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Vacheron Constantin – Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus

This single-piece edition referring to astronomy and mythology combines engraving and gem-setting on the outside of the case.
Remarkable mastery of the art of craftsmanship, along with watchmaking expertise: 16 complications on a double-sided wristwatch, beating to the rhythm of in-house calibre 2755 GCC16.
Inspired by mythology, the decoration gracing the pink gold case takes the form of a bas-relief sculpture featuring vine leaves and clusters of grapes set with rubies in a nod to Bacchus.

Geneva, January 2022 – The single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus combines Vacheron Constantin’s expertise in grand complication watches with its mastery of artistic crafts. This double-sided wristwatch comprises 16 complications, essentially astronomical and calendar-related, powered by Calibre 2755 GC16 with minute repeater and tourbillon. A technical feat housed in an 18K 5N gold case whose middle is sculpted in bas-relief. In tribute to the god of vines and wine, this “Bacchus” watch finds another source of inspiration in Johannes Kepler, resulting in a captivating association between mythology and astronomy.

The single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Bacchus offers proof that the tradition of combining artistic crafts with watchmaking expertise remains alive and well within the Maison. Vacheron Constantin’s master engravers and gem-setters have worked together to make this watch an applied arts masterpiece powered by in-house Calibre 2755 GC16, whose complexity is expressed through its 16 complications. This double-sided creation dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of vines and wine is adorned with ruby grapes set in gold foliage hand-carved. In addition to these mythological references, the tourbillon and minute repeater movement displays virtually every astronomical and calendar-type complication a timepiece can muster. This association between the study of the stars and the divine world, between Bacchus and Johannes Kepler, makes this timepiece doubly remarkable.

Artistic crafts perform a duet

The 18K 5N pink gold case of this Les Cabinotiers timepiece features a decoration composed of vine leaves interspersed with bunches of ruby grapes. The engraver’s work is complemented by that of the gem-setter on the outside of the case in giving life to figurative motifs, making this watch a piece of fine craftsmanship. The two master artisans working on this model took turns, with the gem-setter first taking the case from the engraver’s hands and then returning it for the last finishing touches, a progressive duet-style operation that required more than 300 hours of combined dexterity.

Before embarking on such a project, an initial gem-setting test had to be performed on part of the case middle that had been prepared beforehand, so as to ensure the feasibility of the project and the various phases of its development. After putting the decoration in place using a scribing tool, the engraver began to prepare the model using the bas-relief technique that consists of creating cells or troughs by delicately “gouging” the material with a burin to make the foliage motif stand out. This preparation included the 113 recessed spaces for the five different sized rubies that form the grapes along with enough surrounding material to hold them in place. The gem-setter then took over, in successive phases, in order to set the cabochon-cut rubies using a technique combining prong and bezel setting, involving a minimum of three points of attachment.

Once the bunches of grapes had been formed, the engraver took over the model to perform the finishing, while facing the added difficulty of having to work around the gem-set parts without touching them. The vine leaves were thus delicately modelled using the intaglio engraving technique that involve hollowing out the material and then polished. And because every detail is important, the engraver took the trouble to dig slightly below the outline of each leaf so as to accentuate the 3D visual effect. This foliage thus emerges clearly against the case middle, especially as the base has been delicately chased. To achieve this sandblasted effect, the engraver hammers the surface point by point so as to enhance the contrast with the raised polished elements.

The case decoration continues on the bezel and case-back with a hand engraving depicting vine leaves. The difficulty implied by this intaglio engraving lies in the absence of a border or contour line. Hollowed out across the entire width of the bezel, the garland thus stands alone thanks to the metronomic regularity of the motif. This latter aspect is picked up on the two fastening options – folding clasp and pin buckle – accompanying the watch and which required a full week’s work in themselves.

Calibre 2755 GC16

To create the movement of this highly complicated watch, Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers took the Tour de l’Île as a reference, a timepiece presented in 2005 as a tribute to 250 years of watchmaking expertise cultivated by the Geneva-based Manufacture. In the same spirit, the Les Cabinotiers – Bacchus timepiece combines 16 complications, making it one of the most complex watches produced by the Maison. For the sake of precision timekeeping, its manual winding Calibre 2755 GC16 is equipped with a tourbillon regulator to compensate for the effects of the earth’s gravity on the mechanism. Featuring a cage shaped like Vacheron Constantin’s signature Maltese cross emblem, the tourbillon completes one full rotation per minute, thus serving as a small seconds indicator. This watch also incorporates a minute repeater chiming the hours, quarters and minutes on demand. To avoid unnecessary noise as well as wear and tear on the mechanism, the striking of the gongs is equipped with an ingenious centripetal flying strike regulator. This perfectly silent device regulates the duration of the musical sequences so as to obtain clear, distinct and regular sounds.

The calendar and astronomical functions play a starring role on both sides of the watch. On the front, where the mechanical ballet of the tourbillon can be admired at 6 o’clock, the perpetual calendar indications are displayed on three counters. Positioned in the upper part of the dial, they respectively show the date, day and month. Designed to keep track of the Gregorian calendar’s vagaries without any need for adjustment until 2100, this horological complication is further enhanced by the indication of the leap-year cycle. The latter appears in a small aperture next to the hand indicating the torque of the minute repeater mechanism between 1 and 2 o’clock. This striking mechanism power reserve is matched by an indication of the movement power reserve, which can be read by means of a serpentine pointer coaxial with the day of the week hand.

The complex mechanics of this piece also provide an astronomical reading of time representing a tribute to Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), regarded as one of the founders of modern astronomy for having discovered the laws of planetary motion, in perfect agreement with Copernicus’ heliocentric hypotheses. The first astronomical functions thus appear on this same opaline champagne-coloured dial, starting with the equation of time positioned between 10 and 11 o’clock. As the Earth’s path around the Sun is not circular but elliptical, and since the Earth’s axis is inclined at 24° to the plane of its orbit, the time between two zenith passages of the Sun is not the same throughout the year. This difference between the (true) solar day and the (average) 24-hour civil day ranges from -16 to +14 minutes depending on the time of year and coincides only four times a year. Called the equation of time, or time correction in astronomical language, this differential is displayed by a dedicated pointer, while sunrise and sunset times – adjusted according to a reference city – appear at the bottom of the dial.

An astronomical watch as conceived by the watchmakers at Vacheron Constantin would not be complete without a sidereal time indication. This display finds its place the back of the watch in the shape of a rotating disc depicting the celestial vault with its constellations observable from the Northern hemisphere. Taking a fixed star in the sky as a reference point, the time required for the Earth to complete a full 360° rotation, or sidereal day, is exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. Since the Earth is both spinning on its axis and revolving around the Sun, it takes about four minutes less than a calendar day to return to its point of origin relative to a given star. On this model, the “celestial” disc thus performs a complete rotation according to sidereal time with the time displayed on the periphery, opposite the date appearing on the periphery of the mobile disc. This same date is read off by a large central hand moving over the fixed outer flange bearing a scale graduated in five-day increments. This hand also indicates the sign of the zodiac, the season and the four dates corresponding to the solstices and equinoxes. Finally, the small central hand indicates the age of the moon, i.e. the number of days that have elapsed since the last full moon.

Comprising 839 parts and measuring a total 33.90 mm in diameter and 12.15 mm thick, this movement endowed with a 58-hour power reserve represents a technical feat that is all the rarer in that it displays all its functions in a perfectly legible manner on both sides. Equipped with a balance oscillating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz), it is housed in a 47 mm-diameter 18K 5N pink gold case, of which the characteristics been specifically designed to provide the best possible sound quality for the minute repeater.

“Le Temps Céleste”

Each year, the Les Cabinotiers department unveils a range of single-piece editions relating to a theme cherished by Vacheron Constantin. The year 2021 is dedicated to “Le Temps Céleste” (which means Celestial Time), with timepieces referring to the astronomical origins of time measurement.

From the dawn of civilisations, the cycle of days and seasons, the evolution of constellations in the night sky, the phases of the moon and eclipses have exerted an almost mystical fascination. Eager to unravel the mysteries of the universe, the first human beings found in mythological tales a cosmogony blending legends with poetry. At a very early stage, the first scientific minds attempted to decipher the rhythms of Nature and to organise them according to predictable patterns.

It was from these calculations, and with the appearance of writing, that the first calendars were born, before the Babylonian sexagesimal system gave meaning to the physical division of time into units of angle. Traditional watchmaking is a direct heir to this rigorous and scientific approach, expressed today on watches with depictions of the calendar, the sky chart, moon phases, tides and seasons, and even civil, solar and sidereal time with their differentials. Vacheron Constantin has nevertheless sought to endow these genuine observation instruments with all the charm of the founding myths through the subtlety of its craftsmanship, through its work in guilloché engraving and the engraving of symbolic motifs, or in the “stellar” glittering of gem-set stones. This new Les Cabinotiers range is the expression of exceptional expertise in astronomical watches, dedicated to the poetry of time.

Vacheron Constantin and astronomical watches

Astronomical watches enjoy a rich and longstanding tradition within the Maison. The Vacheron Constantin archives reveal a first perpetual calendar in 1884, integrated into a double-sided yellow gold pocket watch, now part of the Maison’s private collection. This was the beginning of a mechanical “epic” that would singularly take shape at the turn of the century. In 1900, the Maison set up a workshop exclusively dedicated to the assembly of watches with complications, often incorporating astronomical functions. Orders flooded in for complicated and even very complicated watches. The perpetual calendar was then combined with other technical feats such as those enriching a 1905 pocket watch comprising a minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar with phases and age of the moon.

Delivered in 1929, the pocket watch made for King Fouad I of Egypt with chronograph, perpetual calendar, Grande and Petite Sonnerie and minute repeater functions is characteristic of this golden age. This exceptional watchmaking expertise, later applied to wristwatches, would be powerfully expressed in the Tour de l’Île with its 16 horological and astronomical complications, produced in 2005 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Maison. It features a sky chart, a complication that has become a speciality of Vacheron Constantin. Reference 57260, which has 57 complications, also features a sky chart, notably accompanied by sidereal time and a secular Hebrew calendar. In 2017, Vacheron Constantin once again innovated with Calibre 3600, powering displays of civil, solar and sidereal time, the latter synchronised with a mobile representation of constellations.

