Two faces, Two dials, Two identities

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About

Quill & Pad is an online magazine perpetuating the art of high-quality, long-form journalism with in-depth reports and exclusive photos and videos.

Founded by Elizabeth Doerr and Ian Skellern, Quill & Pad saw two well-established voices in the fine watch industry adding their professionalism and experience to the world of new media. With a combined 40 years of professional background in publishing on fine watchmaking, Elizabeth Doerr and Ian Skellern have provided textual and photographic joy to millions of connoisseurs, budding enthusiasts and serious collectors of haute horlogerie in print and online.

Elizabeth Doerr

Thirty years in watch publishing began when the German publishing house I worked for started the magazine ArmbandUhren. I have since walked down an interesting path full of rich experience. Leaving that job to start a family in late 1996, I became a freelancer with my main publications in those years iW (International Watch) and Wristwatch Annual, which I started on the American market in conjunction with my previous employer and Abbeville Press in New York. I remained senior editor of Wristwatch Annual for 11 editions.

What was once a job has become a full-blown passion, and my optimistic American attitude has kept me in Europe, where I have resided since 1988, as I am closer to the watch scene here. This, in turn, has also made me a sought-after contributor to a variety of magazines, an oft-quoted specialist in newspapers, and a frequent member of various industry juries and committees. Prominently, these include the prestigious Cultural Committee of the FHH (Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie) and participation in the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 juries of watchmaking’s “Oscars,” the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.

I have written for many magazines and other publications throughout my long career, including (but by a long shot not restricted to) Robb Report, Cigar Aficionado, Esquire UK, Hollywood Reporter, Harper’s Bazaar Australia and Arabia, Vanity Fair ‘On Time,’ Hagerty Classic Cars, Architectural Digest Germany, Tatler Hong Kong, Surface, and Forbes.com.

With media making an increasingly prominent move toward the digital world, in 2009 I also moved part of my focus online and became head of English-language content at Switzerland’s Worldtempus.com until its relaunch in early 2013. I have also collaborated with The Watches TV, the first video magazine in the watch world, for many years.

Additionally, I have dabbled in books: I co-authored Elite Timepieces in 2008 and wrote 12 Faces of Time, an artistic look at independent watchmaking, which was published by teNeues in February 2010. In the spring of 2015, Watchprint published Bridging Art and Mechanics: The Unabridged Story of the Corum Golden Bridge, a book about one of my favorite watches of all time.

I stepped down as editor-in-chief of Quill & Pad on December 31, 2022.

Ian Skellern

In 1984, I left Australia to travel the world for a year with just enough money in my pocket to last me for around two months. I knew that planet earth was a big place, but a year is a long time and, seriously, how long could it possibly take? Well in my case, 30 years and still counting! I have called a village in the Swiss countryside between Geneva and Lausanne home for nearly two decades now, and for much of that time I’ve been sharing my passion for watches and watchmakers, especially the independents.

ThePuristS was my first digital horological home, and I was very fortunate to have been there during a golden age, learning from many incredible people. Posting articles and photos online at ThePuristS led to publishing in magazines such as iW (International Watch), and I became its Swiss correspondent for many years. Since then I have written for Robb Report, Wynn Magazine, Revolution, Vanity Fair (UK) and QP (who I still write for fairly regularly). Peter Speake-Marin had the idea for a book to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the A.H.C.I. in 2010, and I wrote The Hands of Time, which we published that year.

Otherwise in the online world, I’ve been a moderator at ThePuristS (now PuristS Pro), moderator and administrator for Revolution Online and even written a few travel articles for the irreverent but fun The Prodigal Guide.

Along the way, I’ve also learnt a little about photography; just enough to be competent with a camera from time to time and be able to appreciate those who make it an art form.

But man  − well, not this man anyway  − cannot live by writing about watches for magazines and blogs alone, and in 2008 I started a small company called underthedial to provide marketing and communication services to small brands and independents.

While I’ve thought about launching my own blog many times over the years and had quite a few interesting offers, nothing really inspired me until a conversation with Elizabeth early in 2013 led to Quill & Pad. As somebody who loves watches and watchmaking, I feel incredibly fortunate to be living at the epicenter of high-end watchmaking at an incredibly creative period in time and feel honored to be able to share this world with an audience of like-minded souls.

