Archive

Author Archive

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Lady, elegant and seductive watch

June 11, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Making its debut in 2011 is the Excalibur Lady line with a model in several versions, for women only. This elegant and seductive watch catches the eye with distinctive dials, in pure Roger Dubuis style, and incorporates mechanical movements which have been developed by the Manufacture, each hallmarked with the prestigious Poinçon de Genève.
Combining force with subtle sophistication, these 36 mm diameter models are proposed in steel, white gold or rose gold, with or without diamonds. In addition to the characteristic indented bezel and triple lugs of the Excalibur collection, this new lady’s version adopts an elegant dial, circled with stunningly tapered Roman numerals. Stretched to infinity, and an integral part of the brand’s DNA, these Roman numerals are magnificently set against the satin sunburst dial. The rose gold case, which is water-resistant to 3 BAR (30 metres), is framed by a bezel paved with 48 diamonds (approx. 0.99 carats).
The power of seduction of the Excalibur Lady watch goes beyond its beauty. Its RD821 self-winding mechanical movement meets the exacting criteria of Fine Watchmaking. Hallmarked with the prestigious Poinçon de Genève, it has also been awarded COSC chronometer certification by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres.
Movement – Calibre RD821. Self-winding mechanical movement, 11½’’’, 33 jewels, finely adjusted in five positions, rhodium-plated, “Côtes de Genève” decoration. Poinçon de Genève. COSC certification. Number of parts – 168. Height – 3.43 mm. Frequency – 4 Hz (28,800 vph). Power reserve – 48 hours.
Functions – Hours and minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock (optional).
Case – Round, 36mm, pink gold. 48 diamonds on the bezel.
Carats – 0.99 on the bezel.
Dial – Rhodium-plated satin sunburst. Black transferred Roman numerals, small seconds at 6 o’clock. Rhodium-plated satin sunburst. Pink gold ring, black transfer.
Water resistance – 3 BAR (30 m).
Strap – Grey satin-finish fabric.
Clasp – White gold adjustable folding buckle.
Source: Roger Dubuis

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Woman Tags:

De Grisogono Meccanico dG, technical masterpiece in an exclusive edition

June 5, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Building on its global success, the Meccanico dG, a technical masterpiece created by Fawaz Gruosi, is to be issued in an exclusive edition offering a delightful play on contrasts between the white hour-markers and microsegments and the matt black alligator leather strap.
The Meccanico dG from de Grisogono, with its double analogue and digital mechanical display, is firmly establishing itself as an exceptional example of contemporary fine watchmaking. A prizewinner at the 2009 Geneva International Grand Prix, this model houses an extremely sophisticated movement. The inexorably accurate choreography of its gear trains, cams and microsegments creates extraordinary emotion and a poetic sense of fascination. It is now introduced in an exclusive new version enhanced by a matt black titanium case featuring imposing yet elegant lines.
Beating at the heart of the watch is a hand-wound movement composed of 651 parts assembled inhouse according to the finest traditions of haute horlogerie. The analogue display of the hours and minutes in the upper part of the dial features white hour-markers and hands, while the mechanical digital display in the lower part corresponds to a 2nd time zone. The latter shows the tens of hours, single hours, tens of minutes and single minutes through the action of white mobile microsegments driven by a set of 23 cams combined with gears plus a triggering/synchronisation device. The transition between one indication and the next involves the instantaneous 90° rotation of between 1 and 12 different segments. In one year, the function is activated 518,400 times and sets a massive 285 million parts into motion.
The matt black alligator leather strap sets the perfect finishing touch to an understated and yet impulsive design. This outstanding model, which is bound to appeal to elegant men looking for chic and refined luxury, provides an exclusive horological foretaste of a special edition heralding a collection to be unveiled in its entirety at Baselworld 2011.
Movement – Caliber number DF 22-93. Power reserve – 36 hours. Mechanism – Hand-wound mechanical movement, central hours and minutes, white mechanical digital dual time-zone display at 6 o’clock. Caliber dimensions – Thickness: 11.05 mm. Length: 38.10 mm. Width: 34.70 mm. Jewelling 111 rubies. Movement finishing – Matt.
Case – Matt black titanium, sapphire back, rubber crown guard, opening: 36.20 x 29.00 mm. Case dimensions – Length: 55 mm. Width: 51.40 mm. Thickness: 18.85 mm. Interhorn width – 30 mm.
Dial – Matt black brass, white hour-markers.
Water resistance – 3 ATM.
Strap – Matt black alligator leather.
Clasp – Titanium, matt blackened triple-blade folding clasp.
Source: de Grisogono

