Monthly Archives: January 2018

parmigiani tonda metropolitaine selene galaxy closeup

PARMIGIANI – TONDA METROPOLITAINE SELENE GALAXY

THE MOON CLOSE AT HAND

Nearly two years after the launch of the Tonda Métropolitaine Sélène, Parmigiani innovates by providing this poetic timepiece with a bouquet of stars.

In 2016, Parmigiani, the watchmakers based in Fleurier, in the Swiss municipality of Val-de-Travers, introduced the Tonda Métropolitaine Sélène. Its visually striking blue dial, decorated with a floral, mother-of-pearl motif, displayed an elegant moon phase in its upper part. Today, the brand has released a much more feminine and lyrical version of the timepiece: the Tonda Métropolitaine Sélène Galaxy.

parmigiani tonda metropolitaine selene galaxy closeup

While aesthetically the layout of the counters on the screen and the details that are the hallmarks of Parmigiani have stayed the same, the watch itself looks very different to its older sibling. The deep blue aventurine dial is inset with golden sequins, evoking a night sky scattered with stars. Two open-work Delta-shaped hands move around an hour rim featuring triangular, golden appliques to discreetly display the hours and minutes. A running seconds sub-dial with a crescent-moon-shaped counterweight follows a pearled circular scale. The lower part of the sub-dial opens onto a large date counter.

Opposite, at 12 o’clock, a majestic moon phase holds sway. The copper-coloured queen of the night, partially hidden behind a navy-blue cloud, has a smooth surface where its famous craters are set.

The various functions are driven by the calibre PF318, a mechanical movement running at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800 vibrations an hour) and with a double barrel (50 hours of autonomy). The mechanism is housed in a 33mm steel case topped with 72 diamonds that light up this watchmaking galaxy with their bright fires.

Price: 16,200 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

jaeger lecoultre polaris memovox movement

JAEGER-LECOULTRE – POLARIS MEMOVOX

WATER AWAKENING

The brand celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Memovox with the launch of the new Polaris collection. All the original attractions are preserved, including the alarm function.

1968. Young people came together, determined to change the world. The same year, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled its revolutionary watch. The Memovox was the first diving watch with an alarm function to alert divers during underwater excursions. Fifty years later, the manufacture has given a new life to this iconic watch with a series limited to 1,000 pieces that will be joining the brand-new Polaris collection to be launched at the SIHH (Salon de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva in January. Like the original model, this version features three crowns on a 42-mm-wide steel case. The upper crown is used to set the alarm. The middle one adjusts the revolving inner bezel. And the lower crown moves the hour and minute hands to set the time.

jaeger lecoultre polaris memovox movement

The Polaris Memovox is driven by an automatic mechanical movement, the calibre 956, providing 44 hours of power reserve.

This diver’s watch is watertight down to 200m. It is worn with a rubber strap featuring an original folding clasp for greater comfort on land and in the sea.

Price: 12,800 EUR www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

By Dan Diaconu

mido commander big date closeup

MIDO – COMMANDER BIG DATE

A BIG DATE IN MORE THAN ONE WAY

To celebrate the centenary of the Swatch Group’s brand, elegant timepieces are scheduled for release all through the year. The Commander Big Date gets the party started.

Founded on Armistice Day at the end of World War One by Georges Schaeren, Mido will be celebrating its 100th anniversary on 11 November. To take the full measure of the event, new watches will be released all through 2018. The first watch to be unveiled is a Commander Big Date. What sets it apart? It combines the brand’s general charms and advantages, but also those of this particular model, which has been made without interruption since 1959! So, its elegant 42mm-wide case is made of brushed steel with a polished bezel, and houses delicate dials with a sunburst finish. The case is anthracite or silver in colour, depending on the version. The slim hour and minute hands and the indices are coated with white Super-LumiNova®, guaranteeing excellent readability, even in darkness. Last but not least, as its name implies, the watch has a large, polished and sanded date counter at 6 o’clock, providing additional time information.

mido commander big date closeup

This timepiece is driven by a powerful automatic mechanical movement, supplying up to 80 hours of power reserve. The calibre 80 and its rotor adorned with the traditional Geneva Wave design is revealed beneath the sapphire case back.

