TEMPTATION, DOUBLED

Swiss watchmaker Anura Rafael’s Write Time is half-watch, half-pen, and the sole object of our heart’s desire.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

Swiss watchmaker Anura Rafael’s Write Time is half-watch, half-pen, and the sole object of our heart’s desire.

My Reading Room

The Anura Rafael Write Time ($347,900) combines traditional watchmaking and pen craftsmanship in a convertible object that will weaken the knees of all Luddites. Forget computers, e-mail and digital clocks – this 18K gold and alligator skin pen allows you to write while keeping track of time, thanks to a manual-wind mechanical movement with a tourbillon encapsulated at the top of the barrel. If writing by hand is too plebeian for you, the timekeeping capsule can be detached and locked into a leather wristlet to create a striking timepiece. Each set is made to order, allowing you to customise everything from the movement to the nib. If only they’d invented this when we still wore uniforms. 

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