Watch Your Time 2015 - USA Edition

the philosophy of time

THE YEAR’S NEW WATCHES

S P ECI A L A DV ER T IS I N G S U P P L EM EN T TO

THE NEW YORK TIMES USA EDITION SUNDAY OCTOB ER 18 , 2015

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WATCH PUBLISHER- FOUNDER CHRISTIAN LL AVALL-UBACH MANAGING DIRECTOR ISABELLE BOUDRINGHIN DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ERIC DUMATIN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHE ROULE T WRITERS CAROL BESLER , L AURIE K AHLE, PIERRE MAILL ARD, ROBERTA NA AS,

YOUR TIME

OUR COVER

ANGELIKA BUETTNER

S P EC I A L WATC H E D I T I O N

CHRISTOPHE ROULE T, MICHAEL THOMPSON TR ANSL ATION SANDR A PE TCH ART DIRECTION VINCENT FESSELE T, L A CASAGR ANDE (GENE VA), PHOTOENGR AVING BOMBIE (GENE VA)

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USA EDITION SUNDAY OCTOBER 18, 2015 This advertising supplement is produced by Editions Temps International and did not involve the reporting or editorial staff of The New York Times.

PRINTED IN EU • REPRODUCTION, EVEN PARTIAL , OF MATERIAL PUBLISHED IN WATCH YOUR TIME IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED I N TH E U SA . A LL I M AG E S , PH OTOS A N D ILLUSTRATIONS REPRODUCED IN THIS ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT ARE THE RE SPONSIBILIT Y OF THE WATCH BRANDS.

TUDOR TOOLS FOR ADVENTURE 13 EDITORIAL MONSIEUR SERGE 15 HARRY WINSTON A JEWEL IN THE CROWN 18 BVLGARI PART OF THE ELITE 20 CHOPARD A VISIONARY MIND 22 PATEK PHILIPPE GRAND EXPECTATIONS 24 THE ORIGINS OF ETERNAL STYLE

AN ONGOING MASTERPIECE

CLASSIC

SPORT

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BLANCPAIN AN OCEAN PASSION 41 AUDEMARS PIGUET DECODING TIME 42 JEWEL OR TOOL?

LADIES

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HERMÈS INSPIRED BY EXCELLENCE 48 LONGINES NATURAL ELEGANCE 51 TRANSCENDING TIME

HI-TECH

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CHOPARD L.U.C REGULOR. THIS YE AR , CHOPARD HAS REINVENTED A CL ASSIC FROM ITS L .U.C “HAUTE HORLOGERIE” COLLECTION: THE L .U.C REGUL ATOR IN A NEW CASE

VACHERON CONSTANTIN A YEAR FULL OF HARMONY 57

Angelika Buettner was born in Germany where she started her professional career, moving to Paris shortly after. Her shoots for magazines and advertising campaigns combine elements of cinematography with still images to create sensual and exciting moods. Angelika is known for her love of artistic challenges and variety. She is at ease with a broad range of styles, atmospheres and subjects, and never fails to infuse each of her photographs with a certain dramatic “je ne sais quoi”.

Her women’s fashion shoots capture femininity, elegance and depth that always leave the viewer eager for more.

Her approach to powerful, sensual photography and sensitive lighting has won her an international clientele that includes Audi, Bacardi, Douglas, FreyWille, L’Oréal, Maybelline, Swarovski and Wolford, among others. Her work has featured in numerous magazines such as Eyemazing, Glint, Madame, Neo2, Palace Costes, Plaza, Twill, Vogue Sposa, West East and many more. Angelika lives in New York.

POWERED BY THE CHOPARD REGUL ATOR MOVEMENT. IN THE TR ADITION OF HIGH-PRECISION WATCHES, THE SIX INDICATORS OF

PHOTOGRAPHER ANGELIK A BUE T TNER

ASTRONOMICAL TIMING

COMPLICATIONS

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THE L .U.C REGUL ATOR (HOURS, MINUTES, SMALL SECONDS, SECOND TIME ZONE, POWER RESERVE, DATE) ARE SEPAR ATED FOR MA XIMUM RE ADABILIT Y. THE TIMEPIECE HAS COSC CERTIFICATION AND IS STAMPED WITH THE POINÇON DE GENÈ VE .

@ ANGEL A DE BONA AGENCY DIGITAL ARTIST ANDRE SANCHE Z STYLING ALLISON ST GERMAIN

APPS FOR THE MODERN WATCH ENTHUSIAST

63

SEIKO JAPANESE PRECISION 65 FRÉDÉRIQUE CONSTANT HEART MEETS SMART 66

@ ARTISTS AT WILHELMINA IMAGE NY FASHION ASSISTANT TOMO OKOCHI CLOTHES AGNES B / FULL LOOK GROOMING BRUCE DEAN @ ARTISTS AT WILHELMINA IMAGE NY MODEL PHILIPPE LEBLOND @ DNA MODELS MANAGEMENT PRODUCTION ANGEL A DE BONA AGENCY

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C RA F T I NG E T E R N I T Y S I N C E 1 755 260 years of continuous history is reflected in the Harmony Collection.

A new legacy has dawned.

HARMONY CH RO N O G R A P H

Geneva official watchmaking certification

Elegance is an attitude Aishwarya Rai

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When earlier this year Tudor premiered its in-house mechanical calibers, it joined the horological elite of brands that manufacture their own movements. Industry observers will know that a wind of change has been blowing at Tudor for some time now. This was first evidenced by a completely new approach to the product, with models inspired by vintage styles and clearly positioned as tool watches cut out for adventure.

Models with names like Black Bay for diving, Fastrider for speed junkies, or Ranger and its image of dogs dragging sleds across frozen landscapes. This initial stage was essen-

tially based on the image of ruggedness and reliability which these vintage styles inspire.

The second, which the brand rolled out at the Baselworld watch and jewelry show, emphasizes the “engines” inside with the first two Tudor watches to be driven by an in-house movement. They are Pelagos (Calibre MT5612) and North Flag (Calibre MT5621). Most of the attention has been focused on the latter of the two, for the simple reason that it brings a new and relatively virgin territory of rocky outcrops permanently encased in snow, and deep glacier rifts. Its historical reference is the British North Greenland Expedition of 1952 to 1954, in which Commander James Simpson led a team of thirty scientists, all equipped with Tudor watches.

tools for adventure

PREMIUM PRICING

Another equally compelling characteristic of these watches is that they are hitting the market at very aggressive prices. This has had a surprise consequence, as Russell Kelly, brand manager for the United States, explains: “Immediately following Baselworld, we took the new collection on the road for a series of intimate dinners with serious collectors in major US markets. Many were shocked — and thrilled — to hear that we maintained our premium pricing while bringing our manufacturing in-house. Unexpectedly, some collectors raced to purchase the previous model of the Pelagos without the in-house movement. Given the short amount of time that we produced this piece without our own movement inside, a collector’s mentality classifies it as a rare reference in Tudor’s modern history.

Across the board, people could not be more loyal and enthusiastic about the new direction.”

THE TUDOR CALIBRE MT5621 BENEFITS FROM A 70-HOUR POWER RESERVE, OFFERING AN INSTANTANEOUS DATE AND A POWER RESERVE INDICATOR. OSCILL ATING AT A FREQUENCY OF 28,800 VPH (4HZ) AND REGUL ATED BY A VARIABLE INERTIA OSCILL ATOR WITH SILICON BAL ANCE SPRING, IT HAS COSC (CONTRÔLE OFFICIEL SUISSE DES CHRONOMÈTRES) CERTIFICATION. THIS IS A FIRST FOR A TUDOR PRODUCT. TUDOR NORTH FLAG. THE SOUL OF THE TUDOR NORTH FL AG BELONGS TO THE COLDEST AND MOST REMOTE EXTREMITIES OF THE PL ANET, VISITED BY EXPEDITIONS AND STUDIED BY UNIVERSITIES BUT NE VER INHABITED BY MAN. A FINELY HONED “SCIENTIFIC” INSTRUMENT OF UNPRECEDENTED TECHNICAL CONTENT — TUDOR’S FIRST MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT — IT IS THE MODERN ADVENTURER’S SOLID COMPANION, BEGINNING A NEW ER A IN THE BR AND’S RICH HISTORY.

Historically, Tudor has always fitted its watches with top-quality, reliable, Swiss-made calibers, and the new in-house movements impose the same high standards. The generously sized, compact construction oozes solidity, from the mat finish to the balance bridge, variable inertia balance, and cut-away rotor. They deliver a 70-hour power reserve, beat at 28,800 vph, and are fitted with a silicon balance spring. Precision is certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), another first for Tudor.

This new caliber can be admired through the sapphire crystal back of the North Flag’s monobloc 40mm case in satin-brushed steel. The bezel is also in steel with a ceramic ring. An instant date jump, power reserve indicator and stop seconds complete the line-up.

TUDOR PELAGOS. A MAGNIFICENT EX AMPLE OF A TOOL WATCH AND THE SYMBOL OF A LIFESTYLE MADE UP OF AQUATIC ADVENTURES, TUDOR PEL AGOS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE TR ADITIONAL MECHANICAL DIVERS’ WATCHES ON THE MARKET. IN 2015, THIS EMBLEMATIC MODEL HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH A MOVEMENT MANUFACTURED BY TUDOR AND AN ADDITIONAL COLOR COMBINATION, A REFERENCE TO THE MOST GLORIOUS PERIOD IN THE HIS-

Pelagos and North Flag, with their deliciously vintage design, have clearly benefited from the Heritage effect. “This collection continues to be our most important line in the US,” says Russell Kelly. “Tudor has a legacy of handsome watch design and we happen to be fortunate that this history matters enormously to the current generation. Our aesthetic and historical interests as a brand have definitely resonated with the group that has rediscovered Tudor.” The immediate consequence, as Kelly notes, is that Tudor’s brand awareness continues to grow exponentially in the US. “As with any brand emerging in the mind of a new generation, the marketing and communications process is a journey and our story is still building. The one thing that has remained consistent is that once you physically place a Tudor watch in the hands of a potential customer, the deal is done. Our greatest asset is the product itself.”

Christophe Roulet

TORY OF THE BR AND’S DIVERS’ WATCHES.

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 13

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sun sliced through the dimness, and across patios speckled with a powdery haze. We fell silent before such unadulterated beauty. Vertical or horizontal, every surface was subtly decorated, intricately sculpted in the Moorish and Andalusian traditions: stucco ceilings like an inverted cubic cosmos, mosaics with endlessly similar, constantly changing patterns, delicate paving, expanses of tadelakt as soft as skin, sculpted lemon and cedar wood formed a Gesamtkunstwerk; a total work. The work of a lifetime. Literally.

tiny little place. I fell in love with it there and then. I began working on it without ever imagining what lay ahead. One by one I bought the surrounding houses, each leading to the next. It’s like a story. You know there is more to come but that’s all you do know,” he adds, at the same time offering a perfect definition of Time. “I’m inhabited by a place I have never inhabited myself.”

Every evening, Monsieur Serge’s

monsieur serge

Inching its way down a narrow, dusty street, past ochre-colored buildings, our taxi took us deeper into the Marrakech medina. The driver skirted round a donkey, then pulled up in front of an unremarkable porch. The heavy door opened a chink and we were shown into a vast, square room, bathed in a gentle half-light.

We gazed in wonder at the geometrically tiled floor, which seemed to have been carved from honey, at the varnished brick walls, and the ornately sculpted wood ceiling. The noise from the street was no more than a distant hum, replaced by the sound of trickling water. “Monsieur Serge will be with you right away,” we were told. Little did we know that we were about to enter a labyrinth of indescribable beauty.

Behind its silent façades, Monsieur Serge’s meandering palace is an elaborate succession of corridors, vestibules, anterooms, patios, salons and alcoves that open onto changing perspectives and unexpected views.

We were the privileged visitors to a place that was bare of objects, the only ornamentation coming from the rhythmic variations in the tiled floors, the dizzying waves of color on the walls, and the delicate interlockings of the carved ceilings, allowing each space to reveal itself in all its purity, in an unbroken silence. Our muffled steps led us through this place out of time, from room to room where glass lanterns cast a mysterious halo of colored light or a shaft of

A BEGINNING WITHOUT END

Serge Lutens has spent the past forty years imagining every detail of this extraordinary palace; four decades building these 30,000 square feet with the help of the finest craftsmen from across Morocco, the kingdom’s famous maalems. It still isn’t finished, but is it ever meant to be?

“It was 1968 and I’d just signed my first contract with Dior,” he recalls.

“I came to Marrakech and decided to buy a small house here. I couldn’t find anything until one day an old man came looking for me. He took me by the hand and showed me this

taxi drives him the short distance to the “dark little place” — his words — where he lives. His astonishing palace exists, but only as a secret.

It is destined to remain empty, no more than a character in the allencompassing work that is Serge Luten’s life. “My life wrote itself without a word being written,” he says.

A painfully shy young man, he worked as a hairdresser in post-war Lille, in the north of France. One fine day in 1958, his scissors made two liberating cuts through his customer’s hair.

He had invented the bob, but for him this was really a “no” hurled in the face of all those to whom he had only ever said “yes”. This sudden refusal to conform, this rejection of fear and the weight of society gave rise to a “total novel”, unique in its genre. The “novel” of a singular creator who has marked his era in the most astonishing and different ways: hairstyling, makeup, photography, fragrance, and now writing. A work that is perhaps contained — bound — in this endless palace, tirelessly built, brick by brick, an invisible jewel that lies hidden away, somewhere in Marrakech.

Pierre Maillard

EDITORIAL WATCH YOUR TIME USA 15

THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO EVERY RULE.

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a jewel in the crown NAYL A HAYEK , CHAIRWOMAN OF THE SWATCH GROUP BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HARRY WINSTON

A long time coming, Swatch Group made its grand entrance into the jewelry segment when in early 2013 it acquired Harry Winston, now under the stewardship of Nayla Hayek, chairwoman of the world’s biggest watch group.

Harry Winston, with revenue of some $500 million at the time of takeover, has earned its place in the jewelry hall of fame. Founded by the man who would be crowned “King of Diamonds”, the company is one of the great names in luxury worldwide, and not only for its jewels; the House of Winston’s incursion into fine watchmaking has not gone unnoticed either. Its Midnight, Avenue, Ocean and Premier collections have established the Harry Winston name in time measurement, with styles for women and men.

Joining them is Project Z, a range of technically advanced timepieces in the brand’s exclusive Zalium alloy, and of course the two long-running sagas, Histoire de Tourbillon and Opus. The former re-imagines this revered complication from a totally original and avant-garde perspective.

The latter invites the most talented watchmakers of the day to let their imagination run wild, under the Harry Winston name. Naturally proposed as limited editions, the thirteen Opus to have seen daylight so far are probably the most inspired, offbeat examples of watchmaking today.

18 WATCH YOUR TIME USA FOCUS

ALMOST A CENTURY OF HISTORY

The brand has earned its legitimacy over the course of its almost one-hundred-year existence. In 1920, Mr. Harry Winston (1896-1978) founded the aptly named Premiere Diamond Company, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Twelve years later he opened his first store at New York’s Rockefeller Center, with new locations following around the world. During his years at the head of the firm, some of the world’s most incredible precious stones passed through Harry Winston’s hands, including such legends as the Hope and the Taylor-Burton diamonds.

Understandably, the House of Winston became the jeweler of choice for royal households from the Duchess of Windsor to the Maharani of Jaipur, as well as for Hollywood royalty, worn

by Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Glenn Close, Juliette Binoche and Sharon Stone. The Canadian firm Aber Diamond took a majority stake in the company in 2004, later acquiring full ownership in preparation for listing on the stock exchange. This produced a vertically inte-

grated venture, from mining precious stones to retailing watches and jewelry on the thoroughfares of the world’s most desirable capital cities.

In concrete terms, Swatch Group acquired Harry Winston’s jewelry division, in New York, and its watchmaking business, which it relocated to Geneva. The transaction did not include the Toronto-based company’s mining activity, although the two did agree on a longterm collaboration that would secure diamond supply. This was seen within the industry as a strategically shrewd option given that jewelry has been earmarked as the luxury segment with the most potential to grow over the coming years. It also sets the tone for the measures the group is taking for Harry Winston, which is now led by Nayla Hayek, chairwoman of the Swatch Group board of directors, president and CEO of the brand: “Since the takeover, we have made two major changes in our jewelry entity in order to better meet the clientele’s needs.

Firstly, by opening a second workshop in order to double our production capacity, and then by investing in precious stones in order to work less on a consignment basis, a consequence of the lack of liquidity at Harry Winston prior to its incorporation into the group. Carried out simultaneously, these two operations enable us to have larger stocks and a broader range in our boutiques, which are increasing in number.”

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES A GROWING WORLDWIDE PRESENCE

For proof, alongside its network of some two hundred retailers, Harry Winston is in the process of opening new salons, which should amount to more than thirty before the year is out. The flagship store on Avenue Montaigne in Paris has reopened following a year-long renovation at a cost of over $40 million. In the United States, where the brand already has salons in Las Vegas, Hawaii, Beverly Hills and of course New York City, a new location recently opened in the Miami Design District. Projects are underway for a salon in San Francisco, before the end of the year, followed by another in Houston.

Alongside these initiatives in the jewelry segment, which currently accounts for some threequarters of sales, the brand has taken a long, hard look at the strengths and weaknesses of its timepieces. On the upside, Harry Winston watches are equally successful among men and women. On the downside, “the number of remarks with regard to the reliability of technical content persuaded us to strengthen this aspect immediately,” says Nayla Hayek. To achieve this, Harry Winston couldn’t have wished for a better ally than Swatch Group — the most highly integrated watchmaker whose industrial capacity places it at the forefront of the profession — and lost no time in demonstrating its potential. Barely a year after its takeover, it came to the 2014 international watch and jewelry fair in Basel with a plethora of original new models that would join its nine watch collections. They spanned categories ranging from High Jewelry timepieces showcasing the company’s heritage to artistic crafts such as engraved mother-ofpearl or paillonné enamel, in addition to carefully executed complications. These included Histoire de Tourbillon 5 and its rarely attempted tri-axial tourbillon.

THE “NEW” FACE OF HARRY WINSTON WATCHMAKING

Clearly the ingredients were already in place to pave the way for the King of Diamonds’ new ambitions in watchmaking: a complete command of production, not least thanks to the Blancpain manufacture, also part of the Swatch Group stable and which now develops Harry Winston’s new small complications movements; dazzling expertise in jewelry watches, and some highly commendable ventures into the most complex artistic crafts. “Last year we presented the first collection of Harry Winston watches to truly be made by us. This was quite a challenge given the timeframe,” Nayla Hayek continues. “It was a good collection but in my eyes still needed some fine-tuning. This year time was on our side, and we were able to review details at every stage in production, whether cases, bracelets or setting stones. I think we are on the right track. We have a well-balanced collection with several extraordinary pieces to show our clients.” Building on these new foundations, watches should rapidly account for more than the current 25% of Harry Winston’s total sales.

Among these “extraordinary pieces”, the Premier Precious Butterfly Automatic features a dial embellished with microscopic grains of shimmering powder found on butterfly wings, while the Premier Hypnotic Star Automatic is

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BY ART DECO ARCH ITECTURE , FE ATURES SOM E OF THE MOST VALUABLE TI MEPIECES IN HIGH-END WATCHMAKING . THIS PARTICUL AR AVENUE CL ASSIC MODEL (LEF T) FE ATURES A RECTANGUL AR WHITE GOLD CASE SE T WITH 29 L AVISH BRILLIANT- CUT DIAMONDS AND A SILVER-TONED DIAL WITH SMALL SECONDS SE T WITH 42 BRILLIANT-CUT DIAMONDS. IN THE SAME MOOD, HARRY WINSTON HAS SECRE TLY LONGED TO REDESIGN THE POWDER COMPACT INTO A POCKE T WATCH. THAT WISH HAS COME TRUE IN THE FORM OF A JEWELRY WATCH, THE JEWELER’S SECRE T BY HAR RY WI NSTON , A DA Z ZLI NG AND I NTI M ATE CR E AT I ON THAT ALLOWS A WOMAN TO HOLD TI M E IN THE PALM OF HER HAND.

an explosion of diamonds in an invisible setting.

Project Z returns with the Z9 flyback chronograph whose high-frequency mechanical movement (36,000 vph) fractions time to one-tenth of a second. As for the Avenue collection, it welcomes the Dual Time Automatic whose powerful design encases a subtle approach to the mechanical measurement of time. Such is the new face of Harry Winston whose watchmaking DNA is rooted in diamond-studded gold models.

Long live the king!

Eric Dumatin

HARRY WINSTON HISTOIRE DE TOURBILLON 6 THIS MODEL WITH ITS HW4701 CALIBER IS THE MOST COMPLE X IN THE HISTOIRE DE TOURBILLON SERIES. IT COMBINES T WO INDEPENDENT HOUR INDICATIONS: ONE REGUL ATED BY A TRI-A XIAL TOURBILLON AND THE OTHER

BY A K ARUSSEL . BOTH K ARUSSEL AND TOURBILLON OPER ATE IN A SIMIL AR MANNER AND FE ATURE THE SAME E XCEP TIONAL PRECISION-R ATING QUALITIES.

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 19

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part of the elite

JE AN-CHRISTOPHE BABIN, CEO, BVLGARI

Bulgari, which celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year, B.Zero1, and the latest to date, Lucea, created specifically for women. “Lucea has been an important launch because of its strong Bulgari identity,” says Jean-Christophe Babin.

“It has a powerful design that combines a round form with contrasting colors. It’s a bold watch but one that can be worn every day.” Equally noteworthy is the prize-winning Diva High Jewelry Emeralds and its successor this year, the more consensual Diva Divina, a diamond-paved design at price points between $15,000 and $30,000.

