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Jaeger-LeCoultre unfolds infinity in four chapters with the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185
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Jaeger-LeCoultre unfolds infinity in four chapters with the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185

Jaeger-LeCoultre unfolds infinity in four chapters with the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185

La Grande Maison celebrates an icon, the Reverso, by releasing the most complicated timepiece ever presented in this emblematic collection. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is the result of over six years of development, combining key areas of savoir-faire at Jaeger-LeCoultre with innovative new astronomical indications.

It is the world’s first wristwatch with four functioning display faces. By incorporating three displays of lunar information on the interior face of the iconic Reverso cradle (the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle), the Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque can predict the next global incidence of astronomical events such as supermoons and eclipses — the world’s first wristwatch to provide such a deep reading of the cosmos.

Key Points of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque)

  • The world’s first watch with four faces; the most complicated Reverso timepiece ever made
  • A total of 11 complications, including perpetual calendar, minute repeater, indications of the synodic, draconic and anomalistic cycles (never before presented together in a wristwatch), requiring 12 patents
  • Combines Jaeger-LeCoultre’s uncontested mastery of chiming watches, precision mechanisms, astronomical complications and ultra-compact watchmaking
  • User-friendly design and construction; the most complicated Reverso is also one of the easiest to wear

Geneva, April 7th, 2021 — With 188 years of relentless innovation and savoir-faire behind it, Jaeger-LeCoultre continually sets new boundaries in the domain of fine mechanical watchmaking. Its Hybris Mechanica series of ground-breaking, ultra-complicated timepieces has established a constellation of stars shining with unparalleled brilliance in the horological heavens. In 2021, the latest addition to this celestial assemblage is a grand oeuvre six years in the making — the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque, the first watch in the world with four faces of timekeeping indications.

Since the advent of personal timepieces, the quest to build increasingly complicated watches is constrained by the volume of space available to the watchmaker. Having a multitude of complications in a watch is pointless unless they can be legibly and comprehensibly displayed, and the watch can be reasonably worn. Liberated by the unique design of the iconic Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre has created a world’s first: a double-faced case continuously driven by the in-house Calibre 185, and a double-faced cradle with indications synced and updated by the primary movement every day at the stroke of midnight by an ingenious mechanical system proprietary to Jaeger-LeCoultre.

If executed through conventional mechanical means, the 11 complications of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque would result in a timepiece far more suited for a desk than a wrist. Thanks to nearly two centuries of expertise and a thoroughly modern approach to innovation, Jaeger-LeCoultre tells the story of cosmic and terrestrial time within the confines of a 51mm by 31mm by 15mm case, a story told in four chapters of horological virtuosity.

Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185

CHAPTER ONE: SET THE UNIVERSE

The history of Jaeger-LeCoultre is rooted in the pursuit and attainment of precision. One of the earliest inventions of founder Antoine LeCoultre was the millionometer, the first instrument able to measure the micron. Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre is an undisputed pioneer and leader in creating exceptional executions of the tourbillon, a mechanism designed to enhance the chronometric performance of a timepiece. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Gyrotourbillon 2 (2008) stunned audiences and won chronometry awards with its multi-axial revolving balance, and the Reverso Hybris Mechanica à Triptyque (2006) remains unique in its use of a tourbillon with a high-precision ellipse isometer escapement.

Naturally, the tourbillon is one of the main protagonists of the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque). Occupying the 7 o’clock position on the recto face of the case, a flying tourbillon (thus called because the absence of an upper bridge allows it to appear as if it is floating) makes one rotation a minute, continuously varying the position of the balance in order to achieve a single corrected average time measurement.

Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185

The balance is the heart of any watch movement, and it is also the key to our measurement of time. As it beats in regular cadences of 4Hz (28,800vph), every eight beats mark the passing of one second. The seconds accumulate into minutes, into hours, days, weeks, months and years. The recto face of the Quadriptyque case, illustrating the uppermost abilities of mechanical horology, shows the indications of a perpetual calendar, a centuries-old mechanism that always displays the correct date despite the irregular number of days each month. It also takes leap years into account, displaying a 29th day in the month of February every four years. Highlighting the precision of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 185 construction, the perpetual calendar indications are instantaneous, changing at the stroke of midnight. In addition, the complexities of the Calibre 185 construction required the date to be displayed at the 5 o’clock position on the dial. At Jaeger-LeCoultre, only the perfect legibility of a grande date was considered acceptable for a watch of such prestige, which necessitated the creation of a new system of date display discs in order to accommodate the dimensions of the flying tourbillon at 7 o’clock. The opening chapter of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque) is nothing less than a powerful statement of how la Grande Maison has comprehensively mastered the expression of civil time.

CHAPTER TWO: CHIME THE HEAVENS

There are extremely few watchmaking manufactures that possess in-house expertise in sonnerie wristwatches. There are even fewer that have been making them since 1870, accumulating one and a half centuries of experience and savoir-faire. There exists only one watchmaking manufacture that has over 200 chiming watch calibres in its historical and modern inventory — La Grande Maison du Sentier. The verso face of the Quadriptyque case is a virtuoso tour de force of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s patrimony as a master and innovator of chiming watches.

Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185

With the slide of a lever located just above the crown, the Quadriptyque unleashes its melody. First, a series of low notes, correlating to the number of hours. Second, an alternating couplet of high and low notes, corresponding to the quarter-hours. And concluding the melody, a succession of high notes, indicating the number of minutes to be added to the elapsed quarters. In concert, the hours-quarters-minutes chime plays the current time in musical code. The striking works of the Reverso Quadriptyque are completely exposed alongside a secondary time display, indicating the same time as the recto dial, but in a jumping-hours and peripheral-minutes format. As the Quadriptyque strikes the time, setting a symphony of springs, cams, hammers and gongs into motion, their acoustic report confirms the visual display of the secondary dial.

Visible through apertures on the movement plate hand-decorated with the guillochage motif known as clous de Paris are elements of the chiming mechanism uniquely associated with the sonnerie expertise of Jaeger-LeCoultre. These include the silent chime governor, patented by the manufacture in 1895 to eliminate the buzzing noise created by the older anchor system. More recent in-house innovations showcased in the Quadriptyque are the crystal gongs (first seen in the Master Minute Repeater Antoine LeCoultre of 2005) that attach the repeater gongs directly to the sapphire crystal to exploit the material’s optimal acoustic properties, the square cross-sectional profile of the gongs themselves that maximise contact and energy transmission between the hammers and gongs (a mainstay of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s repeating watches since 2006), and the articulated trebuchet hammers (developed for the 2009 Hybris Mechanica Duomètre à Grande Sonnerie) that deliver a clean and strong strike to the gongs. In totality, these innovations allow Jaeger-LeCoultre minute repeaters to produce some of the loudest and clearest chiming wristwatches today.

Debuting in the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is a completely novel engineering of the chiming components to create a seamless chime with no pauses in between the hours, quarters and minutes. The conventional minute repeater mechanism utilises special pivoting racks that read the time off a series of cams and then proceed to activate each group of chimed notes in turn. This often results in silent gaps between the groups of chimed notes, especially when there are only hours and minutes to be struck, with no intervening quarters. The Hybris Mechanica Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon (2014) and Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel (2019) made exceptional strides in chiming know-how by reducing these silent gaps, but the Reverso Quadriptyque has reached the ultimate stage of expertise in this area. By refining and inverting specific steps in this mechanical sequence, the Quadriptyque has succeeded in eliminating these gaps entirely.

