The legendary collector and author Auro Montanari, best known by his pen name John Goldberger, cited this one as his favourite – as did a couple of other Illuminati members. “Should it ever come to pass that I can walk in and out with one in my bag, then the Ocho Negro will become my new desk clock,” says Adam Craniotes, founder of the watch club RedBar.
2. Lan Ba
Much like the MoonSwatches, the best versions of the Royal Pop signal towards the actual history of timepieces. Ultimately, the most honourable purpose of these watches is to educate the masses on their parentage.
This collaboration is divided into two formats: lépine and savonette. Six of the eight are the former, with the crown at 12 o’clock. The Otg Roz and Lan Ba, meanwhile, come in the savonette orientation with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock and the crown at 3 o’clock (the typical position you’d find it on a wristwatch). According to Hodinkee’s Mark Kauzlarich, the proud owner of 50 pocket watches, the subdial was a common feature on historic pocket watches. “A small seconds subdial is the first thing I think of when I think of early pocket watches,” says Kauzlarich, who chose the Lan Ba as his favourite of the set. James Lamdin of Analog:Shift also ranked this highest.
And, just between us, the savonette-style options might have a hidden advantage. The ability to pop these watches out of their frame means whichever enterprising bootlegger is the first to devise a strap that converts the Royal Pops into wristwatches will make a quick buck. The savonette’s more typical subdial and crown orientation would just so happen to fit perfectly into one of those theoretical straps.
1. Huit Blanc
