Watchonista-Magazine by Joel A. Grandjean

THE WATCHES NETWORK | MAGAZINE JANUARY 2016

TUDOR HERITAGE CHRONO BLUE REBIRTH OF A MYTH

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S TA R T E R

H2 TRADITION

HYT’S RETRO We have always said that we would never create a classic piece. Having said that, this is exactly what we’ve done!

02 FAV O R I T E OF THE MONTH

TAG HEUER CALIBRE 18 A TIMELESS RACING CHRONOGRAPH

TUDOR HERITAGE CHRONO BLUE

STARTER

H2 TRADITION HYT’S RETRO CONTEMPORARY U-TURN

WE HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT WE WOULD NEVER CREATE A CLASSIC PIECE. HAVING SAID THAT, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE’VE DONE! Vincent Perriard, HYT’s CEO, loves nothing better than exploring the brand’s vast capacity for expression. From its very beginnings, the brand has blazed new trails, experimenting, creating, inventing... Its driving force — innovation — has propelled all its models to greater heights than anyone could have imagined. And now, HYT has reached the very summit. From this tempting viewpoint, how could HYT not cast a contemplative eye over three centuries of watchmaking? H2...in 1 Contemporary classic or futuristic retro? As its name suggests, the H2 Tradition is

a meeting of the two. It is the first HYT with classic guilloché finishes. It is the first HYT with delicate lacquered dials and blued hands.

crown and its blued hands: HYT wanted it to be classical and easy to read, with the most subtle of aesthetics.

However, underneath this mantle of light, the H2 Tradition has both feet firmly in the 21st century. It retains its hydro-mechanical aesthetic, thanks to the capillary with the blue fluid moving forwards as the hours pass.

Apparent simplicity This constant balance between tradition and modernity is more complex than it seems. HYT had to modify the design of the H2’s calibre. The goal? To give it a more classic appearance, in line with the aesthetic canons of haute horlogerie.

It is driven by two bellows positioned either side of 6 o’clock, developed in 2013 on the very first H2. The traditional side is expressed by the diamond guilloché main plate, the ogival shaped

The balance, for example, has been recentred to provide room on the dial for the minutes. This simple shift meant a large part of the movement’s design had to be overhauled, a feat once

again achieved by HYT’s long-standing partners, APRP. The case has also been re-designed, with the crown protector removed, in yet another nod towards the codes of watchmaking tradition. The finish of the H2 Tradition also required a number of adjustments. To allow for a diamond guilloché finish in rhodium-plated nickel silver on both sides, the main plate, for example, had to be made slightly thicker, which in turn meant new tolerances had to be calculated for... MORE ON WATCHONISTA.COM

TAG HEUER CALIBRE 18 A TIMELESS RACING CHRONOGRAPH TAG HEUER’S 39-MM CARRERA CALIBRE 18 GOES ONE STEP FURTHER WITHIN THE VINTAGE MOVEMENT OF THE LAST FEW YEARS. HONESTLY, YOU’D THINK THIS WATCH CAME FROM NEW OLD STOCK. Everyone who has seen this Carrera on my wrist thought it was an extremely well maintained old model. That is, every one but the CEO of a watchmaking brand who pays particular attention to everything that goes on in the market and who thus obtains insider info unwittingly. There was another one person who removed the piece from my wrist and, after having tapped the Glassbox glass layer with his nails, returned it to me and looked almost disappointed that it was not plastic. It was the realization that it was a new model for which, in the past, scratch-resistant sapphire glass did not yet exist and plastic was the best option to prevent a watch from breaking. Back to the future The Carrera Calibre 18 was introduced at Baselworld 2015. Some watches have been claiming for the last few years to have vintage inspiration, that is, ideas borrowed from historical or iconic pieces. This watch, however, was created straight from past aesthetic codes. We could call it post-vintage. It’s a bit as if we covered a CD in vinyl and made it the size of a 33-rpm vinyl. I agree that in the past few years, watches have returned to normal sizes, as they had been too large from the 2000s. And thus, all watches from

before this decade seemed ridiculously small. Furthermore, following several phenomena including horology auctions - where there is a large supply of reasonable-sized watches - and the flourishing Asian markets that always prefer watches better suited for small wrists, watchmaking brands slowly reverted to the sizes that prevailed before the third millennium, that being a mixed standard for both men and women. Carrera: an ideal range There’s no better range than the Carrera to welcome this survivor of current vintage impulses. In 1963, when Jack Heuer started the design of a new chronograph dedicated to the automobile universe, he set himself some clear objectives. Those included a perfectly readable dial and a solid, reliable, waterproof and shock-resistant watch. For the record, in the 1950s, the name Carrera represented a legendary race called «Carrera Pan American» where participants had to travel 3,300 kilometers through Mexico in five days. Considered as the most prestigious and most dangerous competition, it deserved its place in posterity through such a horological creation. Today, the Calibre 18, with its silver black color, bears a very close resemblance to its creator’s watch, a prized model amongst collectors. It features two timers, one at 9 o’clock and one at 3 o’clock. This is a very different chronograph since its flange features a telemeter, an old

measuring mode developed by the military that enabled firing at the right moment by the speed of a noise. It also helped to gauge the distance at which lightning struck during a thunderstorm. From the black perforated leather to the shape of the pushers’ buttons, the watch has everything. Even the logo affixed on the dial is like the original. The sapphire back allows visibility over the «Côtes de Genève» finishes of the oscillating mass. The rim of the micromechanical interlacing of this caliber 18 is possibly its only contemporary element. Racy and post-vintage, the piece asserts its timeless elegance while perfectly blending in with modern trends. What’s a telemeter? A telemeter is a chronograph or counter whose dial features a telemetric scale. By using the speed of sound and the gradations on the scale, one can calculate the distance between the point of observation of an event and the place where it actually manifests itself. Lightning illustrates the usefulness of this tool, which can measure the time between the perception of the lightning bolt and the moment the thunder is heard. This gives the distance between the spot where the phenomenon was observed and the place where the lightning actually struck. Special thanks to our friends from Perego Cars to give us the opportunity for the shooting at the garage.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FUNCTIONS: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date, Chronograph CASE: Round Stainless steel Polished 39.00mm

GLASS: Sapphire YEAR 2015 MOVEMENT Self Winding/Automatic Manufactured Swiss Made

BUCKLE Deployment Buckle Stainless steel STRAP Barenia Calfskin WATER RESISTANCE 10.00atm / 100.00m / 330.00ft

MORE INFO ABOUT THIS WATCH TAG Heuer launches two new TAG Heuer Carrera timepieces, each sporting a vintage look and the iconic Heuer logo. The new pieces capture the heritage of Heuer, and give it a unique and very modern twist. Their 39 mm cases are an ideal choice for audacious men and women. When Jack Heuer started to work on a new chronograph specifically designed for drivers and motor-racing enthusiasts in 1963, he knew exactly what was needed for the motor racing drivers: a wide-open, easy-to-read dial with a shock-resistant and waterproof case tough enough for road wear. The following year this life-long fan of motor racing launched the result, a mechanical, manual-wound chronograph

called the Carrera. For the name, he reached back to a racing legend from the 1950s, the Carrera Pan Americana, a five-day, 3,300 kilometers (2,100 mile) race across Mexico. The most prestigious — and dangerous — endurance race of its day, the Carerra, which in Spanish means “competition of the highest order” remains synonymous with excitement, danger, adventure, and heroism. The vintage look and shape of this new black and silver chronograph, is also based on Jack Heuer’s Carrera design. That makes it look like the original black and white Panda, a collector’s favorite with the black chronograph counter at nine o’clock and

the second one at three. It is not a regular chronograph, it has a telemeter scale on the flange, an old tool imagined for military, to measure distance of artillery fire, based on the speed of sound. Now you can use during a thunderstorm to know how far from you it is! No other recent piece has this neat feature. The black perforated leather strap along with the shape of the push-buttons enhance this retro taste. The clasp of the strap is signed by the engraved Heuer logo, making it unique up to the tiniest details. The dial is branded Heuer with the vintage logo, this special branding is a signature for a unique timepiece,

a link between history and modernity. To go further on this vintage vibe, the movement is placed in a glassbox, making the whole design lighter. The splendid caliber 18 can be admired thanks to the sapphire back-case. “Cotes de Geneve”on the oscillating mass and a TAG Heuer Swiss Made with the name of the caliber engravement. An astonishing piece, both graphic and elegant, easy to wear for those who love vintage design!

TUDOR HERITAGE CHRONO BLUE REBIRTH OF A MYTH AFICIONADOS MADE AN ICON OF IT AND NOW 40 YEARS ON, TUDOR RESURRECTS THE REFERENCE 7169 KNOWN SIMPLY AS THE «MONTECARLO» WITH A NEW 2013 ICON CALLED THE HERITAGE CHRONO BLUE. ITS EPIC STORY MEANT THAT THIS SUMMER HIT DESERVED ITS OWN PHOTO SHOOT.

09 The Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue

It was rather chilly on the 17th of December 2012 in Monaco harbour yet who would have thought that when watching these sunny and marine spindrift touched images that the film heralding this resurrection had been shot in the middle of December. This icon lends itself to all forms of calm, nonetheless it was daring to stage the scene on the verge of winter. Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue Technical specifications Water-resistant to 150 metres and delivered with both a steel bracelet with deployment buckle as well as the strengthened fabric strap, its origins based on a 250 year old weaving tradition and including a pin buckle. 42 mm diameter case (the original piece measured 40 mm) with a polished and satin finish. Featuring a bidirectional steel turning bezel with blue disc in anodised aluminium and graduated in 12 hours to enable the reading of a second time zone. At its heart beats the Tudor 2892, a self-winding mechanical caliber which houses an additional module for the chronograph function and circa 42 hours of power reserve. Steel screwed crown and pushers with triple water-resistant seals and the crown being engraved with the brand’s logo. A 45 minutes timer at the 9 o’clock position, small seconds at the 3 o’clock position and the date shown at the 6 o’clock position.