royal Oak equation of Time

Transcription

HOTEL WALDORF-ASTORIA
301 PARK AVENUE
212-751-9824
509 MADISON AVENUE
AT 53RD STREET
212-888-0505
800-CELLINI
NEW YORK, NY 10022
www.CelliniJewelers.com
Platinum Eternity wedding bands with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires
collections
14 A. LANGE & SÖHNE welcomes the first automatic
version of its signature Lange 1 with the Lange 1 Daymatic.
18 AUDEMARS PIGUET celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its award-winning Equation of Time complication with a new Royal Oak version.
56 HUBLOT debuts its first in-house movement in the Big
Bang King Power UNICO All Black split-second chronograph.
60IWC launches a veritable armada of Portuguese timepieces led by the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph.
64 JAEGER-LECOULTRE presents an intriguing ex-
22 BELL & ROSS packs power and style into a new
compact case with its BR 03-92 Heritage and BR 03-94
Heritage.
pression of the watchmaker’s art with the Master Grande
Tradition Grande Complication.
68 LUDOVIC BALLOUARD puts his own playful spin
26 CARTIER starts a revolution with the orbiting tour-
billon featured in its Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon.
34 CHOPARD honors the families behind its 150-year
anniversary with L.U.C Louis-Ulysse — The Tribute.
48 DEWITT pays homage to the date Napoleon
Bonaparte was named “Emperor of the French” with the
Twenty-8-Eight Automatic.
52 H. MOSER & CIE evokes the vital crossroads of art
and science with the Moser Perpetual Moon.
on the watchmaking tradition with his company’s debut, the Upside Down.
76 PARMIGIANI FLEURIER sets hearts racing with
the aerodynamic contour and innovative movement of
its Bugatti Super Sport.
features
8 LUXURY LANDMARK Cellini Jewelers tempts
all comers with a timeless collection of watches and
jewelry that ranks among New York City’s best.
38 TIME TRAVELER Explore Switzerland’s watch-
collections
making region for a revealing look at the people and
places behind the art of bringing time to life.
80 RICHARD MILLE builds on its reputation in the
world of sailing with the limited edition RM 028 Les
Voiles de St. Barth.
66 CULINARY CAMEOS Discover four New York City
restaurants transforming the glass of wine with dinner
into a transcendent experience.
84 ROGER DUBUIS highlights its mastery of the
“whirlwind” complication with the Excalibur Double
Tourbillon Skeleton.
91 CLOCKWISE A glossary of horological terms
88 ULYSSE NARDIN adds a flying tourbillon to its landmark Freak collection with the groundbreaking Freak
Diavolo.
ABOUT THE COVER
The Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock located in the
capital of the Czech Republic. Originally built in 1410, the city commemorated the popular landmark’s 600-year anniversary in 2010.
92 VACHERON CONSTANTIN combines beauty and
intricacy in the Patrimony Traditionelle Chronograph
Perpetual Calendar.
To watch a computer animation, visit www.praguealacarte.com.
An interactive model is also available for the iPhone at the iTunes
App Store.
Editor in Chief
Michael Graziadei
Art Director, Photo Director
Samantha Hickey
Managing Editor
Scott Hickey
Copy Editor
Rachel Young
Contributing Writers
Paul Boutros
Amy Cohen
Elizabeth Lilly Doerr
Jack Forster
Elizabeth Kindt
Elise Nussbaum
Michael Thompson
Contributing Photographers
David Katz
Björg Magnea
For a complimentary subscription or for further information, Please call 8oo.CELLINI
STATUS is an annual
publication by Cellini Jewelers
Copyright ©2010
Reproduction without
permission is prohibited
Express Yourself
Ask a dozen people why they wear a mechanical watch and you’ll hear a different story every time.
F
or many, a timepiece represents an emotional bond. It
could be something as straightforward as liking the
way it looks and feels on the wrist, or as visceral as enjoying the instant gratification of conducting a chronograph’s
symphony of gears with the simple push of a button.
Among a smaller yet equally devoted group, it’s the
left-brain logic of a timepiece that captivates. While some
take pleasure in pondering the mechanical puzzles behind
a perpetual calendar, others peer at their equation of time
and muse over cosmic concepts like why time is structured
the way it is.
Whichever side of the passion and reason divide one
falls — and even those who land somewhere in between —
each is a member of a unique fraternity, one that wears its
membership tucked subtly under the sleeve for fellow
confreres to discover.
Sure to tempt horological enthusiasts of every stripe,
our eighth issue highlights a selection of the latest timekeeping creations from the world’s most exclusive watchmakers. We also take readers to Switzerland to explore
what to see and do during a visit to the country’s watchmaking region. Beyond the wrist, Status includes food for
thought with a look at four New York City restaurants celebrated for creative combinations of food and wine.
If you would like more information about any of the
watches in this issue, please call us at 800-CELLINI or
send an email to Status@CelliniJewelers.com. Until next
year, thank you for reading Status.
Michael Graziadei
Editor in Chief
Cellini Jewelers
A New York City institution
for more than a generation,
Cellini Jewelers exceeds even
the highest expectations
with an impeccable collection of timepieces and jewelry that reflects a deep
appreciation for the rareness
of both handmade authenticity and natural beauty.
Diamond rings set by
hand in platinum
Luxury of Choice
By Scott
8
Hickey
“Our considerable range
is what sets us apart,” says
Cellini Jewelers President Leon Adams.
“We believe it’s important to give you
choices and an opportunity to select
from a broad spectrum of pieces.”
Madison Avenue
Deep Focus
Madison Avenue
An extraordinary gathering of historic and emerging
watchmakers finds a home at Cellini, where it serves as
the foundation for one of the world’s largest and most
prestigious collections of mechanical timepieces.
Dedicated watch enthusiasts have long cherished
the unparalleled selection of timepieces Cellini offers.
“If we believe enough in a brand to carry it, we do our
best to carry the entire collection; not just every model,
but more importantly, every metal that model is made
in. Very few can say that,” Adams says.
To help collectors navigate the eccentricities of
high horology, Cellini’s watch experts are as well versed
in emerging trends as they are in past traditions and
welcome the opportunity to answer your questions.
9
Cellini Jewelers
Fantastic Discoveries Along with the range of its watch collection, Cellini’s dedication to rarity appeals to savvy connoisseurs who value exclusivity.
“You can walk into Cellini and see watches you
won’t see anywhere else,” Adams says. “Beyond the
best-known watchmakers, we also showcase some
of the more exotic brands like Maîtres du Temps,
Jean Dunand, Parmigiani, H. Moser, and just this
year, Ludovic Ballouard’s Upside Down watch.”
In a nod to its reputation as an influential tastemaker, Cellini is also the only location on the East
Coast where you can see Cartier’s new Fine Watchmaking Collection other than Cartier’s New York
boutique.
Clockwise from top: Rotonde Skeleton Tourbillon by Cartier,
Shabaka by Jean Dunand, Chapter Two by Maîtres du Temps
10
Collection Viola
Everyday Style
More than just a bastion of high horology, Cellini
has also cultivated a diverse collection of jewelry
that ranks among the finest in New York City.
Two new designs debuted at Cellini this year.
The first exemplifies everyday elegance with a selection of bracelets that use precious and semiprecious stones to create whimsical designs that
range from fruit and animals to flags and amulets. Available exclusively at Cellini, the second
creation is the Collection Viola, whose scintillating floral motif is achieved through a variety of
colorful stones and mother-of-pearl.
“Each line reflects a different approach to everyday style that is as unique as the women who
wear them,” Adams says.
Wearable & Whimsical
11
Cellini Jewelers
Guided by Passion For exceptional glamour, nothing outshines the supreme
splendor of a bespoke setting. Cellini’s gemologists
and designers combine expertise with imagination to create jewelry tailored exclusively to
your personal style, whether you are looking for a unique engagement ring or a
one-of-a-kind necklace. “Because
we have the experience and selection, the possibilities are
endless,” Adams says.
Rings with natural fancy pink, yellow and
white diamonds in platinum and 18-karat gold
12
Cellini is also
among an elite coterie of jewelers that
specialize in exotic jewels,
exhibiting an ambitious assortment that ranges from natural
fancy color diamonds and alexandrite
to Burmese rubies and Kashmir sapphires. “The same competitive spirit that
drives our clients to demand the best from
themselves is what inspires us to maintain such a
high standard,” Adams says.
Hotel Waldorf-Astoria
Handle with Care
Hotel Waldorf-Astoria
To maintain the beauty of your jewelry and extend
the longevity of your watches, regular care is essential. Cellini invites you to visit our WaldorfAstoria and Madison Avenue boutiques where our
specialists stand ready to assist you.
Jewelry devotees will be able to relax as our
experts scrutinize each stone’s setting and evaluate the reliability of each clasp before returning
the piece to you immaculately cleaned. Watch enthusiasts can rest assured that when the time
comes every four years to service your mechanical
timepiece that a master watchmaker will care for
your watch as if it were their own.
Whether haute couture or haute horlogerie fuels
your passion, come to Cellini and discover the
luxury of choice. ¨
13
A. Lange & Söhne
The Tourbograph Pour le Mérite “Homage to F.A. Lange”
comes in a 41.2mm honey-colored gold case combined with
a solid gold dial characteristic of the anniversary set.
Facing page: The Lange 1 Daymatic’s dial mirrors the layout
found on the Lange 1, adding a day indicator on the left side.
A heavy, full-sized rotor winds its automatic movement.
14
Sweet as Honey
By Elizabeth
Lilly Doerr
A. Lange & Söhne introduced four wristwatches in 1994 that brought fine watchmaking back to a
region that had almost lost its expertise. One model in particular, the Lange 1, became the iconic face
of a new generation of German watches. With its luxurious simplicity, beautifully finished handwound movement and striking details, the Lange 1 served as a walking advert for the quality of
German watchmaking.
T
he brand introduced the first automatic version of its signature timepiece this year. Aptly christened the Lange 1 Daymatic, the watch goes
beyond its predecessor with a day-of-the-week display. The new
movement casts a mirror image of the classic Lange 1, reversing the dial
arrangement. The Lange 1 Daymatic retains the same diameter as the
original and is characterized by a heavy, central, full-sized rotor crafted
in an alloy of copper, beryllium, gold and platinum.
Respect and Reverence
After debuting its first modern collection 16 years ago, the
brand presents a stunning trilogy called Homage to F.A. Lange
Collection that pays homage to the company’s founder, Ferdinand Adolph Lange, and the birth of Glashütte’s watch industry 165 years ago. All three share the same honey-colored gold
case, which is crafted using an innovative new alloy that is
twice as hard as other gold alloys and is rated at about 300
Vickers.
The Tourbograph Pour le Mérite, originally introduced in
2005 in a 51-piece platinum edition, now appears in the new case
combined with a solid-gold dial — elements characteristic of the
anniversary set, whose look was inspired by original Lange pocket
watches of the 1880s.
The tourbillon found in this movement is paired with a chain-andfusée transmission, a vintage technology invented to ensure constant
force within the first wearable timepieces — a function later performed in
the wristwatch by the balance spring. Today, the chain and fusée is a difficult
technology to master, its miniscule chain alone comprising 600 parts. The
Tourbograph Pour le Mérite also incorporates a split-seconds chronograph
able to take interval times up to 30 minutes. A. Lange & Söhne will limit production of this watch to 50 pieces.
15
A. Lange & Söhne
The second member of this rarified trio, the Lange 1 Tourbillon will be offered
in a 150-piece edition in the honey-colored case. The Homage version features
a slightly different movement from the original, which debuted at the turn of the
millennium.
The patented stop-seconds mechanism of the Lange 1 Tourbillon’s cage —
first seen in 2008’s Cabaret Tourbillon — was a challenge to movement designers Annegret Fleischer and Helmut Geyer. Using a simple approach, they decided
the only viable alternative was to instantaneously brake the balance wheel
inside the tourbillon cage. This may sound easy, but Fleischer and Geyer
are the first to achieve this feat in a tourbillon movement in the two centuries since Abraham-Louis Breguet invented the revolving escapement.
The final tribute watch is the 1815 Moonphase, a model that originally premiered in 1999. Extremely accurate, the watch’s moon phase
will not require an adjustment for more than a thousand years. Offered
as a 250-piece limited edition, even the watch’s moon disc is crafted
using the innovative gold alloy.
All three anniversary movements are characterized by a new finish
that features a beautiful engraved pattern on the German-silver plates
instead of the usual Glashütte ribbing. A. Lange & Söhne product manager Tino Bobe says this flourish was harder than expected to achieve.
To get the look they wanted, Bobe says the engravers at the
company’s Glashütte manufactory reworked a rose engine tool
point and added diamond paste. They were reportedly pleased about
the set’s limited numbers because the engraving process was much
more difficult than originally envisioned.
From top: The limited edition Lange 1 Tourbillon “Homage to F.A. Lange” combines a
patented outsize date, power reserve indicator and one-minute tourbillon on its guilloché dial.
The 1815 Moonphase “Homage to F.A. Lange” boasts a moon phase indicator that will maintain its accuracy for more than a millennium.
Used to power the Lange 1 Tourbillon, the exquisitely decorated caliber L961.2 includes a patented stop seconds for the tourbillon.
16
Annual Saxon The 38.5mm A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar conveys the traditional styling typical of the Saxonia collection and comes equipped with the
automatic SAX-O-MAT movement. This anxiously awaited annual calendar displays the same sort of comfortable functionality as the brand’s
perpetual calendar. In rose or white gold, the timepiece offers Lange’s
Zero Reset function, which immediately resets the second hand when
the crown is pulled out.
Like all movements manufactured by the luxury brand, the
watch’s SAX-O-MAT movement is assembled twice. It also boasts
Lange’s ultra-precise moon phase, which deviates by a full day
every 122 years. The calendar automatically knows which
months have 30 and which have 31 days; it only needs to be
corrected once a year on the last day of February or the first
day of March. If the 46-hour power reserve is exhausted, all
three calendar indications, as well as the moon phase, can be
quickly and individually adjusted by the correctors recessed into
the side of the case.
Short Time
The Datograph aided A. Lange & Söhne in establishing an excellent reputation in the top league of chronographs. The 1815
Chronograph debuts not only as a notable reinterpretation of
this horological classic, but also as a more complicated addition
to the 1815 model family, which was re-launched just last year.
This hand-wound timer, powered by Caliber L951.5, is equipped
with one of the company’s in-house balance springs. Housed in a
39.5mm case, this flyback chronograph features a precisely jumping
minute counter that is controlled by a classic column wheel.
Since its celebrated return, A. Lange & Söhne continues to find
innovative ways to honor its roots, ensuring its timepieces are simultaneously classic and contemporary. ¨
From top: The new Saxonia Annual Calendar is powered by the automatic SAX-O-MAT
movement; its second hand immediately resets when the crown is pulled out.
The 1815 Chronograph, whose name pays homage to Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s birth
year, now comes in a proportionately beautiful 39.5mm white gold case.
17
Audemars Piguet
Roots of Innovation
By Scott
Hickey
Audemars Piguet recalls one of its proudest technical triumphs this year as it celebrates the 10-year
anniversary of its award-winning Jules Audemars Equation of Time. The complication that
powered the original breaks ground again with its debut in the Royal Oak case, united by the
historic movement base that powered the Royal Oak at its inception.
F
or the Royal Oak Equation of Time, the iconic octagon holds a full complement of celestial high complications: perpetual calendar, astronomic moon phase,
equation of time and sunrise/sunset.
For more than 125 years, Audemars Piguet’s manufacture
in the Vallée de Joux has played a critical role in the development of the perpetual calendar, a complication that automatically compensates for the varied lengths of the months and
leap years without requiring manual adjustment. To understand what it takes mechanically to account for the leap year,
imagine a cam the diameter of a pencil whose constant
motion completes a rotation once every 1461 days.
Like all equation of time watches, it calculates the difference between the “legal day,” fixed at 24 hours, and the “solar day,” whose length varies between +16.24 and -14.22 minutes throughout the year due to the earth’s elliptical orbit and
the tilt of its axis. The Royal Oak Equation of Time displays
this discrepancy on a scale that curves along the inner bezel.
Naturally, the equation of time’s esoteric nature captivates collectors who are fascinated by society’s understanding
of time and appreciative of a timepiece whose function unfolds gradually. And yet, this cerebral complication has also
found favor with the romantics, explains William Deuel,
Audemars Piguet’s Retail Network Coordinator. “There are
those who set the equation of time as a means to stay connected to a special place. For some, it’s where they met their
wife or a favorite place to vacation. For others, it’s the city
where they made their first fortune.”
CELESTIAL SOLUTIONS
The Royal Oak Equation of Time uses the same movement base
(Calibre 2120) that powered the original Royal Oak when it debuted
in 1972. The base, which measures 2.45mm thick, is also used as
the foundation for the Jules Audemars Perpetual Calendar, which
was also introduced this year.
18
With the Royal Oak Equation of Time, Audemars Piguet remains the only watchmaker to successfully create an equation of time calibrated to a specific longitude. This represents
a substantial leap ahead of models attuned to time zones, a
large area that encompasses 15 degrees of longitude. The
area is so large in fact that the solar culmination point — the
time when the sun is directly overhead — can vary by as much
as an hour within a single time zone.
To illustrate that point, consider New York City and Buffalo. Both are in the same time zone, but the sun crests over
Central Park more than eight minutes before it does over Niagara Falls. “Why measure the deviation down to plus or minus 15 minutes, but then overlook a geographic variable that
could throw off the solar time up to an hour?” Deuel asks.
“The ability to recognize and solve these kinds of technical
dilemmas are an essential part of Audemars Piguet’s DNA,”
he adds.
Offered in rose gold or stainless steel, the
Royal Oak Equation of Time’s manufacture
movement indicates the astronomic moon
phase as well as sunrise and sunset times.
19
Audemars Piguet
The astronomic moon – which lasts 29 days, 11 hours, 44 minutes,
2 seconds and 80 hundredths of a second — served as the basis of most
ancient calendars and the division of the year into 12 months. Audemars
Piguet incorporates an astronomic moon phase in the Royal Oak Equation of Time that measures the lunar cycle to within a minute every
month, a difference so minor, the timepiece’s moon phase will not
require adjustment before 2132.
By demonstrating this deep mastery of the sun and moon, it’s only fitting that the Royal Oak Equation of Time would accurately calculate local
sunrise and sunset times, displaying them at 9 and 3 o’clock respectively.
FAMOUS FOUNDATION
Both the Royal Oak Equation of Time and the Jules Audemars Perpetual
Calendar are built upon an historic base, Calibre 2120. Just 2.45mm
thick, it is the world’s thinnest automatic movement with a central rotor.
After debuting in 1967, it played a decisive role in the company’s history
when it was used in 1972 to power the first Royal Oak. Not only was it the
world’s first stainless steel luxury sports watch, it also helped elevate
haute horlogerie to everyday functionality.
The rose gold Jules Audemars Perpetual Calendar
marks the first time the company has offered this
complication in its timeless Jules Audemars case.
20
Caliber 2120 took on an even greater significance when Audemars Piguet began adding high
complications to the ultra-thin platform. It started in 1978 with the perpetual calendar, a complication the company has offered since its launch
in 1882.
In 2000 this foundation powered the Equation of Time, which won ‘Watch of the Year’ and
became the first world time-zone perpetual calendar. Audemars Piguet celebrated the achievement’s 30-year anniversary two years ago with a
limited edition.
This year, the manufacture movement debuts
in the prestigious Jules Audemars case, a classical
form reserved exclusively for the company’s greatest horological achievements.
The Jules Audemars Perpetual Calendar’s
traditional case conceals the modern architecture
required to accurately reproduce our calendar
mechanically. The intricate arrangement of levers,
gears and cams below gives way to an artful arrangement on the dial that presents the day, date,
month and leap year indication in a legible array.
