Monthly Archives: December 2018

blancpain metiers art great beauties painting

METIERS D’ART GREAT BEAUTIES

BlancPain

CHINESE MAGIC

As the year draws to a close, Blancpain dazzles our eyes and wrists with four models inspired by Chinese culture and history and displaying all the watchmakers’ craftsmanship and artistry

The fascinating history of China is filled with incredible stories that are now part of its popular culture. Out of the many episodes from a rich past, Blancpain has chosen one in particular about the Four Beauties of Ancient China. The watchmakers have not only given us a journey back in time, but also a chance to enjoy their wide-ranging artistic skills. The series of four unique pieces named Métiers d’Art Great Beauties is an ode to beauty, whether of women, like the four characters, or of craftsmanship, in the decorative techniques used.

blancpain metiers art great beauties paintingEach display on the dials of this quartet of Métiers d’Art Great Beauties calls on the artistic skill of the Blancpain craftsmen and women: “Grand Feu” champlevé enamel and engraving with translucent enamel for the Xi Shi version; shakudō (taken from the Japanese art), engraved and enamelled indices with mother-of-pearl for the Diaochan model; marquetry and engraving on gold or mother-of-pearl for the Wang Zhaojun watch; and lastly, painting on miniature enamel for the Yang Guifei piece.

Each timepiece has a 42mm-wide rose gold case with a double-stepped bezel and, on the dial, sage leaf-shaped hands that are the features of the Villeret collection. The hours and minutes are driven by the 13R3A calibre, a hand-wound movement supplying a 8 hours of power reserve.

Series of 4 unique pieces blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin

longines heritage skin diver caseback

HERITAGE SKIN DIVER WATCH

Longines

A DIVE INTO THE PAST

Almost 60 years after the release of its first diving watch, the watchmakers from Saint-Imier have reissued a model that was a big success at the time. The new version has the same design as its predecessor, but with contemporary technology in line with the times.

As well as creating beautiful timepieces at very affordable prices and almost endless creativity, one of the great specialities of Longines is reissuing watches that have marked its 185-year history. These souvenirs of the past, with designs found in the archives of the Saint-Imier-based brand, have been redesigned with a new but respectful look and included in the Heritage collection. An example is the new Skin Diver Watch. The model has all the main design features of the brand’s first diving watch, released in 1959, while incorporating contemporary techniques. And almost 60 years later, if you place the original version side by side with the new, the similarity is striking!

longines heritage skin diver casebackThis new Longines watch can be worn with a steel Milanese mesh strap, a natural brown leather strap or a rubber strap with a checked texture, evoking a woven pattern.

Price: 2,460 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

corum golden bridge titanium piano

GOLDEN BRIDGE TITANE DLC

Corum

TIME AND GEOMETRY

Corum’s Golden Bridge is famous for its visible baguette movement, like a skyscraper at the centre of the dial. The watch boasts a striking design and a round titanium case coated in black DLC

In 1980, almost 40 years ago, the Golden Bridge was launched. The “baguette” movement, created by the watchmaker Vincent Calabrese, caught the attention with its linear cogwheels and an arrangement that literally hung in the air inside a rectangular case. The angular watch produced by Corum has always been a source of visual, but also of technical magic. Today the collection is joined by two new circular versions. Far from being a sacrilege, they show an architectural development involving a geometry of shapes with a rectangle set inside the circle.

corum golden bridge titanium pianoThe titanium DLC case on the two Golden Bridge watches is 43mm wide and 8.80mm thick. The timepieces are worn with a black textured rubber strap, rounded off by a folding clasp.

Price: 23,800 CHF (titanium and rose gold) – 23,500 CHF (titanium and white gold)

By Sharmila Bertin

vacheron constantin traditionnelle complete calandar closeup caseback

TRADITIONAL COMPLETE CALENDAR

Vacheron Constantin

CREME DE LA CREME

Here, the exception is the rule. A noble material, craftsmanship worthy of luxury watchmaking and practical complications are all combined to meet the needs of aficionados.

Since 2006, Vacheron Constantin has provided collectors with exclusive limited editions in the Excellence Platine Collection. Sometimes simple, sometimes complicated, all the watches in the collection have a case and dial made of Pt 950 platinum and are worn with a dark blue alligator leather strap that is hand-sewn with platinum and silk threads. The 100 pieces of the Traditional Complete Calendar are no exception. The sword-shaped hour and minute hands are housed in this elegant setting, along with slender hour markers and a central second hand. Two symmetrical counters show the day and the month. A central blue hand makes its way around a circular date track. At 6 o’clock, an engraved moon phase that needs to be corrected only once every 122 years and a lunar month indicator round off the information in an attractive and ethereal way.

vacheron constantin traditionnelle complete calandar closeup casebackThe level of craftsmanship on display means that the Traditional Complete Calendar from the Excellence Platine Collection has the Geneva Seal certification.

Price: 68,500 EUR vacheron-constantin.com

By Dan Diaconu