to admit there was anything wrong with an obviously decrepit car he’d just sold. Originally, a toaster was to be used, but Chapman thought that the sketch needed something “madder”, and so came up with the parrot. Over the years, the Python team have recorded several variations of Dead Parrot, and with ten dates booked in at London’s O2 this summer, it will surely see the light of day again. Not bad for something that apparently had “ceased to be”.

5mins: 34sec

orderline 0844 875 1515

37


CW | CLOTH E S MAK ERS

A Private

education

‘‘S

uch is the Old Town of Manchester, and on re-reading my description, I am forced to admit that instead of being exaggerated, it is far from black enough to convey a true impression of the filth, ruin, and uninhabitableness, the defiance of all considerations of cleanliness, ventilation, and health which characterise the construction of this single district, containing at least twenty to thirty thousand inhabitants. And such a district exists in the heart of the second city of England, the first manufacturing city of the world.” Friedrich Engels, The Conditions of the Working Class in England in 1844. Twenty years before Engels described the ‘Angel Meadow’ district of Manchester, Charles Macintosh patented a waterproof, rubberised cloth and the ‘Macintosh’ was born. The rainy city required waterproof fabric for its citizens, not only those who toiled in the hellish squalor as described by the pioneer of communism, but also for its gentlemen, its financiers, cotton mill owners, politicians and men of industry.

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TAKING OLD FASHIONED CRAFTSMANSHIP AND MERGING IT WITH MODERN DESIGN HAS MADE PRIVATE WHITE VC AN INCREASINGLY INFLUENTIAL FORCE IN MENSWEAR. AUTHOR OF CASUALS, PHIL THORNTON, VISITS ITS SALFORD FACTORY TO SEE WHAT LINKS A HERO OF THE GREAT WAR WITH A RESURGENCE IN BRITISH MANUFACTURING

To drive around modern day, innercity Manchester, the transformation of its red brick plantations into smart bourgeois loft spaces, only reflects the contemporary desire for sterile ‘urban’ safe zones, partitioned and insulated from the poverty that still creeps along the River Irwell. I am lost in Salford, trying to find the warehouse in Cottenham Lane where the Private White VC clothing label is based. In the imposing shadow of Strangeways prison, hundreds of

mostly Asian ‘swag’ outlets jostle for space. This has always been the heart of Manchester’s textile trade, the cotton, slave, sugar triangle that reduced many millions into rural and industrial bondage. The cotton was picked by African slaves, it was transported to Manchester and transformed into clothing by British spinners and weavers and exported all across the world. In the process, Manchester became a very rich city and ‘Cottonopolis’ was born. After asking for directions twice, I eventually locate the PWVC building right at the bottom of a long road leading down from the prison to the Irwell, separating Salford from Manchester proper. It’s a rough district, always has been, not the kind of area where you’d want to advertise the fact that inside this nondescript signless building, are coats costing 800 quid a pop. Yet, this is where 30-year-old James Eden has seen fit to locate his brand, back where it all started when his greatgrandad, Jack White returned from the Great War with a Victoria Cross and little else. ➸


“He’d won the Victoria Cross and was treated like a celebrity but he still needed a job – eventually he ended up owning the business”

christopherward.co.uk 39


There are racks of new and old stock, White’s amazing archive of designs for other labels and dusty, vintage looms, presses, tables and other machinery scattered around the floors and rooms

“Jack White was my great-grandfather and after the war, like most of his generation, he needed a job so he did what young men did and got an apprenticeship at the local raincoat factory”

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“Jack White was my greatgrandfather” says James “and after the war, like most of his generation, he needed a job so he did what young men did and got an apprenticeship at the local raincoat factory. There were hundreds of them around the area at that time, whether it was rainwear, outerwear, cloth merchants, button suppliers, this area was like the Las Vegas of the textile industry. He’d won the Victoria Cross and was treated like a celebrity but he still needed a job – eventually he ended up owning the business.” Over the years the factory grew, supplying the giants of British fashion with clothing they could would market as their own. But a few years back, James decided he wanted to produce clothing for his own brand, a clothing label that would be named after the man who started it all: Private White VC. “When I took over we were still a contract manufacturer making stuff


