Revolution_International_Vol 55

CELEBRATING THE MACHINE WITH A HEARTBEAT

INTERNATIONAL VOL. 55

GRAND SEIKO — TŌGÈ SPECIAL EDITION

USA ISSUE 02 SUMMER 2020

Grand Seiko

Tõgè Special Edition

A Force of Nature

THE SOUND AND

VISION OF JAEGER-

LECOULTRE

SCIENCE AND

SHARKS WITH

ULYSSE NARDIN

AGUIDETO

PATEK PHILIPPE

CHRONOGRAPHS

JEAN-CLAUDE

BIVER: A WAKE UP

CALL TO HUMANITY

SUMMER 2020 $14.95US

USA 02

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64

GRAND SEIKO:

eection an

reneal or an

ecetional ear

COVER STORY

SPLIT SECONDS

14 Spotlight – Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique

16 New debuts from Omega, IWC, and more

26 Sapphire crystal, loud and clear

28 Classic femininity gets a new look

30 Military watches pour homme at home

36 Tokyo nights, Miami Vice, His Airness

46 Connecting during the time of COVID-19

THE FEATURES

64 Introducing the Grand Seiko Tōgè Special Edition

72 A Grand Seiko love aair

84 Gratitude for Rolex, Panerai, Breguet, Blancpain, and more

94 Bjarke Ingels Group dazzling architecture for Audemars Piguet

100 Catherine Renier’s sound vision for Jaeger-LeCoultre

106 Zenith invents a cure for DJ Carl Cox’s Cabin Fever

112 Celebrating science and sharks with Ulysse Nardin

COLLECTION

Fifty Fathoms

©Photograph: Laurent Ballesta/Gombessa Project

RAISE AWARENESS,

TRANSMIT OUR PASSION,

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STOP START

RESET

120

PATEK PHILIPPE

A GUIDE TO THE GREATEST VINTAGE

CHRONOGRAPHS OF ALL TIME

COLLECTING

146 A history of early Roger Dubuis

158 A strong case for the Mido Multi-Centerchrono

164 A technical look into Remontoir D’Egalité

178 Introducing The Rake & Revolution

Hanhart limited edition bronze 417 Chronograph

184 H.Moser & MB&F stronger together

FOUNDER’S NOTE

he issue of Revolution you are holding in your

hands is an important one for me. First, it

demonstrates our determination to continue

to publish the print edition of our magaine

even as we’ve significantly grown our content

creation online, on social media and, yes, using the

oom platform, which I’m pretty sure now has all of

our conversations stored forever on their cloud to be

sold to foreign governments for data mining. I oke, of

course. Why was this so important Because my time

during lockdown, self-isolation, quarantine, shelter

at home or whatever you want to call it, has reaffirmed

one thing to me. eading something on paper is a

damnably welcome reprieve from the constant daily

assault of etix, Amaon Prime, Instagram and

TikTok. And, please, for all of you above the age of

0, please stop TikTok dancing, it’s ust not a medium

created for you. nless you are essica Alba or Lo.

In which case, by all means, please proceed. Indeed,

the very act of reading seems to be a welcome stimulus

to the brain, while simply sitting on the couch and

gorging on the over-abundant digital information

overload sometimes gives you a sense of malaise that is

the intellectual equivalent of eating too much fast food.

In contrast, I’ve found that a great physical tome in my

hands provides a moment of almost serene tranquility,

compelling the emaciated gray matter between my ears

to switch gears once again from a dormant state and

into reverse entropy.

Second, I’ve had the time to completely overhaul

our editorial focus with one simple rule. Whether

the subect is on new releases, vintage watches or

personalities from the watch industry, any story that

appears in Revolution hastobethebestandmost

comprehensive of its kind. And I don’t ust mean

stories generated by us. When I read A Collected Man’s

story on first-generation oger ubuis Hommage

Chronographs and learned from it that the watch was

made in three sies with three dial variations for the

mm watch, five dial variations for the mm watch

and 1 dial variations for the 0mm watch, I instantly

realied that this was the definitive story on the subect.

So with Silas Walton’s permission, we have reprinted

this story but importantly also sought out images

throughout the watch community from collectors

such as Tom Chng, avid Lim and Michael Tay, and

even reached out to our buddies at Fratello Watches,to

assemble a great array that together provides a neverbefore-seen

comprehensive guide to this reference.

At the same time, I wanted to challenge myself and our

team to create similarly comprehensive work and — in

collaboration with my friend Auro Montanari — I’ve

put together what is a pretty complete look at Patek

Philippe’s vintage chronographs. Our story covers

all the watches that were made in series though there

are, of course, some unique watches here and there

that will make a great follow-up. Further, I wanted to

create a sophisticated sense of thematic synergy across

our maor stories. Why have the story on the oger

ubuis Hommage Chronographs in the same issue

as the vintage Patek Philippe Chronographs story

Because these watches were clearly inspired by the

Patek references 10 and 1. Because we don’t want

to ust provide you with an understanding of one watch

but about how that watch like the “Tasti Tondi” has

profoundly inuenced watchmaking a full half century

after it was created. oss Povey wanted to write about a

certain Mido watch because that chronograph features

a case almost identical to that of the Tasti Tondi

manufactured by the same casemaker.

But even while unveiling cool, obscure historic

watches, we wanted to talk about the latest releases

from the brands, in particular acheron Constatin’s

Overseas Perpetual Calendar ltra-Thin Skeleton,

because we consider this, hands down, one of the very

best watches on the modern horological landscape.

Similarly, we were blown away by Cartier’s latest

offerings, in particular the limited-edition Santos-

umont watches named after the famous Brailian

aviator’s aircraft. At the same time, we felt it important

to interview the legend of the watch industry that

is ean-Claude Biver about what he feels we need

to do to save both the luxury watch industry and

humanity as whole. Finally, we’re not stopping with

our e-commerce limited-edition watches and we are

pleased to unveil our brone Hanhart 1, a watch

inspired by the timepiece Steve Mcueen was most

frequently photographed wearing and that he strapped

to his wrist when he represented America at the 1

IST motorcycle trials competition. This watch will

be released in uly in a 150-piece edition. It comes

with a Bund strap like the one the “ing of Cool” used

and has a retail price of 1,00 S dollars, which to me

represents a strong value proposition.

Wei Koh, Founder

wei_koh_revolution

HOME OF FINE WATCHMAKING SINCE 1833

Polaris Date.

Manufacture movement 899A/1.

EDITOR’S

NOTE

or an editor’s introduction letter, it’s

customary to write on topics like change

and evolution. But since we find ourselves

in a world unraveling, it seems like a perfect

time to stop, start, and reset.

A bit of backstory I’ve been a watch

industry devotee for more than 0 years. When the

opportunity arrived to work with the best at Revolution, I took

it. My ourney started as a unior editor at American Vogue,

then I became the founding fashion director of Men’s Vogue.

Later, I served as contributing editor for Town & Country and

Esquire. I’ve edited Watch Journal for the past two years. ow,

with change in the air, I’m thrilled to oin Revolution.

Over the past month alone, social distancing measures

have expanded. Many cities in America remain on lockdown.

Most travel has ground to a standstill. Within the watch

world, we’ve witnessed the entire industry shift its sales

and marketing online. Showrooms and retail stores have

(temporarily) closed their doors, while industry trade shows

have adapted or even disappeared. et, as I write this,

businesses across the .S. are slowly reopening, and I’m

finding many reasons to be grateful.

While preparing this first issue, the theme of gratitude

kept appearing. rand Seiko’s deep appreciation for

nature plays a substantial role within the company, from

the architecture of their new manufacturer in Shiukuishi,

apan, down to the colors and textures of their dials. Our

cover watch, the Tg Special Edition, draws inspiration

(and its namesake) from the winding roads near apan’s

Mt. Iwate. The Tg’s British acing reen dial honors its

English roots the piece was conceived as a collaboration

with London retailer Watches of Switerland. It’s an

inspired piece.

Even with the Basel and eneva shows canceled this

year, positive industry news continues to arrive. ew

watches debuted via live feed from rand Seiko, Breitling,

and others. Watches & Wonders launched an ingenious

website. So far, 00 has revealed innovations in both

design and technology. ou’ll discover the best of them on

the following pages.

In this issue, we learn that many of our favorite

manufacturers have been supporting environmental

charities for decades. Working tirelessly to improve our

quality of life, these brands and their ambassadors have kept

a watchful eye on our ever-precious planet. ou’ll discover

what many of these ambassadors are up to (along with the

fantastic watches they wear). I, for one, am eternally grateful

for the work they do.

Still suffering from cabin fever Carl Cox helps us

cope. He’s streaming live shows from home, wrist adorned

by a new enith watch collaboration. Personal wellness

is also top of mind this month, from essential self-care to

work-from-home dress codes and of course, the coolest

watches to wear with your new workwear.

I’m grateful for continued health, my friends and family,

and a fabulous new ob. I’ve only left home a few times

over the last month, shopping for necessities like gas and

groceries. ow, with stores reopening, I can’t wait to get

back out there, armed with a new phrase I learned from this

issue. It’s called “revenge spending.” Care to oin me

Stephen Watson, Editor-in-Chief

stephen@revolutionmagazines.com

Rado x Revolution

Captain Cook Automatic 42mm

“Ghost Captain”

42mm stainless steel case

A diving tool watch designed for the modern urbanite

Powered by C07.611 movement; 80-hour power reserve

Limited Edition of 999 pieces

Retail Price: USD 2,400

Available on

SHOP.REVOLUTION.WATCH

For enquiries, please email: shop@revolutionmagazines.com

FOUNDER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Wei Koh @wei_koh_revolution

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Stephen Watson stephen@revolutionmagazines.com

GLOBAL CONTENT COORDINATOR

Stephanie Ip stephanie@revolutionmagazines.com

EDITOR, REVOLUTION ONLINE

Sumit Nag sumit@revolutionmagazines.com

HEAD, SPECIAL PROJECTS & MANAGING EDITOR, ONLINE

Kevin Cureau kevin@revolutionmagazines.com

EDITOR, REVOLUTION E-COMMERCE

Yeo Suan Futt suanfutt@revolutionmagazines.com

SUB-EDITORS

Catherine Koh & Eileen Sim

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Yong Wei Jian weijian@revolutionmagazines.com

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Punam Nikki Rai nikki@revolutionmagazines.com

ASIA Wei Koh

AUSTRALIA Felix Scholz

CHINA Taitan Chen

HONG KONG Stephanie Ip

ITALY Maurizio Favot

MEXICO Israel Ortega

LATIN AMERICA Israel Ortega

RUSSIA DenisPeshkov

UAE JolaChudy

UK Richard Holt

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Darius Lee darius@revolutionmagazines.com

PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE

Munster munster@revolutionmagazines.com

DIGITAL IMAGING ARTIST

KH Koh

JR. PHOTOGRAPHER & DIGITAL ARTIST

Toh Si Jia

VIDEOGRAPHER

Don Torres

Grand Seiko

Grand Seiko x Watches of Switzerland Group Toge Special

Edition SBGM241

in stainless steel with a GMT function and a

British Racing Green Mount Iwate dial.

Photography Atom Moore

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Adam Craniotes

Ross Povey

CONTRIBUTORS

Adrian Hailwood

Andrew Hildreth

Alan Seymour

Alex Ghotbi

Arno Haslinger

Atom Moore

Auro Montanari

Darren Ho

David Lim

Helmut Crott

James Dowling

Jason Singer

Jean-Claude Biver

Je Stein

Michael Tay

Mikael Wallhagen

Mike Horn

Nick Foulkes

Nick Gould

Nick Scott

Orland Punzalan

Rikesh Chauhan

Robert Homann

Silas Walton

Simon Alexander

Simon De Burton

Su Jiaxian

Tom Chng

Tom Craig

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Walter Tommasino walter@revolutionmagazines.com

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Maria Lim maria@revolutionmagazines.com

SENIOR PUBLISHER

Nathalie Naintre nathalie@revolutionmagazines.com

LEAD, OPERATIONS

Shazlina Shukor lina@revolutionmagazines.com

INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC COORDINATOR

Christina Koh christina@revolutionmagazines.com

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER

Royce Siew royce@revolutionmagazines.com

FINANCE MANAGER

Jay Wong jaywong@revolutionmagazines.com

ACCOUNTANT

Sandy Tan finance@revolutionmagazines.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Low Sze Wei szewei@revolutionmagazines.com

REVHLUTION is published quarterly by

Revolution Media Pte Ltd.

All rights reserved. © 2019 by Revolution Media

Pte Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without

permission is prohibited.

Opinions expressed in REVHLUTION are solely

those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed

by the publisher and its editors.

Editorial enquiries should be directed to the Editor.

While every reasonable care will be undertaken by

the Editor, unsolicited materials will not be returned

unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope

and sucient return postage.

For other enquiries, contact:

info@revolutionmagazines.com

For circulation and distribution, contact:

circulation@revolutionmagazines.com

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THE MODERN VOICE OF CLASSIC ELEGANCE

Read, Shop, Subscribe.

TheRake.com

Parlez Vous Cartier?

For a year like none other, the off-kilter Cartier Privé Asymétrique is the ideal wristwatch.

Words Charles ????? ????

Simply saying, Cartier conures visions of

rarefied beauty and a notion of indescribable

Parisian elegance. The legendary eweler

embodies a remarkable history, catering to royalty,

celebrities, socialites, and the global afuent for

nearly two centuries.

Pierre ainero, image and heritage director for

Cartier, describes this magic, “The Cartier style is a

living language . . . an aesthetic vocabulary. But also

Part of the 2020

introductions into

the Cartier Privé

collection, the

yellow gold Tank

Asymetrique.

a grammar, like a writer’s style. In effect, it’s a sort of

sense . . . of proportion, lines, volumes. In ewelry, it’s

also a sense of association of colors. For the Cartier

Tank, it’s the way we stick to that idea of elegance, and

how the watch will accompany the different gestures of

our clients.”

Cartier’s early years are deeply associated with Art

eco creativity — mystery clocks, Tutti-Frutti multicolor

ewelry, and the highly stylied wristwatches still

14 SPOTLIGHT

found in the collection today. Of all these remarkable

achievements, none are more famous than Cartier’s

Tank. The Tank wristwatch, introduced in 11,

acquired its name from the enault light tanks used

by the French during the First World War. Cartier’s

Tank borrowed its rectangular silhouette from those

armored leviathans, mimicking their shape as seen

from above.

“The main reason Cartier’s Tank

remains a classic is the purity of

shape. There’s nothing purer in terms

of the definition of a wristwatch.

It’s only two parallel lines to link the

two parts of a strap,” says ainero.

“For me, it’s the most elegant

watch because of that pure shape. I

remember before oining Cartier .

. . I didn’t know so much about the

company, but I knew about the Tank.

And the Tank made me dream.”

The Tank’s iconic rectangular

shape has evolved, inspiring various

adaptations. For 00, the maison

looked to the year 1, to highlight

the legendary Tank Asymétrique

within the esteemed Cartier Privé

collection. Launched in 015, Privé

rereleases legendary watches in highly limited and

numbered series. The famous Crash came first,

followed by the narrow Tank Cintrée, and then the

curvaceous, barrel-shaped Tonneau.

A HISTORIC WATCH WITH UNIQUE AESTHETIC

The original Asymétrique was born an unconventional

wristwatch, proposed during a time upended by

the reat epression, the rise of Hitler, and the

abdication of ing Edward III. Perhaps it’s symmetry

then, that the Asymétrique should reappear during an

unpredictable 00.

The dial of the Asymétrique is shifted 0 degrees

to the right (hence its namesake), with 1 o’clock

The 9623 MC

skeletonized

movement

represents

technology in

service of design, a

specially designed

caliber for this

asymmetric watch.

indicated at the dial’s upper top right, transforming

the Tank’s ordinarily rectangular case into an elegant

oblique diamond. Arabic numerals replace the typical

oman numerals, with stylied indexes enhancing the

Asymétrique’s Art eco glamor. A made-to-measure

strap is not only required but necessary to fit the

unique case shape.

Six combinations of the

Asymétrique are available, including

a platinum case with platinum dial,

pink-gold case with gray dial, and a

yellow-gold case with pale beige dial.

Three skeletonied versions of the

watch emphasie its diagonal shape

even further, available in platinum

set with diamonds or platinum and

pink-gold versions. All six in the

collection feature the Cartier Tank’s

trademark gem-set crown, complete

with brilliant-cut diamonds or ruby

and sapphire cabochons.

The Tank Asymétrique soliddial

model houses the .mm-thick

manual-wind 11 MC movement,

while the skeletonied version uses

the .mm-thick manual-wind

MC movement. In keeping with the

scarcity of production from its early years, only 100

pieces of each style will be produced.

The reincarnated Tank Asymétrique reminds

one of Cartier’s deep history and the well of design

inspiration from which the company can draw. But

also that the language of Cartier, while solid, is everevolving.

“ou learn when you come here to Cartier, like

learning a foreign language. But then, once you know

how to speak it, you don’t go back to the books,”

ainero says. “ou’re free to create with that new

language, and that’s what we ask of our designers. To

master the Cartier language, but also to play with it and

to enrich it.”

CARTIER

PRIVÉ TANK ASYMÉTRIQUE

MOVEMENT Manual-winding 1917 MC movement; hours

and minutes; 38-hour power reserve

CASE 47.15mm (L) × 26.2mm (W) × 6.38mm (H); platinum,

18K pink or yellow gold; water-resistant to 30m

STRAP Alligator leather

PRICE Approx. USD 26,400–USD 30,100

CARTIER

PRIVÉ TANK ASYMÉTRIQUE SKELETON

MOVEMENT Manual-winding 9623 MC movement; hours

and minutes; 48-hour power reserve

CASE 47.15mm (L) × 26.2mm (W) × 7.82mm (H); 18K

pink gold or platinum (with or without diamonds); waterresistant

to 30m

STRAP Alligator leather

PRICE Approx. USD 62,000–USD 98,000

Each watch is limited to 100 pieces.