The chime of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is an uninterrupted opus of acoustic excellence. It is the sound of innovation at its very apex.

Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185

CHAPTER THREE: UNCOVER THE ORBIT

Before the formal development of time reckoning systems, primitive societies observed celestial phenomena and created powerful myths and stories around the dance of the heavenly orbs above. The earliest astronomers were also mathematicians, and instruments constructed on their formulations were able to mechanically compute the positions of various celestial objects. The interaction between the various orbits of the Sun, Earth and Moon determine the rhythms of life, and watchmaking first evolved as a means to bring order to the world around us. As a watch manufacture with close to two centuries of fine watchmaking expertise, Jaeger-LeCoultre has mastered all aspects of time expression, from the quotidian to the esoteric. One of the hallmark complications of Jaeger-LeCoultre is the display of sidereal time, time that is determined with reference to the stars instead of the Sun, first presented in the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication (2010).

This year, for the first time ever in the history of mechanical horology, Jaeger-LeCoultre unites three displays of lunar information — the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle — in a single wristwatch. This unique micromechanical combination of indications, located on the interior face of the cradle of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185, allows the determination of eclipse events (both solar and lunar) and rare lunar phenomena such as supermoons.

Occupying the top half of the interior face of the cradle of the Reverso Quadriptyque is a massive representation of the phases of the moon in the Northern Hemisphere. A laser-engraved moon is progressively covered and revealed by a mobile blue lacquer disc with gold glitter décor, corresponding to the age of the moon in the synodic cycle. While conventional displays of the moon phase accumulate one day of error after 32.5 months, the moon phase display of the Quadriptyque requires only one adjustment after 1,111 years.

Just below the moon phase display, on the left, is a counter with a three-dimensional micro-sculpted pink-gold sun orbited by a tiny hemispherical moon. This counter shows the draconic cycle, showing when the path of the Moon intersects with the orbit of the Earth around the Sun (known as the ecliptic). Such an intersection takes place twice in each cycle, indicated by the horizontal alignment on the counter of the moon and the sun. At this time, the Moon, Earth and Sun are all on the same plane; however, they may not be aligned. For them to be aligned, a phenomenon known as syzygy, an additional condition must be fulfilled — the Moon must be either in its new or full phase. When that happens, an eclipse event happens on Earth, either a lunar eclipse if the Moon is in its full phase, or a solar eclipse if the Moon is in its new phase. However, the actual visibility of the eclipse is dependent on various factors such as the geographical position of the viewer.

To the right of the draconic cycle counter is a domed representation of the Earth, micro-painted in enamel, with a hemispherical moon in eccentric orbit around it. This counter represents the anomalistic cycle, showing the varying distance between the Earth and Moon. At its apogee, the Moon is at its furthest distance from the Earth and is closest at its perigee. When the Moon is in its full phase near or at the perigee, an event known as a supermoon occurs, in which the Moon can appear to be up to 14 percent larger than usual in the sky.

The display of the synodic, draconic and anomalistic cycle together in a wristwatch is unprecedented in horology, with the latter two indications protected by patent, making the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 the only watch ever made to provide such depth of information about astronomical phenomena.

The Hybris Mechanica family of timepieces at Jaeger-LeCoultre began with the 2003 Atmos Mystérieuse and has since grown to encompass close to 20 groundbreaking horological creations, including the Master Hybris Mechanica Gyrotourbillon 1 (2004), the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Grande Complication à Triptyque (2006), the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon (2014) and the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel (2019). The word Hybris originates from the Greek “hubris” that refers to the soaring ambition exhibited by the legendary heroes of antiquity. It is a promise made by Jaeger-LeCoultre to continually expand the horizons of watchmaking; a promise that has been dutifully kept for 18 years.

CHAPTER FOUR: REVERSE THE UNIVERSE

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso was born in 1931, out of the need to protect delicate horological mechanisms amidst the balletic skirmish of hooves and mallets during games of polo. Today, 90 years later, a far older dance is reflected in the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque, one that guides our calendrical rhythms according to rules that are as precise and structured as those of the regal equestrian sport.

The original Reverso bore a single time-telling face, with a mobile case that could be turned over within its cradle, revealing a solid caseback. The next generation of the Reverso featured another dial on its caseback, either in a different design to accommodate the wearer’s aesthetic preference (Duetto) or displaying a second time zone (Duoface) to offer additional functionality when travelling. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica à Triptyque (2006) represented an evolutionary leap in horological innovation, with a third display positioned on the interior face of the Reverso cradle.

This year, the world’s first wristwatch with four faces premieres in the form of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque), the ultimate expression of the Reverso concept. On the last face of the Quadriptyque, the exterior face of the cradle, a representation of the phases of the Moon in the Southern Hemisphere is shown. Most indications of the moon phase are of the Northern Hemisphere perspective, and the Quadriptyque’s display of the Southern Hemisphere moon phase on its fourth face is the fulfilment of the Reverso’s fundamental dualism. A star-flecked sky chart, engraved and lacquered in a gradient of blue shades forms the backdrop to the pink-gold moon, all of which are created in the Atelier des Métiers Rares® of Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The secret to the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque’s four functioning display faces lies in a solution first used in the 2006 Reverso Hybris Mechanca Grande Complication à Triptyque. Every day at midnight, a pin extends out of the main case movement to activate a mechanical corrector in the cradle, which then advances the cradle displays. The mechanism driving the cradle displays is set directly into the cradle itself, without any additional movement plates that would increase the thickness of the watch. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in ultra-compact watchmaking makes the Quadriptyque, despite its multiple indications and complications, one of the most wearable high-complication watches of our time.

PRESENTING INFINITY

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 comes in an exceptional presentation box with a built-in mechanism that allows the wearer to quickly and intuitively set all the calendar and astronomical displays of the watch after a period of being unworn.

A two-position crown on the side of the box is used to first set the number of days that have elapsed since the watch was last worn. With the Quadriptyque set within the correction support frame, the box corrector crown can then be extended to its second position and wound to rapidly bring the watch to the current date for all calendar and astronomical indications. There is no risk of overcorrecting the watch or damaging the movement, since the entire process is controlled by the box corrector mechanism.

The latest timepiece in the Hybris Mechanica series took six years of research and development. It was made possible only through the 188 years of innovation and expertise accrued within the workshops of La Grande Maison. With the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque, Jaeger-LeCoultre reasserts its position at the apogee of mechanical watchmaking and reaffirms its dedication to expanding the boundaries of horological knowledge.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

REVERSO HYBRIS MECHANICA CALIBRE 185

Case material: White gold

Case dimensions: 51.2 x 31 mm

Thickness: 15.15 mm

Movement: Manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 185

Functions:

Face 1: Hour – Minute, Tourbillon (indicating the Second), Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar, Grande Date, Day, Month, Leap Year, Night & Day

Face 2: Jumping Digital Hour, Minute, Minute Repeater (with system avoiding dead time)

Face 3: Northern Hemisphere Moon Phase, Draconic Lunar Cycle (height of the moon), Anomalistic Lunar Cycle (apogee and perigee), Month, Year

Face 4: Southern Hemisphere Moon Phase

Power reserve: 50 hours

Water resistance: 30 metres

Strap: Blue alligator

Reference: Q7103420

Limited edition of 10 pieces

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Spirit-of-Big-Bang-Tourbillon-5-day-Power-Reserve-Carbon-White-3
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The Tourbillon with HUBLOT’S signature codes Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon 5 day power reserve carbon white

The Tourbillon with HUBLOT’S signature codes Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon 5 day power reserve carbon white

“The Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon White… different, yet resolutely Hublot. It combines the distinctive codes of our brand: 6 H-shaped titanium screws, “sandwich” case construction, the Art of Fusion with carbon fibre and composite inclusions, an HUB6020 skeleton tourbillon manufacture movement custom-designed for its tonneau case, a jewel of innovation and expertise showcasing the aesthetic approach to movement design central to the Hublot philosophy, and, lastly, strap interchangeability thanks to its patented One Click system.“

In the seven years since its launch in 2014, the singular and distinctive Spirit of Big Bang has been cultivating its differences whilst incorporating the signature Hublot codes – 6 H-shaped titanium screws, a “sandwich” case construction, and a demonstration of the Art of Fusion.

