Monthly Archives: November 2014

Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Ceramica

Designed in 1949 and finalised in 1950, the Luminor collection still has the same instantly recognisable design features 65 years on: the cushion-shaped case has an oversized crown guard and “sandwich” dial with large Arabic numerals. This 44mm black sandblasted ceramic model houses a self-winding P.9100 chronograph calibre which brings to life the time, chronograph and date functions. The hours, minutes and seconds on the black dial are pointed out by two luminescent hands in the centre which glide over the numbers, indices, small seconds at 9 o’ clock and date display at 3. A blue hand points to the chronograph seconds whilst a rhodium-plated one shows the minutes. Two pushers at 8 and 10 o’ clock on the case side enable you to start, flyback, stop and restart the chronograph seconds. Price upon request

Admiral’s Cup AC-One 45 Squelette

There are designs which transcend time and transform an item into an icon. The Admiral’s Cup is one of them. After 45 years in existence, its instantly recognisable dodecagonal bezel is still capturing the imagination. The timepiece has become a work of art as it displays its openwork, chiselled and sculpted heart. The grey chapter ring features applied hour indices with a white luminescent coating dotted with nautical pennants in amongst a transferred minute track. Two phosphorescent skeleton hands and a slim baton seconds hand point to the hours, minutes and seconds. The date display is a web of figures and the date reads vertically in the window at 6 o’ clock. The grade 5 titanium 45mm case has no dial, is completely openwork and houses a self-winding movement which brings to life the functions and 42-hour power reserve. Price: 11,200 CHF

Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo World Final

Milos Pavlovic and Edoardo Piscopo named PRO Class Champions of Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo World Final in Sepang, Kevin Conway –Lawson Aschenbach claim PRO-AM Class, Jack Rattenbury unrivaled in AM Class.
This was a weekend to remember for the team from Bonaldi Motorsport made up of Edoardo Piscopo and Milos Pavlovic, who claimed the PRO Class World Final title after having seized the PRO Class European Crown on Friday.

The Italian-Serbian duo managed to win Race 1 in the morning and took P2 in the afternoon’s race behind their teammate Mirko Bortolotti, the latter making the most impressive comeback of the day, fighting his way up from P13 to P1. American Richard Antinucci (O’Gara Motorsport) was only five points behind the winners, appearing twice on the podium scoring P2 in Race 1 and P3 to finish. Third place in Race 1 was taken by the Italian pole position setter Alberto Viberti (Autocarrozzeria Imperiale).

With one win each for Kevin Conway-Lawson Aschenbach and Gerhard Tweraser and Tomas Pivoda, the PRO Class World Title was awarded to the American duo (Change Racing). The GRT Grasser Racing team pair failed to finish Race 2 and had to settle for P2 overall. With them on podium in Race 1 were Mikail Grachev (Automobili Lamborghini Racing Team Germany) and Alberto di Folco (Autocarrozzeria Imperiale), and in Race 2 Mikko Eskelinen-Dimitri Enjalabert (Automonbili Lamborghini Racing Team Luxemburg) and Danial Hiqmar-Fairuz-Fauzy (GRT Grasser Racing Team).

There wasn’t a single rival that could overcome Welshman Jack Rattenbury in the AM Class. The Lamborghini Racing Team UK top driver stormed his rivals winning both races and dueling head-to-head with more expert drivers. Second place overall went to the Italian Simone Pellegrinelli (DTMotorsport) who took the AM Class European Title on Friday.

In the official Awards cerimony the President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini Stephan Winkelmann awarded to the three Class winners of the World Final the Trofeo Mamè. All winners also received from the main partner Blancpain a self-winding L-EVOLUTION Chronographe Flyback “Super Trofeo”, Caliber F185.

All the attention will now be on the upcoming season when the new Lamborghini Huracán LP 620-2 will debut, sharing the grid with the Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo.

JAQUET DROZ REVAMPS ITS BOUTIQUE IN SHANGHAI XIN TIAN DI

The Age of Enlightenment in Europe was the era of great philosophers and unprecedented technological innovations, for which Pierre Jaquet-Droz represents one of the leading figures. It is also the era in which the Western world discovered China. The founder of the brand known by its twin stars, as famous for its watches as for its objets d’art and its spectacular humanoid automata, established its position as a nexus between these two worlds. It was the first Western watchmaker to penetrate beyond the walls of the Forbidden City, and went so far as to win the favor of the Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) himself with its timepieces, snuffboxes and extraordinary singing birds. Some of these pieces are still preciously conserved today within the walls of the former Imperial Palace, as a testimony to the long-standing ties between the Middle Kingdom and Jaquet Droz over the centuries since 1779.

In 2013, Jaquet Droz unveiled its first boutique in continental China. Marc A. Hayek, President of Jaquet Droz and a director of the Swatch Group, inaugurated the new boutique in the XinTianDi quarter in the heart of Shanghai. The premises iterated all the codes of the brand: sleek architectural design, authentic luxury, unparalleled experience of a common history going back well over two centuries. Today, Jaquet Droz is taking another step forward with the reinvention of this exceptional site. Perfectly true to its history, the brand has maintained all its codes of exclusivity, while doubling the floor space of this horological showcase located in the most creative and most authentic quarters of the Chinese metropolis. Now, the Jaquet Droz boutique is able to present the brand’s most beautiful pieces under the best conditions: the Bird Repeater Day and Night, a veritable contemporary masterpiece, is displayed alongside the timepieces designed by the artisans of the Jaquet Droz Ateliers d’Art to celebrate the Year of the Goat. The new private showrooms offer not only the opportunity to discover these pieces in an intimate setting, but also to appreciate the new Jaquet Droz creations… And to continue to strengthen the centuries-old ties that have always cherished a fascination with the past, delight in the present and a common enthusiasm for the future.

ZENITH AND FELIX BAUMGARTNER GREET THE SUMMITS OF DUBAI

The city that boasts the highest point in the sky: Dubai. This was the venue chosen for VIP guests and the media to meet in celebration of Zenith and Felix Baumgartner. A city that can match the heights of excellence to which the Zenith brand and the fastest man in the world aspire.

Metropolis and desert. The event organised by Zenith on 12th November in Dubai provided the perfect opportunity for immersion in some very varied environments. Around 150 Media and VIP guests from the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait were firstly invited to discover the Zenith boutique in the Dubai Mall before enjoying a safari in the desert. Accompanied by Zenith’s regional brand director, Georges Bechara, legendary supersonic skydiver Felix Baumgartner also joined in the adventure.

“I am very fond of the vibrant city of Dubai”, the Austrian confided, and thank Zenith for inviting me to take part in this adventure. This type of event really cements our friendship after all the intense emotions we have already experienced together.”

This sentiment was shared by Juliette North, Director of Marketing and Communication at Zenith: ‘It is a great honour for us to host the man who rocked the world with his fearlessness and determination. Felix is an inspiration to everyone.”

Record breaking at the edge of space
Revisiting a feat of fearlessness. Millions of people were riveted to their screens on Sunday 14th October 2012. Across the world, they were about to watch one of the greatest feats ever attempted, live as it happened. For the first time in history, a man was about to break the sound barrier in a free fall. Felix Baumgartner launched himself from a space capsule suspended from a helium-filled balloon at an altitude of around 39,000 metres – almost four times higher than airliners fly – and at a temperature of -62°C.

As he leapt into the stratosphere, Felix Baumgartner reached a record speed of 1357.6 km/h (Mach 1.25), before being slowed by the earth’s atmosphere during his free fall, which lasted 4 minutes and 20 seconds. He then opened his parachute to land, safe and sound, in the desert of New Mexico. Overall, the jump lasted 9 minutes and 18 seconds, plenty of time to set three world records: the first free fall in history to break the speed of sound, the highest manned balloon flight and the highest free fall. And on his wrist, he wore a Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th chronograph. The watch that broke the speed of sound with him.