SPOTLIGHT 15

SAILING

INTO 2021

Omega partners Emirates Team New

Zealand and the America’s Cup for 2021,

with a new limited edition model for the

upcoming 36th America’s Cup.

WORDS DARREN HO

id-year is nearly past us and one of the world’s most

prestigious sailing championships is well on its starting

run. That’s the America’s Cup, which dates back to

151, and the th edition will be held in March 01, for its

10th anniversary. But the World Series competition is already

underway, and this particular edition is thrilling because of a

new boat format, the AC5 hydrofoil monohull, and new rules.

The defending champion is Emirates Team ew ealand,

which, if you don’t recall, took out previous defending champion

Oracle Team SA with a -1 win. And Team ew ealand’s

timing partner, Omega, will be serving as the event’s official

timekeeper as well. The brand isn’t new to the sporting event,

having collaborated with Team ew ealand in 15 and 01,

when they took the Cup.

With this historic event, the brand is introducing a limited

edition watch at the start of the World Series, a ,01 piece

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 00M th America’s Cup

Limited Edition. The specially designed watch bears a special

beel design with a 10-minute count indication for yacht races.

It also bears the colors of the Cup, with red and white liquid

ceramic for the countdown on the beel on the blue ceramic

beel, as well as a white polished ceramic dial with a blue and red

structured rubber strap.

Top Emirates Team New

Zealand, defending champions

of the 2017 America’s Cup,

supported by Omega as

their timing partner.

16 SPLIT SECONDS

Above The 2,021 piece limited edition Omega Seamaster

Planet Ocean 600M 36th America’s Cup LE, with a unique

countdown bezel design for the regatta; The caseback of the

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M 36th America’s Cup

LE shows o the Master Chronometer certified caliber 8900

with the America’s Cup logo printed on the sapphire crystal.

Right CEO of

Omega, Raynald

Aeschlimann

poses with CEO

of Emirates Team

New Zealand,

Grant Dalton with

the America’s

Cup trophy.

OMEGA

SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN 600M 36TH AMERICA’S CUP

LIMITED EDITION

MOVEMENT Self-winding Master Chronometer calibre 8900;

hours, minutes and seconds; date; Co-Axial escapement; 60-

hour power reservew

CASE 43.5mm in stainless steel case; ceramic bezel and dial;

limited to 2,021 pieces; water resistant to 600m

STRAP Structured rubber strap

PRICE CHF 6,500

The watch is powered by Omega’s Master Chronometer

certified caliber 00, which was the first Omega movement

to achieve the METAS certification in 015. The movement has

a Co-Axial escapement with free-sprung balance and silicon

balance spring, double barrels that run in series for 0 hours and

a very elegant arabesque-style eneva waves decoration on the

movement, which in this edition aptly reminds one of the ocean.

The movement is visible through the sapphire caseback,

which also bears the America’s Cup logo. Further details of the

association are on the counterweight of the seconds hand and the

Team ew ealand team name on the dial. The lively blue outlines

on the hour markers and hands, and red rubber lining around

the strap and at the quarter hours, really evoke the energy of the

championship, which is something the world is surely looking

forward to — the spray of the sea, a dose of fresh air and the sun

after months of being shuttered away in our homes.

CEO of the efender Emirates Team ew ealand, rant

alton, said, “We’ve worked with Omega for many years now

and we truly respect their high standards of excellence. We know

they’ll bring a lot of experience to the event.”

“Our goal is to have the very best people for every part of the

th America’s Cup presented by Prada. The choice of Omega

was obvious. They not only have a distinguished history as the

Official Timekeeper of the Olympic ames, but they have also

established themselves as the leader of timekeeping on the

water.”

SPLIT SECONDS 17

A TIMELY RETURN

IWC’s 2020 focus collection, the Portugieser, is

poetically apt for the time in which the watch was

born, as well as the present.

WORDS SUMIT NAG

PORTUGIESER AUTOMATIC 40

he 10s were turbulent times for the world at large.

Aside from the economic instability, politically too there

was great unrest. The watch industry in this timeframe,

was no less spared. The response by the International Watch

Company (IWC) at the time was to push the envelope, and to be

innovative and ambitious.

A proposition was made by two wholesalers from Lisbon for

a watch for their market. They wanted a wristwatch with all of the

functions of a marine chronometer. IWC took this as a propulsion

to innovate, and this resulted in the creation of the family of

watches we now know as the Portugieser collection.

iven the current state of the world in 00, it’s oddly poetic

that IWC — by sheer coincidence — had decided earlier that their

focus collection for 00 would be the Portugieser.

The common denominator for the 00 Portugieser

collection is that all of the watches are now powered by IWC’s

own movements — that is to say, a fair number of familiar faces in

the collection have gotten a refresh. Here, we’ll focus on the two

watches that seem to have gotten the most amount of attention

from the collecting community.

First, the Portugieser Automatic 0 this is a simple threehander

that can be considered quite the direct descendent of

the original watch — at the time it neither had a name nor a

reference number, but would later become known as the iconic

Portugieser ref. 5. The funny thing is, as the earliest ref. 5

were powered by pocketwatch chronometer movements, these

came in at 1.5mm, whereas the 00 Portugieser Automatic 0

is a markedly compact watch at 0.mm.

The watch is powered by the IWC-manufactured 00

caliber and will be available in four dial executions across stainless

steel and 5-gold cases.

Caseback of

the Portugieser

Automatic 7 Days

Portugieser

Automatic 7 Days

Boutique Edition

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN

PORTUGIESER AUTOMATIC 40

MOVEMENT Self-winding IWC manufacture caliber 82200

with Pellaton automatic winding system; hours, minutes

and small hacking seconds; 60-hour power reserve

CASES, DIALS & STRAPS 40.4mm; water-resistant to 30m

• Ref. IW358303: Stainless-steel case, silver-plated dial,

gold-plated hands and appliques, black alligator strap

• Ref. IW358304: Stainless-steel case, silver-plated dial,

blue hands and appliques, blue alligator strap

• Ref. IW358305: Stainless-steel case, blue dial, rhodiumplated

hands and appliques, black alligator strap

• Ref. IW358306: 18K 5N gold case, silver-plated dial,

gold-plated hands, 18K gold appliques, brown alligator

strap by Santoni

PRICE Starts at CHF 7,500

18 SPLIT SECONDS

PORTUGIESER PERPETUAL CALENDAR 42

he Portugieser Perpetual Calendar is a completely new

addition to the family. The watch features a traditional

three-subdial layout with date at three o’clock integrated

month and moonphases at six o’clock and integrated day and

leap-year indicator at nine o’clock. ou could call it a very

classic perpetual-calendar style. This complication is made

possible by the freshly minted IWC manufacture caliber 50,

which required IWC to integrate the perpetual-calendar

complication into a movement from the 000 family of

calibers, for the very first time. Amaingly, the moonphase

indicator remains accurate to the moon’s actual orbit for

5.5 years before it deviates by one day, and all of the watch’s

functions are adustable directly using its crown — much like

the incredible perpetual-calendar mechanism that urt laus

engineered for IWC.

The Portugieser Perpetual Calendar will be available in

stainless steel and 1 5 gold variations, with the silver-plated

dial available across both variants and the blue dial exclusive to the

1 5 gold model.

Portugieser

Perpetual

Calendar

42 back

Portugieser

Perpetual

Calendar

42 back

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN

PORTUGIESER PERPETUAL CALENDAR 42

MOVEMENT Self-winding IWC manufacture caliber

82650 with Pellaton automatic winding system;

hours, minutes and hacking seconds; perpetual

calendarwithdate,day,month,leapyearand

perpetual moonphase; 60-hour power reserve

CASES, DIALS & STRAPS 42.4mm; water-resistant

to 30m

• Ref. IW344203: Stainless-steel case, silverplated

dial, gold-plated hands and appliques,

black alligator strap by Santoni

• Ref. IW344202: 18K 5N gold case, silver-plated

dial, gold-plated hands, 18K gold appliques,

brown alligator strap by Santoni

• Ref. IW344205 Boutique Edition: 18K 5N gold

case, blue dial, gold-plated hands, 18K gold

appliques, blue calf-leather strap

PRICE Starts at CHF 23,000

SPLIT SECONDS 19

PERPETUAL WONDER

Vacheron Constantin’s 222 was one of the first watches that gave

birth to the sports chic genre in the 1970s. This year, the brand adds

another member to its family — a pink-gold Overseas Perpetual

Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton — that leaves us mindblown.

WORDS WEI KOH

20 SPLITS SECONDS

, what’s the coolest, newest release of 00

Hands down it is the acheron Constantin Overseas

Perpetual Calendar ltra-Thin Skeleton. And,

because I’ve been limited to 00 words for this introductory

article, I shall henceforth replace that exceedingly long name

with the simple sobriquet, “Baby.” Why is Baby so cool Well,

she’s cool on many different levels. First, let’s talk about

movement. Baby’s predecessor, the , was launched in 1

to do battle in the integrated bracelet, sports chic arena, with

Audemars Piguet’s 50ST oyal Oak that kicked things off

in 1 and Patek Philippe’s autilus 001A introduced

in 1 (understanding something about new-model lead

time, it is clear the was developed in parallel with the

autilus). Like the other two watches, the exuded a strong

and appealing dynamic tension between a muscular presence

on the wrist, asserted by its distinct rg Hysek-designed,

barrel-shaped case and notched beel, and its lithe, svelte

profile. Its thinness was thanks to the use of the .5mm-thick

caliber 111, which is the same base as the aeger-LeCoultredesigned

caliber 0 that powered both the Patek and the AP,

featuring a distinct recessed rotor that rode on a metal frame

and ruby rollers. In ’, when the ino Modolo-designed

Overseas replaced the , a irard-Perregaux-based 110

movement replaced the 111 resulting in a thicker watch. For

watch lovers, however, the original caliber 111 has a special

place in our hearts as one of the most legendary movements of

all time.

Thankfully, the caliber 110 and the Overseas model were

reunited in 01 with the unveiling of a new update, which

beautifully reintroduced the dynamic tension between bold,

sculptural aesthetics counterpointed by a deliciously slim profile

in the Overseas ltra-Thin as well as the wonderful Overseas

Perpetual Calendar ltra-Thin, both using this amaing

movement. Why place a perpetual calendar in an integrated

bracelet sports watch Because when done well it is very cool, as

evidenced by Audemars Piguet’s oyal Oak Perpetual Calendar,

which since introduction in 1 has been one of the brand’s

biggest hits. Indeed, it took until 01 for Patek to respond with

the reference 50 autilus Perpetual Calendar, which means

the acheron preceded it by two years. ow when comparing it

to these two other iconic watches, what immediately becomes

apparent is that the acheron definitely holds its own. It is that

great-looking. Am I going to say it’s better than the other two

I can’t. But do I prefer it Well, actually, yes, particularly in the

rose-gold and blue-dial version on rubber strap released in

01. First, because I think it is more wearable on a daily basis

than a full bracelet watch, and second, because at S ,000,

it is the most accessible-priced of any of these watches. Also, if

you’re a technical watchmaking geek like me, then geek out to the

following. The Audemars Piguet ref. 5 is .5mm thick. The

Patek 50 is .mm thick. But the acheron is a mere .1mm

thick. In fact until AP came up with the experimental , the

Overseas Perpetual Calendar ltra-Thin, the acheron was the

thinnest perpetual calendar sports watch in history.

The front of the

Caliber 1120 QPSQ

with the moonphase

indication at six o’clock.

The back of the

Caliber 1120 QPSQ with

the openworked rotor

with the Maltese cross.

SPLIT SECONDS 21

A STUNNING TRANSFIGURATION

Based purely on its own merit, the white-gold, gray-dial

Overseas Perpetual Calendar from 01 was awesome-looking

with amaing feeling on the wrist. The design was pared back,

restrained, essential and harmonious to the extreme. The beel

was still aggressive but somehow more elegant. Indeed, the

overall style of the watch was reminiscent of the ’s playboy

élan without overtly repeating any of the vintage watch’s design.

I also liked how the leap-year and month indicator at 1 o’clock

on the dial was totally unique. The first watches with leap-year

indicators depicted a full -month cycle. The first wristwatch

with this feature, the AP 551 from 155, similarly did the same.

However, the brilliance in C’s design is that while you have a

-month cycle, it is abbreviated, omitting every two months and

replacing them with indexes that are read off a second hand (that

also indicates leap year) co-axially mounted on this subdial. This

is acheron at its best. Making a witty clin d’il at the past but

intelligently moderniing this detail for the present.

The Overseas Perpetual Calendar model became even more

appealing when a rose-gold, silver-dial version was added in

01 (on a leather strap) and then fully ravishing in 01 when

it appeared with the same rose-gold case on a full gold bracelet

Above

The watch comes with a

quick-release system so

you can easily swap your

full gold bracelet for a

rubber or leather strap.

option or rubber strap, and that amaing, stunning blue dial.

Suddenly for me, the watch came into its own. In the way ennifer

rey’s character in irty ancing transforms. Which means

it became genuinely, stunningly, irrefutably sexy. And for the

first time, if given the choice, I would prefer to purchase the

Overseas over its more entrenched competition. But then 00

rolled around and acheron Constantin dropped “Baby” —

the Overseas Perpetual Calendar ltra-Thin Skeleton — and

dude, minds were accordingly blown. I get that acheron didn’t

invent the skeleton or openworked automatic perpetual calendar

wristwatch that happened in the mid ’0s with the AP ref. 5.

But who cares Look at it It is simply and insanely gorgeous,

revealing the near-mythical levels of hand-finish to acheron’s

caliber 110 PS. Flip over it and revel in the hallucinatory

perfection of the hand-skeletonied movement, especially the

balance cock with its handmade sharp internal angles and its

free-sprung yromax balance wheel, and feel the transcendence

of this watch. Lastly, it also has a quick-release system so you

can interchange the full gold bracelet with a rubber or leather

strap. on’t believe that it could eclipse its competition in its total

hotness o try it on and udge for yourself. Because, nobody puts

Baby in a corner.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN

OVERSEAS PERPETUAL CALENDAR ULTRA-THIN SKELETON

MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 1120 QPSQ; hours and minutes;

perpetual calendar with 48-month leap-year indicator and

moonphase display; 40-hour power reserve

CASE 41.5mm; 18K 5N pink gold; water-resistant to 50m

STRAP Blue Mississippiensis alligator leather, blue rubber and

pink-gold bracelet

PRICE USD 115,000

22 SPLIT SECONDS

Piaget produced the prototype in 2018. Now

two years later, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate

Concept is finally a production series.

WORDS STEPHANIE IP

PHOTOGRAPHY PIAGET

iaget debuted its first extra-thin movement, the P,

in 15 and went on to hold the world record of the

thinnest mechanical watch in 01 with the launch

of the Altiplano 00P that was ust .5mm thick. And

so, when Piaget gave us a glimpse of the prototype of the

Altiplano ltimate Concept in 01, we were all intrigued.

Breaking all sorts of records, the watch was a gossamer

thinness of mm only, standing at the same height as the

caliber , or about the same thickness of a 1-Euro coin.

What began as an experiment in micro-engineering

has now become a fully-edged product. The new

Altiplano ltimate Concept features the same base

construction as the 00P to achieve ultra-thinness.

The miniaturiation process starts with removing the

movement baseplate and machining the movement

directly onto the caseback, thus doing away with the

standard four-layer movement construction. With

five patents, there is no doubt that this watch is a real

technical feat.

MASTERS OF

THIN

reimagined — the design now has no cover or drum

but is mounted on a single, ceramic ball bearing within

the frame of the watch, and transmits energy via the

latter’s inner ring, commanding a decent 0 hours of

power reserve.

Another complete redesign is the crown. Taking

the form of a at, telescopic system, that comes with

its own specially designed winding tool, the crown sits

ush with the case band to maintain that streamlined

look. It also serves more than ust an aesthetic

function to protect the crown from unwanted impact.

Sacrificing the bulkier sliding pinion and crown wheel,

the watch uses a single “infinite screw”, or a worm

gear, instead.

BESPOKE OPTIONS

The Altiplano ltimate Concept is extensively

customiable and can be made to order for Piaget’s

discerning clients. Buyers may specify the color of

the bridge and dial, the finish of the hands and the

mainplate, and select straps that they prefer. Only one

thing is non-negotiable, and that is the case material,

which due to the thinness of the watch, is required to

be the cobalt-based alloy.

A NEW MOVEMENT CONSTRUCT

The watch is too thin to be cased in gold, which is too

soft. Instead, a new cobalt-based alloy is used, which is

highly resistant, . times stronger than gold and harder

to machine. Every part of the watch had to be rethought

to keep the watch at mm thick. The wheels are reduced

from a conventional 0.mm thick to 0.1mm, and the

sapphire crystal, typically at 1mm thick, is reduced to

0.mm only.

Time is told on an off-center subdial, allowing the

rest of the movement to be laid out at, thus minimiing

thickness. This also means the entire construction of the

movement is out in the open for all to see.

At nine o’clock, the balance wheel and the hairspring

on the Altiplano ltimate Concept had to be completely

rethought as a ball-bearing mechanism. The balancewheel

bridge, typically the tallest component in a

movement, is now completely removed. The balance

staff, the inner ring of the ball-bearing mechanism and

the roller now form an indivisible whole. This novel

construction means that the conventional setup is now

inverted so that the hairspring sits under the balance

wheel. A free-sprung balance is used instead, which is

compensated by four adustable weights.

The mainspring barrel, at six o’clock, is also entirely

PIAGET

ALTIPLANO ULTIMATE CONCEPT

MOVEMENT Manual-winding caliber 900P-UC;

hours and minutes o-set at 12 o’clock; 40-hour

power reserve

CASE 41mm diameter, 2mm height; cobalt alloy

STRAP Alligator leather with Kevlar insert and

ultra-thin pin buckle

PRICE USD 420,120

SPLIT SECONDS 23

THE 1858 GEOSPHERE

SUITS UP IN TITANIUM

The collection’s flagship is finally ready for the outdoors.

