Monthly Archives: April 2015

Oyster Perpetual

When founder Hans Wilsdorf invented the name Rolex in 1908, nobody could have imagined that it would become the official synonym (or almost) of the word “watch” in years to come. One of the brand’s timepieces has been renowned for its water resistance (100m), sturdiness and reliability since 1926. The Oyster model became famous when British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze (1900-1981) wore it to cross the Channel. The Oyster Perpetual’s steel case grew in diameter to 39mm in 2015. It houses the COSC-certified self-winding 3132 calibre which provides a 48-hour power reserve and brings to life the hour, minute and second functions. The time is displayed on the sunburst taupe grey rhodium dial as applied indices (three have a luminescent coating) and central hands. Sky blue hour markers add a burst of energy to the metallic model. Price: 5400 CHF

BREGUET Officially Inaugurates its Chengdu Boutique (China)

On Wednesday, April 22, 2015, Breguet celebrated the official inauguration of its Chengdu boutique, open to the public since February. For the occasion, the Manufacture brought some of its most emblematic Tourbillon timepieces to China, including the famous Classique Tourbillon Messidor and Classique Tourbillon Extra-thin Automatic. Stepping back in time through the history of this major invention was perfect subtext to this event, which aimed to offer guests an insight into Breguet’s remarkable legacy of craftsmanship.

RICHARD MILLE PRINCIPAL PARTNER OF LES VOILES DE SAINT BARTH 2015

The sixth edition the Caribbean’s finest sailing race, Les Voiles de Saint Barth 2015, will get underway on April 14, 2015 at 11 a.m.

Over 1,000 yachtsmen and women of 20 different nationalities—including some of the biggest names in sailing such as Loïc Peyron and Terry Hutchinson—will compete during a week of racing in an electric atmosphere! The regattas around the island of St. Barts are a dream opportunity to see the world’s most prestigious yachts battle it out on routes that are as beautiful as they are challenging.

A principal partner since the event was established, Richard Mille is delighted to be associated once again with this exceptional competition coordinated by its founders François Tolède, Organisation Director, and Luc Poupon, Race Director.
The watchmaking brand from the Swiss Jura will unveil a special series of RM 60-01 Regatta Flyback Chronographs bedecked in competition colors for the 2015 Voiles de Saint Barth. The principles and values of yachting are a perfect reflection of Richard Mille’s philosophy, which is based on a combination of extreme performance, cutting-edge technology, a clear artistic vision and respect for watchmaking tradition.
The timepiece is driven by the RM 60-01, an automatic flyback chronograph caliber in grade 5 titanium, which facilitates navigation thanks to its unique three-dimensional rotating bezel featuring a wind rose and a graduated 360° 24-hour disk.
Its operating principle relies on two key pieces of data: the local time and the position of the sun in the sky. By simply pointing one hand at the sun and at the local time on the bezel, the latter will indicate the compass points in both the northern and southern hemispheres without the need for any prior calculation. Specifically designed for competitive sailing, the RM 60-01 Voiles de Saint Barth features UTC functions and a countdown timer as well as a patented locking crown, all of which illustrate the extreme level of development attained by Richard Mille in this timepiece intended for skippers.

The RM 60-01 Voiles de Saint Barth will be produced in a limited edition of just 100 timepieces, available exclusively in North and South America. The first watch will be unveiled during the competition.

More information at www.richardmille.com and www.lesvoilesdesaintbarth.com.

RICHARD MILLE – RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur

Magnolias herald spring’s arrival with their plump fleshy petals and now they’re planting their roots into the leafy green dial of this timekeeping marvel. Its hand-painted pink and white petals at 7 o’ clock unfurl every 5 minutes (or by pressing the pusher at 9 o’ clock on the case side). The flower unveils a flying tourbillon studded with sparkling stamens before its 5 petals close to become a pink bud. The dazzling diamond time display between 12 and 3 o’ clock on a black background bears diamond markers as two white-tipped silver hands track the hours and minutes. The flying tourbillon, 36-hour power reserve and time functions are brought to life by a manual wind mechanical movement housed in Richard Mille’s signature three-parth barrel-shaped case. Price: 824,500 CHF (exc. VAT)

ZENITH Tour Auto 2015

On Monday April 20th, Zenith was on hand for show day at the Grand Palais in Paris. To mark the occasion, Zenith organised a press conference in its pop-up store. Aldo Magada, President and CEO of Zenith, as well as brand ambassador Felix Baumgartner, took this opportunity to present the new El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tour Auto Edition.

