Monthly Archives: September 2017

JAEGER LECOULTRE – MASTER COMPRESSOR CHRONOGRAPH CERAMIC

Jaeger Lecoultre

HIGH-FLYING ATHLETE

This two-tone model sees the brand give the Master Compressor Chronograph Ceramic a stylish new masculine personality.

A competition in London followed by another in Beijing. There’s barely time to unpack before you’re off again to Los Angeles. Athletes are serious travellers too. Jaeger-LeCoultre has designed an exceptional timepiece to join them on their travels; the Master Compressor Chronograph Automatic Ceramic pairs a chronograph with a second time zone. Three wide trapezoid hands in rose gold burst from the black dial bearing white markers. The large luminescent hand tracks the minutes whilst the two shorter hour hands are the same length. The openwork hand is for local time and the other is filled with luminescent material and tracks home time. The time functions are joined by a subtle date display and day/night indicator.

jaeger lecoultre master compressor chrono ceramic profile view

This model’s wide 46mm black ceramic case is brightened up by a rose gold crown and pushers. The pairing of materials and colours gives the Master Compressor Chronograph Automatic Ceramic a look that’s both stylish and sporty.

Price: €15,800 www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

By Dan Diaconu

jaquet droz ceramique grande seconde clou de paris collection

JAQUET DROZ – GRANDE SECONDE CERAMIC “CLOUS DE PARIS”

Jaquet Droz

THE SECRET OF THE PYRAMIDS

A limited edition of a Jaquet Droz icon proves that classic watch finishes can elevate contemporary design.

The Grande Seconde is a signature collection for Jaquet Droz and stands out for the 8-shaped dial with time displays. Many believe the layout epitomises slick watchmaking and style. To showcase this iconic layout, the brand has unveiled two new black ceramic models, one with a power reserve indicator and one without. What do they have in common? They both have the stunning “Clous de Paris” finish that takes the design to another level. To create this diamond-shaped guillochage pattern that appeared in the 16th century, the watchmaker hollows out and interweaves a row of lines to form small pyramids. To keep the same visual throughout the watch, the Grande Seconde Ceramic “Clous de Paris” fabric strap’s texture is similar to the finish on the dial. The light on this graphic monochrome piece bounces off the red gold hour and minute hands and the slim seconds hand with a counterweight.

jaquet droz ceramique grande seconde clou de paris collection

The model with a power reserve indicator at 9 houses the self-winding Jaquet Droz 4063D movement. The other timepiece is fuelled by the 2663A-S calibre. You can see their heavy metal black PVD-coated rotors through the sapphire back. Both have a 68-hour power reserve.

The 44mm ceramic case on both Grande Seconde Ceramic “Clous de Paris” watches are engraved with their own numbers on the back. There are just 28 of both available.

Price: €14,900 – €17,200 (power reserve) jaquet-droz.com

By Dan Diaconu

omega trilogy 1957 seamaster railmaster speedmaster package

OMEGA – 1957 TRILOGY

Omega

A COLLECTOR’S TRIO

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of three great classics by Omega, the brand has launched limited editions that are just as attractive as the originals.

What do the Seamaster 300, the Railmaster and the Speedmaster have in common? All three were released by Omega in the same year, 1957. The first stood out because of its remarkable level of water-tightness, for the time: down to 300 metres. The second had a reinforced resistance to magnetic fields. As for the third, its precision, water-tightness and solidity managed to win over NASA, who sent it to the moon! To celebrate their 60th birthdays, the manufacture is re-releasing the watches in a limited series of 3,557 copies. All three combine a polished and satin steel case with a black dial and indices in vintage style, coated with Super-Luminova. They all have steel straps, but also two spare straps, one made of leather, the other a NATO strap, and the presentation case includes a tool you can use to change them.

omega trilogy 1957 seamaster railmaster speedmaster package

The 39mm case of the Seamaster 300 comes with a black aluminium bezel, and features the original “Naiad” logo on the crown. The case back, meanwhile, has a seahorse that is strictly identical with the one on the 1957 model. The 38mm case of the Railmaster contains a calibre Master Chronometer 8806 that can resist strong magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss. The Speedmaster has a diameter of 38.5mm. The tachymeter scale, located on the bezel and not on the dial, was a first in 1957, and can be found in the same place on the current model.

And if you can’t make up your mind, Omega has brought the three timepieces together in a luxury gift set made of oak and limited to 557 pieces. An elegant leather pouch protects the spare straps.

Price: €6,500 (Seamaster 300) – €6,300 (Railmaster and Speedmaster)

By Dan Diaconu

rolex sky dweller 2017 closeup

ROLEX – SKY-DWELLER

Rolex

ALWAYS IN FIRST CLASS

Rolex has added a steel and gold version to its collection for globetrotters, and taken the opportunity to make some welcome changes to the dial.

Rolex has given its travellers’ watch some new elements made of Rolesor, a combination of 904L steel and 18-carat gold. The result? The Sky-Dweller’s exclusive status is even higher. The crown, bezel and links in the centre of the strap are made of yellow Rolesor with yellow gold, while the case body and the outside links are made of steel. An elegant, Champagne-coloured dial illuminates the watch. For the grey Rolesor version, only the bezel includes grey gold, while the other elements are made of steel. The deep blue dial brings dynamism to the design. On both these versions, in comparison with the original 2012 model, the figures have been replaced by rectangular indices and longer hands. The Sky-Dweller is more elegant and the information easier to read, as a result.

rolex sky dweller 2017 closeup

The main time information is still displayed in an original way. So, on the dial, we find the dual time zones with the local time zone shown with the central hand and the reference time over 24 hours on an offset rotating disc. The annual calendar associates the date, under the famous cyclops glass at 3 o’clock, with a month indicator displayed in 12 apertures around the outside of the dial. The date does not need to be corrected when February gives way to March. All the functions can be adjusted very simply using the fluted revolving bezel, the Ring Command.

Like all Rolex watches, the Sky-Dweller benefits from a dual certification (Superlative Chronometer and COSC), guaranteeing optimal performances in this timepiece made by the brand with the crown logo. The 42mm case is watertight down to 100 metres and houses the calibre 9001. This hand-wound bidirectional movement provides 72 hours of power reserve.

Price: €13,150 (grey Rolesor) – €15,650 (yellow Rolesor)

By Dan Diaconu

piaget emprerador coussin repetition minutes profile

PIAGET – PIAGET CUSHION MINUTE-REPEATER ULTRA-THIN EMPERADOR

Piaget

THE EPITOME OF FINESSE

The battle for finesse has been hard fought over the past few years. And to date, the winner is none other than Piaget, with its ultra-thin timepiece from the Emperador collection.

Along with the aesthetic beauty on display in the Piaget Cushion Minute-Repeater Ultra-Thin Emperador, what makes this a particularly interesting watch is the technical complexity involved in making it. The timepiece has set a double record in its category, not only with a calibre that is just 4.8 mm thick, but also because of the watch case – a mere 9.4 mm thick.

piaget emprerador coussin repetition minutes profile

The watch’s movement, the calibre 1290P, is currently the slimmest in the world, and provides the timepiece with hour, minute and minute-repeater functions, as well as a power reserve of 40 hours. Piaget’s quest for slimness is such that some of the watch’s elements are just 0.12mm thick, and others only 0.07mm – the thickness of a hair! Developing the self-winding minute-repeater movement and steel gongs took no less than three years of intensive work before achieving the exceptionally clear and warm chimes. The 48mm pink-gold case plays a vital role in transmitting the sound, since it is open-worked, providing the best possible transmission of the gong vibration. The dial, fitted with sapphire glass, reveals the dance of the elements in the Cushion Minute-Repeater Ultra-Thin Emperador movement – 407 of them in all!

Price: CHF284,000 piaget.com

 By Isabelle Guignet

chopard luc full strike movement

CHOPARD – L.U.C FULL STRIKE

Chopard

AND LET THE CRYSTAL RING OUT!

Chopard’s first minute repeater watch really makes itself heard! This timepiece rings out loud and clear, for a long time – and on crystal, no less!

To make a worthy celebration for the 20th anniversary of the Chopard manufacture, the Geneva-based firm had to think big. And so it has launched the L.U.C Full Strike, which, unlike the Strike One – a watch released in 2006 and that chimed once on the hour – the L.U.C Full Strike chimes on the hour, quarters of an hour and minutes, and all with sapphire crystal gongs.

chopard luc full strike movement

The case is made of 8ct Fairmined rose gold, and includes a monopusher, at the centre of the crown, which can be used to set the watch’s minute repeater. The dial is open-worked, unveiling all the mechanical beauty striking and chiming at the heart of the L.U.C. Full Strike.

Price upon request chopard.com

By Isabelle Guignet

patek philippe 6006g 001 profile

PATEK PHILIPPE – CALATRAVA 6006G-001

Patek Philippe

DRESS CODE: BLACK TIE!

Evolution doesn’t mean revolution at Patek Philippe. Subtlety goes with style. Just take the new model in the Calatrava collection.

The super-slim 240 calibre has been fuelling models by Patek Philippe with an off-centre small seconds (between 4 and 5) for the last 40 years. To celebrate the anniversary, the brand has unveiled an evolution with the 240 PS C movement this year. The latter is housed in the brand new white gold Calatrava 6006G-001 which is replacing the 6000 model that launched in 2005. The difference between the two is that the case is 2mm bigger so there’s more space for the time and date display with a central hand. By expanding from 37 to 39mm, the timepiece attracts attention to your wrist making it even more appealing. Although the style on the ebony black dial is the same as the previous model, there are a few new design features to uncover. A silver minute track lies between the white hour rim and sunburst centre with openwork baton-shape hour and minute hands in white gold.

patek philippe 6006g 001 profile

By Dan Diaconu

blancpain tourbillon carrousel closeup

BLANCPAIN – TOURBILLON CARROUSEL

BlancPain

HIGH-LEVEL ACROBATICS

When the flying tourbillon and flying carrousel meet, watchmaking turns into an art. Blancpain revisits an intricate combination.

Tourbillon and carrousel. Two complications that are as beautiful to look at as they are complicated to produce. Blancpain set itself the challenge a few years back of combining two regulators that are now combinations of legend. The Le Brassus Tourbillon Carrousel associates the two mechanisms, whose aim is to reduce the effects of gravity on the workings of the movement.

blancpain tourbillon carrousel closeup

At 12 o’clock, the tourbillon nestling in its cage is linked to the barrel through a unique gear train. So, if the mechanical link stops working, the tourbillon will also come to a halt. The carrousel, at 6 o’clock, is linked to the barrel by two gear trains, one providing the energy needed to drive the escape wheel, and the other controlling the cage’s rotating speed. The two cages are independent of each other, but connected by a differential gear train that transmits the average rate from both regulators to the time display. A mechanism resulting in very precise timekeeping.

These two mechanisms can be seen through a sapphire crystal case back, which also reveals the power reserve indicator. The 44.60 mm red-gold case feels light and pleasant on the wrist, particularly thanks to its slim 11.94 mm width. The dial, meanwhile, features an hour rim made of Grand Feu enamel with gold Roman numerals. An external winding crown can be used to wind the two barrels at the same time while guaranteeing equal winding, again with the aim of providing the watch with maximum precision.

Price:  CHF298,000 blancpain.com

By Isabelle Guignet