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man Tags:

Girard-Perregaux, 1966 Tourbillon 220th Anniversary [Limited Edition]

June 4, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

1791-2011: The Girard-Perregaux Manufacture celebrates its 220th anniversary
The start of the 19th century was marked by a pivotal invention in the field of chronometry. An ingenious device was created to compensate for the rate errors caused by the Earth’s gravity when the watch was in a vertical position: the Tourbillon.
In the mid-19th century, this complication was refined by the watchmaker Constant Girard-Perregaux. Long years of research enabled him to bring a completely innovative concept to fruition: it ensured the movement was no longer simply a technical and functional component, but a design element in its own right. His masterwork, a Tourbillon movement, featured three parallel bridges under which the barrel, centre wheel and Tourbillon were aligned. Each component in his timepieces was designed to an exceptionally high standard of quality. In 1889, he received the ultimate accolade: Girard-Perregaux won a gold medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition for his Tourbillon with three gold Bridges.
To mark the 220th anniversary of the Brand, Girard-Perregaux’s Haute Horlogerie collection will be enhanced by a model inspired by its history and this majestic complication: the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Tourbillon with gold Bridge, expressing the essence of watchmaking tradition, available in an edition of 50 individually numbered pieces.
Tribute to the Tourbillon pocket watches
Sober and elegant, the design of this timepiece evokes that of its illustrious predecessors. The ‘Breguet’ Arabic numerals painted on the silvered dial, as well as the blued steel leaf-shaped hands, are both clear references to a time when only pocket watches existed.
The clean lines of its 40-millimetre case disguise a sophisticated design and production process. Its curvature and lugs have been carefully fashioned to sit perfectly on the wrist. Designed in the Manufacture’s workshops, it has undergone meticulous finishing operations to reveal the full brilliance of the pink gold. The case-back, closed by 6 screws, is hand-engraved to evoke the domes of Girard-Perregaux’s tourbillons dating from the 19th century. Each piece bears its own individual number, also engraved by hand in keeping with the Brand’s tradition.
The case houses a Girard-Perregaux 9610 movement comprising 224 components, the refined decoration and architecture of which are also inspired by 19th century pocket tourbillons.
The tourbillon bridge of the new Girard-Perregaux 1966 Tourbillon has an unusual shape: known as ‘bassiné’, the two arms of the bridge are rounded off. The rounding off process consists of filing the ends of the arms to make them perfectly uniform, giving them a semi-cylindrical shape while retaining the demarcation of the centre and the heels. To finish the operation, the craftsmen use stones, buffs, boxwood and diamond pastes to smooth them to a perfectly rounded finish. The slightest imperfection can be immediately detected by the naked eye. This craftsmanship, which requires the highest level of dexterity and concentration, is a worthy heritage of the pocket Tourbillons manufactured by Constant Girard-Perregaux in the 19th century.
The delicate Tourbillon also demands extreme attention to detail: incredible dexterity is required to assemble its 72 components, all of which fit into a diameter of just one centimetre. It weighs 0.3 gram – about the same as a swan’s feather. Accompanying it is a self-winding system patented by the Manufacture: a small-diameter platinum oscillating weight is housed in the space below and around the barrel. This elegant design leaves the movement’s dimensions and architecture intact.
Limited and numbered edition of 50 pieces.
Movement – Girard-Perregaux 9610. Mechanical self-winding movement. Calibre – 28.60 mm. Height – 6.88 mm. Number of components – Complete movement 224 components, Tourbillon cage 72 components, 0.3 g. Frequency – 21,600 vibrations/hour (3 Hz). Jewels 31. Power reserve – minimum 48 hours.
Tourbillon – Bridge: Gold “bassiné” bridge, hand-polished (inspection under 10x magnifier), polished corners, satin-finished rims. One rotation per minute. Upper and lower cages bevelled and polished. Cage balanced with gold adjustment screws. Escapement bridges and pallet bridge bevelled and polished.
Functions – Tourbillon, hours, minutes, small seconds on the Tourbillon.
Case – Pink gold. Diameter – 40.00 mm. Height – 10.90 mm. Antireflective sapphire crystal. Case-back fastened with 6 screws. Water resistance – 30 metres (3 ATM). Crown – Gold with engraved GP logo.
Hands – Hour and minute, in blued steel.
Strap – Full grain black alligator.
Buckle – Pin, gold, with engraved GP logo.
Source: Girard-Perregaux

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man Tags:

Breitling Chronospace Automatic, exceptional design

March 29, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

With its ultra-original star-shaped bezel and its resolutely technical appearance, the new Chronospace Automatic is distinguished by an exceptional design, combined with all the qualities of an authentic Breitling pilot’s instrument.
From the Navitimer to the Chronomat, along with the Superocean and the Aerospace, Breitling instruments for professionals are distinguished not only by their performances, but also by their unique and powerful looks. They radiate strong character and are recognizable at a glance. The new Chronospace Automatic pilot’s chronograph is no exception, combining form and function with inimitable style. Thanks to its unusual star-shaped design that makes it easy to use even when wearing gloves, the bidirectional rotating bezel ensures simple and easy handling of the circular slide rule serving to perform all calculations relating to airborne navigation – a valuable asset in terms of ergonomics and functionality.
The sophisticated rack and pinion system driving the slide rule guarantees water resistance to 200 meters (600 ft), an exceptional achievement for this type of instrument. The large 12 o’clock numeral, square hour-markers and oversized hands, all accentuated by a luminescent coating, lend the dial a vigorous and dynamic aesthetic that ensures maximum readability and visibility, even in poor lighting conditions. The extreme precision of the time display and of short-time measurements is ensured by the Breitling Caliber 23 selfwinding chronograph movement, chronometer-certified by the COSC like all the brand’s movements. The new Chronospace Automatic is available with a choice of four dial colors – Volcano Black, Mariner Blue, Tungsten Gray and Stratus Silver – enhanced by black totalizers. The understated, powerful lines of the sturdy steel case are combined, according to taste and to usage, with various types of strap or bracelet, including sporty versions in rubber and a daring bracelet in satinbrushed woven steel. A perfect way of combining high performances with standout looks.
Movement – Breitling Caliber 23, officially chronometer-certified by the COSC, selfwinding, high frequency (28,800 vibrations per hour), 25 jewels.
Functions – ¼ of a second chronograph, 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers. Calendar.
Case – Steel. Diameter – 46 mm. Water-resistant to 200 m (660 ft/20 bars). Screw-locked crown.
Dials – Volcano Black, Mariner Blue, Tungsten Gray, Stratus Silver.
Crystal – Cambered sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides. Bidirectional rotating pinion bezel (slide rule). Screwed in caseback.
Straps/Bracelet – Leather, rubber Diver Pro (with raised central ridge), Ocean Racer rubber (perforated)/Aero Classic in woven steel.
Source: Breitling

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man Tags:

Vacheron Constantin Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar, master-watchmakers

