Grinding Gears: Horological Time Machine — A Dispatch From 2054

Famed science fiction author Arthur C Clarke once wrote that 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Magic is as good an explanation for any as this dispatch, which appeared in the Grinding Gears editorial inbox some days ago, claiming to be from June 2054, purporting to be a mid-year analysis of the watch industry written by an unknown freelancer named J. Verne. We have decided to publish it in its entirety and set a reminder for 30 years time to fact-check it. 

The vault doors have finally been secured on the 17th annual Bitcoin Presents Watches & Wonders watch fair in Geneva's Palexpo compound, and we're happy to report that there's a renewed spirit of hope and optimism about the future of mechanical watches — the Rolex versus Omega rivalry seems to have gone cold, with both conglomerates reporting zero casualties in the last year. In other Rolex-related news, the big news is the GMT-Master 4 being able to track time on the lunar outpost as well as on earth — technically impressive, but let's be real, most people will be buying this watch for the new self-healing nanite bezel, in the so-called 'Heineken' bezel. 

On the other side of the corporate fence, Richemont, with coffers full thanks to the incredible success of the Panerai under CEO Jason Statham Jnr has been on something of a spending spree, acquiring Daniel Wellington and Skagen to round out their affordable luxury segment. Meanwhile, controversy surrounds Apple's latest implantable timekeeping device, with some claiming that the 38th generation of the once-groundbreaking smartwatch is implanting subliminal pop-up ads into the dreams of wearers.

In terms of independent watchmaking, Baltic's new quad-core tourbillon with laser-sintered case was widely regarded as the best example of traditional, classic watchmaking from the fair, winning the coveted Clymer award for excellence, as awarded by the jury at the LVMHGPHG. 

Of course, vintage watches are still holding strong, with early 21st centuries of key makers attracting huge premiums. In recent auction news, a mint-condition 'A' series Hublot Big Bang. All Black has hammered in a new auction record for an un-augmented wristwatch and was called the "greatest horological innovation of our age" by the AI hologram of Aurel Bacs.