Women’s timepieces are just one aspect of Bulgari watchmaking. As Jean-Christophe Babin points out, the brand aims to become one of the ten highest-grossing watchmakers in the world. As part of this strategy, Bulgari has made

Appointed Chief Executive in 2013, there is no doubt in Jean-Christophe Babin’s mind about where Bulgari’s heart lies. “We have Rome in our blood, and this is what makes us stand out in what can be a very classic, standardized industry.” Fabrizio Buonamassa, senior director of Bulgari’s watch design, concurs.

“At Bulgari, watch design is governed by the same principles as Italian industrial design. Form follows function, with no superfluous decoration. Every aspect must be useful, functional and as simple as possible.” Naturally, Fabrizio Buonamassa looks to Bulgari’s identity for inspiration, including its expertise in colored gems and its heritage as a jeweler. Now a hotly disputed segment of the luxury market, jewelry is indeed where Bulgari first made its name. Let’s travel back in time to 1884 and Rome, precisely, where Sotirios Bulgaris, a Greek silversmith who had emigrated to Italy, ran a small business producing and selling silverware.

In 1905 he moved to a new location on the city’s prestigious Via Condotti, now the company’s flagship store. After all, the jeweler was beginning to gain quite a following among a high-society clientele. Fortune would smile on the firm when Richard Burton introduced Elizabeth Taylor to its jewelry. Other actresses have followed from Claudia Cardinale to Sofia Loren, from Ingrid Bergman to Romy Schneider, Tina Turner to Keira Knightley, to name but some. Numerous celebrities have fallen for Bulgari’s charm, so much so that it is now one of the world’s top three jewelers.

This heritage plays an understandably important role in Bulgari’s timepieces. The Italian firm took its first steps in watchmaking in the early twentieth century with predominately gem-set styles.

Women’s jewelry watches are clearly a priority at Bulgari with Serpenti, of course, but also Bulgari

its forever home in Switzerland to produce quality, Swiss-made timepieces and retain control over every aspect of production. Bulgari’s watch manufacture has developed its capabilities to the point that it now commands production of a wide range of mechanical movements, ranging from grand complications to an ultra-thin, manual-winding caliber, as well as the Solotempo base caliber with automatic winding. Never one to stand still, the brand took Baselworld by surprise with its Diagono Magnesium, a connected watch that manages its own digital ecosystem, as Jean-Christophe Babin puts it. Slated for release in early 2016, Diagono Magnesium is as far removed as possible from a “conventional” smartwatch. It is in fact a self-winding mechanical watch as well as an electronic passport connected to the watch and its wearer whose confidential data is given total protection. Bulgari has it all worked out.

Eric Dumatin

BVLGARI ROMA. THE BVLGARI ROMA FINISSIMO CELEBR ATES THE

B V L G A R I D IAG O N O MAG N ES I U M . L AU N C H E D I N 19 9 8 , T H E

BVLGARI DIVA. A NOD TO THE FAMOUS ROMAN MOSAICS AND THE

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ICONIC ROMA WATCH . IN KEEPING

BVLGARI DIAGONO WAS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST WATCHES TO USE

ICONIC FAN-SHAPED MOTIFS OF THE CAR ACALLA THERMAL BATHS,

WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE 1975 ORIGINAL , BVLGARI HAS ENRICHED

MATERIALS SUCH AS ALUMINUM. IN 2015, THE ENGINEERS AT THE

DIVA EMBODIES A COLLECTION WITH A DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER. IN-

ITS UNDERSTATED DESIGN WITH THE FINESSE OF ITS IN-HOUSE

BVLGARI MANUFACTURE HAVE ONCE AGAIN WORKED WITH RESO-

SPIRED BY THE DIVERSITY OF MODERN-DAY BEAUTIES, BVLGARI HAS

MADE, ULTR A-THIN HAND-WOUND MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

LUTELY CONTEMPOR ARY MATERIALS: MAGNESIUM, CER AMIC AND

CREATED A COLLECTION OF WATCHES THAT EVOKES THE PERSONAL-

PEEK , A POLYMER THAT RE VOLUTIONISED THE SPACE INDUSTRY.

ITY AND THE HISTORY OF WOMEN, AT ONCE UNIQUE AND UNIVERSAL.

20 WATCH YOUR TIME USA FOCUS

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a visionary mind

K ARL-FRIEDRICH SCHEUFELE, CO-PRESIDENT, CHOPARD

Fine Watchmaking, with results that are plain to see. Ten families of L.U.C movements have gone into production since 1993, equipping more than 70 different models of watch. Everything Chopard Manufacture has touched has turned to gold, from the tourbillon to the perpetual calendar, from the patented Quattro system with four barrels to the chronograph, from extra-thin calibers to high-frequency movements. From its original workforce of ten, Chopard Manufacture now employs 150 people in fifteen different specializations. They produce 25,000 watches a year, five thousand of which are fitted with the famous L.U.C movements, all certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC).

Carrying on this strategy to vertically integrate production, in 2007 Chopard purchased another

When Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard, paved the way for what would become Chopard Manufacture, in 1993, the market situation was very different. Traditional watchmaking was locked in battle against the more accurate, cheaper electronic watches that were all the rage. That mechanical timepieces had their place was never in any doubt, but it took courage and a far-sighted view to predict that they would triumph over hearts and wrists again.

As Scheufele explains today, his idea to develop in-house production addressed three concerns: the need to balance out the collections; to focus attention on the brand’s expertise within a dedicated and technically advanced facility; and to achieve greater independence and more vertical integration, along the lines of the existing Meyrin and Pforzheim sites.

Convinced this was the right direction to take, and in the utmost secrecy, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele launched his project to open a work-

shop in the village of Fleurier, in the Swiss Jura.

As the brand recalls, “Karl-Friedrich Scheufele chose the most complex path to creating an original caliber. Work on Calibre ASP 94 began in 1993 but was subsequently abandoned as the movement proved too noisy and unsuited to the brand’s chosen production strategy.

The final version of the new movement was presented at Christmas 2005 in the form of twenty prototypes of Calibre L.U.C 96.01-L.”

By the following year, Chopard Manufacture was producing its first finished watches, a milestone which the brand intends celebrating in style, in 2016. Throughout these two decades, buoyed by $50 million in investments, Chopard Manufacture has grown at a slow but steady pace, learning first to walk, then to run. Under Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s guidance, the brand secured the route that would lead to its final destination of

building, also in Fleurier, that would become the site of a new manufacturing unit. This new facility was intended as the Manufacture’s industrial arm, with the aim of increasing the percentage of Chopard watches to be equipped with in-house mechanical movements. This was no small endeavor, given the difficulties involved when building a production unit from the ground up. Once again, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele proceeded with caution, patience and perseverance, and once again the venture was crowned with success. In 2014, 15,000 in-house movements left the Fleurier Ebauches workshops and, for the first time this year, equip certain watches in Chopard’s Mille Miglia “motor sport” range. This is a symbolic choice for Chopard’s Co-President, who is himself a collector of classic cars and an accomplished racing driver.

Within twenty years, he has taken Chopard back to its origins, and the select circle of Fine Watch Manufactures.

Eric Dumatin

CHOPARD L.U.C 196 3 TOURBILLON. THE L .U.C 1963 TOURB I LLON

T H E P R EST I G I O U S P O I N Ç O N D E G EN È V E Q UA L I T Y H A L L M A R K .

BEARING THE PRESTIGIOUS POINÇON DE GENÈVE QUALITY HALLMARK

IN 18K ROSE GOLD IS A SYM BOL OF WATCHMAK ING ELEGANCE .

—

AND BOASTING AN EXCEPTIONAL 216-HOUR POWER RESERVE, THIS

UNDERNEATH ITS CLASSIC GR AND-FEU ENAMEL DIAL BEATS A SMALL

CHOPARD L.U.C PERPETUAL T. THE 43MM ROSE-GOLD CASE HOUSES

TIMEPIECE IS CHRONOMETER-CERTIFIED BY THE COSC.

TOUR B I LLON M OVEM ENT BOAST I NG A 9 - DAY P OWER R ESERVE ,

THE HAND-WOUND L.U.C CALIBRE 02.15-L WHICH DISPL AYS THE

—

WH ICH CAN BE ADM IRED THROUGH THE OPEN CASE BAC K . TH IS

HOURS, THE MINUTES, THE SMALL SECONDS ON THE TOURBILLON

THE CHOPARD MANUFACTURE IN FLEURIER , SWITZERL AND, WILL

MODEL IS CHRONOM E TER- CERTIFIED BY THE COSC AND BE ARS

AND A PERPETUAL CALENDAR WITH INSTANT-DISPLAY LARGE DATE.

CELEBR ATE ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2016

22 WATCH YOUR TIME USA FOCUS

A SELECT CIRCLE

CALIBER RM 60-01 REGATTA LIMITED EDITION

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

grand expectations THIERRY STERN, CEO, PATEK PHILIPPE

invest some $500 million to extend its manufacturing facilities over the next few years. “We are keen to develop our centers of expertise, bearing in mind that we produce virtually every single component of our watches ourselves,” continued Stern. “This development concerns, for example, servicing and repair. We repair and even restore all our timepieces, regardless of when they were made since the company was established in 1839. In fact we will be setting up a production line for this. We also plan to open a training center worthy of the name in 2018.”

A company that has been around this long of course has its eye firmly on the future.

Celebrations for the 175th anniversary of Patek Philippe came to a climax in London, last June, with a Grand Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. Among the four hundred timepieces on display were models which the Genevan manufacture made especially for this jubilee year, the highlight being the Grandmaster Chime. This 47mm wristwatch is the most complicated ever made by the familyowned firm and “certainly one of the most complex in the world” with its twenty complications.

They include a grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, minute repeater, instantaneous perpetual calendar with four-digit year display, second time zone and two patented world-first striking mechanisms in the form of an alarm with time strike and a date repeater. In all it took 100,000 hours over eleven years to develop, produce and assemble this watch.

Patek Philippe has reached a pinnacle of watchmaking to which few can aspire, and not only in

grandes complications: the brand makes more than news; it makes headlines. For example, in November 2014, the pocket watch which Patek Philippe delivered to the American banker Henry Graves Jr. in 1933 flew off the block at Sotheby’s Geneva for an unbelievable $21.3 million, achieving a new world record along the way. The watch, the most complicated in the world, took five years to complete with each component being made by hand. The Supercomplication, as it became known, already sold for $11 million the first time it came under the hammer in 1999. And this is just one among the countless records set by Patek Philippe at auction.

Just weeks after this epic sale — proof, in the words of Chief Executive Thierry Stern, that “the value of Patek Philippe watches is very real” — the company quietly announced its intention to

And for good reason. The brand doesn’t chase after constant growth, yet grows regardless.

It has virtually quadrupled its workforce since the mid-1980s, and now employs 2,200 people worldwide of which 1,600 in the Canton of Geneva. Last year, which wasn’t the most sparkling for the watch industry, Patek Philippe recorded a 5% increase in sales at 58,000 timepieces worldwide. The United States accounts for some 15% of its business. Total revenue is estimated at well in excess of one billion dollars.

“After the 2008 financial crisis, when everyone was heading for China, we built our business back up in the United States. This proved to be a wise move as it gave us renewed opportunity to explain our values: the independence of a family-owned firm, a stable business model and the irreproachable quality of our products. This may be nothing new, but in the United States it is fundamental.”

Eric Dumatin

PAT E K P H I LI P P E GR ANDMASTER CHIME R EF 5175R . PAT E K

PATEK PHILIPPE ANNUAL CALENDAR CHRONOGRAPH REF 5905P

PATEK PHILIPPE CALATRAVA PILOT TRAVEL TIME REF 5524. THIS

PHILIPPE’S 175TH ANNIVERSARY IS CELEBR ATED WITH THE CREA-

TWO FUNCTIONS STAND OUT AMONG PATEK PHILIPPE’S BEST-SELL-

MODEL IS A DECIDEDLY MASCULINE WATCH THAT APTLY SYMBOL-

TION OF LIMITED-EDITION COMMEMOR ATIVE PIECES. THE STAR OF

ING COMPLICATED WATCHES — THE ANNUAL CALENDAR AND THE

IZES THE CONQUEST OF THE SKIES. R ATHER THAN BEING A NOS-

THE COLLECTION IS THE GR ANDMASTER CHIME, A WRIST WATCH

CHRONOGR APH — HENCE WHY PATEK PHILIPPE ANNUAL CALEN-

TALGIC REMINISCENCE OF THE HOUR-ANGLE WATCH THAT BECAME

WITH 20 COMPLICATIONS WHICH IS DESTINED TO HOLD A SINGU-

DAR CHRONOGR APHS ARE SOME OF THE MOST COVETED MOD-

OBSOLETE WITH THE ADVENT OF GPS NAVIGATION, IT IS A PRECISE

L AR PL ACE IN HOROLOGICAL HISTORY AS A UNIQUE DOUBLE-DIAL,

ELS. THESE SOUGHT-AF TER FE ATURES ARE UNITED IN THE NEW

AND DEPENDABLE TIMEKEEPING INSTRUMENT WITH A TIME-ZONE

FULLY REVERSIBLE SUPERCOMPLICATION TIMEPIECE.

REF. 5905P IN PL ATINUM.

FUNCTION THAT IS ESPECIALLY USEFUL IN AIR TR AVEL.

24 WATCH YOUR TIME USA FOCUS

IMPORTANT VALUES

T I S S O T C H E M I N D E S T O U R E L L E S A U T O M AT I C . 3 1 6 L S TA I N L E S S S T E E L C AS E , S C R AT C H - R E S I S TA N T SA P P H I R E C RYS TA L A N D WAT E R RESISTANCE UP TO 5 BAR (50 M / 165 FT). INNOVATORS BY TRADITION.

TIS SOTS HOP.COM

TAGHeuer.com

MONACO CALIBRE 12 Steve McQueen’s legacy is timeless. More than an actor, more than a pilot, he became a legend. Like TAG Heuer, he defined himself beyond standards and never cracked under pressure.

TISSOT VINTAGE GENT POWERMATIC 80 TISSOT IS ONE OF THE LE ADERS IN THE CRE ATION OF 18-K AR AT GOLD WATCHES. THE TISSOT VINTAGE COLLECTION, MADE UP OF LUXURIOUS GOLD WATCHES THAT COME WITH BE AUTIFULLYDESIGNED ANTIQUE DE TAILING, ARE PROOF OF THIS. THIS AUTOMATIC VERSION OFFERS A GUILLOCHE PAT TERN ON THE DIAL WITH THE RE VOLUTIONARY POWERMATIC 80 MOVEMENT THAT ASSURES 80 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE — A WELCOME MODERN TOUCH WHICH COMPLEMENTS THE BE AUTIFUL VINTAGE AESTHE TIC PERFECTLY.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

–o–––- laurie kahle

THE ORIGINS OF ETERNAL STYLE Watchmaking’s timeless three-hand classics prove less can be more.

At Geneva’s Patek Philippe Museum, one of the oldest watches on display is the Runde Halsuhr, a circa-1540 German drum watch with a single hour hand housed in an engraved gilded brass case. Watchmakers did not have the capability to measure minutes until late in the 17th century, after which watch dials were appointed with an additional longer hand. Until that time, watches were badges of wealth — elaborately decorated objets less concerned with accuracy than artistry: engraving, enameling, jewelling.

Christiaan Huygens’ invention of the spiral balance spring in 1675, however, ushered in a golden age of mechanical watchmaking that continued into the early 19th century. During this time, the craft underwent dramatic technological advancements thanks to a number of visionaries with game-changing inventions, including John Harrison and his marine chronometer and Thomas Mudge with his lever escapement, which was improved upon by the era’s star watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, who developed the tourbillon, the pare-chute shock-absorber, and the flat balance spring with one or two terminal coils that still carry his name. In 1776, Geneva watchmaker Jean-Moïse Pouzait invented a watch with an independent seconds hand, paving the way for the development of chronographs.

Since that technological heyday, mechanical watchmaking has been on a centuries-

Eve r y t hing t hat has exis te d linge r s in E te rnit y — 4:50 from Paddington Agatha Christie long quest for ever-increasing accuracy and expanded functionality that continues to this day with high-performance materials, such as silicon, and innovative escapement designs. Today, complications have evolved to include functions that can communicate with your smartphone. Still, as the craft has advanced far beyond what its forefathers could ever have envisioned, watchmaking has remained deeply rooted in history and tradition, and the refined beauty of the simple three-hand watch has endured.

Even the most complicated wristwatches in the world from the masters of high horology at Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Franck Muller, and Vacheron Constantin trace their roots to ancient one, two, and three-hand timepieces that remind us of a watch’s most essential function — tracking the day’s passing hours, minutes, and seconds. And while they dazzle us with whirling multi-axis tourbillons, mindboggling mechanisms with intricate tangles of componentry, and esoteric complications, today’s watchmaking maestros still celebrate and honor the craft’s original purpose with three-hand watches that satisfy our craving for purity and the simplicity of basic time-telling.

RAILROAD WATCHES

As railroads expanded across the United States in the mid-19th century, safety was incumbent on the strict adherence to timetables to assure two trains did not occupy the same track heading in opposite directions. Watches became essential equipment for engineers and conductors, and American watch producers — Ball Watch Co., Hamilton, Elgin, and Waltham, among several others — developed what became known as railroad watches. These no-nonsense pocket watches were built for accuracy, durability, and easy legibility with clean white dials appointed with bold black Arabic numerals, small seconds subdials at 6 o’clock, and an indexed chapter ring delineating each minute around the periphery of the dial.

Each railroad set its own parameters for watch specifications until a universal standard was adapted in 1893, when Web Ball, a top railroad watch inspector, was appointed the task of developing industry-wide standards, which continued to evolve over time. By 1908, some of these specifications included that the watches had to be American-made with plain white dials marked with black Arabic numerals. They also had to be Lancashire Gauge size 16 or 18 with a minimum of 17 jewels, and operate with maximum variations of 30 seconds per weekly inspection.

This was the era when American watchmaking was poised to overtake the Swiss when it came to the mass production of high-quality

IWC THE PORTUGIESER HAND-WOUND EIGHT DAYS “ 75TH ANNIVERSARY” EDITION. WITH THIS TIMEPIECE, WHICH MARKS THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PORTUGIESER , IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN RE VIVES THE MEMORY OF A LIT TLE-KNOWN VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL MODEL THAT NONE THELESS HOLDS ENORMOUS APPE AL .

THE DESIGN AND HANDWOUND MOVEMENT REMAIN COMPLE TELY FAITHFUL TO THE ORIGINAL .

CLASSIC WATCH YOUR TIME USA 29

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

modern alchemy Lidewij Edelkoort is one of the world’s most famous trend forecasters. Her Paris-based company Trend Union, which has offices in New York and Tokyo, produces trend books two or more years in advance that are used by strategists and designers at international brands. One name in particular to have caught her eye is Rado, and more especially its expertise in ceramic. In Modern Alchemy — The Plasma Principle, an extract from one of her latest trend reports, she notes how “Alchemy is a philosophical tradition whose practitioners were connected to profound and occult powers with the objectives of transmuting ordinary materials into noble matter and creating the elixir of life, which promised to preserve youth and deliver longevity. As the medieval forerunner of chemistry and a mystical and philosophical tradition, alchemy is an appropriate symbol for the Rado research programs that are on a quest for the ultimate matter: plasma high-tech ceramic. As a design pioneer in the watchmaking world, the Rado team has created magic from designing and experimenting processes.”

A winner of multiple prizes in contemporary design, Rado’s most recent alchemical process began with ceramic, a material that has accompanied mankind for thousands of years. In the hands of the Swiss watchmaker this material is, as Lidewij Edelkoort puts it, “transformed before our eyes into a unique and mysterious material that shines without sparkle, that glows without light, that emanates from within. A true contemporary material nobody has ever witnessed or experienced before.” Plasma high-tech ceramic is the result of a patented process first used by Rado. Under blistering temperatures in a plasma oven the molecular structure of white high-tech ceramic is altered by a chemical reaction that changes the ceramic from white to metallic. The resulting material, although the color of metal, involves no metal at all: Rado watches made with plasma high-tech ceramic have all the appeal of the metallic look and all the benefits of high-tech ceramic.

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watches, with the development of consistent machine-made interchangeable parts. A Swiss delegation visiting the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia was shaken to realize the vulnerability of their industry, which was still producing timepieces one by one using irregular handmade components. The Swiss quickly adapted American industrialized methods, and, with the turn of the 20th century and two World Wars, they overtook the U.S. manufacturers with more accurate, less expensive watches.

By the 1960s, American watch manufacturing in the established centers in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Illinois was all but dead. Yet, the legacy of classic railroad watches can be seen to this day in pieces by the modern-day Hamilton, now owned

by Swatch Group, IWC’s flagship Portugieser collection, which marks its 75th anniversary this year, A. Lange & Sohne’s 1815 line, and even pieces by the Pennsylvania boutique brand RGM Watch Company.

MILITARY WRISTWATCHES

In 1880, German Kaiser Wilhelm I commissioned Girard-Perregaux to produce 2,000 wristwatches with the crystals protected by metal grates for German naval officers, marking the first mass production of wristwatches. Unfortunately, these early wristwatches were often plagued by the infiltration of moisture and dust when exposed to the elements. Louis Cartier designed a wristwatch in 1904 at the request of his Brazilian aviator friend, Alberto Santos-Dumont.

The Santos, which debuted in 1911, was the Paris house’s first commercially produced timepiece. The design with a square case and Roman numerals also stood out with its lugs integrated into the strap and a cabochon sapphire set into the winding crown.