Despite its intricate configuration, this perpetual calendar is engineered for ease of use,
giving it a distinct advantage over less-forgiving
models. For instance, the day, month and leap
year functions are all synchronized to the date,
which means adjusting the date updates the
others automatically.
For this inaugural year, the Jules Audemars
Perpetual Calendar is available only in rose gold
paired with either a silvered or brown dial.
OFFSHORE IN HARMONY
Audemars Piguet explores the extensive Royal Oak Offshore
collection with models from opposite points on the
spectrum.
The Royal Oak Offshore Diver stands at one end. Able to
withstand intense underwater pressures, it complies with the
ISO 6425 dive watch standards, which mandate performance
benchmarks for issues like readability in dark conditions as
well as resistance to salt water, magnetism and shocks.
The Offshore Diver is certified to 300 meters, exceeding
the 100-meter minimum water resistance dictated by international standards. Regulations also call for dive watches to
be equipped with a unidirectional bezel. Audemars Piguet
answers with an innovative dive scale protected beneath the
sapphire crystal instead of exposed on the bezel. A screwdown crown prevents unintentional adjustments, further
enhancing the scale’s security.
The rugged Diver offers a stark contrast to the suave
Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. Audemars Piguet presents a trio of 37mm models this year, each an escalation
of elegance.
It begins with the first-ever Offshore Chronograph
without diamonds, its stainless steel bezel polished to a
glittering sheen for its global unveiling. Rest assured, the
original diamond-set bezel remains an alluring option. Both versions come
with a black or silvered dial covered with the Offshore’s
signature Méga Tapisserie
decoration.
Audemars Piguet
brings the Royal Oak
Offshore Chronograph’s design to its
luxurious conclusion
with a white gold
model lavished with 323
brilliant-cut diamonds.
To highlight the sparkling
facets, the brand offers this
model exclusively with a
black dial and matching
rubber strap.
The over-the-top glamour
serves as a fitting finale for a
priceless year. ¨
Top (left & right): The stainless steel Royal Oak
Offshore Chronograph’s octagonal bezel is now offered
with or without diamonds. Both versions are available
with either a black or silvered dial. Audemars Piguet also
offers a special white gold version (not shown) that is set entirely
with white diamonds.
Bottom: The stainless steel Royal Oak Offshore Diver protects
the dive scale from accidental movement by placing it beneath the
sapphire crystal. The crown at 10 o’clock is used to adjust the scale.
21
Bell & Ross
Treasured Heritage
By Elizabeth
Kindt
Bell & Ross first took to the skies in 1992 when French designers Bruno Belamich and Carlos
Rosillo teamed up to create precision tools that would prove invaluable to pilots. To do so, the pair
determined that four design elements must form the crux of Bell & Ross and every instrument that
it creates: legibility, functionality, accuracy and reliability.
A
star at BaselWorld 2010, this venerable creator of
aviation timepieces introduced its latest Instrument
watches, the BR 03-92 Heritage and the BR 03-94
Heritage. The most obvious difference between these models and 2009’s BR 01 Heritage line is the BR 03 Heritage’s
new case size: 42mm as opposed to 46mm.
The differences extend further with the addition of a
date to both versions of the BR 03 Heritage, and the introduction of the first chronograph to the BR 03 Heritage family
with the BR 03-94 Heritage. With these advances, Bell & Ross
expertly packs all of the power of the Instrument BR 01 Heritage watches into a smaller (42mm) size. Both BR 03 Heritage
models are cased in glass-bead blasted stainless steel with a
black-PVD finish. The numerals, indexes and hands are coated with a sand-colored photoluminescence to optimize nighttime reading beneath an anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
Both watches house automatic movements: The Instrument BR 03-92 Heritage provides the hours, minutes,
seconds and date; while the Instrument BR 03-94 Heritage
adds 30-minute and 60-second counters.
Now offered as 42mm models, both the Instrument BR03-94 Heritage and BR03-92 Heritage
( facing page) possess the same professional style and superb reliability as their 46mm predecessor.
22
23
Bell & Ross
Stylish, masculine and lighter than steel, the
Instrument BR03-92 Military Ceramic features
a shade of olive similar to the one found on the
U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet.
DEFENSE MECHANISM
In recognition of the extreme dangers fighter pilots encounter during any
given mission, Bell & Ross has camouflaged the ultra-precise Instrument BR
03-92 Military Ceramic in an olive-colored case to blend in with a pilot’s uniform — a most advantageous asset to any stealth operation.
The first to introduce an olive ceramic case, the brand chose the material
for its scratch resistance, unalterable properties, durability, and its lighter
weight relative to steel. Pleasant to the touch and adaptable to the wearer’s
body heat, ceramic is eminently comfortable on the wrist.
Based on a pilot’s cockpit clock and true to the high standards of Bell
& Ross’ professional instruments, the Instrument BR 03-92 Military Ceramic
is extremely reliable, waterproof to 100 meters and easy to read thanks to the
photoluminescent coating applied to the numerals, indexes and hands.
In keeping with the watch’s monochromatic camouflage theme, the antireflective crystal is tinted and the synthetic-fiber strap matches the olive case.
24
MODERN VINTAGE
Previously used only in Bell & Ross’ iconic instrument watch
lines, carbon is now introduced into the brand’s Vintage collection of 41mm round watches with the Vintage BR 123
Heritage and Vintage BR 126 Heritage. The fusion of modern, high-tech carbon and traditional round styling is significant because it creates a tangible link between Bell &
Ross’ contemporary and vintage cases, uniting the brand’s
entire collection.
Both of these watches also connect past and present
with especially high-domed crystals protecting their antiglare, matte black, carbon-finished dials. While Bell
& Ross’ crystals are crafted of an extremely hard and
scratch-resistant sapphire, the design itself is a throwback to the 1940’s when less durable, acrylic crystals
protected dashboard instruments. Used until the ’70s,
these plastic domes didn’t shatter like glass, but
were prone to crack and were therefore curved to
prevent damage to the timepiece.
Like the Instrument BR 01 and BR 03 Heritage watches, the Vintage BR 123 Heritage and
the Vintage BR 126 Heritage are cased in glassbead blasted stainless steel with a black-PVD
finish and fitted on leather straps that will acquire a
rich patina with age. Both are water resistant to 100
meters, and feature matte-black dials inspired by
cockpit dashboard clocks. These dials boast photoluminescent numerals, indexes and hands that are sandcolored, reflecting the distinctive coloring that older
watches acquire over time.
The Vintage BR 123 Heritage is remarkable in its simplicity. The mechanical automatic caliber provides the traditional hours and minutes, as well as the independent
seconds and date at 6 o’clock. The Vintage BR 126 Heritage
shares the Instrument BR 03-94 Heritage’s mechanical
automatic movement and offers 60-second and 30-minute
counters.
Bell & Ross shocked and delighted watch enthusiasts
this year with its smaller versions of the BR 01 Heritage, the
striking new olive-colored BR 03-92 Military Ceramic, and
the freshly carbon-coated Vintage BR Heritage 123 and 126
lines. What surprises no one, of course, is that each new
piece adheres tenaciously to those four renowned Bell &
Ross fundamentals: legibility, functionality, accuracy and
reliability. ¨
Bell & Ross debuts carbon-finished dials in its Vintage collection with
the Vintage BR 123 Heritage (left) and Vintage BR 126 Heritage.
Cartier
C
artier’s manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds has been
tourbillons are — but glides along merrily between two
an indisputable — and indispensable —
vertically layered dials. The lower dial bears the
asset to the brand, allowing it to zero
classic Roman numeral indexes, while the
in on the innovation and quest for techniupper dial supports the hour and minute
cal perfection that Cartier’s watch cushands. As the mesmerizing aesthetic
tomers have come to expect. One of
of the dial can only suggest, the
the latest examples of this fine
Astrotourbillon required considcraftsmanship lies in the Rotonde
erable technical innovation to
de Cartier Astrotourbillon,
compensate for the numerous
which came to fruition after
changes in design. To mainfive years of constant care
tain the equilibrium of the
and development at the
tourbillon carriage in its
Cartier manufacture.
new position, Cartier’s
The Astrotourbillon
designers added a small
houses the 9451 MC moveplatinum counterweight
By Elise Nussbaum
ment and boasts a tourbilon the other side of the
lon the likes of which the One of the legends of watchmaking, Cartier has come carriage, a weight that is
world has never seen. The to occupy an exalted place in the hearts and minds completely hidden by the
roguish appeal of the Assmall upper dial. The
of those passionate about elegance and technical carriage
trotourbillon will attract
itself had to be
sophistication.
Cartier
was
a
true
pioneer
in
the
true watch connoisseurs,
extremely lightweight —
who know enough about field of wristwatches, and several iconic collections 0.39 grams, to be exact,
the construction of the clasare still as popular today as they were almost excluding the countersic tourbillon to savor the
weight — to control its inera century ago. The House, however, refuses tia during its one-minute jourways in which the Astrotourbillon movement veers off the to rest on its laurels — it continues to inno- ney around the dial. This
usual path. Rather than being
vate, using its Swiss manufacture to consideration naturally led to
positioned in the upper or lower
explore the big ideas and life-sized the choice of titanium for the delipart of the dial, and spinning on its
cate complication.
details that continually breathe
own axis, the entire tourbillon carriage
A watch this unique requires an
new life into this revered immense amount of care and effort, and
rotates around the center of the dial, and
the Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon is,
actually acts as a seconds hand for the piece.
institution.
fittingly, only available in a limited and numbered
Another striking change is that the Astrotouredition of 100 pieces.
billon is not integrated into the movement — as most
26
Circle
Of
Influence
Acting as a seconds hand,
the tourbillon carriage rotates
around the center of the Rotonde
de Carter Astrotourbillon’s
multi-level dial.
27
Cartier
FORM AS FUNCTION
For a company such as Cartier, limited only by the imagination of its master horologers,
there are many ways to reinvent the classic tourbillon. The Rotonde de Cartier
Skeleton Flying Tourbillon retains a traditionally circular case, but eschews almost everything else that we have come to expect from a typical timepiece —
including the dial. Instead of that twentieth-century relic, we are treated to a
delightful avant-garde melding of form and function. The movement literally becomes the dial; Cartier’s iconic Roman numerals are carved directly
into the bridges that support the movement’s skeletonized main plate.
This approach lays bare the art of horology, as also evidenced in the flying tourbillon below the center of the “dial.” The technically impeccable 9455 MC, stamped with the Geneva Seal, is surrounded by the
touches of human craftsmanship that have firmly established Cartier
in the pantheon of high horology: angled bridges, satin-brushed
sides and circular-grained wheels all bear witness to the scrutiny to
which every element is subjected in the Cartier workshops. Crafted in
white gold and released in a limited edition of just 100 pieces, the Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Flying Tourbillon is an incredibly exclusive
marriage between the science of expert horological details and the art of
minimalism.
RETHINKING THE PERPETUAL CALENDAR
The iconic shape of the Tortue Perpetual
Calendar is immediately recognizable as
classic Cartier — the house developed the
case in 1912, and its classic elegance welcomed
technical innovation within as early as the 1920s. The latest watchmaking accomplishment to grace the Tortue is the first automatic-winding perpetual calendar
from the Cartier manufacture: the 9422 MC movement. In designing the Tortue
Perpetual Calendar, Cartier’s artisans never lost sight of the true raison d’être of
a timepiece: every function on the watch’s dial should be easily readable at a
glance. The mechanical details revealed by the open-worked dial do not
distract from the day, date, month, year, hour or minute indications. The
perpetual calendar display adds a dash of the unexpected to a complication
that can easily fall into the same old patterns.
On the Tortue Perpetual Calendar, a retrograde hand indicates the day
of the week, while the date is shown by numerals that extend to the very edge of
the dial, beyond even the hour indexes. The month and year appear at 12 o’clock,
and the hour and minute hands go about their normal routines in the midst of all
of this activity. Available in white or rose gold, the Tortue Perpetual Calendar
possesses 52 hours of power reserve, thanks to the individually numbered 9422 MC
movement inside.
From top: The Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Flying Tourbillon artfully plays on the relationship
between the watch materials and the negative space in between.
Powered by Cartier’s manufacture movement, as are all the timepieces in Cartier’s Fine Watchmaking Collection, the white gold Tortue Perpetual Calendar displays the calendar using an
inventive arrangement.
28
COMPLICATED ACROBATICS
Half the fun of watching circus acrobats lies in the frisson of vicarious danger
their antics provide. We trust that they will always land safely, yet we cannot
help but hold our breath as they fly through the air, seemingly immune to
the laws of gravity. The Calibre de Cartier Flying Tourbillon produces a
similar effect among watch aficionados. In traditional tourbillon constructions, the tourbillon carriage is tucked safely between the bridges
and the main plate, reducing its exposure to the thousand natural
shocks the watch is heir to. The flying tourbillon of Cartier’s
exceptional creation opts for showmanship over security — it
seems to float atop the bridges and hover weightlessly above
the dial, a risky proposition. It takes all the consummate skill
of Cartier’s watchmakers to ensure that the flying tourbillon
is as resistant to these shocks as a traditional one would be.
Less technically challenging aesthetic touches also leave their
unmistakable marks upon the piece, like the C-shaped tourbillon carriage that indicates the seconds and the oversized XII
numeral that forcefully asserts
itself at the top of the dial. Both
offer horological grace notes signifying the dance between identity, aesthetics and technical
accomplishment that plays out on
this extraordinary watch.
JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS
The traditional analog readout of countless timepieces possesses a certain comforting familiarity, but a part of the luxury watch market will
always be fascinated by the alternatives allowed by the jumping hour
display. Those specialists will no doubt be gratified by the Rotonde de
Cartier Jumping Hours. Almost austerely spare in its Art Deco-inspired
design, this rose-gold model relies upon an intimate knowledge of
considerably more complex horological expertise. Jumping hours require a very particular kind of fine-tuning to be successful: the disc that
bears the hour markers must “jump” with enough energy to ensure a
clean and complete switch from one hour to the next, but the movement
must also minimize the disc’s inertia so that it sticks to the plan and jumps
only one hour. The minute display on the Rotonde de Cartier Jumping Hours
is also somewhat unconventional, replacing the typical minute hand with an
arrow on a rotating disc that completes a 360-degree revolution once an hour.
This special arrangement makes up an integral part of the movement.
From top: The “whirlwind” featured in the Calibre de Cartier Flying Tourbillon appears to
float above the handsomely decorated dial.
Inspired by a 1920s pocket watch, the rose gold Rotonde de Cartier Jumping Hours displays the
hour in a large window while using an arrow on a rotating disc to indicate the minutes.
29
Cartier
GRAND CENTRAL
The issue of how to design a chronograph dial is all too often completely
neglected by watchmakers — the traditional arrangement of subdials remains
the standard, and horological ingenuity is saved for other aspects of the
creation. The Calibre de Cartier Central Chronograph addresses the issue in an unusual way, by devoting the entire bottom half of the dial to
a semicircular chronograph display. The double scale allows the
wearer to measures intervals of up to 30 minutes. The inner scale,
which goes from 0 to 15 minutes, stretches from 3 o’clock to 9
o’clock and nestles immediately inside the outer scale, which
measures from 15 to 30 minutes. The chronograph’s unique
“double hand” does double duty. Its short end travels across
the inner scale until it reaches 15 minutes at 9 o’clock, where
the long end takes up the baton on the opposite side at
3 o’clock as it continues on its trajectory to 30 minutes.
A traditional seconds hand also serves for the chronograph
seconds.
IMPECCABLY TECHNICAL
The year 1904 was a watershed for Cartier, marking the birth of the
venerable jewelry house’s first foray into high horology. The aviator
Alberto Santos-Dumont, tired of digging into his pocket during dangerous flights, asked his good friend Louis Cartier to create a wristwatch for him. The resulting timepiece, the Santos, was among the first
wristwatches created for men, and signaled the sea change that was about
to occur, as ever-growing numbers left the pocket watch behind.
This historic year is commemorated in the 1904 MC, the first selfwinding movement designed and produced in Cartier’s La Chaux-de-Fonds
manufacture. The 1904 MC boasts several innovations that clearly serve the wearer
and his needs: the movement’s double barrel guarantees the reliable performance of the mainspring, and a stopseconds system – activated by fully pulling out the crown – allows the wearer to
set the time to the nearest second.
The automatic winding system features ceramic ball bearings
around the center of the rotor, which adds to the shock resistance,
and not coincidentally, the longevity of the movement. The selfwinding mechanism also benefits from a replacement of
conventional reversers with a new pawl system that leads to a
faster winding rate. As the watch is worn, a bi-directional
winding system allows the oscillating weight to wind the
movement as it rotates in either direction.
From top: The interlaced arcs found on the lower half of the
Calibre de Cartier Central Chronograph allow the wearer to
measure intervals up to 15 minutes on the inner scale and from 15
to 30 minutes on the outer scale.
The stainless steel 1904 MC boasts a self-winding movement enhanced
with a number of technical innovations like a pawl system that winds the
movement faster.
30
These thoughtful adjustments to the self-winding mechanism are matched by
the meticulous care lavished on the look of the movement. A sapphire crystal caseback reveals the 1904 MC’s upper bridges and oscillating weight, both graced
with Côtes de Genève finishing. Even the main plate, completely hidden by the
rest of the movement’s components, possesses a bit of flair in its impeccable circular-grained finish.
The watch powered by this exceptional movement more than lives
up to it. Available in rose gold, steel, or a combination of the two
metals, the Calibre de Cartier watch exudes a casually potent masculinity; its strong lines and monochromatic color scheme echo
the technical rigor operating under its dial. The oversized basrelief “XII” sets the tone for the piece, which also features a
small seconds and a calendar window.
Clockwise from top: Cartier offers several versions of its 42mm Calibre de Cartier, including rose gold with a chocolate brown dial and stainless
steel with a black or white dial. Cartier also offers two jewelry versions (not shown), one with a diamond-set bezel and the other with diamonds
covering the bezel and case.
31
Cartier
CAPTIVE AUDIENCE
Unsurprisingly for a House legendary in the realm of fine jewelry, Cartier has
always ensured that the fairer sex is fairly served, presenting an array of
appealing feminine timepieces with a dash of technically sophisticated features.
The Captive de Cartier takes as its playground the tension
between big and small. Refusing to kowtow to the tradition
that dictates tiny, delicate timepieces for presumably
tiny, delicate wrists, the extra-large Captive de Cartier
boasts a positively Amazonian diameter of 50mm.
The effect of the vast expanse of the dial is even more
exaggerated by the relatively small hour and minute
display, from which radiate diamond-studded strips
of varying sizes. The tension between power and
conventional femininity is neatly captured in the
diamond-paved coil at 12 o’clock that seems to connect the dial to the brushed canvas strap.
With a diameter of 50mm, the Captive de Cartier
makes a bold statement about power, femininity
and luxury. It is equally breathtaking in rose
gold with 4.1 carats of round diamonds (top)
or in white gold with a diamond pavé dial
and bezel that total 6.1 carats.
32
BLEU PLANET
The Ballon Bleu Dual Time Zone continues Cartier’s disruption of the
circular convention. The rose-gold case is perfectly round, except for a
curious bulge at 3 o’clock. This marks the spot where the watch’s crown,
set with the imperative Cartier sapphire cabochon, demands special
consideration. The protective gold arch, which bulges inward as well as
outward, adds a design element all its own, recalling astronomical diagrams of planetary orbits. Even the iconic Roman numerals slide
aside to make way for the elements — crown, date window or
second time zone display — that seem to be contained within
their own small bubbles.
A TOP TANK
Leaving behind the circular form altogether, the Tank Américaine opts
for an elegant — but not fussy — slim rectangular shape. However, not
all is straight lines and rigidity here. The watch’s case subtly curves to fit
the wearer’s wrist, and the rounded corners of the case hint at an aesthetic compromise that combines the best of both worlds. Round-cut
diamonds subtly enhance the watch’s clean lines, drawing one’s attention to the impeccable sense of equilibrium that is a Cartier hallmark. ¨
From top: The Cartier Ballon Bleu gets its name from the sapphire cabochon set in
its crown. Shown here with a 38.5mm-diameter case, other Ballon Bleu models
are also available in 44mm, 42mm, 36.5mm or 28.5mm sizes, in a variety of
metal combinations.
Round diamonds adorn the strong lines that define the rose gold Tank Américaine and
frame its elegant dial.
33
Chopard
Treasured Traditions
By Scott
Hickey
At the heart of Chopard’s 150th anniversary celebration is a timepiece inspired by the two families
responsible for the manufacture’s unrivaled reputation: the Chopards who founded the firm in 1860
and nurtured it for more than a century, and the Scheufeles who acquired the company in 1963 and
built it into one of watchmaking’s most dynamic independent brands.
T
he L.U.C Louis-Ulysse – The Tribute combines the spirit of both families in a white gold pocket watch that can also be
worn on the wrist. While clearly honoring the company’s roots as a pocket watch manufacture, it also incorporates an
innovative system of adjustable lugs whose design is based on a patent filed in 1912 by Karl Scheufele I, grandfather to Karl Scheufele III who acquired Chopard 47 years ago.
The project began unexpectedly, says Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, who has shared the presidency of Chopard
with his sister Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele since 2001. “At the Geneva Watchmaking School, students assemble
a pocket watch as part of their studies. When they finish their exams after three years, they walk away
with the pocket watch with a unique movement they assembled. It’s a timepiece every watchmaker
treasures,” he explains.
That tradition was in danger of ending because the Geneva Watchmaking
School was running out of the movement blanks issued to incoming students. “We decided to give them a hand by redesigning the movement
together with the school and giving them enough blanks to last 25
years,” Scheufele says. “It turned out so beautifully and the
connection to Chopard’s past was so strong that it made
perfect sense to include it in the anniversary.”
Instead of releasing it as a standard pocket watch,
Scheufele says they began working on the idea of a
pocket watch you could wear on your wrist. “That’s
how my great-grandfather’s patent came in,” he explains. “What makes this piece even more meaningful
to me is the way it evolved so naturally.”
CELEBRATING THE FUTURE
With its focus trained on the horizon, Chopard
continues its anniversary celebration with the introduction of three more proprietary movements,
each chronometer-certified by the COSC (Contrôle
Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres).
The first, L.U.C 4TQE, can be found in the L.U.C
150 “All In One,” a timepiece that lives up to the
promise of its bold name thanks to an impressive list of high complications
that encompass an equation of time, perpetual calendar, moon phase,
sunrise and sunset times, as well as a tourbillon.
34
A white gold pocket watch that can also be worn on the wrist, the
L.U.C Louis-Ulysse – The Tribute is part of Chopard’s 150-year
anniversary celebration. The Tribute’s retro exterior belies the
modern chronometer-certified movement within.
35
Chopard
Taking five years to complete, it is the
most complex movement Chopard has produced in-house since founding Chopard
Manufacture in 1996. “After we introduced
our first perpetual calendar and then our
tourbillon, I wanted to work on a watch that
incorporated everything we’d done so far,”
Scheufele says. “You don’t get an opportunity
to do something like this very often and I’m
happy we were able to complete it in time for
the anniversary.”
Surprisingly, it was not the movement
but the case that caused the tensest moments
in production. “To design a case that does
justice to the movement was a major challenge,” Scheufele says. “Our design director
Guy Bove did a wonderful job creating a
case with a great presence. It is imposing,
yet elegant.”
Production of the L.U.C 150 “All In One”
is limited to 45 pieces: 15 each in rose gold,
white gold and white gold set with diamonds.
The next manufacture movement, L.U.C
1.010, takes its place in the L.U.C 1937, a limited edition (1,937 pieces) named for the year
Chopard first moved to Geneva, the city it
36
has called home for nearly half its existence.
The offset crown, positioned at 4 o’clock on the 42mm stainless steel
case, adds a subtle flourish to the watch’s clean and unencumbered design,
reflecting one of the brand’s defining aesthetic principles, which values timeless style over fleeting fashion.
UNDER THE HOOD
The fourth member of Chopard’s anniversary quartet is the L.U.C Calibre
1TRM, which powers the automotive-inspired L.U.C Engine One Tourbillon.
Using the crystal as the dial allows the movement’s details to shine and
provides a view one might see when lifting the hood of a vintage Aston Martin
or Ferrari. “I prefer classic cars because you can find your way around under
the hood as opposed to a modern car that is full of electronics and covered
in plastic,” Scheufele says. “The idea was to build a movement that captured the look and spirit of an engine you would find in a classic car.”
Automotive flourishes abound with grooves that recall an engine’s valve covers, a tourbillon standing in for the radiator fan
and a gauge-like power reserve indicator that provides a
clear accounting for how much “gas” is left in the movement’s 60-hour tank.
Because the L.U.C Engine One Tourbillon’s movement is slightly smaller than the titanium case, it appears
to be suspended inside, allowing daylight through on the sides.
In fact, it is secured to
the case by means
of four rubber pieces
that could be interpreted as motor
mounts securing
the engine block
to the chassis.
“I wanted
people to be able
to look into the
case from all sides,
so we used a silent
block system to support the movement, which
looks like it’s floating,”
Scheufele says. “It gives the
watch a very airy feeling.”
From top: Housed in a 46mm white gold case, the limited edition L.U.C 150 “All In One”
features a perpetual calendar on the dial side with displays for the moon phase, sunrise
and sunset times and more on the movement side.
Taking its name from the year Chopard moved to Geneva, the limited edition L.U.C
1937 includes an offset crown on its 42mm stainless steel case.
SPEED AND SPARKLE
The L.U.C Engine One Tourbillon is but the latest in a long tradition of timepieces that epitomize Chopard’s unique connection to vintage and modern motorsports. The brand’s Classic Racing collection is one of its most popular
thanks to the appeal of models like the 1000 Miglia, Jacky Ickx and Grand Prix
de Monaco Historique.
“There is definitely a natural connection between automobiles and timepieces,” Scheufele says. “They both attract people who share an appreciation
for exceptional engineering and sophisticated style.”
Chopard adds to its legacy with the Classic Racing Superfast, the latest
model to find inspiration in the world of extreme horsepower. This automatic
chronograph measures moments with minute and hour counters along with
a red-tipped central seconds. It also features a tachometer scale engraved on the
screw-down bezel to calculate speed, making this timepiece an invaluable companion at the racetrack.
Shifting gears from high velocity to the
high heavens, Chopard presents the Happy
Sport 150th Anniversary whose blue and silver motif reflects Chopard’s signature
colors. This special edition artfully reflects the mystery of the night with a bluelacquered dial standing in for the midnight sky. Five brilliant-cut diamonds
twinkle like shooting stars as they roam freely across the dark firmament.
Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele caused a stir in 1993 when she
introduced her design for the Happy Sport. Since then, this chic
timepiece has ascended to become a modern classic thanks to its
signature combination of steel and diamonds.
Chopard offers three limited edition versions of the Happy
Sport 150th Anniversary whose bezel may be polished (1,000 pieces),
diamond-set (500 pieces), or blue sapphire-set (150 pieces).
Major anniversaries often become sentimental occasions awash in nostalgia. With all of its commemorative timepieces this year, Chopard refuses to follow
that script. Instead, the company seizes this historic moment and uses it as an
opportunity to transform what has come before into something utterly new. ¨
From top: The titanium L.U.C Engine One Tourbillon uses its
crystal as the dial to reveal a manufacture tourbillon
movement whose look is inspired by the engine
compartment of a classic car.
Like a finely tuned race car, the 47.8mm
rose gold Classic Racing Superfast is designed
for performance with a chronometer-certified
chronograph and a tachometric scale.
The limited edition Happy Sport 150th
Anniversary features a blue-lacquered dial and five
mobile diamond “stars.” The watch’s stainless steel bezel is
available polished, or set with either white diamonds or blue sapphires.
37
Time Traveler
Finding the Time
Hickey
Riding the high-speed Swiss railway northeast
from Geneva, the city and suburbs quickly fade
from view as the comfortable passenger car
glides quietly alongside Lake Geneva. So begins
a journey that spans more than 300 miles and
almost four centuries.
T
raveling through the Jura mountain range on the way
to Schaffhausen, the train retraces roughly the same
route the Swiss watch industry took in the mid-1600s
when growing demand forced it to expand production beyond its traditional home in Geneva. Companies spread out
from the city into the Jurassic Arc, the mountainous northwestern frontier between Geneva and Basel.
Despite the Arc’s rugged landscape, many of the world’s
most exclusive watch brands found homes in the region, establishing roots in the Jura’s picturesque valleys and foothills.
For anyone interested in achieving a deeper understanding of Swiss watchmaking tradition and culture, the Arc’s
countless factories and museums beckon. Exploring these
horological outposts not only instills an appreciation for
watchmaking’s continued evolution, but also allows one to
witness first-hand how a timepiece is transformed from conceptual blueprint into exceptional instrument.
BUILDING UP
But why did watchmaking flourish in the Jurassic Arc? The
answer is typically Swiss in its precision: Nature.
When asked how summers are in Switzerland, one cagey
watchmaker deadpanned: “Nice. I believe last year it was on
a Thursday.”
It’s true Swiss winters can linger, especially at the Jura’s
higher elevations (over 3,000 feet) where the chill hangs in
the air nearly eight months out of the year. “The farming season here is short and the winters are long,” says Benoît Conrath, a former watchmaker now with Parmigiani Fleurier,
where he is called the company’s “memory and guide.”
“Many of the farmers who settled here learned how to assemble ébauche [basic] movements as a way to supplement
their earnings during the cold months. Pretty soon, bringing
movements to the market in the spring became a tradition
just like the fall harvest. That ritual continues today with the
springtime watch fairs in Basel and Geneva.”
Photograph © Vincent Bourrut
By Scott
Musée International d’Horlogerie photograph courtesy Musée International d’Horlogerie
Switzerland’s watchmaking
region extends from
Geneva to Schaffhausen
One can still find traces of that comingling of agriculture and horology
tucked into Switzerland’s pastoral countryside, where 17th century stone
farmhouses that once doubled as watch workshops still stand. Easily distinguished by their architecture, these farmhouse-ateliers feature tall, narrow
windows that face south-southwest, a direction that provided optimal light
to the watch benches inside.
In La Chaux-de-Fonds, one of those farmhouses has been converted
once again, this time into the restaurant La Ferme des Brandts. Sitting on its
patio, Audemars Piguet hospitality manager Michel Golay describes the role
human nature played in keeping production concentrated in the Arc.
“Watchmaking naturally attracts a certain kind of personality,” he says
between puffs on a Cohiba. “Historically, the people best suited for this kind
of work are creatures of habit. Until very recently, asking one to relocate for
work — even just a few kilometers — was absolutely out of the question. As
a result, companies built up around the workers.”
past leafy vineyards as they connect a series
of postcard-perfect villages that are as charming as they are isolated.
But by no means is watchmaking exclusive to the Three Lakes. In fact, the highest
concentration of luxury watchmakers remains ensconced in Geneva, followed closely
by the Vallée de Joux region. Another city
with a long and proud horological history is
Schaffhausen, which is situated just minutes
from the German border.
Together, all of Switzerland’s watchmaking regions combine to make it the
world’s third largest watchmaker. According
to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry
(FH), the country exports about four million
mechanical timepieces a year. What’s telling
is that those watches are worth approximately $9.5 billion, a total the FH says represents
an impressive 80 percent of the mechanical
watch market’s overall value.
MAKING TIME
So how then did Switzerland — a country not
much larger than the state of Maryland —
come to dominate the global luxury watch
market so decisively? Simply put: Quality
trumps quantity.
That formula is why Switzerland has remained the world’s watchmaker for generations. Giulio Papi knows this tradition well.
SETTLING DOWN
Watchmaking developed primarily in the
Three Lakes Region, an area midway
between Geneva and Basel that is home to
the crystalline Neuchâtel, Biel and Murten
lakes. Straddling the cantons (states) of
Vaud, Neuchâtel and Bern, the region encompasses a number of the Swiss watch
industry’s most important hubs, including
the cities of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle
and Bienne, as well as the Val-de-Travers
district.
Largely untouched by man, the landscape’s natural beauty is briefly interrupted
by narrow roads that meander through
craggy highlands, around deep valleys and
Visitors tour the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
39
Time Traveler
“To achieve this high level of accuracy, it’s critical that
the machines do not vibrate when they operate,” says Elwin’s
director Daniel Cavallin. “Our largest machine is anchored
by a one-and-a-half ton base and its cutting tool rests upon a
block of synthetic granite.” He adds with a wry grin: “It’s not
moving unless you have a crane.”
EXPLORING INNOVATION
CNC machines mill and drill brass plates to create movement bases
at the Ulysse Nardin factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
In 1986, he co-founded the celebrated movement manufacturer Renaud et Papi in Le Locle, where his inventive designs for complicated calibers led to the company’s ongoing
partnership with Audemars Piguet.
“The journey begins with a sketch,” Papi says motioning
to the sheets of graph paper scattered across his desk. “We
recreate that idea in a computer where we test it and make
changes. When we’re satisfied, we create a plastic model to
see it in action, which leads to more adjustments. The final
stage is a metal prototype, which helps us further refine the
design until it’s ready for full-scale production.” He adds: “It
takes at least three years to build a new movement from
scratch and introduce it into the marketplace.”
The designer’s vision is at last wrought to life in an industrial machine shop like Elwin in the city of Moutier, where
the white-noise hum of metal lathes overwhelms the ears
and the slightly sweet chemical smell of the machines’ lubricating oil fills the nose.
Here, watchmaking’s Industrial Age past mixes with its
Digital Age future in the form of classic profile turning machines that have been modified with computers running CAD
(computer-aided design) programs. Along with enough
brute force to carve brass rods into many of the 130 components that make up a basic mechanical movement, these machines also possess the sensitivity to produce those parts to
within tolerances as small as one micron.
40
As technology progresses, it continues to open up the horizons of what is possible in watchmaking, inspiring advancements in everything from performance to artistry.
One technique leading the way is wire erosion. It cuts
metal using an electrically charged thread about the size of a
human hair and is capable of producing intricate patterns
that were unthinkable just a few years ago.
“This technology, among others, means freedom from
compromise,” says Daniel Zimmermann, director of sales
and marketing for H. Moser & Cie. in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, near Schaffhausen. “In the past, it wasn’t always possible to use the most logical design because it couldn’t be manufactured with the available technology. With wire erosion
— and most importantly, qualified and motivated staff —
there isn’t much we can’t do now.”
Profile turning machines at Elwin in Moutier cut brass rods into a
range of components used in a watch movement.
Today, the machine shop is giving way to the laboratory where companies are increasingly using advanced science to spur horological innovation. In
addition to introducing new materials like silicium
(silicon) and diamond-coated silicium into the watchmaking lexicon, brands are also adapting production
techniques pioneered outside the watch industry in a
fertile cross-pollination of ideas.
Another technology used today to create complex
watchmaking components is LIGA (a German acronym that stands for Lithography, Electroplating and
Molding). In very simplistic terms, this sophisticated
process begins with a resin-coated substrate, which is
covered by a mask whose opening is in the shape of
the desired part. That pattern is transferred onto the
substrate by exposing it to UV light. The exposed area
is then removed through a chemical reaction, leaving
behind a precise mold for the part. Using electroplating, the metal part is then “grown” inside the mold.
“I think we’ve entered a new era of watchmaking,” says Ulysse Nardin COO Pierre Gygax. “A decade
ago, innovation was stalled because the industry only
looked internally for watchmaking solutions. Today,
companies that don’t pay attention to emerging
production technologies will be left running after
the pack.”
Clockwise from top left: A wire erosion machine cuts intricate patterns into
metal using an electrically charged thread the size of a human hair. A lab
technician examines the pattern transferred onto a silicon wafer during the
LIGA process. The method is also used to create molds, seen on this wafer, that
will be used to produce metal parts. Molds used to produce metal parts can be
seen on this silicon disc.
41
Time Traveler
sweeping a tiny fortune into the garbage. Instead, they collect the valuable shavings that
fall away during polishing in pouches beneath
the workbenches. What’s saved is melted
down and reused. Guests visiting the company’s facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds are required
to wear disposable fabric booties over their
shoes to collect any metals they happen to
walk through. The booties are retrieved before
guests leave and then incinerated to recover
any stray scraps.
FINISHING TOUCHES
A metalworker at Parmigiani Fleurier solders the lugs to a case used for the brand’s
Pershing model.
HONORING TRADITION
Visit the burnishing department at any watch factory and one thing is immediately obvious: Women vastly outnumber men.
“This is delicate work,” says Barbara Su, a guide at IWC’s factory in
Schaffhausen. “For this kind of painstaking task, I think it’s safe to say that
women are more patient and dexterous than men.”
It’s hard to argue after seeing the mostly female technicians burnish the
tiny bits of metal that make up a movement. Wielding forceps like fine-point
extensions of their fingers, they pick up parts one at a time and grind them
using a special wheel that seals the metal on a molecular level. The process
smoothes the part’s surface, which enhances its appearance while also reducing the amount of friction experienced by moving parts.
The uncanny displays of hand-eye-coordination continue in the decoration department, where technicians use specialized sanders to apply perlage,
a traditional finish found on many movements that features a pattern of overlapping swirls.
Impressive to watch, the best technicians develop a fluid motion to produce the design, using one hand to quickly reposition the movement before
the other pulls the sander down. “The challenge is using just enough pressure to create the pattern without damaging the movement by removing too
much metal,” one IWC technician explains.
At Les Artisans Boîtiers, one of the industry’s premier case makers, metalworkers demonstrate another kind of sure-handedness as they solder lugs
onto cases. “It sounds straightforward, but it actually requires a great deal of
skill to control the oxidization process so that it leaves behind an invisible
seam,” Conrath explains.
These artisans are also responsible for smoothing and polishing cases.
Because most are made of precious metal, companies are careful to avoid
42
Nothing more vividly illustrates the scope of
what the watchmaking process entails than a
factory’s storage center. This is where parts
for upcoming projects are carefully collected,
electronically organized and stored in mechanized filing cabinets.
Its shelves are filled with compartmentalized plastic trays, each designed to hold all
the parts required to make a single watch.
Only after a tray is filled with the necessary
parts, will it then be assigned to a watchmaker for assembly.
A machine applies perlage decoration to a
movement.
Standing in Ulysse Nardin’s Le Locle
headquarters, the company’s director of
communications Susanne Hurni elaborates:
“Parts aren’t made in order, so you can imagine how important it is to track everything.
This room is one of the things preventing our
production schedule from degenerating into
utter chaos.”
The parts are assembled in clean rooms
where advanced air filtration systems keep
dust out and vast windows let natural light
in. The windows serve a second purpose, allowing watchmakers to focus on objects in
the distance. The view gives their eyes a break
from the continuous strain of concentrating
on small objects while looking through a
loupe. As one watchmaker puts it: “Tired
eyes make mistakes.”
This stage of the process is likely the
most familiar to the general public, whose
mental image of watchmaking is usually of a
gray-haired gent bent over a watchmaking
bench as he peers solemnly through a loupe
at a movement. The reality however, is much
more vibrant than any cliché.
Ulysse Nardin technicians use burnishing machines to smooth tiny metal parts, sealing
them on a molecular level.
Large windows fill the room with natural light as watchmakers lean over their benches
to assemble movements at the H. Moser & Cie.
In contrast to the assembly room’s cocoon of serenity, watchmakers are in constant motion. Their sure hands demonstrate
a calm sense of purpose as they shift quickly
between delicate tools both old and new,
from patiently adjusting a gear with a tiny file
to calibrating the rate of an escapement
using an electronic amplitude meter.
After the movement is cased up and operating at peak precision, the watch is sent to
the final stage of its long odyssey to the wrist
where it must pass a strict quality control
inspection. Here, technicians vigorously
scrutinize every aspect of a timepiece, from
technical performance to aesthetic appearance, to ensure it is worthy of being called
Swiss Made.
Visiting the Arc and one of its factories
reveals more than just how a watch is made.
It’s also an opportunity to discover the heart
and hands behind the process, an experience
that inspires a deep admiration for the people
who bring time to life. ¨
43
Time Traveler
Le Chat-Botté
La Ferme des Brandts
Schlössli Wörth
La Coudre-Chaumont Cable Car
The Rhine Falls
Le Richmond
Absinthe
Bovet La Valote
Near Sorell Hotel Rüden
Musée International D’Horlogerie
Hôtel Palafitte
Lake Geneva Cruise
Switzerland
See, Stay, Savor
Indulge the senses with unforgettable sights, luxurious comfort and delectable flavors
when you uncover the wealth of choices in Switzerland’s watchmaking region.
Geneva
NEUCHÂTEL
Stay: Le Richmond
STAY: Hôtel Palafitte Overlooking the city’s signature Jet d’Eau fountain
from the banks of Lake Geneva, this nearly 150-yearold gem boasts contemporary interiors, a new spa
and a prime location in the heart of the city.
Perched on stilts above Lake of Neuchâtel, the luxurious suites at this five-star hotel combine spa-like
amenities inside with magnificent views outside of
the crystalline waters and the snow-peaked Alps in
the distance.
Savor: Chef’s Table at Le Chat-Botté
Dine at the chef ’s table and enjoy a feast specially
prepared by Dominique Gauthier, one of Switzerland’s top chefs, while savoring exceptional wines
from one of the country’s most extensive cellars.
See: Lake Geneva Cruise
Discover one of the country’s most beautiful locales
while sampling regional food and wine aboard an
elegant steamboat as it explores the villages and
vineyards that populate the coast from Geneva to
Montreux.
LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS
SAVOR: Absinthe Bovet La Valote
Absinthe was invented near the end of the 1700s in
the Val-de-Travers district of Neuchâtel, an area that
is still home to a number of distilleries who brew
this notoriously high-proof spirit, including the
award-winning Absinthe Bovet La Valote.
SEE: La Coudre-Chaumont Cable Car
Take a cable car to the top of Mount Chaumont and ascend to an altitude of more than 3,000 feet for a spectacular panorama that encompasses Neuchâtel, Biel
and Murten lakes, the Swiss plateau and the Alps.
STAY: Grand Hôtel Les Endroits
SCHAFFHAUSEN
Seize the high ground for a one-of-a-kind view overlooking La Chaux-de-Fonds at this welcoming hotel
where nearby meadows and tall pines offer a serene
respite from the bustling city below.
STAY: Sorell Hotel Rüden
SAVOR: La Ferme des Brandts
Built in 1614, this grand farmhouse and its pastoral
grounds are now a family-owned restaurant specializing in traditional Swiss dishes made with seasonal
ingredients from nearby farms, including bread
baked daily in the house’s enormous hearth.
SEE: Musée International D’Horlogerie Retrace the evolution of time keeping while perusing more than 3,400 historic timepieces before visiting the museum’s restoration center where horologists can be seen preserving historic watches and
clocks.
Step outside this modern hotel onto a cobblestone
path that leads through Schaffhausen’s charming
Old Town and past restaurants, shops, fountains,
Renaissance-era frescos and the Munot, an imposing 16th century fortress.
SAVOR: Schlössli Wörth
The intimate dining room’s floor-to-ceiling windows provide an unobstructed view of the nearby
Rhine Falls, but it’s the kitchen that commands
guests’ attention with rich recipes enhanced by
choice wines.
SEE: The Rhine Falls
Boat the basin of the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen
and experience the awesome power of Europe’s largest waterfall, where thundering cascades rush over
the 75-foot falls at nearly 185,000 gallons a second.
45
Time Traveler
A VIEW FROM THE TOP
Discover the best of Switzerland as leaders from many of the world’s finest watch brands give you
an insider’s perspective on what to do, where to eat and what to see.
Philippe Merk
Jean-Claude Biver
CEO, Audemars Piguet
CEO, HUBLOT
What is the perfect meal at your favorite restaurant?
It would have to be the Wiener schnitzel at the Kronenhalle in
Zürich. Its atmosphere and ambiance, its combination of Swiss
and Bavarian cuisine, its culinary and cultural history; the Kronenhalle is simply an institution for me.
What Swiss tradition is your favorite?
The “désalpe,” which is the cow procession. We bring our cows
down from the Alps and we walk them down the roads for about
12 miles to my farm, which is near Lake Geneva. When we arrive
after a four-hour walk, we have a big feast and celebration in my
farmhouse. I gather about 2,000 people and we have food, wine,
music and a lot of fun.
Carlos A. Rosillo
CEO, Bell & Ross
What is the most beautiful place in Switzerland?
Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Alps is definitely a very magical
place. It’s a great escape from the pressures of living in a big
city. It has many charming villages such as Stechelberg, Murren
and Wengen where you can take in the breathtaking scenery.
I particularly enjoy the soothing sounds of the many waterfalls
that dot the valley.
Georges Kern
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele
Ludovic Ballouard
Co-President, Chopard
46
CEO, IWC Schaffhausen
Which Swiss city is your home away from home?
St. Moritz, the elegant alpine destination with its cosmopolitan
charm and fantastic mountain scenery entices me to go skiing
in the winter as well as biking in the summer. Nevertheless, I
enjoy my hometown Zürich with its cultural attractions and its
proximity to the lake.
President, LUDOVIC BALLOUARD
One of the best restaurants in Switzerland, if not the world, is
Philippe Rochat’s Hôtel de Ville near Lausanne. He is a good
friend of mine and my favorite chef, really innovative, but also
someone who respects tradition and the ingredients. He is precise. So precise in fact, he could be a watchmaker.
I enjoy the Café d’Avusy in Geneva’s countryside, where I feel
each dish is created as a special watch would be — with love,
patience and imagination. The taste of these dishes remains
with me, together with the memory of a happy time spent
around a most enjoyable meal in good company.
Nathalie Veysset
Dr. Jürgen Lange
CEO, DeWitt
CEO, H. Moser & Cie.
What is the most beautiful place in Switzerland?
Zermatt, on the ski slopes, right at the bottom of the Matterhorn. But the view of the Alps from “La Vue-des-Alpes” next to
La Chaux-de-Fonds is also striking, especially on a sunny winter
day. So is the view of the water fountain and Bay of Geneva from
the middle of the Mont-Blanc Bridge. I am very privileged to live
in a beautiful country with thousands of magical places!
The cheese fondue at Dent de Vaulion in Vallée de Joux. The restaurant is located directly under the Dent de Vaulion plateau. A
short walk from the restaurant there is a fascinating panorama
view of the stunning landscape. The restaurant itself is very rustic, in the style of a converted chalet. All this is an insider’s tip,
because it cannot be found so easily.
Montreux Jazz Festival photograph by Lionel Flusin - Montreux Jazz Festival Foundation; Basel Carnival photograph by Pino Covino; Kronenhalle photograph courtesy Kronenhalle; St. Moritz
photograph by swiss-image.ch/Ralf Glaser.; Zermatt photograph courtesy Zermatt.ch
Jean-Marc Jacot
CEO, PARMIGIANI FLEURIER
Jazz is my favorite kind of music and the Montreux Jazz Festival is something I look forward
to every year. Held on the shores of Lake Geneva with the Alps in sight, the setting is as
unique and memorable as the music. Without
a doubt, one of the best concerts I’ve seen was
at the festival when Leonard Cohen played
there in 2008.
Richard Mille
CEO, RICHARD MILLE
Which Swiss city is your home away from home?
Our factory is in the Swiss Jura in a beautiful
area called the “Franche Montagne.” It is
extremely quiet and very beautiful with a different landscape from where I live, and of
course from where our office is in the center of
Paris. It is always a pleasure to be in such tranquility every few weeks while working on new
watch projects.
Rolf W. Schnyder
CEO, ULYSSE NARDIN
The Basel Carnival is a traditional folklore
event that goes back centuries to when the
citizens of Basel would make fun of government and business leaders who wouldn’t
take offense. After working for months to
prepare costumes and written verses, local
clubs would then promenade for three days
and part of the night through the streets of
Basel accompanied by drummers, piccolo
players and other musicians.
Juan-Carlos Torres
CEO, VACHERON CONSTANTIN
It is the sea bass with a salty crust and lamb
paired with a 1982 Haut-Brion Bordeaux at
Châteauvieux, the restaurant near Geneva
owned by my friend, the Michelin-starred chef
Philippe Chevrier. ¨
Clockwise from top: Hôtel de Ville, Crissier; Montreux Jazz Festival; Basel Carnival;
Kronenhalle, Zürich; St. Moritz; Zermatt.
47
DeWitt
Emperor of Time
By Elise
Nussbaum
Watchmaking’s blend of tradition, high technology and retro-futurism rarely reaches the heights
that DeWitt scales with such limber ease. Though it is a relatively young company, DeWitt is
firmly rooted in watchmaking technique, as evidenced by several of its patented breakthroughs.
The brand’s design philosophy combines time-honored equipment with technological innovations,
and then adds a flavor all its own with imperial columns, a flourish found on every DeWitt watch.
AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE
On the 28th day of Floréal, the eighth month in the French Republican calendar,
the Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte to be “Emperor of the French.” Two
centuries later, Napoleon’s descendant Jérôme de Witt pays homage to that seminal date with the Twenty-8-Eight Collection. The line uses 18th century motifs
and requires highly skilled artisans to realize its horological vision. This
blend of centuries-old motifs and modern inspiration is incomparably
brought to fruition in DeWitt’s Twenty-8-Eight Automatic.
Its sophisticated black dial bears classically inspired guilloché
patterns with two distinct forms of exceptional finishing. The center
of the dial radiates outward in a light flame pattern, bringing movement and playfulness to an otherwise austere face, while the
exterior of the dial settles into a more sedate, but still dynamic,
sunray pattern. This is the bridge between the restlessness of
the center and the traditional DeWitt imperial columns that
grace the flanks of the case and lend stability to the whole
design. The columns find their echo in the two-tiered gold
appliqué circle that separates the inner and outer guilloché.
The dimensions of the Twenty-8-Eight Automatic also speak to
the human scale of its history: its diameter is a reasonable 43mm with a
thickness of 10.28mm that is noticeably thinner than the Academia collection, adding to its ease and comfort on the wrist.
PROMOTING IN-HOUSE
The Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon’s dial opens
to reveal DeWitt’s first in-house tourbillon,
whose balance, escape wheel and anchor are
all crafted in yellow gold.
48
This blend of old and new is even more pronounced in the Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon, which boasts DeWitt’s first entirely in-house tourbillon movement.
Classically constructed, caliber DW8028 features a Swiss anchor escapement
with a variable-inertia balance, making the balance, escape wheel and anchor
from yellow gold. The hand-finished movement displays the meticulous art that
is the watchmaker’s skill: the barrel and cage-bridges are angled, polished and
satin-finished, and the barrel bridge bears a small plate with the signature of the
expert watchmaker.
The rose gold Twenty-8-Eight Automatic pays
homage to DeWitt’s lofty heritage with imperial
columns along the side.
49
DeWitt
The tourbillon takes center stage in the dial’s
circular aperture, as well it should, but the movement’s soothing metronomic quality never ceases ticking in the background. The center of the
dial, a generous circle that overlaps with the
tourbillon cage, is hand-finished with a
subtle take on the DeWitt trademark: W’s
in gray and black undulate up to the tip of
the hour hand. At that point, a dotted
circle announces the hour ring,
which is in turn bordered by another dotted circle to demarcate
the minutes.
DASHING DESIGN
Sporty and dynamic, DeWitt’s
Academia collection draws design inspiration from typically
masculine pursuits, particularly
automotive ones. The Academia
Blackstream Chronograph exemplifies this approach, placing the
minutes and seconds counters at 3
o’clock and 9 o’clock, respectively, and
linking them with a design element that
resembles nothing so much as the radiator grille of a car from the 1950s, the golden
age of automotive design. With this choice, the
subdials lose their traditional aspect and seem
to take up residence on a classic dashboard.
The impression of speed and power is
further enhanced by the dial’s sunray finishing,
which gives the wearer the impression of plunging
headlong into an unknown future, with only the chronograph subdials as guides. The materials used to make the
watch are equally forward-thinking: grade 5 titanium,
black PVD and black rubber provide the lightness and
durability that any active man seeks in a wristwatch.
From top: The Academia Blackstream Chronograph’s dial
evokes the look of a vintage car’s dashboard in a 30mm
titanium case.
A trio of complications — second time zone, day/night
indicator and dissociated date — inspired the Academia
Blackstream Triple Complication GMT3’s moniker.
50
IT’S COMPLICATED
Retro design elements carry over into DeWitt’s Academia Blackstream Triple Complication GMT3, where they are refined into
something that more closely resembles the
aeronautic world.
Its unconventional design boldly
proclaims that the hour/minute display — relegated to the bottom of
the dial — is not the only
game in town. A red hand
indicates a second time
zone, the watch’s first complication. A day/night
disc dominates the top
of the dial with an
elongated and exaggerated bridge that recalls the wings of a plane
flying off into the sky. The
dissociated date challenges
our expectations as the dial
ornamentation recalls oldfashioned radio speakers. The watch
wistfully evokes a time when the ultimate in speed and power were still as
understandable to the human spirit as
they were attainable for the human body.
Left: Set to debut in 2011, the DW 8014 is the first regulator movement with a
tourbillon made entirely in-house by DeWitt. It also includes an innovative
Automatic Sequential Winding (ASW) device that distributes constant
energy into the going train.
Below: The inertia weight of the Academia Tourbillon Force Constante
à Chaîne completes six revolutions per minute and possesses its own
balance spring, an innovation that ensures that the mainspring will
always have energy to spare.
STEAMPUNK POWER
In a way, much of modern horology is
related to the “steampunk” movement —
revisiting and reimagining the future of
yesteryear through a modern lens. With
their emphasis on visible mechanical
workings, steampunk and horology
share a fascination with the humanist
side of technology, most evident in handmade machines.
DeWitt’s Academia Tourbillon Force
Constante à Chaîne is one of the first pieces
of haute horology, however, to take this subtext
and overtly incorporate it into the watch’s
design. The exposed workings of the watch
resemble the steampunk aesthetic but go far beyond simple design considerations to become crucial
parts of DeWitt’s remarkable technical innovation.
The inspiration for the piece was a conundrum
that had puzzled generations of watchmakers: given the
non-existence of a perpetual motion machine and the
energy lost to friction, how does one ensure that an everslackening barrel-spring provides a perfectly regular source
of energy to the watch’s mechanism?
DeWitt’s solution incorporates three additional wheels in
between the barrel and the tourbillon. The system takes in energy
from the barrel once a second, and releases it to the tourbillon every 10 seconds. Openings on the dial reveal the intricacies of
this innovative mechanism, turning the technical solution into a brilliant aesthetic element. DeWitt’s iconic imperial columns,
in this context, seem to turn the bezel into an independent toothed wheel. ¨
51
H. Moser & Cie.
The Moser Perpetual Moon is so precise
that its moon phase will be accurate to
within a day after more than 1,000
years of continuous use.
52
A new Phase
By Scott
Hickey
Before horology there was astronomy. Primitive civilizations developed
early concepts of time by observing patterns in the heavens and then
translating them into calendars. Their discoveries resonate even today, where
a year is measured in months, a period based on the lunar cycle. The moon’s natural predictability
clearly shaped our understanding of time, but it also fueled our imaginations with its visual poetry.
H. Moser & Cie. evokes this vital crossroads of art and science with the Moser Perpetual Moon.
W
ith its first moon phase watch, the company sets a high standard for precision
with the introduction of a celestial movement that will be accurate to within
a day even after more than a millennia of continuous use.
An important factor in achieving this rare level of precision is the way
the movement links the moon phase disc directly to the hour indicator.
This unusual arrangement allows the moon phase to be set to the minute
using a moon phase table like the one published by the U.S. Naval
Observatory.
For example, a full moon will occur this year on November 21
at precisely 5:27 p.m. On that day, one can set the watch to 5:27,
making sure the small central hand used to indicate a.m./p.m.
is pointing left, to the p.m. half of the dial. Next, adjust the
moon phase to full with the corrector on the side of the
case. Once these elements are in sync, the watch can
then be set to the current time, which will adjust the
moon phase automatically.
The Moser Perpetual Moon’s 40.8mm case is available in either
rose gold ( facing page) or platinum (right) with matching hands
and markers. A rotating disc depicts the eight astronomical moon
phases through an opening on the dial. The scale below can be
used to forecast how many days until the next phase.
53
H. Moser & Cie.
CELESTIAL CHALLENGE
A complete lunar cycle lasts an average of 29
days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.9 seconds. And yet, the preponderance of
moon phase watches operate as if a
lunar cycle lasts just 29 days, a discrepancy that — if left unchecked
for a year — will cause the moon to
be out of phase by a week.
Instead of rounding off the
lunar cycle for the sake of expediency, Moser’s engineers took up the
challenge, responding with a movement (HMC348.901) whose extraordinary gear train enables the Moser Perpetual
Moon to more accurately reflect the true length
of a lunar cycle.
To complement its rare achievement behind the dial, the company
devised a novel way to display the moon’s changing look. It depicts the eight
astronomical moon phases through an opening on the dial where a rotating disc divides those stages with vertical lines. To illustrate, a particular phase is complete when its corresponding stripe lines up between
two triangles on opposite sides of the opening. The display can also
be used to determine how many days until the next phase by using the
seven-day scale (one line = one day) included below the indicator.
As this lunar dance unfolds on the dial, more action plays out
on the back through a transparent caseback. There, the movement’s traditional finishing provides an elegant backdrop for
the Moser Perpetual Moon’s power reserve indicator. Its red
triangle moves slowly West to East, like a sunset in reverse,
as it counts down the number of days that remain before
the watch requires winding.
SIMPLIFYING COMPLEXITY
Classic complications like the new Perpetual Moon have
been a part of the Moser collection since its return in 2006.
The first was the company’s award-winning Moser Perpetual 1,
the only watch with a “flash calendar,” a mechanism that enables
the date display to jump from the end of one month to the start of
the next without cycling through incorrect dates. In other words,
when February 28 changes to March 1, the 29, 30 and 31 remain unseen.
“We want to make watches that are useful and easy-to-understand
with easy-to-manipulate complications,” says Moser’s director of sales
and marketing, Daniel Zimmermann. “Being able to read the time or date
easily is still the main objective of H. Moser & Cie.”
The Moser Perpetual 1 is a prime example. Its clean design quickly and
efficiently conveys the calendar with a large date window and a small center
hand that uses the 12 indices to indicate the month. The design also gives
54
Left: The Moser Perpetual Moon’s hand-finished
movement (HMC348.90I) includes a sevenday power reserve indicator that can be
viewed through the transparent back.
Below: The award winning Moser
Perpetual 1 is the only perpetual
calendar whose date jumps from
the end of one month to the start
of the next without displaying an
incorrect date.
prominence to the power reserve indicator, moving it to the dial while shifting the
lesser-used leap-year display to the movement side.
“Authenticity and tradition are both very important to our brand,” Zimmermann says. “We respect traditional Swiss watchmaking and concentrate on
traditional complications.”
It’s clear, however, Moser’s admiration for the past does nothing
to stifle its creativity. Instead, that historical reverence inspires the
company’s passion for introducing innovations designed to make
the experience of owning a mechanical timepiece more intuitive.
