watch your time

s p e c i a l waTc H e D i T i O N

eurOpeaN eDiT iON 2013 — s p e c i a l F e aT u r e —

THursDaY april 25, 2013. prODuceD FOr THe DailY Telegr apH bY

eDiTiONs Temps iNTerNaTiONal wHO Take sOle respONsibil iTY FOr

THe cONTeNTs. (aVailable iN lONDON aND sOuTH regiONs ONlY)

2013_ROLEX_WYT_560x380_ENG_0313.indd 1 27.03.13 15:29

PUBliSHer-FoUNder cHrisTiaN llaVall-ubacH

MaNaGiNG direCtor isabelle bOuDriNgHiN

[email protected]

deVeloPMeNt MaNaGer eric DumaTiN

editorial direCtor cHrisTOpHe rOuleT

CoNtriBUtorS peTer brauN (germaNY), ViNceNT DaVeau (FraNce),

Timm DelFs (swiTZerlaND), paOlO De VeccHi (iTalY), pierre maillarD

(swiTZerlaND), palOma reciO (spaiN), cHrisTOpHe rOuleT (swiTZerlaND),

marie-pierre Valli (FraNce)

traNSlatorS peTer brauN, saNDra peTcH,

giaN pOZZY, palOma reciO, riTa iaNNiciellO

& laNguage cONsulTiNg milaNO, amaÏa TraDucTiONs

PHotoGraPHer THierrY VaN bieseN

artiStiC direCtor ViNceNT FesseleT, la FONDerie, geNeVa

PHotoeNGraVerS bOmbie, geNeVa, priNTeD iN THe eu

reProdUCtioN, eVeN Partial, oF all Material PUBliSHed

iN WatCH YoUr tiMe iS StriCtlY ProHiBited.

all riGHtS reSerVed iN tHe U.K. aNd otHer CoUNtrieS.

WATCH YOUR TIME

CoVer aNd doUBle SPread

© THierrY VaN bieseN @ aNgela De bONa ageNcY

aSSiStaNt James YarusiNski

StYliSt giaNNie gOuJi @ www.giaNNiegOuJi .cOm

Hair aNDrew FiTZsimmONs

@ TimOTHY priaNO ageNcY

MaKeUP pascale pOma FOr DiOr

Model mJ @ wilHelmiNa mODel

CaStiNG NaTalieJOOs & ariaNNa praDarelli

ProdUCtioN aNgela De bONa ageNcY

of Lebanese and Belgian origin, thierry van Biesen was born in Beirut in 1965. when he was ten years old, the Lebanese civil war broke out and changed his life dramatically. So as to survive the horrors around him, he developed a way of seeing that was optimistic and uplifting, and which would later infuse his visual language. yet thierry van Biesen wasn’t destined to be a photographer; his fi rst studies were at the Polytechnic institute in Brussels.

But art always fi nds a way. in 1989 he moved to New york where he assisted the most prestigious photographers of the day. returning to Beirut, he began working for clients such as Kodak, Seiko and marlboro. in 1997 he moved again, this time to London where he would “play with the big boys”, shooting advertising campaigns for the likes of Sony, amazon and Guinness. his talent was also in demand from major fashion magazines, including Tank, Mined, Elle and Madame Figaro. on the cusp of art and fashion, thierry van Biesen’s work vibrates with poetry and dreaming.

thierry VaN BieSeN

13 FOCUS PATEK PHILIPPE, PLAYING FOR KEEPS

15 EDITORIAL EMBRACING THE IRREVERSIBLE

17 FOCUS CHOPARD, MASTERS OF TIME

22 FOCUS IWC, POLE POSITION

24 FOCUS AUDEMARS PIGUET, ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

26 FOCUS ZENITH, ON TOP OF THE WORLD

30 cLaSSic “TIME AFTER TIME” PETER BRAUN

38 JeweLLery “SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND” PAOLO DE VECCHI

44 SPort “COUNTING OUT TIME” VINCENT DAVEAU

50 DiViNG “SUMMERTIME” PALOMA RECIO

56 aStroNomicaL “TIME OUT OF MIND” PIERRE MAILLARD

61 FOCUS MONTBLANC, A WINNING MOVE 62 FOCUS TAG HEUER, 50 YEARS OF LEGEND 64 FOCUS STAR GAZING

66 comPLicatioNS “TIME IS ON MY SIDE” TIMM DELFS

70 FOCUS HERMÈS, IN THE GARDEN OF TIME

VaCHeroN CoNStaNtiN

MALTE LADY. iN a spiriT OF

iNNOVaTiON THaT THriVeD iN aN

era OF prOgress, VacHerON

cONsTaNTiN brOke wiTH THe

rOuND case OF pOckeT waTcHes,

aND iN 1912 became ONe OF

THe FirsT maNuFacTurers TO

prODuce THe TONNeau case,

NOTablY iN THe malTe cOllecTiON.

THis Year iTs cleaN aND reFiNeD

liNes, Demure iN spiriT, exuDe

elegaNce iN a DisplaY OF

gOlD aND DiamONDs.

prODuceD FOr THe DailY TelegrapH ON THursDaY april 25,

2013 bY eDiTiONs Temps iNTerNaTiONal wHO Take sOle

respONsibiliTY FOr THe cONTeNTs.

eDiTiONs Temps iNTerNaTiONal lTD

2503 BaNK oF america tower, 12 harcourt roaD, ceNtraL, hoNG KoNG

[email protected]

eUroPeaN editioN 2013, PUBliSHed

SiMUltaNeoUSlY WitH LE MONDE (FraNCe),

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE (GerMaNY),

IL SOLE 24 ORE (italY), EL MUNDO (SPaiN)

special waTcH eDiTiON


For enquiries, please call 020 7312 6830

17th of September 1755. In the offices of the solicitor Mr. Choisy, a youngMaster Watchmaker from Geneva named Jean-Marc Vacheron is about to hirehis first apprentice. This agreement is the first known reference to the foundingwatchmaker of a prestigious dynasty and it represents the establishment ofVacheron Constantin, the oldest watchmaking manufacturer in the world incontinuous operation.

Ever s ince th is agreement , and t rue to the his tory that bui l t i t sreputa t ion, Vacheron Constant in has been commit ted to pass ingon its knowledge to each of i ts Master Watchmakers in order toguarantee the excellence and durabil i ty of i ts craftsmanship and of i ts t imepieces.

Patrim o ny Co n te m po rain e Pe rp e tual Cale ndarHallm ark o f G e ne va, p ink-g o ld case , u ltra-slim m e chan ical m o v e m e n t

with auto m atic wind ing , calib re 1120 Q P, m o o n phase s.Re fe re n c e : 43175/000R-9687

560x380_Patrimony43175_DailyTel_560x380_DailyTel 28.02.13 10:13 Page1

Ingenieur Chronograph Racer. Ref. 3785: In fact,

well-being is the last thing you’d think of on the “Ardennes rollercoast-

er”, with its sweeping dips, rapid ascents and frequent bends. When

you’re hurtling around the Spa Francorchamps circuit, conventional

technology falls short. The Ingenieur Chronograph Racer is equipped

with one of the most efficient chronograph movements ever made by

IWC, the 89361 calibre. It features a combined hour and minute counter

in a single totalizer at 12 o’clock, while times up to 60 seconds are

recorded by the central stopwatch hand. Used in conjunction with the

tachymeter scale on the bezel, it enables the wearer to calculate his av-

erage speed over a measured distance of 1,000 metres. Press the

flyback button and the hand instantly starts recording a new time from

zero, which is next to the red 60 in the chapter ring. The design was in-

spired by the display of digital control lights on the steering wheel of a

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1™ Team car. In addition to this,

the back of the Ingenieur Chronograph Racer is adorned with an en-

graving of a FORMULA 1 car. This watch belongs out on the circuit.

Then again, how would you define Spa? IWC. ENGINEERED FOR MEN.

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN BOUTIQUES: PARIS I VIENNA I ROME I MOSCOW I NEW YORK I BEIJING I DUBAI I HONG KONG I GENEVA I ZURICH

IWC.COM

For more information please call +44 845 337 1868 or email [email protected]

ENGINEERED FOR MENWHO WOULD

NEVER LINK SPA WITHWELLNESS.

2004964_EC3A_560x380_crp_ZS_4c_en.indd 1-2 08.03.13 17:28

FoCUS watch your time 13

playing for keeps

every 9,000 miles, yet countless people fail to see that a watch, whose mechanical “engine” functions twenty-four hours a day, also needs regular servicing, once every three to fi ve years. convincing people of this very basic notion is already a considerable task. Something like one in three customers still hasn’t got to grips with the fact. yet consider that over the seventy years of a generation, a watch will function for 613,200 hours, compared with 4,400 hours for a car driving 200,000 miles at an average 45 mph.”

A UNIQUE COMMITMENT

Patek Philippe recently set up a microsite (http://patek-institutional.com) about watch servicing. it describes and explains the notions of servicing and repair, how an owner should care for their watch, and Patek Philippe’s commit-ment to customer service. uniquely, the company says it is able to repair and restore every single watch it has pro-duced over the course of its 174 years.

anyone in need of convincing should visit the brand’s res-toration workshop inside its manufacturing facilities in Geneva. they should peek into any of the numerous draw-ers to realise that every single component, often in the form of blanks, has been archived, classifi ed and conserved since 1839, the year the company was established. the restoration workshop is thus a repository for the traditional savoir-faire of time measurement, where rare specialist skills are still practiced, and where a watchmaker can be seen hand-fi tting microscopic pinions that were machined over a hundred years ago.

A LIFETIME AND MORE

Not all watches fi nd their way to the restoration workshop, which is reserved prioritarily for timepieces made before 1973. For its more recent watches, the brand has estab-lished a network of local, regional and international ser-vice centres. “we have 58 authorised service centres in 36 countries across all the continents,” says Laurent cantin. “they employ 250 people skilled in every aspect of watch-making. every centre must conform to precise criteria, not only with respect to professional expertise, but also regard-ing the working environment, technical and logistic equip-ment. whether they are based in china, South america or australia, all these watchmakers must complete training in Geneva.”

Servicing a timepiece is a necessity which nonetheless has a cost when the watch is no longer under warranty. as Laurent cantin explains, “Patek Philippe is unusual in that it doesn’t consider its customer Service as a profi t cen-tre, on the contrary. it is actually making a loss. But ser-vice always comes fi rst, whatever the price.” in practical terms, Patek Philippe requires payment of around €500 to service a simple mechanical movement. this takes at least fi ve or six hours of pure watchmaking procedures to which can be added, although these are not invoiced, polishing, cleaning, casing, testing, admin and logistics. the process takes between four and eight weeks, includ-ing two weeks of quality control using identical tests as for pieces in production, before returning the watch to its owner. But what price the peace of mind of knowing that you are the worthy “guardian” of a timepiece that is des-tined, who knows, for eternity? Pierre maillard

“You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation”. Thus runs the slogan for a memorable advertising campaign from the Geneva-based watchmaker.

these two short lines leave a lasting impression, but for them to have any real meaning, the brand must deliver on its promise. that a watch, in this instance a Patek Philippe, is an heirloom. Naturally, being a “guardian” for future generations implies responsibilities. the object merely entrusted to you warrants care and attention.this is precisely the message conveyed in the manufac-ture’s new advertising campaign: that a watch, any watch, must be cared for. what seems obvious for a car, the need for an annual service, an oil change, even something as simple as infl ating the tyres, strikes countless own-ers of fi ne mechanical watches as incongruous! and yet as Laurent cantin, international customer service direc-tor at Patek Philippe and himself a watchmaker, explains, “No-one has ever contested that a car needs a full service

keeps

a waTcH’s mecHaNical “eNgiNe”

FuNcTiONs 24 HOurs a DaY aND

sHOulD be serViceD ONce

eVerY THree TO FiVe Years.

paTek pHilippe Has classiFieD, arcHiVeD aND cONserVeD all THe

parTs FOr iTs waTcHes siNce THe cOmpaNY was esTablisHeD iN 1839.

THe paTek pHilippe

maNuFacTure

iN geNeVa.

PateK PHiliPPe CALATRAVA REFERENCE 5227.

THis Year, THe geNeVaN maNuFacTure iNTrODuces a New

iNTerpreTaTiON OF THe calaTraVa, THe arcHeTYpical, classic, rOuND

wrisTwaTcH, aND cONTiNues THe HeriTage OF iTs greaT creaTiONs.

keeps keeps

Jaeger-LeCoultre Boutique1A Old Bond Street - W1S 4PA London

Tel. (0)207 491 6970www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

HISTORY SEEMS TO REPEAT ITSELF.CERTAINLY NOT OURS.

1,242 original calibres in 180 years: a world record.Since 1833, the Grande Maison has developed 1,242 of the world’s smallest and most complicated mechanical calibres. Driven by a concern for elegance and performance, each of them is developed to match the specifi c size of the watch case that will house it. From the iconic Reverso to the fascinating Sphérotourbillon, the Inventors of the Vallée de Joux, as acknowledged masters in the art of horological complexity, continue to forge the history of Fine Watchmaking. YOU DESERVE A REAL WATCH.

editorial watch your time 15

marie-Pierre Valli : we like to say time goes faster and faster. is this true, or just something we tell ourselves in an age that no longer distinguishes between speed and time? i’d go for the second hypothesis. what we think is an acceleration of time is in fact a fragmenta-tion of reality, an increase in production, an enthusiasm for the future, an explosion of telecommunications. as if time were identified by an unfolding of events or had nothing better to do than fit in with the pace of our activities. most of all, as if the notion of speed could be applied to time when speed is itself a derivative of time! the only way to define the speed of time would be to express the variation in the rate of time in reference to itself. this would be akin to saying time advances at a rate of twenty-four hours… every twenty-four hours, which doesn’t get us very far! it’s not about time going faster but how some of us fragment ourselves into what you could call a state of agitated immobility. one day we’ll have to think about energising collective time into a polarising force for all our activity.

how can we reconcile ourselves with time instead of getting worked up over speed? Speed doesn’t have to be a mental stress. it can provide an ersatz exist-ence, a semblance of vitality, an existential eupho-ria that keeps death at bay. unbridled activity is like a tranquilliser. in certain instances we can even talk about “kinetic tranquillity”. Look at the passengers in a train, for example. their faces are calm and relaxed as though the knowledge that they are travelling at high speed means they can finally take their time.

of course, the spread of telecommunications has given us a sense of ubiquity. the only distance that separates us from any other point on earth is the increasingly shorter time it takes to send a message. But surely this is an illusion? our face and voice can be present anywhere in the world at the same time as we’re receiving news from just about anyone, any-where, but what happens to our relations with others when this fictional suppressing of distance means everything is equally near and equally far?

we’ve become slaves to immediacy. in this empire of the ephemeral, we want nothing but instant gratifica-tion. Does this influence our relationship with time? treating everything as though it were urgent is really to fall into a trap. we accept urgency in the hope of escaping from it. we’re convinced that by dealing with all the small things quickly, we create more free time to deal with the big things. But we’re deluding our-selves. Little by little, everything becomes tainted with urgency. it becomes a fluid that seeps into every gap. No doubt there is a metaphysic behind all this. we want to put every moment of lived time to profit-able use. Because we believe we are nothing more than our life, we have to make that life a success. it has to be meaningful and important. this implies never being inert, throwing ourselves heart and soul into the present and never looking beyond that pre-sent. of course, this is something we really should put into perspective. i believe a lot of people still find time to spend several hours a day in front of the tV…

you make the distinction between the “big bang” and the “instant zero”. can you explain? intense theoreti-cal research is being carried out with the aim of devel-oping a formalism that could describe the primordial universe. all kinds of hypotheses are being consid-ered: that space-time has more than four dimensions; that on a very small scale, space-time is discontinu-ous rather than smooth… this is all just conjecture for the moment. remarkably though, each of these pos-sibilities gives instant zero a run for its money; they all exclude the initial singularity. Basically, it’s as though the origin was constantly pushed forward, to the point that we can question whether there actually was an origin of the universe…

Neutrinos were reported to have travelled from the cerN in Geneva faster than the speed of light, which contradicts the theory of special relativity. was einstein wrong? No, einstein wasn’t wrong. after sev-eral months of investigation, the physicists discovered two experimental errors which meant the measure-ment was skewed. So as it turns out, neutrinos haven’t broken any speed limits. Light is still the fastest thing in the universe.

how do you feel about time? i like speed, i don’t like having to wait, and every now and again i appreciate some peace and quiet. i try to stick to a diet of the moment. i’m going to die, so be it! Now’s the time to colonise the ephemeral. Night will come soon enough. i’m trying to learn to embrace the irreversible.

embracing the irreversible

Born in 1958, etienne Klein is a physi-cist who likes words and writes books. For a long time he’s been wondering what an elementary particle might look like, and what difference time makes. he has contributed to several major projects, including the development of the Large hadron collider (Lhc) at the cerN. he is a research director at

the French atomic energy commission (cea) where he heads the materials science research laboratory (LarSim). he teaches physics and philosophy of science at ecole centrale in Paris. etienne Klein has published his reflec-tions on physics, and in particular time, in a number of books, certain of which have been translated into english:

Conversations with the Sphinx: Paradoxes in Physics, Souvenir Press Ltd, 1996.—The Quest for Unity: the Adventure of Physics, oxford university Press, 1999.—Chronos: How Time Shapes Our Universe, thunder’s mouth Press, 2005.

THe pHYsicisT eTieNNe kleiN Discusses His lOVe OF Time lOsT, wHicH ulTimaTelY cOmes DOwN TO a lOVe OF THe irreVersible. wHaT He calls a “DieT OF THe mOmeNT”.

image OF THe skY

TakeN iN OcTOber 2012

bY THe megacam wiDe-

FielD imagiNg camera

(340 milliON pixels), THe

biggesT iN THe wOrlD aT

THe Time iT was brOugHT

iNTO serVice aND

DeVelOpeD bY THe aTOmic

eNergY cOmmissiON

(cea) iN saclaY, FraNce.

iNsTalleD aT THe prime

FOcus OF THe 3.6-meTre

caNaDa-FraNce-Hawaii

TelescOpe aT THe TOp

OF mauNa kea iN Hawaii ,

THe megacam cOVers

a 1 square Degree

FielD OF View aND

prODuces images wiTH

asTONisHiNg DeTail .

hermès. time in movement

la montre hermès tames time so as to master its measurement. at the heart

of the dressage model ticks the steady beat of the manufacture h1837 mechanical movement.

from development through to the final adjustments, and from the making

of each part to their finishing by hand, la montre hermès dedicates elegance and fine

craftsmanship to the service of precision.

dressage

Hermès_HQ • Visual: Dressage • Magazine: Watch Your Time (IT) • Language: English • Doc size: 280 x 380 mm • Calitho #: 02-13-83624 • AOS #: HER_00705 • EB 28.2.2013

Hermes.com


fl exibility and freedom of action; a privilege because it means there is no shareholder pressure; a responsibil-ity because the notion of family inevitably extends to all the staff. these values are perhaps best expressed in the company’s watchmaking ventures, the core business of a fi rm that was established in 1860 and taken over in 1963.

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele was one of the fi rst to real-ise, from the early 1990s, that the mechanical watch hadn’t said its last word in the battle that pitted it against quartz. and so he patiently began to lay the foundations for a movement manufacturing facility that opened in 1996, and which now produces all the L.u.c calibres that equip the brand’s top of the range. But there is more to chopard than its high-end collections. enter Fleurier ebauches, a production unit whose capacity is

set to increase to between 15,000 and 20,000 move-ments within the next two years, and which will gradu-ally make chopard independent of outside suppliers for all its mechanical timepieces. evidently, the com-pany views independence as more than just a question of shareholders.

PERFECT BALANCE

the lucidity which has established the company as a force in the distinct yet complementary fi elds of watchmaking and jewellery, with sales intended to be shared evenly between the two, is also evident in its commitment to inno-vation. high frequencies have been occupying watchmak-ers’ thoughts of late. Naturally, chopard has responded to the challenge: the movement of the L.u.c 8hF, which took four years to develop, beats at 8 hz (57,600 vph). “the primary value of high frequency lies in a signifi cant improvement in the precision timekeeping properties of a calibre,” the company explains. Furthermore, this new movement has been designed so that it can also equip other chopard watches. ultimately, all its sport models should be driven by this type of movement which, says Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, delivers signifi cantly improved regularity of rate. Precision, craftsmanship, and most importantly the spirit of enterprise that makes it such a tireless explorer of possibilities have instilled in chopard the aura of a brand for which the mysterious fl ow of time has no secrets. eric Dumatin


As a family-run business, Chopard is aware of the privilege and responsibility that goes with autonomy. Few independent brands have succeeded in impos-ing their style and demonstrating such consummate expertise in jewellery and watchmaking alike.

of course there’s the red-carpet glamour, fabulously illus-trated by the cannes Film Festival where the Geneva-based watchmaker dazzles for the sixteenth consecu-tive year in 2013. then there’s the mechanical beauty of classic cars, as a partner to prestigious races that include the legendary mille miglia that is held each year in italy. chopard is both jewellery magic and horological preci-sion, fi re and water… the fi re of diamonds and the water that fl ows through the clepsydra, one of the fi rst ingenious instruments to measure time.

FORWARD-LOOKING

most of all chopard is a family fi rm, the responsibility for which now lies in the hands of the second generation. “independence is a force, a privilege and a responsibility,” says Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of the com-pany with his sister, caroline. a force because it allows

As a family-run business, Chopard is aware of the privilege and responsibility that goes with autonomy. Few independent brands have succeeded in impos-ing their style and demonstrating such consummate expertise in jewellery and watchmaking alike.

of course there’s the red-carpet glamour, fabulously illus-trated by the cannes Film Festival where the Geneva-based watchmaker dazzles for the sixteenth consecu-tive year in 2013. then there’s the mechanical beauty of classic cars, as a partner to prestigious races that include the legendary mille miglia that is held each year in italy. chopard is both jewellery magic and horological preci-sion, fi re and water… the fi re of diamonds and the water that fl ows through the clepsydra, one of the fi rst ingenious

most of all chopard is a family fi rm, the responsibility for which now lies in the hands of the second generation. “independence is a force, a privilege and a responsibility,” says Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of the com-pany with his sister, caroline. a force because it allows

masters of time

karl-FrieDricH

scHeuFele,

cO-presiDeNT

OF cHOparD.

CHoPard STEEL SUPERFAST POWER CONTROL. THis is ONe OF THe

FirsT THree waTcHes iN THe classic raciNg cOllecTiON TO be

FiTTeD wiTH cHOparD mOVemeNTs, maNuFacTureD iN THe Fleurier

ebaucHes wOrksHOps. iT DisplaYs HOurs, miNuTes, small

secONDs, DaTe iN aN aperTure aND pOwer reserVe.

wiTHiN THe NexT TwO Years, Fleurier ebaucHes iN

swiTZerlaND will HaVe THe capaciTY TO prODuce sOme

20,000 mOVemeNTs, wHicH will graDuallY make cHOparD

iNDepeNDeNT OF OuTsiDe suppliers.

CHoPard L.U.C ENGINE ONE H. cHOparD’s

DeDicaTiON TO car raciNg sHiNes THrOugH iN

THis mODel. replaciNg THe V10 TwiN TurbO eNgiNe

iNsiDe aN alumiNium cHassis, a HaND-wOuND

calibre wiTH TOurbillON regulaTOr prOpels

THis mODel wiTH TiTaNium case.

www.chanel.com

LA MONTRE PREMIÈRE

F L Y I N G T O U R B I L L O N

High feminine complication, this fl ying tourbillon decoratedwith the motif of the camellia, a tribute to Mademoiselle Chanel’s favorite fl ower, beats away discreetly and almost secretly at the heart of the Première watch. Having no upper bridge, the carriage decorated with a camellia appears to be rotating in a weightless state. Limited edition of 20 numbered pieces. 18-carat white gold, set with 228 diamonds (~7.7 carats).

DP PREMIERE TOURBILLON 560x380 Watch your time mag (GB).indd 1 04/03/13 17:56

TO BREAK THE RULES,YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THEM.