Spirit-of-Big-Bang-Tourbillon-5-day-Power-Reserve-Carbon-White-3

Spirit-of-Big-Bang-Tourbillon-5-day-Power-Reserve-Carbon-White-3

With the Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon 5-day Power Reserve Carbon White, Hublot combines black with white, proving opposites attract. The 42-mm case, case back and bezel are crafted from carbon fibre featuring white composite inclusions. These white inclusions are formed of glass microfibres created as a non-woven fabric (NWF), used mainly to improve the breaking strength of composites: This NWF is then co-impregnated with the carbon fibres using tinted epoxy resin when the composite preforms are created in a special mould.
Spirit-of-Big-Bang-Tourbillon-5-day-Power-Reserve-Carbon-White-3
Spirit-of-Big-Bang-Tourbillon-5-day-Power-Reserve-Carbon-White-3
Spirit-of-Big-Bang-Tourbillon-5-day-Power-Reserve-Carbon-White-3
Spirit-of-Big-Bang-Tourbillon-5-day-Power-Reserve-Carbon-White-3

Released in a limited edition of 100 pieces, the Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon 5-day Power Reserve Carbon White plays with contrasts and transparency with a sapphire case back and dial which reveal the ultra-aesthetic architecture of the HUB6020 manufacture movement. A skeleton tourbillon specially designed to sit within the tonneau case of the Spirit of Big Bang. A power reserve of 115 hours, hand-wound, with a 5-day indicator set at 8 o’clock. At 6 o’clock, the tourbillon cage completes one rotation per minute. Off-centre hours and minutes can be read at 3 o’clock.
Paired with a white lined rubber strap, the Spirit of Big Bang White embraces interchangeability thanks to its patented “One-Click” system.

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Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette
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Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

Throughout life, we often feel an unwavering desire to uncover hidden treasures. Cuervo y Sobrinos is proud to unveil a new iteration of the Historiador Squelette that reveals the intricate mechanisms at work beneath the dial.

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

The Historiador collection, originally created in 1946, has been relaunched  in 2009 to pay tribute to the prestigious past of the brand and revive a once forgotten beauty. This classical collection features near replicas of old historical models with a modern twist. With its radically assertive codes, the Historiador range best interprets the essential values of the brand with Latin roots, namely classical, timeless elegance and refinement.

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

The Historiador Squelette brings the timeless aesthetic appeal of skeleton watches to the Historiador collection. This model partially displays various movement parts to satisfy the wearer’s curiosity about the automatic mechanisms tirelessly working beneath the dial. To this day, the design of this openworked model continues to attract admiring glances with its allure undiminished, despite changing fashions.

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

This new design of the Historiador Squelette combines retro-artistic patterns, reminiscent of the stained glass windows commonly found in Havana, with black movement parts that represent the embrace of modernity as well as the Swiss craftsmanship. This harmonious fusion of Latino exoticism and Swiss heritage is at the core of the Cuervo y Sobrinos brand. Complementing this new design is a pattern of 26 purple jewels that draw attention and invite both the wearer and onlookers to examine and marvel at the technical prowess of the movement.

The dauphine-shaped hour and minute hands return with their luminescent treatment that retains readability in dim light. The slender, red central sweep seconds hand contrasts with the openworked dial beneath to remain easily visible. The CyS logo, a symbol of quality since 1882, is applied to the periphery of the dial.

Endowed with a gleaming 40mm stainless steel case, the Historiador Squelette is a prime example of elegant, timeless design. The graceful arcing sides of the case are juxtaposed with the elongated, angular lines of the lugs. The double-curved sapphire crystal features anti-reflective coating and is water resistant to 3 ATM. While each facet of the case exhibits a distinct shape, the two pair beautifully.

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

The brand never neglects any small detail. The strap of the Squelette is made by an innovative black nubuck Louisiana alligator with red alcantara interior. The model is also available with a resplendent stainless steel bracelet.

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Squelette

Technical Features:

Collection Historiador
Model Name Squelette
References 3191.1NSQS (leather strap)

3191B.1NSQS (metal strap)
Movement CYS 5101, base STP 6-15,

11 ½ ”’

automatic

diameter 25,6 mm

height 4,6 mm

power reserve 44 hours

26 jewels

frequency 28800 A/h

finished oscillating weight, black NAC coloured, with applied logo
Functions hours, minutes, centre seconds
Case stainless steel

diameter 40 mm

height 11.15 mm

double-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating

water resistant to 3 ATM

screwed see-through case back with sapphire crystal
Dial finely perforated squelette dial, applied Cys emblem
Hands hours and minutes with Superluminova, red centre second
Strap leather strap: black nubuck Louisiana alligator with red alcantara interior

 

metal strap: stainless steel bracelet
Buckle stainless steel folding buckle, engraved CyS emblem
Limited edition not applicable
Packaging PE100
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L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen
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CHOPARD – L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen

L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen

Swiss Haute Horlogerie meets Chinese zodiac tradition

Steeped in the aesthetic codes of Chinese culture, the L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen is the first L.U.C timepiece to display the traditional Chinese timekeeping system, Shí Chen. The animals of the zodiac that symbolises them parade slowly by on an Urushi lacquer disc, accompanied by the symbol of prosperity and its god Lu Xing. This creative new complication exists as an 88-piece limited edition. Its L.U.C 96.29-L Chopard Manufacture movement is housed in a 40 mm ethical 18-carat rose gold case of peerless symbolic and physical finesse.

Carved from a block of ethical 18-carat rose gold, the L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen is a talisman timepiece, an allegory of beliefs related to the Chinese zodiac and luck. It represents the first time that an Haute Horlogerie watch displays Shí Chen, the traditional Chinese time system, as a complication. It consists of twelve two-hour units, each one represented by an animal from the zodiac cycle. The day thus begins at 11pm with the hour of the Rat and ends with the hour of the Pig, while noon is in the middle of the hour of the Horse.

L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen

chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen

The Chinese zodiac bestiary enhanced by the art of Urushi

The procession of 12 animals slowly parades through a large aperture at 12 o’clock, enabling a dual time read-off: one traditional and the other based on the international system. This succession of zodiac signs also underlines the creativity and mastery of the Chopard Manufacture artisans. In addition, the dial and Shí Chen disc of this timepiece are made of Japanese lacquer. Faithful to Asian traditions, Chopard has worked right from the start with the finest Japanese lacquer artisans, who craft dials using the traditional Urushi lacquer technique.

The 88 dials of the L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen are produced by the workshops of the century-old Yamada Heiando company and crafted by Master lacquer specialist Minori Koizumi. In accordance with the distinctive Maki-e technique, gold flakes sprinkled between the layers of lacquer illuminate the 40 mm ethical 18-carat rose gold case from within.

