Monthly Archives: February 2019

roger dubuis excalibur one-off caseback

EXCALIBUR ONE-OFF

RUSH OF ADRENALINE

The 2019 SIHH in Geneva lived up to expectations, particularly thanks to this watch, unique in more than one way. We take a closer look!

The idea of luxury changes over time. At Roger Dubuis, watches must be exclusive and meet the needs of the voracious hedonist, men with well replenished bank accounts and always seeking new, powerful sensations. To make them all happy or one of them at least, the brand has developed a unique model: the Excalibur One-Off. The source of inspiration? A Lamborghini SC18 Alston supercar that has been totally customised to suit its owner’s tastes. Since the brand’s partnership with the Italian carmaker began, the watches have combined a mechanism worthy of a V12 with a modern and even futuristic design. For this model, a new, 47mm-wide carbon case with titanium inserts has been made. The design elements recall a racing car. The calibre has been specially developed for the occasion.

roger dubuis excalibur one-off casebackLast but not least, a selector at 4 o’clock provides the crown, at 2 o’clock, with two distinct functions. When you move the monopusher to W mode, you can wind up the One-Off. In S position, you can set the watch. Like all Roger Dubuis watches, the excellence of the Excalibur One-Off is certified by the exacting Geneva Seal.

Price: 1,063,000 CHF

By Dan Diaconu

hermes arceau heure de la lune closeup aventurine

ARCEAU L’HEURE DE LA LUNE

OBJECTIVE MOON

This limited series of just 100 watches for each version takes us on a journey through time and space with an original interpretation of the moon phases.

The inspired and elegant case designed by Henri D’Origny in 1978 is a constant source of new adventures, filled with enchanted poetry and watchmaking. The Arceau Heure de la Lune launched by Hermès at the recent SIHH in Geneva carries us up towards the satellite of our Earth. On an aventurine or meteorite dial, two white mother-of-pearl discs capture the attention. The first displays the hours and minutes, while the second shows the date, with blued hands. Their distinguishing features? They are not only offset, but also mobile, seeming to float in a weightless atmosphere! Both discs rotate around the central axis once in 59 days. This is not a random figure, of course, but corresponds to two complete moon phases. The discs float above two depictions of the moon and show the satellite’s phases in real time.

hermes arceau heure de la lune closeup aventurinePrice: 23,000 EUR hermes.com

By Dan Diaconu

iwc top gun mojave closeup

PILOT’S WATCH CHRONOGRAPH TOP GUN EDITION “MOJAVE DESERT”

SPIRIT OF THE DESERT 

The new Top Gun collection by IWC, a series of military watches unveiled at the SIHH, includes a ceramic timepiece developed in an original camouflage colour.

After enjoying success in 2012 with the Miramar version, named after the Californian army base that is the home of the US Marines Corps, the Top Gun collection by IWC is back this year with some new, technically advanced pieces. Among the new models, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Mojave Desert” stands out with production limited to 500 watches.

iwc top gun mojave closeupTop Gun came to fame with the 1986 film that launched the career of Tom Cruise, but it is in fact the name of a course taught to elite pilots in the US Air Force, the United States Navy Strike Programme. The Mojave Desert in California is the home, among others, of China Lake, the Naval Air Weapons Station, a military complex created in 1943. The mainly arid landscape and the sand hills in the desert, as well as uniforms worn by some US soldiers, inspired IWC to design a 44.5mm-wide watch case in beige ceramic – a colour that has never been used in watchmaking before.

Matching this light and resistant shell, the dial nonetheless features a deeper colour with taupe brown tones. The time elements (indices, Arabic numerals, day, date and hands) are all coated in beige lume. The hours and minutes are placed in the centre, while the seconds are in a counter at 6 o’clock. For the chronograph elements, two sub-dials clock up the minutes (at 12 o’clock) and the hours (at 9 o’clock). Lastly, a double counter at 3 o’clock shows the day and date.

These features are driven by the calibre 69380, generating a power reserve of 46 hours.

Price: 8,900 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

cartier santos dumont 2019 closeup

SANTOS-DUMONT

FULL-SQUARE APPEAL

The recent SIHH in Geneva brought several gems to light. One is definitely this Santos-Dumont watch, keeping alive the refined spirt of the original model.