March 29, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The resolutely contemporary Quai de l’Ile collection launched by Vacheron Constantin in 2008 is now enriched with a Retrograde Annual Calendar model. This complication is revealed through the new Vacheron Constantin Calibre 2460 QRA and housed within a 43 mm case offering unique opportunities for personalisation. This Retrograde Annual Calendar also features new dial variations featuring alternating vertical satin-brushed and opaline finishing, versions that are now available for all models in the Quai de l’Ile collection.
It made a significant impact in 2008 and will doubtless not go unnoticed in 2011. Resolutely contemporary and embodying as never before the concept of personalisation in the field of fine watchmaking, the Quai de l’Ile collection welcomes a new complication that is as useful as it is technical: the retrograde annual calendar. Clothed in pink or white gold – or both if the customer so wishes – this model with its dynamic lines houses a new mechanical self-winding complicated movement designed, developed and crafted by Vacheron Constantin: Calibre 2460 QRA, bearing the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. This calibre incorporates two expressions of technical mastery: the annual calendar combined with a retrograde date display.
A rare and extremely useful combination
The annual calendar is undoubtedly one of the most useful complications, since it takes account of the essential calendar irregularities over a full year. Contrary to simple calendars programmed for 31-day months and requiring date corrections almost every two months, the mechanical programming of the annual calendar enables it to handle months of both 30 and 31 days. This means it requires adjustment just once a year in order to cope with the specific vagaries of the month of February. Already remarkable in its own right, this complication is associated in the new Quai de l’Ile model with a retrograde date display, an acknowledged Vacheron Constantin speciality.
A new calibre
The master-watchmakers and design engineers of Vacheron Constantin have conceived, developed and crafted the new Calibre 2460 QRA, complying with technical specifications that included the need to meet the high finishing and construction stipulations laid down by the Hallmark of Geneva regulations. The new 326-part Vacheron Constantin Calibre 2460 QRA drives the hours, minutes and small seconds at 9 o’clock, as well as the annual calendar with retrograde date display, months and a high-precision moon-phase indication requiring correction just once every 122 years. Equipped with a stop-seconds device to ensure precise time-setting, it is endowed with a 40-hour power reserve and a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour). This mechanical self-winding movement is equipped with an oscillating weight mounted on ceramic ball bearings and specially developed to match the spirit of the innovative Quai de l’Ile collection. Crafted in ruthenium-plated 22K gold, it is distinguished by its pure lines enhanced by five raised decorative fillets.
A visibly modern character
The contemporary character of the Quai de l’Ile collection is further reinforced by the case of the Retrograde Annual Calendar available in a new 43 mm size. Cushion-shaped and featuring a screw-down back fitted with a sapphire crystal pane, this original case is a contemporary reinterpretation of a classic watch shape. Like legendary cars that are endlessly redesigned to keep pace with style developments, the Quai de l’Ile case is a vivid expression of an avant-garde watchmaking concept, while remaining entirely in harmony with the stylistic spirit of Vacheron Constantin. Constantly in search of flowing shapes and visually perfect curves, as well as the boldly assertive character and dynamic lines of stealth-type objects, the Vacheron Constantin designers have pushed the limits of these territories in conceiving and designing this case that now symbolises the Vacheron Constantin personalisation concept.
Time for personalisation
Available in three versions in the standard collection (pink gold, white gold or two-tone pink and white gold), the Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar corresponds to another of the collection’s signature features: personalisation. The owner can personalise the model according to certain predefined principles, and this unique and unprecedented opportunity in the field of Haute Horlogerie is made possible by the original construction of the Quai de l’Ile case and its seven-part middle: lateral flanks at 3 and 9 o’clock, lugs at 12 and 6 o’clock, inter-lug pieces at 12 and 6 o’clock, and a support plate. In addition to these seven elements, the 43 mm-diameter case comprises the bezel, the back and the crown. Combined with certain dial elements, this construction enables Vacheron Constantin to offer its clientele 700 potential variations within the complete Quai de l’Ile collection.
A new face
The latest addition to the collection also offers new dial versions with satin-brushed/vertical finishing in the central zone and opaline finishing in the outer zone, as well as for the month and date indications. When launched in 2008, the Quai de l’Ile achieved a considerable impact through its unprecedented association between the watchmaking world and the most secret and sophisticated “Security Printing” technologies. A powerful emblem of this original security system, the sun motif inspired by the clock tower of the Tour de l’Ile (next to the historic headquarters of Vacheron Constantin) is placed inside a disc printed in invisible ink and appears between 4 and 5 o’clock only under ultra-violet light. Expressing a decidedly avant-garde horological approach, all the models – Annual Retrograde Calendar, Automatic Calendar, Day-Date and Power Reserve – in this collection featuring dynamic lines that may be personalised according to customers’ wishes now come in new dial executions.
The Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar is delivered with two straps: one in black or brown alligator leather, and the other in black or brown rubber, secured by an 18K pink or white gold folding clasp.
Resolutely modern in terms of its design and of the original concepts on which its unique personality is based, the new Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar merges perfect mastery of mechanical complexity with innovative design and an entirely original personalisation concept.
Movement – Calibre 2460 QRA, developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin. Stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva. Energy Mechanical, self-winding. Diameter – 26.20 mm (11’’’ ¼). Thickness – 5.40 mm. Jewels 27. Frequency – 4Hz (28’800 Vibrations/hour). Rotor – Special Quai de l’Ile rotor in 22K gold, with a ruthenium finishing and decorated with five embossed fillets. Power reserve – Approximately 43 hours.
Indications – Hours, minutes and small seconds at 9 o’clock. Annual calendar (date, month), date with retrograde hand. Precision moon phase.
Case – 18K 5N pink gold or 18K white gold or 18K Pink and White gold. Cushion-shape. 43 mm x 54 mm. Open-worked back with transparent sapphire crystal.
Dial – Soft vertical satin-finishing in the central zone. Opaline external ring and day and date indication zones. UV ink sun. Chamfered hour-markers and counters. Moon phase disk in matt ebony opaline metal and circular satin-finished moon figure.
Water-resistance – 3 bar (about 30 meters).
Strap – Each model is delivered with two straps: Black or brown hand-stitched, saddle-finished square-shape scales alligator Mississippiensis leather. Black or brown natural rubber.
Clasp – 18K 5N pink or 18K white gold triple-blade folding clasp.
Other movements available: Calibre 2460 QH. Calibre 2475 SC/1.
Other cases available: 18K 5N Pink gold and Titanium. Titanium. Palladium 950 and Titanium. Palladium 950.
Source: Vacheron Constantin