A creation placed under the protection of the god of prosperity

At the centre of the L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen dial is the golden, embossed emblem of the god Lu Ying, who is one of the three deities – together with Fu Xing and Shou Xing – respectively dedicated to prosperity, happiness and longevity, symbolically summing up the characteristics of a full life. This star of prosperity also refers to fame and influence and is an omnipresent sign in Chinese culture, where auspices, symbols and representations playing on the nature of ideograms are essential.

 

A timepiece endowed with great technical refinement

To equip the L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen, Chopard has created the L.U.C 96.29-L calibre, an exclusive variation of the 96 family, featuring a disc that completes a full rotation in 24 hours. This mechanical movement with automatic winding is just 3.97 mm thick thanks to its micro-rotor, a small oscillating weight neatly integrated into the calibre. Made of ethical 22-carat gold, it boasts high inertia enabling it to wind the two barrels efficiently. The latter are stacked in accordance with Chopard Twin Technology and are capable of storing the energy necessary for the L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen to offer a total 65-hour power reserve. Once off the wrist, it will remain on time and accurate for more than two and a half days, the duration of a long weekend.

chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen

chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen

Chopard’s in-house approach to Haute Horlogerie

Chopard is a family Maison with a strongly ingrained philosophy of independence. The manufacturing stages of L.U.C. timepieces are carried out in-house at its production sites in Geneva and Fleurier.

Movement development, finished product design, gold casting, stamping and cases machining, movement parts and bracelets, as well as traditional handcrafted finishes, surface treatments, polishing, assembly, adjustments and quality controls: such is the comprehensive range of watch production operations fully mastered by Chopard and involved in the making of each creation in the L.U.C collection.

The result of meticulous craftsmanship, Chopard’s exceptional L.U.C timepieces meet the aspirations of today’s gentleman, speaking to him without the slightest artifice or pretention, and unequivocally conveying an ideal blend of artisanal skill and emotions.

 

Technical details

L.U.C XP Urushi Spirit of Shí Chen

88-piece limited edition in ethical 18-carat rose gold

Case:

Ethical 18-carat rose gold

Total diameter:                                                                                40,00 mm

Thickness:                                                                                        8.28 mm

Water resistance                                                                            30 metres

18-carat ethical rose gold crown with L.U.C logo                     5.00 mm

Vertical satin-brushed sides and inter-horn space

Polished bezel and case-back

Glare-proofed sapphire crystal

Exhibition case-back

Movement:

Mechanical with automatic winding                                            L.U.C 96.29-L

Winding via a micro-rotor in ethical 22-carat gold

Total diameter:                                                                                34.20 mm

Thickness:                                                                                       3,97 mm

Number of jewels:                                                                           29

Frequency:                                                                                      28,800 vph (4 Hz)

Power reserve:                                                                                65 hours

Disc rotating in 24 hours, representing the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac

Twin stacked barrels, based on Chopard Twin Technology

Bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève motif

Dial and hands:

Dial hand-crafted in Japan using the Urushi lacquer technique with shimmering decoration for the main dial and the twelve signs of the Zodiac on the lower rotating disc

Central symbol of prosperity motif in ethical 18-carat rose gold

Dauphine-type hours and minutes hands in ethical 18-carat rose gold

Indexes and Arabic numerals in ethical 18-carat rose gold

Functions and displays:

Central display of the hours and minutes

Bracelet and buckle:

Black hand-sewn alligator strap with brown alligator leather lining

Polished and satin-brushed ethical 18-carat rose gold pin buckle

Ref. 161980-5001 – in ethical 18-carat rose gold with special Spirit of Shí Chen dial

88-piece limited edition

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Patek Philippe - GRANDE SONNERIE REF. 6301P
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Patek Philippe – GRANDE SONNERIE REF. 6301P

Patek Philippe

Grande Sonnerie 6301P

Patek Philippe - GRANDE SONNERIE REF. 6301P

Patek Philippe – GRANDE SONNERIE REF. 6301P

Patek Philippe reasserts its mastery of the music of time by launching its first wristwatch with a grande sonnerie in its purest manifestation

The Genevan manufacture is fulfilling the expectations of many connoisseurs, collectors, and aficionados with the enrichment of its current collection by a wristwatch that features a highly coveted and extremely elaborate sound function: the grande sonnerie, that automatically strikes the full hours and the quarter hours. This grand complication, exceptionally rare in a wristwatch, is complemented with a petite sonnerie (that does not strike the quarter hours), a minute repeater (that strikes on demand), and with a patented jumping subsidiary seconds. The Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie has a new 703-part movement, cased in platinum as well as a black dial in grand feu enamel; it will round out and recrown the unique collection of Patek Philippe repeater timepieces.

The acoustic indication of time is derived directly from the origins of mechanical timekeeping. In the 14th century, the clocks that graced Europe’s cities had neither dials nor hands. Instead, they sounded the full hours with an automatic strikework. The first portable spring barrel timepieces of the 15th century were often fitted with automatic chiming mechanisms as well. This also applies to the first 16th-century pocket watches. The late 17th century saw the emergence of the first mechanisms that struck the time on demand – initially as quarter repeaters –, followed early in the subsequent century by minute repeaters. In 18th-century Geneva, the rules of the watchmakers guild required all artisans who wanted to become master watchmakers to demonstrate their skills by crafting a quarter repeater. This illustrates that mastering the acoustic indication of time was regarded as successful evidence of advanced horological know-how.

Patek-Philippe---GRANDE-SONNERIE-REF.-6301P

Patek-Philippe—GRANDE-SONNERIE-REF.-6301P

A core competence of Patek Philippe

Fully rooted in Geneva’s watchmaking tradition, Patek Philippe began to produce striking watches from the outset. In September 1839, four months after it was founded, the manufacture entered the first timepiece of this kind in its journal, a pocket watch with a repeater. In 1850, entries of pocket watches with a grande sonnerie appeared in the same journals. The catalog of the 1851 “Great Exhibition” in London (the first world exposition) mentions “repeaters” and “watches with automatic strikeworks” as specialties of Patek Philippe. This was followed in 1860 by Patek Philippe’s first pocket watches with minute repeaters, then in the course of the 19th century by further timepieces with quarter repeaters, five-minute repeaters, and minute repeaters.

In the early 20th century, with its striking timepieces, Patek Philippe definitely established itself as a front runner in watchmaking artistry, especially in their most elaborate and coveted manifestations – the grande sonnerie. The famous “Duc de Regla” pocket watch was sold in 1910 to the Duke of Regla, a Mexican nobleman. Today, it can be admired in the Patek Philippe Museum. It incorporates a grande and a petite sonneries plus a minute repeater which features a Westminster strikework that reproduces the melody of the Big Ben clock tower on five gongs almost authentically to the note. The 13 complicated timepieces crafted for American automobile manufacturer James Ward Packard between 1910 and 1927 included the first Patek Philippe pocket watch with a minute repeater and astronomical displays (delivered in 1927) as well as watches with grande sonneries, among them one with a Westminster chime on four gongs (1920). The famous “Graves” pocket watch delivered to wealthy New York banker and collector Henry Graves Junior in 1933, remained the world’s most complicated portable timepiece until 1989. Its 24 complications include acoustic functions on 5 gongs: a grande and a petite sonnerie, a minute repeater with a Westminster chime, and an alarm. At the same time, the manufacture pursued the miniaturization of repeater mechanisms to a wristwatch format and in 1916 presented its first wristwatch that struck the time – a five-minute repeater with a case and bracelet in platinum for a ladies’ wrist.

Patek-Philippe---GRANDE-SONNERIE-REF.-6301P

Patek-Philippe—GRANDE-SONNERIE-REF.-6301P

The renaissance of minute repeaters

In 1989, Patek Philippe celebrated its 150th anniversary, launching the Calibre 89 that would be the world’s most complicated portable mechanical timepiece for more than a quarter century. The 33 complications of this masterpiece of watchmaking artistry include the grande/petite sonnerie and minute repeater on four gongs. In this tribute to the renaissance of the mechanical watch, Patek Philippe also pays homage to repeating wristwatches. The caliber R 27 is the first minute repeater movement developed and crafted entirely in-house. It chimes in two commemorative wristwatches. The former manufacture president Philippe Stern was among the first to do away with the wildly chattering recoil anchor and optimized the striking functions with the centrifugal governor invented in the late 19th century. The Patek Philippe centrifugal governor had its debut in 1989 in the Calibre 89 and the two commemorative watches – the Ref. 3979 and 3974 – that are outfitted with the caliber R 27.
The impetus is set. In the course of the years, minute repeaters will enjoy a preferential position in Patek Philippe’s collections. Today, with a dozen models, they constitute the broadest selection of regularly produced minute repeater wristwatches, be they pure repeater models or combined with further complications (tourbillon, perpetual calendar, chronograph, World Time, etc.).
Since the pivotal year 1989 that marks the rebirth of the Patek Philippe chiming watch, the acoustic challenges have also occupied a prominent position in two further exceptional timepieces. The double-faced Star Caliber 2000 pocket watch (21 complications) was created to usher in the new millennium. For the first time in a case of its size, it accommodates a Westminster strikework with five gongs that plays the original melody of the tower clock of the parliament building in London – completely and correctly. It makes the minute repeater and the grande sonnerie a true feast for the ears. In turn, the Sky Moon Tourbillon presented in 2001 is the first double-faced wristwatch made by Patek Philippe. Among its 12 complications, it features a moving celestial chart and a minute repeater with cathedral gongs.


The grand master of chimes

In 2014, timed for the company’s 175th anniversary, Patek Philippe presented a further quantum leap in the domain of acoustic complications. It was the launch of the Ref. 5175 Grandmaster Chime, a double-faced wristwatch. Crafted in seven exemplars, it unites 20 complications, including a grande and petite sonneries, a minute repeater, an instantaneous perpetual calendar with a four-digit year display, and two patented world debuts: an acoustic alarm that strikes the preselected alarm time and a date repeater that sounds the current date. This first Patek Philippe wristwatch with a grande sonnerie is also the manufacture’s most complicated wristwatch and as the Ref. 6300 became part of the regular collection in 2016. The anniversary year 2014 also gave Patek Philippe the opportunity to demonstrate its competence in chiming watches with a further commemorative timepiece in a limited edition. It was the Ref. 5275 Chiming Jump Hour with jumping displays for the hours, minutes, and seconds as well as an automatic strike at the top of every hour.

The Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie

Patek Philippe has leveraged this momentum to enrich its regular collection with a masterpiece of miniaturization and acoustic perfection: the Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie. This grand complication is the manufacture’s first wristwatch that presents the grande sonnerie as the epitome of horological complications in its purest form, complemented with a petite sonnerie and a minute repeater. It is an event long awaited by watch enthusiasts.

To implement the grande sonnerie as envisioned, Patek Philippe developed a new movement as a spin-off of the caliber 300 of the Grandmaster Chime. Given its 703 parts, the caliber GS 36-750 PS IRM is remarkably compact for such a complex mechanism (diameter: 37 mm; height: 7.5 mm). One of the traditionally greatest difficulties for the engineers of grande sonneries is mastering energy flows and power reserves. Unlike in minute repeaters which must be triggered on demand by actuating a slide or a pusher, the grande sonnerie needs to have sufficient reserve power to automatically sound the required number of time strikes with uniform acoustic quality.

To address this challenge, Patek Philippe endowed the caliber GS 36-750 PS IRM with two tandem-connected twin mainspring barrels, one for the going train and the other for the chiming mechanism. This configuration delivers a power reserve of 72 hours for the movement and of 24 hours for the strikework. A three-day power reserve for the movement is what can be expected of a modern watch that is worn daily, in keeping with the customer-centric creation philosophy of Patek Philippe. The 24-hour power reserve for the strikework allows the watch to strike the full hours and the quarter hours during an entire day and thanks to a uniform torque characteristic to assure optimized sound intensity. The two twin mainspring barrels are wound with the crown pushed in and rotated clockwise to wind the going train and counterclockwise to wind the strikework. The four mainsprings feature slip bridles to avoid overtensioning.

A strikework with three gongs

As regards the strikework, Patek Philippe opted for three classic gongs – low, medium, high. This technical option requires more energy than systems with two gongs. It also complicates the watchmaker’s work when tuning each gong until all three create the legendary “Patek Philippe sound” so coveted by connoisseurs. Attached to the movement, the three gongs must not touch one another nor other parts of the case or movement despite the compact space in which they hover. Three hammers of identical size and mass guarantee a uniform strike for all three pitches. The selection of platinum as the case material also presented a challenge because it is difficult to master acoustically and requires Patek Philippe know-how that at the manufacture is handed down from one generation to the next.

The hours are struck on a low-pitched gong, the quarter hours with a three-strike high-low- medium sequence. The melody for the first quarter hour (15 minutes) sounds once, for the second quarter hour (30 minutes) twice and for the third quarter hour (45 minutes) three times. Each quarter-hour sequence is automatically preceded by the number of elapsed hours, and followed by the number of quarter hours. Thanks to the energy stored in the twin mainspring barrel of the strikework, this adds up to an impressive total of 1056 strikes in 24 hours. The owner can also select the strikework mode petite sonnerie; it strikes the full hours but omits the repetition of the hours when striking the quarter hours. In the silence mode, the automatic time strike is switched off altogether.

The selection of the strikework mode is performed with a slide switch in the caseband at 6 o’clock. The petite sonnerie mode is on the left adjoining the grande sonnerie mode in the middle and silence on the right. This special feature is the subject of a patent that was already developed for the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime and describes a mechanism that enables the selection and activation of the strike mode with a single slide switch. Formerly, two switches were needed to execute these steps. Another patent, also developed for the Grandmaster Chime, allows the complete isolation of the grande sonnerie in the silence mode, eliminating power consumption. On request, the minute repeater can be triggered by pressing the pusher in the crown at 3 o’clock. In response, it strikes the number of hours with low tones, the quarters with three-strike sequences (as in the grande sonnerie mode), and, on the higher-pitched gong, the number of minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour. The minute repeater can be triggered at any time, even if the slide is set to the silence mode.

A patented jumping second

When they reworked the caliber 300 from the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, the engineers and designers at the manufacture added a small jumping seconds display, which was never done with a grande sonnerie. Inspired by the four patents of the 175th-anniversary model, the Ref. 5275 Chiming Jump Hour, they endowed the new Ref. 6301P with an innovative jumping seconds mechanism. Its system does not rely on jumper springs as usual but instead with wheels and a release lever that instantaneously unblocks the wheel train every second, making energy consumption easier to regulate and control. Thus, the new Ref. 6301P chiming watch presents a novel face characterized by the subsidiary seconds hand at 6 o’clock. With the blink of an eye, it jumps along the railway track minute scale from one second to the next, recalling the regulator clocks that were used in old watchmaking ateliers to synchronize the time. The new Ref. 6301P also benefits from the entire experience and the latest insights gained in the design and production of the commemorative watches crafted on the occasion of Patek Philippe’s 175th anniversary.

An exceptionally refined movement architecture

The new caliber GS 36-750 PS IRM – it can be admired through the sapphire-crystal case back – fulfills all the strict requirements of the Patek Philippe Seal. This applies to the technical parameters (rate accuracy, dependability) and to the finissage and attractive architecture of the individual components. Yet again, this clarifies the fact that at Patek Philippe, the complexity of a movement should never lessen its beauty and elegance, and like the case and the dial must measure up to the strict scrutiny of manufacture president Thierry Stern. Special attention was devoted to the design of the movement bridges, especially the barrel bridge (a key element of grande sonneries) and the transversal balance cock (balance bridge), a Patek Philippe rarity that assures a secure seat and pleasing visual proportions. Connoisseurs will discover many other aesthetic details, including the many reentrant angles that are very difficult to polish. The centrifugal governor that regulates the speed of the time strikes is decorated with exquisitely smoothed and polished finishes that are now visible to the observer. This spectacular movement is rounded out with a Gyromax® balance, the Spiromax® balance spring in Silinvar®, the three gongs coiled around the movement, and their respective hammers. The antireflective sapphire- crystal back positioned very close to the movement offers a fascinating glimpse into a micromechanical realm. It can be replaced with a solid platinum back that is delivered with the watch.

The livery: modern and elegant

The new Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie stands out with finesse, true to the Patek Philippe key principle that a grand complication must also be pleasant to wear in everyday situations. The platinum case, inspired by the Ref. 5370 split-seconds chronograph presented in 2015, expresses subtlety and balance in its curves and rounded contours, with the concave bezel for a perfect transition from the slightly cambered sapphire-crystal glass and the countersunk satin- finished case flanks. Like all Patek Philippe platinum cases, it sports a small diamond set in this instance at 12 o’clock because the usual 6 o’clock position is occupied by the slide switch for selecting the strikework mode.
Patek Philippe has leveraged its skills with respect to artisanship and rare handcrafts, notably on the black grand feu enamel dial with the “glacé” finish, applied Breguet numerals, and leaf- shaped hands in luminescent white gold. The slightly slanted Breguet numerals add a dynamic touch to the classic yet contemporary face. The displays for the hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock are well proportioned alongside two power-reserve indicators for the movement and the strikework at 3 and 9 o’clock with semicircular scales identified with the inscriptions MOUVEMENT and SONNERIE. The timepiece is worn on a hand-stitched shiny black Alligator strap with square scales and a fold-over clasp.
A new sonorous chapter
The relaunch of the 1989 minute repeater wristwatches gave Patek Philippe the opportunity to push the door wide open for the return of modern repeater timepieces. With the presentation of the Grandmaster Chime in the anniversary year 2014, now followed by the new Ref. 6301P as part of the regular collection (although its complexity limits production to a few pieces per year), the manufacture has opened up a new chapter that paves the way to new developments in the field of grande sonneries – much to the delight, aesthetically and acoustically, of all connoisseurs and aficionados who are passionate about the music of time.

The 6 complications of the new Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie

1. Grande sonnerie
2. Petite sonnerie
3. Minute repeater
4. Movement power-reserve indicator
5. Strike work power-reserve indicator
6. Jumping seconds

Patents

• Isolation of the grande sonnerie in the silence mode (Patent CH 704 950 B1)
In the silence mode, this mechanism totally isolates the grande sonnerie from the power flow and eliminates energy consumption.

• Selection of the strikework mode (Patent CH 706 080 B1)
This mechanism enables the selection of the strikework mode (petite sonnerie, grande sonnerie, silence) with a single lever and a single slide switch. Two slide switches were formerly required for this operation.

• Jumping display with a jumping seconds wheel (Patent CH 707 181 A2)
This innovative mechanism for jumping displays does not require springs and levers but instead uses wheels and a release lever that instantaneously unblocks the wheel train every second, and features a coiled return spring as the only power element. The advantage of this system is that it makes energy consumption easier to regulate and control.

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An OMEGA Trésor in Gold With a New Mesh Bracelet
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An OMEGA Trésor in Gold With a New Mesh Bracelet

An OMEGA Trésor in Gold With a New Mesh Bracelet

Three new additions have been added to OMEGA’s popular Trésor line, with each one crafted in the brand’s own 18K Moonshine™ gold. For women who adore the slender style and simplicity of this collection, it’s a chance to further raise the levels of luxury and choose a timepiece that shines with exceptional beauty.
An OMEGA Trésor in Gold With a New Mesh Bracelet

An OMEGA Trésor in Gold With a New Mesh Bracelet

The new models are sized at 36 mm, with cases crafted entirely from 18K Moonshine™ gold. First introduced in 2019, this distinctive alloy is inspired by the moonlight in a dark blue sky. It offers a paler hue than traditional 18K yellow gold, and also has a high resistance to the fading of colour and lustre over time.

Another new Trésor feature is the addition of mesh bracelets. Crafted with a silk-like pattern, these classically-styled straps fit elegantly and comfortably around the wrist, and are the very first metal bracelets within the collection.

An OMEGA Trésor in Gold With a New Mesh Bracelet

An OMEGA Trésor in Gold With a New Mesh Bracelet

The watches come with a full 5-year warranty and are offered in three unique choices:

– A model with an 18K Moonshine™ gold dial featuring an embossed silk pattern and Roman numerals.
– A model with a white dial, featuring embossed Roman numerals in 18K Moonshine™ gold.
– A model with an 18K white gold rhodium-plated dial, fully paved with a snow setting of 768 single-cut diamonds. The markings appear on the front crystal.

As always, each Trésor is defined by the 38 full-cut diamonds that curve along the sides of the case, as well as an additional full-cut diamond set on the crown, which itself is engraved with an OMEGA flower and filled with red liquid ceramic.

Turning the watches over, the OMEGA Calibre 4061 sits just behind polished mirror casebacks that are embellished by a unique metalized pattern.

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Franck Muller Genève | Vanguard Yachting Anchor™ SKELETON

Franck Muller Genève

Vanguard Yachting Anchor™ SKELETON

Inspired by the dynamic Vanguard™ collection, the Vanguard Yachting Anchor™ Skeleton develops a creative vision of time with affirmed nautical details. Featuring all the seafaring details from the deep blue to the wind rose adorning the dial, the sea world inspired each delicate detail of this newly born timepiece.
The openworked bridges have been designed to accentuate the architecture of the watch and reveal the wholly in-house manufactured movement.
This journey partner is available in 18k rose, yellow and white gold, stainless steel and bronze.

   
With the Vanguard Yachting Anchor™ Skeleton, Franck Muller created the perfect alchemy between the traditional mechanical movement and the watchmaking performance of the seven days power reserve.


An ideal sporty and elegant timepiece for sea lovers, with bridges inspired by anchors and a second at 6 o’clock which represents a compass rose.
A balanced design showcasing the passion for crafts and art of details characteristic of the Franck Muller manufacture.

©2019 Franck Muller GenèveAll rights reserved GFM Watchland SA

www.franckmuller.com

VANGUARD YACHTING ANCHOR™ SKELETON

The Vanguard Yachting Anchor™ Skeleton develops a creative vision of time with affirmed nautical details. Featuring all the seafaring details from the deep blue to the wind rose adorning the dial, the sea world inspired each delicate detail of this newly born timepiece. An ideal sporty and elegant timepiece for sea lovers, with bridges inspired by anchors and a second at 6 o’clock which represents a compass rose.
Reference

V 45 S6 PR SQT ANCRE FM YACHT (BL)
Case
18k rose gold
Width: 44 mm, Length: 53.70 mm, Thickness: 12.65 mm
Water resistant up to 30 meters
Functions
Hours, Minutes and seconds at 6 o’clock
Power reserve indicator
Movement
FM 1740-VSPR
Manual mechanical movement
Width: 37.05 mm, Length: 40.20 mm, Thickness: 6 mm
7 days power reserve
18’000 vibrations / hour
175 components – 21 jewels
Movement
decoration
Hand chamfer, mirror polish on the flank, polishing of the molding’s bottom plate Satin finish on the plate and sand-blasting on the opposite side
Satin finish and chamfering of all components.
Circular brushing of the barrel and wheels.
Dial
Openwork movement with blue anodized aluminium bridges
24k rose gold finishing on the power reserve indicator, hands and compass rose
Strap
Hand-sewn nylon strap

 

©2019 Franck Muller GenèveAll rights reserved GFM Watchland SA

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HUBLOT MECA-10 CLOCK

HUBLOT MECA-10 CLOCK

The watch that inspired a clock: working together with the Jura-based L’Epée manufacture, Hublot has produced an oversized version of its famous MECA-10 manufacture movement for use in a table clock.

Hublot’s unveiling of its MECA-10 movement in January 2016 left watch enthusiasts stunned. The manufacture had reinvented the manual movement, offering peerless performance as well as a unique style inspired by the Meccano construction system. The unusual skeleton architecture gives the movement an arresting three-dimensional depth, which is clearly visible through the bridges and case back. Its exceptional 10-day power reserve – now an imperative for any decent manual calibre – is displayed on a disc that can be read on the dial.

In 2020, Hublot has introduced a unique product in an oversized version. The MECA-10 has been made four times larger for use in a table clock, while fully preserving its original specifications, including its 10-day power reserve.

“We have managed to reproduce the unique features of our MECA-10 movement on a larger scale. This feat of engineering was achieved thanks to the concerted effort of the teams from both Hublot and L’Epée. In this way, we are charting a new course for the hallowed tradition of clockmaking. ”

Ricardo Guadalupe

CEO OF HUBLOT

In order to enlarge its MECA-10 movement, Hublot enlisted the services of the L’Epée manufacture. The world-renowned clockmaking expertise of this Jura-based company made it a natural choice for the collaboration, and because designing a wristwatch is very different to creating a clock, it also gave Hublot an opportunity to showcase its famous “Art of Fusion” approach in a new branch of horology. This particularly impressive result was achieved by combining the expertise of the designers, constructors and master horologists at Hublot and Epée.

Strikingly similar to the original, the Hublot MECA-10 Clock is, in essence, an oversized version of its predecessor. Its spacious 19.60 by 18.10 cm case houses the precious movement, which comes in two versions. The first features Meccano-inspired angles and a ring in polished satin-finished steel and transparent composite. The second is covered with black PVD and the bridges supporting the gear trains are also coated in black. The notched crown at 3 o’clock is rubber-coated for a better grip when manually winding the movement.

Like the wristwatch version from which it takes its inspiration, the MECA-10 clock movement features a 10-day power reserve which is displayed on an indicator at 6 o’clock.

These two precious editions of the MECA-10 Clock, the fruit of a close collaboration between Hublot and L’Epée, are exclusive limited edition pieces reserved for true aficionados.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

REFERENCE

DC.MECA10.SD.SP.1123

DC.MECA10.SX.SP.1123

CASE

Satin-finished and Polished Black PVD Steel

Satin-finished and Polished Steel

Diameter: 134.6 mm

Thickness: 69.8 mm

CASE-BACK

Satin-finished and Polished Black PVD Steel

Satin-finished and Polished Steel

BEZEL

Satin-finished and Polished Black PVD Steel

Satin-finished and Polished Steel

DIAL

Mat black skeleton

Satin-finished and Sandblasted Steel Hands with White Luminescent

MOVEMENT

Manual-winding Skeleton Power Reserve Movement with 2 Barrels

Black Plated Bridges

Rhodium Plated Escapement

Power Reserve display at 6.00

Frequency: 2.5Hz

Power reserve: 10 days

No. of Components:432

Jewels: 52

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Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies
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A new face for the Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

A new face for the Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies’ watch born to accompany every moment of the modern woman’s life

A new face for the Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

A new face for the Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

The manufacture is stepping up the allure of its Twenty~4 collection exclusively for women with a fresh interpretation of the original “manchette” or cuff-style quartz model in steel of 1999. It is launching two new versions adorned with white-gold applied Arabic numerals and white-gold applied trapeze-shaped hour markers. Designed as stylish companions to every facet of an active lifestyle, these Twenty~4 references 4910/1200A- 001 with a blue sunburst dial and 4910/1200A-010 with a gray sunburst dial stand out more than ever as paragons of timeless feminine elegance.

A new face for the Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

A new face for the Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

Since 1839, timepieces for women have always featured prominently in Patek Philippe’s collections – whether as the pocket watches or pendant watches of the nineteenth century or the wristwatches that first emerged in the early twentieth century. Several milestones in the manufacture’s history also relate to watches destined for women, such as the first true wristwatch made in Switzerland, created for a Hungarian countess in 1868, and the Geneva company’s very first striking wristwatch, a five-minute repeater housed in a small platinum case with an integrated chain bracelet in 1916.

A new face for the Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

A new face for the Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

A modern classic

In 1999, Patek Philippe strengthened its privileged links with feminine watch lovers by launching its first collection dedicated exclusively to women. The aim was to meet the demands of the independent active woman who sought a timepiece with an assertive personality able to adapt to her modern lifestyle. A watch of timeless elegance that would complement her fashionable business wear and most elegant evening wear. It would be her ally on every occasion, uniting contemporary design, technical excellence and impeccable craftsmanship.

Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

Conceived, as its name suggested, for every hour of the day and night, at work, at home and during leisure activities, the new Twenty~4 stood out by its original art-deco-inspired “manchette” or cuff design, featuring a cambered rectangular case that followed the contours of a woman’s wrist and a metallic bracelet that felt exceptionally smooth and comfortable.

The first three Twenty~4 models of 1999 (references 4910/10A) were also distinguished by their pairing of steel with diamonds, an association unique at the time, with the precious stones set in two rows highlighting the rectangular shape of the two-tier case. The dials, adorned with the two applied Roman numerals XII and VI and diamond hour-markers, offered a choice of threecolors: “Forever Black”, “Eternal Gray” and “Timeless White”. An elegant modern advertising campaign marked the launch of this new women-only timepiece, with the slogan “Who will you be in the next 24 hours?” shining the spotlight on the watch’s versatility. The creation of the Twenty~4 strengthened women’s perception of Patek Philippe as a brand of direct relevance and appeal to them. It reminded them that the manufacture developed and built not only the most technically innovative and complex timepieces but those most aesthetically striking and refined.

Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

Twenty~4, the Patek Philippe ladies

A great success

Blessed with its strong identity and a design tailor-made to live the lives of modern discerning women, the Twenty~4 quartz “manchette” model was a great success from the start and has established itself in the last two decades as one of the manufacture’s best-sellers. Over the years it has appeared in rose gold and white gold, with other dial colors (brown and blue), in a small format complementing the medium-size models, on satin straps, in dazzling Haute Joaillerie versions (including two endowed with manually wound mechanical movements) and in a yellow-gold model without diamonds on the case. Now seen as epitomizing the classic modern style, the Twenty~4 has represented, for many women, their right of entry into the Patek Philippe universe. It has consolidated the manufacture’s position as a major player in the women’s watch market and paved the way for the expansion of other women’s lines, such as the Calatravas, as well as the complications that are useful in everyday situations (the Annual Calendar, the time-zone watches and the chronographs) and even the grand complications (perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph and minute repeater).

The time of the Twenty~4 Automatic

In 2018, Patek Philippe responded to women’s increasing interest in mechanical watches by launching the Twenty~4 Automatic. While its bracelet retains the same exclusive design, with the broad, gently cambered central links framed by delicate two-tier outer links, this Reference 7300, endowed with a caliber 324 S C self-winding movement, stands out from the quartz-driven “manchette” model by its round case, its bezel lit with a double row of diamonds in a “dentelle” (lacework) setting, and the applied Arabic numerals on the dial, these last providing a distinctly contemporary note. This model is available in steel and in rose gold, with a choice of dial colors, and in a jewelry version with gem-set crown, lugs and bracelet. Patek Philippe also produces an Haute Joaillerie model in rose gold, paved throughout with diamonds, showcasing the “random” or “snow” setting. The launch of this new incarnation of timeless feminine elegance was accompanied by an advertising campaign that excited widespread interest. It gave center stage to a “Twenty~4 woman”: independent, sure of her taste and making her own way in the world.

New Twenty~4 references 4910/1200A-001 & 4910/1200A-010

Patek Philippe is continuing the renewal of its Twenty~4 collection by reinterpreting the original model, the medium-size (25.1 x 30 mm) quartz “manchette” watch in steel. It is issuing two new versions in which the Roman numerals give way to the white-gold applied Arabic numerals 12 and 6 and the diamond hour markers are replaced by applied trapeze-shaped hour markers, also in white gold. This new face constitutes the first major change to the Twenty~4 of 1999 – and an aesthetic evolution in step with the design of the Twenty~4 Automatic. The two new references feature a dial decorated with a blue sunburst (4910/1200A-001) or with a gray sunburst enriched by a gradation to black at the periphery (4910/1200A-010). Their white-gold applied numerals and hour markers and white-gold baton-style hands all have a luminous coating ensuring excellent legibility in the dark. The fine grooved rays of the sunburst emanating from the center of the dial play with the light, lending a refined but dynamic touch.

The distinctive shape of the two-tier rectangular case is underlined by two rows of 18 Top Wesselton Pure diamonds (approx. 0.42 ct) set with textbook precision. A Calatrava Cross, emblem of the Patek Philippe manufacture, embellishes the crown. The supple, comfortable bracelet, fitted with a fold-over clasp, is a jewel in its own right. Each component is manually finished and fully polished. The Patek Philippe caliber E15 quartz movement is made with the same devotion to fine workmanship as the manufacture’s mechanical movements. The new references 4910/1200A-001 and 4910/1200A-010 with Arabic numerals replace the previous references 4910/10A-001, 4910/10A-010, 4910/10A-011 and 4910/10A-012 with Roman numerals.

“Rituals of my Life”

The launch of these two new Twenty~4 models is accompanied by a digital communication campaign addressing modern women sure of their taste, with an affinity for beauty and fine design. They are independent women, living life to the full, with a range of interests. Patek Philippe chose as central theme “Rituals of my Life”: the precious personal moments that punctuate the modern woman’s life – such as the finishing touches before an evening out; a pause for a moment’s serenity at sunrise; or the luxury of taking time for herself by reading a book or performing the movements that bring her physical and mental wellbeing. Essential, intimate moments that are part of a woman’s life today and that some choose to feature as scenes to be shared with friends on the social media. The slogan “Begin your own tradition” underlines the link with the famous Patek Philippe “Generations” campaign by inviting the Twenty~4 woman to begin a long-term relationship with a brand that shares her values. The images and videos work together with a film describing the creative philosophy behind the Twenty~4 collection: a model of timeless design that has become a modern classic and the gold standard for the “manchette” watch. All of which is set to strengthen Patek Philippe’s increasing success in the ladies’ watch segment and in the hearts of women for whom style and beauty must pass the test of time.

For more information about the new Twenty~4, please visit:
https://www.patek.com/en/company/news/introducing-the-new-twenty4

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RICHARD MILLE – RM 27-04 TOURBILLON RAFAEL NADAL

RICHARD MILLE – RM 27-04 TOURBILLON RAFAEL NADAL

CELEBRATING A 10-YEAR PARTNERSHIP

Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours and minutes
• Calibre can resist accelerations of over 12,000 g’s, a record for Richard Mille
• Case produced in a brand new material exclusive to the watchmaking brand: TitaCarb®
• Limited edition of 50 watches

Two men, each with a dream. A dream of pushing back the boundaries of time, or those of performance. One of them on clay, keeping his eyes on the ball; the other with his face turned to time itself. Yet both combine technique, harmony and accuracy while resisting the hard knocks, and inevitable shocks of sporting life.

For Rafael Nadal, ‘unstoppable’ is the word that best expresses the spirit of Richard Mille and his teams. Achieving the impossible. This has been the brand’s credo for the past decade in designing the unique pieces worn by the Spaniard on the world’s tennis courts. And the latest product of their partnership, the RM 27-04, is no exception to this golden rule.

The RM 27-04 balances a lightweight design–at 30 grams including the strap–with tremendous resistance. Its tourbillon calibre, which is suspended within the case, can resist accelerations of more than 12,000 g’s, a record for Richard Mille. The movement is entirely supported by a micro-blasted mesh just 855 square millimetres in surface, comprised of a single cable in braided steel measuring 0.27mm in diameter, and held in place by two tensioners in PVD-treated 5N gold. This construction is unprecedented in the world of watchmaking.

Inspired by the same principle as the strings of a tennis racquet, the watchmaker anchors the steel cable to a tensioner positioned at 5 o’clock and then begins to create the mesh, tying each of the main strings before adding the cross strings. Weaving above and below the main strings, the cable passes 38 times through the hollow bezel in grade 5 titanium before finishing in a tensioner positioned at 10 o’clock. The movement is positioned diagonally, connected to the mesh by five grade 5 polished titanium hooks with 5N gold PVD coating that extend from the back of the baseplate.

However, the singularities of the RM 27-04 do not end with its mesh. The case, with its sandblasted and polished surfaces, is also innovative in its use of an exclusive material, TitaCarb®. This highperformance polyamide has been strengthened with a 38.5% carbon fibre content.

This addition of carbon gives TitaCarb® exceptional tensile strength—370 MPa (3,700 kg/cm2)—making it one of the most resistant polymers in the world.

This new model fits in perfectly with the previous watch collections created for the Spanish champion. It is unique in more ways than one, as it also marks the 10th anniversary of the partnership between

Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille. Initially a purely professional rapport, the collaboration between the 12-time French Open winner and the founder of the brand that bears his name has since turned into a solid friendship. A ‘ very special’ relationship, according to the Majorcan, this friendship grows constantly from their mutual trust and admiration for their respective careers.

The RM 27-04 is the new ally on court for ‘ Rafa’, whose shortened version of his name is engraved on the case band. This watch, a limited edition of 50 pieces, will accompany Rafael Nadal in his quest for new trophies.

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