Les Cabinotiers: single-piece editions

In the Vacheron Constantin universe, Les Cabinotiers represents a department in its own right dedicated to the personalisation of Grand Complication models and single-piece editions. This tradition dates back to the 18th century, an age when master-watchmakers were called cabinotiers and worked in ateliers bathed in natural light, known as cabinets and located on the top floors of Geneva’s buildings. In the hands of these learned artisans, open to the new ideas of the Enlightenment, exceptional timepieces were born, inspired by astronomy, mechanical engineering and the arts. This expertise, which constitutes the great Geneva watchmaking tradition, has been flowing through Vacheron Constantin’s veins since 1755.

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Sum-up

Astronomy and mythology meet and mingle in the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Bacchus watch. This union of science and art finds an original field of expression in this highly sophisticated Grand Complication timepiece. The mythological references to Bacchus, the god of vines and wine, are symbolised by the ornamentation of the case with a vineyard motif. The Maison’s master engravers and gem-setters have worked together to create a bas-relief vine foliage on the case middle of the watch, embellished with ruby-set bunches of grapes. A masterpiece of applied arts, this model is doubly remarkable for its Calibre 2755 GC16 movement powering 16 complications and representing one of the most complex ever made by the Manufacture. A tourbillon and striking watch with a minute repeater mechanism, Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Bacchus brings together on its double-sided display the essential calendar and astronomical functions in tribute to Johannes Kepler, one of the founders of modern astronomy. The perpetual calendar offers an equation of time indication as well as sunrise and sunset times on the front, complemented on the back by a display of sidereal time with a rotating sky chart of the constellations, the age of the moon along with indications of the date, seasons and signs of the zodiac. Through this timepiece, Vacheron Constantin perpetuates the grand watchmaking tradition of pocket watches that are both mechanically complex and richly decorated.

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TECHNICAL DATA

Reference 9700C/000R-B755

Caliber 2755 GC16
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.90 mm diameter, 12.15 mm thick
Approximately 58 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
839 components
42 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece

Indications
Front side: Hours, minutes, small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage – Minute repeater – Tourbillon – Perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month, leap year) – Power reserve indication – Equation of time – Sunrise time – Sunset time – Alarm torque indication
Back side: Sky chart – Age and phases of the moon – Sidereal hours and minutes – Seasons, zodiac signs

Setting
Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions)
Moon phase adjustment: correction push-piece on the case
Perpetual calendar adjustment: two correction push-pieces on the case
Sky chart adjustment: with crown and screwed-down push-piece

Case
18K 5N pink gold with bezel and back side hand-engraved with “vine leaves” and case band hand-engraved with “vine leaves” and gem-set with 113 rubies for a total weight of approximately 1.84 cts representing bunch of grapes
47 mm diameter, 19.10 mm thick

Dials (face & back side)
Champagne opaline dials
18K 5N pink gold applied hour-markers
18K 5N pink gold hands

Strap
Dark brown Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales

Buckle
18K 5N pink gold folding clasp and buckle hand-engraved with a “vine leaves” pattern
Half Maltese cross-shaped

Box
Les Cabinotiers Prestige box

Accessories
Delivered with a corrector pen and a magnifying glass
A winder box

Single-piece edition
« Les Cabinotiers », « Pièce unique », « AC » hallmark engraved on caseback

12 January, 2022/by Nico Nico

RELOJES, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro, Relojes Edición Limitada

ROLEX Oyster Perpetual Lady Date-just the audacity of excellence

“A classic designed for a lady”. So might some describe the Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust. Maybe they’re right. If “classic” means perpetuating tradition with a blend of elegance and precision, grace and resistance, beauty and technical performance. If being “a lady” means constantly pursuing a higher standard with unyielding determination. Then indeed the Lady-Datejust is a classic designed for a lady.

OYSTER PERPETUAL LADY-DATEJUST THE AUDACITY OF EXCELLENCE

1957. THE BIRTH OF AN ICON.
Audrey Hepburn was captivating Hollywood, Sylvia Earle obtained her Master of Science, Françoise Sagan was shaking up the literary landscape, Pat Smythe reigned supreme in equestrian sport, and fashion designer Adèle Simpson had New-York clamouring for her latest creations. Women were changing.

No less ladylike than their mothers, they were enjoying new, active lifestyles. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, understood this: the modern woman wanted to manage her time to control her destiny. She needed as much precision as men. And so was born, in 1957, Rolex’s classic women’s watch: the Lady-Datejust. A watch of smaller proportions built on unwavering standards of excellence. A watch for women that was every bit as reliable as a man’s. With this innovation, the brand had broken new technical ground in terms of the case size, while also obtaining COSC chronometric certification for this small model.

The Lady-Datejust was inspired by audacity. It addressed not only a technical challenge but a cultural one, too: this watch would serve to further women’s independence. An uncompromising creation, combining elegance and accuracy on the wrist of a modern, graceful and accomplished woman. A symbol of assertiveness expressed in exquisitely feminine form.

Incorporating several decades of watchmaking innovations, the Lady-Datejust has established itself as the ultimate classic women’s watch: a piece of technical prowess
made for women who believe in themselves.

OYSTER PERPETUAL LADY-DATEJUST THE AUDACITY OF EXCELLENCE

AN AUTHENTICALLY MODERN CLASSIC

Adopted by women whose steadfast determination has led them to remarkable achievements, the Lady-Datejust graces the wrist of the marine biologist Sylvia Earle, the golf champion Annika Sörenstam, and the singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. As pioneers in each of their fields, they portray a new image of femininity: engaged, modern and in permanent pursuit of excellence.

Inspired by their legacy, the next generation is bringing renewed vigour to disciplines across the spectrum. Whether it be the prodigious pianist Yuja Wang, the tennis champion Garbiñe Muguruza, the biologist Emma Camp working to protect coral reefs, or the sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar, these women are the new faces of
contemporary femininity.

FEATURES OF THE LADY-DATEJUST
• Classic timeless elegance
• Instantaneous date with Cyclops lens
• Many variants (large selection of dials, bezels and bracelets)
• Superlative Chronometer certification, specific to Rolex
• International five-year guarantee
• Self-winding mechanical movement, COSC certified
• Power reserve of 55 hours
• Syloxi hairspring in silicon
• High-performance Paraflex shock absorbers
• 28 mm Oyster case, waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet)

WATCHMAKING KNOW-HOW AND TECHNOLOGY CONCENTRATED IN A SMALL WATCH 28 MM OYSTER CASE A SMALL CASE FOR A GREAT WATCHMAKING ACHIEVEMENT

OYSTER PERPETUAL LADY-DATEJUST THE AUDACITY OF EXCELLENCE

The Lady-Datejust’s Oyster case, 28 mm in diameter and guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet), is a paragon of robustness and elegance. The middle case is crafted from a solid block of Oystersteel, a particularly corrosion-resistant alloy, or from 18 ct gold. The case back, edged with fine fluting, is hermetically screwed down with a special tool that allows only certified Rolex watchmakers to access the movement.

The Twinlock winding crown, fitted with a double waterproofness system, screws down securely against the case. The crystal, with a Cyclops lens at 3 o’clock for easy reading of
the date, is made of virtually scratchproof sapphire. The waterproof Oyster case provides optimum protection for the Lady-Datejust’s movement.

OYSTER PERPETUAL LADY-DATEJUST THE AUDACITY OF EXCELLENCE

PERPETUAL CALIBRE 2236 A MOVEMENT AT THE FOREFRONT OF WATCHMAKING TECHNOLOGY

The Lady-Datejust is equipped with calibre 2236, a self-winding mechanical movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. A consummate demonstration of technology, this movement carries a number of patents. It offers outstanding performance in terms of precision, power reserve, resistance to shocks and magnetic fields, convenience and reliability. The oscillator of calibre 2236 has a balance wheel with variable inertia regulated extremely precisely via gold Microstella nuts. It is held firmly in place by a height-adjustable traversing bridge enabling very stable positioning to increase shock resistance. The oscillator is also fitted on high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers, designed and patented by Rolex.

Calibre 2236 is fitted with a self-winding module via a Perpetual rotor, which ensures continuous winding of the mainspring by harnessing the movements of the wrist to provide constant energy. It offers a power reserve of approximately 55 hours.

The movement of the Lady-Datejust will be seen only by certified Rolex watchmakers, yet it is beautifully finished and decorated in keeping with the brand’s uncompromising
quality standards.

SYLOXI HAIRSPRING AN EXCLUSIVE HAIRSPRING FOR OPTIMUM STABILITY

Calibre 2236 incorporates a Syloxi hairspring in silicon, which is patented and manufactured by Rolex. Insensitive to magnetic fields, the Syloxi hairspring provides great stability in the face of temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks.

The Syloxi hairspring found in calibre 2236 has a geometry that guarantees the regularity of the movement in any position. It also includes a paramagnetic nickel-phosphorus
escape wheel.

A SINGULAR WATCH IN EVERY WAY

The quintessentially classic watch, known for its timeless and inimitable style, the Lady-Datejust has, over time, unveiled a variety of bezels and dials that reflect as much the personality of its wearer as the model’s ability to renew its own elegance in fine detail. It beckons its owner to shape its own future.

DIALS, BEZELS AND CASES

Multiple dial variations are possible on the Lady-Datejust. They are available in a wealth of materials, colours, motifs and markers – indices, Roman or Arab numerals – with numerous gem-setting options for the hour markers or the dial itself. Among the iconic champagne-colour, silver, white, pink and diamond-set dials, the dial in mother-of-pearl
stands out for its singularity. Domed, fluted or gem-set, the bezel of the Lady-Datejust is available in three different designs, each conferring its own distinctive aesthetic.

MOTHER-OF-PEARL DIAL NATURAL ELEGANCE

Mother-of-pearl is by its nature full of mystery and surprises. Depending on its origin, it can be pink, white, black or yellow. It differs in colour, intensity and structure according to the part of the shell from which it is extracted. At Rolex, mother-of-pearl is never artificially coloured. Instead, particular know-how and skill are devoted to simply highlighting its natural beauty and preserving the original hues. As all mother-of-pearl dials are unique pieces, an identical dial will never be found on another wrist.

GOLD AND OYSTERSTEEL

The Lady-Datejust is available in several metal alloys: Oystersteel, 18 ct yellow, white or Everose gold, and in a Rolesor version (combining Oystersteel and yellow, white or
Everose gold).

