Monthly Archives: April 2014

Happy Sport Tourbillon Joaillerie

Chopard

There’s only one word in the dictionary that can describe this fantastic piece of work and, that is: wow! The Happy Sport Tourbillon Joaillerie is a sublime harmony of the savoir-faire of fine watchmaking and that of high jewellery. 37 years on from the birth of Happy Diamonds where diamonds twirled around the dial, 21 years on from the creation of Happy Sport which combined steel and brilliants, this all-diamond timepiece takes us on a journey to the highest levels of stone-setting and watchmaking engineering. Its 42 mm diameter white gold case is entirely paved with diamonds. The same holds true for its dial, its tourbillon bridge, crown and bezel and, let’s not forget its seven mobile diamonds. At the heart of the Happy Sport Tourbillon Joaillerie, the L.U.C 02.16-L hand-wound tourbillon movement powers the hour and minute functions as well as the small seconds located at 6 o’clock on the dial. A pure river of diamonds just waiting to be centre staged on a wrist!

TAG HEUER – Carrera Calibre CH 80 Chronograph 41 mm

Tag Heuer

TAG Heuer set itself a mission this year at Baselworld: to put the bum note of the 2009 launch of its Calibre 1887 behind them. After initially presenting it as being entirely designed in-house, the brand ended up sheepishly having to admit to having bought plans from Seiko. There’s nothing like that this time around with the presentation of the new CH 80 movement. Made on the Chenevez site with an 80-hour power reserve – hence its name – this in-house calibre is having its first outing in the 41mm Carrera model. This quintessentially sporty, black and white watch in tribute to the first Carrera “Panda” chronograph promises interesting future versions. TAG Heuer has spent 40 million Swiss Francs to secure its industrial vertical integration so far. Price: 5,200 CHF

Terrascope

Jeanrichard

Whether it be everyday warriors or tomboy city dwellers, the modern woman finally has the watch she deserves. The bronze Terrascope is the perfect balance of masculine strength and feminine grace. Its steel case unites a cushion-shaped frame and a large 44mm round crystal face housing a self-winding movement bringing the date (in a display at 3 o’ clock), hour, minute and second hands to life; the power reserve is approximately 38 hours. But our favourite feature on the Terrascope is its bronze case which changes colour in the light, especially when worn with the bronze ostrich strap. A luminescent coating on the hour and minute hands, large indices and second hand make it easier to tell the time day or night. Price: 2,600 CHF

“The movement is our raison d’être”

Omega

Interview with Stephen Urquhart, president of Omega, to discuss how 2013 was for the brand and the main areas for growth in years to come.

As is customary every New Year, you’re going to have to answer the traditional question about the past year for Omega. So let’s briefly discuss 2013: was it a good, average or bad year for the brand?
As usual, you must be able to guess that I’m not going to go into detailed figures…OK, you and I both know the Swatch Group achieved very good results in 2013. That means our brand also had a very good year. The strength of this group and its various brands lies in its extremely sound structure. It enables us to progress despite the variables caused by the poor exchange rate on the Swiss franc or the temporary slowdown in some parts of the world.

Since you’ve brought the subject up, let’s talk about China. The new Eldorado for Swiss watchmaking isn’t doing so well nowadays. Are you suffering the consequences?
Like all the other brands, we have suffered the consequences of the economic slowdown in China. I’m talking about a slowdown, not a crisis. We need to be objective. Overall, the Chinese economy is not in crisis but rather in the process of standardising, maturing. It’s also clear that the government’s anti-corruption measures have made people more careful before buying an ostentatious item like a watch. But I don’t believe this is a long-term problem. On this issue, work is also being done to standardise practices. What I think is important is that mathematically the middle class continues to grow in China. For a brand like ours, it’s very positive. It means that more and more people will have access to our products. Basically, there is still enormous potential for growth in China.

Which markets are you focusing on elsewhere in the world?
You’re right, Omega isn’t focused solely on China. That would be a strategic mistake. There is fantastic opportunity for growth in countries such as Russia, India and Brazil to name but a few. Yes, they’re difficult markets due mainly to very high import tax. But there are ways to handle this sort of restriction e.g. by selling our products in our own shops. Of course that means we have to create a network. We’re going to rise to this challenge. For example, we already have four shops in Brazil and we plan to open a few more in the months and years to come. With the 2014 Football World Cup and Olympics in two years, Brazil is going to be the focal point of international sports news. We hope to benefit from it.