Academy Georges Favre-Jacot

In 1865 the young Georges Favre-Jacot decided to bring all the watch-related craft departments together under one and the same roof in Le Locle. The watch factory (“manufacture” in Swiss) which he founded is in a building made up of large light-filled workshops. In tribute to its founder and the brand’s 150 year history, Zenith has designed a luxury watch whose looks are as spectacular as its mechanics. The timepiece is equipped with a manual wind El Primero 4810 movement with a fusée-and-chaîne transmission linked to the cylinder. It took two years to develop this system. The calibre provides a 50-hour power reserve (displayed at 4.30 on the dial) and brings to life the hours and minutes in the centre and small seconds counter (7.30). The indices scattered around the grained silver-tone dial are gold-plated whilst the hands are in blue steel all in a 45mm rose gold case. Price: 75,000 CHF

Big Bang Unico Magic Gold

Exactly 3 years ago at the end of autumn 2011, the Hublot brand caused quite a stir in the watch industry when it unveiled a “new” gold: Magic Gold. Produced in-house, the material has a slightly brown tone, is harder and more scratch-resistant. It adorns the large bezel dotted with 6 black PVD-coated titanium screws on a 45mm black ceramic case. Its honey hue matches the colour of the Super-LumiNova® indices, the openwork hour and minute hands (centre), the rim of the small seconds (at 9 o’ clock) and chronograph minute totaliser (at 3 o’ clock). The red minute track on the chapter ring around the black skeleton dial echoes the tip of the chronograph hand and the minute counter graduation. The latter surrounds the discreet grey date display. The self-winding HUB 1242 chronograph calibre brings the timepiece to life. Price upon request

Rendez-Vous Ivy Minute Repeater

Ivy has crept onto the most feminine watch in the Jaeger-LeCoultre collections. The green climbing plant symbolises the strength of friendship and eternal loyalty in a piece that is both marvellous and melodic. The timepiece is fitted with a self-winding 942A calibre which brings to life the floral silver hour and minute hands bursting from the centre of the dial and the minute repeater function which is activated using the pusher at 10 o’ clock on the case. The 39mm white gold case is paved with 548 brilliant-cut diamonds (a total of 2.3 carats). The diamonds cover the bezel, crown, sides and pusher which actions the minute repeater’s 2 trebuchet hammers. The creeper’s leaves gleam and furl around 4 rounded Arabic numerals on the sunburst guilloché dial coated in blue-grey enamel. Price : 202’000 € excl. VAT

Petite Heure Minute Béjart Ballet Lausanne

The La Chaux-de-Fonds-based company is a patron of the Béjart Ballet in Lausanne and has enhanced its role by taking inspiration from two pieces by the artist Stéphanie Barba. The result of the company’s encounter with the French choreographer in the 1980s was a portfolio of twenty sketches inspired by dance. The main influence, the Stravinsky ballet The Rite of Spring, has brought to life “The Chief” and “The Vulture”. These miniature artworks adorn the ivory enamel dials on both versions of the self-winding Petite Heure Minute. One has a 43mm rose gold case and the other has a 39mm white gold case paved with 248 diamonds. The autumnal piece “The Chief”, accompanied by the artist’s signature, leaps victorious from the bottom of the dial whilst the hours and minutes lie off-centre at 12 o’ clock. This diamond model’s dial has the same layout and showcases “The Vulture”, a blue-tone dancer in motion. Price: 32,700 CHF (rose gold) – 39,500 (diamond-set white gold)

HAUTLENCE – Avant-Garde HLRQ 04 HLRQ 05

This avant-garde brand and its exciting designs haven’t stopped surprising us since its foundation in 2004. The pieces are so innovative that they verge on the anti-conformist yet they respect the watchmaking tradition. The Avant-Garde collection first launched in 2012 and is launching two new pieces to end the year: two new fabulous versions of the HLRQ. The sapphire crystal dial a canvas for creativity in itself as it blends transparent and opaque features for an almost 3D effect. It provides a clear and dizzying view of the manual wind mechanical movement which brings to life the jumping hours (on a disc at 9 o’ clock), retrograde minutes (minute track between 1 and 5 o’ clock) and date (metal-rimmed display at 6 o’ clock). The movement nestles in the heart of a 44mm black DLC-coated titanium case whose blue or orange steel lugs match the colour of the luminescent hour and minute indices. Price: 33,500 CHF (pin buckle) – 35,000 CHF (folding clasp)
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