GOLDS BY ROLEX

Whether yellow, white or Everose, the 18 ct gold of the Lady-Datejust shines with a special radiance. Rolex has its own foundry and develops its gold alloys from the purest
raw materials. From casting to the shaping and polishing of the gold, everything is carried out in the Rolex workshops with meticulous care to ensure impeccable quality. Everose gold, an exclusive 18 ct pink gold alloy developed and patented by Rolex, owes its unique hue to its exclusive composition.

THE GEM-SET LADY-DATEJUST

In 2021, Rolex introduced a new sparkling version of its Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust. This entirely gem-set version in 18 ct yellow gold is draped in glittering diamonds. The case is entirely set with 158 brilliant-cut diamonds on the case sides and lugs, while the bezel features 44 brilliant-cut diamonds. This new Lady-Datejust is fitted on a President bracelet set with 596 brilliant-cut diamonds. Its dial is paved with 291 brilliant-cut diamonds.

26 December, 2021/by Maria G

RELOJES, Relojes de Hombre, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro, Relojes Edición Limitada

Baume & Mercier celebrates haute horlogerie design is expressed in all its forms

GIVE YOUR X-MAS A NEW SHAPE

GIVE YOUR X-MAS A NEW SHAPE

From the Hampton to the Riviera, from Clifton to Baume or Classima, it is a rhythmic tableau of curves and angles that form and intertwine to no end… No limits, ever.

Baume & Mercier has played with shapes and materials, unveiling a diverse selection for the holiday season. Christmas is alive, the night sparkles. The creativity and technical prowess of the infinitely small are celebrated while bright baubles, decorated trees, and shining stars infiltrate our homes in perfect elegance. A ballet of light and shadow begins in this subtle blend of tradition and modernity. And last but not least, respect for conventions!

Baume et Mercier celebrates watchmaking with character, collectively, even collaboratively. An invitation to celebrate Christmas in a new way, as you like. There’s nothing better for the occasion than to satisfy absolutely every desire: discover a radiant tribute to all the collections, each with its own distinctive design. Dive into a graphic, artistic, and luminous Christmas with the lightheartedness we all need at the end of 2021.

Baume & Mercier wishes you all a happy holiday season!

Riviera: You don’t need a passport to see the Riviera.

2021 saw the grand return of the Riviera watch with its famous dodecagonal case… 12 corners like the 12 months that are coming to a close, bringing us ever closer to what Baume & Mercier now wants to embody through its timepieces: creative, elegant watchmaking with character… Here, without softening the edges!

The Riviera is an assertive and uncompromising collection. Dive into the shades of the Mediterranean, appreciate the sharp edges and the comfort of sporty materials around your wrist. Chic and sophisticated, it is back with its distinctive design and sparkling colors. For Christmas, there is no shortage of options: a watch in polished/satin-finished or black microblasted ADLC steel, interchangeable straps – either steel or integrated grained satin-finished rubber, a lacquered dial decorated with waves or a smoky black sapphire dial, a 36, 42, or 43 mm case, a quartz or automatic movement, a host of functions including small seconds, chronograph, day and date apertures… To each his own Riviera! The Riviera is yours, in all its forms.

Seize the one that suits you.

Riviera 10616, Riviera 10625, Riviera 10618, Riviera 10683

Clifton: Built to last a lifetime and designed to turn heads for just as long.

Clifton is the ultimate Baume & Mercier watch collection. A genuine tribute to the expert craftsmanship that the Brand has preserved for nearly two centuries. Behind the soft, elegant curves of these watches is all the expertise and finesse that fascinates fine watchmaking aficionados, with no compromise on style. Its classic lines allow it to stand the test of time, while the innovation and performance of the Baumatic movement at its heart continue to surprise and captivate. That is the secret of its timelessness. Baume & Mercier expresses itself here with round and voluptuous shapes, giving the Clifton collection masterful balance.

The Clifton watch is the perfect intergenerational Christmas gift combining modernity, functionality, and precision engineering. Classic, colorful, more watchmaking artistry, always very powerful. There are so many combinations that you won’t know which one to choose: a smoky gray, intense red, or forest green lacquered dial, an 18K rose gold or polished/satin-finished steel case, a black or blue alligator strap with square scales, a certified chronometer function (COSC) or day, date, and moon phase apertures… The Clifton collection will shine in all its facets under your illuminated Christmas tree for Christmas as it should be!

Clifton 10467, Clifton 10592, Clifton 10591, Clifton 10548

Classima: The ultimate elegance is discretion. Classima, simply self-evident.

Classima is the round, classic watch with perfect proportions, always pleasant to wear: timeless, ageless, never insolent. The watch that Baume & Mercier never ceases to reinterpret with modernity and style, making light of the materials, from the most traditional to the most innovative. Dive into a palette of unique colors, allow yourself to be carried away by small creative touches. Everyone wants their own Classima. This collection embodies the art of simplicity.

For the holiday season, Classima unveils its panoply of sizes, materials, and colors to suit every desire, every look, and every budget. 31, 34, 39, or 42 mm, a quartz or automatic movement, a polished/satin-finished steel or 18K rose gold case, a slate sun satin-finished or white mother-of-pearl dial, rhodium-plated or diamond-set indexes… Anything is possible! Interchangeable straps also offer multiple combinations for every occasion: canvas, alligator with overstitching, or five rows of polished stainless steel – indulge yourself… Of course, all the watches can be personalized with the engraving of your choice, the ultimate final touch for an unforgettable gift. Classic yet contemporary, elegant yet sometimes surprising, its perfect round shape will be sweeping people off their feet for years to come. And Christmas is the right time to treat yourself!

Classima 10608, Classima 10607, Classima 10633, Clifton 10598

Hampton: For when it feels like everybody else is going around in circles.

Between creativity and elegance, the Hampton collection made its great comeback two years ago. With its rectangular case, which was considered unconventional and avant-garde when launched, it continues to symbolize renewal and hope in tribute to the Art Deco movement. Baume & Mercier has reinterpreted its silhouettes in step with the times: a colorful fashion show that combines creativity and finesse for these jewelry watches, whose interchangeable straps offer multiple variations to satisfy each of your desires.

For both men and women, in 18K rose gold, polished/satin-finished steel, or even set with diamonds, this collection has its own unique characteristics: “glaive” hands or a cabochon-shaped crown, the well-marked minute track that emphasizes the perimeter of the dial and enhances the geometric Art Deco effect… Hampton watches are worth discovering or rediscovering, and we can’t get enough of them! They leave the classic codes behind by playing with shapes, embracing the world, and daring. Hampton is the collection that elegantly stands out from the crowd. The ideal gift for a Christmas free of conventions, to be celebrated however you wish!

Hampton 10528, Hampton 10472, Hampton 10630, Hampton 10628

Baume: A different take on the concept of time. By Baume.

The latest Baume collection embodies renewal and creativity in the context of sustainable development, the circular economy, and protecting the environment. Swiss made, it reinvents time in motion. This collection has a strong design signature with its crown centered at noon, its articulated lugs at noon and 6 o’clock, its interchangeable bracelet with buttons, and its filigree hands.

Amidst the natural, offbeat materials are attributes such as a handcrafted decoration or small functions to evoke Baume & Mercier’s watchmaking roots. Here, it is not a question of dwelling on traditions but rather of making things happen and moving with the times in a different way. We don’t abide by the rules, we make them our own! A committed approach and a collection to embody it.

Baume watches are invited to the holiday season in an explosion of creativity adorned with their cotton or linen straps. With a 35 or 41 mm case, equipped here with a quartz movement, with a blue satin or white opaline dial coated with PVD steel, there is something for everyone. We like the black date at 6 o’clock and the small seconds hand with its gilt flange. Baume reinvents the watchmaking codes with style, finesse, and the nonconformity that was missing to arouse certain curiosities. For the more poetic, one of the models reveals a moon phase at its center encircled by a hypnotic minute track: a modern and daring interpretation of this complication with two moons against a starry background with a very graphic look. Baume & Mercier lights Christmas up from another angle and offers a form of collective, collaborative, and responsible watchmaking with its Baume collection.

Baume 10600, Baume 10637, Baume 10639, Baume 10638

24 December, 2021/by Maria G

RELOJES, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro, Relojes Edición Limitada

MB&F x BULGARI LEGACY MACHINE FLYING T ALLEGRA

MB&F x BULGARI

LEGACY MACHINE FLYING T ALLEGRA

The story of the collaboration between Bulgari and MB&F is first and foremost that of an encounter – initially motivated by mutual professional respect and subsequently evolving into a strong friendship – between Bulgari’s Product Creation Executive Director, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani; and MB&F’s Founder and Creative Director, Maximilian Büsser. The outcome is FlyingT Allegra, a joint and unexpected feminine creation merging various skills, but above all two mindsets.

MBandFXBulgari_Wristsh

This story is also that of an unlikely connection, of two paradoxes combining to form a single, homogeneous and sophisticated whole. It is also the story of an encounter between two unusual and unconventional creative approaches. When MB&F and Bulgari decide to join forces, the result can only be extraordinary, in the truest sense of the word.

Both Bulgari and MB&F display strong character in their respective fields yet are also very different. The Rome-based Maison is known for its love of cabochon-cut coloured gems in jewellery watch creations, expressing Mediterranean warmth and exuberance – diametrically opposed to the currently prevailing classicism. Born in 2005, MB&F took the decision to design radical timepieces exploring previously uncharted conceptual territory within a watch industry environment characterised by stubborn conventionalism.

The two brands were thus bound to converge on a shared platform: that of their jewellery-making and mechanical audacity. MB&F works on volumes and complexity, while Bulgari creates two-dimensional models with a radically graphic aesthetic. The choice to revisit MB&F’s Legacy Machine FlyingT was thus both natural and logical, since FlyingT Allegra incorporates both sensibilities.

Radical in terms of its architecture and construction, while exquisitely precious in terms of its opulent ornamentation, this creation was intended as a tribute to femininity. In its name FlyingT, the T stands for the initial of Max Büsser’s wife, Tiffany, as well as for flying Tourbillon. In an ultimate refined touch embodying this sophisticated approach, the movement is designed in such a way that only its owner can read the time.

While this may seem simple, the reality is quite different. The movement is vertically built along a central axis orchestrating the overall architecture of the entirely visible mechanism. In this respect, the watch deliberately goes against tradition, since everything that is usually hidden is highlighted here in a three-dimensional construction.

The upper end of the axis carries the diamond-set flying tourbillon and the balance, a vibrant technical organ against which the hours and minutes dial is set at a 50-degree angle, precisely defined so that the owner of the FlyingT Allegra is the only one who can read the time. The case-back reveals the sun-shaped oscillating weight: its gold sandblasted rays rotate on the ruthenium disc positioned above a platinum counterweight.

