+6 -4 ©  

Many people assemble collections for reasons as varied as collections themselves. Assembled here is a collection of my essays inspired by a passion for collecting mechanical watches.                                                                                                    
The Watch That Never Grew Old                            2002
A man dies, leaving a safe full watches untouched for over 50-years. This is the story of one of those watches and the often unsolvable mystery of provenance.
The Patina of Time                                                  2004
Erwin Bilgrey, a Romanian immigrant, smuggled one of his most prized possessions out of the old world into a new life. This is the story of that watch's journey through the 20th Century.
The IWC Cousteau Divers ®                                             2005
IWC pays homage to diving's greatest legend - Jacques-Yves Cousteau - with their first Cousteau Divers Aquatimer.
Feliz Aniversário Do Jubilee!                              2003
Celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Portuguese Jubilee, and the brief history of a watch that could have only been born in Schaffhausen.
Albert Pellaton and the Ingenieur                       2005
A possible, though not very probable history of how Albert Pellaton might have come to develop the famous Ingenieur.
The KaviRama Portuguese Jubilee                            2004
Collectors call it myth. IWC won't call it at all.  
Read a first-hand account of the search for this rarest of Jubilees, then decide for yourself. 
The State of Horology                                          2002
An inside look at the state of the U.S. watch industry and the policies that crippled a nation's chances for horological greatness - maybe.
The Night Before an IWC Christmas                    2006
Had Clement Clarke Moore owned a watch made by IWC, his classic Christmas poem might have read a bit like this.
Terry N. Russell
   A Collection of Writings on the Collection of Watches  
Déjà Visité - A visit to Schaffhausen                     2007
My second trip to Switzerland affords me an opportunity to finally visit Schaffhausen. Was it everything I thought it would be, or just Déjà Vu all over again?
The Night Before Another IWC Christmas               2007
Some special visitors pop in on Christmas eve, drawn perhaps by the new museum. 
The 2007 Cousteau Divers Chronograph              2008
A look at the 3rd and perhaps the last of the Cousteau Divers Aquatimers
The Night Before Yet Another IWC Christmas      2010
Nothing has been easy about these past 2-years, but a recent experience with the IWC Boutique in Beverly Hills gave inspiration for another twist of the most classic Christmas poem ever written.


The Night Before Yet Again Another IWC Christmas  2011
Celebrities are now de rigueur in Schaffhausen, and whilst the hardest core among us mere commoners decries the spotlights and champagne, a thriving Watch benefits and inspires the fifth rendition of the most classic Christmas poem ever written.
Grand Opening of the IWC NYC Flagship Boutique   2012
IWC opens the NYC Flagship store on Madison Avenue and celebrates the occasion with a special group of collectors from around the world - and some really nice bookends.
Ernst & Ernst                                                                    2013
Ernst Jakob Homberger buys a watch to honor the service of a long-standing employee and 72-years later it finds its way to me
The Night Before Once Again Another IWC Christmas  2015
Even modern day watchmakers mind find their sources of complaint, but few today realize the difficulties facing the past masters in the execution of their art. Herein, IWC's watchmakers of today visit with the Master Kurt Klaus and gain a bit of perspective and perhaps appreciation for modern day watchmaking.
A Rightful Place                                                                    2023
As IWC launches the new reference 3289 "Genta Jumbo", it's finally time to recognize the progenitor 1832 SL among Gerald Genta's most famous masterpieces.