The Santos collection lives on today in various iterations like the rectangular Tank, reportedly inspired by the British Mark IV tanks that helped the Allies win World War I. According to Cartier lore, the first pro-

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R ADO HYPERCHROME. THE HYPERCHROME IS R ADO’S SPORT COLLECTION, AND NONE IS

II · PANERAI LUMINOR 1950 EQUATION OF TIME 8 DAYS. DUE

III · ROLE X CELLINI TIME. HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS.

SPORTIER THAN THE NEW R ADO HYPERCHROME AUTOMATIC CHRONOGR APH TACHYMETER.

TO EARTH’S ORBIT TIME AND INCLINATION, THE LENGTH OF

THE ESSENCE OF TIME . THE MAGIC OF THE MOMENT. THE

ST YLISH PL ASMA HIGH-TECH CER AM IC ENSURES THAT THIS TI MEPIECE WI LL NOT ONLY

A DAY TOTALS 24 HOURS JUST FOUR TIMES A YEAR. ON THE

CELLINI TIME DISPL AYS THE PRESENT INSTANT AS IF IT

STAND BY YOU AS YOU ARE PUT THROUGH YOUR PACES ON THE COURT, TR ACK OR FIELD, BUT

OTHER DAYS, THERE IS A VARIATION OF UP TO 15 MINUTES

WERE THE ONLY THING IN THE WORLD THAT MAT TERED.

WILL BE EQUALLY AT HOME ON YOUR WRIST AT A BL ACK TIE EVENT. THOSE WHO APPRECIATE

BETWEEN APPARENT SOL AR TIME AND MEAN SOL AR TIME.

THE PARED-BACK , CLE AN DESIGN OF THE DIAL DISTILS

THE LUSTRE OF DIAMONDS NEED LOOK NO FURTHER: THE R ADO HYPERCHROME DIAMONDS

THIS DIFFERENCE, KNOWN AS THE “EQUATION OF TIME”,

THE TIMELESS ST YLE OF CL ASSIC WATCHMAKING WITH

COLLECTION NOW OFFERS A NEW, LIMITED EDITION MODEL FE ATURING THE UNPAR ALLELED

IS DISPL AYED ON THE DIAL OF THIS NEW PANER AI WATCH.

A TOUCH OF MODERN ELEGANCE .

HIGH-TECH SHINE OF PL ASMA CER AMIC.

II · CHOPARD L.U.C QUAT TRO. CHOPARD PRESENTS A

IIII · PIAGET ALTIPLANO 900P. PIAGE T ALRE ADY HELD

NEW L.U.C QUAT TRO, FEATURING THE FOUR-BARREL L.U.C

THE RECORD FOR THINNESS IN AUTOMATIC WATCHES

98.01-L MOVEMENT. THIS NEW INTERPRETATION COMES

WITH ITS 1208P MOVEMENT. NOW IT IS BACK , THIS TIME

WITH A PL ATINUM CASE FR AMING A BLUE-GREY DIAL.

WITH THE WORLD’S FL AT TEST HAND-WOUND TIMEPIECE,

30 WATCH YOUR TIME USA

ME ASURING JUST 3.65 MM HIGH INCLUDING THE CASE .

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

totype produced in 1917 was bestowed upon General Pershing two years before the watches were available in the market.

Rolex debuted the Oyster, the first waterresistant and dustproof wristwatch, in 1926, resolving the problems inherent in wristwatches worn for action and adventure.

The hermetically sealed served to protect the movement, enhancing a wristwatch’s ability to stand up to the elements and perform under challenging conditions.

Born out of the military and aviation worlds in the late 19th and early 20th century, wristwatches became practical and essential tools for soldiers, airmen, and naval officers in accomplishing their missions, as pocket watches were too clumsy and cumbersome. Who wants to fumble with a pocket watch when using their hands to operate machinery? Pared down threehand wristwatches built for accuracy and robustness served as state of the art,

modern gear that guided those on the fields of war as well as those above them.

U.S. firms Bulova, Elgin, and Hamilton produced early military wristwatches for the Americans. During World War II, Britain’s Ministry of Defense commissioned wristwatches from Eterna, IWC, JaegerLeCoultre, Longines, and Omega. The Germans ordered pieces from Hanhart, Tutima, IWC, and A. Lange & Söhne. And in 1935, the Italian navy tapped Officine Panerai to produce luminous watches for use underwater. During the Second World War, these watches, using Rolex cases and movements, and other tools were standard equipment for Italian frogmen, SLC torpedo riders, and commandos.

Today, the aesthetic codes of Panerai’s Radiomir and Luminor collections remain derivative of the original military designs that carried the same names in reference to their luminous dials.

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the right step Omega chose the Baselworld international watch and jewelry fair to present the Globemaster, the first watch to withstand exposure to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss. Until then, the only effective barrier to magnetic fields had been to protect the movement inside an inner soft iron case which acts like a Faraday cage. A number of watchmakers, concerned with proposing reliable timepieces, introduced this type of device into their ranges as of the 1950s.

Rolex was one, with its Oyster Perpetual Milgauss from 1956, followed two years later by Jaeger-LeCoultre and its Geophysic, and IWC’s Ingenieur. Omega was already in the running with its Railmaster, released in 1957 and able to resist a magnetic field of 900 gauss. As far as Omega was concerned, this was just a beginning. In December last year, Omega’s executives revealed what the brand had been up to. They announced a new certificate developed with METAS, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology.

Its criteria exceed those imposed by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) whose approval is most widely sought

by Swiss watchmakers. All that remained was to put a face to this new standard, which is precisely what Omega did in Baselworld.

Globemaster is a brand-new line whose watches are the first to have successfully negotiated METAS testing and emerge with the words “Co-Axial Master Chronometer” on their dial. Fitted with Co-Axial Calibre 8900, they withstand 15,000 gauss and are precise to between 0 and +5 seconds a day. Better than the -4 to +6 seconds required by the COSC. Omega has certainly set the bar high. A magnetic field of 15,000 gauss corresponds to levels generated in the immediate vicinity of a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. In the current state of play, a watch qualifies as antimagnetic if it withstands 75 gauss. Standards are currently being reviewed, but the gap remains considerable.

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VIII

V · BLANCPAIN VILLERET GRANDE DATE. FOR THE FIRST TIME,

VII · ULYSSE NARDIN MARINE CHRONOMETER MANUFACTURE

OMEGA GLOBEMASTER. OMEGA PRESENTS THE GLOBEMASTER, A NEW LINE OF WATCHES THAT

BLANCPAIN IS OFFERING A LARGE DATE DISPLAY AS PART

FRO M THE AR T OF ENA M ELLI NG TO THE PR EC I S ION OF

ARE ALSO THE FIRST TO HAVE OBTAINED THE FRESHLY MINTED MASTER CHRONOMETER CER-

OF ITS VILLERET COLLECTION. THIS ELEGANT AND PRACTI-

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, ULYSSE NARDIN REVEALS

TIFICATION, ENDORSED IN SWITZERLAND BY THE SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF METROLOGY.

CAL COMPLICATION PROVIDES OPTIMAL READABILITY OF THE

TH ROUG H TH E M AR I N E C H RONO M E TER THAT AR T AN D

THESE GLOBEMASTER WATCHES ARE FITTED WITH CO-AXIAL CALIBRE 8900, THANKS TO WHICH

DATE WITH ITS DISPLAY FEATURING TWO LARGE APERTURES.

INNOVATION GO HAND IN HAND.

THEY WITHSTAND MAGNETIC FIELDS UP TO 15,000 GAUSS. PRECISION IS GUARANTEED WITHIN

VI · RICHARD MILLE RM63-01 DIZZY HANDS. AT FIRST GLANCE,

VIII · BVLGARI OCTO FINISSIMO. THE MECHANICAL HAND-

A RANGE OF 0 TO +5 SECONDS A DAY, COMPARED WITH THE -4 TO +6 SECONDS REQUIRED BY

NOTHING GIVES AWAY THE UNUSUAL HOROLOGICAL CREATION

WOUND OCTO FINISSI MO WATCH IS AVAI L ABLE IN PINK

THE CONTRÔLE OFFICIEL SUISSE DES CHRONOMÈTRES (COSC).

INSIDE THIS TIMEPIECE. HOWEVER, WHEN THE PUSHER IN THE

GOLD WITH A BL ACK L ACQUERED DIAL , ENDOWED WITH

CENTER OF THE CROWN IS DEPRESSED ONCE, A SLOW MOTION

A 55 - H O U R P OW ER R ES ERV E , R EC OG N I Z A B LE BY T H E

BALLET BEGINS: THE SAPPHIRE GLASS DIAL BEGINS TO SLOWLY

S M A L L S EC O N D S H A N D A P P E A R I N G O N A S U B D I A L AT

ROTATE COUNTERCLOCKWISE, AS THE HOUR HAND MOVES

7 O’CLOCK , AND ALSO FIT TED WITH A BL ACK ALLIGATOR

CLOCKWISE. SUDDENLY, TIMEKEEPING HAS BEEN REDEFINED.

LE ATHER STR AP.

WATCH YOUR TIME USA 31

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

From pilot watches to dive watches, today’s popular sport watches trace their origins to the advent of rugged time-only military wristwatches in the early 20th century.

In the decades following the war, such pioneer watches paved the way for more advanced models, such as Omega’s Seamaster, Rolex’s Submariner, Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Geophysic, which received an update this year.

DRESS WATCHES

a touch of class It used to be that we would look at the sun to tell the time. Several centuries of technology later, we are running our watches off the sun’s rays. Or at the very least watches developed by Tissot, the inventor of the first ever touch-sensitive, solar-powered watch, the T-Touch Expert Solar. While waiting for the brand to unveil its first connected watches, as promised by parent group Swatch, the Swiss brand, in business since 1853, continues to demonstrate the full measure of its expertise in timekeeping technologies. In 1999 it showed the way ahead when it launched the first touch-screen crystals, which now equip the majority of our mobile devices. This year it presents the first extension to the already legendary T-Touch Expert Solar line, with an antimagnetic titanium case clad in black PVD and water-resistant to 100 meters. Among the many innovative features is a new bezel marked with the four cardinal points, and a Super-LumiNova arrow on the minute hand so that time and direction can be easily read, including in low visibility. Most impressive, however, are the twenty touch-screen functions which this model proposes. They are, in addition to hours and minutes, perpetual calendar with day and week display, two alarms, dual time, weather with relative air pressure, altimeter with altitude difference, chronograph with lap and split times, logbook, compass, countdown timer, azimuth, regatta function and backlight.

Tissot has made this watch to run and run. With a full charge and used sparingly, the T-Touch Expert Solar operates for up to a year.

For daily use, it needs exposure of just seven minutes to sunlight outside, 26 minutes to daylight when cloudy, or five hours exposure to fluorescent light inside. However we venture into the great outdoors — mountaineering, sailing, cycling or hiking — the Tissot T-Touch Expert Solar will keep us on track.

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Many of today’s most refined dress watches also trace their lineage to minimalist threehand watches that emerged throughout the 20th century. Patek Philippe’s timeless Calatrava debuted in 1932, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s enduring Reverso also emerged in the 1930s, and this year’s Omega Globemaster is a modern-day incarnation of the brand’s Constellation from the 1950s and ’60s complete with a pie-pan dial. Other modern

collections, such as Girard-Perregaux’s Vintage 1945, paying homage to Art Deco design, and its minimalist, modernist 1965 collection draw inspiration from vintage watches made by the brand with the requisite updating and rescaling to appear au courant today.

Watch brands have mined fertile 20thcentury archives for design inspiration for years. But messing with an icon can be daunting, especially when you have no complications to distract the eye. Watch designers say they undergo painstaking prototyping to get the proportions just right, so the piece maintains a harmonious balance and projects a modern profile without losing touch with the character and sensibilities that made it a classic in the first place. Perhaps, in a century or two, this year’s three-hand Calatravas will reside in Patek’s museum just downstairs from the single-handed Runde Halsuhr.

ˇ

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TISSOT T-TOUCH EXPERT SOLAR AND TISSOT T-TOUCH LADY SOLAR. TISSOT’S PIONEERING

I · FRÉDÉRIQUE CONSTANT MANUFACTURE ZODIAC 24H

III · LONGINES CONQUEST HERITAGE. IN 1954, LONGINES

SPIRIT LED TO THE CREATION OF TACTILE WATCHES IN 1999. TODAY, THE BRAND IS THE FIRST TO

TO SALUTE THE CHINESE TR ADITIONAL CALENDAR SYS-

FILED A PATENT FOR ITS CONQUEST COLLECTION AND NAME.

PRESENT A TOUCH-SCREEN WATCH POWERED BY SOLAR ENERGY, CONFIRMING ITS POSITION

TEM, FRÉDÉRIQUE CONSTANT L AUNCHED MANUFACTURE

TO CELEBR ATE THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY, L AST YE AR THE

AS LEADER IN TACTILE TECHNOLOGY IN WATCHMAKING. LIGHT RAYS HIT THE DIAL TO RECHARGE

ZODIAC 24H. DIFFERENT FROM COMMON WATCHES, THIS

BR AND L AUNCHED THE CONQUEST HERITAGE 1954-2014.

THE WATCH AND TO OFFER ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS FOR EVERYDAY USE. ALL THIS IN A MODERN,

IS A 24-HOUR WATCH. THE HOUR HAND ROTATES ONCE

THESE ARE COMMEMOR ATIVE WATCHES WITH THE SAME

STYLISH DESIGN, TRANSPOSED TO WOMEN’S WRISTS WITH THE T-TOUCH LADY SOLAR.

IN 24 HOURS WHILE THE MINUTE HAND MAKES ONE RO-

LOOK AND THE SAME SIZE OF 35 MM AS THE FIRST CONQUEST.

TATION IN 120 MINUTES.

IIII · TUDOR HERITAGE R ANGER. INSPIRED BY A VINTAGE

32 WATCH YOUR TIME USA

II · R ADO DIAMASTER GR ANDE SECONDE. A MONOBLOC

WATCH MADE BY TUDOR AT THE END OF THE 1960s, ALSO

HIGH-TECH CER AMIC CASE HOUSES A L ARGE OPEN DIAL

NA M ED TH E R ANG ER , TH I S N E W T I M EP I EC E EM BOD I ES

P R ES EN T I N G T WO OV ER L A P P I N G SU B D I A LS , O N E F O R

THE CRE ATIVE STR ATEGY WHICH THE BR AND L AUNCHED

HOURS AND MINUTES AND ONE FOR SECONDS.

IN 2010 TO SHOWCASE ITS HERITAGE , BEGINNING WITH THE CHRONO HERITAGE .

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER ‘57 IN 2013, OMEGA UNVEILED AN UPGR ADE OF THE ORIGINAL SPEEDMASTER OF 1957. WITH ITS CO-A XIAL MOVEMENT AND CL ASSIC DESIGN, THE WATCH WAS AN INSTANT HIT AS IT COMBINED THE BEST OF BOTH AESTHE TICS AND MECHANICS. THIS YE AR , THE BR AND HAS RE VISITED THE TIMEPIECES AND CRE ATED A NEW MODEL THAT, WHILE BOASTING SE VER AL UPDATED FE ATURES, REMAINS LOYAL TO THE ST YLE OF THE WATCH THAT HAS CONTINUED TO BE AN ICON IN THE INDUSTRY FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

–o–––- carol besler

AN ONGOING MASTERPIECE The chronograph was invented in the early 1800s, and watchmakers have been tinkering with it ever since.

Watchmakers have long been obsessed with the measurement of short intervals of time, which explains why the chronograph was one of the earliest complications invented. It was born out of the need to track the moon and stars for navigation, to calculate the distance of artillery fire, clock the winners in a horse race — and more recently for such leisure pursuits as timing the perfect steak on the grill.

The first one on record was invented in 1816 by French watchmaker Louis Moinet, for navigational use. He called it “compteur de tierces” (thirds timer) because it measured events to the 60th of a second, known as a third or a tierce in French.

It had a return-to-zero function which, until recently, was thought to date from Swiss Adolphe Nicole’s patent of 1844.

Moinet’s contemporary, Nicolas Rieussec, developed the next known chronograph a few years later, in 1822, at the bidding of King Louis XVIII of France, who loved horse racing and wanted winners to be proclaimed on the basis of something other than sight.

Rieussec’s chronograph was a cumbersome contraption consisting of a wooden box with a clock movement that drove two rotating dials with a pen attached. At the press of a button, the pen descended and left an ink mark on the index, signifying the finish time of each horse.

Hence, the name chronograph (“chrono” is Greek for time and “graph” means to write).

We e a ch h ave 24 hour s in a d ay. N eve r more and r are ly l e ss .

— One Hour Dashiell Hammett A succession of developments followed in the early 1900s. Patek Philippe made the first double chronograph in 1902. In 1916, Heuer (now TAG Heuer) filed a patent for the “micrograph” which timed intervals to 1/100th of a second. In 1933 Breitling filed a patent for a chronograph with two push-buttons. Longines, which had been producing chronograph calibers since 1878, introduced a movement in 1936 with minute and hour totalizers, followed by a flyback chrono in 1939. Seiko introduced an automatic chronograph in 1969, and that same year, Zenith launched its fully integrated El Primero caliber, which beats at the high frequency of 36,000 vph (5Hz).

TRADITIONAL OR MODERN

In 1974, the Valjoux (now ETA) automatic chronograph Calibre 7750 was introduced, and became the workhorse of the industry — supplied to several brands for use in their chronograph watches. A few years ago, the Swatch Group (which owns ETA) announced that fewer of its movements would be available to other companies, and since then several brands, including

Rolex, Cartier and Breitling to name a few, have developed their own chronograph calibers. New calibers were introduced this year by Patek Philippe, Longines, Zenith, TAG Heuer, Montblanc, Omega, Hublot and Breguet. Today, innovations are mainly evolutionary, but technically, the newest movements are state-of-theart, with components made of silicon and other non-friction, non-magnetic materials.

Aesthetically, they generally fall into one of two categories: traditional and modern.

Patek Philippe, the ultimate traditionalist, thrilled collectors this year with the Ref. 5370 split-seconds chronograph with manual-wound Calibre CHR 29-535 PS. The base calibre, the CHR-29-535 was first introduced in 2009 in a ladies’ watch, Ref. 7071. It appeared in a men’s watch, the 5170, the following year, and in 2012 as a split-seconds chronograph with a perpetual calendar. This year, Patek introduces the split-seconds function in its “pure” form — without the perpetual calendar.

There are six patents for the base caliber, for innovations that represent small tweaks but which improve performance, including preventing any perceptible delay or jump when the chronograph hand and totalizers are activated, reducing friction and the need for lubrication. It also incorporates two column-wheel mechanisms for the split-seconds chronograph functions.

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE SELF WINDING TOURBILLON CHRONOGR APH THIS DISTINCTLY HIGH-TECH ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE MATCHES A FORGED CARBON CASE WITH A CER AMIC BE ZEL , TITANIUM AND CER AMIC PUSHERS, AND A RUBBER STR AP. IT IS DRIVEN BY THE NEW, SELF-WINDING CALIBRE 2897 WITH A PL ATINUM ROTOR WHOSE POSITION AT THE EDGE OF THE MOVEMENT REDUCES THICKNESS. THE TOURBILLON WEIGHS JUST 0.45 GR AM, WHILE THE COLUMN-WHEEL CHRONOGR APH IS A STUDY IN MECHANICAL SOPHISTICATION.

SPORT WATCH YOUR TIME USA 37

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

Longines, also a traditionalist, debuted the next generation of its Calibre L788 chronograph, a fully integrated chronograph that was introduced in 2012. The new automatic Calibre L788.2 pays tribute to a heritage piece from the early 1920s — the Longines Pulsometer Chronograph, which doctors used to measure a patient’s heart rate.

The chronograph seconds hand can be used in conjunction with the pulsometric scale to take someone’s pulse. The new model is a single pusher chrono with a vintage font and rounded case.

Montblanc has made chronographs something of a specialty in recent years, introducing a collection named for Nicolas Rieussec and creating an ultra-high-frequency model in its TimeWriter collection that beats at an astounding 50Hz. This year, Montblanc combined the chronograph function with a tourbillon escape-

ment. The new Calibre MB R230, in the Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph, was originally developed by Montblanc’s Minerva manufacture, for its elite Villeret collection. Here, it has been integrated into Montblanc’s monopusher automatic chronograph caliber.

In this construction, the large balance is independent of the tourbillon cage — which means the cage can remain smaller than the balance, and therefore requires 30% less energy to rotate. The movement has a stop-seconds function for precision setting, one of only two or three tourbillons on the market to have this feature.

OPENWORKED CALIBERS FOR A MODERN LOOK

Omega’s new chronograph caliber is based on its Co-Axial escapement. The Co-Axial Calibre 9300 uniquely positions 12-hour and 60-minute counters on the same subdial at 3 o’clock. The Speedmaster ’57

I

is equipped with a silicon balance spring, to which Omega attaches a four-year warranty. The Co-Axial escapement is more friction-free than the traditional lever escapement, meaning longer service intervals for the wearer because it needs less lubrication. It was invented in 1976

by British watchmaker George Daniels, but was not brought to market until 1999, when the Swatch Group introduced it in the company’s Omega brand.

A trend among the modernists is to create calibers that are openworked from the ground up and often blackened. Two LVMH brands, Hublot and TAG Heuer, debuted fine examples this year. Hublot’s chronograph caliber Unico HUB 1242, in the Big Bang Unico Full Magic Gold, is a flyback chronograph movement that has been given an anthracite grey treatment. It combines with a blackened skeleton dial and gilt counter rings for a really modern look. The watch is a limited edition that celebrates the tenth anni-

II

IIII

III

V

VI

III · PIAGET ALTIPLANO CHRONOGR APH. PIAGET’S COLLEC-

NEW IN-HOUSE DEVELOPED MANUAL-WIND CALIBRE 3300.

V · HUBLOT BIG BANG UNICO FULL MAGIC GOLD. TO

TION GAINS A MA JOR WATCH COM PLICATION WITH THIS

III · MONTBL ANC HERITAGE CHRONOMÉTRIE E XOTOURBIL-

CELEBR ATE THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIG BANG,

MODEL . BE T TER STI LL , IT IS A DOUBLE RECORD -HOLDER

LON MINUTE CHRONOGR APH. THE PATENTED E XOTOUR-

HUBLOT HAS UNVEILED A VERSION IN FULL MAGIC GOLD,

FOR THINNESS, WITH A MOVEMENT 4.65 M M HIGH AND A

BILLON JOINS A MONOPUSHER CHRONOGR APH AND A

THE BR AND’S UNIQUE, SCR ATCH-RESISTANT 18K GOLD.

CASE THAT IS 8.24 MM THICK .

DATE FUNCTION, SHOWN BY A HAND POSITIONED UNDER

VI · TUDOR FASTRIDER. CRE ATED IN 2011 AT THE START

II · VACHE RON CONSTANTIN HARMONY CHRONOGR APH

THE HOUR AND MINUTE HANDS.

OF THE PARTNERSHIP BE T WEEN TUDOR AND DUCATI,

CALIBRE 3300. THIS NEW CHRONOGR APH IN THE HARMO-

IIII · BREGUET TRADITION CHRONOGRAPHE INDÉPENDANT

THE FASTRIDER IS TUDOR’S TECHNICAL , SPORT Y LINE

NY COLLECTION CLEARLY DISPL AYS ITS CONNECTION WITH

7077. THE MOST DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF THE CHRONO-

DEDICATED TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE MOTORBIKE R ACING.

THE ORIGINAL MODEL. ITS ROSE GOLD CASE CONTAINS THE

GR APH FUNCTION ON THIS TR ADITION MODEL IS THAT IT HAS

THIS YE AR , TUDOR IS HONORING THIS R ANGE WITH A NEW

ITS OWN ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT GOING TR AIN COMPLETE

CHRONOGR APH INSPIRED BY ONE OF DUCATI’S MOST

WITH A 5 HZ HIGH-FREQUENCY BALANCE WHEEL, HENCE

FAMOUS MODELS, THE SCR AMBLER .

38 WATCH YOUR TIME USA SPORT

THE MAIN MOVEMENT IS NOT AFFECTED BY ITS RUNNING.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

saxony’s finest Having almost disappeared under the East German Communist regime, watchmaking in Saxony is once again a thriving concern.

Just twenty miles from the region’s capital of Dresden, Glashütte’s very own A. Lange & Söhne (whose wilderness years ended when the brand was revived in 1994) is the proof. It’s tempting to say that the company is a victim of its own success. Wilhelm Schmid, Chief Executive since 2011, doesn’t beat about the bush: “The number of people who are interested in fine watchmaking is growing faster than our production capacity. Also, our watches are currently sold in just 63 countries, which leaves a lot of virgin territory, not to mention the potential to expand in the women’s watch segment which accounts for barely 5% of our sales. We’re in a very comfortable position. The future is ours!” As part of its bid to conquer this future, A. Lange & Söhne again presented some truly extraordinary timepieces this year. Beginning with a Lange 1, the German firm’s flagship watch with its signature big date, and a symbol of the company’s renaissance. “The Lange 1 has become something of a blueprint for the image of the manufacture,” continues Wilhelm Schmid. “This 2015 rendition houses a technically evolved manual-wind movement, although one thing was clear from the start: we would change nothing of the Lange 1’s incomparable design.”

Interestingly, the L121.1 caliber that drives this new model is the fiftieth to come out of the Lange workshops, another feat in the watchmaking industry. The same technical prowess is at work inside the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater. The year’s major innovation, it is Lange’s first decimal repeater, sounding the hours, ten-minute intervals and minutes. Another particularity of this watch is that the striking mechanism, which is actuated by a pusher, always sounds the time shown on the dial, thanks to the engineers’ use of jumping numerals rather than hands.

C.R.

versary of the Big Bang collection. Hublot’s fellow LVMH brand, TAG Heuer, introduced a Carrera chronograph with a new caliber, the Heuer 01, named in honor of its founder Edouard Heuer. It is also openworked and blackened for dramatic effect, but most striking of all is the exposed column wheel on the back, which is colored red to stand out against the black movement and base plate. The case is made of 12 components in a modular design that will allow TAG to vary finish options in future versions.

Audemars Piguet occasionally rocks a modern aesthetic with its Royal Oak Offshore collection mixing modern and traditional materials. This year, it introduced the new Calibre 2897 automatic chronograph, with a tourbillon escapement. It combines a peripheral rotor made of platinum with a forged carbon case, ceramic bezel, rubber bracelet and titanium pushpiece, guards and links.

The tourbillon bridge is blackened titanium.

I

Breguet’s Tradition collection is hybrid of traditional and modern. It is so named because it embraces the classic inventions of its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, but with a modern, open worked look. The new Tradition Chronograph Independent 7077 is unique in that it has an independent gear train for the chronograph function with a 5Hz frequency (3Hz is the norm). The chronograph escapement kicks in only when the chronograph is activated and after the reset button is pushed. Energy is stored in a flexed blade spring until it is needed to activate the chronograph again — while in operation, it has a 20-minute power reserve. The chronograph balance is made of titanium, and both balances contain Breguet’s silicon overcoil balance springs and pallet forks.

It’s hard to imagine what is left to discover for the chronograph escapement, but there is no doubt still more tinkering to come.

ˇ

II

III

IIII

A .LANGE & SÖHNE ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER. THIS MODEL IS THE FIRST LANGE WATCH

I · PANER AI LUMINOR SUBMERSIBLE1950 3 DAYS CHRONO

III · SEIKO ASTRON GPS SOLAR CHRONOGR APH. WITH A

WITH A DECIMAL REPEATER, SOUNDING THE HOURS, TEN-MINUTE INTERVALS AND MINUTES. THE

FLYBACK AUTOMATIC TITANIO. LIKE ALL PANER AI WATCH-

CHRONOGR APH THAT IS ACCUR ATE TO THE NEAREST 1/5TH

CHIMES ALWAYS CORRESPOND TO THE TIME SHOWN ON THE DIAL. IF THE STRIKING MECHANISM

ES, THE FOCUS OF AT TENTION HERE IS THE SE A . A PRO-

OF A SECOND, ITS SOLAR-POWERED MOVEMENT, TIME AND

IS TRIGGERED WHEN A NUMERAL OR NUMERALS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE, THE JUMPING ACTION

FESSIONAL DIVING WATCH THAT IS WATER-RESISTANT TO

TIME-ZONE DISPLAYS THAT ARE CONSTANTLY UPDATED VIA A

OF THE DISCS IS DELAYED UNTIL AFTER THE CHIMING SEQUENCE HAS FINISHED. AS A SAFETY

300 ME TERS, THIS NEW MODEL FE ATURES A L ARGE LUMI-

GPS SIGNAL, AND A PERPETUAL CALENDAR AND WORLD TIME

PRECAUTION, THE CROWN CANNOT BE PULLED OUT TO SET THE TIME DURING THE CHIMES.

NOR 1950 CASE OF 47 MM, AND IS FIT TED WITH A CHRON-

FUNCTION, THIS SEIKO IS AN EXCEPTIONAL SPORTS WATCH.

FURTHERMORE, THE STRIKING MECHANISM WILL NOT OPERATE WITH LESS THAN 12 HOURS

OGR APH CALIBER WITH FLYBACK FUNCTION.

IIII · TAG HEUER CARRER A CALIBRE 18. THE VINTAGE

OF POWER RESERVE.

II · LONGINES PULSOMETER CHRONOGRAPH. INSPIRED BY

LOOK OF THIS NEW BL ACK AND SILVER CHRONOGR APH

A MAINLY MEDICAL TIMEPIECE FROM THE EARLY 1920s, THE

IS DIRECTLY INSPIRED BY THE CARRER A JACK HEUER .

LONGINES PULSOMETER CHRONOGRAPH CAN MEASURE THE

THIS E XPL AINS WHY THE WATCH APPE ARS SO SIMIL AR

HEART RATE. THIS SINGLE PUSHPIECE CHRONOGRAPH OF-

TO THE ORIGINAL CARRER A WITH T WO COUNTERS FROM

FERS SOBER ELEGANCE, LIKE THE MODEL THAT INSPIRED IT.

THE 1960s, WHICH IS VERY POPUL AR WITH COLLECTORS.

40 WATCH YOUR TIME USA

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

an ocean Blancpain’s ties to the oceanic world go back more than half a century, to 1952 when the French Ministry of Defense commissioned the brand to develop a timepiece for a newly created unit of elite combat divers.

Blancpain responded with a mechanical watch that would become one of the archetypal dive watches. The original model was launched in 1953, named after its water-resistance to 91.45 meters or fifty fathoms. This remarkable timepiece quickly earned a reputation as a sturdy, reliable instrument among numerous special operations forces. It became a favorite among oceanographers too, including Jacques Cousteau who wore his Fifty Fathoms while filming The Silent World, winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.

Since then, Blancpain has taken its underwater affinities further still and become “a fervent supporter of initiatives to explore, preserve and protect the world’s oceans.” It has forged close ties with explorers, scientists and photographers, and lends its support to a range of initiatives that share its view. These activities have been brought together as the Blancpain Ocean Commitment. The brand, which was established in 1735, has played a pioneering role as the first corporate contributor to National Geographic’s Pristine Seas Expeditions to the last wild places in the ocean, with the aim of informing the public and governments of their existence and the need to protect them. In a similar vein, Blancpain supports the Gombessa Project which studies rare marine phenomena such as the search for the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish that was previously believed to have disappeared 70 million years ago. ©B L ANCPA I N , ENR IC SAL A /NATIONAL GEOGR APH IC, P ITCA I R N ISL ANDS EXPEDITION: DUCIE ISL AND REEF FORMED CHIEFLY BY A SINGLE SPECIES OF COR AL OF THE MOST DELICATE PALE BLUE, WHICH GROWS LIKE GIANT ROSES

passion

HONORING A LEGACY

Protection of the underwater world also depends on “people’s knowledge of and concern about the ocean”, and for this reason Blancpain also presented Ocean, an exhibition of underwater photography held at the United Nations in New York. The brand is also lead sponsor of the World Ocean Summit, hosted

by The Economist, and contributes to the Hans Hass Fifty Fathoms Award which acknowledges excellence in the fields of underwater biology, photography and innovation. These multiple initiatives are described in detail at Blancpainocean-commitment.com, where diving enthusiasts and fans of the brand can also order the authoritative reference book, Fifty Fathoms — The Dive and Watch History 1953-2013.

Such an adventure wouldn’t be complete without its share of watches, and so Blancpain has embarked on a series of limited editions. Part

©BLANCPAIN, ENRIC SALA/NATIONAL GEOGR APHIC, GABON EXPEDITION: JELLYFISH WITH DOZENS OF SILVER LITTLE FISH AMONG ITS LONG TENTACLES.

of the revenues from these sales is donated to scientific expeditions. In addition, each purchaser of a special edition watch becomes a member of the Ocean Commitment Circle and, as such, benefits from advantages relating to Blancpain’s multiple initiatives to safeguard the oceans. First off, a 250-piece limited edition of the Ocean Commitment Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback was launched early this year. As Blancpain reminds us, “three years after the 1953 debut of the original Fifty Fathoms, Blancpain introduced the Bathyscaphe as a smaller diameter diving watch alternative adapted to daily wear. Over the years, the Bathyscaphe evolved in parallel with the Fifty Fathoms and became a part of the Fifty Fathoms legend. This patrimony is fully honored with the debut of the Ocean Commitment Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback.”

E.D. BLANCPAIN OCEAN COMMITMENT BATHYSCAPHE CHRONOGRAPHE FLYBACK. THE NEW LIMITED EDITION OCEAN COMMITMENT BATHYSCAPHE CHRONOGR APHE FLYBACK IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF LIMITED EDITION DIVING WATCHES WHICH WILL BE PART OF THE BLANCPAIN OCEAN COMMITMENT PROJECT. FOR EACH PIECE SOLD IN THIS SERIES, LIMITED TO 250 EXAMPLES, AN AMOUNT OF 1,000 EUROS WILL BE DONATED TO SUPPORT SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS. — BLANCPAIN FIFTY FATHOMS, THE ORIGINAL MODEL FROM 1953. THE FIFTY FATHOMS COLLECTION EMBODIES BLANCPAIN’S PASSION FOR THE UNDERWATER WORLD THAT WAS ORIGINALLY EXPRESSED IN 1953 WITH THE CREATION OF THE FIRST MODERN DIVER’S WATCH. EVER SINCE, BL ANCPAIN HAS BEEN ACCOMPANYING DIVERS AND UNDERWATER PHOTOGR APHERS IN THEIR EXPLOR ATION AND DISCOVERY OF THE OCEANS’ FR AGILE BEAUTY, THUS CONTRIBUTING TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS FASCINATING UNIVERSE AND TO THE MOTIVATION TO PROTECT IT.

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 41

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

decoding time

Audemars Piguet creates hand-finished horological masterpieces that range from the classical to the avant-garde. Since its origins in 1875, the firm has never left the hands of the founding families and has been continuously crafting high end watches. This uninterrupted focus and caring attention has been the driving force behind the spirit of innovation, purity of independence and respect for tradition that defines the brand.

The dominant historical thread that links the past, present and future of Audemars Piguet is the commitment towards the continued development of complications. Watches with complications are those with mechanisms that go far beyond the telling of the hours, minutes and seconds.

The perpetual calendar, the chronograph and the minute repeater are the three families of complications. When combined together, the result is the Grand Complication watch. Audemars Piguet has been crafting these micro-mechanical marvels since 1875 — a time long before the quartz clock and atomic clock, when mechanical timekeeping was still central to both secular life and scientific progress. High end, hand-finished mechanical watches are in every respect analog computers, powered by coiled mainsprings instead of electricity and capable of making sophisticated calculations via complex systems of mechanical gears and cams instead of circuit boards and binary code.

One of the most sought after complications for collectors today is the minute repeater, as the greatest examples are both visually and sonically impactful. The minute repeater translates the time on the dial into a series of audible notes that are easy to follow once decoded. The striking

sequence begins when the user activates a small lever in the side of the case. When activated, two miniature hammers strike coiled gongs, producing a beautifully resonant and musical tone: a low note for the hours, a high note for the minutes, and a combination of one high and one low note for each quarter hour that has elapsed. Minute repeating watches feature an incredible 720 distinct striking sequences — one for each minute of the twelve hours displayed on a watch.

The Archives at Audemars Piguet confirm that the production of minute repeaters for both men and women was well underway by the early 1880s.

The decorative pendant watch, a palette for near endless design, was the primary expression of women’s horology during this time period. One of the greatest expressions of this pursuit occurred in 1894, when Audemars Piguet produced No. 4269 for Tiffany & Co. in New York, which is on permanent exhibition at the Audemars Piguet Museum. The 18k gold case features translucent royal blue guilloche enamel decoration to the case back, bordered by diamonds. The bezel and bow are also diamond-set and the decoration extends to the brooch. The dial is made of

white enamel and features stylized Arabic numerals and pierced gold hands. Audemars Piguet’s commitment towards the development and evolution of the minute repeater has been an uninterrupted story since the origins of the company and continues into the present day. The newest addition to this ongoing legacy is the prototype Royal Oak Concept RD#1 — potentially the most sonically researched minute repeater of modern times. While the futuristic design is stylistically on the opposite end of the spectrum of the classical pendant repeater, the RD#1 shares much of the DNA and traditional watchmaking codes of its pendant watch ancestor.

The RD#1 is a minute repeating wristwatch that awakens sound in a way previously thought to be impossible to achieve. It significantly enhances the acoustic quality of horological chiming technology and achieves an unprecedented volume of sound transmission in a contemporary waterresistant case. While the RD#1 is a one-of-a-kind prototype, it is the beginning of a new chapter in the ongoing history of mechanical minute repeaters at Audemars Piguet.

Michael L. Friedman, Audemars Piguet Historian

A U D E M A R S P I G U E T T I F FA N Y M I N U T E R E P E AT E R 18 9 4 . T H E

MINIATURE CALIBERS FOR WOMEN’S WATCHES WAS UNDERWAY BY

WATCH CASE. ITS CRYSTAL-CLEAR CHIMES ARE THOSE OF AN ERA WHEN

ARCHIVES AT AUDEMARS PIGUET CONFIRM THAT MINUTE REPEATING

1883. ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPRESSIONS OF THESE TECHNOLOG-

WATCH CASES, BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT YET WATER-RESISTANT,

POCKET WATCHES WERE CR AFTED FROM THE VERY ORIGINS OF THE

ICAL AND ARTISTIC PURSUITS OCCURRED IN 1894, WHEN AUDEMARS

DIDN’T STIFLE SOUND. THIS PROWESS COMES AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF

COMPANY — THE WORLD’S FIRST MINUTE REPEATING MEN’S WRIST-

PIGUE T PRODUCED NO. 4269 FOR TIFFANY & CO. IN NE W YOR K .

ACOUSTIC RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT THE AUDEMARS PIGUET LABO-

WATCH WAS CRE ATED IN 1892 — AND THAT THE PRODUCTION OF

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK CONCEPT RD#1. THE EXTRAORDINARY

RATORY, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF

ROYAL OAK CONCEPT RD#1 MINUTE REPEATER ACHIEVES A SOUND

TECHNOLOGY IN LAUSANNE (EPFL) AND A RENOWNED CRAFTSMAN OF

QUALITY AND VOLUME WITHOUT PRECEDENT IN A CONTEMPORARY

STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. THREE PATENTS ARE PENDING.

42 WATCH YOUR TIME USA FOCUS

ROLE X OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST PEARLMASTER 39 THE MODEL , IN A NEW 39 MM CASE SIZE, IS DRIVEN BY A NEW-GENER ATION MOVEMENT, CALIBRE 3235, WHICH HAS THE SAME CONFIGUR ATION AND LE VEL OF PERFORMANCE AS THE CALIBRE 3255 THAT EQUIPS THE OYSTER PERPE TUAL DAY-DATE . THIS NEW PE ARLMASTER MAKES A STATEMENT WITH ITS BE ZEL , SE T WITH 48 BAGUE T TE-CUT SAPPHIRES IN GR ADIENTS FROM BLUE TO GREEN. IT HAS A COLORED DIAL WITH DIAMOND-SE T NUMER ALS AT 6 AND 9. STONES ARE SELECTED

BY ROLE X’S OWN GEMOLOGY L ABOR ATORY, E X ACTLY AS THE BR AND HAS ITS OWN FOUNDRY WHERE IT DE VELOPS ITS 18K YELLOW, WHITE AND E VEROSE GOLD ALLOYS.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

–o–––- carol besler

JEWEL OR TOOL? Now that mechanical movements are once again preferred, the production of dedicated ladies’ collections is on the rise.

The wristwatch is widely considered to be a guy’s accessory, as masculine as a Ferrari or a fighter jet — it is no mistake that these are two of the most common motifs in watch advertising. Functions are described in terms of Paul Newman checking his watch while racing in the Le Mans or Edmund Hillary climbing Mount Everest with his trusty tool watch in tow.

You would never know it, but the wristwatch was in fact originally invented for women, and it was worn almost exclusively by women for its first 100 years of existence.

Breguet created one of the earliest wristwatches on record for the Queen of Naples in 1810. The first wristwatch ever made by Patek Philippe — venerated as the maker of the world’s most collectible men’s watches — was for a woman, Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, in 1868. And Cartier was making jeweled Panther watches long before it created the Santos wristwatch in 1904 for pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont. The only other men who were wearing watches at the time were soldiers in the South African Boer War, and that was because Africa’s climate was too hot for a waist coat, where a man’s pocket watch is properly kept.

Horological historians like to say that

I ’m k illing t im e and it ’s dying h ard .

— The Long Goodbye Raymond Chandler

these early ladies’ wristwatches were nothing more than baubles, with movements that were barely functional. Followed by the inevitable statement: “a lady didn’t really need to know what time it was anyway.” This is nonsense. Some of those early movements were made by the likes of Audemars Piguet and Jaeger-LeCoultre which created the tiny, reliable Calibre 101 for a ladies’ watch in 1925, and still uses it today. It seems inconceivable that companies competing to create the most elite calibers for men’s collectible pocket watches would at the same time deliberately create an inferior movement for a ladies’ watch. It also seems inconceivable that women didn’t really care what time it was. In 1914, a French women’s magazine, Femina, polled its readers for their opinions of wristwatches. Of the 4,350 respondents, 3,437 said they found wristwatches “extremely practical.” Only 433 preferred the more decorative pendant watches of the time. (The rest were undecided).

AN EMPHASIS ON DECORATION

When timepieces became mainstream for men in the 1950s, ladies’ watches somehow became secondary, showing up as simply smaller versions of men’s models. This persisted through the quartz era of the ’70s and ’80s, but now that mechanical movements are once again preferred, the production of dedicated ladies’ collections is on the rise. Women have been proven to not only have an interest in the time of day but in what lies under the decorative dials of their wristwatches, and most ladies’ watches are now mechanical. A growing number are complicated.

At the same time, there has been a steep rise in the decorative element of ladies’ timepieces since there is, in general, a greater than ever value placed on the métiers d’art or finishing crafts of watchmaking. The ladies’ watch turns out to be the perfect venue for value-added decorations. The combination of advances in caliber technology and renewed interest in finish has naturally evolved into a trend in ladies’ timepieces to not only display mechanical components but to decorate them, and in some cases animate them.

Audemars Piguet, widely known as a maker of men’s sport watches, surprised

JAEGER-LECOULTRE RENDEZ-VOUS MOON FOR THE RENDE Z-VOUS, JAEGER-LECOULTRE HAS DE VELOPED A GENEROUSLY SIZED MOON PHASE WHICH, ALONG WITH THE SURROUNDING SK Y CHART, OCCUPIES ALMOST HALF THE DIAL . AS WELL AS PL AYING THE STARRING ROLE, THIS FUNCTION ALSO DISPL AYS IMPRESSIVE PRECISION, SINCE IT IS DESIGNED TO ACCUMUL ATE A ONE-DAY DE VIATION ONLY AF TER 972 YE ARS. THE MOTHER-OFPE ARL MOON PHASES APPE AR AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF A DIAMOND-STUDDED BLUE SK Y AND BENE ATH AN HOURS ARC DISTINGUISHED BY ELONGATED NUMER ALS.

LADIES WATCH YOUR TIME USA 47

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everyone at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva this year with a group of jeweled ladies’ watches in its Millenary collection. They are powered by a new in-house manufacture movement, the hand-wound Calibre 5201. The movement is both exposed and decorated, with the large gold bridge over the balance wheel displayed prominently on the dial.

The hours and minutes are displayed in a separate, off-center dial, and the seconds on an even smaller subdial. There is also a tourbillon version, with baguette diamonds set into the mainplate and the hour and minutes dial backed with sparkling aventurine.

I · ROGER DUBUIS E XCALIBUR BROCÉLIANDE. THE MANUFACTURE ASSOCIATES TECHNICAL FINESSE WITH AESTHE TIC SOPHISTICATION IN THIS MODEL DEMONSTR ATING ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE FIELDS OF SKELE TON-WORK AND JEWELRY CRE ATIONS. DECOR ATIVE JEWELRY ELEMENTS ARE CLE VERLY INTERT WINED WITH THE SKELE TON FLYING TOURBILLON MOVEMENT. II · BREGUET RÊVE DE PLUME HAUTE JOAILLERIE. THE PLUMES COLLECTION DR AWS ITS INSPIR ATION FROM THE STORY OF QUEEN MARIE-ANTOINE T TE OF FR ANCE WHO INSPIRED THE CRE ATION OF POE TIC TIMEPIECES DE VELOPED ON SUCH ANCIENT DECOR ATIVE

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ME THODS AS ENGR AVING OR UNCOMMON GEMSE T TING TECHNIQUES.

JEWELRY WATCHES WITH MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS

III · AUDEMARS PIGUET MILLENARY. FOR 2015, A NEW MILLENARY COLLECTION CELEBR ATES 20 YE ARS OF THIS UNIQUE AUDEMARS PIGUE T WOMEN’S WATCH DESIGN. THE BR AND’S DEDICATION TO CRE ATING MOVEMENTS FOR WOMEN IS DISPL AYED IN THE NEW HANDWOUND MILLENARY CALIBRE 5201.

IIII · RICHARD MILLE RM19-02 TOURBILLON FLEUR. THIS TIMEPIECE RE TURNS TO THE LONG TR ADITION OF AUTOMATA IN WATCHMAKING, IN THIS CASE A MAGNOLIA BLOSSOM WHOSE HAND-CR AF TED, HANDCOLORED PE TALS EMBR ACE A FLYING TOURBILLON. IN PASSING OR ON

III

DEMAND, THE MAGNOLIA OPENS AND

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CLOSES WITH RHY THMIC REGUL ARIT Y.

If a thing is worth doing, for Hermès it is always worth doing well. “Hermès considers a new activity only if we can bring something different, in which case we want to come close to and ultimately be one of the best,” says Laurent Dordet, the new Chief Executive of La Montre Hermès.

L AURENT DORDE T, CEO, L A MONTRE HERMÈS

48 WATCH YOUR TIME USA FOCUS

“This is precisely what happened in watchmaking. We entered the field some forty years ago with women’s quartz watches. We knew that if we were to be taken seriously, we also had to propose mechanical watches for men. We’ve been working to this end for fifteen years and will continue along this way with humility, yes, but also a great deal of ambition.”

For Laurent Dordet — who came to watches after heading up Hermès’ leathergoods division — this can mean only one thing: “In five years’ time, I want watchmaking to be as much a part of Hermès as leathergoods.” Established in 1978 in Biel, Switzerland, La Montre Hermès is already well on the way. “Having successfully integrated numerous skills and crafts, we must now earn our creden-

This decorative approach to the movement and mainplate extends to the moving parts on some ladies’ watches. Several are fitted with rotating disks that are decorated to reveal changing scenery while they turn under a fixed disk, usually over 24 hours.

This disk on Blancpain’s Day/Night features a moon composed of 50 diamonds and a sun of 50 yellow sapphires. It contains automatic Calibre 1163JN, a flyback chronograph modified for this collection,

inspired by tials as a watchmaker. This isn’t something you suddenly “become”. First we must prove ourselves. We know this is a long-term endeavor. The day customers spontaneously compare Hermès with storied watch brands is the day we will have accomplished what we set out to do.

The watch segment is therefore a major growth opportunity for Hermès, by which I mean quality growth that we intend to achieve in mechanical watches, precious watches and the artistic crafts. The second part of our strategy is to increase the proportion of men’s watches in our sales, although this will not be at the expense of our women’s timepieces.”

HOROLOGY’S HIGHEST SUMMITS

Hermès can rely on some convincing assets to drive its watch business forward. The brand has secured a supply of top-quality mechanical movements through a 25% stake in Vaucher Manufacture, and thanks to its longstanding partnership with Agenhor, the Geneva-based movement designer

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with a glucydur free sprung balance, two barrels and a power reserve of 100 hours.

Similarly, Cartier’s Rêves de Panthères has a day/night disk driven by automatic Calibre MC 9916. Three panthers are seated with their backs to us gazing at either a daytime or night sky rendered in enamel. The panthers are sculpted from white gold with onyx spots, and they rest on a dial of pavé diamonds.

Fabergé also introduced a piece this year with decorated moving components — the perfect mix of mechanical technology and jeweled adornment. The retrograde minutes on the Lady Compliquée Peacock are indexed by the unfurling feathers of a peacock’s tail. The tail and dial are adorned with diamonds, Paraiba tourmalines and tsavorite garnets, in homage to the colors used in a Fabergé “Peacock” egg circa 1908. The peacock is sculpted in 18k white gold.

A decorative finish, including jeweling, remains a major draw in ladies’ timepieces.

Breguet’s new Rêve de Plume Haute Joaillerie, with four carats of diamonds, is treated as a piece of jewelry, with a diamond-encrusted feather motif hugging one side of the dial. The plume is a nod to the quill pen used by Marie-Antoinette to

excellence behind the remarkable Le Temps Suspendu watch. Both were involved in the Slim d’Hermès collection of extra-thin watches, unveiled earlier this year. Built on a movement developed by Vaucher for Hermès, the third in the Parisian firm’s repertoire, it joins the Arceau, Cape Cod and Dressage ranges. This new collection includes a perpetual calendar with an additional module by who else but Agenhor. Women too are set to benefit from these high-flying mechanics, including the introduction of complicated models along the lines of this year’s Arceau Petite Lune with moon phases.

Hermès excels in the artistic crafts, and last year dazzled with its Millefiori dials.

No less distinctive are the Sèvres porcelain dials which Hermès has introduced to the Slim collection. They are hand-painted by a Japanese master in the art of Aka-e, a technique that reached its apogee in the nineteenth century. The red-ochre color of the paint is achieved by blending ground glass with iron oxide. Alongside the limited-edition Slim Koma Kurabe, visitors to

I · LA D DE DIOR PRÉCIEUSE RUBY. A WOMAN WHO APPROPRIATES HER MAN’S WATCH AS A REMINDER OF HIM… THIS IS HOW L A D DE DIOR WAS CRE ATED, IN 2003, INSPIRED

BY THE 1970s, AND NOW IN JEWELED VERSIONS. THIS DIOR PRÉCIEUSE OFFERS A CASE, BE ZEL , CROWN, DIAL AND BR ACELE T IN WHITE GOLD SE T WITH RUBIES AND DIAMONDS. II · ZENITH STAR FLOWER. ZENITH PRESENTS THE STAR FLOWER . DRIVEN BY THE SELFWINDING CALIBRE 681 DISPL AYING HOURS, MINUTES AND SMALL SECONDS WITH A POWER RESERVE

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OF 50 HOURS, FOR A HEIGHT OF

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JUST 3.47 MM, THIS NEW WATCH IS A CANVAS FOR THE ARTISTIC CR AF TS OF GEM-SE T TING, ENGR AVING AND ENAMELLING. III · TISSOT VINTAGE LADY POWERMATIC 80. THIS VINTAGE L ADY IS EQUIPPED WITH THE POWERMATIC 80, A CALIBER THAT POSSESSES T WO CRUSHING ADVANTAGES: A LONG POWER RESERVE — 80 HOURS AS OPPOSED TO 40 FOR A STANDARD MOVEMENT — AND “NATUR AL” PRECISION THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF A WATCHMAKER’S ADJUSTMENTS. IIII · R ADO HYPERCHROME PLASMA DIAMOND. GL AMOUR AND SOPHISTICATION CHAR ACTERIZE THIS TIMEPIECE IN HIGH-TECH R ADO CER AMIC. THE 56 DIAMONDS SE T INTO THE BE ZEL HIGHLIGHT THE AMBER

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COLOR OF THE ROSE GOLD. AVAIL ABLE IN A LIMITED EDITION OF 600 PIECES.

the world watch and jewelry fair in Basel could also contemplate the Hermès Cape Cod Pegasus. Its dial seals the encounter between the ancient and demanding crafts of engraving and grand feu enamel, expressed through miniature painting and the cloisonné technique. In Laurent Dordet’s pragmatic view, these arts are a means to reach horology’s highest summits just that little bit faster!

Eric Dumatin SLIM D’HERMÈS. SLIM D’HERMÈS DELIVERS ITS SUPREMELY PURE DEFINITION OF TIME, SYMBOLIZING A RE TURN TO THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE WATCHMAKING ART. IN KEEPING WITH THE PROUD TR ADITIONS OF THE HOUSE , THIS COLLECTION ALSO PROVIDES BROAD SCOPE FOR HIGHLIGHTING HANDCR AF TED SKILLS IN GIVING RISE TO TRULY E XCEP TIONAL CRE ATIONS. HERMÈS CAPE CODE TONNEAU GM SILVER. THE CAPE COD LI NE , A PI LL AR OF THE M AISON SI NCE 1991, REI NVENTS ITSELF IN A ST YLISH AND ELEGANT MANNER . THE ENTIRE COLLECTION NOW FE ATURES A REDESIGNED DIAL AND AN INTERCHANGE ABLE STR AP. THE CASE OF THIS TONNE AU M ODEL I S AVA I L AB LE I N S I LVER — AN UNUSUA L S I LVER ALLOY BASED ON A COMPOSITION E XCLUSIVE TO HERMÈS AND WHICH L ASTINGLY PRESERVES THE INIMITABLE R ADIANCE OF THE PRECIOUS ME TAL .

LA MONTRE HERMÈS’ MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN BIEL, SWITZERLAND

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 49

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write to her sister, the Queen of Naples.

But even jewelry watches now tend to contain mechanical movements, allowing brands to maintain their integrity as watchmakers. The Rêve de Plume Haute Joaillerie is fitted with the self-winding Calibre 586, a movement with a silicon balance spring.

FEMININITY AND MODERNITY TOGETHER

The Montblanc Bohème perpetual calendar, set with 60 diamonds, features one of watchmaking’s most impressive complications, with the self-winding Calibre MB 29.15 perpetual calendar. Likewise, the new Slim d’Hermès Perspective Cavalière is highly decorated, depicting one of its most popular silk scarf patterns using the technique of champlevé

enamel. And yet, the watch’s manufacture mechanical movement, Calibre H1950, adds just as much value as the decorative dial. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Rendez-Vous Moon, which is spectacularly decorated with diamonds and enamel, is likewise equally impressive for the movement it houses, the manufacture Calibre 935. It is a moon phase complication that is accurate to within one day every 985 years. This is remarkable when you consider that a traditional moon phase complication has to be adjusted by one day every two-and-a-half years and a more complicated perpetual calendar needs adjustment once every 122 years. Jaeger-LeCoultre has made one that essentially never needs adjusting.

Even day watches without complications and with less decoration have a value equation

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that balances finish with substance by giving them mechanical movements. The new Chopard Happy Sport features its iconic five bezel-set diamonds moving between sapphire crystals over the dial, and it also houses an automatic mechanical movement.

Likewise, the Tissot Vintage Lady is a nice day watch with a mother-of-pearl dial and diamond markers, but what differentiates it from a handful of quartz day watches is its automatic, COSC-certified movement with an impressive 80-hour power reserve.

Femina readers would no doubt be impressed by the practicality of these modern mechanical watches, which embody the spirit of the magazine’s editorial objective: to help women balance femininity with modernity and the quest for substance and achievement.

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I · VACHERON CONSTANTIN MÉTIERS D’ART MÉCANIQUES

MOON REGUL ATE THE B I RD’S DAI LY ROUTI NE . THE D IS K

V · OMEGA CONSTELLATION PLUMA. OMEGA UNVEILS AN

GR AVÉES. TO MARK ITS 260TH ANNIVERSARY, VACHERON

DECOR ATED IN CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL KEEPS PACE WITH THE

EVOCATIVE INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTELL ATION PLU-

CONSTANTIN HAS E XTENDED ITS MÉ TIERS D’ART COLLEC-

24 HOURS AS THEY TURN FROM DAY INTO NIGHT.

MA WITH A LIGHT COR AL-COLORED DIAL . THIS 27 MM TIME-

TION WITH T WO NEW TIMEPIECES FE ATURING MOVEMENTS

III · BL ANCPAIN WOMEN JOUR NUIT. GENEROUS WITH ITS

PIECE IS DECOR ATED WITH 11 DIAMOND INDE XES IN 18K

ENGR AVED ENTIRELY BY HAND.

40 MM DIAME TER , THE WOMEN JOUR NUIT HAS A RE TRO-

GOLD HOLDERS AND A SOF T-WAV Y PAT TERN THAT FLOWS

II · VAN CLEEF & ARPELS LADY ARPELS JOUR NUIT OISEAUX

GR ADE HOURS DISPL AY, CENTR AL MINUTES AND RE TRO-

BE T WEEN THE ICONIC CL AWS ON THE BE ZEL .

DE PAR ADIS. A BIRD OF PAR ADISE RESTS ITS GLIT TERING

GR ADE SMALL SECONDS ON A MOTHER-OF-PE ARL DIAL .

VI · SEIKO COUTURA SOLAR 24 DIAMONDS. COUTUR A CON-

TR AIN OF FE ATHERS ON A FLOWER . WHEN NIGHT FALLS,

IIII · HUBLOT BIG BANG BRODERIE. IN TRIBUTE TO DELICATE

TINUES TO IMPRESS. FOR L ADIES, STUNNING SOL AR PIECES

THE F LOWER D I SAPPE ARS . THE PATH OF THE SUN AND

SAINT GALL EMBROIDERY, HUBLOT CONTINUES TO DR AW

WITH 24 DIAMONDS ON THE POLISHED BEZEL, MOTHER-OF-

ON THE THEME OF THE “MÉTIERS D’ART” IN ITS OWN UNIQUE

PE ARL DIAL AND ROMAN NUMER AL MARKERS IN CL ASSIC

FASHION. PIECES OF EMBROIDERED TULLE ARE ENCAPSU-

S I LVER , GO LD AND T WO -TONE DES IGNS UP GR ADE THE

L ATED AND MOLDED IN CARBON FIBER .

COLLECTION FROM CHIC TO LUXURIOUS.

50 WATCH YOUR TIME USA LADIES

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

Palme d’Or at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival and a landmark in Federico Fellini’s extraordinary career, La Dolce Vita is to the world of film what the very concept of this “good life” is to Italian culture: an unshakeable symbol and a quasi-universal reference whose very mention evokes those divine moments when the soul is at its most serene. In 1997, Longines imagined its own dolce vita with a launch that captured the watchmaker’s unique brand of enduring elegance in a range of women’s timepieces. Distinguished by a rectangular case and a deliciously retro feel, the DolceVita collection represents life at its sweetest for women who appreciate horological craftsmanship.

natural elegance

A PASSION FOR HORSES

After a preview at the Basel watch fair earlier in the year, Longines chose the Prix de Diane for the fullscale launch of the latest watches in the collection.

The brand is Title Partner and Official Timekeeper to this major event in the horseracing calendar, which is run annually, in June, at Chantilly racecourse near Paris. As well as a day of elegance and distinction, particularly among the ladies who come coiffed in their most spectacular hats, the Prix de Diane is considered the most important flat race for fillies anywhere in the world, with more than 40,000 spectators filling the stands.

Longines didn’t pick this date by chance. As the brand reminds us, “equestrian sport is our passion” and has been for some considerable time.

Indeed, the Swiss watchmaker’s association with horses goes back well over a century. In 1878, Longines produced a chronograph engraved with a jockey and his mount that would rapidly be adopted in equestrian circles. It made its debut on the racetrack as early as 1881, where its mechanism timed horses and riders to the nearest second. Longines has since taken its con-

siderable expertise into every area of horseracing, and is now a fixture of endurance racing, flat racing, jumping events and eventing. One of the very latest exploits to be timed by Longines came when Victor Espinoza rode the now legendary American Pharoah to victory at Belmont Park in June, making him the first jockey in almost four decades to claim the coveted Triple Crown.

Longines chose the eve of the Prix de Diane to throw a fabulous garden party in the grounds of Château de Chantilly, and present a new chapter in the collection defined by softer, sensually curved lines. “Cased in steel, sometimes enhanced with diamonds, the new Longines DolceVita watches are decidedly feminine,” notes Longines while promising that “these new interpretations will not fail to delight women who have made charm a way of life.” This naturally includes

Longines Ambassador of Elegance Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who, after her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, graced the Prix de Diane with her charm and beauty. Crowned Miss World in 1994, the award-winning Indian actress is the face of the new DolceVita range, and the star of the advertising campaign that goes with it.

Longines is proposing its DolceVita in four sizes. In its own words, “A silver-colored flinqué dial adorned with painted Roman numerals, and a black lacquered or white mother-ofpearl dial with diamonds, decorate the watches in this line. Slender rhodium-plated or blued-steel hands point to the passing hours and minutes.

With their quartz movement, the timepieces are finished by a choice of black, white, gray or red leather straps or by a stainless steel bracelet.”

Longines has always insisted that “elegance is an attitude”… made all the more desirable by a DolceVita watch.

Christophe Roulet

LONG INE S’ PASSION FOR EQUESTRIAN SPORT DATES BACK TO

LONGINES DOLCEVITA. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE LONGINES DOL-

NUMER ALS. DRIVEN BY THEIR QUARTZ MOVEMENT, THE RHODIUM-

1878, WHEN IT PRODUCED A CHRONOGR APH ENGR AVED WITH

CE VITA COLLECTION HAS BEEN AN HOMAGE TO THE SWEE TNESS

PLATED HANDS POINT TO THE PASSING HOURS AND MINUTES. THESE

A J O C K E Y A N D H I S M O U N T. I N 1912 A L R E A DY T H E C O M PA N Y

OF LIFE. TODAY, A NEW CHAPTER IN THIS COLLECTION OPENS WITH

TIMEPIECES ARE MOUNTED ON LE ATHER STR APS.

PARTNERED FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH AN INTERNATIONAL SHOW

A UNIQUE INTERPRE TATION FE ATURING SOF TENED LINES. CASED

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J U M P I N G C O M P E T I T I O N . TO DAY LO N G I N E S ’ I N VO LV E M E N T I N

I N STEEL AND DEC OR ATED WITH D IAM ONDS, THE 20.5 X 32 M M

I N D I A N B E AU T Y A I S H WA RYA R A I B AC H C HA N H A S S U P E R B LY

EQUESTRIAN SPORTS INCLUDES SHOW-JUMPING, FL AT R ACING

MODEL DISPL AYS A BL ACK L ACQUERED DIAL ADORNED WITH DIA-

EMBODIED THE LONGINES SLOGAN “ELEGANCE IS AN AT TITUDE”

AND E VENTING COMPE TITIONS.

MONDS. THE 23 X 37 MM MODEL , ALSO CASED IN STEEL , OFFERS A

FOR MORE THAN TEN YE ARS.

SOFTENED LINES

SILVER-COLORED “FLINQUÉ” DIAL ADORNED WITH PAINTED ROMAN

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 51

RADO HYPERCHROME TACHYMETER BROWN CERAMIC AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH R ADO HAS ADDED A NEW COLOR TO ITS GROWING SPECTRUM OF HIGH-TECH CER AMIC: CHOCOL ATE BROWN. THIS NEW SHADE MIRRORS SUBTLE CHANGES IN LIGHT FROM A SOF T, SWEET BROWN TO A R ANGE OF DARK, RICH CHOCOL ATE HUES. THE CHOCOL ATE BROWN COLOR IS CREATED WHEN SEPAR ATE COMPOUNDS MERGE DURING THE SINTERING PROCESS, WHICH TAKES PL ACE IN A SPECIALLY DEVELOPED HIGH-TEMPER ATURE KILN. DURING THIS PROCESS THE FINISHED PIECE SHRINKS BY 23% AND ACHIEVES ITS FINAL HARDNESS R ATING OF 1,250 VICKERS.

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–o–––- roberta naas

TRANSCENDING TIME Today’s watchmaking complications not only reflect the mechanical genius of generations ago, but also reflect the genius thinkers of tomorrow.

Centuries ago, great watchmakers such as Abraham-Louis Breguet, Antoine LeCoultre and Adrien Philippe — among others — developed monumental inventions in watchmaking that brought us the keyless winding watch and even the tourbillon escapement (a device that compensates for errors in timekeeping due to the effects of gravity on the watch in certain positions.) For their time, those inventions — often multiple complications packed inside a 55mm pocket watch — were considered elaborate breakthrough watches. Since that era, the race to create the world’s most complicated watches and to create new and different complexities has never wavered. Even in the beginning of the 20th century, some of the world’s richest men, Henry Graves and James Ward Packard, approached top brands such as Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin to create some of the most complicated and famous watches ever made.

While many naysayers in the watch world claim that today’s watches are just remakes of our forefathers’ inventions, the truth is that they are so much more. Like those centuries-old watches, today’s watches are the stepping stones of tomorrow’s time.

Every invention is a breakthrough, every new concept, indication, method of implementing displays, and even design is a breakthrough.

“The mechanical watch is nothing less than eternity in a box,” says Jean-Claude Biver, President of the LVMH Watch Division and Hublot Chairman. “As long as there is a man

Those p oint l e ss e q u a t io ns , to whi ch no solu t io n exis t s , are c all e d absurdi t ie s — Millennium Stieg Larsson or woman who can use a screwdriver and repair it, a mechanical watch will still work in a thousand years. It has been proven by Big Ben. How many products are even 100 years old and still work? This is a miracle.” Indeed, mechanical watchmaking — the building of hundreds of tiny pieces that all work harmoniously together without a battery for years and years to come — is a miraculous feat.

Let’s face it, with digital technology surrounding us and with ultra-precise quartz watches aligning time with satellites, the mechanical watch could have died. But it did not, instead it was reinvented. “Since the dawn of the quartz era, there is no practical reason for a mechanical watch,” says Maximilian Busser, founder of MB&F, which makes 3D kinetic art horological machines. “Mechanical movements are less precise, less reliable and more expensive than quartz. Therefore the only reason to buy a mechanical watch is because it is a work of art. It is a piece that has been years in the research and development stages, and is hand finished and assembled in ways no quartz watch could ever be.

Yes, most complications were created centuries ago, but the trick today is to do things differently, more extreme.” Indeed, for at least

the past decade, “different” and “extreme” have become strong buzzwords. In fact, the watch world has witnessed an evolution so strong that it could be termed a revolution.

Complicated watches are taking a cue from arenas such as aviation, aerospace and auto racing for both materials and design.

Additionally, technical advancements in machinery, 3D printing, computers and other arenas have opened new doors of endless creative possibilities. New micro technology has helped watch brands cut components to ever tinier fractions of a nanometer, enabling exacting precision and greater miniaturization of parts to fit sometimes more than a thousand tiny mechanical pieces into a watch not even two inches in diameter and thinner than a quarter of an inch. Just the miniaturization itself is enough to boggle the mind. “Today we are able to reduce the diameter, reduce the thickness because everything comes down to nano technology that didn’t exist in 1801 during Breguet’s time,” says Biver.

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER MOONWATCH “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” SINCE ITS DEBUT IN 1957, OMEGA’S ICONIC SPEEDMASTER CHRONOGR APH HAS BEEN NICKNAMED “MOONWATCH” FOR ITS PRESENCE ON ALL SIX NASA LUNAR MISSIONS. THE OMEGA SPEEDMASTER MOONWATCH “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” DERIVES ITS NAME FROM ITS BL ACK ZIRCONIUM OXIDE CER AMIC DIAL AND MATCHING BL ACK CER AMIC CASE, WHICH IS 44.25 MM IN DIAME TER AND BOASTS BOTH BRUSHED AND POLISHED FINISHES. THIS SPEEDMASTER IS POWERED BY THE ADVANCED IN-HOUSE MOVEMENT, THE OMEGA CO-A XIAL CALIBRE 9300, AND EQUIPPED WITH A SI14 SILICON BAL ANCE SPRING.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

Of course, the abilities to create threedimensional, space-age looking watches, to construct high-mech concept watches and develop high-tech materials all stem from several technological advancements in various arenas. The technological evolution, with CNC machines and 3D printing, has enabled closer precision and faster turnaround on model making so that brands can — within days instead of weeks — see the fruits HIGH-TECH WATCH YOUR TIME USA 53

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poetry in motion Van Cleef & Arpels has produced some breathtaking creations in recent years, and not necessarily in jewelry where it first made its name. The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva has become the favorite setting for the brand to unveil its new watches. Nor is there any question of following in the wake of those who have written some of timekeeping’s finest hours. The brand is intent on spreading its own vision of time. For Van Cleef & Arpels, complications are always “poetic” while dials are inevitably “extraordinary”. The jeweler has created its own frame of reference in which artistic craftsmanship takes pride of place, shaped by the “Mains d’Or” — literally “golden hands” — in its workshops, and where the mechanics of time tell beautiful stories.

The Cadenas watch is the perfect illustration, with its deliciously offbeat approach to the measuring of time. It should come as no surprise then that Van Cleef & Arpels has bestowed a second youth on this timepiece, which turned 80 this year. The original Cadenas dates back to the Art Deco era of the 1930s. Legend has it that the idea for this secret watch, which reveals its dial only to the wearer, originated in a piece which, like the Zip necklace, Edward VIII ordered for the Duchess of Windsor. Whatever its origins, as Van Cleef & Arpels explains, “The first Cadenas was in gold, with a double snake chain as a bracelet. The lines of the case are straight and pure while the attachment takes the rounded form of a padlock [hence the name “cadenas” which is French for padlock]. The dial exudes feminine charm and is set at an angle so the wearer can read the time discreetly.” The new versions of this signature watch have been revisited: the dial is now larger, the clasp more secure, and the setting has been updated so that this Cadenas will continue to age just as beautifully as the company that designed it.

C.R.

of their efforts in true three-dimensional format. From this, tweaks, changes and reiterations can move more quickly than in the past. In fact, today’s 3D printing is so exacting and precise that some brands rave over its use. Max Busser, for instance, says that when he started MB&F ten years ago, he went on a trip visiting retailers around the world to pre-sell his first watch using a perfectly painted 3D printed sample.

Similarly, Larry Pettinelli, President of Patek Philippe North America, says that 3D printing enables the brand to create larger than life size bracelets and cases that will depict even the milling marks expected to be achieved on the final product.

“Technology enables us to take traditional things much further,” says Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Breguet, Blancpain and Jaquet Droz. “Technology and innovation reflect dynamism and allow for the creation of products that are ever more reliable and precise.” In fact, that blend of

creativity, innovation and technology has led many brands to the idea of building concept watches — much the same as the auto industry has concept cars. In the late 1990s, Ulysse Nardin went out on a proverbial limb, experimenting with new watchmaking concepts and in 2001 launched the Freak 7-day Carrousel Tourbillon watch as its first full concept watch.

Audemars Piguet was not far behind, and started creating concept watches in 2002, with brands such as Breguet and Cartier (with its ID concept watches) and others right there in the mix.

“Building concept watches is a way to test your own innovation, to push the boundaries as a watch brand,” says Mercedes Abramo, President and CEO of Cartier North America. “As brands, we have to challenge ourselves, to think outside the box and to be innovative. Technology just helps us achieve that end.” Cartier, like other brands building concept watches, takes the best

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VAN CLE E F & AR PE L S CADENAS WATCH. TH E CADENAS WATC H F I RST APPE AR ED I N

I · ROLE X DEEPSEA D-BLUE. TO MARK THE RELE ASE OF

III · ROTONDE DE CARTIER GRANDE COMPLICATION. THE

1935, MARKING THE BIRTH OF AN ICONIC PIECE BY THE HOUSE . ITS CL ASP SYMBOLIZES

THE NATIONAL GEOGR APHIC FILM, DEEPSE A CHALLENGE

SKELETONIZED CALIBRE 9406 MC ALLOWS A FULL APPRE-

EMOTIONAL AT TACHMENT; THE WATCH IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY THE DUCHESS

3D, WH I CH FO LLOWS THE E XPED I T I ON LED BY JA M ES

CIATION OF THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS PRESTIGIOUS MOVE-

OF WINDSOR . THE 2015 EDITION OF THIS SIGNATURE CRE ATION SEES CHANGES TO THE

CAM ERON , ROLE X HAS BROUGHT OUT A NE W EDITION

MENT, OFFERING A VIEW OF THE MINUTE REPEATER, PERPET-

DIAL , SE T TING AND CL ASP.

OF ITS E XTREME DIVING WATCH, THE ROLE X DEEPSE A .

UAL CALENDAR AND FLYING TOURBILLON IN THEIR ENTIRETY.

54 WATCH YOUR TIME USA

54 WATCH YOUR TIME USA HIGH-TECH · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

I I · BL ANCPAIN L-EVOLUTION TOURBILLON CARROUSEL

IIII · PANER AI LUMINOR SUBMERSIBLE 1950 CARBOTECH

T H E S U BT L E A L L I A N C E B E T W EEN T WO T I M E K EEP I N G

E ACH LUM INOR SUBM ERSIBLE 1950 CARBOTECH TI M E-

REGUL ATORS GAVE BIRTH TO CALIBRE 2322V2. PAIRED

P I EC E , WAT E R- R E S I S TA N T TO 3 0 0 M E T E R S , D E M O N -

WITH A BE ZEL SCULP TED INTO AN INNOVATIVE FORM, THE

STR ATES ITS UNIQUE QUALITIES THROUGH THE ASTON-

CASE HOUSES BOTH A FLYING TOURBILLON AND FLYING

ISHING TECHNICAL AND AESTHE TIC PERFOR MANCE OF

CARROUSEL . THE DIAL REVE ALS ALL OF THE COMPLE XIT Y

CARBOTECH, A NEW COMPOSITE MATERIAL USED FOR THE

OF THE OPENWORKED MOVEMENT.

FIRST TIME BY OFFICINE PANER AI.

of what it develops technologically and transforms it into a finished product. Most recently the brand unveiled the Rotonde de Cartier Grand Complication Skeleton, a $630,000 watch with flying tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar and more in a unique format that demonstrates its prowess as a haute horology brand.

Sometimes only certain portions of a concept watch — a material, a technique, a system — will finally take shape in a production watch. Other times the entire concept watch becomes a reality. It all depends on the most workable concept. “This is the magic of watchmaking. It is not something that has evolved tremendously, but instead is the blending of the best of tradition and modernity that takes shape in new forms, materials and finished pieces,” says Xavier Nolot, CEO of Audemars Piguet North America. “Technology is the enabler, the facilitator.” That technology is also responsible for other new inventions in watchmaking in terms of materials.

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FROM SCIENCE TO SCI-FI

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

Today’s best watch brands are not only turning to high-tech materials such as carbon fiber, specially manufactured alloys and other incredibly durable and light-weight substances for watch cases and bracelets, but also for movement components. For decades the top echelon brands such as Ulysse Nardin, Patek Philippe and Breguet have been experimenting with using silicium (silicon) in escapements and for balance springs and other parts.

In fact, in the new Freak Lab watch by Ulysse Nardin, the shock absorption system is in silicium and in the highly complex new Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon, the entire escapement is made of silicium. The watch is the result of eight years of research and development and offers a constant release of power different from most constant force escapements. Similarly, at Breguet, the use of silicium allowed the brand to “incorporate magnets inside the watch mechanism to enhance their performances and create a dramatically

stable system,” says Hayek. Additionally, friction-free silicium does not need oiling, and therefore reduces the need for servicing on a $50,000 or $60,000 or more watch from every few years to little as every five to 10 years.

Sapphire is another material being embraced by the watch industry for use inside movements, as well, with top brands using sapphire disks to offer ultra-transparency and a better view of movement and mainplate parts. Some even take it a step further by attempting to go “case-less” by using sapphire outside and inside. Bulgari achieved that look this year in its Tourbillon Saphir Ultranero watch with sapphire case and sapphire tourbillon. “The watch breaks all the rules of a product’s typology,” says Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari. “But that best demonstrates our spirit: to go where others don’t.”

So far-reaching and advanced has the industry become that some say we have evolved

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V · TAG HEUE R MONACO V4 PHANTOM. TOTALLY B L ACK ,

VII · BVLGARI TOURBILLON SAPHIR ULTRANERO. THE TOUR-

IX · RICHARD MILLE RM 056- 02 SAPPHIRE TOURBILLON

TOTA L LY M AT T, I N TRO D UC I N G TH E M O N AC O V4 P H A N -

BILLON OF THIS MODEL IS HOUSED WITHIN A SAPPHIRE CRYS-

A CUT TING-EDGE EXPRESSION OF HOROLOGICAL TR ANS-

TOM WITH ITS CASE MADE ENTIRELY FROM CARBON FIB-

TAL CASE SUPPORTED BY A TITANIUM STRUCTURE. ITS DLC

PARENCY IS PRESENTED WITH THE MAGNIFICENT RM 56-02

ER , AS ARE THE 7 BRIDGES OF ITS MOVEMENT WHICH IS

TRE ATMENT CRE ATES A SURPRISING CONTR AST, COMBIN-

SAPPHIRE TOURBILLON AND ITS NEW MOVEMENT.

EQU I PPED W I TH THE FA M OUS M I CROSC OP I C TOOTHED

ING THE TR ANSPARENCY REVEALING THE SKELETON MOVE-

X · ROGER DUBUIS E XCALIBUR SPIDER SKELETON DOUBLE

MICRO-BELT TR ANSMISSION.

MENT WITH THE JET BLACK OF THE UNDERLYING STRUCTURE.

FLYING TOURBILLON. THE ROGER DUBUIS MANUFACTURE IS

VI · BAUME & MERCIER CLIF TON 1892 FLYING TOURBILLON

VIII · Z ENITH EL PRIMERO LIGHT WEIGHT. IN 1969, THE EL

CELEBR ATING THE “YE AR OF THE SKELE TON” IN 2015, NO-

THE NAME OF THIS HIGH PRECISION WATCH, REGUL ATED

PRIMERO MOVEMENT BECAME THE FIRST EVER INTEGR ATED

TABLY WITH THIS E XCEP TIONAL E XCALIBUR SPIDER SKEL-

BY A FLYING TOURBILLON, REFERS TO THE HISTORY OF THE

AUTOMATIC CHRONOGR APH CALIBER IN HISTORY. BEATING

E TON DOUBLE FLYING TOURBILLON.

MAISON THAT WON 10 GR AND PRIX AND SE VEN GOLD MED-

AT AN EXCEP TIONALLY HIGH FREQUENCY OF 36,000 VIBR A-

ALS AT VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS DURING THE

TIONS/HOUR , IT REMAINS THE MOST ACCUR ATE SER IES-

NINE TEENTH CENTURY.

PRODUCED CHRONOGR APH CALIBER IN THE WORLD.

HIGH-TECH WATCH YOUR TIME USA 55

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

year of the portugieser IWC has declared 2015 the Year of the Portugieser, the brand’s iconic family of watches which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary. The adventure began in the late 1930s, when two Portuguese importers came to IWC with a specific request for a wristwatch that would have the accuracy, quality and robustness of a marine chronometer. This was something of a tall order: in those days, only a voluminous pocket watch caliber could deliver such a level of precision. Undaunted, IWC set to work transforming its 74-caliber finger-bridge movement, originally used in hunter pocket watches. And so the two entrepreneurs got what they wanted, namely a large steel wristwatch of exceptional precision, driven first by Calibre 74 and shortly after by Calibre 98.

Staff at IWC systematically referred to this type of watch as a “Portuguese” and the name stuck. A legend was born.

For this jubilee year, IWC has completely revisited the Portugieser collection which now includes the brand’s first ever Annual Calendar. It is driven by an in-house caliber from the 52000 range, one of three new families of movement which IWC plans to launch in the years ahead. Another first, the Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month makes its debut in the collection, which is also joined by an anniversary edition Hand-Wound Eight Days and a Perpetual Calendar with double or single moon, with improved technological and design features. “In 2015, with two new and six improved Portugieser references, IWC Schaffhausen further demonstrates its innovative prowess and its enormous passion for the art of watchmaking,” says CEO Georges Kern. “I am convinced that the Portugieser, thanks to its outstanding in-house technology, iconic design and impressive history, will continue to make a decisive contribution to the international renown enjoyed by IWC.” E.D.

watchmaking from knowledge and science to sci-fi. Much of this thinking is derived from the multi-dimensional watches emerging on the market thanks to technological advances and to thinking on a different playing field. In fact, two distinct styles of breakthrough watches have emerged: traditional and sculptural. There are also some brands that lie, well, firmly in the middle embracing the best of both worlds.

“Collectors understand both aesthetics, and the middle ground, as well,” says Nolot. “It is only natural that creativity and craftsmanship express themselves in different styles made possible by technology.”

Indeed, not every complicated watch of today is futuristic or houses advanced materials. Some blend both worlds. This is perhaps best demonstrated in the realms of today’s minute repeaters and tourbillons, and in the ways in which brands are achieving higher power reserves and incredible constant force for unleashing

power. This year alone, brands such as Audemars Piguet, A. Lange & Söhne, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breguet and Ulysse Nardin achieved new heights in sound, volume and delivery of music in timepieces. In fact for the creation of its Royal Oak Concept RD#1 watch, Audemars Piguet worked tirelessly with the Acoustic Research lab at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) to achieve the final sound of the breakthrough watch that was eight years in the making. It has three patents pending. “Repeaters are not just about striking loudly. There are a lot of other elements that make the sound resonate with us,” says Claudio Cavalier, global brand ambassador for Audemars Piguet.

“Sound is about perception, harmony, balance of frequencies, and all of these factors together make beautiful music.”

While we have come a long way in terms of technology, it always comes back to tradition, craftsmanship and innovation.

ˇ

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IWC PORTUGIESER. IN 2015, IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN CELEBR ATES THE 75TH BIRTHDAY OF A

I · ULYSSE NARDIN FREAKLAB. FREAK HAS BEEN THE VEHI-

III · HUBLOT BIG BANG CHRONO PERPETUAL CALENDAR

WATCH FAMILY STEEPED IN TRADITION: THE PORTUGIESER. IN KEEPING WITH ITS JUBILEE, THE

CLE FOR TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AT ULYSSE NARDIN.

THIS WATCH ENCAPSULATES HUBLOT’S FUSION AS IT MATCH-

NEW PORTUGIESER COLLECTION COMES WITH A HOST OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND DESIGN

ON THE TECHNOLOGY FRONT, THIS MODEL IS THE FIRST

ES ONE OF WATCHMAKING’S FOREMOST COMPLICATIONS

MODIFICATIONS AS WELL AS NEW FEATURES. FURTHERMORE, THE SWISS LUXURY WATCH

OUTING FOR THE ULYCHOC SAFETY SYSTEM. THE AVANT-

WITH THE BIG BANG SPIRIT. THE PERPETUAL CALENDAR IS

MANUFACTURER IS DEVELOPING MORE OF ITS OWN IN-HOUSE MOVEMENTS AND PLANS TO

GARDE DESIGN IS INTACT IN THIS FREAKL AB WHICH HAS

JOINED BY MOON PHASES AND A CHRONOGRAPH, ALL ON

LAUNCH THREE NEW CALIBER FAMILIES IN THE YEARS AHEAD. INITIATING THIS MOVE IS THE

NO DIAL AND A MOVEMENT THAT PIVOTS ON ITSELF.

THE BASE OF HUBLOT’S VERY OWN UNICO MOVEMENT.

52000-CALIBRE FAMILY, WHICH IS FOUND IN THE NEWLY DESIGNED ANNUAL CALENDAR WHICH

II · TUDOR HERITAGE ADVISOR. THE ADVISOR IS A MOD-

IIII · LOUIS VUITTON ESCALE WORLDTIME MINUTE REPEATER

CELEBRATES ITS DEBUT.

ERN VERSION OF THE EMBLEMATIC 1957 AL ARM WATCH.

IN 2014, LOUIS VUIT TON PRESENTED A HIGHLY ORIGINAL

ITS MOVEMENT IS EQUIPPED WITH A MECHANICAL AL ARM

ESCALE WORLDTIMER WITH HAND-PAINTED INDICATIONS

CLOCK MODULE, EXCLUSIVELY DEVELOPED BY TUDOR AND

ON T WO ROTATING DISKS THAT SHOW TIME IN ANY OF 24

FEATURING A PERFECTLY UNIFORM CRISP CLEAR SOUND.

TIME ZONES. THIS YE AR THE BR AND HAS ADDED A MINUTE

56 WATCH YOUR TIME USA

REPE ATER TO THIS MODEL .

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

To mark its 260th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin unveils the first seven timepieces in its new collection, Harmony. Inspired by a 1928 wristwatch, this new range celebrates the classic complication, the chronograph.

Founded in 1755 by a young master watchmaker from Geneva, Jean-Marc Vacheron, Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch manufacture to have been in continuous operation since its creation. It has decided to mark its 260th anniversary in style and bring out a whole new collection.

Named Harmony, and inspired by a wristwatch from the early 20th century, this new range pays

a year full of harmony

tribute to the ultimate and most practical of complications: the chronograph. This initial line comprises seven watches in a cushion shape, produced in a limited edition and powered by new in-house calibers. The first version, which features a split-seconds function, beats the record for thinness with an ultra-thin self-winding movement that measures just 5.20 mm thick, while the second features a fascinating tourbillon. The third variation displays a pulsometric scale, just like the original design. The monopusher chronographs are joined by a double-pusher version for ladies.

A trio of watches with dual-time display completes this line of special editions, all stamped with the prestigious Poinçon de Genève.

“Last year, we placed a big emphasis on our Patrimony line, whose first models date back to the 1950s and reflect the brand’s timeless elegance,” explains Juan-Carlos Torres, CEO of Vacheron Constantin. “These watches continue to cast their seductive spell, in fact they attract our

customers steadily since more than sixty years.

With our new Harmony watches, we are reversing the approach. We are approaching customers, with timepieces in updated shapes and designs, representing seven years of development due to the creation of the four new in-house calibres that power them. It is true that in this anniversary year, we are offering them as limited editions, but this will not always be the case. In fact these new movements have been designed to incorporate a number of technical extensions, such as a perpetual calendar chronograph, for example.”

As ever, for this new collection, Vacheron Constantin has taken its attention to detail to the extreme, particularly in aesthetic terms. The house explains: “Once again demonstrating its dual watchmaking expertise that places the art of design at the service of the measurement of time, Vacheron Constantin has devised an inno-

vative structure at a cushion shape, which has been a part of its range for almost a century.

The curved case-middle, square bezel and round crystal are combined in an elegant reinterpretation of the monopusher chronograph with pulsometer, brought out by the manufacture in 1928.

Although the inspiration of the original watch is immediately obvious, every detail has been rethought in order to create a unique aesthetic, a true horological sculpture.” The movement’s finishes are equally meticulous, with masterfully hand-wrought decorations including mirror polishing, bevelling, circular graining and Côtes de Genève. To distinguish these first models in the Harmony collection, Vacheron Constantin has created a new signature motif, engraved on the caliber, inspired by the arabesques that adorned the balance cock of the oldest pocket watch belonging to the house, made by Jean-Marc Vacheron. There is no doubt that collectors will love them.

Christophe Roulet

VACHERON CONSTANTIN HARMONY DUAL TIME. A FINE E X AMPLE

VACHERON CONSTANTIN HARMONY ULTR A-THIN GR ANDE COM-

VACHERON CONSTANTIN HARMONY TOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH

OF CONTEMPOR ARY DESIGN, THE HARMONY COLLECTION WAS

PLICATION CHRONOGR APH CALIBRE 350 0. THE CENTER P I ECE

CALIBRE 3200. COMBINING THE ELEGANCE OF THE MONOPUSH-

BU I LT TO HOUSE NE W MANUFACTURE MOVEM ENTS FE ATUR ING

OF THE NEW COLLECTION, PRESENTED IN A LIMITED EDITION OF

ER CHRONOGR APH AND THE PRESTIGE OF A TOURBILLON IN THE

USEFUL COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS A DUAL-TIME DISPL AY. THIS IS

10 P I EC ES , TH I S N E W WATC H FRO M VAC H ERON C ONSTANT I N

FORM OF A MALTESE CROSS, THIS NEW TIMEPIECE INCORPOR ATES

THE CASE OF THE DUAL TIME WATCH POWERED BY THE NEW AUTO-

STANDS OUT IN THE ULTR A-THIN WORLD BY BRE AKING A DOUBLE

THE NEW CALIBRE 3200 STAMPED WITH THE POINÇON DE GENÈVE.

MATIC CALIBRE 2460DT DEDICATED TO THIS ESSENTIAL FUNCTION.

RECORD, WITH ITS 5.20 MM-THICK AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT AND ITS

EXTREME ATTENTION TO DETAIL

CUSHION-SHAPED CASE OF 8.40 MM.

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 57

TAG HEUER CARRER A HEUER 02 TOURBILLON CHRONOGR APH THE FORTHCOMING TAG HEUER TOURBILLON CHRONOGR APH (COSC CALIBRE HEUER 02) FE ATURING A MODUL AR CASE WILL BE PUT ON SALE BEFORE THE END OF 2015 AT A PRICE OF APPROXIMATELY $15,000.

WHAT’S MORE, THIS AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT WILL BE PRODUCED IN SWITZERL AND. TAG HEUER ENVISAGES SELLING BE T WEEN 500 AND 1,000 MODELS PER YE AR IN AROUND 500 OF THE BR AND’S POINTS OF SALE . TO GE T AN IDE A OF THE RE VOLUTION INTRODUCED BY THIS NEWCOMER , ONE HAS TO REMEMBER THAT THE MA JORIT Y OF TOURBILLIONS ARE PUT ON SALE AT PRICES E ASILY E XCEEDING $100,000.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

–o–––- roberta naas

ASTRONOMICAL TIMING Since the dawn of time, man has been obsessed with the stars, the moon and the sun. Indeed, the study of the stars is at the root of time measurement.

In the early years, before clocks, the concepts of celestial law and measuring time came together in formations such as Stonehenge, water clocks, sundials and more.

Early artifacts dating back to 1600 BC (such as the bronze Nebra disk found in Germany) depict representations of the heavens with celestial bodies, the sun and the crescent moon—believed to help farmers plan harvesting cycles. Centuries later, astronomical timing was much more sophisticated, and elaborate astronomical table clocks, pendulum clocks and travel clocks emerged.

In fact, since Galileo discovered the pendulum and Newton relayed the laws of gravity, the isochronous solar system became even more prevalent as the all-telling time governor. The concept of the celestial universe as the platform for building advanced clocks and watches firmly placed horology as the true child of astronomy. By the 1800s, advanced astronomical clocks gave way to pocket watches with moon disk indicators and calendars on them that helped the wearer track the phases of the moon.

In the 20th century, the concept of bringing astronomy to the wrist exploded. Companies such as Patek Philippe and Ulysse Nardin led the way with ever-more precise moonphase indications and complex renditions of the sky and time as originally interpreted

by Galileo and Copernicus, but reinterpreted in unique miniature form. “The moonphase is one of the first complications a watch

Movement of any kind engenders creation — Three Sundays in a Week Edgar Allan Poe collector invests in,” says Gaetan Guillosson, President of A. Lange & Söhne North America. “Astronomical watches are a way for people to make a dream a reality, to enjoy the stars and sky on the wrist.” A. Lange & Söhne, a German-based haute horology brand, is among the couple of handfuls of watch brands able to build a complex lunar-inspired timepiece. Its Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar Terraluna watch, which was unveiled last year but continues to make its way to the market, was five years in the making and offers a constantly-in-motion moonphase display that will not need a single day’s correction for more than 35 generations, or 1,058 years to be exact. The watch also boasts a host of new innovations in calendar information and power release.

In fact, today’s astronomical indications on wristwatches have become almost revolutionary in the amount of information offered. Top celestially inspired watches include functions that run the gamut from moonphase readouts, to annual calendars, perpetual calendars that take leap years into account, watches that offer sidereal time (star time) and equation of time scales to measure the difference between real solar

time and mean solar time as seen by our 24-hour-day measurement. There are other artistic and technical renditions that are so meticulously elaborate they display entire night constellations from the Northern or Southern hemispheres on their dials: some even depict phases of the moon as seen from both hemispheres at once. Additionally, some brands are opting to combine astronomical timing with other current-day useful functions. Then there are the grand complication watches that add features and functions beyond the astronomical scope.

Still, it is almost always the moon that is the most alluring indication on the watch.

“Moonphase indication watches are our best sellers among collectors,” says Stéphane Belmont, Director of Marketing and Creations for Jaeger-LeCoultre, which this year unveiled its largest collection of astronomical timepieces ever. “Astronomical watches remind us that we are small in the world, they remind us of our place in nature.” Moonphase indications are often depicted using disks, and those disks can be simple or elaborate. Sometimes they are made of lapis lazuli, aventurine or mother of pearl, and often the moon is in gold or is painted. It should be noted that most simple moonphase displays, if worn regularly, show a one-day discrepancy every two and a half years. However, more and more top watch brands are striving to stretch that accuracy out for longer periods of time.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN PATRIMONY TR ADITIONNELLE 14-DAY TOURBILLON OPENWORKED. VACHERON CONSTANTIN ILLUSTR ATES AN UNE XPECTED ENCOUNTER BE T WEEN TR ADITION AND MODERNIT Y IN ITS PATRIMONY TR ADITIONNELLE 14-DAY TOURBILLON OPENWORKED MODEL .

COMBINING THE TOURBILLON COMPLICATION WITH THE ART OF OPENWORKING, BOTH OF WHICH WERE BORN AT THE DAWN OF THE 19TH CENTURY, THE MANUFACTURE TR ANSCENDS THE CODES OF THESE ANCESTR AL SKILLS TO OFFER AN EMINENTLY CONTEMPOR ARY COMPOSITION. PL AYING WITH A DOUBLE THREE-DIMENSIONAL EFFECT STEMMING BOTH FROM THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE 2260 SQ MOVEMENT AND FROM ITS GOTHIC INSPIR ATION, THE MODEL DISPL AYS IMPRESSIVE DEP TH HIGHLIGHTED

BY COMPONENTS FE ATURING CLE VERLY DESTRUCTURED LINES.

COMPLICATIONS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 59

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES PRECISION PLAYS THE ULTIMATE ROLE

breaking the rules Ever since TAG Heuer came under the wing of Jean-Claude Biver, the man who put the (big) bang into Hublot, it has undergone some serious repositioning. As a brand that sells several hundred thousand watches a year, TAG Heuer is clearly settling into a segment that makes technically advanced watches available to more people. To help it achieve its goal, it calls on figures such as the legendary racing driver Ayrton Senna or supermodel Cara Delevingne. One of the items to come out of the workshops this year is a sleek new Carrera watch, dubbed Heuer 01.

Heuer as a tribute to Edouard Heuer, father of the brand, and 01 because it is equipped with the first development on Calibre 1887, TAG Heuer’s very first in-house chronograph, that will be the backbone of the collection. The watch has an open design that gives a clear view of the chronograph commands and of the openworked date disk on the dial side. Flip it over and it reveals the column wheel, chronograph bridge and the skeletonized black rotor above the gear train. The titanium case has a twelve-part modular construction that lends itself to multiple combinations of materials, colors, treatments and finishes. Still, TAG Heuer has more up its sleeve than “simply” a revisited version of its chronograph, a complication that is as much in the brand’s blood as motor racing. And so earlier this year, it lifted a corner of the veil on an already much ballyhooed project, namely a tourbillon-chronograph. The combination — which brings together the two most important chronometric complications, namely the quest for precision and the measurement of short intervals — has been trending for some time already. What makes TAG Heuer’s offering stand out is the price. Positioned in the region of $15,000, it breaks all the rules.

Tourbillons of this type generally command four times that, and more. The price, Jean-Claude Biver insists, corresponds to “current market reality and not the dreams of watchmakers twenty years ago.”

C.R.

Hermes, for instance, this year unveiled the new Slim d’Hermès line, which includes an automatic Perpetual Calendar watch.

The watch is one of the slimmest moonphase watches ever to also combine perpetual calendar and second time zone function. It was developed in association with Vaucher movement manufacturer and watchmaking genius Jean-Marc Wiederrecht of Agenhor. It was nearly two-and-a-half years in the development stages to make it so slim and accurate.

In fact, the two-time-zone perpetual calendar module with moonphase measures just 1.4mm slim and is accurate until February 28, 2100. “The challenge was in creating a complete two-time-zone perpetual calendar with moonphase under the thin guidelines of Hermes,” says Wiederrecht, who notes that slimming down a complex caliber is an art.

“I have never seen or heard about a slimmer movement/module for this complication.”

I

Easily one of the most difficult challenges in building today’s astronomical watches is, in fact, precision. Many companies vie for the most precise moonphase display that will also be the longest and fit into a case that is comfortable on the wrist. Let’s not forget that miniaturization of mechanical parts from the size of clocks and pocket watches into small, thin wristwatches is no easy feat. It is the watchmaker’s ultimate quest to combine the highest technical precision inside the tiniest, thin space of a wristwatch. The trick also lies in the fact that the typical moon phase or cycle is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds. But in life (and general watchmaking), that time is condensed to an average 29-and-a-half days. Average isn’t good enough for the top haute horology brands. They want to be ultra-precise — or as close to perfect as possible.

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TAG HEUE R FORMUL A 1 DAVID GUET TA AND TAG HEUER CARRER A HEUER 01. THE NE W

I · ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL SK Y-DWELLER. THIS WATCH

III · ROTONDE DE CARTIER ASTROTOURBILLON SKELETON

TAG HEUER FORMUL A 1 SPECIAL EDITION IS DEDICATED TO DAVID GUE T TA , TAG HEUER’S

PROVIDES GLOBAL TR AVELERS WITH USEFUL FUNCTIONS:

WATCH. UNLIKE THE TRADITIONAL TOURBILLON WHICH RO-

NEW AMBASSADOR WHO SE TS THE BE AT IN ALL THE NIGHT CLUBS ACROSS THE WORLD.

A DUAL TIME ZONE, AN ANNUAL CALENDAR , AND A SIMPLI-

TATES ON ITS OWN AXIS, THE ASTROTOURBILLON HAS A DIS-

THE WATCH I S DES IG NED W I TH TR AVEL I N M I N D THAN KS TO I TS G M T FUNCT I ON AN D

FIED INTERFACE TO SE T THE WATCH’S FUNCTIONS VIA A

TINCTIVE ELONGATED CAGE THAT ALLOWS THE CARRIAGE

“DAY / NIGHT” SYMBOL . ANOTHER SYMBOL IS THE L ATEST CARRER A WHICH COMES WITH A

ROTATABLE BE ZEL .

TO COMPLE TE A ROTATION OF THE DIAL IN ONE MINUTE .

NEW CASE, NEW CONSTRUCTION AND NEW CALIBER . THE BR AND HAS NAMED IT IN HONOR

I I · JA EG E R - LECOU LTR E MASTER GR ANDE TR ADITION

IIII · CHOPARD L.U.C LUNAR BIG DATE. LAUNCHED IN 2009,

OF FOUNDER EDOUARD HEUER, WITH 01 AS IT REPRESENTS THE FIRST DEVELOPMENT OF THE

TOUR BILLON CYLINDR IQUE À QUANTIÈME PER PÉTUEL

THE L.U.C LUNAR BIG DATE HAS BEEN GIVEN A MAKEOVER TO

1887 CALIBER THAT WILL FORM THE BACKBONE OF THE NEW COLLECTION.

THIS NEW CRE ATION AIMS TO BE BOTH COMPLE TE AND

REFLECT THE NEW L.U.C. AESTHETICS. A COMPLICATION IN

ACCUR ATE BY COM B IN ING A FLYING TOURB I LLON AND

ITS OWN RIGHT, THIS MOON PHASE IS SO ACCURATE THAT

PERPE TUAL CALENDAR , AND BY TR ACKING ALL THE AS-

THE VARIATION BETWEEN THE TRUE LUNAR CYCLE AND THE

TR AL MOVEMENTS.

WATCH INDICATION IS JUST ONE DAY EVERY 122 YEARS.

60 WATCH YOUR TIME USA

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

the ultimate retail destination

GREG SIMONIAN, PRESIDENT, WESTIME

After more than twenty years in business, Westime is considered one of the dozen multibrand retailers in the world with the ability to influence the major trends in watchmaking. And for good reason.

The family firm, led by Greg Simonian, showcases more than fifty Swiss watch brands and works with the foremost names in the profession. Better still, it was the first retailer in the United States, and still one of the few today, to have believed in the horological new guard: those watchmakers for whom a mechanical movement is both a technical and an artistic playground. Accordingly, Westime’s clients are just as likely to discover a one-of-a-kind, personalized timepiece as they are limited editions and the very latest trend-setting watches. Westime’s position at the vanguard of watch retailing in the United States is confirmed by the four boutiques it has opened in Southern California, in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, La Jolla and Malibu, and by the points of sale it manages for such renowned watchmakers as Audemars Piguet, Hublot and Richard Mille. The Westime Beverly Hills boutique recently moved to new premises: “The new

2,000-square-foot boutique is part of the Two Rodeo shopping district on world-famous Rodeo Drive. This new location features a welcoming façade of red brick and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Six showcase towers seem to stand at attention in the windows, until — like the hourly changing of the guard — they automatically rotate 180 degrees to present a new selection of fine timepieces to browsers.” Further proof of its commitment to the region, Westime is active within the Los Angeles community. It is the Official Timekeeper of the Los Angeles Clippers, the first such partnership for the team. It also supports the national After-School All-Stars charity, which provides afterschool programs for underserved youth. The last Westime Charity Poker Tournament, which took place in the home of Governor and founder of the ASAS Arnold Schwarzenegger, raised one million dollars for the organization.

C.R. AF TER A DOZEN SUCCESSFUL YE ARS OPER ATING AN INTIMATE BOUTIQUE WHERE VIA RODEO MEETS RODEO DRIVE, WESTIME , THE FAMILY-OWNED LUXURY WATCH AND JEWELRY RETAILER, HAS MOVED ITS BEVERLY HILLS SHOWROOM UP THE COBBLESTONES TO A SUNFILLED LOCATION AT THE TOP OF VIA RODEO.

welcome to miami Parmigiani Fleurier, established in 1996, has patiently and with implacable logic grown into a watchmaking group under the guidance of the Sandoz Family Foundation. The family, which owns one of Switzerland’s biggest collections of watches and automata, and the watchmaker have shared a passion for measuring time since the two met in the 1980s. Most importantly they have the same ideas on how to fulfill this passion.

As Parmigiani puts it, “An authentic brand must not just design movements but also make them, in other words produce all components with a respect for quality and watchmaking craftsmanship.”

Since the early 2000s, this leitmotiv has resulted in the verticalization of production, led by Jean-Marc Jacot, CEO of Parmigiani.

This has included incorporating subcontractors and setting up a new entity, Vaucher Manufacture, to make movements. “In just a few years, Parmigiani Fleurier has achieved a high level of credibility,” the watchmaker says, with no exaggeration. The figures speak for themselves. No less than seven collections, with 22 calibers developed in-house including four world-firsts, have marked the brand’s jour-

ney since its launch. It now produces around 6,000 watches a year which retail at 350 outlets.

With production now fully integrated, the next stage in the brand’s development is its international expansion. The number of stand-alone stores is constantly growing. In March, the brand opened its first North American flagship, and its fourteenth worldwide, in Miami. “Studio Parmigiani is located in the Miami Design District, the city’s up-and-coming entertainment hub, and a place of vanguard and creativity,” says the brand. The exact same spirit reigns at Parmigiani Fleurier which continues to open “tailor-made and inventive” spaces in all four corners of the globe. The new 1,038 square feet Studio Parmigiani pays tribute to the city’s rich architectural past while immersing visitors in the world of technical and precious Fine Watchmaking.

E.D. STUDIO PARMIGIANI IN MIAMI. PARMIGIANI FLEURIER OPENED IN MARCH ITS FIRST NORTH AMERICAN FL AGSHIP STORE IN MIAMI, AND ITS 14TH IN THE WORLD. STUDIO PARMIGIANI IS LOCATED IN THE MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT, THE CIT Y’S UP-AND-COMING HUB OF ENTERTAINMENT. THE NEW 1,083 SQUARE FEET STUDIO PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE CITY’S RICH ARCHITECTUR AL PAST BY IMMERSING THE VISITOR INTO DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERES INCLUDING A LIBR ARY AND A SMALL BLUE LACQUERED LOUNGE.

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 61

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

stargazing Jaeger-LeCoultre has made astronomy its source of inspiration this year, and the guiding force of its creative expertise for these twelve months. As the Vallée de Joux watchmaker so wisely reminds us, the origins of time can be found in the sky, and the stars are the keys that have enabled mankind to tame it. “We’re currently the only watchmaker to have developed this concept, which we use to tell stories about the earth, the moon and the sun,” explains Chief Executive Daniel Riedo. And what “stories” they are. The Master Grande Tradition Grand Complication is a tale in itself, being totally dedicated to the measurement of astronomical time. Its orbiting flying tourbillon completes an anticlockwise rotation in 23 hours, 56 minutes and four seconds, corresponding to the passing of sidereal time around the dial, which reproduces the sky chart for the Northern hemisphere with its constellations. This is complemented by a minute repeater with a clear, powerful chime. This year’s Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon is equally complex, with moon phases that are calculated to remain accurate for an incredible 3,887 years. Female customers, who represent nearly half the watchmaker’s sales in volume, have not been forgotten either. They can choose from two timepieces with sky themes: the Rendez-Vous Moon and the RendezVous Celestial. With this promising start, Jaeger-LeCoultre is continuing its campaign to open own-name stores, with new outlets planned or already opened in London, Geneva, New York, the Bahamas, Toronto, Vancouver and Chicago. “We started rolling out this strategy three years ago,” explains Daniel Riedo.

“Over the past 18 months we have focused our efforts on Europe.

Now we aim to prioritize the Americas.”

C.R.

Achieving such top precision requires years of research and development and, in the end, is a keen balance of technology and beauty. Such is the case with this year’s astronomical pieces from JaegerLeCoultre, which are not only beautiful, but also pack a powerful technical — and precise — punch. The Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon watch, for instance, was years in the research and development stages as the brand strove for the best possible accuracy of the moon display.

The result: a moonphase deigned to remain accurate for a full 3,887 years. The watch is equipped with a specialized Dual-Wing system of power so that one source provides the power for precision/timekeeping functions and the other provides the power for the complications — making it a super complex work of horology.

While today’s computer-aided designs and top CNC (computer numerical control) machines are enabling the high-precision

cutting of parts to microscopic fractions of a centimeter needed to make watches ever more precise, machines can’t replace human ingenuity. According to Alexander Schmiedt, Director of Watches for Montblanc, “The machines only help us to accomplish certain precision in technology. First our watchmakers and design teams must think on a different level and bring creativity to new realms.” Montblanc this year unveiled a host of timepieces with astronomical indications — including three-dimensional globes, the night sky as seen from the Southern Hemisphere and calendar/moon displays — in its Heritage Vasco da Gama line that recalls the precision navigation of this explorer and brings it full circle to the precision timepieces from the brand today. In fact, in its Villeret Collection, the brand deftly combines the intrinsic and legendary hand craftsmanship from Villeret with its main production timepieces to reach a new level of art and technology.

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JAEGER-LECOULTRE DUOMÈTRE SPHÉROTOURBILLON MOON AND GRANDE TRADITION GRANDE

I · DIOR CHIFFRE ROUGE C03. SINCE 2004, THE CHIFFRE

III · MONTBLANC TOURBILLON CYLINDRIQUE GEOSPHÈRES

COMPLICATION. OPER ATING ON THE DUAL-WING PRINCIPLE ME ANING T WO INDEPENDENT

ROUGE HAS STOOD FOR THE DIOR MAN. THE C03, FIT TED

VASCO DA GAMA. THE CASE OF THIS TIMEPIECE HOUSES

MECHANISMS SHARING THE SAME REGUL ATING ORGAN, THIS CRE ATION COMBINES THE

WITH CALIBRE 691 MADE BY THE ZENITH MANUFACTURE,

A THREE-DIMENSIONAL DIAL. THE 281 COMPONENTS THAT

PRECISELY ADJUSTABLE SPHÉROTOURBILLON WITH A MOONPHASE WHICH IS DESIGNED TO

FE ATUR I NG A M OON PHASE C O M P L I CAT I ON , D I S P L AYS

MAKE UP THE TOURBILLON CONTROL A RANGE OF FUNC-

REMAIN ACCUR ATE FOR 3,887 YEARS! THE GR ANDE COMPLICATION MODEL OFFERS THE SAME

DIOR’S KEY COLORS OF GR AY AND GOLD.

TIONS: A TRIO OF TIME-ZONE DISPLAYS WITH LOCAL TIME,

DEDICATION TO ASTRONOMY. IT IS DISTINGUISHED BY THE SK Y CHART OF THE NORTHERN

II · TISSOT CHEMIN DES TOURELLES SKELETON. CHEMIN

REFERENCE TIME AND T WO GLOBES INDICATING THE

HEMISPHERE DEPICTED ON A ROTATING DIAL, ALONG WITH AN ORBITAL TOURBILLON SECURED

DES TOURELLES IS THE STREET ON WHICH THE TISSOT FAC-

WORLD’S 24 TIME ZONES.

TO THE DIAL AND A CLOCKWISE-TURNING SUN-SHAPED CURSOR. THIS EXCEPTIONAL CREATION

TORY WAS BUILT IN 1907 AND WHERE THE COMPANY STILL

IIII · ZENITH ACADEMY GEORGES FAVRE-JACOT. THE DIAL OF

IS FURTHER ENHANCED BY A MINUTE REPEATER CHIMING WITH A RICH AND INTENSE TONE.

REMAINS TODAY. THIS WATCH TAKES PRIDE IN ITS ORIGINS.

THIS MODEL ALLOWS A VIEW OF THE FUSÉE-CHAIN TRANS-

THE ART OF WATCHMAKING IS CLEARLY VISIBLE THROUGH

MISSION SYSTEM WITH ITS BARREL AND THE FUSÉE AROUND

ITS DIAL THANKS TO ITS SKELETONIZED MOVEMENT.

WHICH THE CHAIN WRAPS ITSELF, GIVING THIS WATCH AN

62 WATCH YOUR TIME USA

AIR OF LATE 19TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

apps for the modern watch enthusiast Watch collectors have never had it so good.

New watches debut in real time simultaneously across the globe, allowing any collector to gather the latest information and images detailing what could be the enthusiast’s next ‘grail’ watch. For some enthusiasts, it’s all too much. Especially for new collectors still investigating the breadth or focus of their newfound passion, the ever-expanding list of sources for online timepiece news and product offerings can seem a bit daunting.

WATCHVILLE

To help still the cacophony, several new and long-time sources of timepiece news, trends, advice and even product reviews have in the past year or so created one-stop mobile apps specifically aimed at watch enthusiasts. While commercial sites, auction houses and catalogs of new and vintage watches have offered mobile device apps for a few years, many enthusiasts point to Watchville, the app launched last fall by tech entrepreneur and watch enthusiast Kevin Rose, as the first free app to attract a critical mass of collectors. That mass will undoubtedly increase as Watchville completes its recently announced merger with Hodinkee.

WATCH AGORA/WATCHES OF 2015

London-based watch collectors Thierry Ané and Jaques Caron explain they built the 2012 precursor to the current Watches of 2015 app (Free at the iTunes App Store) after years of frustration at the paucity of easy-to-locate online information and reviews about specific watches. He and business partner and technical expert Caron developed Watches 2012, an iPhone/iPad app that updated automatically all year long and presented new models to watch aficionados through standardized technical forms for easy comparison — complete with high-resolution pictures.

The success of that initial app, they explain, led to their 2013 launch of Watch Agora, their website dedicated to fine watchmaking.

GOVBERG ONTIME

The new Govberg OnTime mobile app (Free at the iTunes App Store) developed by Philadelphia-based watch and jewelry store owner Danny Govberg links watch enthusiasts with up-to-the-minute watch product and industry news from a variety of blogs, magazines and websites. But as a retailer with deep watch industry sources and a large inventory of new and vintage watches, his app also includes options that allow the enthusiast to manage his or her collection, to assess its value and to buy and sell timepieces.

“I strongly believe in the future of technology and the role it plays, and will increasingly play, in the lives of our clients, friends and watch collectors,” says Govberg, the third generation at the helm of Govberg Jewelers. “So whether you want to keep up on the latest watch industry happenings and product releases, manage your watch collection for social sharing or insurance purposes, or buy, sell or trade a new or pre-owned watch, Govberg OnTime is the ultimate tool. And it’s all accessible from your mobile device.”

THE WATCH ENTHUSIAST

Debuting in 2011, the Watch Enthusiast app ($14.99 at the iTunes App Store) seeks to offer independent critiques of new watches while simultaneously providing an extensive guide to new watches. Founder Felipe de Palma is a former Audemars Piguet executive who was convinced that there was room for an online publication that could help watch enthusiasts monitor the watch world while also learning more about it. “When I left Audemars Piguet, I simply did not want to re-do the same job for another brand, but rather decided to help people understand this awesome industry better,” he explains. “Our guide had to be critical with an educational touch, humoristic or ironic, but not sarcastic nor degrading. I did it because there was no such thing out there,” he adds.

Michael Thompson, Editor-in-Chief, International Watch

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 63

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

how well do you know watches ?

Ever since our wrists rediscovered the charm of mechanical time measurement, admirers of traditional watchmaking have become increasingly knowledgeable, a fact borne out by the proliferation of online forums, collectors’ clubs and vintage watch fairs. This trend, which reflects watchmakers’ determination to offer products at the vanguard of expertise and technology, must have its counterpart within distribution networks. In other words, whenever a customer enters a store, he or she must encounter professional sales staff whose knowledge cannot be faulted. As noted by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), an organization with twenty-six Fine Watch partner-brands that works to promote the values and culture of watchmaking, the quality required of a high-end timepiece must extend along the entire value creation chain, including at the point of sale. It takes a certain degree of understanding to promote Fine Watchmaking, and the first step towards elevating this body of knowledge is to test its level. This simple statement of fact prompted the FHH to create a rigorous and exhaustive evaluation system. Three years in development, HH Certification is now up and running. Available in the United States since January 2015, it will be launched in Europe in February next year. Initially devised for sales staff, this method is clearly of interest to other professionals in the branch, as well as the enlightened layperson. But what exactly is HH Certification? It is a test on watches and watchmaking based on 2,500 files covering every aspect of the profession: techniques, history and culture, market players, and materials. Each file comprises a multiple-choice question with its detailed answer, shared between three levels of difficulty. With such a bedrock of files, HH Certification represents the biggest databank on Fine Watchmaking to date, not to mention a foremost learning resource.

For all these reasons, HH Certification is destined to become a mainstay of evaluation and qualification methods today.

C.R.

Larry Pettinelli, president of Patek Philippe North America, concurs about today’s new astronomical watches being the result of more than technology. “We were making some of the most complicated watches of all time back in the early 1900s, such as the Graves and Packard watches that had astronomical functions and extreme complications,” says Pettinelli who refers to the famed watch built for Henry Graves, started in 1925 and finished in 1932 with 24 functions, and to the watches made for Graves’ rival, James Ward Packard. “It took seven years to build the Graves watch from start to finish without computers. Today, we can build those watches a little more quickly thanks to technology, but it is the innovation and the passion to want to create something new, to push the envelope all the time, that shapes the direction we take.”

In fact, the main Patek Philippe 175th Anniversary watch — the Grandmaster Chime, unveiled late in 2014 and just being

delivered this year — is one of the most complicated timepieces the brand has built.

Not only does it include a split-seconds chronograph and minute repeater, it also offers a perpetual calendar and a very accurate moonphase indication with a maximum daily deviation of less than 2 seconds (taking more than 122 years before being off by one day). The $2.5 million watch holds a mind-baffling 1,366 movement parts and offers 20 different functions, all on the wrist.

All of these watchmaking and aesthetic challenges and conquests add to the price of an astronomical watch. Innovative and accurate moonphase watches with calendars can start at about $20,000 and go up from there, while the more elaborate pieces can easily venture into the hundreds-of-thousands of dollars category. Still, each of these watches offers a new fascination and a new reality as the worlds of the ancients and the moderns come together in grand reinterpretations of the celestial world on the wrist.

ˇ

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HH CERTIFICATION. HH CERTIFICATION SE TS A BENCHMARK FOR WATCHMAKING KNOWL-

I · AU D E M A R S P I G U E T MILLENARY QUADR IENNIUM

I I I · L O N G I N E S C O N Q U EST C L AS S I C M O O N P HAS E

EDGE . THIS IS THE FIRST TIME E VER THAT THE WATCH INDUSTRY CAN OBTAIN AN INDISPUT-

I N S TA N T LY R EC O G N I Z A B L E W I T H I T S OVA L CAS E A N D

REFLECTING THE BR AND’S PRESENCE AT THE WORLD’S

ABLE AND INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ME ASURE OF KNOWLEDGE OF WATCHES AND

OFF - C ENTER D I S P L AY, TH E M I L LEN ARY I NTRODUC ES A

M OST P R EST I G I OUS EQ U ESTR I A N E V EN TS , LO N G I N ES

WATCHMAKING . DE VELOPED FOR FINE WATCH SALES STAFF, HH CERTIFICATION IS ALSO

“QUADRIANNUAL” CALENDAR WHICH ONLY NEEDS TO BE

IS L AUNCHING A NEW CHRONOGR APH, THE CONQUEST

AIMED AT ANYONE WHO WANTS TO VALIDATE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF WATCHES. IT EXISTS

ADJUSTED ONCE E VERY FOUR YE ARS.

CL ASSIC MOONPHASE .

IN FRENCH AND IN ENGLISH.

I I · A . L A N G E & SÖH N E R ICHARD L ANGE PER PETUAL

I I I I · F R É D É R I Q U E CO N S TA NT SLIMLINE MOONPHASE

CALENDAR “TERR ALUNA”. FE ATURING AN ORBITAL MOON-

MANUFACTURE. FRÉDÉRIQUE CONSTANT HAS INCORPO-

P H AS E D I S P L AY, A P ER P E T UA L CA L EN DA R W I T H T H E

R ATED ELEGANT DESIGN FE ATURES INTO THE NEW SLIM-

L ANGE OUTSIZE DATE , A POWER-RESERVE OF 14 DAYS,

LINE MOONPHASE MANUFACTURE THAT WOULD NOT HAVE

AND A CONSTANT-FORCE ESCAPEMENT, THIS E XTR AOR-

LOOKED OUT OF PL ACE A CENTURY AGO; NOR WILL THEY

DINARY TIMEKEEPING INSTRUMENT REPRESENTS THE PIN-

LOOK OUTDATED E VEN 100 YE ARS INTO THE FUTURE .

64 WATCH YOUR TIME USA

NACLE OF SA XON WATCHMAKING ARTISTRY.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

Anyone who breaks out in goose bumps at the very thought of a mechanical caliber generally has in mind a watch that proudly boasts its Swiss origins. This would, however, be to dismiss Japan’s contribution to timekeeping history. Fortunately, two anniversaries this year remind us that Japanese watchmakers, led by Seiko, were a very real and highly competitive presence even before quartz became their heavy hitter, and a serious threat to Swiss watchmaking in the 1970s. 2015 indeed marks the 55th anniversary of the emblematic Grand Seiko, as well as a half-century for the brand’s Marinemaster, one of the very first professional dive watches. Needless to say, both made their debut at a time when watches were mechanical and precision an obsession.

japanese precision

SHINJI HAT TORI CEO, SEIKO

“When my predecessors imagined the Grand Seiko in 1960, their idea was to produce an accurate, reliable, legible timepiece,” says Shu Yoshino, Seiko’s marketing managing director. “How the watch looked was also a matter of importance, with a wide dial opening achieved by the bezelfree construction and a facetted case, but this was not the main concern. As always at Seiko, function took precedence and we have never strayed from this principle.” Exactly how important functionality was to the Grand Seiko soon became apparent.

By 1967, Seiko had fitted its luxury watch with the brand’s first automatic movement, the 62GS. A year later, in 1968, Seiko took another step forward and equipped the Grand Seiko with a high-frequency movement beating at 36,000 vibrations/hour.

With a “machine” like this, Seiko could legitimately rival Swiss watchmaking’s finest, even challenging them on home turf in the late 1960s by entering the Grand Seiko in timing trials at the Geneva and Neuchâtel observatories in Switzerland.

MECHANICALLY MINDED

The onslaught of quartz, which Seiko played no small part in engineering, inevitably cast a shadow over its own mechanical production and threatened to send the Grand Seiko, its symbol, into the filing cabinet of history. But not for long.

From the first stirrings of a mechanical watch revival, Seiko was ready and in 1988 relaunched the Grand Seiko. This would be the beginning of a slow but steady conquest, until sales in the home market were enough to convince Seiko management to increase production capacity and launch the Grand Seiko internationally, with arguments that would prove hard to resist.

The anniversary models, equipped with Caliber 9S65 beating at 28,800 vibrations/hour, and the two new hi-beat versions (Caliber 9S85), deliver precision of -3 to +5 seconds/day, which is a smaller tolerance than the margin of -4 to +6 seconds imposed by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC).

This same pragmatism presides over the now famous Marinemaster. When Seiko decided to enter this watery world, it could hardly content itself with a simple water-resistant watch. This would have to be a model for professional divers, jam-packed with innovations. Which is why we can thank the Japanese firm for the very first titanium case for a dive watch, the protective shell for the movement, the accordion strap and ultralegible dial design. In fact the original specifications for the Marinemaster would become the starting point for ISO 6425, the international standard for dive watches. The year’s two anniversary releases pay tribute to this expertise. One comes with a 4 Hz movement and a one-piece titanium-ceramic double case construction.

The second, limited-edition model is equipped with a 5 Hz hi-beat movement inside a onepiece titanium case. Both are water-resistant to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). Christophe Roulet

SEIKO MARINEMASTER PROFESSIONAL. THE MARINEMASTER SERIES

SHELL AND THE MARINEMASTER PROFESSIONAL 1000M HI-BE AT

GR AND SEIKO WATCH HAS SHARED THE SAME COMMITMENT TO

HAS LONG BEEN RENOWNED FOR THE SECURIT Y AND PRECISION

36000 LIMITED EDITION (RIGHT) WHOSE DESIGN ECHOES THAT OF

THE PURE ESSENTIALS OF WATCHMAKING. PRECISION, LEGIBILIT Y,

THAT THE PROFESSIONAL DIVER REQUIRES. T WO NEW TIMEPIECES

SEIKO’S VERY FIRST HI-BE AT DIVER’S WATCH FROM THE 1960s, BUT

COMFORT AND DURABILITY ARE THE ATTRIBUTES THAT HAVE ALWAYS

IN THE MARINEMASTER SERIES EMBODY THE VERY BEST OF SEIKO’S

WITH SPECIFICATIONS THAT ARE THE MOST ADVANCED IN THE FIELD.

DEFINED GR AND SEIKO AND ALWAYS WILL .

50 YE ARS OF E XPERIENCE IN SERVING THE NEEDS OF DIVERS: THE

SE IKO GR AND SEIKO. THE 55 YE AR HISTORY OF GR AND SEI KO,

M A R I N EM ASTER P RO F ES S I O N A L 10 0 0 M D I V ER ’S (LEF T ) W I TH A

WHICH IS CELEBR ATED THIS YE AR, IS THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH

T WO-L AYER CASE CONSTRUCTION AND CER AMIC FOR THE OUTER

ITS PRESENT SUCCESS IS BUILT. SINCE ITS CREATION IN 1960, EVERY

FOCUS WATCH YOUR TIME USA 65

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

heart meets smart

PE TER STAS, CEO, FRÉDÉRIQUE CONSTANT

Connected watches are rarely out of the news these days, yet few traditional watchmakers have anything credible to offer in a segment dominated by consumer electronics giants. One of the few is Frédérique Constant. It chose the international watch fair in Basel, last March, to unveil the Horological Smartwatch which functions in conjunction with a mobile phone. So far so déjà vu?

Not quite, as the Horological Smartwatch is designed to resemble a classic analog watch.

Better still, whereas the majority of players in this new market are struggling with batteries that need recharging on a daily basis, Frédérique Constant’s smartwatch delivers an impressive autonomy of two years.

The watch is powered by an MMT-285 quartz caliber and MotionX® technology, developed

by Fullpower in Silicon Valley. Features include the Sleeptracker, which analyses the length and quality of sleep patterns, and Activity Tracking, a kind of wrist-borne coach that records data such as calories burned or number of steps taken… and alerts the wearer in the event of prolonged inactivity. Information is displayed as easy-to-read graphics on the phone’s screen. Naturally, the Horological Smartwatch stays true to Frédérique Constant’s principle to sell “refined” products at affordable prices.

Peter Stas, who co-founded the brand with Aletta Bax in 1988, makes no secret of his ambitions: “In five years’ time, we expect connected watches to account for half our quartz watches, which make up a third of our sales,” he explains. “Having said that, we are committed to preserving a horological spirit.”

FRÉDÉRIQUE CONSTANT CLASSIC MANUFACTURE WORLDTIMER

FRÉ DÉ RIQUE CONSTANT SWISS HOROLOGICAL SMART WATCH

THIS MODEL IS DRIVEN BY THE FC-718, A COMPLE TELY IN-HOUSE

POWERED BY MOTIONX®, THIS SMARTWATCH IS CAPABLE OF BI-DIREC-

MANUFACTURE AUTOMATIC CALIBER . THE TECHNOLOGICAL GE-

TIONAL COMMUNICATION WITH IPHONE AND ANDROID APPS. THERE IS

NIUS OF THIS TIMEPIECE IS THAT ALL FUNCTIONS ARE E ASILY AC-

NO DIGITAL SCREEN. INSTEAD, THE LASER-CUT HANDS ON THE WATCH

CESSIBLE THROUGH THE CROWN. THE WORLDTIMER FUNCTION

DIAL DISPLAY INFORMATION IN ANALOG FORM. THE MODEL RETAINS ITS

CAN BE USED BY SELECTING THE DESIRED CIT Y AND PL ACING IT

NATURAL CLASSIC BEAUTY AND CAN DELIVER THE BENEFITS OF THE

AT THE 12’OCLOCK POSITION ON THE DIAL . ONCE THE INTERNAL

QUANTIFIED SELF, ALL WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO RECHARGE A BATTERY.

DISKS ARE SYNCHRONIZED, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS IN

T H E F R É D É R I Q U E CO N S TA N T ’ S M A N U FAC T U R E I N G E N E VA ,

THE BIGGEST CITIES OF THE WORLD.

SWITZERL AND

66 WATCH YOUR TIME USA FOCUS

FINE CRAFTSMANSHIP

Why indeed change a winning formula, demonstrated by the recent doubling in size of the brand’s manufacturing facilities in Geneva?

In 2014, Frédérique Constant grew 16% and now produces in excess of 130,000 watches a year, whereas export figures show that the Swiss watch industry as a whole progressed by just 2%. The business climate is still “difficult”, as Peter Stas is first to admit, yet this doesn’t deter him from forecasting growth in the region of 15% to 20% this year.

The brand, with its three pillars of quartz watches, mechanical watches with Sellita movements, and its own production with five in-house movements, is well positioned in its markets, which are not immune to the attraction of Swiss-Made quality at prices more can afford.

For over a decade, the brand has been pouring its innovations, including silicon technology, into its manufacture movements. Its first handwound movement had the distinction of placing the balance wheel bridge on the front of the caliber, so that the sprung balance can be clearly viewed through an opening in the dial at 6 o’clock. This original and patented construction gave rise to an entire family of movements, dubbed Heart Beat, soon to be followed by the 700 series with automatic calibers, moon phases and date, power reserve, tourbillon, second time zone and world time. This latter complication is this year proposed in a new version whose elegant navy blue dial features an anthracite gray world map in its center.

Craftsmanship indeed.

Eric Dumatin

©2015 SEIKO WATCH CORPORATION

astron. the world’s first gps solar watch.

In 2012 we made history with Astron, the world’s first GPS solar watch.

Using just the power of light, Astron adjusts to every time zone on earth at the touch of a button.

In 2014 we took Astron even further, introducing a full-function GPS solar chronograph.

Now with dual time display, Astron is simply the world’s finest GPS solar watch.

*If there are changes in the region / time zone, manual time zone selection may be required.

AVAI LABLE AT 510 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 212.355.3718 SeikoUSA.com

SPECTRE Š 2015 Danjaq, MGM, CPII. SPECTRE,

and related James Bond Trademarks, TM Danjaq. All Rights Reserved.

I N C I N EMAS