Between the regulating organ and the rotor, the barrel ensures an extremely generous 100-hour power reserve made possible by the reduction in the number of gears. A sapphire crystal dome tops this three-dimensional assembly, beneath which one can admire the organic life of the movement.

This unusual construction with its feminine-themed design could not have been more appropriate for Bulgari. The volumes of the watch – featuring a case entirely redesigned by Bulgari to give it a futuristic and opulent profile – are matched by those of the coloured stones. These gems serve to counterbalance the cold precision and micromechanical complexity of this model by instilling the Roman jeweller’s warm and exuberant signature touch. For each of the 20 timepieces composing the two pink or white limited editions, jewellers have carefully selected tourmaline, tsavorite, diamonds, rubellite, amethyst, tanzanite and topaz, in an exceptional composition forming a full circle around the movement. The dial entirely paved with snow-set diamonds provides a dazzling backdrop.

In contrast to conventional high jewellery codes, Bulgari has always favoured the use of coloured stones rather than diamonds alone. Coloured gems enable the Rome-based Maison to create authentic compositions through a gradual process aimed at achieving harmony and chromatic power adapted to the design of the model. Cut is very important, and Bulgari favours the cabochon which ensures extreme clarity of the stone while emphasising the opulence of the creation. The cabochon cut perfectly matches the FlyingT Allegra’s round and voluminous case.

This exceptional partnership goes far beyond the realm of the complicated feminine jewellery watch. It highlights two visions of the world, two interpretations of creativity that are radically different in form, yet which merge in substance within an integrated and harmonious co-creation vividly demonstrating the power of two.

ABOUT THE FLYING T ENGINE

In a departure from most modern watch movements, which take a radial and co-planar approach to movement construction, the LM FlyingT engine utilises a vertical and co-axial approach. The cinematic flying tourbillon, which boldly projects beyond the dial-plate of LM FlyingT, is a visually stunning example of the rotating escapement and stands in stark contrast to other flying tourbillons, which usually do not venture past the confines of their surrounding watch dials.

Flying tourbillons, as their name suggests, are anchored only at their base, with no stabilising bridge to restrict lateral motion at the top. This increased need for overall rigidity is what causes the conservative placement of most flying tourbillons within their movements. Legacy Machine FlyingT breaks free of this limiting need for movement security and confidently displays its flying tourbillon in all its glory.

In order to display the time as precisely as possible on the 50° inclined dial, conical gears were employed to optimally transmit torque from one plane to another. The 280-component engine of Legacy Machine FlyingT has a power reserve of four days (100 hours), which is among the highest within MB&F.

MB&F x BULGARI – LM FLYING T ALLEGRA

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

20 pieces in 18K white gold and 20 pieces in 18K red gold diamond-set cases, with fully diamond-set dial plates, adorned with fine gemstones.

Engine

MB&F FlyingT movement featuring three-dimensional vertical architecture, automatic winding, conceived and developed in-house.

Central flying 60-second tourbillon.

Power reserve: 100 hours.

Balance frequency: 18,000bph / 2.5Hz.

Three-dimensional sun winding rotor in 18K 5N+ red gold, titanium and platinum.

Number of components: 280.

Number of jewels: 30.

Functions/indications

Hours and minutes displayed on a 50° vertically tilted dial with two serpentine hands.

Two crowns: winding on left and time-setting on right.

Case

Material: 18K white or red gold, set with diamonds.

High domed sapphire crystal on top with anti-reflective coating on both sides, sapphire crystal on back.

Dimensions: 39 x 20mm.

Number of components: 17.

Water resistance: 3ATM / 30m / 90’.

Stones

For the white gold version:

Brilliant-cut diamonds on the dial and crowns: ~ 0.24ct
Brilliant-cut diamonds on the case and buckle: ~ 2.80cts
3 tsavorites square, pear and round: ~ 1.33cts
1 oval topaz: ~ 0.71ct
1 oval amethyst: ~ 0.4ct
1 round tanzanite: ~ 0.43ct
1 round tourmaline: ~ 0.06ct

For the rose gold version:

Brilliant-cut diamonds on the dial and crowns: ~ 0.24ct
Brilliant-cut diamonds on the case and buckle: ~ 2.80cts
2 tsavorite square and round: ~ 0.38ct
2 tourmaline oval and round: ~ 0.64ct
1 oval tanzanite: ~ 0.47ct
1 pear amethyst: ~ 0.70ct
1 round rubellite: ~ 0.39ct

Strap & buckle

Alligator leather strap with white or rose gold pin buckle matching the case.

ABOUT BULGARI

Part of the LVMH Group, Bulgari was founded in Rome in 1884 as a jewellery shop. Known as the magnificent Roman jeweller and master of coloured gems, Bulgari has established a worldwide reputation for Italian excellence and enjoys renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship. The company’s international success has evolved into a global and diversified luxury purveyor of products and services, ranging from fine jewels and high end watches to accessories and perfumes, and featuring an unrivalled network of boutiques and hotels in the world’s most exclusive shopping areas.

Demonstrated through its numerous philanthropic partnerships, Bulgari deeply believes in innovating the present for a sustainable future through its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and giving back – to nature and to the community

8 December, 2021/by Maria G

RELOJES, Relojes de Hombre, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro, Relojes Edición Limitada

Ulysse Nardin – Blast Hourstriker

Before we wore time, we heard it. Clocks chimed in the heart of every medieval city. Clocks made by brilliant craftsmen who would, through miniaturisation , create domestic clocks, and then hand held timepieces, capable, despite their small size, to strike the passing hours. Inspired by watchmaking’s past and the possibility of moving musical timekeeping into the future, Ulysse Nardin wants you to hear time again, not read it.

It has been several years in the making but Ulysse Nardin has found a new way to make sound Introducing the Blast Hourstriker an innovative new striking watch that breaks barriers in sound technology This art of marking the time with music has always been a part of Ulysse Nardin’s technical arsenal It was revived in the 1980 s, under the impetus of Rolf Schnyder and given a new lease of life in 2019 when the Swiss Manufacture collaborated with French audio technology company Devialet on the next level of watchmaking acoustics, which was launched in the Classico Hourstriker Phantom This year Patrick Pruniaux Ulysse Nardin’s CEO, has again made the choice to make sound central to the brand’s drive for more futuristic ways to reinterpret traditional
watchmaking crafts.

Ordinarily, to generate the sound needed to mark the passing hours, the hammer strikes a wire gong wrapped around the movement to which it is attached The acoustic wave spreads into the middle of the mechanism and is partly absorbed by it In these conditions, the sound heard lacks power and its harmonics are partially muffled by the material of the timepiece
For the Blast Hourstriker Ulysse Nardin’s team of engineers decided to set themselves two challenges

• Make the chiming mechanism visible on the dial side
• Further improve the quality/power output ratio A challenge that was already started with the Classico Hourstriker Phantom watch To achieve these goals, Ulysse Nardin’s engineers and watchmakers developed the UN 621 caliber In order to guarantee optimal precision of Ulysse Nardin’s first in house automatic striking manufacture movement, it is powered by a flying tourbillon one that is equipped with a variable inertia balance wheel, a silicon hairspring, anchor and escape wheel Its contemporary lines have also been made sleeker and stamped with the now iconic X associated with the brand’s latest generation of timepieces The most complex phase of the Blast Hourstriker’s development involved redesigning the entire kinematics of this 330 component striking caliber to allow this highly sophisticated mechanism, which is usually hidden from view, to be seen dial side When the striker is on, the mechanical ballet that makes the watch’s sound is visible on the hour and half hour, but even its occasional activation is just as beautiful By pressing the button located at 10 o’clock, the mechanism, driven by a specially dedicated barrel, is triggered The hour rack and the inertia regulator start to turn the hammers, visible in an opening made at 12 o’clock, hit the gong whose shape has been subtly worked to bypass the cage of the flying tourbillon

An exceptional mechanism requires an exceptional case So Ulysse Nardin decided to encase a movement inspired by the power of nature in a design inspired by a powerful man made machine the stealth airplane To truly allow the sound of the Blast Hourstriker to resonate, the distinctive 45 mm Blast case was given a black DLC titanium middle, capped with 5 N 18 kt rose gold, for improved acoustics To silence this imposing timepiece with the button located at 8 o’clock on the middle must be pressed and then the ‘ or ‘ position at the tip of the function selector hand located at 8 o’clock checked The three straps that come with the Blast Hourstriker allow its different personalities to be explored The black high tech, waterproof velvet option emphasizes its aerodynamism, while the alligator brings its more sophisticated side to the fore In addition, a rubber strap is also available for this model Whatever you choose, remember the Blast Hourstriker is made to be heard not seen.

22 November, 2021/by Carlos

HISTORIA, RELOJES, Relojes Automáticos, Relojes de bolsillo, Relojes de Hombre, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro, Relojes Edición Limitada, Relojes Mecánicos

Vacheron Constantin – High Watchmaking: Astronomical watches

Vacheron Constantin

High Watchmaking: Astronomical watches

Horology stems from the observation and study of the stars dating right back to the earliest ancient civilisations
Twenty years after its foundation in 1755, the first watches with astronomical indications appeared at Vacheron Constantin.
The Manufacture has developed a rare breed of expertise in Grand Complication watches dedicated to the movement and influence of the moon, stars and planets.

Geneva, November 17^th 2021 – Horology, the science of time measurement, was born from the observations of heavenly bodies and natural cycles. The mechanical instruments developed by horologists stem from these observations, reflecting an art that has continued to progress since the late Middle Ages. Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin developed a perfect mastery of astronomical indications at a very early stage, progressively enriching it over the two and a half centuries of the Manufacture’s existence. Today, the Maison produces watchmaking masterpieces of great astronomical complexity.

Astronomical watches remind us of the origins of watchmaking. Born of the observation of the great physical laws of Nature, the measurement of time is in fact a material extrapolation of the movement of the stars and cycles. This mechanically translated interpretation has given rise across the ages to timepieces capable of offering a wide variety of functions, and of varying degrees of complexity, linked to the singularities of the Gregorian calendar, to the various temporalities governing our universe, or to the motion of heavenly bodies and their impact on the Earth. Although many of these functions are not of practical use, they nonetheless testify to expertise that is all the rarer in that it lends a cosmological dimension to these watches forming a link between humankind and the universe. From its earliest days, Vacheron Constantin has shown great interest in watches with astronomical functions, including various types of calendar displays and indications of the phases and age of the Moon, often combined with other horological complications. Since the 2000s, this technical mastery has been illustrated in particular through its Les Cabinotiers department, whose astronomical watches are masterpieces of their kind.