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man, Lux-Woman Tags:

Pierre DeRoche TNT RendezVous [Limited Edition]

March 28, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Pierre DeRoche has combined the most advanced mechanical watchmaking with subtle musical poetry in its latest creation, the RendezVous, which displays a double gong under the sapphire crystal.
Coupled with the striking-mechanism’s on/off function, this device is unique on this kind of watch and gives this exceptional timepiece its intrinsic value. When the alarm is released, the mechanism reveals its secrets: first, the fast-and-slow, then the striking mechanism’s bridge moving into action, and finally the hammers successively striking the two “Chartres” chimes (the two gongs turn more than 360° but are of different lengths).
With a few clear, limpid notes produced by the best watch craftsmen from the Joux Valley, the RendezVous will remind you of your day’s appointments.
Series limited to 201.
Movement – Automatic, exclusive Dubois-Dépraz calibre, 32 jewels, decorated and engraved circular (360°) rotor, sunray-pattern bridges.
Functions – Hours, minutes, seconds, date, day/night indicator, RendezVous function with 2-gong striking-mechanism, winding and On/Off indicators.
Case – Black PVD titanium container; bezel, horns, screw-down crown, crown guard and pushpieces all in steel, 45.5 mm. Double-sided anti-reflective sapphire crystal and sapphire back. Water-resistant to 100 m.
Strap – Alligator with folding clasp.
Other version – Limited series of 21 pieces in pink gold (18K), steel and titanium.
Source: Pierre DeRoche

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man Tags:

Harry Winston Histoire de Tourbillon 2 [Limited Edition]

March 27, 2012 Leave a comment

A collection of rare timepieces launched in 2009, Histoire de Tourbillon embodies Harry Winston’s visionary spirit and determination to explore new dimensions. The collection combines technical sophistication and fine design in a daring and distinctive manner, expressing an original vision of horological history and asserting a new signature style. This year, for its second edition, the House of Harry Winston is paying tribute to the undisputed star of complications with an exclusive new timepiece issued in a 20-piece limited series. Featuring an ingenious construction that makes light of established conventions and includes a bi-axial flying tourbillon, Histoire de Tourbillon 2 offers its very own interpretation of time measurement. An avant-garde interpretation in which technology serves design and confirms the pioneering spirit of Harry Winston.
In tune with the inimitable Harry Winston style, Histoire de Tourbillon 2 transforms creative freedom into a full-fledged vocation. The brand’s signature excentered look is expressed in a resolutely atypical manner that pushes the boundaries of conception and design. From the tourbillon coupled with running seconds at 9 o’clock, to the hours with day/night indication at 2 o’clock and the minutes at 6 o’clock, all the displays are isolated in independent offset subdials. Each has its own field of expression in a case that is cleverly partitioned to form several different levels. Eight sapphire crystals (five on the dial side of which three for the time indications, and three on the case-back) punctuate the case like windows to a futuristic world in which technology forges the passing of time. The strength and intensity emanating from the watch are reinforced by a monumental white gold structure measuring 48.5 mm in diameter.
Powered by a mechanical hand-wound movement exclusively developed for Harry Winston, Histoire de Tourbillon 2 showcases the supreme complication in a setting worthy of its stature. The intricate structure of the amazing bi-axial flying tourbillon immediately catches the eye. Embodying a daunting conceptual challenge characterized by the absence of an upper bridge, the tourbillon is held on the side of the movement only, so that its point of fixation remains invisible. Suspended in mid-air, it radiates the hypnotic magic of a perfectly controlled balancing game: as if released from the mechanism driving it, it appears to be floating in complete freedom. Hovering over the watch protected by its sapphire crystal dome, this watchmaking feat plays its role within a spacious and spectacular stage-setting. Designers have worked with perspective, height and sloping angles in creating the stunning tourbillon carriage with its fascinating sense of depth.
The technical complexity does not stop there: the bi-axial flying tourbillon combines two concentric carriages and gains added precision by enabling the regulating organ to perform multidimensional rotations. The striking visual effect is created by an outer carriage completing one full turn in 120 seconds and housing an internal carriage – holding the balance, balance-spring and escapement – that revolves in just 40 seconds. The circular-grained, polished and shotpeened finishes, hand-crafted in keeping with the noblest fine watchmaking traditions, highlight the tourbillon components in an extraordinary contrast between light and dark shades. Moreover, behind the stunning vision of this aerial ballet lies excellent rating precision, enhanced not only by the constant shifting of positions, but also by the lightness and resistance of the external titanium carriage.
Distinguished by a three-level bezel, in itself an outstanding accomplishment in terms of guaranteeing water resistance, the case meticulously compartmentalizes the various timekeeping indications. While the tourbillon plays the starring role, the hours and minutes appear in their respective subdials at 2 and 6 o’clock and feature a bold, ultra-contemporary design. Underscored by a beveled inner bezel ring, they are swept over by orange-accented hands standing out clearly against the opaline black dial background. Further enhancing readability, the day/night indications can be told apart by their color: orange for day, and blue for night. Finally, two additional dial apertures set the finishing touch to the decidedly masculine aesthetic of this model with a straight-line guilloché motif. Superlative design meets cutting-edge technology in this supremely elegant model radiating perfect visual equilibrium despite the excentered displays.
Designed for devotees of contemporary Haute Horlogerie that is firmly anchored in the 21st century and geared towards innovation, Histoire de Tourbillon 2 asserts a unique style: that of a precious work of art to be experienced on a daily basis; and that of a high-tech instrument that does not merely measure time, but actually lives it with vibrant energy and confidence.
Movement – Mechanical hand-wound movement. Bi-axial flying tourbillon. Flying external carriage in titanium: full rotation in 120 seconds. Internal carriage: inclined at a 10-degree angle, full rotation in 40 seconds. Circular-grained, polished and shotpeened hand-finished decorations. 95 components. Power Reserve – 50 hours.
Functions – Excentered hour display at 2 o’clock. Excentered disk-type minutes display at 6 o’clock. Disk-type seconds display at 9 o’clock on the tourbillon. Orange indications for day and blue for night at 2 o’clock.
Case – 48.5 mm. Polished white gold, satin finished and shotpeened.
Dial – Opaline black. Straight-line guilloché motif at 12 and 4 o’clock.
Glass – 5 sapphire crystals on the dial side of which three for the time indication. 3 sapphire crystals on the case-back.
Water resistance – 30 meters (3 ATM).
Strap – Matt black alligator leather.
Source: Harry Winston

