Monthly Archives: December 2015

HERMÈS – Faubourg Lapis Lazuli, Onyx et Malachite

Hermes

Most so-called ornamental gemstones have beneficial qualities for body and soul. These little healers protect from illness, ease sadness and fear, encourage meditation and bring harmony. Deep blue lapis lazuli (also known as the pharaoh’s stone), midnight black onyx and intense emerald green malachite adorn the dial of the Faubourg, the mini-watch oozing charm designed by Hermès. Time is understated: four small diamonds at the cardinal points act as markers and two baton-shape mini hands in white or rose gold track the hours and minutes. The time functions are brought to life by a Swiss-made quartz movement inside the 15.5mm mini-case. This tiny timepiece, whose bezel can be paved with 44 diamonds, comes in white or rose gold and wraps around the wrist with a link or black Barenia calfskin strap. Price: 8,750 CHF – 15,800 CHF. Sharmila Bertin
hermes.com

CARTIER – Panthères et Colibri Wristwatch

Cartier

Lounging leisurely among the silvery stalks of grass, against a diamond-besprinkled black backdrop, Cartier’s emerald-eyed panther appears pensive. Her white gold body is covered with a 270-diamond-bejewelled coat, set off with lacquered black spots. Just above her shoulders, off-centred at 10:30, two tiny, sword-shaped, gilded steel hands display the hours and minutes discreetly. They are prompted by the 9915 MC calibre housed in a white gold case of around 43 mm diameter set with 314 diamonds. This automatic movement offers over three days’ autonomy, featured on the dial in an incredibly poetical style: by pressing the diamond-set crown, the wearer can contemplate the hummingbird (colibri in French) ascend into the sky whilst a golden panther cub emerges from under its mother. The height at which the bird stops indicates the power reserve. The Panthères et Colibri wristwatch is also proposed with a diamond-paved bracelet. Price upon request. Sharmila Bertin

LONGINES – Conquest 1/100th St Moritz

Longines

Nestled in the Grisons canton, Saint Moritz is one of the oldest ski and winter sports resorts in the world. It set the stage for the first Winter Olympics in Switzerland in 1928 then hosted it again twenty years later. It was also the first resort to have a ski lift in 1935. Its image is associated with the official sports timekeeper Longines which has devoted a watch to the resort: Conquest 1/100th St Moritz. The sturdy 41mm steel case houses a quartz movement which fuels the time, date and 1/100th second chronograph functions. The silver dial features an hour rim with an Arabic 12 numeral and metal baton indices all coated in Super-LumiNova®. The hours and minutes are tracked by two wide central hands whilst the seconds appear at 6. The chronograph minute counter lies at 3, the hours at 12 and the date is displayed at 4. Price: 1,300 CHF. Sharmila Bertin

RICHARD MILLE – RM 07-02 Pink Lady Saphir

Richard Mille

A Pink Lady is more than just a girly cocktail: it’s first and foremost a symbol of female emancipation. This gin-based concoction was invented in 1932 and owes its name to the pink hue created by one of its ingredients: grenadine. It enabled ladies to enter worlds that had previously been just for men. Richard Mille took inspiration from the famous girl’s drink to design a completely feminine piece: RM 07-02 Pink Lady Saphir. Its three-part barrel case in pink sapphire crystal unveils part of the self-winding CRMA5 calibre, its openwork rose gold plate adorned with rows of diamond when you gaze at the dial and its diamond covered rose gold rotor that you can see through the back. The graduated chapter ring features twelve luminescent teardrop indices. The case’s barrel figure is depicted in the centre of the dial by an onyx rectangle bearing the hour and minute hands. Price upon request. Sharmila Bertin
richardmille.com

ZENITH – El Primero Tourbillon

Zenith

El Primero, the self-winding chronograph calibre designed by Zenith and launched in 1969, is still one of the best movements in watchmaking history. Accurate, reliable and with a long battery life (approx. 50 hour-power reserve), it is continuing to make its mark by becoming a tourbillon. The understatedly named El Primero Tourbillon collection has three models which play on classic/contemporary combinations in the metal (45mm case in rose gold, steel or platinum), shape (traditional “mushroom” or oblong chronograph pushers) and colour (black, white or slate grey lacquer dial with a brushed metal centre). The high frequency tourbillon fuelled by the self-winding 4035D calibre lies off-centre at 11 o’ clock and its cage is surrounded by a date display and hand. The chronograph counters have an unusual position on the dial; the hour counter lies at 6 whilst the minutes are at 3. Price: 54,500 CHF (steel) – 64,500 (titanium) – 74,500 (rose gold). Sharmila Bertin
zenith.com

TAG Heuer signs the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team

Tag Heuer

Double announcement

TAG Heuer signs the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team.

Becoming Official Timekeeper and Official watch of the team. A multi-year agreement.

 

The two brands take the opportunity to unveil the new name of the 2016 car: “Red Bull Racing – TAG Heuer RB12”

TAG Heuer will be part of the official team designation – a historic premiere for a watchmaking brand in the world of Formula One

La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, 4th December 2015 – Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer and President of the LVMH Watch Division, and Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, are especially proud to announce today that TAG Heuer is becoming the Official Timekeeper, Official Watch, Team Performance Partner of Red Bull Racing. As of the coming Formula 1 racing season, TAG Heuer will be part of the team designation – a historic premiere for a watchmaking brand in the world of F1.

Red Bull Racing are Quadruple Double World Champions, having won both the FIA Formula One Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. It is Red Bull Racing’s unorthodox approach to the sport and to entertainment which appealed to TAG Heuer, one which is perfectly in line with the watch brand’s new marketing strategy.

Beyond the visibility provided by the direct association with the name of the team across communications, rankings, TV broadcasts, and the traditional branding permanently sported by the team throughout the racing season, TAG Heuer will also have a presence at the Spielberg circuit, the Red Bull Ring, in Austria and the Team’s headquarters in Milton Keynes.

The partnership between Red Bull Racing and TAG Heuer will take shape in an original, different and innovative manner, both on and off track. Red Bull Racing will join forces with TAG Heuer to create a range of original media content, in particular for social media networks and for new events platforms.

Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer and President of the LVMH Watch Division declared: “Be Unique, Different and the First has always been my personal philosophy in all my 40 years of activities, from product development to marketing and partnerships. This is the first time ever, a watchmaking brand name is directly associated with an official F1 team designation. Formula One is deeply-rooted in TAG Heuer’s DNA, and Red Bull Racing is a young, dynamic and driven team, which perfectly fits with our marketing strategy. It will give TAG Heuer exceptional visibility and allow us to make our partnership exciting, different and innovative. Our motto #DontCrackUnderPressure will be the guiding principle behind all our actions with the support of the Red Bull Racing team and its highly contagious enthusiasm.”

 Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, added: “TAG Heuer and Red Bull are two transcendent brands which have both a passion for racing and a drive to do things differently, and this unique collaboration is further evidence of that. TAG Heuer has been an iconic brand in the world of Formula One for many years and we’re delighted that they’ve chosen to continue their association with the sport by teaming up with us. Our shared values of innovation and a desire to stand out from the crowd make this one of the most exciting partnerships in F1.”

Lastly, the alliance between Red Bull Racing and TAG Heuer, brings together two brands with different experiences in the sport but a shared philosophy for the future.

On one hand, Red Bull Racing brings an innovative and unconventional approach to the world of F1l. The combination of Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat also represents one of the youngest driver line-ups on the grid; both drivers are products of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme which continues to develop some of the most exciting talent in F1.

One the other, the heritage and tradition provided by 155 years of history as a Swiss watch manufacturer, the heritage and genetics of which are intimately linked with the world of motor racing. It is worth underlining that TAG Heuer has been associated with and supported some of the greatest F1 teams, the greatest drivers, and the most legendary of circuits.

This agreement will begin 1st January 2016. The first date for the diary is the first Grand Prix of the season, taking place in Melbourne, Australia on 20th March.

TAG Heuer is also the founding partner and Official Timekeeper of the FIA Formula E Championship, Official Timekeeper of the legendary Carrera Panamericana, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) and Monaco Grand Prix, Macau Grand Prix, Indy 500 race in Indianapolis, of WRC World Champion Sébastien Ogier (rally), of the Patrick Dempsey Racing stable (endurance), and, latterly, of the Race of Champions event in London. Ayrton Senna and Steve McQueen also remain members of the TAG Heuer family of ambassadors.
tagheuer.com

BELL ROSS – BR S Grey Camouflage

Bell&Ross

To celebrate the BR01’s 10th anniversary since its launch in 2005, Parisian brand Bell & Ross has put a feminine twist on its star to create two new models: BR S Grey Camouflage. This is a lesson in how to glam up military style, soften and pare down camouflage and make a masculine icon into a feminine must. The grey taupe satin strap wraps around the 39mm square steel case with a round bezel available in steel or paved with 66 diamonds. Its mother-of-pearl dial is brought to life by a camouflage pattern gleaming in off-white, pearl grey and bronze green in the light. Two wide metal spear-shape hands rimmed with Super-Luminova® track the hours and minutes on the dial. The hour rim features large silver Arabic numerals for the quarters and applied baton indices or eight diamonds. The date appears in a black-on-white display at 4.30. Price: 1,900 CHF (steel) – 5,600 CHF (diamond and steel). Sharmila Bertin

H. Moser Cie – Endeavour Small Seconds Bryan Ferry

H.Moser & Cie

The dandy behind the spellbinding “Slave to Love” (1985) and former front man in British pop rock band Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry has another passion aside from art and music: watchmaking. He loves it so much that he’s collaborated with H. Moser & Cie to design a special limited edition (100 available). Inspired by the brand’s classic pocket watch designs, the Endeavour Small Seconds Bryan Ferry has a matt white lacquer dial rimmed by a black minute track. The Arabic hour numerals are all in black apart from the red 12 and tracked by two blue steel Breguet hands. The seconds counter lies at 6 o’ clock and the time functions are brought to life by the manual wind HMC321 calibre. The movement fuels a 72-hour power reserve inside the 38.8mm rose gold case which you can gaze at beneath the sapphire crystal and partially openwork back. Price: 17,000 CHF. Sharmila Bertin