Astronomical functions

The astronomical functions of a wristwatch include indications related to the particularities of the Gregorian calendar, as well as a wide variety of displays related to the movement of the stars. In addition to the main functions listed below, the most complex of them may offer a system for predicting lunar and solar eclipses, the position of the stars as seen from the Earth, displays of the ephemerides (solstices, equinoxes, seasons), the signs of the zodiac, a tideograph, sunrise and sunset, the duration of day and night, the annual deviation or angular movement of the Moon, etc. All this bearing in mind that a good number of these functions are valid exclusively for a given location. The most “common” astronomical watches include one or more of the following indications.

Calendars

A simple calendar watch is a watch that, in addition to the time, provides calendar information – usually the date – but whose mechanism does not automatically keep step with the irregularity of successive months. When such a calendar also provides indications including the day of the week, phases of the moon and even the year, it is called a complete calendar. This type of complication requires five adjustments per year. Unlike a simple calendar, an annual calendar automatically takes into account the irregularity of 30- or 31-day months, except for February, meaning that manual adjustment is required on March 1^st each year. A perpetual calendar, on the other hand, indicates calendar functions such as the date, month and day of the week, taking into account months with 28, 30 or 31 days, as well as leap years.

Moon phases

The moon-phase indication is frequently associated with the perpetual calendar. It serves to reproduce the cycle of Earth’s satellite (new Moon, first quarter, full Moon, last quarter) on the watch dial. The phases of the Moon should not be confused with the age of the Moon which indicates the time (in days) elapsed since the last new Moon.

Equation of time

The equation of time is defined by the difference between solar time – or true time – and civil time – or mean time. The former is the time as shown on a sundial, while the latter is the time displayed on a watch. The difference between the two ranges from -16 minutes to +14 minutes and occurs during the course of the year, due to the Earth’s elliptical orbit and the tilt of its axis.

Sidereal time

The time it takes for the Earth to complete one full spin on its axis (360°) is 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds, and is called the sidereal day. Because of the Earth’s revolution around the Sun and its rotation on its own axis, the solar day – the time difference between two passages of the Sun through the zenith point (meridian) – lasts a few extra minutes. Using a fixed star in the sky instead of the Sun as a reference point, this sidereal time is used as a basis for astronomical observations.

Sky map

The sky chart is a planispherical representation on a disc or dial of the sky at a given location on the globe. This surface is rotated at a rate of one revolution per year – thereby offering a ‘snapshot’ of the sky at a given time – or of one revolution per sidereal day, which provides a view of the sky in real time.

Advanced mechanics

The perpetual calendar is often considered one of horology’s finest gems for its ability to display the exact date for an all but infinite duration (with the exception of secular years not divisible by 400), taking into account the variable length of the months and the leap-year cycle. To accomplish this mechanical feat, the movement must have a “memory” of 1,461 days, equivalent to four years. The essential component of these mechanisms is the month cam on which the different monthly durations are programmed. Equation of time mechanisms are also governed by a cam – which is in this case asymmetrical, performs one revolution in a year and features a shape derived from the analemma.

This results in a one-day discrepancy for this type of mechanism that must be corrected every 2 years and 7 months. Watches with a precision moon-phase display have a wheel with 135 teeth. With this system, the deviation from the lunar cycle is reduced to one day every 122 years. Another astral representation is the rotating sky chart, of which the visible part corresponding to the skyline is delimited by an ellipse, and which generally makes one revolution in one day in order to offer a vision of the sky in real time.

This rotation is calculated according to sidereal time, which is 3 minutes and 56 seconds shorter than the average day. Technically, the simplest solution consists of integrating two kinetic chains in the movement, from the barrel to the regulating organ, the first beating at the mean solar time rate of one revolution in 24 hours and the second at the slightly faster sidereal time rate of one revolution in 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.

Astronomical paternity

The appearance of megalithism around 5000 BC owes nothing to chance. These thousands of precisely oriented stone monuments – of which one of the best-known is the circle of menhirs at Stonehenge – are regarded as the first astronomical observatories. It was however not until around 4200 BC that these first observations took on a more scientific nature, when the birth of writing played a decisive role by making it possible to record events, perform calculations, establish chronologies and make forecasts. Writing appeared in Mesopotamia, and gradually became established in Egypt in the following century – and then some 2,000 years later in China and the Mayan Empire. Each great civilisation then set about developing its own calendar based on the visible movement of the Sun or the Moon, or both.

It was the Mesopotamians, around 2400 BC, who invented a common unit of measurement for calculating distances and time, which is still the basis of our sexagesimal system of degrees of angle and minutes today. This spatialisation of time was decisive when it came to sequencing it according to the course of the stars. The development of mechanical engineering, which already emerged at the time of Aristotle, was thus able to give shape to the counting of time and its astronomical dimension. As soon as the first clocks appeared in the 13^th and 14^th centuries, mechanical horologists set out to reproduce on dials the movements of the solar system’s main planets. The pocket watches of the Renaissance were direct heirs to these large astronomical clocks. Well before the invention of the minutes hand, these watches already indicated the time, the date, the days of the week, the months and their duration, the moon phases and the signs of the zodiac. These astronomical watches, which were very popular in the 17^th century, are still considered to be models of their kind today.

From that time onwards, ingenious watchmakers redoubled their efforts to make their mechanisms more accurate – resulting in the appearance of minutes and then seconds hands – and more compact. This miniaturisation naturally made it difficult to depict certain astronomical functions, except for the date and its most sophisticated perpetual calendar interpretation, accompanied by a moon-phase display. As of the 19^th century, any Grand Complication watch had to incorporate a mechanism capable of following the irregularities of the Gregorian calendar. At that time, some exceptional pocket watches also reproduced celestial mechanics by displaying the equation of time, sunrise and sunset times or sidereal time. These functions can be found in the highly complicated timepieces of the first half of the 20^th century. The advent of the wristwatch, however, put a stop to these technical masterpieces – while nonetheless not provoking their complete disappearance. Since the revival of the mechanical watch at the end of the 1980s, the astronomical watch has enjoyed a clear resurgence in interest and currently represents a supreme demonstration of expertise.

Vacheron Constantin and calendar watches

The first mention of a pocket watch in Vacheron Constantin’s records dates back to a period prior to 1773, i.e. the early years of the workshop founded by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755. A decade later, the range of complications developed under the leadership of Jean-Marc’s son Abraham Vacheron, notably exemplified by the first complete calendar dating from 1785 and appearing on a brass dial with a floral motif. The archives of the Maison accurately retrace this progressive mastery of astronomical complications, beginning in 1829 with the first recorded order for a watch featuring a simple calendar and moon phases, and again in 1884 for a perpetual calendar integrated into a double-sided yellow gold pocket watch now belonging to Vacheron Constantin’s private collection. This achievement marked the beginning of an epic mechanical saga that was to take on greater significance at the turn of the century.

As early as 1900, the company set up a workshop exclusively dedicated to the assembly of watches with complications, and orders poured in for complicated and even very complicated watches. The perpetual calendar was thus combined with other technical feats, as in this 1901 pink gold pocket watch incorporating a minute repeater, chronograph and perpetual calendar with phases and age of the moon. This masterpiece of mechanical artistry typifying Grand Complication watches prefigures the historic golden age of complicated watches at Vacheron Constantin. An era that culminated in the 1920s and 1930s, notably with the astronomical pocket watch made in 1929 for King Fouad I of Egypt. This masterful timepiece combines a split-seconds chronograph, a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater and a Grande and Petite Sonnerie mechanism.

The heyday of the perpetual calendar

Throughout most of the 20^th century, Vacheron Constantin remained faithful to its classic and elegant approach to horological complications, including the perpetual calendar in pocket watches until the 1960s. These decades were thus punctuated by a number of exceptional creations, including this gold pocket watch from 1946 with minute repeater, chronograph and perpetual calendar displaying the phases and age of the moon. Elegance was notably expressed by models featuring impressive slimness made possible by their thin movements. In 1955, Vacheron Constantin had already presented its manual-winding Calibre 1003, which was barely 1.64 mm thick, a real feat. Some 12 years later, the company achieved a new feat – this time in the field of self-winding movements – with its Calibre 1120 measuring 2.45 mm thick. It was this specific movement, skeletonised for the occasion, that served as the basis for the first perpetual calendar (Calibre 1120 QP) housed in an ultra-thin wristwatch introduced by Vacheron Constantin in 1983.

While complete calendars, triple calendars with moon phases and retrograde calendar indications are part of the grand traditions of the Maison, the perpetual calendar remains one of its preferred complications, currently interpreted in the Patrimony, Traditionnelle and Overseas collections. This inclination has notably been reflected in a major new model presented in 2019 with the Traditionnelle Twin Beat perpetual calendar . With its two going trains operating at different rhythms, the watch can be slowed down to a “resting position” ensuring at least 65 days of power reserve. In its “classic” version, the perpetual calendar also remains a basic function of grand complication mechanisms, an unchanging tradition at Vacheron Constantin. In recent years, the Manufacture has distinguished itself with timepieces whose complexity has become an art in itself, such as the Tour de l’île with its 16 watchmaking and astronomical complications, produced in 2005 for the 250^th anniversary of the Maison. Ten years later, for its 260^th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin presented another timepiece destined to make watchmaking history, the Reference 57260 and its 57 complications, making this one-of-a-kind model the most complicated watch in the world.

Astronomy at its peak

At Vacheron Constantin, mastery of astronomical functions is by no means confined to calendar functions. In the world of pocket watches, the Manufacture responded at an early stage to specific requests from customers and collectors who were particularly sensitive to this dimension of watchmaking. In 1890, for example, at the request of a Parisian client, the Manufacture created a watch indicating sidereal time. Some 20 years later, the company archives mention a movement blank designed to power a display of true solar time, associated with a simple calendar as well as sunrise and sunset indications. The year 1919 was also marked by the delivery of a perpetual calendar movement with moon phases, sunrise and sunset and retrograde equation of time, a true mechanical rarity. This tradition of astronomical indications based on the course of the stars – which been put on hold for a time due to the miniaturisation requirements of the wristwatch – has made a major comeback in the Maison’s collections since the powerful late 20^th century craze for mechanical watches and has been further strengthened since the creation of the Les Cabinotiers department.

Responsible for special orders and exceptional creations for the Maison in the form of one-of-a-kind timepieces, this department has produced veritable masterpieces in the field of astronomical watches with highly sophisticated complications. Among these is the Celestia Astronomical grand complication 3600 (2017) and its 23 functions inspired by astronomy, including a reading of civil, solar and sidereal time. This same reading is found on the Astronomical striking grand complication – Ode to music (2020) and its 19 essentially astronomical functions coupled with a minute repeater. The theme chosen for the Les Cabinotiers watches introduced in 2021 was Le Temps Céleste (celestial time), masterfully expressed through three exceptional timepieces. Among them are the Armillary perpetual calendar – Planetaria watch, featuring a jumping retrograde perpetual calendar regulated by a double-axis tourbillon and complemented by a 3D depiction of the two hemispheres for the 24-hour and day/night indications. Expressed at this level, astronomical complications are undoubtedly both science and art.

A beautiful tribute

In the 19^th century, Vacheron Constantin’s reputation was well established, particularly in the world of accuracy, which earned the company numerous prizes for excellence in chronometry (precision timekeeping) awarded by the Geneva Observatory, among others. The Manufacture’s customers therefore increasingly placed orders for timepieces meeting their needs, which were strictly formulated when it comes to astronomical observations. A letter addressed to Vacheron Constantin on February 24^th 1853 by Count Hyppolite Salino, secretary of the Sardinian Legation in Paris, features a request for a thermometer and date watch: “(…) as I intend to use this watch for astronomical observations, I would like it to be a true chronometer, crafted with the perfection that the works emerging from your workshops come so close to attaining”. A glowing tribute to the watchmaking excellence of Vacheron Constantin.

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Watch selection

Double-sided yellow gold pocket watch with 48-month perpetual calendar and moon phases –1884

This is the first recorded Vacheron Constantin pocket watch to incorporate a perpetual calendar and features a double-sided display. The display of time including small seconds appears on the front enamel dial with Roman numerals and external minute-track, while the perpetual calendar is displayed on four counters visible through the transparent caseback. The vertical axis features the date and the day of the week, while the age and phases of the moon appear on the horizontal axis opposite the month display. This subdial divided into four quarters is staggered over 48 months with the leap year indicated by the same hand. This timepiece is all the more remarkable in that it won a First Prize for chronometry at the Geneva Observatory competition.

Grand Complication yellow gold pocket watch with tourbillon, perpetual calendar, moon phases and split-seconds chronograph – 1931

This extremely complicated watch is a collector’s item. A very rare model for its time, it displays a perpetual calendar with the age and phases of the moon, together with a split-seconds chronograph as well as a 32-hour power reserve indication. Regulated by a tourbillon, which can be seen by lifting the cover protecting the caseback, this watch won First Prize in the 1934 Geneva Observatory competition. Produced in 1931, it is a perfect example of the golden age that Vacheron Constantin experienced at that time in the production of pocket watches with multiple complications, perfect readability and infallible chronometry.

King Farouk yellow gold Grand Complication pocket watch – 1934

One of the most complicated watches of its time. This imposing model – measuring 80 millimetres in diameter and which took more than five years to complete – is equipped with 13 hands. Its calibre incorporates 820 components that drive 14 complications. This double going-train watch in 18K yellow gold was presented to King Farouk of Egypt in 1946 and remained in his collection until 1954. It includes a chiming minute repeater and Grande and Petite Sonnerie equipped with three gongs and three hammers, a split-seconds chronograph with a 30-minute counter, a perpetual calendar, an indication of the phases and age of the moon, an alarm clock and two power-reserve indicators.

“Cioccolatone” yellow gold square curved wristwatch with triple calendar and moon phases – 1954

In the 1950s, post-war exuberance led to new forms of design that were both functional and unrestrained. Vacheron Constantin’s response to this new trend took the form of this large, organically square wristwatch with rounded lugs and bezel, as well as a slightly curved case. Nicknamed “Cioccolatone”, this watch has become an iconic symbol of the design typical of that period. Introduced at the beginning of the decade, it has been interpreted through several variations, including this most emblematic Reference 4764 with triple calendar and moon phases.

Ultra-thin platinum wristwatch with perpetual calendar and moon phases – 1988

At the height of the hegemony of quartz watches in the 1980s, Vacheron Constantin took a gamble on the mechanical watch by producing this complication watch, the first perpetual calendar with moon phases on a wristwatch from the Maison, which was also offered in an ultra-thin version. This model played an important role in the renewed interest in high-end watchmaking and its complicated mechanical watches. Presented in 1983, this reference –interpreted through several iterations including a skeleton version – remained in production until 2006. The watch is particularly elegant thanks to its movement measuring barely 4.05 mm thick: the ultra-thin Calibre 1120 QP complete with date module.

Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600 – 2017

The unique double-sided Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600 combines astronomy and the art of watchmaking in a “celestial” white gold composition. The watch incorporates 23 mainly astronomical horological complications appearing on both sides of the case, offering a reading of the time in three different modes – civil, solar and sidereal – each driven by its own gear train. Its new fully integrated calibre has nearly 514 components housed in a thickness of barely 8.7 mm, while six barrels guarantee it a three-week autonomy.

Les Cabinotiers Tourbillon armillary perpetual calendar – Planetaria – 2021

Equipped with the new manual-winding Calibre 1991, the result of four years of development, this one-of-a-kind timepiece features a perpetual calendar with a retrograde display of the date, day and month. It also features a rare 3D depiction representing the Earth’s Northern and Southern hemispheres. The two titanium globes perform a complete rotation in 24 hours complete with a day/night indication. The movement is regulated by a dual-axis tourbillon whose interlocking cages move at a speed of 60 seconds per rotation.

20 November, 2021/by Maria G

RELOJES, Relojes de Hombre, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro, Relojes Edición Limitada

Patek Philippe – 5905/1A FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH

Patek Philippe

5905/1A
FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH. ANNUAL CALENDAR.

Una versión decididamente deportiva en acero con brazalete integrado y esfera verde sunburst Lanzado como modelo platino en 2015, luego en oro rosa en 2019,
La referencia 5905 combina dos complicaciones prácticas y fáciles de usar: un cronógrafo flyback de cuerda automática y un calendario anual patentado. La Manufactura está reinterpretando el estilo de este modelo tan codiciado al presentar una primera versión en acero, un metal raro en las colecciones de Patek Philippe, con un brazalete integrado de tres eslabones. Este diseño atrevido y casual renueva la forma en que se usa un reloj de complicación Patek Philippe a diario.

La esfera extremadamente rítmica presenta un nuevo y elegante color verde oliva resplandor solar. Garantiza una excelente legibilidad para las funciones adicionales, con una aguja de cronógrafo central, una gran subesfera de 60 minutos a las 6 en punto y tres aperturas de día / fecha / mes dispuestas en un arco para la lectura instantánea de las indicaciones del calendario anual. También hay un indicador discreto de día / noche a las 6 en punto que es útil para garantizar un ajuste de fecha preciso. Visible a través del fondo de caja de zafiro transparente, el calibre CH 28-520 QA 24H permanece fiel a la rueda de pilares tradicional para la transmisión de los comandos del cronógrafo. Sin embargo, en lugar de un embrague horizontal de rueda dentada, tiene un embrague de disco vertical. Esta moderna solución técnica casi no causa desgaste, y el segundero central del cronógrafo también se puede utilizar como una pantalla de segundos permanente (en funcionamiento).

El Calendario Anual patentado toma en cuenta automáticamente los meses de 30 y 31 días, requiriendo solo una corrección por año, el 1 de marzo.

Está equipado con un cierre plegable patentado Patek Philippe asegurado por cuatro cierres independientes. La nueva referencia 5905 / 1A-001 se une a las referencias existentes 5905P-001 en platino con esfera azul y 5905R-001 en oro rosa con esfera marrón.

5905 / 1A-001
Disponible por primera vez en acero, el cronógrafo flyback de cuerda automática Reference 5905 con calendario anual irradia un aspecto decididamente deportivo. La esfera rítmica presenta un elegante e informal color verde oliva “sunburst”. La pulsera integrada se ve reforzada por el contraste de acabados pulidos y satinados. Gracias al embrague de disco vertical, el segundero central del cronógrafo se puede utilizar como una pantalla de segundos permanente (en marcha).

18 November, 2021/by Maria G

Apps, I+D, RELOJES, Relojes de Hombre, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro, Relojes Edición Limitada, TECNOLOGÍA

Garmin Forerunner® 945 LTE y 55: seguridad y motivación para todos los runners

Garmin Forerunner^® 945 LTE y 55: seguridad y motivación para todos los runners

Garmin amplía la familia de productos especialmente desarrollados para corredores con dos nuevos relojes destinados a cubrir las necesidades tanto de los usuarios que comienzan en el mundo del running, Forerunner^® 55, como los atletas que demandan un producto multideporte con las más elevadas prestaciones: Forerunner^® 945 LTE.

Este último es un avanzado reloj deportivo que, además de incorporar las múltiples herramientas y funciones con las que ya contaba su antecesor, ahora se presenta con la revolucionaria tecnología LTE para que el deportista pueda estar conectado en todo momento sin necesidad del teléfono móvil, lo que le aporta un plus de tranquilidad y confianza durante el entrenamiento y la carrera.

Junio 2021.- Garmin amplía su línea de dispositivos destinados al running con dos nuevos modelos: Forerunner^® 55, para cubrir todas las necesidades de los runners más amateurs; y Forerunner^® 945 LTE, evolución del afamado reloj multideporte de la firma, que ahora incorpora novedosas prestaciones de seguridad para los amantes del triatlón y la práctica de diversas disciplinas deportivas.

Garmin Forerunner® 945 LTE y 55: seguridad y motivación para todos los runners

Forerunner^® 945 LTE

La nueva versión del modelo Forerunner^® 945 destaca por integrar la nueva tecnología de comunicación LTE¹, que permite disponer de todas las funciones de seguridad y seguimiento en tiempo real sin necesidad de llevar el teléfono encima, además de música, pagos contactless Garmin Pay™ y mapas topográficos, todo, en tu muñeca. En este sentido, el reloj permite a los usuarios, ya sea entrenando o compitiendo, la posibilidad de pedir ayuda cuando sea necesario y mantenerse conectados con sus principales contactos sin necesidad de llevar el teléfono móvil. Así, si el usuario se siente inseguro o el propio reloj deportivo detecta que ocurrió un incidente, las funciones de asistencia y detección de incidentes² enviarán un mensaje con su ubicación a los contactos de emergencia previamente elegidos.

Además, el reloj puede enviar automáticamente el nombre y la ubicación del usuario a Garmin IERCC, un centro de coordinación de respuesta de emergencia profesional con personal disponible las 24 horas, los 7 días de la semana, destinado a contactar y coordinar con los servicios de emergencia u otros para poder brindar la asistencia necesaria³. Garmin IERCC permanecerá en contacto con el deportista a través de mensajes bidireccionales con el reloj hasta que se resuelva la situación de emergencia. Gracias a la función LiveTrack, los familiares y amigos podrán seguir la ruta en tiempo real e, incluso, ver todo el recorrido planificado previamente por el usuario. Durante una actividad, los usuarios pueden enviar actualizaciones de ritmo y kilometraje a sus contactos y recibir mensajes de texto y audio⁴ motivadores de los espectadores que están siguiendo la actividad. Para poder utilizar las funciones conectadas a LTE se requiere de un plan de suscripción al que se puede acceder desde 6,99 euros al mes.

Este dispositivo multideporte permite al usuario estar listo para cualquier desafío, desde nadar en aguas abiertas hasta hacer largos entrenamientos o carreras. Gracias a él es posible estar al tanto de la carga de entrenamiento o, incluso, de dinámicas avanzadas de carrera entre las que destacan: cadencia, tiempo de contacto con el suelo, longitud de zancada, ratio vertical, oscilación vertical y potencia. También, ofrece mapas TopoActive preinstalados a todo color optimizados para disfrutar de una navegación y un seguimiento de la ubicación de un vistazo y la función Climb Pro, que proporciona en tiempo real información sobre el desnivel de la ruta, lo que se traduce en poder gestionar el esfuerzo a lo largo del recorrido. A su vez, está provisto de sensor Pulse Ox*, que mide la capacidad de absorción de oxígeno del cuerpo tanto para la aclimatación a la altitud como para un mejor control del sueño. A todo esto, se añaden nuevas estadísticas en los intervalos y entrenamientos en pista, teniendo en cuenta si el runner ha ido más rápido o más lento de lo que había previsto.

Permite descargar y almacenar en él hasta 1000 canciones y sincronizar listas de reproducción a través de Wi-Fi desde servicios de música en streaming como Amazon Music, Deezer y Spotify⁵ y, gracias a la tecnología Garmin Pay^{TM 6}, efectuar pagos contactless directamente desde el reloj.

Finalmente, se presenta con un tamaño algo más reducido (44,4×44,4×13,9 mm) que la versión anterior, con la misma pantalla e idéntica autonomía: hasta dos semanas en modo smartwatch, 36 horas en modo GPS y hasta 60 horas en modo Ultratrac. Puede adquirirse solo o en modo pack con dos bandas de pecho (HRM-PRO^TM y HRM-Swim^TM), y está disponible en tres colores: negro, blanco y negro/amarillo (pack).

Forerunner^® 55

Compacto y ligero, Forerunner^® 55 es un reloj deportivo con GPS para los aficionados al mundo del running más amateurs, que ofrece multitud de prestaciones para entrenar, contribuir a una mejora de los hábitos y mantenerse conectado. Así, además de contar con sugerencias de entrenamiento diarias basadas en el historial de entrenamiento, el nivel de condición física y el tiempo de recuperación, incluye predicciones de tiempo de carrera y estimación de finalización de ésta. Un reloj que va más allá del running, porque integra el control de múltiples deportes, aportando como novedad la modalidad HIIT, natación en piscina, carrera virtual y un perfil de actividad respiratoria.

Asimismo, está provisto de funciones avanzadas de seguimiento del bienestar, como la edad físiológica, el control del estrés y la respiración durante todo el día y mucho más. Y todo ello con una increíble autonomía de su batería, que alcanza las 20 horas utilizando el GPS y hasta dos semanas en modo smartwatch.

Ofrece diferentes formas de personalización pudiendo descargar pantallas, widgets y aplicaciones a través de Garmin Connect IQ^TM Store. Está disponible en tres colores, (negro, blanco y azul) y, gracias al sistema Quick Release de extracción rápida, es posible cambiar la correa de forma ágil y sencilla, pudiendo escoger entre todas las opciones de correas disponibles.

Prestaciones compartidas

Estos dos relojes deportivos comparten diversas prestaciones, entre las que se encuentran la personalización de los entrenamientos mediante Garmin Coach 2.0, que permite preparar una carrera para distancias de 5k, 10k o 21k. En concreto, el usuario cuenta con la orientación de tres expertos entrenadores y planes de entrenamiento gratuitos que se adaptan al usuario y a sus objetivos.

Ambos modelos cuentan con la tecnología PacePro^TM, que permite planificar la estrategia a seguir el día de la carrera ofreciendo una guía de ritmo a través del GPS en función de un recorrido o distancia seleccionados mediante la aplicación Garmin Connect^TM. Además, Forerunner^® 945 LTE, junto a la función PacePro^TM, proporciona indicaciones de ritmo ajustadas a la pendiente durante toda la actividad, en función de la altitud, según tu estrategia de ritmo.

A su vez, están provistos de GPS, GLONASS y GALILEO simultáneamente, lo que se traduce en disponer de localización con total exactitud vía satélite, proporcionando una precisión óptima hasta en las zonas más complicadas.

De igual modo, para una mayor seguridad y asistencia durante los entrenos, constan de detector automático de incidentes. Al activarlo, y siempre y cuando se lleve el smartphone conectado al reloj (en el caso del modelo 55), éste realizará el envío automático de un mensaje (en caso de un incidente) con la posición exacta a los contactos de emergencia previamente establecidos en Garmin Connect. Este mensaje se puede desactivar si el incidente no ha sido para tanto o bien, enviar también de manera manual.

En lo que respecta a parámetros fisiológicos, incluyen VO2 máximo⁷, que permite determinar cómo se está adaptando el cuerpo a las grandes altitudes en deportes de altura y expediciones. También, cuentan con el monitor de energía Body Battery, que utiliza una combinación de los datos de estrés, variabilidad de la frecuencia cardiaca (VFC), sueño y actividad para calcular las reservas de energía del organismo en cualquier momento, y así, poder planificar el día optimizando los tiempos de actividad y descanso. Y para las mujeres, ambos cuentan desde Garmin Connect con la posibilidad de poder llevar a cabo el seguimiento tanto del ciclo menstrual como del embarazo.

En definitiva, dos nuevas opciones que permitirán a cualquier tipo de runner disfrutar al máximo de su deporte favorito y de muchos más, siempre con la seguridad como elemento esencial.

Toda la información de Garmin

Para obtener más información sobre las características, precios y disponibilidad de todos sus productos, así como de sus acciones y patrocinios, visite los sitios web https://www.garmin.com/es-ES/, https://www.garmin.com/es-ES/blog/, https://twitter.com/Garmin_Iberia/, https://www.instagram.com/garmin_iberia/, y https://www.facebook.com/GarminIberia

Forerunner® 945 LTE estará disponible para venta a finales de este verano.

PVP Forerunner® 945 LTE: 649,99 euros (IVA incluido)

PVP Forerunner® 945 LTE pack: 799,99 euros (IVA incluido)

PVP Forerunner® 55: 199,99 euros (IVA incluido)

¹Para utilizar las funciones LTE es necesario estar suscrito a uno de los planes que ofrece Garmin y conectividad a una red LTE. Consulte el área de cobertura.

²Consulte los requisitos y limitaciones de las funciones de seguimiento y seguridad.

³Assistence Plus no está disponible en todos los mercados donde se cuente con conectividad LTE de categoría M1; consulte el área de cobertura.

⁴Cuando se usa con auriculares emparejados, no incluidos

⁵Puede requerir de una suscripción Premium con un proveedor de servicios de música externo

⁶Según el país, la red de pago y el banco emisor

^*No es un dispositivo médico y no está diseñado para usarse en el diagnóstico o monitorización de ninguna patología vascular o cardíaca.

Sobre Garmin

Líder mundial en navegación por satélite, Garmin Ltd. y sus filiales llevan desde 1989 diseñando, fabricando, comercializando y vendiendo dispositivos y aplicaciones de navegación, comunicación e información, la mayoría de los cuales integran tecnología GPS. Los productos de Garmin se utilizan en automoción, telefonía móvil, comunicación inalámbrica, actividades de ocio al aire libre, el sector marítimo, la aviación y aplicaciones de OEM. Garmin Ltd. tiene su sede social en Suiza y sus principales filiales se encuentran en Estados Unidos, Taiwán y Reino Unido. Para obtener más información, visita la sala de prensa virtual de Garmin en http://www.garmin.com/es/company/presse1/. Garmin es una marca comercial registrada de Garmin Ltd.

Aviso sobre las futuras declaraciones:

Esta publicación incluye declaraciones futuras relacionadas con Garmin Ltd. y su negocio. Dichas declaraciones se basan en las expectativas actuales de la dirección. Los eventos y las circunstancias futuras descritos en esta publicación puede que no lleguen a ocurrir y que los resultados reales difieran considerablemente debido a factores de riesgo conocidos y desconocidos y a incertidumbres que pueden afectar a Garmin, incluidos, entre otros, los factores de riesgo enunciados en el Formulario 10-K del Informe anual correspondiente al ejercicio cerrado a 31 de diciembre de 2019 presentado por Garmin ante la Comisión del Mercado de Valores (Número de expediente de la Comisión 0-31983). Puedes descargar una copia del Formulario 10-K de Garmin en www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. Ninguna declaración futura puede ser garantizada. Las declaraciones futuras se refieren únicamente a la fecha en la que se realizan y Garmin no asume ninguna obligación de actualizar públicamente o revisar ninguna declaración futuras, independientemente de que obtenga información nueva, se produzcan eventos en el futuro o cualquier otra circunstancia. revisar o actualizarlas periódicamente, ya sean como resultado de nuevos datos, eventos futuros o cualquier otra circunstancia.

9 November, 2021/by Nico Nico

Especial, EVENTOS, Exposiciones, MyEvents, RELOJES, Relojes Automáticos, Relojes de Hombre, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro

GPHG 2021 PRIZE LIST BULGARI WINS THE “AIGUILLE D’OR” GRAND PRIX

GPHG 2021 PRIZE LIST

BULGARI WINS THE “AIGUILLE D’OR” GRAND PRIX

Jean-Christophe Babin (CEO of Bulgari) ; Hind Seddiqi (Director General of Dubai Watch Week) ; Lititia Zhang Berruex (Representative of CIGA design in Switzerland) ; Eric Pirson (Director of Tudor) ; Jean Arnault (Marketing and Product Development Director, Watches, Louis Vuitton) ; Frédéric Bondoux (President of Grand Seiko Europe) ; François-Henry Bennahmias (CEO of Audemars Piguet) ; Benjamin Comar (CEO of Piaget) ; Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (Co-president of Chopard) ; Eric de Rocquigny (International Operations & Métiers Director of Van Cleef & Arpels) ; Maximilian Büsser (Owner & Creative Director of MB&F) ; Julien Tornare (CEO of Zenith) ; Pierre Jacques (CEO of De Bethune) ; Daniël et Maria Reintjes (Owners and creativ directors of Christiaan Van Der Klaauw) ; Andrea Furlan et Hamad Al Marri (Co-founders of Furlan Marri) ; Benjamin Comar (CEO of Piaget) ; Bernhard Lederer (Watchmaker & CEO of Lederer Watches), Carine Maillard and Raymond Lorean (GPHG)

Geneva, November 4, 2021 – the 2021 prize list of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) was unveiled on Thursday November 4 during a festive awards ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the GPHG.

Poetically hosted by Edouard Baer, the ceremony honoured contemporary watchmaking excellence and creativity by handing out 19 prizes to winners announced by the 30-member jury headed by Nick Foulkes.

The ultimate ‘best in show’ distinction, the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix, was awarded to Bulgari for the Octo Finissimo watch.
The Audemars Piguet, Bernhard Lederer, Chopard, Christiaan Van Der Klaauw, CIGA Design, De Bethune, Furlan Marri, Grand Seiko, Louis Vuitton, MB&F, Piaget, Tudor, Van Cleef & Arpels and Zenith brands were also saluted by the Jury and the GPHG Academy for the quality of their creations in various categories.
The Special Jury Prize, which rewards a personality or an influential institution on the watchmaking scene, was won this year by the Dubai Watch Week.

Relive the highlights and view pictures of the GPHG 2021 awards ceremony on our official website: gphg.org

The 2021 nominated watches, including the 18 award-winners, are on display at the Musée Rath in Geneva until November 14, 2021. On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, the GPHG also invites you to discover – within the setting of this exceptional exhibition – the 20 watches that won the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix between 2001 and 2020. The 2021 award-winning watches will subsequently be presented during Dubai Watch Week, from November 24 to 28, and then in Paris from December 2 to 5.

2021 PRIZE LIST

“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: Bulgari, Octo Finissimo
Ladies’ Watch Prize: Piaget, Limelight Gala Precious Rainbow
Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Féerie Watch
Men’s Watch Prize: Grand Seiko, Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Caliber 9SA5
Men’s Complication Watch Prize: MB&F, LMX Titanium
Iconic Watch Prize: Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin
Tourbillon Watch Prize: De Bethune, DB Kind of Two Tourbillon
Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize: Christiaan Van Der Klaauw, CVDK Planetarium Eise Eisinga
Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Piaget, Altiplano Ultimate Automatic
Chronograph Watch Prize: Zenith, Chronomaster Sport
Diver’s Watch Prize: Louis Vuitton, Tambour Street Diver Skyline Blue
Jewellery Watch Prize: Chopard, Flower Power
Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: MB&F, LM SE Eddy Jaquet ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’
“Petite Aiguille” Prize: Tudor, Black Bay Ceramic
Challenge Watch Prize: CIGA Design, Blue Planet
Innovation Prize: Bernhard Lederer, Central Impulse Chronometer
Audacity Prize: Louis Vuitton, Tambour Carpe Diem
Horological Revelation Prize: Furlan Marri, MR. Grey Ref. 1041-A
Special Jury Prize: Dubai Watch Week

About the GPHG: Created in 2001 and overseen since 2011 by a foundation recognised as a public interest organisation, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) has been pursuing for 20 years its mission to celebrate and promote the watchmaking art worldwide. It achieves this with the support of its public and private partners, notably its principal partner, FGP Global Properties Swiss & Alps.

2021 Prize List: https://www.gphg.org/horlogerie/en/prize-list-21
2021 exhibition schedule: https://www.gphg.org/horlogerie/en/gphg-2021/2021-calendar

The winners and the members of the jury

4 November, 2021/by Maria G

Especial, EVENTOS, Exposiciones, Ferias, RELOJES, Relojes Automáticos, Relojes de Hombre, Relojes de Mujer, Relojes de Oro, Relojes Edición Limitada, Relojes Mecánicos

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022

Cerca de 40 casas de relojería para exponer en el Salón físico

Después de dos ediciones completamente digitales, se confirma que el evento clave de la industria relojera tendrá lugar en Ginebra, tanto en formato físico, en los pasillos de Palexpo, como digitalmente, a través de la plataforma watchandwonders.com. Casi 40 marcas de relojería y joyería se reunirán en esta cumbre de la relojería por primera vez durante 7 días, del 30 de marzo al 5 de abril de 2022.

La próxima Watches and Wonders Geneva, que se espera con impaciencia después de dos años de estar completamente online, ya se perfila para 2022. Más que una feria, esta cumbre relojera reunirá a los principales actores de la industria, con la llegada de nuevas marcas como como Hublot, TAG Heuer y Zenith del Grupo LVMH, Grand
Seiko, Oris y el joyero Van Cleef & Arpels que regresa al Salón.

Marcas de renombre como Chanel, Chopard, Patek Philippe, Rolex y Tudor también expondrán por primera vez en Ginebra. Por no hablar de otras importantes maisons, como Cartier, Hermès, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget, Ulysse Nardin y Vacheron Constantin, habituales desde hace muchos años.

Todos estos jugadores vibrarán al ritmo de una emocionante semana de la industria relojera y se presentarán en un solo escenario en Palexpo. El Carré des Horlogers acogerá a quince diseñadores-artesanos independientes en el centro de la exposición.

Un concepto híbrido y flexible.

Después de demostrar su agilidad en los dos últimos eventos, Watches and Wonders Geneva se está moviendo hacia un formato híbrido para que los visitantes puedan sobre todo tener una experiencia presencial pero también participar en línea, dependiendo del contexto cambiante de la pandemia.

Todo se ha pensado y organizado para garantizar que las presentaciones de productos, los lanzamientos de nuevos productos, las conferencias magistrales, las mesas redondas y las conferencias puedan ser seguidas en Ginebra por los visitantes in situ, pero también por aquellos que no pueden viajar, de forma remota, a través de www.watchesandwonders.com. Todo el contenido estará disponible en línea, en vivo o en repetición.

Pero nada puede reemplazar la experiencia en persona. Los actores de la industria han manifestado claramente su deseo de reunirse en torno a los productos. Quieren que sus invitados puedan ver y tocar las piezas excepcionales, discutir, debatir e interactuar en el sitio.

Relojes y maravillas Ginebra 2022 promete una vez más ser un gran éxito pero también un maravilloso reencuentro. ¡Ya sea en Ginebra o en cualquier otro lugar del mundo, programe una fecha para esta cumbre de la relojería líder, del 30 de marzo al 5 de abril de 2022!

EXHIBITING BRANDS | A. LANGE & SÖHNE | BAUME & MERCIER |

More information at watchesandwonders.com

After two entirely digital editions, the key watchmaking industry event is confirmed to take place in Geneva both in a physical format – in the halls of Palexpo – and digitally, via the watchandwonders.com platform. Nearly 40 watch and jewellery brands will gather at this watchmaking summit for the first time over 7 days – from 30 March to 5 April 2022.

The next Watches and Wonders Geneva, which is eagerly awaited after two years of being entirely online, is already shaping up for 2022. More than a trade show, this watchmaking summit will bring together the main industry players, with the arrival of new brands such as Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith from the LVMH Group, Grand Seiko, Oris and the jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels who is making its return to the Salon.

Reputed brands such as Chanel, Chopard, Patek Philippe, Rolex and Tudor will also be exhibiting for the first time in Geneva. Not to mention other major Maisons, such as Cartier, Hermès, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget, Ulysse Nardin and Vacheron Constantin, who have been regulars for many years.

All these players will vibrate to the rhythm of a thrilling watch-industry week and will be showcased in one single setting at Palexpo. The Carré des Horlogers will welcome fifteen independent designer-craftsmen and women at the centre of the exhibition.

A hybrid, flexible concept.

After proving its agility over the last two events, Watches and Wonders Geneva is moving to a hybrid format so that visitors can above all have a face-to-face experience but also participate on line, depending on the changing context of the pandemic.

Everything has been thought through and organised to ensure that the product presentations, new product launches, keynotes, panel discussions and conferences be followed in Geneva by visitors onsite, but also, for those who are unable to travel, remotely, via the www.watchesandwonders.com platform. All the content will be available online, live or in replay.

But nothing can ever replace in-person experience. Industry players have clearly stated their desire to get together around the products. They want their guests to be able to see and touch the exceptional pieces, to discuss, debate and interact on site.

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022 promises once again to be a great success but also a wonderful reunion. Whether in Geneva or elsewhere in the world, make a date for this leading watchmaking summit, from 30 March to 5 April 2022!

EXHIBITING BRANDS | A. LANGE & SÖHNE | BAUME & MERCIER |

More information at watchesandwonders.com

31 October, 2021/by Maria G

Vacheron Constantin – Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus

ROLEX Oyster Perpetual Lady Date-just the audacity of excellence

Baume & Mercier celebrates haute horlogerie design is expressed in all its forms

GIVE YOUR X-MAS A NEW SHAPE

MB&F x BULGARI

LEGACY MACHINE FLYING T ALLEGRA

Ulysse Nardin – Blast Hourstriker

Vacheron Constantin

High Watchmaking: Astronomical watches

Patek Philippe

5905/1A FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH. ANNUAL CALENDAR.

Garmin Forerunner® 945 LTE y 55: seguridad y motivación para todos los runners

THE « AIGUILLE D’OR » GOES TO BULGARI FOR THE OCTO FINISSIMO WATCH

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022

Cerca de 40 casas de relojería para exponer en el Salón físico

5905/1A
FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH. ANNUAL CALENDAR.

Garmin Forerunner^® 945 LTE y 55: seguridad y motivación para todos los runners