When the 15 collection was launched by Montblanc to

celebrate 10 years of Minerva in 01, it was a bold

move by the brand to break away from the traditions of

watchmaking. The eosphere, which was a superbly-priced world

time complication with a simpler display was a great first move.

The watch has two domed counters on which both hemispheres

are printed. A -hour indication on each counter, controlled

by the crown, enables control of the second timeone while also

displaying timings across continents. It’s easier to gauge time in

general across the world.

But the 15 also introduced a new theme for Montblanc’s

watchmaking the idea of mountaineering, which is why the

eosphere’s displays feature seven red summit points across the

domes, one of which is the Mont Blanc itself. The 15 is borne

out of the spirit of the brand’s origins and a pilot’s watch from

Minerva from the 10s, which feature distinctly legible dials,

brushed cases for durability and

resistance, which as a sportsthemed

watch, the 15 has

to ensure.

Eighty years on, we’ve

managed to develop new

materials for watch cases which

are far more durable than

stainless steel, in particular

WORDS DARREN HO

MONTBLANC

1858 GEOSPHERE IN TITANIUM

MOVEMENT Self-winding MB 29.25 caliber; hours and

minutes; second time zone; date; globe display with

time; 42-hour power reserve

CASE 42mm case in titanium; water resistant to 100m

STRAP Titanium-and-steel bracelet

PRICE USD 6,200

titanium. And in 00, Montblanc is giving the 15 collection

a dressover in titanium, in particular the eosphere model. The

latest version of the watch features the eosphere world-time

display in a brushed titanium grade 5 case, with a graduated dial,

ceramic beel, and more interestingly, a titanium-and-steel

bracelet. The bracelet is quite unique, even in watchmaking —

the matte polished titanium links shield the beads-of-rice-style

steel polished middle rows, essentially using the materials as they

should be used.

The beel itself has also experienced a bit of an upgrade. The

compass markers on the beel, which are a stylistic air of the 15

but also actually useful, should you find yourself lost in the woods

without a compass, are now marked in luminous pigment, so that

you can easily read the compass points and navigate either by the

Sun or the Moon.

Housing the eosphere watch in titanium is a massive material

upgrade for the collection,

one that would be virtually

unnoticed unless you are paying

attention. As a material it’s far

more durable, non-corrosive,

hypoallergenic and lighter on the

wrist, making this an ideal sports

watch for this year. And at S

,00, it’s a pretty sweet deal.

24 SPLIT SECONDS

PILOTING INTO THE FUTURE

Bell & Ross adds a futuristic model to its classic square-cased collection.

WORDS DARREN HO

In the last few months, two design trends have

really popped up on our radar something

that several watchmakers have debuted and

introduced across all sectors of the industry.

The first is the embrace of luminosity, with

watch brands applying luminous material

on everything from the stitching on straps

to movement bridges, rubber straps, and

more. The second is the color green, which

is now the new blue. As blue dials have

mainstreamed, green is the next in line.

Both those trends have appeared in Bell

&oss’slatestwatch—theB0-H

— an aviation-styled hit for those fans of the

brand who still clamor for its classic hits.

The B 0 is broadly divided into two

case material types steel and ceramic. The

former maintains very classic looks in general.

The B 0 Ceramic is where things get funkier.

Here, Bruno Belamich, the creative director of

Bell & oss, plays around with colors, new dial

executions, and more.

BELL & ROSS

BR 03-92 HUD LIMITED EDITION

MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber BR-CAL.302, based on Sellita SW300;

hours, minutes and seconds; date; 38-hour power reserve

CASE 42mm; matte black ceramic with green-tinted sapphire crystal;

water-resistant to 100m

STRAP Black rubber with pin buckle, or ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric

PRICE USD 3,990

The brand’s new release, the B 0-

H, is inspired by the heads-up displays in the

windshields of high-tech fighter planes that use

this technology to inform pilots of all the digital

data they need from ight paths to altitude.

The multi-layered dial reects the concept

of augmented reality, where each layer offers

added information. The lowest level of the

dial comprises the Super-Lumiova-coated

hour markers, with a central hours disc

that is marked with a pointer indicator.

On the periphery of the dial is the minutes

track, over which the seconds and minute

hands run. Over all these is a tinted sapphire

crystal, with four brackets at each corner that

makes the dial look like a display panel.

As CEO of Bell & oss, Carlos osillo,

points out, “We wanted to transfer the feeling

that you have all the information corresponding

to what you need. Here, it’s ust a watch that tells

the time, but for the fighter pilot, he has all the

information he needs on a heads-up display.”

He further adds that even though the watch is

mechanically powered, you have “the feeling that

you are in a futuristic world.”

The hour markers, minute numerals, hands

and bracketed corners of the sapphire crystal are

coated with Super-Lumiova, so that in the dark,

it delivers strong visibility. The watch is available on

a rubber strap or an ultra-durable synthetic fabric

strap, to add to that high-tech aviation experience.

The watch is available in stores from une onwards,

priced at S ,0. It’s limited to pieces.

SPLIT SECONDS 25

LOUD AND

CLEAR

Sapphire-crystal cases might be transparent,

but they’re anything but invisible on the wrist.

While sapphire-cased watches appear to

be built from clear or colored plastic,

in reality, they’re technological marvels

milled from a solid block of lab-grown sapphire.

emarkably durable and scratch-resistant, this

captivating material often commands prices that

reect the intricacy of its manufacture. Lately, the

addition of color has inspired the next wave of crystal

case design, enabling manufacturers to highlight

remarkably complex movements, or even add onceunseen

ourishes to a movement, like an embedded

Chinese dragon. The research and development

department at Hublot has been pioneering the use

of sapphire crystal as case material, mastering the

traditionally transparent material, and reimagining it

in remarkable shades of yellow and green.

Girard-Perregaux Bridges Quasar Light

ref. 99295-43-001-BA6A

Sapphire case with gray fabric strap

USD 294,000

girard-perregaux.com

Hublot

Big Bang MP-11 Power Reserve 14 Days Green Saxem

ref. 911.JG.0129.RX

Polished green Saxem case with leather-lined rubber strap

USD 127,000

hublot.com

Jacob & Co.

Astronomia Flawless Imperial Dragon

ref. AT125.80.DR.UA.B

Sapphirecasewithbluealligatorstrap

USD 1,300,000

jacobandco.com

26 SPLIT SECONDS

Bovet

Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter One Green Quartz

ref. R26C2001-2

Sapphire case with alligator strap

USD 360,000

bovet.com

Armin Strom

Dual Time Resonance: Masterpiece 1

ref. ARF17

Sapphirecasewithal gator strap

USD 268,000

arminstrom.com

Bell & Ross

BR-X1 Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire Blue

ref. BRX1-SKTB-SABLU

Sapphire case with translucent rubber strap

USD 480,000

bellross.com

SPLIT SECONDS 27

TIME

TESTED

Future classics meet variations on timeless.

The everso, the Cape Cod, the Cadenas —

enduring icons that look as modern now

as the day they first bowed. Alongside a

few of these freshly reimagined classics, we meet

notable newcomers from Bvlgari, Cartier, aeger-

LeCoultre, Piaget and acheron Constantin. These

contemporary twists on familiarity represent a fresh

take on elegance for Summer 00. In uncertain

times, these new watches prove that tasteful design

has an endurance all its own. iorgio Armani said it

best, “Elegance is not about being noticed, it’s about

being remembered.”

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Reverso One

ref. Q3288560

Diamond-set stainless-steel case with

alligator strap

USD 5,300

jaeger-lecoultre.com

Hèrmes

Cape Cod Martelée Small Model

Hammered steel case with calf leather strap

USD 3,625 (single tour) USD 3,775 (double tour)

hermes.com

Harry Winston

Avenue Classic Automatic

ref. AVEAHM21WW001

Diamond-set white-gold case with

grayalligatorstrap

price upon request

harrywinston.com

Bvlgari

Serpenti Seduttori

ref. 103148


white-gold bracelet

USD 29,100

bulgari.com

28 SPLIT SECONDS

Cartier

Maillon de Cartier


white-gold bracelet

USD 33,500

cartier.com

Baume & Mercier

Hampton Medium Automatic

ref. 10522

Stainless-steel case with alligator strap

USD 2,450

baume-et-mercier.com

Vacheron Constantin

Egérie Self-Winding

ref. 4605F/110A-B495

Diamond-set stainless-steel case with

steel bracelet

USD 20,200

vacheron-constantin.com

Van Cleef & Arpels

Cadenas

ref. VCARO41K00

Diamond-set white-gold case with whitegold

snake chain bracelet

USD 42,300

vancleefarpels.com

Piaget

Limelight Gala

ref. G0A45161

Diamond-set rose-gold case

with alligator strap

USD 53,000

piaget.com

SPLIT SECONDS 29

Gucci + Gucci

Gucci Grip 38mm, ref.

YA157429, titanium eect

PVD case and bracelet,

USD 1,900; gucci.com

HOME GOODS

Isstay-at-homefashionheretostay?Itcertainlylooksthatway.

Who could have imagined these months spent at home, rethinking

everything we once knew Hopefully, when this issue reaches you,

staying at home will be a choice once again. espite the uncertainty,

one thing is for sure — a new menswear dress code will undoubtedly emerge from

the chaos. Office dress has been evolving the past few years, casual Fridays slowly

spilling into the rest of the week, one day at a time. After months of staying at

home, it seems inconceivable to give up our T-shirts, oversie dress shirts, baggy

trousers and paamas. Indeed, casual informality had been on fashion designers’

minds well before becoming a full-blown trend in 00, gracing the runways

of the SpringSummer menswear collections shown in Milan and Paris. On the

following pages are a few prophetic looks presented during the “Before Time,”

paired with military tough watches for the ultimate stay-at-home summer cool.

30 SPLIT SECONDS

Keeping time will always

remain a necessary

element of great style.

Jil Sander + TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Autavia, ref.

WBE5190.FC8268, bronze

case with leather strap, USD

3,850; tagheuer.com

Comme des Garçons + Bell & Ross

Bell & Ross BR V2-92 Military

Green, ref. BRV292-MKA-ST/SF,

steel case with elastic canvas strap,

USD 2,990; bellross.com

Craig Green + Reservoir

Reservoir Battlefield D-Day,

ref. RSV01.BF/230-62,

gunmetal PVD and steel

case with leather strap, USD

3,980; reservoir-watch.com

Fendi + Breitling

Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 Night

Mission, ref. V13317101L1X1, black

titanium case with khaki green leather

strap; USD 5,835; breitling.com

SPLIT SECONDS 31

The possibilities of a

new way of dressing give

military-inspired watches

anewedge.

Valentino + Tudor

Tudor Black Bay Steel, ref.

M79730-0004, steel case

with khaki fabric strap, USD

3,757; tudorwatch.com

Lanvin + Luminox

Luminox Atacama Adventurer,

ref. 1767, stainless-steel case

withtextilestrap,USD695;

luminox.com

Prada + Panerai

Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT,

ref.PAM01036,titaniumDLC

case with calf leather strap, USD

11,200; panerai.com

32 SPLIT SECONDS

JW Anderson + Hamilton

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical

38mm, ref. H69449961, PVDcoated

stainless-steel case

with fabric strap, USD 545;

hamiltonwatch.com

Louis Vuitton + Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton Tambour All

Black Chronograph 46, black

PVD-coated stainless-steel

case with interchangeable

alligator strap, USD 8,050;

louisvuitton.com

SPLIT SECONDS 33

Cities, Clothing, Time

Hublot unveils a stealthy Big Bang GMT in collaboration with

legendary designer Yohji Yamamoto.

Words Stephen Watson

Runway photography Monica Feudi, courtesy theshopyohjiyamamoto.com

“

If you try to express something, you do it because you want

to be understood,” designer ohi amamoto muses in the

1 bio-documentary, Notebook on Cities and Clothes. “Well,

sometimes, I don’t care if no one understands me.”

A lyrical romantic thinker, amamoto has been constructing

and deconstructing fashion concepts for nearly 0 years. The

-year-old apanese designer is a revolutionary, shirking

trends in the marketplace in search of abstraction. In time,

amamoto adopted black as his signature, often presenting

dramatic collections in this singular definitive color. For his

new collaboration with watchmaker Hublot, the Big Bang MT

All Black ohi amamoto follows suit.

“This All Black limited edition we created together

expresses a simple beauty through

the fusion of ohi amamoto’s black

design signature and the complicated

MT manufacture movement,” says

Hublot CEO icardo uadalupe. By

distilling timekeeping to its essence,

the Hublot Big Bang MT All Black is

a pure representation of amamoto’s

distinct, unwavering ideology. The

timepiece is entirely black, from its

matte black micro-blasted ceramic

case to its hands, visible movement,

and rubber strap. The watch’s sapphire

crystal is also smoked, adding a twinge

of mystery to the MT’s dark dial.

Hublot approached the designer

with the concept of creating a limited-edition watch, one to

celebrate the opening of its agship boutique in ina. The

thoughtful result a dual-time-one MT. The decision feels

entirely personal for amamoto. “This watch can easily display

HUBLOT

BIG BANG GMT ALL BLACK YOHJI YAMAMOTO

MOVEMENT Self-winding Unico Manufacture caliber

HUB1251; hours, minutes and seconds; GMT; day/night

indicator; 72-hour power reserve

CASE 45mm; micro-blasted and polished black ceramic;

caseback numbered and engraved with “Special Edition”;

water-resistant to 100m

STRAP Black rubber with black titanium deployant buckle

PRICE Upon request. Available exclusively at the Hublot

Boutique Ginza, in a limited edition of 50 pieces

the time ones of the two cities

where I’m based, Tokyo and Paris.

Moreover, the hours are invisible.

As a person who isn’t always

forthcoming, I find that highly

amusing,” he explains.

Powered by the Hublot nico

manufacture movement HB151,

the watch houses a patented

proprietary module, which allows the

second-time-one hand to be updated with a simple button

press. Local time is indicated by the main hands of the watch,

while home time is marked by a second, arrow-shaped hour

hand. Both times are set with the crown. The definitive detail

amamoto’s iconic signature, found at the MT’s six o’clock

position.

ather than odd bedfellows, both Hublot and amamoto

share similar A. Forty years after its introduction, Hublot’s

Big Bang is established as an industry icon. Like amamoto,

Hublot has proved that steadfast ingenuity, when fueled by

tenacity, always succeeds.

In his autobiography, My Dear Bomb, written a decade ago,

amamoto explains further, “Endless repetition and the study

of the classics. After that, one can topple the establishment.

It is ust the same as waging a war. The classics stand the

test of time.” On the eve of their 0th anniversary, Hublot

undoubtedly agrees.

36 PEOPLE

The Ebel ‘Sonny Crockett’ —

an El Primero Chrono That Could

Become Your Vice

Ross Povey looks at a Zenith El Primero-driven chrono from the

1980s and ’90s that won’t break your bank. So, comb your mullet

through, pop on your espadrilles and let’s hit Miami and check out

the Ebel Sport Classic Chronograph 1911…

Words Ross Povey

There are some watches that will be forever

linked with cars and famous characters on the

small and big screens. The examples that come

to mind are under-the-radar and not famous links,

but are well known to the army of watch geeks towards

whom this tome is generally aimed If I say a Ferrari

0 TS and Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum P.I.

you immediately think of what Correct — the “Pepsi”

olex MT-Master reference 150. How about a

Porsche 0 and Steve Mcueen in Le Mans Well

done you — a blue-dial Heuer Monaco O, now time

for a difficult one. A white Ferrari Testarossa and on

ohnson as ames “Sonny” Crockett in Miami ice

Anyoneanyone ood answer — an Ebel 111 Sport

Classic Chronograph

The 10s series Miami ice was so much more

than simply a television series. It was the springboard

for a number of trends and styles that in many

ways have stood the test of time over the past three

decades since the show’s demise. esigner stubble,

still here. nstructured ackets over a T-shirt, still

a strong look. And scenes of sartorially on-point

dudes tearing up and down the highways and byways

of Miami in a classic Ferrari will never get old at

least in this writer’s mind. And about that Ferrari. In

the early episodes, Miami ice’s leading character

Crockett drove a “Ferrari” aytona that was actually a

customied Corvette. Ferrari was deeply unhappy with

this and threatened to sue if the producers continued

to use the fugai car in the series. The resolution of

this issue was as cool as the entire Miami ice concept

— Ferrari agreed to provide two new Testarossas for

filming if the producers agreed for the “Faketona” to

be written-off in an on-screen car smash. The car was

indeed totaled and the replacement Ferrari-supplied

Testarossas became as important a component of the

Miami ice aesthetic as the South Beach Art eco

buildings, through which Crockett and Tubbs chased

the drug smugglers in said Armani ackets.

Ride

the wave!

The gold

version

of the

awesome

wave

bracelet

on a

yellow

gold 1911

THE BEST IN THE TRADE

In line with the total ’0s vibe of Miami ice, it seems

fitting that the protagonist was kitted out with a steel

and gold watch. othing shouts 10s wrist candy

better than a two-tone sports watch, a trend that is

interestingly very much back currently as a cool choice

for both vintage and modern wristwatch buyers. In fact,

on ohnson’s character wore both steel and gold,

and full yellow gold. At the beginning of filming, it was

too early for Crockett to wear a aytona as the deeply

uncool (at the time) and 5 were the available

models, with sought-after enith El Primero-driven

olex 1500 series watches not released until 1.

IMAGE OF WATCH: ANTIQUORUM

38 PEOPLE

PEOPLE 39

“Fakeit‘tilyoumakeit!

‘Fauxrrari’ and ‘Fauxlex’

before Ebel and Ferrari

stepped in” The original

episodes featured a

converted Corvette

masquerading as a Ferrari

Daytona and Sonny donned

a fake yellow gold Rolex!

