COVER STORY

Creation of Legends Purnell

Ballon d’Or™ 2022 - Unique Piece

Taken home by 2022 Ballon d’Or winners Karim Benzema and Alexia Putellas, Purnell’s spectacular Master piece, The 2022 Ballon d’Or watch remains a mesmerizing piece of engineering, an embodiment of the companies “Hyper Horology” mantra that seeks to redefine the boundaries of conventional high watch-making. Official partner of the Ballon d’Or™ since 2021, Purnell revealed the unique piece awarded to the respective Men’s and Women’s 2022 Ballon d’Or™ winner of the 66th edition on October 17th, 2022. Creation of Legends Worldwide, over 4 billion avid fans live and breathe football. Each goal, miss, penalty, high, and low. It is more than a game; it is a way of life. French magazine, France Football established the Ballon d’Or™ award in 1956 with the aim to crown living legends. An international jury of 100 expert journalists assembled by the magazine, work together each year to choose the best male and female player of the year. For all the controversy it generates, the Ballon d’Or™ remains the most important individual award in world of football. “Football is the most popular sport in the world and the Ballon d’Or™ its most prestigious distinction,” said Maurizio Mazzocchi, CEO of Purnell. France Football announced in March that some of the rules for Ballon d’Or™ have changed, with the key one being that the award would be based on performances over a single season, rather than a calendar year. That means performances at the 2022 World Cup 

MOVEMENT: Mechanical Hand Winding Caliber P10, Innovative Flying Tourbillon encased in Golden Football, Full Rotation in 30 seconds, Functions: Hour, Minute, Power Reserve Indication via an Ingenious Suspended Mobile Cone Mainspring Sensor, Number of Components: 245, Number of Jewels: 37, Power Reserve: 50 hours, Balance Frequency: 3hz / 21,600bph Movement, Dimensions: 38mm X 14.4mm, Movement Weight: 12.9 grams, Adjusted: 12 Positions, Shock Protection: 8 Incabloc,

DIAL & HANDS: Smoked Sapphire Dial with HandPolished Hands, Finished with Hand-Applied Indexes Displaying Hours and Minutes, Power Reserve Indicator coated in powdered 5N Gold.

CASE: Material: Titanium, Diameter: 48mm; weight: 125 grams, Water Resistance: 3 atm, Number of Case Components: 15,Top Monobloc Sapphire Crystal with Panoramic View of the Ballon d’Or, Lateral Window on Edge of Case at 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock.

STRAP :White Natural Rubber strap 18K White Gold & Titanium Folding Buckle

BALLON D’OR

Full rotation in 30 seconds thanks to the Flying Tourbillon inside “Ballon d’Or” weight: 4.14g in 18K Rose Gold 2 Barrels; 2 Visible Barrel Covers Engraved with following message: Left Barrel: « France Football est honorée de remettre au vainqueur masculin* de la 66ème edition du Prestigieux Trophée Ballon d’Or France Football 2022, la Montre Purnell Ballon d’Or. Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris le 17 octobre 2022. » *feminin for the women winner Right Barrel: « Ballon d’Or France Football et Purnell partagent les valeurs universelles que sont la Performance, le Talent, le Fairplay et la Pérennité. Valeurs auxquelles s’associent Eric Coudray, inventeur du Calibre Purnell P10 qui équipe la montre Pièce Unique Purnell Ballon d’Or 2022. »

“Football is the most popular sport in the world and the Ballon d’OrTM its most prestigious distinction.”

was not considered, and instead will be judged when voting for the 2023 Ballon d’Or™ gets under way. The shortlisting process has also experienced a change. It was previously drafted by journalists working for France Football and L’Équipe, but that has now been altered. Ballon d’Or™ ambassador Didier Drogba helped to finalise the shortlists as well as the “most insightful voter” from the previous edition of the award. For the men’s 2022 edition, Vietnamese journalist Truong Anh Ngoc, working for The Thao & Van Hoa, had a say in the shortlist while Czech journalist Karolina Hlavackova, working for Ruik, helped finalise the 2022 Women’s shortlist. There have also been changes to the voting system. While 127 jurors, one from each country, were part of the process to decide the winner in 2021, that has now changed. Now, only the top 100 ranked countries in FIFA’s coefficient will be able to have one representative conduct their vote. This has been to eliminate the weakest footballing countries to ensure a fair method of voting that didn’t include too many people and votes from nations with a perceived lower level of football expertise and didn’t make an impact. “Purnell stands for the best, for the ultimate in the watch industry and could only attach its name to the very best players, the Ballon d’Or™ winners.” … “I think that Purnell and the Ballon d’Or™share two essential values: very high standards of excellence and the taste for performance,” shares Pascal Ferré, Editorin-Chief of France Football. An 18K White Gold Premiere, the Ballon d’Or™ trophy, a literal golden football, has become the ultimate achievement for any football player. Each trophy is unique, just like each laureate, and it is in that spirit of exclusivity that Purnell developed two unique pieces awarded to the male and female winner of the Ballon d’Or™. The 2022 Purnell Ballon d’Or™ Unique Piece is donned in a spectacular 48mm Titanium case. An 18K rose gold football engraved with the France Football hallmark, encapsulates a flying tourbillon, making a full rotation in 30 seconds.

THE EDITORIAL TEAM WAS IMPRESSED BY

An iconic creation that celebrates football through innovative watch making.

EDITORS’ PICKS

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BRICE LECHEVALIER