Hello and welcome to the Fourth Wheel’s weekly news bulletin. Can I just say that whoever cut the brake cables on 2026, you have unleashed quite the juggernaut. Less ‘constant force’, more ‘constant drama’. As KingFlum wrote, with a phrase that I think will be lodged in my brain for the rest of the year, we are “drowning in what we wanted”. Every trend is a torrent, no watchmaker willing to risk being outflanked.
This week saw Audemars Piguet launch what would a decade ago have counted as an impressive selection of references for an entire year, including an entirely new Art Deco style jumping-hour dress watch and a super pocket watch that comes with a petite jab at Vacheron Constantin. It will doubtless only be the opening salvo of launches. There are so many top tier launches that I lacked the time to talk about new releases from Moser, Angelus, Hermes or Studio Underd0g, to name just a few.
Instead I did my best to cling onto the rollercoaster of intrigue, with boardroom drama at Greubel Forsey. I’ve spoken to CEO Michel Nydegger and ousted co-founder Stephen Forsey (who, lest I raise your expectations in too much of a clickbait fashion, is not commenting at this time. Sorry.)
Elsewhere in this episode, I give a few thoughts on the oddity of Patek Philippe’s decision to lower prices in the USA, the continued chaos that is the gold market, and I speculate wildly about whether Tudor’s new-found love of motorsport will eventually deliver unto us the Big Block revival that is so patiently awaited.
Thanks for listening. I’ll see you back here next week for more.
Chris
