fine watches magazine Behind the scenes of a photo shoot As seen by Audemars Piguet Breguet Bvlgari Cartier Chopard Chanel Grand Seiko Herm s Hublot Jaeger LeCoultre Longines Louis Vuitton Montblanc Panerai Rado Richard Mille Rolex TAG Heuer Published by Watch Your Time and distributed with The Daily Telegraph European Edition 2023 SPECIAL FEATURE THURSDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2023 PUBLISHED BY WATCH YOUR TIME HOLDING WHO TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS AND DISTRIBUTED WITH THE DAILY TELEGR APH AVAIL ABLE IN LONDON SOUTH AND NORTH E AST ENGL AND ONLY watchyourtime com Thiemo Sander and Helmut Stelzenberger light up time The year s new watches in words and images
audemars
audemars
breguet
breguet com Type XX 2057 The Breguet Type XX has accompanied the most experienced pilots since 1954 landing on the wrist with perfect precision Make Histborryewgituh eust
panerai extend your international limited warranty for up to 8 years on panerai com
EDITIONS TEMPS INTERNATIONAL LTD 2503 BAN K OF AM E R ICA TOWE R 12 HARCOU RT ROAD CE NTRAL HONG KONG E D I T I O N S T E M P S I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O M EUROPEAN EDITION 2023 PUBLISHED SIM U LTAN EOUSLY WITH LE MON DE F R ANCE FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE GERMANY IL SOLE 24 ORE ITALY AN D EL MUN DO SPAIN JAEGER LECOULTRE REVERSO TRIBUTE DUOFACE TOURBILLON LA GRANDE MAISON PRESENTS THE REVERSO TRIBUTE DUOFACE TOURBILLON IN ROSE GOLD INSPIRED BY ITS FIRST TOURBILLON WRISTWATCH THE REVERSO TOURBILLON INTRODUCED THIRTY YEARS AGO A GLORIOUS EXPRESSION OF CALIBRE 847 WHICH DEBUTED IN 2018 IT SHINES A SPOTLIGHT ON THE MANUFACTURE S AVOWED EXPERTISE IN TOURBILLONS INCORPORATING THE DUOFACE CONCEPT ITS TWO DIALS PRESENT TWO DIFFERENT AESTHETICS WITH A SECOND TIME ZONE AND A DAY NIGHT INDICATOR ON THE RE VERSE DIAL THE ULTR A THIN MANUAL WINDING JAEGER LECOULTRE CALIBRE 847 COMPRISES 254 COMPONENTS AND MEASURES JUST 3 9MM THICK THIEMO SANDER Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Oscar Wilde 1854 1900 Thiemo Sander is a Paris based German photographer His first encounter with photography was at the age of 14 when his father gave him a camera He went on to study photography in Munich getting his big break when German Elle published his pictures His images of women highlight their individual sensuality and beauty character and inner spirit While he prefers to stay out of the spotlight himself Thiemo Sander works extensively in fashion and jewellery for brands such as Fred Cartier and Boucheron He has also photographed personalities including Monica Bellucci Emmanuelle Beart Lea Seydoux Isabelle Adjani and Diane Kruger He is the author of this magazine s cover photo and photos on pages 30 46 52 and 60 PHOTOGRAPHER THIEMO SANDER REPRESENTED BY JR ASSOCI E ARTISTIC DIRECTION ALI SAADI PUBLISHER FOUNDER CHRISTIAN LL AVALL UBACH PRESIDENT ISABELLE BOUDRINGHIN EDITIONS TEMPS INTERNATIONAL COM WATCH CONSULTANT RIC DUMATIN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHE ROULET CONTRIBUTORS VINCENT DAVEAU FRANCE JAMES GURNEY U K MICHEL JEANNOT SWITZERLAND PALOMA RECIO SPAIN PAOLO DE VECCHI ITALY TR ANSL ATORS AMA A TR ADUCTIONS TIMM DELFS GERMAN SANDR A PETCH ENGLISH PAOLO DE VECCHI ITALIAN GIAN POZZY FRENCH PALOMA RECIO SPANISH PHOTOGR APHERS THIEMO SANDER HELMUT STELZENBERGER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR VINCENT FESSELET GENEVA PHOTOENGRAVERS BOMBIE GENEVA PRINTED IN THE UE REPRODUCTION EVEN PARTIAL OF MATERIAL PUBLISHED IN WATCH YOUR TIME IS STRIC TLY PROHIBITED ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED IN THE UK AND OTHER COUNTRIE S fine watches magazine PRODUCED FOR THE DAILY TELEGR APH ON THURSDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2023 BY WATCH YOUR TIME HOLDING WHO TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS 13 louis vuitton 21st century icon 17 editorial Future proof 19 cartier The conquest of time 21 tag heuer Pole position 24 montblanc The antipodes of time 26 chopard The alchemist of time 30 ELEGANCE The art of thin PAOLO DE VECCHI 35 jaeger lecoultre Golden ratio 38 GALLERY The photographer s gaze HELMUT STELZENBERGER 41 chanel Lucky star 42 rolex 60 years at the top 44 rado Master of materials 46 MATERIALS Hyper materials VINCENT DAVEAU 49 herm s Sporting style 51 audemars piguet Legendary 52 ART A thing of beauty PALOMA RECIO 55 richard mille Going to extremes 57 breguet Contemporary elegance 59 bvlgari Under one roof 60 TECHNOLOGY The silicon revolution JAMES GURNEY 63 grand seiko World first 65 longines On the wings of time 67 hublot 43 years of audacity 69 frederique constant Beating heart 70 panerai The Italian way
chanel MARGOT ROBBIE
chanel CALIBRE 5 FLYING TOURBILLON MOVEMENT DESIGNED AND ASSEMBLED BY THE CHANEL MANUFACTURE WATCH IN HIGHLY RESISTANT CERAMIC AND DIAMONDS CHANEL COM
bvlgari
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 13 21st century icon Unveiled on 5 July the reworked Louis Vuitton Tambour is a piece of masterful watchmaking distinguished by its sculpted flowing lines JEAN ARNAULT LOUIS VUITTON WATCHES DIRECTOR No one saw it coming but when the Tambour did arrive the watch world took notice Reference LV277 was every inch a Vuitton its brown dial echoed the trunk maker s canvas yellow hands recalled the beeswax coated linen thread of its saddle stitching and the 12 letters of the Louis Vuitton name were spelled out on the side of the unusual bassine case The mechanics were of an equally fine pedigree a high frequency chronograph on an El Primero base measuring tenths of a second and COSC chronometer certified After a long line of variations including GMT and regatta models alongside considerably more exclusive complications such as a bi chronograph and the Spin Time with its rotating cubes the Tambour comes home Under the stewardship of Jean Arnault Watch Director at Louis Vuitton the new Tambour adopts the sophistication and elegance one would expect from a twenty first century icon First we looked at the curved shape of the case which gives the Tambour its special charm and the strap integration and working from there we thought about how we could alter the design without transforming it with the aim of creating the first Louis Vuitton watch on an integrated bracelet says Jean Arnault We wanted this to be a watch with great substance in terms of horological content in the Louis Vuitton style and with a distinctive identity A watch on which we could build a collection for the next twenty years I d say the result is quite different from the original Tambour and at the same time there can be no doubting its lineage The new Tambour has a more refined shape and is distinguished by haute horlogerie finishing while the laidback aesthetic already tells you this is a watch you won t want to be without A passion for detail Presented as five references gold steel gold and steel the new Tambour puts the emphasis on comfort and wearability Just 8 3mm thick it hugs the wrist thanks to the slender lightly curved bracelet links the circular arc of the caseback and the triple blade folding clasp Aside from jewelry watches and the very decorative m tiers d art models it makes no sense in this day and age to think in terms of watches for Monsieur and watches for Madame continues Arnault This 40mm Tambour is typical of an approach whereby we consider the watch more as an object rather than in terms of masculine or feminine attributes Characteristics such as elegance fluidity or the tactile quality of a particular finish cannot be described as belonging to a given gender The difficulty when launching a three hand or time only watch is how to stand out in an already overcrowded segment Meanwhile the popularity of sport luxe a throwback to the watches that upturned convention in the 1970s has led to a plethora of models with integrated brace LOUIS VUITTON TAMBOUR WHAT MAKES A TAMBOUR WATCH A TAPERED ROUND CASE MAR KED WITH THE 12 LE T TERS OF LOUIS VUIT TON AND A VOLUM E THAT IS ALMOST ARCHITECTURAL IN ITS APPROACH TO DIMENSION AND PROPORTION ALL THESE ATTRIBUTES AND MORE ARE MAINTAINED AND MAGNIFIED THANKS TO SOPHISTICATION IN EVERY DETAIL DESIGN FLOWS IN EVERY LINE OF THE NEW TAMBOUR THIS IS DESIGN IN ITS ORIGINAL SENSE WHICH GOES BEYOND THE AESTHETIC INTO PURPOSE AND INTENTION TO BEGIN A MODERN MOR PHOLOGY WITH A FULLY UNISE X 40M M DIAME TER AND AN 8 3M M THICK CASE THAT FOLLOWS THE LINE OF ANY WEARER S ARM THE INTEGRATED BRACELET ON THE NEW TAMBOUR IS A BLEND OF ROBUSTNESS AND FLUIDIT Y ITS SLIM CURVED LINKS PROVIDING A CLOSE AND COMFORTABLE FIT ON THE WRIST TO R IVAL THE SOF TEST LE ATHER STR AP T WO STEEL VERS IONS D ISTI NGU ISH THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW TAMBOUR REINFORCING THE DESIGNATION OF THIS COLLECTION FOR DAILY WE AR A TONE ON TONE MODEL WITH SILVER GRE Y lets some of which have languished while others have gone on to greatness One look at the new Tambour leaves no doubt as to where it stands A lesson in harmony it offers a degree of subtlety in its details and finishing that make this functional legible well structured watch remarkably elegant with its clean architectural lines Despite being barely more than a millimetre thick the dial shows surprising depth The hour track is microblasted with the outer circle reserved for minutes and the inner circle for applied indices and hour numerals The centre is vertically brushed while the small seconds subdial features snailing The care and attention lavished on the outside of this Tambour is replicated on the inside When developing the exclusive LFT023 automatic calibre a mere 4 2mm high thanks to a micro rotor La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton consulted with Le Cercle des Horlogers movement design studio The result is distinctly contemporary in terms of appearance with a circular grained plate microblasted and chamfered bridges and transparent jewels Beating at 28 800 vibrations hour 4 Hz it provides 50 hours of power reserve Louis Vuitton is the first brand to submit a watch for certification by Geneva s Observatoire Chronom trique under the aegis of the TimeLab Foundation No doubt about it this new generation Tambour has its place on the wrist of anyone who appreciates fine watchmaking The kind that leaves nothing to chance Eric Dumatin DIAL OR ONE WITH A CONTRASTING DEEP BLUE DIAL ARE THE OPTIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MAISON S REBORN EMBLEMATIC COLLECTION AN ENRICHED TAMBOUR WITH TWO ADDITIONAL FIRSTS FOR LOUIS VUITTON AN INTEGR ATED BR ACELE T AND AN E XCLUSIVE NE W AND BE AUTIFULLY CR AF TED AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT DESIGNED BY LA FABRIQUE DU TEMPS LOUIS VUITTON
longines The LONGINES SPIRIT FLYBACK is a bold illustration of the pioneering spirit that has always driven the brand Its flyback mechanism invented by Longines in the 1920s resets the chronograph s seconds hand to zero and immediately restarts the timing with a single push This stunningly timeless chronograph is an invitation to the explorer inside you Ready for adventure
longines LO N G INE S S PIRIT FLYBACK
richard mille RM UP 01 FERRARI Ultra flat manual winding calibre 1 75 millimetres thin 45 hour power reserve 10 Baseplate bridges and case in grade 5 titanium Patented ultra flat escapement Function selector Limited edition of 150 pieces
Future proof EDITORIAL WATCH YOUR TIME 17 S omewhere in some enchanted place lives the watch of your dreams The one that consumes your every waking moment Whose arrival you have meticulously planned But can you be sure the longed for timepiece is in stock at your local AD That your name won t be added to the bottom of a waiting list that s already months possibly even years long These are very real questions for anyone coveting certain mechanical models The watch industry not only produces intensely desirable products it knows how to maintain that desire regardless of the market context This has translated into a string of record years for the profession on the basis of mechanisms built according to principles that are more than five hundred years old In the age of the smartwatch and wall to wall digital this is nothing short of impressive In a competitive environment a business must know how to turn weaknesses into strengths This is exactly what these watch brands many of which were established well over a century ago have done Caught napping by the quartz technology that flooded the market in the 1980s today they enjoy rosy health boosted by sales across all four corners of the globe They owe their eternal youth to one small object the mechanical watch Anachronistic outmoded antiquated for some for collectors and enthusiasts the mechanical timepiece is a distillation of specialist knowledge science art and technique If watchmakers were to demonstrate that not everything that could be invented had been invented their only option was innovation and if current production is anything to go by they have succeeded brilliantly Since the revival of the mechanical watch in the early 2000s brands have shown themselves capable of remarkable creativity in design movement construction and the application of high tech materials always with the objective of ultimate precision shock resistance and reliability using methods that promote sustainability social responsibility and environmental protection As a result today s mechanical watches are more accurate more robust more reliable more Taken to an extreme this gives watches that weigh just a couple of grams are no thicker than a credit card and gain or lose a maximum of two seconds a day In much the same way that Formula 1 is a laboratory for the cars on tomorrow s roads producing innovations in mechanical and materials sciences that will benefit an entire industry watchmaking is building the future Christophe Roulet JAEGER LECOULTRE CALIBRE 945 FITTED IN THE MASTER HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 945 THIS MOVEMENT UNITES A SKY CHART WITH A CELESTIAL VAULT A ZODIACAL CALENDAR AND A MINUTE REPEATER AND IS FURTHER ELEVATED BY JAEGER LECOULTRE S COSMOTOURBILLON A CELESTIAL FLYING TOURBILLON HELMUT STELZENBERGER Helmut Stelzenberger is a German photographer whose work is in demand worldwide from New York to Tokyo or Milan although his heart and his home are in Paris His pictures which have been described as metaphorical exposure demonstrate his ability to use light to remarkable effect immortalising change so that the past will be remembered for the future He interprets and conveys things we could never see without his gaze and vision Helmut Stelzenberger s work has featured in numerous international magazines and he has shot campaigns for global brands including Chanel Cartier Longines Louis Vuitton Ralph Lauren and Dior See pages 44 to 46
TIME A HERM S OBJECT herm s HERM S H08 THE TEXTURE OF TIME
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 19 The conquest of time At the helm since 2016 Cyrille Vigneron has given fresh impetus to Cartier s watches conquering second place in the horological hierarchy in the process CYRILLE VIGNERON PRESIDENT AND CEO CARTIER Everything we did to revitalise the brand over the past five years has paid off We have taken back our number two position Speaking during Watches and Wonders Geneva Cyrille Vigneron is in no doubt the importance given to timepieces has put the brand s watches on an equal footing with its jewellery Not from a sales perspective granted but certainly in terms of awareness As the Cartier CEO reminds us the brand which was established in Paris in 1847 enjoyed its first success as a jeweller gaining prominence under the stewardship of Louis Pierre and Jacques the three grandsons of founder Louis Fran ois Cartier While watches became part of its repertoire early on it concentrated on design and turned to Swiss manufacturers for the movements It wasn t until the 1970s that Cartier became a watchmaker in the true sense with its own production facilities This was a smart move given its position in the horological landscape today Morgan Stanley estimates that the brand s watchmaking division turned over CHF 2 7 billion in 2022 which is around 30 of its total sales Cartier is now the second largest watch company in the world with the creativity to CARTIER SANTOS DUMONT SKELETON WATCH THE SANTOS DUMONT SKELETON WATCH IS A TRIBUTE TO ALBERTO SANTOS DUMONT WHO ROSE QUITE LITER ALLY TO FAME AS THE INVENTOR OF 22 FLYING MACHINES RISKING LIFE AND LIMB WITH EACH OF HIS EXPERIMENTAL FLIGHTS IT IS FITTED WITH THE AUTOMATIC 9629 MC CALIBRE A MICRO ROTOR MOVEMENT THAT WAS ALMOST TWO YEARS IN DEVELOPMENT AND COMPRISES 212 PARTS THIS INVENTIVE SKELETON MOVEMENT INCORPORATES NUMEROUS DETAILS THAT REFERENCE THE PIONEERING AVIATOR INCLUDING prove it While some exhibitors came to Watches and Wonders Geneva with a single new product Cartier unveiled more than sixty an astonishing number As Cyrille Vigneron explained to Hodinkee the brand is sticking to the same winning strategy which covers three main territories First the historic Cartier form watches that are gently rejigged in line with modern tastes without betraying their original spirt The likes of the Panth re Santos Ballon Bleu or Tank Fran aise relaunched early in the year or the Baignoire that caught everyone s eye in Geneva All these watches become the basis for a small collection of new interpretations Style and elegance Then Cartier Priv Each year the Cartier Priv collection celebrates the Maison s iconic models through limited edition numbered watches rare creations that bridge the gap between Cartier s watchmaking heritage and today s aesthetic vision The Crash the Tank Cintr e the Tonneau the Tank Asym trique the Cloche and the Tank Chinoise have all had the honour of joining this private club Seventh in line in 2023 is the Tank Normale including in a highly original THE MINIATURISED OSCILLATING WEIGHT IN THE SHAPE OF THE DEMOISELLE A TRAILBLAZING PLANE WHICH SANTOS DUMONT DESIGNED IN 1907 THE SYMBOL IS ALL THE MORE POWERFUL AS IT APPEARS TO SOAR ABOVE A GLOBE THE SANTOS DUMONT SKELETON WATCH BUILDS ON THE ELEGANT LEGACY OF THE VERY FIRST MODEL FROM 1904 PARTICUL ARLY REFINED THE VERSION IN YELLOW GOLD AND NAV Y L ACQUER IS A LIMITED EDITION OF 150 PIECES THE BEZEL AND CASE AS WELL AS THE SKELETON BRIDGES OF THE MOVEMENT ARE DELICATELY HAND L ACQUERED skeletonised version Conceptualised in 1917 and introduced to the market two years later the Tank is one of the most remarkable creations of the Maison and indeed in the history of watchmaking Its meticulous design and pure lines have made it an icon that has transcended time For collectors Cartier also reissues certain particularly sought after models in versions that are as close as possible to the original design as with the Pasha Complete Calendar in 2021 or last year s Pebble This leaves the Cartier Libre collection where as Cyrille Vigneron succinctly puts it we can do whatever we want Part of this year s offering is the Clash Un Limited jewellery watch an architectural articulated structure composed of bevels and facets spikes studs and beads that roll against the wrist Releases such as these for women by no means undermine the dialogue Cartier is engaging with men who represent between 30 and 40 percent of its clientele Paradoxically says Cyrille Vigneron the more we focus on style and elegance rather than mechanisms the more men come to us At Cartier some things never change Eric Dumatin CARTIER TANK NORMALE SKELETON WATCH IMAGINED IN 1917 THE TANK IS ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING FORMS IN THE HISTORY OF WATCHMAKING CARTIER HAS NOW ADDED A SKELETON MOVEMENT TO THIS ICON ALONG WITH A 24 HOUR COMPLICATION REPRESENTED BY SUN AND CRESCENT MOON SHAPES CUT INTO THE CALIBRE DAY TIME HOURS ARE SHOWN ON THE UPPER PART OF THE DIAL AND NIGHT TIME HOURS ON THE LOWER PART THE SKELE TONISED BRIDGES GO FROM A LIGHT TO DARK SHADE TO SYMBOLISE THE PASSAGE FROM DAY TO NIGHT
jaeger
Pole position The TAG Heuer Carrera enters its seventh decade with not a wrinkle in sight In celebration of this icon the brand has released a series of new models that build on the past but clearly look to the future FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 21 FR D RIC A R N A U LT CEO TAG HEUER Reliability performance and innovation these are the characteristics of the TAG Heuer Carrera which this year celebrates sixty years in constant acceleration having clocked up more than 500 references These words from TAG Heuer CEO Fr d ric Arnault s keynote at the Watches and Wonders Geneva fair sum up a watch that right from its launch in 1963 became the ultimate racing driver s chrono With so many variations over its six decades the Carrera is of course more than this but its origins on the racing circuit make this a watch built for speed and for action To what does the Carrera owe its success asked Arnault A strong and distinctive design constant new developments and an osmosis with motor sports The Chase for Carrera an action packed movie with moments of pure comedy that celebrates this icon s six decades captures its fast and furious personality with none other than Ryan Gosling at the wheel of a Porsche 911 and David Leitch John Wick Deadpool Bullet Train in front of and behind the camera As Fr d ric Arnault reminded the audience Carrera owes its long running popularity on and off the motor racing circuit to the mechanics under its hood Here is a watch that in 1969 housed the first ever automatic chronograph calibre the now legendary Calibre 11 Since then TAG Heuer s Research and Development division has TAG HEUER CARRERA CHRONOGRAPH TOURBILLON GLASSBOX MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES AFTER THE INVENTION OF THE TOURBILLON WHICH ENCLOSES THE ESCAPEMENT IN A CONSTANTLY ROTATING CAGE SO AS TO COUNTER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY ON A MECHANICAL MOVEMENT S ACCURACY FEW WATCH BRANDS MASTER THIS COMPLEX MECHANISM TAG HEUER IS ONE ITS NEW CARRERA IS EQUIPPED WITH THE TH20 09 CALIBRE AN IN HOUSE TOURBILLON MOVEMENT WITH BIDIRECTIONAL WINDING FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCY continued to push the boundaries with movements that record elapsed times in increasingly tiny fractions think of the Carrera Mikrogirder and its mechanical precision of 1 2000th of a second Here too the brand has called on industry A listers Its Movements Director since 2020 is Carole Forestier Kasapi a movement designer at the top of her game who in 2021 was awarded the Prix Ga a in the Craftsmanship Creation category The first watches developed under her stewardship were released last year Speaking in Geneva she explained how first of all we worked on movement reliability to then offer a five year extended warranty We also introduced the solar powered TH50 00 Solargraph and the COSC certified TH30 00 with 70 hours of power reserve that now equips the Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver This marked an important step for TAG Heuer in terms of performance No limits This year s releases in the brand s two flagship ranges are similarly impressive starting with an Aquaracer Professional 200 dive watch in solid gold Particular care has gone into the finishing on the TH31 00 movement a new in house calibre that is COSCcertified and features a beefed up 80 hour power reserve The Carrera is of course part of this wave of innovation Following on from the classic 60th anni AND ACCURACY THAT PROVIDES 65 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE THIS CHRONOMETER CERTIFIED COSC MOVEMENT ALSO HAS A CHRONOGRAPH FUNCTION AND IS BACKED BY A FIVE YE AR WARR ANT Y E VERY ELEMENT HAS BEEN STUDIED TO REFLECT THE MECHANICAL BEAUTY OF THE TOURBILLON WHICH THANKS TO THE CURVED SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL AND FLUID FORM CAN BE OBSERVED FROM A WIDER R ANGE OF ANGLES ON THE DIAL THE FL ANGE AND INDICES ARE SUBTLY CURVED TO MIRROR THE CRYSTAL S EDGE ADDING TO THE OVER ALL REFINEMENT versary edition with panda dial introduced early in the year TAG Heuer came to Watches and Wonders with a raft of new models They include two Carrera Chronographs featuring that collector s favourite a domed Glassbox crystal The 39mm case is ergonomically designed while the overall aesthetic emphasises curves and flow Legibility is perfect Proposed with a blue dial or a reverse panda dial both these releases are driven by the TH20 00 calibre which is an updated version of the Heuer 02 Naturally TAG Heuer s Movements Director had more tricks up her sleeve The new TH20 09 calibre also COSC certified equips the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon As with the TH20 00 Carole Forestier Kasapi and TAG Heuer s movements team devel oped the TH20 09 to offer bidirectional winding for improved power efficiency and precision Finishing is of a higher grade and there is a five year warranty But the Carrera wouldn t be the Carrera without a touch of glamour This comes courtesy of the Carrera Plasma which benefits from the pioneering technol ogy of lab grown diamonds on its case crown dial and indexes For the latest versions these diamonds are also splashed over the bezel and bracelet in alumin ium or turn a chic pink colour on a 39mm execution Nothing can stop the Carrera Eric Dumatin TAG HEUER CARRERA DATE IN CELEBR ATION OF THE CARRER A S 60TH ANNIVERSARY TAG HEUER HAS RELE ASED A NEW VERSION OF THE CARRER A DATE 36MM THAT SPOTLIGHTS A SPORTY AND ERGONOMIC PROFILE WHILE RETAINING THE COLLECTION S MOTOR RACING INSPIRED CODES THIS NEW SERIES OFFERS COLOURED DIALS A TAPERED BRACELET DESIGN AND AN UPGRADED MOVEMENT THE 36MM CARRERA DATE WATCHES CARRY SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE AS THE FIRST HEUER CARRER A FROM 1963 ALSO ME ASURED 36MM IN DIAMETER
hublot T H E A R T O F F U S I O N SQUARE BANG UNICO SAPPHIRE Sapphire case In house UNICO chronograph movement Limited to 250 pieces
hublot
24 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS The antipodes of time Montblanc sets out to conquer the highest peaks and the deepest abysses with the Iced Sea and 0 Oxygen The 8000 tool watches NICOLAS BARETZKI CEO MONTBLANC Montblanc has clearly found its way The brand which since 2007 has had the backing of Minerva a highly respected manufacturer whose watches equipped adventurers and explorers during the twentieth century is exploring these new territories with unconcealed pleasure Established in Germany and renowned for its writing instruments with no long legacy of watchmaking Montblanc seemed an unlikely candidate to join the ranks of haute horlogerie brands Really Having initially imagined its timepieces to reflect the design of its luxury pens the brand then changed direction and building on Minerva s manufacturing expertise began to propose watches with much greater horological substance starting with the Rieussec chronograph that was unveiled in 2008 Montblanc has continued to demonstrate the remarkable expertise amassed by a Manufacture that built its reputation on precision timing through the release of models such as the ExoTourbillon a patented complication or the Metamorphosis I and II ultra complicated watches with multiple dials that appear and disappear to display different functions But this was never its vocation as Montblanc s chief executive Nicolas Baretzki explains Established in 1858 Minerva is the backbone of our activity and we could see that there was no sense in developing complications that had no connection to its traditions Of course we can do this from time to time giving credibility to our watchmaking expertise but more than anything else we want our collections to be entirely coherent with Minerva s rich heritage MONTBL ANC 1858 THE UNVEILED TIMEKEEPER MINERVA 100 MONTBL ANC BASED ITS THE UNVEILED TIMEKEEPER MINERVA ON A HISTORIC CALIBRE FROM 1923 ALL THE ATTRIBUTES OF A MINERVA MOVEMENT ARE IN EVIDENCE ON WHAT IS A HIGHLY ADVANCED CHRONOGR APH CALIBRE AS DEMONSTR ATED BY THE ABSENCE OF CHRONOGRAPH PUSHERS THANKS TO AN INNOVATIVE MECHANICAL FUNCTION THE MEASUREMENT OF SHORT ELAPSED TIMES IS ACTIVATED VIA THE FLUTED BEZEL ONE CLICK STARTS THE CHRONOGRAPH A SECOND CLICK Making connections Alongside the Boh me line of women s watches and the classic aesthetic of the Star Legacy Montblanc has developed the 1858 range to capture the spirit of adventure and mechanical pedigree of Minerva timepieces through models that hark back to the tool watches of decades past With this in mind last year saw the launch of the first Montblanc dive watch The 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date takes inspiration from the Montblanc logo Imagined in 1913 it depicts the Mont Blanc mountain seen from above surrounded by six glacial valleys The idea for the iced dial came from observations of the Mer de Glace Sea of Ice the largest of the Mont Blanc glaciers Crafted using a rare technique known as gratt bois it reproduces the glacier s fractured appearance while recreating its mysterious depths and the play of light across its surface thus forging a link between brand and product This is of course a certified dive watch that conforms to ISO 6425 standard is water resistant to 300 metres and has passed Montblanc s gruelling 500 Hours Test for resistance to shocks magnetic fields and extreme temperatures According to Nicolas Baretzki 1858 is destined to become a core collection and the Iced Sea watches will be at its heart They epitomise our values as customers have been quick to recognise This has been an entirely successful launch In fact this year we are releasing two new versions STOPS IT AND A THIRD RESETS TO ZERO THIS HIDDEN FEATURE ALSO EMPHASISES THE TRADITIONAL AESTHETIC OF THE WATCH WHOSE DIAL CARRIES TELEMETER AND TACHYMETER SCALES 2023 MARKS THE 165TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MINERVA MANUFACTURE AND THE CENTENARY OF ITS FIRST WRISTWATCH CHRONOGR APH MOVEMENT CALIBRE 13 20 REWORKED IT BECOMES THE 13 21 MOVEMENT INSIDE THIS WATCH THIS VERSION IN STAINLESS STEEL WITH A WHITE GOLD BEZEL AND BLUE DIAL IS LIMITED TO 100 PIECES including one whose dark grey dial is the colour of glacial ice It s my personal favourite Montblanc is also developing its 0 Oxygen technology for explorers who need their equipment to perform in the most hostile conditions Removing oxygen from the case eliminates fogging caused by the severe temperature changes that can occur at altitude and also prevents oxidization An Automatic a Chronograph and a Geosphere with or without a chronograph function all benefit from this technology making them fit for scaling the planet s 14 eight thousanders mountains that exceed 8 000 metres in height above sea level Interchangeable and adjustable V shaped bracelets add to the appeal of these Iced Sea and 0 Oxygen The 8000 lines Mountaineering is one thing Montblanc also scales mechanical heights with a new limited edition cased in steel of its 1858 The Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph The MB M16 26 calibre is reversed to reveal all the power of this chronograph movement Joining this exceptional timepiece is the equally remarkable 1858 The Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva Rather than the usual pushers its chronograph is started stopped and reset through the unidirectional rotating bezel A first in Montblanc s watchmaking history and the subject of three patent applications in Switzerland it confirms the brand s determination to conquer horo logical summits Eric Dumatin MONTBL ANC 1858 GEOSPHERE 0 OX YGEN THE 8000 A CELEBR ATION OF THE WORLD S HIGHEST PEAKS MONTBL ANC S 1858 0 OXYGEN THE 8000 CAPSULE COLLECTION INCLUDES THIS GEOSPHERE WITH GMT DATE AND WORLD TIME SHOWN ON ROTATING HEMISPHERES THE 42MM CASE IN STEEL HAS BEEN EMPTIED OF OXYGEN TO ELIMINATE FOGGING ON THE CRYSTAL AT HIGH ALTITUDE AS WELL AS PREVENT OXIDIZATION AND IS LASER ENGRAVED ON THE BACK WITH AN IMAGE OF K2 THE SECOND TALLEST SUMMIT ON E ARTH A BIDIRECTIONAL BE ZEL SURROUNDS THE SFUMATO DIAL
tag
WATCH YOUR TIME UK 280x380 T21 SP 1 INTERNATIONAL On sale date 22 SEPTEMBER 26 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS The alchemist of From end 2023 Chopard will only use steel containing 80 recycled metal for its watches After ethical gold the brand continues its journey to sustainable luxury time K AR L FR IEDR ICH SCHEUFELE C O P R E S I D E N T CHOPARD To call Chopard a modern day alchemist isn t as farfetched as it may sound In much the same way that the alchemists of old looked for techniques to transmute base metals into precious metals turning lead into gold the Geneva based Manufacture invests in producing responsible metals that are respectful of people and the planet It s a long term commitment that began a decade ago when the brand embarked on its Journey to Sustainable Luxury Since July 2018 its foundry has sourced all its gold from transparent and traceable sources Now after ethical gold comes steel Speaking at the Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva earlier this year Karl Friedrich Scheufele Co President of this family owned firm explained that as of end 2023 Chopard would use only steel containing 80 recycled metal for its watch collections So as to further underline this commitment Chopard has become the first luxury brand to join the Climate Group s SteelZero initiative to speed up the steel industry s transition to net zero carbon emissions What does this mean in practical terms Chopard s Lucent Steel A223 is manufactured in Austria by Voestalpine B hler Edelstahl one of the largest steel producers in the world First seen in 2019 with the launch of the Alpine Eagle collection and containing 70 recycled metal Lucent Steel is to quote the brand as rich CHOPARD MILLE MIGLIA CLASSIC CHRONOGRAPH AT A SMALLER 40 5MM THIS MILLE MIGLIA WON T GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR DRIVING AND WILL LOOK THE PART WHETHER IT S WORN WITH A RACING SUIT OR AN EVENING SUIT THE SAPPHIRE CASEBACK REVEALS A COSC CERTIFIED CHRONOGRAPH MOVEMENT AUTOMATIC WINDING ACCUMULATES 54 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE precious and complex as gold with three unique characteristics Thanks to its hypoallergenic composition Lucent Steel A223 is endowed with properties similar to those of surgical steel With a hardness of 223 Vickers this proprietary alloy is 50 more resistant to abrasion than conventional steel Thirdly its crystal microstructure which is more homogenous than that of conventional steel gives it a reflective quality and a brilliance comparable to white gold Sustainable luxury Never one to rest on its laurels Chopard has announced its intention to extend its use of recycled steel This year we are introducing Lucent Steel to all our collections and increasing its recycled content to 80 Our objective is to reach a minimum of 90 by end 2025 said Karl Friedrich Scheufele We ve gone from dream to reality but only after four years of research and development Now our efforts are rewarded as we extend Lucent Steel to all our collections by end 2023 In volume terms this represents 25 to 30 tonnes a year Thanks to this initiative Chopard will significantly reduce its carbon emissions According to figures published by the International Stainless Steel Forum shifting from standard 50 recycled steel content to 80 will cut emissions linked to production by 30 At 90 recycled steel this figure increases to 40 CHOPARD ALPINE EAGLE XPS ALPINE EAGLE IS CHOPARD S SPORTS WATCH LINE INSPIRED BY THE 1980S ST MORITZ WATCH ITS CLEAN DESIGN AND SOPHISTICATED MECHANISM ARE E VIDENT IN THIS E XTR A THIN E XECUTION BOTH THE CASE AND THE INTEGRATED BRACELET ARE IN LUCENT STEEL AN EXCLUSIVE ALLOY THAT WAS INTRODUCED WITH THE ALPINE E AGLE COLLECTION IN 2019 REMARK ABLE FOR ITS RESISTANCE AND SHINE THIS STEEL NOW HAS AN INCREASED RECYCLED METAL CONTENT OF 80 AND WILL BE ROLLED OUT TO ALL CHOPARD S WATCH COLLECTIONS BE ATING INSIDE THE 41MM CASE IS THE L U C 96 40 L MOVEMENT AN The creation of a local circular manufacturing loop powered by renewable electricity will also contribute to this reduction in emissions From theory to practice this new Lucent Steel appears in Chopard s four flagship ranges as the Alpine Eagle XPS the Happy Sport 25 mm the L U C 1860 and the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Drawing inspiration from the first timepiece in this collection from 1997 the L U C 1860 36 5 mm diameter features a salm on coloured hand guilloch dial in solid gold and houses the L U C 96 40 L extra thin 3 3 mm high calibre which has COSC certification This same movement which is automatically wound by micro rotor and delivers 65 hours of power reserve thanks to twin barrels also drives the Alpine Eagle XPS with an integrated steel bracelet and a textured Monte Rosa Pink dial The Happy Sport 25 mm introduces a new size option that can be admired on the wrist of Julia Roberts the face of all Chopard s women s collections Completing the line up in Lucent Steel is the 40 5mm Mille Miglia The effortlessly legible dial comes in different shades inspired by the colours of classic racing cars under a retro inspired glassbox crystal Energy and elegance engineering and perfor mance speed and style the famed Italian classic car race shares many attributes with Chopard s unique alchemy Eric Dumatin E XTR A THIN CALIBRE AT 3 3MM HIGH COSC CHRONOME TER CERTIFIED IT DELIVERS 65 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE THANKS TO CHOPARD S TWIN TECHNOLOGY OF TWO STACKED BARRELS THE DIAL ON A BRASS PLATE SHOWS SMALL SECONDS AT 6 O CLOCK ITS TEXTURE IS INSPIRED BY AN EAGLE S IRIS WHILE THE MONT ROSE SALMON PINK COLOUR SUGGESTS THE ROSY GLOW THAT GIVES ITS NAME TO MONTE ROSA THE SECOND HIGHEST MASSIF IN THE ALPS WHOSE PEAK THE DUFOURSPITZE IS SWITZERLAND S TALLEST THE ALPINE EAGLE XPS HAS PASSED THE FULL BATTERY OF TESTS GRANTING IT THE POIN ON DE GEN VE HALLMARK
vuitton TAMBOUR
rado
RADO COM MASTER OF MATERIALS rado CAPTAIN COOK HIGH TECH CERAMIC SKELETON
The art of thin o Paolo De Vecchi We are charmed by simple elegance Ovid 43 BC 17 AD The subtle difference between beauty and elegance is often measured in millimetres ELEGANCE WATCH YOUR TIME 31 Elegance is an elusive notion which for the horologist can come down to a question of millimetres All watches are of course intended to be objects of great beauty a quality which can derive from the originality or extravagance of their design the complexity of their mechanisms or the innovative nature of the materials from which they are made But where elegance is concerned beauty is too broad a concept To define elegance we must consider other factors such as harmony balance purity and simplicity of line a striving for perfection that must in fine appear entirely natural effortless and require no further explanation than the pleasure it brings Elegance is something we instinctively recognise in a person who carries herself with poise and grace for example as opposed to a heavy footed stomp When pertaining to objects rather than appearances the items we perceive as elegant originate in a classical aesthetic An elegant suit is undoubtedly a classic suit although a classic suit is not necessarily an elegant one In the same way a tuxedo is more than simply a nice piece of tailoring CHOPARD L U C XPS 1860 OFFICER THE L U C XPS 1860 OFFICER HARBOURS A WE ALTH OF SECRETS AND SYMBOLS ON ONE SIDE A HAND GUILLOCH HONEYCOMB PAT TERN DIAL IN 18K GOLD ON THE OTHER AN EQUALLY GUILLOCH OFFICER T YPE COVER THAT OPENS TO RE VE AL THE ULTR A THIN 3 3MM HIGH L U C 96 01 L MOVEMENT THIS WAS THE FIRST MOVEMENT FROM CHOPARD M ANUFACTUR E WHEN UNVEI LED I N 1997 AND FE ATUR ES CHOPAR D S T WI N TECHNO LOGY AND A MICRO ROTOR IN 22K GOLD FASHIONED IN 18K ETHICAL YELLOW GOLD IN A CASE ME ASURING 40M M I N D I A M E TER AND 7 7M M H I GH WI TH A FOR EST GR EEN D I A L THE L U C XP S 1860 OFF I CER EPITOMISES THE ELEGANCE AND CRAFTSMANSHIP OF FINE WATCHMAKING CHRONOMETERCERTIFIED AND HALLMARKED POIN ON DE GEN VE IT WILL ADORN A CONTEMPORARY GENTLEMAN S WRIST WITH A BLEND OF DISTINCTION AND DISCRETION Beauty or elegance This fine positioning on the scale of beauty applies to the entire palette of everyday objects and not necessarily luxury items such as cars clothes and furniture Your correspondent is Italian and has no shortage of home grown examples with which to support this theory Pininfarina Giorgio Armani and Alessi are just some a conversation some years ago about watches and tHimeealwsoithrecalls THIEMO SANDER
32 WATCH YOUR TIME ELEGANCE the great architect Ettore Sottsass who confessed his preference for watches with nothing but hour and minute hands possibly also indexes on the dial Sottsass even designed such an instrument making his the less is more principle espoused by another famous architect German born Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who pioneered the International Style with its elegantly simple rectilinear forms In watchmaking then this subtle difference between beauty and elegance is often distinguished by thickness or lack thereof The watch s case is essentially a question of design As the range of available materials has expanded particularly in the last decades with materials borrowed from other industries alongside proprietary alloys the variety of shapes and forms has become almost limitless Mechanisms with their hundreds of components have shrunk in size although miniaturisation must never compromise the movement s strength rigidity or more importantly functioning Makers were confronted with both these factors when in the early 1900s watches migrated to their new home on the wrist As objects on display as opposed to concealed in the depths of a waistcoat or jacket pocket they had to be attractive but also slim enough to fit under a cuff no one wants an onion bulging under their sleeve Piaget leads the way Thinness thus became a non negotiable trait of the wristwatch from its earliest days and manufacturers were quick to distinguish themselves in this pursuit of a svelte silhouette starting with Patek Philippe and its Calatrava and not forgetting Cartier s Santos or Tank Circa 1950 watchmakers began to push boundaries further their efforts duly documented Patek was one It developed a series of remarkably thin manually wound movements although as Martin Huber and Alan Banbery report in their book on the history of the brand these rarely descended below three millimetres high The construction of very thin movements entered a new and decisive phase in the 1950s and 1960s courtesy of Piaget The brand embarked on the development of watches that would justifiably leave their mark on the history of ultra thin a term coined for its advertisements In 1957 it unveiled the manual winding 9P mechanical movement which measured barely two millimetres thick This was followed three years later by the automatic 12P movement with an off centre oscillating weight and a thickness of 2 3 millimtoectrreesa teThsetusennsimngaljleewr edlilmereynswioantcsh ebsotfhorhewiogmhteann dWdoiranmteotegrr einast peirfefedcPt iaget I II III IIII V VI VII I ROLEX PERPETUAL 1908 ROLEX DEBUTS ITS PERPETUAL COLLECTION WITH THE PERPETUAL 1908 NAMED FOR THE YEAR THE ROLEX TRADEMARK WAS REGISTERED IN SWITZERL AND ELEGANTLY UNDERSTATED THE REFINED CASE 9 5MM HIGH CARRIES A DOMED AND FLUTED BEZEL CR AF TED FROM 18K YELLOW GOLD OR 18K WHITE GOLD ITS TR ANSPARENT BACK SHOWS OFF THE AUTOMATIC ROLE X 7140 MOVEMENT II PIAGET POLO PERPETUAL CALENDAR ULTR A THIN ULTR A THIN WATCHES HAVE ALWAYS HELD A SPECIAL PL ACE AT PIAGET UNTIL NOW THESE WAFER THIN MOVEMENTS WERE CONCENTRATED INTO THE ALTIPLANO LINE NOW IT S THE TURN OF THE PIAGET POLO RANGE OF SPORT LUXE WATCHES CALIBRE 1255P IN THE PERPETUAL CALENDAR ULTR A THIN ME ASURES A MERE 4MM HIGH III BREGUET CLASSIQUE 7137 A MASTER OF GUILLO CHAGE BREGUET GIVES A NEW FACE TO THE CLASSIQUE 7137 IN WHITE GOLD A SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL REVE ALS THE HAND DECOR ATED 502 3 E XTR A THIN MOVEMENT WITH AUTOMATIC WINDING IT OWES ITS SLIM PROFILE 3 65MM TO AN OPEN BARREL AND OFFSET ROTOR IIII BVLGARI OCTO FINISSIMO ULTRA BVLGARI CL AIMED ITS EIGHTH RECORD FOR THINNESS IN 2022 WITH THE OCTO FINISSIMO ULTRA A WATCH SHOWING HOURS MINUTES AND SECONDS THAT MEASURES A TINY 1 8MM HIGH BY PUSHING THE LIMITS OF WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED IN ULTR A THIN MOVEMENTS BVLGARI HAS AMPLY CONFIRMED ITS EXPERTISE V TAG HEUER CARRER A DATE 36MM FOR ENHANCED WE AR ABILIT Y TAG HEUER HAS RETHOUGHT THE PROPORTIONS OF THE CARRERA DATE SHAVING 2MM OFF THE CASE COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS EDITION TO ACHIEVE AN OVER ALL THICKNESS OF 10MM A SMALL DIFFERENCE BUT A HUGE IMPACT ON THE WATCH S VISUAL PROFILE AND COMFORT ON THE WRIST VI GRAND SEIKO ELEGANCE COLLECTION SBGW295 110th ANNIVERSARY TH IS ELEGANT RE CRE ATION OF THE FIRST GR AND SEIKO WATCH FROM 1960 FE ATURES AN EMBOSSED EXPRESSION OF MAKI E A TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUE OF DECORATING URUSHI LACQUER BY SPRINKLING IT WITH PURE GOLD POWDER THE CASE HAS A THICKNESS OF 10 9MM AND USES BRILLIANT HARD TITANIUM WHICH MELDS LIGHTNESS WITH ROBUSTNESS VII LONGINES MASTER COLLECTION 190th ANNIVERSARY FOR ITS 190th ANNIVERSARY IN 2022 LONGINES PRESENTED A SERIES OF EXCLUSIVE TIMEPIECES INCLUDING THIS ONE FROM THE LONGINES MASTER COLLECTION IN GOLD WITH A GRAINED ANTHRACITE DIAL MEASURING 40MM IN DIAMETER IT RUNS OFF AN EXCLUSIVE LONGINES CALIBRE WITH A SILICON BALANCE SPRING
montblanc
34 WATCH YOUR TIME ELEGANCE by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Ursula Andress and boasting dials in an array of colourful hard stones they were sculptures for the wrist in white or yellow gold Meanwhile the ultra thin watch became a symbol of masculine elegance In one famous photograph Alain Delon has accessorised his tuxedo with a Piaget dress watch in white gold While it would be true to say that almost every one of the major brands making watches today is attentive to the elegance thinness confers Audemars Piguet Chopard Jaeger LeCoultre Longines and Grand Seiko are examples one in particular stands out for its achievements in this domain and that is Bvlgari In 2012 the Roman firm embarked on a trajectory to define a quintessentially Italian elegance made possible by typically Swiss technique This exercise in style is captured in the Octo Finissimo a collection of ultra thin watches which in the space of a decade has garnered no fewer than 60 international awards and achieved eight world records The latest to date goes to the Octo Finissimo Ultra an impossible 1 8 millimetres high Record breakers Following its acquisition of Daniel Roth and G rald Genta in 2000 Bvlgari found itself in possession of a vast mechanical legacy Preferring to focus on the Bvlgari name the question became how to transfer this horological expertise to what was essentially a jewellery brand with a distinctly Italian personality The vast majority of extra thin watches in the early 2000s were round and cased in gold By now the techniques required to produce wafter thin mechanisms were tried and tested but the segment was in need of a breath of fresh air Italian design language was exactly what was required in 2012 Bvlgari introduced the Octo Finissimo a watch that is octagonal not round made not from gold but titanium and with an integrated bracelet instead of the usual leather strap Because the brand now had the technical capacities to produce its movements in house ultra thin mechanisms were about to become the next giant leap for fine watchmaking assisted in this by state of the art machining processes Though still elegant extra thin watches had been stuck in the Sixties Now that would change The Octo Finissimo is rightly considered as the archetype of an imaginative contemporary groundbreaking watch Then out of nowhere came Richard Mille departing from its usual terrain of futuristic materials in the service of extreme complications to enter the world of extra thin As a new partner to Ferrari in 2022 it presented the RM UP 01 Ferrari created for the Maranello carmaker The titanium case measures an insane 1 75 mm high and houses a manual winding movement just 1 18 mm thick setting a new world record This is thinness taken to within a hair s breath of its physical limits Whereas the Ultra shaves off millimetres by having the back of the case double as the mainplate the RM UP 01 retains the conventional architecture of a movement inserted into a case but several components such as the escapement have been re engineered to reduce height A far cry from mid century dress watches the Octo Finissimo Ultra and the RM UP 01 redefine ultra thin elegance for the twenty first century I II III IIII V VI VII I RICHARD MILLE RM UP 01 FERRARI CREATED IN HONOUR OF THE BRAND S PARTNERSHIP WITH FERRARI THE RM UP 01 IS THE THINNEST WATCH IN THE WORLD AT A REMARK ABLE 1 75MM HIGH SHOCK RESISTANCE IS GUARANTEED BY THE TRADITIONAL CONSTRUCTION OF A MOVEMENT FITTED INSIDE A TITANIUM CASE II SANTOS DUMONT DE CARTIER WATCH THIS SANTOS DUMONT EXTRA LARGE MODEL IN PLATINUM WITH A GUILLOCH EFFECT DIAL AND RED JASPER NUMERALS IS EQUIPPED WITH CALIBRE 430 MC A MANUAL WINDING IN HOUSE MOVEMENT DISTINGUISHED BY ITS EXTREME THINNESS 2 1MM AN OVER ALL HEIGHT OF 7 5MM IS THE GUAR ANTEE OF ELEGANCE III PANERAI LUMINOR DUE 38MM SMALLER AND LIGHTER WITH A PARED BACK AESTHETIC THE 38MM LUMINOR DUE WATCHES RETAIN ALL THE MECHANICAL PRECISION OF THEIR PREDECESSORS IN THE AUTOMATIC P 900 CALIBRE THE PERFECT WATCH FOR THE E VERYDAY CIT Y LIVING WARDROBE IIII MONTBL ANC STAR LEGACY ORBIS TERRARUM THIS WATCH IS DRIVEN BY AN AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT WHOSE MANUFACTURE COMPLICATION PROPOSES A WORLDTIME FUNCTION THAT IS ELEGANT BUT ALSO SIMPLE TO SET AND READ ONCE ADJUSTED IT INDICATES THE TIME IN ALL 24 TIME ZONES AT A GLANCE AND SHOWS WHETHER IT IS DAY OR NIGHT IN THE CORRESPONDING CITIES V FREDERIQUE CONSTANT SLIMLINE MONOLITHIC MANUFACTURE FREDERIQUE CONSTANT UNVEILS A MAJOR TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH IN THE FORM OF THE MONOLITHIC OSCILLATOR ETCHED FROM A SILICON WAFER IT OPERATES AT 40 HZ TEN TIMES THE STANDARD RATE ITS REDUCED SIZE 9 8MM DIAMETER 0 3MM HEIGHT IS DESIGNED TO FIT INTO A TRADITIONAL MOVEMENT CONFIGURATION FOR SERIES PRODUCTION VI RADO FLORENCE CLASSIC THE SOARING TOWERS AND MAJESTIC DOMES OF RENAISSANCE FLORENCE ARE GIVEN A CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION IN THE ELEGANT HARMONIOUS DESIGNS OF THE FLORENCE COLLECTION IN POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL THESE SLIM WATCHES ON BRACELETS WITH A SEVEN LINK CONSTRUCTION ARE PRESENTED AS MEN S AND WOMEN S VERSIONS VII SEIKO KING SEIKO 6L35 THOUGH IT WAS NOT THE FIRST KING SEIKO WATCH THE 1965 KSK WAS WITH ITS SHARP ANGUL AR CASE AND HIGH FUNCTIONALIT Y THE ONE THAT ULTIMATELY DEFINED KING SEIKO S CHARACTER WITH ITS RESISTANCE TO WATER AND USE OF A HACKING SECONDS HAND TODAY SEIKO INTRODUCES TWO NEW TIMEPIECES INSPIRED BY THE CLASSIC KSK EACH POWERED BY THE SLIMLINE CALIBER 6L35
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 35 Golden ratio Jaeger LeCoultre is celebrating the golden ratio a mathematical ratio that is considered the epitome of beauty and harmony The Reverso is the incarnation in watchmaking of this divine proportion C AT H E R I N E R NIER CEO J A E G E R L E C O U LT R E Introduced in 1931 and designed originally for polo players the Reverso exists almost independently of its creator having become one of the most recognisable and identifiable designs in the history of watchmaking When Jaeger LeCoultre celebrated this icon s 90th anniversary in 2021 it described it as eternally modern daring always to be itself without compromise through nine decades of social change shifting tastes and advancing technology During the last 30 years thanks to the revival of mechanical watchmaking and the blossoming of the artistic crafts the Reverso has fulfilled a potential that could not have been imagined at the time of its creation Every watch enthusiast is familiar with the story behind the Reverso with its swivel case and the many versions created by the Grande Maison de la Vall e de Joux as JaegerLeCoultre is affectionately known This year however the Manufacture is emphasising what is perhaps a lesser known aspect of the Reverso s success the golden ratio or divine proportion that presided over its creation Since the mid nineteenth century this ratio described by the Greek mathematician Euclid has appeared in countless areas of the arts and science becoming a formula for beauty Jaeger LeCoultre has embraced this idea in a celebration of in its words a mystical number represented by the Greek letter Phi and recognised as a universal signifier of beauty and harmony This golden ratio represents the unique relationship JAEGER LECOULTRE REVERSO HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 179 THE RE VERSO CONFIRMS IT IS A CONSTANT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR JAEGER LECOULTRE WHICH PRESENTS THE RE VERSO HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 179 THE MOVEMENT CALIBRE 179 BENEFITS FROM THE FOURTH E VOLUTION OF THE GYROTOURBILLON IT IS ALSO A DUOFACE MOVEMENT HENCE DISPL AYS A DIFFERENT TIME ZONE ON EACH DIAL WITH A DAY NIGHT INDICATION ON THE REVERSE DIAL THE DECORATION OF THESE TWO FACES GIVES EACH A DISTINCTIVE PERSONALIT Y ASSEMBLED FROM 123 COMPONENTS THE GYROTOURBILLON COMPRISES A TITANIUM CARRIAGE AND A PERIPHER AL CARRIAGE MOUNTED ON BALL BE AR whereby the ratio of a larger part to a smaller part is the same as the ratio of the larger part to the whole and can be simplified as 1 618 Any object that respects this proportion will instinctively appear as aesthetically pleasing to our eyes In watchmaking no timepiece expresses this principle better than the Reverso writes JaegerLeCoultre While many variations of the Reverso case have been presented over the decades since its creation the original proportions have remained as an anchor for the collection and the golden ratio continues to define the Reverso s design today This specificity says JaegerLeCoultre CEO Catherine R nier also explains why the Reverso now an icon among form non round watches is so instantly recognisable Firmly established in Europe the Manufacture intends to extend this fame to all its main markets M tiers Rares Naturally the Reverso features prominently among this year s releases starting with two standout executions the Reverso Tribute Chronograph and the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon The Chronograph version is fitted with Calibre 860 which combines a retrograde chronograph with a double sided time display while the Tourbillon version is driven by Calibre 847 an extra thin flying tourbillon movement that measures 3 90mm high It displays a second time zone and a day night indicator on the reverse dial Without doubt the most spectacular of these INGS THESE T WO ELEMENTS TURN PERPENDICUL ARLY TO E ACH OTHER AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS ONCE EVERY 16 SECONDS FOR THE INNER CARRIAGE AND ONCE PER MINUTE FOR THE PERIPHERAL CARRIAGE WHICH ALSO PROVIDES A SMALL SECONDS FUNCTION CLOSER INSPECTION REVEALS A SEMI SPHERICAL BALANCE SPRING AS WELL AS THE GYROLAB BALANCE WHOSE DOUBLE ANCHOR SHAPE REDUCES AIR FRICTION THIS COMPLE X MOVEMENT IS HOUSED IN A 51 31MM CASE IN ROSE GOLD PRODUCTION IS LIMITED TO TEN PIECES new releases the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 offers a demonstration of Jaeger LeCoultre s watchmaking prowess in its triple axis Gyrotourbillon as well as an illustration of the skills of the Manufacture s craftsmen and women in the skeletonwork and lacquerwork applied to the movement These M tiers Rares rare crafts are also showcased in the Reverso One Precious Colours series of enamelled jewellery pieces which includes the Reverso Secret Necklace Subtly enhanced with diamonds and onyx this elegant and refined secret watch is worn on a long chain Jaeger LeCoultre is justifiably proud of this expertise which it safeguards and encourages not least through its training centre where the next gener ation of craftsmen and women perfect these skills The Manufacture is also extending its support to the wider crafts community through a Fellowship in partnership with the Michelangelo Foundation In this first year twenty participants will benefit from an entrepreneurial masterclass developed with ESSEC Business School completed by a six month placement in the workshop of a master artisan in various European countries The objective of this programme says Catherine R nier is to facilitate the transmission of skills and enable young talents to take their first steps towards a profession in the crafts sector It s important that we give a voice to these manual skills Eric Dumatin JAEGER LECOULTRE REVERSO TRIBUTE CHRONOGRAPH THE REVERSO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TIMEPIECES DESIGNED TO BE WORN WHILE PLAYING SPORT WITH A CASE THAT COULD BE SWIVELLED TO PROTECT THE DIAL DURING POLO MATCHES THIS NEW MODEL REFERENCES THE REVERSO CHRONOGRAPH THAT JAEGER LECOULTRE RELEASED IN 1996 IT RUNS OFF CALIBRE 860 A NEW MOVEMENT THAT COMBINES A CHRONOGR APH WITH A DOUBLE SIDED TIME DISPL AY DISCREETLY ELEGANT THE FRONT DIAL HAS ALL THE HALLMARKS OF THE REVERSO TRIBUTE LINE TURNING THE CASE OVER REVEALS THE CHRONOGRAPH MECHANISM INCLUDING THE C TES DE GEN VE DECOR ATION ON THE BRIDGES THROUGH THE FULLY SKELETONISED DIAL
chopard
chopard
38 WATCH YOUR TIME GALLERY The photographer s gaze By Helmut Stelzenberger Artistic direction Ali Saadi HERM S H08 THE HERM S H08 IS A CONTEMPORARY OBJECT A M IX OF TENSION AND FLUIDIT Y BAL ANCE AND CONTRAST LIGHTWEIGHT YET ROBUST ITS CUSHION CASE MATCHES A ROSE GOLD CASEBAND WITH A BLACK DLCTREATED TITANIUM BACK A BEZEL AND A CROWN IN BLACK CERAMIC ADD FURTHER CONTRAST JAEGER LECOULTRE REVERSO TRIBUTE CHRONOGRAPH THE REVERSO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WRISTWATCHES DESIGNED TO BE WORN WHILE PLAYING SPORT WITH A CASE THAT CAN BE SWIVELLED TO PROTECT THE DIAL THIS NEW REVERSO RETURNS TO THE ORIGINS OF THIS WATCH INSPIRED BY THE REVERSO CHRONOGR APH RELE ASED IN 1996 IT RUNS OFF CALIBRE 860 A NEW MOVEMENT THAT COMBINES A CHRONOGR APH WITH A DOUBLE SIDED TIME DISPL AY SANTOS DE CARTIER THE SANTOS RECONCILES CLASSICISM WITH A PIONEERING MINDSET IN ITS GEOMETRIC LINES PURE DESIGN AND TECHNICAL INNOVATION IMAGINED IN 1904 AND MODERN BEFORE MODERN E XISTED IT EMPHASISES SIMPLICIT Y PR ACTICALIT Y AND INNOVATION THREE PRINCIPLES CLOSE TO THE HEART OF ALBERTO SANTOSDUMONT FOR WHOM CARTIER CREATED A WATCH HE COULD CONSULT WHILE FLYING HIS PL ANE CHANEL J12 CYBERNETIC WATCH THIS J12 CYBERNE TIC FUSES WHITE AND BLACK CERAMIC A PROCESS REQUIRING SPECIALIST EXPERTISE INTO A PIXELLATED DESIGN CASED I N A 38M M D IAM E TER ITS CALI BRE 12 1 MOVEMENT IS COSC CERTIFIED AND DELIVERS 70 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE IT IS PRODUCED BY KENISSI EXCLUSIVELY FOR CHANEL PANERAI RADIOMIR OTTO GIORNI A TRIBUTE TO THE ORIGINAL RADIOMIR THAT WOULD SHAPE THE MANY SUBSEQUENT INTERPRETATIONS THE RADIOMIR OTTO GIORNI IS INSPIRED BY THE FIRST R ADIOMIR PROTOT YPE FROM 1935 WHICH MEASURED 47MM IN DIAMETER CONTAINED IN A RETRO STYLE CASE IT CONTINUES THE LEGACY OF THE PANERAI RADIOMIR
GALLERY WATCH YOUR TIME 39 BREGUET T YPE X X CHRONOGR APH 2067 CARRYING ON A LONG TRADITION OF AVIATION WATCHES BREGUET PRESENTS A NEW TYPE XX IN A 42MM STEEL CASE POWERED BY AN AUTOMATIC FLYBACK CHRONOGR APH MOVEMENT WITH TWO SUBDIALS SMALL SECONDS AND DATE WATERRESISTANT TO 100 METRES IT WILL RUN FOR UP TO 60 HOURS ON A FULL WIND WE AR IT ON A LE ATHER OR A NATO STR AP ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL YACHT MASTER 42 ROLEX PRESENTS A NEW INTERPRETATION OF THE YACHT MASTER 42 A WATCH DESIGNED WITH SAILING IN MIND FITTED WITH AN OYSTER BRACELET THIS IS THE FIRST EXECUTION IN RLX TITANIUM A PARTICUL ARLY STRONG BUT NONE THELESS LIGHTWEIGHT ALLOY A BIDIRECTIONAL ROTATING BEZEL WITH A BLACK CERACHROM INSERT CONNECTS THIS VERSION TO THE ORIGINAL YACHT MASTER 42MM INTRODUCED IN 2019 AUDEMARS PIGUET CODE 11 59 SELF WINDING CHRONOGR APH 41MM STEEL MAKES ITS DEBUT IN THE CODE 11 59 COLLECTION WITH A MODEL PROPOSED AS AUTOMATIC AND AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH VERSIONS ALSO NEW IS THE STAMPED DIAL WHOSE SPECIALLY CRE ATED PAT TERN OF CONCENTRIC CIRCLES CREATES A UNIQUE GRADIENT EFFECT THAT ENHANCES LEGIBILIT Y RICHARD MILLE RM 65 01 CR AFTED IN ROSE GOLD AND CARBON TPT THIS RM 65 01 IS THE MOST COMPLEX RICHARD MILLE CHRONO TO DATE WITH 480 COMPONENTS AN INTEGRATED AUTOMATIC SPLIT SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH IT INCORPOR ATES A DATE DISPL AY FUNCTION SELECTOR AND THE BRAND S FIRST RAPID WINDING SYSTEM A HIGH FREQUENCY CALIBRE DELIVERS 1 10TH OF A SECOND PRECISION BUT WITH A 1 5TH OF A SECOND SCALE FOR LEGIBILIT Y
40 WATCH YOUR TIME GALLERY LOUIS VUITTON TAMBOUR LOUIS VUITTON MADE ITS WATCHMAKING DEBUT IN 2002 WITH THE TAMBOUR THIS 40MM VERSION IN STEEL ON AN INTEGRATED BRACELET IS BANG ON THE SPORT LUXE TREND THE AUTOMATIC LFT023 MOVEMENT MEASURES TIME ON A GREY DIAL WITH LUMINESCENT HANDS AND NUMERALS IN WHITE GOLD BVLGARI OCTO ROMA CHRONOGRAPH LEGIBILITY IS THE KEY TO THIS CHRONOGRAPH A COMPLICATION THAT JOINS THE OCTO ROMA LINE CLE ARLY DISPL AYED ON THE DIAL ARE CENTRE SECONDS SUBDIALS FOR CHRONOGRAPH HOURS CHRONOGRAPH MINUTES AND SMALL SECONDS PLUS THE DATE THE SIGNATURE CASE DESIGN OF A BROAD ROUND BEZEL ABOVE AN OCTAGONAL CASE REFERENCES ROMAN ARCHITECTURE HUBLOT BIG BANG INTEGRATED TOURBILLON FULL CARBON TRADITIONAL WATCHMAKING MEETS AN AVANT GARDE MINDSET REPRESENTING TRADITION IS A SKELETONISED AND SUSPENDED TOURBILLON DRIVEN BY A MOVEMENT WITH TRANSPARENT SAPPHIRE BRIDGES AND THREE DAYS OF POWER RESERVE INNOVATION COMES FROM THE FUSION OF TEXALIUM AND CARBON FIBRE FOR THE CASE AND BRACELET WITH THE BENEFIT OF STRENGTH AND ULTRA LIGHTNESS TAG HEUER CARRERA CHRONOGRAPH GLASSBOX 39MM TAG HEUER HAS REWORKED THE DESIGN OF THE CARRER A FOR THE MODEL S 60TH ANNIVERSARY STARTING WITH THE CASE IN STAINLESS STEEL WHOSE 39MM DIAMETER AND REFINED SHAPE SUIT EVERY WRIST SIZE ON IT SITS A GLASSBOX CRYSTAL A THROWBACK TO THE DOMED HESALITE CRYSTALS ON CERTAIN 1970S HEUER CARRERA MODELS
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 41 Lucky star Chanel came to the Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva with the richly inventive Interstellar capsule collection whose theme is the landscapes of time Prepare for lift off ARNAUD CHASTAINGT DIRECTOR CHANEL WAT C H M A K I N G CREATION STUDIO Spacesuits would have been appropriate attire for anyone entering the Chanel booth at the Watches and Wonders fair held in Geneva at end March The immaculate white space more starship than booth prepared visitors for a voyage to distant galaxies an Interstellar journey from the name given to the capsule collection designed by the head of Chanel s Watch Creation Studio Arnaud Chastaingt I was inspired by what I call the landscapes of time he explains Firstly because they are staggeringly beautiful from the stars in the night sky to the images taken by the Hubble space telescope which really look like sets from a movie Then there are the representations that our imagination has always produced when thinking about the future especially in science fiction Spacecraft space stations robots and lunar modules populate these landscapes forming an aesthetic that has always fascinated Chastaingt From scientific explorations of the universe to time travel he delved into journeys in reality or fantasy dreams prompted by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge His approach when designing the collection was that of a film director inventing a story to be played out by the actors of this intergalactic saga namely the watches in the Chanel collections Astronomical phenomena and observations of the stars and planets were one source of inspiration in particular CHANEL J12 HYPER CYBERNETIC THE J12 CYBERNETIC AND J12 HYPER CYBERNETIC EXPERIMENT WITH PIXELS INDIVIDUAL UNITS OF COLOUR WHICH MULTIPLIED BY THOUSANDS EVEN MILLIONS FORM A COMPUTER IMAGE SCALED UP PIXELS SPREAD OUT FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DIAL ALONG THE CASE AND ONTO THE LUGS OF THESE J12 WATCHES CRE ATING A JAGGED EDGE THE J12 CYBERNE TIC IN BLACK AND WHITE CERAMIC BENEFITS FROM ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FIRST eclipses This dialogue between light and shade became the foundation for the J12 Eclipse box set which in a suite of seven watches that transition from all white to all black recounts the gradual disappearance of one star in the shadow of another In a similar vein the two J12 Spatiotemporal form an alliance of opposites through interlocking black and white ceramic On one a quarter of the dial is black on the other it is white Both are partially paved with baguette diamonds Space and time Reaching out to the latest technology the Interstellar collection introduces elements from the digital world For this Chanel has applied its avant garde fused ceramic technology to combine black and white ceramic on the same watch We re surrounded by digital images says Arnaud Chastaingt They are part of our reality and have even invited themselves into our dreams as though our inner worlds were becoming digitized I used the pixel which is the basic unit of digital images as a starting point Digital images are made up of a multitude of pixels which are reproduced enlarged on the right side of the dial of the J12 Cybernetic and the J12 Hyper Cybernetic This pixelated appearance in black and white ceramic on the Cybernetic and in black ceramic and diamonds on the Hyper Cybernetic extends to the case and lugs Such a perfect alliance of black and white is of course indissociable from Gabrielle Chanel who appears on the dial of the Mademoiselle J12 Cosmic in black ceramic Another tribute to the founder of the Parisian house the white ceramic J12 Cosmic features a dial scattered with diamonds and symbols to create a cosmic frieze While there isn t room here to list every piece in this vast and varied collection we can mention the J12 Interstellar whose deepest black and glittering dial embellished with diamonds evoke an astronaut s view of space the fully diamond paved Premi re Hyper Lucky Star and the Premi re Robot with its quirky three dimensional android From darkness to transparency the case and bracelet of the J12 X Ray Star are made from sapphire crystal which has been frosted or frozen to stunning effect Not forgetting the Premi re Cam lia X Ray the first watch to house Chanel s Calibre 2 skeleton movement in a sapphire case One final mention goes to the Monsieur Tourbillon Meteorite which is dressed in a shooting star Openworked areas in the grey meteorite dial offer glimpses of the in house Calibre 5 1 The tourbillon carriage is decorated with a sculpted lion s head Wherever Chanel lands its spacecraft its lion the hallmark of excellence will be there roaring at the stars Eric Dumatin SEEN IN 2020 ON THE J12 PAR ADOXE THAT FUSES DIFFERENT COLOURED CER AMICS ON A SINGLE WATCH LIMITED TO 55 PIECES THE J12 HYPER CYBERNETIC PAIRS BLACK CERAMIC WITH WHITE GOLD AND IS SET WITH 240 DIAMONDS ON ITS CASE BE ZEL AND DIAL BOTH WATCHES ARE POWERED BY THE AUTOMATIC CALIBRE 12 1 MOVEMENT MANUFACTURED BY KENISSI E XCLUSIVELY FOR CHANEL IT IS CHRONOMETER CERTIFIED BY THE COSC AND HAS A POWER RESERVE OF 70 HOURS CHANEL PREMI RE HYPER LUCK Y STAR PART OF THE INTERSTELL AR CAPSULE COLLECTION THIS 55 PIECE LIMITED EDITION IN WHITE GOLD IS AWASH WITH 284 B R I LLI ANT CUT D I A M ONDS W I TH 116 D I A M ONDS ON THE D I A L 162 D I AMONDS ON THE BRACELET AND SIX DIAMONDS ON THE WHITE COMET CHARM THAT HANGS FROM THE CROWN IN REFERENCE TO CHANEL S FIRST HIGH JEWELLERY R ANGE THE BIJOUX DE DIAMANTS COLLECTION FROM 1932 THIS PREMI RE WATCH EXPRESSES FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT IN ITS TENNIS BRACELET WHOSE SUPPLE CONSTRUCTION PERFECTLY FITS THE CURVE OF THE WRIST
42 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS 60 years at the top It is a legend among contemporary watches arguably the greatest of all time and one of the most lusted after In celebration of the Daytona s 60th anniversary Rolex has revisited the jewel in its coronet One thing however hasn t changed it is still almost impossible to obtain o Michel Jeannot ROLEX AND MOTOR SPORT ROLEX S INVOLVEMENT IN MOTOR SPORTS DATES BACK TO THE 1930S WHEN SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL BROKE THE 300 MPH 483 KM H BARRIER AND SET NUMEROUS LAND SPEED RECORDS IN HIS BLUEBIRD RACING CAR HE WORE A ROLEX DURING HIS EXPLOITS FOR MORE THAN 90 YEARS THE LINKS BETWEEN ROLEX AND MOTOR SPORTS HAVE CONTINUED TO GROW STRONGER TODAY ROLEX IS A LEADING PARTNER OF MAJOR MOTOR SPORT COMPETITIONS AND ORGANISATIONS AS WELL AS THE WORLD S GREATEST DRIVERS Let s not beat about the bush there is no other watch like the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona An icon if ever there was it continues to fill pages in one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of watchmaking The first fans of the Daytona chronograph the same models that now send auction prices through the roof and collectors into a spin were its original audience of professional racecar drivers However all the attributes of this future global phenomenon were already in place and it wouldn t be long before the Daytona s fame spread beyond the racing circuit Leading the field The legend took off on Daytona Beach Florida a stretch of hard packed sand where drivers competed in some of the very first high speed motor races Early on Rolex forged links with the US resort and with some of these speed kings including Sir Malcolm Campbell who between 1924 and 1935 set nine land speed records including five on Daytona Beach In 1935 at the wheel of the Blue Bird he became the first person to break the 300 mph 482 kph barrier The watch on his wrist A Rolex In a telegram which he addressed to the brand in Geneva he observed that the Rolex watch is still keeping perfect time I was wearing it yesterday when Blue Bird exceeded 300 mph To all intents and purposes Campbell was the first Rolex Testimonee in motorsports When in 1959 the action moved from the beach to the newly inaugurated Daytona International Speedway Rolex was in pole position The man behind the construction of the track William France Sr wore a Rolex and so the brand became the Official Timepiece of the Daytona International Speedway This connection prompted Rolex management in the United States to ask for the Daytona name to be printed on the dial of chronographs destined for the US a feature that was gradually extended to all markets In 1992 Rolex became the Title Sponsor of the 24 Hours of Daytona The most prestigious race in the United States it was renamed the Rolex 24 At Daytona The winning drivers are presented with an exclusive Cosmograph Daytona with the year and Winner engraved on the caseback To quote the brand the drivers who take part in this race dream of being able to wear a Daytona thanks to an achievement that would earn universal respect winning it An original bezel When Rolex launched the Cosmograph a name it invented in 1963 it had been making chronographs for three decades already and was now intent on producing a new generation chrono specifically for racing drivers exactly as it had done ten years earlier with the Explorer designed for mountaineers and adventurers and the Submariner for deep sea divers Retailing in the United States for 210 the new Professional chronograph reference 6239 powered by a manual winding Valjoux calibre was designed as a practical functional instrument with clearly legible indications including contrasting colours for the chronograph counters Most importantly the tachymeter scale migrated from the dial to the bezel This would be the distinguishing feature of the first Cosmograph not yet the Daytona in history The version introduced two years later replaced the pump pushers of the original model with screw down chronograph pushers By preventing water from seeping into the
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 43 ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA SINCE THE INAUGUR AL MODEL IN 1963 THE COSMOGR APH DAY TONA HAS SEEN NUMEROUS ADJUSTMENTS AND EVOLUTIONS PRECISE LEGIBLE ROBUST RELIABLE WATER RESISTANT AND AUTOMATIC IT IS ALSO COMFORTABLE AND ELEGANT A PERFECT ALCHEMY OF FORM AND FUNCTION ITS FAME AND SUCCESS HAVE MADE IT AN ICON AMONG WATCHES SIXTY YEARS AFTER ITS LAUNCH THE LEGEND LIVES ON IN A REVISITED RANGE WITH FIVE MODELS THAT INCLUDE THIS VERSION IN PLATINUM THE MOVEMENT CALIBRE 4131 INCORPOR ATES THE L ATEST TECHNICAL ADVANCES BY ROLE X case they reinforced the Oyster concept and in testimony to this the Oyster name was added to the dial New dials were also introduced during these years including one the exotic dial with square hash marks on the chrono counters whose destiny was secured as the watch Paul Newman wore The actor whose role as a racing driver in Winning 1969 sparked his passion for motor sport wore an exotic dial Daytona gifted to him by his wife with the engraved message Drive Carefully Me on the caseback Rolex ceased production of the exotic dial in the late 1970s With a little help from Paul Photographs of Newman wearing his Cosmograph including on the front cover of an Italian magazine in the early 1980s fuelled enthusiasm for this model It even earned a nickname the Paul Newman Daytona or PND as it s known in collectors circles Prices went full throttle A Paul Newman Daytona that would have fetched around 9 000 at auction in 1992 now sells for upwards of 200 000 History was made in 2017 when the actor s personal Daytona the one with the engraved back hammered for 17 8 million including buyer s premium The most ever paid for a Rolex at auction from 36mm to 40mm and incorporated shoulders to protect the crown The tachymetric bezel was made wider and engraved with a 400 unit graduated scale This new model met with phenomenal success and contributed to a surge of renewed interest in mechanical watches the flipside being that production struggled to keep pace with demand particularly for steel With the new millennium came another milestone The Cosmograph Daytona introduced in 2000 kept the same design but innovated in terms of what lay under the hood For the first time in its history the Cosmograph Daytona was powered by an in house automatic movement calibre 4130 Technical solutions included a 60 reduction in the number of components for the chronograph mechanism for greater reliability and the introduction of a Parachrom balance spring A keen observer will see that the chronograph minute and hour counters are aligned slightly above the centre of the dial In 2016 the aesthetics of the Cosmograph Daytona in steel were boosted by the addition of a Cerachrom ceramic bezel that is smoother more lustrous and more scratch resistant than the engraved metal bezel new calibre 4131 which incorporates all the latest technical advances by the brand including a Chronergy escapement to reduce energy loss Paraflex shock absorbers to protect the heart of the movement and an optimised ball bearing for improved automatic winding This new movement also features a cut out oscillating weight and on the bridges an exclusive Rolex C tes de Gen ve decoration On the version in 950 platinum these details can be enjoyed through a transparent caseback in sapphire a first for the Oyster Perpetual collection The cherry on the cake in June for the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race Rolex took the wraps off a special Cosmograph Daytona It too has a transparent back that shows off the exclusive calibre 4132 movement An evolution of calibre 4131 it incorporates an additional mechanism developed and patented by Rolex which counts chronograph hours over 24 hours instead of the model s usual twelve The case is crafted in 18k white gold and topped with a black Cerachrom bezel The 100 mark on the tachymeter scale is picked out in red Referencing a vintage Rolex the reverse panda style sets white counters against a black dial The brand introduced subtle evolutions to its Cosmograph Daytona an icon must be treated with respect prior to a major mechanical and aesthetic overhaul in 1988 Henceforth the Daytona was fitted with an automatic movement a Zenith El Primero with more than half its components modified to Rolex requirements that was chronometer certified by the Contr le Officiel Suisse des Chronom tres COSC The case increased in size New transparency For the Cosmograph s 60th anniversary this year Rolex has introduced a number of evolutions and refinements The dial has been subtly redesigned and the contrast between the dial and the counters is accentuated The case is 0 2mm thinner on versions with a solid back and the Cerachrom ceramic bezel is edged with the same metal as the case However the major innovation has to be the The Cosmograph Daytona has evolved over its 60 years but some things never change when hoping to buy this now legendary watch patience is a virtue not to be overlooked
44 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS Master of materials Distinctive designs and innovative materials are at the heart of Rado ADRIAN BOSSHARD CEO RADO Rado certainly lives up to its philosophy that If we can imagine it we can make it And if we can make it we will Over the course of its century long history the brand has made its mark as one of the most creative in terms of design and one of the most advanced in its use of innovative materials in particular ceramic Established in 1917 in Longeau by the Schlup brothers Rado now employs 600 people with around half in Switzerland and half worldwide CEO Adrian Bosshard explains Our strengths are a unique design language embodied by the DiaStar and the Captain Cook whose 60th anniversaries we celebrated last year and our capacity to produce almost every single component in house We are the master of materials and this distinguishes us from other brands It s a definite asset This mastery is amply illustrated by the DiaStar1 Launched in 1962 and marketed as the world s first scratchproof watch it introduced hard metal and sapphire crystal to watch production But it would be another substance ceramic that became Rado s material of choice Over the years the brand would develop unparalleled expertise in the transformation of zirconium oxide powder and in the production of ceramic alloys and coloured ceramic a perilous exercise RADO CENTRIX THE SOFTER SENSUOUS CONTOURS OF THE LATEST CENTRIX IN STEEL FINISHED WITH A ROSE GOLD COLOURED PVD TREATMENT SUGGEST THE WINDSWEP T BE AUT Y OF SAND DUNES IT COMES IN DIFFERENT SIZES IN SLIGHTLY LARGER MORE EXPRESSIVE DIMENSIONS THAN THE EARLIER LINE WITH A WIDER DIAL OPENING TOPPED BY A CRYSTAL THAT RUNS FULLY TO THE CASE EDGE HOURS ARE MARKED WITH 12 DIAMONDS ON THE FACE T TED AND L ACQUERED DIAL WORN ON AN INTEGRATED STEEL AND CERAMIC BRACELET IN 30 5MM AND 39 5MM DIAMETERS THE NEW CENTRIX IS PROOF THAT SIMPLICITY IS THE SOUL OF ELEGANCE if ever there was Today ceramic has entered the horological mainstream but forty years ago in 1986 to be precise when Rado released its first ceramic watch the Rado Integral followed in 1990 by the Rado Ceramica it was nothing short of revolutionary This innovative material also served Rado s belief that design was a key element of its watches and that they should be given a distinctive aesthetic Innovation and design When it comes to ceramic Rado has raised the bar in terms of colour choices and quality Alongside hightech ceramic in a vast palette of shades it proposes plasma high tech ceramic a material distinguished by its liquid metal appearance without containing even a speck of metal More recently Rado unveiled CeramosTM which it describes as a marriage of high tech ceramic and metal that offers the optimal properties of both components the lightness and durability of ceramic and the irresistible lustre of metal This material can says Rado be produced in a variety of colours including platinum gold and rose gold Another revolution This command of the high tech materials that make up its cases and bracelets shouldn t detract from the importance Rado places on the movements inside For this it can count on ETA which like Rado belongs to Swatch Group and its next generation movement production capabilities Earlier this year Rado unveiled two skeletonised models that expose their calibre like a kinetic artwork After the True Square Skeleton featuring a monobloc case and bracelet in hightech ceramic came the Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic Skeleton powered by the R808 movement with a balance spring in NivachronTM an anti magnetic titanium alloy and 80 hours of power reserve Adventure ready the case bezel insert and bracelet of this 300 metre water resistant watch are in plasma high tech ceramic Complementing these two releases the brand has introduced new versions of the Centrix In the brand s words It is no coincidence that this sensuous watch brings to mind the breathtaking windswept beauty of the desert The potent mysterious grace of minerals and sand sculpted by time in shades of gold ochre and brown Such imagery is familiar ground for the gifted watchmaker inventing art from high tech ceramic sapphire crystal and precision movements What more can we say Eric Dumatin R ADO CAPTAIN COOK HIGH TECH CER AMIC SKELETON R ADO RE AFFIRMS IT IS THE UNCONTESTED MASTER OF MATERIALS WITH THIS CASE IN PLASMA HIGH TECH CER AMIC INSIDE IS A R ADO AUTOMATIC CALIBRE R808 SKELE TON MOVEMENT WITH NEW GEOMETRY AND COMPONENTS SHADED IN DIFFERENT TONES TO ALLOW A DISTINCT VIEW OF THE VARIOUS PARTS SPECIAL FINISHING TOUCHES INCLUDE A HORIZONTALLY BRUSHED MAIN PL ATE AND A ROSEGOLD COLOURED MINUTE WHEEL BRIDGE THE MOVEMENT EQUIPPED WITH AN ANTI MAGNE TIC NIVACHRONTMBAL ANCE SPRING HAS BEEN FULLY TESTED IN FIVE POSITIONS RATHER THAN THE USUAL THREE AND PROVIDES 80 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE THE DIAL ITSELF IS INTENTIONALLY SPARTAN WITH SIMPLE GEOMETRIC INDICES AND HANDS TREATED WITH SUPER LUMINOVA TO ENHANCE READABILITY IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS THE TITANIUM CASEBACK ALSO CARRIES A SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL FOR A CLEAR VIEW OF THE MOVEMENT WHILE THE SCREW IN CROWN IS FINISHED WITH THE RADO ANCHOR SYMBOL
seiko
MATERIALS WATCH YOUR TIME 47 Hyper materials o Vincent Daveau Genius is the farthest extreme of the practical Jean Cocteau 1889 1963 Watchmakers are deploying innovative high tech materials that satisfy customers desire for ever greater exclusivity In an early and rare example of technology transfer towards the late 1400s watchmakers borrowed the spring retainer that gunsmiths fitted in wheellock pistols and used it to make transportable timepieces including the pocket watch They then settled into their ways reluctant to embrace any further change Fortunately casemakers were more adventurous They sculpted cases from rock crystal to reveal the remarkable miniaturised mechanisms within and fashioned protective covers out of hardened leather cuir bouilli studded with gold or silver rivets Now the pride of museums these elaborately ornamented timepieces were a sign of their owner s elevated position in society Today s watches make use of innovative materials for much the same reason to distinguish their owner from other enthusiasts in a game of horological one upmanship The heart of the matter The first to show an engineer s mindset and consider watchmaking through the lens of science were the chronometer makers of the eighteenth century They experimented with alloys as well as materials such as glass platinum mercury wood even diamond in an attempt to improve timekeeping precision and protect mechanisms from corrosion The real materials revolution however came much later in the 1930s and coincided with the watch s migration from pocket to wrist Stainless steel cases minimised skin reactions caused by contact with allergen metals At the same time brands trialled new lubricants and discovered the benefits of synthetic jewels Cases were designed to better protect movements that were more exposed to humidity shocks and magnetic fields still the enemy of a mechanical watch And the list goes on with balance wheels in beryllium bronze and balance springs made from alloys whose compositions are among the industry s best kept secrets GR AND SEIKO EVOLUTION 9 SPRING DRIVE 5 DAYS HIGH INTENSIT Y TITANIUM LAKE SUWA FOR GRAND SEIKO NATURE IS AN ENDLESS SOURCE OF INSPIRATION ITS DIALS OFTEN EVOKE THE UNIQUELY JAPANESE BE AUT Y OF THE VERY PL ACES WHERE ITS WATCHES ARE MADE THE DIAL OF THIS SLGA019 IS A PERFECT E X AMPLE IT MANIFESTS DIFFERENT BLUES AS WHEN A BREE ZE STIRS THE SURFACE OF LAKE SUWA TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE SHINSHU WATCH STUDIO THE HOME OF SPRING DRIVE THE 40MM CASE AND BRACELET ARE MADE FROM HIGH INTENSITY TITANIUM A METAL 30 LIGHTER THAN STEEL AND HIGHLY RESISTANT TO CORROSION AND SCR ATCHES THE CASE S LOWER CENTRE OF GR AVIT Y A PRINCIPLE OF GR AND SEIKO S EVOLUTION 9 ST YLE ENSURES THE WATCH SITS FIRMLY AND COMFORTABLY ON THE WRIST THE CALIBRE 9R A2 SPRING DRIVE MOVEMENT IS ASSEM BLED AT THE SHINSHU WATCH STUDIO AND CAPABLE OF APPROXI MATELY 120 HOURS OR 5 DAYS OF OPER ATION WHEN FULLY WOUND The balance and balance spring remain the subject of intense scientific research Swatch Group and Audemars Piguet collaborated on research into titanium subsequent to which in 2017 Swatch Group announced the debut of balance springs in NivachronTM Protected by four patents this titanium alloy provides considerably improved resistance to magnetic fields the reason countless watches find themselves back at after sales service Developments such as this could be brushed aside as minor advances except they concern components the balance and spring that are critical to the watch s functioning Dive watches are a case in point The ISO 6425 standard stipulates that a dive watch must withstand a magnetic field of 4 800 ampere metre or 60 gauss which is roughly the strength of a fridge magnet In Japan Seiko and Grand Seiko manu facture balance springs in Spron a proprietary nickel cobalt alloy Rolex has Parachrom a paramagnetic alloy of niobium zirconium and oxygen The brand with the coronet also equips certain of its movements with silicon oxide balance springs a material Patek Philippe and Swatch Group developed in partnership with THIEMO SANDER
48 WATCH YOUR TIME In great shape Alpina is celebrating its 140th anniversary with an unusually classic timepiece from a brand that is better known for watches that are built to endure life in the great outdoors The starting point for this commemorative edition was Calibre 490 a shaped movement released in 1938 Alpina has located enough exam ples of this calibre to produce two limited editions of 14 pieces each which it has named the Heritage Carr e Mechanical 140 Years These authentic manual winding movements which have a frequency of 2 5 Hz or 18 000 vibrations hour are housed in a rectangular silver case typical of early twen tieth century form watches The black dial version features a round small seconds subdial while the silver dial version has rectangular small seconds Both versions have a railroad minute scale with radial indices and luminescent Arabic hour numerals Completing this vintage tableau to perfection is an ostrich leather strap Established in 1883 by Gottlieb Hauser a watchmaker and seller in Winterthur Switzerland Alpina originated as a corporation of Swiss manufacturers Hauser and his associates operated in a way similar to that of the eighteenth century tablisseurs assembling components which they bought in from independent manufacturers Activity quickly expanded and from 1901 Alpina was making its own movements of superior quality Alpina also grew geographically In addition to factories in Switzerland it opened a branch in Glash tte the home of German watchmak ing where production focused on sports watches The first of these introduced in 1933 was the Blockuhr in steel It laid the foundations for the Alpina 4 Released in 1938 it demonstrated the four most important characteristics of a sports watch namely to be water resistant anti shock anti magnetic and in stainless steel This spirit of adventure continues through Alpina s present day Alpiner land Startimer air and Seastrong sea collections equipped with in house automatic movements C R Si fiction The silicon balance spring whose patent entered the public domain in November 2022 after the first applications by Ulysse Nardin some fifteen years previously is a potential gamechanger for mechanical movement production Determined to stay in the game Swatch Group via the Omega Speedmaster Pro Racing recently introduced a new type of silicon balance spring in the SpirateTMSystem which gains a tiny 0 to 2 seconds per day No other series produced movement attains such a level of precision Using only mechanical means Omega comes within a whisker of Grand Seiko s unique Spring Drive movement a technology that combines the high torque of a mechanical watch with an electronic watch s precision regulation by an integrated circuit As the twentieth century drew to a close another revolutionary technology quartz almost wiped out an industry entrenched in tradition But mechanical movements hadn t said their last word and made a spectacular comeback as luxury timepieces Anxious to protect these mechanical marvels the result of unique expertise from physical or aesthetic alteration brands began to make those components most at risk from materials that would withstand outside aggressions Synthetic corundum is one example Produced using the Verneuil flame fusion process discovered in 1900 synthetic ruby makes better quality movement jewels while synthetic sapphire gives tougher crystals to protect the watch s dial Jaeger LeCoultre s Reverso Dame was first to benefit in 1931 In the early 1980s Rolex began to equip watches in its Professionnelle line with robust sapphire crystals gradually extending this technology to all its collections Forever beautiful By the 1990s the majority of Rolex s competitors had adopted synthetic sapphire some in more original ways than others Blancpain uses a sapphire crystal insert for the rotating bezel on certain Fifty Fathoms while Chopard with great imagination machines the crystal and gongs of its most sophisticated striking watches from a single block of sapphire Through time and money spent on research certain brands are now able to machine sapphire to make cases Richard Mille is at the forefront of this technology They have also invested in the complex processes required sapphire to transform clear sapphire one of the main difficulties binetinogctooloured I II ALPI N A ALPINER HERITAGE CARR E MECHANICAL 140 YE ARS A LR E ADY I N 1938 CALIBRE 490 EMBODIED ALPINA S EMERGING VISION IT FEATURES A PATENTED CROWN THAT PROTECTS AGAINST DUST A KEY DEVELOPMENT AS IT MADE THE CASE AIRTIGHT A FIRST STEP ON THE WAY TO THE WATERTIGHT CASE THAT WOULD L ATER BECOME STANDARD THE MOVEMENT PROTECTED BY SWISS PATENT NUMBER 158882 HAS A SIMPLE ROBUST CONSTRUCTION BUT IS NO LESS PERFECTLY FINISHED ALL ITS COMPONENTS ARE BE VELLED AND THE R ATCHE T IS SUN BRUSHED THIS IS A GENUINE IN HOUSE CALIBRE DESIGNED ASSEMBLED AND FINISHED BY ONE OF THE FIRMS IN THE UNION HORLOG RE ALPINA S ORIGINAL ENTIT Y A PARTICUL ARIT Y SELDOM SEEN IN THE 1930S WHEN GENERIC BAUCHES MOVEMENT BLANKS WERE THE NORM AND MANUFACTURE MOVEMENTS THE EXCEPTION III IIII I HUBLOT BIG BANG TOURBILLON AUTOMATIC YELLOW NEON SAXEM HUBLOT CONTINUES ITS EXPLORATION OF SAXEM AN ALLOY OF ALUMINIUM OXIDE AND RARE EARTH ELEMENTS TO OBTAIN AN UNPRECEDENTED YELLOW NEON COLOUR THIS ULTR A RESISTANT MATERIAL PRE VIOUSLY SEEN ON THE BIG BANG MP 11 HAS A BRILLIANCE GREATER THAN THAT OF SAPPHIRE II CHOPARD L U C 1860 CHOPARD MANUFACTURE TOOK INSPIRATION FROM THE FIRST WATCH IN THE L U C COLLECTION L AUNCHED IN 1997 FOR THIS TIMEPIECE THE CASE 36 5MM IN DIAMETER AND 8 2MM HIGH IS CRAFTED FROM LUCENT STEEL WITH AN 80 RECYCLED STEEL CONTENT PROOF OF ITS COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE LUXURY CHOPARD IS ROLLING OUT THIS STEEL TO ALL ITS WATCH COLLECTIONS III R ADO DIASTAR ORIGINAL IN 2022 R ADO CELEBRATED THE DIASTAR S 60TH ANNIVERSARY WITH NEW MODELS FEATURING COLOURED DIALS THAT ARE DRIVEN BY AN AUTOMATIC DAY DATE MOVEMENT OFFERING 80 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE THE BROAD BEZEL IS IN CERAMOS AN ALLOY OF 90 HIGH TECH CER AMIC WITH 10 METAL ALLOY WHICH COMBINES HARDNESS WITH LUSTRE IIII LONGINES LEGEND DIVER WATCH THE LONGINES LEGEND DIVER WATCH STORY CONTINUES WITH COLOURFUL NEW MODELS INCLUDING THIS VERSION WITH AN ASH GREY SHADED DIAL HANDS MARKERS AND ARABIC NUMERALS ARE LUMINESCENT FOR OPTIMUM VISIBILITY THIS NEW MODEL IS FITTED WITH AN AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT INCORPORATING A SILICON BALANCE SPRING AND IS DELIVERED WITH A FIVE YE AR WARR ANT Y
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 49 Sporting style In 2021 Herm s launched the H08 making its grand entrance into the sports watch segment After this successful debut the H08 returns with new functions new colours and new materials When Herm s entered the fray of watchmakers jostling for space in the sport luxe segment it did so in characteristic style The H08 introduced in 2021 marked the Parisian firm s first real incursion into the sports segment with a watch that had horological chic running through it But would we have expected anything less Herm s is a house of creation founded on enduring values of quality and excellence declared Guillaume de Seynes Executive Vice President at this year s Watches and Wonders Geneva fair As such it is reaping the rewards of a long term strategy Translated into figures this has meant fantastic growth in 2022 when for the first time revenue exceeded 10 billion amounting to 11 6 billion 23 Progress has been even more fantastic in the watch segment where sales gained 46 to surpass the 500 million mark The H08 certainly had a hand in these excellent results Boasting a cushion shaped case in ultra light titanium or graphene filled carbon composite it combines robustness and elegance in a typically Herm s register Released as a monochrome execution sporting a black ceramic bezel above a tone on tone dial with displays of hours minutes seconds and date powered by the HERM S H08 CHRONOGRAPH THE SPORT INFLECTED URBAN CHIC STYLE OF THE HERM S H08 CARRIES OVER TO A NEW CHRONOGR APH VERSION THAT PL AYS ON CONTRASTING FINISHES AND TEXTURES THE CUSHION SHAPED CASE IS CUT FROM A BLOCK OF MULTI L AYER CARBON FIBRE GR APHENE POWDER COMPOSITE THAT IS BOTH LIGHTWEIGHT AND STRONG A WIDE TITANIUM BEZEL FRAMES THE BL ACK DIAL WITH DISPL AYS FOR THE DATE IN A CUSHION SHAPED WINDOW A 30 MINUTE CHRONOGRAPH COUNTER AND RUNNING SECONDS THE GRAINY FINISH OF THE SUBDIALS IS REPRISED ON THE HOUR TRACK WITH SLIM ORANGE automatic H1837 calibre it was an instant hit With this many aces up its sleeve it was only a matter of time before the H08 spawned an entire collection which Herm s presented at the Geneva fair Beauty and emotion When I designed the H08 I looked for a certain balance in the geometry and colour creative director Philippe Delhotal explained The idea was to create a desirable watch that combines beauty with emotion When creating the H08 Chronograph one of this year s new models it was important that we retain that balance and aesthetic For this reason carrying on the spirit of the original model we made a monopusher chronograph with a composite of carbon fibre and graphene powder for the case The H08 has the feel of a sports watch hence it made perfect sense to introduce a chronograph Providing contrast a brushed and polished titanium bezel sits on top of the textured midcase The monopusher for the chronograph is recessed into the black PVD treated crown and highlighted with an orange ring These pops of colour return on the chronograph hands and on the hour markers and in full glory on the rubber strap MARKERS DOUBLING UP THE NUMERALS ORANGE ACCENTS ON THE HANDS AND A BAND OF ORANGE ON THE CROWN TIE THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS TOGETHER AND MAKE THE VARIOUS INDICATIONS EASY TO READ THE MOVEMENT IS THE IN HOUSE AUTOMATIC H1837 WITH A DUBOIS D PR A Z CHRONOGR APH MODULE A SINGLE PUSHER STARTS STOPS AND RESETS THE CHRONOGRAPH SECONDS HAND THE RUBBER STR AP ALSO IN OR ANGE HAS A WOVEN PAT TERN ALONG ITS CENTRE A NOD TO HERM S SILK SCARVES with its textured weave pattern Movement wise we have the same H1837 calibre augmented by a Dubois D praz module for the chronograph Never one to quit while it s ahead at the same time as the H08 Chronograph Herm s unveiled a series of H08 this time accented with bright hues Orange yellow green and blue appear on the strap and add a hint of colour to the seconds hand minutes track and crystal gasket The familiar cushion shaped case is fashioned from a block of composite which Herm s describes as both light and sturdy The composite in question is made of braided and aluminised glass fibre blended with slate powder According to the brand this natural pigment produces subtle silvery reflections against which the black ceramic bezel and crown stand out creating a play on light and shade that highlights the depth of the concrete coloured dial with its fine finish punctuated by black hands and luminescent applied Arabic numerals A mix of textures and min erality deep shades and colourful accents straight lines and curves the H08 is a sports watch styled for everyday wear All in all a welcome addition to the Herm s stable Christophe Roulet HERM S H08 THE CUSHION SHAPED CASE OF THE NEW H08 IS MADE FROM A BLOCK OF COMPOSITE THAT MIXES BRAIDED AND ALUMINISED GLASS FIBRE WITH SLATE POWDER THE RESULT IS A CASE THAT IS BOTH RESISTANT AND LIGHT ON THE WRIST WHILE THE NATURAL PIGMENT GIVES A SUBTLE SILVER REFLECTION THAT MAKES THE BLACK OF THE CERAMIC BEZEL AND CROWN STAND OUT MATCHING THE COLOUR OF THE RUBBER STR AP POPS OF YELLOW GREEN BLUE OR OR ANGE ON THE DIAL ENHANCE READABILIT Y THE AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT IS THE IN HOUSE HERM S H1837
