Monthly Archives: December 2014

HM Panda

Arnold&Son

The giant panda is native to China where it embodies friendship, peace and the perfect balance between strength and calm. The gentle giant wrapped in black and white fur is also hugely popular in the West. The quiet strength and determination of this endangered creature radiates from the dial of the limited edition HM Panda (28 available). A heartfelt story is told on the black lacquer dial: a hand-painted white gold appliqué adult panda and cub eat shoots and sit peacefully on rocky ground by a bamboo tree. Two hands burst from the centre of the dial to track the hours and minutes around the diamond bezel. The manual wind A&S1001 calibre brings the time functions and 90-hour power reserve to life from the heart of the 40mm rose or white gold case. Price: from 31,320 CHF

Royal Oak Concept

Audemars Piguet

It took 8 years of hard work alongside a team of sound engineers and specialists at the Brassus factory to develop and fine tune a watch with a minute repeater of exceptional sound quality. The sound, volume, transmission and tone were all meticulously dissected and analysed then redesigned and put into the heart of the Royal Oak Concept. The watch has a 44mm titanium case topped by the famous titanium screwdown octagonal bezel. The in-house manual wind calibre brings to life the time and chronograph functions. The partly openwork black dial bears the minute track on the chapter ring and the tourbillon at 6 o’ clock beneath two openwork luminescent hour and minute hands. An orange central seconds hand tracks the seconds whilst the 30 minute counter lies at 3 o’ clock. Price upon request

PIAGET – Altiplano Chronographe

Piaget

If grace came in the form of a watch, she would be called Altiplano. The clean lines and finesse epitomise Piaget’s expertise. The brand has broken two world records with this piece: the slimmest manual wind chronograph movement (4.65mm thick) and the slimmest case (8.24mm thick). The 683P calibre in the heart of the 41mm rose gold case brings to life the 50-hour power reserve, time functions (hours and minutes in the centre, small seconds at 6), chronograph (minute counter at 3, central seconds with flyback) and second time zone (counter at 9). These stylised and elongated black features lie on the silver-tone sunburst dial surrounded by a svelte bezel: slim baton hands, alternating long single and double indices, subtle minute track and counters all on a single dial. A design that is quite simply perfect. Price upon request

Petite Heure Minute relief Chèvres

Jaquet Droz

The La Chaux-de-Fonds brand has a unique tradition dating back to its relationship with China in the 18th century: it celebrates Chinese New Year with an artistic piece bearing a creature from astrology. The 41mm diamond-paved white or rose gold case overflows with symbols and is adorned by 3 sculpted goats perched on a mountain ridge on a plum blossom background as “the winter flower and spring prophet.” The showcase of creativity and sensitivity shown by the goat and number 3 is beautifully underlined by an blue and white or black and burgundy champlevé enamel bed whilst a mother-of-pearl or black onyx disc at 12 o’ clock on the dial displays the hours and minutes. The blue steel or rose gold hands are brought to life by the self-winding JD2653 calibre which provides a 68-hour power reserve. Price: 70,200 CHF (rose gold) – 79,950 CHF (white gold)

Terrascope Chronograph Arsenal Carbon Limited Edition

Jeanrichard

JeanRichard has been Arsenal football club’s official partner for years and has renewed its vows with Arsène Wenger’s team with its 3rd tribute: a limited edition timepiece (50 available) and a large wall clock. The 44m black carbon fibre case has a large bezel engraved with a tachymeter. The self-winding JR66 calibre brings to life the time, chronograph and date functions. The black dial has applied indices, two large hands and three satin-finish counters (small seconds at 3, minute chronograph at 9 and hour counter at 6) all in the same eye-catching scarlet as the players’ shirts. The date display lies at 4.30. The Gunners’ iconic cannon has been on the club’s crest since 1888 and replaces the small seconds hand on the watch. Price: 11,350 CHF

TISSOT opens its first boutique in the UK on Oxford Street, London

Tissot

Swiss Watchmaker Tissot opened its first ever UK boutique this weekend on London’s Oxford Street. The flagship boutique is located on one of the most famous shopping streets in Europe conveniently located next door to Bond Street Underground Station. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy the full men’s and ladies’ Tissot collections, including the newly introduced Tissot T-Touch Expert Solar, the world’s first solar multi-function tactile watch.

President of Tissot François Thiébaud said, “Oxford Street is one of the world’s most famous shopping destinations. It offers an unrivalled experience with a rich selection of premium brands. Today, we are very proud to be among them, with the new Tissot boutique, London’s first. We look forward to offering Londoners and visitors alike, a large range of our Swiss quality products at affordable prices.”

The boutique features a historical timeline presenting the brand’s most iconic pieces since its creation in 1853. It will also incorporate the latest Tissot design concept including the famous Tissot “Safe”, a key part of the brand’s retail identity.

The store, located at 373 Oxford Street, offers guests an informative and enjoyable experience with a broad watch selection from Tissot’s many collections including Touch Collection, T-Sport, T-Trend, T-Classic, Heritage, T-Gold, T-Pocket and Special Collection.(More information on Tissot watches can be found at www.tissotshop.com).

It’s the Swissness at the very heart of Tissot that makes the brand such a distinguished one. The + in the Tissot logo is the same as the Swiss flag, symbolising the quality and the reliability that watchmakers have proudly demonstrated since 1853. The innovative brand remains in its home in Le Locle in the Swiss Jura Mountains, keeping its Swiss identity at its core. Tissot watches are authentic and accessible, using special materials, advanced functionality and meticulous design detail to create pieces that are both precise and stylish. The high calibre of the brand has been repeatedly recognised, as in its illustrious history Tissot has been named Official Timekeeper and Partner of MotoGPTM, FIM World Superbike, FIBA, AFL, RBS 6 Nations Rugby and the World Championships of cycling, fencing and ice hockey. Tissot, which sells its timepieces in more then 160 countries round the world, is a member of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch producer and distributor of Swiss watches. As it continues to create pioneering creations, Tissot stands by its signature, “Innovators by Tradition.” www.tissot.ch

Vintage 1945 Large Date and Moon-phases

Girard-Perregaux

Two worlds collide as an Art Deco body meets a starry heart: this timepiece is as unique on the outside as it is on the inside. Transparent and sheer features blend in a magical performance showcasing the self-winding movement which proudly lies in the rectangular case with curved sides, beautifully edgy lugs and elongated fluting. The applied Arabic numerals interspersed with a printed minute track lie beneath two dauphine-shaped hands whose brushed metal stands out on the smoky sapphire dial. The dual date display at 12 o’ clock has two discs: a see-through one with numbers written on the back and a black one. The moon phase indicator inside the small seconds presents two moons partly hidden or revealed by a game of peek-a-boo in a starlit sky. Price: 15,900 CHF (steel) – 33,500 CHF (rose gold)

Conquest 1/100th Alpine Skiing

Longines

Autumn’s burnished leaves are falling as winter’s chill draws near with its promise of pure snow and white mountains soon to be peppered with thousands of skiers. Longines has been the official timekeeper for the sport since 1933 and has designed a piece for born competitors and alpine ski enthusiasts to time to a 1/100th. Brought to life by a quartz movement in the 41mm steel case, the new Conquest has a black dial bearing the time functions (hours and minutes in the centre, small seconds at 6 o’ clock), chronograph features (minute counter at 2, hour counter at 10) and date display (at 4 o’ clock). The hours are interspersed by a minute track with the numbers 12 and 11 in applied indices beneath two large luminescent hands. Two slim hands in the centre point out the chronograph seconds and 1/100th (in red). Price: 1,300 CHF