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man Tags:

Graham Chronofighter Oversize Referee [Limited Edition]

March 26, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For the third consecutive year, GRAHAM London will be the Official Timekeeper of the 2011 RBS 6 Nations Championship. A long term partnership with the prestigious rugby Championship involving 6 of the best northern hemisphere rugby nations.
That rugby as a sport is a perfect fit for GRAHAM London goes without saying. As a fast, complex, highly sophisticated and highly tactical “sport for hooligans played by gentlemen”, rugby is to sports what GRAHAM is to watch making: historic, real, slightly mad, British and gritty.
As Official Timekeeper of the Championship, GRAHAM provides all RBS 6 Nations match referees with dedicated Graham chronographs to assist them in performing their match duties in the most accurate manner possible. Once again, we are happy to put our watches to real life testing. Extreme testing, some would say. But we believe that once it has stood the test of an international rugby match, it can survive whatever situation you will encounter in your everyday life. Sweat, rain, dust, mud, heat, cold, shocks, you name it. And we tested it! Fear is not in our vocabulary.
The Chronofighter Oversize Referee is all about rugby. Indeed it was developed using codes from the RBS 6 Nations Championship. The 6 squads’ colours are featured in the second counter at 3 o’clock. The official logo is also on the case back.
The Chronofighter Oversize Referee was conceived based on the needs of the referees. They required a light watch, as they run a lot. We therefore developed a titanium light-weight case, a case with a perfect fit on the wrist. They asked for readability. We opted for a white dial to emphasise the 30 double-graduated minutes counter at 6 o’clock. Thanks to its internal 40 minutes graduation, it measures the halves of each match accurately. They worried about injuries in case of contact. We covered the red lever and black bezel with a soft-touch rubber. They required that it would operate smoothly. We used the left drive lever mechanism. It is so intuitive to use that you needn’t even to look at it. The right hand will automatically find how to operate the system in a split second. Start. Stop. The chronograph is right there under the full control of your thumb.
Referees did not ask for the red strap. But we decided that it would add a thrilling dimension to the piece and complement the colours of referees’ jerseys. That’s British elegance, even on the field. In the end, the model combines precision, readability and advanced material to be up to its Championship reputation.
Limited Edition to 250 for White Dial model.
Limited Edition to 250 for Black Dial model.
Movement – Calibre G1735, automatic tri-compax chronograph, 28’800 A/h (4 Hz), incabloc shock absorber. 25 jewels. Power reserve – 48 hours.
Functions – Chronograph (seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours counter). Date at 9 o’clock. Hours, minutes, seconds.
Case – 47 mm titanium case. Red soft-touch rubber left hand fast-action start/stop trigger and black soft-touch rubber reset pusher with “Clous de Paris” high grip pattern. Titanium bezel with black soft-touch rubber. Domed sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating on both faces. See-through sapphire crystal case back with RBS 6 Nations logo printed and limited edition serial number engraved.
Dial – White or Black dial and minutes counter, minutes counter with black or white half rim, internal 45 min white scale (Big 40 for Rugby game time), white or black snailed hours counter with black or white rim, multicoloured seconds counter featuring the colours of the 6 squads. White Super-LumiNova hands and indexes.
Water resistance – 330 feet / 100 m.
Strap – Red rubber. Titanium pin buckle.
Source: GRAHAM London