The name Santos-Dumont evokes the early history of aviation in the 20th century, but has also been closely linked to watchmaking since Louis Cartier created a wrist watch for his Brazilian friend in 1904. The Santos model was sold to the public from 1911, and later the Parisian luxury brand made it a collection in its own right. This year, Cartier has given new wings to the historic timepiece named after the intrepid aviator. The style of the new models is impeccable and true to the original. The case combines simplicity and distinction, and is made of steel, gold or both materials to suit all tastes.

cartier santos dumont 2019 closeupHere you can find all the notable design elements of Cartier watches. Visible screws are in evidence at the the top of the case. On the dial, blued hands point towards Roman numerals, and the winding crown features a blue cabochon. The secret signature in the figure VII has not been forgotten. Two sizes of case are available. There is a smaller version (38.5mm wide) or a larger model, so that the watches can be worn either by men or women.

The Santos-Dumont by Cartier is also surprisingly slender, just 7mm thick. This is because the watch houses a quartz movement and not a mechanical calibre. The movement includes the latest innovations in terms of energy saving. As a result, the watch owner will only have to change the battery every six years. All the models are equipped with elegant alligator-leather straps.

Price from €3,500

By Dan Diaconu

zenith pilot chronometro cp2 usa warriors closeup

PILOT CRONOMETRO TIPO CP-2 USA EDITION

CHARITY WORK

For Veterans Day, Zenith is supporting the work of a US charity providing help and services for former soldiers and their families.

A non-profit organisation, the Wounded Warrior Project aims to help former soldiers who have been wounded since 11 September 2001. Zenith has donated $25,000 to support their work. The brand has also released a limited edition of just 50 watches of the Pilot Cronometro Tipo CP-2 USA Edition. The timepiece is based on a 1960s model, the Cairelli, which was made for the Italian army. The new watch has kept up the military inspiration, but adopted the colours of the US flag. The dial comes in matte blue with lume-coated hands and numerals. The bezel scale is also blue and features a red triangle. American patriotism is also on display on the rotor decorated by Geneva waves and visible through the sapphire caseback. The rotor is open-worked to reveal a star decorated with the Stars and Stripes.

zenith pilot chronometro cp2 usa warriors closeupThe 43mm-wide steel case houses an automatic chronograph movement with very contemporary performances. The calibre El Primero 405B with a power reserve of 50 hours drives the time information. Split-time measurements are measured with the central second hand and the 30-minute totaliser at 3 o’clock. The flyback function makes clocking up the times even easier.

The Pilot Cronometro Tipo CP-2 USA Edition is worn with a blue nubuck leather strap.

Price on request zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

jaeger lecoultre master grande tradition gyrotourbillon westminster perpetuel side view

MASTER GRANDE TRADITION GYROTOURBILLON WESMINSTER PERPÉTUEL

MAJOR ACCORD

This watch unveiled at the recent SIHH in Geneva sums up all the skills of the manufacture. It includes a perpetual date, a minute repeater and a multi-axial tourbillon.

The hour and minute hands on the Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel move around an off-centred dial at 12 o’clock. Three counters signal the presence of a perpetual date. The day, the date and the month, which can be reset in both directions, will not need to be corrected until 2100. This limited edition of just 18 pieces also has a new-generation, multi-axial tourbillon that you can see at 6 o’clock. The gyrotourbillon with a titanium cage has been designed on a small scale and with a low weight (just 0.4 grams). It plays the role of a chronometric amplifier, while correcting any errors in the balance wheel and balance spring pairing. It is aided by a constant-force mechanism, which acts as a second source of energy.

jaeger lecoultre master grande tradition gyrotourbillon westminster perpetuel side viewThis complication is perfectly integrated into the calibre 184. The same is true of the 1,050 components that went into making this hand-wound movement (50 hours of power reserve). Many can be seen at work through the back of the 43mm-wide and 14.08mm-thick grey-gold case.

Price: 800,000 EUR www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

By Dan Diaconu

tag heuer carrera 02 t nanograph caseback

CARRERA CALIBRE HEUER 02T NANOGRAPH TOURBILLON

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

While the name Heuer is associated with competition, TAG, standing for Technique d’Avant-Garde, is linked to innovation. Both aspects come together in this surprising timepiece.

The recent Calibre Heuer 01 and 02T watches gave a new impetus to TAG Heuer’s flagship Carrera collection. Cutting-edge watchmaking and contemporary design are what made these watches so attractive. The same features can be found in the new Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Nanograph Tourbillon with its monochrome open-work dial, encircled by a bezel including an impressive tachymetric scale. The hands and indices are all lume-coated. But what really impresses in this model by the LVMH-owned brand is the inclusion of the first hairspring made of a carbon composite.

tag heuer carrera 02 t nanograph casebackLastly, in the automatic movement (providing 65 hours of power reserve) housed in a 45mm-wide titanium case, a COSC-certified chronograph is on hand to take care of the split-time measurements.

Price: 24,900 CHF tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu