Tuesday, May 31, 2011

NEW WATCH - JAEGER-LECOULTRE - DUOMETRE A QUANTIEME LUNAIRE


The Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire embodies the latest in horological achievements of Jaeger-LeCoultre: it displays time with a jumping seconds hand showing 1/6th of a second increments and additionally providing the date and the age of the moon in a separate sub dial. The true genius of this watch however lies within the Dual-Wing movement concept, which features two independent power supplies: one entirely dedicated to creating a perfect timing foundation – regulated by escapement and balance –, the other solely for the display of time – hour, minute and seconds hands – as well as date and the age of the moon for the Northern as well as the Southern hemisphere. Both are synchronized through the jumping seconds hand mechanism driven by the escapement.


Movement:
• mechanical manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 381, crafted, assembled and decorated
by hand
• 21,600 vibrations per hour
• 50-hour power reserve
• 369 parts
• 40 jewels
• 7.25 mm high
• 33.7 mm diameter
• two independent barrels

Functions:
• hours, minutes, seconds, jumping-second, date, moon-phase (North and South), age of the moon, power reserve
• movement power reserve

Dial:
• black, matt with appliqués numerals
Hands:
• hour and minute: leaf-type, brass, gold-plated
• seconds: baton with pear-shaped counterweight, gold-plated

Crown:
• 1 crown to start the watch, to wind the watch functions power reserve, to wind the movement power reserve and to adjust the hours and minutes
• 1 push piece to set the date
• 1 corrector to set the moon phase

Case:
• diameter 42 mm, thickness: 13.5 mm
• 18-carat white gold
• welded lugs
• polished and satin-brushed finishing
• cambered sapphire crystals, hardness N° 9, glareproofed on front and back
• water resistance: 5 atm

Straps:
• matt black alligator leather with folding clasp in 18-carat white gold

Reference:
• Q6043570, limited series of 200

She's a beauty. This is perhaps my favorite innovation:
The watch features two seconds hands. One at the center and a second one at 6 o’clock: a jumping seconds hand accurate to 1/6th of a second. Setting the time is easily performed by pulling the crown: Then both seconds hands, the center seconds hand and the jumping seconds hand jump to the zero-position leaving the escapement running. Pushing the crown activates both hands simultaneously by re-coupling into the running escapement. Once released, the wheels of the hands simply interlock with the active mechanism and begin to turn on the spot at the speed of the clock, which is 3 Hertz. This accuracy is reached instantaneously because the balance has been breathing even with the hands on hold. Whereas with the traditional second’s stop, which freezes the balance wheel, the watch needs several minutes before it is back in its original rhythm – minutes, in which the balance wheel has to pick up speed again and which add up to a time deviation of many seconds. Thus precise adjustment with a timing signal for normal watches remains an illusion. The mechanism behind the two hands is based on two escape wheels fixed to the same axis: one works with the lever while the other is driving the seconde foudroyante through the jumping seconds star. Upon pulling the crown, a lever is stopping the jumping second when it reaches the zero-position. At the same time a “return to zero” hammer pushes the central second’s hand to the 12 o’clock position through the use of a seconds heart cam. No other watch allows for such an accurate setting of the time, and this technical feature is perfectly in line with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s quest for even more accuracy in timekeeping.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

NEW WATCH - BREITLING - NAVITIMER SUPER CONSTELLATION LIMITED EDITION


In parallel with Breitling's restoration of service to the famous Breitling Super Constellation aircraft, the brand has released the eponymous Navitimer Super Constellation.


Movement: Breitling Caliber 23, officially chronometer-certified by the COSC, selfwinding, high-frequency (28,800 vibrations per hour), 25 jewels. 1/4th of a second chronograph, 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers. Calendar. Case: Steel, limited series of 1,049. Resistance to 3 bars. Rotating bezel with circular slide rule. Cambered sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides. Diameter: 42 mm. Dial: Black. Strap/Bracelet: Barenia leather, crocodile leather/Navitimer, Air Racer.

Nice looking piece!

Monday, May 23, 2011

FROM THE OMG DEPARTMENT

Many readers may be familiar with Vacheron Constantin's Atelier Cabinotiers service, a service created in 2006 that custom-makes fine watches to customer's unique specifications.

Vacheron has shared two of these unique pieces with the horological world;

• Philosophia: the paradoxical timekeeper.
• Vladimir: the ultimate in complications.


Philosophia*: the other way to tell the time

The original idea was based on the postulate that mankind does not need to constantly know the exact time to the nearest minute. In some parts of the world, making an appointment “in the morning” or “in the evening” is quite sufficient to allow two people to meet. In the same spirit, knowing that it is 12 or 17 minutes past ten o’clock does not make the Philosophia*’s owner any happier or unhappier. However, while this man has decided on a lifestyle of displaying approximate time, he is no less a connoisseur of excellence. Far from being indifferent, he is in fact a Fine Watchmaking enthusiast and a major collector of timepieces.


The Philosophia* conveys all of these things at once. Based on a model from the Patrimony collection, it has only one hand in the centre, the hour hand, with a 24-hour display, allowing the approximate hour to be read without worrying about the minutes. But if the owner wants a more exact idea of the time at any given moment, he simply engages the on-off slide of the Philosophia*’s minute repeater, which reveals the exact hour, quarter hour and minute. If the hand is a little before 6 o’clock, the chime will sound five times on a low note, three times on a low-to-high note pair, and, for example, twelve times on a high note. That means it is exactly 5:57.

Another sophisticated touch in the Philosophia* is an opening in the dial at 6 o’clock that reveals a tourbillon rotating once every 60 seconds. The commissioner of the piece, who also likes astronomy, asked for a customised precision moon phase; the moon is shown with its craters, and a single star – the pole star—shines near it. On the back of the watch, the power reserve indicator bears a small plaque stamped with the intertwined constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Nearby, engraved in the 18-carat pink gold of the custom case, the identifying phrase “Les Cabinotiers” and the Atelier Cabinotiers coat of arms attest to the exceptional origin of this timepiece, which is also stamped with the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva.


Highly customised, the entire Philosophia* - a one-of-a-kind model – was made piece by piece at Vacheron Constantin by Atelier Cabinotiers. At its owner’s request, it was engraved with “No Un/Un” [No. One/One] instead of the usual “1/1” marked on one-of-a-kind pieces. This attention to detail was the rule for all 522 components of the hand-wound mechanical movement that makes the Philosophia* tick. The movement that drives a minute repeater, a 60-second tourbillon and the moon-phase display. Careful attention was paid to the finishes of all components; even the surfaces that will never be seen are hand decorated. This is true, for example, of the plate and its hand matt-effect file-stroke treatment, which gives it a very beautiful granulated sandy effect but which no one –except the watchmaker who takes the watch apart for maintenance – will ever see. Another special detail is the openwork at the centre of the escapement wheel, which provides a place for a pierced Maltese Cross motif, the symbol of Vacheron Constantin.



Unique in its spirit, aesthetics and exclusive mechanism, the Philosophia model was recently delivered to its owner by Vacheron Constantin’s Atelier Cabinotiers. It goes without saying that the presentation box as well as all the accessories and related documents – including the instructions – were also custom-made, one of each.

* Philosophia is the name given by the owner


TECHNICAL DATA
Atelier Cabinotiers Philosophia

Reference: 80173/000R9483

Calibre: 2755
Stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva

Energy: Mechanical, manual-winding
Movement diameter: 33.30 mm
Movement thickness: 7.65 mm
Jewels: 40
Frequency: 18’000 vibrations / hour (2.5 Hz)

Indications: Hours 24 H, second on tourbillon
Minute Repeater
Tourbillon
Power reserve on the back of the watch

Power reserve: Approx. 58 hours
Bespoke power reserve dial engraved with “great and lesser Bear”

Case: 18K 5N pink gold
43 mm in diameter
Convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on one side

Water-Resistance: None

Dial: Silvered opaline
Moon-phases disc in 18K 5N pink gold
Black painted minute-track and 11 Arabic numerals

Strap: Brown Mississipiensis alligator leather, square scales,
hand-stitched, saddle finish

Clasp: Buckle in 18K 5N pink gold
Polished half Maltese Cross


Unique piece
Case-back engraved with “Les Cabinotiers” identification and “AC” Hallmark

Vladimir*: the ultimate in complications and artistic crafts



The second special order was named Vladimir* by its owner. This Slavic first name is derived from the ancient term Volodimir, which literally means “domination by peace” or “peace to all.” This superlative watch is none other than one of the world’s most complicated timepieces. That is what its owner wanted, and Vacheron Constantin’s Atelier Cabinotiers gathered the resources to meet this very ambitious goal. As it began this extraordinary adventure and accepted this uncommon mechanical challenge, Vacheron Constantin knew it could count on its unusual expertise garnered over an uninterrupted span of more than 250 years in business. The Genevese Manufacture had demonstrated this during its quarter-millennial celebration in 2005 by designing and producing in its own workshops what was at the time the world’s most complicated wristwatch, the famous Tour de l’Ile. The Vladimir* model that has just left Ateliers Cabinotiers is even more complicated than that legendary model of 2005. The hand-wound mechanical movement of this unique Vladimir* watch drives no less than 17 complications. This exceptional movement, bearing the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva, has some 891 components, all hand-finished or hand-decorated at Vacheron Constantin. It is both a technical and aesthetic triumph that took Atelier Cabinotiers and its top-flight watchmakers four years to develop.


Just one look at the Vladimir*’s main dial, which was hand-engraved on a rose engine at Atelier Cabinotiers, gives an indication of the complexity of this horological masterpiece and reveals an impressive array of complications, in addition to the usual display of hours and minutes. To begin with the supreme example, the very refined 60-second tourbillon mechanism stands out at 6 o’clock, while next to it at 3 o’clock appears the moon phase on a blue sky with a precision moon in gold, smiling or serious depending on the phase and hand-engraved by Atelier Cabinotiers craftsmen. To its right, a smaller counter with a small blued hand indicates the striking mechanism torque, i.e., whether the minute repeater mechanism is engaged. In addition to the hour and minute hands – one-of-a-kind pieces made especially for this watch –that travel around the slightly off-centre minute markers, the front side of the main dial provides a second time zone with day/night indicator at 11 o’clock. The power reserve indicator is located in the 9 o’clock sector, also enhanced by a 52-week indicator. At this point, we have already seen seven easily identifiable complications on a well-balanced dial – with all of the motifs and materials having been selected by the purchaser – that are perfectly legible and aesthetically flawless. As another sign of the personalisation evident throughout the entire creative process, the guilloché pattern on the dial was also chosen by the collector of this exceptional timepiece.


The back is no less admirable than the front, having a wealth of information that is pleasantly arranged, exciting, subtle and surprising. On the upper portion, the perpetual calendar dials are arranged in a triangle, displaying the days of the week, month and date from left to right. A small window at 1 o’clock shows the leap-year cycle. In the centre of the dial, a blued hand sweeps over a small sector devoted to the equation of time, the variable difference observable between true (solar) time and the time marked by clocks, which for convenience is divided into equal intervals. Two other pieces of astronomical information are conveyed by hands traversing two sectors at 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock: the time of sunrise and sunset. The list of functions ends in a blaze of glory with a precision sky chart of the northern hemisphere, as one rarely sees it.





This exceptional mechanical watch bearing the Hallmark of Geneva has a setting to match. The Vladimir*’s case is itself a work of art, epitomising the legendary expertise and nimble fingers of Atelier Cabinotiers’ artistic craftsmen. On the sides of this unique and imposing piece, which is 47 mm in diameter, the signs of the Chinese zodiac appear in bas-relief. The motifs and the bas-relief technique (which is extremely rare in watchmaking) used here were both done by request of the owner. Before getting to the heart of the matter with regard to the subject and materials, the designers showed the purchaser many sketches. The decision was then made to depict the signs of the zodiac on both sides of the case, which itself is made of 18-carat pink gold. In the end, the twelve figures – from the dragon through the rabbit and the rooster to the snake – were made to stand out slightly from the main body of 18-carat pink gold. It was a colossal task for the engravers – the twelve figures alone took more than six months – and required that a very special case first had to be made with extra-thick sides, from which the superfluous material was removed, carving roughly at first and then in very fine detail. As with every other timepiece from Vacheron Constantin’s workshop, the case was then polished very subtly, a task made all the more difficult by the fact that it absolutely must not destroy the engraver’s incredible work on the bas-reliefs. In order to meet the challenge and create this extremely complex and unique timepiece, Atelier Cabinotiers called on more than 20 experts and craftsmen. It was a Herculean effort for a watch that deserves to join the legendary ranks of exceptional watchmaking.

* Vladimir is the name given by the owner

TECHNICAL DATA
Atelier Cabinotiers Vladimir

Reference: 80253/000R-9593


Calibre: 2750
Stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva
Energy: Mechanical, manual-winding
Movement diameter: 36.00 mm
Movement thickness: 11.25 mm
Jewels: 38
Frequency: 18’000 Vibrations / hour (2.5 Hz)

Indications: Hours, minutes, second on tourbillon
Minute repeater
Perpetual Calendar
Power reserve
Second time zone
Moon phase indication, age of the moon
Striking-mechanism torque
Perpetual time equation
Sunrise, sunset
Celestial map
Week number indication

Power reserve: Approx. 58 hours

Case: 18K 5N pink gold
47.00 mm in diameter
Convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on one side
Manual engraving of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs on the side of the case

Water-Resistance: None

Dial: 18K white gold
Hand-guilloched
Minute-track painted in white
8 applied hour markers in 18K pink gold

Strap: Brown Mississipiensis alligator leather, square scales, hand-stitched, saddle finish

Clasp: Buckle in 18K 5N pink gold
Polished half Maltese Cross

Unique piece
Case-back engraved with “Les Cabinotiers” identification and “AC” Hallmark

Thursday, May 5, 2011

NEW WATCH - CHOPARD - Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono 2011

168459-3037 – Limited edition of 2011 pieces in steel





161268-5010 – Limited edition of 250 pieces in rose gold


44mm case diameter
14.36mm thickness
100m water resistance
46-hour power reserve

Some newly decorated Chronograph pushers appear on this new version for 2011 together with a black engine-turned dial (the 2010 version has a similar dial in silver).

I much prefer this version to the 2010 version and think it will prove to be a huge success.


Tuesday, May 3, 2011

NEW WATCH - Jaeger-LeCoultre - Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Italico

Happy 80th anniversary Mr. Reverso watch. And happy 150th anniversary to unified Italy.


Jaeger-leCoultre pays tribute to these important anniversaries with an exclusive limited edition for the Italian market.

Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Italico in steel, limited edition of 150 pieces.
Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Italico in pink gold, limited edition of 50 pieces.

The distinctive feature of this special edition is its dial.

At 8 o'clock, the numeral is replaced with the letter R (and the word REVERSO forming the stem of the letter itself) in red. The letter R was in fact used in the Roman alphabet to indicate (in rare usage) the number octoginta, 80. The dial is also rendered unique thanks to elements in red, small details that recall the exclusive limited editions created for the Italian market (Master Ultra Thin Italico and Reverso 976 Italico).

After 80 years spent in celebration of classicism, the new Grande Reverso Ultra Thin wishes to be revolutionary, aiming for extreme simplicity. The extremely fine thickness of the Calibre Jaeger-LeCoultre 822 (just 2.94 millimetres) has allowed the thinnest ever Reverso to be created. The case is larger and truly stands out on the wrist, but the extreme thinness of the timepiece and its delicately moulded form mean that it is light and comfortable to wear.

The clean dial features vertical guilloché decoration, highly sober Arabic numerals, and fine blued hands: all the aesthetic codes of the Reverso are showcased here in this new ultra-thin version. This model expresses the very essence of the Reverso's personality, combining tradition with nobility, style and elegance.