Sonny did, however, (following a dalliance with a fake

yellow-gold olex ay-ate) get an El Primerodriven

watch in the form of an Ebel 111. A watch with

five screws around the beel, steel mushroom pushers

and housing one of the most important chronograph

movements of the 0th century.

The 111 has been updated with different inhouse

movements in the 000s and given the BT

label, but the original version is the coolest and most

sought after by collectors, being part of the original

Ebel Sport Classic range. The key characteristics of

these watches were the five screws that held the beel

in place and the so-called wave bracelet. And don’t

think these watches were ust for timing your sunbed

tanning session earlier quart versions of these pieces

were endorsed by Formula 1 stars Alain Prost and iki

Lauda Ebel’s then CEO Pierre-Alain Blum was a

marketing genius and was responsible for Ebel watches

being on the wrists of not ust motor-racing legends,

but also actors including Harrison Ford and pop stars

such as Madonna. He had positioned Ebel as a leading

quart movement manufacturer, with Ebel providing

movements for the Cartier Must de Cartier watches

amongst others. Having had great success with the

Sport Classic Chronograph as a quart watch, the Ebel

boss sought out a partner to provide a mechanical

movement to elevate the watch to a more prestigious

level. Ebel opted to use the enith caliber 00

chronograph which it named the Ebel caliber 1. Ebel

kept the movement pretty much as it was, unlike olex

40 PEOPLE

which made hundreds of modifications in the process

of adapting the enith into the caliber 00.

The aesthetics of the watch are cool and I

personally love the way the oman numerals have

been adapted to fit the dial. Steering away from

cutting out the hour markers, Ebel chose to simply

reduce the III, I and I so as to allow them to fit

between the edge of the subdial and the tachymeter

scale. The tachy scale is also a nice touch as it gives the

watch a more elegant silhouette when it’s placed on

the outer edge of the dial, as opposed to being on an

outer beel ring. The watch screams ’0s styling and

the genius of this watch is that Blum opted to keep the

design of the quart watch and modify it to include

the El Primero movement. This is stealth wristwear

and an important watch in the history of enith’s

chronograph movement. And all this for less than

BP ,000 (S ,00) in steel and gold — what’s

not to love, people

EBEL

SPORT CLASSIC CHRONOGRAPH 1911 IN STEEL AND GOLD

MOVEMENT Self-winding Ebel caliber 134 / Zenith El Primero 400; hours

and minutes; small seconds; date; chronograph; 48-hour power reserve

CASE 38mm; steel and gold; water-resistant

STRAP Two-tone wave bracelet

PRICE ≤ USD 2,400

And you know

what the best

bit is? It has

an El Primero

movement dude!

Shrines of the

times – pastels,

mullet, and an

Ebel 1911

When you match

your wrist

and shield

PEOPLE 41

We shine a spotlight on the eclectic

watches of the NBA’s greatest player.

Words Nick Gould

Photography Netflix, Getty Images,

Roger Dubuis, URWERK

On the Wrist of

His Airness

From top:

Michael Jordan filmed in his

house talking about the 1997-

98 season where he happens

to wear a Roger Dubuis Pirelli

(inset).

Michael Jordan and Jerry

Stackhouse of the Washington

Wizards at an NBA pre-season

game with the Philadelphia 76ers

in 2002. Jordan is seen wearing

the Datograph in this image.

With all the sports events

worldwide being cancelled

and postponed left and right,

sports fans around the world were

experiencing a withdrawal like never

before — but luckily for everyone, one

piece of T entertainment came to the

rescue. The Last Dance, ESP’s 10-

part basketball documentary series

took the world by storm, chronicling

the Chicago Bulls during the 1–

BA season and their pursuit of a sixth

championship, with footage that has

never been seen before.

In the first few minutes of the

documentary, the camera pans up from

Michael ordan’s hands towards his

face, and let me tell you that any watch

enthusiast must have had a reaction

when they spotted M’s watch a oger

ubuis Pirelli.

Later in the documentary, you will

see Scottie Pippen, fellow Chicago Bulls

player, also wearing a oger ubuis.

I have a sneaking

suspicion that Pippen

inuenced M to buy

his oger ubuis, as

Pippen has been rocking an

Excalibur Skeleton ouble

Flying Tourbillon in white gold

since last year. This model is a

signature of oger ubuis and

is instantly recogniable on the

wrist. ordan was sporting the Excalibur

Spider Pirelli Skeleton Automatic. A less

complicated timepiece than Pippen’s but

still very cool nonetheless with an equal

amount of wrist presence.

With ordan rocking a oger ubuis,

it reaffirms that his taste for nonmainstream

timepieces is strong. Over

the years, “His Airness” has shown he

isn’t afraid to purchase timepieces that

the masses have not heard about.

Take the A. Lange & Shne

atograph for example, which M

rocked in the early 000s. When

the erman watchmaker’s

atograph was released at

Baselworld in 1, it was a

revelation, with its distinctive look

featuring Lange’s signature big

date and the droolworthy in-house

chronograph movement visible through

the sapphire caseback. It made the Swiss

manufacturers sit up and take notice.

To those outside of the watch world,

a Lange would have been quite the

unknown watch. et the atograph

managed to catch ordan’s eye and he

bought a platinum atograph. ot your

regular version on a leather strap, but

with a full matching platinum bracelet,

which today is held in extremely

high regard.

The futuristic independent brand

WE, whose watches display

42 PEOPLE

From top:

Michael Jordan at the 30th

anniversary of Air Jordan at Palais de

Tokyo in Paris in 2015, sporting the

UR-202S “Full Metal Jacket” (bottom

right) on his wrist.

Taken in 2008, Michael Jordan sitting

courtside at the New York Knicks

game against his team the Charlotte

Bobcats. He’s seen wearing the

Ulysse Nardin Sonata Cathedral.

Photographed during The Brand

Jordan All-American Game on April

21, 2007 at Madison Square Garden

inNewYorkCity,withtheUR-103

(middle right) on the wrist.

the time in a different manner to a

conventional watch, caught ordan’s

eye and he was an early adopter of the

brand. WE’s case designs can

look like spaceships on the wrist or a

device right out of a science fiction film,

which demonstrates M’s willingness to

purchase truly avant-garde timepieces.

ordan loves the -10 model,

which features the brand’s signature

satellite discs with a hand-wound

movement, housed in an elongated case

with a rounded curve. He owns both the

red-gold and white-gold models.

M owns an additional two different

WE models. The first is the -

0S known as the “Full Metal acket,”

which features satellite telescopic arms

for the telling of time, moonphase, day

night indicator and automatic-winding

system, housed in a stainless-steel

case and matching bracelet, making it a

standout timepiece on the wrist.

The other is a -0, which is

essentially a skeletonied version of

the -0 with a couple of tweaks —

instead of a moonphase and daynight

indicator, it has a service indicator and

a year counter, which shows how many

years the movement has been running,

housed in a platinum case with black

coating. ordan rocks the hell out of it.

The other notably less common

watch ordan owns is from lysse

ardin and it’s quite complicated.

It is a Sonata Cathedral in 1 white

gold with matching bracelet, which

has a mechanical alarm in addition to a

second-time one, countdown function

for the alarm and an oversied date. This

is another timepiece which demonstrates

that he knows how to home in on

timepieces with a “cool factor.”

PEOPLE 43

Retail Reinvented

Slowly emerging from extended lockdown, American retailers are

reopening to a very different landscape.


Across the nited States, businesses

are reopening slowly, allowing

fewer customers, requiring

workers and customers to wear masks,

enforcing social distancing. Local orders

vary by city or county, but for watch

and ewelry stores closed since March,

reopening will be a challenging prospect.

A report in The Washington Post

quoted oldman Sachs as saying, “states

accounting for roughly one-third of the

1 trillion .S. economy remain largely

closed, but real-time indicators of

business activity show the first stirrings of

a recovery.”

“The stimulus package and other

factors seem to have delayed everything

and kept many people’s obs. But we need

to see how soon we can open and get the

economy pumping again,” said ick

Boulle of de Boulle, a eweler with stores

located in allas and Houston, Texas.

“As with any situation like this, there is

opportunity if you look hard and work

hard enough.”

According to the Federation of the

Swiss Watch Industry, watch sales in the

.S. for March (in a pre-COI-1

world) saw a significant increase

(0.). With retailers’ doors locked

since the end of March, the future is far

from certain. Stores remain closed, with

no end in sight for ew ork Citwy, and

an additional three-month lockdown

recently announced for California.

“When the shelter-in-place and

isolation orders started rolling out, it was

clear that the economic fallout would be

widespread and would impact people

across the socioeconomic spectrum,”

says ared Silver, president of Stephen

Silver Fine ewelry located in Silicon

alley, California. “Coming out of this,

things can’t return to business as usual.

Small businesses like ours have been

challenged to evolve or die, and the same

maxim holds true for brands.”

At ew ork’s Wempe agship

on Fifth Avenue, the company’s .S.

president, uediger Albers, also remains

cautiously optimistic. “We are fortunate

to be able to learn from our European

stores as they reopened in early May.

However, ew ork and the .S. have

been hit much harder, so I believe it

will be some time before we can return

and operate as normal. My team and I

are doing our very best to adapt to the

current climate and offer services that will

hopefully provide a bit of ease, including

curbside pickup and virtual appointments

for those who prefer to shop with us

digitally,” says Albers.

The critical shift to digital and e-commerce

platforms for most retailers has been

immediate. In 01, ichemont paid .

billion for oox et--Porter, acquired

the Watchfinder website, and oined up

with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

46 BUSINESS

Watches & Wonders’ pivot to an alldigital

platform after the cancellation

of the trade show in eneva is a clear

indication of what’s to come.

A digital presence for watch retailers

is a necessity as well. ob Weintraub, of

Manfredi ewels in Connecticut, notes,

“We have two full-time employees

fully focused on our digital presence, a

digital marketing manager and a website

administrator. It’s been a help to the

maority of our sales from before the

pandemic, and I believe, will continue to

aid with personal connections, previously

in-store and now by phone. After 0

years in business, maintaining our

relationships means everything.”

Watches of Switerland CEO Brian

uffy told the website Internet etailing,

“espite the current challenges, demand

for luxury watches has remained strong,

with online sales performance ahead

of our expectations. Through our

longstanding partnerships with the most

prestigious Swiss watch brands, we have

further enhanced the online customer

experience through the introduction

Small businesses have been

challenged to evolve or die,

and the same maxim holds

true for brands

- Jared Silver

of additional brands which we had

previously only transacted in our stores.”

ick Boulle agrees. “Our goal is

always to make e-commerce feel hightouch

ust like the experience we deliver

in-store. I think e-commerce at this level

of retail seems almost always to be done in

parallel with one-on-one conversations.

Whether that is over the phone or

exchange over email, messenger, chat,

or FaceTime. Individuals appreciate the

same hands-on approach they would

receive in-store with high-end goods.

irtual tours of pieces, sending videos,

pictures, and more is the norm, whether it

is via e-commerce or a new walk-in client

because now all of these touch-points

overlap,” he says.

Even before the marketplace officially

reopens, consumers have begun to slowly

revert to their old spending habits, though

further progress depends on unknown

consumer confidence. As oldman Sachs

told The Washington Post, “the total credit

and debit card spending bottomed out

in early April and began creeping higher

by the middle of that month.” Still, the

unemployment numbers for the .S.

remain staggering.

Even so, activity remains and people

are still buying. reg Simonian of

Westime, with stores in Los Angeles and

Miami, notes, “Every sale during this time

has been unique unto itself. We worked

quickly to come up with new ways to

communicate with our clients, and new

products for them too fully refundable

gift certificates, which someone could

purchase and give for occasions like

birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays,

which occur during the shutdown. There

are no-risk gift cards, if the customer

changes their mind, we will refund them

in full. oing forward, it is quite possible

that even as shoppers are allowed to enter

Above

Jared Silver, president of

Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry.

Left

Brian Duy of Watches of

Switzerland.

Opposite page

DeBoulleisajeweler

with stores in Dallas and

Houston, Texas;

Nick Boulle.

BUSINESS 47

Rob Weintraub

of Manfredi

Jewels based in

Connecticut.

boutiques again, adhering to strict public

health protocols, some people are ust

going to be more comfortable shopping

remotely for a while.”

emaining complacent or reactionary

could prove fatal. The watch industry is

notoriously slow to adapt. Look at the

recent implosion of Baselworld for proof.

“iven our location and connections

in Silicon alley, early adoption of new

technology comes easier to us than some

other independently owned retailers.

For over 0 years, our business has

been engaged in buying back customers’

pre-owned ewelry and other valuables,

including pre-owned fine timepieces,”

says ared Silver. “So for us, it was an easy

shift to take our wholesale buying division

from in-person appointments to an

online, remote evaluation program model.

There’s certainly a growing interest in this

service, as many clients near and far are

seeking creative ways to free up liquidity.”

Westime Beverly

exterior (by Barry

Grossman); Westime

president Greg Simonian

ay-to-day operations focused on

healthy staff and shoppers remains a top

priority for retailers. Whether or not

customers return remains to be seen. et,

reasons for shopping and gifting remain

as important as ever. “We still have

graduation day, Father’s ay, birthdays,

48 BUSINESS

Wempe flagship

on Fifth Avenue in

New York; Ruediger

Albers, President of

Wempe Jewelers.

weddings, and new babies to look forward

to,” ob Weintraub says.

“The only thing I am sure of is that

the work-from-home movement is here

to stay. It is something many companies

have been quietly working towards for

some time now. How that changes our

new reality, only time will tell,” Boulle

says. “Whether that is running to the

grocery store, going out for dinner with

friends or stopping by their local ewelry

and watch store like us. I think it certainly

lends itself to offering the experiential

side of our business once things are

considered safe and fully operational.”

“There are two opposing trends we’ve

witnessed. Even though many of our

clientele are quite well-off personally,

many of them have also been struck

by this pandemic, or have businesses

that have been hit, with ob losses and

businesses dwindling or closing outright.

On the other hand, we are seeing a

lot of purchase activity right now with

some clientele. These individuals are

less reactive to market volatility and are

well-positioned to look for opportunities

to invest, rather than divest. They are

interested in pieces with great rarity and

provenance that can grow in value, such

as a rare Patek Philippe, WE,

MB&F, or olex,” says Silver.

The only thing I am sure of

is that the work-from-home

movement is here to stay

- Rob Weintraub

“The health of our employees

and beloved clients remains our very

top priority. We have implemented

alternating shifts for our sales associates

and limit the number of people permitted

in the store at once. Wempe has

drastically heightened our sanitiation

measures, with increased cleaning, hand

sanitier stations when you enter the

boutique. We require employees to wear

gloves while handling the merchandise,

which will then be disinfected with

light and disinfectant wipes.

Every employee will be temperaturescreened

before entering the store, and

everyone has been educated about their

responsibility to follow best practices,”

says Albers of Wempe.

When recent news broke of Herms

breaking retail sales records in

uanghou after lockdown orders were

lifted in early April, the luxury industry

took a collective deep breath. Could the

same occurrence take place elsewhere

With many stores reopening in April,

hopes remain high.

“I believe there will be a wave

of ‘revenge shopping,’ which many

consumer psychologists have written

about. This is when ultra-afuent

shoppers, who are normally consistent

buyers, hit a dry spell when they feel it is

‘inappropriate’ to spend. Then there is a

pent-up demand and finally, they make

purchases in aggressive ways. I was told

that Harrods is already arranging for

private client meetings in London and

Hong ong, and the Far East is already

seeing massive increases in consumer

spending amongst the high net worth. We

believe consumers will be interested in

buying new and pre-owned timepieces

that can grow in value over time. It is a

great time to be a buyer in the market right

now. They look at these tangible assets as

something to round out a portfolio and

hold for generations, the same way people

invest in fine art or collectible cars,”

Silver says.

Speaking for all retailers across the

country, Weintraub puts it best, “we

could all use a dose of revenge shopping

right about now.”

BUSINESS 49

50 BUSINESS

A leader like no other, Mr.

Biver is credited for reviving

Blancpain in the 1980s,

breathing new life into Omega

in the 1990s, and building up

Hublot and TAG Heuer for

what they are today.

Jean-Claude Biver:

AWake-UpCall

to Humanity

A visionary leader, an innovative CEO, a marketing genius.

Jean-Claude Biver has earned numerous accolades in his four decades

intheSwisswatchindustry.Butfarmoreimportantthanthat,

throughout his career, Mr. Biver has shown that he is a leader who cares

deeply about the people he’s worked with, and about society and the

environment.Perhapsnowmorethanever,weneedtolistentohim.

Words Wei Koh

To me, the following conversation

was something that was important

to share with the entire watch

community and beyond. When I first

thought about it and when I saw the

reprehensible way many human beings

were acting up to, and during, the

pandemic, Mr. Biver’s words reminded

me of the harsh indictment of humanity made by Agent

Smith to Morpheus in The Matrix, “Human beings are not

actually mammals. Every mammal instinctively establishes an

equilibrium with the surrounding environment. But you humans

do not. ou move to an area and you multiply and multiply until

every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can

survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism

on this planet that follows the same pattern. o you know what it

is A virus. Human beings are a disease ou are a plague.”

But at the same time, I knew that Mr. Biver was an eternal

optimist. He believed in the same courage, hope and empathy that

was exhibited around the world by the extraordinary actions of

healthcare workers, doctors, first responders and even cleaners

and grocery clerks. And so I understood that he was addressing

the problem that we are collectively facing, because the first step

to fixing a problem is recogniing that it exists. And we have a

big problem, or more specifically, three maor problems. These

are greed, waste and hate. It may seem ironic that a luxury watch

magaine would want to discuss these issues. But I think that

coming out of this pandemic, everyone will want to assess the

person they want to be and the values they want to represent.

