Watch Your Time 2012 - European Edition

S P E C I A L W AT C H E D I T I O N

EU R O P E A N E D I T I O N 2012 — S P E C I A L F E AT U R E — T H U R S DAY A P R I L 12 , 2012 . P R O D U C E D F O R T H E DA I LY T E L EG R A P H BY E D I T I O N S T E M P S I N T E R N AT I O N A L W H O TA K E SO L E R ES P O N S I B I L I T Y F O R T H E C O N T EN TS . (AVA I L A B LE I N LO N DO N A N D SOU T H R EG I O N S O N LY )

WATCH YOUR TIME PUBLISHER-FOUNDER CHRISTIAN LL AVALL-UBACH MANAGING DIRECTOR ISABELLE BOUDRINGHIN

SPECIAL WATCH EDITION

EDITIONS@TEMPS-INTERNATIONAL.COM DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ERIC DUMATIN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHE ROULET CONTRIBUTORS PETER BR AUN (GERMANY), VINCENT DAVEAU (FR ANCE), TIMM DELFS (SWITZERL AND),

PRODUCED FOR THE DAILY TELEGR APH ON THURSDAY, APRIL 12,

EDITIONS TEMPS INTERNATIONAL LTD

2012, BY EDITIONS TEMPS INTERNATIONAL WHO TAKE SOLE

2503 BANK OF AMERICA TOWER, 12 HARCOURT ROAD, CENTRAL, HONG KONG

RESPONSIBILIT Y FOR THE CONTENTS.

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PAOLO DE VECCHI (ITALY), PIERRE MAILL ARD (SWITZERL AND), EUROPE AN EDITION 2012 , PUBLISHED

PALOMA RECIO (SPAIN), CHRISTOPHE ROULET (SWITZERL AND) TRANSLATORS PETER BR AUN, SANDR A PETCH,

SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH LE MONDE (FR ANCE),

GIAN POZZY, PALOMA RECIO, RITA IANNICIELLO

FR ANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE (GERMANY ),

& L ANGUAGE CONSULTING MIL ANO PHOTOGRAPHER TORKIL GUDNASON ARTISTIC DIRECTOR VINCENT FESSELET, L A FONDERIE, GENEVA

13 FOCUS

IL SOLE 24 ORE (ITALY ), EL MUNDO (SPAIN)

PATEK PHILIPPE, CHRONOGRAPHICALLY YOURS

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.

15 EDITORIAL THE FREEDOM AND LIGHTNESS OF TIME IN SPACE

18 FOCUS CARTIER, THE MODERN-DAY ALCHEMIST

20 FOCUS LVMH ADDS BVLGARI TO ITS CROWN

22 FOCUS HARRY WINSTON, SCALING THE HEIGHTS

24 FOCUS ROGER DUBUIS, INCREDIBLE NEW WORLDS _______________

28 CLASSIC “CITIZEN KANE” CHRISTOPHE ROULET

36 JEWELLERY “QUAI DES ORFÈVRES” PAOLO DE VECCHI

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42 FOCUS MONTBLANC, THE ART OF TIME _______________

44 SPORT “INVICTUS” VINCENT DAVEAU

50 DIVING “THE SILENT WORLD ” TIMM DELFS

VACHERON CONSTANTIN PATRIMONY TR ADITIONNELLE WORLD TIME. A LONGSTANDING PART OF VACHERON CONSTANTIN’S WATCHMAKING HERITAGE, THE WORLD TIME COMPLICATION MAKES A NOTEWORTHY COMEBACK TO THE MANUFACTURE’S COLLECTIONS. THE PATRIMONY TR ADITIONNELLE WORLD TIME WATCH HOUSES THE CALIBRE 2460W T BE ARING THE PRESTIGIOUS POINÇON DE GENÈ VE . DE VELOPED AND

56 ASTRONOMICAL “2001 : A SPACE ODYSSEY ” PALOMA RECIO

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TORKIL GUDNASON Originally from Denmark and now based in New York City, Torkil Gudnason is one of today’s most talented fashion photographers.

His eclectic work as a freelance artist reflects his sense of nature as the greatest influence on human creativity. His carefully contrived use of light, the ultimate visual medium, captures the suggestive power of the world in all its beauty.

His interests and subjects, though wideranging and each independent of the other, are connected by the extreme aesthetic of his work. Torkil Gudnason’s photographs have been published in Vogue, Tatler, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire and Vanity Fair. He has also worked on image campaigns for brands including Estée Lauder, Guerlain, L’Oréal, Piaget, Montblanc, Rolex and Shiseido.

MANUFACTURED BY VACHERON CONSTANTIN, THIS NEW MECHANICAL SELF-WINDING MOVEMENT IS DISTINGUISHED BY ITS CAPACIT Y TO INDICATE THE WORLD’S 37 TIME ZONES, INCLUDING THOSE OFFSE T FROM UNIVERSAL COORDINATED TIME BY A HALF- OR QUARTERHOUR: AN E XCLUSIVE MECHANISM, PATENTED BY

61 FOCUS ORIS, RESPONSIBLE LUXURY _______________

VACHERON CONSTANTIN.

COVER AND DOUBLE SPRE AD © TORKIL GUDNASON @ ANGEL A DE BONA AGENCY PARIS MODEL ROZ A WITH MC2, NY M/U AND HAIR K YRIAKI SAVR ANI, FACTORY DOWNTOWN, NY ASSISTANT PE TER GABRIEL AND NEEL MUNTHE BRUUN

62 COMPLICATIONS “IT´S COMPLICATED! ” PETER BRAUN

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66 FOCUS LOUIS VUITTON, TIME TRAVELLER

RETOUCH GLEN HASTINGS, NY

In 1839 Vacheron Constantin created several machines, among them the famous pantograph, a mechanical device which meant that for the first time in history principal watchmaking components could be reproduced with total precision, raising the quality of its timepieces once again. This invention carried the brand into the future and would revolutionise Swiss watchmaking.

Faithful to the history for which it is renowned, Vacheron Constantin undertakes to maintain, repair and restore all watches it has produced since its foundation: a sign of excellence and confidence which still today gives the manufacture its reputation.

Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time Calibre 2460WT Hallmark of Geneva, Pink gold case, Self-winding mechanical movement, indication of world time with day/night indicator, displaying 37 time zones.

Ref. 86060/000R-9640

For enquiries, please call 020 7312 6830

Engineered for men who know that the best things in life are complicated.

Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5032: You don’t need to walk on the surface of the moon to succumb to its fascination; after all, its effects are omnipresent here on earth. It gravitational pull causes the rise and fall of the tides. Its orbit marks the beginning and end of each day. And wonders of all kinds have been ascribed to the full moon for as long as anyone can remember. These qualities were the inspiration for the master watchmakers at IWC who developed the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar. The 18-carat red gold case houses an impressive automatic movement with a perpetual calendar and double moon phase display for the northern and southern hemispheres, countdown to the next full moon and a Pellaton automatic winding system, to mention only the most sophisticated of its complications. Needless to say, it runs with the same unerring precision as the moon in its orbit around our planet. IWC. Engineered for men.

IWC Schaffhausen Boutiques: Beverly Hills I Geneva I Hong Kong I Shanghai I Zurich I Las Vegas I Moscow I Singapore I Vienna I Instanbul I Beijing

www.iwc.com

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 13

THE MOVEMENT OF THE REFERENCE 5204 BY PATEK PHILIPPE RESIDES IN A MAGNIFICENT PL ATINUM CASE ME ASURING 40 MM THE MOVEMENT OF THE PERPE TUAL CALENDAR

IN DIAME TER AND 14.25 MM HIGH. SUCH THINNESS GIVES THIS

SPLIT-SECONDS CHRONOGR APH REFERENCE 5204

WATCH AN ENDURING ELEGANCE THAT IS FURTHER ACCENTUATED

BY PATEK PHILIPPE WITH 496 PARTS INCORPOR ATES

BY A HOST OF DE TAILS, FROM THE DOMED CRYSTAL TO THE ASSERTIVE PUSHERS, REMINISCENT OF THE CHRONOGR APH’S

NUMEROUS INNOVATIONS. JUST ONE E X AMPLE: THE NEW

HEYDAY. AN ELEGANCE WHICH IS ALSO E VIDENT AT THE

SPLIT-SECONDS MECHANISM USES A NOVEL “ISOL ATOR” WHICH, BY AVOIDING CERTAIN FRICTIONS, INCRE ASES

MANUFACTURE’S HE AD OFFICE IN GENE VA .

AMPLITUDE BY 30° WHEN THE CHRONOGR APH IS STARTED.

Among mechanical watch complications, there is one we all too often forget to name: the chronograph, one of the most complex constructions in the measuring of time.

Venturing further still, not all mechanical chronographs boast the same degree of complexity. For example, the split-seconds chronograph has two seconds hands. One, tucked beneath the other, calculates intermediate intervals which it records for as long as necessary before instantly catching up with the main hand and continuing to sweep the dial.

In the complex world of chronographs, the family-owned Manufacture Patek Philippe stands apart. Established in 1839, Patek Philippe made its first pocket chronograph as early as 1856. In 1902, it filed a patent for its split-seconds chronograph, although it wasn’t until 1923 that the first Patek Philippe split-seconds chronograph worn on the wrist saw daylight. Since then, enthusiasm for the chronograph has never waned, inspiring what was then seen as one of the most beautiful, most efficient chronograph calibres in the world, the 27-70.

Complication Reference 5208P, intro-duced in 2011, epitomised the Patekk ed, Philippe style. Beneath its uncluttered, ted, almost scant dial lies a highly complicated, S QI) self-winding movement (R CH 27 PS -pusher incorporating a minute-repeater, single-pusher chronograph, and an instantaneous perpetual calendar with apertures and moon phases.

chronographically yours AN ARMADA OF CHRONOGRAPHS

CHRONOGRAPH 5204

With such an illustrious past to build on, in 2005 the Manufacture launched a new offensive. In a little over six years, Patek Philippe devised, developed and produced four new chronograph base movements, beginning with its first fully in-house chronograph movement (CHR 27-525 PS). Inspired by the 1902 movement, at 5.25mm it is the thinnest, hand-wound, split-seconds, column-wheel chronograph ever made.

The following year, Patek Philippe unveiled a new calibre (CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H), its first self-winding chronograph movement incorporating its patented Annual Calendar mechanism, a split-seconds function, powerreserve indicator and day/night indication. Next in line, in 2009, was a classic hand-wound chronograph (CH 29-535 PS) for which six patents were filed. The Triple

Patek Philippe now takes its command of the chronograph to a higher level still with the Perpetual Calendar SplitSeconds Chronograph (Reference 5204). Its movement, which benefits from numerous developments such as a new split-seconds and perpetual calendar mechanism, goes straight to the head of this new class of Patek Philippe chronographs, as just one feature among many shows: the new split-seconds mechanism incorporates a novel “isolator” which, by avoiding certain frictions, increases amplitude by 30° when the chronograph is started. A detail?

Perhaps, but it is the painstaking accumulation of such “details” which, over many years, has given decisive breakthroughs. And explains why the new generation of Patek Philippe chronographs is so exceptional.

The movement, composed of 496 parts, resides in a magnificent platinum case measuring 40mm in diameter and 14.25mm high. Such thinness gives this watch an enduring elegance that is further accentuated by a host of details, from the domed crystal to the assertive pushers. Contemporary touches spice up this formal classicism, such as the three-sided hands which have been cut from black oxidized gold then coated with Superluminova.

Circled by twelve applied markers in grey gold, four counters and twelve displays share the highly legible, opalescent silvered dial. Ref. 5204 is, of course, hallmarked with the Patek Philippe Seal and is discreetly embellished with a small Top Wesselton diamond in the caseband at 6 o’clock.

Noblesse oblige.

Pierre Maillard

T WO HEARTS. REAL PRECISION.

DUOMÈTRE À QUANTIÈME LUNAIRE. Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 381.

The Dual-Wing concept is a genuine horological revolution featuring two distinct mechanisms synchronised by a single regulating organ. The patented jumping stop-seconds function enables time-setting to the nearest 1/6th of a second.

YOU DESERVE A REAL WATCH.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Boutique 1A Old Bond Street - W1S 4PA London Tel. (0)20 7491 6970 www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

EDITORIAL WATCH YOUR TIME 15

the freedom and lightness of time in space freedom and lightness are the words that spring to mind to describe how it feels to break free of gravity.

In microgravity, I feel that I discovered a potential for movement that we are denied on our own planet, where the body is subjected to the force of gravity; a force which no laboratory on Earth can overcome. For this reason, space offers extraordinary conditions for experimentation, beyond the human state which inevitably joins us to our home planet and its temporal constraints. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes in Wind, Sand and Stars, “We believe that man is free. We never see the cord that binds him to wells and fountains, that umbilical cord by which he is tied to the womb of the world.”

Up there, one experiences an incredible sense of freedom. We forget about gender, skin colour or nationality. More than anything, we feel we are taking part in an enormous adventure in which each astronaut is a representative of humankind. Of course, being a woman among men — the first French and European woman astronaut — changed the dynamic aboard. Gender diversity promotes greater respect of individual values, enhances the decision-taking process, and facilitates life as a group.

No-one observed the least physiological difference between the men and me. To do so would probably mean spending longer in space.

IN SPACE, OUR PERCEPTION OF TIME CHANGES

PALAIS DE LA DÉCOUVERTE AND CITÉ DES SCIENCES IN PARIS:

We artificially maintained the “umbilical cord” that connects us to Earth.

Our schedule, based on 24-hour cycles, was regulated by ground control centre. This meant we kept our usual touchpoints. Yet our perception of time changed, and for good reason: orbital speed reaches 28,000 kph; time on Earth no longer has any hold on us; we orbit the planet in 90 minutes. Night follows day 16 times in 24 hours, going from dark to light in an hour and a half. It is an extraordinary sight. How quickly the body adapts to weightlessness is quite impressive.

SOMEWHERE TO “RESET”

My goal is to develop people’s taste for science. Too many young people are turning their back on science. Giving each citizen a command of science and technology gives them freedom, makes them more responsible and less easy to manipulate. I chair Universcience, a publicly-funded structure in Paris that brings together these two fabulous venues. The exhibitions they host bring science within everyone’s reach. We live in an age of access, where scientific data is freely available, but also an age of excess, where we are overwhelmed by information. Hence the importance of somewhere we can meditate, where we can “reset” ourselves and be guided from inforn towards knowledge, greater responsibility, r mation and greater freedom.

e Haigneré Haig gneré Claudie

Claudie Haigneré, 54, is a doctor, rheumatologist, specialist in aeronautical medicine, and astronaut.

She is a member of the Société Française de Médecine Aéronautique et Spatiale. The first French and European woman astronaut, she took part in two missions.

The first, in 1996, was aboard the Mir space station for the Franco-Russian

Cassiopée mission, during which she conducted medical, physiological, and biological experiments.

For the second, the Andromède mission in 2001, she visited the International Space Station. A member of the European Space Agency, she was the only European woman astronaut until 2008. She has spent a total of 25 days, 14 hours and 22 minutes in space.

Claudie Haigneré is also a French politician, serving as Minister for Research and New Technologies from June 2002 to March 2004, then as Minister for European Affairs from March 2004 to May 2005.

In February 2009, she was appointed Chairwoman of the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie and the Palais de la Découverte, both in Paris. The dome of the Palais de la Découverte is a planetarium where children are plunged into darkness to learn about the stars. In January 2010, these two museums merged into a publiclyfunded structure, Universcience, chaired by Claudie Haigneré. Plaidoyer pour Réconcilier les Sciences et la Culture, a book she initiated and edited, was published in 2010.

Claudie Haigneré is devoted to sharing her passion for science and for freedom; the freedom that space put within her grasp.

MATTE BLACK HIGH-TECH CERAMIC

www.chanel.com

A powerful aesthetic unites with watchmaking excellence in the J12 Calibre 3125. Exquisitely crafted in 18K yellow gold and matte black hightech ceramic, a highly scratch and stain resistant material. This arresting timepiece features a selfwinding mechanical movement custom-made by AUDEMARS PIGUET exclusively for CHANEL. The CHANEL-AP 3125 (40 jewels, 21’600 vibrations per hour) comes fitted with a high-tech ceramic rotor visible through a sapphire crystal. This threehand Haute Horlogerie movement pays homage to the roots of the highest watchmaking tradition.

18 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS

PRESERVING A SAVOIR-FAIRE

PHILIPPE POIVRE © CARTIER 2009

BERNARD FORNAS, PRESIDENT AND CEO

Continuing in this vein, the 2012 collection respects a unity of style that only Cartier can deliver. First to catch the eye is a Grande Complication Skeleton Pocket Watch, a timepiece that will set any watch lover’s heart racing. “We really indulged ourselves with this watch,” Carole Forestier confessed. And what a beauty it is. Sculpted from a 400gram block of gold, the skeletonised Roman numerals of the case enclose the heart of the watch, also skeletonised. The movement, assembled from 457 parts, incorporates a tourbillon at 6 o’clock, a monopusher chronograph and a perpetual calendar. Equally exceptional, the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon is the culmination of five years of research into horological acoustics, and the brand’s first incursion into striking watches since upping its game.

CARTIER INTERNATIONAL

And there is more. This year’s Cartier d’Art collection embraces the ancestral artistic skills which the brand perpetuates with each new collection. “Luxury has a natural appreciation of the métiers d’art. They are also a part of Cartier’s history. There are professions in the field of luxury which must never be allowed to disappear. We have a moral duty to help preserve this savoirfaire. And if Cartier doesn’t do it, then who will?” asks Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, marketing director at Cartier

the modernday alchemist

As Chief Executive Bernard Fornas explains, Cartier’s success is grounded in innovation and creativity, alongside a well thought-out strategy of distribution and communication.

Bernard Fornas, President and CEO of Cartier International, doesn’t beat about the bush. “We deal in desirability, and keeping this flame alive implies an alchemy in which every ingredient has its importance, from research into fine watch movements to exploring the métiers d’art, from distribution via carefully targeted points of sale to communication. All these elements must form a coherent whole. I’m like the conductor of an orchestra, at the head of a company that clearly positions itself as one of the finest in the world.” Cartier indeed commands a powerful international presence in which China, where the brand makes some 30% of its sales in 42 boutiques, certainly plays a part but not to the detriment of the rest of the world, where Cartier intends building on an already dominant position.

HAUTE HORLOGERIE

Another of Cartier’s strengths is the giant strides it has accomplished in watchmaking, which now matches its other core business of jewellery. The brand’s move into the upper echelons of horology has exceeded all expectations. “Cartier has gone from an assembler of parts to a full-fledged Manufacture,” Carole Forestier, head of fine watch movement development, declared as she presented the brand’s new timepieces for 2012. “In the space of four years, we have produced fifteen calibres including the 1904 MC, our base movement that equips the Calibre de Cartier watch and provides us with a reliable movement which we can adapt to other developments.”

Cartier has developed its horological repertoire according to three principles, as Forestier explained. “We began by emphasising creativity which produced several new designs including some original skeleton watches. We then put a new twist on classic grandes complications.

This gave timepieces such as our Chronographe Centrale and the Astrotourbillon, to name but two. Then we set out to invent new mechanisms, such as the Astrorégulateur.”

OVER THE PAST FOUR YE ARS, CARTIER HAS TAKEN FINE WATCHMAKING BY STORM, AS IT AGAIN DEMONSTR ATES THIS YE AR WITH THE GR ANDE COMPLICATION POCKET WATCH. THE ROMAN NUMER ALS OF THE SKELE TON CASE, SCULP TED FROM A SOLID 400-GR AM BLOCK OF GOLD, ENCLOSE THE HE ART OF THE WATCH WHICH IS ALSO SKELE TONISED. ITS COMPLICATIONS ARE A TOURBILLON, A MONOPUSHER CHRONOGR APH AND A PERPE TUAL CALENDAR . EQUALLY REMARK ABLE IS THE ROTONDE DE CARTIER FLYING TOURBILLON WITH A HAND-WOUND 9452 MC MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT, HALLMARKED POINÇON DE GENÈ VE . SECONDS ARE SHOWN BY THE FLYING TOURBILLON CAGE IN THE FORM OF A C. THE INITIAL C OF CARTIER , OF COURSE .

International. This year, Cartier has trained the spotlight on straw marquetry, grisaille and champlevé enamel, stone mosaic, and the technique of engraving on mother-of-pearl.

Another way of fanning the flames of desirability.

Eric Dumatin

20 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS

ZENITH EL PRIMERO STR ATOS. FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS IN THE COCKPIT OF A FIGHTER JE T ARE SUBJECTED TO ABRUP T VARIATIONS IN PRESSURE, INTENSE VIBR ATIONS AND VIOLENT ACCELER ATIONS. LIKE THEM, THE ZENITH STR ATOS IS MADE TO WITHSTAND ANY THING. A WORTHY SUCCESSOR TO THE R AINBOW FLYBACK MODEL , DE VELOPED FOR THE FRENCH AIR FORCE IN 1997, IT TAKES ONBOARD THE WORLD’S MOST FR ANCESCO TR APANI, PRESIDENT

ACCUR ATE SELF-WINDING CHRONOGR APH MOVEMENT, THE MY THICAL EL PRIMERO, IN ADDITION TO STRIKING 10TH AND FLYBACK FUNCTIONS.

WATCHES & JEWELLERY, MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND E XECUTIVE COMMIT TEE, LVMH.

the declaration which Bernard Arnault, Chief Executive of LVMH, made at the time of the takeover: “LVMH will accelerate Bulgari’s development while respecting its creativity, Roman spirit and culture, as we do with all our brands.

Bulgari will benefit from our strike force in purchasing and distribution.”

Bulgari brings its own considerable assets to the table.

Already renowned for its jewellery, over the past decade the brand has steered its move into the higher end of the watch segment, first by taking over Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta — both brands are now perfectly integrated within Bulgari an and clearly positioned in the prestige segment — then by developing its own movements. These include the

When in March 2011, LVMH took control of Bulgari, it doubled the size of its watch and jewellery business, which it placed in the hands of Francesco Trapani.

Formerly CEO of Bulgari, he now sits on the luxury conglomerate’s board of directors.

lvmh adds bvlgari to its crown 2011 proved an eventful year for LVMH, the world’s largest luxury player. After swooping in to take a 20% stake in Hermès, the French multinational went shopping again, this time acquiring Bulgari through a share swap deal. The transaction, which took the markets by surprise, was unanimously lauded as a profitable move for both partners.

AN AMBITIOUS PARTNER

The tie-up also resolves the question of who will take over at the head of the Italian firm. As Francesco Trapani, greatgrandson of the founder and CEO for more than 20 years, observed, “my uncles are coming up to retirement, and the next generation isn’t interested in managing the firm.

However, we didn’t want to simply sell. LVMH offered us a true partnership, particularly as it makes us the secondlargest family shareholder in LVMH. In a growing market, Bulgari needed an ambitious partner.”

In terms of ambition, LVMH has had its eye on Bulgari’s market segments for a number of years. The Italian firm joins a portfolio that already includes Fred, Chaumet and De Beers in jewellery, TAG Heuer, Zenith and Hublot in watchmaking. With revenues in the region of €1 billion, of which 20% in watches, the arrival of Bulgari doubled the size of LVMH’s watch & jewellery division. A division that now accounts for 12% of its sales, which in 2010 exceeded €20 billion for the first time. In a management reshuffle following the acquisition, Francesco Trapani took the chairmanship of LVMH’s watch and jewellery division while Michael Burke, formerly at the head of Fendi and Christian Dior Couture, took over at Bulgari.

CONTINUED INTEGRATION

“My role now is to assist the heads of our different brands in achieving their strategies,” Francesco Trapani declared.

“At Bulgari, this means pressing ahead with vertical integration, primarily through acquisition of suppliers, while keeping tight control of expenditure through cost-sharing within the watch and jewellery division.” This confirms

BVLGARI SERPENTI. BVLGARI’S TUBOGAS BR ACELE TS THAT COIL AROUND THE WRIST WERE IMMENSELY SUCCESSFUL IN THE 1970 S . THE ADDITION OF A TIMEPIECE HAS GIVEN RISE TO SOME REMARK ABLE CRE ATIONS. ONE OF THE RECENT ITER ATIONS IN STEEL WR APS T WICE AROUND THE WRIST, WITH A ROW OF BRILLIANT-CUT ROUND DIAMONDS ON THE BE ZEL . THE OPALINE SILVERED DIAL HAS A SUNBURST GUILLOCHÉ DECOR ATION.

automatic Calibre 168 with an instant-jump central date.

These three years of hard work have been crowned by the introduction of every grande complication known to watchmaking. Among those to benefit are New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks. The winners of the World Cup against France in October 2011 have joined forces with Bulgari, which recognises in these players a talent on a par with its own.

Eric Dumatin

O F F I C I A L T I M E K E E P E R O F T H E 34 T H A M E R I C A’ S C U P

Tambour America’s Cup LIMITED AND NUMBERED EDITION

Automatic chronograph with countdown function manufactured in Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking workshops in Switzerland Sold exclusively in Louis Vuitton stores and at louisvuitton.com. Tel. 020 7399 4050

22 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS

THE OPUS SAGA

As de Narp, who began his career 25 years ago with Cartier and served as President of Cartier North America, explains, “Harry Winston is probably the only genuine North American luxury brand. Adding Swiss horological culture has produced an inventive, daring brand driven by excellence, rarity and exclusivity. Few companies can claim such DNA.” Indeed, some say that Harry Winston’s Opus series revolutionised time measurement by throwing open the door to a radically different approach to watchmaking.

With watches of this complexity to its credit, the classic timepieces in the Midnight collection could almost pass for an exercise in style for a brand that has forged its renown as a re-inventor of complications. Harry Winston sells its products exclusively in its 22 Salons worldwide. A reminder that exclusivity actually means something for the brand. As Frédéric de Narp concludes, “Harry Winston is about people, not least the watchmakers who have positioned the brand in a watch lover’s paradise.”

Eric Dumatin

FRÉDÉRIC DE NARP, PRESIDENT AND CEO, HARRY WINSTON HISTOIRE DE TOURBILLON 3 DISPL AYS THREE TOTALLY INDEPENDENT OPENINGS IN THE DIAL .

RESPLENDENT AT 9 O’CLOCK , THE BI-A XIAL DOUBLE TOURBILLON INDICATES THE SECONDS, ECHOED BY A SINGLE-A XIS TOURBILLON AT 6 O’CLOCK . THE T WO REGUL ATING SYSTEMS ARE CONNECTED THROUGH A DIFFERENTIAL GE AR WHICH TR ANSMITS AN AVER AGE OF THEIR T WO R ATES FOR E VEN GRE ATER PRECISION. OFFCENTRE HOURS AND MINUTES ARE DISPL AYED ON T WO ROTATING DISCS. THE THIRD ZONE IS RESERVED FOR THE POWER-RESERVE INDICATOR , ON A DISC SE T WITH SAPPHIRES AND CITRINES.

Since its first incursion into watchmaking in 1989, Harry Winston has raised its timepieces to the same level of excellence as its jewellery, as brilliantly evidenced by the Opus and Histoire de Tourbillon collections.

NATHALIE PORTMAN WE ARS HARRY WINSTON AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES IN JANUARY 2012.

scaling the heights This is an exceptional year for Harry Winston, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Eighty years during which the company’s founder shot to fame as the uncontested King of Diamonds. It took no small amount of ambition, expertise, optimism even, for the brand to set out to achieve in watchmaking what it had already accomplished in jewellery.

One can only admire how effective the brand has been in reaching this goal. “We have been present in watchmaking since 1989 when we opened our Manufacture in Geneva, producing some 5,000 watches a year, and already we are perceived as a storied brand,” comments Frédéric de Narp, President and CEO of Harry Winston since January 2010.

The Opus story goes back a decade (the eleventh Opus was presented at Basel in 2011). The idea is to create, each year, a timepiece that is exceptional both inside and out. For this, Harry Winston enlists the talent of the most atchgifted horologists who, unusually in the world of watchmaking, share the limelight with the brand. One only need guet look at the Opus Eleven — developed with Denis Giguet arent and whose mechanism “explodes” time into an apparent gy at anarchy — to realise that this is contemporary horology its most inspired.

WATCHMAKING AS AN ARTISTIC MEDIUM

As if this weren’t enough, Harry Winston has taken it upon plicaitself to reinvent one of the most sought-after complications, this time with the help of Complitime, sister combillon pany to Greubel Forsey. “Act 3 in this Histoire de Tourbillon leaves no doubt as to the visionary path taken by thiss colh an lection, which Harry Winston launched in 2009, with e by architecture dictated by avant-garde design, set free time in all its dimensions.” The result, encased in white gold hose and Zalium, is a movement with 479 components whose ne bitwo escapements are contained in two tourbillons, one ng at axial and one single-axis, hence three cages rotating ar for different speeds, connected through a differential gear optimal precision. A technical tour de force.

THE ROSEBUD SECRE T WATCH FROM HARRY WINSTON DELIGHTS IN OFFERING A VARIE T Y OF PLE ASURES. PINNED TO A L APEL OR TO AN E VENING PURSE, IT BECOMES A BROOCH, AND CAN ALSO BE WORN AS A PENDANT. THE HE ART OF THIS PRECIOUS COROLL A OF DIAMONDS PIVOTS TO RE VE AL A MOTHER-OF-PE ARL DIAL .

www.dior.com - 020 7172 0172

HIGH-TECH CERAMIC TIMEPIECE DIAMOND HEAD CERAMIC BRACELET « DIOR INVERSÉ » AUTOMATIC CALIBRE DIAMOND SET OSCILLATING WEIGHT ON THE DIAL 40-HOUR POWER RESERVE

24 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS

EMBLEMATIC O OF THE ROGER DUBUIS IDENTIT Y, THE SKELETON DOUBLE FLYING TOURBILLON E XCALIBUR SKE

JE AN-MARC PONTROUÉ,

NEW VERSION WITH A “FULL BL ACK” TITANIUM COMES AS A NE

CEO, ROGER DUBUIS

LIGHTNESS OF TITANIUM GIVES E VEN CASE . THE LIG EMPHASIS TO THE E THERE AL APPE AR ANCE GRE ATER E OF THE E XCEP TIONAL RD01SQ SKELE TON MOVEMENT, ALL THE BE T TER TO RE VE AL THE MOVEM POWER OF THIS TIMEPIECE WHICH ROGER POW DUBUIS HAS DESIGNED IN A SPIRIT OF TOTAL DUB ANSPARENCY. A SENSATION OF POWER TR A THAT GOES WITH THE MANUFACTURE ROGER TH DUBUIS BUILDING IN THE CANTON OF GENE VA , DU WHERE IT IS KNOWN AS “THE CATHEDR AL”.

WH

Whateve else is new, Roger Dubuis has never departed Whatever from its philosophy to propose only mechanical watches, ha each hallmarked with the Poinçon de Genève as a guarantee of origin, reliability and precision. A claim no other co watch company can make. Over the past two years, the brand ha has worked flat out to make production processes relia and optimise flow, all in the name of quality. A fully reliable sign of th the times, the company has announced the return of maste master watchmaker Roger Dubuis, who co-founded the firm in 1995, as an ambassador for the brand. The four worlds of Roger Dubuis are now in orbit.

Eric Dumatin

incredible new worlds A new face and new collections. The brand, under the stewardship of Jean-Marc Pontroué, presents four worlds whose common denominator is “incredible mechanics” by Roger Dubuis.

Part of the Richemont stable since 2008, Roger Dubuis was in search of a new identity that would build on efforts made to refocus production after dipping fingers into too many pies during watchmaking’s halcyon years. It has achieved this goal under Jean-Marc Pontroué’s leadership. After a stint at Givenchy, in 1997 this connoisseur of timepieces moved to Montblanc where he rose through the ranks to the position of executive vice president tasked with developing the brand’s watch business.

Such a brilliant ascension didn’t escape the attention of Richemont’s directors, who last autumn appointed him CEO. COVER EVERY SEGMENT

His job was to see through a process — which fans of the brand had already glimpsed last year with the introduction of the Monégasque line — aimed at covering every high-end segment, represented by four groups of potential customers, through four distinct collections, each with its own world but a common theme. This theme had to be tailor-made for a brand whose capacity for innovation has consistently kept the watch community on its toes.

The theme the brand is taking into the markets is “incredible mechanics” by Roger Dubuis. The “mechanics” in question are spread over four lines, two of which are new: Velvet for women and Pulsion for adventurers join the more classic Monégasque and the stalwart Excalibur collection which expresses the full force of Roger Dubuis.

The brand came to the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in January this year with 43 models driven by 15 Manufacture movements… bearing in mind that it has no fewer than 31 on its books.

PUT THE MOVEMENT FIRST

“The movement is at the heart of our brand,” Pontroué explains. “Everything we’ve done over the past months has been focused on showcasing our calibres, ranging from a simple hours-minutes-seconds to a double tourbillon or perpetual calendar, and to stage them in each of our four worlds.” In doing so, the brand has laid the foundations for its immediate future. The priority over the next five years will be to feed these four collections. Roger Dubuis has already initiated story-telling for each one, backed by offbeat visuals. One of the most eye-catching publicity tools is a short film starring Tomer Sisley, known to movie-goers as Largo Winch, in a daredevil adventure in pursuit of the new Pulsion watches, including a Skeleton Flying Tourbillon in titanium.

TO BREAK THE RULES, YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THEM. THE WATCH THAT BROKE ALL THE RULES, REBORN FOR 2012. IN 1972, THE ORIGINAL ROYAL OAK SHOCKED THE WATCHMAKING WORLD AS THE FIRST HAUTE HOROLOGY SPORTS WATCH TO TREAT STEEL AS A PRECIOUS METAL. TODAY THE NEW ROYAL OAK COLLECTION STAYS TRUE TO THE SAME PRINCIPLES SET OUT IN LE BRASSUS ALL THOSE YEARS AGO: “BODY OF STEEL, HEART OF GOLD”.

OVER 130 YEARS OF HOROLOGICAL CRAFT, MASTERY AND EXQUISITE DETAILING LIE INSIDE THIS ICONIC MODERN EXTERIOR; THE ALWAYS PURPOSEFUL ROYAL OAK ARCHITECTURE NOW EXPRESSED IN 41MM DIAMETER. THE AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK: CELEBRATING 40 YEARS.

ROYAL OAK IN STAINLESS STEEL. SELFWINDING MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT.

The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, F1, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company. All rights reserved.

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CLASSIC WATCH YOUR TIME 29

“ citizen kane ”

[ orson welles, 1941 ]

A NEW CINEMATOGR APHIC L ANGUAGE FOR THE CONSTANTLY REINVENTED CL ASSIC WATCH. --o------- christophe roulet Originally conceived as a means of telling the time, the watch has since embraced scientific progress, astronomical observation, and innovative materials. Yet however outmoded this time-telling function may seem today, the classic watch is no less an exercise in style.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN MALTE SMALL SECONDS. VACHERON CONSTANTIN’S MALTE COLLECTION, NOTABLE FOR ITS TONNE AU-SHAPED CASES WHICH FIRST APPE ARED AT THE MANUFACTURE IN 1912, HAS ALWAYS LEF T THE DOOR WIDE OPEN TO COMPLICATIONS. THE COLLECTION IS NOW

c

itizen Kane, Orson Welles‘ first film, released in 1941, is considered by many to be the greatest movie of all times. In The Third Man, directed

by Carol Reed (1949), the same Orson Welles delivers the cult speech that in five hundred years of democracy and peace, Switzerland produced nothing but the cuckoo clock! There may be an element of truth in this, and anyway the valiant Swiss would be wrong to take offence at such a claim. In the sixty-odd years since the film came out, Swiss watchmaking survived the ompletely biggest knockback in its history, when quartz took the industry completely les today. by surprise, and has bounced back to all but dominate global sales Presumably with more than cuckoo clocks.

CLASSICS REVISITED

© TORKIL GUDNASON

Other countries before Switzerland excelled in the measurement nt of time. The Alpine nation began its conquest of all things horological al in day. the sixteenth century to reach the enviable position it occupies today. tise, This position is all the more important as it is grounded in expertise, a capacity for innovation, and creativity which the advent of the wristneering watch at the turn of the twentieth century would confirm. This pioneering s. spirit is very much alive today, as watchmakers skilfully remind us.

COMPLE TED BY AN E XCEP TIONALLY SOBER MODEL DISPL AYING HOURS, MINUTES AND SMALL SECONDS, SOME THING PURISTS WILL RECOGNISE AS ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDING E XERCISES IN ST YLE A WATCHMAKER CAN UNDERTAKE . THE HOUR , MINUTE AND SECONDS HANDS ARE DRIVEN

BY THE VACHERON CONSTANTIN CALIBRE 4400, WITH SMALL SECONDS AT 6 O’CLOCK . PROOF OF THE E XTREME CARE AFFORDED TO ITS RELIABILIT Y AND SUPERL ATIVE FINISH, IT IS HALLMARKED WITH THE POINÇON DE GENÈ VE, SYMBOL OF E XCELLENCE AND SAVOIRFAIRE IN WATCHMAKING.

30 WATCH YOUR TIME CLASSIC

This tribute tr has found a natural outlet in new interpretations of classic contemporary watches; those which have left an indelible impression for their pure form, timeless aesthetic, and the enduri enduring elegance which has prompted remarkable developments in extra-thin movements.

In this, watchmakers obey one of the tenets of Bauhaus, the German school of the 1920s, that form m must follow function. The ultimate classic watch, the “three hander” with its hours, minutes and seconds, se reminds us why, in an age when we no longer rely on a watch to give the hour — we are surrounded by electronic devices that do this very well — we still wear time on our wrist.

TANK ANGLAISE DE CARTIER .

AF TER THE TANK AMÉRICAINE AND THE TANK FR ANÇAISE, THE TANK ANGL AISE COMES AS A LOGICAL PROGRESSION. IT IS PROPOSED IN THREE CASE SIZES, FOR MEN AND WOMEN, AND IN THREE COLOURS OF GOLD. THE MC 1904 MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT THAT

THE ES ESSENTIAL EXPRESSION

ROLE X OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST II. THE CASE OF THE OYSTER PERPE TUAL DATE JUST II IN ROLESOR , WATER-RESISTANT TO 100 ME TRES, ADOP TS A L ARGER 41-MM DIAME TER ENSURING COMFORT AND ELEGANCE . THE COSC-CERTIFIED MOVEMENT THAT POWERS THE WATCH WAS ENTIRELY DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED BY ROLE X. IT INCORPOR ATES THE PAR ACHROM BAL ANCE SPRING WITH OUTSTANDING SHOCK-RESISTANCE AND ANTI-MAGNE TIC PERFORMANCE, AND THE NEW PAR AFLE X SHOCK ABSORBER , BOTH GUAR ANTEEING PRECISION AND RELIABILIT Y.

DRIVES THE L ARGE MODELS IS

This hasn‘t h escaped the attention of the Manufactures, which cultivate the art of simplicity city with brio. br Their collections, almost without exception, include watches that measure time with minima HH) minimal ado, as the exhibitors at January‘s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) beauti etabeautifully demonstrated. Browsing the aisles, who could ignore the magnificent interpretations o of a tradition of elegant understatement that in one perfect line takes time to its most esse essential. A high-wire act indeed.

One hundred years after the first tonneau form left its workshops, Vacheron Constantin has give alte given its Malte collection a new face with the introduction of four models. They include the Malte Sm a. It Small Seconds Calibre 4400 AS, which conforms to the latest Poinçon de Genève criteria. h has caught the eye of Chief Executive Juan-Carlos Torres, who confesses that ordinarily the ttonneau shape is not one of his favourites. “Our teams have done an exceptional job to develop, lop, over two years, what is indeed a simple hours, minutes and seconds watch but one that flies bute high the brand‘s colours. With this new Malte collection, Vacheron Constantin is paying tribute ntal to a century filled with a wealth of tonneau-shaped creations, and celebrates its fundamental values based on classicism, elegance and technical mastery.”

VISIBLE THROUGH THE DISPL AY BACK OF THE CASE . THE STORY OF THE TANK WATCH NE VER STOPS.

PIAGET ALTIPLANO SKELETON ULTR A-THIN. PURSUING ITS QUEST FOR THE ESSENTIAL , THE ALTIPL ANO COLLECTION FROM PIAGE T IS THE ULTIMATE E XPRESSION OF FORMAL PURIT Y. THIS RE ALIT Y NOW TAKES ON A NEW DIMENSION WITH THE PIAGE T ALTIPL ANO SKELE TON ULTR A-THIN, WHICH CL AIMS A DOUBLE WORLD RECORD: THE WORLD’S THINNEST SELF-WINDING SKELE TON WATCH (5.34 MM) AND THE WORLD’S THINNEST SELF-WINDING SKELE TON MOVEMENT (2.40 MM).

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK E X TR A-THIN. THIS NEW MODEL LOOKS FOR ALL THE WORLD LIKE THE ORIGINAL ROYAL OAK , CRE ATED 40 YE ARS AGO. FANS WILL APPRECIATE THE “PE TITE TAPISSERIE” DIAL , ALRE ADY A FE ATURE OF THE ROYAL OAK IN 1972, AND WHICH SE TS THE STANDARD FOR THE E XTR A-THIN ROYAL OAK WATCHES. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME CALIBRE 2121 AS THE ORIGINAL , WITH DATE APERTURE, 247 PARTS, AND A HEIGHT OF 3.05 MM.

JAEGER-LECOULTRE GR ANDE REVERSO 1931 ROUGE. JAEG THE G GR ANDE RE VERSO 1931 ROUGE REINTERPRE TS THE RED DIALS OF THE 1930 S . EQUIPPED WITH THE HAND-WOUND JAEGER-LECOULTRE CALIBRE 822, IT FE ATURES A L ARGE YE T E XTREMELY SLENDER CASE, AND OFFERS AN UNPRECEDENTED BLEND OF PASSION, CL ASSICISM AND ORIGINALIT Y. NOW UNPR AS IN THE 1930 S , IT E XPRESSES UNCOMPROMISING ST YLISTIC FREEDOM.

RECORD-BREAKERS

VACHERON CONSTANTIN LES UNIVERS INFINIS. LES MÉ TIERS D’ART BY VACHERON CONSTANTIN PERPE TUATE SOME TIMES FORGOT TEN CR AF TS FROM DISTANT ER AS, FORMING A BRIDGE BE T WEEN PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE . THIS SUBTLE ALCHEMY IS NOW ILLUSTR ATED IN THE MÉ TIERS D’ART — LES UNIVERS INFINIS COLLECTION, INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF M.C. ESCHER . IT CALLS UPON TECHNIQUES OF ENAMELLING, GEM-SE T TING, ENGINETURNING AND ENGR AVING. THE SELF-WINDING

Therein lies the crux of the matter, in those two words: technical mastery. Horological elegance necessarily implies a meticulous approach to movements, and the race to produce the “world‘s thinnest calibre” — now considered a complication in its own right — both divides and stimulates brands. Piaget is a master of thin. The Altiplano Skeleton which it presented at the SIHH can claim two records, as the thinnest automatic watch in the world (5.34 mm) powered by the thinnest automatic skeleton movement in the world (2.40 mm), crowning almost a century of achievements in this domain.

Audemars Piguet this year celebrates the 40th anniversary of its legendary Royal Oak with, among others, an extra-thin model with a 39 mm diameter. Says the brand, “if only one timepiece could go down in history, this would be the one. The Royal Oak has been turning heads since 1972, and has made a deep and lasting impression on contemporary watchmaking. The same prestigious steel case houses the same extra-thin mechanical movement, and this very longevity offers eloquent proof of the Royal Oak‘s strength of character.”

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT IS THE CALIBRE 2460, HALLMARKED WITH THE PRESTIGIOUS POINÇON DE GENÈ VE .

DIOR VIII 38 MM AUTOMATIC. THE ULTR A-THIN CASE WITH ITS SUBTLE AT TACHMENTS IS UNCLUT TERED. DIOR VIII AUTOMATIC IS THE EPITOME OF ELEGANCE AND REFINEMENT, E XTENDING INTO A BR ACELE T THE D COMPOSED OF SMALL PYR AMIDS FASHIONED FROM CER AMIC. CASE IN BL ACK HIGH-TECH CER AMIC AND COM STAINLESS STEEL; ROTATING BE ZEL SE T WITH BL ACK CER AMIC PYR AMIDS; TR ANSPARENT SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL STAIN CASE BACK; SWISS-MADE SELF-WINDING MOVEMENT WITH BL ACK L ACQUERED OSCILL ATING WEIGHT.

PIAGET EMPERADOR COUSSIN The world’s thinnest automatic tourbillon watch White gold, 10.4 mm thick Piaget Manufacture movement 1270P Mechanical self-winding tourbillon movement

www.piaget.com

32 WATCH YOUR TIME CLASSIC

CHOPARD CLASSIC. CHO SOBER AND ELEGANT, THE CL ASSIC SOB MARKS THE DEBUT OF A NEW MAR COLLECTION FROM CHOPARD. DRIVEN COL

BY A NEW MECHANICAL MOVEMENT, DESIGNED AND DE VELOPED IN-HOUSE, DES PRODUCED BY CHOPARD’S FLEURIER PRO EBA EBAUCHES WORKSHOPS, IT DR AWS INS INSPIR ATION FROM THE MAGNIFICENT

TIC. CHANEL J12 CHROMATIC. SS DE VELOPED BY CHANEL IN ITS SWISS UR WORKSHOPS, THE CHROMATIC COLOUR RST ORIGINATES IN A T WENT Y-FIRST IC. CENTURY MATERIAL: TITANIUM CER AMIC. RE ALMOST AS HARD AS SAPPHIRE, MORE SE VIBR ANT THAN GOLD, MORE INTENSE HE THAN PL ATINUM, IT ENHANCES THE ES. NEW GENER ATION OF J12 WATCHES.

POC POCKE T WATCHES FOR WHICH LOUIS-

ND OSCILL ATING BE T WEEN BL ACK AND

ULY ULYSSE CHOPARD WAS RENOWNED TO

WHITE, CHROMATIC PROJECTS THE J12

SYM SYMBOLISE THE COMING-TOGE THER OF T TR ADITIONAL AND MODERN.

RE WATCH INTO A DIMENSION WHERE NE .

TIME AND MAT TER BECOME ONE

ARPELS PIERRE ARPELS. VAN CLEEF & AR YE ARS SINCE ITS CRE ATION, THE PIERRE ARPELS MORE THAN 60 Y BECOME A TIMEKEEPING ICON. FOR 2012, VAN CLEEF WATCH HAS BEC PRESENTS A NEW INTERPRE TATION WHOSE PURE LINES, & ARPELS PRESE

AN A ABUNDANCE OF CLASSICS

Leavi records aside, other brands have revised their classics. This Leaving his year, A ith A. Lange & Söhne presents its Saxonia Thin in white gold with a height heig of 5.9 mm. Jaeger-LeCoultre‘s Grande Reverso 1931 Rouge “pays ttribute to one of the rarest and most sought-after historical Reverso Reversos.” Parmigiani gives us the Tonda 1950, “chosen for its clean lines, fine profile and the clarity of its proportions.” Cartier proposes its Tank Anglaise as a “logical progression,” a watch that “marks a milestone in the pursuit of pared-down design.” Baume & Mercier‘s Hampton line delivers a message of “authenticity and lineage” with “timeless appeal.” IWC makes similar reference to the past with a reprisal of its Pilote line, initiated in the 1930s, including a Big Pilot‘s Watch Top Gun. At Panerai, the Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days and Luminor 1950 3 Days Power Reserve, both inspired by a rare model from the past, “perfectly express a combination of vintage design and technology.”

The same obsession with purity of line is evident at haute couture houses, which came later to prestige watchmaking, such as Chanel and its J12, presented last year as the Chromatic in an innovative alloy of ceramic and titanium, or Dior whose Dior VIII, a striking blend of sobriety and classicism, quickly made its mark. Further examples of finely-crafted classicism can be seen at Chopard with its L.U.C XP and XPS, Zenith and the Heritage Ultra Thin, Patek Philippe and the extra-thin Golden Ellipse, and Hublot with the Vendôme Zirconium Racing. The list could go on of watchmakers that remain true to timepieces which have conquered the hearts of a public won over to the virtues of sobriety and harmony of form.

CONTEMPOR ARY, CELEBR ATE THE ORIGINAL MODEL WHILE MORE CO AND THE SPIRIT OF ITS CRE ATOR . THE HOURS ON THE ROUND DIAL , REPRESENTED BY B ROMAN NUMER ALS AS BEFITS A CL ASSIC WATCH, STAND OUT WITH THE SAME ELEGANT SIMPLICIT Y AS BEFORE .

ZENITH EL PRIMERO ESPADA .

THE SWISS MANUFACTURE PAYS TRIBUTE TO WATCHMAKING AT ITS MOST CL ASSIC WITH THE ZENITH EL PRIMERO ESPADA . DISPL AYING HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS AND DATE, IT BLENDS ELEGANCE, FINESSE AND SOBRIE T Y TO STUNNING EFFECT. THE RENOWNED EL PRIMERO MOVEMENT, BE ATING AT 36,000 VIBR ATIONS/HOUR , DISPL AYS 1/10TH OF A SECOND PRECISION. THE CASE IS WATERRESISTANT TO 100 ME TRES, THANKS TO THE SCREW-DOWN CROWN.

PANER AI LUMIOR MARINA 1950 3 DAYS. IWC BIG PILOT’S WATCH TOP GUN. THIS YE AR A NEW L ARGE PILOT’S WATCH JOINS IWC’S ELITE SQUADRON: THE BIG PILOT’S WATCH TOP GUN IN A CER AMIC CASE . THIS NEW WATCH MATCHES TR ADITIONAL FUNCTIONS WITH MODERN

HUBLOT CLASSIC FUSION

THE LUMINOR MARINA 1950 3 DAYS IS THE PERFECT

E X TR A-THIN SKELETON. WITH A

E X AMPLE OF VINTAGE DESIGN ASSOCIATED WITH

45 MM DIAME TER , THIS WATCH IS

TECHNOLOGY THAT MAKES A PANER AI WATCH

EQUIPPED WITH A NEW MOVEMENT,

UNIQUE . THE DISTINCTIVE CASE LOOKS TO A R ARE

JUST 2.90 MM HIGH, DE VELOPED BY

VINTAGE MODEL , NOTABLY THE ROUNDED CUSPS

HUBLOT. IT COMES IN A RESOLUTELY

OF THE CASEBAND. THIS WATCH IS POWERED BY

GR APHIC, FULLY SKELE TONISED

THE NEW P 3001 MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT. THE

VERSION THANKS TO WHICH

POWER-RESERVE INDICATOR , POSITIONED ON THE

E XPERT EYES CAN ADMIRE THE

BRIDGE OF THE MOVEMENT, CAN ONLY BE SEEN

REGUL ATING ORGAN OF BAL ANCE

THROUGH THE BACK OF THE CASE .

AND ESCAPEMENT. ON THE DIAL

TECHNOLOGY, HIGH-TECH

SIDE, NOTE THE SMALL SECONDS

MATERIALS, AND INNOVATIVE

AT 7 O’CLOCK AND THE HANDS THAT

DESIGN DE TAILS. THE 51111

MATCH THE DESIGN OF THE VERY

MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT

FIRST HUBLOT WATCHES.

IS ONE OF THE TOP SELFWINDING MOVEMENTS TO BE MADE BY IWC, WITH ITS SE VEN-DAY POWER

BEAUTY TO BEHOLD

RESERVE .

TISSOT LE LOCLE EDITION AUTOMATIC CHRONOMETER .

BUILDING ON LE ADING-EDGE E XPERTISE, SE THIS WATCH IS POWERED BY A MECHANICAL MOVEMENT WHOSE ABSOLUTE PRECISION IS CERTIFIED BY THE CONTRÔLE OFFICIEL SUISSE DES CHRONOMÈ TRES. THIS SOPHISTICATED CALIBRE IS VISIBLE THROUGH THE FINELY ENGR AVED CASE BACK . LIKE THE MOVEMENT THAT DRIVES IT, THE TISSOT LE LOCLE EDITION AUTOMATIC CHRONOME TER IS THE EPITOME OF ELEGANCE, REFINEMENT AND PRESTIGE .

Another virtue of the so-called simple watch is to provide a canvas for the métiers d‘art, the “art “artistic crafts” which are now as much a part of prestige watchmaking as watchmaking itse Here too, brands astound us with their mastery. Chasing, engraving, enamelling, stoneitself. set setting, marquetry, carving, miniature painting, lacquer… watchmaking is heir to techniques tha transform dials into works of art. Cartier d‘Art by Cartier, Extraordinary Dials by Van Cleef that &A Arpels, Les Métiers d’Art by Vacheron Constantin, Limelight Garden Party by Piaget, Atmos Ma Marqueterie

by Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Talk to Me by Harry Winston are some of the collections tha use these crafts to stunning effect on watches for men and women. that The classic watch can face the future with confidence. Unlike the flights of fancy that smother time with hands, apertures, rotating discs and other markers, it graces the wrist with a simplicity and an elegance that instantly draw the eye. But do not be fooled by this simple appearance.

Manufacturers concur that a watch which gives the time, and just the time, is a formidable achievement that can leave no detail unattended, where architecture takes precedence over the complexity of the movement, and which elevates the very measurement of time. In a word, the essence of watchmaking.

ˇ

JEWELLERY WATCH YOUR TIME 37

“ quai des orfèvres ” [ henri-georges clouzot, 1947 ]

AN INVESTIGATION INTO COVETOUSNESS, CUT LIKE A PIECE OF FINE JEWELLERY. --o------- paolo de vecchi I have chosen Quai des Orfèvres, the masterpiece by French filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot, shot in black and white in Paris in 1947, to give context to this article devoted to the art of jewellery watches. One might interpret it as a simple reference to a particular place but, as the plot unfolds, it becomes obvious that the name of this street (an “orfèvre” is a goldsmith) is the address of the French capital’s police headquarters, and that the scenes are not concerned with the thefts and the mysterious disappearance of precious objects, that this is not a romantic love story sealed with an incredible jewel, but instead a proper detective mystery with the fascinating Suzy Delair as the female lead.

PIAGET LIMELIGHT GARDEN PART Y. PIAGE T CONCEIVED ITS LIMELIGHT GARDEN PART Y COLLECTION LIKE A DANCE, SOWING DIAMONDS AND PRECIOUS STONES ALONG ITS WAY. THE PIAGE T ROSE, REMARK ABLE FOR ITS VOLUP TUOUS SHAPE, IS THE QUEEN OF THIS ENCHANTING SE T TING. THIS FLOWER HAS ALSO SEDUCED THE MASTER WATCHMAKERS WHO HAVE MADE IT BLOOM ON A SECRE T WATCH, SWEEPING TIME INTO AN ENTR ANCING WORLD. THE 18K ROSE GOLD AND WHITE MOTHER-OF-PE ARL CASE OF THIS LIMELIGHT SECRE T WATCH

t

bject of this article is more he link between Clouzot’s film and the subject symbolic, and relates to the way in which the film was conceived and made. The complexity of the plot and dialogues, the attention to detail in the interior scenes filmed at Neuilly Studios and the scenes filmed in the streets e way they are precisely and of Paris, the creation of the characters and the mith — and the happy ending brilliantly portrayed — like the work of a goldsmith wellery itself. The excellence with love triumphing, is a good evocation of jewellery ved the Best Director award of Clouzot’s film was recognised when it received at the Venice Festival.

© TORKIL GUDNASON

ment of The same excellence is applied to the measurement time, as we are discussing watches here: jewelss for ast the wrist designed especially for women — at least ain terms of the European market — which emphassise the preciousness of the object and the aesd thetic pleasure it offers, values that go far beyond the perfect execution of the technical features of nthe watch. The same can be said for a film conich sidered by the critic to be a masterpiece, in which the construction of the plot and the attention to detail go beyond formal specifications into the realm of art.

IS SE T WITH 185 BRILLIANT-CUT DIAMONDS. IT RE VE ALS AN 18K ROSE GOLD DIAL SE T WITH 101 BRILLIANTCUT DIAMONDS. PIAGE T 56P QUARTZ MOVEMENT, 18K ROSE GOLD BUCKLE SE T WITH 51 BRILLIANT-CUT DIAMONDS, WHITE SATIN STR AP.

TS PATEK PHILIPPE 7140R . PATEK PHILIPPE E XTENDS ITS OR COLLECTION OF GR ANDE COMPLICATION TIMEPIECES FOR

38 WATCH YOUR TIME JEWELLERY

ST WOMEN WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE L ADIES FIRST LFPERPE TUAL CALENDAR . DRIVEN BY THE E XTR A-THIN, SELFAL WINDING CALIBRE 240Q , THIS WATCH MATCHES TECHNICAL ST SOPHISTICATION WITH A REFINED AESTHE TIC, NOT LE AST THE ELEGANT ROSE GOLD CASE OF PARTICUL ARLY SLENDER ER PROPORTIONS. THE BE ZEL IS SE T WITH 68 DIAMONDS. S.

TWO MAIN SCHOOLS

THE MAGIC OF VIII

CHARLIZE THERON, THE FACE OF DIOR , EMBODIES ITS NEW DIOR VIII WATCHES.

In this respect, watchmaking is divided into two main schools: on the one hand there are brands created to produce instruments to measure time, and which adopt a more jewellery-centred approach in order to reflect market demand; on the other hand there are those coming from a pure jewellery tradition which have, over time, applied their expertise to watches.

Buyers will become more familiar with one or the other — the two approaches are profoundly different but no less credible in their respective stylistic choices — depending on their individual tastes and brand preferences. While it seems obvious that watches have gradually developed from a strictly practical object into a purely emotional one, as well as a symbol of social status and personal taste, this is particularly true of jewellery watches, whose primary purpose is to impress the feminine sensibility, and whose role of measuring time is of secondary importance behind their value and creativity. This fascinating balance between jewellery and watchmaking opens up a wide range of exciting possibilities.

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK QUART Z. BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN, AND THE POWERFUL CONTOURS OF THE ORIGINAL ROYAL OAK FOR THIS SMALL 33-MM MODEL . ALL THE FE ATURES THAT PROPELLED THE FIRST PRESTIGE SPORTS WATCH TO FAME ARE HERE . THE CASE, THE BE ZEL SE T WITH 40 BRILLIANT-CUT DIAMONDS, THE CROWN, THE BR ACELE T AND THE FOLDING CL ASP ARE ALL CR AF TED FROM STAINLESS STEEL . ALTERNATING SATIN-FINISH AND

LIKE A HAUTE COUTURE GOWN,

POLISHED SURFACES ACCENTUATE THE CLE AN LINE OF THIS ROYAL OAK .

ELEGANT TO THE HE ART OF ITS LINING, DIOR TAKES CONCERN FOR DE TAIL TO THE HIGHEST LE VEL

To give one example among many, we can see how Rolex has chosen the prestigious route to industrial excellence, advancing serenely ahead of everyone, simply by creating women’s versions of its iconic Oyster and Perpetual watches. Like passwords, these two names effectively serve to denote the famous water-resistant case and the new mechanism developed by the brand with its five-point crown.

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Rolex headquarters in Geneva and saw with my own eyes the sizeable deliveries of gold ingots and the large laboratory specialising in the selection and grading of precious stones, particularly diamonds. It could be said, then, that in spite of the fact that the brand’s approach has generally been to extend existing collections, this is not simply a question of embellishing watches with a few precious gems, but an operation conducted in true Rolex style, with a perfect mastery of materials and technologies.

And, a specific effort to set a common stylistic tone for all the collections, which is certainly one of the reasons for the brand’s global success.

IN THE DIFFERENT DIOR VIII GR AND BAL WATCHES, EQUIPPED WITH THE SELF-WINDING “DIOR INVERSÉ” CALIBRE . THE OSCILLATING WEIGHT WALTZES ON THE DIAL SIDE, SPARKLING WITH DIAMONDS.

THE PARISIAN HAUTE COUTURE HOUSE HAS COME UP TRUMPS WITH THE DIOR VIII, NAMED AFTER CHRISTIAN DIOR’S LUCKY NUMBER WHICH — BY MAGIC OR COINCIDENCE, WHO KNOWS — APPEARS THROUGHOUT THE COMPANY’S HISTORY. MONSIEUR DIOR OPENED HIS COUTURE HOUSE ON OCTOBER 8TH 1946 IN THE 8TH ARRONDISSEMENT OF PARIS, WHERE HE PRESENTED HIS FIRST COLLECTION, EN HUIT. WHEN THE COMPANY OPENED AT 8, PLACE VENDÔME, IT MARKED THE OCCASION WITH A LINE OF WATCHES WHOSE TIMELESS, FEMININE QUALITIES ARE UNMISTAKABLY DIOR. AFTER D DE DIOR IN 2003, CHIFFRE ROUGE A YEAR LATER, THEN CHRISTAL, LAUNCHED IN 2005, THE FOURTH COLLECTION OF DIOR WATCHES COULD BE NOTHING LESS THAN SUPERB. AND SUPERB IT IS. “IT’S THE WATCH CHRISTIAN DIOR WOULD HAVE DESIGNED,” SAYS LAURENCE NICOLAS WHO HEADS DIOR WATCHES AND JEWELLERY. “IT HAS AN ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE WHICH IS VERY MUCH IN EVIDENCE AT DIOR.” LIKE THE BAR JACKET (1947), LADY DIOR BAG (1995) AND J’ADORE FRAGRANCE (1999), THE DIOR VIII REFLECTS CHRISTIAN DIOR’S CONVICTION THAT “LUXURY IS

VACHERON CONSTANTIN MALTE SMALL MODEL.

ABOVE ALL ABOUT SIMPLICITY.” THE EPITOME OF ELEGANCE

VACHERON CONSTANTIN PAYS ITS TRIBUTE TO L ADIES WHO PREFER FORM WATCHES WITH THIS MALTE

WITH ITS ULTRA-SLIM CASE, THE DIOR VIII PLACES EQUAL EMPHASIS ON HOROLOGICAL EXPERTISE AND REFERENCES TO HAUTE COUTURE. THE DIOR VIII LIVES UP TO CHRISTIAN

SMALL MODEL . THE CURVED, 28.3 x 38.7 MM CASE IN

HUBLOT

ROSE GOLD HOUSES THE CALIBRE 1202 QUARTZ

BIG BANG

MOVEMENT. HOUR MARKERS, WITH ROMAN NUMER ALS

HAUTE JOAILLERIE.

AT 6 AND 12 O’CLOCK , BE AUTIFULLY ACCENTUATE

DIOR’S BELIEF THAT “ELEGANCE IS A WHOLE IN WHICH THE

THE DIAMONDS AROUND THE BE ZEL TO CRE ATE A

INVISIBLE IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE VISIBLE.” THE WATCH WAS

STUNNING CONTR AST BE T WEEN HOROLOGICAL

AF TER ITS UNFORGE T TABLE ALL-DIAMOND ONE MILLION $ WATCHES, HUBLOT

CL ASSICISM AND JEWELLERY SPARKLE .

PRESENTS A BIG BANG

DEVELOPED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS AT DIOR’S ATELIERS

HAUTE JOAILLERIE THAT

IN LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS, SWITZERLAND. CLEARLY LEARLY INSPIRED

HAS NOTHING TO ENV Y ITS

BY HAUTE COUTURE, THE DIOR VIII GRAND BAL AL VERSIONS ARE

PRESTIGIOUS “BIG SISTERS” IN TERMS OF SPARKLE . THIS

EQUIPPED WITH THE AUTOMATIC DIOR INVERSÉ SÉ CALIBRE WITH

MODEL CALLS ON THE MOST

THE OSCILLATING WEIGHT ON THE DIAL SIDE E IN WHITE GOLD

SOPHISTICATED SE T TING

SET WITH DIAMONDS. ONLY A VERY SPECIAL PERSON COULD

TECHNIQUES TO WR AP ITSELF IN DIAMONDS.

EMBODY SUCH AN EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION, ON, AND SO DIOR TURNED TO CHARLIZE THERON, ALREADY THE BEAUTIFUL FACE OF J’ADORE DE DIOR, TO BECOME THE AMBASSADRESS CHOPARD IMPERIALE TOURBILLON FULL SET.

FOR THIS NEW W TIMEPIECE. E.D.

AS IMPRESSIVE ON THE INSIDE AS IT IS DA ZZLING ON THE OUTSIDE, THE NEW IMPERIALE TOURBILLON FULL SE T IS A MASTERPIECE OF WATCHMAKING AND JEWELLERY, T WO ARE AS IN WHICH CHOPARD E XCELS. ITS CHRONOME TER-CERTIFIED TOURBILLON MOVEMENT IS HALLMARKED WITH THE POINÇON DE GENÈ VE . IT RESIDES INSIDE AN 18K WHITE GOLD CASE WITH AN 18K WHITE GOLD DIAL , BOTH FULLY PAVED WITH DIAMONDS USING VIRTUALLY E VERY STONE-SE T TING TECHNIQUE .

40 WATCH YOUR TIME JEWELLERY

ROLE X OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST SPECIAL EDITION. FROM THE OUTSE T, THE E VEROSE GOLD, AN ALLOY OF GOLD AND TITANIUM, OF

THE AMERICAN ACTRESS CAMERON DIA Z IS THE NEW FACE OF

THE CASE, BR ACELE T AND BE ZEL SE TS THE TONE FOR THIS NEW ROLE X OYSTER

TAG HEUER .

PERPE TUAL DATE JUST SPECIAL EDITION. THE FOLIAGE MOTIF SE T AGAINST THE MOTHER-OF-PE ARL DIAL HAS BEEN ME TICULOUSLY DR AWN WITH GOLD DUST. A WATER-RESISTANT CHRONOME TER DRIVEN BY A SELF-WINDING MECHANICAL MOVEMENT, THERE CAN BE NO MISTAKING THAT THIS IS AN OYSTER .

NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

CHANEL J12 CHROMATIC. FASHIONED FROM TITANIUM CER AMIC, AN INNOVATIVE AND HIGHLY RESISTANT MATERIAL DE VELOPED BY CHANEL , WITH UNIQUE COLOUR SHIF TS AND VIRTUALLY AS HARD AS SAPPHIRE, THE J12 CHROMATIC DA ZZLES WITH THE 366 DIAMONDS ON ITS BE ZEL , BR ACELE T AND DIAL . SELF-WINDING MECHANICAL MOVEMENT WITH A 42-HOUR POWER RESERVE .

WATER-RESISTANT TO 50 ME TRES.

In a very different spirit, and with very different requirements, TAG Heuer focuses on maintaining its identity of sporting prowess and prestige by offering grand prix watches in more basic versions, denuded of their precious stones. Faithful to its marketing-driven strategy, the new jewellery watches of the Formula 1 line, until now only available in men’s styles, are benefiting from the image of the beautiful tennis champion Maria Sharapova, in contrast to the models designed for men which are represented by the racing driver Lewis Hamilton. The most elaborate watch, the Ying Yang, not only uses the “beautiful rebels” campaign with the two champions almost opposed on the male/female sides, but magnifies it with the Chinese symbol for the balance of contrasts, represented on the dial by black and white diamonds which are also set in the bezel and bracelet, totalling 7.36 carats.

Hublot can be placed in the same stylistic context, along with, on various levels, all brands that belong to the most traditional watchmaking workshops. In this respect, the position of Audemars Piguet, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its Royal Oak this year, is typical: initially a sporty men’s watch, it was adapted for women simply by adjusting the size and setting it with diamonds.

In this group of Swiss-made watch brands we also find Vacheron Constantin, a longstanding brand which has distinguished itself recently by its successful use — in terms of both the choice of themes and the quality of execution — of dials finished in multicoloured enamel. This is very refined work, like that of the jeweller. Cartier also excels in this technique, but with this brand, the focus is different. Cartier is one of the best-known names in jewellery and, at a certain point in its history, it successfully ventured into the world of watchmaking. Compared to brands who fo focus mainly on measuring time, Cartier is more at ease with its creativity in terms of its formal ch choices and combinations of materials. Although its watches are made in Switzerland, Cartier’s p products are more closely associated with French tastes, in the same way that Bulgari and Harry W Winston reflect Italian and American tastes, respectively.

TAG HEUER LINK LADY DIAMOND STAR .

THE DIAMOND STAR IS A JEWEL IN THE LINK L ADY CROWN. ITS SELF-WINDING MOVEMENT FLOATS IN SPACE, WHILE THE OSCILL ATING WEIGHT FLIES AROUND IN A CAREFULLY CHOREOGR APHED DANCE . DIAMONDS MIMIC SHOOTING STARS IN THE VASTNESS OF THE MILK Y WAY. THE DIAL AND THE BACK OF THE CASE MYSTERIOUSLY VANISH, LE AVING THE JEWELLER’S ART FREE TO E XPRESS ITSELF.

R ALPH L AUREN 867. ART DECO’S CLE AN, GEOME TRIC LINES PRODUCED A TIMELESS BE AUT Y. R ALPH L AUREN HAS IMAGINED THE 867 WATCHES AS A TRIBUTE TO THIS EPOCH, WITH THEIR SUPERBLY SLENDER SILHOUE T TE, ELEGANT GUILLOCHÉ AND MASTERFUL GEM-SE T TING. AN AESTHE TIC THAT COMES THIS YE AR AS A MODEL WHOSE ULTR A-THIN MOVEMENT (2.1 MM) WAS MADE BY PIAGE T FOR R ALPH L AUREN.

BVLGARI SERPENTI JEWELLERY. THE SERPENTI BY BVLGARI HAS, FOR YE ARS, LEF T ITS MARK ON THE WORLD OF JEWELLERY AND WATCHES. THIS ICONIC WRIST WATCH NOW COLOURS ITS SCALES WITH JE T-BL ACK ENAMEL AND SE TS THEM WITH BRILLIANTCUT DIAMONDS ON DIAPHANOUS ROSE GOLD COILS. THE BR ACELE T E XTENDS TO FORM THE CASE, ENCRUSTED WITH SIX BRILLIANT-

AN EVOCATIVE AND PROGRESSIVE PLOT

Set apart from these preoccupations with styles and national origins, but with a very feminine passion for the effect created by a brand of watches, jewellery and accessories, we find Chopard which, for years, has captured attention through the constant development of its Happy Diamonds and Sport lines, born from the extravagant and playful idea of using unset precious stones, allowing them to move freely between crystal and dial.

Taking this approach one step further, we come to brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre and Piaget which, in a way, are at the frontier between watchmaking and jewellery in as much as they are always looking to create new pieces that are not just original and precious, but also completely detached from the rest of the collection, while still reflecting a traditional vision of measuring time. This is also true of Breguet which, while remaining loyal to the knowledge of AbrahamLouis Breguet who was considered to be the greatest of the modern era, demonstrates with its Queen of Naples collection its extreme technical refinement and feminine styling, with the unusual drop-shaped case adorned with diamonds, featuring an off-centre hour chapter on a mother-of-pearl dial.

Women’s watches present a highly evocative plot in different episodes, just like a film, full of tension in the quest to strike the difficult balance between the rigour of instruments used to measure time and the desire to seduce with the sparkle of precious stones. Without this balance, one aspect could dominate, and risk ridiculing the other. ly on men’s watches, Through their policy and tradition of focusing solely brands like IWC and Panerai carefully avoid this risk,, while for another m the world of segment of watchmaking, which comes straight from med to dazfashion, the question does not even arise. Accustomed zling with designer clothing and accessories, brandss like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Ralph Lauren have successfullyy created esirable their own styles of watches that have proved highly desirable act, this from the moment they appeared on the market. In fact, ct rules stylistic originality is actually based on the very strict of watchmaking.

ˇ

CUT DIAMONDS ON E ACH SIDE OF THE BL ACK SAPPHIRE DIAL WHOSE 12 HOUR MARKERS ARE SE T WITH 33 DIAMONDS.

GUCCI BAMBOO. THE ITALIAN FIRM PRESENTS A NEW MODEL IN ITS BAMBOO COLLECTION, IN STEEL AND HANDCR AF TED BAMBOO. E ACH ONE IS INDIVIDUALLY MADE, AS ARE THE BAGS IN THE GUCCI COLLECTION WHOSE HANDLES ARE ALSO IN BAMBOO. THIS NATUR AL MATERIAL IS SCULP TED BY HAND TO BECOME THE FOCAL POINT OF THIS RESOLUTELY MODERN TIMEPIECE .

42 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS

UNCOMMON TIMEPIECES

Introduced last year, the TimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph (both the minute and seconds chronograph hands “fly back”) returns this year as the GreyTech in shades-of-grey titanium with an in-house movement. The Nicolas Rieussec collection welcomes the Open Hometime Chronograph.

True to form, all the functions with the exception of the g p date, secoff-centre hours and minutes — chronograph, ond time zone, day/night indication — are displayed on

THE WORLD OF HIGH FREQUENCIES

This chronograph draws us into the world of high frequencies, watchmaking’s favourite new haunt. Advantage number one: increasing the number of beats reduces sensitivity to external factors such as gravity, shocks or jerks of the wrist, thereby increasing reliability. The main advang however, relates to precision which is watchmakers’ tage, main concern. conce Theoretically, the faster the balance wheel (the regulat regulating organ) oscillates, the smaller and therefore more accurate a the division of time. A movement beating at 5 Hz (36,000 vibrations/hour) will divide time into tenths of a second. Multiply this by ten to 50 Hz (360,000 vibratio vibrations/hour), and the movement measures interw ten times greater precision to a hundredth vals with of a second. However, Montblanc has pulled a ra rabbit out of a hat and succeeded in obtaining th thousandths of a second from a movement that sshould only measure hundredths. Without going in into technical detail, the company has found a no novel means of connecting the chronograph sec seconds hand, which laps the dial once a second, to a wheel which receives 100 impulses during this second. Which gives a thousandth. Truly an accomplis accomplishment.

Equally noteworthy not this year are the Montblanc Villeret 1858 Régulateur Régu Nautique Set, a tribute to timekeeping at sea, and a collection of watches, jewellery and writing instruments which celebrate Princess Grace of Monaco with a rose motif, her favourite flower.

Christophe Roulet MONTBLANC PAYS TRIBUTE TO TIMEKEEPING AT SEA, AND PRESENTS THE

TIMEWALKER T WINFLY GREY TECH. A YE AR AGO,

RÉGULATEUR NAUTIQUE TIMEPIECE SET IN THE VILLERET 1858 COLLECTION. EACH

MONTBL ANC RE APED THE HONOURS FOR ITS TIMEWALKER

SET COMPRISES A WRIST CHRONOGRAPH WITH A REGULATOR DIAL AND SECOND

T WINFLY, AN IN-HOUSE MOVEMENT THAT FE ATURES A ONCE

TIME ZONE, AND A MARINE CHRONOMETER WHICH, AS WELL AS DISPLAYING

SOUGHT-AF TER BUT NOW NEGLECTED FUNCTION: THE

THREE TIME ZONES ON ITS MAIN REGULATOR DIAL, INDICATES WORLD TIME.

ME ASUREMENT OF SHORT INTERVALS BY AN EL APSED-

—

SECONDS HANDS AND A 60-MINUTE COUNTER AT THE CENTRE

THE MONTBL ANC TIMEWRITER II CHRONOGR APHE BI-FRÉQUENCE 1000

OF THE DIAL . THIS YE AR , MONTBL ANC UNVEILS A SECOND

IS ANOTHER TECHNICAL TOUR DE FORCE . SO THAT FULL AT TENTION CAN

GREY TECH VERSION IN TITANIUM, ALL IN SHADES OF GREY.

BE GIVEN TO THE TECHNICAL REFINEMENTS OF THIS E XTR AORDINARY MECHANICAL CHRONOGR APH, PRECISE TO A THOUSANDTH OF A SECOND, ITS E XTERIOR IS ENTIRELY DE VOTED TO HIGHLIGHTING THE REFINEMENT AND BE AUT Y OF THE MOVEMENT.

the art of time The chronograph again takes pride of place at Montblanc, not least with the TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1000, a mechanical chronograph that measures thousandths of a second. An exploit indeed.

rotating discs. However, taking the honours this year is the TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1000, a mechanical chronograph which measures elapsed time with thousandth-of-a-second precision. An exploit in the field of watchmaking, and a stroke of genius.

Montblanc isn’t one to boast. Demand for certain ranges is so high that the brand can no longer keep pace; its watch business is now growing faster than its writing instruments, a segment in which it is a market leader; some of its timepieces have already been labelled technical and aesthetic masterpieces. And yet Alexander Schmiedt, since 2004 director in charge of watch product development and strategy for the group, claims “we still have a lot to do.” How much has already been done was evident at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in January, in particular in chronographs.

As Montblanc explains, “this watch was created in the context of the TimeWriter concept, which inspires the Fondation Minerva, set up by Montblanc in 2008, to create timepieces at two-year intervals which advance the great tradition of the authentic Swiss art of watchmaking towards its even greater future. Each of these timepieces is a genuine innovation which embodies an entirely new idea, but always transforms that concept into tangible reality through reliance on tradition.

Each demands both broad-based horological expertise and the highest degree of craftsmanly skill.” After the TimeWriter Metamorphosis in 2010, make way for the Bi-Fréquence 1000, devised and built by Spanish watchmaker Bartomeu Gomila.

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SPORT WATCH YOUR TIME 45

“ invictus ” [ clint eastwood, 2009 ]

THE WILL TO TRIUMPH AND TO MASTER TIME. --o------- vincent daveau That Joe Public should wear a mechanical sport watch primarily to project an image hasn’t deterred certain brands from striving to give these watches back their true purpose and challenge quartz on its home turf of precision.

l

ast year we fêted the Oyster Perpetual Explorer II, a sport watch which Rolex launched for adventure-seekers 40 years ago. This year we celebrate another 40th anniversary; that of a legend in luxury sport watches, the Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet which pointed high-end watchmaking in a new direction. From the mid-1930s until the end of the Seventies, wristwatches served a purpose. At which point they were rendered obsolete by the advent of quartz timers, designed specifically for use in sport. Rather than give their mechanical timepieces an identifiable function, brands took advantage of their manly image to define them as status symbols for the urban adventurer.

CHOPARD GT XL CHRONO SPEED SILVER .

IN 2011, CHOPARD PRESENTED THE MILLE MIGLIA GT XL CHRONO ROSSA CORSA , A TRIBUTE TO THE RED OF CL ASSIC ITALIAN R ACING CARS. NOW A NEW MODEL JOINS THE R ACING COLOURS COLLECTION, THE SPEED SILVER WHOSE ME TAL SHEEN IS THAT OF THE SILVER ARROWS, THE LEGENDARY GERMAN CARS THAT DOMINATED THE

© TORKIL GUDNASON

The Royal Oak, which blazed a trail in the 1970s, and Rolex‘s Oyster collections, which in the 1980s symbolised luxury with sporting flair, have been joined over the past decade and a half by new models with powerful potential. Think Panerai which, since 1997, has dominated the market for übermasculine, sporting watches. IWC also appeals to white-collar virility with men-only collections that have grabbed a substantial slice of the market.

Baume & Mercier, which last year engineered a complete repositioning of its collections, has made its mark on the buoyant sport-chic segment with the new Capeland chronographs. Their vintage design, tweaked for the twenty-first century, is exactly the image a young exec has of a product that is both traditional and dynamic. Not to mention the J12 by Chanel whose sporting allure gives a modern twist to the city watch.

R ACING CIRCUIT IN THE 1930 S .

46 WATCH YOUR TIME SPORT

A PIECE OF THE ACTION

Over the past few years, however, watchmakers have no longer been content to update models which once served a purpose in track and field, and have set out to make timepieces that will provide athletes with useful functions. Yet despite brands‘ best efforts, motor sport fans are still crying out for a specialised, high-performance watch for the racing circuit. When your heart beats for all things mechanical, quartz can only ever be second-best. Though more prestigious, through lack of any real innovation, mechanical mech timepieces only skim the surface of this sport.

OMEGA SEAMASTER AQUA TERR A GMT. OMEGA PRESENTS THE SE AMASTER SEAMAS

LOUIS VUIT TON TAMBOUR

AQUA TERR A GMT, GM A NEW WATCH IN ITS E XCLUSIVE R ANGE OF CO-A XIAL

REGAT TA AMERICA’S CUP. CRE ATED BY

MOVEMENTS. TH THE CO-A XIAL 8605/8615 CALIBRE IS THE FIRST OMEGA

LOUIS VUIT TON FOR THE AMERICA’S

MOVEMENT TO IN INCLUDE A GMT COMPLICATION. ALONGSIDE THE CENTR AL

CUP, THE TAMBOUR REGAT TA

HOURS, MINUTES AND SECONDS HANDS, THE GMT HAND SWEEPS THE DIAL

WATCHES FE ATURE A COUNTDOWN

IN 24 HOURS TO INDICATE THE TIME IN T WO DIFFERENT TIME ZONES.

FUNCTION IN ADDITION TO A FLYBACK CHRONOGR APH. THE L ATEST MODEL IN THE COLLECTION IS EQUIPPED WITH A FIVE-MINUTE MECHANICAL COUNTDOWN, AS OPPOSED TO THE USUAL 15 MINUTES, BRINGING IT INTO LINE WITH NEW RULES. A SPECIFICIT Y THAT ONLY LOUIS VUIT TON PROPOSES.

ZENITH PILOT DOUBLEMATIC. TIME IN MA JOR WORLD CITIES IS DISPL AYED ON ONE DISC ON THE FL ANGE, WHILE A SECOND DISC INDICATES DAY AND NIGHT. THE PILOT DOUBLEMATIC INCORPOR ATES A CHRONOGR APH, AND IS POWERED BY T WO BARRELS: ONE FOR TIMEKEEPING AND ONE FOR THE AL ARM FUNCTION. THE SKELE TONISED ROTOR OF THE EL PRIMERO 4046 SELF-WINDING MECHANICAL MOVEMENT IS VISIBLE THROUGH THE SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL DISPL AY BACK .

IWC PILOT’S WATCH DOUBLE CHRONOGR APH. THE FUN FUNCTIONAL DESIGN OF THE PILOT’S WATCH DOUBLE CHRONOGR APH AP UNDERPINS THE SUCCESS OF THE MODELS TODAY TODAY, INSPIRED BY VIN VINTAGE IWC WATCHES. THE SE VEN HANDS, TOGE THER WITH THE DATE AND DAY DISPL AY, HAVE BEEN SKILFULLY AND LEGIBLY INTEGR ATED INTO THE SLIGHTLY MODIFIED DIAL , DESIGNED WITH A COCKPIT INSTRUMENT AESTHE TIC, ACCENTUATED BY THE NEW CASE SIZE .

HUBLOT F1™ KING POWER CER AMIC.

With little more to play around with than a tachymeter scale, flyback or split-seconds chrono, brands with a foot in the automotive world have taken to borrowing details from car design.

This has given us carbon dials such as the ones at Oris, which has signed up with the AT&T Williams Formula 1 team. Richard Mille, meanwhile, engineers its cases like engine blocks while the function selector takes its cue from a sequential gearbox. To wit, the new RM 037 which is driven by Mille‘s first in-house movement. Though more instinctive and less fragile in use, it remains the preserve of avant-garde timepieces.

Some brands make more overt references to automotives. Hublot is a case in point. The contours of the bezel and balance which it developed last year for its F1 King Power Tourbillon King Gold Ceramic are lifted from racing-car brake discs. And Hublot is far from alone in finding inspiration under the bonnet. Chopard, an avid admirer of vintage cars, has long made a 1960s Dunlop tyre tread a feature of its Mille Miglia collection. Ending the line-up of auto-inspired watchmakers, TAG Heuer continues to seduce fans with the vintage feel of its Monaco and Carrera lines while maximising readability, much as high-end carmakers do for their dashboard instruments.

AF TER THE PHENOMENALLY SUCCESSFUL F1™ KING POWER AND F1™ KING POWER TOURBILLON, HUBLOT RE TURNS WITH THE THIRD MODEL IN THIS PRESTIGIOUS SERIES, THE F1™ KING POWER CER AMIC DOUBLE-PUSHER CHRONOGR APH. CER AMIC IS THE IDE AL MATERIAL FOR A WATCH, BEING 30% LIGHTER THAN STEEL , 100% HYPOALLERGENIC, 100% UNALTER ABLE AND 100% RUST-PROOF.

THE WINNING FUNCTION

Ultimately, the purpose of a sport watch is to give its wearer the edge over the rest of the field. In terms of functionality, the most popular by far are watches designed for professional and recreational sailors. Simply because the outcome of a regatta can hinge on those final minutes before the race begins and how a boat is positioned on the starting line. When winning or losing isn‘t about thousandths of a second, but comes down to strategy and intelligent time management, a timepiece that counts the minutes on an especially intuitive display will always rate highly.

A lot of old regatta watches risk being put out of business when the America‘s Cup reduces pre-race time from ten to five minutes. The brands associated with the competition are busy bringing their models up to speed. Louis Vuitton, the Cup‘s official timer, proposes two versions of its Tambour Regatta America‘s Cup, one mechanical and one quartz. The mechanical model features a five-minute countdown function. The company, part of the LVMH stable,

AN A RICH ICH H ARD HIGHLANDS. H IG HIGH IGHL L ANDS. ALONGSIDE THE PHOTO JE ANRICHARD PHOTOGR APHER NICK BR ANDT, AN RICHAR ARD IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE BIG LI JE ANRICH ANRICHARD LIFE FOUNDATION AND HAS CRE ATED A LIMITED-EDITION HIGHL ANDS WATCH FOR THE OCCASION. THE BL ACK PVD CASE IS T WINNED WITH A GREEN OUTER ROTATING BE ZEL THAT INDICATES A SECOND TIME ZONE . THE NUMER ALS DI ON THE SOBER BL ACK DIAL HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN IVORY-COLOURED LUMINESCENT COATING.

Embodying watch-making tradition and timeless elegance, the Capeland watch offers a fascinating blend of authenticity and style that keeps in perfect step with lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most precious moments. This emblematic piece features a self-winding mechanical manufacture ďŹ&#x201A;y-back chronograph movement which can be seen through its sapphire crystal case back. www.baume-et-mercier.com

48 WATCH YOUR TIME SPORT

ROLE X OYSTER PERPETUAL E XPLORER II. FORT Y YE ARS AF TER ITS L AUNCH, THE NEW OYSTER PERPE TUAL E XPLORER II WITH ITS L ARGER 42 MM CASE HOUSES THE NEW CALIBRE 3187, DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED BY ROLE X. THE MOVEMENT INCLUDES THE L ATEST ROLE X PATENTED TECHNOLOGIES FOR ITS SHOCK ABSORBERS AND NON-MAGNE TIC BAL ANCE SPRING. THE JUMPING HOUR HAND CAN BE SE T INDEPENDENTLY SO THAT THE GMT FUNCTION IS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 24-HOUR HAND AND BE ZEL .

has also unveiled a nautical version of its mesmerising Spin Time. But when it comes to services rendered, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master II 44mm, which last year came out in Rolesor Everose, still wears the crown. Its countdown can be manually programmed between one and ten minutes, making it eminently qualified for racing under these new rules. It competes even more fiercely with the rare few quartz sailing watches thanks to a flyback function that synchronises the programmed countdown with the official signal. This is also a feature of the Tissot Sailing Touch, and the ultimate guarantee for a skipper that he has the precise start time of the race.

BAUME & MERCIER CAPELAND CHRONOGR APH. DUBBED THE CHRONOGR APH FOR AUTHENTIC MOMENTS, THE CAPEL AND IS A WATCH FOR ALL SE ASONS AND ALL ST YLES. THIS SELF-WINDING CHRONOGR APH HOUSES A FINE QUALIT Y MOVEMENT

Unsurprisingly, given its sponsorship of Loïck Peyron in the Jules Verne Trophy and the America‘s Cup, Corum will have its range of sailing watches, developed in close consultation with Peyron. Expect surprises from TAG Heuer and Omega, also present on the America‘s Cup circuit, with timepieces for match racing. In a different vein, Panerai has endorsed classic sailing boats for a number of years and regularly proposes a functional timepiece for yachting enthusiasts. Seiko, which also has an interest in the sector, has shown it can produce an efficient, competitive model for sailors at the helm of small craft such as 49ers.

AND FE ATURES STRIKING DE TAILS ON THE DIAL SUCH AS AR ABIC NUMER ALS, SUPERLUMINOVA COATING ON THE HANDS, AND TELEME TER AND TACHYME TER SCALES WITH DISTINCTIVE COLOURS AND DESIGNS.

PANER AI LUMINOR MARINA 1950 3 DAYS POWER RESERVE. THIS MODEL HAS A 47 MM POLISHED STEEL CASE WITH THE CL ASSIC LE VER DE VICE TO PROTECT THE CROWN. THE BL ACK DIAL IS IN THE T YPICAL PANER AI ST YLE, WITH SMALL SECONDS AT 9 O’CLOCK .

GUCCI COUPÉ. GUCCI PRESENTS T WO NEW VARIANTS OF ITS COUPÉ WATCH FOR MEN. THIS DELI-

THE DIAL HAS A “SANDWICH” CONSTRUCTION WITH A L AYER OF ECRU SUPER-LUMINOVA

CIOUSLY RE TRO TIMEPIECE, IN ITS ROUNDED-SQUARE, BRUSHED STEEL CASE, IS CLE ARLY ROOTED

BE T WEEN T WO PL ATES THAT EMERGES THROUGH APERTURES THAT FORM THE HOUR

IN THE WORLD OF MOTOR R ACING, NOTABLY ITS L ARGE NUMER ALS THAT RECALL A VINTAGE

MARKERS AND NUMER ALS FOR MA XIMUM LEGIBILIT Y AND DEP TH OF THE DIAL .

SPEEDOME TER . L ARGE DATE AT 12 O’CLOCK AND SMALL SECONDS AT 6 O’CLOCK .

TAG HEUER CARRER A ÉLÉGANCE. THE NEW CARRER A ELEGANCE PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE FIRST CHRONOGR APH WHICH JACK W. HEUER IMAGINED IN 1963, AND WHICH IMMEDIATELY STOOD OUT FOR ITS ELEGANT SIMPLICIT Y, PURE FORMS AND PARED-DOWN DIAL . POWERED BY THE CALIBRE 1887, THE FIRST SERIES CHRONOGR APH TO BE DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED BY TAG HEUER , THE NEW CARRER A ELEGANCE BE AUTIFULLY DEMONSTR ATES THE BR AND’S E XCEP TIONAL E XPERTISE .

PRECISION AS THE ULTIMATE WEAPON EAPON

Of all the information available to athletes, precision timing is still the most important of all. Partly in response to improvements in individual performances and the need to adjudicate close finishes, brands developed timers in the early decades of the 1900s that functioned first with electricity then quartz oscillators.

TAG Heuer delivered its answer to this need for precision in 1916 with counters that measured 1/100th of a second. Minerva took a similar tack. Fifty years later, Girard-Perregaux and other forward-looking manufacturers began investigating high frequencies (36,000 vph) that would increase wristwatch precision.

RICHARD MILLE RM 053. POLO IS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST SPORTS A TOURBILLON WATCH MIGHT HAVE TO ENDURE, WHICH IS WHY RICHARD MILLE CRE ATED FOR PABLO MAC DONOUGH, PARTNER TO THE BR AND, A COMPLE TELY NEW “‘ARMOURED” CASE IN TITANIUM CARBIDE WITH T WO R AISED ARCS LE ADING TO T WO VIEWING WINDOWS. THE MOVEMENT DESIGN AND WINDOWS ARE TILTED AT 30°, THE PERFECT VIEWING ANGLE FROM THE SADDLE .

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK CHRONOGR APH. THE CHRONOGR APH HAS A PL ACE OF ITS OWN IN THE ROYAL OAK COLLECTION AND, TO CELEBR ATE 40 YE ARS OF CONTINUED SUCCESS FOR THE FIRST E VER PRESTIGE SPORTS WATCH, AUDEMARS PIGUE T PRESENTS ITS LEGENDARY ROYAL OAK CHRONOGR APH WHOSE NEW 41 MM DIAME TER MEE TS MODERN E XPECTATIONS. THIS ROYAL OAK CHRONOGR APH IS EQUIPPED WITH THE CALIBRE 2385, A SELF-WINDING MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

Zenith, which has made precision a raison d‘être, in 1969 launched the El Primero whose 1/10th of a second accuracy made it a challenger to the first quartz watches. Four decades on, the competition is stiff in terms of pure mechanical precision. This year, Seiko is proposing a high-frequency Grand Seiko (36,000 vph) as a limited edition that puts the accent on sport chic. Others, such as Breguet and its Type XXII chronograph, have broken the 72,000 vibrations/hour barrier for pilots in search of fraction-of-a-second precision. However, in the absence of any serious contender other than François-Paul Journe and his Centigraphe Souverain, the ultimate accolade goes to TAG Heuer which followed its Carrera Mikrograph 1/100th Second mechanical chronograph, produced as a short series, with last year‘s Mikrotimer Flying 1000: a mechanical chrono capable of 1/1000th of a second accuracy. Montblanc took up the gauntlet in January with its TimeWriter II Bi-Fréquence, but TAG Heuer immediately riposted with the unveiling in Geneva of a watch whose mechanical movement has a frequency of 1,000 Hz. Science, like sport, is constantly in pursuit of new records!

ˇ

OCEAN SPORT ™ COLLECTION

50 WATCH YOUR TIME RUBRIQUE

DIVING WATCH YOUR TIME 51

“ the silent world ”

[ louis malle, jacques-yves cousteau, 1955 ]

BENEATH THE OCEAN, WHERE THE MEASUREMENT OF TIME BECOMES SHEER MARVEL. ROLE X OYSTER PERPETUAL

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

SEA-DWELLER DEEPSEA .

THE NEW OYSTER PERPE TUAL SE A-DWELLER DEEPSE A IS A PRODUCT OF MAN’S INHERENT DESIRE TO PUSH

These days, we think nothing about having a water-resistant watch on our wrist. Since the Swatch watch, it‘s become something of a given. In reality, water-resistance has a longer history than one might imagine.

t

he first mechanical timepieces of the fourteenth century were heavy chunks of metal. Logical, as before clockmaking became a profession, blacksmiths were first to turn their hand to this skill. These timepieces comprised a solid iron frame within which gears, arbours and the different parts of the escapement were freely accessible, which they had to be as the mechanism required regular oiling. The spire or turret in which these early clocks were installed served as a case, offering protection from the elements. Soon clockmakers developed smaller versions for domestic use, although the tower clock remained a source of inspiration and these less imposing timepieces were often fitted with chimes. The case served a purely decorative purpose, as clocks were displayed out of harm‘s wayy in a room, even mounted on a wall. Their case was designed to be easilyy opened to service the movement.

A STRONGBOX ON THE WRIST

© TORKIL GUDNASON

The case of a modern wristwatch has an essential role. Not only does es it contribute to brand identity through its design, it also protectss gthe ever more complex and, through miniaturisation, more fragnt ile movement. Some of the wheels at the heart of a movement ese are so wafer-thin they can be bent between the fingers. Yet these em, mechanical masterpieces can take whatever life throws at them, nst safe inside their strongbox of a case. As well as shielding against knocks and scratches, the primary function of the case is to keep damp and dust at bay.

THE BOUNDARIES OF HIS DRE AMS AND HIS POTENTIAL . WATERPROOF TO AN E XTREME DEP TH OF 3,900 ME TRES, THIS NEW-GENER ATION DIVER’S WATCH CONFIRMS THE SUPREMACY OF ROLE X IN THE MASTERY OF WATERPROOFNESS, AND DEMONSTR ATES AN E VER-PRESENT PURSUIT OF E XCELLENCE . ENTIRELY DE VELOPED AND MANUFACTURED BY ROLE X, THE SE A-DWELLER DEEPSE A IS A TOTALLY NEW WATCH THAT BENEFITS FROM IMPORTANT TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH A RINGLOCK SYSTEM, A NEW CASE ARCHITECTURE PATENTED BY ROLE X, WHICH ALLOWS THE WATCH TO RESIST THE COLOSSAL PRESSURE PRESS E XERTED

BY WATER AT GRE AT DEP THS.

52 WATCH YOUR TIME DIVING

PANER AI R ADIOMIR 1940.

A CHAP TER IN THE HISTORY OF A WATCH DESIGNED FOR UNDERWATER ATER MILITARY OPER ATIONS LIVES AGAIN GAIN IN THE NEW R ADIOMIR 1940. UNLIKE NLIKE THE 1930 S PROTOT YPES, CERTAIN RTAIN HISTORIC R ADIOMIRS OF THE 1940 940 S HAD STR AP AT TACHMENTS THAT WERE NOT MADE OF STEEL WIRES WELDED TO THE CASE, BUT FORMED RMED OUT OF THE SAME BLOCK AS S THE CASE ITSELF. THE NEW R ADIOMIR OMIR 1940 WATCHES REPRISE THIS DISTINCTIVE CASE E IN A CL ASSIC 47-MM SIZE .

ORIS PRODIVER CHRONOGR APH. APH PROFESSIONAL DIVING WELCOMES A NEW CHAMPION. TOP MARKS FOR SECURIT Y WITH THE AVANT-GARDE ROTATION SAFE T Y SYSTEM. TOP MARKS SE FOR RELIABILIT Y WITH A CHRONOGR APH MOVEMENT, HIGHLY LEGIBLE DISPL AYS, AND HELIUM ESCAPE VALVE . A HERO OF THE DEEP, WITH A 51-MM TITANIUM CASE THAT IS WATER-RESISTANT TO 1,000 ME TRES.

MACH 2 Since the advent of the Swatch watch, we take it for granted that our watch will be signed and sealed (literally) before being delivered. And yet an impervious case isn‘t that recent a development. Anyone in possession of a pocket watch knows to keep their family heirloom well away from water.

The wristwatch was first to raise the question of water-resistance. Rolex was a pioneer, being the first manufacturer to equip a wristwatch with a screw-down crown and an automatic movement, hence less need to operate the crown. Any opening in a watch case is a potential no-no in terms of water-tightness, in particular where mobile elements such as a crown or pusher are concerned. Gaskets are fitted to keep moisture out, although the greater the strain on them, the faster they will age.

Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, was a master of hype. When in November 1927 he got wind of Mercedes Gleitze‘s plan to become the first woman to swim the English Channel, he jumped on the opportunity and gave her a Rolex water-resistant watch to carry on the day. Barely had she stepped ashore than Wilsdorf was booking the front page of The Daily Mail for a lengthy promotion of the young swimmer‘s exploit, and that of his watch.

PRECISE TO 1/2000TH OF A SECOND, THE MIKROGIRDER, DE VELOPED AND PRODUCED BY TAG HEUER, HAS THE FASTEST MECHANICAL REGUL ATING ORGAN E VER MADE AND TESTED. SWEEPING ASIDE THREE CENTURIES OF WATCHMAKING CONVENTION, IT OPENS UP A NEW ER A IN THE ME ASUREMENT OF TIME .

AMONG WATCHMAKERS NOW TESTING THEIR METTLE IN HIGH FREQUENCIES AS A MEANS TO PROVIDING BOTH GREATER PRECISION AND INCREASED RELIABILITY, TAG HEUER RUNS AHEAD OF THE PACK. THE BRAND EXTENDED ITS LEAD IN JANUARY WHEN IT PRESENTED THE MIKROGIRDER, A MECHANICAL CHRONOGRAPH THAT RECORDS TIME TO 1/2000TH OF A SECOND. THIS NEW CONCEPT WATCH BEATS AT 7.2 MILLION VIBRATIONS/HOUR (1,000 HZ) SO THAT THE CENTRAL CHRONOGRAPH HAND CAN LAP THE DIAL 20 TIMES A SECOND. THE MIKROGIRDER IS 250 TIMES FASTER THAN A STANDARD MECHANICAL WATCH. ACHIEVING THIS FEAT MEANT BREAKING WITH CENTURIES OF TRADITION, NAMELY THE TYPE OF REGULATOR FOUND IN ALMOST EVERY MECHANICAL WATCH SINCE CHRISTIAAN HUYGENS INVENTED THE BALANCE SPRING IN 1675.

THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME TAG HEUER HAS LEFT THE HIGHWAYS

HARRY WINSTON OCEAN SPORT LADIES’ CHRONOGR APH. THE OCE AN SPORT ™ L ADIES’ CHRONOGR APH ELOQUENTLY PROVES THAT SHORT-TIME ME ASUREMENT IS NOT AN E XCLUSIVELY MASCULINE PRIVILEGE . THE BE ZEL

FOR THE BYWAYS. IN 2010 IT UNVEILED THE PENDULUM, WHICH

SE T WITH NINE DIAMONDS IS GR ACED WITH ENGR AVED HOUR MARKERS

REPLACES THE BALANCE SPRING WITH MAGNETIC FIELDS. THIS

CRE ATING A SOPHISTICATED AND DE TERMINED PERSONALIT Y. THE THREEDIMENSIONAL , SPIR AL-SHAPED DIAL PL AYS WITH THE DIFFERENT LE VELS

WAS FOLLOWED A YEAR LATER BY THE MIKROTIMER FLYING

AND AN OFF-CENTRED L AYOUT.

1000 WHICH DITCHES THE BALANCE WHEEL TO MEASURE THOUSANDTHS OF A SECOND. NOW IT’S THE TURN OF THE MIKROGIRDER, WHICH HAS NEITHER BALANCE NOR BALANCE SPRING BUT A COMBINATION OF AN EXCITATORY BEAM, A COUPLING BEAM AND A LINEAR OSCILLATOR. TEN PATENTS HAVE BEEN FILED FOR THE SYSTEM. TAG HEUER INTENDS BUILDING ON THESE BREAKTHROUGHS TO SET A BENCHMARK IN PRECISION. C.R.

SPECIAL CRITERIA

As military underwater operations gained in scope, and scientists began to investigate life beneath the ocean, more watchmakers turned their attention to water-resistance. Blancpain developed its legendary Fifty Fathoms for French combat divers. Officine Panerai supplied Italian Navy frogmen with a particularly innovative watch for their underwater missions; a lever locking the winding crown would ensure effective water-resistance while allowing time to be set without having to unscrew the crown. Cartier got in on the act when an Indian maharajah requested a timepiece that could withstand a humid climate. The Parisian watchmaker came up with the idea of a cap that could be screwed over the crown: the Pasha watch was born.

Omega, meanwhile, developed a case for its Seamaster collection made from a single block and which cannot be opened from the back. The screwdown pushers of the first water-resistant chronographs are still a feature today. Operating a pusher in water inevitably allows seepage, hence they must always remain screwed tight when underwater.

JAEGER-LECOULTRE DEEPSEA VINTAGE CHRONOGR APH. WHILE THE CASE OF THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE DEEP SE A VINTAGE CHRONOGR APH IS INSPIRED BY THE DESIGN CODES OF AN ICONIC CRE ATION, THIS WATCH, DRIVEN BY THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE CALIBRE 751G, INCORPOR ATES THE L ATEST DE VELOPMENTS STEMMING FROM JAEGER-LECOULTRE’S ONGOING RESE ARCH, SUCH AS THE L ARGE VARIABLE-INERTIA BAL ANCE OR THE CER AMIC BALL BE ARINGS. WATER-RESISTANT TO 10 BAR .

DIVING WATCH YOUR TIME 53

DIOR CHIFFRE ROUGE D01. THANKS TO ITS INSTANTLY IDENTIFIABLE E ASYMME TRIC DESIGN AND THE RED DATE FROM WHICH IT TAKES ITS NAME, CHIFFRE HIFFRE ROUGE HAS MADE ITS MARK AS DIOR’S QUINTESSENTIAL MAN’S WATCH. ATCH. THE D01 IS A DIVE WATCH THAT RESPECTS THE HALLMARKS OF THE COLLECTION: A 42-MM ASYMME TRIC CASE, DOMED CRYSTAL , RED-TINTED DISPL PL AY BACK AND

A SPECIAL BEAUTY

GUILLOCHÉ CROWN. WATER-RESISTANT TO 300 ME TRES. E TA 2824 24 MOVEMENT.

Water-resistance aside, for a dive watch to be officially labelled as such, it must comply with specific criteria. Numerals and markers must be legible in lower than normal light conditions. Luminescent indications on the dial must be larger for ease of reading, including in poor visibility. At the start of the dive, the luminescent triangular marker at the zero position on the rotating bezel is aligned with the minute scale to track dive time and decompression stops. As a safety feature, the bezel only rotates in one direction, counterclockwise, so that if it is accidentally jolted and made to turn during the dive, it will show a longer elapsed time. On most dive watches, the indented bezel is outside the crystal and can be adjusted by hand. Others, such as the Aquatimer by IWC, feature an internal bezel around the dial where the flange would normally be. This bezel is operated using a second crown.

THE H A M P T O N S RESORT CAP TURES AN ART OF LIVING,

The majority of dive watch straps are in rubber, fastened by a pin buckle, and can be lengthened to fit over a wetsuit sleeve. Manufacturers were forced to innovate to make such an adjustment possible with a steel or titanium bracelet. Rolex once again led the way with its Glidelock system, a practical clasp with a ratchet mechanism.

BAUME & MERCIER ST YLE, EMBODIED BY THE NEW LINEA; SUBTLE, DELICATE, CAP TIVATING, LIKE SANDS CARESSED BY A L A ZY SE A .

BAUME & MERCIER WOWED LAST YEAR’S SALON INTERNATIONAL DE LA HAUTE HORLOGERIE WITH A STAND THAT CAPTURED THE MOOD OF THE HAMPTONS RESORT TUDOR HERITAGE BLACK

ON LONG ISLAND. “AS THE YEAR 2012 UNFOLDS, BAUME &

BAY. DESPITE TICKING ALL THE BOXES FOR MODERN

MERCIER IS FIRMLY ENTRENCHED IN ITS NEW TERRITORY

ST YLE, THE TUDOR HERIT-

OF SEASIDE LIVING IN THE HAMPTONS, A PLACE WHICH

AGE BL ACK BAY IS IN FACT INSPIRED BY A DIVE WATCH

EMBODIES OUR UNDERLYING VALUES OF FAMILY TIES,

L AUNCHED IN 1954, AND

CREATIVE SPIRIT, RICH AUTHENTICITY AND RELAXING

WHICH TUDOR CONTINUED

MOMENTS,” SAYS THE BRAND. THIS IS VERY MUCH THE

TO INTERPRE T UNTIL THE 1980 S . ITS DOMED CRYSTAL , EYE-CATCHING BURGUNDY BE ZEL AND SNOWFL AKE HANDS HELPED FORGE THE

SPIRIT BEHIND THE WATCHES BAUME & MERCIER IS LAUNCHING THIS YEAR. THE BRAND HAS GIVEN A NEW DIMENSION TO ITS LINEA, CAPELAND AND HAMPTON

REPUTATION OF AN ICONIC MODEL THAT WITNESSED THE ADVENT OF THE VERY FIRST DIVE WATCHES.

WHY A VALVE?

Many of today‘s dive watches are equipped with a helium escape valve. This is usually automatic although on some models it is operated by a screw. This valve is of use not so much to divers operating at normal depths but to a person onboard a submarine, whose occupants breath a mixture of gases that includes hydrogen and helium. Molecules of helium penetrate the gaskets and enter the watch. When the submarine resurfaces, 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 pop off. The helium escape valve resolves this by preventing the gas from entering the watch in the first place, and by allowing any gas that does penetrate the case to be released.

FLAGSHIP COLLECTIONS THAT SMACKS OF RELAXED SEASIDE LIVING. THE LINEA LINE RESPONDS TO A GROWING DESIRE AMONG WOMEN FOR TRADITIONAL TIMEPIECES, WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW SELF-WINDING MODELS. CAPELAND DEMONSTRATES THE SAME ATTENTION TO DETAIL, WHILE THE HAMPTON LINE INTRODUCES AN INTEGRATED STAINLESS STEEL BRACELET WITH A TRIPLE FOLDING CLASP THAT IS BOTH SECURE AND EASIER TO OPEN AND CLOSE. E.D.

LOUIS VUIT TON TAMBOUR DIVING II. THE SPORTING TAMBOUR DIVING II CHRONOGR APH PAIRS AN ULTR A-MODERN DESIGN WITH THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF A DIVE WATCH: UNIDIRECTIONAL ROTATING BE ZEL AND L ARGE, LUMINESCENT MARKERS FOR E ASY RE ADING. THE L A JOUX-PERRE T MOVEMENT INCORPOR ATES A COLUMN-WHEEL CHRONOGR APH. SMALL SECONDS AT 6 O’CLOCK PL AY ON THE CODES OF DIVING FL AGS.

INSPIRED BY A MUSEUM PIECE FROM THE 1940 S , THE HAMPTON COLLECTION COMBINES A DISTINCTIVE AND RECTANGUL AR VINTAGE CASE WITH ARCHITECTUR AL LINES AND FUNCTIONS THAT REFLECT TODAY’S CASUAL LIVING. ITS ART DECO LOOK GUCCI G-TIMELESS SPORT. WITH A 44-MM CASE THAT IS WATERRESISTANT TO 100 ME TRES, GUCCI’S G-TIMELESS SPORT COLLECTION HAS ALL THE QUALITIES OF A DIVE WATCH, IN T WO VERSIONS SPORTING A STEEL BR ACELE T OR NYLON STR AP WITH GUCCI’S GREEN-RED-GREEN SIGNATURE STRIPE . THE DIAL IS INSCRIBED GUCCI SPORT AT 12 O’CLOCK . A FASHION STATEMENT THAT DIVERS WON’T DISOWN.

BLENDS ELOQUENTLY WITH WARM-COLOURED MATERIALS SUCH AS SUN-KISSED 18K RED GOLD.

54 WATCH YOUR TIME DIVING

FELIX BAUMGARTNER , THE RECORDHOLDING SK YDIVER AND BASE JUMPER BAUME & MERCIER CAPELAND CHRONOGR APH. DRIVEN BY A L A JOUX-PERRE T 8120 CALIBRE WITH CHRONOGR APH FUNCTION, THIS IS A VISUALLY STRIKING WATCH AND ONE THAT IS E ASY TO WE AR . IN ADDITION TO A MORE GENEROUS, 44-MM

FLYING HIGH

MONTBL ANC TIMEWALKER CHRONOVOYAGER UTC.

CASE, THIS NEW CHRONOGR APH

MONTBL ANC OFFERS LONG-HAUL TR AVELLERS A

FE ATURES T WO COMPLEMEN-

TRULY PRECIOUS TIMEPIECE: THE TIMEWALKER

TARY COLOURS ON ITS DIAL . THE

CHRONOVOYAGER UTC. IN ADDITION TO THE

DISTINCTIVE FE ATURES OF THE

CHRONOGR APH FUNCTION, THE SELF-WINDING

CAPEL AND LINE REMAIN, SUCH AS

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT WITH A 46-HOUR POWER

THE STEEL CASE WITH POLISHED

RESERVE FE ATURES A DATE DISPL AY, DAY/NIGHT

AND SATIN FINISHES, AND THE

INDICATION, AND 24-HOUR INDICATION ON THE

DOMED SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL .

FL ANGE BY A HAND THAT SHOWS TIME IN THE SECOND TIME ZONE .

In addition to water-resistance, a dive watch typically has a more robust construction than a conventional watch. The case and crystal are thicker than usual to protect against shocks and mechanical strain. A dive watch makes the ideal timepiece for anyone in search of a hard-wearing, solid watch that will last a lifetime… in or out of the water.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

While Sunday divers can venture safely into the pool wearing their sport or dive watch, best err on the side of caution when a watch indicates “waterresistant to 30 metres” (or 3 atm). This certifies that the timepiece has been subjected to a static test to guarantee water-resistance to that depth for a given duration. When swimming, however, water pressure is far greater than during these tests. Nor should we neglect the impact of sudden tem2012 GE TS UNDER WAY AT MANUFACTURE ZENITH WITH PILOT’S WATCHES, NOT LE AST THE EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER OPEN GR ANDE DATE MOON & SUNPHASE AND

perature change, such as diving into cold water after lounging in the sun. This drop in temperature may cause the components of the case to contract and allow water to seep in.

THE AERONEF T YPE 20 WHOSE IMPOSING 57-MM DIAME TER IS A NOD AT THE “GIANT” WATCHES FROM THE E ARLY

SEIKO SPORTUR A AVIATION. A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF THE FIRST INSTRUMENTS WHICH

DAYS OF FLIGHT

SEIKO MADE FOR PILOTS IN THE

EXCEPTIONAL, OUTSTANDING, A RECORD YEAR: JEAN-FRÉDÉRIC DUFOUR, APPOINTED CHIEF EXECUTIVE IN 2009, HAS NOTHING BUT SUPERLATIVES TO DESCRIBE ZENITH’S PERFORMANCE IN 2011. WITH ALMOST A CENTURY AND A HALF OF UNINTERRUPTED ACTIVITY TO ITS NAME, THIS LEADING LIGHT OF SWISS WATCHMAKING HAS REGAINED ITS LUSTRE. PARENT COMPANY LVMH IS NOW REAPING THE REWARDS OF THIS PROGRESSIVE RETURN TO FORM, WHICH HAS INVOLVED SOME MAJOR PROJECTS. THAT ZENITH IS BACK ON TOP OF ITS GAME SHOWS IN THE PRODUCTS UNVEILED EARLY 2012, WHICH MAKE REFERENCE TO THE BRAND’S “PILOT” WATCHES. “WE HAVE ALL THE LEGITIMACY WE COULD POSSIBLY WANT IN THIS SEGMENT,”

Complication watches are highly sensitive precision instruments, and by nature are not adapted to sport.

Their cases generally include openings to house the pushers that operate the different functions, which renders total water-resistance impossible.

Extra-thin and complication watches must therefore be kept a safe distance from swimming pools, bathrooms and showers. Not even the best dive watch will remain waterresistant its entire life, as the gaskets are subject to wear and other forms of ageing. Whether water-resistant to 30 metres or three thousand, a dive watch must therefore be serviced every five years. Dive watches that are used for their intended purpose must be rinsed in clear water after every dive, and serviced on an annual basis.

1970 S , THE SPORTUR A AVIATION CHRONOGR APH, DRIVEN BY THE 7T62 QUARTZ CALIBRE, IS A HIGH-FLYER WITH ITS BL ACK COATED STEEL CASE AND ROTATING LOGARITHMIC BE ZEL FOR CALCUL ATIONS IN THE COCKPIT.

ˇ

THE BRAND DECLARES. “ZENITH MANUFACTURED NUMEROUS AIRCRAFT COUNTERS IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, AND LOUIS BLÉRIOT ALWAYS WORE A ZENITH ON HIS

JE ANRICHARD DIVERSCOPE LPR . THE FIRST MODEL IN THE COLLECTION IN STEEL WITH A CUSHION-

WRIST DURING HIS FLIGHTS. IN FACT THE BRAND OWNS THE

SHAPED CASE, THE FOUR SCREWS SECURING THE BACK OF THE DIVERSCOPE LPR CASE AND T WO

RIGHTS TO THE ‘PILOT’ NAME. SO IT’S ONLY NATURAL THAT OUR NEW WATCHES SHOULD PAY TRIBUTE TO THIS CONQUEST OF

SCREW-DOWN CROWNS GUAR ANTEE WATER-RESISTANCE TO 300 ME TRES. THE GAUGE FOR THE POWER RESERVE IS CLE VERLY INCORPOR ATED INTO THE NUMER AL 12, HENCE THIS WATCH’S NAME: LPR FOR LINE AR POWER RESERVE .

THE AIRS.” TARGETING FANS OF WIDE-OPEN SPACES, THE EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER 1969 FLIES THE THREE COLOURS OF THE ORIGINAL EL PRIMERO CHRONOGRAPH, A PIECE OF HOROLOGICAL HISTORY THAT MEASURES TENTHS OF A SECOND. ZENITH HAS ADDED WHAT HAS BECOME ONE OF ITS VISUAL HALLMARKS, NAMELY AN OPENING IN THE DIAL SO THAT THE WEARER CAN ADMIRE THE BEATING OF THE MOVEMENT BENEATH. IT IS JOINED BY THREE MORE NEWCOMERS: THE AERONEF TYPE 20 WHOSE IMPRESSIVE 57MM DIAMETER IS A

LONGINES SAINT-IMIER CHRONOGR APH. ESTABLISHED SINCE 1832 IN THE SWISS TOWN OF SAINT-IMIER , LONGINES CELEBR ATES ITS 180 th ANNIVERSARY IN 2012. THE LONGINES SAINT-IMIER COLLECTION COMMEMOR ATES THIS

TIP OF THE HAT TO THE WHOPPERS FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF FLIGHT, THE PILOT DOUBLEMATIC CHRONOGRAPH ALARM GMT, AND THE EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER OPEN GRANDE DATE MOON & SUNPHASE. C.R.

MILESTONE WITH A SERIES OF E XCEP TIONAL TIMEPIECES WITH MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS. THEY INCLUDE A COLUMNWHEEL CHRONOGR APH, SPECIALLY DE VELOPED AND MADE E XCLUSIVELY FOR LONGINES BY E TA .

190 YEARS AGO

A MAN BET ON HORSES AND CHANGED WATCHMAKING FOREVER .

In 1821, at a horse race in Paris, Nicolas Rieussec successfully tested his revolutionary invention that allowed time to be recorded to an accuracy of a fifth of a second. The chronograph was born. A tribute to a visionary man, the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Anniversary Edition is centred on the essence of his invention, the rotating disc technique. Monopusher chronograph, manual-winding manufacture movement. 18K white-gold case. 30 min. and 60 sec. rotating disc counters. Limited edition of 90 pieces. Crafted in the Montblanc Manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland.

ASTRONOMICAL WATCH YOUR TIME 57

“ 2001: a space odyssey ” [ stanley kubrick, 1968 ]

HEADING FOR JUPITER WITH AN ASTR AL EXPERIMENT ON THE WRIST. --o------- paloma recio, director of r & e In its efforts to explain the laws of the universe, astronomy has always been a source of inspiration for mechanical watchmaking.

This fascination has given rise to complex timepieces that only the best watchmakers are capable of creating.

IWC SIDÉR ALE SCAFUSIA . AF TER A DECADELONG WAIT, IWC UNVEILS ITS PORTUGUESE SIDÉR ALE SCAFUSIA WHOSE CALIBRE 94900 IS AN APOGEE OF TECHNIQUE, TECHNOLOGICAL BRE AK THROUGHS, PARTICUL ARLY THE INTRODUCTION OF MATERIALS SUCH AS NICKEL-

h

umans have always demonstrated an unwavering interest in the universe, as perfectly illustrated by the character of Dr Heywood Floyd and his journey through space from Earth to the moon, in Stanley Kubrick’s enigmatic film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Or the astronaut Dave Bowman on his mysterious, psychedelic journey to Jupiter, in the same film. Like the British writer Arthur C. Clarke, the film director established a link between a knowledge of the cosmos with its still-impenetrable mysteries, and evolution of our species.

Understanding celestial mechanics, grasping the rules of the universe, explaining the relationship between time and space: such quests have always posed a serious challenge for humanity, but also a source of inspiration for mechanical watchmaking. Astronomy is faithfully reproduced in complex timepieces, which only the best watchmakers are capable of creating, experts whose thoughts and knowledge transcend everyday life. These magnificent pieces, which express the poetry of time, have marked the history of watchmaking since antiquity, starting with the enigmatic Antikythera Mechanism.

A BRILLIANT ASTRONOMICAL CALCULATOR

© TORKIL GUDNASON

Made by the Greco-Romans during the second century B.C., the Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest astronomical calculator ever discovered. Like the obscure black monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s film, this ingenious mechanism remained forgotten over centuries by different civilisations until its discovery in 1901. This mysterious astronomical instrument is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating objects of antiquity known today. It was found on the Greek island from which it takes its name, inside a wooden box measuring 33cm by 18cm, closed by two bronze plates covered in inscriptions.

COBALT, AND AUDACIT Y IN THE POL ARIZED FILTERS WHICH PRODUCE A CAP TIVATING PL AY OF LIGHT ON THE RE VERSE OF THE WATCH. NOTHING HAS BEEN LEF T TO CHANCE TO ENSURE THE PRE TERNATUR AL PRECISION WITH WHICH THE DIFFERENT TIME ME ASUREMENTS ARE DISPL AYED, AND THE SCIENTIFIC E X ACTITUDE OF THE ASTRONOMICAL FUNCTIONS. THE COMPLICATIONS OF THE PORTUGUESE SIDER ALE SCAFUSIA BY IWC ARE SIDERE AL TIME, CONSTANT-FORCE TOURBILLON, PERPE TUAL CALENDAR AND ROTATING CELESTIAL CHART.

58 WATCH YOUR TIME ASTRONOMICAL

PANER AI LUMINOR 1950 TOURBILLON GMT CER AMICA .

THE LUMINOR 1950 TOURBILLON GMT CER AMICA IS A WATCH OF GRE AT CHAR ACTER , OFFERING NOT ONLY THE COMPLE X, SOPHISTICATED TOURBILLON REGUL ATOR MECHANISM PATENTED BY OFFICINE PANER AI, BUT ALSO THE INDICATION OF A SECOND TIME ZONE AND A SIX-DAY POWER RESERVE, ACHIE VED BY THREE SERIESMOUNTED BARRELS. THE MATERIAL FOR THE CASE, A SYNTHE TIC CER AMIC BASED ON ZIRCONIUM POWDER , AGAIN SHOWS PANER AI’S TECHNICAL MASTERY.

Initially, examination of this machine did not result in any conclusive findings. It is only recently that modern examination and analysis techniques have been able to reveal a number of bronze gears hidden within the mechanism, as well as toothed wheels and inscriptions in ancient Greek, only a quarter of which have been deciphered so far. This piece of heritage from the past is now in the safekeeping of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, along with 82 small and badly corroded fragments of the machine. Some experts think the device was created in Rhodes, a city that at the time was home to a community of astronomers including Hipparchus. Others think it was made in Syracuse, a prosperous Corinthian city where the famous mathematician Archimedes lived.

The machine appears to describe different solar and lunar cycles, and probably mapped planetary cycles by establishing a link with the civil calendars of important Greek sites such as Corinth, Delphi and Olympia, whose Games are also indicated. This mechanism capable of predicting eclipses and displaying several astronomical cycles predates the first astronomical clocks made in major European cities in the Middle Ages by a thousand years.

Today, more than a century after the discovery of this brilliant machine, and more than 2,000 years after its creation, Hublot and its R&D director Mathias Buttet have decided to pay tribute to it. The brand led by Jean-Claude Biver chose the Basel fair for the exclusive international launch of a wristwatch inspired by this incredible archaeological discovery. The watchmakers designed the timepiece in close collaboration with a team of international scientists including archaeologists, epigraphists and mechanical historians.

Hublot has created a spectacular tour tourbillon watch which faithfully reproduces the indications of the antique machine in highly miniaturised miniat form. All the elements are brought together in a wristwatch which for the first time show shows astronomical cycles, visible on the reverse. The front shows the dates of the Panhellenic Gam Games, the Egyptian calendar, the position of the sun in the zodiac constellations, the moon phases and the sidereal year.

GIR ARD -PERREGAUX 1945 LARGE DATE MOON PHASES. FOR MORE THAN FIF T Y YE ARS, THE VINTAGE 1945 COLLECTION HAS GIVEN GIR ARD-PERREGAUX AN ENDLESS

CHOPARD L.U.C LUNAR ON ONE. ONE OF THE MOST POE TIC MODELS IN THE

SOURCE OF INSPIR ATION. ITS POWERFUL

L .U.C COLLECTION, FROM THE INITIALS OF THE FOUNDER LOUIS-ULYSSE

DESIGN, AND A PERSONALIT Y THAT

CHOPARD, RE TURNS IN A NEW GUISE . THE L .U.C LUNAR ONE GR ANDE

BLENDS CL ASSIC WITH CUT TING-EDGE,

COMPLICATION PERPE PER TUAL CALENDAR WITH ORBITAL MOON PHASES

HAVE PAVED THE WAY FOR UNIQUE

EMBR ACES THE NEW N AESTHE TIC OF THE LINE, WITH GENEROUS

TIMEPIECES. GIR ARD-PERREGAUX

CURVES, OP TIM TIMAL LEGIBILIT Y, AND ULTIMATE COMFORT.

PRESENTS A NEW VINTAGE 1945 L ARGE DATE MOON PHASES WHICH IS, IN ALL RESPECTS, TRUE TO ITS PREDECESSORS’ DNA WITH ITS ELEGANT ST YLE, ABSOLUTE SYMME TRY, AND MANUFACTURE MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

PIAGET GOUVERNEUR TOURBILLON. THE GOUVERNEUR TOURBILLON HOUSES THE NEW 642P CALIBRE, AN E XTREMELY THIN, MECHANICAL MOVEMENT THAT ME ASURES 4 MM IN HEIGHT. THIS E XCEP TIONAL MOVEMENT IS FURTHER DISTINGUISHED BY THE ULTR A-THIN FLYING TOURBILLON CAGE (2.8 MM) INCORPOR ATING A ST YLISED “P ” FOR PIAGE T. IN ADDITION TO THE FLYING TOURBILLON, VISIBLE AT 12 O’CLOCK THROUGH AN OPENING IN THE DIAL , THE CALIBRE INCORPOR ATES ASTRONOMICAL MOON PHASES, WHICH REQUIRE ADJUSTING BY JUST ONE DAY E VERY 122 YE ARS, SHOWN BY A HAND AT 6 O’CLOCK .

SKY CHART

Sidereal time and the sky chart are at the heart of the e most complex watch ever developed by IWC, the new Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia. Behind the dial, dominated by a constant-force tourbillon, the back cleverly displays, despite the restricted space, a chart of the sky and its constellations which exactly reproduce what the observer should be able to see from his current position. The watch also displays solar time, sidereal time, and sunrise and sunset times. In addition, the perpetual calendar (a mechanism that automatically takes into account months of 31 and 30 days, as well as the number of days in February, whether it is a leap year or not), is displayed on the back of the watch around the edge of the sky chart, showing the number of days that have passed since the New Year.

The hand-wound mechanical movement features a four-day power reserve. The result of more than a decade of development, this watch is available to order in platinum or pink gold. With a diameter of 46mm and a thickness of 17.5mm, it has a transparent sapphire crystal back.

While sky charts are always appealing, the equation of time, with its formula that combines mathematics, philosophy and poetry, perfectly illustrates the complexity of the universe and the impenetrability of time, which passes according to its own rules, unaffected by human principles. This equation also echoes the close relationship between watchmaking and the cosmos.

JAEGER-LECOULTRE DUOMÈTRE À QUANTIÈME LUNAIRE. THE DUAL-WING MOVEMENT IS DISTINGUISHED BY THE T WO INDEPENDENT ENERGY SOURCES. THE FIRST, REGUL ATED BY THE ESCAPEMENT AND THE BAL ANCE, IS ENTIRELY DEDICATED TO THE PRECISE ME ASUREMENT OF TIME .

THE SECOND IS DE VOTED TO THE DISPL AY OF THE FUNCTIONS: HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS, CALENDAR AND MOON PHASES

PATEK PHILIPPE REFERENCE 5940. A CL ASSIC TIMEPIECE FROM THE MANUFACTURE,

FOR BOTH HEMISPHERES. THEIR

THE SELF-WINDING, E XTR A-THIN PERPE TUAL CALENDAR CALIBRE 240Q BY PATEK

SYNCHRONISATION IS ENSURED

PHILIPPE LENDS ITSELF TO AN ORIGINAL AND ELEGANT INTERPRE TATION INSIDE A CUSHION-SHAPED CASE THAT COMBINES A VINTAGE AIR WITH CONTEMPOR ARY ST YLE . THE DIAL INCORPOR ATES THE NUMEROUS INDICATIONS BY HANDS WITH UNSURPASSED LEGIBILIT Y AND PERFECT BAL ANCE . CALIBRE 240Q: DAY, DATE, MONTH, LE AP YE AR AND 24-HOUR INDICATION BY HANDS. MOON PHASES.

BY THE JUMPING SECONDS HAND MECHANISM.

dedicated to perfection GRAND SEIKO. It started as a dream five decades ago. A dedicated team of SEIKO watchmakers set themselves a new challenge; to create a watch that would be more accurate, more reliable and more practical than any other luxury watch in the world. The result was Grand Seiko, a collection that is simply, one of the best watches in the world. Today, the Grand Seiko tradition is celebrated in a mechanical watch with a 10-beat movement. Thanks to SEIKO’s MEMS†1 technology and high durability SPRON†2 alloy, the new high-precision escapement delivers an accuracy of -3 to +5 seconds a day†3 with a power reserve of 55 hours. What started as a dream has become a legend, proving the value of 130 years of dedication to perfection. grand-seiko.com †1

MEMS: Micro Electro-Mechanical System

†2

SPRON is a registered trademark of Seiko Instruments Inc.

†3

Mean daily rate measured in static positions

60 WATCH YOUR TIME ASTRONOMICAL

ROTONDE DE CARTIER PERPETUAL CALENDAR .

CARTIER PROPOSES TIMEPIECES WHOSE ORIGINAL AND CL ASSIC DESIGNS ARE SERVED

BY IRREPROACHABLE MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS. IN THIS SPIRIT, ROTONDE DE CARTIER WATCHES INCORPOR ATE THE MOST SOPHISTICATED CALIBRES, SUCH AS THIS PERPE TUAL CALENDAR , 9422 MC MANUFACTURE MECHANICAL MOVEMENT. THE DAY IS SHOWN BY A RE TROGR ADE HAND, WITH MONTH AND LE AP YE AR IN A COUNTER AT 6 O’CLOCK .

HUBLOT KING POWER UNICO GMT. THIS FIRST DE VELOPMENT ON HUBLOT’S UNICO MANUFACTURE CHRONOGR APH MOVEMENT INTRODUCES A GMT FUNCTION. THE PRINCIPAL TECHNICAL FE ATURE IS TO GIVE THE TIME IN THE DIFFERENT TIME ZONES ON FOUR ROTATING DISCS. THEY ARE CONTROLLED BY A PUSHBUT TON, WHICH ALLOWS THE DISCS TO BE

EQUATION OF TIME

A particularly complex formula, the equation of time calculates the difference between true solar time and mean solar time, or legal time. True time, as shown on sundials, varies from day to day due to the elliptical shape of the Earth’s orbit. It also varies according to the longitude of the location from where it is observed. As a result, the time that elapses between each midday, when the sun is at its zenith, is not the same throughout the year. In other words, the duration of solar days is always changing: between the shortest and longest day of the year, the difference is exactly 30 minutes and 45 seconds. This means that true solar time and mean solar time are not the same thing, and this difference is expressed by the equation of time, calculated using very specific mathematical rules. Mean time, shown on watches, does not take this difference into account and, whatever the day of the year, divides time mathematically into equal hours. Four times a year, on 15 April, 14 June, 1 September and 24 December, mean time and true time coincide. Between these dates, the difference varies from a negative 16 minutes 23 seconds on 4 November to a positive 14 minutes 22 seconds on 11 February.

The representation of the equation of time on a watch is undeniably a major technical feat only achievable by a few watchmakers. It is precisely what Girard-Perregaux has accomplished with the latest model in its 1966 collection. It joins watchmakers such as Patek Philippe with its famous Star Caliber, Jaeger-LeCoultre with its Reverso à Triptyque, Vacheron Constantin with its Tour de l’Île, and Chopard with its All in One. The latter, designed and developed entirely in the watchmaker’s workshops at La Chaux-de-Fonds, features the equation of time and an annual calendar.

The annual calendar, which indicates the date and the month, automatically takes into account the number of days in each month and only requires occasional correcting once a year. The equation of time is indicated by a hand situated at half past four. To take into account the difference between true solar time and mean solar time, or legal time, the dial features an ingenious mechanism which incorporates an annual disc and an elliptical cam to reproduce Earth’s movement around the sun.

SIMULTANEOUSLY POSITIONED AND TIME IN THE CHOSEN CIT Y TO BE INSTANTLY RE AD.

OBSERVATION OF THE SKY

Since the dawn of time, observation of the sky and nature have played a vital role in human progress. Archaeological discoveries prove that astronomy is one of man’s oldest occupations.

M Mathematicians, astronomers, physicians and philosophers have always tried to understand the m mystery of the cosmos, determine the movement of the planets, and explain the meaning of time aand its relation to space. All civilisations have contributed to the development of this discipline w which, since antiquity, has inspired numerous myths and religious beliefs. From the beginning, the first astronomers were struck by the exceptional regularity of the movement of the skies and their d different patterns. This is why the division of time into years (Earth’s orbit around the sun), months ((moon phases) and days, has always been one of the important principles of our existence.

In the 16th century, the findings of Nicolaus Copernicus refuted Ptolemy’s theory by demonsstrating that the movement of the planets could only be explained if the sun occupied a central p position. At the time, major developments were being seen in the field of astronomy. However, it w was with Galileo that this science reached its apogee. Working with the telescope he designed h himself, this genius who was obsessed with measuring time observed that the Milky Way was m made up of countless stars, that the surface of the moon was uneven, that four satellites orbited JJupiter, that the sun was marked by spots, and that Venus appeared in phases. These discoverie ies revolutionised thinking at the time and were not without their critics. Not long after, Kepler d discovered the elliptical orbits and different orbital speeds of the planets, and formulated laws tto explain planetary movements.

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OPEN-WORKED E X TR A-THIN TOURBILLON. THE ROYAL OAK OPEN-WORKED E XTR A-THIN TOURBILLON IS ENT WINED WITH THE HISTORY OF THIS LEGENDARY COLLECTION, AND WITH THE HISTORY OF AUDEMARS PIGUE T AND ITS E XTR AORDINARY E XPERTISE . FOR THE ROYAL OAK’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YE AR , THE MANUFACTURE FROM LE BR ASSUS, A SPECIALIST IN E XTR A-THIN MOVEMENTS, PROPOSES A VERSION WHOSE E XTR A-THIN SKELE TON MOVEMENT INCORPOR ATES THAT MOST EMBLEMATIC OF COMPLICATIONS, A TOURBILLON.

CHANEL J12 GMT. THE NOW ICONIC J12 WATCH, L AUNCHED BY CHANEL IN 2000, LENDS ITSELF TO A NEW INTERPRE TATION: A GMT MODEL IN WHITE CER AMIC. A GMT WATCH INDICATES TIME IN T WO POINTS ON E ARTH, AND T YPICALLY SHOWS LOCAL TIME ON THE DIAL AND HOME TIME ON THE BE ZEL .

CHANEL’S J12 GMT FE ATURES A BLUE-TIPPED, CHROME-PL ATED HAND FOR GRE ATER LEGIBILIT Y.

It was to these three scientists that Ulysse Nardin dedicated its Trilogy of Time, legendary among astronomical watches. The Astrolabium Galileo Galilei shows the position of the sun, the moon and the stars as seen from any given location on Earth at any time, as well as the time that the sun and moon rise and set, the moon phases, the solar and lunar eclipses, and the month and day of the week. The Planetarium Copernicus watch combines Ptolemy’s geocentric model with Copernicus’s heliocentric approach.

Lastly, the Tellurium Johannes Kepler offers a view of the Earth as seen from directly above the North Pole. It indicates at all times which part of the Earth is bathed in the sun’s light, as well as the places where the sun rises and sets.

Sidereal time, true and mean solar time, the sky chart, the zodiac calendar, the perpetual calendar, sunrise and sunset times and even the complex equation of time: all evoke the poetry of time with a touch of mysticism. These impenetrable phenomena continue to escape the whims of humanity, despite man’s efforts to measure them with precision and to control them, in order to find his place in the universe.

ˇ

DE BETHUNE DB 28 . DE BE THUNE ASSERTS ITS SIGNATURE ST YLE WITH THE DB28, POWERED BY THE CALIBRE DB2115 WHICH BENEFITS FROM THE WATCHMAKER’S L ATEST TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS, NAMELY A SELF-

HARRY WINSTON MIDNIGHT GMT TOURBILLON. THE BE ZEL OF THE MIDNIGHT GMT TOURBILLON BE ARS THE THREE DISTINCTIVE ARCHES OF THE HARRY WINSTON SALON IN NEW YORK . THE MOVEMENT, ENDOWED WITH A POWER RESERVE OF 110 HOURS,

REGUL ATING T WIN BARREL AND A NEW SILICON/PALL ADIUM BAL ANCE WHEEL

DISPL AYS ITS COMPLICATIONS ON A RUTHENIUM DIAL . THE TOURBILLON IS POSITIONED

WITH A FL AT TERMINAL CURVE PROTECTED BY THE TRIPLE PARE-CHUTE SYSTEM.

AT 6 O’CLOCK AND INCORPOR ATES SMALL SECONDS, WHILE THE GMT FUNCTION TAKES

MOON PHASES ARE RE AD FROM A PL ATINUM AND BLUED STEEL SPHERE WHICH

ITS POSITION AT 9 O’CLOCK , WITH DAY/NIGHT INDICATION. AN APERTURE AT 11 O’CLOCK

RE VOLVES ON ITS A XIS, AND IS PRECISE TO ONE DAY E VERY 122 YE ARS.

DISPL AYS THE CITIES FOR THE SECOND TIME ZONE .

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME 61

Is it important to you that a watch provide multiple functions? Our slogan is “real watches for real people,” meaning we are extremely attentive to the conditions in which our watches will be worn. For example, we observed that divers don’t think in terms of hours but minutes, which led us to develop the Meistertaucher, the first authentic dive watch with a regulator dial. Our Rotation Safety System is another example. It ensures the dive timer cannot be accidentally moved.

ULRICH HER ZOG, E XECUTIVE

Oris has always made reliable, quality products, a tradition the brand upholds with watches sold at an objectively fair price. An interview with Executive Chairman Ulrich Herzog.

CHAIRMAN, ORIS

After developing a quartz watch in the early 1980s, Oris was caught up in a ruinous price war it could never hope to win. The company, established in 1904, decided to change tacks and bet its all on the purely mechanical. Curiously, the idea came from Japan where a small band of creative entrepreneurs and IT specialists were looking to make products “with soul.”

Was this a brave decision?

Ulrich Herzog: Back in 1985 we were pretty much the only ones, especially in our price segment. This revival of mechanical watches hinged on opening up new perspectives for an outmoded technique. If all we had done was copy others, it would never have succeeded. We went allout on innovation. For example, Oris has been making XXL watches for fifteen years. We were the first to use profiled rubber straps, and we developed a leather strap with a continuous adjustable folding clasp.

THE BC3 ADVANCED IS THE L ATEST ADDITION TO THE ORIS BC3 COLLECTION, REDESIGNED IN 2010 TO MARK THIS PILOT WATCH’S TEN SUCCESSFUL YE ARS. ADVANCED BY NAME AND BY DESIGN, EYE-CATCHING FE ATURES ADD TO ITS

responsible luxury MECHANICAL PROWESS. PROPOSED WITH DIFFERENT DIALS, AND WITH A

RUBBER OR LE ATHER STR AP. A SPORTING, L AIDBACK WATCH THAT PERFORMS IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND.

Of course, reliability is a prime factor, accentuated by attention to the smallest detail of the case, strap, dial or hands. A watch must be beautiful to look at and to touch. Naturally, we need to balance costs and profit when choosing what goes into a watch. Sometimes, though, it’s just impossible to compromise, so we might go for the most sophisticated, most expensive dial because it is the only one that really brings out the personality of the watch. Everything about the product has to say “this is the one.”

And not be too expensive either…

As I said, we pay attention to price, as do our customers.

A mechanical wristwatch that retails for a four-figure sum is a luxury one has to be willing and able to buy. We offer responsible luxury.

which are decorated and partially adapted to our instructions. The Worldtimer mechanism incorporates an additional 170 parts. We also have the competencies to complete existing movements with complex functions that are useful in daily life.

Oris is an international brand. How’s business?

We have the good fortune to be represented on every continent. Europe, our home market, is still our most important although we’re also benefiting from the booming Asian markets. They account for 50% of our revenue and counting. The American market is still rather reticent, hence why we are investing significantly there. And we just opened our eighth subsidiary in Australia.

Peter Braun

ARTELIER SKELETON JEWELLERY. ORIS MAKES A STUNNING IMPRESSION WITH THE FIRST SKELE TON WATCH IN THE ARTELIER LINE .

THE L ARGE OPENING IN THE DIAL AFFORDS A SPECTACUL AR VIEW OF THE FINELY SKELE TONISED AND CHASED MOVEMENT, FR AMED

BY THE DIAMONDS ON THE BE ZEL . A DARK BROWN LE ATHER STR AP OR STEEL BR ACELE T COMPLE TE THIS MAGNIFICENT ART DECO-INSPIRED WATCH.

When will Oris build its own movement?

I would say that a proprietary movement only makes sense when it can be produced in large volumes. Oris has already produced a million watches a year, but that was another time and different models. A handcrafted, Manufacturemade movement flatters a brand’s ego but not the customer’s. Nor will it ever equal an industrially-made movement in terms of reliability. Oris uses Sellita and ETA calibres,

COMPLICATIONS WATCH YOUR TIME 63

“ it´s complicated! ” [ nancy meyers, 2009 ]

LOVE, LIKE WATCHMAKING, IS ABOUT PASSION.

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

Times change, and so do the instruments of time. The future of time measurement once again begins with costly and complicated watches.

m

ention complications, and most people will respond with a frown. Not so aficionados of watches, whose eyes sparkle while a smile plays upon their lips. For them, a complication is neither hitch nor glitch but a characteristic that makes a watch unique. In horological parlance, a complication is a function in addition to the display of hours and minutes, or technically sophisticated mechanisms that ensure greater precision.

Strictly speaking, anything outside pure indication of the time is labelled a complication. In the past, displaying the date was already an enormous challenge to watchmakers’ ingenuity. Now a date function must incorporate certain specificities to qualify as a complication. This can be a retrograde display which, on reaching the end of a 31-day scale, automatically returns to its starting point. Or an unusually large display with tens and units inscribed on two overlapping rotating discs. As well as being a particularly clever and compact construction, this type of date requires an intelligent command mechanism to prevent a 32nd day from popping up at the end of the month.

JAEGER-LECOULTRE DUOMÈTRE À SPHÉROTOURBILLON. THE RE VOLUTIONARY DUAL-WING CONCEP T IS BASED ON T WO INDEPENDENT MECHANISMS, E ACH WITH ITS OWN SOURCE OF ENERGY BUT SHARING A COMMON REGUL ATING ORGAN. PRECISION IS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE DUAL-WING CONCEP T, AND THE WATCHWORD FOR JAEGER-LECOULTRE’S WATCHMAKERS IN THEIR REFLECTION LE ADING

COMPLICATIONS LARGE AND SMALL

© TORKIL GUDNASON

Displaying the date is an especially complex affair as it must take into account months of varying length, and fi ve times a year skip the 31st and move directly from the night of the 30th to the 1st of the following month. An annual calendar requires manual adjustment only once a year, at end February. A mechanism which can distinguish between the 28th and 29th February, that is differentiate between a leap year and a non-leap year, is termed a perpetual calendar and clearly plays in the Champion’s League of complications.

Batting in the same league are the repeaters which, not content to display time visually, “chime” time too. A minute repeater transposes the position of the hour and minute hands into musical notes. These notes are produced by tiny mechanical hammers striking gongs which have been cleverly positioned around the movement so as to take up the least space. A pusher on the

TO THE CRE ATION OF THE DUOMÈ TRE À SPHÉROTOURBILLON. THE RESULT IS A WATCH THAT CAN LEGITIMATELY CL AIM TO BE THE FIRST TOURBILLON WATCH, ADJUSTABLE TO THE NE AREST SECOND. ANOTHER FE ATURE IS THE BI-A XIAL TOURBILLON WHICH, AS WELL AS RE VOLVING AROUND THE A XIS OF ITS TITANIUM CAGE, SPINS AROUND A SECOND A XIS, INCLINED AT A 20° ANGLE . THE COMBINATION OF THESE T WO DISTINCT AND FAST ROTATIONS (RESPECTIVELY 30 AND 15 SECONDS) FREES THE WATCH FROM THE EFFECTS OF GR AVIT Y.

64 WATCH YOUR TIME COMPLICATIONS BREGUET TR ADITION 7047 FUSEE TOURBILLON. BREGUE T COMPLE TES ITS EMBLEMATIC TR ADITION COLLECTION WITH AN INNOVATIVE MODEL IN 18K ROSE GOLD. THIS GR ANDE COMPLICATION TIMEPIECE WITH TOURBILLON, FUSEE AND CHAIN, AND BREGUE T BAL ANCE SPRING IN SILICON JOINS THE E XISTING MODELS IN YELLOW GOLD AND PL ATINUM. INSPIRED BY THE LEGENDARY “SUBSCRIP TION WATCHES” PROPOSED BY ABR AHAM-LOUIS BREGUE T, THIS TIMEPIECE RE ACHES BACK TO BREGUE T’S ORIGINS AND SHOWS A BR AND THAT IS TURNED FIRMLY TOWARDS THE FUTURE .

side of the case serves to wind the spring that will provide the striking mechanism with the power it needs to function. When triggered, the repeater will count the hours, quarter-hours and minutes since midday (or midnight). The hammers sound “dong” for each hour, “dingdong” for each quarter-hour, and “ding” for every minute, moving up to 28 times as they do.

Imagine it’s 11:59 and work it out for yourself! Yet supplying the mechanism with power is the watchmaker’s least worry. The most delicate task facing the master watchmaker, and by far, is to laboriously adjust the feelers which detect the position of the hands then transmit sures that the interval between two this information to the hammers. A second mechanism ensures hird, essential mechanism prevents notes isn’t longer towards the end of the sequence. A third, m setting the time while the striking damage to the movement by preventing the wearer from mechanism is functioning.

COMPLICATED AND RELIABLE TOO COM

Ano Another category of complications trains the spotlight on the mechanics of the movement.

Whi While not wishing to seem presumptuous, improving precision opened up infinite prospects for an aambitious watchmaker a hundred years ago (and in many cases still today). Pocket watch man manufacturers had to engage in all manner of mechanical contortions to achieve the precision of m more or less ten seconds a day that is now considered acceptable for a mechanical watch.

Con Confronted with certain lubricants’ tendency to solidify, they developed an incalculable number o of metal alloys from which to make ever more ingenious mechanisms.

WATCH, WHOSE FORM IS INSPIRED BY THE OCTAGONAL STOPPER OF THE N °5 PERFUME BOT TLE, AND BY PL ACE VENDÔME, CHANEL OFFERS WOMEN THE CHANCE TO ENTER INTO THE WORLD OF HIGH MECHANICAL COMPLICATIONS. AF TER ITS FIRST TOURBILLON, A J12 INTRODUCED IN 2005, CHANEL PRESENTS A FLYING TOURBILLON, DE VELOPED IN CLOSE COLL ABOR ATION WITH AUDEMARS PIGUE T.

14 DAY TOURBILLON. THE PATRIMONY TR ADITIONNELLE 14 DAY TOURBILLON IS THE ULTIMATE EMBODIMENT OF THE WATCHMAKER’S ART… A STATUS IT FURTHER ACCENTUATES

BY MEE TING THE NEW POINÇON DE GENÈ VE

CHANEL PREMIÈRE FLYING TOURBILLON. ON THE 25 th ANNIVERSARY OF CHANEL’S FIRST

VACHERON CONSTANTIN PATRIMONY TR ADITIONNELLE

REQUIREMENTS WHICH

They discovered, for example, how to regulate traction force using a fusee and chain which compensates for the diminishing power of the mainspring with adjustable transmission. They can also take credit for the constant-force remontoir, an intermediary mechanism which feeds constant force to the escapement, and which is considerably more complicated than the movement itself. The tourbillon entered the realm of complications thanks to a watchmaker who compensated the unpredictable influence of gravity on the balance wheel, and other regulating organs, by having it rotate once around its axis in one minute.

ARE NO LONGER CONFINED JUST TO THE MOVEMENT BUT ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FINISHED WATCH. THIS IS A MA JOR E VOLUTION FOR A L ABEL OF QUALIT Y THAT CELEBR ATES ITS 125 th ANNIVERSARY, AND A CHOICE THAT REFLECTS ITS DE TERMINATION TO RESPOND E VEN MORE CLOSELY TO CUSTOMERS’ E XPECTATIONS.

PERFECTION IN ITS SIGHTS THE ULTR A-PRECISE GR AND SEIKO HI-BEAT SPECIAL EDITION (-2/+4 SECONDS/DAY)

IN THE 1970 S , EUROPE DISCOVERED THAT JAPAN PRO DUCED WATCHES WHOSE CRE ATIVIT Y AND FUNCTION-

BE ATS TO THE RHY THM OF A

SWISS- MADE TI MEPIECES MEPIECES. ALIT Y COULD R IVAL THOSE OF SWISS

SELF-WINDING MECHANICAL

ANYONE WHO HAS E VER OWNED A SEI KO WATCH WI LL

MOVEMENT, VISIBLE THROUGH THE DISPL AY BACK AND OSCILL ATING AT 36,000 VIBR ATIONS/HOUR . THE

AGREE THAT THE BR AND, ESTABLISHED 1881, R ANKS HIGH FOR TECHNOLOG ICAL INNOVATION , RELIABI LIT Y

WATCHES. THE KINETIC BECAME A CHRONOGR APH IN

AND ROBUSTNESS. TODAY, SEI KO’S COM MAND OF BOTH

1999 THEN A PERPETUAL CALENDAR IN 2005. FURTHER

TR ADITIONAL WATCHMAK ING AND AVANT- GARDE TECH-

SECURING ITS POSITION AT THE CUT TING EDGE OF

NOLOGY HAS E ARNED IT WIDESPRE AD ADM IR ATION .

TECHNOLOGY, THE SAME YE AR AS THE SPRING DRIVE,

SEIKO PREMIER KINETIC DIRECT DRIVE MOONPHASE ASSOCIATES THE PRECISION OF QUARTZ WITH SELF-

THE WORLD’S MOST ACCUR ATE MOVEMENT, THE JAPA-

WINDING, AND FE ATURES A DAY/DATE DISPL AY, MOON

BACK IN 1969, HOWEVER , SEIKO WAS STILL AN UNFAMILIAR

NESE FIRM PRESENTED THE E-INK OR ELECTROPHORETIC

PHASES AND A 9-HOUR

NAME WHEN IT L AUNCHED ITSELF ON WESTERN MARKETS

DISPL AY, WHILE CONTINUING TO PRODUCE MECHANI-

—

WITH T WO REVOLUTIONARY PRODUCTS: AN INNOVATIVE

CAL CALIBRES, INCLUDING SEVER AL HIGH-FREQUENCY

SEIKO ANANTA AUTOMATIC

AUTOMATIC CHRONOGR APH CALIBRE AND THE ASTRON,

ONES. SEIKO WATCHES OFFER PURISTS A NEW STAND-

THE FIRST MASS-PRODUCED QUARTZ WATCH. THIS, AND

ARD OF DESIGN, FUNCTIONALIT Y AND PRECISION.

POWER RESERVE .

WITH ITS “TITANIUM CARBON” STEEL CASE, THE ANANTA AUTOMATIC CHRONOGR APH

VINCENT DAVEAU

THE DEVELOPMENT IN 1973 OF A LIQUID CRYSTAL DIS-

IS CUT OUT FOR ADVENTURE .

THAT SEIKO SHOULD SPONSOR ICARÉ 2 SHOULD THEREFORE COME AS NO SURPRISE . ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED SOL AR GLIDERS,

PL AY (LCD), ME ANT SEIKO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN TIPPING WATCHMAKING INTO THE MODERN ER A . T WO YE ARS AF TER L AUNCHING THE FIRST MULTIFUNCTION QUARTZ

ITS ELECTRIC MOTOR IS

WATCH, IN 1977 THE BR AND’S ENGINEERS EMBARKED ON

POWERED BY SOL AR PANELS.

A PROJECT WHICH FINALLY CAME OF AGE IN 2005 AS THE

AS WELL AS FLYING WITHOUT FOSSIL FUELS, ICARÉ 2 TAKES OFF WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE .

SPRING DRIVE: A MOVEMENT THAT COMBINES THE BEST OF MECHANICAL AND QUARTZ WITH THE TRI-SYNCHRO REGUL ATOR .

EVEN BEFORE THIS “QUIET REVOLUTION,” SEIKO HAD DEVELOPED AN ARMY OF MOVEMENTS THAT EQUIP ITS MODELS TODAY. IN 1988, IT PRESENTED THE KINETIC, A UNIQUE HYBRID CALIBRE WHOSE ELECTRICAL ENERGY IS PRODUCED BY A ROTOR COMBINED WITH AN OSCILL ATING WEIGHT OF THE KIND FOUND IN MECHANICAL

COMPLICATIONS WATCH YOUR TIME 65

ROLE X OYSTER PERPETUAL YACHT-MASTER II. THE NEW OYSTER PERPE TUAL YACHT-MASTER II COMES IN ROLESOR E VEROSE, AN E XCLUSIVE ALLOY OF 904L STEEL AND E VEROSE 18K GOLD. EQUIPPED WITH A PROGR AMMABLE COUNTDOWN WITH MECHANICAL MEMORY, THE OYSTER PERPE TUAL YACHT-MASTER II IS

Connoisseurs of finely-crafted watches are quick to extol the virtues of the tourbillon, but less inclined to sing the praises of the chronograph as a complication. And yet that watchmakers have successfully industrialised this complex mechanism should not overshadow the feat of micro-mechanics required for the chronograph’s many levers, cams, fingers and springs to interact, as each moves within a tolerance of a thousandth of a millimetre. Over recent years, one of the most remarkable timepieces unveiled by the Genevan Manufacture Patek Philippe was a split-seconds chronograph, conceived and constructed “the old-fashioned way.” That a chronograph of this degree of sophistication, of which only a handful are made, can cost in excess of 400,000 euros doesn’t alter the fact that a serial-produced tourbillon can be purchased for well under 10,000 euros.

A COMPLICATION BASED ON INTER ACTION BE T WEEN THE ROTATING BE ZEL AND THE MOVEMENT. IT ALLOWS THE SKIPPER TO PROGR AMME A COUNTDOWN SEQUENCE FROM 1 TO 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE START OF THE R ACE .

COMPLICATIONS OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY

For a watch to qualify as a grande complication, it must include at least three recognised complications, for example a perpetual calendar alongside a chronograph and a tourbillon, or a minute repeater paired with a tourbillon and a power reserve of more than three days (extended autonomy is now considered a complication). The 1735 by Blancpain, Reference 5216 by Patek

PIAGET GOUVERNEUR CHRONOGR APH. THE GOUVERNEUR CHRONOGR APH HOUSES THE NEW CALIBRE 882P, AN ULTR A-THIN (5.6 MM), SELFWINDING, MECHANICAL MOVEMENT. THIS CL ASSIC CHRONOGR APH’S T WO COUNTERS ARE REMINISCENT OF VINTAGE CHRONOGR APHS. IN ADDITION TO THE FLYBACK FUNCTION, FE ATURING SWEEP SECONDS AND A MINUTE COUNTER AT 3 O’CLOCK , THE MOVEMENT ALSO DISPL AYS

BVLGARI PAPILLON VOYAGEUR . ENHANCING HAUTE HORLOGERIE

HOURS, MINUTES, A 24-HOUR DUAL TIME ZONE IN A

WATCHES WITH ORIGINAL AND USEFUL COMPLICATIONS IS AN

SUBDIAL AT 9 O’CLOCK , AND DATE AT 6 O’CLOCK .

INTRINSIC PART OF BVLGARI’S WATCHMAKING CULTURE . COMING AF TER THE PAPILLON® CHRONOGR APH IN 2010, NAMED AF TER AN E XCLUSIVE AND PATENTED MINUTES DISPL AY, BVLGARI ADDS TO ITS COLLECTION WITH A WATCH THAT INDICATES A SECOND TIME ZONE . ALL INDICATIONS REL ATING TO TIME ME ASUREMENT TAKE THEIR PL ACE ON A SOPHISTICATED SPLIT-LE VEL DIAL .

Philippe Patrimony Traditionnelle Calibre 2755 by Vacheron Constantin, Reference 3757 by Philippe, Bregue Grande Complication by IWC or Aeternitas Mega by Franck Muller are all, by virtue Breguet, of their design and functions, frontrunners in the category of grande complication watch. At a time o of market booms and fluctuating exchange rates, watches such as these are virtually impossi impossible to find as they constitute a sound investment for whomever has at the very least m half a million euros to spare. th the charm of a complication watch is no longer gauged exclusively by the number of Note that parts or functions. Avant-garde master watchmakers and Manufactures are now tapping into nove indicators and surprising or amusing functions. When Harry Winston Rare Timepieces novel launc launched its Opus series in 2001, it rewrote the rules of the genre, and took complications to a w wider audience. Maximilian Büsser, then chief executive, came up with the concept of a “ca “call for ideas” that each year would allow a watchmaker to imagine and build an exceptional timepiece as a limited edition.

GIR ARD -PERREGAUX 1966 MINUTE REPEATER . AS ONE OF THE FEW WATCHES TO COMBINE SUCH A HIGH DEGREE OF MECHANICAL E XCELLENCE WITH E XCEP TIONAL MUSICAL QUALITIES, ES, THE GIR ARDPERREGAUX 1966 MINUTE REPE ATER PAYS HOMAGE GE TO THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS OF HAUTE HORLOGERIE TR ADITIONS. S. PURE DESIGN, NOBLE MATERIALS AND A BE AUTIFUL COMPLICATION, N, IT HAS ALL THE QUALITIES OF AN E XCEP TIONAL TIMEPIECE CE . ITS CL ASSIC, ELEGANT E XTERIOR HOUSES ONE OF THE GRE ATEST GR ANDES COMPLICATIONS: THE MINUTE NUTE REPE ATER .

IWC SPITFIRE PERPETUAL CALENDAR DIGITAL DATE-MONTH. INNOVATION WITH THE FIRST PILOT’S WATCH BY IWC TO FE ATURE A PERPE TUAL CALENDAR , A DIGITAL DATE AND MONTH DISPL AY, AND AN INNOVATIVE “WATCH-WITHIN-

CREATIVE COMPLICATIONS

A-WATCH” STOPWATCH DISPL AY. THE IWC 89800

These artist-watchmakers clearly revelled in such freedom, as classic tourbillons and repeaters gave way to extraordinarily innovative creations: a cube with six “eyes” displaying numbers for date and time (Opus 3 by Vianney Halter), or a revolving hour satellite complication mounted on a three-armed carrousel (Opus 5 by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei). Year after year, the Opus watches have grown increasingly unconventional, to the delight of their admirers who impatiently await each one.

Maximilian Büsser reprised the Opus concept when he set up under his own name and formed a collective of watch designers and makers to work on Horological Machines as MB&F (Maximilian Büsser & Friends). Many of the individuals behind the Opus watches put their ideas into practice for their own brands: Baumgartner and Frei produce their spectacular timepieces as Urwerk, Denis Giguet set up Manufacture Contemporaine du Temps (MCT), while designers/developers Fred Garinaud and Eric Giroud are very much in demand. Many new names have emerged in the wake of these pioneers whose creations have revolutionised the image of the wristwatch and the very concept of a complication watch.

MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT PROVIDES SUITABLE

ˇ

DRIVE FOR AN IWC TIMEPIECE, ALL OF WHICH ARE CHAR ACTERISED BY THEIR ELEGANCE AND TECHNICAL E XPERTISE .

ORIS BIG CROWN X1 CALCULATOR .

INSPIRED BY BELL X1, THE FIRST PL ANE TO BRE AK THE SOUND BARRIER ON OCTOBER 14 th 1947, THE BIG CROWN X1 CALCUL ATOR REFERS BACK TO A TIME WHEN PILOTS USED A SLIDE RULE TO CALCUL ATE THEIR FLIGHT PL ANS. THE ROTATING BE ZEL SERVES TO ADJUST THE CIRCUL AR SLIDE RULE AND TO CALCUL ATE FUEL CONSUMP TION FOR A GIVEN FLIGHT TIME . THE BACK OF THE CASE DISPL AYS A M/F T CONVERSION CHART FOR INTERNATIONAL USE .

66 WATCH YOUR TIME FOCUS

FULL-FLEDGED WATCHMAKERS

HAMDI CHAT TI, VICE PRESIDENT, LOUIS VUIT TON WATCHES & JEWELLERY

The Cup has been Louis Vuitton’s cue to develop a range of watches especially for sailing, to wit the Tambour Regatta America’s Cup. They feature a countdown function in addition to a flyback chronograph. The latest model in the collection has been equipped with a five-minute mechanical countdown, as opposed to the usual 15 minutes, thereby bringing it into line with new America’s Cup rules. A technical nicety that no other brand offers. Indeed, Louis Vuitton makes no secret of its ambitions in time measurement. “We have our sights set on becoming full-fledged watchmakers, capable of taking on the entire creative and manufacturing process ourselves,” Chatti adds. “We are in this for the duration. Our goals are credibility and authenticity.”

Louis Vuitton timepieces are sold only at its own stores, including the prestigious boutique on Place Vendôme in Paris, where the Tambour Minute Repeater first went on sale.

In ten years, Louis Vuitton has succeeded in establishing its name in the upper echelons of watchmaking, with growth to match. Already running out of space in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the company is preparing its move to Geneva. A new chapter begins for Louis Vuitton Watches and Jewellery.

Eric Dumatin

THE MINUTE REPE ATER IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED COMPLICATIONS. OVER AND ABOVE THIS AUR A UNLIKE ANY OTHER , THE TAMBOUR MINUTE REPEATER HAS SOME THING MORE . SO AS TO E XPRESS ITS PASSION FOR TR AVEL , LOUIS VUIT TON HAS GIVEN ITS MINUTE REPE ATER A SECOND TIME ZONE . AS A POE TIC TOUCH, THE CHIMES ARE DEPENDENT ON THE WE ARER’S HOME TIME .

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Since 2002 and the launch of the Tambour, Louis Vuitton has made itself at home in time measurement, evidenced by its first appearance in 2011 at Baselworld, the biggest international gathering of the profession, and the recent takeover of La Fabrique du Temps, a specialist in complications.

CARRYING ON A THIRT Y-YE AR ASSOCIATION, LOUIS VUIT TON HAS RENEWED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ORGANISERS OF THE AMERICA’S CUP. THE PARISIAN FIRM WILL PRESENT THE LOUIS VUIT TON CUP TO THE WINNER OF THE AMERICA’S CUP CHALLENGER SERIES, AND WILL BE THE OFFICIAL TIMEKEEPER FOR THE 34 th AMERICA’S CUP IN 2013.

time traveller It seems like only yesterday, yet it was ten years ago. When Louis Vuitton launched its first timepiece, named Tambour in reference to the first western watch, circa 1540, it positioned itself fairly and squarely in the big league, with the aim that “our timepieces should be as respected as the brand is on international markets,” in the words of Hamdi Chatti, Vice President of Louis Vuitton Watches and Jewellery.

Chatti knows what he is talking about. A trained watchmaker with a degree in micro-technology, he earned his stripes first at Piaget, then Harry Winston and Montblanc, at the head of their respective watch divisions. “We are clearly looking to draw parallels between our timepieces and the world which Louis Vuitton has crafted as a trunk maker and an artisan of travel. This is one of the reasons we have teamed up with the America’s Cup, an eminently prestigious competition which exactly corresponds to what we represent.”

Along these lines, last year LVMH took over La Fabrique du Temps and the seventeen employees of this specialist in quality complication movements. The two companies were already close, as La Fabrique du Temps is behind the movement for the Spin Time GMT, an original mechanism that displays hours on rotating cubes. The Tambour Minute Repeater GMT, which had everyone talking when Louis Vuitton made its debut at the Basel watch fair last year, is another technical bijou by La Fabrique du Temps.

The minute repeater will chime the time at home or in the second time zone.

NEW PREMISES IN GENEVA

“We’re extremely attached to everything this watch expresses, whether the iconic Tambour case or the masculine elements,” said Hamdi Chatti at the official unveiling. “At Louis Vuitton, technique is there to serve aesthetic, although the movements don’t suffer as a result of this.

We always deliver the best of both worlds.” This desire for exclusivity reappears in the brand’s distribution, as