All the models come with a steel strap including a folding clasp. The overall effect gives the Commander Big Date a highly contemporary sports-watch feel. Mido has also made available two-colour pieces with fine touches of pink PVD to provide a more refined personality.

Price: 960 EUR

By Dan Diaconu

jaquet droz petite heure minute cuprite closeup

JAQUET DROZ – PETITE HEURE MINUTE CUPRITE

BURNING PASSION

With its deep red dial, the Petite Heure Minute by Jaquet Droz displays both a warm and fiery temperament. Just like the passion felt at the beginning of a love affair.

There is no need to master the language of flowers to know that a red rose symbolises the passion felt by one person for another. And the more flowers there are in the bouquet, the more intense is the emotion. With stones, the same is true: in the realm of lithotherapy (healing with stones), each colour of mineral expresses a feeling. Jaquet Droz, a watchmaker that excels in using natural stones on the dials of its watches, has taken advantage of the imminence of Valentine’s Day to launch the Petite Heure Minute Cuprite.

jaquet droz petite heure minute cuprite closeup

It is impossible for this new watch, available in just 28 pieces, to go unnoticed. With its flamboyant dial set off by diamonds and pink gold, it will inevitably attract attention.

The dial on the Petite Heure Minute Cuprite is a disc made of cuprite, a copper oxide in mineral form. This stone with a generally deep red colour is sometimes streaked with lighter veins and emerald-green cavities, which is the case on the dial of this Jaquet Droz watch. A second, smaller disc made of white mother-of-pearl and encircled with a gilded ribbon, houses a pair of lancine-style hands to show the hours and minutes.

As for the pink-gold case – a fine jewel setting – it is 35mm wide and edged with 232 brilliant-cut diamonds (1.23 carat). The case back is adorned by a sapphire glass unveiling the dance of the automatic JD2653.P gold rotor, which has a double barrel and provides 68 hours of power reserve.

Price: 33,500 CHF jaquet-droz.com

By Sharmila Bertin

omega deville tresor closeup

OMEGA – DE VILLE TRESOR

A TREASURE IN THE DRESSING ROOM

An astute dosage of metal and precious stones, both classical and sophisticated, the new woman’s watch by the brand from Bienne brings together the world of watchmaking and fashion

A few weeks before the opening of BaselWorld 2018, Omega is introducing the most recent arrival in its De Ville Trésor collection, a woman’s watch with an attractive design. Two new references have been added to a family of timepieces with a classic look. With the De Ville Trésor, the Bienne watchmaker is aiming at today’s woman, who likes to treat herself and go beyond fashion, preferring a timeless, but sophisticated style.

omega deville tresor closeup

At first sight, the two watches seem similar, but the differences appear when you look more closely. First of all, the case width varies depending on the metal it is made from: 39mm for the steel version (which has the advantage of matching all clothes styles and colours) and 35mm for the SednaTM gold version (more precious and warmer). The differences continue with the slightly curved dial and the Roman numerals, appearing like the sun’s rays converging towards the centre, where the the alpha- and stick-shaped hands are placed.

On the gold version, the dial is silvery white, the hour rim features golden applied indices and the hour and minute hands are also golden. The steel version, meanwhile, has a lacquered white dial containing blue indicators and hands.

On the watch case, two lines of brilliant-cut diamonds of different diameters run along the bezel and extend to the upper left-hand horn (from 8 o’clock) and the lower right-hand horn (from 2 o’clock). Last but not least, the crown echoes the shape of a flower with five bright-red ceramic petals and the centre set with a diamond.

Price: 8,600 CHF (SednaTM gold) – 5,100 CHF (steel)

By Sharmila Bertin

piaget extremely lady closeup

PIAGET – EXTREMELY LADY

GLAMOUR, ALWAYS AND FOREVER 

Designed to enhance the beauty of the female wrist, the Extremely Lady watch is a condensed form of the creative, artisanal and artistic skills that Piaget has mastered for decades.