How do we fix these problems reed needs to be

addressed at the sociological level by shifting the parameters for

The biggest issue we face

in the third millennium

is that it is still being led

by “old people” from the

20th century.

how we udge success away from overt

and vulgar representations of materialism

and back towards intelligence,

scholarliness, kindness and ethics.

Waste needs to be addressed by

changing the way we consume.

Buying less but better or in a more

considered way. Buying only what

we need or investing in things that are perennial and will

endure forever. I believe mechanical watchmaking falls

into this category, but as an industry it needs to disconnect

from an endless pursuit of creating “novelties”, that comes

from fashion.

And hate How do we address that Well, that’s the biggest

issue of all and I suppose we still don’t have the answer. Or

perhaps Mr. Biver does.

Mr. Biver, what is the biggest problem we face today?

The biggest issue we face in the third millennium is that

it is still being led by “old people” from the 0th century.

And these “people” were raised and taught one principle. That

they must maximie profits at all costs. If they are in a publicly

listed company and they do not maximie the profits, their

shareholders who come together once a year during the AM

will say, “ou, Mister CEO. ou are not doing your ob. ou

are not maximiing profits. And you should step down.” If you

are in a privately owned company or a family-owned company,

the owners will ask you, “Mister CEO, why are you not earning

us more money ou are not doing your ob. Because you have

not maximied our profits, we are not able to do the things

we want this year. We cannot buy the things we want.”

BUSINESS 51

Mr. Biver bought

Blancpain with his

friend Jacques Piguet

in 1981 for CHF22,000

and sold it for CHF60

million ten years later.

Even the CEO himself when he looks at the results of the

year and he thinks to himself, “I could have earned more. I

should have reduced fixed costs. I should have paid people less.

I could have moved these obs to a call center. Or I could have

manufactured this or that in another country where labor is

cheaper. Or I could have disposed of my waste in a cheaper way.

I am a bad CEO. I am a bad leader because I am not maximiing

profits.” So we have been taught and encouraged and rewarded

to maximie profit at all costs. o matter what the effect on

the human beings that work for us and no matter the effect on

the environment around us. And what has been the result of

that ever has the world been richer. ever has more wealth

been accumulated. ever have we had greater technological

advancement. ever have we been more interconnected. And

yet people are suffering in poverty. The planet is dying. So I ask

you Have we been successful When people are suffering and

the planet is dying The answer must be no. Whatever we have

been doing has been wrong and so we must change.

We have talked before about ethical capitalism that years

ago was dismissed as idealistic and unrealistic but now

seems more relevant than ever. Do you think this will gain

momentum after the pandemic?

es, I do. Because of young people. Because of eneration .

Ten years ago when someone came to a ob interview, he would

ask about the profitability of the company. He would ask about

the expense account. Today when a young person goes to visit a

company, he or she will ask them, “What are your ethics What

do you represent” I know this because I have a son, Pierre,

who is in his early 0s and this is very important to him. He

discusses it with his friends. And so you see, the parameters

of what defines success for a company or an individual are

changing. Once eneration is in charge, it will change

even more.

I think that the future of capitalism is one in which

companies create profit as they must, but at the same time they

are improving the lives of their workers, and they are improving

the environment around them. At each company I worked at,

I always wanted my employees to feel happy and to work with

dignity. But this was also a selfish motivation because I knew

that they would work harder and with greater motivation if

they looked forward each day to going to work. Freud said that

human beings need two things. They need love and they need

work. But work in the definition of something noble, something

that gives them value.

One of the things that we have seen during this pandemic

is that the people we have dismissed as being inconsequential,

like the person cleaning the streets or the person at the grocery

shop and supermarket, are in fact the most consequential

people in the world. And we must thank them and treat them

with the respect and dignity that they deserve. Because they

are enabling our society to function. I think that as a business

owner there is a benefit to this as well. Because I think the best

businesses are run with less people but better motivated and

better rewarded people. For me, I always follow the rule that

two great people can do a better ob than three or even four

mediocre or unmotivated people. How do you motivate them

By giving them purpose and dignity. And rewarding them well. I

always told my people, never skimp on your ight or your hotel,

because when you rest, I want you to rest well and to feel that

I am looking after you. And when they wake, they will want to

outperform anyone else because they know I care about them.

I remember taking everyone in 1 at Blancpain, I mean every

single person, to Capri for a one-week holiday with me. It cost

52 VINTAGE

A legend in the

industry, Mr. Biver

was awarded the

Legion of Honor for

his contributions

to the French

and Swiss watch

industries earlier

this year.

a fortune. When they asked me why I was

doing this, I said, “Because if times are

tough and we might have to work on a

Sunday or during a holiday, you will do

it because you know it is necessary. And

you know I genuinely care for you and am

not trying to take advantage of you.”

egarding the environment, of

course, now every luxury business has a responsibility to be

carbon neutral or even carbon positive if they can. In the

end, luxury is about creating emotion and fulfilling dreams,

but how can we as an industry do this if we are morally or

ethically compromised

During the pandemic we saw humanity become divided and

an increase in polarization with many incidences of hate.

How can the luxury industry combat hate?

Through the creation of beauty and through the creation of

art that endures. The appreciation of watches, for example,

transcends race, politics, religion and even language. My son

works at Phillips and is a specialist in vintage watches and

becoming a specialist in modern watches as well. One of the

Never has the world been

richer. And yet people are

suffering in poverty. The

planet is dying. So I ask you:

Have we been successful?

When people are suffering

and the planet is dying? The

answer must be no.

remarkable things is that watches with

Arabian dials have become very sought

after. But they are being purchased not

only by people in the Middle East, but by

people in Europe and in America and in

Asia. Why Because they are special and

they are beautiful.

If you think about it, a mechanical

watch is a miracle of engineering. In a tiny device that fits

on your wrist with a movement that is driven by a spring and

powering a tiny oscillator that is dividing time into fractions

of the second at every moment, and yet its deviation per year

might only be a few seconds. There is such great beauty in

watchmaking and it reminds us of the beauty that human beings

are capable of. When I go to a museum or even a church to see

paintings by embrandt or Michelangelo or da inci, who do

you see there People who are only utch or only Italian o,

you see people from all around the world, from every race, every

religion, speaking every language. And what are they doing

They are looking at the same painting, having the same reaction.

Look at their faces and they are smiling because they are

reminded of the beauty that human beings are capable of.

VINTAGE 53

Color

Theory

Unmatched creativity helps Rado

create an emotional connection.

Words Adam Craniotes

Consistently breaking

boundaries, Rado CEO

Matthias Breshan,

innovates with intelligent

design and technology.

54 BUSINESS

atthias Breschan has been

steering the course of ado for

almost a decade. In that time, this

dynamic CEO has refocused on materials

technology and design, redefining ado for

a new generation.

Why Rado?

Simple. Because it has the best ratio

of value and substance. ou have to

understand that ado is a very young brand

in the watch industry. We brought out our

first collection in 15, while most other

Swiss brands have their origins in the

1th and early 1th centuries. And I think

we did one thing correctly from the very

beginning, which was to concentrate on the

watch design, rather than to go along with

the others and to enter into a competition

on movements and complications.

By concentrating on materials and

design, we truly became the Master of

Materials for bringing innovative designs

and materials to the watch industry. The

technology behind each ado watch is

unbelievable. The substance of the super

high-tech material that is in each ado

watch is amaing. Again, I would say

that the ratio of price vs. substance is

unmatched in the industry for what you’re

getting when you buy a ado watch.

You’ve been at the helm of Rado for

almost a decade. How has the brand

evolved since you took the reins?

I must openly admit that seven to eight

years ago, we had a difficult situation,

owing to our signature ceramic materials.

At this time, ceramic manufacturing

meant that you had a centerpiece of steel

and you built a ceramic skin around it.

nfortunately — or fortunately, as it so

happens — we were limited to machining

in straight lines, which meant that by

definition, our watches were black,

shiny, and square. On the one hand, this

was fantastic because it was unique and

different from all the other brands and

extremely recogniable. I mean, if you were

sitting in a restaurant and someone sitting

far away was wearing a ado, you were

immediately able to recognie it.

But then, between 000 and 010,

our customers were becoming older and

we were forced to try to find new ways to

attract a younger clientele. But whenever

we brought out something that wasn’t

black, shiny, and square, our retailers,

would say, “o, we don’t want this

because it’s not ‘ado.’” All of a sudden,

this significant strength of ado became

a millstone of sorts because these black,

shiny and square watches were a synonym

for an older generation, and younger folks

didn’t buy into this. Afterwards, we found a

way to address the younger market.

And how did you finally address this?

Well, two revolutionary technologies

helped us. One is monobloc construction,

and the other one is ceramic colors.

With monobloc construction, we were

able to free ourselves from the previous

constraints dictated by our former process.

o longer were we limited to straight lines,

but rather, we could create any complex

shape that we wanted while maintaining

the integrity of cases. This allowed us to

move in different directions design-wise,

but still retain our trademark scratchresistance

and toughness.

Can you speak to the colors?

First of all, making colors in ceramic is

extraordinarily complex and complicated.

This is state-of-the-art technology we are

using here. The base material is a powder

of irconium oxide, and you have to add

pigment to make colors. The problem is

that as soon as you add pigment, this has

an impact on the matrix of the irconium

powder. And, of course, when you go into

the sintering process, which heats the

product to 0,000 degrees and then cools

it back down, all the organic pigments get

burned off. And then some other pigments

used are toxic, for example, arsenic, which

we need to make red ceramic.

So, it’s super complicated and, of

course, the whole time you need to make

sure that the end product is still scratchand

shock-resistant.

What about the Le Corbusier connection?

We were asking ourselves, what is the

biggest challenge in colors We looked

back at the theories behind color and

found that today the most relevant color

theory is the color theory established by

Le Corbusier. He defined colors as

being relevant and then aligned them in

nine groups. Our challenge was to take

one representative color for each of these

nine groups and then accurately render

it in ceramic. The additional challenge

for us was to ensure that the color of the

cases was an exact match for the bracelets,

comprising up to 0 separate links. This

was an incredibly complex process.

Can you talk about the Captain Cook?

intage watches have become more and

more popular of late, but it’s not ust a

trend, it’s something that corresponds

to the spirit of the watch industry. Why

Because doing something that remains

stylish 10 or even 0 years later is fantastic

Of course, doing this in a material like

ceramic that allows the beauty of the watch

to stay the same is also fantastic.

The real charm of this watch is that

we are following the same constraints

that ado was restricted to in the ’0s.

For instance, the curved dial dictates that

the hands are similarly curved, as are the

applied indexes that have to conform to

the dial.

You also did a limited edition with

Revolution. Can you speak to that?

es When we met with Revolution, they

said they wanted something different

because we were using green, blue, brown,

and black ceramic. They wanted something

that stood out from the rest. And so they

settled on gray, which they dubbed the

“host Captain.” Of course, the first

version was mm, but we had so much

demand from our retailers that we made

the mm version.

What do you consider to be Rado’s

defining piece?

It’s still the ado Original, only because it

has become iconic worldwide. enuinely,

you can say that we’ve come full circle

with the design. There’s now a massive

demand for this piece, so we’re bringing it

back this year in a skeleton version.

What is your favorite Rado?

The Captain Cook. Of course, now, I’m

desperately waiting for later this year when

we launch the full ceramic version.

Will this new watch also be offered in a

variety of colors?

Most certainly. We have some basic colors

that we will use, but we also have a new

color that will be super cool and exciting.

That’s the watch that I’m going to wear

BUSINESS 55

A League of

His Own

An industry legend appraises his decades

at Longines.

Words Adam Craniotes

56 BUSINESS

Walter von nel is one of the

longest-serving CEOs in the

watch industry, having been

with Longines since 1 and taking

over the top spot in 1. To say that

he’s seen the industry evolve is a massive

understatement. uring his tenure,

Longines has grown into a behemoth and

is now the third largest manufacturer by

sales in the world.

Earlier this spring, Revolution was

fortunate to sit down with von nel and

talk about his experiences at Longines

and thoughts on the latest introductions.

You’ve been at the helm of Longines

since 1969, and running it since 1988.

How has the marketplace changed in

this time?

If I close my eyes and think, three basic

elements have changed. From 1 to

today, there have been three different

owners. First, the family second, a oint

venture, eneral Watch Co. and finally

full ownership under SMH (Société de

Microélectronique et d’Horlogerie),

which later became Swatch roup. So,

it’s interesting to see how things have

changed under different ownership.

umber two for me, it was important

that the rule was the technician decides

and the salespeople, they sell what they

have produced. It took us some time to

change, that is to say, “ou, technician,

you create what the market wants and not

what you want.” It was a notable change.

Before, we had to eat what they decided

to produce, but ultimately they had to

listen to what we wanted. So, who has the

power That was an interesting battle

to fight. Finally, I would say that the

product’s evolution from 100-percent

mechanical to 0-percent quart, and to

0-percent mechanical and 0-percent

quart. I played a little bit with LC and

LE, but I quickly realied that it isn’t

our territory. Analog is our territory.

Longines has staked out a very

consistent price point under

Swatch Group’s umbrella. Is this

a conscious decision on your part,

or steered by the marketplace?

I have a motto, if you will, with

four basic tenets continuation,

consistency, focus, and “stay in

your league.” My league is price.

Despite your renewed focus on

mechanical movements, you have

not shied away from applying

advanced technology to your core

collection, as with the Very High

Precision line of watches (VHP).

Did you view this as a gamble?

o, never. For example, we’ve been

involved in sports timing since the 10s,

especially in the States, with horse

racing. The officials at the various sports

federations got fed up with these bloody,

hand-made stopwatches, so in 15, we

came out with a blue box where we could

give these federations timing down to

1100th of a second, even though they

only used 110th. And this was quart. Of

course, it was a ourney from this box to

a wristwatch. But step-by-step, we got it

smaller and slimmer. It was quite unusual

for us to have these types of watches.

Over the years, we experimented with

several different types of batterypowered

watches before we arrived at

the HP, first, the ynatron, which

we licensed from Bulova the ltronic,

which was an electric watch and finally

the ltra uart.

In 1, when I was in charge of sales

and spending a lot of time in apan, Seiko

came out with twin quart, which had one

big advantage accuracy. I came back to

Switerland, and I said to the technical

head, move your ass, I will give you one

year to arrive with a quart watch, HP,

ery High Precision. I said I want it 5

seconds a year and antimagnetic. And a

perpetual calendar. So I never got out of

quart. And we are now working on the

next generation.

We’ve seen some Swiss brands

embracing the smartwatch. Given

your investment in advanced quartz

timekeeping, is this something that

Longines will pursue as well?

o. One, this goes back to “focus.”

Our focus is on analog watches. umber

two, you can’t beat Mr. Apple. Why

They’re so fast, and more importantly,

they don’t give a shit if they have to throw

away one million pieces along the way to

a final product. They can afford it. So,

under my leadership, there will be no

connected watch at Longines.

Can you speak a bit about the new

collection? Is there something you’re

particularly proud of?

We are probably the only brand with such

a long experience in aviation. And we

are not telling a lie, because we have the

history and the documents to back it up. In

fact, we hired a historian to help us work

better with our past and our pioneers. So

now we have the Spirit Collection.

From what I’ve seen, it’s a modern

collection, but with many call-outs to

your history.

es. We selected a lot of pieces from our

museum and took details from different

watches to create this new collection.

We’re very excited to see this collection

make its debut.

Can you name one highlight from your

career at Longines?

In 1, I was physically at the Le Bourget

airfield in Paris to celebrate the 0th

anniversary of Lindbergh’s transatlantic

crossing. (Charles Lindbergh famously

wore a Longines wristwatch on his

record-breaking ight.)

pposite page Walter von

Känel, an industry leader

running Longines for over a

half-century, proves there is

no substitute for experience.

BUSINESS 57

Announcing A New Partnership:

Watchfinder Revolution

Words Wei Koh

W

e believe that a beautifully made

mechanical watch is meant to last a lifetime

and beyond. As such what we identify as

the period of first ownership for any timepiece might

only represent the very nascent stage of its life span.

Accordingly we want to ensure that every preowned

watch is treated with the correct dignity

and accorded the correct narrative and emotional

empowerment to connect with its new buyer and find

its new home. But the problem with the pre-owned

watch market is that it is often unregulated. On sites

that amalgamate listings from second hand dealers

or private sellers, and even the most popular auction

and e-commerce sites, there is little protection for the

buyer. Which means if the watch you’ve purchased is

not as described, damaged or even counterfeit there

is very little recourse.

That is why we have decided to partner with

Watchfinder & Co. – the premier resource

from which to buy, sell and part-exchange preowned

luxury watches since 00. With quality

and dependability at the heart of their business

Watchfinder provides unprecedented trust and

transparency in the pre-owned market. Our new

partnership with Watchfinder guarantees our

buyers the very best protection on the market

including a 1-day return policy and a full 1-month

Watchfinder warranty, alongside any pre-existing

manufacturer’s warranty. And every single watch

will be meticulously inspected, authenticated

and prepared by Watchfinder’s team of expert

watchmakers in Europe’s largest independent

service center – a service center accredited by 1

of the world’s leading watch manufacturers.

Matt Bowling, Co-founder and CEO of

Watchfinder, explains how the company achieved

their success “Watchfinder demonstrated, through

first-class customer service, that the experience of

buying pre-owned can be as good as – if not better

than – buying new. For some customers, buying a

watch can be an intimidating experience having

knowledgeable staff available who can talk them

through the features of each model is reassuring and

allows for a more informed decision. Flexibility is also

key the omnichannel approach allows customers a

choice in how they interact with Watchfinder, and the

ability to take watches in part-exchange means that

Watchfinder can offer customers a quick and easy way

to buy, sell or upgrade a wide range of luxury watches.

The quality of this experience is reected in the

volume of repeat business, with customers returning

to Watchfinder again and again over many years.”