A telling example is the interchangeable escapement the brand
uses in all its watches. Its modular design allows the escapement
to be removed quickly for periodic cleaning and replaced immediately by a module prepared ahead of time. The owner can then
choose whether or not to have the original reinstalled. As a happy
consequence, the watch stays on the wrist and out of the shop.
EARTHY ELEGANCE
The Mayu was one of the original models H. Moser & Cie. debuted at
Basel in 2006, the year the brand was re-launched by Dr. Jürgen Lange
and descendants of the company’s namesake, Heinrich Moser.
Since then, the Mayu’s minimalist dial has provided an elegant stage
for designers to spotlight the subtle interplay between color and texture.
Just last year, the company introduced the hazy bronze intrigue of its fumé
dial after treating ladies to the glorious iridescence of mother-of-pearl the
year before.
For its latest visual twist, the line takes a Tuscan turn with the Mayu Marrone,
a watch named for the Italian word for brown.
The first version juxtaposes a white gold case with a dark brown dial, a tint
that is both decadent and radiant. The other model presents luxurious harmony, combining a rose gold case with a light brown dial that glitters like
sparks in the night. Despite differing hues, both dials maintain the
Mayu’s visual subtlety, epitomized by the pocket watch seconds and
discreet baton markers, which are punctuated by a bold 12 at
the top.
What makes Moser’s creations all the more impressive is
how rapidly they’ve emerged. In just four years, the brand introduced a total of five unique movements — each conceived and
assembled in-house — including the Monard, Mayu, Moser Perpetual 1, Henry Double Hairspring and the Moser Perpetual Moon.
“Typically, it takes a watchmaker three or four years to bring a movement from the drawing board into production,” Zimmermann says.
“We started from zero, but debuted with four original movements. That
tells you a lot about this company.” ¨
The Mayu Marrone’s 38.8mm case is available in either white gold with a dark
brown dial (top), or rose gold with a light brown dial. At just 9.3mm thick, the
watch’s elegantly slender case rests comfortably on the wrist.
55
Hublot
The King
Of Independence
By Elizabeth Kindt
Hublot celebrated its 30th anniversary amid resounding cheers for
the debut of its first in-house movement: UNICO. The mechanism
premiered this year in the Big Bang King Power UNICO All Black
split-second chronograph, a praiseworthy successor to 2009’s Big
Bang King Power. The latest has all of the original King Power
favorites: sharp angles, straight lines, micro-blasted black ceramic,
rubber bezel and a multilayer dial. But there’s
even more to love this year with the
addition of the brand’s first proprietary caliber, HUB 1240 UNICO.
A
ll black and all Hublot, the
UNICO movement is an automatic fly-back chronograph
whose column wheel is visible through
an opening on the dial at 6 o’clock. The
bi-compax movement features a double
horizontal clutch, semi-instant calendar
and a Pellaton bi-directional winding system.
The UNICO also includes an innovative retractable platform for the escapement, which makes it
easier to service the escapement, whose escape wheel and
pallet fork are made from the high-tech material silicon. Upon request,
the platform can also be engraved with the owner’s initials.
UNICO is just the beginning of the exciting movements we are
likely to see from Hublot. Mathias Buttet, the former managing
director of the cutting-edge movement maker BNB Concept,
recently joined the company along with 30 of the company’s most
talented watchmakers. This expansion means that — along with
movements based on UNICO — Hublot will also be able to
produce other complications such as tourbillons, tourbillon
chronographs and tourbillon minute repeaters entirely in-house.
The 48mm Big Bang King Power UNICO All Black (right) is the first watch to
include Hublot’s in-house movement, HUB 1240 UNICO (this page).
56
57
Hublot
King of the Road
Under the vibrant leadership of CEO Jean-Claude Biver,
Hublot continues to be at the head of the pack of luxury
watchmakers with new instruments that reflect his
fervor. Inevitably, it was this dynamic approach that
captured the attention of Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of
the Formula 1 Group.
Together at the 2010 Formula 1 Chinese Grand
Prix last spring, they announced Hublot as the
new Official Watchmaker of Formula 1 before
unveiling the Big Bang F1 King Power. In a statement, Ecclestone said: “Hublot’s meteoric rise in
the industry has been a very well-managed achievement. There is an energy, creativity and dedication
to perfection about Hublot which sits very well
with us and I could not think of a better brand with
which to begin a new chapter in Formula One’s
enduring association with luxury watches.”
Like a racecar, the Big Bang F1 King Power relies
on cutting-edge research and high-tech materials to optimize its performance. Watchmakers at Hublot benefited
greatly from the Formula 1 team’s expertise, consulting them
frequently when building this 48mm satin-finished zirconium
chronograph. Notice how the perforated bezel replicates the
disc brakes on a Formula 1 car and how the inside layer of its
strap is made out of DuPont Nomex, a material used in the
production of racecar drivers’ suits.
Offered in a limited
series of 500 pieces,
the Big Bang F1
King Power comes
on a Nomex strap, a
patented material used
to make protective suits
for racecar drivers.
On the Ball
Hublot’s rose gold Classic Fusion Gold World Cup 2010 commemorates the quadrennial soccer tournament with a 100-piece limited
edition.
58
Hublot has previously served as a key sponsor for highprofile soccer teams, but the brand registered its most
impressive triumph this year when the Fédération Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA) named Hublot the Official Timekeeper
and Official Watch for the 2010 and 2014
World Cup.
To commemorate this honor, Hublot is
creating official watches for the quadrennial
tournament starting with the 45mm rose
gold Classic Fusion Gold World Cup 2010. Its
dial features vertical satin finishing, date at 3
o’clock, and a relief engraving of the FIFA
World Cup trophy, which is also engraved on the caseback. Other details include H-shaped titanium screws, black
composite resin lugs and water resistance to 50 meters.
Hublot will pay tribute to the 2014 World Cup, hosted in
Brazil, with another limited edition model that will be
announced in 2011.
WILD TIME
Hublot is an active supporter of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), whose
colossal undertaking to protect and conserve Africa’s ecosystem relies heavily
upon research, education and collaboration with the AWF’s scientific, legal
and political allies.
Just this year, model and AWF supporter Veronica Varekova unveiled
the Big Bang “Out of Africa.” Together, this dynamic duo will help support the foundation’s conservation initiatives. Varekova will continue to
raise awareness as a Hublot ambassador while the brand raises funds
through proceeds from its sales.
Cased in black ceramic and fitted on a red rubber strap, the 38mm
Big Bang “Out of Africa” is topped with a bezel set with 48 red, baguettecut spinels. Red resin lateral inserts and black resin lugs echo the color
combination, as does the matte-black dial decorated with the African
Wildlife Foundation logo in red.
Tempting Women
Topaz, sapphire, amethyst, tsavorite, and mother-of-pearl dials bring color and
warmth to stainless steel in the latest purple, blue, green, yellow,
orange, and rose versions of the Big Bang Tutti Frutti.
The matching rubber-alligator straps have
been improved for flexibility and are
secured with steel deployment buckles.
Each model includes a stainless
steel bezel set with 48 baguette-cut
gems interspersed with Hublot’s
signature H-shaped screws, as well
as color-coordinated composite
resin lugs and lateral inserts.
All the models share the same
white mother-of-pearl dial,
which includes satin-finished
rhodium-plated appliqués, faceted
hands with white luminescence, and a
second hand tipped with an H-shaped
counterweight.
In addition to a palette of color choices
diverse enough to satisfy any woman’s whim,
the Big Bang Tutti Frutti is now available in different versions. A quartz movement powers the elegant 38mm Big Bang
Tutti Frutti, while the 41mm version is equipped with an automatic chronograph with 60-second, 12-hour and 30-minute counters.
These vibrant temptations for women, along with Hublot’s burgeoning foray
into in-house movements, confirm why the brand continues to be one of the brightest
stars in luxury watchmaking. ¨
A portion of the sales of the Big Bang
“Out of Africa” (above) will benefit
the African Wildlife Foundation’s
conservation efforts.
The Big Bang Tutti Frutti series includes a 38mm quartz version and a 41mm automatic chronograph. Both
are available in a wide range of colors including blue and purple (shown) as well as green, yellow, orange, and rose.
59
IWC
Portuguese Pride
By Scott
Hickey
In the 15th century, Portugal was the edge of the known world, a final port where many intrepid
sailors gathered their courage and checked their bearings before setting off into uncharted waters.
It’s certainly no coincidence that a culture tantalized by the mystery beyond its expansive coast
would foster early naval explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan.
T
heir appetite for adventure and knack for navigation reflect a facet of the nation’s identity that remains a point
of pride to this day. IWC Schaffhausen evokes that daring embrace of discovery with the spirit of its
Portuguese collection.
To honor the line’s 1939 debut, the company launches a veritable armada of Portuguese
timepieces, each an exemplary expression of IWC’s command over horology’s most
demanding complications. Many of those audacious feats of engineering find their
way into this year’s extensive collection, which the company has dubbed the Year
of the Portuguese.
One of the men integral to the three-year project, IWC Senior
Product Manager Jannis Faupel, helped develop a number of the
Portuguese models, some making their debut as well as
classics recast with new looks. The project’s extensive
scope, he says, was the biggest challenge. “It’s not
only the technical complexity of the individual movements, but also the complicated
construction, which demands higher requirements for accuracy
during production and
assembly as well
as detailed final
inspections.”
The legendary Yacht Club returns, appearing for the first time in the Portuguese case
as the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph. Offered on a textured black rubber strap,
the 45.4mm-diameter case is available in stainless steel or red gold.
61
IWC
SAIL ON
IWC brings back one of its most successful collections, launching the Yacht Club in
the Portuguese case for the first time. The seamless marriage blends the best of both
to create the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph, an elegant sports watch that is
equal parts high-style and high horology.
“No other product family was better suited than the Portuguese to
re-launch the ocean-going Yacht Club Automatic because these watches have
all the precision of a nautical instrument in their genes,” Faupel says.
The Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph is powered by IWC’s fly-back
chronograph, a modern movement that combines the chronograph’s hours
and minutes on a single, easy-to-read counter that can be reset instantly.
The central sweep hand further enhances the chronograph’s precision by
measuring fractions of a second.
In keeping with its sporting lineage, the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph is designed for active lifestyles and comes equipped with a screw-in
crown that ensures water resistance to six bars. It is also the first Portuguese
model to include luminous hands and indexes for improved legibility in low-light
situations.
Three versions of the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph are available, including a red-gold model with a slate-colored dial, plus a stainless steel version with either
a black or silver-plated dial. Despite the stylistic distinctions, all three variants share the
same transparent caseback for a view of IWC’s manufacture movement.
62
The Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph
(above) offers 68 hours of reserve power.
GRANDE DEBUT
Debuting in the Portuguese case,
the celebrated Grande Complication
combines a perpetual calendar,
perpetual moon phase, and minute
repeater in a 45mm red gold case.
IWC has produced its prestigious Grande Complication in its own special round case for
decades. This year, the watchmaker breaks tradition as the coveted Grande Complication debuts in a Portuguese case. “Most of the haute horlogerie complications
developed by IWC can be found in the Portuguese family. So it’s only natural
that we would integrate the Grande Complication,” Faupel says.
The case used for the Portuguese Grande
Complication is 3mm wider than the original and more water resistant. “The challenge here was increasing the water resistance to an impressive three bars
without impairing the loudness or the
balanced sound of the minute repeater.”
What has not changed, however, is
the high level of exclusivity conferred by
this special timepiece, whose production is
restricted to 50 pieces a year. The limited numbers are dictated, in part, by the extreme complexity of
the automatic movement, which was the first to combine a perpetual calendar, chronograph and minute repeater in a wristwatch when
it debuted in 1990.
The procession of high complications continues with the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar. A perennial standout in the Portuguese family, the calendar module featured in
the movement continues to impress 25 years after its introduction. A paragon of readability, the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar displays the moon phase, day, date and month,
as well as the four-digit year. In terms of precision, the calendar module will not require an
adjustment until February 2100, when the Gregorian calendar will skip the expected
leap year.
Rather than tinker with the mechanical excellence within, IWC expands
the watch’s aesthetic choices outside with a new white gold case and dark
blue dial. One of the dial’s visual highlights is certainly IWC’s unconventional moon phase indicator. Positioned at the top of the dial, a rotating
disc depicts the lunar stages in both the Northern and Southern
hemispheres.
FULL CIRCLE
IWC recalls its formative years under the guidance of the company’s American founder, F. A. Jones with the Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound.
A tribute to Jones, the timepiece proudly displays his signature on the
dial while evoking his horological expertise inside with a pocket watch
movement. Jones would doubtless approve of the intriguing caliber innovations made in his honor.
In fact, a number of those advancements are visible through the dial opening at 9 o’clock. There, the movement’s tourbillon carriage rotates as the
escapement contained within oscillates four times a second. Much like the
expertise needed to create a tourbillon, the Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound
is a rarity, produced in a limited edition of 500 pieces in red gold.
To close out the Year of the Portuguese, IWC brings the collection full circle with
the Portuguese Hand-Wound, an exceptional combination of mechanical sophistication
and exquisite design that exemplifies the essence of the Portuguese family.
The watchmaker offers two stainless steel versions, each a prime example of visual
contrast. One sets off its black dial with a silver-plated small seconds, while the other pairs
a silver-plated dial with a light gray small seconds.
While all of these new watches offer unique interpretations of the Portuguese principles, they all share the values Jones introduced in 1868. ¨
Clockwise from top:
The renowned Portuguese
Perpetual Calendar depicts the
moon phase in the Northern
and Southern hemispheres
as well as a countdown scale
predicting the next full moon.
The Portuguese Tourbillon
Hand-Wound pays tribute to
IWC’s founder F. A. Jones with a
pocket watch movement equipped
with a tourbillon positioned at 9 o’clock.
Clean dial design and a classic pocket
watch movement combine to create the subtle
beauty that marks the Portuguese Hand-Wound.
63
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Cosmic
Occurrence
By Elise
Nussbaum
Jaeger-LeCoultre is one of a select few that can justly claim that its creations
epitomize an entire way of life. Synonymous with refined luxury and great horological
achievement for nearly two centuries, its watches combine an unerring design sensibility
with an intellectual curiosity to create collections that reflect an acute sensitivity to the
question of what a watch — especially a luxury watch — should look like. The result is
never overbearing and always intriguing.
FURTHER COMPLICATIONS
A grand complication is not just a collection of horological party tricks — it is an expression of the watchmaker’s highest art.
Traditionally, it consists of an astronomical indication (such as a moon phase or equation of time), an audible indication (such
as a minute repeater), and a complication involving supplementary hands (such as a chronograph). Jaeger-LeCoultre’s
Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication has its way with these rules while weaving them together in a star-spangled
piece that is much more than the sum of its parts.
The dial depicts a stunning view of the Northern Hemisphere sky, setting the tone for the rest of the piece. The flying
tourbillon, an impressive complication in its own right, acts as an additional hand for the timepiece, indicating sidereal
time. Based on the relationship between the Earth and stars that are much farther away than our beloved Sun, the sidereal day is almost four minutes shorter than 24 hours, increasing the complexity and challenge of this astronomical
indication. The stars on the dial form the signs of the Zodiac alongside the month and day indications, forming
an appropriate backdrop to the spinning tourbillon. Fear not, the familiar mean solar time also makes an
appearance, indicated by a small sun traveling around the outer reaches of the dial.
Not only a treat for the eyes, the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication, powered by the
527 components of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 945, joins this exquisite display to a completely
re-imagined minute repeater mechanism. Its gongs are crafted from a special alloy, manufactured in one piece, and attached to a layer of metallic foil applied directly to the watch’s
sapphire crystal. This design means that the case’s gaskets do not muffle the
sound of the chime — an attribute that allows the watchmakers
to make this extraordinary piece water resistant, a true
rarity among minute repeaters.
64
The Master Grande Tradition Grande
Complication contains the 945 movement,
a caliber so extraordinary and exclusive that
the House will produce only 75 specimens,
each one crafted in white gold.
65
Jaeger-LeCoultre
The Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 boasts a chronograph function and a second time zone and is
available in a fashionable red-gold case (left)
or a more rugged version crafted of the exclusive
TiVan15 alloy (below).
EXTREME CONDITIONS
Some people love nothing more than to curl up
with a mug of hot cocoa and a good book. The
Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 was not designed for
these people, nice as they may be. Instead, the Master Compressor Extreme
LAB 2 was created to the specifications of those who keep pushing on to the
ends of the Earth, the only place they feel truly at home.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s adventurous Calibre 780 furnishes several innovations that make this timepiece the watch of choice for the modern adventurer,
not the least of which is its excellent readability. A patented jumping digital
minutes counter at 12 o’clock allows the wearer to instantly read the chronograph minutes, while the vital power reserve indicator stretches across
the top half of the dial for maximum precision at a glance. Using the
crown’s push-button makes the function selector cycle through
three options: one push for adjusting the date and GMT,
another for time-setting, and a third to return to
watch-winding.
RE(DE)FINING THE CLASSICS
Though Jaeger-LeCoultre often pushes the
boundaries of haute horology, the brand never
ceases to refine the touchstones of the art. The
Master Chronograph is an impeccable example. Its simple perfection is utterly without
superfluous ornament. The silvered dial features a sunray
finish, radiating from the center of the convex dial to the coolly elegant
rose-gold hour markers.
The chronograph is one of watchmaking’s most beloved functions, and
here it is clad in classic appeal, complete with a small seconds and an intriguingly angled date display. The 40mm diameter of the rose-gold case gives the
design elements plenty of breathing room without overwhelming the wrist.
66
An example of unparalleled sophistication, the
Master Chronograph affirms Jaeger-LeCoultre’s
commitment to the standards of haute horology.
All in all, the Master Chronograph effortlessly provides
a sophisticated take on an horological standard
— a notable achievement in its own right, which
owes much to its movement, the Calibre
Jaeger-LeCoultre 751 A/1.
SEPARATION OF POWERS
Any watchmaker who moves from simple timekeeping to complicated pieces
has faced this conundrum: every additional function saps the power of the
movement, sometimes leading to beautiful, sophisticated watches that lose time —
an unacceptable result.
The experienced horologers at Jaeger-LeCoultre
have devised an ingenious way around this issue: as per
usual, the timekeeping function is powered by the winding
barrel of the movement — the new Dual-Wing Jaeger-LeCoultre
Calibre 381 — but the complication and displays draw their energy
from a fully independent power source.
This is the crux of the Dual-Wing
system. It graces the brand’s Duomètre
à Quantième Lunaire, which displays
time on one subdial, the date and
age of the moon in days on
another, and jumping small
seconds on a third. These
functions are seamlessly
coordinated by two independent watch mechanisms that operate
side by side and are
synchronized by the
jumping seconds mechanism. Winding the watch
is intuitive — turning the
crown clockwise winds the
timing barrel, ensuring flawless timekeeping precision, and
rotating it counterclockwise
powers up all other functions of
the watch.
From top: The Reverso Duetto Duo’s movement is powerful enough to supply two different
time zone displays positioned on opposite sides of the stainless steel case.
The Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire indicates not only the moon’s phase, but also its age
in days. Its Dual-Wing movement powers the complications and timekeeping separately.
DARK SIDE OF THE DIAL
The slim Reverso Duetto Duo combines
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s characteristic reliability
and precision with an Art Deco take on a
classic dial. But this seemingly straightforward timepiece hides a secret.
