Monthly Archives: May 2014

TAG HEUER – Carrera Calibre 7 Twin-Time

TAG Heuer’s star model may already be fifty years old but that hasn’t stopped this iconic character from staying bang on trend. The latest version is the Carrera Calibre 7 Twin-Time which, as the name suggests, has a second time zone to help seasoned travellers tell the time easily. In the middle of the minimalist black, grey or white dial are the hour and minute hands with luminescent markers, the slim seconds hand and red-tipped GMT hand. The latter function glides along the 24 hour markers on the chapter ring. The hour indices are topped by phosphorescent markers and the date appears in a display at 3 o’clock on a black or white background depending on the model. The TAG Heuer 7 calibre housed in the 41mm case brings to life the hour/minute/second functions, date and second time zone. Price: 3,050 CHF

Traveller WW.TC

Since the dawn of globalisation and the standardisation of air travel almost a century ago, it’s easier for us to get around and we travel more and more often either for business or pleasure. The Traveller WW.TC designed by Girard-Perregaux is the perfect travel companion for jumping between planes and time zones. There’s a choice between an opaline or black dial featuring the “basic” time functions (hours, minutes and small seconds at 3 o’ clock), chronograph functions (seconds in the middle, 30-minute and 12-hour counters at 9 and 6 o’ clock respectively), calendar (at 1.30) and world times with day/night indicators. The latter appear on a rotating ring which completes its revolution in 24 hours and enables the wearer to view the 24 time zones at a glance. All these features are brought to life by the self-winding GP03300-0084 movement in the 44mm rose gold case. Price: 35,600 CHF

Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph

The Heritage collection by Longines presents a series of timepieces straight from its archives. The range epitomises its watchmaking heritage by bringing retro-chic style together with a modern mechanism. The single push-piece chronograph with column wheel encapsulates the range’s ideology and embodies the design and technical values of a piece dating back to 1913. The 40mm rose gold or steel case houses the self-winding L788 calibre designed by Longines in 2012 to bring the various functions (time, chronograph and date) to life and provide a 54-hour power reserve. On the white dial, the hours appear as 8 large black Arabic numerals (12 is in red) and the minutes lie in a slim scale with two blue hands. The date display appears in a window at 6 o’ clock whilst the small seconds and 30-minute counter stand at 9 and 3 o’ clock respectively. Price: 9,550 CHF (rose gold) – 3,950 CHF (steel)

Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph

The Royal Oak Offshore is a sporty take on an icon which has been turning heads since 1993. This year the Audemars Piguet brand is bringing out 6 versions all 42mm in diameter. The dial’s rather classic and masculine colours (blue, black, grey, ivory and rose gold) match those on the chapter ring, sub-dials and the chronograph’s seconds hand when they’re not tone-on-tone. They all have the same self-winding in-house movement with a 55-hour power reserve housed in a steel or rose gold case. The dial is adorned with a tachymeter scale and “Grande Tapisserie” pattern typical of this watch collection; the small seconds are at 12 o’ clock, counters at 6 and 9 o’ clock plus a date window at 3 o’ clock. The hour and minute hands are in white gold or rose gold with a luminescent coating. Price: 22,860 CHF – 60’900 CHF

Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1948

Ever since it was first designed in 1931, the Reverso by Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a must-have for any watch collector. This timeless cult classic is still a favourite with the public for its expert combination of technique (sturdy movement and highly shock-resistant) and design (art deco inspiration and clean lines). The Le Sentier company has designed an ultra-slim version (7.2mm thickness) for 2014 which is only available in its shops: Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1948. Its slender (46.8×27.4mm) polished steel case houses the Jaeger-LeCoultre 822/2 calibre, a manual-wind movement with a 45-hour power reserve. It brings the hour, minute and small seconds functions to life with two facetted hands, a minute track and slim blue indices on the silvered dial. The small seconds appears in a rectangular sub-dial at 6 o’ clock. Price: 8,200 CHF

HERMÈS – Arceau Lift Chevaux en Camouflage

The world of horse riding isn’t just a profession for Hermès; it has been a real passion since the Paris designer brand was founded in 1837. Horses feature in all the Hermès collections from its famous scarves to its equally famous leather goods. The Arceau Lift Chevaux en Camouflage watch is decorated with the design which appears on the scarf of the same name. Here, the upper half of the dial is adorned by a beautiful piece of cloisonné enamel in blue and brown hues, depending on the model, depicting a group of wild horses. The lower part gives wearers a glimpse of the flying tourbillon whose carriage is adorned by the famous double H which can be seen on the lift at the brand’s flagship store in Paris on the Faubourg Saint Honoré. The H1923 manual-wind mechanical movement which brings to life the time functions is housed in the 43mm rose gold or white gold case, each limited to 24 models. Price: 210,000 CHF (rose gold) and 230,000 (white gold)

BLANCPAIN – Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronograph Flyback

Swiss physicist and balloonist Auguste Piccard came up with the word “bathyscaphe” by contracting two Greek words: bathus (deep) and skaphos (ship). The deep-sea submersibles made in the late 1940s were given this name. It is also the name of the Fifty Fathoms de Blancpain collection whose flyback chronograph was unveiled this year. The watch is completely black from the 43.6mm ceramic case to the domed sunburst dial. Some of the 50s model’s features appear on its face, namely the wide rectangular and luminescent hour and minute hands.  The small seconds and chronograph counters are positioned at 3, 6 and 9 o’ clock. There’s a date display at 4.30. The self-winding movement, the new F385 calibre, brings to life the time indicators and flyback function to reset and restart the chronograph instantly using the pusher at 4 o’ clock. Price: 16’000 CHF

Slimline Moonphase Manufacture

Frédérique Constant has been working on making luxury affordable since 1992 when the brand unveiled their first watch collection. 22 years on and the successful mission is still going strong, namely with the new Slimline Moonphase Manufacture model. The case is available in two colours, silver and navy, and features a moon phase and date display in the lower half at 6 o’ clock. Slim nickel hour and minute hands in the centre glide over twelve applied nickel indices (including a double). All these functions are controlled using the single crown at 3 o’ clock on the side of the steel case and are powered by a self-winding movement made by Frédérique Constant. It has a 42-hour power reserve. The strap with seven rows of steel links adds an extra touch of sophistication to the piece. Price: 3,190 CHF

MONTBLANC – Meisterstück Heritage Pulsograph

Three German entrepreneurs produced a writing legend of the future ninety years ago in 1924: the Meisterstück fountain pen and ink well which went onto make the Montblanc brand a world-famous name. To celebrate this unique anniversary and pay tribute to the iconic fountain pen, the Hamburg company has designed a watch collection which includes the limited edition Meisterstück Heritage Pulsograph (90 watches). The monopusher (at 2 o’ clock) manual-wind chronograph movement is housed in a rose gold 41mm case. The silvered subtle sunburst dial showcases the gilded indices and hour and minute hands, a 30-minute counter at 3 o’ clock and small seconds at 9 o’ clock. The chronograph’s slim blue steel second hand in the middle has a red tip. The rim of the case has a circular pulsometer scale which was used to read a patient’s pulse. Price: 31,600 CHF

Speedmaster “The Dark Side of the Moon”

A black star with an ever-so poetic name, “The Dark Side of the Moon” is above all a timepiece that stands out above all other members of the Speedmaster family. Whilst we all see in our minds the steel “Moonwatch”, particularly the 311.33.44.51.01.001 reference, from which our black star reproduces the lion’s share of the design codes, it surprises with its deep hues and its lightness. From the 44.25 mm case to the dial, from the bezel to the chronograph push-pieces, everything is fashioned in black ceramic, a highly-resistant material. On the dial, the indexes and hands are highlighted with Super Luminova, whilst the large direct-drive seconds hand is set off with a dot of red. The chronograph counters and the date (at 6 o’clock) are also featured here. These functions are all powered by an Omega-designed co-axial escapement automatic movement.
Price: 10’800 CHF