The approach to the secondary watch market that

Watchfinder has had since its inception has helped

change the mentality of collectors and customers

towards buying pre-owned timepieces. “We have

tried to lead the watch sector in the same direction

as the car market. Much has been achieved but there

58 BUSINESS

Revolution is

partnering with

Watchfinder, merging

their expertise in

pre-owned luxury

watches with ours in

enriching storytelling.

is still significant work to do. From a trust, integrity

and experience perspective consumers should not

perceive any difference between the primary and

secondary markets,” says Bowling.

More than this the Watchfinder x Revolution’s

new partnership is to create the most enriching,

educational and entertaining watch storytelling

around. For 15 years, Revolution has not only turned

heads with its particular air but it also set a new

standard for timepiece ournalism, educating and

entertaining the reader with in-depth coverage of

Anti-clockwise

from left

A selection of preowned

timepieces

available at the launch

of our partnership

including a Panerai

Luminor Base PAM390,

a Jaeger-LeCoultre

Reverso Classique,

an IWC Pilot’s Double

Chronograph Top Gun,

and a Jaeger-LeCoultre

Grande Reverso

Ultra-Thin.

timepieces and the watchmaking industry, framed

within contemporary and classical culture that

makes horology personal and engaging. I get it the

watch world can sometimes be daunting because of

how vast it is. But we love to tell you stories to help

you narrow your focus. Looking for something to

wear with a suit We will curate narratives around

the watches we consider the world’s most elegant.

From shaped masterpieces such as Cartier’s Tank

Américaine and Cintrée to the unique swivel case of

the aeger-LeCoultre everso that makes it perfect

for personaliation.

And in each instance we will identify and

offer the exact models that we think are the most

collectable and the best value. Looking for an Omega

Speedmaster Whether it is your first Speedy — in

which case we would recommend a Moonwatch

Professional or a future cult collectable such as a

Speedmaster “Tintin” or a “Blue Snoopy” — or

ust under the radar but rapidly rising models like

the brown dial Speedmaster produced between

00 and 01 that perfectly emulates the look

of vintage tropical dial watches but with modern

reliability. For all these, we’ve got the insider advice.

Looking for the one diving watch chronograph

with a ceramic case that you can actually activate

underwater We happen to know that the Blancpain

Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronograph was

designed to do ust that. And on top of that, it has

three barrels, a silicon escapement and hairspring

that can’t get magnetied and possesses a yback

function. If this is the kind of information that you

are looking for, we’ve spent 15 years accumulating

60 BUSINESS

Revolution was

thefirsttorealize

the potential rise

in value that the

Speedmaster Tintin

currently enjoys.

our knowledge and we like nothing better than

sharing it with you. To the extent that if you want

to call one of our experts to discuss a particular

timepiece we’re always happy to accommodate.

Want to trade in your watch or watches towards

something in our inventory We are happy to set up

a Watchfinder valuation for you so you know what

you could trade it in for with us. Looking to sell your

watches to free up some space on your shelves

We’re happy to check out what you have and, with

Watchfinder’s expertise, assign a value to it.

The Watchfinder x Revolution collaboration was

initiated to educate, uplift, entertain while curating

the best selection of our favorite timepieces that we

happen to know are the right choices and the coolest

watches. Some might be well known and others more

obscure but once you read our stories and watch our

videos, you’ll understand what makes each and every

one of them great. Then you’ll have the option to

purchase these pre-owned watches at a great price

reecting their market value, and most importantly

with the absolute guarantee of their perfect function

and authenticity.

BUSINESS 61

Mr Hisashi Fujieda,

the movement

designer who

developed the

construction of the

new 9SA5 Hi-Beat

caliber (inset)

from Grand Seiko,

which powers the

SLGH002 model.

64 COVER STORY

Nouveau Grand Seiko

A milestone year for Grand Seiko brings about reflection and renewal for their 60th anniversary.


Constructed in 10 as a monument to the glory of

Louis I’s army, it’s no accident that the Place

endme will bear witness to rand Seiko’s

continued ascent. This world-famous square, located in

the 1st arrondissement of Paris, is known as the preeminent

location for French fine ewelry, fashion, and now,

apanese watches.

rand Seiko originally planned to open the agship

outpost at , Place endme, to mark their 0th

anniversary, sharing the historic location with icons

like Chanel, Cartier, ior, uitton and the famous it

Hotel. It was to be a significant moment of reection and

celebration until an unexpected year upended their bestlaid

plans. The agship may not open as initially planned,

but that hasn’t stopped rand Seiko.

Sixty years holds great significance for the apanese.

When a person reaches the age of 0, they have traveled full

circle through the odiac calendar cycle, arriving back at

the beginning. This anniversary marks a significant moment

of rebirth and a perfect moment to redefine the future. On

March 5th, rand Seiko celebrated its 0th by releasing an

exclusive anniversary collection, two artistic masterpieces,

a new Spring rive movement, and a new high-beat

caliber. (efer to our Spring 00 issue for an in-depth

look at this collection, which highlights rand Seiko’s

innovations from the past 0 years.)

In addition to the Place endme boutique, rand

Seiko’s new manufacturing studio in Shiukuishi, apan,

will be unveiled later this year. The nearly ,000-squaremeter

facility was designed by master architect engo

uma. esigned to reect rand Seiko’s philosophy

— The ature of Time — the wooden construction

leverages transparency, unveiling natural surrounds with

breathtaking views of Mt. Iwate. The facility envisions

a perfect environment for rand Seiko’s artists and

technicians to construct the company’s future.

On the following pages, we pay tribute to these

creators, the technical and creative geniuses that keep an

eye toward history, while propelling rand Seiko into its

next 0 years. We also have the pleasure of presenting

the Tog Special Edition, an exclusive timepiece for the

nited States and the nited ingdom, and the very first

collaboration between rand Seiko and The Watches of

Switerland roup.

HISASHI FUJIEDA, MOVEMENT DESIGNER OF THE

GRAND SEIKO CALIBER 9SA5

The process to create rand Seiko’s best-ever mechanical

movement was born in the mind of Hisashi Fuieda.

“Around 00, when we developed the caliber S5, we

started wanting to go further, to innovate,” Fuieda says.

“We were always on the lookout to discover the building

blocks needed to create a new mechanical movement that

would capture the essence of rand Seiko. Our aims were

to achieve high accuracy and long-lasting performance,

and to bring about a revolution in mechanical watches.”

From 00 to 011, Fuieda’s team focused their

attention on the underlying technology of the new

movement. Fuieda, during the same period, embarked

on an independent personal study of every aspect of the

mechanical watch, from the intricacies of the movement to

the design of the case. “I went beyond studying functional

design elements and devoted extra attention to the finer

points of the movement, including its appearance,” he says.

It was an all-consuming development process, conceiving

the new movement from the ground up.

“The simplicity of the new design made the entire

movement lighter, resulting in roughly 0 percent greater

efficiency than the caliber S series,” Fuieda says. “It is

no exaggeration to say that the new structure was the key to

achieving a long power reserve with a 10-beat movement.”

COVER STORY 65

“Our aims were to achieve high accuracy and long-lasting performance,

and to bring about a revolution in mechanical watches.”

– Hisashi Fujieda, Movement Designer at Grand Seiko

This new caliber SA5 boasts both a longer power

reserve than its predecessor (0 hours) and precision of

to 5 seconds per day. Two of Fuieda’s innovations make

this possible. The first, a new dual-impulse escapement,

dramatically improves the efficiency of the driving force

transmitted to the balance. The second twin barrels enabling

the mainspring to store more energy, extending the watch’s

power reserve. These two innovations result in incredible

accuracy and a power reserve 5 percent longer than rand

Seiko’s existing high-beat caliber, the S series.

Fuieda explored every design possibility, studying and

analying to innovate new parts. Hairsprings, regulators

and balance wheels were reconceived and redesigned with

the help of the rand Seiko Studio Shiukuishi. Because

of Fuieda’s dedication, the new SA5 is nearly 1mm (or 15

percent) slimmer than the outgoing caliber, due to barrels

and gear trains laid horiontally.

Thus, Fuieda’s team reduced the overall thickness

of the watchcase, increasing on-wrist comfort, while a

repositioned crown allows SA5-equipped watches to sit

more easily on the wrist. Special attention was paid to the

crown’s action, lending the SA5 the same responsive feel

as a manually wound watch. For Fuieda’s masterpiece, no

detail was too small to perfect.

66 COVER STORY

This page

The new Spring

Drive caliber 9RA5

in the hands of

movement designer

Eiichi Hiraya.

Opposite

Eiichi Hiraya, the

movement designer

of the new Spring

Drive caliber that

powers the new

SLGA001 model.

espite endless technological development, aesthetics

also play a starring role. The movement’s bridge considers

the form of Mt. Iwate and the bending river that runs past

the rand Seiko Studio Shiukuishi, where the SA5

watches are made. Fuieda and his team oversee every

single aspect of manufacturing, ensuring the design meets

rand Seiko’s exacting standards, from manufacturing to

assembling and adustment.

“There is a value in expending that kind of effort, the

same value that lies in achieving accuracy and practicality,

and in pursuing the beauty of a watch,” Fuieda says. “I

believe that value is conveyed beyond the bounds of time

from the wearer of the watch to others, and I intend to

continue pressing forward on the strength of that belief.”

EIICHI HIRAYA, MOVEMENT DESIGNER OF THE

GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE CALIBER 9RA5

Accuracy, legibility, beauty. These rand Seiko hallmarks

allow the Spring rive movement, created by the

technicians at the Shinshu Watch Studio, to mark time

in that uniquely apanese way. The caliber A5 delivers

remarkable accuracy, ust 10 seconds per month while

boasting a five-day power reserve.

“The ideal we aimed for was to create the best Spring

rive movement,” says Eiichi Hiraya, designer of the

caliber A5, a movement that

acknowledges the anniversary of

rand Seiko, while opening a new

chapter in its history to provide

innovation for the next 0 years.

Caliber A5 hosts several

important innovations. First, two

“dual-sie barrels” that extend the

movement’s power reserve. The

caliber also features a new date change

mechanism that shortens the date

changeover to half that of conventional

mechanisms.

A new vacuum-sealed enclosure

now houses the integrated circuit

controlling the accuracy of the Spring

rive movement, a quart oscillator,

and the wiring that connects them.

“In the development process, we

faced a new challenge,” says Hiraya.

“Incorporating the movement’s

temperature correction function

within the vacuum package meant

that a separate source of power was

required to activate the function, and

it had to be kept to 5nA, the same

consumption current needed to operate a conventional

integrated circuit. nder these tight restrictions, it took a

lot of trial and error to find the optimum mechanism.”

Hiraya and his team were also tasked with slimming

down the movement. A slimmer movement makes for a

thinner watch, moving the watch’s center of gravity closer

to the wrist. These changes allow a more comfortable

watch. And while the A5 is thinner, the movement’s

strength isn’t compromised.

For the first-edition watch using the caliber A5

movement, the team looked to nature for inspiration.

They chose a winter theme, channeling the look of frostcovered

trees and a star-filled night sky to adorn the

surfaces on the movement.

“If we can design components that work well but that

will also look beautiful, they will be easier to manufacture,

which in turn will lead to higher precision. This is a

fundamental lesson we learned from our predecessors,”

explains Hiraya. The movements “should always be

accurate, should not break, and should be beautiful.”

For rand Seiko, passing down information between

generations is vital. In apan, this is known as Michi or The

Way of Continuous Evolution. In turn, knowledge gained

during the development of the caliber A5 will be passed

along, allowing rand Seiko’s legacy to ourish in perpetuity.

COVER STORY 67

KIYOTAKA SAKAI, GRAND SEIKO WATCH

DESIGNER, HERITAGE COLLECTION

“What we saw as our themes were inheritance, evolution,

and deepening. To design a ‘near-future face’ appropriate

for a new generation, while inheriting the rand Seiko

traditions that our predecessors have built up. That was

our goal,” says iyotaka Sakai, designer of the rand Seiko

Heritage Collection’s latest entry.

In designing the watch, Sakai faced a unique problem.

How do you redesign a watch that’s stood the test of time

Sakai’s answer by leveraging advances in manufacturing

technology and craftsmanship, considering the way

lifestyles have changed, and observing the direction of

history. These considerations allowed Sakai to redefine the

look of the original S.

First, Sakai immersed himself in the lifestyle of the

people living in mid-century apan, when the S was

created. “In apan and elsewhere at the time, cars were

shinier, suits were more dressy, and things with glittery

charm tended to be popular. Watches were mainly worn in

formal situations like at the office or at parties,” says Sakai.

68 COVER STORY

For the 0th anniversary, Sakai and his colleagues

sought a new design direction. They wanted to respect the

past while looking resolutely to the future. He says, “The

aim was to create an impressive look. In an era where an

individual’s way of thinking and behavior are more valued, I

thought we needed a design that announced the presence of

the person wearing the watch.”

Changes in global lifestyles were top of mind for Sakai.

As were the settings in which a modern watch gets worn.

Sakai explains, “Looking ahead to the future, these are the

ideas that I felt should inspire the next designs at rand

Seiko. I have it etched deeply into my mind that this is the

mission that was assigned to me.”

Opposite, clockwise

from top

Prototypes of the

case architecture of

the new Grand Seiko

model SLGH002

retains the legacy of

the brand’s design,

while renovating

themforthemodern

day; Mr Kiyotaka

Sakai, the designer

behind Grand

Seiko’s Heritage

Collection.

COVER STORY 69

NOBUHIRO KOSUGI, GRAND SEIKO CHIEF DESIGNER

The Tōgè Special Edition — an Exclusive

Collaboration between Grand Seiko and the

Watches of Switzerland Group

Introducing the Tog Special Edition, a timepiece to celebrate

the combined legacies of rand Seiko and

the Watches of Switerland roup. This special-edition

timepiece reimagines rand Seiko’s famous textured

Mt. Iwate dial in British acing reen to honor

Watches of Switerland’s English roots. The term

Tog, or mountain pass, “refers to a navigable route through

a mountain range,” inspired by a spirited drive through the

mountains of Shiukuishi, rand Seiko’s

home base in orthern apan.

rand Seiko’s chief designer, obuhiro osugi, who is

already celebrated for having designed the S’s original

case, designed the exterior case of the Tog Special Edition.

The profile of the Tog’s case takes its shape from a crescent

moon, incorporating the aratsu-polished curved lugs. old

details add a warm contrasting touch, with a brown crocodile

leather strap and fine green stitching to match the dial. With

the Tog, rand Seiko’s refined minimalist aesthetic meets a

bold avor of English style.

The caliber S, which powers the Tog, is tested to the

stringent rand Seiko standard of to 5 seconds per day in

static conditions, six positions, et cetera. It features a MEMS

escapement and a -hour power reserve.

The Tog Special Edition SBM1 will be available for

purchase at Watches of Switerland boutiques and select

Mayors locations in uly 00.

70 COVER STORY

Mr Nobuhiro Kosugi, the chief

designer for Grand Seiko.

The Grand Seiko Tōgè Special

Edition, developed in partnership

with Watches of Switzerland.

GRAND SEIKO × WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND

TŌGÈ SPECIAL EDITION SBGM241

MOVEMENT Self-winding Grand Seiko caliber 9S66;

hours, minutes and seconds; GMT; date; 72-hour

power reserve

CASE 39.5mm; Zaratsu-polished stainless steel with

dial in British Racing Green; water-resistant to 30m

STRAP Brown crocodile leather with green stitching

PRICE USD 5,200

COVER STORY 71

The Slow Burn:

My Love Affair with

Grand Seiko

Sixty years after the first Grand Seiko was released,

Revolution’s founder finally puts his money on a

“Snowflake”, thus beginning a new chapter in his

journey as a watch collector.

Words Wei Koh

Perhaps best

defining the

philosophy of quiet

elegance in design

is the Grand Seiko

Snowflake dial,

which has been an

icon for a decade

and requires hours

of work to develop.

A

s a story of the underdog defeating the entrenched

industry giant, it is not without precedent. The

Ford T 0s sweeping Hours of Le Mans in

first, second, and third place in 1 certainly played

a factor in Eno Ferrari’s irate decision to boycott all

motorsports a few years later. Another avid versus oliath

story took place in 1 at the “udgement of Paris”. There,

for the first time in history, a panel of experts, including

Aubert de illaine, the legendary patron of omaine de la

omanée-Conti, and Odette han, editor of La Revue du

vin de France, selected a chardonnay produced by Chateau

Montelena from Calistoga, California, as the world’s

greatest white wine. That’s right. In a blind tasting, the

1 vintage made by Croatian American winemaker Mike

rgich ust one year into his ob bested even the mythical

premier cru Meursault Charmes by omaine oulot

(which came in second) and Princess iana’s favourite

wine, oseph rouhin Clos de Mouches (which came in

fifth). The result left the udges, the nation of France and

the entire wine world utterly and completely gobsmacked.

But the ultimate story of competitive comeuppance

occurred in Switerland at the sleepy lakeside town of

euchtel. This was the battleground for the best Swiss

watchmakers intent on establishing themselves as the kings

of chronometry at the famous euchtel Observatory trials.

But in 1, watches made by the apanese company Seiko

under the designations rand and ing Seiko produced in

the Suwa and aini Seikosha factories respectively, placed

fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth and 1th in open competition

against the best Swiss watchmakers. It was a shot across

the bow of Swiss watchmaking that resounded through the

entire nation.

THE BIRTH OF AN ICONIC BRAND

Let’s provide a little background on Seiko. Cue reverse

time lapse to 100 years prior and spin the globe ,50

kilometres away. The Meii period which began in 1

was an incredible time in apan filled with promise and

possibility. The nation was moving from a feudal system

BUSINESS 73

focused on isolationism to a modern nation-state. The

rationale behind this was simple. It was time for apan to

prosper and in order to do so, it had to study and adopt the

greatest technical advancements from the West. And this

also meant switching over to the regorian calendar and

the -hour day, which led to an inux in imported clock

and pocket watches.