If I’ve understood rightly, Omega’s strategy is to open shops in its own name?
Yes. We now have around 3,000 retail outlets in the world including 300 flagship shops. All of these retail outlets are obviously important to us and we couldn’t do without our sales partners. But for a brand like ours, the decision made about 15 years ago to open our own shops has proved vital. Consumerism has changed, particularly in the luxury sector. In terms of watchmaking, people no longer want to buy just a watch; they want to buy into the brand. Shops are therefore a major asset as they alone have the ability to sell all the models in our catalogue. Also, nothing can replace the direct relationship between the brand and its clients. The client feels secure. When they walk into our shop, they walk into the brand’s universe. They feel privileged. In the US for example, we’ve noticed that people are very receptive to this way of working, even more so when we tell them that an Omega watch was taken into space by astronauts on the Apollo mission. As for the brand, we get immediate client feedback. We’ve learnt a lot from it.

What do you think are the other major recent decisions that have made Omega the success it is today?
Undoubtedly the decision to invest in co-axial escapement. As you know, we owe it to Nicolas Hayek’s stroke of genius. Why do I think it’s so important? To really understand, you need to question what it means to the brand’s heritage. At its roots, Omega is a movement factory. Over time all these calibres ended up forming an extraordinary family, respected and recognised for its reliability and chronometric properties. It hasn’t stopped evolving, modernising and improving. The introduction of the co-axial is part of the evolution. It’s in our DNA. It embodies the embedded technological added value in each and every one of our watches as does the use of new materials such as silicon and non-magnetic metals.

Isn’t the strength of Omega also that of the entire Swatch Group?
You can say that again! The developments I’ve just discussed wouldn’t have been possible without the research carried out by the group’s various entities. It’s one of the Swatch Group’s greatest strengths. This toolbox is quite simply extraordinary.

Let’s finish by talking about this year’s star products. What are you going to pull out of the hat in 2014?
We’re always full of surprises at Omega! This new year, in the ladies’ watches it’s all about the Pluma range in the Constellation collection. As for men’s watches, we’re paying tribute to the Speedmaster. We’re going to put a new spin on the Mark model that came out at the end of the 60s. It was unfortunate timing as it came out during the burgeoning Quartz Crisis so we decided to let it relive its youth with an automatic co-axial calibre 3330, a column wheel and silicon spiral.

Venturer Small Seconds

H.Moser & Cie

Following the family-run MELB Holding’s takeover of the company in October 2012 and the appointment of Edouard Meylan as CEO in April 2013, H. Moser & Cie is starting over with a clean slate. The young CEO has designed three new collections in tribute to the three stages of the company founder Heinrich Moser’s life: Endeavour, Venturer and Pioneer. The first two were unveiled in Basel this year whilst the third is to be launched in 2016. Inspired by the Mayu collection, the new Venturer Small Seconds features H. Moser & Cie’s signature classic fumé dial. This iconic watch with curves in all the right places (gold circular case, domed crystal, convex dial and hands) is fitted with an in-house HMC 327 movement. It also has a hacking second function, a silicon pallet and escape wheel and the in-house Straumann Hairspring®. Price: 17,500 CHF.

The return of the tourbillon

Baume&Mercier

Prima facie, we may wonder what on earth a tourbillon is doing in the collections of a brand that is positioned in the “affordable luxury” segment. It doesn’t really fit in with the philosophy of any of the families of products. But is it illegitimate as such? Of course not. Baume&Mercier, one of the oldest Swiss watchmaking firms, needs no lessons from anyone on the subject. Besides, it was the creator of a famous tourbillon which won the precision contest organized by the Kew Observatory of London back in 1892. A watch (pocket) that was so well-tuned that it was never dethroned over the ten years that would ensue. Days of glory for the company that was established in Les Bois, in the middle of the Franches-Montagnes at that time. So we now understand why the watch presented this year at the SIHH – the Clifton 1982 Tourbillon, bears its name.
Today, Baume&Mercier no longer make their own movements. For its flying tourbillon, it worked hand-in-hand with ValFleurier, a Neuchâtel manufacturing firm which, like itself, is part of the Richemont Group. In this case, the calibre is a hand-wound one, set at 4 Hz (28,000 vibrations per hour), with a power reserve of 50 hours. It is housed in a red gold case that is relatively large as its diameter spans 45.5 mm. Yet having said this, its highly-classical, intensely refined style means that the object is not at all over-the-top. Quite the opposite actually… it echoes the timeless elegance that the brand has held so dear from the very beginning. This timepiece’s touch of originality comes from the position of the tourbillon carriage, set at 9 o’clock. A position that is relatively rare. The area located at 6 o’clock has been reserved for the small seconds counter.
This delightful work emulates the work performed on the three chronographs that are also part of the Clifton family, which is, apparently, Baume&Mercier’s flagship collection. “It’s successful throughout the world,” states Alain Zimmermann, the brand’s CEO. “And this is why we continue to develop it and to enhance it”. So, no surprise factor as regards these three timepieces equipped with the ETA-produced, wear-resistant Valjoux 7750 calibre, housed in a 433 mm diameter steel case. The counters are laid out in the time-honoured way, at 12 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock and the day and date aperture, quite logically, fills the only space left on the dial, at 3 o’clock. Ah, but here there’s something new… Baume&Mercier’s designers quested after absolute pureness of shape and understated elegance in the display of the various indicators. On one of the models, the hands are blued, on the two others, they are rhodium-plated gold. Perfect for ladies and gents who prefer classicism.

Heritage Ranger

Tudor

Sometimes the watch world takes you back in time to when you were a child pouring over Jack London novels and picturing yourself on a sled being pulled along by enormous dogs like in The Call of the Wild. And now you’re all grown up with a racy, vintage and fantastically chic watch on your wrist: Tudor Heritage Ranger. The watch is a new twist on the 1967 model with a matt black domed dial and Arabic numerals coated in a luminescent substance for an antique look. The phosphorescent hands share the same pear shape as the original model. Its 41mm steel case houses an automatic movement to control the hands (hour, minute and second) and a 38 hour power reserve. Let your sense of adventure run wild with the different straps: caramel leather with rivets, camouflage fabric, tobacco leather or steel. Prices 2’700 CHF (steel on leather) – 2’800 CHF (steel on steel)

Villeret Tourbillon Volant Une Minute 12 Jours

BlancPain

This watch is the epitome of the Vallée de Joux’s simplicity. The Brassus brand has housed a new self-winding 242 calibre with an exceptional 12-day power reserve in a double stepped case, typical of the ancestral watchmaking area. The ultra-thin movement (6.10mm) with an oscillating weight and integrated power reserve indicator – both visible from the back – has a silicon spring and pallet fork horns. The flying tourbillon at 12 o’ clock seems to leap from its display like lace fluttering on a striking white Grand Feu enamel dial. The finesse in the finer details (e.g. hand-guilloché bridges) and the movement’s complexity (e.g. 243 components) make it a classic in the Swiss watchmaking world. It is available in 18 carat red gold for 119,000 CHF or a numbered platinum limited edition for 139,000 CHF.

ZENITH – El Primero Lightweight

Zenith

Whether it be on the water or in the factory, the idea is the same: shed excess weight and replace heavy materials with ultra-light ones. That’s exactly what the crew on the maxi trimaran Spindrift 2, with Dona Bertarelli at the helm, is doing: designed to be manoeuvred by 12 crew members, the ship is setting off on a solo voyage on the Route du Rhum this year. Their partner on the adventure Zenith, has decided to do the same: the new El Primero Lightweight is the epitome of high-tech weightlessness. The case is made of carbon and ceramised aluminium; the mainplate, bridges, buttons and crown are in titanium; the escape wheel and pallet fork are made of silicon. The rest of the watch has shed excess weight: it has an openwork dial, skeletonised El Primero 400B calibre and lighter date display. Weight loss: 25%. Limited edition of 250 models. Price: 17,500 CHF.

Conquest Heritage 1954-2014

Longines

When I first saw this piece at Baselworld, its vintage dial both surprised and appealed to me. It’s not like when designers take inspiration from an antique watch and put a modern twist on it; it’s a real vintage timepiece. The Conquest Heritage 1954-2014 celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Longines Conquest trademark. It comes in three numbered limited editions: steel (600 watches), rose gold and yellow gold (60 of each). It exudes originality from its domed sunburst silver or gilded dial punctuated by applied indices and two dauphine hands coated in Super Luminova. The 35mm case houses a self-winding mechanical movement which brings the hour, minute and second hands to life and provides a 38 hour power reserve. In a nod to the past, the crystal protecting the dial is made of hesalite. Prices: 1’500 CHF (steel) – 4’800 CHF (gold)