Monthly Archives: May 2017

cartier panthere acier closeup

CARTIER – PANTHERE DE CARTIER

STEEL FELINE

Created in the 1980s, the Panthère de Cartier has gradually become a mainstay in the Cartier watchmaking collections. A genuine icon to be worn with pride, generally by women, it includes the brand’s aesthetic signatures, such as the design of the dial and the shape of the case, which are easy to spot even from a distance.

Available in different sizes (small or medium-sized models), different metals (yellow, grey or pink gold) and with different decorations (jewelled case or bezel), the steel Panthère de Cartier is resplendent in its simple elegance.

cartier panthere acier closeup

This classic model by Cartier has a square case with extended lugs forming a 27x37mm rectangle on the medium-sized model and 22x30mm on the smaller model. The crown is guarded by two lateral protections and features a blue synthetic spinel. The two pieces are powered by a Swiss-made quartz movement, driving the hour and minute functions.

The dial is light in colour with silvery tints contrasting with the dark hour rim, which is made up of black Roman numerals that seem to rest on the “rail-track” minute circle, which is also black and placed near the centre. At the heart of this silver square dial, two blued steel sword-shaped hands display the hours and minutes. The watch does without a second hand.

The Panthère de Cartier is worn with a steel-link strap.

Price: 3 850 EUR (small model) – 4 450 EUR (medium model)

By Sharmila Bertin

vacheron constantin patrimony quantieme perpetuel closeup

VACHERON CONSTANTIN – PATRIMONY PERPETUAL CALENDAR

A COMPLETE TIMEPIECE

A new addition to the Patrimony collection by Vacheron Constantin, this watch features a useful mechanical complication: a perpetual calendar. All in all, a much more romantic, exquisite and technical alternative to the calendar on your smartphone!

The Patrimony Perpetual Calendar was unveiled at the beginning of the year at the Salon International de Haute Horlogerie (SIHH). The pink gold case is 41mm wide and an extremely slender 8.90mm in width, as well as waterproof down to 30m. Through the sapphire glass case back, you can admire part of the mechanism, particularly the gold rotor in the shape of a Maltese cross, the emblem of Vacheron Constantin.

vacheron constantin patrimony quantieme perpetuel closeup

The Patrimony Perpetual Calendar is powered by calibre 1120QP, a self-winding mechanical movement with a gentle rhythm of 19 800 vibrations an hour (2.75Hz), and providing a power reserve of 40 hours. This extra-flat mechanism, designed and made by Vacheron Constantin, drives the hour, perpetual calendar and moon phase functions.

On the dial, featuring a slate grey disc with slightly curved edges, the hour rim features golden applied indices, with a triangular and stick shape, with a pearled minute track running in between. The hours and minutes are shown by two golden stick-shaped hands. The perpetual calendar includes a date counter at 3 o’clock, the day of the week at 9 o’clock and the month and leap years at 12 o’clock. At the bottom of the dial, a counter with a gold disc and blue galvanic plating shows moon phases. The stars are arranged to reproduce the night sky.

Price: 81,000 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

breguet reine de naples 8918 closeup

BREGUET – REINE DE NAPLES 8918

A QUEEN OF BEAUTY

For 209 years, the names of Caroline Murat and Abraham-Louis Breguet have been firmly linked and have lasted over time thanks to the Reine de Naples collection, a homage paid by the Vallée de Joux brand to the young queen.

Caroline Bonaparte (1782-1839) was not only the younger sister of the emperor of France Napoleon (1769-1821) and the wife of Marshal Joachim Murat (1767-1815). Above all, Caroline Murat was a woman of taste, a lover of art, culture and – of clockmaking! She became Queen of Naples in 1808 and held the title until it was abolished in 1815. She would often call on the services of Abraham-Louis Breguet, ordering over thirty clocks and timepieces from him in the space of six years, becoming the watchmaker’s most important and faithful customer. Caroline’s most extravagant (for the time) request came in 1810: a repeater watch equipped with a thermometer. This very slender piece with an oblong shape had a strap woven from golden threads so that it could be worn on the wrist. Delivered two years after the order, the piece made by Breguet was probably the very first wrist-watch in history.

breguet reine de naples 8918 closeup

Today the name of Reine de Naples (Queen of Naples) still figures in the Breguet collections; it represents a family of highly feminine, exquisite watches, adorned by such crafts as jewel setting, mother-of-pearl marquetry and shell cameo engraving. The watches are easily identifiable thanks to certain aesthetic features including the oval silhouette of the case, the delicately fluted body and the crown, generally topped with a jewel and placed at 4 o’clock.

This year, at BaselWorld, Breguet unveiled a new timepiece in the collection: the Reine de Naples 8918. The oval pink gold case is 36.5 x 28.45mm and set with 117 diamonds. A first band of brilliant-cut jewels highlights the bezel, while a second row of gems, placed along the chapter ring, illuminates the dial with their sparkling fires.

The dial on the Reine de Naples 8918 has two parts, with two types and colours of mother-of-pearl. Against a Tahiti mother-of-pearl background with warm copper tones is an hour rim with finely shaded black Arabic figures, helping them stand out. The number 6, at the bottom of the dial, has been replaced by a magnificent 0.26 carat pear-cut diamond. The gem slightly overlaps a hand-made white mother-of-pearl guilloché disc, forming a Clous de Paris pattern. Two small Breguet open-tipped hands, made of blued steel, display the hours and minutes.

The time indications are powered by calibre 537/3, a self-winding mechanical movement providing 45 hours of power reserve, and partially visible through a sapphire glass window sealing the back of the watch case.

Price: 34,200 (leather strap) breguet.com

By Sharmila Bertin

chopard luc xp closeup

CHOPARD – L.U.C XP

THE SOFTNESS OF CASHMERE

True to the codes of the L.U.C collection, the XP model features a simple dial housed in a steel case, rounded off by a woven cashmere strap, for unique comfort and softness on your wrist

The initials L.U.C belong to Louis-Ulysse Chopard, the founder of the watchmaking firm of the same name, which is now a prestigious international brand. These three letters alone, separated by two dots, represent mechanical skill and immense elegance. The contemporary collections bear the initials of the founder of Chopard and containinside them technical developments that have won such craftsmanship labels as the Geneva Seal and Fleurier Quality. With the new L.U.C XPmodel presented in Basel, the brand from Geneva has risen to a newchallenge: showing how a watch made of steel can be as beautiful as a piece made of gold and how simplicity can outweigh complexity.

chopard luc xp closeup

The heart of the L.U.C XP beats at 28 800 vibrations an hour (4Hz), and its Twin® technology, consisting in superimposing two barrels,results in the calibre L.U.C 96.53-L providing a power reserve of 58 hours. This extra-flat self-winding movement features a micro-rotor made of tungsten, a very hard and resistant metal. You can admire its oscillations through the sapphire glass case back.

40mm wide and 7.20mm thick, the steel setting is crowned by a slimbezel, leaving a wider opening for the dial. The latter is coloured silver and decorated with a vertical satin effect. The hour rim is made up of triangular metal indices for the markers and large blue Arabic numerals for the cardinal points. The hours and minutes are displayed by two central hands that are also blue, and with a dauphine-style shape that has been reworked and made more slender like a rocket. The absence of a second hand or second counter means that attention is focused on the Chopard watch’s simple and timeless dial. 

The elegance of the L.U.C XP model can also be seen in its strap. For the first time, woven cashmere wool has made its appearance in the brand’s watch collections. This soft, silky fibre is blue in colour, similar to the colour of jeans. The strap is doubled with brown alligator leather and rounded off by a steel ardillon buckle.

Price: 8 220 CHF chopard.com

By Sharmila Bertin

blancpain villeret grande date 8 jours closeup

BLANCPAIN – VILLERET SEMAINIER GRANDE DATE 8 JOURS

MECHANICAL CALENDAR

Villeret, the classic collection by Blancpain, now includes a model with an enamel dial displaying the day, date, week number and, of course, the traditional time display.

No, it won’t replace a diary casually placed on your desk or the “calendar” function on your smartphone to note down your appointments. But in a poetic, mechanical and rapid way, above all, you can use it to get all this useful information. All you need to do is glance at your Villeret Semainier Grande Date 8 Jours watch, a model from the Blancpain classic collection, to find out the day of the week, the date and the week number.

This new Villeret watch is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement made by Blancpain, the calibre 3738G2. It contains three barrels, helping it provide 192 hours of power reserve (eight days). The sapphire glass background reveals the dance of the yellow gold rotor decorated with a honeycomb pattern.

blancpain villeret grande date 8 jours closeup

The dial on this latest addition to the Villeret collection features a rounded disc topped with full-fired ivory enamel, a curved form to echo the double-stepped bezel around the watch case. The black Roman numerals displayed in a perfect circle have been made with enamelled paint. In the centre, two leaf-shaped, golden and openwork hands display the hours and minutes, along with a second hand with a counterweight in echo of the rounded silhouette of the letter B for Blancpain.

A rounded hollow at 9 o’clock houses the day indicator, in English, equipped with a small blue hand, while the date is displayed in a double window at 6 o’clock, instantly providing the information you are looking for. Joined to the centre of the enamel dial, a wavy blue hand poetically encircles one of the 53 numbers placed along the chapter ring. Because according to official calendars, a year is made up of 53 weeks.

To make it easier to set the different features on the Villeret Semainier Grande Date 8 Jours, the correctors have been placed directly on the 42mm-wide pink gold case. You can reset the date with your fingertip at 11 o’clock, the week number at 1 o’clock and the date with the crown at 3 o’clock.

Price: 32 300 CHF blancpain.com

 By Sharmila Bertin

bvlgari divas dream closeup

BVLGARI – DIVA’S DREAM

24 HOURS IN THE LIFE OF A PEACOCK

Enhanced by a night-time backdrop or a light-filled setting, a peacock majestically deploys its blue and bejewelled train of feathers, displaying a range of art forms on its graceful body.

The peacock is a majestic bird with a range of symbolic attributes – immortality, peace, renewal and justice, among others – and has been celebrated the world over since Antiquity. We find it fascinating when it opens its shimmering plumage like a fan with blue-green tints. Bvlgari has taken inspiration from the bird’s beauty for the dial on a sophisticated watch for women: Diva’s Dream. Because it is true, with its colours and an attitude sometimes seen as vain, the peacock could well be likened to a diva.

bvlgari divas dream closeup

The brand from Rome is highlighting the famous bird on two versions of Diva’s Dream, one representing a starry night and the other filled with daylight. The watch cases are made of white or red gold, are 37mm wide and each illuminated with a line of diamonds on the chapter ring and the cone-shaped lugs. The crown is decorated with a sapphire. The watch cases contain the calibre BVL191, an automatic movement made by Bvlgari and powering the traditional time functions (hours, minutes and seconds) while providing 42 hours of power reserve.

The dial on the “nocturnal” version of the Diva’s Dream is made of white gold, decorated with an aventurine disc, a navy-blue glass, and sparkling with tiny silver paillons, like the heavenly vault. Eight small stars, with five set with a diamond, help light up this night sky. Prominently featured on the dial is a peacock made using counter-relief engraving and decorating the dial with its plumage. Some of the cone-shaped cells, recalling the watch case lugs, are decorated with diamonds, while others are filled with shades of blue paint, from turquoise to emerald via navy blue. The peacock’s eye is embodied by a small silvery pearl, watching over the two sword-shaped hour and minute hands at the centre, along with a second hand.

For the “daytime” version of this model by Bvlgari, the layout is the same. Only the decor changes. Instead of an aventurine disc, the peacock is depicted in front of an ivory mother-of-pearl background. The iridescent reflections are highlighted by the warmth of the golden stars surrounding the bird’s neck and head.

Price on request

By Sharmila Bertin

harry winston midnight diamond drops closeup

HARRY WINSTON – MIDNIGHT DIAMOND DROPS

RAINING DIAMONDS

“The diamond king” has taken inspiration from nature with precious raindrops falling against a night-time setting while retaining all of the watchmaker-jewellers’ aesthetic signatures, such as the deep blue colour and emerald-cut diamonds.

The first version of this watch (unveiled in 2014) featured a 39mm-wide case and was driven by a quartz movement. Today, three years later, Harry Winston has reworked the Midnight Diamond Drops, reducing the size of the case to make it the smallest watch in the Midnight collection, and giving it an automatic calibre.

harry winston midnight diamond drops closeup

With its white gold setting measuring 29mm in diameter, the new Midnight Diamond Drops is indeed a small jewel of a watch, both slim and elegant. The case is covered with 64 brilliant-cut diamonds, particularly on the bezel, on the famous triple signature at 6 o’clock and on the lugs linking it to the strap. It houses the calibre HW2010, an automatic movement beating at 21 600 vibrations an hour (3Hz) and providing a power reserve of 40 hours. This mechanism is partially visible through a case back equipped with a sapphire glass window.

Criss-crossed by gentle sun beams, the dial has a deep blue tint inspired by the Hope diamond, an exceptionally beautiful jewel bought by Harry Winston in 1949. The hour rim plays on shapes, with five metallic triangles, two rectangles set with three brilliant-cut diamonds each and – like a star lighting up the sky – a magnificent emerald-cut diamond at 12 o’clock. Naturally, the stars of this jewel-rich show are the diamond raindrops that seem to fall from the top of the dial to gather at the base, like drops of water poured from the sky to form a sparkling pool. 96 brilliant-cut diamonds were used to make this shower of gems. In the centre, two slim hands, like two silvery leaves, display the hours and minutes.

The nocturnal tone on the dial of the Midnight Diamond Drops extends to the blue mother-of-pearl alligator leather strap with a white gold ardillon buckle.

Price on request

By Sharmila Bertin

hermes cape cod shadow simple and double straps

HERMÈS – CAPE COD SHADOW

THE CHARM OF BLACK

Overflowing with elegance and simplicity, the star of the Hermès watch collection has been dressed in black to celebrate its 26th anniversary, and also marks a first for the Parisian luxury firm: the use of DLC to decorate the watch case.

In 1991 – 26 years ago now – a future icon was born: the famous “square in a rectangle” designed by Henri d’Origny. Named Cape Cod in homage to his wife’s holiday destination, the peninsula on the east coast of the United States, this Hermès watch quickly won over an international clientele, attracted by its unusual shape and simple elegance. Until now the Cape Cod has always been dressed in steel, but has provisionally set aside its silvery garments in favour of black.

This is the first time the Parisian firm has used a coating like DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon, an amorphous carbon that is widely employed in watchmaking), a scratch-resistant material that can stand up to wear. Alongside its technical properties, DLC has the advantage of totally changing the aesthetic appearance of a watch. This is true of the Cape Cod Shadow model, which has a more modern look because of the use of this material but without drowning out its identity or affecting its natural grace.

hermes cape cod shadow simple and double straps

The square case of the Cape Code Shadow is like an optical illusion, with rounded, tubular lugs forming a rectangle, and measuring 29x29mm. The steel body coated with a layer of matt black DLC houses a quartz moment driving the hours and the minutes.

Matching the watch case, the matt black face of this Hermès watch has been delicately sanded, producing a surface made up of thousands of tiny grains. The dial contains an hour rim featuring rhodium curved Arabic numerals. Two straight hands, coated with ruthenium and highlighted with a line of luminescent material, display the hours and the minutes in the centre.

The Cape Cod Shadow is worn on the wrist with a single or double strap made of black Barenia calf’s leather, polished with red on the edges and doubled with gold leather, and all rounded off by an ardillon steel buckle and black DLC.

Price: 3,750 CHF (single strap) 3,900 CHF (double strap) hermes.com

By Sharmila Bertin

cartier tourbillon mysterieux closeup

Cartier – Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon

Cartier capitalizes on its incredible savoir-faire

Since 2007, Cartier has accustomed us to virtuosity beyond compare : to date, it is the only fine watchmaking company ever to have developed the capacity to achieve such far-reaching ambitions! In just ten years, this La Chaux-de-Fonds-based watchmaker has imagined, created and manufactured an amazing 45 different calibres. A remarkable demonstration of prowess, designed to secure indisputable legitimacy in the timepiece market, in record time. And, although Louis-François Cartier’s sons were the masterminds behind a few iconic pieces, such as the Santos in 1904 and the Tank in 1919, the brand has never hushed the fact that, for years, it has been calling on third parties to provide it with movements.

cartier tourbillon mysterieux closeup

And, it goes without saying, the mysterious movements are definitely a part of Cartier’s DNA. The first pendulum to embrace this highly-particular architecture, where the mechanism appears to have vanished, was the 1912 work of the watchmaker Maurice Coüet, Cartier’s exclusive partner. The double tourbillon in this piece appears to hover at the heart of an aperture set at 10 o’clock. The carriage rotates around itself in 1 minute, whilst the sapphire disc that embeds it has a 5-minute rotation period. This high-powered development features in the Rotonde Mysterious Double Tourbillon presented in 2013.

After a crazy period of creativity, it seems that Cartier has now reached the ‘ age of reason ’.

By Fabrice Eschmann