C LO T HE S M A KER S | CW

For lovers of British craftsmanship, the collection symbolises that very peculiar brand of British design – what could be termed ‘contemporary heritage’

for the likes of Paul Smith, Burberry, Baracuta and Rohan, but I thought there was an opportunity to restructure and restrategise the business. If you look outside the window you can see the Arndale centre, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges. We have a fantastic product, and a fantastic opportunity.” For lovers of British craftsmanship, the collection symbolises that very peculiar brand of British design – what could be termed ‘contemporary heritage’. There is a nostalgic theme to PWVC but it’s not over-reverential and rooted in an idealised past. The old adage that “style never goes out of fashion” is one that many work-, outer-

We’re happy to have a great designer in [Laura’s son] Nick Ashley as our creative director because he’s got the pedigree of the Laura Ashley family and Dunhill behind him, and he shares our values about British manufacturing.” This concern with the provenance of its products chimes with a customer base that’s more informed about where the clothing they wear originates from, as James says: “We’re very transparent. What better way of building the trust of a customer than actually showing them around the factory and maybe introduce them to Dot, who sews on the buttons? We can bang the ‘British-made’ drum

“We can bang the ‘British-made’ drum as loud as we like but if the product isn’t good enough, you’re on a hiding to nothing” and functional-wear manufacturers have stood by for decades. It’s the reason why so many new labels are finding a niche market for their products in the face of mass consumerist logo frenzy. James says, “The Ventile mac we’re currently making was a staple garment of this factory in the ’50s and ’60s but we’re obviously producing it for a new market. First and foremost, Private White is a maker’s brand, not a designer brand.

as loud as we like but if the product isn’t good enough, you’re on a hiding to nothing.” Another development is the opening of a factory shop on the ground floor. To make room for it, the warehouse has been spread about other rooms in the factory. Consequently, there are racks of new and old stock, White’s amazing archive of designs for other labels (where I could’ve stayed for days) and dusty,

vintage looms, presses, tables and other machinery scattered around the floors and rooms. The floorboards are being varnished and the space itself retains the authentic Victorian solidity of the ‘real’ Manchester. Fair to say, this won’t be some phoney approximation of ‘industrial chic’ but a showroom that will allow PWVC to sell its own products in the exact place they’re put together by so many expert hands. The rag trade has had its ups and downs, and as globalisation becomes ever more advanced and culture ever more ubiquitous, so some people return to old concepts of craftsmanship, quality and care. PWVC is the kind of manufacturing factory that has all but disappeared, not only from Manchester, but the UK as more and more labels and outlets chase the bottom line. Well, we’ve seen in Bangladesh and Pakistan what the terrible, tragic results of this are, so perhaps the pendulum has began to swing back in favour of quality once more. As I leave James, his business partner Mike Stoll notices a button missing from my (Danish-manufactured) jacket and he, James and another employee spend around 15 minutes searching through their entire stock of buttons to find a similar button to sew back onto it. Now, that’s the kind of service you don’t get every day.

www.privatewhitevc.com

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The

world in their

hands AS WE RELY MORE AND MORE ON DIGITAL MAPS, A NEW GENERATION OF MAPMAKERS IS HELPING TO PLOT A FRESH COURSE FOR TRADITIONAL CARTOGRAPHY, AS EDWARD REKKERS DISCOVERS

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M A P M A KER S | CW

L

ess than a decade ago, if you were lost on the streets of a major city, you’d pull out a crumpled copy of the A-Z to be set right by its comforting orange and yellow roads. Today, you’re more likely to whip out your smartphone and with a single finger swipe let Google Maps lead the way. For centuries, maps have helped us understand and navigate the world – from Ptolemy’s classical Geographica to the Henricus Martellus map most likely used by Columbus; from the 1569 Mercator projection – now often maligned for its northern hemisphere bias – to the politically, though perhaps not cartographically, correct Peters projection from 1974. As explorers have scoured the world, our graphic representations of the planet have become increasingly refined. Today, it’s unimaginable there remains any terra incognita to be charted. And, as technology has evolved, the arrival of Google Maps and GPS has turned us all into individual explorers, plotting courses through our urban existence.

“I’d set a little budget for my project, but before I knew it, I’d gone over three or four times. I had no choice but to set up a company or make the most expensive globe that’s ever been made” As geolocation takes over the role of the humble map, cartography can transcend its original purpose and tell a story beyond navigation. This might explain why the rise of Google Maps – which could have sounded the death knell for its paper counterparts – has seen an accompanying flourish of maps, globes and atlases as beautiful, well-made objects. Artists and designers are the new explorers and cartographers. In the 2012 book, A Map of the World according to Illustrators and Storytellers showcases this new generation of mapmakers. The editor Antonis Antoniou writes in the preface: “Cartography can be an incredible form of escapism, as maps act as proxies for experiences, real or fabricated. Whatever their purpose or subject matter, even the most rudimentary of maps have an inherent beauty, an attraction in their way of ordering things.” So here are three artisan companies that bring you this escapism, ordering the world with their own beautifully crafted maps and globes. Bellerby & Co. Globemakers

“Cartography can be an incredible form of escapism, as maps act as proxies for experiences, real or fabricated”

Peter Bellerby never meant to become a globemaker; all he wanted was a suitable present to mark his father’s 80th birthday. When he couldn’t find the decent-quality globe he was looking for, he decided to make one himself. After all, how hard could it be to stick a map on a ball? “I’d anticipated it would take three to four months, which turned into 18 months. The ➸

Bellerby and Co.’s handmade globes can cost up to £55,000

christopherward.co.uk 43


CW | MAP MAK E RS

“It’s very easy to damage the paper, because you’re wetting and stretching it, and it’s incredibly fragile”

whole thing was tortuous.” By the time his father received his gift two years late, Bellerby had taken on several commissions and his business was in full swing. “I’d set a little budget for my project, but before I knew it, I’d gone over three or four times. I had no choice but to set up a company or make the most expensive globe that’s ever been made.” Bellerby had spent a frustrating year correcting the map he’d bought from a reputable company – from spelling mistakes to major cartographic inaccuracies. He then stripped it down to outlines and place names, teaching himself the Illustrator program along the way. “You should see the laptop I used. It’s got dents all over where I’d throw it across the room. These programs are so counterintuitive.”

“For the larger globes we now use fibreglass, moulded on the machines they use for Formula 1 cars”

Above; A member of Bellerby staff at work, in their eclectic studio Left; Peter Bellerby started by attempting to make a globe for his father, a process that took two years

44 christopherward.co.uk

Another issue was morphing the 2D map into ‘gores’ – the paper triangles that are applied to a sphere. “My original globe was plaster of Paris, which I knew we’d be able to bond paper to. For the larger globes we now use fibreglass, moulded on the machines they use for Formula 1 cars.” Cut into strips with a scalpel, the map is hand-painted using Sennelier watercolours. The greatest difficulty of all however, is attaching these strips to the sphere. “That’s a challenge we face every single day” says Peter. “It’s very easy to damage the paper, because you’re wetting and stretching it and it’s incredibly fragile.” The painstaking process is

certainly paying off. Although Bellerby globes aren’t cheap – from £999 for a mini desk version to an eye-watering £54,000 for the 1.27m Nacele – they sell around the world. “We ship pretty much everywhere: Australia, China, India, the Middle East, Europe, South Africa, and our biggest market, America. We’re currently looking at getting some showroom space in New York.” The company is making inroads in South America, too, with one of their current commissions. “We’re doing an upside-down globe for a Brazilian firm at the moment. Globes are biased normally to the South Pole but this will have its bias on the North


M A P M A KER S | CW

Wellingtons Travel began when founder Taige Zhang was looking to buy a beautiful London map. With none around he decided to design his own

Pole. Standard maps might be Eurocentric, but why should that be right? The universe doesn’t have a north or south, does it?” So what does he think is the appeal of his globes? “I think people like the tactile-ness, they like having the real world in front of them. Google Maps is amazing and does a fantastic job – in fact, I use it all the time, but it’s not the same thing. We grow up seeing a globe in the geography department at school. And that’s something that stays with a lot of people.” www.bellerbyandco.com Wellingtons Travel Co.

Echoing Peter Bellerby’s experience, Wellington’s Travel Co. started when Canadian IT

consultant Taige Zhang was looking for a present during his four-year sojourn in London. “I wanted something more meaningful than a cup with ‘London’ written on it. I love travelling and maps, and what I really wanted was a leatherbound map as a souvenir and as a gift for people.” Zhang found that, although those were no longer made, there was still a great interest in quality goods and craftsmanship. Quick to spot a business opportunity, he decided to create his own heritage map of London, updated with contemporary landmarks like The Shard and London Eye alongside the capital’s historic monuments. He teamed up with designer/

“I wanted something more meaningful than a cup with ‘London’ written on it. I love travelling and maps, and what I really wanted was a leatherbound map as a souvenir, and as a gift for people”

architect Anna Butler, whom he found on Gumtree.“To find the required style, we went to the British Library, where we referenced lots of maps. We also consulted books on British history and antique map dealers.” The beautifully illustrated, 1800s-style map, with quirky details such as carriages, cyclists and rowing boats, took three years to complete. “We worked together on the design, but Anna created most of the artwork,” explains Zhang. “She used Google Earth to get the perspective of the buildings right.” Butler switched to computer drawing when her paper sketches turned out too hard to manipulate digitally. After many luxury prototypes, ➸ orderline 0844 875 1515

45


the pair settled on canvas prints. The first shop to stock Wellington’s Map of London was Blackwell’s, with travel bookshop Stanfords soon following suit. “The map sold really well during the Christmas season, but it wasn’t enough for us to treat it as a real business,” recalls Zhang. “We decided we needed to do this for 100 per cent, so we both quit our jobs for about six months.” The result was a resplendent larger edition launched for London 2012. “We added Olympic athletes, like the archers in Lord’s Cricket Ground and the beach volleyball in Horseguards’ Parade. We wanted to memorialise that year and create a 2012 vintage.” They also decided to produce a paper version that people could carry with them. “We envisioned people using our Travellers Map almost as a fantasy map. Obviously if they wanted to get to a place fast, they could use their smartphones, but our map put the romance back into walking the streets of London.” After London, Wellington’s have set their sights on a world map. Although Butler is no longer actively involved, Zhang is gearing up for his new project. “We’ve started drafting something up, but our focus is the quality. Unlike many technology companies, we don’t have that pressure to rush things out to the market. We can make it exactly the way we want it before we release it. That’s a luxury.” www.wellingtonstravel.com 46 Orderline 0844 875 1515

Photos: Herb Lester Associates / Stephanie Lynn Many

CW | MAP MAK E RS

Herb Lester Associates

Influenced by opinionated travel writers of the 1950s and 1960s, publishers Herb Lester catalogues the extraordinary alongside the mundane in their favourite cities. Its witty and retrodesigned A3 travel maps can obsess about interests as diverse as stationers and rubberwear makers, dive bars and soup kitchens, hat shops and haberdashers.

Jane Smillie and Ben Olins, the duo behind Lester, created their first map out of sheer necessity. Their contract publishing start-up had no money for an office and meetings were conducted in London coffee shops, “most of which were quite horrible,” Olins recalls. “Those meetings led to our first publication in April 2010, You Are Here, a compilation of some of the better

“We work with many exceptional illustrators and designers, but how we choose them is hard to analyse”

Herb Lester maps tap into local knowledge to take users closer to that authentic urban experience


M A P M A KER S | CW

“What we value most from a guide is that it makes decisions easier, that it gives us fewer, better options rather than simply list every possible place of interest”

locations to meet and work in central London.” After they’d sold a few of the short print run, they decided to do another guide. And then another. Although initially casting the net not much further than their immediate east London surroundings, before long, Herb Lester had travelled across the pond, producing How To Find Old New York and It’s Nice To Be Alone In Paris. Its brand of mid-century modern nostalgia came with a warning: “Many of these establishments hover on the brink of extinction. Seek them out, but call before making a long journey.” And so the company has expanded, releasing ten maps a year, each curating the places that make a city individual. “What we value most from a guide is that it makes decisions easier, that it gives us fewer, better options rather than simply list every possible place of interest.” The reverse of each map contains subjective vignettes on the places included, in a voice reminiscent of a bygone era, of forgotten authors like Cyril Ray, Betty James and Kate Simon.

Although Olins describes their guides as “only modest in scale and ambition”, Herb Lester has worked with some of the best contemporary graphic artists on both sides of the Atlantic – the likes of Luis Mendo, Jim Datz and Adam Dant. “We work with many exceptional illustrators and designers, but how we choose them is hard to analyse. Sometimes it’s about location – if we know that someone has a particular affinity with a place. Usually though we have a rough idea of what we want and look for someone we think will be able to do that.” For most of their maps, Smillie and Olins travel to their destinations under their own steam and carry out their research independently. “We try to steer clear of freebies,” says Olins. “We don’t really want to get into hotel recommendations. We want to stay outside the world of PRs and their relentless pushing of new places.” Some maps have been guestauthored though, by style writer The first Herb Lester map, You Are Here, showcased the best places in London for workers to meet and collaborate in

“What we do wouldn’t be possible without the internet, yet we believe that our printed products offer something that digital media simply can’t”

Paul Gorham for instance, and Spitalfields chronicler The Gentle Author. Also, as there isn’t always the budget to visit further-flung destinations, sometimes Herb Lester commissions people who live there or who know the company well. This growing circle of friends and collaborators share a sensibility and exchange tips via social networks. “What we do wouldn’t be possible without the internet, yet we believe that our printed products offer something that digital media simply can’t,” says Olins. www.herblester.com

christopherward.co.uk 47


CW | SCIENCE OF TIME

TIME HOW WE REMEMBER

SUPPOSE THAT A WITNESS HAS SEEN A SUSPECT FIRST LEAVING AND THEN GETTING BACK TO HIS APARTMENT. THE POLICE INSPECTOR’S INCISIVE QUESTION IS, HOW LONG WAS THE SUSPECT AWAY FROM THE APARTMENT?, SINCE HE WANTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER A MURDER COULD HAVE BEEN COMMITTED DURING THAT TIME...

How is our witness to know? She probably did not look at her watch to measure the timing of her neighbors’ activities (unless she was a very nosy neighbour!). The witness may end up testifying in court, so how reliable will her estimate be? The answer seems to be “not very reliable”. In 1969, psychologist Robert Ornstein pointed out that in situations in which we do not pay attention to the passage of time, and therefore, we do not try to measure it, we reconstruct the duration of events from memory. To find out how this works, he conducted a series of experiments in laboratory conditions. Volunteers were presented with some stimuli (sounds, words, visual images, etc.) and were asked to answer questions about them. Cleverly, Ornstein varied the complexity of the stimuli presented to participants within the same time interval. For example, participants would listen to a five seconds interval “filled” with 10 tones (complex stimulus) or five tones (simpler stimulus) and they had to judge their duration relative to each other (which tone sequence was shorter or longer). He found that people typically judge the interval filled with more tones as longer, even though in all cases the stimuli lasted exactly five seconds! Why was this? Ornstein suggested that the duration attributed to a stimulus event depends on how much information we have stored in memory. To remember a 10-tone stimulus, we need to store more information than to remember a five-tone stimulus, and 48 Orderline 0844 875 1515

SILVIA P. GENNARI

therefore, in retrospect, the 10-tone stimulus is judged longer. Ornstein extended this idea to different kinds of events: Indeed, images or dance moves that are complex are judged longer than images and dance moves that are simpler, even if they last the exact same clock duration. These observations suggest that the accuracy of our witness’s testimony depends on what she has in mind, e.g., she may rely on what happened in her life during the time between seeing the suspect leaving and arriving home. If she was cooking, or sewing a dress, as opposed to listening to relaxing music, her memory of that period of time will be complex, and therefore, the estimated duration will be longer than it actually was. In other words, although she was asked only to estimate the time that passed between one thing and another, what she remembers as having filled that time will determine how much time she thought had passed.