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man Tags:

Badollet Tourbillon Stellaire, remembrance of galactic timepiece

March 3, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Conveying the remembrance of time and imbued with dreams and an aura of mystery, meteorite fragments symbolise the ephemeral nature of time and humankind’s vision of eternity. Badollet has chosen to integrate this highly symbolic material within the Tourbillon Stellaire. The BAD1630 movement that drives this Instrument of Time is distinguished by its baseplate entirely made from meteorite and by the upper bridge of the tourbillon carriage set with extra-terrestrial olivines. This use of extra-terrestrial materials is unprecedented in the design of watch movements.
Description
This mechanical hand-wound movement, endowed with a 120-hour power reserve displayed on the caseback, indicates the hours and minutes by means of central hands, as well as a tourbillon that is visible through the openworked dial at 6 o’clock. Revealing the symbolic power of the infinitely small, the carriage of the flying tourbillon carrying the Badollet logo and weighing less than one gram is set in a free-spirited and random manner with various shapes of extra-terrestrial olivines, also extracted from meteorite fragments. The 44 mm-diameter case in 150 palladium-coated white gold of the Tourbillon Stellaire is fitted with a sapphire crystal caseback enabling one to admire the back of the exceptional movement as well as its power reserve. Water-resistant to 30 metres, this stunning model features a glareproofed sapphire crystal protecting an openworked dial with Roman numeral hour circle, revealing the various parts of the movement and its meteorite baseplate.
The caseback also provides a glimpse of the finely openworked and hand-drawn bridges, depicting galactic circles.
Produced in an edition that is limited by its very nature, the Tourbillon Stellaire comes fitted with a genuine crocodile leather strap, complete with a folding clasp in 150 palladium-coated white gold.
Meteorites
These extracts from extra-terrestrial matter, originating from the depths of the universe, have always exercised a powerful fascination over human beings, evoking the mysteries of the creation of the world. Believed to have formed four billion years ago, at the same time as the solar system, meteorites constitute an incredible source of potential knowledge, carrying within them memories of what the solar system was like before the planets were formed.
The Cape York meteorite
The baseplate of the BAD1630 movement was created from the Cape York meteorite, named after the place where it landed, in Melville bay to the west of Greenland. It is thought to have dropped form the sky 10,000 years ago, even before Greenland was inhabited. This meteorite, discovered during a perilous expedition headed by English explorer Sir John Ross in 1818, was particularly important in the daily life of the Inuits, who used it to make arrow heads, harpoons and knives.
Extra-terrestrial Olivines
Badollet has chosen to set the tourbillon carriage, not with the usual precious stones, but with sidereal gems: olivines, detected in the dust halos surrounding young stars, as well as in the dust coma of the Hale-Bopp comet. Earth-bound olivines, found in great abundance in volcanic rocks, are used in making jewellery.
While extra-terrestrial or “heavenly” olivines feature much the same composition as their much younger earthly sisters, they can nonetheless be identified by scientific analyses.
Badollet holds an official certificate certifying the “nonearthly” origin of the olivines used to adorn its Tourbillon Stellaire.
Galactic circles
Hundreds of millions of stars rotate around a common centre of gravity, thereby forming a galaxy. “Galactic circles”, represented by the bridges of the BAD1630 movement powering the Tourbillon Stellaire, is the name given to describe the path described by these stars as they pursue their rotation.
The Tourbillon Stellaire, a genuine watchmaking challenge Badollet’s choice of meteorite for the baseplate of its BAD1630 movement was not determined merely by its symbolic value, but also viewed as a chance to rise to a technical challenge. Meteorite is a material that is particularly hard to fashion, not only because its structure is extremely uneven, but also because it tends to become magnetically charged during machining. Badollet therefore had to develop some exceptional processes in order to accomplish the apparently impossible.
A unique timepiece
The Cape York meteorite is an octahedric type meteorite made up of more than 91% iron and having been exposed to cosmic rays for an estimated 93 million years. This high iron content is liable to modify the colour of the Tourbillon Stellaire movement, yet without affecting its smooth operation. This distinctive feature reinforces the unique nature of each timepiece, since none of them will look identical as time goes by.
Movement – BAD1630. Tourbillon type mechanical movement with Swiss lever escapement. Manual winding. Standard central analogue display of the hours and minutes. Baseplate made from meteorite material, upper bridges of the tourbilon carriage set with olivines, and bridges representing galactic circles. Tourbillon carriage visible at 6 o’clock on the dial side, with personalised Badollet bridge. Suspended-type tourbillon (without bars) performing one full rotation in one minute. Cage pivoting without ball-bearing mechanism. Power-reserve indication (IRM) on the caseback (bridge side). Number of lignes – 13 ¼. Frequency – 21,600 vph (3Hz). Power reserve – Approx. 120 hours.
Case – Back and bezel in 150 palladium-coated white god. Sapphire case middle. Sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides, ultra-hard treatment. Crown in 150 palladium-coated white gold, water-resistant when the crown is pulled out. External diameter – 44 m. Inter-horn width – 24 mm. Water-resistant to 30 metres.
Hands – Hours: Leap-type, rhodium-plated. Minutes : Leaf-type, rhodium-plated.
Strap – Saddle-stitched, entirely hand-sewn Black Safari alligator mississipiensis leather.
Clasp/Buckle – Folding clasp, 150 palladium-coated white gold.
Source: Badollet