Joshua Munchow

I am the resident nerdwriter for Quill & Pad. I revel in the complicated aspects of watchmaking thanks to a lifelong love of gears and clever mechanisms. With a background in model-making, machining, and dissecting anything I could as a child, I bring a natural technical curiosity to my writing.

My day job with a design firm as technical development lead (in other words, head prototype-maker guy) gives me a thorough understanding of how things are supposed to work. Combining this with a healthy dose of geekery in numerous subjects sometimes results in interesting word explosions that are all me – like “awesomazingatude.” You may have already seen these “wordinations” on watchuseek.com, where I began my writing career thanks to founder Ernie Romers.

For more, please have a look at Elizabeth Doerr’s introduction “Introducing Resident ‘Nerdwriter’ Joshua Munchow.”

GaryG

I am the resident collector for Quill & Pad. My enduring love affair with good watchmaking began in my formative years and has accompanied me throughout my adult life. In the fortunate position to be able to acquire luxury timepieces as an adult, I am choosy in terms of quality and meaning and do not follow the mainstream art of collecting as it is primarily understood today.

I have been an active contributor to online horological fora for about a decade as I have also become very interested in learning the art of macro photography and even take lessons with wizard photographer Ming Thein. I joined Quill & Pad as the concept of talking about what interests the contributors (and therefore the readers) rather than the act of being an amplifier for industry press releases appeals to me greatly.

For more, please have a look at Elizabeth Doerr’s introduction “Introducing Resident ‘Collector’ GaryG.”

Raman Kalra

I am based in London and run a watch blog called The Watch Muse.

I have long had an interest in watches. As a teenager, I had a small collection that included a Casio calculator watch and a Casio CMD-40 TV remote. And I distinctly recall my father’s TAG Heuer and Breitling. Then around 10 years ago watches became a passion. I discovered the discussion forums and began appreciating the significance of the small details of a watch. What I love is that watches are a true blend of art and engineering. Understanding this led to the realisation that watches are unlike anything else out there.

Since then, the obsession evolved into watch photography and writing. My aim with The Watch Muse was to consolidate my thoughts after spending far too much time reading about and researching different watches and brands and providing honest in-depth views of the world of watches.

Chris Malburg

I began my professional life as an investment banker in Los Angeles, but I became a writer just as soon as I could thanks to Stanford’s writing school. With four million words in print spread over magazine articles, 28 business and finance books, and four novels (the latest, Man of Honor, came out in January 2017), you’ve got to love the art to survive.

When I was a practicing CPA, I developed a deep respect for the value of time. After all, it was my time (billed in expensive hourly chunks) that kept the wolf from the door. From there it was a small leap into precision timepieces. I prefer the working man’s watches, preferably in blue. Why? No idea. But the more utilitarian, the better. If they were used in a trade and have wear marks I want to know just how the piece came to be worn in that particular way.

There is nothing I like more than diving into a pithy horological question and communicating the (little known and often surprising) answer to readers. And I love hearing from readers, so please do e-mail me at [email protected].

Chris Malburg
Martin Green

Martin Green

I am the resident gentleman of Quill & Pad. A Dutch national with familial ties to the United States of America, I unwittingly landed in the world of watches just before I turned 18. My grandfather always had an interest in timepieces, and I decided that I would celebrate my eighteenth birthday with the purchase of my very first Swiss wristwatch.

Little did I know that this would open a wormhole propelling me into a universe that I am now very happy to call home. Nearly two decades have since passed, and during that time I have had the privilege to write for respected publications such as Monochrome, Christie’s Longitude, Troisanneaux, and Revolution. I currently serve as editor-at-large for Haute Time, a magazine and website aimed at the top of the market.

I have a deep-rooted passion for watches. And while being a gentleman perfectly describes my approach to life, it does also require the development of eclectic knowledge that goes beyond beautiful timepieces.

Therefore, I also hope to enrich Quill & Pad with various watch and non-watch-related articles that are luxurious in nature, but which could nevertheless be quite interesting to watch-crazy readers.

Ken-Gargett

Ken Gargett

Born and bred in Brisbane, Australia, I enjoyed a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades before studying law at Queensland University. On a fishing trip, someone opened a good bottle of port and so commenced a serious obsession. I then studied in London, then worked London, Washington DC, and Sydney in banking law (pleased to be out of that now, even if my bank manager disagrees). Returning home, I was asked to do some occasional wine writing by friends who knew of my obsession. Eventually, it took over.