Jaeger-LeCoultre has long been known
for its Reverso theme, in which two completely different watch faces lie back-toback, both powered by a single movement,
the Calibre Jaeger-LeCoultre 854/I. Untangling the complex mechanics that go into
keeping time on both sides of the watch is
a simple job for Jaeger-LeCoultre, and the
dials are nothing short of sheer refined elegance. The white dial is confident and
clean, effortlessly readable. The flip side,
which displays a second time zone, is more
mysterious. Devoid of numerals, the black
dial is nestled between two rows of diamonds and features hour indexes and a
day/night indicator. The use of stainless
steel for the case lends the timepiece its
no-nonsense character: brisk professionalism on the front, with challenging
sophistication lying in wait. ¨
67
Ludovic Ballouard
Turning
Heads
By Scott
Hickey
French-born watchmaker Ludovic
Ballouard refined his craft for
more than a decade while toiling
behind the bench for some of the
most prestigious names in Swiss
watchmaking. Ballouard was at
the top of his game in 2009 when
he stepped out of the shadows and
into the limelight to establish his
independent brand in Geneva. Today, he is putting his own playful
spin on the watchmaking tradition with his company’s debut,
the Upside Down.
W
The Upside Down uses a patented complication developed by Ludovic Ballouard that
displays the current hour right-side up and all other hours upside down (2 o’clock).
68
ith his daringly original design,
Ballouard is the first to create a
wristwatch whose numerals rotate so that the correct hour is right side up,
while all the others are upside down. In other
words, when the minute hand reaches 12
o’clock, the outgoing hour returns to its
inverted position while the incoming hour
simultaneously turns to assume the correct
orientation.
Ballouard says the idea for the mechanism came to him in 2008, near the end of
his seven-year tenure with F. P. Journe. “The
global economy was in crisis and throughout
the world, figures no longer made any sense
or had any value. They were spinning us in all
directions,” he says. “The Upside Down symbolizes the fact that in whatever position, figures always have a sense and value of time.”
He let the idea simmer for a year as he
continued to assemble F. P. Journe’s acclaimed Sonnerie Souveraine, a complex
chiming timepiece only a few watchmakers
in the world are capable of mastering. “Indeed, working on the Sonnerie Souveraine gave me constant pleasure and satisfaction. I was privileged,” he says. “Finally,
however, I felt that my future lay in independent watchmaking.”
The clear caseback reveals the 12 Maltese crosses used to rotate the individual hour discs
along with the movement, which is crafted from brass giving it a distinctive radiance.
In April 2009, he left his job and started his marque. When he began hiring companies to produce the parts for the Upside Down, Ballouard found a
silver lining in the economy’s dark clouds. “Suppliers weren’t as busy as
usual, which meant all of my components were delivered within six months,”
he says. “Before the slowdown, I would have
waited at least two years. Instead, I was able
to deliver my first watch in December 2009.”
transparent back. The view reveals a ring of
12 Maltese crosses that control the discs on
the other side. Blink when the hour changes
and you’ll miss seeing two of the crosses
complete their rapid rotations.
This exceptional movement is housed in
an equally distinctive 41mm-diameter case
made of platinum, the only precious metal
Ballouard plans to use for his creations. Instead of the standard convex curve, the Upside Down’s case middle is slightly concave.
The uncharacteristic profile offers a subtle
twist on convention intended to provide a
unique tactile experience. “I think people
will enjoy the smooth feel of the case’s curved
shapes under their fingers,” Ballouard says.
“I believe we’ve succeeded at making a watch
that is complicated yet fun and something
people will enjoy wearing.”
After hitting the ground running with
his Upside Down, Ballouard says he is already plotting his next move. “Plans are in
the works for my next model, which I will
unveil in 2012. After that, I expect to present
a new model every two years. Thankfully, I
have no shortage of ideas.” ¨
INSIDE OUT
Obviously the mechanism responsible for
animating the hours on the Upside Down’s
dial represents a complex bit of engineering, but Ballouard made the feat even more
difficult by choosing aesthetics over logic.
Instead of hiding the system beneath the
dial, its natural position from a technical
standpoint, he opted to flaunt the mechanism by moving it to the back of the watch
so it could be seen through the caseback.
“Doing this was a lot more complicated and
expensive, but I wanted people to be able to
enjoy the mechanism and see it in action,”
he says.
It’s hard to argue against the extra effort
and expense after discovering the tantalizing results through the Upside Down’s
The 41mm platinum case features a light gray dial whose restrained shade is
punctuated by flame-blued steel hands for the minutes and small seconds.
69
Culinary Cameos
A WIne
to Dine For
By Amy
Cohen
Which comes first: great food or great wine?
It’s a debate not easily settled among
the obsessed foodies and passionate
oenophiles who call the cosmopolitan metropolis
of New York City
home.
70
A
mong the top restaurants making a strong case
for wine lovers, four stand above the rest. Each is
renowned for their talented chefs and tasteful menus
as much as their expert wine directors and creative wine lists.
It’s an arranged marriage between two ruling families —
one controlling the kitchen, the other the wine cellar, both
working in concert to create a menu that’s unique. These
factions are united by their never-ending search for a special
find that will transform “a glass of wine with dinner” into a
combination that’s transcendent and sublime.
Culinary Cameos
Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence 2010
Formerly of ‘inoteca and Alto, wine director Francesco Grosso had
a busy tasting schedule to finalize Marea’s 500-bottle wine list. With
strengths in Italy, as well as white and red Burgundy, the list is menudriven, offering indigenous varietals from coastal Italian regions
because, Grosso says: “They complement our cuisine so well.” He adds:
“There are also quite a few options for serious collectors.” While the
selections are guided by partner Chris Cannon’s love of the little-known
and esoteric, he is open to any wine that goes well with fish. And lest
anyone think that means only white wine, around 30 percent of the
offerings are red.
Chef Jared Gadbaw says the menu at Marea is a bit more seasonal
than most. Predominantly a seafood kitchen, the restaurant deals with
fresh fish sourced worldwide and works with small fisherman and specialized purveyors who use sustainable methods in Europe, Japan,
Hawaii and the East Coast. He buys Japanese whiting before they reach
maturity when the taste changes – a stage that lasts just weeks.
Gadbaw says working in an Italian kitchen forces him to focus on
showcasing fewer ingredients very simply, finding what’s freshest and
using it before the season is over. For the fall menu there are truffles,
chestnuts, squashes, heavier kales, grains, Brussels sprouts and seasonal fish like John Dory or blue lobster, as well as heartier pastas. He says:
“It’s an opportunity to turn things around a bit at a seafood restaurant
without overpowering anything.”
Does the wine respect the food, or the food respect the wine?
“I think that the food gets a little more respect from the wine than vice
versa,” Gadbaw says. “I don’t really consider what Francesco is going to
pair with dishes when we are working on the menu. I do, however, try to
consider pairings when putting together a tasting menu. It can be difficult sometimes to follow some of our more robust pastas with a fish
course. We try to add some meat and meat sauces to some of our fish
dishes in order for the meal to progress properly.”
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
212.582.5100 • www.marea-nyc.com
Nova Scotia lobster
Fall Pairings
Appetizer
•Salsiccia: Seafood sausage (shrimp and scallop)
with braised cabbage, veal tongue, potatoes and
hazelnuts
•Kerner, Abbazia di Novacella, 2009
Pasta
•Agnolotti: Veal ravioli, sweetbreads and
mushrooms
•Barbaresco, Cascina Bruciata, 2005
Fish
•San Pietro: Pan-seared John Dory, marinated
salsify, roasted Brussels sprouts, braised pork
belly and smoked pork jus
•Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi “San Paolo,”
Pievalta, 2005
Dessert
•Gianduja: Cocoa nib crema, hazelnut, chocolate,
fior di latte gelato
•Sommo, Colli di Serrapatrona (Sweet Vernaccia Nera
from Le Marche), 2006
Undiscovered Gems
• Mataossu Vigneto Reine, Punta Crena, Liguria, 2009
• Timorasso Derthona, Claudio Mariotto,
Piemonte, 2007
Dining room and lobster photographs by Daniel Krieger
Marea
Cru
24 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
212.529.1700 • www.cru-nyc.com
Branzino photograph by Maggie Downing
Dining room photograph by Joe Ferrucci
Wine Spectator Grand Award 2010 (winner since 2005)
No discussion of restaurants with great wine would be
complete without mentioning Cru. The cellar features more
than 150,000 bottles drawn from the private collection of proprietor Roy Welland, and the 4,000-plus selections served focus on Burgundy, Rhone, Bordeaux, Piedmont, Tuscany, Germany and Austria.
Head sommelier Grégory Majors says Cru’s red and white
Burgundy collection is distinctive and arguably the largest in
the country. With so many to choose from, many of the restaurant’s guests seek the older, hard-to-find vintages. Cru’s carefully curated list changes infrequently and does not follow the
seasons. Their wine program cellars the wine until it reaches
optimal bottle age. Majors adds that he and chef Todd Macdonald are happy to create a paired tasting or customized
menu “on the fly” for guests.
A James Beard Foundation award-winner at a young age,
Macdonald says the best food and wine pairings are simple.
Calling his style “New American with a French twist,” Macdonald was classically trained, but forgoes any fussiness to let
the fresh quality of local, seasonal ingredients speak for themselves. Guests can look forward to a winter menu of heartier
dishes like braises, richer pasta, duck confit, game birds,
“gutsy” fish, and fruits and vegetables that reflect the change
of season.
“We found a nice harmony in that there are ingredients that
don’t go well with wine, so I avoid those in my dishes,” Macdonald says. “For example, we don’t use any artichokes, as
nothing goes well with them.”
Branzino
Fall Pairings
Appetizer •Roasted shallot broth with comte dumplings, rye toast and
pumpkin seeds
•Nuits-Saint-George, “Clos de l’Arlot,” Domaine de l’Arlot, Côtes
de Nuits, France, 1999
Fish
•Pan-seared branzino with chickpea puree, crispy hen
of the woods, orange-braised endive and black olive
•Riesling Smaragd, “Hochrain,” Franz Hirtzberger, Wachau,
Austria
Meat
•Braised shank and roasted leg of lamb with broccoli pesto,
mushroom farro and Tuscan kale
•Rioja, “Vina Tondonia,” Lopez de Heredia, Rioja, Spain, 1985
Dessert
•“Apple Pie” Napoleon with salted pie dough, mascarpone
mousse and butterscotch-rosemary ice cream
•Tokaji, “Eszencia,” Gabor, Tokaji, Hungary, 1975
Undiscovered Gems
•Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny
•Volnay Marquis d’Angerville
•Jos Joh Prum Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
•Donnhoff Nahe
•Frand Hirtzberger Wachau
73
Culinary Cameos
Since taking over the cellar from predecessor Michael Nelson earlier this year, Gotham wine director Eric Ziller continues
to focus the 16,000-bottle collection on Piedmont, Burgundy,
Austria, Germany and California. While he is expanding the selections to include Oregon wines, Washington Cabernets and Pinot Gris, he is also looking for more mature wines. Ziller explains:
“It is good to be deliberate, but on occasion, more fun to be
whimsical.”
The restaurant’s list of 750 wines changes constantly and
seasonally, always reflecting and complementing what’s on the
menu. Ziller keeps an open mind to what’s current, and he updates the list to highlight a country or vineyard in a particularly
good year.
Working with the Union Square Green Market’s farmers and
purveyors for 25 years, Gotham has vegetables grown specifically
for the restaurant. Chef de cuisine Jason Hall’s seasonal American cooking balances aesthetics with taste as exemplified by the
towering seafood salad that is a menu mainstay and favorite of his
guests. His menu reflects the influence of his travels to Asia, Europe and other countries. With the fall menu, Hall says he looks
forward to featuring Scottish game, porcini mushrooms, Concord grapes, chestnuts, duck confit, and whole roasted birds in
dishes such as Bluefoot chicken stuffed with Burgundy truffles
and served with roasted root vegetables.
“At a three-star level there is a mutual respect for both things,”
Hall says. “We have a great interplay from a food-wine perspective, and bring tastes to each other. For us, it’s a matter of everyone on the same page.”
Maine lobster
Fall Pairings
Appetizer
•Seared foie gras, Concord grape gelée, verjus and Sichuan
green pepper, red pearl onion confit
•Riesling, Late Harvest, Paumanok North Fork, Long Island 2008
Fish
•Truffle-crusted Atlantic halibut, romanesco cauliflower,
fingerling potatoes and mushroom fricassée, macron
•Sancerre Rouge, “Croix du Roy,” Lucien Crochet, Loire Valley,
France 2006
•Roasted Maine diver scallop, brandade de morue, burgundy
snails and escargot butter almond vermouth sauce
•Bourgogne, “Cuvée Delphine Saint Eve,” Domaine Demangeot,
Burgundy, France 2008
POULTRY
•Roasted squab and foie gras rossini, Jerusalem artichoke
puree, Swiss chard and sauce salmis
•Nebbiolo, “Sisquoc,” Palmina, Santa Maria Valley, California 2004
Dessert •Pumpkin spiced crepes with cinnamon-sage anglaise and
pumpkin seed ice cream
•Passito, Di Pantelleria, “Bukkuram,” Di Bartoli Sicily, Italy 2003
Undiscovered Gems
•Lebanese Red, Chateau Musar, 1999
•Reds from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Gotham Exclusives
•Rosa de las Vientos Bodega Familia Schroeder (non-vintage)
•Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir
Lobster photograph by Melissa Hom
Gotham
Bar photograph courtesy of Gotham
12 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
212.620.4020 • www.gothambarandgrill.com
Eleven Madison Park
John Dory photograph courtesy of Eleven Madison Park
Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence 2010
The award-winning list at Eleven Madison Park includes 2,800 selections from the 22,000 bottles in inventory, with a reflection of the
Champagne, Riesling, white and red Burgundy, Piedmont and Rhone
varietals. The extensive by-the-glass selections are designed to dance
hand-in-hand with what’s coming out of the kitchen, and can change at
a moment’s notice. Wine director John Ragan says his goal is to give
people such a special experience of discovery that it creates a timeless
memory to revisit repeatedly.
Ragan and chef Daniel Humm worked together four years in San
Francisco prior to coming to Eleven Madison Park, so their mutual vocabulary is well established. Named Best Chef New York City 2010 by the
James Beard Foundation, Humm’s cuisine has a “less is more” point of
view. Not only has he simplified each dish to no more than three ingredients, he now offers a prix fixe menu.
By having an open dialogue with local farmers, fishermen and the
green market, he can change the menu on a daily basis to focus on what’s
best and freshest. Humm is excited about making main course options
where vegetables are the stars. This fall diners can count on richer braises, reductions and ingredients like porcini mushrooms, game and the
truffles that are close to his heart.
Bar photograph by Jim Franco
“In some restaurants the wine list might be something to be admired,
but all too often it is admired from afar,” Humm says. “The intent of our
wine program and wine service is to close the gap and create a link between the cellar and the table. Many restaurants view their cellars as a
museum, wines on view that are never enjoyed, always protected. At
Eleven Madison Park, the world’s finest wines are enjoyed nightly, the
ultimate condiment for world-class food. Rare and great wines take their
place on the table next to the cuisine, everything chosen from the cellar
with the cuisine in mind.” ¨
11 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010
212.889.0905 • www.elevenmadisonpark.com
John Dory
Fall Pairings
Appetizer
•Di palo ricotta gnocchi with violet artichokes,
taggiasca olives and bacon monastero
•Coenobium, Suore Cistercensi, Lazio, Italy 2008
Fish
•Dover sole, slow cooked with matsutake sabayon
and nasturtium
•Chavignol, Les Monts Damnés, François Cotat, 2002
MEAT
•Millbrook Farms venison, herb roasted with
gingerbread puree, porcinis and black mission figs
•Rosso Ca’ del Merlo, Giuseppe Quintarelli, 1998
VEGETABLE
•Heirloom beet salad with Lynnhaven Farm chèvre frais,
rye crumble and nasturtium
•Sous-les-Rocs, Chasselas, Massy, St. Saphorin, Switzerland 2007
Dessert
•Araguani chocolate ganache with sweet potato
dauphine and chestnut honey
•Condrieu, Ayguets, Yves Cuilleron, 2005
Undiscovered Gems
•Vin Jaune (literally “yellow wine” as it is slightly oxidized),
Jaques Puffeney, Arbois, Jura, France 2000
Eleven Madison Park Exclusives
•Pouillon, Brut Vigneron, Brut, Premier Cru, Vallée de la
Marne, Champagne, France
•No. 11, Bourgogne Blanc, Burgundy, France 2009
•Onze, Cabernet Sauvignon Blend, Cuvée Eleven Madison
Park, Napa Valley, California 2007
75
Parmigiani Fleurier
The long road
By Scott
Hickey
When Parmigiani Fleurier opened the new Vaucher Manufacture in 2009, the modern watchmaking facility represented a 23,000-square-foot validation of the leap of faith Michel Parmigiani
took when he opened his first workshop in Fleurier more than 30 years ago. Even though less than
a mile separates those two buildings, the road between has been long.
“I
opened my workshop in 1976 during the quartz crisis,
when so many watch companies were disappearing along with centuries of watchmaking knowledge. At the time, I dedicated myself to learning what I could
by restoring pieces from the past,” he says standing in
Parmigiani’s restoration workshop.
“When I started, I was alone. But soon, others joined
me. Today, we are a strong and growing family,” he adds,
motioning out the window to the array of buildings that make up the
company’s center of operations
in Fleurier.
Together, those workshops produce nearly two
dozen collections for men and
women as well as 11 manufacture movements. The latest
in-house caliber to emerge
76
from Vaucher Manufacture is the Bugatti PF 372, which set
hearts racing this summer when it was introduced in the
30-piece limited edition Bugatti Super Sport.
It succeeds the Bugatti Type 370, a revolutionary design
introduced five years ago that featured the world’s first transverse mechanical movement in a wristwatch. While both take
inspiration from the Bugatti Veyron supercar, striking visual
and mechanical differences mark the watch’s evolution.
The original case’s cylindrical form is
gone, replaced by an aerodynamic contour that evokes the wing shape of
Parmigiani’s signature case lug. Inside,
the company trades the groundbreaking transverse movement for the
Bugatti PF 372, an innovative vertical
caliber that cuts across two planes,
a design that reinforces the watch’s
distinctive profile.
The Bugatti Super Sport’s sleek profile echoes the shape of Parmigiani’s trademark case lugs. To preserve the case’s clean lines, the
watch includes a pressure-activated crown that retracts when not
needed for winding or time setting.
77
Parmigiani Fleurier
The Bugatti Super Sport’s movement rests at a 90-degree angle and can be seen from the top through the largest
of the watch’s six crystals, which provides a clear view of the 10-day power reserve indicator and the balance’s
oscillations. Positioned perpendicular to the movement, the watch’s open-worked, carbon fiber dial displays
the hours and minutes using a 90-degree time setting system developed especially for the watch. In keeping
with the original Bugatti, the dial is positioned on the side so it can be read easily while driving.
To wind or set the Bugatti Super Sport, Parmigiani created a pressure-activated winding stem that
retracts or extends on command. The inventive design enables the crown to be tucked away neatly into
a groove on the side of the white gold case when it’s not in use, thereby ensuring it does not interfere
with the watch’s sleek lines.
Parmigiani welcomed another addition to its Bugatti collection earlier this year with
the unveiling of the Atalante Flyback Chronograph. This automatic timepiece takes its
name from the rare Bugatti Atalante 57S, a sporty 1930s coupe of which only 17 were
produced.
Beyond its moniker, the watch also takes cues from the car’s design, including
the dial’s vertical pattern, meant to evoke the Bugatti grille. Another connection is
found on the left side of the case where a satin-finished section echoes the
mesh-covered air intakes located behind the car’s high-arching front fenders.
Breaking with convention, the manufacture flyback chronograph’s pushers are switched to the left side of the case, a position the brand says makes it
easier to operate the chronograph while driving.
The Bugatti Atalante’s 43mm case comes in white or rose gold, as well as a
diamond-set rose gold version.
REDEFINING A CLASSIC
Parmigiani introduced its first manufacture chronograph in 2007, pairing the automatic
movement with the sleek curves of the brand’s trademark Kalpa case to create the
Kalpagraph.
A dynamic expression of the brand’s adventurous spirit, the Kalpagraph visually
refines the classic complication by composing the dial in
an intuitive arrangement. The chronograph counters — centrally fixed seconds, hours and minutes
— are color-coordinated for rapid recognition.
Along with these indicators, the dial saves
room for a date window and small seconds.
Parmigiani produces several versions
of the Kalpagraph in a range of case metals
and dial colors. The latest additions to the
collection are white gold models paired
with either a rich blue dial the brand calls
Abyss or a subtle tan shade dubbed Sable.
From top: The Bugatti Atalante Flyback Chronograph includes two tachymetric displays, one on the bezel for tracking high speeds and a second for
slower speeds on the chronograph’s minute counter.
Parmigiani recently introduced two new white gold Kalpagraphs, the first
with a dramatic blue dial called Abyss (right) and the other with a soft shade
dubbed Sable (not shown).
78
BACK TO THE FUTURE
An ardent student of watchmaking’s past,
Michel Parmigiani served his unique “apprenticeship” with many of horology’s
revered past masters, absorbing nearly half a
millennia’s worth of watchmaking genius
while deconstructing and restoring their
work for more than 20 years as an in-demand
restoration specialist.
He began repairing pieces for private
collectors before becoming curator of the esteemed Maurice-Yves Sandoz collection where
he restored centuries-old gems that ranged
from automaton clocks and Jacquemart pocket watches to Breguet’s Pendule Sympathique
(circa 1795). Once thought impossible to rescue, Parmigiani saved the latter after 2,000 hours
of work, earning acclaim for his success and
recognition for his talent.
His immersion in the past, Parmigiani says, inspired him to embrace his watchmaking future.
“I thought, 150 years from now,
I want someone like me restoring one of the timepieces I
made because they think it’s
historically valuable. The continuation of this cycle is tremendously important to me.”
One of his creations that
future watchmakers are likely
to look back on with admiration is the Fibonacci pocket
watch. Named for the influential mathematician who introduced Europe to Arabic numerals in the Middle Ages, this
one-of-a-kind piece combines
the technical ingenuity of a grand
complication with exceptional examples
of traditional decoration like enameling, engraving and gem setting.
Three years to complete, the case’s extensive ornamentation uses grand feu enamel
and semi-precious stones on both sides to
create a water lily design whose spiral motif
provides a subtle reference to Fibonacci’s
“golden ratio.” Commonly occurring in
nature, this aesthetically pleasing proportion can be found
in the shape of a nautilus’s shell.
The case’s floral theme continues on the dial, where
rose-colored rhodonite, green nephrite jade and
black onyx form an elegant backdrop for the
perpetual calendar, moon phase, hour, minute and small seconds.
Beyond its brilliant timekeeping attributes, the Fibonacci is also an opulent
piece of jewelry. White diamonds envelop
the white gold case, adorning even the minute repeater slide. The watch chain alone
features more than 2,300 diamonds, its links
connected by emeralds, rubies and a sapphire.
THE CHASE IS ON
The Parmigiani workshops debuted another one-of-a-kind
objet d’art this year with the Cat and Mouse. This
animated clock pays tribute to the celebrated
painter and sculptor Edouard-Marcel Sandoz,
who in 1964 founded the Sandoz Foundation,
an entrepreneurial organization that helped
Michel Parmigiani establish his brand in 1996.
Cut from a solid block of black onyx, the stylized cat alludes to the Art Nouveau style that
influenced much of Sandoz’s work. Rising
up from the center of the clock and rotating once an hour, the cat is poised to
pounce on the diamond-set mouse below.
When the cat approaches, the mouse skitters away from danger on a track located
above a lateral ring where the time is read. A
fixed claw at the base of the clock indicates
the hour on the ring as it rotates.
Just as the Cat and Mouse and Fibonacci
signify a reverence for what’s come before,
the Bugattis and Kalpagraph convey a clear
vision of what lies ahead. One thing they all
share, however, is the unwavering dedication
to the Swiss watchmaking ideal that Michel Parmigiani has dedicated his life to. ¨
From top: A stunning display of both craftsmanship and performance, the one-of-akind Fibonacci pocket watch’s ornate decoration matches the complexity of its grand
complication movement.
This rendering of the one-of-a-kind Cat and Mouse animated clock was inspired by
celebrated painter and sculptor Edouard-Marcel Sandoz.
79
Richard Mille
Prevailing winds
By Paul
Boutros
Richard Mille is an unstoppable force. Fueled by a passion for creativity and state-of-the-art
watchmaking, his brand continues to launch original, groundbreaking timepieces year after year.
“I have dozens of ideas in my head, and I am constantly getting new ideas, often spurred on by
something I’ve seen or read about like a new sports car, technological development, or even a
painting or sculpture I saw in a gallery or a building,” Mille says.
L
ess than 10 years since the birth of his brand, Mille’s
portfolio of impressive achievements and timepieces
continues to expand along with his legacy in the realm
of watchmaking. “I am a competitive person; I want to succeed
and be the best; it’s my nature, so I never stop,” he says. Richard Mille’s booth at the prestigious 2010 Salon International
de la Haute Horlogerie, the world’s most exclusive watch fair,
is the latest proof of the young brand’s long-term legitimacy.
To launch his brand, Mille began with the idea of creating watches that not only showcase a movement’s functional
elements as art, but also demonstrate a coherent vision of
high-performance and high luxury with no compromises.
Mille says he selects components to achieve his objectives regardless of cost, adding: “We were the first to use titanium,
then carbon nanofiber and even aluminum-lithium.”
Chosen for their lightness and strength, these materials
were combined with Formula One racing-inspired suspension techniques to create watch movements known for their
shock resistance, one of Richard Mille’s principal technical
distinctions. This pioneering combination helps assure optimal timekeeping even in stressing environments.
Water Animal Building on Richard Mille’s reputation in the world of sailing, the brand re-entered the yachting world in 2010 as the
main sponsor of the inaugural Voiles de St. Barth Regatta.
To commemorate this international yacht race, the company
introduced the RM 028 Les Voiles de St. Barth, a 100-piece
limited edition version of 2009’s groundbreaking Diver’s
Watch RM 028.
The Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy, or St. Barth, provides a unique sailing environment with intense Caribbean
trade winds that routinely cause 10- to 15-foot waves to appear without warning on its turquoise seas. The RM 028 is
capable of withstanding this harsh environment, yet light
enough not to encumber sailors. “[It] is a water animal
through and through,” Mille says. “It embodies everything
about yachting and regatta events because it is very tough,
practical, and light; a tool for divers or captains.”
Echoing a color found amid St. Barth’s tropical flora,
the Les Voiles de St. Barth features dial markings, bezel
accents and a rubber strap in vivid yellow — a first for
the brand.
Water-resistant to 300 meters, the RM 028
Les Voiles de St. Barth features yellow highlights on the bezel that serve as a stylish safety
enhancement to warn divers that their oxygen
supply is down to 15 minutes or less.
Richard Mille
“The RM 028 also has sporting lines and a masculine
elegance that is easy to wear. So it fits in perfectly with all
aspects of this extraordinary aquatic world of St. Barth,”
Mille says.
The 47mm round titanium case provides
vault-like water-resistance down to 300 meters,
surpassing the ISO 6425 depth rating for dive
watches. It is fitted with a unidirectional
rotating bezel to accurately time a diver’s
oxygen supply. Secured to the watchcase
with 22 screws, Richard Mille developed
an extremely robust bezel system for
this critical safety element, making it
impossible to dislocate. Additionally,
the bezel screws allow smoother,
more precise adjustments than those
offered by tension-based attachment
designs.
Smashing Success
Weighing less than 20 grams, the
RM 027 Tourbillon is one of the lightest mechanical watches ever created.
To achieve this daunting challenge, the
brand enlisted the help of tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, who wore the watch
secretly beneath his armband during
several matches. It was there that the
wristwatch endured hundreds of violent shocks as Nadal hit balls traveling
in excess of 100 mph. This punishing proving ground helped
the company develop a watch that was light enough to not
affect Nadal’s performance, yet robust enough to withstand
smashing forces with no impact to its timekeeping accuracy.
“In the end of course we succeeded, and the watch worked
perfectly during Rafael’s games and his fantastic win at
Roland Garros,” Mille says, referring to Nadal’s decisive victory at the 2010 French Open.
The product of more than a year of research and development, the caliber RM 027 is made from titanium and
LITAL, a strong alloy with high lithium content used to make
rockets, satellites and F1 racecars. Built up in multiple levels
from the baseplate and suspended above the black caseback,
the immaculately finished tourbillon movement is presented
to the wearer with stunning depth. It is securely housed
inside Mille’s signature tonneau-shaped case, which is made
of an exclusive, black composite material that’s both extremely light and resilient.
82
The RM 027 is
one of the world’s
lightest mechanical
watches, weighing
less than 20 grams,
including the strap.
High-Performance Complications
Richard Mille introduces the RM 004-V2 Felipe Massa and
RM 008-V2 Felipe Massa, two exciting limited-edition variants of its exquisite split-seconds chronograph watches.
Made for the brand’s private test driver, Formula One racing
legend Felipe Massa, the hands, dials and crowns of both
these watches are enlivened with the colors of Scuderia Ferrari (his racing team) and the Brazilian flag (his home).
Each features a split-seconds chronograph, among the
most prestigious of watchmaking’s “high complications,”
which allows the timing of individual laps of a race while simultaneously timing the duration of the overall race. “Both
models were created from the ground up, from a piece of paper with no reference to other calibers,” Mille explains. “They
were, in fact, the first new split-seconds calibers of the 21st
century.” Titanium parts are used within the split-seconds
mechanism to optimize its operation, eliminating undesired
jumping of the watch’s hands when the chronograph function is started, stopped or reset.
The RM 008-V2 includes a tourbillon mechanism that adds
visual delight. Both models possess an F1-inspired technical
aesthetic, painstakingly burnished with traditional hand
finishing on all parts.
World Cup Colors
Embodying Richard Mille’s commitment to
world-class sporting events, the company
re-introduced its RM 011 as a 30-piece limited
edition made for the eight teams from North
and South America that participated in the
2010 World Cup.
The RM 011 Americas Brown features
sporty, brilliant orange accents on the
hands, crown and bezel flange, along
with an exotic brown-colored PVD-coated
titanium case. The PVD coating provides
the unique color, while significantly improving the scratch and corrosion resistance of the underlying titanium case.
Inside, the sophisticated and complex
skeletonized timepiece features a flyback chronograph with a 60-minute countdown timer, an
annual calendar requiring adjustment once a
year, and a large date display.
Richard Mille’s latest offerings once again
demonstrate its founder’s devotion to breaking through boundaries as well as his uncanny ability to achieve the unthinkable. ¨
From top: The RM 011 Americas Brown’s oversize
date numerals mounted on brown PVD-coated fan
disks are one of several Formula One-inspired design
details clearly seen through the optically treated sapphire
crystal dial and caseback.
The colors of the Brazilian flag decorate this 10-piece
limited edition RM 008-V2 Felipe Massa, which
includes a red rubberized crown in honor of
Scuderia Ferrari.
83
Roger Dubuis
Seal of Approval
By Michael
Thompson
In just 15 years, Roger Dubuis has exceeded the accomplishments of many Swiss watch brands with
decades-more experience. Not long after its 1995 founding in Geneva, the brand dedicated itself to
creating movements that meet the strict quality standards demanded to earn the Geneva Seal, the
highest distinction awarded to Geneva-made calibers.
T
his mission was accomplished with a zeal that
impressed and amazed the watch industry and collectors worldwide, especially considering the company
offered an astounding 28 calibers, many of which included a
tourbillon, sometimes two.
Today, the firm’s extensive Geneva facility is considered among Switzerland’s
most state-of-the-art, employing
nearly 350, of which fully 130 focus
their activities to assure collectors
that all of the brand’s movements
meet Geneva Seal guidelines.
This means cutting, beveling,
sanding and polishing components by hand. While the firm’s
computer–aided cutting and
milling machines form the base
for movement bridges, levers, gears
and pinions, each piece still requires
hours of attention under a scope or a
loupe at the hands of a watchmaker or
technician.
The Geneva Seal requires that, for instance, all steel
parts in watch movements must have polished bevels, smooth
visible parts and polished holes. Pivot shanks and the faces
of all pinions must also be polished, and the ratchet wheel
and crown wheel (two critical gears in a movement) must be
finished with a registered pattern.
After the finishes are applied, the movement’s accuracy
must also be appraised. To ensure high quality in this regard,
this year Roger Dubuis began submitting all new calibers to
be chronometer-certified by the COSC (Contrôle Officiel
84
Suisse des Chronomètres). This step assures collectors that
the movement is highly accurate. The firm says that by 2012
all of its calibers will be sent to COSC for certification.
Bold Direction
Now part of Richemont — an impressive
family of watch manufacturers that includes Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre and
other equally esteemed brands —
Roger Dubuis has focused its
well-known penchant for bold
designs to highlight its own flying tourbillon, distinguished by
a Celtic cross with three hollowed arms. The firm’s most
iconic collection, Excalibur,
includes models with single or
double tourbillons. In fact, the
company’s tourbillons are so indemand that its production department
finishes one of these “whirlwinds” almost
every day.
To create the Excalibur Double Tourbillon Skeleton,
which debuted in 2009, the firm chose a non-traditional
approach. In the past, watchmakers skeletonized parts by removing metal from bridges and wheels by hand. In contrast,
Roger Dubuis uses computerized cutting tools to skeletonize
parts in production, a technique that precisely creates spaces,
angles and textures.
The result is a strikingly original design that, along with
several other Roger Dubuis skeleton tourbillon models, is
already considered an iconic look for the brand by collectors.
The Excalibur Double Tourbillon
Skeleton features bridges that are formed
as seen instead of the traditional practice
of cutting after production.
85
Roger Dubuis
The firm’s Excalibur Automatic Chronograph is a dressy model that features
the highly decorated RD78 movement. The elongated Roman numerals on its
dial present a bold, stylized interpretation of classic Swiss dials. According to the firm, Roger Dubuis plans to retain this distinctive look and use
it for future models.
Underwater Overachievers
The EasyDiver Skeleton Tourbillon, another of the firm’s 2009
debuts, also features an open-worked profile.
While not the first dive watch to include a tourbillon
(though Roger Dubuis pioneered tourbillon sports models),
this new watch may be the only skeleton tourbillon deep
diver. Water resistant to 300 meters, this 48mm titanium
edition features a black PVD open-worked caliber similar
to the movement inside the Excalibur Double Tourbillon
Skeleton, but with a single flying tourbillon.
The firm’s EasyDiver collection is one of its most popular.
Identifiable thanks to large Arabic numerals emblazoned on
the rotating bezel, the line includes the EasyDiver Automatic,
a sporty model with a small seconds, and the EasyDiver Chronograph
with orange dive-time markers.
The EasyDiver Automatic is 46mm in diameter and features the RD14,
From top: A sapphire
crystal case back reveals
the details of the Excalibur
Automatic Chronograph’s
highly decorated Caliber
RD78.
The EasyDiver Skeleton
Tourbillon is quite possibly
the world’s only skeleton
tourbillon deep diver.
86
From top: The EasyDiver
(pictured here in a U.S.
exclusive rose gold and steel
combination) features a
movement that has earned
both the Geneva Seal and
chronometer certification.
The sporty EasyDiver
Chronograph features orange
highlights on the rotating
bezel and is water resistant
to 300m.
a Geneva Seal movement that has been COSC-certified. The dial is
set with gold markers and, like all the dive editions, this model
comes on a strong yet supple rubber strap equipped with an
engraved safety clasp.
The 46mm stainless steel EasyDiver Chronograph features
the firm’s RD78 column-wheel chronograph. Visible through
its transparent caseback, the watch’s Geneva Seal movement
is distinguished by its blued column-wheel screw. Unlike
many firms, Roger Dubuis achieves its blue hue by heating
the metal for just the right length of time.
The transparent caseback also reveals a tungsten micro
rotor that powers the movement. A specialty of the firm, the
small rotor is popular for its compact size, which provides
space to include additional technical features.
On the flip side, the dial’s silvered sunray finish provides a
glistening canvas for the applied numeral 12, which contrasts
nicely with the spelled-out “six” at the bottom, a design twist introduced in 2010. To add depth, it includes two satin-finished zones
above and below the black chronograph counters. The chronograph
pushers feature orange and black molded rubber elements that complement the bezel.
Roger Dubuis earns the Geneva “seal” of approval by uniting its highend caliber production with a flair for iconic design. ¨
87
Ulysse Nardin
By Scott
Hickey
Amid the bacchanalia of the 2001 Basel Fasnacht (German for “carnival”), Ulysse Nardin CEO
Rolf Schnyder unveiled the Freak, sending a seismic tremor through the watch industry that still
resonates today. With the poetic economy of an horological haiku, this radical watch used its
carousel tourbillon movement to tell time instead of hands, indicating minutes with the escapement bridge and hours with the unwinding mainspring barrel.
N
early a decade hence, the Freak has inspired a new era of creativity in modern
watchmaking, one attested to by the growing ubiquity of multi-level dials
and indictors. And yet, the Freak still reigns supreme, outdone only by
its successors: “Freak 2,” Freak DIAMonSIL, Freak Diamond Heart and Freak
Blue Phantom.
The Freak Diavolo is the latest addition to this historic lineage. Its devilishly
dark design serves to highlight the introduction of a flying tourbillon that doubles
as a seconds indicator.
While the “whirlwind” spins above, a different kind of revolution unfolds
below, where the groundbreaking escapement devised by legendary watchmaker Dr. Ludwig Oechslin continues to evolve. His unconventional design
solves the centuries-old problem of sliding friction inherent with the Swiss
lever found in most escapements today. Oechslin’s escapement does not
require lubrication thanks to escape wheels made of silicium, an extremely hard yet light material first adapted to watchmaking by Ulysse
Nardin in 2001. For the Freak Diavolo, the company introduces a silicium hairspring into the equation.
Ulysse Nardin’s technical expert Pierre Gygax believes this versatile
material is fundamentally altering the future of watchmaking. “The more
we’ve used it, the more possibilities we’ve discovered,” he says. “Not only
can it be used to create shapes that are impossible with metal, silicium also
functions well without lubrication. So instead of a traditional hairspring
that needs to be serviced every four years, a silicium hairspring may
only need servicing once every 15 years — a great leap forward.”
Steering by Starlight
Sinister horns surround the opening on the
Freak Diavolo’s rotating caseback, which is used
instead of a crown to wind the watch’s eight-day
power reserve.
88
When Schnyder acquired Ulysse Nardin in 1983, the company
famed for its award-winning marine chronometers was down
to a staff of just two. Like a savvy sailor, the company looked to
the stars to chart a new course, introducing three astronomical
complications between 1985 and 1992 that were later dubbed the
Trilogy of Time.
The latest member of Ulysse Nardin’s Freak
family and the first to incorporate a flying
tourbillon, the Freak Diavolo’s rotating cage is
equipped with an arrow to indicate the seconds
on a clear semi-circle with a red scale.
89
Ulysse Nardin
Created by Oechslin, the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, Planetarium
Copernicus and Tellurium Johannes Kepler represented an horological tour de force that distilled humankind’s understanding of the cosmos into wristwatches that balanced technical
complexity with poetic artistry.
The Ulysse Nardin Moonstruck, a suitably audacious heir to the Trilogy, appeared in 2009. Designed
once again by Oechslin, this astronomical timepiece
features at its center a hand-painted representation
of the Earth as seen looking down onto the North Pole.
The Moon and Sun circle the Earth on rotating discs
that depict their positions in relation to one another.
The watch’s moon phase achieves a degree of
accuracy that exceeds similar complications by using
two rotating discs stacked on one another. As they
rotate independently, the opening on the top layer
reveals the moon’s waxing and waning as illustrated
by areas of light and dark on the disc below.