on how long we think they have taken. If our witness thinks (on the basis of circumstantial evidence available to her) that the suspect only left the house to get beer from the corner shop, or, alternatively, if she thinks that the suspect was actually visiting the girl in the 10th floor, she is likely to attribute very different durations to the suspect’s absence from home in each case, because her experience of these events as she conceives them tells her that they are different. It may serve the defence lawyer well to interrogate the witness about her duration estimates! Importantly, the way we conceive of events influences how long we think they will be, thus compromising projections into the future. People are often remarkably inaccurate in estimating the time it will take them to accomplish a task. Students for example, often underestimate the time it will take them to revise before an exam, and this may be because they simply have not broken

IMPORTANTLY, THE WAY WE CONCEIVE OF EVENTS INFLUENCES HOW LONG WE THINK THEY WILL BE, THUS COMPROMISING PROJECTIONS INTO THE FUTURE A similar phenomenon has also been observed when we judge the duration of ordinary events based on our accumulated experience of the world, rather than on a memory of a specific event. Most of us have had experiences of cooking dinner or painting a room (even if we do not perform these actions ourselves, we have seen others performing them). When Marta Coll-Florit and I asked participants to judge how long ordinary events last, we found that events that are associated with more complex knowledge in our mind are judged as longer. Think about it: Building a house typically involves many different stages, but opening a house does not. From this knowledge, we know that the former event takes longer than the latter. These findings suggest that the way we describe or conceive of events will impact

down the task correctly (which goes hand in hand with overconfidence!). Thus, if your team is planning to release a new product by a given date, or you expect to finish a project before the holidays, make sure you think about the details. It turns out that the further into the future the event is, the less we think about the details of what will be required to make the event happen, and the less time we therefore attribute to how long it will take to make it happen. Estimating how long things take is no easy task – no wonder we invented mechanical devices to do this for us. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Silvia Gennari is a Senior Lecturer at the University of York in the UK, having studied both in the USA and in her native Argentina. She studies the brain’s representation of events, using a mixture of techniques that range from brain scanning to measuring eye movements. She does not own a watch.


CHRISTOPHER WARD

G UA R A N T E E Investing in a fine Christopher Ward watch means you will enjoy a lifetime of support and Option service from6 us, starting with our famous 60/60 Guarantee which even today, nearly ten years after we introduced it, remains the most comprehensive guarantee T world of watchmaking. I Sin the

E E – N T C A

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60-d ay Fr e e r e turn S

6 0 mo n th mo V e me n t g u ar an te e

If for any reason you are not happy with your watch, you have up to 60 days to return your watch FREE of charge and receive a replacement or full refund by return with no excuses or quibbles. A purchase from Christopher Ward is completely risk free.

It is extremely unlikely that your watch will ever develop a mechanical fault as it has a premium grade, high precision, Swiss made movement at its heart. However, if it does gowrong within five years we will be more than happy to repair or replace it.

W A

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If undelivered please return to: Christopher Ward (London) Limited,1 Park Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 1SL, UK

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C9 HARRISON BIG DAY-DATE AUTOMATIC ÂŁ650

Made in Switzerland / Modified ETA 2836-2 automatic movement with Big Day-Date complication by Johannes Jahnke / 38 hour power reserve / 43mm, Hand-polished, 316L stainless steel case / Anti-reflective sapphire crystal / Exhibition case-back / Italian leather strap with Bader deployment E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT

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If undelivered please return to: Christopher Ward (London) Limited,1 Park Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 1SL, UK

Swiss movement, English heart

C9 HARRISON B IG DAY- DATE A UTOMATIC ÂŁ650

Made in Switzerland / Modified ETA 2836-2 automatic movement with Big Day-Date complication by Johannes Jahnke / 38 hour power reserve / 43mm, Hand-polished, 316L stainless steel case / Anti-reflective sapphire crystal / Exhibition case-back / Italian leather strap with Bader deployment E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT

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