THE GRANDE COMPLICATION IS THE ULTIMATE

EXPRESSION OF THE WATCHMAKER’S ART. NOW

AUDEMARS PIGUET PLACES THIS SUPREME

H O R O L O G I C A L C O M P L I C AT I O N I N T H E

SCULPTURAL ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE.

ONE WATCHMAKER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EACH

WATCH IN ITS ENTIRETY - THE 648 INDIVIDUAL

PARTS, THE DETAILED ASSEMBLY, THE FINE

DECORATION. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THEY HAVE

MASTERED THE UNIVERSE OF THEIR CRAFT.

FINALLY, THEY MUST TUNE THE CONCENTRIC

CHIMES OF THE MINUTE REPEATER TO AN

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audemarspiguet.com

UOUOSOSO HHERE ITAGE OF LE BRASSUS.

K K EE

AATITIONONANDAND CECERRAMIC.

RO_26571IO_560x380_m.indd 1 07.03.13 13:28

22 watch your time FoCUS

IWC is training the spotlight on its Ingenieur collec-tion after signing a deal with Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team. In the starting grid: high-tech mate-rials, in-house movements, and the arrival of grandes complications in the range.

“the partnership with mercedes amG Petronas illus-trates iwc’s attributes of engineering excellence and technical performance,” chief executive Georges Kern declared. “these attributes are showcased by our ingenieur collection which we are bringing to the fore this year, after Portofi no in 2011 and Pilot in 2012. i’m often asked how we can commit to Formula 1 when we defend social responsibility and sustainability, and my answer is always the same: given how this sport has developed over the past ten years, i’m convinced it will continue to evolve and that in a not too distant future, we’ll see F1 race cars with hybrid or electric engines. it’s a technological challenge on a par with the ones we are ready to take up.”

THE MOVE UPSCALE

the challenge facing iwc this year has been to revisit its ingenieur range with an eye to a more ergonomic design and the introduction of innovative materials such as titanium aluminide, ceramic and carbon, alongside the care given to the in-house calibres that equip 70%

of its models. certain of these are grandes complica-tions, such as the ingenieur constant-Force tourbillon, an exploit for this type of regulator, and the ingenieur Perpetual calendar Digital Date-month which includes a quick-action mechanism and a fl yback chrono.

iwc is ramping up its mechanical movements as part of a long-term strategy. the brand is aiming to make every single one of its movements in-house, and has already come a long way towards achieving this goal consider-ing that ten years ago, only 2% to 3% of its mechanical movements were from its own production, whereas in-house calibres now account for 60% of sales. Georges Kern is conscious of the need to time this transition and make the move upscale gradually, at a pace customers can understand. while next year the brand will spotlight another of its collections, why not the aquatimer, it has already decided the theme for 2015 will be the in-house calibres, suggesting another decisive stage in its devel-opment in the near future.

STRONG GROWTH POTENTIAL

with this in mind, iwc is to invest some chF 30 mil-lion (€24 million) this year in its manufacturing site in Schaffhausen. “we’re thinking in terms of a fi ve- to ten-year cycle,” says Kern. “i believe Swiss watchmak-ing has the potential to grow over this period, and by this i mean a signifi cant potential that implies having the production capacity to match.” in a similar vein,

the company now favours a more selective distribu-tion network for its watches, hence the reduction from 1,500 to 850 in the number of points of sale. as part of the same strategy, it will continue to extend its net-work of own-name stores, currently 60 worldwide. New doors are set to open in rome and in Venice, and the brand is on the lookout for the right locations in Ginza (tokyo), rodeo Drive (Los angeles) and Bond Street (London). Like F1, iwc engineers its watches for the type of performance on which success and character are built. eric Dumatin

geOrges kerN,

cHieF execuTiVe OF

iwc scHaFFHauseN.

keViN spaceY, a “FrieND” OF

THe braND, aT THe 2013 salON

iNTerNaTiONal De la HauTe

HOrlOgerie iN geNeVa.

THe iwc scHaFFHauseN maNuFacTure.

IWC is training the spotlight on its Ingenieur collec-

poleposition

iWC INGENIEUR PERPETUAL CALENDAR DIGITAL DATE-MONTH.

wiTH a perpeTual caleNDar aND large DaTe DisplaY, THis

mODel iNNOVaTes wiTH iTs spOrTY DesigN. like THe HYbriD

bOOsT buTTON ON THe sTeeriNg wHeel OF a FOrmula 1™

car, iTs quick-acTiON swiTcH supplies maximum pOwer

preciselY wHeN iT is NeeDeD aT THe eND OF THe mONTH.

radiomir tourbillon gmt titanio - 48mm

Available exclusively at Panerai boutiques and select authorized watch specialists.

pa n e r a i . c o m

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achieving excellenceFrançois-Henry Bennahmias, the recently appointed

Chief Executive of Audemars Piguet, sees the com-pany as a hotbed of expertise that warrants its rank-ing among watchmaking’s great names.

along with the new ceo comes a new strategy, orches-trated by a man who has made luxury in general, and watches in particular, his second home. after stints at Giorgio armani, Gianfranco Ferré and Peter hadley, François-henry Bennahmias joined audemars Piguet in 1994, fi rst in France then in Singapore. in 1999 he took on new responsibilities when the group invited him to head its North american subsidiary, based in New york, and build the market from scratch, all the while developing the brand in Latin america. the experience proved suffi ciently con-clusive for him to be handed the reins of the group. the newly minted ceo came determined to apply the same methods that had worked wonders in the united States.

But François-henry Bennahmias will do more than play the “tried and tested” card. he fi rmly intends building on the potential of a manufacture that was established in 1875, making it the oldest watch manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families, and which has made fi ne watches, and more so complicated watches, its raison d’être. “i spent my fi rst months at the head of the group listening and learning, and i realised a form of self-satisfaction had set in”, he explains. “we were resting on our laurels, even though the passion for watchmaking was intact. this is why we want to start anew, building on the values that make us what we are, particularly the irreproachable quality that requires complete command of the forty-some watchmak-ing professions, including the handcrafting that makes fi ne watchmaking a world apart. we aim to breathe new life into the brand which clearly has the means to achieve this.”


FraNÇOis-HeNrY

beNNaHmias, ceO OF

auDemars pigueT.

DESTINED FOR GREATNESS

one aspect of this new strategy is to refocus the prod-uct offering. the number of pieces overall will be reduced and existing lines reworked. a collection that will feature nothing but women’s models is scheduled for 2015. this return to the brand’s intrinsic values, defi ned by excel-lence, difference and independence, is matched by a selective approach to the sales network. over the past fi ve years, audemars Piguet has been taking over its distribution and now controls 90% of its markets, giv-ing the brand a solid base on which to re-centre. “it’s not about multiplying the number of own-name stores, of which there are currently twenty-one,” Bennahmias says. “Because we don’t belong to a large group, we can take maximum advantage of our retail partners with whom we have grown. it’s up to us to adapt to each market.”

the fi rm also plans more vertical integration, a major trend within the sector. the various watchmaking trades will gradually be brought together under the one roof of the manufacturing site in Le Brassus, in Switzerland’s La Vallée-de-Joux. a third wing will be added to the building in 2015. Judging by the products unveiled in January at the Salon international de la haute horlogerie in Geneva, audemars Piguet certainly has the potential to live up to its new ceo’s expectations. its Grande complication royal oak offshore goes against the grain by endowing this “sport” watch with a minute-repeater, perpetual calendar and split-seconds chronograph. it exemplifi es the unique brand of modernity steeped in centuries of expertise that is taking audemars Piguet to ever greater heights. eric Dumatin

aUdeMarS PiGUet GRANDE COMPLICATION ROYAL OAK

OFFSHORE 44MM. THe rOYal Oak OFFsHOre wiTH iTs

pOwerFul liNes was lauNcHeD iN 1993 as aN ulTra-

spOrTY exTrapOlaTiON OF THe rOYal Oak. THis Year iT

welcOmes iTs FirsT graNDe cOmplicaTiON mOVemeNT

wHicH cOmbiNes a miNuTe-repeaTer, a spliT-secONDs

cHrONOgrapH aND a perpeTual caleNDar.

aUdeMarS PiGUet GRANDE COMPLICATION ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE 44MM.

THe 648 parTs OF THe mecHaNical selF-wiNDiNg calibre 2885 are

FiNisHeD wiTH meTiculOus care. TO reVeal THe excepTiONal NaTure

OF THe skeleTONisiNg, THe parTs THaT cOmpOse THis beaTiNg

HearT are maDe parTiallY Visible bY THe use OF a TraNspareNT

sappHire crYsTal Dial aND a DisplaY back.

THe HisTOric builDiNg OF THe auDemars pigueT maNuFacTure

iN le brassus, swiTZerlaND.

ww

w.d

ior.c

om -

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DIOR VIII GRAND BAL “RÉSILLE” MODELHIGH-TECH CERAMIC TIMEPIECE.

DIAMOND-HEAD CERAMIC BRACELET.EXCLUSIVE “DIOR INVERSÉ” AUTOMATIC CALIBRE.

PATENTED FUNCTIONAL OSCILLATING WEIGHT, PLACED ON THE DIAL,IN 22 CARAT OPENWORK GOLD SET WITH 182 DIAMONDS.

42-HOUR POWER RESERVE.

UK_WATCH YOUR TIME 280X380_25AVRIL.indd 1 08/03/13 12:38

ww

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DIOR VIII GRAND BAL “RÉSILLE” MODELHIGH-TECH CERAMIC TIMEPIECE.

DIAMOND-HEAD CERAMIC BRACELET.EXCLUSIVE “DIOR INVERSÉ” AUTOMATIC CALIBRE.

PATENTED FUNCTIONAL OSCILLATING WEIGHT, PLACED ON THE DIAL,IN 22 CARAT OPENWORK GOLD SET WITH 182 DIAMONDS.

42-HOUR POWER RESERVE.

UK_WATCH YOUR TIME 280X380_25AVRIL.indd 1 08/03/13 12:38

Since his appointment at the head of Zenith in 2009, Jean-Frédéric Dufour has taken steps to reposition the brand in line with its long history. The fi nal touch comes this year with a new visual identity.

Zenith is one of the few fi rms that can lay claim to almost a century and a half of constantly proven legitimacy in watchmaking. it is precisely this heritage that Jean-Frédéric Dufour, chief executive since 2009, is putting back centre-stage with watches that are an artful blend of horological expertise, the mark of time, and a taste for innovation. his fi rst move on taking the helm was to purge the excess watches in Zenith’s catalogue, remodelling each collection to refl ect the spirit and tradition of the brand, and securing its markets. Now the brand is launch-ing its new visual identity.

beginning with the Zenith academy christophe colomb hurricane. its high-frequency movement (5 hz or 36,000 vph) incorporates a constant-force fusee and chain trans-mission and the famous Gravity control system, inspired by marine chronometers, which maintains the escape-ment in a horizontal position. it is one of the most pertinent solutions to the complex problems of gravity, isochronism and precision.

“the christophe colomb takes us that much closer to watchmaking’s Grail,” Jean-Frédéric Dufour continues.

“the Gravity control, a patented invention, is the only mech-anism that effectively controls the effects of gravity. it is a demonstration of what we at Zenith can do. more impor-tantly in my eyes, it embodies our philosophy to go on rais-ing the bar and invent new solutions that will bring greater reliability and precision.”

AN UPWARD TRAJECTORY

aiming high is something Felix Baumgartner – an ambas-sador for the brand and the fi rst person ever to have sky-dived through the sound barrier, a Zenith strapped to his wrist - knows all about. Says Jean-Frédéric Dufour, “this record-breaking jump is the latest in a long line of adven-tures that we have been part of, such as the fi rst fl ight across the english channel in 1909 or the discoveries of the North and South Poles.” in this same spirit of adven-ture, this year Zenith is adding to its Pilot lines, developed

THE WATCHMAKER’S GRAIL

“this new visual identity is the last brick in rebuilding a unique brand which for almost 150 years, from the same site, has been manufacturing watches that are sold all over the world,” comments mr Dufour. “we wanted this fi nal challenge to express beyond any doubt our values of authenticity, daring and pleasure.” this year Zenith has distilled these values into a series of iconic watches,

for the world of aviation. Flying is very much part of the brand’s heritage; indeed, only Zenith is allowed to inscribe the word “Pilot” on its dials. “after the success of the Pilot montre d’aéronef type 20, it was time to take care of the rest of the collection. this year we’re offering the choice between a chronograph tourbillon, an annual calendar chronograph and a Gmt, all driven by an el Primero movement and with the unmistakable stylistic identity of Zenith’s fl ight instruments.”Zenith is also embracing the poet Louis aragon’s belief that “woman is the future of man.” convinced that more and more of its female customers are drawn to the mechanical quality of a “manufacture” watch, the com-pany is introducing more choices with classic models in the Pilot collection, but also a Star chronograph, imag-ined specifi cally for women. it will be presented at the Baselworld watch fair. the brand continues to forge ahead with the opening of its fourteenth and fi fteenth stores, and


THE WATCHMAKER’S GRAIL

“this new visual identity is the last brick in rebuilding a unique brand which for almost 150 years, from the same site, has been manufacturing watches that are sold all over the world,” comments mr Dufour. “we wanted this fi nal challenge to express beyond any doubt our values of authenticity, daring and pleasure.” this year Zenith has distilled these values into a series of iconic watches,

on top of the world

ZeNitH ACADEMY CHRISTOPHE COLOMB HURRICANE.

THis waTcH HOlDs THe keY TO THe THree cHalleNges OF

eNsuriNg OpTimal precisiON iN a wrisTwaTcH: a HigH

OscillaTiNg FrequeNcY FOr Time sequeNciNg; NeuTralisiNg

THe eFFecTs OF graViTY wHicH are DeTrimeNTal TO raTe,

aND elimiNaTiNg VariaTiONs iN isOcHrONism.

JeaN-FrÉDÉric DuFOur,

presiDeNT aND ceO

OF ZeNiTH.

the fi nal stage in renovation of its manufacturing facili-ties in Le Locle. this eventful year will come to a climax in September when it unveils an all-new and revolutionary el Primero chronograph. No doubt about it, Zenith is back where it belongs. eric Dumatin

ZeNitH PILOT

MONTRE D’AÉRO-

NEF TYPE 20

CHRONOGRAPH

TOURBILLON.

THe pilOT mONTre

D’aÉrONeF TYpe 20 was

iNTrODuceD lasT Year

as a limiTeD eDiTiON

FiTTeD wiTH ViNTage

mOVemeNTs. THis Year iT reTurNs as a cOllecTiON wHicH

iNcluDes a cHrONOgrapH TOurbillON THaT bOrrOws

THe cODes OF a Timepiece iNTeNDeD TO sOar THrOugH THe skY.

ZeNitH ACADEMY

CHRISTOPHE COLOMB

HURRICANE. THe graViTY

cONTrOl sYsTem is

iNspireD bY THe mariNe

cHrONOmeTers wHicH

ZeNiTH ONce maDe. iT

bOrrOws FrOm THem THe

priNciple OF gimbals

suspeNsiON, a piVOTeD

suppOrT FirsT iNTrODuceD

ON mariNe cOmpasses iN

THe sixTeeNTH ceNTurY

TO maiNTaiN THem iN a

HOriZONTal pOsiTiON.

WA

TCH

YO

UR

TIM

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K)28

0x38

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TIB1

- Is

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Dat

e: 2

5+29

APR

IL

Tambour In Black

Automatic chronograph LV 277 manufactured in Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking workshops in SwitzerlandSold exclusively in Louis Vuitton stores and at louisvuitton.com. Tel. 020 7399 4050

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ClaSSiC watch your time 31

A watch can bring back happy memories, or recollections of a loved one. It can rekindle an experience, a story told, or maybe a film, a book or a painting that left an indelible impression. Memories which come flooding back at the sight of a time-piece that played an important part in our life.

hese timepieces don’t have to be chronographs, perpetual calendars or minute-repeaters. the watches we associate with happy days are often

the most simple, one of the countless and extraordinarily diverse models to have appeared since the revival of mechanical watchmaking in the 1990s. the return to a simple aesthetic, more elegant than sporting and typified by the iconic watches of the 60s, adds to nostalgia for the “good old days” and brings the comfort of familiarity.

THE PERFECT CIRCLE

the classic watch for men par excellence is round with a leather strap. its dial displays hours, minutes, seconds and perhaps the date. the emphasis is on practicality, on serving a purpose with minimal ado. any watchmaker worth his salt will propose at least one simple three-hander, although cer-tain subtleties will be immediately recognisable to a discerning eye: the two gold hour mark-ers at 12 o’clock on the calatrava by Patek Philippe, Vacheron constantin’s maltese cross emblem, the winged hourglass of Longines, the distinctive “4” on the max Bill from Junghans, or the cyclops date magnifier that is part of the crystal on the rolex Datejust, a watch that already stands out for its absolutely smooth bezel.the perfectly round contours of these cases leave designers with little opportunity to add details that hint at maker or model. the profile and lugs are where they can let their imagination run free. Balanced proportions are important too. a man’s watch used to be considered the height of elegance with a 35mm or 36mm dial. today, a 40mm or even 44mm diameter is the norm, and designers must now contend with these much larger dials for their three hands and date.

watch designers in fact prefer non-round forms such as rectangles, another classic for men although one which has fallen from favour of late. yet a hundred years ago a rectangular watch was all the rage, its narrow case a clear sign that inside beat not an outmoded pocket watch movement but a modern mechanism, designed specifically for this form. Louis cartier, one of the first to propose rectangular cases, worked in close collaboration with the Parisian watchmaker edmond Jaeger, who himself used blanks from Jacques-David Lecoultre, estab-lished in La Vallée-de-Joux. together, jeweller and watchmaker developed several rectangu-lar watches in the 1910s and 1920s, such as the sporting Santos (1911) and the elegant tank (1917). Variants of both are still part of cartier’s collections today.

it’s interesting to note that another famous rectangular watch originates from the same fold. in 1931, alfred chauvot invented a case that would slide and swivel to protect the dial’s frag-ile glass. he proposed his idea to cartier, and also to Jaeger-Lecoultre. the Parisian politely declined the offer, and the reverso went on to greatness in La Vallée-de-Joux, stealing the limelight from other rectangular timepieces.

t

VaCHeroN CoNStaNtiN 1972 PRESTIGE.

VacHerON cONsTaNTiN’s 1972 cOllecTiON Has beeN makiNg

aN impressiON FOr OVer FOur DecaDes. like THe OrigiNal

creaTiON, THis New meN’s VersiON DisplaYs THe balaNceD

asYmmeTrY THaT sTricTlY FOllOws THe prOpOrTiONs OF THe

gOlDeN secTiON. maDe OF wHiTe gOlD, THe New 1972 presTige

HOuses aN ulTra-THiN mOVemeNT, THe calibre 1003 THaT

is 1.64mm HigH, aND bears THe pOiNÇON De geNÈVe.

THe eTerNal appeal OF a waTcH THaT Has sTOOD THe TesT OF Time.

“time after time”

--o------- peter braun

[ cyndi lauper, 1984 ]

COUNTING THE BEATS

after the quartz revolution of the 1970s, makers of traditional, mechanical watches retreated into them-selves, overwhelmed by the thousandth-of-a-second precision that their archaic mechanical movements could never hope to attain. yet they went on to trans-form this handicap into an asset, arguing the fact that we all have a second to spare. in recent years, precision has no longer been a taboo subject in mechanical cir-cles as manufacturers go all out to push the limits of a technology that is more than three hundred years old.

in many instances, this has involved higher frequency movements, on the principle that increasing the number of vibrations per hour makes the movement more stable by being less vulnerable to outside influences such as shaking. Now, as 50 years ago, high frequencies are championed as the way to greater precision. the standard for a mechanical wristwatch today is 4 hz (28,800 vph). Pure mathematical reasoning tells us that increasing this frequency to 5 hz (36,000 vph) should reduce errors of rate by a fifth. hence chopard’s new L.u.c 8hF with its twice standard frequency should offer timekeeping precision twice that of a conventional

mechanical wristwatch.

Fifty years ago, achieving a frequency of 8 hz (57,600 vph) was a sheer impos-sibility, and in this respect watchmakers have much to thank modern mate-

rials and cutting-edge manufacturing processes for. innovators such as audemars Piguet or Breguet experiment with extremely high frequencies (43,200 vph or 72,000 vph) combined with an original escapement that take them further still into territories first explored almost a century ago.

IN PRAISE OF THINNESS

the new trend, among men’s prestige watches, for an understated aesthetic has prompted many companies to pare back their timepieces’ design. of course, such economy of form does not necessarily equate with an economy for the buyer. indeed, as oscar wilde pointed out, there has always been a price to pay for simplicity.

achieving simplicity can in reality be a complex process, as witnessed by the new generation of ultra-thin move-ments which require years of development. Back in the 1960s, Piaget launched a movement which estab-lished it as an early master of thin. a mere 2.35mm high, its 1200P and 1208P are the thinnest automatic mechanical movements in the world. audemars Piguet, also an expert in the field, has breathed new life into the 2120 automatic calibre, a diminutive 2.45mm.

the absence of a rotor allows manufacturers to shave precious millimetres from their ultra-thin hand-wound movements. Vacheron constantin, whose 1003 calibre is a 1.64mm wafer, still holds the record in this department even though Jaeger-Lecoultre has been working on an ultra-thin watch for years. the master ultra thin Jubilee which the Le Sentier firm released for its 180th anniversary meas-ures just 4.05mm from the back of its signature knife-shaped case to the tip of its cambered crystal. over recent months, a new category of extra-thin and ultra-thin classic men’s watches has emerged among the plethora of high-quality models. Future generations of collectors may have trouble dating them, given their distinct resemblance to the vintage models from which they are derived.

32 watch your time ClaSSiC

PaNerai RADIOMIR

1940 3 DAYS. THe

FasciNaTiON OF THe

raDiOmir 1940 case is

makiNg iTs DebuT iN THe

HisTOric cOllecTiON OF

OFFiciNe paNerai wiTH

THis New mODel iN sTeel

Or reD gOlD aND FiTTeD

wiTH THe p.3000 calibre, a

HaND-wOuND mecHaNical

mOVemeNT wiTH a pOwer

reserVe OF THree DaYs.

BVlGari ROMA. THe

bVlgari rOma is as

mODerN aND Desirable

TODaY as wHeN iT was

FirsT lauNcHeD iN 1975. iTs

reViVal iN 2013 celebraTes

clOse TO FOur DecaDes

OF iNNOVaTiON; THe

sigNaTure arOuND THe

beZel paVeD THe waY FOr

New creaTiViTY iN waTcH

DesigN. TODaY’s VersiON

is DriVeN bY a prOprieTarY

auTOmaTic mOVemeNT.

tiSSot LUXURY AUTOMATIC.

NaTurallY elegaNT, THis Timepiece is DriVeN bY

aN auTOmaTic mOVemeNT wiTH aN 80-HOur pOwer

reserVe, THe pOwermaTic 80 wHicH is cerTiFieD bY

THe cONTrÔle OFFiciel suisse Des cHrONOmÈTres

(cOsc). iT is THe epiTOme OF THe braND’s iDeal TO

OFFer luxurY aT aN aFFOrDable price.

CHaNel PREMIÈRE.

THe premiÈre, THe luxurY

FasHiON waTcH wHicH

cHaNel iNTrODuceD iN 1987,

celebraTes iTs quarTer-

ceNTurY wiTH a slimmer

silHOueTTe aND OF cOurse

iTs DisTiNcTiVe Dial,

iNspireD bY THe sTOpper

OF cHaNel’s N°5 perFume,

iTselF mODelleD ON THe

sHape OF place VeNDÔme

seeN FrOm abOVe.

SeiKo GRAND SEIKO 44GS REPLICA.

THe legeNDarY graND seikO, OrigiNallY

releaseD iN 1967, reTurNs ceNTre-sTage TO

mark THe 100TH aNNiVersarY OF seikO’s FirsT

wrisTwaTcHes. iT cOmes as THree VersiONs

iN gOlD OF DiFFereNT cOlOurs wiTH aN

aDDiTiONal VariaNT iN sTeel, all limiTeD

eDiTiONs THaT are DesTiNeD TO

becOme cOllecTOr’s iTems.

JUlieN CoUdraY 1518 ŒUVRE CLASSICA 1548.

mOVemeNT, Dial, case, crOwN, buckle…

95% OF THis waTcH HaVe beeN craFTeD FrOm a

kilO OF gOlD. iTs FuNcTiONs are HOurs, miNuTes aND

small secONDs aT 6 O’clOck, wiTH a serVice iNDicaTOr

aT 12 O’clOck. wHeN seTTiNg THe Time, THe secONDs HaND

auTOmaTicallY sTOps aT NOON THeN cONTiNues TO sweep

THe Dial ONce THe crOwN Has beeN pusHeD back.

today is 4 hz (28,800 vph). Pure mathematical reasoning tells us that increasing this frequency to 5 hz (36,000 vph) should reduce errors of rate by a fifth. hence chopard’s new L.u.c 8hF with its twice standard frequency should offer timekeeping precision twice that of a conventional

mechanical wristwatch.

Fifty years ago, achieving a frequency of 8 hz (57,600 vph) was a sheer impos-sibility, and in this respect watchmakers have much to thank modern mate-

rials and cutting-edge manufacturing processes for. innovators such as audemars Piguet or Breguet experiment with extremely high frequencies (43,200 vph or 72,000 vph) combined with an original escapement that take them further still into territories first explored almost a century ago.

ŒUVRE CLASSICA 1548.

mOVemeNT, Dial, case, crOwN, buckle…

95% OF THis waTcH HaVe beeN craFTeD FrOm a

kilO OF gOlD. iTs FuNcTiONs are HOurs, miNuTes aND

small secONDs aT 6 O’clOck, wiTH a serVice iNDicaTOr

aT 12 O’clOck. wHeN seTTiNg THe Time, THe secONDs HaND

auTOmaTicallY sTOps aT NOON THeN cONTiNues TO sweep

THe Dial ONce THe crOwN Has beeN pusHeD back.

roleX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST.

THe DaTeJusT is THe ulTimaTe classic waTcH,

as mucH FOr iTs Timeless elegaNce as FOr iTs

FuNcTiONs. iNTrODuceD iN 1945, iT was THe

FirsT auTOmaTic aND waTer-resisTaNT wrisTwaTcH

TO DisplaY THe DaTe THrOugH aN aperTure iN

THe Dial, aT 3 O’clOck.

PRECISION IS AN ART

indeed, precision already preoccupied watchmakers in the 1920s, not least hans wilsdorf, the eminent founder of rolex. the Swiss chronometer testing institute, the contrôle officiel Suisse des chronomètres (coSc), was obliged to create a new category for small diameters in order to test the movements of rolex’s water-tight wristwatches. until then, only pocket watch movements had been sufficiently robust and accurate to meet the institute’s strin-gent specifications. to qualify for chronometer certification, a watch is tested over 14 days in several positions and at different temperatures, at the end of which variation in rate must not exceed -4 to +6 seconds a day.

rolex’s small wristwatches passed the tests with flying colours, win-ning rivals’ admiration along the way. Brands such as omega, Longines, Junghans, record, Jaeger-Lecoultre, ulysse Nardin, eterna, Favre-Leuba and movado went on to inundate the coSc with models that boasted the word “chronometer” in their name. omega holds the record in this domain: over a two-year period in the 1960s, the brand presented one after the

other a hundred thousand constellation watches, all of which received coSc certification. rolex’s entire production of men’s watches to

date has obtained chronometer rating.

the regular decrease in the number of tests performed by the coSc suggests that chronometers aren’t quite so fashionable as before. in reality, many watch-

makers have preferred to establish their own benchmarks for quality and precision. complex and costly test procedures dissuade some from sub-

mitting their watches to the coSc, even when they make the grade in terms of accuracy. manufacturers’ own certification programmes can set the bar slightly lower than does the coSc. in addition to relatively

strict specifications regarding standards of production, the Poinçon de Genève, a guarantee of origin and quality introduced 125 years ago by the

Geneva company of watchmakers, also sets out stipulations for precision. the recent revision of the Poinçon included bringing it into line with coSc

rules. it is awarded by timelab, a laboratory for horology and microengineering which is also the Geneva office for the coSc. New criteria governing attribu-

tion of the Poinçon de Genève, which came into effect in June 2012, put greater emphasis on variations in rate. today as a hundred years ago, the clas-sic watch is a model of precision… even if we do all have a second to spare. ˇ

34 watch your time ClaSSiC

eterNa HERITAGE CHRONOGRAPH 1938.

eTerNa’s square cHrONOgrapH TesTiFies

TO THe bOlD DesigNs OF THe laTe arT

DecO periOD. THis HisTOric Timepiece

cOmes back TO liFe iN a VersiON wiTH THe

same cleaN, sHarp liNes as THe OrigiNal,

DiFFeriNg ONlY bY iTs larger DimeNsiONs.

oMeGa CONSTELLATION SEDNA.

THis waTcH is THe FirsT TO be craFTeD FrOm 18k

seDNa™ gOlD, a paTeNTeD allOY OF gOlD, cOpper

aND pallaDium wiTH aN especiallY lONg-lasTiNg

rOse gOlD lusTre. iT is equippeD wiTH a silicON

balaNce spriNg aND THe cO-axial calibre 8501,

Visible THrOugH THe case back. THe TwelVe-

siDeD Dial is iNspireD bY THaT OF THe VerY

FirsT cONsTellaTiON, lauNcHeD iN 1952.

dior VIII BLACK CERAMIC

ROSE GOLD. wiTH iTs

ceramic case aND a rOse

gOlD beZel circleD wiTH

DiamONDs, THis DiOr Vi i i

is a wOrTHY aDDiTiON

TO a cOllecTiON OF

wOmeN’s Timepieces THaT

celebraTes THe spiriT

OF DiOr, embraciNg

HauTe cOuTure, elegaNT

cONsTrucTiONs aND

saVOir-Faire.


the regular decrease in the number of tests performed by the coSc suggests that chronometers aren’t quite so fashionable as before. in reality, many watch-

makers have preferred to establish their own benchmarks for quality and precision. complex and costly test procedures dissuade some from sub-

GUCCi G-TIMELESS

AUTOMATIC. wiTH iTs

eTa 2824 mecHaNical

mOVemeNT aND a 38mm

DiameTer, THe New

g-Timeless is perFecTlY aT

HOme iN a cOllecTiON THaT

cONFirms THe classicism

OF THe iTaliaN Firm.

HerMÈS ARCEAU PETITE LUNE.

DesigNeD bY HeNri D’OrigNY 35 Years agO,

THe arceau celebraTes iTs aNNiVersarY

wiTH a mOre FemiNiNe VersiON aND aDDs a

New cOmplicaTiON DisplaYiNg mOON pHases.

THe rOuND, 38mm case iN sTeel is acceNTeD

bY asYmmeTrical lugs wHOse FOrm

suggesTs THe curVe OF a sTirrup.

Girard PerreGaUX

1966 TOURBILLON

WITH GOLD BRIDGE.

girarD-perregaux’s New

TOurbillON wiTH gOlD

briDge is THe expressiON

OF a uNique HeriTage. THe

TOurbillON mecHaNism

is a cOmbiNaTiON OF

THe maNuFacTure’s

experTise, TOOleD wiTH

THe precisiON requireD

bY THe maisON’s gp 09600

selF-wiNDiNg mecHaNical

mOVemeNT.

SWatCH EST. 1983. THe

waTcH THaT cHaNgeD THe

wOrlD was bOrN 30 Years

agO. swaTcH celebraTes

wiTH a mODel FeaTuriNg

a TraNspareNT plasTic

case aND sTrap, aND all

THe Years iN THis FaNTasTic

aDVeNTure iNscribeD

arOuND THe skeleTON Dial.

tion of the Poinçon de Genève, which came into effect in June 2012, put greater emphasis on variations in rate. today as a hundred years ago, the clas-sic watch is a model of precision… even if we do all have a

CONSTELLATION SEDNA.

THis waTcH is THe FirsT TO be craFTeD FrOm 18k

seDNa™ gOlD, a paTeNTeD allOY OF gOlD, cOpper

aND pallaDium wiTH aN especiallY lONg-lasTiNg

rOse gOlD lusTre. iT is equippeD wiTH a silicON

balaNce spriNg aND THe cO-axial calibre 8501,

Visible THrOugH THe case back. THe TwelVe-

siDeD Dial is iNspireD bY THaT OF THe VerY

FirsT cONsTellaTiON, lauNcHeD iN 1952.

DiameTer, THe New

g-Timeless is perFecTlY aT

HOme iN a cOllecTiON THaT

cONFirms THe classicism

OF THe iTaliaN Firm.

indeed, precision already preoccupied watchmakers in the 1920s, not least hans wilsdorf, the eminent founder of rolex. the Swiss chronometer testing institute, the contrôle officiel Suisse des chronomètres (coSc), was obliged to create a new category for small diameters in order to test the movements of rolex’s water-tight wristwatches. until then, only pocket watch movements had been sufficiently robust and accurate to meet the institute’s strin-gent specifications. to qualify for chronometer certification, a watch is tested over 14 days in several positions and at different temperatures, at the end of which variation in rate must not exceed -4 to +6 seconds a day.



other a hundred thousand constellation watches, all of which received coSc certification. rolex’s entire production of men’s watches to


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280x380_G0A35130_Mise en page 1 18.02.13 13:44 Page1

©t h

i er

r yV a N

B i eS e N

The diamond’s rarity and lustre are such intrinsic qualities they have become symbols of this most precious stone. Jewellers and watchmakers bring out the beauty of these gems, which are also celebrated in the arts, in fi lm, photography, music and literature.

ecorded in 1975, Pink Floyd’s epic composition is the perfect open-ing to this article, capturing as it does the inimitable appeal of the ulti-

mate precious stone. these twenty minutes of uniquely hypnotic music are interspersed with lyrics whose repeated references to the diamond convey the inestimable value and splendour of this stone. the image is all the more striking when viewed in the context of a tragic destiny, that of the musician Syd Barrett, a founder member of the original Pink Floyd line-up who pre-maturely and irretrievably lost his way in the psychedelic maze, leaving the British group for ever inconsolable.

why such constant allusion to the diamond? No doubt because of its rarity - fi ve tons of ore, mostly rock, must be taken from the ground to yield one carat of rough stone - and its combination of extraordinary properties, at least in terms of the commercial value of a diamond which is measured as the 4cs of colour, clarity, cut and carat.

Beyond this classifi cation, the diamond’s universal appeal owes much to the extraordinary way it forms within the earth. each diamond results from the crystalline transformation of pure carbon into a precious stone with an extremely high refractive index and, consequently, characteristic brilliance. the diamond has high optical dispersion, hence its ability to break white light into intense fl ashes of spectral colours. Diamond is also the hard-est natural substance known to man, ranking tenth and highest on the mohs scale of mineral hardness. Diamond cannot be corroded by acid and is unusually resistant to atmospheric elements. Generally colourless, the diamond can become phospho-rescent when exposed to sunlight for an extended period.

SYMBOL OF ETERNITY

with properties such as these, and a saleable value to match, the diamond is more than just a girl’s best friend, as a mesmerising marilyn declared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. it is also a powerful symbol of eternity. this is why, beyond considerations of price, a chrono-graph or a piece of jewellery is transformed into something quite exceptional when adorned with diamonds. it takes on the status of precious object for generations to come. this natural prodigy hugs the wrist of whomever has suffi cient taste and funds to acquire such a wonder, brought into being by a succession of craftsmen with age-old expertise at their fi ngertips.

JeWellerY watch your time 39

JOiN THe r aNks OF THe gliT Ter aTi wiTH mODels THaT TurN ON THe sparkle .

“shine on you crazy diamond”

--o------- paolo de vecchi

r

- fi ve tons of ore, mostly rock, must be taken from the ground to yield one carat of rough stone - and its combination of extraordinary properties, at least in terms of the commercial value of

Beyond this classifi cation, the diamond’s universal appeal owes much to the extraordinary way it forms within the earth. each diamond results from the crystalline transformation of pure carbon into a precious stone with an extremely high refractive index and, consequently,

with properties such as these, and a saleable value to match, the diamond is more than just a girl’s best friend, as a mesmerising marilyn declared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. it is also a powerful symbol of eternity. this is why, beyond considerations of price, a chrono-graph or a piece of jewellery is transformed into something quite exceptional when adorned with diamonds. it takes on the status of precious object for generations to come. this natural prodigy hugs the wrist of whomever has suffi cient taste and funds to acquire such a wonder, brought into being by a succession of craftsmen with age-old expertise at their fi ngertips.

THe sparkle .

[ pink floyd, 1975 ]

PiaGet LIMELIGHT GALA. brilliaNT, VibraNT aND seDucTiVe:

THree aDJecTiVes all perFecTlY suiTeD TO THis New icON bY

piageT. THe rOuND case, seT wiTH 62 brilliaNT-cuT DiamONDs,

cONTiNues iNTO TwO elegaNTlY exTeNDeD lugs. THe beZel is

alsO seT wiTH DiamONDs aND THe Dial paVeD wiTH a FurTHer

336 DiamONDs wiTH rOse gOlD HOur-markers.

with the colours in the coat of arms of this royal house of French lineage, while the entire watch is bathed in the light of diamonds. these exceptional timepieces aren’t the only ones to dress in diamonds. Numerous other watchmakers add sparkle to their most precious lady’s models, whether companies such as cartier, Bulgari, harry winston or chopard which have longstanding connections with jewellery, or others whose origins are purely horological, such as rolex, Piaget and Patek Philippe. this is when each fi rm’s competencies in selecting and purchasing the fi nest stones come into play, followed by the different phases in production up to setting the dia-monds on cases, bracelets and dials. this journalist was recently invited to Geneva by rolex Sa to tour the laboratory where the company selects and

prepares diamonds, prior to setting, from among an impressive quan-tity of stones which are scrutinised one by one. this is a world apart, unrelated to the production and assembly stages. clinically white and bathed in light, it is animated by a continual and silent toing and froing of trays, magnifi ers, micro-scopes and crystalline stones.

40 watch your time JeWellerY

JaeGer-leCoUltre GRANDE REVERSO LADY ULTRA THIN DUETTO

DUO. THe TwO Faces OF THis waTcH plaY a cOmplemeNTarY

rOle. ON THe FrONT, THe clariTY OF THe Dial is acceNTuaTeD

bY THe DelicaTe guillOcHÉ mOTiF. THe back, wHicH is

DeDicaTeD TO THe Dual Time-ZONe iNDicaTiON, cOmprises

ONlY a circular cHapTer riNg prOlONgeD bY raYs

wHicH iNTrODuce expaNses OF mOTHer-OF-pearl.

CHoPard HAPPY SPORT MEDIUM AUTOMATIC.

FOr TwO DecaDes, cHOparD’s HappY spOrT waTcHes

HaVe DeligHTeD FaNs OF cONTempOrarY, exuberaNT

Timepieces. THe icONic cOllecTiON celebraTes

THis aNNiVersarY wiTH a mecHaNical VersiON,

THe New HappY spOrT meDium auTOmaTic.

however, the decision to enno-ble a timepiece with diamonds is guided by more than philosophical musings. certain companies make it a habit to exploit the diamond’s “wow” factor. hublot provided a dazzling example with its now legendary million $ Black caviar Bang. made four years ago, it took the Best Jewellery watch prize at the Grand Prix d’horlogerie de Genève in 2009 and is still talked about today. its name gives a clue to its price, partly accounted for by the white gold Big Bang case and the hand-wound, fl ying tourbillon movement, but more so by the fact it is fully paved with diamonds totalling 34.5 carats and which took over two thousand hours to set. this stunning creation gave rise to a series model in 2011, the Baby million chronograph set with 28 carats worth of diamonds.

A TRIBUTE TO THE QUEEN OF NAPLES

more recently, in 2012, Breguet took a similarly daz-zling route to mark the 200th anniversary of the fi rst ever lady’s bracelet-watch in the history of horol-ogy. abraham-Louis Breguet made this timepiece for caroline murat, Queen of Naples. Fittingly, this italian city, and more specifi cally the reggia di capodimonte palace, was the venue for the international celebration hosted by the brand for this bicentennial. a special anni-versary model was produced as part of the reine de Naples collection. in addition to its complex chimes, this watch is embellished all over with precious stones. Sapphires introduce a delicate hint of blue in harmony

HAPPY SPORT MEDIUM AUTOMATIC.

FOr TwO DecaDes, cHOparD’s HappY spOrT waTcHes

HaVe DeligHTeD FaNs OF cONTempOrarY, exuberaNT

Timepieces. THe icONic cOllecTiON celebraTes

THis aNNiVersarY wiTH a mecHaNical VersiON,

THe New HappY spOrT meDium auTOmaTic.

however, the decision to enno-ble a timepiece with diamonds is guided by more than philosophical musings. certain companies make it a habit to exploit the diamond’s “wow” factor. hublot provided a dazzling example with its now legendary million $ Black caviar Bang. made four years ago, it took the Best Jewellery watch prize at the Grand Prix d’horlogerie de Genève in 2009 and is still talked about today. its name gives a clue to its price, partly accounted for by the white gold Big Bang case and the hand-wound, fl ying tourbillon movement, but more so by the fact it is fully paved with diamonds totalling 34.5 carats and which took over two thousand hours to set. this stunning creation gave rise to a series model in 2011, the Baby million chronograph set with 28 carats worth of diamonds.

tUdor CLAIR DE ROSE.

THis liNe is a HYmN TO

FemiNiNe beauTY. THe

capTiVaTiNg ceNTre

secONDs HaND, iN THe

FOrm OF a cuTawaY

TuDOr rOse, briNgs TO

liFe THe iNFiNiTelY sOFT

Dial wHOse mOTHer-

OF-pearl mOTiFs FOrm

clOuD-like swirls.

loUiS VUittoN BIJOU SECRET.

iNTrODuceD iN 2006, THe TambOur

biJOu liNe is THe epiTOme OF FemiNiNe

elegaNce. THis Year THe cOllecTiON

welcOmes JewellerY VersiONs aND a

secreT waTcH, seT wiTH DiamONDs, THaT

HiDes beNeaTH a mONOgram FlOwer iN

mOTHer-OF-pearl. sliDe THe FirsT rOuND

FlOwer aND a secOND FlOwer wiTH

pOiNTeD peTals appears.

Cartier CRASH WATCH. bOrN iN 1967 iN THe

HusTle aND busTle OF swiNgiNg lONDON, THe

crasH waTcH capTures THe eFFerVesceNT,

care-Free spiriT OF aN era. iT crYsTallises THe

meeTiNg beTweeN a waTcHmaker reNOwNeD

FOr iTs FOrm waTcHes aND a surge OF JOYFul

NON-cONFOrmiTY. aN eNcOuNTer THaT cONTiNues

TODaY iN THis New JewellerY iNTerpreTaTiON.

preseNTeD seVeN Years agO, THe prOJecT FOr THe New

Hall cOmplex FOr FOire De bÂle is NOw cOmpleTe, aFTer

22 mONTHs OF cONsTrucTiON aND aN iNVesTmeNT OF

cHF 430 milliON. THe FirsT maJOr eVeNT iNsiDe THis New

sHOwcase – THe wOrk OF swiss arcHiTecTural Firm

HerZOg & De meurON, alreaDY FameD as THe Team beHiND

THe “birD’s NesT” OlYmpic sTaDium iN beiJiNg - is THe 2013

baselwOrlD wOrlD waTcH aND JewellerY sHOw: mOre

THaN 100,000 VisiTOrs cONVerge ON THe sHOw eacH Year

TO DiscOVer THe 1,800 exHibiTOrs FrOm all OVer THe

wOrlD. THe New cOmplex is THe biggesT expeNDiTure TO

DaTe iN THe swiss TraDe Fair aND sHOw segmeNT.

THe resulT is ON a par wiTH THe meaNs iNVesTeD. THe

cOmplex cOmbiNes VasT spaces wiTH sTreamliNeD

DesigN aND FuNcTiONaliTY. THe ciTY lOuNge is TYpical OF

THe New aesTHeTic; THis ligHT-FlOODeD supersTrucTure

siTs abOVe THe cOmplex’s ceNTral square. THe New

laYOuT OF THe Halls Has creaTeD aDDiTiONal space aND

mOre square meTres FOr sTaNDs, iNspiriNg exHibiTOrs

TO reTHiNk THeir bOOTH cONcepT. iN THis respecT, THis

Year’s baselwOrlD is DOublY iNTeresTiNg FrOm aN

arcHiTecTural sTaNce, as a cOmplex THaT Has beeN

cOmpleTelY reDeVelOpeD TO welcOme THe wOrlD’s

FOremOsT waTcH braNDs, aND FOr THe OrigiNaliTY

THese braNDs HaVe sHOwN iN DesigNiNg

THeir paViliONs. c.r.

A NEW VENUE FOR BASELWORLD

THe arcHiTecTural Firm OF HerZOg & De meurON

masTermiNDeD THe New Hall cOmplex THaT will welcOme

THis Year’s baselwOrlD wOrlD waTcH aND JewellerY sHOw.

HARRYWINSTON.COMHARRY WINSTON MIDNIGHT COLLECTION™

HarryWinston_WatchYourTime_Europe_MensMidnightBigDate.indd 1 3/4/13 10:41 AM

THE IDEAL SETTING

the impression of perfection that surrounds a cut dia-mond is inherent to the stone itself, as the fi rst operation is to make the “perfect” cleavage of the rough diamond, whose predominant shape is the octahedron, along a plane. this

rough stone is then ground and polished before proceeding to the actual faceting. the classic diamond cut is the brilliant, invented

by Vincenzo Peruzzi, a seventeenth-century Venetian stone-cutter. a brilliant takes the form of two pyramids joined at the base, the upper pyra-

mid being twice the height of the lower pyramid. the rose cut is another much appreciated shape. it consists of a single facetted pyramid whose fl at base sits directly in the mount. the baguette cut, one of the sim-plest, is widely used by watchmakers to obtain a pleasing symmetry.

the role of the craftsman tasked with setting these stones is just as delicate and requires considerable artistic skill. Stones are still set using the same age-old technique whereby a malleable sub-stance, such as gold, is carefully hollowed into a recess where

the gems can sit and be secured. Next-generation techniques mean that diamonds can now be set in steel or ceramic, a means of overcoming their natural hardness and producing watches in a more contemporary style. the snow setting, when brilliant-cut diamonds of various diameters are set side by side, has been used to great effect by Jaeger-Lecoultre and chopard in particular.

among the most recent examples of excellence in selecting and implementing precious stones, the couture Précieuse collection by Piaget is outstanding. on certain models, diamonds are surrounded by delicately sculpted yel-low gold. on others, mother-of-pearl dials and white satin straps accentuate their sparkle.

ELOQUENTLY FEMININE

Feminine sensuality and international glamour naturally associate themselves with so much value and beauty, as evidenced by initiatives such as chopard’s longstanding partnership with the cannes Film Festival or Jaeger-Lecoultre’s support of the Venice international Film Festival. Famous actresses have been known to take on the role of ambassador for their chosen brand, including Nicole Kidman for omega, Diane Kruger for Jaeger-Lecoultre, or cameron Diaz for taG heuer. the stars also come out for Bulgari, as seen at an exhibi-tion entirely devoted to the Serpenti collection of watches and jewellery, which Bulgari hosted in February at its Fifth avenue fl agship store in New york city. Julianne moore, margareth madè, olivia wilde and uma thurman were among those who graced the evening with their beauty.

while women’s enthusiasm for precious stones is globally accepted, diamonds have yet to fi nd their place in a man’s world, or at least in Northern europe and the northernmost mediterranean countries. here, a diamond can happily adorn a masculine ring (a classic engagement gift for an italian man in the 1950s

and 1960s), but less so a watch, particularly a gold one. the reasons are cultural, revealing a differ-ence in attitudes between countries that fi nd it unnecessary and even distasteful for a man to fl aunt his wealth and others that welcome osten-tation. But no matter how they are worn, precious stones will always be regarded as such… pre-cious and rare. ˇ

42 watch your time JeWellerY

mid being twice the height of the lower pyramid. the rose cut is another mid being twice the height of the lower pyramid. the rose cut is another much appreciated shape. it consists of a single facetted pyramid whose much appreciated shape. it consists of a single facetted pyramid whose fl at base sits directly in the mount. the baguette cut, one of the sim-plest, is widely used by watchmakers to obtain a pleasing symmetry.

the role of the craftsman tasked with setting these stones is just as delicate and requires considerable artistic skill. Stones are still set using the same age-old technique whereby a malleable sub-stance, such as gold, is carefully hollowed into a recess where

by Jaeger-Lecoultre and chopard in particular.

among the most recent examples of excellence in selecting and implementing precious stones, the couture Précieuse collection by Piaget is outstanding. on certain models, diamonds are surrounded by delicately sculpted yel-low gold. on others, mother-of-pearl dials and white satin

HUBlot BIG BANG GOLD FULL PAVÉ.

elegaNT wiTH 581 DiamONDs seT iN 18k reD gOlD,

DYNamic wiTH iTs TONe-ON-TONe rubber sTrap, THis

big baNg gOlD is alsO resOluTelY pracTical THaNks

TO iTs quarTZ mOVemeNT aND waTer-resisTaNce.