Senator Cosmopolite

With the dawn of aviation and the popularisation of air travel, the world has become easier to explore and man has become more cosmopolitan as he juggles countries and time zones. The Senator model has also gone “Cosmopolite” in rose or white gold. The balanced silver-grained dial is easy to read and displays local time in the centre (small seconds at 6 o’ clock) beneath blue steel pear-shaped hands. It features 37 available time zones identified by the IATA codes which appear in a display at 8 o’ clock. Home time is displayed at 12 o’ clock alongside the day/night (in the form of a tip) and power reserve (up to 72 hours) indicators. A second day/night indicator for local time (with a hand) lies at 9 o’ clock whilst the date appears in a double display at 4 o’ clock. The time functions are brought to life by the self-winding 89-02 calibre housed in the 44mm case. Price: 36,500 € (rose gold) – 38,000 € (white gold)

CHRISTOPHE CLARET – Allegro

What a journey! Christophe Claret graduated from the Geneva Watchmaking School, trained under Roger Dubuis and founded the brand that bears his name in Le Locle in 1989. He started out working for major brands and ended up unveiling the DualTow in 2009 which we still remember today. This watch symbolised the dawn of the Christophe Claret brand. Next came the X-TREM 1, Blackjack, Adagio, Soprano and Margot. The watchmaker has added a new piece to his Traditional Complications collection: the Allegro. This minute repeater has cathedral gongs, so-called because they coil twice around the movement rimming the case. The gongs are made of drawn steel and fitted with a patented mechanism that prevents vibration and interference to produce a unique sound. The manual wind movement also brings to life the date, GMT and day/night indicator functions. It comes in rose gold or grey with titanium. Limited edition (20 of each model available). Price: 268’000 CHF (excl. VAT)

Diamond Flower Amytis

The flower gleams with white mother-of-pearl and diamonds as its petals perform a romantic springtime dance. The floral performance gives glimpses of Perrelet’s spellbinding iridescent dial. The openwork bloom unveils a grey and white mother-of-pearl design wrapped around a finely notched chapter ring bearing classic or stylised Roman numerals. Two silver-tone hour and minute leaf-shape hands glide above the dial alongside a slim seconds hand on the counterweight reminiscent of the plant world. One side of Perrelet’s signature double rotor is visible on the dial to quickly wind up the self-winding movement in the diamond and steel 36.5mm case. This P-181-H calibre brings to life the hour, minute and second functions and a 42-hour power reserve. Price: 9,950 CHF (exc. VAT)

PATEK PHILIPPE – Chronographe à Quantième Annuel 5905P

Patek Philippe’s first chronograph wristwatch launched in 1923. Even back then it had a split-second mechanism. 17 years later, in 1940, the Geneva brand designed a chronograph with world time, pulse and respiration scales. A year later, the famous 1518 chronograph with perpetual calendar was launched. Adding complications to a chronograph is clearly one of the brand’s specialities so it’s no surprise that they’ve now added an annual calendar! This function was invented in the 1980s and only became popular in 1996 when Patek Philippe produced a simplified version of it. Halfway between the time-consuming simple calendar (which has to be reset five times a year) and the pricey perpetual calendar (which has to be reset in 2100), the annual calendar is among the brand’s bestsellers alongside the chronograph. The 42mm titanium timepiece is available with a navy or black dial. Price: 69’000 CHF

JAQUET DROZ – The Butterfly Journey

It may be a little insect whose wings are adorned with colourful patterns but the butterfly is a symbol in itself. Romantic notions of freedom and fleeting life exude from its grace and fragility as it lives for just a few hours or several weeks. In a metaphor of the body and mind’s resurrection, the butterfly goes on an 8-stage journey on the dial of the Petite Heure Minute, 8 being Jaquet Droz’s magic number. A bed of pale pink peonies or feijoa flowers (pineapple guava) burst from the garden on the 8 ivory Grand Feu enamel dials. A 3D butterfly with a sculpted body and wings enamelled in navy, turquoise or indigo flutters above the flower bed from left to right on the dials. The hours and minutes and gold or silver-plated hands are displayed off-centre at 12 o’ clock and brought to life by the JD2653 calibre. The self-winding movement is housed in a 43mm rose or white gold case paved with 264 brilliant-cut diamonds. Price: 57,000 CHF (rose gold) – 61,000 CHF (diamond white gold)