Tag Archive for: luxury watches

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Ulysse Nardin – Blast Hourstriker

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.

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CHIARA FERRAGNI BECOMES A NEW HUBLOT GLOBAL AMBASSADOR AND FACE OF THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN

CHIARA FERRAGNI BECOMES A NEW HUBLOT GLOBAL AMBASSADOR AND FACE OF THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN

Fusion under the influence – With Chiara, everything is possible

Chiara Ferragni has joined the Hublot family in the company of many legendary personalities such as football legend Pelé, tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, track and field champions Dina Asher-Smith and Usain Bolt and three Michelin star chef Clare Smyth. She lights up everything she touches and creates, she is a natural-born winner and shines her aura over everything she loves and chooses.

Today, she has chosen Hublot. So why Chiara Ferragni and why Hublot?

Everything I do, I do to share. The things I love, the people I love, the things I experience, my daily life, my children, my work: I put my heart into everything to inspire others, to believe in themselves and their dreams. I found my ikigai in 2009. I managed to combine my passion with my talent in response to a need and now it has become my business. By opening the door to who I am and what I experience, I am also hoping to inspire the women of today not to choose between being a wife, a mother or an entrepreneur. All these roles complete me, just as they complete each other. Beauty drives everything I do. Not only inner beauty, but everything I see around me. That is reflected in my collaborations, my words, my charity work and my daily life. Why Hublot? Because Hublot is not like any other watch brand, it follows its own distinctive path, with determination: It follows its dreams of innovation, while respecting traditions; it seeks beauty both inside and out, by showcasing much more than athletic performance or the success of a family member, it celebrates the reasons for this performance and success, in other words, the ability to be first, different and unique. Hublot’s messages and values speak to me, that’s why I have chosen to join this family today. A fusion of passion and determination has shaped who I am, across all my roles, and forged the businesswoman I have become. This same fusion has also made Hublot the company it is today.

Chiara Ferragni
Hublot Brand Ambassador

Who does not know Chiara Ferragni? Her extraordinary destiny is not down to luck, this visionary and determined woman is someone who learnt how to grow and evolve with her time. By portraying and sharing who she is and what she loves, she has realised her dream, inspiring the men and women of her generation to believe that anything is possible. As someone who is both authentic and spontaneous, she has turned her happy, positive and generous nature into her trademark. As a visionary and pioneer, she has been able to move with the times by dominating the digital platforms and turning her passion into a real business. Her passion became her job, and her natural talent transformed into a success that is seemingly within everyone’s reach. Her inspiring journey proves that anything is possible; it’s the stuff of dreams, while being very real. Who wouldn’t want to live and realise their dreams like Chiara Ferragni? At Hublot, we love inspiring women and men who believe in their dreams and move heaven and earth to fulfil them, who assert their distinctive personality, are willing to go out on a limb, who are not afraid of what people will say and who follow their path with authenticity and passion.
That’s why Chiara fits so well into our family.

Ricardo Guadalupe HUBLOT CEO

Surely, one no longer needs to present Chiara Ferragni?

Well yes, if only to highlight the very nature of this woman, a so-called influencer, a term too small to encompass all her talents. As a business woman, entrepreneur, influencer, wife and mother of two, she embodies that ‘can do’ attitude that everyone finds so inspiring.Twelve years after launching theblondesalad.com, Chiara Ferragni has achieved a success story. When she started out, Instagram did not exist and blogging was in its infancy. It took Chiara only a few months to turn a hobby into a business, attracting the attention of the media and the fashion world, and placing her name alongside the biggest luxury brands.

First, Unique, Different. Just like Hublot! She single-handedly created a job for herself, followed her instincts, asserted her choice to share and talk about her life. Honoured several times by Forbes, her career path has even inspired a study by the prestigious Harvard University to understand her success.

In tune with her times, Chiara is leaving her mark on the world. She resolutely believes in her dreams. A dreamer she may be, but she is firmly rooted in her land and her roots. Chiara Ferragni draws her strength from the stability of her family, her parents and two sisters; she has gone on to recreate this strength through her own family, which she has built with Fedez.

So, is it natural talent, intuition or destiny? What if was a bit of all three? Whatever the case, what is certain is that she achieves firsts with her writing, she asserts her uniqueness, and her difference while retaining that very inclusive feeling of being the ‘girl next door…’

She is an entrepreneur who embodies the digital revolution and the arrival of social media. Chiara is a pioneer, she is constantly achieving firsts. With her fashion blog, launched 12 years ago, she was immediately considered the most influential and most famous blogger in the world. She created her own brand of shoes, then clothing in 2015— Chiara Ferragni Brand, —she was also the first to be listed as the world’s most powerful influencer. Indeed, there is no shortage of superlatives to describe her career and she is not afraid to use them. Both her real life and her digital world are filled with sharing, joy, values and optimism. She is unique, that’s for sure! She is proud of her uniqueness, after transforming her name into a brand, a trademark, a style and an inspiration. She also uses her platforms and visibility to help the causes that are close to her heart. Ultimately, what makes her different is that she has managed to turn her passion, her daily routine and her life into a true success story. She is also different for resembling a generation of women who live with the times and manage to combine several roles, without placing any filters between the different parts of their lives. With an Instagram community of 24.7 million followers, she shares her daily life as a wife, mother and entrepreneur openly and frankly. Chiara is an inspirational figure.
Chiara and Hublot, how it began


You may remember the pictures of Chiara Ferragni wearing the Big Bang Millenial Pink. A unisex watch with an inclusive message, produced as a limited edition of 200 pieces in a shade chosen by Lapo Elkann and designed in collaboration with Garage Italia. Since this project, Chiara and Hublot have simply understood that there were many similarities between their worlds.
So, get ready, because what Chiara & Hublot are preparing for you is likely to make a big impression, once again… First, Unique, Different!
To stay up-to-date, follow: @Hublot #Hublot

HUBLOT
Founded in Switzerland in 1980, HUBLOT is defined by its innovation, which began with the highly original combination of gold and rubber. This “Art of Fusion” stems from the imagination of its visionary Chairman, Jean-Claude Biver, and has been driven forward by CEO Ricardo Guadalupe since 2012.

The release of the iconic, multi-award-winning Big Bang in 2005 paved the way for new flagship collections (Classic Fusion, Spirit of Big Bang), with complications ranging from the simple to the highly sophisticated, establishing the extraordinary DNA of the Swiss watchmaking house and ensuring its impressive growth.
Keen to preserve its traditional and cutting-edge expertise, and guided by its philosophy to “Be First, Different and Unique”, the Swiss watchmaker is consistently ahead of the curve, through its innovations in materials (scratch-resistant Magic Gold, ceramics in vibrant colours, sapphire), and the creation of Manufacture movements (Unico, Meca-10, Tourbillon).
HUBLOT is fully committed to creating a Haute Horlogerie brand with a visionary future: a future which is fused with the key events of our times (FIFA World CupTM, UEFA Champions LeagueTM, UEFA EUROTM) and the finest ambassadors our era has to offer (Kylian Mbappé, Usain Bolt, Pelé, Novak Djokovic).
Discover the HUBLOT universe at our network of boutiques located in key cities across the globe: Geneva, Paris, London, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, Tokyo, Singapore, Zurich and at HUBLOT.com

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Jaeger-Lecoultre presents the Reverso Tribute minute repeater

Jaeger Lecoultre presents the Reverso tribute minute repeater

Ninety years after the birth of the Reverso, and 150 years after creating its first minute repeater, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater. Offered in a limited edition of 10 pieces, this exquisite new timepiece unites two of the key themes that have defined La Grande Maison for much of its history: an exceptional expertise in chiming watches and the timeless story of the Reverso.

With its distinctive Art Deco lines and swivelling case, the Reverso is one of the world’s most recognisable wristwatches. Its story embodies Jaeger-LeCoultre’s eternal pursuit of beauty and aesthetic refinement, expanding the Reverso’s stylistic realm by harnessing the full potential of its unique design. Allied to this is the Manufacture’s endlessly inventive quest for technical advancement – from the revolutionary idea of a case that could be flipped over, and the ingenious mechanism that made it possible, to the development of complications specific to the Reverso.

 

A distinguished legacy in chiming watches

In the 1990s, amid the rebirth of mechanical watchmaking that followed the quartz crisis, the Reverso – with its distinctive rectangular case – became the vehicle through which the Manufacture would redevelop its expertise in high complications. Having mastered the added challenge that rectangular movements dictate an entirely different architecture from that of traditional round movements – a particularly demanding challenge for chiming mechanisms – Jaeger-LeCoultre presented the Reverso Répétition Minutes in 1994. It was the first time the Maison had miniaturised a minute repeater for a wristwatch and was the world’s first rectangular minute repeater movement.

In fact, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s mastery of chiming mechanisms dates back to the very foundation of the Manufacture in 1833, and its deep expertise is today confirmed by an archive of more than 200 chiming calibres. Since that first Reverso minute repeater of the 1990s, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s engineers and designers have redefined the benchmark for acoustic quality, harnessing new technology in service of this noble tradition.

A new expression for the Minute Repeater

Embodying technical advances such as Jaeger-LeCoultre’s patented trebuchet hammers, silent regulator and a new generation of gongs, the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater is powered by a revised version of Calibre 944 – a movement entirely conceived, designed and produced within the Manufacture. The new timepiece is distinguished by dials on both the front and reverse sides, bringing a fresh visual expression to the timeless Reverso design, as well as to the minute repeater mechanism itself. While the dials both display the same time, they are very different in character – one exuberant, the other more sober. Both are a testament to the beauty of fine movement decoration and the exceptional level of craftsmanship that resides within the Manufacture.

The front dial is entirely skeletonised, revealing the full complexity of the minute repeater mechanism and presenting a mesmerising display of moving parts when the minute repeater is activated. Beneath a large bow-shaped bridge that sweeps from 11 o’clock to 7 o’clock, the components appear almost to be floating in three dimensions, the sense of visual depth and transparency enhanced by faceted indexes that are cantilevered from the chemin de fer minutes track. With a gleaming golden finish, the bridge, hour markers, gongs and several other components perfectly match the colour of the rose-gold watch case.

While the exuberance of the front dial contrasts with the rectilinear geometry of the Reverso case, the relative sobriety of the reverse dial echoes and amplifies those straight lines. Vertical Côtes de Genève stripes extend over the entire height of the main plate, which also serves as the dial. Showcasing the timekeeping mechanism, with subtle colour accents provided by blued screws and golden hands and hour markers, the cool silver tone of the metal provides an elegant counterpoint to the warm rose gold of the case.

Set into the side of the watch case, the slider that activates the chimes has been specially designed for the new Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater to be as slim as possible, without sacrificing ergonomics. Visually complementing the Art Deco lines of the case, the effect is one of great refinement.

In showcasing both technical complexity and the aesthetic crafts, the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater underlines the eternal modernity of the Reverso design, marrying the technical prowess of the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre to its eternal quest for new forms of visual expression.

 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

REVERSO TRIBUTE MINUTE REPEATER

Case material: Pink Gold

Case dimensions: 51.1 x 31 mm

Case thickness: 11.41 mm

Movement: Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 944, manually wound

Functions: Hours and Minutes on two dials, minute repeater

Power reserve: 35 hours

Water resistance: 30 m

Strap: Brown alligator

Limited edition of 10 pieces

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FRANCK MULLER – The Grand Central Tourbillon

FRANCK MULLER – The Grand Central Tourbillon

The Grand Central is an outstanding new collection, where the Tourbillon is in the spotlight, placed at the center of the timepiece. This beautiful central Tourbillon is housed in a redesigned Franck Muller Cintrée Curvex™ case. One of the complexities of the collection lies in the fact that we had to totally rethink the watch in order to move the Tourbillon from its original position at 6 o’clock to the center of the watch.

The Grand Central Tourbillon

In addition to this attractive and surprising decentering, Franck Muller designers and watchmakers had to find an innovative system to display the time in the center of the watch. Thus, they found an innovative way to place the hour and second hands around the Tourbillon cage, highlighting the beauty of the piece. Extremely rare for a Franck Muller Tourbillon collection, the watch holds a self-winding movement, thanks to an eccentric micro rotor, offering 4 days of power reserve.

FRANCK MULLER - The Grand Central Tourbillon

FRANCK MULLER – The Grand Central Tourbillon

FRANCK MULLER – The Grand Central Tourbillon

Regarding the case, it has been redesigned so that the sapphire crystal goes all the way to the bracelet. The bezel which is separate from the case, allowing two-tone treatments. This design totally changes the aspect of the original Cintrée Curvex™ and fully highlights the beautiful curves of the watch. It also gives full visibility to the dial by limiting the amount of material used on the sides which is technically very difficult to achieve and giving the case a new modern line of life.

The open back allows to admire the pure traditional decorations as the Côte de Genève.

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