Needless to say, I am a grave disappointment to my family. My mother, when told I was off to a “vertical tasting,” was overheard muttering that at least you’d think these people could afford chairs. Later, she severely chastised me for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted I’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. It has not been easy.

Now, I mostly write on wine for newspapers, various magazines, and internet publications – and I do a little on cigars, fishing, travel, and food.

When not writing, I am fly-fishing for trout in New Zealand and bonefish on the flats of Cuba, traveling, smoking cigars, following a variety of sporting teams (the too-rarely glorious Queensland Reds rugby, dysfunctional Washington Redskins, too-often dismal Arsenal), and especially reveling in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home (Rugby World Cup next).

Ashton Tracy

Horology runs deep through my veins. Born in New Zealand, I moved to Australia at a young age. When I was 16 my family moved to the U.K., and at 18 I began attending the British School of Watchmaking in Manchester, where I achieved my WOSTEP diploma after completing the 3,000-hour course. I set up shop in Clerkenwell, London, the home of British watchmaking, working for several local dealers of fine vintage and modern timepieces and eventually becoming the official U.K. service center for Linde Werdelin. Vintage chronographs and military IWCs became a personal favorite of mine and I serviced them in droves.

Not too long after, I was missing the southern hemisphere so I decided to move to Melbourne, Australia. It was there that I became the Australian service center for Montblanc and recommended repairer for various other dealers and brands. I did everything from battery changes in Raymond Weils to overhauls on IWC Big Pilots.

Many years later I met my beautiful wife and we decided to move to her home country of Canada. It was there I worked for Rolex and trained on the 31, 21, and 22 families, Calibers 4030, 4130, Yachtmaster II, and most recently the 3235/55. I have repaired countless watches for dozens of brands, I know the ins and outs of calibers and watchmaking in general.

Writing and horology have always been passions of mine. As of 2018 I have decided to combine the two and make it my full-time endeavor as I take some time to travel (currently in Central America). The focus of my articles is to enlighten the reader with the more technical aspects of watchmaking and make them more transparent: I dive deep to find out if the claims of the watch industry really live up to the hype. Repeating press releases is not my game, I focus on how modern horological advances affect you, the reader and end consumer.

Ashton Tracy
Tim Mosso

Tim Mosso

I am a writer by trade, but the spoken word has been my signature in the watch industry.

For a period, I was the most prolific filmmaker in Hollywood (Florida). My voice in the luxury watch space gathered volume over the course of 4,500 – and counting – showcase videos of individual watches; I monopolize your “recommended” video menu on YouTube. In addition, I have filmed more than 300 live online streams of themed luxury watch discussion, buyer’s advice, opinion, and industry analysis.

My previous gigs encompassed New York finance and service as an officer with U.S. Navy Public Affairs.

Beyond these pages, I serve as the Watch Specialist and Media Director of pre-owned watch retailer Watchbox. My publications online and off include Ablogtowatch, iW Magazine, Quill & Pad plus video collaborations with Europa Star, Revolution, and WatchTime. I have been featured in media as varied as The New York Times and the Social Pros podcast. Stalk me on Instagram: @tim_mosso.

Dietmar W. Fuchs

I am the resident diver at Quill & Pad, competent enough to test any self-proclaimed diver’s watch to its limits. I both submit these watches to the same pressures divers experience and explore their history and accomplishments on the wrists of real aquanauts.

I was born in Germany’s Niedersachsen and raised to Air Force standards in Bavaria and Texas, where I joined the high-flying boys. But I eventually decided that the empty skies don’t hold as many adventures as the depths of the seas.

In the early 1980s, I spent four years as a dive instructor and boat captain in the Caribbean before returning to Germany to study marine biology and – big mistake – journalism. The latter never let me go. Combining my two biggest interests, I started publishing diving magazines and still do.

Watches have been my everyday partners all my adult life, first in the sky and later at the bottom of the sea. First as lifesaving instruments and later as cherished companions. Diver’s watches and I are so close they tell me their secrets, reliving their greatest adventures on the wrists of accomplished divers.

If you want to know whether your favorite watch is fit for the greatest adventures of humankind, join me on my way down.

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