50 WATCH YOUR TIME MATERIALS achieve uniform density of colour This year Louis Vuitton is introducing the Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant Poin on de Gen ve with a case in vivid yellow or green sapphire Hublot one of the first brands to offer sapphire cases is launching a Big Bang SAXEM a high tech alloy of aluminium oxide with rare earth elements proposed in on trend neon colours Transparent ceramic made an appearance on Cartier s ID Two concept watch revealed in 2012 Now Ulysse Nardin is using it for the glass of its Diver Net also a concept watch This virtually inalterable material has practically the same properties as sapphire at a significantly lower production cost As an alternative to sapphire ceramic looks set for a bright future among consumers who want their watch to retain its fresh out of the box appearance and therefore value Ceramic is currently used to produce cases crystals and bezel inserts including for the latter bi coloured ceramic This chromatic development has also been seen on the case of certain Chanel J12 watches most recently on the J12 Cybernetic whose case explores a pixelated design in a combination of black and white ceramic Signature alloys In a world that values uniqueness and differentiation proprietary materials are a way of standing out from the crowd Rolex understood this early on becoming the first brand to switch from 316L to 904L stainless steel in the mid 1980s Rolex refers to the alloy which is harder and more resistant to corrosion as Oystersteel The idea of using materials as a USP has made inroads within the industry As a brand attuned to issues surrounding the sourcing of precious stones and precious metals Chopard has committed to using only ethical gold part of its journey to sustainable luxury When it unveiled its Alpine Eagle collection in 2019 it also introduced the world to Lucent SteelTM a proprietary alloy that contains a high proportion of recycled metal Hublot meanwhile has developed its own King Gold and Magic Gold alloys Cases in 18k Magic Gold a mix of gold with ceramic are virtually impossible to scratch Other brands have been even more radical in their approach Panerai s Laboratorio di Idee has developed BMG TechTM a bulk metallic glass so hard that watches made from it are pretty much anything proof Other brands have focused on ceramised aluminium while Omega opts for LiquidmetalTM an amorphous metal alloy with high tensile strength Developed by researchers at The California Institute of Technology Omega uses it for certain components in its dive watches Which leaves carbon composites Borrowed from Formula 1 and competitive sailing carbon has become a sexy material in watchmaking adopted and developed by prestigious names such as Richard Mille Panerai and Audemars Piguet But not only As carbon enters the mainstream and appears on watches lower down the price scale R D departments are working on materials that are even more exclusive a concept close to luxury s heart For its H08 Herm s has developed a novel composite that combines slate powder with braided and aluminised glass fibre The end result has an organic feel reminiscent of Tissot s RockWatch Innovative mechanical watchmaking is also an eternal recommencement I II III IIII V VI VII I ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL GMT MASTER II ROLEX INTRODUCES A NEW EXECUTION OF THE GMT MASTER II IN YELLOW ROLESOR A COMBINATION OF OYSTERSTEEL AND YELLOW GOLD WITH A GREY AND BLACK MONOBLOC CERACHROM BEZEL INSERT CALIBRE 3285 DRIVES HOURS MINUTES SECONDS DATE AND A SECOND TIME ZONE WITH A 24 HOUR DISPL AY II IWC IWC PILOT S WATCH CHRONOGR APH 41 TOP GUN OCEANA IWC ADDS CERAMIC TO ITS LINE OF 41M M P I LOT S WATCH CHRONOGR APHS THE B LUE CERAMIC FOR THE OCEANA S CASE WAS DEVELOPED WITH PANTONE THE IWC MANUFACTURED CALIBRE 69380 CHRONOGRAPH MOVEMENT IS KNOWN FOR ITS ROBUSTNESS AND RELIABILIT Y III PANERAI SUBMERSIBLE QUARANTAQUAT TRO CARBOTECHTM THIS 44MM SUBMERSIBLE COMES WITH A CARBOTECHTM CASE A DLC COATED TITANIUM CROWN AND AN ABYSS BLUE DIAL CARBOTECHTM IS MADE FROM THIN SHEETS OF CARBON FIBRES WHICH ARE COMPRESSED AT A CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE UNDER HIGH PRESSURE TOGETHER WITH A HIGH END POLYMER THAT BINDS THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL MAKING IT EVEN STRONGER AND MORE DURABLE IIII A LANGE S HNE ODYSSEUS TITANIUM THE FIRST STEEL WATCH FROM A LANGE S HNE WHEN IT WAS INTRODUCED IN 2019 THE ODYSSEUS SPORTS WATCH NOW BECOMES THE BRAND S FIRST WATCH IN TITANIUM LIKE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ODYSSEUS FAMILY THIS NEW EDITION FEATURES A MULTI LEVEL DIAL V LOUIS VUIT TON TAMBOUR MOON FLYING TOURBILLON POIN ON DE GEN VE THE CASE OF THIS TAMBOUR MOON IS CRAFTED FROM A BLOCK OF SAPPHIRE AND IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE HISTORY OF WATCHMAKING TO BE HALLMARKED POIN ON DE GEN VE THIS COMPLE TELY TR ANSPARENT CRE ATION DISPL AYS IN MINUTE DETAIL EVERY PART OF ITS IN HOUSE OPENWORKED MOVEMENT WITH A FLYING TOURBILLON VI TAG HEUER CARRERA PLASMA DIAMANT D AVANTGARDE CHRONOGRAPH TOURBILLON IN 2022 TAG HEUER PRESENTED A CHRONOGRAPH ENCRUSTED WITH LABGROWN DIAMONDS IT RETURNS WITH THIS 44MM MODEL WHOSE CASE BEZEL AND BRACELET ARE MADE FROM MATTE BLACK SANDBLASTED ANODIZED ALUMINIUM ITS SURFACE IS SET WITH LAB GROWN DIAMONDS IN DIFFERENT SHAPES FOR A TOTAL 7 1 CAR ATS VII MONTBL ANC 1858 ICED SEA AUTOMATIC DATE THE FROZEN TEXTURE ON THE GREEN DIAL OF THIS ICED SEA AUTOMATIC DATE REPRODUCES THE FRAGMENTED NATURE OF GLACIAL ICE HAND EXECUTED USING AN ALMOST FORGOTTEN TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS GRATT BOIS IT CREATES AN IMPRESSION OF DEPTH AND LUMINOSIT Y
Legendary SERENA WILLIAMS EMBODIES THE VALUES OF AUDEMARS PIGUET In 1993 in the wake of the Royal Oak s twentieth anniversary Audemars Piguet again took the watch world by surprise with the Offshore whose massive size earned it a nickname The Beast FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 51 Some watches have no need for lengthy introductions having imprinted themselves on the watch community s collective conscience Audemars Piguet s Royal Oak Offshore is one of them Massive robust resembling nothing else it retains a personality and vitality as powerful as the day it was launched 30 years ago in 1993 Like the Royal Oak before it the Offshore came about in response to demand from a particular market The year was 1989 and Audemars Piguet s German agent wanted a model inspired by offshore powerboat racing that would set a trend for the 1990s This task fell on the young shoulders of designer Emmanuel Gueit who was 22 years old His mission was to rejuvenate the image of the Royal Oak released in 1972 From his very first sketches Gueit imagined the blueprint for the future Offshore a huge for that time diameter of 42mm and 14mm high a thick gasket a crown coated with coloured rubber and rounded bracelet links All that was missing was a chronograph which would come later But when the watch world discovered this behemoth the scandal it provoked was equal to its size comments Rapha l Balestra Audemars Piguet Heritage and Archives Manager The Offshore s proportions weren t the only bone of AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SELF WINDING FLYING TOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH THIS NEW BL ACK CER AMIC ITER ATION OF THE ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SELF WINDING FLYING TOURBILLON CHRONOGR APH HIGHLIGHTS THE WATCH S ARCHITECTURAL MICRO MECHANICS WITH GREEN ACCENTS MOUNTED ON A GREEN RUBBER STR AP THIS SPORT Y TI MEPIECE COMBINES INTR ICATE HANDCR AF TSMANSHIP WITH CUT TING EDGE TECHNOLOGY WITH THIS NEW 100 PIECE LIMITED EDITION AUDEMARS PIGUET S MASTERY OF MATERIALS AND contention It was also criticised for its price retailing at twice that of a steel Royal Oak Nicknamed The Beast hardly the most flattering of sobriquets it even had its detractors within the Manufacture but as Audemars Piguet likes to remind us rules are meant to be broken In 1991 the then co CEO Steve Urquhart greenlighted the model fully aware of the production difficulties that would have to be resolved in order to give this extraordinary watch its characteristics such as the bracelet whose curved links had to be hand brushed and water resistance that had been increased to 100 metres Birth of an icon Overcoming these difficulties meant the Royal Oak Offshore launched a few months later than planned but it was worth the wait Despite the hostile reaction from the industry it found fans among a young clientele especially in Italy who fell in love with this modern luxury watch and its unapologetic design Still it would be a few years before this enthusiasm translated into sales helped by variations that introduced different sizes as well as complications including a chronograph that makes a perfect fit for the Offshore s sporting personality A further boost came from the celebrities who accompanied the collection s development First among them was Arnold Schwarzenegger The actor and later California governor collaborated on multiple limited editions to raise money for charitable organisa tions including the Inner City Games Foundation which provides sports and academic activities for disadvan taged youth More high profile endorsements would follow including with NBA star player LeBron James and hip hop artist Jay Z The collaboration with Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Royal Oak Offshore End Of Days for the release of the film of the same name brought the collection to the attention of a wider audience recalls Audemars Piguet CEO Fran ois Henry Bennahmias By the early 2000s the Royal Oak Offshore had truly taken off It was the sport luxe watch everyone wanted provided they had the wrist to wear its 220 grams and almost double that for the yellow gold versions While never departing from its original codes the Royal Oak Offshore has seen 230 variations ranging from 27mm to 48mm in diameter Materials have run the gamut from steel to titanium ceramic rubber Kevlar cermet and forged carbon As for functions the chronograph has been joined by perpetual calendars tourbillons and other com plications More than a watch the Royal Oak Offshore is a statement Eric Dumatin COLOURS TAKES ANOTHER STEP FORWARD ON THE OCCASION OF THE COLLECTION S 30TH ANNIVERSARY INTRODUCED IN 2021 CALIBRE 2967 IS AN AUTOMATIC FLYBACK CHRONOGR APH MOVEMENT WITH 526 COMPONENTS A SINGLE BRIDGE SUPPORTS THE CAGE OF THE FLYING TOURBILLON AS IT ROTATES VISIBLE AT 6 O CLOCK THIS NEW EDITION BENEFITS FROM THE INTERCHANGEABLE STRAP SYSTEM DIRECTLY INTEGR ATED INTO THE CASE STUDS AND BUCKLE THAT WAS DEVELOPED FOR THE L ATEST ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE MODELS AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SELF WINDING CHRONOGRAPH 43 MM AUDEMARS PIGUET PRESENTS THE ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SELFWINDING CHRONOGR APH IN BL ACK CER AMIC CREATED AS A TRIBUTE TO THE END OF DAYS MODEL THAT WAS RELE ASED IN 1999 IN COLL ABOR ATION WITH ARNOLD SCHWAR ZENEGGER THE FIRST OF NUMEROUS CELEBRITY COLLABORATIONS CELEBRATING A WATCH THAT HAS BEEN PUSHING THE LIMITS FOR 30 YEARS THIS 500 PIECE LIMITED EDITION SPORTS A BLACK AESTHETIC WITH YELLOW DETAILING
ART WATCH YOUR TIME 53 A thing of beauty o Paloma Recio director R E magazine The artist by his work is known Jean de La Fontaine 1621 1695 Beyond the intricacy of mechanisms a watch derives its beauty from the decorative arts that transform cases and dials In the introduction to his lectures on Aesthetics Hegel writes that the aim of art is to awaken and vivify our slumbering feelings inclinations and passions of every kind We could say the same of beauty a quality that captures and awakens our senses In watchmaking beyond the technique and complexity of mechanisms pure beauty exists and is expressed through the decorative arts BVLGARI SERPENTI TUBOGAS INFINIT Y T WO BV LG AR I I C ONS THE SNA K E I NSP I R ED TUBOG AS FROM 1948 AND THE SERPENTI COME TOGE THER IN THE PRECIOUS INFINITELY CRE ATIVE SKIN OF THE SERPENTI TUBOGAS INFINIT Y THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE SERPENTINE SILHOUET TE CONTINUES FROM THE CASE ALL THE WAY TO THE BR ACELET THANKS TO THE REFINED GEM SET TING ON AN UNPRECEDENTED MODULAR CONSTRUCTION THE RINGS ARE MOULDED POLISHED SET WITH DIAMONDS THEN ASSEMBLED ON A TITANIUM BLADE THE HEAD OF THE SNAKE IS SNOW SET WITH DIAMONDS ON THE DIAL MORE DIAMONDS ADORN THE BEZEL AND A FURTHER EIGHT DIAMONDS HIGHLIGHT THE CURVE OF THE CASE These m tiers d art as they are also known have been the companions of Swiss watchmaking from its very beginnings They have the noble mission to embellish timepieces in many instances transforming them into diminutive works of art for the wrist made possible only by the dexterity and creativity of highly skilled artisans The passing of time becomes almost secondary allowing enamelling miniature painting engraving gem setting guillochage marquetry and filigree to take pride of place Displays of hours minutes and seconds are transformed the watch becomes an object of beauty that encompasses an array of disciplines and requires the work of expert hands years of experience infinite patience and no small amount of imagination The art of fire The most prestigious watch manufacturers have brought these skills in house and employ their own specialists who have mastered the secrets of a particular technique passed through generations These studios may on occasion collaborate with experts outside the depart ment many of whom have acquired unparalleled expertise in their field Enamel artist Anita Porchet immediately springs to mind As one of the foremost modern practitioners of enamel miniature painting her services are requested Horlogerie makers by the most prestigious and storied Haute THIEMO SANDER
54 WATCH YOUR TIME Diving belles Ever since the 1950s and the launch of the Fifty Fathoms the first modern dive watch the ocean has been at the heart of Blancpain in every sense As well as nurturing a passion for the sea and actively advocating for ocean preservation through its Ocean Commitment programme the brand has made underwater watches a mainstay of its collections to an extent that the Blancpain name has become a reference for the diving community The very first Fifty Fathoms was released in 1953 and named for its water resistance of fifty fathoms 300 feet 91 5 metres Originally developed for French Navy combat divers then adopted by marine special forces in other countries the Fifty Fathoms was later released as civilian versions whose popularity among recreational divers and the general public continues unabated Three years later in 1956 Blancpain introduced the Bathyscaphe Slightly more compact and streamlined than its predecessor for everyday wear it would be no less capable of deep dives Both ranges would be given a full revamp in 2007 for the Fifty Fathoms then 2013 for the Bathyscaphe While every inch a sports watch and with no doubt as to its diving credentials the Bathyscaphe Quanti me Complet reinforces the principle of everyday utility that underpinned the first Bathyscaphe Proposed in red gold or titanium its complete calendar shows the date by hand with days and months in apertures These three indications are comple mented by moon phases at 6 o clock Blancpain has taken care to protect the 6654 P automatic movement 72 hours of power reserve by equipping its date mechanism with a security system that enables the watch s owner to set the date at any time without risk to the movement C R One of Ms Porchet s most recent productions in collaboration with engraver Dick Steenman is for the Tambour Opera Automata by Louis Vuitton Inspired by Bian Lian a dramatic art associated with Sichuan Opera the mask she has created in white red and black cloisonn enamel with gold wire changes expression on demand Next to it is a fan a fundamental accessory for performers in champlev enamel This motif is repeated on the crown The enamelwork for the dial and crown represents seven days of painstaking work Master engraver Dick Steenman spent a further two weeks sculpting the elements in gold including the dragon that wraps around the mask An artistic vision of time Art history and culture are the building blocks for the artisans at Vacheron Constantin where time has always been viewed through an artistic lens One piece in particular warrants mention Crafted as a unique piece Les Cabinotiers Tribute to Johannes Vermeer offers a vibrant demonstration of the mechanical arts by incorporating a Westminster grande sonnerie and a tourbillon regulator as well as the decorative arts in the engraving and sculpt ing techniques illustrated on the case bow and flanks of this pocket watch On the back cover the miniature reproduction in enamel of Vermeer s celebrated Girl with a Pearl Earring also the work of Anita Porchet achieves a degree of perfection commensurate with the watch itself Another timepiece deserving of work of art status is the RM 47 Tourbillon Richard Mille s homage to Japanese samurai culture and the values of bushido their code of conduct Each watch in this 75 piece limited series took 16 hours to engrave and nine hours to paint entirely by hand to create the samurai armour in yellow gold Eleven sculpted engraved and partially painted elements frame the tourbil lon whose compact size leaves more space free for the miniature armour and swords Connoisseurs will notice the crest of the Asano a clan of legendary warriors They will appreciate the beauty of the tra ditional kabuto helmet with its ribbon and observe how the two swords in their sheaths blade upwards ready for combat are positioned I II BLANCPAIN FIF T Y FATHOMS BATHYSCAPHE QUANTI ME COMPLET ME ASURING 43MM IN DIAMETER AND WATER RESISTANT TO 300 METRES THE BATHYSCAPHE QUANTI ME COMPLET COMES IN T WO SATIN BRUSHED VERSIONS WITH WELL DEFINED CONTOURS ONE IN RED GOLD AND ONE IN GRADE 23 TITANIUM THE RED GOLD MODEL IS PAIRED WITH A SUNBURST GRADIENT BLUE DIAL THAT CATCHES THE LIGHT WITH REMARK ABLE EASE GOLD HOUR MARKERS HANDS AND MOON MATCH THE CASE COLOUR THE DIAL IS FRAMED BY A UNIDIRECTIONAL ROTATING BEZEL WITH A BRILLIANT BLUE CERAMIC INL AY FEATURING A CER AGOLDTM TIME SCALE THE COLOUR MATERIAL MATCH CONTINUES ON THE BACK WHICH REVEALS A RED GOLD OSCILLATING WEIGHT IT IS FITTED WITH A BLUE NATO OR SAILCLOTH STR AP WITH THE L AT TER OP TION OFFERING THE CHOICE BE T WEEN A PIN BUCKLE AND A FOLDING CL ASP III IIII I CHOPARD HAPPY SPORT 25MM CHOPARD S HAPPY DIAMONDS WATCH HAS TRANSFORMED ITSELF MANY TIMES SINCE ITS DEBUT IN 1993 REVEALED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE BE HAPPY CAMPAIGN STARRING JULIA ROBERTS THIS DIMINUTIVE QUARTZ POWERED VERSION INTRODUCES A NEW 25MM DIAMETER II AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK SELF WINDING CHRONOGRAPH 38 MM AUDEMARS PIGUET HAS INTRODUCED TWO NEW EXECUTIONS OF ITS ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING CHRONOGR APH 38 MM INCLUDING THIS MODEL IN 18K ROSE GOLD WITH BAGUETTE DIAMONDS ON THE BEZEL A BLACK ONYX DIAL MAKES A PERFECT BACKDROP FOR DIAMOND HOUR MARKERS AND FOR THE GOLD RINGS AROUND THE CHRONOGRAPH COUNTERS III BAIGNOIRE DE CARTIER WATCH THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE INCARNATIONS OF THE BAIGNOIRE WATCH SINCE ITS FIRST APPE AR ANCE IN 1912 THIS YEAR SEES A CHANGE OF SCALE WITH SMALLER PROPORTIONS THE DIAL WITH ROMAN NUMERALS IS CROWNED WITH THE FULLNESS OF THE BEZEL WHILE THE CURVED OVAL DIAL EXTENDS INTO A BANGLE TO BE SLIPPED ONTO THE WRIST AND WORN BOTH AS A WATCH AND AS JEWELLERY IIII MONTBL ANC BOH ME DAY NIGHT 30MM THIS NEW DIAL DEPICTS A FAIRYTALE SCENE OF FLUFF Y MOTHER OF PEARL CLOUDS AND A DAY NIGHT DISC WHOSE GRADIENTS OF BLUE SKY ARE ENHANCED WITH R AYS OF LIGHT AS THE SUN RISES THE MOON SETS AND VICE VERSA BUT AT MIDNIGHT IN DEFIANCE OF THE LAWS OF NATURE SUN AND MOON MEET
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 55 Going to extremes Richard Mille has earned its place in the very small circle of the most prestigious high end watchmakers An exploit for a brand established just twenty years ago It s a fact Richard Mille leaves no one indifferent Since its inaugural watch in 2001 the RM 001 Tourbillon the brand has done things its own way determined to shake up the aesthetics and thinking behind contemporary watchmaking It arrived with watches that were intrinsically different and from the outset positioned at the highest point of the pyramid It also had the means to keep them there whether technical with cutting edge mechanisms and innovative materials or commercial with a family approach to business Wearing a Richard Mille became a grail for anyone wanting to enter a world where time is measured to uncompromising standards of performance in powerful designs and with an attitude that can only exist on solid foundations From success to success in just twenty years Richard Mille has joined the ranks of the most prestigious watchmakers in the world with a catalogue of more than 130 models each more extraordinary than the last A single example suffices that of the RM UP 01 Ferrari Leaving aside the details of how this remarkable watch is constructed its dimensions alone are compelling Here is a watch with a total thickness of 1 75 mm that houses a mechanical movement that is 1 18 mm high and weighs 2 82 grams The result of more than 6 000 hours of development and laboratory testing including pendulum impact testing this titanium watch is the thinnest ever RICHARD MILLE CALIBRE CRMT 7 IN THE RM 88 SMILEY THE ULTI MATE FEELGOOD WATCH RICHARD MILLE S RM 88 SMILEY IS A MASTERPIECE OF WATCHMAKING MECHANICS AND MINIATURE SCULPTURE THE IN HOUSE TOURBILLON SKELETON CRMT7 CALIBRE DRIVES HOURS MINUTES AND A FUNCTION INDICATOR WITH AUTOMATIC WINDING BY A 3N YELLOW GOLD ROTOR IN THE SHAPE OF A SUN THE SKELETONISED PLATE AND BRIDGES ARE MADE FROM GRADE 5 TITANIUM WITH GOLD PVD TREATMENT PRODUCTION OF THE RM 88 AUTOMATIC TOURBILLON SMILEY IS LIMITED TO 50 PIECES made offers 45 hours of power reserve and can withstand accelerations of 5 000 g Limited to 150 pieces don t expect to see the RM UP 01 Ferrari parked in the display cases of one of the 39 Richard Mille stores worldwide at least not for more than a few seconds Extreme solutions It is what Richard Mille is about taking watchmaking to the extreme and then some It s a favourite saying of Mr Richard Mille co founder with Dominique Guenat an old friend that despite its young age the brand has far more technical experience than anyone else Such extreme solutions in terms of movements and materials served by a razor sharp aesthetic have driven the brand s success and delivered multiple patented firsts such as the declutching rotor the G sensor and the tilting pinion a new type of coupling system for a flyback chronograph As for innovations alongside function selectors vibrating alarms and time zone setting by the bezel it would be impossible to omit the alloys and composites that enable the outstanding performance resistance durability and lightness of a Richard Mille watch One example says it all the RM 27 04 Rafael Nadal The titanium tourbillon movement is suspended by cables inside the case in TitaCarb a polyamide reinforced with carbon fibre that is one of the strongest composites in the world having a fracture resistance close to that of steel RICHARD MILLE RM 07 01 INTERGALACTIC FOUR NEW MODELS JOIN RICHARD MILLE S RM 07 01 COLLECTION OF WOMEN S WATCHES EACH REPRESENTING AN EXPLOSION OF STARS IN THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT CRAFTED FROM BLACK CARBON TPT THEY INTRODUCE A NEW GEM SETTING TECHNIQUE IN WHICH RED GOLD PRONGS SECURE THE DIAMONDS BUT ALSO PL AY A DECOR ATIVE ROLE WHEREAS GOLD IS MALLEABLE THE HARDNESS OF CARBON TPT REQUIRES THE MULTIPLE SETTINGS OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS TO BE PREPARED WITH A DIAMOND BIT MILLING TOOL BEFORE EACH OF THE 51 DIAMONDS AND 765 PRONGS CAN BE INSERTED BY HAND All this in a featherlight package the entire watch strap included barely tips the scales at 30 grams Richard Mille brands its watches as a racing machine on the wrist and makes no secret of its affinity with high powered automotive engines from Formula 1 to classic cars as well as with sailing This dual passion inspired the brand to establish the Richard Mille Racing Team which from 2020 to 2022 competed in the World Endurance Championship WEC with an all female then mixed gender crew and in 2023 to found the Richard Mille Cup a regatta for pre 1939 yachts By extension sport has become a favourite territory for the brand whose family of athletes continues to grow And because at Richard Mille there is no standing still its watches are designed with and for the members of this family They are instruments built for competition made to survive the toughest treatment Even the tourbillon models must endure conditions this mechanism s inventor would never have dared to imagine But for Richard Mille nothing is impossible including conquering the hearts of women watch enthusiasts Its first in house automatic movement and automatic tourbillon were both launched in ladies collections not forgetting gem set and m tiers d art watches and the brand s first women s sports watch the RM 07 04 that was released this year Christophe Roulet RICHARD MILLE RM 07 04 AUTOMATIC SPORT RICHARD MILLE DEVELOPED THE RM 07 04 ITS FIRST SPORTS WATCH FOR WOMEN WITH INPUT FROM SIX FEMALE ATHLETES ALL MEMBERS OF ITS EXTENDED FAMILY THREE YE ARS OF R D WENT INTO THIS WATCH PROPOSED AS SIX MODELS IN CARBON TPT OR QUARTZ TPT IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A COMPACT AND SKELETONISED AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT GUAR ANTEE HIGH SHOCK RESISTANCE AND PERFECTLY INTEGR ATE THE E X TERIOR INTO THE MOVEMENT
The Millennium Watch Book Each year a new edition to collect These past years have been something of a golden era for the decorative arts in fine watchmaking from traditional techniques that have been reimagined in line with current tastes to others that had almost disappeared and have been brought back to life They are as essential as the artisans who practice these crafts with seemingly infinite imagination Jaeger LeCoultre has designed its M tiers Rares Atelier as a place where these skilled craftsmen and women can apply these decorative techniques side by side to deliver a renewed message of beauty in a contemporary language turning Abraham Louis Breguet was first to use guillochage on a watch in the 1780s sensing that it would give a distinctive beauty to his dials Still today a guilloch dial is a signature of a Breguet watch Performed on a rose engine lathe guillochage demands that artisan and machine work as one modulating speed of rotation and pressure to create depth and play of light Patterns are many and varied and carry evocative names such as Clous de Paris barleycorn chequerboard basketweave and sunburst Such a wealth of decorations gives an engine turned dial its unique personality Ancient techniques A companion to watchmaking since the seventeenth century enamel is the triumph of colour over time It is also a delicate technique that requires vast artistic intuition and talent in addition to patience and precision which is perhaps why most enamellers are women Depending on the degree of detail and complexity of the piece an enamelled dial can be fired several dozen times at 800 C Gem setting is another sought after technique for the decoration of cases and dials as is guillochage or engine Other lesser known techniques produce equally splendid results Shakudo is one This ancient Japanese art once used by samurais to adorn every part of their cataphract is now practiced in Switzerland s Vall e de Joux A watch dial is dipped into a bath of rokusho an alloy of copper and gold as many time as required to achieve the desired nuances of black grey and blue A shakudo dial is usually further embellished with an engraved motif D wahmeanscceeitnteakisesanitostnhaemr es ptroeaJdaipnagnfaronmd SDpaaminascus Discover the 2020 2030 collection on the watch book com I II Edition 2023 III IIII I JAEGER LECOULTRE RENDEZ VOUS DAZZLING STAR JAEGER LECOULTRE INVENTS AN ENTIRELY NEW COMPLICATION IN THE FORM OF A SHOOTING STAR CUT IN A SPINNING AVENTURINE DISC WHICH APPEARS AT RANDOM MOMENTS FOUR TO SIX TIMES AN HOUR ON THE BLUE AVENTURINE DIAL ACTIVATED BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE WRIST THIS COMPLICATION CAN ALSO BE ENJOYED ON DEMAND II HERM S ARCEAU GRAND CARROSSE ROYAL HERM S HAS CAPTURED THE MADCAP JOURNEY OF THE GR AND ROYAL COACH ON A MOTHER OFPE ARL DIAL INSIDE A 41MM CASE IN WHITE GOLD EACH DETAIL IS HAND DRAWN IN NUANCES OF BLUE AND GREY ENAMEL DEPTH AND SHADOW ARE CRE ATED THROUGH T WENT Y SOME L AYERS OF COLOUR EACH OF WHICH MUST BE FIRED BEFORE THE NEXT CAN BE APPLIED III LOUIS VUIT TON TAMBOUR FIERY HEART AUTOMATA LOUIS VUIT TON DEMONSTR ATES ITS VIRTUOSO SKILL AS A MAKER OF AUTOMATA WATCHES WITH THIS DECIDEDLY FEMININE MODEL WHICH IS FITTED WITH THE BRAND S FIRST IN HOUSE AUTOMATA MOVEMENT WITH AUTOMATIC WINDING THE RICH REDS AND GREENS AND SUBTLE TEXTURES OF ITS GRAND FEU ENAMEL DIAL OFFER A DAZZLING SPECTACLE IIII CHANEL MADEMOISELLE PRIV PIQUEAIGUILLES LACE MOTIF IN THE ATELIERS ON RUE CAMBON GABRIELLE CHANEL WAS NEVER WITHOUT A PAIR OF SCISSORS AROUND HER NECK AND A PINCUSHION STRAPPED TO HER WRIST THIS LATTER TOOL HAS INSPIRED A WATCH WHOSE LARGE 55MM DIAMETER OFFERS SCOPE FOR FIVE TAB LE AUX I NC LUD I NG TH IS CAM ELLIA STREWN L ACE MOTIF
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 57 Contemporary elegance More than a name Breguet is a synonym for excellence and innovation in watchmaking This heritage remains at the heart of the brand today Observers will tell you there is a before and an after Abraham Louis Breguet a watchmaker whose genius shaped the measurement of time more than any other Agree or not there is no denying that the inventor of the tourbillon who was born in the Swiss canton of Neuch tel in 1747 moving to Quai de l Horloge in Paris in 1775 was one of the Enlightenment s most remarkable and creative horologists During his lifetime this novel thinker won the favours of every European court Speaking recently about his plans for the brand which he has helmed since 2021 Chief Executive Lionel a Marca made no secret of his admiration I want this extraordinary watchmaker s story to become more widely known He invented everything from the tourbillon to crowdfunding through his subscription watches His registers which are conserved at the Breguet Museum on Place Vend me in Paris are a prototype customer database He was one of the first to open trading posts in the eighteenth century being present in France Russia and Spain He was also a fabulous designer the creator of a subtle and refined aesthetic A paragon of horological virtues such a figure is a rare exemplar although one must have the right cards in hand to be worthy of such a model Which in the case of Breguet the brand leaves no doubt Now part of the Swatch Group Breguet is experiencing a new golden age In the brand s words in 1999 Nicolas G BREGUET CLASSIQUE CALENDRIER 7337 THIS NE W RENDITION OF THE CL ASSIQUE CALENDRIER WITH INDICATIONS OF THE DAY DATE MOON PHASES AND SMALL SECONDS IN A 39MM GOLD CASE IS CONTEMPOR ARY WITHOUT STR AYING FROM ITS ORIGINS THE OFF CENTRE HOURS AND MINUTES DISPL AY IS DECORATED WITH A CLOUS DE PARIS HOBNAIL GUILLOCH WHILE THE OUTER DIAL USES A CIRCUL AR BARLEYCORN MOTIF AT NOON MOON PHASES ARE REPRESENTED BY A HAMMERED GOLD MOON ON A GLITTERING BLUE LACQUER BACKGROUND Hayek took over one of the most precious names in fine watchmaking which was lying somewhat dormant at the time Driven by a genuine passion he infused peerless vitality into a brand endowed with an exceptional heritage and know how With the Swatch Group s industrial capacity and commercial clout behind it Breguet would have at its disposal the material and technical resources it needed to perpetuate the art of fine watchmaking The brand was given a prestigious manufacture L mania and benefited from substantial and regular investment much of it in research and development It would for example be one of the first to introduce high frequency movements and a pioneer of silicon technology On a contemporary note Breguet continues to nurture its founder s innovative spirit while epitomising the precision and perfection for which he was renowned With what type of timepiece Future products will reprise the hallmarks of the brand in a contemporary style Lionel a Marca declared Where complications are concerned the range includes ultra thin watches minute repeaters and tourbillons Our role is to make watches featuring innovative complications that remain easy to use for the wearer Illustrating this are two original models in the Classique collection One is a revisited interpretation of the Calendrier 7337 Its dial is decorated with guillo BREGUET CALIBRE 502 3 P THE CLASSIQUE PERPETUAL CALENDAR IS FITTED WITH THE 502 3 P CALIBRE CALIBRE 502 WITH AN ADDITIONAL CALENDAR MODULE ONE OF THE THINNEST BREGUET MOVEMENTS IT HAS BEEN ENGINEERED TO PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE DESPITE A HEIGHT OF JUST 4 5 MILLIMETRES AN OPEN BARREL CONTRIBUTES TO THIS SLENDERNESS WHILE PROVIDING CONSTANT ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE 45 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE THE GOLD ROTOR IS OFF CENTRED TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM SPACE FOR THE 294 COMPONENTS chage a distinctive feature of a Breguet watch with a Clous de Paris or hobnail pattern on the off centre hours and minutes dial matched with a circular barleycorn motif for the surrounding dial Moon phases represented by a hand hammered moon in gold on a spangled blue lacquer sky take pride of place at 12 o clock framed by apertures for the date and day A 39mm case in white gold or rose gold contains calibre 502 one of the thinnest movements from Breguet measuring 2 4mm high and incorporating a silicon balance spring All the ingredients of this new magic formula one of the thinnest movements available on the market inno vative silicon technology the original layout of indica tions the superbly executed guillochage and the natural elegance that comes from a watch crafted in the grand tradition can be seen both in this Calendrier 7337 and in the Quanti me Perp tuel 7327 Its slim silhou ette houses the same calibre 502 with the addition of a perpetual calendar module for a total height of 4 5mm again one of the brand s thinnest movements Simple to wear but complex in its creation it tracks the quirks of the Gregorian calendar with a fresh con temporary arrangement of the different indications that is easy to read Functioning without adjustment until 2100 the perpetual calendar is one of the most prestigious complications from one of the most pres tigious names Christophe Roulet BREGUET CLASSIQUE QUANTI ME PERP TUEL 7327 ABR AHAM LOUIS BREGUE T ENJOYED GREAT SUCCESS WITH HIS PERP TUELLE WATCHES HE EQUIPPED THEM WITH AN SECOUSSES OSCILLATING WEIGHT THAT USED THE WEARER S BODY MOVEMENTS TO AUTOMATICALLY WIND THE MECHANISM HE ALSO CHOSE THESE MODELS WHICH OFTEN INCORPORATED A CALENDAR MECHANISM TO EXPERIMENT WITH HIS FIRST GUILLOCH SILVERED DIALS IN 2023 BREGUET REVISITS THE PERPETUAL CALENDAR IN GOLD AS PART OF THE CLASSIQUE COLLECTION
58 WATCH YOUR TIME Eternal Grand Seiko s Heritage collection celebrates the earliest Grand Seiko timepieces which it reinterprets with the very latest movements manufacturing techniques and crafts manship It embodies the uniquely Japanese Grand Seiko aesthetic and the excellence for which the brand has always been renowned This year Grand Seiko is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its 9S movement This in house cali bre which made its debut in 1998 is the symbol of Grand Seiko s tireless pursuit of absolute precision Indeed the first 9S calibres were so advanced they enabled the crea tion of a new Grand Seiko Standard that was much higher than the industry norm Not that the Japanese firm is the kind to rest on its laurels Over the past 25 years Calibre 9S has given rise to an entire series of movements offering different functions and harnessing the properties of new alloys for the balance spring and mainspring while MEMS Micro Electro Mechanical Systems technology is used to manufacture parts to a tolerance of one thousandth of a millimetre Calibre 9S thus became the foundation on which Grand Seiko mechanical movements are built including the 9SA5 a new generation movement fitted with a dual impulse escapement For this anniversary year the brand has released two models with the same case design and 37mm diameter as the 1998 model that housed the origi nal 9S movement One has a silvery white dial whose col our and texture are inspired by nature a recurring theme at Grand Seiko Specifically this commemorative watch recalls the sea of clouds that form a blanket over Mount Iwate in Iwate Prefecture where all Grand Seiko mechan ical watches are made This scene is only visible at day break when the air is so still and humid that dense clouds overlap to create a beautiful silvery white sea C R Toledo remains an important centre for damascene A metal surface is finely etched to form the outline of the design Gold or silver threads are then inlaid into these indentations after which the surface is polished smooth ready to stand the test of time Also from Japan urushi lacquer has been used by Chopard for the dials of some of its most exceptional timepieces including those in celebration of the Lunar New Year The dials for this Year of the Rabbit for example are the work of world renowned urushi master Minori Koizumi who spent 160 hours crafting each one Renaissance and haute couture From East to West and Renaissance Italy where Bvlgari found inspiration for its Diva s Dream Peacock Dischi The peacock feather marquetry on the dial returns to a technique that flourished in Italy during this period The first stage is to sort through some 500 feathers examining each one to select those with the best colour and texture The chosen feathers are pressed in an antique brass steamer to bring out their full beauty They are then trimmed glued and assembled into the mosaic like pattern with no two dials the same Haute couture inspired Dior for its Grand Bal watches Prominent on the dial side the oscillating weight of the Inverse Caliber is bedecked with feathers fragments of butterfly or scarab wings or a kaleidoscope of precious stones to suggest the swirling of an haute couture ball gown Part of Dior s Grand Soir collection the white gold dial of the Grand Soir Libellule is awash with diamonds in a snow setting Resting on it is a dragonfly in yellow gold set with emeralds sapphires and amethysts Its wings are adorned with mother of pearl and coloured feathers Chanel is another watchmaker to explore themes borrowed from haute couture or inspired by Coco Chanel herself The Mademoiselle Priv Coromandel collection borrows elements from the folding screens that decorated the legendary couturier s apartments transposed in miniature to dials in delicately sculpted and carved gold or mother of pearl I II GRAND SEIKO CALIBER 9S 25TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION THIS 1 200 PIECE LIMITED EDITION WATCH IS EQUIPPED WITH THE HI BEAT 36000 AUTOMATIC MECHANICAL CALIBER 9S85 WHICH IS HAND ASSEMBLED BY THE CRAFTSMEN AND WOMEN AT THE GR AND SEIKO STUDIO SHIZUKUISHI IT IS ACCUR ATE TO 3 5 SECONDS A DAY AND PROVIDES 55 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE THE GR AND SEIKO EMBLEM IS CLE ARLY VISIBLE THROUGH THE TR ANSPARENT SAPPHIRE BACK SE T INTO THE TITANIUM OSCILL ATING WEIGHT WHOSE COLOUR CRE ATED ESPECIALLY FOR THIS WATCH SUGGESTS THE DEEP BLUE SKY ABOVE THE SEA OF CLOUDS THAT SO OFTEN SURROUND MOUNT IWATE S SUMMIT III IIII I FREDERIQUE CONSTANT HIGHLIFE LADIES AUTOMATIC SPARKLING THE SK Y BLUE DIAL OF THIS VERSION OF FREDERIQUE CONSTANT S HIGHLIFE LADIES AUTOMATIC SPARKLING HAS BEEN DIPPED IN STARDUST AND FRAMED WITH DIAMONDS TIME IS MEASURED ON DIAMOND HOUR MARKERS ENCASED IN A 34MM DIAMETER II GRAND SEIKO MASTERPIECE COLLECTION HAND ENGR AVED MANUAL WINDING SPR ING DRIVE LE THE M AN UA L W I N D I NG M OVEM ENT IN THIS NEW MASTERPIECE SPRING DRIVE WAS CR AFTED AT GR AND SEIKO S MICRO ARTIST STUDIO AND RESIDES IN A HAND ENGRAVED CASE INDIVIDUALLY CR AF TED THIS LIMITED EDITION IS INSPIRED BY WHITE BIRCH FORESTS AND MEETS THE HIGH STANDARDS EXPECTED OF GR AND SEIKO S MASTERPIECE WATCHES III RADO TRUE THINLINE RADO S MASTERY OF MATERIALS COMES TO THE FORE IN ITS TRUE THINLINE NATURE COLLECTION WHICH USES HIGHTECH CERAMIC IN A RANGE OF NATURE INSPIRED COLOURS AN ULTRA SLIM LIGHTWEIGHT PROFILE ENSURES COMFORT ON THE WRIST IIII LONGINES LA GRANDE CLASSIQUE MONOCHROMATIC LONGINES INTRODUCES COLOURFUL INTERPRETATIONS OF ONE OF ITS MOST BELOVED COLLECTIONS THE AP TLY NAMED L A GR ANDE CLASSIQUE A DISCREET 29MM DIAMETER WILL STILL BE NOTICED FOR THE VIBRANT SHADE OF ITS LACQUERED AND POLISHED DIAL AND FOR THE 44 TOP WESSELTON DIAMONDS ON THE BEZEL
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 59 Under one roof Rome is everywhere at Bvlgari engraved on the bezel of its watches built into their cases ingrained into its art of living With the firm intention that it should become a symbol of Swiss high horology Founded on the banks of the Tiber almost a century and a half ago Bvlgari is as Roman as the Colosseum itself Its creativity is a celebration of the Eternal City its lifestyle and treasures An exuberance at odds with Switzerland and its rigorous efficiency Far from it Bvlgari s watches have gained presence and substance without ever departing from their Roman origins They are a Latin declension of watchmaking grammar which is a feat in itself The acquisition in 2000 of the Roth and Genta manufactories in Le Sentier Switzerland has certainly contributed to this although the Roman firm had already expanded into watchmaking The first documented timepiece by Bvlgari is a jewellery watch made in 1918 Then came a future icon the Serpenti Tubogas introduced in 1948 and which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary The Bvlgari Bvlgari launched in 1975 was the first model not to be lavished with gems The catalogue was extended in 1998 with the release of the Bvlgari Aluminium However Bvlgari s watchmaking would really take off in the 2000s as the takeover of Roth and Genta coincided with a policy of vertical integration The brand had grand designs for its watch business and wanted to be certain it possessed the industrial independence needed to bring these ideas to fruition In the scope of some ten years Bvlgari grew into a full fledged Manufacture It now employs 400 people BVLGARI OCTO ROMA PRECIOUS NATUR ALIA THE OCTO ROMA S GENEROUS FORMS CAN HOUSE ANY NUMBER OF COMPLICATIONS WHICH MAKES IT THE IDEAL SHOWCASE FOR BVLGARI S EXPERTISE AS A MAKER OF COMPLEX MECHANISMS DEMONSTR ATED HERE BY A FLYING TOURBILLON THIS OCTO ROMA PRECIOUS NATURALIA LIVES UP TO ITS VOCATION TO REMIND US OF ALL THAT IS PRECIOUS IN THE NATURAL WORLD WITH EQUAL PARTS OF AESTHETIC BEAUTY AND MECHANICAL EXCELLENCE THE VISIBLE PLATE SHOWS across its three sites in Neuch tel which is responsible for after sales servicing and casing up Saignel gier in the Jura for dial and case production and Le Sentier in Vall e de Joux where the brand s movements and ultrahigh end timepieces are made Music to the ears Bvlgari continues to deliver the proof of the expertise at work across all its sites and particularly the workshops in Le Sentier where a glass fronted production facility now adjoins the original building For anyone whose memory of all things horological stretches back more than two decades the names Daniel Roth and G rald Genta conjure up respectively a master of mechanical movements and the inspired designer of some of the twentieth century s most recognisable watches including the Bvlgari Bvlgari The Italian firm cultivates this fabulous heritage with an inimitable Roman touch exemplified by such memorable collections as the Octo Roma and the Octo Finissimo A visit to Le Sentier brings it all to life It s here that some one hundred people work on the brand s most complex pieces not least the movements that have earned Bvlgari eight world records for thinness movements such as Calibre BVL 100 a diminutive round movement measuring 12 3 mm in diameter and 2 5 mm high or Calibre BVL 150 the smallest tourbillon movement on the market Not forgetting the intricate chiming mechanisms that sound the time on two three even four gongs in the case of the Grande Sonnerie Perpetual Calendar Composed of more than 1 200 components this remarkable watch is a compendium of the brand s capabilities in ultra complicated timepieces Everything is done here in Vall e de Joux at the heart of the grand Swiss watchmaking tradition Components are made to micrometric tolerances using automatic lathes CNC machines and wire erosion before being decorated and assembled to plans drawn up by the engineering studio which is responsible for all research and development Naturally these few lines cannot do justice to these multiple tasks which must be seen to be appreciated Watchmaking is a world of the infinitely small and its codes are a closed book to whomever hasn t witnessed first hand the assembly and finishing of a watch movement a masterpiece of mechanical engineering But not only A detour via the workshop where Bvlgari s chiming watches are crafted leaves no doubt as to the musical competencies they require Each one is the work of a single watchmaker who not only assembles and adjusts the movement but also fine tunes the chiming mechanism for purity pitch and tone The most complex will spend six months in his or her care Then again Rome wasn t built in a day Christophe Roulet OFF THE WARM AMBER AND CHESTNUT SHADES OF TIGER S EYE SLIVERS OF THIS GEMSTONE TENTHS OF A MILLIMETRE THICK ARE SET ON EACH OF THE 12 IND ICES A TASK THAT REQU IRES REMAR K AB LE MANUAL DE X TER IT Y E ACH FRAGMENT OF THIS STONE HAS UNIQUE PROPERTIES HENCE EACH WATCH IS EQUALLY UNIQUE IT FORMS A RICH BACKDROP FOR THE IN HOUSE SKELETONISED MOVEMENT AND THE GE ARS THAT CASCADE TOWARDS THE FLYING TOURBILLON AT 6 O CLOCK BVLG AR I SERPENTI 75TH ANNIVERSARY S I NC E TH E VERY F I RST SER PENT I TUBOGAS JEWELLERY WATCHES IN 1948 THE SERPENTI HAS TAKEN ENDLESS FORMS EMBRACED BY WOMEN AS A SYMBOL OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGHOUT ITS 75 YEARS THIS EVER EVOLVING MOTIF HAS RETURNED IN MULTIPLE ITERATIONS AND CONFIRMS ITS ENDURING ATTRACTION WITH EACH NEW APPEARANCE
TECHNOLOGY WATCH YOUR TIME 61 The silicon revolution o James Gurney Art is an additional emotion applied to skillful technique Charlie Chaplin 1889 1977 Between the Apple Watch which uses seven nanometre chips and an Omega Speedmaster based on seventeenth century designs there is no comparison And yet the competition between the two could well be a silicon story Precision is much less talked about by watch brands than it was even 20 years ago a function of watchmaking s final transition from supplier of practical necessity to pillar of the luxury industry few brands now bother to pretend that tourbillons offer anything more than added aesthetic value It s ironic then that the underlying tech nology has improved over this time at a rate comparable to the eight eenth century race to produce a marine chronometer good enough for navigation So how good are contemporary watches Precision and reliability are surprisingly tricky ideas to measure in practice and bench tests on timing machines are limited in what they can tell you about how a watch will perform over time and in the wild Nevertheless the headline figures tell a compelling story the standard that COSC requires for a movement to be awarded a chronometer rating is seconds 4 6 seconds per day over the per day with an testing period average variation of two MONTBL ANC 1858 THE UNVEILED SECRET MINERVA MONOPUSHER CHRONOGR APH WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN ORDINARY SKELETONISED CHRONOGRAPH WITH AN OPEN DIAL IS MORE COMPLEX THAN IT APPEARS AT FIRST GLANCE IT DOES HAVE AN OPEN DIAL BUT THE MOVEMENT HAS BEEN FLIPPED HENCE THE UNVEILED SECRET THE DIRECTION OF THE HANDS ALSO HAD TO BE REVERSED WHICH REQUIRED AN ADDITIONAL 21 COMPONENTS EVEN THE LAST DIGIT OF THE REFERENCE NUMBER FOR THE CALIBRE HAS BEEN INVERTED FROM THE MB 16 29 OF THE HISTORIC MINERVA MONOPUSHER CHRONOGR APH BASE CALIBRE TO THE MB 16 26 PRE VIOUSLY THE WATCH S WE ARER WOULD HAVE ADMIRED THE CHRONOGRAPH IN ACTION THROUGH A SAPPHIRE BACK NOW THAT THE MECHANISM IS ON FULL VIEW MONTBLANC HAS FITTED A SOLID CASEBACK WITH AN ENGRAVED IMAGE OF THE MINERVA MANUFACTURE THIEMO SANDER
62 WATCH YOUR TIME New directions Carl F Bucherer has released a capsule collection that celebrates the 135th anniversary of the independent brand established since 1888 in Lucerne Switzerland and the start of a new era In its words the launch of the Capsule Collection is not only a special edition to mark this anniversary it also represents a departure from every other product presentation in the brand s long history and clearly signals a focus on new horizons The five watches all of which reimagine bestsellers from the brand s portfolio make a powerful statement Admired for its independence technical innovation and original aesthetics the brand intends to engage a contemporary clientele with products that show a more distinctive design Among the new releases are the brand s patented peripheral tourbillon a perpetual calendar and a day big date All three are produced as limited editions in forged carbon Joining them are two unlimited chronographs in black DLC coated steel One features a flyback function and the other is a bi compax with the addition of an annual calendar Our positioning allows us to meet the needs and desires of the modern consumer around the world says Samir Merdanovic Chief Technology Officer at Carl F Bucherer Rather than launch timepieces for either men or women in a specific age bracket we decided to go on offering watches that capture the mood of contemporary generations and reflect their appreciation of cool design innovative mastery and excel lent craftsmanship The five watches were launched on the same day one every two hours in five cosmopolitan cities that have played an important role for the firm during the past 135 years As befits a truly global brand E D Advances in performance That standard has been in place since 1973 and was set to a level of precision which better than average but otherwise ordinary series production quality watches could achieve In comparison Omega s new Spirate balance the latest in a series of enhancements to movement architecture from the Biel brand has allowed Omega to claim a certified precision of 0 2 seconds per day for the new Speedmaster Super Racing Rolex claims 2 2 for the vast majority of its production and in both cases the standard is applied to complete watches rather than movements on their own Those numbers make impressive reading but of more use to the average watch buyer is the extension to guarantee and warranty periods over the last decade with both Omega and Rolex increasing the service interval recommendation to five years These are watches that keep better time for longer under tougher conditions It s not just in the basics of reliability that new technology has improved things as the fast beat watches from Chopard Seiko TAG Heuer and Zenith or the ultra slim watches from Bvlgari Piaget and Richard Mille demonstrate the last decade in particular has seen significant advances in performance There have been watches that are as slim as Bvlgari s Octo Finissimo series or the RM UP 01 Vacheron made a 0 94mm movement in 1931 and there have been plenty of fast beat watches Zenith s 5Hz running El Primero movement is pushing 55 years not twenty The difference is that better fabrication techniques and finer control of the materials means the current crop can be expected to perform with near enough the same level of reliability and endurance as normal production watches Silicon wonders Everyone knows that silicon has been the watch industry s wonder material though there s plenty who decry its brittleness as a fundamental even fatal flaw However the really interesting story of the past two decades is not the material or even the basic production techniques for making silicon components it s the way watchmakers and produc tion and engineers have adapted let what they learn adapt stihliecior nidteoatshaenirdneeds I II CARL F BUCHERER HERITAGE BICOMPAX ANNUAL BLACK MANERO PERIPHERAL PERPETUAL CALENDAR BLACK THE MANERO PERIPHERAL PERPETUAL CALENDAR BLACK FEATURES A FORGED CARBON CASE WITH A TITANIUM CONTAINER THE IN HOUSE CFB A2055 CALIBRE POWERS MOON PHASES SHOWN ON AN AVENTURINE DISC WITH TWO HAND ENGRAVED MOONS IN WHITE GOLD AND A PERPETUAL CALENDAR THAT KEEPS TR ACK OF EVERY DAY WITH NO CORRECTION REQUIRED UNTIL 2100 LIMITED TO 88 PIECES IT IS CHRONOMETER RATED BY THE CONTR LE OFFICIEL SUISSE DES CHRONOM TRES COSC THE HERITAGE BICOMPA X ANNUAL BL ACK IS CASED IN DLCCOATED STEEL WITH A MAT TE BL ACK L ACQUERED SURFACE THE DIAL DISPL AYS A BIG DATE PLUS T WO CHRONOGR APH COUNTERS THE CFB 1972 CALIBRE DRIVES AN ANNUAL CALENDAR FUNCTION THAT REQUIRES JUST ONE DATE ADJUSTMENT PER YEAR III IIII I BREGUET TRADITION QUANTI ME R TROGRADE 7597 TH E TR AD I T I ON C O L LECT I ON TA K ES I TS INSPIRATION FROM THE CALIBRE OF ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PIECES OF BREGUET S HISTORY THE SUBSCRIPTION WATCH THE 40MM WHITE GOLD CASE OF THIS RETROGRADE DATE MODEL CONTAINS THE 505Q AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT INCORPORATING A REVERSE IN LINE LEVER ESCAPEMENT WITH SILICON HORNS AS WELL AS A BREGUET BALANCE SPRING ALSO IN SILICON II AUDEMARS PIGUET CODE 11 59 STARWHEEL AUDEMARS PIGUET INTRODUCES ITS WANDERING HOURS MOVEMENT A COMPLICATION INVENTED IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY TO THE CODE 11 59 COLLECTION HOURS ARE SHOWN BY MEANS OF THREE ROTATING DISCS ON A CENTRAL ROTOR THE CURRENT HOUR POINTS TO THE MINUTES ON A 120 DEGREE ARC THIS STARWHEEL IS CASED IN WHITE GOLD WITH BLACK CERAMIC FOR THE CASEBAND AND CROWN III RICHARD MILLE RM 66 FLYING TOURBILLON ONCE AGAIN RICHARD MILLE DISREGARDS CONVENTION WITH THE RM 66 IN ITS CENTRE AN X R AYED HAND MAKES THE HORNS SIGN ITS OUTSTRETCHED INDEX AND PINKY FINGERS ENSNARE THE MOVEMENT VISIBLE ON THE BACK THE LAST PHALANGE OF THE THUMB HOLDS DOWN THE MIDDLE AND RING FINGERS IIII CHOPARD ALPINE EAGLE CADENCE 8HF THE CHRONOMETER CERTIFIED CHOPARD 01 12 C MOVEMENT INSIDE THIS ALPINE E AGLE S 41M M TITANIUM CASE RUNS AT 57 600 VIBR ATIONS HOUR OR 8 HZ CHOPARD SUSTAINS THIS HIGH FREQUENCY BY USING MONOCRYSTALLINE SILICON A LIGHT SELF LUBRICATING MATERIAL FOR THE PALLET LEVER ESCAPE WHEEL AND IMPULSE PIN
World first A year after the Kodo its first mechanical complication introduced in 2022 Grand Seiko returns with its first mechanical automatic chronograph FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 63 It s becoming a habit Each crop of new watches from Grand Seiko brings its share of stand out pieces Already last year the Japanese watchmaker impressed with the Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon The brand s first mechanical complication it took home the Chronometry Prize at the Grand Prix d Horlogerie de Gen ve 2022 This year speaking at the Watches and Wonders Geneva fair Akio Naito President of Seiko Watch Corp took visible pride in unveiling another remarkable mechanical watch which he described as possibly more important even than the Kodo and perfectly aligned with our collections which since 1960 have been entirely dedicated to precision timekeeping The good people at Grand Seiko have named this latest creation with an acronym one that neatly describes the characteristics of a watch that runs at 10 beats per second Ten delivers three days of power reserve t for three has automatic winding a and incorporates a chronograph graph Thus Akio Naito lifted the veil on the Tentagraph Grand Seiko s first mechanical chronograph To say that a chronograph is more important than a watch that combines a tourbillon and a constant force mechanism as one unit on a single axis an unprecedented achievement could seem slightly presumptuous at first On reflection the remark seems justified The Kodo exists as a limited edition of 20 watches GR AND SEIKO EVOLUTION 9 COLLECTION TENTAGR APH SLGC001 ALL GR AND SEIKO MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS ARE TESTED OVER 17 DAYS IN SIX POSITIONS AND AT THREE TEMPERATURES THE TENTAGRAPH UNDERGOES AN ADDITIONAL THREE DAYS OF TESTING IN ORDER TO MEASURES ITS PRECISION WITH THE CHRONOGR APH RUNNING CONSEQUENTLY E VERY TENTAGR APH MOVEMENT IS TESTED ACROSS 20 DAYS TO ENSURE A ME AN DAILY R ATE OF 3 TO 5 SECONDS THE DIAL FEATURES GRAND SEIKO S SIGNATURE MT IWATE PATTERN INSPIRED each assembled and adjusted by hand Of course the care afforded to such a small and mechanically complex series cannot reasonably be compared to that given to a watch intended for large scale production The Tentagraph however is at the forefront of Grand Seiko s collections and as such is also assembled and adjusted by hand as part of a scenario that leaves no room for error This means problems are ironed out upstream anticipated as of the design stage and resolved where necessary at the prototype stage so that the assembly process becomes as smooth as possible All in a day s work for Grand Seiko a fully integrated manufacturer and heir to a legacy that stretches back 110 years to 1913 when the Laurel became the first Japanese made wristwatch Precision and reliability Whereas the Laurel was created from the ground up the watchmakers behind the Tentagraph had an important asset at their disposal Caliber 9SA5 Introduced in 2020 this next generation high beat movement is probably one of the best series produced calibres available It is the basis for the Tentagraph s 9SC5 chronograph calibre which possesses the same inherent qualities of precision autonomy and reliability Precision thanks to the ten beats per second required to measure tenths of a second Autonomy in the three days of power reserve including when the chronograph is running from the two series coupled barrels a duration that is unequalled in the industry today This leaves the reliability of a movement whose mean daily rate of between 5 and 3 seconds out performs the standard required for official Swiss chro nometer rating As a guarantee Grand Seiko subjects its Tentagraph movement to a stringent testing pro cedure over 20 days Without going into the movement s specifications in detail we can note that the chronograph uses a vertical clutch transmission which eliminates chrono graph hand recoil and is controlled by a column wheel These two specificities are completed by Grand Seiko s Dual Impulse Escapement which delivers mainspring power more efficiently to the balance in this high beat movement directly by the escape wheel and indi rectly by the pallet fork Finishing is of an equally high standard both on the movement and on the titanium case and bracelet which benefit from Grand Seiko s own Zaratsu polishing As for the rich blue dial it features the Mt Iwate pattern inspired by the ridged contours of the mountain beyond the windows of the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi where the Tentagraph and all other Grand Seiko mechanical watches are assembled and adjusted So that we never forget the nature of time Christophe Roulet BY THE RIDGED CONTOURS OF THE MOUNTAIN BEYOND THE WINDOWS OF THE GRAND SEIKO STUDIO SHIZUKUISHI WHERE THE TENTAGRAPH AND THE OTHER GRAND SEIKO MECHANICAL WATCHES ARE ASSEMBLED AND ADJUSTED THE MT IWATE PATTERN FIRST APPEARED IN 2006 AND HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH GRAND SEIKO MECHANICAL WATCHES THIS MAJESTIC SUMMIT CONTINUES TO INSPIRE GRAND SEIKO AND IS BOTH A SYMBOLIC AND A FITTING CHOICE FOR THE BRAND S FIRST MECHANICAL CHRONOGRAPH GRAND SEIKO SPORT COLLECTION SPRING DRIVE GMT THE SHINSHU WATCH STUDIO HOME TO ALL GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE PRODUCTION LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE HOTAK A MOUNTAINS WHICH INSPIRED THIS 44MM STEEL WATCH THE LATEST SPRING DRIVE GMT IN THE SPORT COLLECTION THE DYNAMIC GREEN DIAL FEATURES LARGE INDICES AND HANDS WHICH ARE COATED WITH LUMIBRITE GRAND SEIKO S LUMINOUS PAINT A 24 HOUR CHAPTER RING FRAMES THE DIAL AND CAN BE USED WITH THE GMT HAND AND THE 24 HOUR BEZEL TRACK TO FOLLOW A TOTAL OF THREE TIME ZONES WATER RESISTANCE IS 200 METRES
64 WATCH YOUR TIME Unique Freak When Ulysse Nardin s Freak was presented to the world in 2001 it was like a slap in the face Without refuting the fundamentals of time measurement it proved that it was possible to think watch mechanics differently To think freakishly meaning to transcend horological stereotypes and tropes Today there is no watch that is a greater symbol of the modern rulebreakers individualism and their courage to never compromise than Ulysse Nardin s Freak says CEO Patrick Pruniaux For many observers watchmaking s contemporary history can be divided into two periods before the Freak and after Presumptuous Perhaps but the fact remains that the Freak shattered every rule of traditional watchmaking in terms of design mechanisms and materials First mechanisms The Freak was the first ever watch whose movement rotates to tell the time The barrel is configured to complete a full rotation every 12 hours and therefore does double duty as the hour indicator It drives the bridge carrying the gear train around the perimeter of the case once every hour This is the famous orbital flying carrousel that replaces the minute hand and brings us to the Freak s second first There are no hands Or crown or dial The movement a kinetic sculpture speaks for itself Which leaves the revolutionary materials Ulysse Nardin was the first watchmaker to incorporate silicon into its movements the condition for the Freak to even exist From its very first appearance the Freak was a laboratory for horological research with each successive execution ushering in fresh innovations The Freak One is a celebration of this two dec ade history and a truly iconoclastic watch E D thinking not forgetting that the industry has had to prove silicon can work to the same levels of dependability as legacy materials Ulysse Nardin s Freak of 2001 the first watch to include silicon components showed that silicon could be used not should be used although the way it was deployed served as a preview for what the industry could achieve The novel carousel movement developed by Carole Forestier and adapted by Ludwig Oeschlin required lighter than usual materials for the dual escape wheels at its heart Aluminium was initially tried but wore out too quickly The alternative solution was silicon and the parts were designed and produced in time for the 2001 Baselworld trade fair and what remains one of the more remarkable product launches in watchmaking history featuring the brand s CEO in the grotesque papier m ch mask of a Fassnacht drummer Once the excitement of the launch and the ingenious carrousel movement and novel escapement had died down it was quickly clear that there was something remarkable about the silicon balance wheels not only were they light and durable the diagrams and renders released by Ulysse Nardin showed that additive manufacturing gave movement designers an entirely new set of tools An ongoing revolution This was a revolution that s still playing out twenty plus years later with entire academic fields emerging to research the implications and possibilities and not just in Switzerland Three broad categories of change can be identified material geometry and conceptual Silicon might be a wonder material but on its own it has significant drawbacks principally that it is comparatively brittle compared to traditional materials This being an industry that expects components to last for decades in use that would have been a fatal flaw save that DRIE and LIGA fabrication techniques are well suited to combining silicon with other materials such as oxygen nickel phosphorous and carbon either as distinct layers or as reactive agents to alter the mechanical characteristics of the material One of the early adopters of silicon Patek Phillipe along with Rolex similar technique atnodctrheeatSewSaitlcinhvaGrr o uTph iusseda I II ULYSSE NARDIN FRE AK ONE A WATCH WITH NO HANDS NO DIAL AND NO CROWN WHERE THE ORBITAL FLYING CARROUSEL MOVEMENT IS KING THE FRE AK ONE BUILDS ON THE DECADES OF RESEARCH THAT HAVE GONE INTO THIS EXTRAORDINARY WATCH THE UN 240 IN HOUSE CALIBRE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE GRINDER AUTOMATIC WINDING SYSTEM WHOSE FOUR BL ADES CONNECT TO THE OSCILL ATING WEIGHT TO SUPPLY 72 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE THIS NEW MOVEMENT ALSO INCORPORATES AN OVERSIZED AERODYNAMIC BALANCE MADE FROM A SINGLE PIECE OF SILICON CONNECTED TO A LEVER ESCAPEMENT IN DIAMONSIL DIAMOND COATED SILICON IT IS THE MOST ADVANCED OSCILLATOR YET THE FREAK ONE MEASURES 44MM AND IS OFFERED IN BL ACK DLC TITANIUM WITH A ROSE GOLD BE ZEL ON A RECYCLED RUBBER STR AP III IIII I OMEGA SPEEDMASTER SUPER RACING THIS 44MM STEEL WATCH ACHIEVES PRECISION OF 0 2 SECONDS A DAY THANKS TO OMEGA S SPIR ATETM SYSTEM WITH ITS SI14 BAL ANCE SPRING USING AN ECCENTRIC ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM ON THE BALANCE BRIDGE THE WATCHMAKER FINETUNES THE SPRING FOR PRECISION BY ADJUSTING THE STIFFNESS OF ITS ATTACHMENT POINT II TUDOR BLACK BAY 54 THE BL ACK BAY 54 RETAINS THE CLASSIC 37MM PROPORTIONS OF TUDOR S VERY FIRST DIVE WATCH BUT WITH AN INCREASED DEPTH RATING OF 200 METRES AND INSIDE THE COSC CERTIFIED MT5400 IN HOUSE CALIBRE A VARIABLE INERTIA BALANCE WHEEL COUPLED WITH A NON MAGNETIC SILICON BAL ANCE SPRING MAINTAIN PRECISION OF 2 4 SECONDS A DAY POWER RESERVE IS 70 HOURS III GRAND SEIKO ELEGANCE COLLECTION HI BEAT GMT SBGJ271 THIS GMT WATCH IN A 39 5MM TITANIUM CASE EVOKES SNOW COVERED FORESTS ITS HI BEAT GMT 9S86 MOVEMENT RUNS AT 5 HZ IT INCLUDES COMPONENTS MANUFACTURED USING MEMS MICRO ELECTRO MECHANICAL SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY IN ADDITION TO A MAINSPRING AND BALANCE SPRING IN EXCLUSIVE SPRON ALLOYS POWER RESERVE IS 55 HOURS IIII HERM S ARCEAU LE TEMPS VOYAGEUR 38 TIME TR AVELS LITER ALLY AROUND THE DIAL OF THIS ARCEAU WATCH ON A SATELLITE DISPL AY OF HOURS AND MINUTES HOME TIME IS SHOWN IN AN APERTURE AT 12 O CLOCK WHILE LOCAL TIME IS SET BY PRESSING A PUSHER THAT ADVANCES THE SUBDIAL ALIGNING IT WITH ONE OF THE 24 CITIES REPRESENTING THE 24 TIME ZONES
FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 65 On the wings of time Longines adds to its Longines Spirit collection with a flyback chronograph a complication it was already providing to intrepid aviators a century ago When it comes to heritage facts are more eloquent than words The horological history books contain the names of workshops and manufacturers that made a lasting impression on an era with their innovation and pioneering mindset Some continue to bring a unique dimension to this industrial activity Longines is one of them The notion of heritage has particular significance for the company which was founded in 1832 Its museum which is housed at the Longines headquarters in Saint Imier Switzerland conserves thousands of artefacts from historic watches to navigating instruments and archive documents including every production register since the brand was established something no other maker has Behind every contemporary Longines watch lies a century and a half of history Longines has shown itself to be more than worthy of such a legacy Interviewed in February this year Matthias Breschan CEO since 2020 told Belgian daily Le Soir we will continue to build on our DNA of heritage tradition and elegance but these will evolve Vintage watches have exploded in popularity with interest strongest in models that are inspired by the past but can also demonstrate a genuine connection to the brand and its history This puts Longines in a strong position as the author of numerous technological breakthroughs such as high frequency mechanisms thanks to which it was already timing sporting events LONGINES SPIRIT FLYBACK THE LONGINES SPIRIT COLLECTION WELCOMES A CHRONOGR APH WITH FLYBACK FUNCTION IT HOUSES A NEW AND E XCLUSIVE MOVEMENT WITH AN ANTI MAGNETIC SILICON BALANCE SPRING CHRONOMETER CERTIFIED BY THE COSC THIS HIGHLY PRECISE MOVEMENT OFFERS A POWER RESERVE OF 68 HOURS A TRANSPARENT CASE BACK REVEALS THE FINE DETAILS OF THE CALIBRE INCLUDING A PERSONALISED OSCILLATING WEIGHT ENGRAVED WITH THE LONGINES SPIRIT GLOBE SYMBOL AND THE LONGINES FLYBACK NAME THIS to one tenth of a second in 1914 and one hundredth of a second by 1916 We will be developing a series of exclusive in house movements inspired by this little known heritage continued Matthias Breschan The Longines Spirit Zulu Time that we launched in 2022 is equipped with a high end GMT calibre that benefits from the latest movement technology It s a way for us to tell people that Longines is the inventor of the first dual time zone movement in 1925 inside the first GMT wristwatch Modern technology Fans didn t have to wait long for the sequel Also part of the Longines Spirit collection that debuted in 2020 this year s release is a flyback chronograph that channels the conquering spirit of aviation s pioneers Like the dual time function Longines was an early adopter of the flyback function which stops resets and starts the chronograph hand without pausing the mechanism and with a single press on a pusher as opposed to the three separate actions required with a standard chronograph This complication is an intrinsic part of the brand s rich heritage says Longines which made is first flyback movement in 1925 A patent was filed in 1935 and registered the following year A practical tool for pilots who needed to make rapid navigation calculations while in flight the flyback quickly became an essential cockpit instrument Richard Byrd NEW MODEL STANDS OUT FOR ITS REFINED AESTHETICS AND METICULOUS SATIN MATTE POLISHED AND ENGRAVED FINISHES IT FEATURES A BIDIRECTIONAL BEZEL WITH LUMINESCENT MARKERS ON THE BLACK CERAMIC INSERT SURROUNDING A BLACK OR BLUE SUNR AY DIAL THE 42MM STEEL CASE IS WORN ON AN INTEGR ATED STEEL BR ACELET BROWN LE ATHER STR AP OR NATO ST YLE FABRIC STR AP WHICH ARE ALL INTERCHANGEABLE THE LEATHER STRAP FASTENS WITH A FOLDING CLASP WHOSE MICRO ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM GUARANTEES A PERFECT FIT was one of the many intrepid aviators to put his trust in Longines In 1929 the U S Naval officer became the first person to fly over the South Pole a solar compass and a Longines watch guided him throughout the perilous nineteen hour journey Byrd undertook three more expeditions to the Antarctic including one in 1939 during which he wore a Longines 13ZN wristwatch with a flyback function This historical pedigree isn t the only thing the Longines Spirit Flyback has going for it it also makes use of the latest technological developments in a proprietary movement that Longines developed with ETA its sister company within Swatch Group Housed inside the watch s 42mm stainless steel case Calibre L791 4 drives small seconds and a 30 minute subdial A silicon balance spring provides anti magnetic capabilities while power reserve extends to a comfortable 68 hours Beating at a rate of 28 800 vibrations hour and measuring eighths of a second the Longines Spirit Flyback has passed Contr le Officiel Suisse des Chronom tres COSC tests for superior precision A bidirectional rotating bezel with a ceramic insert along with SuperLumiNova treatment for the hands and for the dial and bezel markers add to the practical functionality of this robust watch as do a water resistance rating of 100 metres and quick change straps The ideal instrument for modern day explorers Christophe Roulet LONGINES FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH 1936 THIS IS THE FIRST SERIES PRODUCED CHRONOGR APH WITH A FLYBACK FUNCTION DRIVEN BY THE 13ZN CALIBRE ONE OF THE MOST TECHNICALLY ADVANCED MOVEMENTS OF ITS DAY LONGINES FILED A PATENT FOR THE FLYBACK FUNCTION IN 1935 AWARDED IN 1936 THE BR AND CONTINUED TO PRODUCE FLYBACK CHRONOGR APHS INTO THE 1970S WHEN IT WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE FUTURE SWATCH GROUP
66 WATCH YOUR TIME Dive time This latest Black Bay is the third evolution of a model introduced in 2012 The main upgrade is that it is now certified by METAS the Swiss federal institute of metrology METAS Master Chronometer certification is one of the toughest and most comprehensive as it covers the main functional characteristics of a watch precision resistance to magnetic fields water resistance and power reserve METAS standards are exceptionally high starting with precision For a watch to qualify it must vary by no more than five seconds a day 0 5 this is five seconds less than the standard required by the Contr le Officiel Suisse des Chronom tres COSC This Black Bay is the third Tudor watch to satisfy METAS criteria a prelude to the brand s plans for all its ranges to obtain METAS certification which implies making a substantial number of changes to the existing in house movements Consequently the in house MT5602 U calibre inside this Black Bay has been adjusted to comply with METAS requirements Displaying hours minutes and seconds with a power reserve up to 70 hours it is designed for robust ness and precision thanks to a variable inertia balance that is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with a two point fixation combined with an anti magnetic silicon balance spring Testing is not just on the movement but the fully assembled watch Cased in steel with a 41mm diameter and a unidirectional bezel this Black Bay is worn on a sat in finish triple link steel bracelet or a steel bracelet with five brushed and polished oval links Both these bracelets as well as the black rubber strap are fitted with Tudor s T fit clasp for rapid adjustment The dial is inspired by mid cen tury Tudor dive watches giving a pleasantly retro feel to this future proofed watch C R amorphous silicon dioxide which is highly resistant to changes in temperature as well as highly elastic was eventually deployed for the pallet escape wheel balance and spring of the brand s Oscillomax escapement assembly The evolution of Patek s escapement system introduces the next phase of the silicon story geometry Traditional balance springs are a product of design and craft experience paired by hand with balance wheels enhanced with subtle alterations such as the Breguet overcoil again by hand and fixed also by hand to collets for fitting on the balance Patek s Spiromax not only offered better stability across temperature ranges as well as being amagnetic it was a one piece component that had its terminal curve designed in from the start For the first time engineers could decide exactly how the spring and balance would behave instead of relying on watchmakers to adjust after the fact Lithography techniques not only offered precision on a molecular level that precision allowed mechanical variables to be factored in from the outset you could design the precise weight and flexibility of any part of the component allowing for example much tighter meshing between gear teeth The new Silinvar pallets no longer needed jewelling while reduced tolerances meant an increase in efficiency of something like thirty per cent Twenty years of innovation The next stage of the revolution was conceptual a realisation that novel materials and techniques were an invitation to think differently about what you wanted to make in the first place The Freak and Oscillomax were the appliance of silicon technol ogy to existing essentially conventional designs What came next was demonstrated to me with a paper train ticket springiness doesn t need an obvi ously spring like structure If you bend the ticket you can make it snap between two states predict ably This is the underlying idea behind compli ant mechanism engineering As Wikipedia puts it In mechanical engineering a compliant mechanism is a flexible mechanism that achieves force and motion transmission through elastic body defor mation It gains some or all of its motion from the relative flexibility of its members rigid body joints alone rather than from I II TUDOR BLACK BAY THE ORIGINAL BL ACK BAY DEBUTED IN 2012 WITH A BURGUNDY BE ZEL IT RETURNED IN 2016 EQUIPPED WITH AN IN HOUSE MOVEMENT THIS THIRD EVOLUTION POINTS TO THE AESTHETIC AND TECHNICAL DIRECTION THAT TUDOR INTENDS TO GIVE THIS FL AGSHIP R ANGE THE BL ACK BAY IS FURTHER PROOF OF THE BR AND S CAPACITY TO MEET ONE OF THE HIGHEST INDUSTRY STANDARDS IN TERMS OF PRECISION AND MAGNETIC RESISTANCE TESTED BY METAS THE SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF METROLOGY THE BL ACK BAY COMBINES CUT TING EDGE MECHANICS WITH A DESIGN THAT BUILDS ON TUDOR S LEGACY OF SEVEN DECADES MAKING ROBUST AND RELIABLE PROFESSIONAL DIVE WATCHES III IIII I CHANEL MONSIEUR TOURBILLON METEORITE LIKE THE FRAME AROUND A BEAUTIFUL PAINTING THE BLACK CERAMIC CASE OF THIS MONSIEUR DE CHANEL DRAWS THE EYE TO ITS TWO SINGULAR FE ATURES CHANEL S LION SYMBOL SITS AT THE HEART OF THE TOURBILLON ROTATING TO THE RHYTHM OF THE SECONDS AS FOR THE METEORITE DIAL THIS MINERAL FRAGMENT MAKES EACH WATCH UNIQUE I I BV LG A R I OCTO ROMA STRIK ING TOURBILLON SAPPHIRE A CLASSIC WATCH IN ITS TWO CENTRAL HANDS TOURBILLON AT 6 O CLOCK AND MANUAL WINDING THIS WOULDN T BE A BVLGARI WITHOUT SOME ROMAN FLAIR THE MOVEMENT IS COMPLETELY SKELETONISED REDUCED TO ITS MOST SIMPLE EXPRESSION IT BATHES IN A SEA OF TRANSPARENCY INSIDE A SAPPHIRE CASE III FREDERIQUE CONSTANT HIGHLIFE WORLDTIMER MANUFACTURE CELEBRATING THE 35th YE AR OF ITS JOURNEY FREDERIQUE CONSTANT PRESENTS THE HIGHLIFE WORLDTIMER MANUFACTURE IN A 41MM DIAME TER IN ROSE GOLD OR IN STEEL ALL THE INDICATIONS WHICH ARE DRIVEN BY THE IN HOUSE FC 718 AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT WITH 38 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE ARE SET BY THE CROWN IIII TISSOT CHEMIN DES TOURELLES POWERMATIC 80 42MM NO WATCH CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF TISSOT BE T TER THAN THE TRULY CL ASSIC CHEMIN DES TOURELLES ALL THE MODELS IN THE NEW COLLECTION ARE FITTED WITH THE POWERMATIC 80 MOVEMENT WITH AN ANTI MAGNETIC NIVACHRON BALANCE SPRING OPTIMISED COMPONENTS RESULT IN 80 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE
43 years of audacity Four decades after the first Hublot watch burst onto the scene the Classic Fusion Original is a reminder that watchmaking is also about breaking rules FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 67 There s always something to celebrate at Hublot especially after a record year and with plenty of exciting projects under way Proof of the former Hublot s parent group LVMH announced that revenue for its Watches Jewellery business group had increased by 18 in 2022 Examples of the latter include extension work at the brand s manufacturing facilities in Nyon Switzerland Two new buildings are being added to the site which when completed will employ over a thousand staff This can only mean one thing Hublot is on a roll What better time to focus attention on the origins of a brand that was established with the mission to shake up the watchmaking establishment Doing exactly that Hublot has released the Classic Fusion Original in three sizes 33 38 and 42mm and three materials namely yellow gold black ceramic and titanium When the Classic Fusion first launched in 1980 it was says the brand the watch that challenged conventions Refined and sporty its precious gold case on a simple rubber strap unthinkable at the time sent shockwaves through the world of fine HUBLOT CLASSIC FUSION ORIGINAL DARING SHATTERING ESTABLISHED CONVENTIONS MASTERING TRADITIONAL HERITAGE TO PUSH BACK BOUNDARIES MERGING HIGH TECH COMPOSITES WITH PRECIOUS NATUR AL MATERIALS WORKING WITH SECTORS AND PEOPLE WHO TRANSCEND OUR MOTTO TO BE FIRST UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT FORT Y EXHIL AR ATING YEARS HAVE SHAPED THESE CLASSIC FUSION ORIGINALS WE HAVE REDESIGNED THEM BECAUSE HUBLOT HAS CHANGED THEY EMBODY THESE REBELLIOUS ALLIANCES THAT watchmaking By winning over an audience of connoisseurs who were searching for different watch products it began a visionary momentum impelled by audacity When founder Carlo Crocco designed this first Hublot watch he was driven by a powerful idea to create a watch that would be practical and hardwearing simple and comfortable classic and sporty Everything about it the exposed titanium screws securing the bezel the minimalist black dial the pairing of gold with natural rubber pointed to a completely novel approach to luxury as well as laying the foundations for Hublot s Art of Fusion concept in the high end sports watch segment Back to the future So what s the picture 43 years later Speaking at the launch of this Classic Fusion Original in Singapore earlier in the year CEO Ricardo Guadalupe noted a trend towards watches that are classic but contemporary with a more understated design Introduced in 1980 the Classic Fusion is a clear match for this aesthetic which is why we are returning to this model having ceased production in 2005 Trends generally MAKE US WHO WE ARE TODAY DECL ARES HUBLOT CEO RICARDO GUADALUPE HUBLOT BRINGS BACK THE WATCH THAT UPTURNED HOROLOGICAL CONVENTION ON ITS RELE ASE IN 1980 CL ASSICAL WITH A MINIMALIST BL ACK DIAL FR AMED BY A GOLD CASE AS WELL AS SPORT Y ON A RUBBER STR AP THIS COMBINATION OF PRECIOUS METAL AND RUBBER WAS UNHEARD OF AT THE TIME THE CLASSIC FUSION ORIGINAL CELEBRATES THIS YOUTHFUL MATURITY WITH AGELESS SIMPLICIT Y ECHOES OF CARLO CROCCO S ORIGINAL DESIGN ARE RECOGNISABLE last longer in the watch industry than in fashion After almost twenty years it was time to come back to our roots This new interpretation of the 1980s Hublot watch also fits with a growing preference among watch wearers for smaller more refined styles The Classic Fusion Original echoes the inaugural design with the same rubber strap a polished and lacquered black dial swept by facetted hands and six screws on the bezel One difference is the more prom inent Hublot logo at 12 o clock The movement for the 38mm and 42mm sizes is the automatic HUB1110 with 42 hours of power reserve while the smaller 33mm size is driven by a quartz movement Note that the Classic Fusion line also extends to a chronograph and moon phase versions including skeleton dial execu tions Among the various partnership models sculptor Richard Orlinski street artist Shepard Fairey and visual artist Takashi Murakami have given their interpretation of the Classic Fusion as part of the Hublot Loves Art concept Certain of these collaborations are also linked to NFTs proof that Hublot hasn t finished shaking up the watch world Eric Dumatin IN THE RUBBER STR AP THE PURIT Y OF THE POLISHED BL ACK L ACQUERED DIAL SWEPT BY FACETTED HANDS THE YELLOW GOLD AND THE BRAND SIGNATURE SIMILAR TO THE ORIGINAL AT FIRST SIGHT THE LOGO HAS IN FACT BECOME MORE PROMINENT MORE CONTEMPOR ARY OVER TIME TODAY S CL ASSIC FUSION ORIGINAL IS AVAILABLE IN GOLD TITANIUM AND CERAMIC IN 42 38 AND 33MM SIZES SIX SCREWS PUT THEIR STAMP ON THE BEZEL WHILE A SAPPHIRE CASEBACK REVEALS THE MOVEMENT INSIDE
68 WATCH YOUR TIME Lessons from the past Ferdinand Berthoud was born in the Swiss town of Val de Travers but his future lay elsewhere in Paris where he arri ved in 1745 A precocious youth Berthoud s talent earned him the title of master watchmaker at just 26 years of age At 33 he published his first work L Art de conduire et de r g ler les pendules et les montres Naturally a talent such as this must serve a magnum opus At a time when trading ships and scientific expeditions were setting sail with no reliable means of calculating longitude at sea Ferdinand Berthoud took up the challenge to build a precise and reliable marine chrono meter The skill and scientific understanding he applied to the conception and making of marine timekeepers as well as pocket watches and which he committed to paper in nume rous reference works would open the doors to the Royal Society in London Louis XV named him Horloger M canicien du Roi in 1770 In 1804 Napoleon I made him a Knight of the Legion of Honour In 2015 Chopard Co President Karl Friedrich Scheufele took it upon himself to revive the legacy of this great figure of the Enlightenment with mechanically and aesthetically refined contemporary watches whose construction references eighte enth century movements Entirely focused on precision the FB 3SPC is a perfect illustration Its technical and aesthetic foundations are borrowed from the N 26 decimal watch that was made by Ferdinand Berthoud s nephew Louis and which paved the way for high level watchmaking inspired by marine chronometers For it the brand has developed a manual win ding mechanical movement with an original construction that includes a balance wheel mounted with a cylindrical balance spring It took two years to make the precise adjustments requi red for the movement to obtain official chronometer rating Its construction is designed so that the three main components that are the balance pallet lever and escape wheel are cle arly visible This FB 3SPC is entirely aligned with the brand s dedication to producing legible graphic and three dimensio nal movement architectures C R Girard Perregaux s Constant Force concept movement from 2013 was built around a silicon blade that like the paper ticket under stress has two states of equilibrium Feed energy into the system and it oscillates precisely and predictably between the two replacing the entire assembly of balance spring and pallets with a single component A similar approach was introduced by Zenith with the Defy Lab movement shown in 2017 Both movements offered exceptional precision with very low energy requirements compared to a standard movement This thinking has even been deployed into the way normal steel and brass components are conceived as Patek Philippe s Travel Time illustrates The module that allows local time to be changed is a single piece component that replaces around 30 in the previous version of the movement It s a compliant mechanism executed in steel that couldn t have been conceived of without the silicon revolution The revolution isn t quite complete as neither movement has made it into standard production as yet having failed to convince in terms of long term reliability though it s safe to assume the ideas will reappear It s this caution that s behind the seemingly glacial pace at which Omega and Rolex have integrated silicon technology into their production if you have production volumes in the 100 000s even marginal risks in performance are non starters Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann s perspective is that the last 20 years have actually been the most innovative in the company s history replying to my query with a list of advances that include new case alloys new amagnetic component materials the roll out of the Co Axial escapement silicon escapement parts a new chronometer certification standard new manufactures reduced servicing and longer warranties He has a point As with the era of Arnold Berthoud Harrison and Sully I II FERDINAND BERTHOUD FB 3SPC THE MAINPLATE IS AT THE HEART OF CALIBRE FB SPC ON THE DIAL SIDE A CLOSE KNIT ARR AY OF SIX BRIDGES IS DIRECTLY INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF LOUIS BERTHOUD THEY ARE ECHOED ON THE BACK BY TEN OTHER BRIDGES THE TIME DISPL AY IS PARED DOWN TO THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM COMPLETED BY A POWER RESERVE INDICATOR THE REST OF THE DIAL EXPOSES THE MOVEMENT WHOSE SURFACES ALTERNATE BETWEEN CHAMFERED AND POLISHED BEVELS AND THE MATTE FINISH OBTAINED BY FINE SANDBLASTING ALTHOUGH COMPLEX IN CONSTRUCTION THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE MOVEMENT IS MINIMALIST IN APPEARANCE THE BALANCE BRIDGE WITH ITS DISTINCTIVE SCREW IN HEEL SHAPE IS A HISTORICAL REFERENCE TO FERDINAND BERTHOUD S N 3 ASTRONOMICAL WATCH POSITIONED AT 12 O CLOCK THE BARREL BRIDGE SPANNING A WIDE 120 DEGREE ANGLE RECALLS A BRIDGE ON THE N 2575 QUARTER REPEATER WATCH BY LOUIS BERTHOUD III IIII I HUBLOT SPIRIT OF BIG BANG TOURBILLON 5 DAY POWER RESERVE SKY BLUE CARBON A COMBINATION OF CARBON AND TITANIUM GIVES THIS 42MM BIG BANG ITS UNIQUE APPEARANCE THE TOURBILLON WAS SKELETONISED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TONNE AU CASE MANUALLY WOUND THE MOVEMENT ACCUMUL ATES 115 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE SHOWN ON THE FIVE DAY INDICATOR AT 8 O CLOCK II GIRARD PERREGAUX ABSOLUTE LIGHT SHADE ME ASURING 44MM IN DIAMETER A METALIZED SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL CASE IMPARTS FASCINATING METALLIC BRILLIANCE TO THIS NEW LAUREATO AS WELL AS A SMOKY AURA THIS VISUAL LIGHTNESS IS ECHOED BY A FEATHERLIGHT 85 GRAMS ON THE WRIST III RADO TRUE SQUARE SKELETON THE TOP PLATE OF THE SPLIT LEVEL DIAL OF THIS TRUE SQUARE SKELETON CASED IN BLACK MONOBLOC HIGHTECH CER AMIC IS CUT AWAY TO SHOW THE SKELETONISED R808 MOVEMENT WITH AUTOMATIC WINDING THE ANTHRACITE TREATMENT ON THE BRIDGES COMPLEMENTS THE NICKEL COLOUR OF THE BOTTOM DIAL PLATE AND ITS C TES DE GEN VE DECORATION IIII LONGINES ULTRA CHRON LONGINES REVIVES THE ULTRA CHRON THE FIRST HIGH FREQUENCY DIVE WATCH UNVEILED IN 1968 THE 43MM STEEL CASE OF THIS NEW INTERPRETATION IS WATER RESISTANT TO 300 METRES IT CONTAINS A 5HZ AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT THAT WAS DEVELOPED E XCLUSIVELY FOR LONGINES BY E TA
Beating heart In the 35 years since it was founded Frederique Constant has shown that with determination and innovation the wildest dreams can come true FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 69 Did they have any idea how crazy their project was When Aletta and Peter Stas started the Frederique Constant brand in Geneva in 1988 the cards were stacked against them First of all the market had been flooded with quartz watches with little added value Secondly they were both completely new to the industry with no experience in watches Thirdly the couple are Dutch and at the time of this career change were living not in Switzerland but in Hong Kong Undeterred Aletta and Peter Stas remained convinced there was a window for quality timepieces that were respectful of tradition and accessibly priced a vision they would materialise through Frederique Constant Crazy or not their minds were made up It would take Frederique Constant four years to develop its first range Appropriately named the 18th Century Collection it featured mechanical watches with an elegant classic aesthetic at affordable price points Already the hallmarks of a Frederique Constant watch could be seen in this debut range and have never varied simply embracing the innovation that would underpin the brand s success For example Frederique Constant became the first brand to reveal the heart of the mechanical movement through an aperture in the dial at 12 o clock This view of the regulating organ composed of the balance and balance spring became the signature attribute of the Heart Beat collection introduced in 1994 The following year it appeared on FREDERIQUE CONSTANT CLASSIC TOURBILLON MANUFACTURE ESTABLISHED 35 YEARS AGO FREDERIQUE CONSTANT CELEBRATES THIS MILESTONE WITH A NEW ITERATION OF ITS CLASSIC TOURBILLON MANUFACTURE INTRODUCED IN 2008 AND EQUIPPED WITH THE FC 980 CALIBRE ONE OF THE FIRST TO INCORPORATE AN ESCAPE WHEEL AND PALLET LEVER IN SILICON THIS LIMITED EDITION OF 150 PIECES IS OFFERED IN A SMALLER 39MM CASE IN 18K ROSE GOLD A SUNR AY DARK GRE Y DIAL PAIRS ELEGANTLY WITH FACE T TED INDICES SWEP T BY HAND POLISHED GOLD COLOURED HANDS lady s models this time in the shape of a heart But the best was yet to come the Stas were determined that Frederique Constant should become an integrated Manufacture with its own production capacity This strategy took shape with the opening in 2006 of a purpose built factory on the outskirts of Geneva that would be extended in 2019 35 years and 31 movements Building on this production capacity in 2004 in time for the Heart Beat s tenth anniversary Frederique Constant unveiled the FC 910 the first in a long line of in house movements In barely 20 years the brand accomplished the exploit of designing and manufacturing a remarkable 30 movements using tradition as its foundation but never shying away from innovation This progressive approach has always been a driving force for the brand one of the first to incorporate silicon technology into its movements with the release in 2008 of the FC 980 tourbillon calibre with a silicon lever and escape wheel Complications would follow including a world time function perpetual calendar moon phases and flyback chronograph Not forgetting a pioneering venture into smartwatches with a first model introduced in 2015 when the Swiss watch industry was still firmly on the mechanical side of the fence and in 2018 when the Classic Hybrid Manufacture broke new ground by combining connected functionalities with an in house automatic movement FREDERIQUE CONSTANT CALIBRE FC 810 MONOLITHIC MANUFACTURE FREDERIQUE CONSTANT HAS ENGINEERED A BREAKTHROUGH IN PRECISION TIMEKEEPING WITH THE FC 810 MONOLITHIC CALIBRE REDEFINING THE PRINCIPLE OF HOW A MECHANICAL WATCH IS REGULATED THIS 40 HZ MOVEMENT BEATS TEN TIMES FASTER THAN THE MA JORIT Y OF MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS ITS OSCILLATOR WHICH IS ETCHED FROM A SINGLE PIECE OF SILICON IS DESIGNED TO FIT A TRADITIONAL MOVEMENT CONFIGURATION AND ELIMINATES MANY OF THE MAIN WEAKNESSES OF A MECHANICAL WATCH The masterstroke came in 2021 with the unveiling of the FC 810 calibre which transformed the functioning of the escapement unchanged for the past two hundred years Rather than the usual 26 components of a Swiss lever escapement Frederique Constant developed a revolutionary oscillator made from a single silicon wafer This Monolithic regulator represents a huge technological breakthrough At 40 Hz it beats ten times faster than the escapement at the heart of most mechanical movements and maintains a full 80 hours of power reserve Speaking at the Watches and Wonders Geneva fair Niels Eggerding CEO since 2018 of the brand which is now part of the Citizen group declared that we are especially proud of everything Frederique Constant has achieved these past years and are celebrating this with our first time at Watches and Wonders Frederique Constant is a fabulous journey a dream that became reality with innovation at its heart Marking the occasion of its thirty fifth anniversary the brand has released its Tourbillon Manufacture in a resolutely contemporary execution Significantly it is also unveiling its thirty first in house movement the FC 735 which debuts in the Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture Cased in steel it strikes a perfect balance between displays for the large date moon phases and 50 hour power reserve Thirty five years and counting Christophe Roulet FREDERIQUE CONSTANT MANUFACTURE CLASSIC POWER RESERVE BIG DATE THE FC 735 MOVEMENT INSIDE THE CL ASSIC POWER RESERVE BIG DATE WHICH JOINS FREDERIQUE CONSTANT S MANUFACTURE COLLECTION IS THE THIRT Y FIRST CALIBRE TO BE DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED ENTIRELY IN HOUSE BY THE BR AND FR AMED BY A 40MM CASE IN STEEL THE SUNR AY BLUE DIAL CARRIES APPLIED INDICES AND HAND POLISHED SILVER COLOURED HANDS BOTH THE HANDS AND THE INDICES ARE DIAMOND CUT FOR MAXIMUM BRIGHTNESS
70 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS The Italian way In the beginning was the Radiomir duly celebrated by Officine Panerai that most Swiss of Italian watchmakers founded in Florence over a century and a half ago JEAN MARC PONTROU CEO PANERAI The place is Florence the year is 1916 Guido Panerai is working in the family shop on Piazza San Giovanni on a radium based compound whose luminous properties literally outshine anything ever invented before There is of course a reason for Guido s experimentations The company his grandfather founded in 1860 had already made a name as a supplier of precision instruments to the Royal Italian Navy And Guido s invention which he called Radiomir was particularly suited to night sighting systems including on torpedo launchers This new substance would further strengthen ties between Panerai and the country s military forces Accordingly when the Italian Navy went in search of a dive watch that it could issue to its commando frogmen luminescence would be a key criterion and Panerai its first port of call An initial prototype was presented in 1935 Its name The Radiomir Already the Panerai we know was contained in a watch governed by the principles of functionality and performance that continue to guide the brand It was large to say the least with a case in three parts and a screwdown back and crown for maximum water resistance The strap was attached to wire lugs that were soldered to the case whose cushion shape better absorbed shocks PANERAI RADIOMIR CALIFORNIA PANERAI PRESENTS ITS FIRST CALIFORNIA DIAL IN A 45MM DIAMETER CASE THIS R ADIOMIR CALIFORNIA PAM01349 ALTERNATES ROMAN AND ARABIC NUMERALS WITH BAR INDICES MINUTES ARE SHOWN ON A RAILROAD TRACK THAT RUNS AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE DIAL PANER AI S BRUNITO FINISH FOR THE CASE IN ESTEELTM AN ALLOY MADE WITH 95 RECYCLED STEEL GIVES A UNIQUE WE ATHERED EFFECT THE MANUAL WINDING P 5000 MOVEMENT DELIVERS EIGHT DAYS OF POWER RESERVE Guido s luminous compound ensured the perfect legibility of this robust tool watch a vital piece of equipment for a military diver carrying out missions For many years Officine Panerai watches were military issue only until two events brought the brand into the public gaze One was the launch of three civilian collections in 1992 the other was a certain Sylvester Stallone s interest for Panerai watches which he discovered while shooting his 1996 movie Daylight in Rome Panerai stepped out of the shadows into the spotlight helped by Richemont which acquired the brand in 1997 Surgical precision I got a call from Richemont management asking if the name Panerai meant anything to me recalls the group s creative director Giampiero Bodino at the Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva It certainly did I was already a huge fan and started working on the Radiomir in exchange for a watch Giampiero Bodino was never tempted to make a clean sweep of the past With a surgeon s focus he instead introduced subtle changes to adapt Panerai s designs to the tastes and needs of the modern watch wearer forging a unity of style for a brand whose military past has become its greatest strength PANERAI RADIOMIR CALENDARIO ANNUALE GOLDTECHTM PANERAI HAS ENGINEERED ITS FIRST EVER ANNUAL CALENDAR A COMPLICATION THAT REQUIRES A SINGLE ADJUSTMENT OF THE DATE PER YE AR ESPECIALLY FOR THE R ADIOM IR COLLECTION ONE OF THE FE ATURES THAT SE TS THIS R ADIOM IR CALENDARIO ANNUALE GOLDTECHTM APART IS THE DISPL AY OF THE MONTHS AROUND THE EDGE OF THE SANDWICH DIAL A FIXED ARROW AT 3 O CLOCK POINTS TO THE CURRENT MONTH ON A ROTATING DISC AT THE END OF EACH MONTH THE DISC JUMPS INSTANTANEOUSLY TO THE NE X T THE E YE MOVES E ASILY BE T WEEN The models on show in Geneva are the proof starting with the Radiomir California and the Radiomir Otto Giorni whose case in eSteel which contains 95 recycled metal boasts a Brunito burnished finish achieved by physical vapour deposition then hand finished to give each watch its unique weathered appearance These vintage models take us back to the days of those early combat divers in a year which Panerai CEO Jean Marc Pontrou describes as steeped in history Elsewhere the brand is playing down its military heritage as it debuts its first annual calendar complication with two versions of the Radiomir Calendario Annuale one in GoldtechTM and one in PlatinumtechTM both proprietary alloys An instantaneous change month display features on a disc at the periphery of the dial Catering to smaller wrists the Radiomir Quaranta GoldtechTM takes its name from the Italian word for forty which is the watch s diameter in millimetres Incidentally the fifteen buyers of the Radiomir Calendario Annuale in platinum will be invited to Rome for a threeday experience which this time will have them not jumping out of planes with special forces but sampling the city s cultural delights in the company of a brand that has lost none of its Latin charm Eric Dumatin THE DIFFERENT CALENDAR INDICATIONS WHILE HOURS AND MINUTES REMAIN CLE ARLY LEGIBLE THIS RE ADABILIT Y IS FURTHER ENHANCED BY THE LUMINESCENT TREATMENT ON THE INDICES ARABIC NUMERALS AND BATON HANDS THE P9010 AC MOVEMENT IS AUTOMATICALLY WOUND AND DELIVERS THREE DAYS OF POWER RESERVE THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS BOTH IN A 45MM CUSHION CASE IN ALLOYS DEVELOPED BY PANERAI ONE IN GOLDTECHTM WITH A BLUE DIAL AND A SECOND IN PLATINUMTECHTM WITH A BURGUNDY DIAL
MANUFACTURE Classic Power Reserve Big Date BEYOND CONVENTIONS frederiqueconstant com