In 11, the extremely enterprising intaro Hattori

opened his watch and clock shop in central Tokyo. Then

in 10, he created the Seikosha factory, which literally

translates into the “exquisite success factory”. (As an aside,

I have decided to borrow this sobriquet to bestow on my

future wife’s womb.) However, the company’s existence in

the first part of the 0th century was littered with an almost

ob-like Old Testament series of trials and tribulations,

including being transformed several times into a munitions

factory, being decimated by the reat anto earthquake

of 1 that killed over 10,000 people, and having all

of its factories save one bombed or evacuated during the

Second World War. But in 15, Seiko re-emerged and

managed to rebuild both of its maor factories the Suwa

Seikosha factory in the agano Prefecture and the aini

(literally second) factory in ameido, Tokyo. Seiko’s stroke

of genius, henceforth, was to promote internal competition

between these two factories in every dimension, but

particularly in chronometric excellence and the technical

innovations related to it.

p until 15, Seikos were considered reliable

utilitarian watches, with European brands like olex and

the mythical Patek Philippe still occupying the highest

rungs in the apanese consumers’ imagination. But Seiko

had greater ambitions. It wanted to demonstrate that it

could create a watch that on every level, from design to

finish, and in particular, in terms of function, could hold

its own with the horological elite. In 10, with this desire

to compete with the very finest watches from Switerland,

the company launched the rand Seiko line pioneered by

the reference 10. This timepiece has become an icon.

The reference 10 was characteried by long lugs with

a strong bevel, a round case, prominent dauphine hands

and faceted markers. Cases were generally gold-plated

but solid platinum examples are known to exist. Most

importantly, underneath the Seiko signature now was

the word “chronometer” in deference to the caliber’s

rigorous internal testing for accuracy. It was made by Suwa

Seikosha, and the manual-wind caliber 10 residing

within was accurate to 1 seconds a day, which meant

it complied with Swiss Chronometric standards set by the

Bureaux Officiels de Contrle de la Marche des Montres.

But that’s where things got combative.

Clockwise from

top left

Suwa Seikosha

in the 1960s; Mr

Kintaro Hattori;

Daini Seikosha in the

1960s.

74 BUSINESS

LeftThe

Astronomical

Observatory

Chronometer,

one of the most

covetable vintage

Seiko watches

with a Neuchâtel

Observatorycertified

movement

Right The reference

3180, the first

Grand Seiko model.

THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION:

SWISS VS. JAPANESE MOVEMENTS

The Swiss, having caught wind of Seiko’s desire to create

a line of elevated, refined and elegant timepieces with all

the characteristics of the finest Swiss watches, began to

balk at the idea of the apanese company using the term

“chronometer” in reference to its watches’ excellent

accuracy. As such, the European Chronometer Official

Association wrote a scathing letter to Seiko, insisting that it

remove the word from its ing Seiko watches manufactured

at the aini factory and its rand Seiko watches made in

the Suwa factory. (The output of these two factories would

eventually be merged under the rand Seiko designation

in Suwa in the agano Prefecture.) And that is when, as

they say, “Sht got real.” In response, Seiko sent several

mechanical wristwatch movements to the 1 euchtel

Observatory trials, considered at the time the most brutal

and demanding chronometric competition in the world.

Movements could not deviate more than 0.5 seconds

a day with 0.0 seconds for temperature variations.

Movements were submitted to relentless scrutiny for 5

days straight. ow let’s look at Seiko’s history in these

Swiss chronometric trials.

It was the Suwa Seiko factory where rand Seiko

was born that was the first competitor in these trials.

In 1, they sent an experimental quart crystal clock

which placed 10th in the marine chronometer category.

But the following year onwards, Seiko would only send

its most elite mechanical movements destined for rand

and ing Seiko watches. In the context of today, it may

seem amusing that we would accord so much value to the

accuracy of a mechanical watch. But you should understand

that mechanical timing devices had enabled massive

advancements in human history, reaching back to ohn

Harrison in 11, whose marine timekeeper finally allowed

mankind to calculate his longitude more accurately at sea,

which gave dominion over the oceans to the British avy.

Contribution to precision measurement was also the reason

that Charles douard uillaume, the first person to create

a thermal compensating hairspring, won a obel Prie in

10. The kings of the euchtel Observatory trials were

brands like Omega, Longines and irard-Perregaux, and

calibres such as the Peseux 0, the Longines 0 and the

enith 15 were born out of this competition.

The initial results for Seiko in 1 were disastrous

with the two watch movements they entered placing 1th

and 15rd, which meant that these watches didn’t qualify

as chronometers. In 15, things became marginally better

with a 11th ranking. ather than becoming discouraged,

this ust stoked the competitive fire in Seiko and the brand

was encouraged to experiment with high-frequency

movements and other innovative solutions to improve

accuracy. This spirit of intense competitiveness would later

give rise to its two great signature creations, the Hi-Beat

and Spring rive movements. The company returned in

1 and managed a ninth place at the trials.

BUSINESS 75

This page, clockwise

from top left

In a game of spot

the dierence,

we’ve presented

the 1964 57GS (top

left) with the 1967

44GS (top right) and

1968 61GS (bottom

right); the caliber

052, front and

movement side, that

was submitted in

the 1967 Neuchâtel

Observatory trials.

In 1, Seiko’s fortunes changed. It placed fourth,

fifth, seventh, eighth and 1th. The movement that placed

fourth was the caliber 05 manufactured at the aini

factory a high-beat movement that ran at ,000vph.

At the 1 trials, Seiko’s movements performed so

brilliantly that the Swiss did the unthinkable and called off

the competition Seriously. o oke. It was like, “That’s it,

motherfukers, we’re going home.” It was later revealed

that Seiko had placed second and every place from fourth

to eighth. It should be noted that this was at a time when the

Swiss had introduced quart technology in the form of the

Beta 1 movement. ot to be discouraged, Seiko promptly

gathered up its movements, decamped to eneva and the

observatory trials there, winning every place from fourth

to 10th, with the maor caveat being that every watch from

first to third was a Beta 1 quart watch. To place that in

context, this was the equivalent of sailboats beating the

most powerful and advanced motorboats on the open sea.

And with that, the legend of rand Seiko was born.

It should be noted, too, that in 1, Seiko submitted

10 caliber movements to euchtel Observatory of which

passed as chronometers. These movements were cased

in a unique cushion-shaped model called the Astronomical

Observatory Chronometer, making Seiko the only company

other than irard-Perregaux to retail watches with true

observatory-certified movements in series. To me, these

represent the single most desirable Seiko watches in

modern history.

THE BEAUTY OF GRAND SEIKO

ow this is a great story. But until recently it was a purely

technical story, meaning that it still didn’t completely

resonate with me emotionally. I was intrigued but not

quite sold. When I looked at a rand Seiko watch, I

76 BUSINESS

marveled at its technical innovation, was impressed by

its clear expression of quality but emotionally, it left me

somewhat cold. Especially considering my enduring and

voracious love affair for Swiss horology. Then ust recently,

in a strange moment of epiphany, made even stranger

as it happened at the very last watch event held in the

rand Seiko boutique in London, before the COI-1

pandemic blitkrieged the world and forever changed

the way we live, I suddenly understood what rand Seiko

was all about. Its beauty is in its otherness, in its adamant

refusal to draw inspiration from anything apart from

its own design language. From the snow in the agano

Prefecture, from its own history in quart technology which

eventually yielded the hybrid Spring rive movements,

from its leadership in dive watch design, which inuenced

ISO rules more than any other brand, from its otherworldly

level of finish, its design language was quirky but ultimately

immensely beautiful and perennially appealing. So much so

that I felt compelled to buy one. This is how it went down.

There are many dimensions to rand Seiko’s history

that are appealing. There is the “rammar of esign”

created by designer Taro Tanaka, which resulted in the

famous 5S watch from 1, the S from 1 and

the 1S from 1. What I find cool about rand Seiko

watches is that they possess a design language characteried

in general by muscular and sharply faceted integrated lugs,

and highly reductionist, en-purist dials that is unlike the

horological design language of the West. It took me a while

to fully appreciate the utter originality of rand Seiko’s

aesthetic language, in the same way it took a while for me to

appreciate the brutalist design charm of the issan T-.

But the part of rand Seiko’s history that I found most

fascinating, the part that started to hook me and reel me

in, relates to its parent companies’ work in two pioneering

types of movements, the Hi-Beat, or high-frequency,

movements that helped it dominate the observatory trials in

1 and 1, and a radical new movement that combined

the best elements of quart and mechanical watchmaking

named the Spring rive.

your hands or simply ust swinging your arm back and forth.

If you think about it, the fact that this tiny wheel which is

vibrating anywhere from five to 10 times per second does so

with such amaing accuracy, is almost an act of magic.

It was discovered that elevating the vibrational speed of

the balance wheel gives it greater autonomy from shocks,

gravity and any other erosive forces. irard-Perregaux was

the first manufacture to commercialie a high-frequency

movement that beats at 5 Hert or ,000vph. In 1,

Seiko released its first Hi-Beat caliber 50C, also a 5H

movement. This was, however, not placed in a rand Seiko

watch, but in a model known as the “Lord Marvel”. The

first rand Seiko with a Hi-Beat movement appeared in

the 1S, an absolute marvel of design and engineering.

Amusingly, a full ,000 watches of the 1S model were

created. If you are interested in a first rand Seiko vintage

watch, this is the perfect place to start, especially as prices

tend to range around the accessible ,500 S dollar mark.

Left The first Seiko

High-Beat caliber, the

5740C was housed

in the Lord Marvel,

as well as the 61GS

shown on the opposite

page.

Below The latest

Hi-Beat mechanical

caliber to emerge

from Grand Seiko is

the 9SA5, featuring

anumberofnew

innovations, from a

specially designed

hairspring to a dual

impulse escapement,

both shown here.

THE HI-BEAT CALIBRES

Apart from being the watch that is thought to most perfectly

embody Taro Tanaka’s rammar of esign, the 1S is

also distinguished by being the very first high-end Seiko

watch to feature the company’s Hi-Beat movement. O,

what’s the theory behind a high-frequency movement

The balance and escapement form the regulating organs

of a mechanical watch. Which means that the balance

oscillates back and forth at precise uniform intervals and

is locked, unlocked and delivers impulse to the balance

thanks to the escapement. Marine chronometers are

extremely accurate even though their balances tend to

oscillate relatively slowly at 1,000vph or less, because the

regulating organ is isolated from the rolling and rocking of

the ship deck by being mounted on a gimbal. However, a

balance in a wristwatch experiences an infinite number of

micro-shocks that can result from anything like clapping

BUSINESS 77

This page, clockwise

from left

The Grand Seiko

reference SLGH002

in yellow gold bears

all of Grand Seiko’s

design grammar

with fresh dial

details; viewed

from the side, it

perfectly meets

the design codes of

the brand; the new

9SA5 caliber, visible

from the case back.

And if the Hi-Beat movement is interesting to you,

what you should know is that this year, to commemorate the

0th anniversary of the first rand Seiko, the brand has

created a watch with an all-new Hi-Beat caliber, the SA5,

which features an improved 0 hours of power reserve and

a new inertia balance, a full-balance bridge anchored on

both sides, a new hairspring with a special overcoil that

aids in concentric breathing and an incredibly cool new

escapement. This new escapement does away with the Swiss

anchor design and introduces instead the dual-impulse

escapement, which features an eight-point skeletonied

escape wheel, which works in conunction with a lever-type

escapement, so that sliding friction is only produced when

the balance swings counter-clockwise and not clockwise.

This better and more badass version of the Hi-Beat was

launched earlier this year in the charming SLH00 dress

watch. This limited-edition watch is in some ways the

ultimate sleeper, as it looks like a beautifully finished and

appealingly understated three-hand watch until you realie

it has the single most advanced 5H movement on the planet

beating within.

THE SPRING DRIVE CALIBRES

O, now for rand Seiko’s Spring rive movement. Let’s

ump back to the late ’0s again where sadly the watch

world’s experiments with high-frequency movements

disappeared, thanks to the advent and popularity of the

quart watch, which ironically began with the launch

of the Seiko Astron in 1. Indeed, all rand Seiko

production was halted from 1 to 1 because of what in

Switerland was called the uart Crisis, but in apan was

known as the uart evolution. So, what’s a quart watch

It’s a watch where the balance wheel has been replaced by

a quart crystal. When you send an electrical pulse through

it, it oscillates at , times per second meaning that

it is a massive order of magnitude more accurate than a

mechanical watch. Or at least it should be — let’s go back to

the 1 eneva Observatory trials again.

Interestingly, it was the Swiss and not the apanese

that first pioneered quart technology with the unveiling

of the prototype Beta 1, the first analog quart watch, in

1. However, it was the apanese, namely Seiko, that

beat the Swiss to market with the 1 Astron. uart

watches had one weakness in that they consumed electric

energy provided by batteries, and these batteries had to

be replaced at regular intervals. In addition, their seconds

hands marched forward imperviously but inelegantly every

second on the second, which is something that appeals to

some but not to others. Amusingly, olex had created a

mechanical watch called the Tru-Beat in the 150s, with a

traditional Swiss complication known as the deadbeat that

allows the seconds hand in a mechanical watch to advance

only once per second, instead of sweep across the dial.

However, only small quantities of this watch were produced

and sold, and the line was discontinued after five years.

But in 1, a complete horological badass named

oshikau Akahane, based out at the agano Prefecture

in the facility now called the Shinshu Watch Studio, where

rand Seiko’s Micro Artist Studio is located, created

a movement that married the best of mechanical and

quart watchmaking — the Spring rive. So the Spring

rive has been described in picturesque science fiction

terms as a cybernetic organism human esh covering a

robotic skeleton and powered by a computer brain. But it’s

anything but. In fact, lovers of mechanical watchmaking

will be intrigued by the fact that a rand Seiko Spring

78 BUSINESS

Above left Mr

Yoshikazu Akahane.

Above right The Seiko

Magic Lever, which enables

bi-directional winding on

the automatic winding gear.

Right The Grand Seiko 9R65

Spring Drive, an updated

version of the original design

is magnetic related to the glide wheel. The second is

mechanical, which comes from the mainspring and down

through the gear train. The third is electrical related to

the quart crystal oscillator. O, this is how it works The

last wheel on the train is the all-important glide wheel.

This turns between two magnets that are attached to a

coil. Magnetic energy is transformed into electrical energy

by the coil. This energy is sent to an integrated circuit

and a quart oscillator. The integrated circuit counts the

number of oscillations made by the quart crystal and

sends energy back to the electromagnets, which in turn

exert a magnetic braking force on the glide wheel. In this

way time is kept, meaning that the mainspring unwinds

in a steady and consistent way even as energy diminishes.

ou can see the advantages of the Spring rive. It is

impervious to magnetic inuence, it is shock resistant to

rive movement, up until the very last wheel in the going

train, is identical to a mechanical movement. On top of

that, when combined with Seiko’s ultra-efficient “Magic

Lever” automatic-winding system, or executed with the

most staggeringly beautiful hand bevels and internal angles

— as evidenced by the caliber 0 found in the SB001,

last year’s tribute to the 0th anniversary of the Spring

rive replete with hand-engraved case and dial — it is a

magnificent movement. So how exactly does it work Power

is stored in a traditional barrel and then transmitted across

a traditional gear train. But where you would normally find

the escapement wheel, Swiss anchor and balance wheel in

percent of the watches in the world, you get what Seiko

calls its “Tri-Synchro” regulator.

What does this mean Well, “Tri” refers to the three

types of forces at work in the regulating system. The first

Right, clockwise

from top

The magnets that

convert energy

to power the IC,

as well as the

entire electrical

component in the

watch with the

quartz oscillator,

integrated circuit

in one piece;

the SLGA001

announced

this year; the

9RA5 calibre.

Below The

interaction between

the gear train,

glide wheel and

electromagnet

regulation

shown here.

the extreme, and in its newest iteration, the caliber A5,

it features for the first time its own thermal compensation.

It is, in a word, infallible. And in addition to this, because

the central seconds hand on the dial is being driven by a

smooth consistent source of energy rather than small pulses

of energy, it is able to oat effortlessly and consistently

gliding around the circumference of the dial with almost

transcendent equanimity and poise. Think Barry White

sipping on Hennessey, wearing sunglasses and silk pyamas

levels of smooth.

The point of the Spring rive is that it takes all the best

features of the mechanical movement, the fact that the

only energy it consumes is what it gets from you wearing

it or winding it, and all the best features of the quart

movement, the ultra-precise quart oscillator which

vibrates , times per second, and combines them into

BUSINESS 79

one totally unique and beautifully executed package. And

ust how accurate is a rand Seiko Spring rive Think 1

second a day or less, which is twice as accurate as the next

most accurate mechanical watch. As soon as I completely

understood the Spring rive, I started to become obsessed

with it. And eventually, I became determined to own a

rand Seiko Spring rive watch. But at this point, I had

missed out on one critical dimension to rand Seiko

watches, and that relates to their slavish devotion to

perfecting finish.

THE SPRING DRIVE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

LIMITED EDITION SBGZ001

O, this is embarrassing to admit, but for the better half

of the last decade, I’ve badly needed multi-focal or bifocal

glasses. es, the ones that the old guys need to wear.

Because I am an old guy. I always oke that the day you

can afford a Patek perpetual calendar is the day you will

struggle to read it. But it’s true. My already myopic eyesight

had gone straight to hell. So much so that I was eventually

compelled to swallow my pride, sublimate my vanity and go

get a pair of “old man glasses”. Once I got used to the atfirst

eerie oating sensation they caused, it suddenly gave

me a new lease on life. I could enoy reading again.