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man Tags:

Perrelet Tourbillon, masterpiece in limited edition

March 2, 2012 Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

A mechanical marvel, the Tourbillon remains a benchmark in the universe of luxury watchmaking and signals the return of a masterpiece to the Perrelet collection.
In its generous 50 mm, rose gold and DLC steel case, already appreciated in the Perrelet collection, the new interpretation of this rare automatic Tourbillon with off-centre hour and minute display, is a magnificent demonstration of style.
Perrelet has chosen to work the structure and composition of its latest creation in depth, in order to evoke the multidimensional aspect of time. Thus the cage of the flying tourbillon is presented inside a cylindrical ring positioned at 6 o’clock. The small second’s indication is provided by the revolving of the cage, which completes one full rotation every 60 seconds.
Two wing-shaped, carbon fibre zones lead the eye towards 12 o’clock, where the tips of the hour and minute hands are finished in a luminescent material.
The minute hand, precisely profiled to rise out of its recessed base area, matches the contours of its surrounding limits perfectly. The extensions of the claws gripping the case embellish the dial in the form of six double tubes, adding force and character to the whole.
On the reverse side, the crystal case back reveals the “Côte de Genève” decoration of the movement and the Perrelet oscillating weight, brushed and set with a crystal engraved with the Brand’s name.
This complication is completed with a black rubber strap and DLC steel tongue buckle in a limited series of 20 pieces only.
Skilfully combining avant-garde with tradition, this out of the ordinary timepiece would certainly have appealed to the inventor, Abraham-Louis Perrelet; because over and above the product, there is man, the love of the know-how and the pleasure of sharing a passion.
Movement – Automatic P-161. Open-worked, exclusive decorated Perrelet rotor. Power Reserve 110 hours. Frequency 28’800 (4Hz). Rubies 33.
Case – Ø 50 mm / Thickness 14.30 mm. Case material – Middle part 18 carats rose gold (4N). Bezel and back DLC-treated stainless steel. Anti-glare sapphire crystal (front & back).
Dial – Black, carbon fibber.
Water resistance – 5 ATM.
Strap – Natural black rubber DLC-treated stainless steel buckle.
Source: Perrelet

Fonte: Luxury & Fine Timepieces – Facebook

Categories: Lux-Man Tags: