The Watches Magazine - 2018 Spring Issue

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Swiss International Magazine Spring 2018 #052 Interview Fabrizio Buonamassa - Guest Marine Rolland

English Edition

Tissot

Playing with time Audemars Piguet - Baume & Mercier - Breguet - Bvlgari - Cabestan - Cartier - Chanel - Chopard - Christophe Claret - Corum - Czapek & Cie DeWitt - Dior - F.P. Journe - Girard-Perregaux - H. Moser & Cie - Hamilton - Harry Winston - Hautlence - Hermès - Hublot - Hysek - HYT - IWC Jaeger-LeCoultre - Jaquet Droz - Longines - MB&F - Montblanc - Omega - Oris - Panerai - Parmigiani Fleurier - Patek Philippe - Piaget Rebellion - Roger Dubuis - Rolex - seiko - TAG Heuer - ulysse Nardin - urwerk - Vacheron Constantin - Zeitwinkel - Zenith suisse: 10 francs FRANCE MéTRO: 7 EuROs - BEL/LuX/POLAND: 8 EuROs - uK: £8 - A/D/GR//PORT.CONT: 8,40 EuROs - CAN: 11,95 $CAN - usA: 14,99 $us



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C ove r wat Ch

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TISSOT Everytime Swissmatic By Sharmila Bertin

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e don’t say it often enough: simple things are often far more stylish than complicated ones whether it be in the world of fashion, cosmetics, interior design or, what really interests us, watchmaking. The Everytime Swissmatic by Tissot on our cover encapsulates the global trend for timeless, chic and classic lifestyle. This watch goes back to basics in terms of time features with its clean design. The silvery white dial is adorned with baton-shaped time markers; the slender gilded markers are interspersed by a slim black minute track beneath a trio of hands. The rose gold baton-shaped hands track the hours, minutes and seconds. A black-on-white date display lies at 3 on the shimmering disc. These everyday go-to functions are powered by the famous self-winding mechanical Swissmatic calibre that provides a 72-hour power reserve (3 days). So you can take your watch off on Friday night and not put it back on until Monday morning without having to wind it or reset it. When your days are action-packed, this little “detail” makes all the difference! The Everytime Swissmatic’s powerful movement is housed in

a 40mm rose gold PVD-coated steel case that suits men and women alike; you can see the movement through the sapphire glass back covering the gilded case that is water-resistant to depths of 30m.

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


Some watches tell time. Some tell a story

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For nearly three centuries, Jaquet Droz has placed time under the banner of astonishment, excellence and constantly renewed creativity. Grande Seconde Moon Ivory Enamel

JAQUET DROZ BOUTIQUES GENEVA - PARIS - MOSCOW - DUBAI - TOKYO - HONG KONG - MACAU - SHANGHAI - BEIJING - SINGAPORE Discover our official point of sales on www.jaquet-droz.com


E DIT OR IAL

The (re)birth of time

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© Mickael Gautier

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h time, a fact of life that’s as poetic as it is elusive! I wanted to put myself in the shoes of the guest writer we ask to give their philosophical or factual take on time in every issue and try it myself; I wanted to take time out to discuss time, how it’s sometimes a friend, sometimes an enemy, the metamorphosis it undergoes over the course of our lives and particularly mine, the diktats it imposes on us and the moments of grace it grants us. A few months ago I gave birth to my second child, a little boy who soon got his bearings on time (to be clear, he slept through after a few weeks). Bizarrely, time became elastic whilst I was pregnant, nine months carrying a child felt long and yet my son was born in minutes. It’s a temporal and emotional contrast that isn’t always easy to handle. The first months of a baby’s life drop parents into a bubble where neither day nor night has any influence. The days go by and they all seem the same without being so. You stop wearing a watch. What’s the point? You barely leave the house and the time is marked by your child crying. The slightest protest from him and you know it’s midday or 4pm, time for breakfast or a snack. During the months I spent mothering my newborn, I dreamt of time. Time to myself. Having two hours to get some fresh air, to daydream, to belong to nobody apart from me. Metime became precious, a sort of Holy Grail. If you think I’m exaggerating then just ask any new mothers you know. They’ll tell you that time turns into a rare commodity as soon as you leave the maternity ward. My return to work coincided with the SIHH. And it was wonderful! Seeing my colleagues again, chatting with watch brand reps, seeing new products! Even though all my coffee breaks were timed between two conferences, I enjoyed it in a different way. Actually, every day, every moment, be it with the family or in the working environment, dictates your time. With hindsight

you have to admit that this metamorphosis, this almost conceptual ambivalence of “always the same but never the same” is incredible.

Sharmila Bertin Editor-in-Chief

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


TI M E , A HE RMÈS OB JECT.

Carré H Time, square like a Hermès scarf.


Gu e st The Watches Magazine invites a new guest writer to share their vision of time in each issue.

Time, an indefinable notion By Marine Rolland Artistic Director and Founder of Marine Rolland

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hy are people so obsessed by the indefinable notion of time? And how does it affect your life? Why has mankind used up energy or made instruments to tell the time since time immemorial? Maybe because it’s strange to see how much time, such a mysterious element, affects our lives. Mankind lives in a past that will never come back, an album of life memories that gradually fade as time goes by. An encyclopaedia of unique events threatened by oblivion. We chase a hypothetical future that torments us without ever living in the moment. But is that because the here and now we live in is a fleeting second that disappears back to the past as soon as we mention it? And why is time distorted at different periods in our lives? As children, it’s eternal. As adults, it’s elusive. Time worries us because we can’t see it, touch it, feel it or hear it but it’s the only thing that never leaves us. It watches us be born, grow, learn, progress, love and die. It’s a melody which we dance to night and day because the metronome can’t stop its balance wheel. Apart from on rare occasions: an emotion you’ve never felt before or the sight of a breathtaking landscape and then, for a fleeting moment time stands still, vanishes, goes out...to start twirling again even more beautifully, like a beating heart.

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


DUSTIN JOHNSON GOLF'S WORLD NUMBER 1

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Big Bang Unico Golf. Very light texalium case. UNICO column-wheel chronograph, equipped with a unique additional mechanism dedicated to golf scoring. Leather strap stitched on rubber.

BOUTIQUES GENÈVE • PARIS • LONDON • BERLIN • NEW YORK MIAMI • BEVERLY HILLS • LAS VEGAS MOSCOW • DUBAI • TOKYO • HONG KONG SINGAPORE • SAINT-TROPEZ • CANNES COURCHEVEL • ZERMATT • ZÜRICH

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INSIDE

28 Cover Story Tissot

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08 10 18 20 22 26

Editorial Guest Marine Rolland We Love Technique We Love Poetry Trends The Eye of Jewelry

28 38 42 44 46 48

Cover Story Tissot Montblanc Breguet Chopard Omega Hublot

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Jaquet Droz Hermès Jaeger-LeCoultre MB&F Baume & Mercier Panerai



INSIDE

70 Dubai Watch Week

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64 Cartier 66 Oris 68 Interview Fabrizio Buonamassa 70 Dubai Watch Week 72 Watches

76 78 80 81 82 83

Design Be Responsible Parmigiani TAG Heuer Rolex Patek Philippe

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Ulysse Nardin Rebellion DeWitt Czapek & Cie Technique


* LA PERFORMANCE MÉCANIQUE POUSSÉE À L’EXTRÊME

CALIBRE RM 63-02 WORLD TIMER

BOUTIQUES RICHARD MILLE

© Didier Gourdon

SUISSE Rue du Rhône 78 1204 Genève - Tél.: +41 22 810 85 73 • Quai du Mont Blanc 19 1201 Genève - Tél.: +41 22 732 20 22

www.richardmille.com


IMPR E SSU M

Swiss International Magazine Printemps 2018 #052 Interview Fabrizio Buonamassa - Guest Marine Rolland

WElCOME TO THE WORlD Of WATCHES www.watches-news.com Édition francophone

Tissot Le jeu du temps

Audemars Piguet - Baume & Mercier - Breguet - Bvlgari - Cabestan - Cartier - Chanel - Chopard - Christophe Claret - Corum - Czapek & Cie DeWitt - Dior - F.P. Journe - Girard-Perregaux - H. Moser & Cie - Hamilton - Harry Winston - Hautlence - Hermès - Hublot - Hysek - HYT - IWC Jaeger-LeCoultre - Jaquet Droz - Longines - MB&F - Montblanc - Omega - Oris - Panerai - Parmigiani Fleurier - Patek Philippe - Piaget Rebellion - Roger Dubuis - Rolex - seiko - TAG Heuer - ulysse Nardin - urwerk - Vacheron Constantin - Zeitwinkel - Zenith suisse: 10 francs FRANCE MéTRO: 7 EuROs - BEL/LuX/POLAND: 8 EuROs - uK: £8 - A/D/GR//PORT.CONT: 8,40 EuROs - CAN: 11,95 $CAN - usA: 14,99 $us

Rédaction/Edition ACE Publishing SA Direction/Management Alain Carrier acarrier@ace-publishing.com Rédactrice en chef/Editor-in-Chief Sharmila Bertin sbertin@ace-publishing.com Designer graphique/Graphic designer Célia Sozet Contributeurs/Contributors Sharmila Bertin - Tiffany Cartier-Millon Vincent Daveau - Dan Diaconu - Isabelle Guignet - Olivier Müller Eléonor Picciotto - Marine Rolland Publicité/Advertising ACE Publishing SA Alain Carrier acarrier@ace-publishing.com Yannick Ortolan yortolan@ace-publishing.com T +41 22 752 60 12

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Traduction/Translation Atenao www.atenao.com Impression/Printing Manufacture d'Histoires Deux-Ponts Distribution Marchés principaux/Major markets Suisse, France, Allemagne, Royaume-Uni, États-Unis Autres pays/Other countries Abu Dhabi, Andorre, Australie, Autriche, Belgique, Brésil, Canada, Dubaï, Grèce, Hong Kong, Koweït, Maroc, Pologne, Portugal, Russie, Singapour, Taïwan, Thaïlande, Turquie, Ukraine

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Kiosques/Kiosks Suisse: Naville SA & Valora AG - France: MLP - Export: Export Press Abonnement/Subscription Dynapress Marketing SA Avenue Vibert 38 - CH-1227 Carouge/Genève T +41 22 308 08 08 - abonnements@dynapresse.ch Édité 4 fois par an/Published 4 times a year Mars-March/Juin-June/Septembre-September/Décembre-December En 4 langues/In 4 languages Français-French/Anglais-English/Allemand-German/Chinois simplifié-Chinese ISSN: Français1664-8048/Anglais1664-820X/Allemand1664-8056 ACE Publishing SA Principal actionnaire/Major shareholder Alain Carrier Route de Thonon 152A - CH-1222 Vésenaz/Genève T +41 22 752 60 12 - F +41 22 752 60 14 N° TVA CHE-112.276.791 TVA - REF 618 137 La reproduction des articles parus dans THE WATCHES MAGAZINE est interdite sous toutes ses formes, sauf autorisation écrite de l’éditeur. Any form of reproduction of articles published in THE WATCHES MAGAZINE is prohibited without the prior written consent of the publisher.

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THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


VELOCITY AND FLEXIBILITY

by the motorist of time

200

HZ

HANDS SPEED (200 HAND JUMPS PER SECOND IN EITHER DIRECTION OF ROTATION)

CHRONOGRAPH CALIBRE 13¼´´´ - ETA G10.212 Ø 29.80 mm - H 5.12 mm DISPLAY FLEXIBILTY - MULTIPLE COMBINATIONS

SALES QUARTZLINE SCHMELZISTRASSE 16, CH-2540 GRENCHEN WWW.ETA.CH, SALES-QUARTZ@ETA.CH TEL: +41 (0)32 655 77 77

EXCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY


We Love T e c hniqu e

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RichaRd Mille RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac donough By Sharmila Bertin

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n 2012, Richard Mille launched the RM 053 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough, a watch enclosed in a titanium carbide shell with just two openings: hours and minutes on one side and tourbillon and seconds on the other. Six years on and Richard Mille has done the opposite with the new RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough: the carbon and titanium alloy housing has made way for a watch that showcases its engineering with pride yet holds onto its sturdiness and reliability. Like its big brother, this new model is named after the young polo prodigy from Argentina: Pablo Mac Donough, born in 1982 in the Buenos Aires region. It has been built to withstand shock and speed without losing precision or, at worst, being destroyed during a heated exchange between mallets in a match. Its barrel-shaped shell in TPT® carbon is 44.50x50mm is finished with laminated glass, an exclusivity designed and patented by Richard Mille, which is made of two

layers of sapphire crystal with a polyvinyl filling. In the event of shock, the glass may crack but won’t break just like a car’s front window. This RM 53-01 is powered by a mechanical manual-wind movement displaying the hours and minutes. It also has a suspended tourbillon lying on two plates connected by two braided steel cables via ten pulleys and four strainers to handle tension.

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


New automatic watches from Glashütte: sitting smartly under the cuff, working with high precision—for those who are passionate about what they do. The motor within is NOMOS’ sensational neomatik caliber DUW 3001, made by hand in Germany, trimmed for peak performance with high tech. Tangente neomatik 39 and other models are now available with Bucherer at Jelmoli in Zurich. More: bucherer.com, nomos-glashuette.com

Bucherer Jelmoli – The House of Brands Bahnhofstrasse, Postfach, CH-8021 Zürich


We Love Poe t ry

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Cartier révélation d'une Panthère By Sharmila Bertin

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utting time into the heart of a watch can sometimes be poetic or even playful and so much more than simply putting the hours and minutes on a dial. Cartier is pursuing its signature design statement in the world of watchmaking with its extraordinary Révélation d'une Panthère. This innovative approach uses a patented technique to reveal the animal that has been the brand’s icon since 1914: the panther. At first glance, all the black lacquered dial gives away is its deep gloss. But when you play with the watch and turn your wrist towards you, magic happens. A thousand miniscule gold beads “drop” with fluid grace from the top of the dial like a sand timer. As they drop they come together to form the stylised head of the famous feline. This moving and fleeting image tells the time with two Breguet-style openwork gold hands. The Ronde Louis Cartier 37mm rose gold case houses the eye-catching and bewitching panther. It is topped by a bezel paved with 45 brilliant-cut diamonds which also appear on the dazzling crown. The hours and minutes are brought to life

by the mechanical self-winding 430 MC calibre. Révélation d'une Panthère also comes with a deep red or racing green lacquered dial. 100 of each of these limited editions are available.

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


ZENITH, THE FUTURE OF SWISS WATCHMAKING DEFY I El Primero 21 1/100th of a second chronograph

www.zenith-watches.com


T R E NDS

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A Chinese sign of the times By Dan Diaconu

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ome watch brands release limited series at the end of every year to celebrate the Chinese New Year with one of the twelve animals associated with the period. The Year of the Dog, beginning on February 16th with the new lunar cycle, sees the likes of Panerai, Jaquet Droz and Chopard repeat a well-worn exercise. Flashback! Officine Panerai launched a timepiece whose design tied into the Year of the Buffalo in 2009. The Asian market’s exponential growth grabbed the entire watch industry’s attention. The New Year is a chance for Asian collectors to make premium purchases. In 2012, the arrival of the Year of the Dragon saw the trend peak. It was a powerful symbol as

the mythical beast is synonymous with success. We saw it get its claws on out countless dials. The big brands competed to be the most creative by blending their fine arts expertise with their watchmaking talent. The Piaget Emperador XL featured a stunning hand-engraved dragon glittering with diamonds. Ulysse Nardin unveiled a piece in Grand Feu champlevé enamel. Jaquet Droz brought us a delicate mother-of-pearl watch. The RM 057 Dragon Jackie Chan by Richard Mille paired a tourbillon movement with a hand-engraved and painted red gold dragon. Dragon’s breath may inspire a new dawn in watchmaking in 2024. In the meantime, lunar cycles go on but don’t look alike.

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Not all the animals have the same appeal and only a handful of brands have stuck with the tradition this year. On the dial of the L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dog, Chopard has presented the delicate art of Minori Koizumi who worked with the imperial Japanese family. His piece showcases the age-old art of Urushi lacquer using resin collected from the tree of the same name. The handmade design depicts an Akita Inu dog from the Land of the Rising Sun. Breguet has unveiled a limited series of eight Classique 7145 watches. The painstaking dial combines engraving and guillochage to form a fabulous Chow-chow. 2019 will celebrate the Guinea Pig. The Chinese horoscope describes it as more reasonable and stronger than its fellow creatures. It is also a symbol of plenty and plans being achieved through a strategic vision and business savvy. A good sign for everyone isn’t it? THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018



The e ye of Je we lry

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A watch made in heaven By Eléonor Picciotto

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t’s not often we can talk about a watchmaking revolution or call a dial variation something new. And yet at the end of this January’s SIHH, ladies had certainly been less spoilt than in previous years without being forgotten. Let’s look back at three feminine favourites. The Laureato joined Girard Perregaux’s collection in 1975. The sporty, elegant, modern watch was bold for its time and became a legend. Last year the Laureato stepped into a new era. Updated, redesigned, we could even say inspired, the angles of the octagonal bezel were streamlined and softened by its curvy base. The bonus and star of this year’s collection is the Royalty model. What sets it apart? An electric/Klein blue lacquer dial that strikes a vibrant contrast with the rose gold case and built-in strap. There are just 200 of this statement limited edition. Go and try it, you won’t want to take it off.

Piaget staged two revolutions at the fair with the introduction of the world's slimmest self-winding watch (just 4.30mm thick) and the mechanical manual-wind Altiplano Ultimate Concept with a 2mm thick calibre. When it comes to the ladies, we lingered over an Altiplano whose dial glittered with rubies. The untouched gemstone gives a glimpse of its inclusions, cracks and other subtle details that show the life of the unique jewel and give it soul. The unique piece is exclusive to Piaget stores and its row of diamonds on the 34mm bezel enhances the ripe raspberry hue of the dazzling dial and its alligator strap. Aside from Van Cleef & Arpels’ garden and its series of eight floral-themed bejewelled watches, Hermès brought us a new time-telling gem: the Klikti watch inspired by horse bridles. It does make me think of the brand’s cult handbag straps (each to their own) but this bejewelled watch comes

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in rose or white gold with a dial that’s either white motherof-pearl or paved in diamonds with half or fully-paved links. The single or twin straps come in five colours. There are so many options that this watch is practically customisable!

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


Cove r st ory tissot

A Dream Team is born By Sharmila Bertin

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n October 2015, the world’s number one Swiss watch brand (in terms of sales) signed a partnership deal with the world’s number one basketball league. This “sports-watch” union between Tissot and the NBA is an unprecedented pact that encapsulates technical development and unique technology on the court and wrist alike.

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The date will go down in watchmaking history: in New York on October 5th 2015, Le Locle-based Tissot and the NBA announced their worldwide and historical multi-year partnership. It has propelled the watchmaker into the ranks of official timekeeper for one of the biggest sports leagues in America and is the biggest collaboration in the history of the Swiss brand. Aside from NBA matches, Tissot is also involved in WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) and NBA D League (secondary championship now called the G League or Gatorade League) matches. Let’s look back over both partners’ pasts to get to grips with the partnership. Tissot, from counter to watch empire In 1853, Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Emile Tissot opened a watch assembly counter in Le Locle at the top of Neuchâtel. It was called “Charles-Félicien Tissot & Fils” and specialised in pocket and pendant watches sold namely in the US. It was as famous at home as it was abroad and soon the workshop was too small. This led to the 1907 opening of a factory on Chemin des Tourelles in Le Locle and is now Tissot’s HQ. Now we mention it, a vintage-style collection of contemporary watches called Chemin des Tourelles recently launched. The factory meant more watches could be made and the brand could innovate in terms of design but especially in terms of technique. In the early 20 th century, Tissot unveiled the first non-magnetic wristwatch which was a milestone in technological progress. Alongside its developments in the watch industry, it gained “manufacture” status in 1917 and joined forces with Omega in 1930 to form the SSIH (Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère). The group then paired up with ASUAG ( Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG, the Swiss Watch Industry Group that owned Longines, Hamilton and Rado among others) in 1983 to form an entity called the Swatch Group in the late 90s.

Over the course of its 165 years in existence, Tissot has always had a thing for comfort, technique and sport. This fondness appeared relatively early as the company began making wristwatches for men in the early 20th century. Then in the 1930s and 40s, it made its first self-winding chronographs on leather straps that were more practical and comfortable than metal. In 1951 Tissot designed the Navigator model, a watch with a second time zone bearing the names of 24 major cities. It was rereleased in 2013 for the Le Locle brand’s 160th birthday. Although the 1951 Tissot Navigator isn’t a sports watch in its true sense, its sturdy case and time functions made it a contemporary tool and addressed a new reality: the 20th century man had become a globetrotter on the move and needed a reliable, accurate watch that laughed in the face of borders and time zones. The PR 516 model with its perforated leather strap brought Tissot into the world of motor racing in 1965 whilst the brand began signing partnership deals with Formula 1 teams such as Renault and Lotus from 1976. As well as aesthetics and technique, practicality began to be fleshed out in the design of a watch. In 1999, these three parameters were brought together to form what we now call a “tool watch”, a sporty watch in terms of looks and technology with useful functions to boot: the T-Touch. This piece made Tissot the first watch brand to venture into the touchscreen world. A touch of the screen brings up countless functions and essential displays whether you’re a sports fan, globetrotter or both. Tissot took its drive for innovation a step further in 2014 when it launched the solar-powered T-Touch Expert Solar. Tissot has two world firsts in the T-Touch and T-Touch Expert Solar and the brand soon became known for its innovative sports watches. NBA or the power of the orange ball Whether or not you like basketball, most of us have heard of the NBA, its legendary players (what fortysomething didn’t have a poster of Michael Jordan on their bedroom wall or wear a Chicago Bulls top as a teenager?) and its famous teams. What most of us don’t know however is the story behind the now infamous league that launched in the 1940s. June 6th 1946 marked the foundation of the BAA, Basketball Association of America. It may not have been the only one in

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Tissot chronograph 1948 >

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the US (the first leagues were founded in the 20s) but it stood out for having teams play in top venues in the biggest cities in America. Three years later, the BAA joined forces with the NBL (National Basketball League) to form the National Basketball Association better known as the NBA on August 3rd 1949. Basketball’s popularity grew over the sixties. The arrival of Larry Bird in the Boston Celtics and his main rival Magic Johnson in the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979 helped make basketball and the NBA more popular among the general public. Matches were broadcast live not just in America but worldwide in the 80s and from 1985 in France. The sport’s popularity peaked with the arrival of Michael Jordan in the Chicago Bulls in 1984 for the NBA’s 36th season. Very soon His Airness’s relaxed style and amazing jumps made him a standalone product. The player was so popular that he became an icon for a generation. His stylised silhouette adorned the Nike trainers that teenagers wore and his red Bulls top with the famous 23 on the back sold out in stores. His shaved head and stuck-out tongue also became symbols. The fame of Michael Jordan, considered “the best basketball player ever”, and the gold medal-winning Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with the best professional players at the time (Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson,

Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen among others) helped make basketball and the NBA even more popular. The NBA is now based in New York and is the most prestigious basketball championship in the world in terms of standard of play, affluence and audience. It has produced two major leagues: the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) in 1996 and the NBA D League (recently renamed the G League or Gatorade League) in 2001. It has its own channel, NBA TV, and digital platform, NBA Digital comprising NBA.com and NBA Mobile, with almost a billion subscribers. Most importantly, the NBA has a presence on 13 markets, broadcasts matches in 47 languages in 215 countries, sells its products in 125,000 shops in a hundred countries spread over six continents. The figures are so impressive that it’s no wonder the partnership with Tissot is one for the history books!

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Innovation for the love of sport By Sharmila Bertin

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fter signing a partnership with the world’s most famous basketball league, the Le Loclebased watchmaker made it its mission to design timekeeping instruments on the cutting-edge of technology. The brand has pulled it off with the creation of an accurate shot clock in collaboration with the NBA. Tick tock meets swish swish. A year after announcing its unprecedented partnership with the NBA, Tissot unveiled its new shot clock for the basketball championship’s 68th season in 2016. The cutting-edge timekeeping system has been in thirty league venues for over a year now.

No matter the sport (basketball, football, hockey etc.), standard of the team (professionals or amateurs) or the event (World Cup or Sunday get-together), time is a vital factor. It marks the start and end of the match, records stoppage time and calculates performances. A vital role The Le Locle-based watch brand has embraced its collaboration with the NBA to become its official timekeeper as well as that of the women’s and minor leagues: WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) and NBA G League. The role began with the 2015-2016 season of the NBA Global Games pitting NBA and foreign teams against

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??? >

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each other outside the US and Canada. Six teams competed in the games with seven matches in six countries. Aside from keeping track of time for international competitions, Tissot took part in other special events by the American basketball giant as the official timekeeper e.g. the NBA All-Star Game (annual event between the NBA’s East and West divisions), the NBA Draft (a selection of often university players starting in the league) and the Samsung NBA Summer League (an out-of-season competition with a different line-up to the seasonal competition). A cutting-edge shot clock Nevertheless, the big challenge of this partnership for Tissot was developing an integrated timekeeping system and a shot clock in collaboration with the NBA. Sports fans and basketball lovers may know what a shot clock is but the rest of us mere mortals may not. It’s a timer designed to speed up the pace of the game and was introduced in 1954. During NBA and even FIBA (International Basketball Federation which Tissot has been a partner of since 2008) competitions, the countdown is 24 seconds; it can be extended to 30 seconds in certain sports and shortened to 10 seconds in others. When the timer starts, the team in possession of the ball attempts a shot; if no shots are successful within the 24 second time limit the game is stopped and the ball goes to the opposing team.

with the shot clocks (main and lateral) in the venue; the time and score-keeping interface brings together the 24 second clock, match time and time out all run by software developed by Tissot. The information is instantly transferred to the various displays and systems during the match. This wireless technology comes in the form of a large rectangular glass LED (light-emitting diode) panel whose orange and red strips of light provide the aforementioned information. On top of the system’s excellent reliability and high accuracy, the shot clock is a tool with a low-key design that gives it the ultimate visibility: transparent during use and completely invisible once the sporting event is over.

Integrated timekeeping The shot clock is decisive and literally a game-changer so it has to be reliable, accurate, properly synchronised and visible to all the spectators. Tissot has overcome the technical and technological challenge with flying colours. The watchmaker has set up a timekeeping system integrated

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Playing with time By Sharmila Bertin

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he recent union between the watchmaking colossus and the basketball giant has brought several special editions to Tissot’s signature watch collections.

By joining forces with the NBA, Tissot hasn’t just been named its official timekeeper but it also has rights to the US league’s international licence to design a range of products such as chronometers, watches, clocks and watch accessories for all the NBA teams. It’s a godsend for the creatives at the Le Locle-based brand which is also the most productive in terms of sales for the Swatch Group and the watch sector in general with countless shops worldwide. Chrono XL, the big shot The Chrono XL is the latest from the Tissot-NBA partnership with six models each related to a top basketball team. This

special edition covers the Chicago Bulls, Golden States Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. The all-black watch from the dial to the strap is powered by a quartz movement. Its chunky 45mm PVD-coated steel case is 11mm thick; the dark dial is surrounded by a slim fixed bezel with a few splashes of colour including the basketball team’s logo at 8.30. The chronograph seconds hand in the middle showcases the logo’s colours and is coated in blue, red, purple or yellow (apart from the black and silver San Antonio Spurs model). The same goes for the small hands on the three counters (small seconds at 6, chronograph minute counter at 10.30 and hours at 2.30) and the minute track on the chapter ring of this Chrono XL NBA Special Edition. The team’s colours also venture onto the black leather strap on the saddle-stitching around the trim and perforations.

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Cove r st ory tissot

36 Quickster, the chronograph with style The more classic and cool unisex Quickster Chronograph NBA Special Edition with a smaller 42mm case is a collection in itself with eleven different models all linked to basketball teams. On top of the aforementioned teams are the Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. Each steel case houses a quartz movement and is topped by a black bezel bearing a silver tachymeter scale. The low-key silvery white dial has a pair of baton-shaped hour and minute hands and applied time markers (Arabic numeral 12). The different displays, including the date at 4, all have the same layout as the Chrono XL in pale tones. Flip the watch over for your chosen basketball team whose logo adorns the white medallion forming the case back or you can count on the two-tone and tricolour NATO straps.

notched bezel with a compass completes the picture whilst the case back is engraved with the NBA logo. The T-Touch is powered by a tactile solar quartz movement and its dial is split in two: the top is black carbon (with classic hour and minute displays) and the bottom is a digital screen (with data display based on activated function).

T-Touch Expert Solar, the tool watch The first watch to launch soon after the NBA partnership was announced, the Tissot T-Touch Expert Solar NBA Special Edition (which appeared on the cover of our 2016 spring issue) is a mine of information in itself. This Swiss knife on your wrist provides a multitude of functions (weather, altimeter, timer, alarms, time zones etc.) by pressing its touchscreen. The anti-magnetic titanium case is coated in matt gold or silver PVD whilst the lugs have a black PVD coating. The watch is water-resistant to depths of 100m and has equally impressive measurements: 45mm case and 13mm thick. A

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1858-2018: 160 years of technical creativity By Sharmila Bertin

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atchmaking in general is a clever blend of technical research and aesthetic conquest, a smooth balance between function and beauty, but one thing is key to the watches we now design: history. A watch manufacture’s heritage, technical experience and evolution over time is what enables it to lay solid foundations for watchmaking today and tomorrow. When it joined forces with Minerva over 10 years ago, Montblanc fused its 112 years in existence with 160 years of technical expertise from the famous manufacture.

A family history It all began in 1848, well before Montblanc’s foundation in 1906 or the mention of the name Minerva, when Charles Ivan* Robert (1839 or 1840-1912) opened a watch counter in Villeret in Saint-Imier Valley. This leafy mountain area in the heart of the Swiss Jura in the middle of two major watchmaking towns, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Bienne, has a “manufacture” legacy dating back to the 17th century. At the tender age of 18, Charles Ivan Robert was an “établisseur”, “a watchmaker who assembles all the watch parts meaning the skeletons and supplies bought by himself ”**. In 1863, the watchmaker married Adèle Emma Blancpain (1841-

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39 1913), the daughter and sister of the Blancpain workshop owners in Villeret. When Charles Ivan Robert died in 1912, the company was taken over by his sons Charles Auguste (1865) and Georges Louis (1870) who were joined by the youngest brother Ivan (1878). A goddess is born The watch workshop changed hands and business names several times: “Robert Frères” in 1898, a few years before its founder’s death under Charles Auguste and George Louis Robert then “Fabrique des Faverges Robert Frères” in 1902 when the third brother got on board. However, the Minerva trademark first appeared in the archives in 1887. It was named after Minerva, the Roman goddess of war, wisdom, intelligence, arts and music and the patron of artisans who is often depicted with a helmet and a lance; the tip of the lance forms an arrow that the company has made its emblem. Minerva worked on movements, cases and dials for certain watches between the 1880s and 1890s. It wasn’t until a new change of business name in 1923 that Minerva was officially incorporated before it became “Fabrique d'horlogerie Minerva SA” in 1929. World-renown The future Minerva stood out from 1880 with pocket watches wound by a pendant, far more practical than classic winding keys. It earned world fame in 1885 when it won an award at the Antwerp Universal Exposition and its fate was sealed by a bronze medal during the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889. The design of the first in-

house calibre (an 18-line movement for a pocket watch with a cylinder escapement) saw the workshop expand a little earlier to become a manufacture housing every aspect of production under the same roof in 1902. The six or seven years that followed were marked by rich technical creativity and the design of a series of calibres for chronographs and chronograph counters that became Minerva’s signature. Legendary calibres 1908 or 1909, depending on records, saw the appearance of the famous 19-line 19/9CH calibre (later renamed 19.09) whose dial bore the hours and minutes in the centre, small seconds and chronograph function with the help of a separate mechanism controlled by a single pusher (start, stop and reset). The manufacture produced counters capable of measuring to 1/5th of a second then 1/10 th of a second in 1911. A year later and the chronograph’s famous V-shaped bridge was patented as a protected model. With the post-W WI boom of the wristwatch, the Villeret company designed a “small” calibre in the 1920s called the 17/29 used in pocket watches with a pusher at 2 for which it developed specific “onion” cases to wear on the wrist. The first chronograph wristwatches In 1923 the manufacture designed an exclusive chronograph wristwatch movement, the 13/20 calibre, in collaboration with Dubois-Dépraz, a watch workshop founded in 1901 specialising in watch complications; this mechanical > movement was made up until the 60s and had a V-shaped

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Historic Minerva timepieces

chronograph bridge, column wheel and vertical cogs at a smooth 18,000vph. The watch dials were powered by the 13/20 calibre, the chronograph seconds hand tracked the seconds in the centre whilst the minutes were counted down in the counter at 2. Again, a pusher at 2 on the case side enabled you to start, stop and reset the chronograph function in three presses. A history that goes on Minerva fell into Montblanc’s lap in 2007. The Hamburg company founded in 1906 gained world fame because of the standard of its fountain pens with a built-in piston. The brand revived the Villeret manufacture so it could keep its heritage and expertise alive in several contemporary collections. This sense of heritage is true to the watch sector that’s built mainly on traditions and enables the present and the future to come together. Montblanc has now delved into Minerva’s vibrant history for its three watch collections showcasing three different themes: the 1848 collection whose vintage design is based on Minerva’s military watches from the early 20th century and harks back to the spirit of mountain exploration; the Star Legacy with “galet” cases reminiscent of the delicate pocket watches and first wristwatches by Minerva; the TimeWalker collection that revives Minerva’s first counters, their competitive f lurry and is inspired by motor racing.

Watches made for adventure After conquering the sea, land and air along with a few trips into space, modern man has gone back to basics. He’s more aware of his consumer tendencies and prefers outdoor activities and freedom without denying his roots or cutting himself off from the world. The 1848 collection combines the trend for adventure, exploration and breaking routine with a desire to revive the spirit of Minerva’s sturdy military chronographs (mainly black dials). When you look at a current piece from the range and a watch designed during World War I, the link between the past and the present is obvious in design terms. Just like the vintage pieces, the dial lies on a sfumato black, copper or green disc with large Arabic numerals coated in vanilla Super-LumiNova® beneath well-crafted cathedral hands. It’s all surrounded by a minute track, tachymeter scale or a seconds track. Conquering new heights All the new pieces in the 1848 collection unveiled at the SIHH may be superb but a self-winding world time watch stands out from the crowd and deserves extra attention: the steel or bronze 1858 Geosphere (1848 available). Two rotating half-globes on the black dial bear continents coated in beige Super-LumiNova® that complete their world tour in 24 hours. The northern hemisphere at 12 spins anticlockwise whilst the southern hemisphere at 6 turns

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1848 Geosphere

clockwise. Each sphere is finished with a scale bearing 24 time zones and a day/night indicators. Miniscule red dots on the maps correspond to the 7 Summit Challenge, a mountaineering feat involving the 7 highest peaks on 7 continents. They’re engraved on the watch’s titanium back along with the silhouette of Mont Blanc, a compass and two crossed ice picks. The second time zone lies at 9 and the date at local time stands at 3. The 42mm case is topped by a bidirectional rotating bezel bearing a black ceramic ring with the four cardinal points. This metal case houses the MB 29.25 calibre at 4Hz with a 42-hour power reserve.

* Charles Ivan or Charles-Yvan depending on the records ** “La conquête du temps” by Dominique Fléchon (Flammarion) Some information, namely historical information, comes from “Montblanc, écrire le temps” (Flammarion)

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B r e gu e t

Coming up roses By Sharmila Bertin

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alentine’s Day has been and gone you say? So what?! Thanks to Breguet, we can (and must!) love each other all year round. You just have to hope you’re lucky enough to get one of the fourteen limited editions of the Classique Phase de Lune Dame 9085. Love is all about luck after all. “C'est toi pour moi, moi pour toi, dans la vie.” The lyrics of the French classic “La Vie en rose” which has been famous since 1945 thanks to Edith Piaf (1915-1963), Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) and its many cover versions are famous no matter your language or age. The classic encapsulates the melody of eternal love and fiery passion so well that “voir la vie en rose” (seeing things through rose-tinted glasses) has become a French expression. Breguet has put on its rose-tinted glasses and come up with a special version of its Classique Phase de Lune Dame 9085. This stylish timepiece for women joined the Classique collection in 2016 and has been given a romantic twist for Valentine’s Day. Since it’s on February 14th, Breguet has decided to make just fourteen of this lovely watch. Only a few lucky ladies may be able to wear this little wonder on their wrists but since true emotion is rare and precious, they will only feel more loved. What initially grabs your attention on the Classique Phase de Lune Dame 9085 is the glittering ribbon around the case dazzling with shades of pink sapphires trimmed with diamonds. The sparkle continues on the lugs paved with coloured gemstones (towards the bottom) and brilliant-cut diamonds (towards the top). In total, 55 pink sapphires of varying intensity and 13 diamonds have been used to pave this watch. Pink also seeps into the alligator leather strap complete with a deployment clasp coated in gemstones. But what really shines is the natural mother-of-pearl dial as the soft reflections bounce off it. The shimmering disc bears black Roman numerals and two openwork Breguet “pomme” hands in blue steel to track the hours and minutes whilst the seconds appear on the moon

phase display at 6. The moon and its silver disc appear on a pink lacquered backdrop dotted with stars partially covered by a pink mother-of-pearl heart-shaped peephole. The 30mm white gold case has Breguet’s signature notched build; its back with a sapphire window gives a glimpse of the 537L calibre, a self-winding mechanical movement bringing to life the hour, minute, small seconds and moon phase alongside a 45-hour power reserve.

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A colourful race! By Sharmila Bertin

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hopard’s new Mille Miglia Racing Colors watch collection celebrates the 30th anniversary of its partnership with “the world’s greatest road race” and pays tribute to the first European nations to take part in the competition. 30 is a milestone that you celebrate with great fanfare...and in technicolour! Chopard has stayed true to this tradition with an exciting collection of racy watches to ring in the 30th anniversary of its partnership with the Mille Miglia. These five new limited edition Mille Miglia Racing Colors timepieces (300 available) are part of the eponymous range and should get Chopard fans and motoring enthusiasts’ hearts racing! A need for speed The competition known as “the world’s greatest road

race” (“corsa più bella del mondo”, in Italian, the original language of the quote that’s become a slogan) began in 1927. For the last 30 years, Chopard has been in charge of keeping time for the competition running a thousand miles (a little more than 1600km) from Brescia to Rome and back exclusively for classic cars (approximately 400 at each event). The lengthy partnership between the Mille Miglia and the Geneva-based brand is namely down to Karl-Friedrich Scheufele who runs Chopard in partnership with his sister Caroline Scheufele. Not only is he a classic car enthusiast but he also drives in this legendary race every year. Five nations on the watch Colours were introduced to car competitions in 1910 to distinguish between the drivers’ nationalities: bright

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45 red for Italians, racing green for English, light grey for Germans, sunshine yellow for Belgians and royal blue for French. You can see it in action with car manufacturers, the most obvious being the racing green Aston Martin and the red Ferrari! Chopard has used these legendary hues to adorn the dials on the new Mille Miglia Racing Colors to give the quintet eye-catching appeal but stay true to the “vintage” and racerelated signature design you expect of the Mille Miglia collection.

under the steel bonnet: a COSC-certified self-winding mechanical movement at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 42-hour power reserve. The calibre designed by Chopard can be seen through the sapphire display on the case back which has a colour trace to match the dial.

Passion on the dial Every dial may have its own shade of lacquer but just one has a more classic dial in circular satin-finish silver grey. The counters inspired by a classic car’s dashboard are in silver as is the tachymeter scale running round the chapter ring so the wearer can see the information with ease. The hour rim features large luminescent Arabic numerals in “handwritten” font to give the piece a vintage feel. The baton-shaped hour and minute hands are rhodium-plated and coated in Super-LumiNova® in the centre of the dial just above the Mille Miglia logo. The seconds appear in a counter at 3 above the date display at 4.30. Impeccable engineering The piston-shaped pushers on the right side of the 42mm case enable you to start and stop the chronograph whose displays fan out in the centre for the seconds and two counters at 9 and 6 for the minutes and hours. These functions are fuelled by the powerful engine

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Sport in its veins By Sharmila Bertin

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he partnership between Bienne-based Omega and the Olympic Games is historical for two reasons: it dates back to 1932 and has lasted a record 86 years! This “watch/sport” collaboration has produced a collection of timepieces that encapsulate the international competition and are inspired by the design of vintage chronometers. An international competition The modern Olympics were founded in 1896 and have always been a major sporting event that brings together not only a great many nations but also a great many spectators. These world-class competitions were held every four years until the founding of the Winter Olympics in 1924 saw them take place every two years. The disciplines may have made way for new sports over time but the same enthusiasm still exists. Like any sporting activity, timekeeping is vital. Its precision enables performance to be measured, results to be shared, records to be beaten…and the crowd to go wild! An unprecedented partnership It’s been 86 years since Omega became a sponsor of the

Olympic Games and has been the official timekeeper 28 times. The partnership began in 1932 for the 10th Olympics in the US city of Los Angeles. The Bienne watch brand is now intrinsic to the event’s image and cutting-edge timekeeping. Omega took on the role of official timekeeper for the 28th time this year for the 23rd Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. An inspired collection The long-term collaboration binding the watchmaker to sport has produced a new range of watches called the Seamaster Olympic Games Collection. It is made up of five timepieces in the same bright colours as the Olympic rings: yellow, green, blue, red and black. The watches put a fresh spin on the vintage Omega chronometers used in competitions in Montreal and Innsbruck in 1976. The in-depth design is captured by the black and white domed dial, the shape and size of the white Arabic numerals and the colourful pulsometer split into three 20-second sections running along the chapter ring.

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Symbolic colours The Seamaster Olympic Games timepieces juggle colour with flair. The white dial may mostly be “eaten up” by the black disc bearing the hour rim but bright colours are splashed here and there: the two-tone central seconds hand, the three parts of the pulsometer, the name Seamaster at 12, the Olympics logo at 6 and the perforated leather strap. The black version alone is the perfect balance of black and white. The hour and minute hands have a black base topped with a white rectangle finished by a long white tip tracking the markers.

METAS certification providing a 55-hour power reserve and fuelling the central hour, minute and seconds hands and the date (at 6) on the dial.

A sporty soul The watch quintet comes in a 39.5mm steel case whose screwdown back has a sapphire glass disc. A colourful (depending on the model) aluminium ring bearing the cities and names of the Olympics in which Omega has taken part adds the finishing touch to the back of each watch. Naturally there’s Los Angeles 1932 but also Los Angeles 2028, blending the past and future. The metal case houses the Master Chronometer 8800 calibre, a self-winding movement with a co-axial escapement and

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Laid bare By Sharmila Bertin

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he Big Bang has been a true style icon for just over a decade and, like a supermodel on the haute couture catwalk, lends its body to the myriad looks that Hublot’s designers fashion for it. This prime ambassador that adapts to any creative mood has now been laid bare to reveal its beating heart and capture the light. Let’s find out more about a glam diva who doesn’t take herself too seriously but never has a hair out of place. A star’s wardrobe The Big Bang collection launched in 2005 and has seen hundreds of variations in terms of sizes, displays, complications, materials, special collaborations and f lashy colours. The myriad looks would turn the most stylish woman or most elegant man green with envy and would make a star’s wardrobe seem like a nasty broom cupboard. We love it when the Big Bang goes rock ‘n’ roll, when it comes out of the traditional watchmaking box, when it features unusual materials or crazy colours. But to kick

off the year, the Big Bang has gone against its signature look with a sheer outfit that reveals its mechanical heart. A sheer outfit Hublot may specialise in innovating with particular materials but it’s now decided to lay its Big Bang bare. And what could be better than famously highly-resistant and hard sapphire glass to put this new look into practice. However, making an entire case is already quite a challenge but giving it colour that’s uniform to boot…The feat was pulled off at the manufacture based in Nyon, halfway between Geneva and Lausanne, using a clever chemical process. Hublot’s engineers managed to tint the sapphire pink with aluminium oxide and titanium oxide whilst the blue hue was achieved with a blend of aluminium oxide and iron oxide. A dash of colour The sapphire glass dial on each of the Hublot Big Bang One Click Sapphire trio is topped by a dazzling bezel:

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steel with Hublot’s signature six titanium screws paved with 42 brilliant-cut diamonds (1 carat) adds the finishing touch to any lady’s outfit. The silver baton-shaped markers and Arabic numerals are coated in white, pink or blue luminescent material as are the chunky partially openwork hour and minute hands. The seconds are tracked by a central seconds hand whose counterweight features the stylised H of Hublot’s logo. The date disc that you can see through the hour rim bears its display on a white background at 6. A beating heart All the 39mm cases are water-resistant to depths of 100m. They aren’t shy about baring the HUB1710 calibre, a mechanical self-winding movement made in Nyon. The powerful engine has a 4hz frequency, 28,800vph, and a 50-hour power reserve. The watch comes with a rubber strap featuring parallel lines that can easily be changed using the patented One Click fitting system. Naturally, celebrities only want exclusive pieces so there are just 200 of each model in the collection.

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Gold moon on black enamel night By Sharmila Bertin T he double-starred brand has put its star model, the Grande Seconde, on a midnight black enamel disc that glows beneath a golden moon for 2018’s BaselWorld. The bewitching nocturnal moon awakens as night falls be it starry or deep black. Jaquet Droz has put this poetic piece into the heart of its Grande Seconde, a watch whose minimalist dial and interwoven figure of 8 counters make it instantly recognisable. Ivory Grand Feu enamel may be one of the brand’s signature features but it has given its design a twist

with a midnight black hue that creates a fabulous contrast with the blushing gold moon and stars. Black night The Grand Feu enamel decorative technique is often seen in the watchmaking world but it’s hard to do. Although the glossy shine of the material ensures its beauty is hard to tarnish, mastering the art is no less complicated. And the risks, such as firing (there are several), are huge. All it takes is a bad bake, a careless move or a clumsy application and hours of

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51 work are reduced to nothing in minutes. Enamelling a dial requires patience, dexterity, attention to detail and…a lot of luck! You may be able to control the brush when applying powder pigments but the kiln and its fiery mane is a law unto itself. On an imaginary scale of difficulty, black Grand Feu enamel is right up there so the Jacquet Droz artisans have accomplished quite a feat in making such a deep and glossy black disc. Gold stars The split-level dial on the Grande Seconde Moon Email Noir has a white-rimmed double display in Jacquet Droz’s signature figure of 8: Roman numerals surrounded by a slim minute track at the top and the oversize seconds scale at the bottom. The bottom of the dial is packed with functions: the aforementioned seconds, date display and moon phase. The black dates (apart from the red 31) appear on a satin-finished rose gold ring embedded in the black Grand Feu enamel. Bright red appears again on the tip of the date display’s rose gold hand whilst the central seconds hand and small hour and minute spear-shaped hands are all in rose gold. 6 o’clock is also where you’ll find the painstakingly engraved moon lying on a black onyx disc next to blushing stars.

interval between two new moons) lasts 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and a handful of seconds. A little less than a month. This poetic complication is set by a corrector at 8 on the case side and only needs resetting once every 122 years. The moon and all the watch’s functions are powered by the 2660QL3 calibre. The self-winding mechanical movement fitted with a double barrel provides the brand’s standard 68-hour power reserve; the powerful calibre is housed in a 43mm rose gold case whose sapphire back enables you to watch the gold rotor spin.

Big heart The rose gold moon changes throughout the lunar cycle, from the new moon to the last quarter, so you can get your bearings and use it like a calendar. Essentially, every lunar month (the

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Carefree Carré By Sharmila Bertin

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he new Carré H, a watch that plays with geometrical shapes, saw Hermès make its first appearance at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH). The Parisian brand regularly appeared on the list of exhibitors at BaselWorld but left the Basel fair behind to unveil its new watches in Geneva in January. The vision of casual time Founded in 1837 in Paris by Thierry Hermès (1801-1878), the eponymous brand started life making saddles and harnesses for horse riding and only ventured into watchmaking in the late 1970s with the arrival of its president Jean-Louis Dumas (1938-2010). In just 40 years Hermès made its mark on the watchmaking scene to join top classic watchmakers such as Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin at the SIHH.

In the words of Laurent Dordet when presenting the new products (the current CEO of La Montre Hermès which has almost 300 employees at the factory), Hermès’ vision of time is casual, fantastic and free and creation should first and foremost be a joy. Minimalist design The Carré H model first came out in titanium in 2010 to celebrate Hermès’ 173rd anniversary so there were just 173 of them available. The brains behind it was Marc Berthier, the man who designed pieces like the Lexon Tykho radio wrapped in colourful rubber or the Ozoo collection of polyester and fibreglass furniture for Roche Bobois. Hermès loves working with designers outside the watch sector to come up with quirky and fun-filled timepieces. Born in 1935 and a Paris Fine Arts School graduate, Marc

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Berthier is a fan of lightness, a concept that has been with him throughout his forty year career and has won him countless awards worldwide. “Lightness means going to the crux of the matter. It means seeking out performance and getting away from obsolescence,” says the silver-haired gent. Mission accomplished on the 2018 version of the Carré H that Marc Berthier has redesigned with softer angles and light effects on the engine-turned dial.

blasted ring. The “corners” of the dial have a subtle sunburst pattern. Two silver hands in the centre track the hours and minutes whilst the seconds are counted down by an acid yellow (or scarlet depending on the model) central seconds hand with an anchor counterweight.

Fun-filled geometry The apparently simple architecture on the Carré H draws you in but it is actually a play on geometry packed with ridges and curves. Is it a circle in a square or a square in a circle? It’s slightly bigger than its older brother at 38x38mm. Its silver case with soft corners switches between polished and sandblasted surfaces to capture the light. The sapphire glass back gives a glimpse of the H1912 calibre; Hermès’ mechanical self-winding movement brings the time functions to life and provides a 50-hour power reserve. The anthracite grey (or black) dial is minimalist at first glance but also plays with shapes. Its centre is adorned by engineturned parallel straight lines split into four fans that form a circle when put together. It’s not easy to describe! The Arabic hour numerals and raised luminescent markers lie on a sand-

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Watches with charm By Sharmila Bertin

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If there’s one watch whose design and technique made its mark on the 70s, it’s the Memovox Polaris that JaegerLeCoultre has dug out of the archives this year to make an action-packed collection. The new range is simply named Polaris and the specialist press and loyal clients of the Vallée de Joux brand have been eagerly awaiting it. We also noticed a flurry of wristshots with the hashtag #Memovox on Instagram during the 2018 SIHH.

A complete collection Jaeger-LeCoultre has brought out an exciting range of five timepieces all fitted with self-winding mechanical movements designed and made in the brand’s workshops. The quintet includes two “simple” models (three-hand and three-hand with date), two chronographs (one in steel and one in rose gold), a chronograph with a world time function and day/night indicator and the famous Memovox with a mechanical alarm and gong. The range of interchangeable straps is just as exciting: triple link steel for casual chic, alligator or black or brown calfskin for classic cool or black rubber adorned with the Clous de Paris pattern for working out or getting sporty.

The Polaris collection has everything it needs to win over a wide audience. Women, men, athletes, globetrotters: there’s something for everyone. However, you’re going to have to roll your sleeves up if you want the Memovox with a mechanical alarm, the closest to the 1968 original, as there are only 1000 available.

A simple yet statement dial Whether it be black, blue or anthracite, the Polaris dial is made up of three concentric levels rimmed by three types of finish. The baton-shaped hour and minute hands spring from the heart of a sunburst central disc whilst the hour rim lies on a sandblasted ring. The internal bezel housing the minute

ifty years after the launch of the Memovox Polaris, Jaeger-LeCoultre has unveiled a new watch collection inspired by this iconic model with just 1000 of the unique watch.

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track (essential for calculating dive time), tachymeter scale on the chronograph and list of cities on the World Time model has a smooth shimmering surface. As for the hour rim that draws on the 1968 original’s signature design, it is made up of trapezoid markers and applied Arabic numerals coated in white or vanilla Super-LumiNova® depending on the model.

but not least, the World Time function on the Chronograph WT is controlled using the crown at 10.

A refined case Aside from the titanium Chronograph WT and rose gold version of the chronograph, all the cases in the Polaris collection are in steel. The case sizes range from 41mm (three-hand) and 44mm (world time); the three-hand with date, chronograph and Memovox models are 42mm making them perfectly unisex. One of the Polaris’ unique features in terms of design and technique is the number of crowns. Depending on the model, there are two or three and that’s not even counting the pushers on the chronograph version. The crown at 2 on the right of the case controls the internal rotating bezel on the three-hand and three-hand with date or the alarm for the Memovox. The one at 4 manually winds the movement and sets the time. Last

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“Le pêcheur de lune”* By Sharmila Bertin he Moonmachine 2, based on the HM8, sees MB&F collaborate for a second time with Finnish watchmaker and moon phase specialist Stepan Sarpaneva in the Performance Art collection.

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old face; it’s the designer’s face! It may be more of a stylised caricature but it has a pair of eyes with a knitted brow, a nose with a raised ridge and large mouth. It’s a cheeky and easy-torecognise moon.

Have you heard Tino Rossi’s song “Le pêcheur de lune” from 1937? Oddly enough I find myself humming along to a specific part of the song with soft tango accents when I think of Stepan Sarpaneva: “It’s a moon fisherman who, whilst everyone sleeps, on the banks of a lagoon, a gold star he seeks.” Yes I know it may seem strange but, to my mind, the talented Finnish watchmaker is a “moon fisherman” who has caught the night star and made it his speciality for adorning watches.

This night star won over Maximilian Büsser, the founder of MB&F, who decided to make it part of his Horological Machine N°8 (HM8) in a special series in the Performance Art collection. This is the second time the Genevan brand and Finnish watchmaker have worked together; the first time was the Moonmachine in 2012. This piece unveiled at the 2018 SIHH comes in three versions of the case/moon/sky combo and there are 12 of each available.

You may wonder what’s so special about the moon to spark my imagination and make me think of classic French songs. If you are then it’s because you haven’t (yet) seen Stepan Sarpaneva’s work. A moon by Sarpaneva is like no other. To start with, it has a face which is rare on the watchmaking scene as brands tend to present discs whose engraved surface is reminiscent of our craggy moon (the real one) or smooth. But this isn’t just any

To make the Moonmachine 2, MB&F slightly enlarged (0.5mm) the HM8 case without affecting its unique design and added a lateral pusher to control the moon display with ease. There have been other slight alterations such as the rotor, usually in the form of a battle-axe, that’s been turned into a PVD titanium metallic lace sun to be more in keeping with Stepan Sarpaneva's stylistic world.

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The Moonmachine 2 actually has three red or white little moons. Two of them are just 4.5mm in diameter and 0.35mm thick on the moon phase disc. The third is larger (8.5mm diameter and 0.45 thick) and lies on the rotor. In terms of display, the optical prism system is the same as a “classic” HM8: jumping hours and trailing minutes are projected and enlarged 20% to make it easier to tell the time. Except for the enlargement, the same technique has been applied to the moon phase. The titanium, black titanium or titanium and rose gold case is framed by two lateral safety arches and its sapphire crystal armour houses a movement on a Girard-Perregaux base. The mechanical self-winding movement has a 4Hz frequency (28,800vph) and 42-hour power reserve.

* “Le pêcheur de lune” is a song from 1937 by French singer Tino Rossi (1907-1983)

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B au me & me r c ie r

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Clifton Baumatic: be bold with flair By Vincent Daveau

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he new Clifton Baumatic from Baume & Mercier won over audiences at the SIHH with its classic design. People also appreciated the effort that the brand founded in 1830 put in to unveil a timepiece with high added value at a fair price. Let’s find out more about a mini technical revolution that’s affordable.

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything that makes this 40mm steel watch (also available in steel with a rose gold bezel) stand out from the countless new products this year. However, this low-key model encapsulates the dawn of a new era in terms of mechanical feats from the brand and that’s why this seriously good value-for-money watch is worth a closer look.

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59 Make luxury affordable As a watch enthusiast said, the fast price rise among watches has drastically reduced the number of timepieces an enthusiast without a fortune can spend on good product. To restore balance and give discerning fans the chance to own superior time-keeping instruments with unrivalled mechanical features, Baume & Mercier has brought us the Clifton Baumatic. Its in-house 12.5” BM12-1975A calibre was designed with ValFleurier and the movers and shakers at the Richemont Group’s R&D departments based in Neuchâtel.

to ensure its timekeeping assets last as long as possible. This new approach to the build means bigger gaps between servicing (approx. 10 years) making it more economical in the long run. As you can tell, this classic but highly innovative watch has paved a new path in the sector’s industrial approach and, as pioneers, Baume & Mercier, wanted to give its loyal customers the benefit of these advances all in a model that can stand the test of time.

Pure concentrate of technology This movement may be innovative but it’s been made in a traditional way to meet the needs of 21st century watch wearers. To protect the watch from the many internal and external factors that may affect how it works, Baume & Mercier has improved the calibre’s reliability in four ways. Firstly, the engineers have made the main components less sensitive to magnetic fields by using a mainly silicone-based regulation group. The new high-performance escapement is injected with PowerscapeTM technology and the variableinertia balance wheel has a composite spring structure. This consistent ensemble with never-before-seen geometry guarantees unrivalled precision. A better output and larger barrel with an optimised spring enable the Clifton Baumatic’s power reserve to reach 120 hours or 5 days of constant functioning. Also, the self-winding movement’s lubrication and anti-shock systems for the components were reviewed

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Pane r ai

PAM 00755

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Luminous Luminor By Sharmila Bertin anerai is famous for its chunky watches but the new models in its Luminor collections have slim cases with “reasonable” measurements that are true to the Italian brand’s signature minimalism.

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coloured leather. My article could end here but I do need to give you some extra information as the collection isn’t just about my personal favourite. On the contrary, it’s exciting enough for everyone to find something they like.

Day 2 at the SIHH and there I was on the first row in the conference room at the Panerai stand waiting for the new products for 2018 to be presented. When the first piece from the Luminor Due collection appeared on the screen I told myself that I absolutely had to try it as soon as the brand’s staff brought the tray laden with new products at the end of the conference. The minute the watches reached the room, I rushed towards the “smallest” of the Luminor Due models (PAM 0075). What a watch. I fastened the almond green strap around my wrist, whipped out my iPhone to take a wristshot and sent the photo to my husband simply saying “this is what I want for my birthday.” Sitting on my forearm, this Luminor Due has the comfort of “my size” of watch (38mm case size) with the same classic Panerai design. I love the contrast between the steel grey glowing from the dial and the pastel

A large family This new Luminor Due range actually includes no fewer than 8 models. Four of them have a 38mm case, two have a 42mm one and the other two are even chunkier (45mm). All but one have a “basic” layout with the hours and minutes in the centre, small seconds at 9 and date display at 3. The eighth model (PAM 00944) also has a GMT function (second time zone in the centre and day/night at 9) and power reserve indicator (at 5 o’clock). In terms of metal, most of the Luminor Due models come in steel. However, Panerai has two 38mm watches in red gold, one (PAM 00756) with an off-white dial with blue Arabic numerals topped by luminescent dots and another (PAM 00908) with a sunburst satin-finish disc bearing baton markers and the Italian brand’s signature oversize 6 and 12.

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PAM 00908

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Pane r ai

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The back of this watch is also engraved with the Chinese symbol and lucky charm “Fu” surrounded by plum blossom and peonies which represent perseverance and good luck respectively. A multi-functional movement Apart from the 45mm models, the entire Luminor Due collection is brought to life by the same movement: the OP XXXIV calibre. This mechanical self-winding movement, designed in the Panerai studios in Neuchâtel, runs at 4Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and provides a comfortable 3-day power reserve (72 hours). This powerful movement is only partially visible on the PAM 00756 which is the only one with a sapphire case back whilst the other watches (PAM 00755, 00903, 00908, 00904 and 00906) in the range are covered. Each of the two 45mm steel Luminor Due models has their own movement. The PAM 00943’s sunburst anthracite grey dial displays the same time information as the 38 and 42mm models along with a power reserve indicator and houses the P.4001 calibre. This self-winding movement has a microrotor and a 72-hour power reserve (3 days). The collection’s most multi-functional model, the PAM 00944, is fitted with the self-winding P.4002 calibre with a micro-rotor.

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WATCH THE NEW

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C ART IE R

Baignoire Débordante

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Long live creative expression! By Sharmila Bertin

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he extravagant Cartier Libre collection has reworked the ovoid curves of its Baignoire watch by shaking up its signature looks and unleashing its imagination all in black and white. We could have entitled this article “Cartier Libre or when a watchmaker gets its claws out” in a cheeky take on a French car manufacturer’s slogan in the 1980s. Or even “Cartier in the hall of mirrors” like when Alice’s curiosity took hold and led her into a maze of reflective panels altering her silhouette in Wonderland. If the artistic directors at the Parisian brand have let their imaginations run wild on a series of madcap bejewelled watches then why shouldn’t we? Cartier Libre The Cartier Libre collection sees the brand’s designers being given free rein to put a fresh extravagant spin on time and play with the cases’ oval shape whilst juggling the colour contrast between black and white.

It isn’t actually the first time that Cartier has turned its designs on their heads by kneading and stretching them like incredible glittering gold dough. The Parisian brand went back to the creative books for the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) held in January in Geneva. There may only be five limited edition models in this little family but we’ve chosen to put the Crash Radieuse to one side and focus on the four Baignoire watches: Débordante, Infinie, Etoilée and Interdite. Ode to oval All four pieces are different sizes of white gold oval. The smallest, Baignoire Interdite, is 35.35x21.40mm and 8.90mm thick whilst the biggest, Baignoire Infinie, is a hearty 50x38.2mm and 9.30mm thick. Coated in gold and diamonds spangled with black spinels (a very bright and light gemstone) and sometimes mother-ofpearl (Baignoire Infinie), this watch quartet have put time on the back bench but haven’t forgotten it. The timepiece is subtle

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65 Baignoire Interdite

but not secretive. The four dials are mainly rather small but only feature the essentials: hours and minutes with two small spear-shaped steel hands whose performance is brought to life by a quartz movement.

spinel at 6 and 12 laid in a diamond shape. This diamond pattern appears on the checkerboard dial in engraved black jade and on the strap that forms glittering lacework paired with round gems.

Bejewelled bouquet The four timepieces include two wristwatches – Baignoire Débordante and Baignoire Interdite – and two cuffs – Baignoire Infinie and Baignoire Etoilée. Apart from the latter, all the immaculate canvas straps have bejewelled white gold clasps. The Baignoire Débordante model (50 available) is like a flower whose diamond and spinel-covered petals lie on a weightless white gold framework. The Baignoire Infinie (20 available) brings to mind an Art Deco bloom with three rows of petals or a stylised sun whose rays shine with inlaid baguette-cut diamonds, rectangular black spinels and strips of white and Tahitian mother-of-pearl. As for the Baignoire Interdite (50 available), its silver dial and diamond case is adorned with slender Roman numerals made using long strips of black ADLC ( Amourphous Diamond Like Carbon ). Last but not least, the Baignoire Etoilée (15 available) has two rows of brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel and a square-cut diamond and black

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Or is

“True courage is never worn down”*

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By Sharmila Bertin

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he success of the bronze Carl Brashear Limited Edition unveiled in 2016 has encouraged Oris to design a second piece in tribute to the famous US Naval Diver in the same metal. The low-key independent brand Oris, based in Hölstein since its foundation in 1904, is getting more and more attention. An abundance of watch creativity aside, the company is heavily involved in social networks (e.g. Instagram) and has lots of partnerships in a range of sectors including motor racing (Williams since 2003 and Audi Sport since 2013), aviation, culture and scuba diving. It’s partly thanks to the latter that the Carl Brashear Limited Edition watch came to be in 2016. Not only did it pay tribute to the first AfroAmerican diving instructor in the US Army but it was also the first time bronze was used in the Oris watch collection. A few weeks before the 2018 edition of the iconic BaselWorld event, the Hölstein brand has gone back to bronze with a chronograph version of the 2016 model. Aside from the watch’s design and mechanics, this is the story of a man who never gave up: Carl Brashear (19312006). The Kentucky-born Afro-American joined the

US Navy at 17 as a sailor despite the heavily segregated situation at the time. Despite prevailing hostility (nowadays we would call it racism), he got his diving instructor certificate in 1954 and made history by becoming the US Navy’s first ever Afro-American diver. Carl Brashear had his left leg amputated in 1966. Despite his disability, after a long period of rehabilitation the deep-sea diver returned to the US Army before retiring in 1979. Over the course of his long career, neither racism nor disability managed to dampen Carl Brashear’s drive and courage, two values that his son Philip, who we met at the Oris stand in 2016, takes pride in. His bravery (that comes through in the 2000 film adaptation of Carl Brashear’s life played by Cuba Gooding Jr., Men of Honor) appears on the back of the chronograph. The steel disc on the case back features a diving helmet and Carl Brashear’s signature quote: “It's not a sin to get knocked down, it's a sin to stay down.” The use of bronze means Oris is both joining other brands in gradually making the copper alloy mainstream and telling Carl Brashear’s story as his military career began with wearing a rigid bronze helmet. There are two advantages

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to this metal: it’s highly resistant to wear and tear and gives a unique green patina. The 43mm case is water-resistant to depths of 100m and has a unidirectional bezel engraved with a diving scale and a luminescent marker. Everything except the back is in bronze (crown, pushers, bezel and case). The metal watch houses the self-winding 771 calibre on a Sellita SW510 base with a 48-hour power reserve. The slightly domed dial is awash with navy and gold. The geometric time markers, minute track, seconds scale, baton-shape hour and minute hands, the chronograph seconds hand and small counters (small seconds at 9 and minute counter at 3) are all gold. Only 2000 lucky souls will have the honour of wearing this bronze watch in memory of a courageous man on their wrists. * Quotation by François Fénelon (1651-1715), French archbishop and writer, from his book “Les aventures de Télémaque“(1699)

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Int e r vIe w

Fabrizio Buonamassa: interview with the stylist behind Bvlgari watches By Tiffany Cartier-Millon

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abrizio Buonamassa Stigliani was born in Naples, has lived in Rome for years and spent part of his career in car design. He left Fiat in 2001 to run the design department for Bvlgari watches and moved to Neuchâtel in the meantime. His looks are as striking as his talent. Oozing Italian elegance and expertise as impeccable as his linen outfits, he led Bvlgari to win two awards at the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève in early November 2017. Reflecting Italian style paired with Swiss expertise, the Octo Finissimo Automatique won the men’s watch award and the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Squelette came top in the “Tourbillon and Escapement” category. He sees everything and is inspired by everything. We talk restrictions, the creative process and Italian design. What were you like as a child? I have a 4 year old son called Julio. He plays a lot and makes noise by banging things all over the place. I’d imagine I was like him, I vividly remember playing with little cars all the time!

Did you have any mentors? Absolutely. One of them was the architect who hired me at Fiat. Ermanno Cristone had Italian design running through his veins. He epitomised Italian style. I also admire the work of Mario Bellini, Achille Castiglioni and Dieter Rams (Braun) who is a great example of applying the principle of “form follows function.” The standard of his designs heavily inspired Apple, that says it all (laughs). You have to remember that design ages but clean lines are never out of date. If a design needs an explanation then it’s not right. It should speak for itself. That’s one of the lessons I learnt during my course in operative industrial design: the three most important things are “true form, materials and functionality.” Is there a design you’d like to have been behind? There’s an item: the Mezzadro stool by Castiglioni. It’s a tractor seat that’s been redesigned for the lounge! It’s a prime example of Italian design; how to take something out of its context and use it elsewhere with no fuss. It reminds me of the Tubogas by Bvlgari; how to make the simple and unusual idea of a gas pipe into an iconic strap. How would you describe Bvlgari’s design philosophy?

First and foremost it’s an Italian brand founded in Rome with a vibrant heritage (since 1884). The brand is highly creative, it’s gone so far as to incorporate coins into jewellery, play with porcelain, make clutches...It has signature concepts. I think what sets Bvlgari apart is geometry and colour. Where do the ideas come from? Inspiration may come from a piece of jewellery, a technical item or a type of architecture. Aside from the brand’s heritage, I see everything and draw a lot no matter the place or piece. Sometimes what I’m drawing goes off on a tangent and becomes something else entirely. A product designer is the sum of all his perceptions, impressions and experiences. That’s how you get an identity and DNA. You have to be able to capture it instantly as the ideas disappear if I don’t have a pencil. And personally, I’m never short on ideas! In design, you have to find something that will attract attention as the perfect form is cold. Are restrictions a source of creativity or a hindrance? I’m no artist, I’m just expressing my taste. The main thing is to play with restrictions, they’re what lead to the aesthetic. What I draw on paper has to be able to be made industrially and be true to a brand with a solid heritage like Bvlgari. The pieces I draw must make sense to the brand and me. And you have to innovate too! Also, creativity isn’t a democratic process. I work with my team and sometimes I have to labour the point. If I know that the idea is true to Bvlgari and innovative then I go for it. A good example of this sense of boldness is the titanium Octo Finissimo. We even used the same finish for the case and box…it’s quirky but it works. It’s original yet easy to wear on a day-to-day basis. It’s one thing to design an exotic car and use precious metals but focusing on a brand’s values and attention to detail in an everyday item is a real challenge! It’s harder to design a Fiat 500 than a Ferrari. What do you think about the customisation trend and specifically Bvlgari’s collaboration with George Bamford? (Editor’s note: Bvlgari unveiled its first customisable model by George Bamford at Baselworld 2017) I wasn’t behind the decision but it reminds me of one of my university professors. When he’d see us drawing with our

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arms hiding the paper, he’d say that being copied was a good sign. Bamford handles iconic watches. He asked if it would be an option with the Octo. In a way, it means that the Octo has joined the iconic model club. So why not? Nowadays there’s a unique market – the Chinese buy in Moscow, everyone buys everywhere – and everyone wants to be part of the creative process. The trend’s showing no signs of slowing down, if anything it’s growing so it can’t be ignored. But don’t all the restrictions and stylistic decisions put your designs in danger? We handle customisations for unique pieces on a case-by-case basis at Bvlgari. If I’m asked for things that don’t feel right for the brand’s aesthetic then I have to refuse. We discuss it and come to an agreement. Reading or listening to interviews with you, your passion (obsession?) for the Serpenti is clear! Would you ever design a model for men? That’s a good question! We’ve actually had a request. I saw a man in the London Bvlgari shop playing with it on his wrist. I myself would love to wear a piece like that if I were a woman but would the men’s version make sense? Is the market ready for it? Octo is an extremely masculine piece and Serpenti is a feminine icon…creating confusion can cause real danger.

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Du b ai Wat c h We e k

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The sirens of exclusivity By Tiffany Cartier-Millon

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ince Dubai Watch Week has increased in scale, the 2018 event focused on “pre-SIHH” launches and limited editions designed especially for the Arab Emirates. Some brands used the watchmaking event to unveil their designs and stand out from the Baselworld and SIHH crowd. The sirens of exclusivity still bewitch aficionados and professionals in the trade alike. The Watches Magazine answered the call. A preview of the SIHH The Dubai sunshine in November brought Audemars Piguet, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin to unveil their new timepieces to be introduced at the SIHH in January. The Millenary collection for women took pride of place for Audemars Piguet whilst Roger Dubuis introduced visitors to the new edition of the Excalibur Spider Pirelli Squelette Automatique in black and white. Vacheron Constantin

showcased a star on the mechanical watch scene: the full calendar in a Traditional watch from the Excellence Platine Collection. Editions specific to the United Arab Emirates IWC Schaffhausen presented a watch in partnership with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons (that distributes several watch brands in the area) exclusively for collectors in the Middle East. The limited edition manual-wind Portugaise Tourbillon (25 available) has a deep emerald green dial brought to life by a flying minute tourbillon at 9. As for TAG Heuer, they unveiled a new take on the Autavia 2017 in collaboration with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. The model blends its 60s ancestor’s legacy with contemporary TAG Heuer technology and functionality with Middle Eastern flavours: brown and sandy tones. Each model of the Autavia UAE edition is engraved with its production number from '001' to '150'.

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Richard Mille paid tribute to its collaboration with the YAS Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi with a limited series of 50 timepieces. The RM 055 YAS Marina Circuit epitomises the now iconic racetrack. A bright and recognisable shade of turquoise (known as “YAS blue”) adorns the crown and minute track. Hublot has also brought in the Middle East. In the Italia Independent range unveiled earlier in the year, it’s time for the traditional Middle Eastern keffiyeh fabric to appear on the Big Bang Unico.

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WAT C HE S

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When watches unite the sexes By Olivier Müller

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nce up on a time, watches for ladies and gentlemen were irreconcilable. Then they became complementary. Now they’re sometimes the same. Watchmaking has jumped on the androgynous and metrosexual bandwagon and unisex watches are now a reality. Brands may not always recognise them but they maximise the impact of every piece by targeting both audiences at the same time.

There’s no battle of the sexes in watchmaking. Unisex has won out after decades of gender-specific watches. It hasn’t replaced men’s and women’s watches of course. It has just joined them with its own signatures: a modest case size (38-40mm), classic colours, mainly round with no or few complications and no gemstones. That’s a basic, even primitive, portrait but nobody is in any doubt that gender fluidity will only increase in the near future. For example, bejewelled watches for men are no longer a taboo in certain parts of the world (Asia, Middle East) whilst countless western women swear by models that are designed for men.

No brainer for big brands Major brands were the first to react with a certain amount of ease as they delved into their huge back catalogues unearthing models whose original features are now all the rage: modest case size, few complications, classic design. Let’s take Omega and its 38mm Aqua Terra: deep blue, a simple date, a rock solid mechanical calibre – basically, the perfect piece for ladies and gentlemen. The same goes for Longines with the all-blue Master Collection featuring the same case size throughout and Piaget’s Altiplano 60th Anniversary. TAG Heuer’s Carrera Calibre 5 comes in a 39mm case with beige tones straight from its vintage ancestry. At Zenith, the El Primero has also gone back to its 38mm roots with the same subtle hues (sunburst grey) in steel. The recipe for these long-standing companies can be tweaked endlessly as you can see with the rerelease of the 38mm two-tone Intra-Matic by Hamilton. Since we’re living in a world of economic globalisation, we should mention Japan’s take

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on unisex watches with the very popular Presage by Seiko which, design and technical features aside, is priced to beat any competition. In good shape Are unisex watches doomed to be round forever? The more adventurous brands are dabbling in other shapes. Mostly with success. At Jaeger-LeCoultre, the rectangular Reverso verges on perfection and has been gender-neutral for over a century. The same goes for the Tank by Cartier which is celebrating its centenary with asexual and cheeky flair. Then there’s Patek Philippe: the lesser-known Ellipse d’Or is still available. Its bold round/rectangular shape has an amazing androgynous silhouette that’s slim, subtle and strong all in one – it’s like nothing else but its efficiency is rare to find. More recently, the latest Golden Bridge Rectangle by Corum is going all out. A rectangular case, architecture on show, linear movement: it pays to be bold. The stunning sculptural piece moulds to both genders. Richard Mille uses the same concept for the super-slim RM67-01.

widely available despite the obvious unisex assets of its 40mm, slender hands and natural style. The same assets appear on the Tonda 1950 by Parmigiani Fleurier which has managed to pack totally unisex fine watchmaking with its signature hands into just 39mm. Last but not least, there’s the incredible Quai des Bergues 25s by Czapek et Cie. It was first made for men (N°33) then for women (Lady N°1). The 25s came next and is now bang in between the two. Actually, the “best of both worlds” was meant to be exclusively for Japan but given increasing demand from the rest of the world, on December 5th 2017 the brand made it available for all markets with no limits. It’s now its best-seller. There’s no longer just the best for women and for men it would seem.

For noble souls... Given the success of these models, newer brands have also hit the unisex playground, this time with full knowledge of the facts and their own contemporary design. The J12 by Chanel is an example as it was initially designed to be unisex. The new Venturer Small Second Purity by H. Moser & Cie is another: 39mm of minimalism with just four markers, no branding, numbers, minute track or Swiss Made stamp. Alas, there are just 100 available. As the brand says, H. Moser & Cie is “ very rare” and we’re all the sadder for it. The same frustration applies to the Chronomètre Souverain by F.P. Journe which, although not a limited edition, is not

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Wat c he s

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For a hands-free world By Olivier Müller

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ed up with hands? Tired of central seconds hands? You need a quirky time display. The creative, eye-catching and completely off-the-wall designs bring you a brand new take on the HMS (hours, minutes, seconds) triptych with bags of imagination. There’s no shadow of a hand and yet the hand was once a shadow: the first timekeeping instrument was a sundial. To put it simply, it is a baton installed vertically in the ground whose moving shadow marks the passing of time. In other words, man didn’t instantly think we needed hands to tame time. We may not be able to say for sure when hands were invented but they became widespread in the 15th century. The first Swiss hand manufacturer only opened in 1812. In a matter of two centuries they have become part of the furniture. Apart from a few troublemakers. Independent brands have been behind almost everything in terms of hands. A little over 20 years ago, Urwerk turned up with their carousel. The doctrine was out: you can make time as easy to tell as with hands but even simpler and more

intuitive. That’s why Urwerk’s displays run right to left or, in other words, East to West: they follow the sun. Clever thinking. HYT was quick to step into the breach. The Neuchâtel brand was the first to launch fluid timekeeping: bye bye hands; time is liquid and goes by in a capillary. Apparently Christophe Claret was sitting on the same idea but couldn’t see it through. Never mind, the Le Locle watchmaker made a real statement with the X-TREM-1. The idea is similar to HYT’s concept: watchmaking joining forces with one of its sworn enemies, not liquid this time but magnetism. Two steel balls in a sapphire crystal tube tell the time in the X-TREM-1 as a magnetic field lifts and drops them and is completely isolated from the movement. It’s so spectacular that it has been one of the brand’s bestsellers since it launched in 2012. Silence, we’re rolling Other brands were inspired by rollers. Just look at Hublot: the impressive LaFerrari spins its hours and minutes on two rollers on either side of eleven barrels. The roller display has become the Cabestan-based brand’s signature feature.

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Some preferred to chain up time rather than roll with it. Hautlence has made it a speciality: the hours are displayed on the left of its Vortex on a facetted chain similar to the idea of a mesh belt. The void Last but not least are the quirkiest watches, the ones that don’t give much away. Jaeger-LeCoultre went down this path. The hours on its Hybris Artistica are displayed by an orbital flying tourbillon and the minutes by a gold dust arrow on a rotating disc. The centre is a fully openwork dial beautifully showcasing different fine arts. Quirkier Corum has used the same idea on its Big Bubble Matteo Ceccarini: the giant eye in the middle of the dial pushes the hour and minutes into two small circles on the chapter ring. The same central position for Hysek is now devoted to a tourbillon whilst the hours and minutes lie at 12.

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De sign

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Dior: impulsive femininity By Tiffany Cartier-Millon

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hen Christian Dior sent his New Look collection down the catwalk in the late 1940s, he probably didn’t think his name would go stratospheric in the space of just ten years. His boldness got its just rewards and has left its mark on every department of what would become an empire. Sixty years on and the “Dior spirit” has put its legacy into watch design with a blend of painstaking delicacy and the ultimate in couture cheek. Is being bold at Dior a soft skill required by its figureheads? When it comes to jewellery, Victoire de Castellane’s imagination and extravagant sensuality ooze from the designs. The bold Laurence Nicolas has run the watch and jewellery department since 2008. During a recent panel about beauty and design at Dubai Watch Week, she showed her hand with a joke: “Asking if looks are more important than mechanics harks back to the good old cliché: can a woman have brains and beauty? Yes you can have both! I think it’s been proven…” Her way with

words threw a few people, so much the better. She added: “Dior is about freedom. The freedom to be extravagant. Art and craftsmanship are vital, we don’t have a target. We’re not here to produce Procter & Gamble-style projects although it has to work from a business point of view.” The design of a Dior watch is just like the brand’s couture: the inside has to be as fabulous as the outside. Anything goes…no matter what. Whilst oversize watches were all the rage in 2003, the mini D de Dior designed by Victoire de Castellane played with jewellery standards and volumes. It is fitted with a mechanical or quartz movement by Zenith and stands out for its minimalist 19mm case. Sapphire glass was used as a decorative feature for the Dior Christal in 2005. The marquetry-style sapphire crystal adorns the bezel and strap on a piece with a quartz, self-winding or mechanical manualwind movement with the Concepto tourbillon calibre. First of all, a very feminine team comes up with a watch in the design studios on Avenue Montaigne. With a bold wind in their sails, they start with a merry (sometimes “mad” according

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to the president) idea and its artwork. Then it’s time for the Swiss R&D team based in the home of watchmaking to check its feasibility. Dior actually set up its own development and production facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 2001: Les Ateliers horlogers Dior SA. We’d have loved to have seen their faces when they were briefed about making a working rotor out of feathers for the Dior VIII Grand Bal! What a nerve women have… Dior’s take on time is “plural” with its ups and downs. There’s the cycle of seasons, collections, frenzied pre-show preparations, seamstresses working on their pieces with time lost in concentration, extreme precision and the eternity of gemstones. Oozing creativity and expertise, the brand has gone back to its roots with classic fine crafts such as enamel to make feminine pieces that radiate couture chic. The Grand Bal collection sees the talent of seamstresses join forces with master watchmakers. Whilst the calibre is reversed, the rotor appears on the dial with the look of a skirt. A seamstress hand-stretched it using a silk thread before it was hemmed with diamonds. Then there’s the Cancan, Plissé Ruban, Plissé Soleil… Dior plays with its signatures for ladies who own their femininity and freedom.

gemstones, opals and mother-of-pearl bring flowers to life as they blossom beneath the sapphire glass. Time is told in modern poetry. “Success has always been the product of being bold,” wrote Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon. Will Dior carry on appearing where you least expect? Probably. In 2018, Dior is on the move. The brand is leaving Basel for the bright lights of Paris. I even heard tell of a “free form” watch popping up in their projects…

The brand’s bold spirit takes it on romantic adventures too: the recently unveiled series of eight unique “Botanique” pieces in the Grand Soir collection takes us on a journey through the fabulous gardens of jewellery expertise. The play on volumes,

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When watchmaking makes waves

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By Dan Diaconu

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aselworld 2013. Demonstrators clinging to the ropes like mountain climbers unfurled their banners ten metres off the ground. The message was clear. “Stop Dirty Gold” read the amused passersby and bemused exhibitors. The event was staged by the Swiss branch of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STPI) with the aim to denounce the gold trade for illegal mining and target the supplier Metalor whose refinery was accused by the STPI of “acquiring gold that has been illegally mined in Peru and sold to the jewellery and watch industry.” By pure coincidence, the same year Chopard began its “journey to responsible luxury.” What does that mean? The brand made a commitment to support artisan mines based in South America and enable them to get a Fairmined certification. Fairmined gold is produced in small mines where employees work in appropriate safety conditions on the basis of equitable working conditions agreed with employers. Chopard supports responsible miners by buying their gold. The brand is also the first in the luxury watch sector to help miners get the precious certification. It also gives them a fair price when selling gold. At Baselworld 2014, Chopard unveiled the first luxury watch in Fairmined gold, the L.U.C Tourbillon QF Fairmined. The understated independent brand Zeitwinkel also unveiled a Fairmined-approved rose gold watch that same year.

That said, countless watch brands became part of the drive for ethical and social supplies well before the SPTI’s accusations. Cartier and 13 other brands founded the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) in 2005. The non-profit organisation aims to establish an ethical charter for the profession. That means defining “the standards that apply to all figures in gold and diamonds in an ethical, social and environmental manner.” Hublot, Piaget and Zenith have been members since 2005. They were then joined by Montblanc (2007), Jaeger-LeCoultre, Harry Winston (2008) and most recently Omega in 2015. Voluntary initiatives are now on the rise to provide ethical timepieces that combine sustainable development and social responsibility. 18 major watch brands are now in the RJC.

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Par migiani

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The sky, the stars and the time By Sharmila Bertin

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his new timepiece designed by Parmigiani is an invitation to explore the stars, unveiling a face studded with gold leaf and surrounded by diamonds.

It is now possible to touch the stars. Well, not physically, but if you let your imagination go to work and with your eyes fixed on the new Tonda 1950 Galaxy. As its name suggests, this timepiece by Parmigiani contains the starry vault and is dressed in precious materials such as gold and diamonds. This “sky� evoking a fine summer’s night was made of aventurine, a term that is wrongly used to refer to goldstone (aventurine glass). Whereas mineral aventurine is a coloured chalcedony from the quartz family, and a work of nature, goldstone is made by man. It was discovered by accident in a glassworks in Murano in the 17th or 18th century. In a workshop on this famous island to the north of Venice in Italy, an artisan accidentally dropped copper filings in some molten glass. The dazzling result, which was later made to a formula

that was kept secret for decades, was named aventurine glass or goldstone. The dial on the special edition Tonda 1950 Galaxy features a glass disc that is tinted and covered with tiny copper fragments, on top of which a pink-gold hour rim is set. With their slender, rectangular silhouettes, the indices converge towards the centre, where two hands are placed. These luminescent hour and minute hands are made of pink gold. This precious timepiece is attached to a link strap, and the 39mm-wide pink gold case features a bezel covered in 84 diamonds. The crystal glass back reveals the workings of the calibre PF702 made by Parmigiani and which drives the time functions.

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TAG He u e r

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A legend on your wrist By Dan Diaconu

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ith his unique record, Fangio fully deserved a homage from the most sportive of watchmaking brands. The result is this precise and solid chronograph. On 4 August 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio won his 5th Formula 1 world championship on the Nürburgring track in Germany. Since the history of TAG Heuer and of the famous motor racing competition are closely linked, the brand wished to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the event that definitively made the driver a legend with a new limited edition. The Formula 1 Fangio stands out through the presence on the dial of a stripe in the colours of Argentina, the Maestro’s native land, and on the caseback with his signature and the watch number. Otherwise, we can see all the features of the chronographs in the collection with the sub-dials in tricompax position and a date counter at 4 o’clock. The design is rounded off by the rhodied and faceted hour

and minute hands, which are coated with white SuperLumiNova®. A highly precise quartz movement drives the chronograph functions. Short time is measured in traditional fashion with the help of brushed steel monopushers. The results are displayed in minute and hour sub-dials located at 9 and 6 o’clock, respectively. The central second hand shows the times down to 1/10 th of a second. While this men’s sports watch is very precise, the Formula 1 Fangio is also robust with a 43mm-wide case made of polished steel, and watertight down to 200 metres. The 900 pieces in this limited edition are worn with a matching strap, also made of polished steel and equipped with a folding clasp.

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R ole x

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Moonlight By Dan Diaconu

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s our satellite travels along its orbit, it shows different shapes from crescent to full moon. Rolex delicately recreates the process.

Cellini. While the name pays homage to a talented sculptor of the Italian Renaissance, it also recalls a romantic opera composed by Berlioz in the 19th century. So, what could be more natural than combining a classic watch made by Rolex with watchmaking’s most poetic complication, the moonphase? The 39mm-wide case is machined in a gold, copper and titanium alloy called Everose and houses a delicate white enamelled dial of great simplicity. At 6 o’clock, an enamelled blue disc with a fine intensity stands out. In a starry sky, the full moon, represented with applied chapters made from meteorite, and the new moon alternate cycle after cycle. The self-winding mechanical movement in the Cellini Moonphase powers a mechanism with an astronomical accuracy of 122 years.

With a power reserve of 48 hours, the calibre 3195 deploys its energy so that the rose gold hour, minute and seconds hands keep time with ultimate precision. It also drives a central blue hand adorned with a crescent moon tip showing the date on the dial rim. This traditional and refined piece comes with a brown alligator leather strap with an adjustable in-house rose-gold folding Crownclasp. Like all the watches stamped with the Rolex crown, the Cellini Moonphase has the Superlative Chronometer certification, a guarantee of performance and robustness.

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


Pat e k PhiliPPe

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Urban sports style By Dan Diaconu

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aunched in 1997, the Aquanaut has been given fresh charms to celebrate its anniversary. The result? A new look with a more modern and elegant style.

This year, Patek Philippe is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Aquanaut collection with a new model, the 5168G. It has kept the elegant sports look, but for the occasion has been specially dressed in grey gold – a first! The silhouette is still familiar. We can find the octagonal bezel set off with satin finishes on the top and polished finishes on the sides. On this anniversary edition, the dial impresses with its gradient midnight blue colour, a distinctive sign of the Nautilus, going from a relatively light colour at the centre to a darker hue at the edges. And this is not the only reference to the older model, since the 42.2mm-wide case is also a homage to it. The size of the case is the same as the original’s, nicknamed Jumbo by collectors.

The watch has the Patek Philippe seal, a guarantee of topquality assembly and mechanical precision. The “baton”-type hour and minute hands are made of grey gold, and powered by the self-winding in-house calibre 324 S C. The watch is housed in a robust case that is watertight down to 120 metres. The one-directional central gold rotor stores enough energy to provide a power reserve of between 35 and 45 hours. The Aquanaut 5168G is worn with a composite strap in a colour and checked pattern echoing the dial. The material guarantees top-level resistance to wear and tear, salt water and ultraviolet rays. The symbol of the Genevan watchmaker, an engraved Calatrava cross, embellishes the grey-gold folding clasp.

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


U lysse Nar diN

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To the depths of the oceans By Dan Diaconu

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o matter how deep you dive, with this new watch by Ulysse Nardin you are sure to enjoy your underwater outings in the best conditions.

steel caseback is stamped with a hammerhead shark, a motif that can also be found on the dial and the side of the crown protector.

Ulysse Nardin has joined the very exclusive club of watchmaking brands including in their catalogue a diving watch that is water-resistant down to 1,000m. With the Diver Deep Dive, the brand brings us a real instrument to resist the pressure of the sea depths. This series, limited to 300 pieces, features all the elements needed for a totally safe dive.

This sports watch is driven by an automatic movement with a silicon spiral and escapement. The calibre UN-320 made by Ulysse Nardin provides the watch with 48 hours of power reserve.

Its impressive, 46mm-wide titanium case has a helium valve at 9 o’clock and a crown at 2 o’clock protected by a secured moveable mechanism that is machined in the same material as the case. The unidirectional bezel with 12 markers is partly coated in rubber for improved handling. On the blue dial, large hour and minute hands point to indices coated with luminescent material to provide excellent visibility on land and underwater. Reinforcing the marine aesthetic, the

The Diver Deep Dive is worn with a rubber strap featuring an extensible element used to adapt to the variations in the wrist size as a result of the compression of a neoprene diving suit.

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


R e b e llion

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Champion driver By Dan Diaconu

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it the legendary Route 66 with this timepiece and keep an eye on home time as you speed through three time zones sitting in a Pony Car.

Rebellion watches are inspired by the world of classic cars. The brand has stayed on course with the Twenty-One whose design brings to mind both a vintage two-spoke steering wheel and speed dials like the ones on dashboards in 60s American cars. The Rebellion logo on a small disc in the middle is like a car horn on the steering wheel. To enhance the graphic similarities, the openwork dial’s layout uses curvaceous features. The visible balance wheel underlines the unique identity. Instead of a hand, the hours are displayed on a rotating disc at 12. The minutes are tracked by a red hand which contrasts with the monochrome dial for the ultimate visibility.

seconds counter enables you to check the movement is working properly. All the features appear in a stylish and generous 46.95mm cushion-shaped steel case. The Twenty-One also houses the first in-house mechanical movement by the brand: a selfwinding calibre with a 42-hour power reserve.

The watch isn’t just style over substance as it has a second time zone. A small disc at 8 displays home time and a small

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De Wit t

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Mysterious gear train By Dan Diaconu

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ith the Academia Endless Drive, DeWitt offers a new way to display the power reserve using an “endless” worm screw. A system that is both ingenious and attractive.

rewound, the screw slides up along the longitudinal axis. A two-colour red and green indicator provides additional visual information about the amount of power remaining. The complex calibre DeWitt 5050 is made up of 320 pieces.

The origin of the worm drive is not exactly known. Archimedes created a spiral model similar to the one we know today. Leonardo da Vinci drew one in his Codex. This system used in mechanics provides a way of increasing or reducing a force. The worm drive can also transform a rotating movement into a translation movement. This is the aspect that DeWitt has decided to foreground in the Academia Endless Drive.

The dial, with its hand-made black galvanic background, is housed in a 42.5mm-wide case combining pink gold and rubber. The case features the brand’s signature Napoleonic imperial column motif. The Academia Endless Drive is worn with a black leather strap with a folding buckle.

So, on the watch dial, rotating discs display the hours and the minutes. Between them, a strange mechanical construction attracts the eye. This is the power reserve indicator. Incorporating a worm screw, two movements drive it. As the 59 hours of autonomy provided by the automatic movement run down, the screw turns around. When the barrel is

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


C z ape k & C ie

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Poetry from “here and elsewhere” By Isabelle Guignet

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fter Quai des Bergues, Czapek has launched Place Vendôme, a new collection stamped with the “French Touch ”, featuring two versions with a suspended tourbillon.

“Here and elsewhere”, Geneva and Paris. Czapek & Cie loves travel, and especially time travel. After Quai des Bergues, a collection released to mark their resurrection in 2015, the watchmakers unveiled their new collection, Place Vendôme, earlier this year, and which is available in ultra-limited editions. Just ten platinum and fifteen red gold pieces are on sale to delight fans and collectors of Czapek & Cie. Including one of the watchmaking’s most difficult complications, the tourbillon, the timepiece has all the features that are so dear and so specific to Czapek & Cie; blued red-gold “Fleur de Lis” hands, “Grand Feu” enamel, Roman numerals on the hour and minute disc, and not forgetting the counters at 4 o’clock, for the double time zone, and at 8

o’clock, for the suspended tourbillon. The day/night indicator is at 6 o’clock, while the power reserve can be seen in the lower part of the hour and minute counter. The watch houses the calibre SXH2, an exclusive manual-winding mechanical movement developed by Chronode and Czapek & Cie. Running at a frequency of 3 Hz, it provides a power reserve of 60 hours. The 43.5mm-wide case is made of red gold or platinum, with both wonderfully matching the alligator leather strap, with its red gold or platinum buckle. This first version of the Place Vendôme tourbillon has an undeniably poetic name: Lumières (Lights). This is a reference both to the light reflected by the suspended bridges on the dial and to the splendour of Place Vendôme in Paris, where François Czapek opened his first watchmaking shop in the 19th century. Truly romantic!

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Spring 2018


T e c hniqu e

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Super-slim watches: flat-out competition By Vincent Daveau

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uper-slim watches are complex to make without actually being complications and have recently been the focus of competition between a few brands who are pushing the boundaries of pure mechanics even further. This friendly fight for beautiful design should keep fans of the genre happy. Let’s find out more! Finesse in watchmaking is nothing new. Since the dawn of watchmaking, slimming down has always been seen as the best example of a watchmaker’s ability to hone their art. At the end of the day, this same drive to shrink every component helped give rise to the wristwatch.

The beginning to the early 1950s Timepieces stayed chunky for a long time due to how movements worked. Their verge escapements and fuséeand-chain transmissions mechanically limited any chance of reduction. However, in the late 18th century with the arrival of new setting systems and the almost concomitant invention of the Lépine plate, watches got slimmer at a rate of knots. Bear in mind that at the time, this type of construction meant you could tell the difference between pieces made entirely by talented artisans and semi-industrial pieces (Japy and Fontainemelon) commonly known as “onions” because of their bulbous look. From the early 19th century, finesse stepped into the watchmaking world and the biggest watchmakers competed to make ever slimmer pieces. Without

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going too far back in time, in 1907 LeCoultre launched a pocket calibre (cal.145) that was just 1.38mm thick whilst Vacheron Constantin brought out a 0.94mm thick movement in 1931. These incredible movements in so-called “knife” or “tuxedo” pocket watch cases had their heyday during the Art Deco period. The trend resurfaced in the 1950s when it came to wristwatches. The 50s to the present day To celebrate its 200th anniversary in 1952, Vacheron Constantin unveiled the 1003 calibre at 1.64mm thick (compared to 0.94mm for a pocket calibre). Piaget reacted in 1957 with the super-slim 9P calibre that was 2mm followed by the 12P in 1960: a self-winding calibre with a micro-rotor. In the meantime, Jaeger-LeCoultre (803 calibre measuring 1.64mm in 1953), Zenith, Patek Philippe, Omega, Longines and of course Piaget went flat out and followed a trend that lasted until the absolute record was set in stone in the early 70s by a brand that no longer exists: Jean Lassale’s manualwind 1200 calibre, made between 1976 and 1979, was just 1.2mm thick thanks to ball bearings. Finesse records Since the end of the quartz crisis and the Noughties, fashion

has seen mechanical watches get significantly bigger. This change forced watchmakers who wanted to stand out to go back to the slim trend to resolve the issues of wearing a watch with a dressier outfit. For brands such as Piaget, this long-mastered notion came in the form of record-breaking calibres. In 2010, for the 12P calibre’s 50th anniversary the brand launched the Altiplano fitted with the 1208P calibre and outstripped the likes of Jaeger-LeCoultre with its Master Ultra-Thin and a few other regulars on the super-slim playing field. But records are there to be broken. In 2016, Bvlgari and its Octo range ventured into the speciality. The Italian brand was set on having its slice of a sector that remains marginal and without much competition so it decided to stand out by pushing the boundaries that today’s technology makes possible. In a matter of two years the brand managed to gain a good audience by unveiling initially complicated then simple pieces like the Octo Finissimo Automatic. Duel at the top This 40mm self-winding titanium watch is just 5.15mm thick with a calibre that is 2.23mm thick and laid the foundations for a competition that Piaget couldn’t miss out on. The result: in 2018 the brand is launching two pieces especially made to get back to the top of a market that got it a lot of press

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despite its marginal nature. The first watch, the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic, sets the tone. Using the recent technical solution of the inside of the case acting as a plate and an original calibre named 910P with a rotor on the periphery, this commercial model comes in white and rose gold at just 4.30mm thick. The exceptional timepiece has set a new record that Piaget’s technical director thinks will be hard to beat using classic mechanical solutions. To protect itself from losing its domination over a sector that is suddenly back in fashion and highly competitive, Piaget has unveiled a “concept” Altiplano designed to prove how easy it is for the company to push boundaries in an area that’s increasingly popular among premium brands. At just 2mm thick with a 41mm case made of a cobalt alloy, everyone in the profession is singing its praises. A feast for the eyes right down to the very symmetrical design of its dial, this 283-part wonder whose movement had five patents filed is a ticket to wonderland despite being presented as a laboratory for the endlessly slim. Among the real innovations, fans of pure technique have noted the balance wheel without a balance cock at 4Hz that’s held in place by a single ball bearing. To make it even slimmer, the engineers did away with the sliding pinion for winding and setting and replaced it with a screw that can be endlessly actioned using the winding crown but only with the specific little mechanical tool. Obviously this incredibly tempting product that any enthusiast would like to see in their collection sparked a reaction from Bvlgari, currently Piaget’s main competitor when it comes to super-slim pieces. When quizzed on his position about regaining the title of the world’s slimmest watch, Bvlgari’s CEO Jean-Christophe Babin announced he had every intention of taking on the challenge and unveiling a take on his vision of watchmaking finesse in the Octo collection… In the meantime, Audemars Piguet, a surprise appearance in the sector as we’re used to the brands more “generous” pieces, has caused a stir with its Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar which is now the slimmest watch in the world to have this complication. Does its fresh enthusiasm mean a new avenue in the collection? To be continued!

THE WATCHES MAGAZINE

Spring 2018


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