VaCHeroN CoNStaNtiN

PATRIMONY TRADITIONNELLE

HAUTE JOAILLERIE. sHOulD

THere be aNY NeeD FOr FurTHer

TesTimONY TO VacHerON

cONsTaNTiN’s skills iN

OrcHesTraTiNg THe mÉTiers

D’arT, THe New JewellerY

mODel iN THe paTrimONY

cOllecTiON is THe ONe. iTs

35mm DiameTer sTages aN

exTraOrDiNarY specTacle OF

ligHT as 16.2 caraTs OF beaD-

seT bagueTTe DiamONDs make

Time gO ON FOreVer.

PateK PHiliPPe CALATRAVA REFERENCE 5227.

THe classic rOuND gOlD case, 39mm iN

DiameTer, OF THe calaTraVa is THe arcHeTYpal

example OF THe craFTsmaNsHip beHiND THis

creaTiON. THe subTlY cONcaVe beZel, curVeD

aTTacHmeNTs, slim, 9.24mm silHOueTTe aND

THe TraNspareNT case back, prOTecTeD bY

a HiNgeD cOVer, make THis Timepiece

a wOmaN’s iDeal cOmpaNiON.

CHaNel MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ

WITH COROMANDEL DECORATION.

THis JewellerY waTcH, iNspireD

bY gabrielle cHaNel’s FaVOuriTe

cOrOmaNDel lacquerwOrk,

Takes a wHiTe gOlD case

wiTH 524 DiamONDs iN a sNOw

seTTiNg. THe mOTiFs ON THese

cOrOmaNDel screeNs are

reprODuceD iN miNiaTure

ON THe Dial iN graND

Feu eNamel, usiNg THe

geNeVa TecHNique.

Girard-PerreGaUX CAT’S EYE HAUTE JOAILLERIE.

a mYriaD OF DiamONDs clOTHes THe caT’s eYe iN ligHT,

acceNTuaTiNg THe curVes OF iTs silHOueTTe. beHiND THe

sceNes are THe mecHaNics OF perFecTiON. Time beaTs TO

THe rHYTHm OF a selF-wiNDiNg mOVemeNT maNuFacTureD

bY girarD-perregaux.

MINI D De dior PRÉCIEUSE.

NeVer TiriNg OF

excepTiONal creaTiONs,

DiOr Has DresseD iTs miNi

D iN a gOwN OF wHiTe

gOlD, cOVereD wiTH

1,063 DiamONDs iN a sNOw

seTTiNg. THis 21mm quarTZ

waTcH is waTer-resisTaNT

TO 30 meTres, sHOulD

aNYONe Dare TO giVe

iT a TrY.

roleX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST SPECIAL EDITION GOLDLUST DREAM.

usiNg a rOlex paTeNTeD prOcess, THe exclusiVe gOlDlusT Dream

Dials bleND mOTHer-OF-pearl wiTH gOlD DusT TO FOrm eNcHaNTiNg

paTTerNs, TraNsFOrmiNg eacH glaNce aT THe Time iNTO a mOmeNT

OF pure DeligHT. cONFOrm TO rOlex sTaNDarDs, THe case OF

THis DaTeJusT is waTer-resisTaNT TO 100 meTres.

THE IDEAL SETTING

the impression of perfection that surrounds a cut dia-mond is inherent to the stone itself, as the fi rst operation is to make the “perfect” cleavage of the rough diamond, whose predominant shape is the octahedron, along a plane. this

rough stone is then ground and polished before proceeding to the actual faceting. the classic diamond cut is the brilliant, invented

by Vincenzo Peruzzi, a seventeenth-century Venetian stone-cutter. a brilliant takes the form of two pyramids joined at the base, the upper pyra-

mid being twice the height of the lower pyramid. the rose cut is another much appreciated shape. it consists of a single facetted pyramid whose fl at base sits directly in the mount. the baguette cut, one of the sim-plest, is widely used by watchmakers to obtain a pleasing symmetry.

the role of the craftsman tasked with setting these stones is just as delicate and requires considerable artistic skill. Stones are still set using the same age-old technique whereby a malleable sub-

roleX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST SPECIAL EDITION GOLDLUST DREAM.

usiNg a rOlex paTeNTeD prOcess, THe exclusiVe gOlDlusT Dream

Dials bleND mOTHer-OF-pearl wiTH gOlD DusT TO FOrm eNcHaNTiNg

paTTerNs, TraNsFOrmiNg eacH glaNce aT THe Time iNTO a mOmeNT

OF pure DeligHT. cONFOrm TO rOlex sTaNDarDs, THe case OF

THis DaTeJusT is waTer-resisTaNT TO 100 meTres.

ParMiGiaNi KALPA DONNA KIMBERLEY.

siNce iT was esTablisHeD iN 1996, parmigiaNi

Fleurier Has acquireD DiFFereNT specialisT

cOmpaNies iN luxurY waTcHmakiNg. FOllOwiNg iTs

TakeOVer OF aTOkalpa iN 2000, a cOllecTiON OF

waTcHes was lauNcHeD, OrigiNallY NameD FOrma

THeN reNameD kalpa. THeY are a sHOwcase FOr THe

braND’s experTise, parTicularlY iN gem-seTTiNg.

Tactical_CarreraMikrogirder_AO_mag_280x380mm_ENG-EURO.indd 1 01.03.13 15:00

Tactical_CarreraMikrogirder_AO_mag_280x380mm_ENG-EURO.indd 1 01.03.13 15:00

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SPort watch your time 45

Symbols of a certain frame of mind, watches in general and more particularly those dedicated to sport have imposed their presence in all areas of activity. Keeping pace with this trend, brands adapt their vision of the ideal timepiece to cater to the largest audience. A look at some of the most charismatic watches around…

port for leisure is a recent phenomenon, appearing shortly before the First world war and gaining ground in the 1930s as a means of achiev-

ing physical fi tness. its pursuit was open only to those with suffi cient means and free time; for some, sport became a new way of life. this was the fi rst time an activity had encouraged rivalry and virility away from the battlefi eld. enthusiasm for the modern olympic Games, revived in the last years of the nineteenth century by Baron Pierre de coubertin, was joined by growing interest and participation in motor racing and rallies, tennis tournaments and yachting regattas. however, taking part wasn’t enough; competitors wanted to measure their results, whether to pit themselves against others or to gauge their own performance and progress.

CUE THE CHRONOGRAPH

this new demand prompted watchmakers to develop products with the functions athletes required and nothing did so better than the chronograph, a watch with an additional complica-tion that measures fractions of time or events of short duration. industry and the military had widely adopted the chronograph as a means of measuring productivity or conducting battle; its capacities won it a new audience among athletes.

the mechanism which French watchmaker Nicolas rieussec developed in 1821 meas-ured the time racehorses took to cross the fi nish line, and recorded it by dropping ink on a graduated enamel dial. almost a century and numerous developments later, rieussec’s chronograph, whose system of rotating discs montblanc has revived and enhanced in its rieussec watches, would serve athletes in their quest to surpass themselves and others. except that these early chronographs were condemned to the sidelines, being too fragile, and more to the point too vulnerable to dust and humidity, to be used in the heat of the action. as such, they couldn’t be considered sport watches in the strict sense of the term.

THIS SPORTING LIFE

the consensus within the industry is that the sport watch in its modern-day defi nition was born in 1926, after rolex invented the oyster and the screw-down crown. this simple yet effec-tive mechanism protected wristwatch movements against the enemy without, namely water and dust. with a hermetically sealed watch like this, mercedes Gleitze could happily take the plunge. her historic channel swim in 1927 showed that rolex had grasped the importance of sport in society, and the enormous force women represented for a world in fl ux. the brand also delivered irrefutable proof that a mechanical timepiece could, thanks to this important innovation, be the ideal team-mate in all manner of sport-ing exploits. Doubts were raised in certain quarters as to the value of this unconventional (and for some downright exotic) product, yet experience would prove its worth.

s HOw TO sTack THe ODDs iN YOur FaVOur aND wiN THe race agaiNsT Time.

“counting out time”

--o------- vincent daveau

[ genesis, 1974 ]

HarrY WiNStoN OCEAN DUAL TIME BLACK EDITION.

wiTH a case maDe FrOm cOrrOsiON-resisTaNT

Zalium™, aN alumiNium/ZircONium allOY THaT is

uNique TO THe braND, HarrY wiNsTON puTs a Dual

Time ZONe FuNcTiON iNTO a spOrTs-sTYleD, 44mm

waTcH. DriVeN bY a selF-wiNDiNg mecHaNical

mOVemeNT beaTiNg aT 28,800 VpH aND wiTH 45 HOurs

OF pOwer reserVe, THe OceaN Dual Time is THe iDeal

Timepiece FOr aNY iNTerNaTiONal TraVeller.

RACING FOR GLORY

this year marks the anni-versary of two genuine icons among sport watches.

unsurprisingly, fans are already in the starting-blocks, eager to discover what rolex has in store to celebrate fi fty years of a legend among sport chronos: the Daytona cosmograph chronograph. that the brand is now offi cial timekeeper and offi cial timepiece of Formula 1 sends out a strong signal as to the company’s commitment to sport, and a thinly veiled reminder that its famous chronograph originated on the racing circuit, intended for professional drivers and motor-racing fans. rolex isn’t the only one celebrating a watch that fl ies the chequered fl ag, as taG heuer fetes its carrera chrono, born fi fty years ago in the paddocks of the 1963 twelve hours of Sebring, an event still fresh in the mind of the man behind its launch, Jack heuer.

there are clearly strong ties between motor sports and watchmakers, at chopard for example and at hublot which, as well as being a partner to

Ferrari, this year turns its attention to classic car rallies as a spon-sor of the French tour auto. No stranger to the world of

sport, hublot has a reputation in the sector for signing deals left, right and centre. From sailing to boxing,

the brand can claim opportunities in a multitude of sports, leaving others to take a more circum-stantial approach.

and so rolex invented the modern wristwatch that would lend itself to life’s multiple adventures. its models, renowned for their robustness, endurance and impenetrability, indeed accompa-nied armies of speleologists, sailors and racing drivers as of the 1930s. the absolute water-resistance of its case was one less concern for the wearer who could instead focus on the performance the watch was expected to measure, come what may. Note that a water-resistant watch isn’t necessarily apt to follow divers into the deep. a dive watch is a different creature altogether, even though technical progress and high-grade machining mean that most sport watches are guaranteed water-resistant to pressures equal or greater than the standard imposed for the ocean’s deep.

PUT TO THE TEST

Because to qualify as a dive watch, a timepiece must conform to specifi c criteria. to be part of the extended and less precisely defi ned family of sport models, water-resistance isn’t enough. For many, a watch becomes a sport watch only when used as such. in other words, if a par-ticular instrument has proven its worth on a prominent athlete’s wrist, or if its functions have served a purpose at offi cial competitions, then it is considered a sport watch. meaning pretty much any watch that is water-resistant to more than 50 metres can claim sport-watch status.what constitutes a sport watch is therefore a fl exible notion. timepieces that travel comfortably around town on a leather strap can suddenly, when switched to a metal bracelet, unleash their sporting potential. Baume & mercier’s capeland chronograph is a case in point. its dial boasts two scales: a tachymeter, handy for racing drivers, and a telemeter which hikers and ramblers use

to measure the distance between them and a storm by calculating the interval between a fl ash of lightning and a clap of thunder. this is equally true of the recently released calibre

de cartier chronograph, as well as the famed omega Speedmaster. Launched

in 1957, it travelled to the moon and has kept countless athletes

company. its reputation as a robust and reliable time-

piece hasn’t waned in its 56 years of production.

46 watch your time SPort

CALIBRE De Cartier CHRONOGRAPH.

iNTrODuceD iN 2010, THe calibre De carTier

waTcH is recOgNiseD FOr iTs sTYlisH appearaNce

wiTH cONTrasTiNg brusHeD aND pOlisHeD

surFaces. iN 2013, carTier equips THis mODel wiTH

iTs New iN-HOuse cHrONOgrapH mOVemeNT, THe

1904-cH mc calibre, aND carries ON THe

waTcH’s bOlD, spOrTiNg allure.

PorSCHe deSiGN FLAT SIX.

THe FlaT six p’6340

auTOmaTic cHrONOgrapH

makes NO secreT OF iTs

kiNsHip wiTH THe legeNDarY

pOrscHe 911 aND iTs six-

cYliNDer bOxer eNgiNe. THe

ribbeD case siDes lOOk TO

THe OlD air-cOOleD eNgiNes,

wHile THe rOTOr Takes

iNspiraTiON FrOm pOrscHe’s

allOY wHeels.

loUiS VUittoN TAMBOUR LV 277 44 MM.

THe lOuis VuiTTON TambOur Has maDe iTs Name

amONg rOuND spOrT waTcHes. iTs uNmisTakable

DesigN iNcOrpOraTes maNY OF THe braND’s Visual

cODes, sucH as THe TwelVe leTTers OF lOuis VuiTTON

eNgraVeD ON THe case, THe brOwN Dial, aND THe secONDs

HaND wHOse YellOw cOlOur ecHOes THe waxeD THreaD

useD TO sTiTcH THe braND’s leaTHergOODs.

CHaNel J12 SUPERLEGGERA.

cHaNel’s J12 superleggera

Takes iTs cue FrOm raciNg

cars, iN parTicular FOr THe

ligHTNess aND resisTaNce

OF THe maTerials useD.

THe ceramic aND alumiNium

case meaNs THis mODel

is Twice as ligHT as THe

all-ceramic J12 waTcHes.

PaNerai LUMINOR 1950

REGATTA 3 DAYS CHRONO

FLYBACK TITANIO.

FrOm THe uNiON OF

OFFiciNe paNerai aND THe

wOrlD OF classic sailiNg

cOmes THe lumiNOr 1950

regaTTa 3 DaYs cHrONO

FlYback TiTaNiO wiTH aN

auTOmaTic mOVemeNT,

a THree-DaY pOwer

reserVe, aND THe regaTTa

cOuNTDOwN FuNcTiON,

speciFicallY creaTeD FOr

YacHT raciNg sTarTs.

that its famous chronograph originated on the racing circuit, intended for professional drivers and motor-racing fans. rolex isn’t the only one celebrating a watch that fl ies the chequered fl ag, as taG heuer fetes its carrera chrono, born fi fty years ago in the paddocks of the 1963 twelve hours of Sebring, an event still fresh in the mind of the man behind its launch, Jack heuer.

there are clearly strong ties between motor sports and watchmakers, at chopard for example and at hublot which, as well as being a partner to

Ferrari, this year turns its attention to classic car rallies as a spon-sor of the French tour auto. No stranger to the world of

sport, hublot has a reputation in the sector for signing deals left, right and centre. From sailing to boxing,

the brand can claim opportunities in a multitude of sports, leaving others to take a more circum-stantial approach.

GUCCi COUPÉ CHRONO.

gucci preseNTs a New

VersiON OF iTs cOupÉ

cHrONO iN a larger,

44mm siZe THaT is sTill

iNsTaNTlY recOgNisable

FOr THe rOuNDeD

cOrNers ON iTs square

case. THe iNcreaseD

DimeNsiONs eNsure

excelleNT reaDabiliTY

OF THe Time aND DaTe

FuNcTiONs.

ASTRON. The search for totally precise time, everywhere on the planet, is over. By developing a low-energy-consumption GPS

receiver, Seiko has been able to create a watch that connects to the GPS network and uses it to identify both time of day and time

zone. The new Astron recognises all 39 time zones on earth, is precise to one second every 100,000 years, and by taking all the energy

it needs from light, never needs a battery change. If you can see the sky, you will know the local time, anywhere on our planet. Finally,

time and space are united in a prestige watch. seiko-astron.com

d e d i c a t e d t o p e r f e c t i o n

the new seiko astron gps solar. at last, a watch that adjusts to your time zone.

audemars Piguet has teamed up with michael Schumacher as a reminder of its F1 connections. iwc has returned to racing with mercedes amG Petronas and the ingenieur chrono. Just about every brand, from richard mille, which ranks nine times world rally cham-

pion Sébastien Loeb among its ambassadors, to oris, a longstanding partner to the williams F1 team, is determined to win enthusiasts’ hearts and occupy their wrists. except, as richard mille suspected, these timepieces were lacking a function that would really appeal to racing drivers. the brand’s solution has been to equip the rm 036 Jean todt Limited edition with a wholly mechanical g-sensor, thanks to which the driver knows the amount of deceleration felt when braking, accelerating, or cornering at high speed. this new function, which has undeniable safety benefi ts too, is eminently useful and particularly suited to the world of sport.

IN THE WAKE OF A NOBLE SPORT

other sport timepieces are equally outstanding for services rendered. in what promises to be very much a nautical year, thanks to the america’s cup, watch-makers that have links to sailing, such as omega and taG heuer, will almost certainly be releasing time-pieces with regatta countdowns, bearing in mind that new procedure gives boats fi ve minutes to line up

48 watch your time SPort

rado D-STAR CERAMIC CHRONOGRAPH.

THis mODel wiTH TwO cHrONOgrapH cOuNTers

is DriVeN bY a New mOVemeNT wiTH aN exTeNDeD

60-HOur pOwer reserVe. HigH-TecH

plasma-TreaTeD ceramic leNDs THe case

a plaTiNum-like meTallic sHeeN.

BreGUet TYPE XXII 3880. THe icONic bregueT

TYpe xxii iN sTeel is JOiNeD bY aN OrigiNal mODel

iN 18k rOse gOlD. THis NOble meTal HigHligHTs

THe beauTY OF THis uNique Timepiece. THe

bregueT cHrONOgrapH mOVemeNT wiTH silicON

escapemeNT aND FlaT balaNce spriNg beaTs aT

a HigHer FrequeNcY OF 10 HZ (72,000 VpH).

for the start as opposed to the old ten-minute rule. rolex, with its for the start as opposed to the old ten-minute rule. rolex, with its programmable yacht-master ii, together with Louis Vuitton and the programmable yacht-master ii, together with Louis Vuitton and the

tambour regatta, have already brought their timepieces up to speed. But tambour regatta, have already brought their timepieces up to speed. But who knows! other companies have taken to the life aquatic - Seiko and who knows! other companies have taken to the life aquatic - Seiko and eberhard & co have interests in light craft; Panerai endorses classic yacht eberhard & co have interests in light craft; Panerai endorses classic yacht

racing; Jeanrichard has teamed up with Franck cammas while corum is racing; Jeanrichard has teamed up with Franck cammas while corum is a partner to Loïck Peyron (artemis racing) – and any one of them could a partner to Loïck Peyron (artemis racing) – and any one of them could come up trumps with a watch tailored to the professional sailor. what other original functions might we expect sport watches to provide? Plenty, if truth be told. it’s no longer enough to circumnavigate the bezel with logarithmic scales and other graduations. Sport watches are ripe for major innovation. Breitling for Bentley and Zenith have taken a step in this direction with a chrono hand that sweeps the dial several times per second to enable

fractions-of-a-second accuracy. as Jean-Frédéric Dufour, Zenith’s chief executive, recently reminded us, the owner of a Zenith el Primero Stratos Striking 10th chronograph can read tenths of a second because the el Primero move-ment has the incredible capacity to display such preci-sion. rest assured that 2013 will bring its share of innova-tive and surprising new products for the sporting elite.

original functions might we expect sport watches to provide? Plenty, if truth be told. it’s no longer enough to circumnavigate the bezel with logarithmic scales and other graduations. Sport watches are ripe for major innovation. Breitling for Bentley and Zenith have taken a step in this direction with a chrono hand that sweeps the dial several times per second to enable

fractions-of-a-second accuracy. as Jean-Frédéric Dufour, Zenith’s chief executive, recently reminded us, the owner of a Zenith el Primero Stratos Striking 10th chronograph can read tenths of a second because the el Primero move-ment has the incredible capacity to display such preci-sion. rest assured that 2013 will bring its share of innova-tive and surprising new products for the sporting elite. ˇ

Girard-PerreGaUX CHRONO HAWK. spOrTY, elegaNT, mODerN, THe

cHrONO Hawk leaVes NOTHiNg TO cHaNce. THis iNcluDes THe DesigN OF

iTs case THaT cOmbiNes sHarp eDges aND a rOuND beZel, iTs Dial THaT

empHasiZes THe measuremeNT OF sHOrT Times, aND iTs excepTiONal

mOVemeNT FiNisHeD TO THe rigOrOus sTaNDarDs OF FiNe waTcHmakiNg.

BVlGari

DIAGONO CALIBRO 303.

wiTH iTs balaNceD

prOpOrTiONs, THe

calibrO 303 is a

resOluTelY spOrTY

cHrONOgrapH waTcH

wiTH equal sTYle

aND subsTaNce. THe

auTOmaTic, iN-HOuse

mecHaNical bVl 303

calibre is FullY

assembleD aND

FiNisHeD bY HaND.

aUdeMarS PiGUet

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE

CHRONOGRAPH 44MM.THE FIRST

SERIES-PRODUCED CHRONOGRAPH

IN THE OFFSHORE COLLECTION TO

FEATURE A CERAMIC CASE BAND AND

BEZEL, THIS EXTREMELY SPORTY,

44MM MODEL DELIVERS AN EFFECTIVE

AND MANLY DESIGN. VIRTUALLY

SCRATCHPROOF, CERAMIC IS

MUCH HARDER THAN STEEL.

tUdor HERITAGE

CHRONO BLUE.

lauNcHeD iN 1973,

THe mONTe-carlO is

a legeND iN TuDOr’s

lONg HisTOrY OF

cHrONOgrapHs.

THis Year THe

braND reTurNs TO

THis icONic mODel

wiTH THe HeriTage

cHrONO blue wiTH

iTs DisTiNcTiVe blue,

greY aND OraNge

cOlOurwaY.

dior CHIFFRE ROUGE

CHRONOGRAPH.

THe cHiFFre rOuge

cOllecTiON was lauNcHeD iN

2004, DesigNeD bY THe arTisTic

DirecTOr aT DiOr HOmme.

iTs iNsTaNTlY iDeNTiFiable

asYmmeTric case, reD

DaTe aND mOulDeD

rubber HaVe

esTablisHeD THe

cHiFFre rOuge as

THe ulTimaTe DiOr

meN’s waTcH.

MESURE ET DÉMESURE *

* E

XA

CT

AN

D E

XU

LTA

NT

TONDA 1950 Rose gold Ultra-thin automatic movementHermès alligator strap

Made in Switzerland

www.parmigiani.ch

Parmigiani_HQ • Visual: Tonda 1950 • Magazine: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WATCH YOUR TIME (GB) • Language: English • Issue: 25.4.2013 • Doc size: 280 x 380 mm • Calitho #: 02-13-83397 • AOS #: PF_00361 • EB 25.2.2013

ATELIER PARMIGIANI 97 MOUNT STREET, W1K 2TD LONDON, TEL. 020 7495 5172

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roleX OYSTER PERPETUAL SUBMARINER DATE.

carrYiNg ON FrOm THe legeNDarY submariNer OF 1953, THe FirsT

waTcH TO be waTer-resisTaNT TO 100 meTres, THe submariNer

DaTe iNTrODuces a DaTe DisplaY wiTH THe FamOus “cYclOps”

magNiFier. iTs speciFicaTiONs aND graDuaTeD uNiDirecTiONal

rOTaTiNg beZel make THis waTcH a musT FOr aNY DiVer.

diViNG watch your time 51

Wrist candy or professional-grade instrument? The fi rst dive watches were built specifi cally for professional use; today’s models see less aquatic action. With the growing popularity of sport watches, all the major brands propose timepieces cut out for the ocean’s deep.

watch, rolex, Panerai, Blancpain, omega, taG heuer, hublot, Jaeger-Lecoultre, iwc, Breitling, even cartier, Louis Vuitton, chanel and

richard mille… the list is long of watchmakers whose water-resistant time-pieces are made to withstand the pressure of going deep. yet not all models meet the same standards. water-resistance is possibly one of the biggest challenges for a watchmaker, hence why techniques are constantly evolving.

WATER-RESISTANCE

the precise meaning of water-resistance in horological parlance has been open to debate. while one atmosphere (atm) of pressure is equivalent to a depth of 10 metres, a watch marked water-resistant to 1 atm may not withstand this much strain. more likely it is intended to resist pressure of or greater than 1 atm in swimming-pool conditions. the amount of time spent underwater complicates matters further: a watch is more able to withstand a constant pressure of 20 atm (200 metres) than a sudden drop to 30 atm (300 metres), which it may not survive.

DiN 8310 standard was introduced to shed light on the situation. it states that a watch marked water-resistant to 10 metres (1 atm) will resist minor splashing (and is therefore best kept dry). water-resistance to 30 metres (3 atm) means the watch can be safely worn when showering. at 50 metres (5 atm) a watch is genu-inely water-resistant and can be worn for swimming. a dive watch must meet water-resistance standards for 100 metres or 10 atm. From this depth, a watch is suitable for snorkelling or diving in shallow water. a professional dive watch, suitable for longer immersion times, must be water-resistant to 200 metres (20 atm). a watch that is water-resistant to 500 metres (50 atm) can be worn for a prolonged period at greater depth. Lastly, dive watches that are water-resistant to 1,000 metres (100 atm) are suited to extreme diving conditions and incorporate a helium escape valve for decompression.

--o------- paloma recio, director, r&e

“summertime”[ george gershwin, 1935 ]

s

caN’T Take THe pressure? THese waTcHes caN.

SAFETY FIRST

underwater diving must be practiced in conditions of maximum security, hence the need for a fully water-resistant case and crown. Both these parts are designed to protect the mechanism against seepage and thus ensure the watch continues to provide vital indications for the diver’s safety. the three non-negotiable properties of a dive watch are to be water-resistant, robust and legible underwater. this legibility is guaranteed by lume applied to the hands and markers, ensuring that displays can be read from a distance of 25cm in zero visibility. a dive watch must also feature a bezel rotating in only one direction, counter-clockwise, for tracking elapsed time underwater.as an additional security, iSo 6425 standard for dive watches states that the bezel must have easily distinguishable fi ve-minute markings. the watch must also be anti-magnetic, shockproof and resistant to salt-water corrosion. every part of the case, plus the gaskets, back and crystal, must be water-resistant to a minimum of 100 metres. most dive watches are mounted on a rubber strap for its water-resistant properties. among steel bracelets, the rolex Glidelock clasp is designed so that the length of the bracelet can be adjusted when the watch is on the wrist.

HELIUM ESCAPE VALVE

the majority of professional dive watches include a helium escape valve. its function is essentially that of the safety valve on a pressure cooker or coffee percolator. a diver resurfacing after a prolonged period at great depths must make regular decompression stops. the helium escape valve releases the helium trapped inside the watch case so as to protect the mechanism and prevent the crystal from exploding.this happens because the pressure exerted on the case increases dur-ing the diver’s descent. For safety reasons, the diver must ascend in stages so as to gradually adapt to normal pressure. Divers operating in deep water for prolonged periods or onboard a submarine use diving bells where they breathe a mixture of gases including oxygen and helium. the helium atoms, which are lighter and smaller than oxygen atoms, are able to penetrate the gaskets that seal the watch case. in certain conditions the helium can expand too quickly for the gas to be released through the gaskets, resulting in a build-up of pressure which can cause the watch crystal to fl y off. opening the helium escape valve releases the helium but does not allow water into the case.a spring repositions the valve after use. as an additional security meas-ure, some watchmakers use a screw-down crown system; the crown must be unscrewed during decompression and screwed tight before the next dive. By way of example, all the watches in the omega Seamaster Planet ocean range are water-resistant to 600 metres and have a helium escape valve at 10 o’clock. the legendary omega Ploprof, developed in 1970 for professional divers (its name is an abbreviation of plongeur professionnel), features a distinctive automatic helium escape valve on the side of the case at 4 o’clock. the screwed-in crown at 9 o’clock is shielded by a buffer.

52 watch your time diViNG

JaeGer-leCoUltre DEEP SEA CHRONOGRAPH CERMET.

TakiNg iTs aesTHeTic cue FrOm THe 1959 memOVOx

Deep sea, THe FirsT DiVe waTcH wiTH aN alarm,

THe case ON THis mODel is maDe FrOm reiNFOrceD

cermeT, a ceramic/alumiNium allOY. aN aDDiTiONal

saFeTY FeaTure, THe cHrONOgrapH OperaTiNg

iNDicaTOr is iNspireD bY THe 1930 cHrONOFligHT

ONbOarD iNsTrumeNT.

CULTURE AND EXPERTISE

aT parmigiaNi Fleurier,

mOre THaN 600 specialisTs

pracTiceD iN 50 DiFFereNT

areas OF waTcHmakiNg

are sHareD beTweeN

THe cOmpaNY’s FiVe

prODucTiON siTes,

eacH OF wHicH cON-

TribuTes iTs regiON’s

iNDiViDual waTcHmakiNg

culTure. iN THe space

OF a DecaDe, parmigiaNi

Has eFFecTiVelY builT THe

iNDusTrial iNFrasTrucTure

THaT makes iT a FullY iNTegraTeD

maNuFacTure wiTH uNcONTesTeD

creDeNTials iN FiNe waTcHmakiNg. mOre THaN THis, THe

cOmpaNY caN alsO cOuNT ON a sOliD sTrucTure acrOss

all FiVe cONTiNeNTs, HaViNg OpeNeD NO Fewer THaN NiNe

subsiDiaries lasT Year, iNcluDiNg iN asia, russia, braZil

aND THe uNiTeD sTaTes. THis iNTerNaTiONal expaNsiON is

NOw cOmpleTeD wiTH THe DeplOYmeNT OF aTeliers parmi-

giaNi. THeir rOle is TO prOmOTe aND sHare THe “maNuFac-

Ture spiriT” THaT meaNs sO mucH TO THe Firm. accOrDiNg

TO parmigiaNi, THe aTeliers are “a waY OF reacHiNg a

wiDer auDieNce aND prOViDiNg lOcal experTise.”

wHeTHer simplY curiOus abOuT waTcHes Or geNuiNelY

FasciNaTeD bY THe measuremeNT OF Time, eacH VisiTOr

is greeTeD bY a waTcHmaker wHO will aNswer THeir

quesTiONs wiTH specialisT experTise, aND prOViDe

cusTOmer serVice FOr aNY parmigiaNi waTcH. all THe

cOllecTiONs are DisplaYeD iNsiDe THe aTelier, wHicH

Has beeN imagiNeD as a True reFlecTiON OF THe braND

FrOm THe OVal FurNisHiNgs TO THe warm aND iNViTiNg

DecOraTiON. iN parmigiaNi’s OwN wOrDs, “like a HauTe

cOuTure wOrksHOp, aTelier parmigiaNi represeNTs THe

esseNce OF THe braND iN THe HearT OF THe wOrlD’s maJOr

ciTies, Dubai, sHaNgHai, beiJiNg, mOscOw aND lONDON,

iN picTuresque mOuNT sTreeT, siNce eND 2012.” as relaYs

FOr THe culTure aND experTise OF waTcHmakiNg, THe

aTeliers are sTaNDarD-bearers FOr a cOmpaNY wHicH

Has cONquereD rarelY explOreD TerriTOries

iN mecHaNical waTcHmakiNg. c.r.

aT parmigiaNi Fleurier,

mOre THaN 600 specialisTs mOre THaN 600 specialisTs

pracTiceD iN 50 DiFFereNT pracTiceD iN 50 DiFFereNT

areas OF waTcHmakiNg

iNDiViDual waTcHmakiNg iNDiViDual waTcHmakiNg

OF a DecaDe, parmigiaNi OF a DecaDe, parmigiaNi

Has eFFecTiVelY builT THe Has eFFecTiVelY builT THe

iNDusTrial iNFrasTrucTure iNDusTrial iNFrasTrucTure

THaT makes iT a FullY iNTegraTeD THaT makes iT a FullY iNTegraTeD

maNuFacTure wiTH uNcONTesTeD maNuFacTure wiTH uNcONTesTeD

dior D02. THe DiOr cHiFFre rOuge D02 Has a sTeel case

mOulDeD wiTH sOFT sYNTHeTic rubber aND is DriVeN bY aN

auTOmaTic mecHaNical calibre. waTer-resisTaNT TO 300 meTres

aND wiTH a rubber-mOulDeD sTeel braceleT, iT capTures THe

mOOD OF THe cOuTure HOuse’s spOrTs waTcH raNge.

HUBlot KING POWER OCEANOGRAPHIC 1000.

waTer-resisTaNT TO 1,000 meTres, THis cHrONOgrapH

waTcH iN kiNg gOlD is cuT OuT FOr THe Deep. iTs impOsiNg

48mm DiameTer aND resOluTelY spOrTs sTYle make THis a

waTcH FOr VeNTuriNg iNTO THe DepTHs wiTH sTYle.

iWC AQUATIMER

DEEP TWO. wiTH iTs

mecHaNical DepTH

gauge, THe aquaTimer

Deep TwO OFFers

maximum saFeTY aND

securiTY. waTer-

resisTaNT TO 12 bar, iT

cONTaiNs a cOmpleTe

backup sYsTem THaT

permiTs THe DiVer TO

measure aND plaN ViTal

parameTers sucH as

DiVe DepTH aND Time.

ParMiGiaNi TONDA 1950. cHaracTerisTic OF

parmigiaNi’s cONcepT OF classicism, THis waTcH

TOgeTHer wiTH all THe OTHer cOllecTiONs are

DisplaYeD iN THe aTeliers parmigiaNi,

a sHOwcase FOr iTs experTise wHicH

THe braND Has OpeNeD iN maJOr

ciTies arOuND THe wOrlD.

A RECENT PAST

these days we take dive watches for granted; in reality water-resistant watches are a recent invention. their history, which starts with the twen-tieth century, is of course linked to the development of the wristwatch. in November 1927 the founder of rolex, hans wilsdorf, came up with the clever idea of giving one of his new watches to mercedes Gleitze who was preparing to become the fi rst British woman to swim the channel. Barely had she come ashore than wilsdorf was booking the front page of the Daily Mail to praise the exploits of the young athlete and more to the point of his watch, the rolex oyster, whose revolutionary water-tight case had been patented a year before. at that time, wilsdorf had been quick to proclaim it the fi rst ever watch which, like its namesake oyster, could stand hours of submersion, unharmed.

this innovation sparked a fi erce and ongoing battle between watchmakers to produce a timepiece that could travel to depths beyond the limits of human resistance. however, not all water-resistant watches were developed with the express purpose of probing the ocean’s deep. in 1932, the Pasha of marrakech asked Louis cartier to make him a watch he could use to keep track of time while swimming in his pool. and so the Pasha watch was born, considered by many to be the fi rst luxury sport watch.anecdotes aside, the new challenge facing watchmakers was to guar-antee complete water-resistance at ever more impressive depths. the Second world war spurred new technology in this domain. on the eve of the global confl ict, in 1936, italian brand offi cine Panerai made the

fi rst radiomir watch, specifi cally for the frogman commandos of the First Submarine Group of the royal italian Navy. in 1950 the brand developed a new, even more water-resistant case which it named the Luminor. the half-moon shape protecting its crown would become one of the hallmarks of a Panerai watch. this year the brand is proposing special edition dive watches in a Luminor 1950 case housing the celebrated P.9000 calibre. the ceramic and bronze variants are water-resistant to 300 metres; the titanium version braves depths of 2,500 metres.

THE DECISIVE MID-CENTURY

1953 proved a milestone in the history of dive watches as the year of the fi rst watch with water-resistance of 100 metres, the rolex Submariner, which has seen several transformations over its 60 years. it remains a coveted watch among divers and athletes in general, but also as a col-lectable piece. this same year, 1953, was also when Blancpain launched the Fifty Fathoms, commissioned by the French government for its com-bat divers. Now one of the brand’s iconic models, it is credited as being the fi rst modern dive watch.the whole of the 1950s witnessed important developments in dive watches. man left earth to explore new worlds out in space or below water. in 1956, a year before the uSSr launched the fi rst artifi cial sat-ellite, Jacques-yves cousteau and Louis malle revealed the mysteries

of life beneath the waves in The Silent World which took the Palme d’or at the cannes Film Festival. the public was fascinated by this alien world, while ama-teur divers put pressure on watchmakers to produce specifi c instruments to match their taste for adven-ture. once again, rolex and Blancpain led the way.

coming after the success of its Submariner, rolex decided to follow up with a new model. on January 23rd 1960 the brand sent its new Deep Sea Special down 10,916 metres to the fl oor of the mariana trench, attached to the Trieste bathyscaphe which was manned by Swiss oceanographer and engineer Jacques Piccard and uS Navy Lieutenant Dan walsh.

OFFiciNe paNerai’s cOllecTiONs FOr 2013 reaFFirm

THe spOrTiNg cHaracTer OF a braND THaT

Describes iTs waTcHes as “a NaTural bleND OF

iTaliaN DesigN, swiss TecHNOlOgY aND a passiON

FOr THe sea.” THe cOmpaNY, alreaDY reNOwNeD FOr

iTs mariTime iNsTrumeNTs, cemeNTeD iTs repuTaTiON

wHeN iT respONDeD TO a requesT FrOm THe iTaliaN

NaVY TO equip iTs FrOgmaN cOmmaNDOs wiTH a

rObusT, reliable, reaDable aND accuraTe DiVe

waTcH. aND sO THe legeND was bOrN. cONTiNuiNg

THe acTiON, americaN acTOr sYlVesTer sTallONe is

a lONg-Time aDmirer OF a braND wHicH FOr a Few

DecaDes Fell OFF THe raDar.

NOT sO TODaY. paNerai is aN esTablisHeD Name iN

FiNe waTcHmakiNg THaT equips iTs Timepieces wiTH

mOVemeNTs THaT iT DeVelOps aND maNuFacTures

iN-HOuse, aND sHOws aN almOsT ObsessiVe

DeVOTiON TO iTs OrigiNs, embODieD iN TwO

“HisTOric” cOllecTiONs, raDiOmir aND lumiNOr.

bOTH OF THese NOw beNeFiT FrOm THe laTesT

macHiNiNg TecHNOlOgies aND NexT-geNeraTiON

maTerials. THe THree New paNerai lumiNOr 1950

submersible 3 DaYs waTcHes are aN excelleNT

example, maDe FrOm TiTaNium, brONZe aND

ceramic. THeY resulT FrOm aDVaNceD researcH

iNTO TecHNOlOgY aND maTerials FOr THe case.

THe DesigN Takes iNspiraTiON FrOm THe waTcHes

paNerai maDe DuriNg THe lasT ceNTurY FOr THe

iTaliaN NaVY. a remiNDer OF aN era wHeN a NaTiON’s

surViVal HiNgeD ON iTs waTcHes. wHile Time

aND TiDe waiT FOr NO braND, paNerai’s waTcHes

remaiN THe image OF a parTicular cONcepT OF

Time measuremeNT. ONe THaT is iNTimaTelY

liNkeD TO THe sea. p.D.V.

diViNG watch your time 53

PaNerai SUBMERSIBLE 1950

3 DAYS POWER RESERVE

AUTOMATIC BRONZO.

TwO Years aFTer iTs FirsT

waTcH wiTH a brONZe case,

paNerai preseNTs a New

Timepiece iN THis meTal

wiTH a DecisiVelY NauTical

cHaracTer aND wHOse

FasciNaTiON grOws as iT

ages. iN aDDiTiON TO iTs HigH

sTrucTural sTreNgTH,

brONZe reTaiNs iTs OrigiNal

warm TONes eVeN as iT

acquires a paTiNa.

tUdor PELAGOS. waTer-resisTaNT TO 500 meTres, THis rObusT

aND legible waTcH is DesigNeD TO be easilY OperaTeD. THe 42mm

case is maDe eNTirelY FrOm TiTaNium aND iNcOrpOraTes a Helium

escape ValVe. THe uNiDirecTiONal beZel is craFTeD FrOm black

ceramic aND FeaTures lumiNesceNT markiNgs.

HarrY WiNStoN

OCEAN DIVER.

like aNY selF-

respecTiNg DiVe

mODel, THe OceaN

DiVer FeaTures a

uNiDirecTiONal

beZel, HigHlY Visible

iNDicaTOrs aND is

guaraNTeeD waTer-

resisTaNT TO 200 meTres.

a cHrONOgrapH

FuNcTiON cOmpleTes

THis rObusT waTcH

wHicH lOOks sTYlisH

ON DrY laND TOO.

loNGiNeS HYDROCONQUEST.

a True DiVe waTcH, THe

HYDrOcONquesT Ticks all

THe bOxes requireD bY sucH a

saFeTY-cONsciOus DiscipliNe.

waTer-resisTaNT TO 300 meTres

(30 bar), THe mODels iN THis series

are FiTTeD wiTH a uNiDirecTiONal

rOTaTiNg beZel, a screw-DOwN

case back aND laTeral prOTecTiON

FOr THe screw-iN crOwN.

CALL OF THE SEA

they spent eight and a half hours on the earth’s deepest point. two days after their exploit, a telegram from Jacques Piccard arrived at the rolex head offi ce in Geneva: “happy to announce that your watch works as well at 11,000 metres as it does on the surface.” rolex would continue to prove an authority in dive watches over the years to come. in 1967 it introduced the Sea-Dweller, water-resistant to 610 metres and equipped with a helium escape valve. it followed this with the Sea-Dweller 4000 in 1978, water-resistant to 1,220 metres. in 2008 came the rev-olutionary Deep Sea. water-resistant to a staggering 3,900 metres, it ushered in a new era of dive watches.

TOP-SELLING MODELS

Produced for French army frogmen, Blancpain made the Fifty Fathoms to strict specifi cations. it had to be robust, reliable, readable and, as its name suggests, water-resistant

to 91.45 metres or 50 fathoms. an icon among professional dive watches, it quickly forged a reputation such that it became the watch of choice for armed forces and oceanographers around the world. it was the watch that Jacques-yves cousteau and his team

wore in The Silent World. many variations have followed, though all rec-ognisable members of the Fifty Fathoms family. the model unveiled by Blancpain at Baselworld in 2009 sported a titanium case with water-resistance of 1,000 metres. the latest in the line-up was intro-

54 watch your time diViNG

duced at end 2011, unveiled inside a giant aquarium, the

world’s biggest, in Dubai. mark a. hayek in person donned snorkel and fi ns to swim with the sharks, wearing the new X Fathoms. water-resistant to 300 metres , i ts fea-tures include a mechanical depth gauge and a maximum depth memory. the X Fathoms is considered the most extreme watch in the Blancpain catalogue to date. Jaeger-Lecoultre

has made its contribution to dive watch innovation too. in the late 1950s, it introduced an interesting complication with its memovox Deep Sea. this was the fi rst time that a dive watch had incorporated an alarm function, signalling to a diver that it was time to resurface. Now one of its icons, the Le Sentier fi rm recently revisited this memovox Deep Sea as two limited editions. true to the original, both versions reprise the engraved fi gure on the case back of a diver surrounded by bubbles.

in conclusion, while dive watches continue to equip profes-sionals, they have risen from the ocean fl oor to make ripples among admirers of sporting timepieces. their appeal lies with their solidity, shock-resistance and water-resistance. Better still, they offer watchmakers vast opportunity to prove their capacity for innovation. rest assured that dive watches haven’t said their last word! ˇ

I-GUCCi SPORT. THe i-gucci

spOrT waTcH Takes sOme

OrigiNal FeaTures ONbOarD,

wiTH cHrONOgrapH, Dual

cHrONOgrapH, cOuNTDOwN,

TacHYmeTer, peDOmeTer aND

aN OpTiONal regaTTa Timer. THe

THick braceleT laYs a laYer OF

perFOraTeD rubber OVer

a rubber sTrap.

HarrY WiNStoN

HISTOIRE DE TOURBILLON 4.

wiTH THe HisTOire De

TOurbillON cOllecTiON,

HarrY wiNsTON Has

embarkeD ON aN

explOraTiON OF a

cOmplicaTiON THaT

is magNiFiceNT iN iTs

simpliciTY, mesmeriZiNg

iN iTs execuTiON aND

eNTHralliNg iN iTs

mOTiON.

SeiKo KINETIC DIVER’S.

THe kiNeTic DiVer’s is

iDeal FOr keepiNg Track

OF Time uNDerwaTer,

THaNks TO lumiNesceNT

HaNDs aND markers.

DiVers will appreciaTe

iTs 200-meTre

waTer-resisTaNce,

sTaiNless sTeel case,

HarDlex pressure-

resisTaNT crYsTal aND

uNiDirecTiONal beZel.

taG HeUer AQUARACER CALIBRE 72 COUNTDOWN CHRONOGRAPH.

iN THe Year THe aquaracer liNe celebraTes iTs 30TH aNNiVersarY,

Tag Heuer is OFFicial parTNer TO Oracle Team usa, THe DeFeNDiNg

cHampiON iN THe 34TH america’s cup. celebraTiNg bOTH THese

eVeNTs, THis is a waTcH cuT OuT FOr DiViNg aND sailiNg, TwO

areas iN wHicH THe braND Has DemONsTraTeD iTs prOwess.

PorSCHe deSiGN

DIVER BLACK EDITION.

a black VersiON

OF THe pOrscHe

DesigN DiVe waTcH

wiTH 1,000-meTre

waTer-resisTaNce

aND iDeNTical case

cONsTrucTiON FeaTuriNg

aN iNNer case THaT HOuses

THe mOVemeNT. TwO upper

lOckiNg pusHers raise THe

case sO crOwN aND beZel caN

be aDJusTeD. lOckiNg THe case

back iN iTs briDge prOTecTs THem

FrOm beiNg iNaDVerTeNTlY mOVeD.

wiTH eacH

New HisTOire

De TOurbillON,

HarrY wiNsTON pusHes

THe bOuNDaries OF a DeVice paTeNTeD iN 1801 aND

iNTeNDeD TO cOuNTer THe eFFecTs OF graViTY ON

pOckeT waTcHes. mOre THaN TwO ceNTuries laTer,

THis FOurTH piece iN THe cOllecTiON DeliVers

aNOTHer raDicallY iNNOVaTiVe iNTerpreTaTiON OF

THis cOmplicaTiON. wHereas a TOurbillON wiTH a

siNgle cage rOTaTiNg iN ONe plaNe was suFFicieNT

FOr a pOckeT waTcH, wHicH speNT mOsT OF iTs Time

iN a VerTical pOsiTiON, THis is NO lONger True FOr

wrisTwaTcHes wHicH assume a VirTuallY iNFiNiTe

Number OF pOsiTiONs THrOugHOuT THe DaY. baseD ON

THis priNciple, HarrY wiNsTON seT OuT TO DeVelOp

“a cuTTiNg eDge sOluTiON”. THe HearT OF HisTOire

De TOurbillON 4 is a siNgle OscillaTOr, cONTaiNeD

wiTHiN THree cONceNTric cages weigHiNg 1.57 grams

iN TOTal. eacH cage rOTaTes NOT ONlY aT a DiFFereNT

speeD, ONce eVerY 45, 75 aND 300 secONDs, buT aT a

DiFFereNT aNgle wiTH respecT TO THe OTHer cages.

“TOgeTHer THeY eNsure THaT aT NO mOmeNT will

graViTY be able TO DisTurb THe sTeaDY HearTbeaT

OF THe OscillaTOr,” NOTes THe braND. as a suiTable

seTTiNg FOr THis FeaT OF TecHNique, HarrY wiNsTON

Has cHOseN a mulTi-leVel arraNgemeNT suggesTiVe

OF mODerN iNDusTrial DesigN; “a miNiaTure mecHaNical

meTrOpOlis” iN THe waTcHmaker’s wOrDs. THe case

is FasHiONeD FrOm Zalium™, HarrY wiNsTON’s OwN,

sigNaTure allOY. OVer 3,500 HOurs OF wOrk were

requireD TO DeVelOp HisTOire De TOurbillON 4, a

Timepiece guaraNTeeD TO Take iTs place iN HisTOrY.

MINIATURE METROPOLIS

wiTH eacH

New HisTOire

De TOurbillON,

HarrY wiNsTON pusHes

THe bOuNDaries OF a DeVice paTeNTeD iN 1801 aND

iNTeNDeD TO cOuNTer THe eFFecTs OF graViTY ON

pOckeT waTcHes. mOre THaN TwO ceNTuries laTer,

THis FOurTH piece iN THe cOllecTiON DeliVers

aNOTHer raDicallY iNNOVaTiVe iNTerpreTaTiON OF

THis cOmplicaTiON. wHereas a TOurbillON wiTH a

siNgle cage rOTaTiNg iN ONe plaNe was suFFicieNT

FOr a pOckeT waTcH, wHicH speNT mOsT OF iTs Time

iN a VerTical pOsiTiON, THis is NO lONger True FOr

wrisTwaTcHes wHicH assume a VirTuallY iNFiNiTe

Number OF pOsiTiONs THrOugHOuT THe DaY. baseD ON

THis priNciple, HarrY wiNsTON seT OuT TO DeVelOp

“a cuTTiNg eDge sOluTiON”. THe HearT OF HisTOire

De TOurbillON 4 is a siNgle OscillaTOr, cONTaiNeD

wiTHiN THree cONceNTric cages weigHiNg 1.57 grams

iN TOTal. eacH cage rOTaTes NOT ONlY aT a DiFFereNT

speeD, ONce eVerY 45, 75 aND 300 secONDs, buT aT a

DiFFereNT aNgle wiTH respecT TO THe OTHer cages.

“TOgeTHer THeY eNsure THaT aT NO mOmeNT will

graViTY be able TO DisTurb THe sTeaDY HearTbeaT

OF THe OscillaTOr,” NOTes THe braND. as a suiTable

seTTiNg FOr THis FeaT OF TecHNique, HarrY wiNsTON

Has cHOseN a mulTi-leVel arraNgemeNT suggesTiVe

OF mODerN iNDusTrial DesigN; “a miNiaTure mecHaNical

meTrOpOlis” iN THe waTcHmaker’s wOrDs. THe case

is FasHiONeD FrOm Zalium™, HarrY wiNsTON’s OwN,

sigNaTure allOY. OVer 3,500 HOurs OF wOrk were

requireD TO DeVelOp HisTOire De TOurbillON 4, a

Timepiece guaraNTeeD TO Take iTs place iN HisTOrY.

MINIATURE METROPOLIS

olutionary Deep Sea. water-resistant to a staggering 3,900 metres, it ushered in a new era of dive watches.

TOP-SELLING MODELS

Produced for French army frogmen, Blancpain made the Fifty Fathoms to strict specifi cations. it had to be robust, reliable, readable and, as its name suggests, water-resistant

wore in ognisable members of the Fifty Fathoms family. the model unveiled by Blancpain at Baselworld in 2009 sported a titanium case with water-resistance of 1,000 metres. the latest in the line-up was intro-

HarrY WiNStoN

HISTOIRE DE TOURBILLON 4.

wiTH THe HisTOire De

TOurbillON cOllecTiON,

HarrY wiNsTON Has

embarkeD ON aN

explOraTiON OF a

cOmplicaTiON THaT

is magNiFiceNT iN iTs

simpliciTY, mesmeriZiNg

iN iTs execuTiON aND

eNTHralliNg iN iTs

mOTiON.

ZENITH • Campaign 2013 • Visuel: Chronomaster 1969 RG • Magazine: Special Horlogerie • Doc Size: 280x380 mm • #Calitho: 84890

E L P R I M E R O C H R O N O M A S T E R 19 6 9

Acknowledged as the world’s best chronograph, it is a descendant of the

legendary El Primero fi rst unveiled in 1969 and proudly bears the iconic colours

of the fi rst high-frequency automatic column-wheel chronograph calibre. Beating

at a rate of 36,000 vibrations per hour, this daring feat embodies the exceptional

expertise of the Manufacture.

F O L L O W Y O U R O W N S T A RW

WW

.Z

EN

IT

H-

WA

TC

HE

S.

CO

M

It’s a matter of fact: mechanical watchmaking is technically obsolete! Electronics pro-vides infi nitely more precise and varied indications than these outmoded and complex combinations of brass wheels ever could. And yet…

egardless of its qualities and precision, electronics - in this instance quartz - has never held, and no doubt will never hold, the same fascination as a fi nely crafted mechanical

movement. how has watchmaking succeeded in beating the odds to become the only outdated technology still in demand across all four corners of the globe? of the many possible explana-tions, there is one fundamental reason that takes us back to the origins of mankind. an answer that fl irts with the unfathomable mysteries of time, and reawakens the awe and even stupefaction which the vast and impenetrable universe inspires.

MAN’S FIRST SCIENCE

astronomy (literally the law of the stars) is, without contest, the fi rst science known to mankind. No doubt it began on the day a man put a stick in the sand and observed the circle cast by its shadow as the sun travelled across the sky. it developed when, stretched out on this same sand, he began to scrutinise the star-studded fi rmament. Little by little, he deduced funda-mental laws and the realisation dawned that he could use them to predict, with relative precision, lunations, equinoxes and eclipses.when making these astronomical calculations, our man needed to repre-sent his observations in space. he did this by drawing a circle which he fi rst divided into 24 sections of 15° each, then 12 sections measuring 30° each (360° in all). this disc was the background on which he traced the stars and set out the constellations that were visible in his hemisphere. over three thousand years after it originated in Babylon, this circle has its mirror image in the dial of our watches.the capacity to “tell” time and predict astral events was born. when mechanical timekeeping appeared in the late middle ages, the church seized upon this considerable power and, as proof of its then immense authority, summoned astronomers to reproduce the divine and heavenly mechanism with wheels and pinions. it followed that the fi rst astronomical clocks were installed in towers and belfries, mechanically replicating the movement of the planets, the phases of the moon, the position of the con-stellations and the zodiac…Several centuries passed before these cosmic mechanisms became suf-fi ciently small to fi t on our wrists, where they continue to inspire the same sense of wonder as for those early stargazers. a fascination which the reg-ular motion of mechanical gears perpetuates better than any other repre-sentation we might make of the laws that govern the universe, or at least the part that is visible to us, namely our own solar system. For the essence of this cosmic archi-tecture is captured, in microscopic form, by the epicycloidal gears that form the intri-cate and admirable mechanisms with which we simulate the planets’ elliptical path. the magic this imparts is impervious to any digital display, no matter how precise.

A JOURNEY THROUGH SPACE

the miniaturisation of these astronomical mechanisms owes much to one man with a singular biography: Ludwig oechslin. Now curator of the musée international d’horlogerie in La chaux-de-Fonds in the Swiss Jura mountains, Ludwig oechslin was fi rst an archaeologist and specialist in ancient Greek civilisation before acquiring his credentials as a watchmaker in addition to a solid background in mathematics.Knowing how important the ancient Greeks were in developing the theory of epicycles, which for centuries served as the basis for charts that precisely set out the position of the stars and predicted lunar and solar eclipses, we can understand why Ludwig oechslin, with his

aStroNoMiCal watch your time 57

wHeN Time cONNecTs us TO THe uNiVerse aND iNFiNiTY.

r

[ bob dylan, 1997 ]

ROTONDE

De Cartier

PERPETUAL

CALENDAR

CHRONOGRAPH.

TO iNcOrpOraTe iN a

siNgle Timepiece THe meaNs OF measuriNg

aND DisplaYiNg liFe’s sHOrTesT Times aND

simulTaNeOuslY prOpOse a mecHaNism wHOse

gears HaVe THe FaculTY TO smOOTH THe

imperFecTiONs OF THe gregOriaN caleNDar is

a rare FOrm OF luxurY, OFFereD bY THe rOTONDe

De carTier perpeTual caleNDar cHrONOgrapH.

“time out of mind”

--o------- pierre maillard editor-in-chief, europa star

dual background, was asked by watch company ulysse Nardin to produce a seminal trilogy of astronomical wristwatches: the astrolabium (1985), the Planetarium (1988) and the tellurium (1992). Dedicated respectively to Galileo, copernicus and Kepler, the three watches in this trilogy of time take us on a journey through space. the astrolabium transposes to our wrist the universe seen from earth. the twenty-one functions and indications of this perpetual-calendar wristwatch include solar time, sun-rise and sunset, moonrise and moonset, moon phases, solar and lunar eclipses, the zodiac, and the position of the Sun, moon and stars. the tellurium shows the earth as it would appear to us from above the North Pole. we observe the moon as it rotates around the earth and, thanks to an ingenious fl exible metal wire, visualise its nocturnal shadow as it advances over the surface of the globe. with the Planetarium, we take off to the furthest reaches of the solar system from where we occupy two radically opposed vantage points, one the geocentric view of Ptolemy that puts the earth at the centre of the universe, and the other the heliocentric model defended by copernicus which puts the Sun at its centre. thus we can observe the position of the planets in relation to the Sun and the earth, and visualise the moon as it circles the earth.

58 watch your time aStroNoMiCal

THOSE COMPLEX EQUATIONS OF TIME

Numerous other timepieces with astronomical complications blossomed in the wake of this trilogy, and from the most storied manufacturers. audemars Piguet, for example, proposes a series of “equation of time” watches. what exactly is this equation of time? Given the tilt of the earth’s rotational axis and given its elliptical orbit around the Sun, there is a discrepancy between true solar time and the 24 hours of so-called legal time. only april 15th, June 13th, September 1st and December 25th are exactly 24 hours long.our conventional “legal” time is in fact the average of all the days in the year. the equation of time corrects this difference and indicates true solar time. however, this solar time varies by precisely four minutes per degree of longitude. Similarly, the exact moment when the sun reaches its culmi-nation point, i.e. its highest point in the sky, differs with longitude. hence audemars Piguet adjusts each watch for the location chosen by its future owner. the name of this city and the mean culmination time are then engraved on the inner bezel ring. this ring is also graduated with a scale that runs from -15 to +15 minutes to display, by means of a hand, the dif-ference between civil time and solar time.Better still, this same watch indicates sunrise and sunset times, which are contingent on the date, as well as the longitude and latitude of a place. the

hands that show sunrise and sunset on two separate dials are driven by two cams that make one rotation a year. the shape and position of these cams is determined by the chosen latitude and longitude. Pre-calculated for 250 cities, they can also be calibrated on request for other locations. Note that each one is machined with the utmost precision, since a mere hair’s breadth would

result in a discrepancy of eight minutes. the all-important date is given by the perpetual-calen-

dar mechanism which is programmed to keep accurate track of day, date, month and year,

including leap years, until 2100.

Girard-PerreGaUX VINTAGE 1945 LARGE DATE MOON-PHASES.

bOTH classic aND aVaNT-garDe, THe ViNTage 1945 cOllecTiON

Takes iTs cue FrOm THe arT DecO mOVemeNT. THis New mODel

HOuses a selF-wiNDiNg girarD-perregaux mecHaNical

mOVemeNT iNsiDe iTs sHapeD case. THe cambereD Dial

DisplaYs a large DaTe aND mOON-pHases.

de BetHUNe DB 16

TOURBILLON REGULATOR.

De beTHuNe’s sigNaTure case

wiTH iTs cONe-sHapeD lugs

Has beeN mODelleD TO HOuse

THe FiNesT iN mecHaNical

waTcHmakiNg: a 30” TOurbillON

iN silicON aND TiTaNium THaT

caN be VieweD THrOugH THe

DisplaY back, wHicH alsO

reVeals THe pOwer iNDicaTOr,

aND perpeTual caleNDar

aND mOON-pHase DisplaYs

ON THe Dial.

ralPH laUreN SPORTING WORLD TIME.

THe ralpH laureN spOrTiNg wOrlD Time OFFers a

cOmplicaTiON THaT is iTselF aN iNViTaTiON TO TraVel. aT THe

TurN OF a crOwN, 24 ciTies DisplaY THe sequeNce OF Time

arOuND THe glObe aND accOmpaNY YOu iN JOurNeYiNg

THrOugH THe wOrlD OF ralpH laureN.

DespiTe beiNg a HOuseHOlD

Name, mOsT eurOpeaNs HaVe

sTill TO assOciaTe seikO wiTH

HigH-eND waTcHmakiNg. YeT

THe cOmpaNY, esTablisHeD iN 1881 iN TOkYO bY kiNTarO

HaTTOri, is a mODel OF TraDiTiONal maNuFacTuriNg

aND VerTical iNTegraTiON. iT seems apprOpriaTe iN

THis ceNTeNNial Year FOr THe braND - iT maDe iTs FirsT

wrisTwaTcHes iN 1913 - TO remiND OurselVes OF iTs

exTraOrDiNarY experTise as a waTcHmaker. seikO

masTers eVerY aspecT OF Time measuremeNT aND

Has THe capaciTY TO prODuce classic Timepieces,

iNcluDiNg aN exacT replica OF THe FamOus graND seikO,

iNTrODuceD iN 1967 aND DriVeN bY THe calibre 44. THis

Timepiece, wHicH impOseD seikO’s sTYle ON 1960s waTcH

DesigN, is beiNg releaseD iN 2013 as a limiTeD eDiTiON

OF 70 pieces iN eacH cOlOur OF gOlD (YellOw, piNk aND

wHiTe) aND 700 pieces iN sTeel. iTs classic lOOks alsO

sHiNe THrOugH iN THe graND seikO auTOmaTic, wHicH

briNgs OuT THe quiNTesseNce OF THe 1967 OrigiNal aND

giVes iT THe VerY besT OF cONTempOrarY TecHNiques

aND maTerials. prODuceD as a limiTeD eDiTiON OF 700

wiTH black Dial aND 1,200 wiTH wHiTe Dial, bOTH iN sTeel

wiTH a 40mm DiameTer, iT Has all THe aTTribuTes OF a

cOllecTOr’s waTcH, FrOm iTs iDeal prOpOrTiONs TO iTs

iN-HOuse maNuFacTureD 9s65 auTOmaTic mOVemeNT.

a paragON OF TraDiTiON, seikO is alsO equippeD TO

wriTe THe FuTure OF waTcHmakiNg. iTs iNNOVaTiVe

TimekeepiNg iNsTrumeNTs are prOOF OF iTs creaTiVe

VerVe. spriNg DriVe TecHNOlOgY, wHicH weNT iNTO

prODucTiON JusT uNDer TeN Years agO aFTer almOsT

THree DecaDes OF researcH aND DeVelOpmeNT,

cOmbiNes THe besT iN mecHaNical waTcHmakiNg

wiTH THe FiNesT iN aVaNT-garDe Time measuremeNT,

eNgiNeereD bY masTer waTcHmakers iNTO Timepieces

wHOse precisiON riVals THaT OF quarTZ. THis Year is

alsO a cHaNce TO celebraTe THe kiNeTic, lauNcHeD

25 Years agO iN 1988. THis FiercelY eFFicieNT, quarTZ-

regulaTeD calibre prODuces iTs OwN elecTrical

eNergY wHicH iT sTOres iN a capaciTOr, THerebY

eNsuriNg lONg-Term reliabiliTY aND precisiON. V.D.

THE ART OF PERFECTION

THe cOmpaNY, esTablisHeD iN 1881 iN TOkYO bY kiNTarO

HaTTOri, is a mODel OF TraDiTiONal maNuFacTuriNg

aND VerTical iNTegraTiON. iT seems apprOpriaTe iN

THis ceNTeNNial Year FOr THe braND - iT maDe iTs FirsT

wrisTwaTcHes iN 1913 - TO remiND OurselVes OF iTs

exTraOrDiNarY experTise as a waTcHmaker. seikO

masTers eVerY aspecT OF Time measuremeNT aND

Has THe capaciTY TO prODuce classic Timepieces,

iNcluDiNg aN exacT replica OF THe FamOus graND seikO,

iNTrODuceD iN 1967 aND DriVeN bY THe calibre 44. THis

Timepiece, wHicH impOseD seikO’s sTYle ON 1960s waTcH

DesigN, is beiNg releaseD iN 2013 as a limiTeD eDiTiON

OF 70 pieces iN eacH cOlOur OF gOlD (YellOw, piNk aND

wHiTe) aND 700 pieces iN sTeel. iTs classic lOOks alsO

sHiNe THrOugH iN THe graND seikO auTOmaTic, wHicH

briNgs OuT THe quiNTesseNce OF THe 1967 OrigiNal aND

giVes iT THe VerY besT OF cONTempOrarY TecHNiques

aND maTerials. prODuceD as a limiTeD eDiTiON OF 700

wiTH black Dial aND 1,200 wiTH wHiTe Dial, bOTH iN sTeel

wiTH a 40mm DiameTer, iT Has all THe aTTribuTes OF a

cOllecTOr’s waTcH, FrOm iTs iDeal prOpOrTiONs TO iTs

iN-HOuse maNuFacTureD 9s65 auTOmaTic mOVemeNT.

a paragON OF TraDiTiON, seikO is alsO equippeD TO

wriTe THe FuTure OF waTcHmakiNg. iTs iNNOVaTiVe

TimekeepiNg iNsTrumeNTs are prOOF OF iTs creaTiVe

VerVe. spriNg DriVe TecHNOlOgY, wHicH weNT iNTO

prODucTiON JusT uNDer TeN Years agO aFTer almOsT

THree DecaDes OF researcH aND DeVelOpmeNT,

cOmbiNes THe besT iN mecHaNical waTcHmakiNg

wiTH THe FiNesT iN aVaNT-garDe Time measuremeNT,

eNgiNeereD bY masTer waTcHmakers iNTO Timepieces

wHOse precisiON riVals THaT OF quarTZ. THis Year is

alsO a cHaNce TO celebraTe THe kiNeTic, lauNcHeD

25 Years agO iN 1988. THis FiercelY eFFicieNT, quarTZ-

regulaTeD calibre prODuces iTs OwN elecTrical

eNergY wHicH iT sTOres iN a capaciTOr, THerebY

eNsuriNg lONg-Term reliabiliTY aND precisiON. V.D.

PERFECTION

SeiKo GRAND SEIKO

HISTORIC COLLECTION.

THe JapaNese Firm

masTers eVerY aspecT

OF waTcHmakiNg,

NOT leasT iN classic

Timepieces sucH as

THe seikO VelaTura aND

THe graND seikO, FirsT

lauNcHeD iN 1967.

DespiTe beiNg a HOuseHOlD

Name, mOsT eurOpeaNs HaVe

sTill TO assOciaTe seikO wiTH

HigH-eND waTcHmakiNg. YeT HigH-eND waTcHmakiNg. YeT

GRAND SEIKO

HISTORIC COLLECTION.

THe JapaNese Firm

masTers eVerY aspecT

OF waTcHmakiNg,

NOT leasT iN classic

Timepieces sucH as

THe seikO VelaTura aND

THe graND seikO, FirsT

lauNcHeD iN 1967.

dual background, was asked by watch company ulysse Nardin to produce a seminal trilogy of astronomical wristwatches: the astrolabium (1985), the Planetarium (1988) and the tellurium (1992). Dedicated respectively to Galileo, copernicus and Kepler, the three watches in this trilogy of

HOuses a selF-wiNDiNg girarD-perregaux mecHaNical

mOVemeNT iNsiDe iTs sHapeD case. THe cambereD Dial

DisplaYs a large DaTe aND mOON-pHases.

loUiS VUittoN LV TAMBOUR ORIENTATION.

THaNks TO iTs exclusiVe calibre, THis waTcH

caN DOuble up as a cOmpass TO iNDicaTe NOrTH

iN aNY HemispHere, bY meaNs OF YellOw markers

aT 12 O’clOck aND 6 O’clOck. aN aDDiTiONal

FeaTure, iT alsO sHOws sOlar Time.

BaUMe & MerCier CLIFTON COMPLETE CALENDAR.

THis mODel iN THe cliFTON cOllecTiON, THe sYmbOl OF THe

1950s ciTY waTcH, is DriVeN bY aN auTOmaTic mecHaNical

DubOis-DÉpraZ 9000 calibre TO DisplaY Time, DaTe, DaY

aND mONTH, iN aDDiTiON TO mOON pHases iN a large

wiNDOw aT 6 O’clOck.

An ideal companion for international travelers, this timepiece features the

combination of a high-precision chronograph and a second time zone according

to Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). Its rugged, stylish case with a satinated

bezel and a 24-hour display with day /night indication has a casual, high-tech

appeal where traditional watchmaking meets sharp design. 43 mm stainless steel

case with satinated bezel and pushers. Self-winding chronograph with central

seconds, 30 min and 12 hours counters and Second time Zone. Crafted in the

Montblanc Manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland.

MONTBLANC TIMEWALKER CHRONOVOYAGER UTC

CC_MB_TW_UTC_WYTE13_ENG_280x380.indd 1 21.02.13 15:52

ASTRONOMICAL COMPLICATIONS AND PRICES

the equation of time returns in another watch, some would say the ultimate watch: the Patek Philippe calibre 89 has been declared the most complicated watch in the world, having thirty-three complications. But can we really call this

a watch, measuring over 8cm in diameter, more than 4cm high, and weighing in at over a kilo? Not to mention a price tag of several million euros!Numerous of these thirty-three indications are astronomical functions.

in addition to indicating sunrise and sunset times and the equation of time, the calibre 89 measures sidereal time, which tracks the movement

of the stars in relation to a local meridian, displays the equinox, solstice and zodiac, a star chart, phase and age

of the moon, and easter which falls on a different date each year, defi ned as the fi rst Sunday following the fi rst full moon

on or after march 21st. Note that this refers to the ecclesiasti-cal full moon and not the actual new moon. Numerous watch-makers now propose one or other astronomical indication, and sometimes several combined. the “simplest” and pos-sibly most delightful of all is the moon phase complication. once again though, horologists make the difference between poetic approximation and astronomical precision. the moon’s synodic period averages at 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.9 seconds or 29.53 days using the formula calculated by copernicus himself. of course, it takes more than this to worry a skilled watchmaker who will mechanically account for the difference between an “ordinary” moon phase and the pre-cise “astronomical” moon phase.

COSMIC EMOTION

Familiar or not with copernicus’ equations, it is of course within everyone’s reach to appreciate and apprehend the mysteries and, more importantly, incompa-rable splendours of the heavenly vault. intrinsically bound to the contemplation of the heavens, horology has never ceased to transpose our fascination with the sheer beauty of the stars above. one of the season’s most stun-ning watches has no astronomi-cal indications as such. only the hours and minutes are shown on the Skybridge by the excellent and little-known, outside informed circles, De Bethune. But they are a sight to behold! an original movement drives the fi nely-honed, dagger-

like hands as they orbit the concave, mirror-polished titanium dial whose breathtaking deep blue is scattered with tiny, perfect, gold spheres and diamond stars. at the bottom of the dial, beneath an arrow-shaped bridge that points into the unknown, sits a rotating spherical moon, one of the brand’s signatures. this to-and-fro between the infi nitely small and the infi nitely large takes on a rarely achieved yet strikingly contemporary splendour. “emotion”

is an overused word in marketing, but in the case of the Skybridge it truly applies.while the sky has always intrigued us for the mysterious regularity played out on its

surface, it has also moved us beyond words or mathematical elaborations. a part of this emotion is captured in a watch whose astronomical value, in the mechanical and horological sense, resides in its powers of evocation. on the very beautiful dial of the rendez-Vous celestial by Jaeger-Lecoultre, the hour arc frames a lapis-lazuli disc on which the heavens are displayed. an annual calendar, which only needs adjusting once, in February each year, governs this disc while the position of the constella-tions is read from a zodiac calendar engraved on the dial. a shooting star navigates the dial, alighting by means of a second crown to mark the time of a very personal rendezvous with… well, only you need know. “the sun and the moon have a date, but the moon isn’t where the sun waits,” sang charles trenet. and so it seems even

heavenly appointments, like earthly ones, can go astray. ˇ

60 watch your time aStroNoMiCal

FrÉdÉriQUe CoNStaNt CLASSIC MANUFACTURE

WORLDTIMER. simple TO use, THis Timepiece

permaNeNTlY DisplaYs THe Time iN THe 24 Time

ZONes bY meaNs OF TwO rOTaTiNg Discs. ONe Disc

is iNscribeD wiTH THe Names OF 24 maJOr ciTies;

THe secOND is a 24-HOur Disc sHOwiNg DaY aND

NigHT. THe wOrlD-Time FuNcTiON is OperaTeD bY

usiNg THe crOwN TO selecT THe DesireD ciTY.

SeiKo SPORTURA KINETIC GMT.

kiNeTic is DeriVeD FrOm THe greek wOrD kiNesis

meaNiNg mOVemeNT. seikO’s kiNeTic waTcHes are

quarTZ Timepieces wHicH, iNsTeaD OF a baTTerY,

geNeraTe THeir OwN elecTrical eNergY THrOugH

THe mOVemeNT OF THe wearer’s arm. THis

mODel iNcOrpOraTes a gmT FuNcTiON.

PaNerai POCKET WATCH TOURBILLON GMT CERAMICA. THis New mODel cOmbiNes

a 59mm raDiOmir case iN ceramic wiTH a HaND-wOuND mecHaNical p.2005/s

mOVemeNT wiTH TOurbillON regulaTOr. THe mOVemeNT is HelD bY TwelVe arms as

THOugH suspeNDeD iNsiDe THe case, aN illusiON maDe pOssible bY THe skeleTON

Dial aND THe sappHire crYsTal OpeNiNg iN THe ceramic case back.

JaeGer-leCoUltre RENDEZ-VOUS

CELESTIAL. THe perFecT iNsTrumeNT

FOr makiNg asTrONOmical

ObserVaTiONs. a ZODiac caleNDar

ON THe Dial sHOws THe pOsiTiON OF

THe cONsTellaTiONs aT aNY mOmeNT

iN THe Year bY meaNs OF aN aNNual

caleNDar wHicH gOVerNs THe

sYsTem OF Time measuremeNT

aND DisplaY.

ZeNitH PILOT MONTRE D’AÉRONEF TYPE 20

GMT. THe success eNcOuNTereD lasT

Year bY THe ZeNiTH aÉrONeF TYpe 20 Has

sparkeD aN eNTire cOllecTiON, iNspireD

bY THe pilOT waTcHes wHicH THe braND

maDe FOr THe piONeers OF aViaTiON. THis

mODel iNcOrpOraTes a gmT FuNcTiON.

HUBlot ANTIKYTHERA. HublOT DeVelOpeD THis wrisTwaTcH as

a TribuTe TO THe aNTikYTHera mecHaNism, aN asTrONOmical

calculaTOr builT iN THe secOND ceNTurY bc wHOse gears

Describe THe mOVemeNT aND pOsiTiON OF THe mOON aND

THe suN. HublOT Has cOmpleTeD THese iNDicaTiONs wiTH

HOurs, miNuTes aND a TOurbillON escapemeNT.

ASTRONOMICAL COMPLICATIONS AND PRICES

the equation of time returns in another watch, some would say the ultimate watch: the Patek Philippe calibre 89 has been declared the most complicated watch in the world, having thirty-three complications. But can we really call this

a watch, measuring over 8cm in diameter, more than 4cm high, and weighing

in addition to indicating sunrise and sunset times and the equation of time, the calibre 89 measures sidereal time, which tracks the movement

of the stars in relation to a local meridian, displays the equinox, solstice and zodiac, a star chart, phase and age

of the moon, and easter which falls on a different date each year, defi ned as the fi rst Sunday following the fi rst full moon

on or after march 21st. Note that this refers to the ecclesiasti-cal full moon and not the actual new moon. Numerous watch-

ParMiGiaNi TONDA

ANNUAL CALENDAR. THe

TONDa aNNual caleNDar

HOuses THe 17TH

mOVemeNT DesigNeD

aND maNuFacTureD bY

parmigiaNi. iT cOmpleTes

THis classic cOllecTiON

wiTH a presTigiOus

cOmplicaTiON THaT was

missiNg FrOm iTs rOll call.

HublOT DeVelOpeD THis wrisTwaTcH as

a TribuTe TO THe aNTikYTHera mecHaNism, aN asTrONOmical

calculaTOr builT iN THe secOND ceNTurY bc wHOse gears

Describe THe mOVemeNT aND pOsiTiON OF THe mOON aND

THe suN. HublOT Has cOmpleTeD THese iNDicaTiONs wiTH

HOurs, miNuTes aND a TOurbillON escapemeNT.


MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS FOR WOMEN

at the top of the pyramid are the Villeret collections, where montblanc demonstrates its exclusive expertise in just a few hundred watches a year. the Villeret exotourbillon chronograph is one illustration. it also features a regu-lator dial, with an off-centre double hour ring with Gmt function, small seconds, a chronograph and a tourbillon at 12 o’clock. a superb display of craftsmanship which in 2012 was joined by an exclusively feminine line, the dia-mond-studded Princess Grace de monaco collection. “the collection has been extremely well-received,” comments alexander Schmiedt. “the new watches that we’re pre-senting this year are all driven by mechanical movements for even greater authenticity.”this concern for authenticity extends to montblanc’s dis-tribution network, which comprises 450 points of sale shared equally between local retailers and the brand’s own boutiques. the brand’s strategy has been to move early into expanding markets such as china, and to open subsidiaries wherever montblanc performs strongly, led by Brazil and the united States where the brand is looking at double-digit growth. clearly montblanc was right to put time on its side. c.r.

two versions, one for the northern hemisphere, whose 24-hour disc rotates clockwise, and one for the south-ern hemisphere with a disc that turns anti-clockwise. higher up the pyramid are the “manufacture” watches. this is where montblanc gives full expression to its horological values. the Nicolas rieussec rising hours chronograph, unveiled in January, is an excellent exam-ple with its regulator dial, and day, date, hours and chrono indications on discs.

a winning move

THe iNsTiTuT miNerVa De

recHercHe eN HauTe HOrlOgerie

iN VillereT (swiTZerlaND) came

uNDer THe aegis OF mONTblaNc

FiVe Years agO.

In just a few years, Montblanc has earned its stripes as a watchmaker. Its grandes complications show-case the brand’s expertise and skill in mastering time.

montblanc’s scaling of horological summits is the result of a thoughtfully planned and carefully implemented strategy. yet few observers were expecting this incur-sion into time measurement. Since minerva Villeret, a manufacturer established in 1858, passed into the montblanc fold fi ve years ago, the truth is plain to see. From a pre-eminent maker of writing instruments, the brand has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in mechanical watchmaking, with the typical lucidity of a company that has forged its expertise over decades, and with an eye to the long term.

CAREFUL SEGMENTATION

“ask me whether montblanc will one day be another cartier for the richemont group, to which we belong, and i’ll tell you it’s about being realistic,” says alexander Schmiedt who is managing director for montblanc watches. “having said that, the growth rates we’re recording in this segment are clearly the highest within the company, which is most encouraging.” even more encouraging is montblanc’s ven-ture into horological complications. again the company is taking a realistic approach to make complications another calling card for the brand. “we’re relative newcomers to this sector and we’re not setting ourselves up to become a grandes complications brand,” continues mr Schmiedt. “it is, however, a means of extending our skills while sup-porting growth in sales of our more affordable models.”

montblanc divides its collections into three clearly defi ned segments. the base of the pyramid comprises watches with original and characteristic features, such as this year’s timewalker world-time hemispheres. rather than displaying time zones as seen from the Greenwich meridian, it shows the earth from above the north and south poles. as a result, this watch comes in


MoNtBlaNC EXOTOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH.

parT OF THe VillereT 1858 cOllecTiON, THis cHrONOgrapH

sTaNDs OuT FOr iTs regulaTOr Dial wiTH a large ceNTral

miNuTe HaND, aN OFF-ceNTre circle FOr THe HOurs, a secOND

Time ZONe wiTH DaY/NigHT iNDicaTiON, a small secONDs HaND

aND a cHrONOgrapH wiTH a 30-miNuTe cOuNTer.

MoNtBlaNC NICOLAS RIEUSSEC RISING HOURS. mONTblaNc Takes THe

priNciple beHiND iTs NicOlas rieussec cHrONOgrapHs TO a New leVel.

excepT FOr THe OFF-ceNTre regulaTOr Dial THaT DisplaYs miNuTes, all

THe iNDicaTiONs are sHOwN ON Discs, FrOm THe cHrONOgrapH secONDs

aND miNuTes TO DaY, DaTe aND HOurs wHOse cOlOur DisTiNguisHes

beTweeN NigHT aND DaY.

MoNtBlaNC TIMEWALKER

WORLD-TIME HEMISPHERES.

THis waTcH sHOws

THe Time ZONes NOT as

seeN FrOm abOVe THe

greeNwicH meriDiaN, buT

FrOm abOVe THe pOles.

cONsequeNTlY, TwO

VersiONs HaVe beeN maDe:

ONe FOr THe NOrTHerN

HemispHere wHOse

24-HOur Disc rOTaTes

clOckwise, aND ONe FOr

THe sOuTHerN HemispHere

wiTH a Disc THaT TurNs

aNTi-clOckwise.


50 years of legend Designed in 1963 by Jack Heuer, now Honorary Chairman of TAG Heuer, the legendary Carrera chron-ograph celebrates 50 years. An opportunity to pay tribute with a movement built entirely in-house.

the synergy between taG heuer and motor racing goes back a long way. more than a hundred years in fact to 1911, when the watchmaker was already equipping cars with its time of trip, the fi rst dashboard chronograph. this mutual alliance, marked by groundbreaking advances in sports timekeeping, reached a milestone in 1963 when the com-pany introduced the carrera, a legendary timepiece of the twentieth century that today celebrates its 50th year. Jack heuer, now honorary chairman of taG heuer, imagined the carrera specifi cally to meet the needs of professional racing drivers. its inspiration: the toughest endurance rac-ing competition of the day, the carrera Panamericana mexico road race. “Just the sound of the name itself, elegant, dynamic, easily pronounced in all languages and charged with emotion. i knew then that my new chrono-graph was the perfect tribute to this legend,” he recalls.

Jack heuer knew exactly what he wanted; a watch with a refi ned look and feel that would be full of energy and emo-tion. he probed the innovative ideas of early 60s mod-ernism, from oscar Niemeyer’s new architecture to the work of designer eero Saarinen, and imagined a watch in which “everything has a purpose and anything extraneous is removed.” and so the carrera was born, the ultimate

MADE IN TAG HEUER

But there is more to the brand, which is steadily building up in-house production across its four sites. they manu-facture cases, dials and also movements, with production set to increase to 120,000 units a year once the latest site comes into operation in June. Naturally, the carrera is benefi ting from this growing integration in this anniversary year. “the carrera has evolved over its history to become a 100% in-house watch,” comments chief executive Jean-christophe Babin. “From its beginnings as a Valjoux chron-ograph movement with an outsourced case and dial, it has grown into a chronograph driven by the taG heuer 1887 calibre inside a cortech case with an artecad dial, both part of the group, hence a timepiece that is manufactured entirely in-house. this fi ftieth anniversary is also a chance to train the spotlight on the 1887 calibre, a high-quality chronograph movement that can be industrially manufac-tured at a reasonable cost.”

this 1887 calibre will shortly be joined by the 1888, a pro-ject launched in 2012. taG heuer has worked from the ground up, building on experience gained when develop-ing its high-frequency movements and the 1887 chrono. “we’ve developed the 1888 as the ideal movement with a view to high-volume industrial production,” says Jean-christophe Babin. “we’ve focused a lot of attention on facilitating assembly and on disassembly for easier main-tenance, which translates into signifi cantly lower costs for the customer.” customers who owe a lot to the carrera Panamericana and one man’s inspiration. eric Dumatin

THe legeNDarY Tag Heuer carrera is celebraTiNg iTs FiFTieTH

aNNiVersarY THis Year.

—

taG HeUer CARRERA 1963. THe OrigiNal carrera, lauNcHeD iN

1963, was iNTeNDeD as a cHrONOgrapH iN wHicH eVerY FuNcTiON

serVeD a purpOse aND aNYTHiNg exTraNeOus was remOVeD.

taG HeUer CARRERA CARBON CALIBRE 1887 CONCEPT CHRONOGRAPH.

maDe FrOm THe same carbON cOmpOsiTe piONeereD iN FOrmula 1™ aND THe aerOspace

iNDusTrY, THis is ONe OF THe mOsT FuTurisTic iNTerpreTaTiONs YeT OF THe icONic Tag Heuer

carrera, THe mOTOr-spOrTs iNspireD waTcH DesigNeD bY Jack Heuer iN 1963.

heuer chronograph. relaunched in 1996, it has gone on to become a fl agship model for the brand, and one of the best-selling pieces in its history. taG heuer has even built its high-end segment around the carrera while pushing the boundaries of mechanical precision. the latest in line, the mikrogirder, beats at 1,000 hz (7.2 million vph for a central chrono hand that makes 20 revolutions of the dial per second) and is accurate to an unheard-of 5/10,000th of a second. it is the fastest mechanical timepiece ever.

of legend wHeN DesigNiNg THe carrera,

Jack Heuer lOOkeD TO THe

carrera paNamericaNa iN mexicO,

ONe OF THe mOsT gruelliNg

rOaD races OF iTs DaY.

Glamour-wise, jazz singer Melody Gardot smoulders with sen-suality, not least when posing for her latest release , The Absence , which features a cover of La Vie en Rose, originally recorded in 1946 by Edith Piaf and whose countless versions have charmed the globe. Talent-wise, Ms Gardot has imposed her enigmatic style in three albums and is now one of today’s most widely acclaimed vocalists.

her encounter with Piaget was virtu-ally destined to be, when the watchmaker set out in search of the new face of its rose jewellery collection, a fl agship of the brand for some thirty years.

La Vie eN roSeGlamour-wise, jazz singer Melody Gardot smoulders with sen-suality, not least when posing for her latest

The Absence , which features a cover of La

, originally recorded in 1946 by Edith Piaf and whose countless versions have charmed the globe. Talent-wise, Ms Gardot has imposed her enigmatic style in three albums and is now one of today’s most widely acclaimed

acclaimeD JaZZ VOcalisT melODY garDOT is

a seDucTiVelY glamOrOus ambassaDress

FOr PiaGet ’s ROSE cOllecTiON, wHicH

celebraTeD iTs 30TH aNNiVersarY iN 2012.

Both watchmaker and singer are driven by the same attention to detail, the same striving for perfection. Says Philippe Léopold-metzger, chief executive of Piaget, “when we associ-ate ourselves with an artist, we of course want her to embody our products. more importantly, she must share our philosophy.” with this in mind, the brand has accompanied melody Gardot on her world tour. Piaget also joined the singer in producing a video in which she performs La Vie en Rose, surrounded by an incredible seven thousand roses in an atmos-phere infused with magic.

“at Piaget, every jewel is a symbol of love, a message of seduction and sensuality, whose inspiration is translated into a thousand and one bouquets of light dedicated to feminine beauty. it was completely natural that from the 1960s the rose, the most frequently gifted fl ower in the world, became a motif dear to the house whose collections were inspired by plant life,” says the brand. once again this year, Piaget demonstrates the intimacy between this fl oral inspiration and the artis-tic crafts that are one of the hallmarks of the manufacture’s expertise. illustrating this are three secret watches, the Piaget rose, the Limelight Dancing Light and the Limelight Garden Party. exquisite creations that have found their voice in melody Gardot. c.r.

star gazing

They are ambassadors of elegance, sym-bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-ment. They embody a spirit of enterprise or a sense of adventure.

over the past years, watch brands have reached for the stars, of the celebrity kind, to communi-cate a meeting of minds, a shared vision of the world, an identical mastery of a given fi eld. and, coincidentally, to promote their image and vis-ibility as these famous faces lend an incompa-rable aura to brands in their quest to conquer the world. the custodians of time seize every opportunity to draw attention to partnerships that position them squarely in the public eye.

the cinema is a favourite hunting-ground for Swiss watchmakers, many of which count high-profi le actors and actresses among their spokes-persons and “friends”. arnold Schwarzenegger had longstanding connections with audemars Piguet. cameron Diaz is the face of taG heuer. Diane Kruger has links with Jaeger-Lecoultre,

the cinema is a favourite hunting-ground for the cinema is a favourite hunting-ground for Swiss watchmakers, many of which count high-Swiss watchmakers, many of which count high-gazinggazing

bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-ment. They embody a spirit of enterprise or ment. They embody a spirit of enterprise or a sense of adventure. a sense of adventure.

over the past years, watch brands have reached over the past years, watch brands have reached for the stars, of the celebrity kind, to communi-for the stars, of the celebrity kind, to communi-cate a meeting of minds, a shared vision of the cate a meeting of minds, a shared vision of the world, an identical mastery of a given fi eld. and, world, an identical mastery of a given fi eld. and, coincidentally, to promote their image and vis-coincidentally, to promote their image and vis-ibility as these famous faces lend an incompa-ibility as these famous faces lend an incompa-rable aura to brands in their quest to conquer rable aura to brands in their quest to conquer the world. the custodians of time seize every the world. the custodians of time seize every opportunity to draw attention to partnerships opportunity to draw attention to partnerships that position them squarely in the public eye.that position them squarely in the public eye.

bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-ment. They embody a spirit of enterprise or ment. They embody a spirit of enterprise or

over the past years, watch brands have reached over the past years, watch brands have reached for the stars, of the celebrity kind, to communi-for the stars, of the celebrity kind, to communi-cate a meeting of minds, a shared vision of the cate a meeting of minds, a shared vision of the world, an identical mastery of a given fi eld. and, world, an identical mastery of a given fi eld. and, coincidentally, to promote their image and vis-coincidentally, to promote their image and vis-ibility as these famous faces lend an incompa-ibility as these famous faces lend an incompa-rable aura to brands in their quest to conquer rable aura to brands in their quest to conquer the world. the custodians of time seize every the world. the custodians of time seize every opportunity to draw attention to partnerships opportunity to draw attention to partnerships that position them squarely in the public eye.that position them squarely in the public eye.

had longstanding connections with audemars had longstanding connections with audemars Piguet. cameron Diaz is the face of taG heuer. Piguet. cameron Diaz is the face of taG heuer. Diane Kruger has links with Jaeger-Lecoultre, Diane Kruger has links with Jaeger-Lecoultre,

a loNGiNeS

ambassaDOr OF

elegaNce, THe

ausTraliaN acTOr

simON baker NOw

Has His sTar ON THe

HOllYwOOD walk

OF Fame.

THe germaN mODel aND acTress

DiaNe kruger is aN ambassaDOr

FOr JaeGer-leCoUltre.

TeNNis plaYer NOVak DJOkOVic embODies

aUdeMarS PiGUet ’s belieF THaT “TO break THe

rules, YOu musT FirsT masTer THem.”

usaiN “ligHTNiNg” bOlT, THe

FasTesT spriNTer eVer, sHares

HUBlot ’s “sacreD” NOTiON OF Time.

star star gazinggazing

They are ambassadors of elegance, sym-They are ambassadors of elegance, sym-bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-

gazinggazingThey are ambassadors of elegance, sym-They are ambassadors of elegance, sym-bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-bols of sportsmanship or artistic achieve-

TeNNis plaYer NOVak DJOkOVic embODies TeNNis plaYer NOVak DJOkOVic embODies

aUdeMarS PiGUetaUdeMarS PiGUet ’s belieF THaT “TO break THe ’s belieF THaT “TO break THe

rules, YOu musT FirsT masTer THem.”rules, YOu musT FirsT masTer THem.”


It was a bold move. Vacheron Constantin came to the 2013 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, the foremost gathering for the profession in Geneva, with nothing but women’s watches. Not a single new timepiece for men.

only models intended to highlight a “story of devotion” between the manufacture and women which dates back more than a cen-tury: “Vacheron constantin’s tradition as a producer of women’s watches started with the nineteenth century, when the fi rst pocket watches especially made for women appeared. although smaller than men’s watches, they were much more lavishly decorated and thus demanded skills in miniaturisation and decora-tion that only a few of the watchmakers of the time possessed.”

Vacheron constantin was one of them, as it would go on to demonstrate for many decades to come, particularly with its wristwatches. indeed, women were first to benefit from this new concept in timepieces. “the Geneva style of watchmaking, ornate yet refi ned, has never left the maison,” continues Vacheron constantin. Showing limitless imagination, it produced watches in oval or octagonal forms, even a bowed rectangle, watches worn as pen-dants in the art Nouveau or art Deco style, and others that wrapped around the wrist on woven chains or triple bracelets.

this tradition returns to the fore this year in three of Vacheron constantin’s collections, as the brand explains: “Patrimony is home to original creations in the contemporary and tradition styles that extol the jewellery-mak-ing skills of the manufacture’s gem-setters. the latest opus of the métiers d’art collec-tion, Florilège, draws from ancient knowledge to steal a woman’s heart.” a bold move that women will applaud. e.D.

For her eyeS oNLy

THe PATRIMONY cOllecTiON bY VaCHeroN CoNStaNtiN

OrigiNaTes iN THe FiNesT waTcHmakiNg TraDiTiON. THe FiNe

JewellerY mODel is alsO a remiNDer OF THe prOmiNeNT rOle

wHicH THe mÉTiers D’arT plaY wiTHiN THe maNuFacTure.

while monica Bellucci is associated with cartier. then there are the Bollywood celebrities such as aishwarya rai Bachchan, the personifi cation of Longines elegance, the faces of French cin-ema such as Jean reno, a great fan of iwc, and the big names of chinese productions, among them Zhang Ziyi who is rarely seen without her omega. the list is long, and not only in the world of fi lms. Brand ambassadors are legion in sport too, led by motor racing, sailing, equestrianism and tennis. more recently, watchmakers have turned their attention to talent in other fi elds:

while monica Bellucci is associated with cartier. while monica Bellucci is associated with cartier. then there are the Bollywood celebrities such then there are the Bollywood celebrities such then there are the Bollywood celebrities such then there are the Bollywood celebrities such as aishwarya rai Bachchan, the personifi cation as aishwarya rai Bachchan, the personifi cation of Longines elegance, the faces of French cin-of Longines elegance, the faces of French cin-ema such as Jean reno, a great fan of iwc, and ema such as Jean reno, a great fan of iwc, and the big names of chinese productions, among the big names of chinese productions, among them Zhang Ziyi who is rarely seen without her them Zhang Ziyi who is rarely seen without her omega. the list is long, and not only in the world omega. the list is long, and not only in the world of fi lms. Brand ambassadors are legion in sport of fi lms. Brand ambassadors are legion in sport too, led by motor racing, sailing, equestrianism too, led by motor racing, sailing, equestrianism and tennis. more recently, watchmakers have and tennis. more recently, watchmakers have turned their attention to talent in other fi elds: turned their attention to talent in other fi elds:

taG HeUer cHOse

americaN acTress

camerON DiaZ as THe Face

OF iTs LINK cOllecTiON.

Cartier muse

mONica bellucci weariNg

Her CRASH waTcH.

THe americaN acTress

Jessica alba came TO THe

2013 suNDaNce Film FesTiVal

DresseD HeaD-TO-TOe iN dior .

THe FirsT persON TO HaVe

skYDiVeD THrOugH THe sOuND

barrier, Felix baumgarTNer NeVer

Jumps wiTHOuT His ZeNitH waTcH.

conducting for Vacheron constantin, scientifi c research for rolex, women entrepreneurs for cartier, environmental adventurers for iwc and omega. a million miles from fi lm festivals and their red carpets, these partnerships refl ect a commitment to sustainable development. Not that brands are turn-ing their back on glamour, far from it and for a simple reason. where better for an exceptional timepiece to appeal to our emotions than on the wrist of the people whose faces are etched on the global psyche. einstein himself declared that imagination is more important than knowledge. think what can happen when the two combine… c.r.

roleX ’s cOre Values

OF auTHeNTiciTY aND

perFOrmaNce are

persONiFieD bY swiss

TeNNis cHampiON

rOger FeDerer.


A nightmare for doctors, for a watchmaker complications are the spice of life. Nothing quite equals the mechanical microcosm of these tiny wheels meshing into the most remarkable confi gurations.

aving mastered the mechanism whose innumerable parts spring into action to rotate three hands on a dial, the ambitious watchmaker will always want more. the func-

tions we take almost for granted are complex affairs. calendar complications showing day, date and month in apertures put our visual comfort fi rst. meanwhile, the desire to suspend time’s fl ight has inspired more functions, of particular benefi t in sport.

the chronograph is a case in point. Numerous complications have seen daylight since, to the extent that watchmakers must sometimes put their imagination to the test to invent new functions. all of which must in some way be related to the measurement of time. Flights of fancy such as a complication watch incorporating a thermometer are frowned upon in the upper echelons of horology, more preoccupied by the strength of impulse in the gears or the precision of the regulating organ.

SEEING STARS

Let’s travel back to the age when mechanical clocks were installed in towers and belfries. Property of the church or the town, they chimed the important moments in the day for the benefi t of the townspeople. Soon these turret clocks were equipped with an automatic mechanism that would strike not just the hour, but the half-hour and quarter as well. Populations were still essentially rural, living with the natural rhythm of the seasons, the sun and the moon, hence why astronomical indicators were added to these clocks from the fi fteenth century.the astronomical clock in the Zytglogge tower in Bern is a famous example. its dial was built in 1405 in the form of an astrolabe, an instru-ment from the arab world that determines local time according to the position of the planets and stars. transposed to a clock, it takes the form of a disc showing a map of the sky. whereas the owner of a port-able astrolabe had to manually adjust the position of the Sun and the stars, the movement in an astronomical clock provides the driving force and the appropriate transmission ratio for the various indicators. other noteworthy astrolabes are those of the Strasbourg cathedral astro-nomical clock, and the astronomical clock in the city hall in Prague.only a rare few pocket watches or wristwatches incorporate an astro-labe. the best-known illustration is the astrolabium Galileo Galilei, devel-oped for ulysse Nardin by Ludwig oechslin. it was the fi rst in a trilogy of astronomical wristwatches that would revive the brand’s fortunes as from 1985. the Dutch watchmaker christiaan van der Klaau specialises in the manufacture of astronomical wrist-watches, including models with an astrolabe.

THE CALENDAR’S WHIMS

our principal units of time - day, month and year – are dependent on astronomy. while the hour, minute and second are arbitrary values, the day, month and year correspond to natural cycles determined by the movement of the earth, Sun and moon. Naturally, watchmakers wanted to display this information on their dials but were confronted with a major obstacle: the year does not have a whole number of days, and the months are not equal in length. the quirks and exceptions of our Gregorian calendar, such as the intercalation of a leap year every four years, make the construction of a mechanical calendar a particularly challenging task.

CoMPliCatioNS watch your time 67

h

BVlGari DIAGONO MOONPHASE.

THe subTle arT OF cOmplicaTiONs

is giVeN ONe OF iTs mOsT pOeTic

iNTerpreTaTiONs iN THis waTcH,

wHicH Visualises mOON pHases iN

FiVe pOsiTiONs ON a semi-circular

DisplaY. reTrOgraDe DaY aND

DaTe are sHOwN ON eacH

siDe OF THe Dial.

masTerY OF Time is a maTTer OF paTieNce, TemperaNce aND TrusT.

“time is on my side”

--o------- timm delfs

[ rolling stones, 1964 ]

68 watch your time CoMPliCatioNS

ParMiGiaNi TONDA WOODSTOCK.

THe icONic TONDa TOurbillON bears

ON iTs Dial THe FirsT marqueTries

FrOm parmigiaNi Fleurier. eacH Dial

Takes TeN DaYs TO craFT FrOm OVer

FiFTY pieces OF TiNTeD wOOD. THeY

are DrawN, cuT THeN assembleD

wiTH sucH meTiculOus care THaT

THe NakeD eYe DisTiNguisHes

ONlY a perFecTlY FlaT Dial.

roleX OYSTER PERPETUAL SKY-DWELLER.

wiTH FOurTeeN paTeNTs, THe rOlex skY-Dweller

prOViDes, iN aN uNpreceDeNTeD aND OrigiNal

waY, THe iNFOrmaTiON glObal TraVellers NeeD

TO keep Track OF Time: a Dual Time ZONe, aN

aNNual caleNDar aND a mONTH DisplaY bY

meaNs OF TwelVe aperTures arOuND

THe circumFereNce OF THe Dial.

HarrY WiNStoN OCEAN TOURBILLON BIG DATE.

americaN Jeweller HarrY wiNsTON preseNTs iTs OceaN

TOurbillON big DaTe waTcH. THe impOsiNg 45mm case HOuses

a mecHaNical mOVemeNT wiTH TOurbillON, large DaTe aND

110 HOurs OF pOwer reserVe. a spOrTiNg waTcH THaT is

alsO a sHOwcase FOr cOmplicaTiONs.

HarrY WiNStoN OCEAN TOURBILLON BIG DATE.

ParMiGiaNi TONDA WOODSTOCK.

THe icONic TONDa TOurbillON bears

Such irregularities are taken into account by the perpetual calendar which, contrary to its name, must be adjusted every one hundred years. calendar data is recorded on a wheel that makes one full rotation every four years. the number of days in a month are represented by notches of different depths around the edge of this wheel. the notches for February are the same depth three years in a row, and slightly deeper the fourth year to account for the 29th day of February in the leap year. Despite the extreme complexity of the perpetual calendar complication, there are many to choose from as virtually every brand features at least one in its collections.most perpetual calendars show the date, the day, the month and the phases of the moon. Some go as far as to indicate the year; others give the cur-rent year’s position in the four-year cycle. incorporating these innumerable hands and counters into the few centimetres of a wristwatch dial is no small feat. the more legible alternative is to display the date, day, month and year in apertures, numerically or as abbreviations, that can be read at a glance.

SOUNDING THE HOUR

as mentioned earlier, turret clocks sound time on bells. in the early days these were rung by hand; bell-ringers were relieved of their duties when a mechanism was developed that triggers the clappers in the bells to chime the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour. in monasteries and on farms, an additional mechanism was introduced that would chime to wake those who in winter had to be up before daylight. over the course of the centuries, these mechanisms became progres-sively smaller until they could fi t inside a wristwatch case.

a repeater watch plays a pleasant melody to indicate the time. By activating a slide on the side of the case, the wearer can hear time on demand, a useful function when plunged into darkness. a classic repeater watch sounds the hour and the quarter on gongs having two dif-ferent pitches. on a minute-repeater watch, one of the oldest and most diffi cult complications to build, a third note counts the minutes. the dial is deceptively simple; it takes a connoisseur to spot the lever that denotes the repeater function.watches with a built-in alarm are technically much less complex than a repeater, and also less pleasing to the ear. Generally, a ham-mer taps the bottom of the case at a pre-set time, or as a reminder that the watch needs winding. Some alarm watches nonetheless rise above the rest: Jaeger-Lecoultre’s memovox and its variants are masterworks of function and style; Breguet’s alarm watch plays a crystal-clear tune.

STOPPING AND STARTING

in the history of time measurement, the chronograph warrants a chapter all to itself, despite being posterior to any of the previous complications. efforts to time sporting events began in earnest in the nineteenth century, when it became more common for a gentleman to wager on the horses. the fi rst portable chronograph is credited to the French watchmaker Nicolas rieussec, in 1821. a hand deposited a drop of ink on a rotating dial to visually record a time. appropriately, rieussec named his inven-tion a chronograph, from the Greek chronos (time) and graphein (write).rieussec’s inker went the way of progress. today’s chronographs can be stopped and started on demand by activating a pusher that triggers the chronograph seconds hand. the minute counter advances one increment after each elapsed minute. if the timed event is suffi ciently long, the hour counter comes into play. Pressing the pusher again stops the seconds hand and counters, independently of the timekeeping function. a split-seconds chronograph features an additional seconds hands which can be stopped to measure an intermediate time, then instantly catches up with the central chronograph hand.

eterNa ADVENTIC.

eTerNa’s New, rOuND, selF-

wiNDiNg mOVemeNT prOViDes

THe Time, small secONDs, DaTe

aND a Dual Time ZONe. iT DriVes

THis aDVeNTic waTcH wHOse

DesigN is parTlY iNspireD bY

a ceNTeNaire mODel FrOm

THe 1960s, YeT is perFecTlY

cONTempOrarY iN sTYle.

JaeGer-leCoUltre MASTER GRANDE TRADITION

TOURBILLON CYLINDRIQUE QUANTIÈME PERPÉTUEL

JUBILÉE. THis waTcH cONTiNues THe HisTOrY OF

precisiON TimekeepiNg THaT begaN wiTH THe FOuNDer

OF maNuFacTure Jaeger-lecOulTre. HOuseD iNsiDe a

42mm case, THe Jaeger-lecOulTre 985 calibre beaTs

TO THe rHYTHm OF a FlYiNg TOurbillON, cOmbiNeD wiTH

a cYliNDrical balaNce spriNg. perpeTual caleNDar

iNDicaTiONs aND mOON pHases are DisplaYeD ON THe Dial.

loUiS VUittoN TAMBOUR SPIN TIME REGATTA

AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH ROSE GOLD. THe TambOur

regaTTa cHrONOgrapH makes iNNOVaTiVe use OF FiVe

rOTaTiNg cubes TO cOuNT DOwN THe FiVe miNuTes TO THe

sTarT OF THe race, a useFul cOmplicaTiON iN THe wOrlD OF

cOmpeTiTiVe sailiNg. THe skeleTON Dial is cHarcOal

greY wiTH a suNraY FiNisH.

CoMPliCatioNS watch your time 69

Jaeger-lecOulTre - THe FirsT auTHeNTic maNuFacTure

iN swiTZerlaND’s la VallÉe-De-JOux, esTablisHeD iN 1833

aND sTill wiTH waTcHmakiNg’s FOrTY-sOme prOFessiONs

uNDer iTs ONe rOOF - is pulliNg OuT all THe sTOps FOr iTs

180TH aNNiVersarY. aND iN a DOmaiN THaT is clOse TO iTs

HearT: graNDes cOmplicaTiONs. THrOugHOuT iTs HisTOrY,

THe cOmpaNY Has DemONsTraTeD iTs exTraOrDiNarY

iNVeNTiVeNess, NOT leasT iN THe 1,242 waTcH mOVemeNTs iT

Has prODuceD. amONg THe mOsT receNT are THe gems THaT

pOwer THe reVersO graNDe cOmplicaTiON À TripTYque,

FOr example, THe masTer cOmpressOr exTreme lab, Or

THe DuOmÈTre spHÉrOTOurbillON… all breakTHrOugHs

iN THe wOrlD OF cuTTiNg-eDge HOrOlOgical TecHNOlOgY

aND THe iNFiNiTelY small.

iN THis aNNiVersarY Year, Jaeger-lecOulTre was DuTY-

bOuND TO paY TribuTe TO THe geNius OF iTs FOuNDer. iN

JaNuarY, iT uNVeileD THe TribuTe TO aNTOiNe lecOulTre

JubilÉe cOllecTiON wHicH iNcluDes THe masTer graNDe

TraDiTiON gYrOTOurbillON 3. aDmirers OF THe braND

caN FeasT THeir eYes ON THis exTraOrDiNarY Timepiece,

wHicH is equippeD wiTH a mONOpusHer cHrONOgrapH

wiTH aN iNsTaNTaNeOus DigiTal DisplaY cOmbiNeD wiTH

Jaeger-lecOulTre’s FeTeD gYrOTOurbillON, ONe OF THe

mOsT perTiNeNT respONses TO THe iNFlueNce OF graViTY

ON waTcH mecHaNisms. speciFicallY, THis is a FlYiNg

TOurbillON, HeNce wiTH NO briDge, cOmpOseD OF TwO

cages mOuNTeD ON 90° axes, rOTaTiNg aT DiFFereNT speeDs

aND weigHiNg less THaN a gram. THe maNuFacTure Has

cOmbiNeD iT wiTH a spHerical balaNce spriNg wiTH TwO

TermiNal curVes FOr OpTimiseD precisiON TimiNg. THe

TeNTH piece iN THe HYbris mecHaNica series THaT briNgs

TOgeTHer THe graNDes cOmplicaTiONs DeVelOpeD bY

THe Firm, THis masTer graNDe TraDiTiON gYrOTOurbillON

3 sYmbOlises bOTH THe exTraOrDiNarY capaciTY FOr

iNNOVaTiON aT Jaeger-lecOulTre aND iTs cOmpleTe

cOmmaND OF all aspecTs OF waTcHmakiNg. c.r.

180 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

Jaeger-lecOulTre - THe FirsT auTHeNTic maNuFacTure Jaeger-lecOulTre - THe FirsT auTHeNTic maNuFacTure

iN swiTZerlaND’s la VallÉe-De-JOux, esTablisHeD iN 1833 iN swiTZerlaND’s la VallÉe-De-JOux, esTablisHeD iN 1833

aND sTill wiTH waTcHmakiNg’s FOrTY-sOme prOFessiONs aND sTill wiTH waTcHmakiNg’s FOrTY-sOme prOFessiONs

JaeGer-leCoUltre

MASTER GRANDE

TRADITION

GYROTOURBILLON 3

JUBILÉE. like eVerY

waTcH iN THe HYbris

mecHaNica series, THe

masTer graNDe TraDiTiON

gYrOTOurbillON 3 JubilÉe

was DesigNeD, DeVelOpeD aND

craFTeD iN THe VerY same place

aNTOiNe lecOulTre OpeNeD His

waTcHmakiNg wOrksHOp exacTlY

180 Years agO.

DEFYING THE LAWS OF GRAVITY

traditionally, a complication is any indication other than the classic func-tion of measuring hours and minutes. complications divert a considerable amount of the energy provided by the mainspring, already just suffi cient to measure and display basic time. a complication can therefore have an adverse effect on the watch’s rate. one complication, however, is intended to increase precision: the tourbillon, a cage containing the balance and escape-ment that turns on itself. it is the brainchild of abraham-Louis Breguet, a horological genius whom both France and Switzerland claim as their son.wristwatches weren’t around in Breguet’s day. instead, men carried their watch on a chain, slipped inside a waistcoat pocket. at home, they would lay it on a table or nightstand. Breguet was curious as to why even the best

watches showed different variations in rate after being carried and after being laid fl at. he realised that the earth’s gravity disrupted the regular functioning of the balance. ideally, the balance’s centre of gravity should coin-cide with the centre of the balance spring. in practice, this is impossible as the spring changes shape as the balance

oscillates. Because the balance spring doesn’t expand and contract con-

centrically, its centre of gravity is constantly being displaced.this has a negligible effect when the watch is laid flat.

however, the shift in the centre of gravity when in a pocket infl uences

the oscillations of the balance to differ-

ing degrees depending on the exact vertical position. Breguet believed he

could counter the effects of grav-ity by having the watch rotate on an axis in a given lapse of time, so that the crown would move successively through up, right,

down and left positions. this was, of course, impractical for daily use,

and so Breguet invented a device in which only the escapement, hence the

balance and spring, would turn on its own axis, inside the watch. Breguet’s invention,

which he patented, is still a revered complica-tion. manufacturing its cage is a complex art, particularly in its miniaturised form to fi t inside a wristwatch when it weighs no more than a

gram. the efforts deployed in its making, and the price invested by its delighted owner are infi nitely

justifi ed by the hypnotic sight of this tiny mechanism rotating in synch with the seconds hand. whereas tourbillons were few and far between in pocket watches, they are now legion in wristwatches. From single tourbillons, some-times deemed insuffi cient, we now have double tourbillons and multiple-axis tourbillons, their number limited only by the watchmaker’s creativity. of course, all the complications described here can be combined into a single watch. Beyond a certain degree of complexity, such a timepiece takes the noble name of a Grande complication. ˇ

roGer dUBUiS EXCALIBUR QUATUOR SILICON.

excalibur quaTuOr is THe Name giVeN TO THe FirsT

silicON waTcH wiTH FOur spruNg balaNces. wOrkiNg

TwO bY TwO, THese FOur balaNces iNsTaNTlY

cOmpeNsaTe VariaTiONs iN raTe causeD bY THe

waTcH’s cHaNgiNg pOsiTiON.

HUBlot CLASSIC FUSION SKELETON TOURBILLON

BLACK CERAMIC. a ceramic skeleTON TOurbillON

waTcH wiTH a classic prOFile maTcHeD wiTH

all-OVer black; THe New classic FusiON

bY HublOT makes FOr a sTrikiNglY grapHic

Timepiece iN THe wOrlD OF cOmplicaTiONs.

PiaGet EMPERADOR COUSSIN ULTRA-THIN

MINUTE REPEATER. THe laTesT embODimeNT

OF piageT’s VirTuOsiTY iN THe FielD OF ulTra-

THiN mOVemeNTs siNce 1957, THis waTcH seTs

a DOuble recOrD FOr sleNDerNess iN iTs

caTegOrY: 4.8mm FOr iTs calibre aND 9.4mm

FOr iTs case. aN excepTiONal mODel,

eNTirelY craFTeD iN-HOuse.

ROTONDE De Cartier DOUBLE MYSTERY TOURBILLON.

THis FlYiNg TOurbillON, wHicH TurNs ON iTs

OwN axis ONce eVerY sixTY secONDs, appears

TO be FreelY FlOaTiNg iN space. THe illusiON

is cOmpleTe wHeN THe same TOurbillON cage

begiNs a secOND rOTaTiON, wHicH iT

cOmpleTes iN FiVe miNuTes.

CHaNel J12 CHROMATIC RÉTROGRADE MYSTÉRIEUSE.

HOrOlOgical experTise iN a beauTiFul DesigN

cOulD be THe THeme OF THis Timepiece, wHicH

prOpOses a TOurbillON, a reTrOgraDe miNuTe

HaND, a TeN-DaY pOwer reserVe aND a reTracTable

VerTical crOwN. a FeasT OF iNNOVaTiON iNsiDe

THe rOuNDNess OF a 47mm case.


Words such as light, weightless and fl owing spring to mind. There is talk of nature, swirling pools of water and gardens of light. All of this describes the work of the globally infl uential Japanese architect Toyo Ito.

he eschews the monumental, going against the modern-day trend for the spectacular. instead his work grasps the essential, creating spaces that focus on supple forms, the infl uence of light and sound, and which are synchronised with nature. he intends his architecture to be discovered, explored, experienced.

this refi ned architect, who fi nds inspiration as much in imperial Japan’s tea pavilions as in the most futuristic technologies, was commissioned by hermès to produce its pavilion for the world watch and Jewellery Show that takes place each year in Basel. this should come as no sur-prise, given the perfect correlation between the Japanese architect’s subtle sensibility and the philosophy of the Parisian fi rm. more importantly, says Pierre-alexis Dumas, artistic director for hermès, “this new pavilion materialises a shared philosophy which has universal reach. its design exalts the values on which our company is founded, rooted in craftsmanship, working by hand, noble natural materials, mastery of time, precision and innovation.”

reminiscent of hermès’ own palette, with a tree-bark tex-ture. the whole space has the warmth and intimacy of a home… a large home, truth be told, as the pavilion extends over 1,040 square metres with 25 rooms, 20 offi ces, four conference rooms and a business centre. the entire struc-ture came packed in 200 crates and was assembled over fi ve weeks. what about the watches, you might ask? they are displayed inside bubble-shaped fl owers that open on steel stems, scattered throughout the atrium, or push their way between the slats as though they too had decided to blossom over the building’s wooden curves. the fi nest watchmakers master time exactly as the foremost archi-tects tame space, with command and beauty.

Pierre maillard — Europa Star

“A NOMADIC VESSEL OF WOOD AND GREEN”

this meeting of minds between ito and hermès has produced “a nomadic vessel of wood and green.” this is a light, ethereal, open structure, a soothing, welcoming place to be, intended as a loyal ambassador for the fi rm. as they approach the pavilion, visitors see it is made from lengths of wood woven together and which seem animated by a surging, wavelike motion; 624 slats of beech - some fl at, some bent or curved, no two alike - have been care-fully criss-crossed. the result is an opaque surface but with openings onto the atrium and the mezzanine inside. this wooden envelope, like the pleats in a skirt hung out to the winds, is supported by a glass and metal frame. Between skin and skeleton, 167 camellias, eucalyptuses, magnolias and citrus trees form a ribbon of garden that threads its way around the structure. indirect lighting has been con-cealed among this green to accentuate the building’s sinu-ous motif. a wide opening on one corner, like the prow of a ship, leads inside.crossing a vast and peaceful atrium takes us to the offi ces and presentation rooms; mezzanine level is reached by a wood and metal staircase. the fabric treatments are all naturally dyed in yellow, orange and red shades that are

in the garden of time


this meeting of minds between ito and hermès has produced “a nomadic vessel of wood and green.” this is a light, ethereal, open structure, a soothing, welcoming place to be, intended as a loyal ambassador for the fi rm. as they approach the pavilion, visitors see it is made from lengths of wood woven together and which seem animated by a surging, wavelike motion; 624 slats of beech - some fl at, some bent or curved, no two alike - have been care-fully criss-crossed. the result is an opaque surface but with openings onto the atrium and the mezzanine inside. this wooden envelope, like the pleats in a skirt hung out to the winds, is supported by a glass and metal frame. Between skin and skeleton, 167 camellias, eucalyptuses, magnolias and citrus trees form a ribbon of garden that threads its way around the structure. indirect lighting has been con-cealed among this green to accentuate the building’s sinu-ous motif. a wide opening on one corner, like the prow of

crossing a vast and peaceful atrium takes us to the offi ces

in the

JapaNese arcHiTecT

TOYO iTO DesigNeD THe

New HermÈs paViliON

FOr THe baselwOrlD

wOrlD waTcH aND

JewellerY sHOw.

bOrN iN 1941, graDuaTiNg FrOm TOkYO uNiVersiTY iN 1965,

TOYO iTO eNgiNeers THe OsmOsis beTweeN a builDiNg aND

iTs eNVirONmeNT. His TOwer OF wiNDs (YOkOHama, 1986) is

THe icONic illusTraTiON OF THis. sTaNDiNg 21 meTres HigH,

iT appears perFecTlY wHiTe DuriNg THe DaY; aT NigHT iT is

TraNsFOrmeD bY cONsTaNTlY FlucTuaTiNg ligHT aND cOlOur

THaT cONVeY VariaTiONs iN air aND sOuND. He is THe arcHiTecT

OF FragiliTY iN iTs cONsTaNT baTTle agaiNsT graViTY. eacH OF

His prOJecTs sHOws THaT a builDiNg’s sOliDiTY DepeNDs Far

mOre ON HOw well-aDapTeD iT is TO iTs cONTexT THaN ON iTs

sTrucTural OVerlOaD. THe meDiaTHeque He builT iN seNDai

(2000) wiTHsTOOD THe earTHquake THaT rOckeD THe pOrT ciTY

iN 2011. iN augusT 2012 He wON THe gOlDeN liON aT THe VeNice

arcHiTecTure bieNNale FOr HOme-FOr-all, wHicH DepicTeD

His Teams’ wOrk iN builDiNg TempOrarY sHelTers FOr THe

peOple wHOse HOmes HaD beeN DeVasTaTeD bY THe TsuNami.

TOYO ITO, IN SEARCH OF FLUIDITY

HerMÈS ARCEAU TEMPS SUSPENDU.

THis waTcH Has THe pOwer TO suspeND THe cOurse OF

Time. ON requesT, THe HaNDs cOme TO resT iN a pOsiTiON

THaT is OuT OF Time. ONce THeY are seT back iN mOTiON,

THeY iNsTaNTlY caTcH up THis “lOsT” Time.

TOYO ITO, IN SEARCH OF FLUIDITY

skeTcH aND DeTail OF THe HermÈs

paViliON, iNTeNDeD as “a NOmaDic

Vessel OF wOOD aND greeN.”

time

watch your time

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