Here, there is light everywhere. The gentle light conveyed by pink gold, the dazzling light produced by diamonds and the changing light of mother-of-pearl. Extremely Lady is a small watch that attracts the eye, a gem bringing beauty to the wrist while discreetly telling the time. With this elegant model, Piaget wanted to put the insouciance and glamour of the 1960s back into the spotlight, but also the creative daring that was so abundant in that golden era.

piaget extremely lady closeup

The Extremely Lady watch case has an oval silhouette – somewhat rare in watchmaking – and measures 27x22mm. This pink-gold setting is crowned by a bezel set with diamonds – 24 brilliant-cut precious stones forming a sparkling band with light rebounding on the white mother-of-pearl dial. Two stick-shaped pink-gold hands move around this iridescent surface without indices to display the hours and minutes in complete simplicity.

The element that makes for the charm of this Piaget is without doubt the pink-gold strap with a slide clasp. Textured like dense weave, it evokes the rich thickness of tweed with an apparently anarchic graphic design, but which is in fact perfectly mastered. The motif is known as “natural fur” and has been painstakingly made by hand using a small tool similar to a chisel and an engraving technique that cuts tiny notches in the strap itself.

The Extremely Lady model is driven by the calibre 56P, a quartz movement designed by Piaget.

Price on request piaget.com

By Sharmila Bertin

oris carl brashear chronograph limited caseback

ORIS – CARL BRASHEAR CHRONOGRAPH LIMITED EDITION

NEVER GIVE UP

For the second time in two years, Oris has used bronze to dress a timepiece dedicated to the memory of Carl Brashear, the famous African American US Navy diver

In January 2016, we told you the story of Carl Brashear (1931-2006), the courageous African American deep-sea diver and diving instructor who continued working despite having his leg amputated. We even met his son, Philip, on the Oris stand at Baselworld for the presentation of the Carl Brashear Limited Edition. The watch marked the introduction of bronze into the brand’s collections, while paying homage to an exceptional man, who, during his 30-year career, never once threw in the towel. This year, Oris has again turned to this unique metal for a new watch, again dedicated to the brave diver: the Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition, available in 2,000 pieces.

oris carl brashear chronograph limited caseback

The colour of the curved dial echoes the oceanic tint of the deep-sea depths, with a slight misty effect in the centre. A golden minute track runs around the rim of the blue disc, while the hour track is made up of geometric pink-gold-plated indices coated in beige Super-LumiNova®. Two stick-shaped luminescent hands at the centre of the dial show the hours and minutes, with the running seconds consigned to a counter at 9 o’clock. For the chronograph function, which is activated and disactivated with monopushers on the side of the case, the seconds are displayed in the centre and the minutes in a totaliser at 3 o’clock.

Price: 4,700 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

parmigiani tonda 1950 galaxy closeup

PARMIGIANI – TONDA 1950 GALAXY

THE SKY, THE STARS AND THE TIME

This new timepiece designed by Parmigiani is an invitation to explore the stars, unveiling a face studded with gold leaf and surrounded by diamonds

It is now possible to touch the stars. Well, not physically, but if you let your imagination go to work and with your eyes fixed on the new Tonda 1950 Galaxy. As its name suggests, this timepiece by Parmigiani contains the starry vault and is dressed in precious materials such as gold and diamonds.

parmigiani tonda 1950 galaxy closeup

This “sky” evoking a fine summer’s night was made of aventurine, a term that is wrongly used to refer to goldstone (aventurine glass). Whereas mineral aventurine is a coloured chalcedony from the quartz family, and a work of nature, goldstone is made by man. It was discovered by accident in a glassworks in Murano in the 17th or 18th century. In a workshop on this famous island to the north of Venice in Italy, an artisan accidentally dropped copper filings in some molten glass. The dazzling result, which was later made to a formula that was kept secret for decades, was named aventurine glass or goldstone.

