Monthly Archives: February 2017

girard perregaux laureato 42 collection

GIRARD-PERREGAUX – LAUREATO 42

Girard-Perregaux

A CLASSIC NEVER DIES

After its renaissance in 2016, the steel sports model by Girard-Perregaux is experiencing a new lease of life this year. Available in a diameter suited to both men and women, the Laureato is now available as a complete collection.

In 1975, Girard-Perregaux asked a Milan architect to design a steel sports watch, resulting in the first Laureato, a piece with a strong character and rounded off by an octagonal bezel with curved edges. 41 years later, in 2016, the model was given a new lease of life to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the brand based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, before a complete collection was released and presented this year at the SIHH in Geneva. Among the new watches is the Laureato 42, a watch that has maintained its strong identity since the 1970s.

girard perregaux laureato 42 collection

Thirty different watches have been added to the Girard-Perregaux catalogue in the Laureato range. With four different diameters, the watches are powered by self-winding or quartz movements or feature complications such as a tourbillon, and are available in several different metals (steel, pink gold, titanium). But the watch that seems to have had the most impact is the Laureato 42. The 42mm diameter of the watch case (with an interior width of 11mm) does indeed suit both women and men. The setting carved out of steel or titanium is topped by the famous octagonal crown with rounded angles, available in pink gold for the two-colour version. The crown enhances the watch face that comes in three colours (silver, slate grey or blue) with the Clous de Paris pattern, and housing an hour marker with surface-mounted arrow-shaped indexes, highlighted with a luminous coating. At the centre, two large silver and phosphorescent hands (or gold, for the titanium and pink gold model) display the hours and minutes, along with a second hand. The date is displayed in white on a background matching the watch face in a window at 3 o’clock.

These elements are driven by the GP01800-0008 calibre, a mechanical self-winding movement made by Girard-Perregaux, and which also provides a power reserve of 54 hours. The mechanism is partly visible thanks to a sapphire background adorning the back of the Laureato 42 watch case.

Price on request.

By Sharmila Bertin

roger dubuis pirelli pzero

ROGER DUBUIS – EXCALIBUR SPIDER PIRELLI

Roger Dubuis

TECHNIQUE IS NOTHING WITHOUT CONTROL

The watchmaker from Meyrin in Switzerland has teamed up with the Italian tyre manufacturer to design two limited editions that are outrageously classy, stamped with the Poinçon de Genève and only available in Roger Dubuis boutiques.

The inauguration of the Roger Dubuis stand at the Salon International de Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is always a big event. From the opening of the annual watchmakers’ exhibition, journalists and customers rush to see the curtain rise and catch the new surprise concocted by the Geneva manufacturer. This year, dancers dressed in auto driver suits with the Roger Dubuis and Pirelli logos and black full-face helmets were there to unveil a white space crossed by a orange-red wavy line. The crack running along the ground and mounting the wall evokes an erupting volcano or the merger of two powerful companies, each in its own area of expertise. The fruit of this union is a pair of timepieces, the Excalibur Spider Pirelli, in a limited edition.

roger dubuis pirelli pzero

piaget altiplano 40mm group

PIAGET – 40MM ALTIPLANO

Piaget

60 YEARS OF COLOUR

The anniversary of a historic watch is always a golden opportunity to create new variations on an original icon. Remaining true to its reputation as a colour-centric watchmaker, Piaget presents three dazzling new timepieces that scintillate.

In 1957, a watch with an ultra-thin silhouette and sleek timeless style galvanized time. Elegant simplicity matched with unsurpassed comfortable wear quickly seduced connoisseurs and celebrities alike. Unbeknownst to Piaget, this ultra-thin timepiece was destined for greatness and status as an indisputable icon. In tribute to the high plateaus of the Andes, the quintessential Altiplano celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2017. Maintaining its enviously slim silhouette, the face of Altiplano has undergone a full colour transformation.

piaget altiplano 40mm group

Garnering a reputation as master colourist and colour mixologist, Piaget boasts unparalleled expertise, crafting tours de force of time featuring semi-precious and precious gemstones. Elevating this 40mm Altiplano trinity to new heights, Piaget opted for dial colours to complement three primary golds. Cool white gold tempers warm taupe, radiant rose gold sets off serene blue and yellow gold makes emerald green shine.

Sheathed in three new colours, these 40mm Altiplano dials feature a sunburst gloss finish and baton-shaped hands sweeping from the centre around the hour markers. At 3 o’clock, a display edged in silver or gold plate indicates the date in black on a white background.

As its name clearly indicates, the Altiplano case measures 40mm in diameter and houses the Manufacture Piaget calibre 1203P ultra-thin self-winding mechanical movement, powering the time and date and providing a 44 hour power reserve.

Price available upon request piaget.com

By Sharmila Bertin

tissot prestigious group

TISSOT – The roar of prestige

Tissot

In the aftermath of World War I (1914-1918), people in Europe and America lived through the interwar period from 1919 until 1939 when the Second World War broke out. Despite the stock market crash in 1929, tangible tension in international business and the laborious post-war reconstruction, this transitional period was a hotbed for creativity. Different sectors were bursting with innovations, especially in personal transport with the boom of the automobile and development of aviation.

Roaring inspiration

An artistic and popular movement arose in France which was heavily influenced by American culture : “ Les Années Folles ” (the Roaring Twenties). They began in 1920 and ended in 1929 after the Wall Street Crash. The decade stood out for major economic growth and a flourishing art scene. It saw the appearance of Art Deco whose geometric lines made way for curvaceous Art Nouveau then the Surrealist movement that delved into literature, poetry, sculpture, art, cinema and music such as jazz, dance (Charleston and the tango) in the music halls and dance clubs imported from the US and adapted to suit European taste. People could start really living again after a long period of international conflict.

The prosperous and productive Roaring Twenties have inspired the watch brand Tissot to design a new collection focused entirely on ladies.

Roaring appeal

The new collection has five models in rose or yellow gold fuelled by a quartz movement. The rectangular case has two straight strips that curve around the lugs. They are 34.5mm long, 20 wide and 5.3 deep and wrap around the wrist with a black or brown smooth and shiny leather strap and deployment clasp. An extra dash of style comes from the white or black ceramic cabochon adorned with a notched crown.

tissot prestigious group

There are two dial options: classic silver or black sunburst ideal for daywear or elegant white mother-of-pearl and diamond for the evening.

The classic version’s central rectangle is decorated with wavy engine-turned engravings and slender black or white markers and Roman numerals. The blue small seconds counter is rimmed in gold.

The glamorous version has a low-key black minute track in the centre giving pride of place to four diamond markers. The subtle small seconds have a dash of daring blue on the counter.

A pair of dauphine-shape rose or yellow gold hands in the middle of the dial track the hours and minutes.

Now it’s up to you to decide when it’s time to roar.

www.tissotwatches.com

By Sharmila Bertin

audemars piguet royal oak offshore divers closeup

AUDEMARS PIGUET – ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE DIVERS

Audemars Piguet

FUNKY COLOUR EDITIONS, PEP-FILLED DIVING WATCHES

The exciting new diving watches from the Royal Oak Offshore collection guarantee good humour to a depth of 300m. Enough to bring a smile to the face of the most terrifying sea creature! 

In 2016, a dazzling chronograph collection joined the Audemars Piguet catalogue. A year later, the watchmaker from Le Brassus has renewed the experience with some new Royal Oak Offshore Divers models, the Funky Colour Editions. Funky because the three-hand watches come in bright colours that are not much used in contemporary watchmaking: navy blue with yellow trim, pure white, lemon yellow, flash orange and kiwi green with blue touches.

audemars piguet royal oak offshore divers closeup

The hour and date functions are powered by the 3120 calibre, a self-winding mechanism made by Audemars Piguet, and providing a power reserve of 60 hours. The calibre is housed in a steel case with a diameter of 42mm. Since the Royal Oak Offshore Divers is above all a divers watch, it is water-resistant to a depth of 300m, has a bolted crown sheathed in blue rubber, and is equipped with an internal revolving bezel incorporating the indispensable diving scale. The area from 0 to 15 minutes echoes the colour of the dial except in the blue model.

The dial has the chequerboard “Méga Tapisserie“ pattern, a feature of the Royal Oak Offshore Divers models. It contains an hour marker with gold indexes and two Royal Oak silver and luminescent hands (excepting the blue version, which has a minute hand with a yellow coating). The hour and minute hands are placed at the centre, while a third hand tipped with a phosphorescent dot displays the seconds. The date is shown against a blue or white background in a window at 3 o’clock.

Price : White ed. 17,190 CHF Color ed. 18,000 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

h moser cie endeavour concept cosmic green

H. MOSER CIE – ENDEAVOUR CONCEPT COSMIC GREEN LIMITED EDITION

H.Moser & Cie

GREEN, THE COLOUR OF HOPE

The watchmakers from Neuhausen am Rheinfall continue their quest for minimalist luxury with the Concept collection, free of any irksome visual flourishes, and now expanded to include a watch with a green dial.

About two years ago, H.Moser & Cie decided to take the opposite direction from brands that specialise in dials filled with logos and other information, billboard-style, and which are so hard to read that the main thing – time – is lost sight of. A return to basics embodied in the minimalist style of a model that later became a collection named Concept. This year, the Neuhausen am Rheinfall watchmakers have renewed the experience with a watch featuring an emerald green dial, the Endeavour Concept Cosmic Green Limited Edition.

h moser cie endeavour concept cosmic green

H.Moser & Cie love to invent new colours. After “Funky Blue“ comes a new colour christened “Cosmic Green“, a deep green topped off with a Sfumato-type effect, the famous “smoky“ style that is typical of the brand’s dials. We should note in passing that green is a somewhat unusual colour in contemporary watchmaking, but one that seems to be making something of a breakthrough.

Moving across the green disc, like forest foliage, is a pair of hands shaped like… leaves! They show the hours and minutes, while the seconds tick away on a slim second hand. All three hands are silver or gold in colour, depending on the Endeavour Concept Cosmic Green Limited Edition model. They are powered by the HMC343 calibre, with its double barrels providing a power reserve of over seven days.

This manual wind movement is housed in a 40.8 mm case. The watch is available in white or pink gold, with 20 pieces available in each colour.

Price on request.

By Sharmila Bertin

omega speedmaster 38mm closeup

OMEGA – SPEEDMASTER 38MM

Omega

CAFFE LATTE OR CAPPUCCINO?

True to the aesthetic codes of the Speedmaster collection, this new watch by Omega concentrates spirit of performance and diamond brightness.

For the beginning of the year, a few weeks from Baselworld 2017, Omega has released a preview version of two Speedmaster watches, with this being the second. Unlike the Speedmaster Automatic model, embodying speed, this one is gentler – while keeping to its role as a chronometer, as befits the collection to which it belongs!

omega speedmaster 38mm closeup

This new Speedmaster 38mm, affectionately nicknamed the “Cappuccino“ because of its soft colours, is driven by the Omega 3330 calibre. This self-winding movement, certified as a chronometer by the COSC and fitted with a Co-Axial escapement and a silicon spiral, drives the hour, calendar and chronograph functions while providing over 50 hours of power reserve. It is housed in a steel case that is – as its name implies –38mm in diameter, and features a medallion engraved with the Speedmaster sea horse on the back. A dual-material bezel tops the metal setting: an outer ring made of SednaTM gold paved with diamonds encircles an inner ring of hazelnut aluminium, where a white tachymeter scale is set. All in all, this is the perfect balance between the spirit of performance and the dazzle of precious stones.

In terms of beauty, even the finest latte art made by a seasoned barista would pale in comparison beside the dial of the Speedmaster 38mm! Indeed, the creamy ivory disc hosts three hollow, oval and azure counters, as well as an hour rim made of markers gilded with SednaTM gold and including a fine, black minute track. A set of stick-shaped hands, also made of SednaTM gold, display the hours and minutes, while the seconds tick by independently in a counter at 9 o’clock. The chronograph functions, meanwhile, are shared between a display in the centre for the seconds, a first counter at 3 o’clock for the minutes, and a second counter at 6 o’clock for the hours. The hour counter includes an opening in the shape of an oval window showing the date against a white background.

Price: 9 300 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

baume mercier clifton club shelby cobra closeup

BAUME MERCIER – CLIFTON CLUB SHELBY® COBRA CSX2299

Baume&Mercier

A BLUE AND WHITE POWERHOUSE 

The fruit of a partnership between the watchmaker and the racing car team, the dial on this new watch features the colours of a legendary sports car, the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé.

The design is without doubt the strong point of Baume & Mercier, who have been working on a new timepiece in collaboration with its partner, the Carroll Shelby company, for the past two years. After the Capeland Shelby® Cobra 1963 model, released in 2016 for the SIHH, it’s now the turn of the Clifton collection to welcome the fruit of a partnership between the watchmaker and the motor-racing stable: the Clifton Club Shelby® Cobra CSX2299 chronograph.

baume mercier clifton club shelby cobra closeup

This limited edition of 196 pieces revives the aesthetic features of the legendary Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé, 1st place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1964 in the GT category, and 4th place in the overall race. What strikes you, first of all, is the dual-coloured dial of the Clifton Club Shelby® Cobra CSX2299, inspired by the “Viking Blue“ paintwork on the racing car, and decorated with two white stripes. Here, blue covers the right-hand side of the watch, while the left-hand side has a white gloss. In the centre, two white dauphine-style rhodium watch hands, coated with Super-LumiNova® blue emission, display the hours and minutes, together with a second counter at 9 o’clock and an open date display at 4.30. As for the chronograph function with a flyback movement, the seconds are shown in the centre with a red second hand featuring the Cobra logo, while the minutes are displayed in a counter with a red hand (at 3 o’clock).

The various displays are powered by a self-winding mechanism, the La Joux-Perret 8147-2 calibre. This is housed in a titanium and steel case with a diameter of 44mm.

Price: 7 650 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

panerai luminor submersible bmg tech soldat

PANERAI – LUMINOR SUBMERSIBLE 1950 BMG-TECHTM 3 DAYS

Panerai

A GLASS AND METAL LADY

Two years of development were needed to perfect the new material from which the case is constructed in this timepiece from Panerai which was presented at Geneva at the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie – International Fine Watchmaking Exhibition).

This year, the “think tank” used all its creative energy to develop highly technical products in the Luminor 1950 collection, and more particularly in the Luminor Submersible family of sports watches. One of these watches, called Luminor Submersible 1950 BMG-TECHTM 3 Days, uses a material unprecedented in watchmaking: metallic glass. Its development at Panerai took two years, designing a complete case at the Neuchâtel factory – that is the body, bezel, crown and crown protection device – produced in BMG-TECHTM metallic glass.

panerai luminor submersible bmg tech soldat

In the centre of the blue dial, whose brilliance offers the same kind of luminosity, depth and translucidity as enamel, two large, luminescent, regatta hands with cut-outs sweep past an hour rim made up of applied markers and dots. The seconds are counted down by a recessed counter at the 9 o’clock position that has a small blue hand, and the date is shown in a display at the 3 o’clock position.

Price: 9,900 EUR

By Sharmila Bertin

Blancpain Ocean Commitment Exhibition

Blancpain Ocean Commitment Exhibition set up at Zurich Airport

BlancPain

To coincide with the launch of the Blancpain Ocean Commitment II* watch, Blancpain has set up the Ocean Commitment exhibition at Zurich Airport for a month.

As part of the roadshow inauguration, Alain Delamuraz, Vice-President and Head of Marketing for Blancpain; Laurent Ballesta, marine biologist, photographer and Blancpain partner; and Jörgen Eldevik, Brand Manager Blancpain for the Swiss market, welcomed journalists and friends of the brand to Zurich Airport. Alain Delamuraz discussed the Blanpain brand values: “Our innovative spirit reflects our long- term approach. We invented the Fifty Fathoms, the first modern diving watch, more than 60 years ago. Since then, we have developed significant relationships with scientists, divers, government organizations and other ocean pioneers. Against this background, I am delighted to inaugurate this exhibition and introduce you to our new BOC II.”

The roadshow features several sections, each dealing with themes related to the world of the oceans so dear to Blanpain’s heart. The first covers the history of the brand’s ties with the oceans. The second examines the scientific results of the expeditions sponsored by the Manufacture. The third and final section is devoted to underwater photography with the aim of raising public awareness of the diversity of the underwater world, as well as increasing understanding of the importance of preserving it.

The Zurich Airport Airside Center hosts more than 1.7 million people a month. This constitutes an important number of visits for Blancpain whose aim is to alert the maximum possible number of visitors to this cause. Optimism, long-term vision and innovation are the three basic principles, arising from Blancpain’s DNA that drives the brand’s commitment on behalf of the oceans. The Blancpain Ocean Commitment exhibition will run until February 12 at the Zurich Airport Airside Center.

Blancpain Ocean Commitment Exhibition

Blancpain Ocean Commitment, the watch

The exhibition also provided an opportunity for journalists to discover the new Fifty Fathoms Blancpain Ocean Commitment II* watch, presented in Switzerland for the first time. This watch is limited to 250 examples and for each piece sold, the sum of 1,000 euros will be donated in support of scientific exhibitions. The 250,000 euros thus raised will be added to Blancpain’s contributions to preserving the oceans.

blancpain-ocean-commitment.com

Gombessa III, the film

At this event, guests were treated to a preview of the film, Antarctica, sur les traces du manchot Empereur (Antarctica, in the footsteps of the Emperor penguin), the result of the Gombessa III expedition sponsored by Blancpain. In the wake of the Gombessa I expeditions that revealed the secrets of the coelacanth, the greatest zoological discovery of the 20th century; and Gombessa II, which studied the spectacular spawning of the Camouflage Grouper, Laurent Ballesta and Blancpain achieved a first in terms of exploration, underwater diving and photography. This was the first time that scientific divers have been able to access what lies below the ice flow in Adélie Land. Through this documentary, the latter delivered a testimonial of a world made fragile by global warming. After the film, Laurent Ballesta discussed this experience: “For me, it was the toughest project undertaken to date. Today however, we are delighted with the result. The project would never have reached these proportions without Blancpain’s support.” The film Antarctica, sur les traces du manchot Empereur will be broadcast on Arte on January 28 at 8:50 pm; on January 29 at 3.15 pm; and on March 10 at 3.30 pm.

*The complete name of this timepiece is: Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Ocean Commitment II Flyback Chronograph.