Monthly Archives: August 2015

PIAGET – Altiplano 900P Only Watch 2015

To join the fight against Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) which affects almost 250,000 boys worldwide, Piaget has designed a unique version of its Altiplano especially for Only Watch. This watch will be auctioned off along with forty other timekeeping devices on November 7th. Famous for being the world’s thinnest mechanical watch, the Altiplano model is fitted with a manual wind calibre which you can glimpse on the front and back. The slim figure doesn’t allow for a dial (3.65mm thick) but the black satin-finish surface gleams in the 38mm white gold case. The hours and minutes tick by beneath two red baton-shape hands which glide over a painstakingly graduated silver ring. The hour rim switches between long single and double-thickness black indices off-centre in the top left of the watch. The power reserve lasts up to 48 hours. Unique piece – www.onlywatch.com

HERMÈS – Cape Cod TGM Automatique

Cape Cod is a long and pretty peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a 3382km² strip of land, dunes and beaches swept by the wind and whipped by the sea swell on the East Coast of America. But that’s not all. Cape Cod is also the name of a watch collection by Hermès and this large model (TGM) is part of it. Its 33x33mm steel case (excluding lugs) is inspired by the Parisian brand’s famous Chaîne d’Ancre toggle bracelet. It houses the self-winding H1912 calibre which brings to life the time and date functions alongside a 50-hour power reserve. The off-white dial features an hour rim and black minute track echoing the square shape of the case. Rhodium-plated Arabic numerals break up the straight lines with their curves. Three rhodium-plated hands in the centre track the hours, minutes and seconds whilst the date display lies at 6 o’ clock. Price: 5,200 CHF

Momento Fendi Bugs

Fendi Bag Bugs are little mascots with expressive eyes in a range of bright colours and furs which grip onto handbag straps. These lucky charms with wild eyes glowing in the darkness have scuttled onto the Momento dial. Two yellow triangles lined with a row of 28 diamonds hold your gaze between 3.30 and 8.30. The pupils are two black slits formed by double-tipped hands for the small seconds counter and chronograph minute counter positioned at 3 and 9 o’ clock respectively. Two black baton-shape hands in the centre display the hours and minutes as they track the slim markers and minute track bearing the brand logo. The logo on the hour hand and brand name at the bottom of the dial are the sole flashes of red on this black mass as the 40mm steel case is coated in jet PVD. Price: 1450 CHF – 2000 CHF

RICHARD MILLE – Tourbillon RM-69 Erotique

Eroticism is the art of taking sexual desire to its climax by letting your imagination run wild. Unlike erotic watches from the late 17th century onwards whose steamy, pornographic and sometimes animated scenes frolicked on the dial, Richard Mille tickles physical passion with flair. Framed by a large titanium case (50×42.7×16.15mm), the black PVD-coated dial is divided in two: a tourbillon powered by a manual wind calibre at the bottom and a system creating a message on three rollers on top. The rollers are activated on demand using the pusher at 10 o’ clock to display a random sentence, desire or fantasy. For clearer timekeeping, the two metallic openwork hour and minute hands can be disrobed by pressing the pusher at 8 o’ clock to free up space for the message to glisten in all its erotic glory. Price upon request

ZENITH – Pilot Type 20 Extra Special

Bronze, the copper and tin alloy, is a metal popular in the world of art, especially in sculpture. The wear and rust-resistant metal forms a natural patina over time (or using specific products) which gives each piece a unique look. Bronze is made into a case to join Zenith’s Pilot collection. The solid and impressive 45mm case is 14.25mm thick with a large notched screwdown crown and houses the self-winding Elite 679 movement which brings to life the hour/minute/second functions in the centre and 50-hour power reserve. The hours on the matt black dial are displayed as large Arabic numerals coated in Super-LumiNova® beneath thick gilded luminescent hands. The minutes lie on a white scale dotted with pale orange numbers on the chapter ring. Price: 6,900 CHF. Sharmila Berin
zenith-watches.com

HAUTLENCE – Vortex

Is the vertigo-inducing Vortex a watch or a work of architecture? The rectangular case is made entirely of titanium whilst the transparent flashes created by six 3D sapphire crystals on the case and its translucent dial give the heady impression of controlled, conscious and calculated chaos. But the answer is yes, this is a watch. Fuelled by a twin-barrel self-winding HL2.0 calibre, it has a unique and fascinating way to display the hours and minutes. The half-trailing hours appear in a display on the left; the retrograde minutes scale a semi-circular track chased by a white-tipped luminescent hand. The right side of the dial features the power reserve indicator (up to 40 hours) whose red marker is the only colour to disrupt the otherwise grey, dark yet bright piece. Price: 160,000 CHF
hautlence.com

Grande Heure Minute Quantième

Best known for its fabulous ivory Grand Feu enamel dials and figure 8 shape, the La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker has surprised its admirers with a modern take on its timepieces. The steel case comes in two sizes (39 and 43mm diameter) and houses the self-winding JD1150P calibre which brings to life the 68-hour power reserve and time and date functions. The dial comes in two colours: silky silver or Côtes de Genève striped blue. The spear-shape hour and minute hands have a metallic coating on the blue model or blue steel on the silver version. The single flash of bright colour comes from the red tip on the central seconds hand. The date display at 6 o’ clock has been uniquely designed to look like two shutters opening. The hour rim dotted with rhodium markers is surrounded by a subtle minute track. Price: 9,200 – 9,400 CHF

Max Bill Chronoscope

The German watchmaker and Swiss artist began working together in the early 60s and the collaboration is still alive today despite the passing of Max Bill (1908-1994) over 20 years ago. Trained at the Zürich School of Applied Arts then Bauhaus in Dessau, Max Bill imbued the watches he designed with an understated, functional and timeless style. The silver dial is covered with a domed Plexiglas disc and adorned with an elegant hour rim interspersed between a minute track and curvy Arabic numerals. Two slim luminescent baton-shape hands track the hours and minutes. Both chronograph counters are positioned symmetrically: the minute counter at 12 and the hour counter at 6 with the seconds in the centre. The date display appears at 3. The time, date and chronograph functions are powered by the self-winding J880.2 calibre inside the 40mm steel case. Price: 1,645 CHF

Escale Time Zone

The Parisian brand has been an expert in the art of travel for over 160 years. Louis Vuitton’s famous trunks first appeared in 1854 and were sold in the shop near Place Vendôme. A love of travel and adventure oozes from the brand’s contemporary timepieces including the colourful Escale Time Zone. The dial is divided into several concentric rings and features a black disc with pale stripes with a triangular hour hand and rectangular minute hand. The hands track a monochrome ring bearing the 24-hour scale which can be adjusted using the crown. The dial has been hand-engraved with initials of the cities, strips and patterns of colour reminiscent of the personal inscriptions on the trunks; they depict 24 time zones or divisions as determined by the International Meridian Conference in 1884. Price: 6,650 CHF

TAG HEUER – Carrera Cara Delevingne Special Edition

On July 1st 2015, Cecil the majestic lion and symbol of Zimbabwe was savagely assassinated by an American hunter. His murder moved and shocked countless people including British model and actress Cara Delevingne who auctioned her own watch to raise funds for WildCRU (Wildlife Conservation Research Unit). Retailing at 28,500 CHF and supported by TAG Heuer which has appointed Cara Delevingne as brand ambassador, this Carrera has a black 41mm steel case, bezel paved in 72 diamonds and crown all coated in titanium carbide. The anthracite dial is rimmed by a white graduated chapter ring; two baton-shape hour and minute hands coated in white Super-LumiNova burst from the centre alongside a central seconds hand all plated in rose gold. The hands glide above the applied gold indices whilst the black date display lies discreetly at 3 o’ clock. Price: 3,750 CHF