Monthly Archives: March 2017

longines conquest vph closeup

LONGINES – CONQUEST V.H.P

Longines

PRECISION CONQUERED

Last week, at the Neuchâtel Observatory, the watchmaker from Saint-Imier unveiled a series of watches powered by a quartz movement, symbolising the major strides made in this technology.

Between chronometry – “The art or science of accurately measuring time” (OED) – and Longines, the love story has lasted for decades. It was in 1954, in fact, that the clockmaker was given a certification for the precision of a quartz clock by the Neuchâtel Observatory, the first in a series to be awarded in the years that followed. A precursor in the quartz field, the watchmakers from Saint-Imier again proved that this technology still has a great future at the beginning of April when they launched a new watch collection called Conquest V.H.P.

V.H.P stands for Very High Precision. We might even say “Ultra-Precision”, with two quartz movements specially developed by ETA for Longines and that will not gain or lose more than 5 seconds a year. These powerful mechanisms are equipped with a long-life battery – with an E.O.L. indication to let the wearer know when the battery’s life is over – and GPD (gear position detection) technology, which resets the watch hands in the event of an impact or exposure to a magnetic field.

longines conquest vph closeup

This new Conquest V.H.P collection is available in two steel models, a chronograph and a three-hand watch with the date, and they in turn are available in different diameters (42 or 44mm for the first, 41 and 43mm for the second) and several dial colours (blue, silver, black and a carbon pattern).

On the chronograph version, driven by the L.289.2 movement, the hour markers are made up of luminescent applied indices and a large Arabic number 12. The two central hands are stick-shaped and display the hours and minutes, while the seconds appear in a counter at 6 o’clock. In the centre, a red-coated second hand counts the chronograph seconds around a scale on the chapter ring. As for the minutes and hours, they are counted off in two blue subdials placed at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively. A window open at 4.30 displays the date.

The “simpler” version of the Conquest V.H.P has a very similar basic set up: the same hour markers, but including the Arabic number 6 (instead of the second counter), the same second scale displayed on the chapter ring and the same shape for the hour and minute hands. The date, however, is shown at 3 o’clock and not at 4.30.

Price: 950 CHF (three-hand model with date) – 1550 CHF (chronograph model)

By Sharmila Bertin

zenith range rover caseback

ZENITH – CHRONOMASTER EL PRIMERO RANGE ROVER VELAR SPECIAL EDITION

Zenith

THE STAR FROM LE LOCLE AND THE BRITISH LION

At the 87th Geneva Motor Show, Zenith unveiled a watch designed in partnership with Range Rover, the British carmaker, to celebrate the release of a new SUV

On 8 March, on the eve of the official opening of the GIMS, the Geneva International Motor Show, Zenith presented a new timepiece at a press conference on the Range Rover stand. A project announced jointly by a Swiss watchmaker and a British carmaker may sound surprising on paper, but is actually not at all. The two brands are both pioneers in their domains, and have joined together to unveil a sport utility vehicle with prestigious features, the SUV Velar, and a watch associated with the new car, the Chronomaster El Primero Range Rover Velar Special Edition.

zenith range rover caseback

The dial on the El Primero Range Rover Velar Special Edition is anthracite grey in colour and features a vertical brushed finish to attract the light. It is set in a black chapter ring, including a tachymeter scale inscribed in silver grey. All the indicators are coated with copper reflections: the minute track running along the tachymeter, interspersed with faceted and luminescent hour markers, and the central hands, as well as the three counters. The hours and minutes displayed at the centre of the dial are completed by the seconds, offset at 9 o’clock, while the date is shown in white against a black background in a counter at 6 o’clock, just below the chronograph hour counter, with the seconds in the centre and the minutes at 3 o’clock.

Price: 8,900 CHF zenith.com

By Sharmila Bertin

tissot t touch expert solar closeup

TISSOT – T-TOUCH EXPERT SOLAR II

Tissot

A WATCH IS A MAN’S BEST FRIEND

Affectionately nicknamed “the Swiss army knife of watchmaking“, the famous multi-purpose watch with its solar dial by Tissot has been reinvented with two colours to better attract the adventurers of the 21st century.

Both a precursor and a born adventurer, Tissot was one of the first brands to develop a watch that was specifically adapted to explorers of new lands, to individuals seeking to surpass themselves and sportsmen. The Swiss brand has introduced a new model, the T-Touch Expert Solar II, in two versions: one is emerald green, to be worn “on land”, and the other petrol blue, for plunging into the blue waters of the ocean to a depth of 100 metres.

tissot t touch expert solar closeup

Indispensable for travelling the world, the T-Touch Expert Solar II is a tactile, solar-powered watch, running on a quartz movement developed by ETA. The mechanism is powered by a battery that will run for one year without charging, and is housed in a large (45mm) titanium case. The case is crowned with a fixed bezel made of technical ceramics and coloured green or blue.

On the emerald green version, the upper part of the dial of this Tissot is sandblasted and features a compass rose, while the petrol blue version is adorned by a grid pattern around the hour marker and vertical lines at the centre. The lower part of the dial, meanwhile, contains a solar panel with a digital and tactile display. This recharges the battery with natural or artificial light.

The T-Touch Expert Solar II model has some 20 functions, most of which can be selected by a touch of the finger: a compass, altimeter, pressure gauge, regatta timer, day and week display, back-lighting, complete chronograph, azimuth, log, double alarm, double time zone, perpetual calendar and stopwatch.

This new watch by Tissot comes with a rubber strap joined to the case and in a colour matching the ceramic bezel.

Price: 995 CHF www.tissotwatches.com

By Sharmila Bertin

jaquet droz grande seconde tourbillon nacre closeup

JAQUET DROZ – GRANDE SECONDE TOURBILLON MOTHER-OF-PEARL

Jaquet Droz

THE NOBLE 8 

The watchmaking firm from La Chaux-de-Fonds has inscribed its famous lucky number 8 at the centre of a white mother-of-pearl disc enhanced with gold and diamonds, with a tourbillon taking centre stage.

“In art, as elsewhere, only purity is important to me,” wrote André Gide (1869-1951), the French writer born almost a century after the death of the founder of Jaquet Droz, Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721-1790). And the noun “purity”, describing something faultless and untouched by time is no doubt what characterises the watches designed at the workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and especially the Grande Seconde model. For the next BaselWorld, Jaquet Droz has adorned this essential timepiece with new aesthetic and mechanical finery.

jaquet droz grande seconde tourbillon nacre closeup

Called the Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl, the watch is bedecked with white mother-of-pearl, red gold and diamonds. The watch face is made from an iridescent disc and features several levels, offering a deep visual impression. At the heart of this opalescent surface is a red gold structure set with 90 diamonds and three blue screws drawing the outline of a majestic “8” on the watch face. Circled with precious stones and offset at 6 o’clock are the hours and minutes, represented by two blue lancine-style hands moving across an hour rim with black Roman numerals. The upper loop of the 8 is formed by a glass display under which the tourbillon can be seen. A small, blue second hand displays the seconds on a scale with Arabic numerals and dots.

The red gold case measures 39mm in diameter and is highlighted by a double ring of diamonds (260 stones with a total of 1.41 carats) running along the bezel and the outer side of the lugs. This setting houses an automatic mechanism, the 25JD.Si calibre. “Si” is for silicon, used to make the spikes of the anchor and the spiral – providing a big power reserve of seven days. Through the sapphire background adorning the back of the case, you can see the dance of the red gold mechanism, inlaid with white mother-of-pearl.

A white satin strap rounded off by a gold buckle set with diamonds completes this new Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl.

Price on request. jaquet-droz.com

By Sharmila Bertin

ulysse nardin jade grand feu group

ULYSSE NARDIN – JADE “GRAND FEU“

Ulysse Nardin

WATCHMAKING, CRAFTSMANSHIP AND MANICURE

The watchmaker based in Le Locle highlights its skills in guilloché work, enamelling and gem-setting with a trio of watches in the Jade collection.

For once, Ulysse Nardin has steered us away from the world of marine instruments, a world it has made its own for over a century and a half. Instead, the watchmaker from Le Locle, Switzerland, has taken us in a distinctly feminine direction. The destination is called Jade, and has nothing to do with the green gem, but concerns the timekeeper collection created in 2013. This year, a colourful trio of Jade “Grand Feu“ has joined the ranks of this prestigious family.

ulysse nardin jade grand feu group

With these three new watches, Ulysse Nardin has highlighted the craftsmanship of Donzé Cadrans, which is part of the same group. Before the watch is covered with pigmented enamel, it is carefully traced with a guilloché technique, creating undulating furrows, like waves – so the world of the sea is not so far away, after all! – starting from the centre and extending to the chapter ring. The Grand Feu enamelling technique involves the metal being placed in fire several times (between 800 and 900°C) to obtain an even and shining surface of a blue turquoise, ruby red or grey green colour, depending on the version chosen. As well as the guilloché tracing and enamelling, the faces of the Jade “Grand Feu” watch are set with diamonds. A metal arabesque pattern containing 22 diamonds gracefully embraces the second counter, beginning at 9 o’clock and finishing at 6 o’clock under the date display. At the heart of the watch face arise two openwork hands showing the hours and the minutes; they move across an hour rim partly made up of large silver Arabic numerals. The second hand has similar features, and only part of the markers are displayed.

These functions are powered by the UN-310 calibre, which provides a power reserve of 48 hours. This automatic mechanism is housed in an oval case measuring 36x39mm. The case is topped by a ring of 56 diamonds. We have a little tip so you don’t damage your fingernails or chip off some nail polish when you are handling the crown. With the help of a pusher placed at 4 o’clock on the side of the watch case, you can select one of the three positions that are usually adjusted using a traditional crown. An indicator equipped with a small hand and placed at 2 o’clock shows this position, and then you just need to turn the crown, without pulling it, to wind the watch or adjust the time and the date.

Price: 14,900 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

a lange sohne petite lange phases lune phases lune closeup

A. LANGE SÖHNE – PETITE LANGE1 PHASES DE LUNE

A.Lange&Sohne

A GOLDEN MOON

Earlier this year, the Saxon watchmakers unveiled a pink gold watch with a silvery face displaying the different phases of the queen of the night between two full moons.

Among the new products presented by the German brand at the Salon International de Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), which was held in Geneva in January, was a small gold watch with a clear and useful display: the Petite Lange1 Phases de Lune.

a lange sohne petite lange phases lune phases lune closeup

The dial on the Petite Lange1 Phases de Lune is made of solid gold with silver and guilloché elements, resulting in a semi-circular pattern and providing a “floral” visual effect. Offset at 9 o’clock in a large counter framed by an hour marker with gilded indices and Arabic numerals are two lancine-shaped hour and minute hands. The seconds, meanwhile, are set at 4.30 and placed above the moon-phase display. The latter features a silver disc decorated with two moons and a whole host of golden stars. Set in a double window framed with gold at 1 o’clock, the large date displays large black Arabic numerals against a white background, with the power reserve indicator housed in the arc of a circle on the right-hand side of the dial.

The Petite Lange1 Phases de Lune is worn on the wrist with a white alligator leather strap and a pink gold buckle.

Price on request.

By Sharmila Bertin

jaeger lecoultre rendez-vous night day group

JAEGER-LECOULTRE – RENDEZ-VOUS NIGHT DAY

Jaeger Lecoultre

AN ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE 

The manufacturer from the Joux Valley has expanded its Rendez-Vous collection with a new diameter, Large, adding to the two previous models, Small and Medium, to provide a complete range for its clientele

Have you ever tried to choose a timepiece from the Rendez-Vous Night & Day collection on the Jaeger-LeCoultre website? It seems like an almost impossible task, given the vast choice on offer in this mainly feminine family of watches created in 2012. And just to sow a little more doubt in our minds, Jaeger-LeCoultre has now added a new diameter!

In fact, the Rendez-Vous Night & Day collection has been reorganised in the same way this year as the Reverso was in 2016. It now features three different diameters: 29mm (Small), 34mm (Medium) and the new 38.2mm (Large), a very contemporary size suited to every wrist. A range of metals, such as steel and pink gold, adorn the watch case on the Rendez-Vous Night & Day, which can be crowned either with a polished bezel or one covered in brilliant-cut diamonds.

jaeger lecoultre rendez-vous night day group

Unfortunately for the indecisive, Jaeger-LeCoultre has not stopped at sizes and materials, but has gone even further into the range of possibilities with varied colours and textures, from sunburst dark purple or steel grey to velvet black via white mother-of-pearl and the silvery opaline with the delicately crinkled look. The hour rim, made up of rounded Arabic numerals, known as ‘floral’ style, is adapted to each colour: black, silver or gold. The same goes for the hour and minute sword-shaped hands at the centre, along with a second hand, with each coated in blue, silver or gold. At the bottom of the watch face, between 5 and 7 o’clock, a semi-circular window shows Night & Day.

Each diameter of the watch has its own mechanism. The 967A calibre drives the functions on the Small version, with the 898A/1 on the Medium and the 898D/1 on the new 38.2mm diameter. They all provide between 40 and 42 hours of power reserve.

Last but not least, the Rendez-Vous Night & Day is a “chameleon” model. So, an interchangeable system allows you to change very easily, and as much as you like, the look of your watch, by opting for different types of strap, with metal links, alligator leather or shiny satin.

Price on request.

By Sharmila Bertin