The dial on the special edition Tonda 1950 Galaxy features a glass disc that is tinted and covered with tiny copper fragments, on top of which a pink-gold hour rim is set. With their slender, rectangular silhouettes, the indices converge towards the centre, where two hands are placed. These luminescent hour and minute hands are made of pink gold.

This precious timepiece is attached to a link strap, and the 39mm-wide pink gold case features a bezel covered in 84 diamonds. The crystal glass back reveals the workings of the calibre PF702 made by Parmigiani and which drives the time functions.

Price: 39,000 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

ulysse nardin diver deep with caseback

ULYSSE NARDIN – DIVER DEEP DIVE

TO THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEANS

No matter how deep you dive, with this new watch by Ulysse Nardin you are sure to enjoy your underwater outings in the best conditions.

Ulysse Nardin has joined the very exclusive club of watchmaking brands including in their catalogue a diving watch that is water-resistant down to 1,000m. With the Diver Deep Dive, the brand brings us a real instrument to resist the pressure of the sea depths. This series, limited to 300 pieces, features all the elements needed for a totally safe dive. Its impressive, 46mm-wide titanium case has a helium valve at 9 o’clock and a crown at 2 o’clock protected by a secured moveable mechanism that is machined in the same material as the case. The unidirectional bezel with 12 markers is partly coated in rubber for improved handling. On the blue dial, large hour and minute hands point to indices coated with luminescent material to provide excellent visibility on land and underwater. Reinforcing the marine aesthetic, the steel caseback is stamped with a hammerhead shark, a motif that can also be found on the dial and the side of the crown protector.

ulysse nardin diver deep with caseback

This sports watch is driven by an automatic movement with a silicon spiral and escapement. The calibre UN-320 made by Ulysse Nardin provides the watch with 48 hours of power reserve.

The Diver Deep Dive is worn with a rubber strap featuring an extensible element used to adapt to the variations in the wrist size as a result of the compression of a neoprene diving suit.

Price: 12,000 CHF

By Dan Diaconu

blancpain ultraplate saint-valentin 2018 with caseback

BLANCPAIN – ULTRAPLATE SAINT VALENTIN 2018

UNDER CUPID’S CARESS

Blancpain has harmoniously married mother-of-pearl, diamonds and rubies to symbolise poetic (and mechanical!) love in an emotional celebration of Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers.

If there is one date that must not be missed in the lovers’ diary, it is Saint Valentine’s Day, which comes around on February 14th each year. Blancpain has saved the romantic date by adding a new timepiece to the Women collection, filled with touching symbols and precious materials. The Ultraplate Saint Valentin 2018 comes in a limited edition of 99 pieces highlighting a poetic spirit and mechanical know-how.

blancpain ultraplate saint-valentin 2018 with caseback

Its opaline dial is made of white mother-of-pearl, and is flecked with brilliant-cut diamonds and rubies using the “star set” technique. 19 white stones are set between the hour rim and the centre of the dial, while 4 red gems are placed at the cardinal points (at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock). As the hours and minutes pass, these precious stones symbolising eternal love and passion are caressed by a couple of leaf-shaped open-work hands. The seconds, meanwhile, are shown with a stylised second hand displaying the outline of an arrow piercing a red-lacquered heart. Naturally, it is impossible to forget the little Cupid on Saint Valentine’s Day!

A moon phase rounds off this sparkling picture, delicately placed in a tilted counter between 6 and 7 o’clock and raised by a silver chamfer. The moon phase includes a disc representing the queen of the night in the midst of a starry sky.

The case of the Ultraplate Saint Valentin 2018 is 29.20mm wide and 10.35mm thick; the bezel and horns are covered in almost 70 diamonds, while the rounded and fluted crown houses a single stone cut in the shape of a rose. This steel setting contains the calibre 913L made by Blancpain, providing 55 hours of power reserve.

Price on request blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin