Philosopher and physicists do not share the same vision of time. Moreover, its value and its cadence vary from one part of the world to another. For Western societies, the year-end period is increasingly hectic, with active men and women becoming busier than ever as the month of December flashes by and everything seems to accelerate. And then once the New Year has been ushered in, the frenzy subsides and everything slows down… at least traditionally so. For in our micro-universe of watchmaking, the first quarter of the year brings the world watch shows, which means we have to wait for the summer to catch our breath. Nonetheless, the timepieces we wear on our wrists, which are watchmakers' very reason for living, are completely impervious to this existential ebb and flow. Provided their mechanism is well adjusted and efficient, it enables them to live in a well protected "bubble" and to beat at exactly the same tempo from the first to the last day of the year - and the most sophisticated even remind their owner whether or not it's a leap year. Made of steel, gold or titanium, sparkling with gemstones or playing on contrasts with carbon or ceramics, a watch carries within it the soul of its creator - be that a time-honoured brand or a contemporary watchmaker with a face well-known to collectors. Each has its own story. This special collector's edition published for Thanksgiving tells a few of these tales, sometimes poetic such as the Luminor Marina featured on our cover, frequently synonymous with technical accomplishments, and systematically timeless. Take your time when reading it, since only your fingers and your eyes need dictate the speed of rotation of these seven dozen pages with a potentially retrograding display.

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