The Moonstruck is also capable of indicating the
solar and lunar gravitational influences on the tides.
The dark arcs around the Sun and Moon represent how
their gravitational forces pull the oceans toward them to
form tidal mountains. The small arcs positioned opposite
illustrate the smaller tidal swells caused by the centrifugal force
of the Earth’s rotation. The spring tide is signified when these
elements align, while the neap tide is indicated when the elements
are offset to form a cross.
Ulysse Nardin offers the Moonstruck as a limited edition, with
500 pieces each in either red gold or platinum.
Hard-Charging Design
From ancient cultures through to the present day, the bull has long
been a symbol of power and reliability. Ulysse Nardin evokes both with
El Toro, a timepiece that bristles with masculine brio and unflappable
functionality.
The name El Toro takes its inspiration from the artfully arranged
dial, which approximates a bull’s features with a T-shaped section for
the horns and face, the calendar’s year discs for its eyes and the Arabic
6 for its nose. The bull grazes amid the Côtes de Genève field that adorns
the chronometer-certified automatic movement.
Introduced by Ulysse Nardin in 1999, this movement remains virtually unchallenged as the world’s most practical perpetual calendar with a dual time
zone function. Its pushers offer travelers the ability to adjust the local time —
either forward or backward — without removing the watch from the wrist.
In practical terms, this means a traveler who flies on New Year’s Eve from Los
Angeles and arrives in New York after midnight, needs only to click the pusher on
the left side three times to change from Pacific to Eastern time. This simple action
advances the hour while simultaneously correcting the date, day, month and year.
90
Left: The
Moonstruck’s
moon phase is so
finely calibrated
that more than
100,000 years
of continuous
use will pass
before it is out of phase
by approximately two weeks.
Below: Available in either red gold
or platinum, the limited edition El
Toro features Ulysse Nardin’s acclaimed
perpetual calendar and dual time
movement.
What remains unchanged is the centrally fixed arrow, which is used to indicate
the traveler’s home time on the 24-hour index engraved on El Toro’s black
ceramic bezel.
This flexibility is a rarity in perpetual calendars and is only
possible because the movement uses epicyclical gears instead of
traditional levers. This ingenious construction, conceived by
Oechslin, allows the perpetual calendar displays to be synchronized, something that has never been achieved with
lever-based movements.
The El Toro is offered in a limited edition series of 500
pieces each in either red gold or platinum.
CORE COMPETENCY
Ulysse Nardin recently added two new models that personify
fundamental aspects of the manufacture’s identity — its gift for
inventing user-friendly solutions and its historic connection to
the sea.
The company expands one of its most popular and practical
collections, updating the 2009 version of its Executive Dual Time with
a new silver dial paired with either silver or gold accents.
A godsend for travelers accustomed to living out of suitcases in farflung locales, the Executive Dual Time offers a patented system that allows
the central time to be recalibrated quickly — forward or backward — to reflect
a new time zone using black ceramic pushers. A 24-hour indicator shows the
traveler’s home time in a round window at 9 o’clock.
Moving from the jet set to the “wet set,” Ulysse Nardin adds to its
Marine collection with the Hammerhead Shark Limited-Edition Maxi
Marine Diver Titanium. The latest incarnation of the Maxi Marine Diver,
the watch honors a tradition of award-winning nautical instruments started more than 160 years ago by Ulysse Nardin, the company’s founder and
namesake.
This special titanium edition of the Maxi Marine Diver is instantly
recognizable thanks to the engravings of hammerheads that cover the
deep-blue dial and the metal spacer found on the matching rubber
strap. The dial design distinguishes itself once again with raised rings,
like life preservers, that encircle the power reserve indicator, small
seconds and minute index.
More than 25 years after Schnyder took the helm, Ulysse
Nardin continues its odyssey to be the world’s most innovative
watchmaker. ¨
From top: The Hammerhead Shark Limited-Edition Maxi Marine Diver Titanium is
available with a rose gold bezel and bracelet spacer (350 pieces) or with a stainless steel bezel
and titanium spacer (999 pieces, not pictured).
The company expands one of its most popular and practical collections, updating the 2009
version of its Executive Dual Time with a new silver dial paired with either silver or gold accents.
Two pushers quickly adjust the second time zone by moving the hour hand forward or back.
91
Vacheron Constantin
Lyrical
Classicism
By Jack
Forster
Over 250 years of history and tradition
has led to the extensive development
of Vacheron Constantin’s design
vocabulary. The firm acts both
as a conservator of the highest
traditional methods of Genevan
watchmaking, and as a
center of the development
of those arts and crafts.
Watchmaking at Vacheron
Constantin is not just the careful
preservation of tradition —
it’s a constant and dynamic
evolution as well.
V
Patrimony Traditionelle Chronograph
Perpetual Calendar “Calibre 1141QP”
92
acheron Constantin has demonstrated
again and again its ability to create complicated watches of great intricacy and great
beauty, such as the grande et petit sonnerie presented in
1935 to King Farouk of Egypt, with over 800 individual
components. Firmly situated in this tradition is the Patrimony Traditionelle Chronograph Perpetual Calendar
“Calibre 1141QP,” introduced this year for the first time in
platinum as part of the Collection Excellence Platine.
The perpetual calendar is essentially a miniature mechanical computer that automatically corrects for the length
of each month, even during leap years — thus embodying
both the calendar and the period of the Earth’s orbit around
the Sun. In the Patrimony Calibre 1141QP, this complex
mechanism is combined with a column wheel-controlled,
lateral clutch, manually-wound chronograph. The chronograph mechanism, as well as the column wheel for coordinating start, stop, and reset of the chronograph, are both
classical solutions to chronograph design. Though more difficult to construct than some other systems, the superior feel
they provide when the chronograph is operated is unrivaled.
Every detail of the Patrimony Traditionelle Chronograph Perpetual Calendar has
been executed with exquisite care, including
the moon faces which are beautifully handengraved on a platinum disk. In every way,
it’s a perfect expression of one of watchmaking’s most difficult feats: the synthesis of
great complexity and elegant simplicity.
In the Malte Perpetual Calendar Minute
Repeater, two intricate complications are
combined, resulting in a movement with over
300 parts. Yet despite its enormous complexity, the movement — the calibre 1755 — is
only 4.9 millimeters thick and 30.80 millimeters in diameter. The calibre 1755 movements date from 1992 and, in this limited
edition timepiece, represent the last 30 movements from a total production run of only
200. Based on an historic movement from
the 1940s, the Malte Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater is history made tangible.
The Patrimony Contemporaine in platinum is reminiscent of the
extra-flat watches that Vacheron Constantin has been making for over
two centuries. And while the movement in the Patrimony Contemporaine is not the thinnest in the entire Vacheron Constantin collection, it
is nonetheless an extremely flat, beautifully decorated mechanism, and
only 2.6 millimeters in height. The Patrimony Contemporaine is an
example of what can be achieved by focusing on the truly essential; a
timepiece to which nothing needs to be added, and from which nothing
can be taken away.
Malte Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater ( front and back)
93
Vacheron Constantin
The Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograde Day and Date timepiece is a perfect example of the more exuberant and contemporary side of the company’s character.
Presented this year in white gold, its enticing
double-retrograde display is dynamic and
eye-catching. Such an approach to watchmaking is an established part of the heritage
of Vacheron Constantin. Its famous jumping-hour timepieces from the 1920s through
to the ‘90s demonstrate that watchmaking is
not just an art of tradition, but one of innovation and imagination as well.
Hallmarks of the Quai de l’Ile collection include its modular case
design, which offers a unique opportunity for personalization, and its
impressive dial, which includes high-tech decorative techniques such as
galvanic metal deposition and laser engraving, allowing for visual effects that would be impossible to achieve with more conventional techniques. A special edition of the Quai de l’Ile was made in 2009 for the
world-famous “Only Watch” auction in Monaco, and the original sale of
the timepiece benefitted the Monegasque Association Against Muscular
Dystrophy. Following the auction, a similar timepiece was launched in
special series limited to 100 numbered pieces. With a case made of tantalum and palladium, this unique timepiece, both in purpose and design, is a tribute to Vacheron Constantin’s illustrious past, and a stunning example of its constant engagement with the future. ¨
Clockwise from top: Patrimony Contemporaine, Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograde Day and Date, Quai de l’Ile ONLY WATCH 2009 limited-edition special series.
Glossary
ClockWise
a glossary of horological terms
1. ANNUAL CALENDAR
A calendar function that automatically
compensates for the irregular lengths
of months. However, it requires an annual adjustment every February, hence
its name.
1 2
2. AUTOMATIC
An automatic or self-winding watch is really a mechanical watch that is wound by
the everyday movement of the wearer or
with a winding box. Typically, the rotor
winds the mainspring due to the action of
the wearer. Since automatic watches are
mechanical, they can be wound, just like
any manual watch. Automatic watches
differ from quartz watches, which receive
their power from a battery and never have
to be moved or wound.
3 4
3. CABOCHON
A gem or bead cut into a dome shape that
is polished but not faceted.
4. CALIBER (or CALIBRE)
Originally referred to the measurement of
the watch movement, but modern usage
indicates a type of movement i.e. men’s
caliber, automatic caliber. Watchmakers
can use caliber name and number to indicate the company, shape and origin.
5a 5b
5. CHRONOGRAPH
A chronograph is a watch with a manually
operated stopwatch function that measures intervals of time.
In addition to the basic chronograph,
there are two other popular versions:
Flyback: allows instant reset of the timing function.
Split-second: allows simultaneous timing of two events that begin at the same
time but end at different times.
1. Saxonia Annual Calendar by A. Lange & Söhne
2. Vintage BR 123 Heritage by Bell & Ross
3. Ballon Bleu Dual Time Zone by Cartier
4. Caliber L.U.C EHG by Chopard
5a. Bugatti Atalante Flyback Chronograph by Parmigiani Fleurier
5b. Big Bang King Power UNICO All Black by Hublot
95
Glossary
6. CHRONOMETER
6a. Easy Diver Chronograph by Roger Dubuis
6b. Classic Racing Superfast by Chopard
7a. Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph by IWC
7b. Master Grand Tradition Grande Complication by Jaeger-LeCoultre
8. Cellini’s exclusive deployment buckles in 18-karat gold
9. RM 011 DLC Titanium Orange by Richard Mille
6a 6b
A chronometer is a timepiece that is precise enough to be used as a time standard.
Under Swiss standards, only watches that
have been tested and certified by authorities such as the COSC (Contrôle Officiel
Suisse des Chronomètres) can be called a
Chronometer.
7. COMPLICATION
Any function in a manual-winding movement watch or clock additional to the
display of hours, minutes and seconds
including: automatic winding, date, moon
phase, power reserve, GMT and full
7a 7b
calendar. The ultimate or grand complications typically include: split-second
chronograph, perpetual calendar, tourbillon and minute repeater.
8. DEPLOYMENT BUCKLE
A tri-folding enclosure affixed to both
ends of a strap or bracelet. When fully
deployed, enough room is created to place
the watch on the wrist. When closed,
8 9
a buckle covers the folding mechanism
that secures the watch to the wrist.
9. Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC)
A dense coating that combines the
graphite and diamond forms of carbon.
It offers excellent protection against corrosion, reduces friction, is anti-corrosive
and scratch-resistant.
96
10. EQUATION OF TIME
A complication that calculates the difference between the mean solar day which
lasts 24-hours, and the true solar day,
whose length varies between +16.24 and
-14.22 minutes throughout the year due to
tilt of the Earth’s axis and the eccentricity
of its orbit around the Sun.
11. ESCAPEMENT
The component of a mechanical watch
that is responsible for the advancement of the wheel train rotation and the
even passage of time. The escapement
in a watch is usually controlled by the
balance wheel.
12. Guilloché
An engraving technique that results
in very fine patterns etched onto a flat,
level surface. The interlaced and crossing
lines of guilloché designs can be turned by
hand or machine. Watch manufacturers
use this technique to decorate the dial and
movement components. The beauty is evident in the intricate detail of the ensuing
designs.
13. GMT (or DUAL TIME ZONE)
Refers to Greenwich Mean Time, the
mean solar time for the meridian located
at Greenwich, England that is used as a
basis for calculating time throughout
most of the world. This feature indicates
that a watch can display two or more time
zones. GMT watches commonly feature
an additional hour hand that rotates once
every 24 hours. If the hour hand rotates
once every 12 hours, a day/night indicator
usually accompanies it.
10 11
12 13a
13b 13c
10. Royal Oak Equation of Time by Audemars Piguet
11. Illustration of Lange 31 escapement by A. Lange & Söhne
12. 1815 Moonphase “Homage to F.A. Lange” by A. Lange & Söhne
13a. Academia Blackstream Triple Complication GMT3 by DeWitt
13b. Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 by Jaeger-LeCoultre
13c. Executive Dual Time by Ulysse Nardin
97
Glossary
14. Straumann Double Hairspring by H. Moser & Cie.
15. Rotonde de Cartier Jumping Hours by Cartier
16. Chopard Manufacture, Fleurier, Switzerland
17a. Malte Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater by Vacheron Constantin
17b. Portuguese Grande Complication by IWC
18. Moser Perpetual Moon by H. Moser & Cie.
14 15
16 17a
17b 18
14. JEWELS
Refers to the precious stones (usually synthetic rubies) used in a watch movement
that act as bearings for pivots and help reduce friction. Most movements contain at
least a dozen jewels but can feature more.
15. JUMPING HOUR
A jumping hour watch advances the time
by “jumping” to the next hour, usually
through a digital display window. A notable exception is the Franck Muller Crazy
Hours, in which the hands on the dial
“jump” to the correct markers indicating
the current time. Jumping hour watches
use mechanical movements with numbers on wheels below the dial that change
as time advances. The numbers seem to
change immediately every hour.
16. MANUFACTURE
A term the Swiss watch industry uses
to distinguish a company that produces
a watch from start to finish, instead of
sending it to a finishing shop where the
parts are assembled and calibrated.
17. MINUTE REPEATER
A mechanical watch that indicates the
hours, quarter hours and minutes with
sound by striking a series of gongs
integrated into the watch movement.
A minute repeater strikes the time on
demand when a button or slide on the
case is pushed. The complication first
emerged in watches in the 1700s and is
an heir to the repeating clock, which was
invented in the 17th century to tell time
in the dark prior to use of electric lights.
Today, minute repeaters remain one of
the most complex watch complications
to produce.
18. MOON PHASE
This complication calculates and displays
the lunar cycle. Many moon phases advance once every 24 hours, which requires
that they be adjusted every two and a half
years. More complex models do not require adjustments for hundreds of years.
98
19. PAVÉ
Gems set as closely together as possible
in order to conceal a metal base.
20. PERPETUAL CALENDAR
Just as the name implies, a perpetual
calendar watch has a built-in calendar
that calculates the date, day, month and
leap year without any adjustment by the
user. This remains true until the year
2100, when there is no leap year due to
the Gregorian calendar. All watches record time, the moments that make up a
day, but perpetual calendars keep track of
all of those days. Depending on the watch,
there are many different types of indicators that display the specific day, date and
month.
21. Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD)
PVD is a technique that applies an ultrahard coating that can be used to protect
cases or reduce friction between watch
components.
19 20a
20b 21
22 23
22. POWER RESERVE
The power reserve function measures
and displays the remaining power supply generated by winding a movement.
23. REGULATOR
A clock or wristwatch that displays the
hours, minutes and seconds separately.
Sometimes called a parent clock, manufacturers used to set their timepieces
to precise regulators because the separate
displays were easy to read, making for
exact adjustments.
19. Fibonacci Pocket Watch by Parmigiani Fleurier
20a. L.U.C 150 “All In One” by Chopard
20b. Moser Perpetual 1 by H. Moser & Cie.
21. BR 03-94 Heritage by Bell & Ross
22. Hammerhead Shark Limited Edition Maxi Marine Diver by Ulysse Nardin
23. Master Grande Tradition Minute Repeater by Jaeger-LeCoultre
99
Glossary
24a. Tortue Perpetual Calendar by Cartier
24b. Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograde Day and Date by Vacheron Constantin
25. Caliber HUB 1240 UNICO by Hublot
26. Caliber UN 106 with silicium hairspring by Ulysse Nardin
27. Easy Diver Skeleton Tourbillon by Roger Dubuis
28. RM 008-V2 Felipe Massa by Richard Mille
24a 24b
24. RETROGRADE
A retrograde feature is a hand that travels
across the dial in an arc — usually from
90 to 180 degrees — instead of a 360degree revolution around a centrally fixed
pin. When a retrograde hand finishes its
journey across the dial, it returns instantaneously to begin a new measurement.
Retrograde hands can indicate date, day or
month in perpetual calendars, but can also
be used for hours, minutes or seconds.
25. Rotor (also OSCILLATING WEIGHT)
In a self-winding watch, this heavy, metal
semicircle rotates inside the case powered
by the wearer’s natural movements, thereby winding the mainspring.
25 26
27 28
26. SILICON (or SILICIUM)
An element used in watchmaking to
create everything from escapement wheels
to balance springs. Prized for its properties, silicon is lightweight, anti-magnetic,
resists corrosion and does not require
lubrication.
27. SKELETON
A watch whose case and movement parts
are transparent, or are cut out in a decorative manner in order to reveal all of the
movement’s parts. Traditional watch dials display the current functions of time,
date or day for a specific moment in
time. A skeletal dial and caseback further
reveal the watch’s movement and how
its mechanism calculates ongoing time.
28. Tachymeter A scale that often accompanies a chronograph or timer that measures speed.
A tachymeter usually indicates speed in
kilometers per hour.
100
29. TOURBILLON
Sometimes referred to as a ‘whirlwind,’ the
tourbillon counteracts the effects of gravity on the balance and escapement thus
aiding better accuracy. This is achieved by
housing the balance, balance spring and
escapement in a carriage (cage) rotating
once a minute. Invented by AbrahamLouis Breguet in 1801, the tourbillon
remains a popular complication.
30. TRAIN (or GOING TRAIN)
A system of toothed wheels and pinions
used to convey energy stored in the mainspring to the escapement.
31. VIBRATION
Movement of the oscillating element,
which is limited by two consecutive extreme positions. A mechanical watch
generally makes five or six vibrations per
second — 18,000 or 21,600 vibrations per
hour (vph) — but a high-frequency watch
may make seven to ten vibrations per
second (25,200 to 36,000 vph).
29a 29b
30 31
32 33
32. WATER RESISTANT
A watch designed to prevent water from
entering the case. An atmosphere (atm)
is the measurement used to gauge how
water resistant a watch is. Watches rated 3 atm resist infiltration by water to a
conventional depth of 30 meters; rated 5
atm resists to a conventional depth of 50
meters.
33. WORLD TIME
Refers to a watch that indicates the local
time in major cities around the world,
usually representing each of the 24 time
zones. The names of the cities are typically displayed on an outer ring on the dial or
on the bezel of the watch. ¨
29a. Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound by IWC
29b. L.U.C Engine One Tourbillon by Chopard
30. Illustration of Caliber 380 by Jaeger-LeCoultre
31. Quai de l’Ile ONLY Watch 2009 by Vacheron Constantin
32. Royal Oak Offshore Diver by Audemars Piguet
33. Lange 1 Time Zone by A. Lange & Söhne
101
301 PARK AVENUE
212-751-9824
509 MADISON AVENUE
AT 53RD STREET
212-888-0505
800-CELLINI
NEW YORK, NY 10022
Rose-cut, multi-color sapphires accented
with diamonds in 18-karat white and rose gold
Cufflinks and dress sets in 18-karat gold
301 PARK AVENUE
212-751-9824
509 MADISON AVENUE
AT 53RD STREET
212-888-0505
800-CELLINI
NEW YORK, NY 10022

royal Oak equation of Time

Transcription

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