Pleased with myself, I rocked up to the Basel fair last

year to my appointment at the rand Seiko booth with

the wonderful avid Edwards, the brand’s head honcho

in the . And he placed a watch in front of me that

absolutely blew my mind. That was the aforementioned

Micro Artist Studio-engraved, platinum, manual-wind,

0th anniversary Spring rive 0-piece limited-edition

watch the SB001. Peering at it through my new and

improved, ultra-sharp-focus old man glasses, I almost fell

out of my chair. It was the single most beautiful, modern

time-only watch I had ever seen in my life. I’m not being

hyperbolic, it was that ravishing. What I was particularly

blown away by was the almost hallucinatory perfection

of the finish, not ust in the magnificent movement

replete with its handmade bevels, but even the hands and

indexes were at a level of finish most brands reserve only

for tourbillon bridges. As avid explained the ethos of

rand Seiko’s aratsu finishing, the mirror polishing that

creates beyond perfect reection of light, I exclaimed,

“O, but this is a ,000 S dollar watch Surely this

doesn’t apply to the more accessibly priced watches”

avid promptly took off his own watch and I saw all of

this perfection, on the polishing of the beels, on the lugs,

even on the frame for the date and details in the bracelet,

staring back at me, expressed with such immaculate quality

that I almost could not breathe. I started grabbing watch

after watch, examining them under a loupe and each

watch would literally resonate with this feverish devotion

Above

The 20th

anniversary Spring

Drive, 30-piece

limited edition

SBGZ001, revealed

at Baselworld

2019 with a

hand-engraved

case and dial,

both in platinum,

developed by the

Micro Artist Studio.

Opposite

The SBGA211

Grand Seiko

Heritage features

Grand Seiko’s iconic

Snowflake dial, an

icon of the brand

for10years,now

housed in high

intensity titanium.

80 BUSINESS

to quality. Add this to the awe I already possessed for the

Spring rive and I found myself automatically reaching into

my wallet and committing to the platinum SB001 until it

dawned on me I didn’t have even one-tenth of the asking

price to spare.

THE SPRING DRIVE ‘SNOWFLAKE’ SBGA211

At that point, I began to despondently curse my ultra-sharp

new spectacles that revealed to me a watch of such beauty

and perfection, only to have me realie that it was beyond

the fragile limits of my bank account. What I found so

appealing was the calm, mesmeriing , mediational effect

of the engraved surface and dial that was meant to replicate

the surface of the snow reected in the moonlight in

agano. I commiserated with avid and he replied, “Have

you thought about a ‘Snowake’”

To which I idiotically replied, “What’s a ‘Snowake’”

He pointed to his watch which I had now placed on my wrist

in the hopes I could stealthily make away with it without him

noticing. I oke. But only ust. The SBA11, or the rand

Seiko “Snowake”, is a modern icon.

In 1, rand Seiko was revived initially with ust

quart movements, and then in 1, with the mechanical

calibre S, which was launched in the model SS. This

design, which has remained unchanged a full years

after it was launched, and is the design of the rand Seiko

“Snowake” that sits on my wrist as I write this, was

something I didn’t completely comprehend when it was first

Clockwise from top

Awatchmaker

positions the

glide wheel of

the Spring Drive;

manufacturing the

snowflake dial is

a long process,

requiring stamping,

lacquering and

sticking on the

brand’s logo

before applying

the markers and

hands by hand.

BUSINESS 81

Above

The snowflake dial

is inspired by the

winter conditions

that surround

Grand Seiko’s

manufactures up

north in Nagano;

the SBGA211 Grand

Seiko Heritage.

launched. It was neither a sports watch — after all, there

was no lume on the dial or the hands — nor a dress watch.

It was too big and thick but had an integrated bracelet, and

was a sports-chic model with subdued and slightly quirky

aesthetics. In order to understand any rand Seiko, and

perhaps most of all the SBA11, you need to try it on. The

first thing you will notice is that it is light, craily light for

what looks like a pretty robust watch. That’s because it’s

crafted from rand Seiko’s high-intensity titanium, which

has a much higher surface hardness than traditional grade

5 titanium, and also has a kind of Wolverine-like mutant

“self-healing” power, in that a sort of oxide forms over

small scratches, causing them to fade over time. The other

thing about the rand Seiko is that it ust feels expensive.

Close your eyes and put it in your hand. This is a trick that

I do with Pateks all the time. It ust feels wonderful on

your skin. Same thing with the rand Seiko where every

surface has been so thoroughly polished and slaved over

for ergonomy that you forget it’s there. Case in point is

that I normally take my watch off to write, but I’ve had my

“Snowake” on for all 5,000 words of this article.

Flip the watch over and you’ll see that amaing Spring

rive movement that dates back to 1 but that has

received a new thermo compensator as of this year, for the

special anniversary models. It is only by gaing into the

lovely finish, complemented by what I would normally call

eneva stripes, that you see how purely mechanical the

movement is, with ust the ewel-mounted drive and glide

wheels differing from a traditional movement. The SBA11

is an automatic movement and benefits from Seiko’s ultraefficient

Magic Lever automatic-winding system.

In terms of dial layout, it is no different from the 00

model, the very first rand Seiko Spring rive model,

which means it has large beautifully finished sword hands,

a ame-blued seconds hand, a power-reserve indicator

at 0 and a date window at three o’clock. It is perfect

harmonious en-reductionist calm, a watch that when you

look at it, places you in a tranquil mental state, aided by the

smoothness of the seconds hand that militates against the

idea of time’s imperious march toward finality. But it is the

dial’s surface that gives it the nickname “Snowake”, as it

bears a wonderfully elegant, subtle and uneven pattern that

is inspired by the snowfields in agano Prefecture where

the Spring rive was born. It is not a tapisserie, or a sunray,

or a guilloché, or a frosted dial. It borrows no reference to

any Western culture dial. It is completely and wonderfully

born through the imagination of the apanese mind. While

it is not hand-engraved like the magnificent SB001, the

dial is incredibly complex to create.

The snow pattern is stamped onto the dial, then layer after

layer of translucent opalescent colour is added. The ussian

Suprematist artist aimir Malevich, who created the

seminal painting White on White, once proclaimed, “White

is the colour of infinity.” And this is exactly what you feel

when gaing into the dial of the rand Seiko “Snowake”. As

the dial draws you in, and as the smooth seconds hand glides

around you, you feel connected to infinity.

A year later, I couldn’t stop thinking about the

“Snowake” and eventually at a rand Seiko event held

with avid Edwards — yes, I eventually gave him back his

watch — I said to him, “avid, I can’t host this event with

you without being your customer.”

82 BUSINESS

I had already earmarked and reserved the SBA11

“Snowake” sitting in the window and bought it on the

spot. Amusingly, ust moments later, my friend and fellow

watch collector ohnny Allen, who runs Huntsman tailors’

front of house, walked in and exclaimed, “I’m here to buy a

‘Snowake’”

ow a full two months later, as I write this story, I

am pleased to announce that amid the madness of the

COI-1 pandemic and my quarantine and self-isolation,

the rand Seiko “Snowake” is the watch that saved my

sanity. First of all, it is utterly indestructible. I wear it on my

spin bike, it’s on my wrist as I clumsily attempt to emulate

the HIIT workouts of much younger, fitter and infinitely

bendier people on Instagram, and even when I’m doing

shadow boxing, something I would never normally wear a

mechanical watch to do. The point is, I can’t get the Spring

rive movement to lose even a fraction of a second. And

then there is the pure sensual and visual pleasure of a watch

that is executed with such mesmeriing perfection.

Sure, it took me a long time to get into rand Seiko. It

was more of a slow burn than a lightning strike, but when it

hit, it hit with immeasurable power. The pathway into rand

Seiko may have been the incredible chronometric feats and

technical innovation of its parent company, but in the end,

the tipping point had to do with the perfection of execution

and quality. Also considering that I only bought my first

rand Seiko at the age of 50, I am looking forward to an allnew

adventure in watch collecting. The brand and I clearly

have a abriel arca Mrque’s Love in the Time of Cholera

relationship going on. ow, if I can ust get someone to lend

me ,000 S dollars for that Micro Artist Studio watch.

Clockwise from top left

David Edwards, managing director,

Seiko UK; Wei Koh with Iain English;

Alain Gafundi with Edward Sexton;

Grand Seiko wristshots; Wei Koh

with his SBGA211 on his wrist.

BUSINESS 83

Planet Grace

The world received an epic wake-up call

this year. It’s time to act and give thanks.


After an unimaginable spring, we must radically

rethink environmental sustainability. The

necessary changes have long weighed on

our minds, but now we must act. Life on our planet

is more fragile than we’d ever imagined, a reality

illuminated by the tireless work of scientists,

explorers, and adventurers working on behalf of

some of our favorite brands. On the following pages,

we feature these incredible ambassadors who strive

for common good on Planet Earth. We are eternally

grateful for their work.

BREITLING

Breitling Emergency,

ref. V7632522,

black titanium case with

rubber strap,

USD 18,695

breitling.com

sculptthefuturefoundation.org

84 FEATURE

DAVID DE ROTHSCHILD, BREITLING

ADVENTURER, ENVIRONMENTALIST AND THE FOUNDER OF THE

SCULPT THE FUTURE FOUNDATION

This Breitling ambassador is a 2007 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, best known for his 8,000-mile ocean

voyage, sailing a catamaran built from 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles. David de Rothschild has continued to

travel to remote and fragile ecosystems, bringing attention and resources to urgent global environmental issues.

FEATURE 85

LAURENT BALLESTA, BLANCPAIN

MARINE SCIENTIST, UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER, DIVING PIONEER

Laurent Ballesta, Blancpain ambassador, founded the Gombessa Expeditions project, a scientific expedition to promote

greater understanding of formerly inaccessible deep water ecosystems. Ballesta’s expeditions are designed to probe

scientific mystery, often through physically challenging diving that produces unprecedented underwater images.

86 FEATURE

BLANCPAIN

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

Automatique,

ref. 5015 1130 52A, steel case with

sail-canvas strap,

USD 14,500

blancpain.com

blancpain-ocean-commitment.com

FEATURE 87

BREGUET

Breguet “Race for

Water” Special Edition

(modeled after the

Breguet Marine 5517),

Titanium case with

alligator strap,

breguet.com.

The set of limitededition

watches worn

by Simeoni and his crew

will be auctioned o at

the end of their voyage

in 2021.

raceforwater.org

88 FEATURE

MARCO SIMEONI, BREGUET

PRESIDENT OF THE RACE FOR WATER FOUNDATION, EXPEDITION LEADER

Race for Water Foundation founder and Breguet ambassador Marco Simeoni sails the earth to

demonstrate technologies that enable plastic waste to be converted to usable energy.

Simeoni sails on a sea-going vessel powered by renewable solar, hydrogen and kite technologies.

FEATURE 89

SYLVIA EARLE, ROLEX

MARINE BIOLOGIST, EXPLORER, AUTHOR, LECTURER, AND A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER IN RESIDENCE SINCE 1998

For over 40 years, Rolex Testimonee Sylvia Earle has been a committed advocate for the world’s oceans, safeguarding fragile

ecosystems through her global initiative, Mission Blue. Sylvia was the first female chief scientist appointed by the U.S. National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration. She was named the first Hero for the Planet by Time magazine in 1998.

90 FEATURE

ROLEX

Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust,

ref. 279178,

Yellow-gold case and bracelet,

USD 24,650

rolex.com

mission-blue.org

FEATURE 91

MIKE HORN, PANERAI

EXPLORER AND ENVIRONMENTALIST

Mike Horn is acknowledged as the world’s greatest modern-day explorer. Horn recently completed POLE2POLE, circumnavigating the

globe via the North and South Poles, including ocean crossings and overland expeditions. The journey took three years.

92 FEATURE

FEATURE 93

PANERAI

Submersible EcoPangaea

Tourbillon GMT 50mm Mike

Horn Edition,

ref. PAM01108,

EcoPangaea steel case

with rubber strap, a limited

edition of five pieces,

USD 189,000

panerai.com

mikehorn.com

Revive, Relive, Remaster

The highly anticipated Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is slated to open at

the end of June, a project envisioned by the Swiss manufacturer’s Heritage

Department and brought to life by renowned architecture company Bjarke

Ingels Group. We caught up with Museum Director Sebastian Vivas to discuss

about the importance of having a physical museum space, and previewed the

new limited edition watch Audemars Piguet created to celebrate this new

chapter in its heritage preservation.

Words Stephanie Ip

94 BUSINESS

It goes without saying that the people manning the Heritage

epartment at Audemars Piguet are big on history. ot ust history

of watches, per se, but history in general. We’ve previously spoken

to Michael Friedman, AP’s Historian, a bibliophile who could as easily

school you on the philosophy of time as well as he could on the subect

matter of watches.

Sebastian ivas too, is cut from the same cloth. A history maor

in university, ivas began working for the Musée International

d’Horlogerie to finance his studies. The museum was celebrating its

15th anniversary at that time, and ivas found himself ipping through

the first professional watchmaking ournal, the Journal Suisse d’horlogerie,

reading about the last 15 years of culture, techniques, economics,

distribution, advertisement and marketing in the field of watchmaking.

“It was the best introduction,” recalls ivas. “I turned 100,000 pages

trying to understand what was in this newspaper.”

It was also because of this particular exercise that ivas realised there

was a pressing need in the field of watchmaking to better communicate

about its history. “The uart Crisis made a big gap,” he explains. “uring

the rebirth of mechanical watches, history started to become a very

important instrument of marketing and many companies started to open

museums, publish books, to try to erase this gap that has cut our history.”

Finishing his studies, ivas sent out letters to various manufacturers

to offer his help. He accepted a position at aeger-LeCoultre before

oining Audemars Piguet in 1. At that time, Audemars Piguet had one

exhibition room. By 00, the company had enlarged the exhibition to

encompass the entire historic building — the company’s oldest building,

where ules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet set up their

workshop in their time, in 15.

The AP Museum,

designed by Bjarke

Ingels Group

(BIG), blends into

the landscape

seamlessly.

THE MUSEUM BRIEF

From a room in 1 to a building in 00, this April 00, Audemars

Piguet is ready to welcome its own museum within the cradle of the allée

de oux. To build a space that could house its living crafts and venerable

treasures, Audemars Piguet hosted an architectural competition to find

the right partner to expand its historical premises. Five architectural

companies entered. The competition brief was written by ivas himself.

“It was a great privilege because then I could follow the whole proect

from the very beginning to today,” he says. “The brief was about creating

an experience for the visitors that would make them understand the

various facets and the deep identity of Audemars Piguet. For this reason

we talk about the connection of opposites past and future, international

vision and deep roots, craftsmanship and high technology, vision and

tradition, all these things merging together.”

The real challenge however, lay in the physical building. “It had to feel

like this kind of grand complication and be respectful to the landscape.

We asked for the absolute impossible,” admits ivas. “We asked for a

super emblematic building that everybody can recognise and remember,

but totally respectful to the local environment which is very quiet, and to

the local architecture too.”

Chuckling sheepishly, ivas says, “I thought nobody will do it. But

finally the idea from Barke Ingels roup was very clever. They did not

really make a building, they made it part of the landscape. It’s part of the

landscape which you can see and recognise and admire. But it does not

compete with the old building because it’s positioned much lower. It’s

very well-articulated.”

BUSINESS 95

A VISIT TO THE ATELIER

BI’s high-concept spiral pavilion rises gently above

the ground, walls of structural curved glass that

support a steel roof, while a brass mesh runs along

the outer edge of the structure to regulate light and

temperature. The roof, covered in greenery, also

helps to regulate temperature and absorb water. It

perfectly integrates with its surrounding scenery and

nothing looks out of place within the remote valley of

Le Brassus.

Inside the museum, every tour is guided by the

watchmakers themselves. The curved glass walls

converge towards the spiral’s centre, where the

randes Complications and Métiers d’Art Ateliers

are located, before moving in the opposite direction.

ight at the centre of the spiral is the niverselle

(1), surrounded by astronomical, chiming and

chronograph watches, you could catch a glimpse of

the niverselle (1), the most complicated watch

ever produced by Audemars Piguet.

More significantly, the AP Museum is not a

passive experience. With the aid of erman museum

designer Atelier Brückner, the Musée Atelier

Audemars Piguet becomes a truly unique place for

discovery and learning, as well as conviviality and

passion — guests are invited to discover the 00

exceptional watches on display that encapsulate

over two centuries of watchmaking, but also get the

change to try their hands on some of the ancestral

techniques Audemars Piguet calls its expertise.

Connected with the glass spiral is the historical

house, the restored building of ancient woodwork and

stone now houses the estoration Atelier on its top

oor, where a handful of highly specialised watchmakers

restore antique timepieces to their original pristine

conditions. At the vaulted basement of the building,

you’ll find various immersive exhibitions that narrate

how the brand carries its values around the world today.

It took more than two years to build the museum,

but it was well worth the wait. Having an AP museum

A golden mesh

outer screen

provides delicate

transparency while

sheltering the allglass

façade.

96 BUSINESS

Watchmakers at

work within the

Museum, with broad

windows that let in a

maximum amount of

natural light as they

assemble or repair

timepieces.

was a dream for the whole Heritage epartment,

who felt it was one of the best ways to showcase the

company’s history to people. “The museum plays with

the landscape itself. There are watchmakers working

in the museum in both the new and the historical

building. We offer visitors the possibility to discover

the collection but also to understand and experience

them, right in Le Brassus,” says ivas.

BRIDGING THE PAST

ot too long ago, Audemars Piguet published a book

on its 0th century complicated wristwatches, a

masterpiece and essential collector’s reference book.

The book followed four years of archival research, from

the first minute repeating wristwatch in 1 to grand

complications in the 10s. In it, there are mentions of

550 complicated wristwatches 5 minute repeaters, 1

calendar wristwatches, 0 chronograph wristwatches

and 0 double complication wristwatches with calendar

and chronograph functions. The book was made possible

BUSINESS 97

“We offer visitors the possibility to

discover the collection but also to understand

and experience them, right in Le Brassus.”

– Sebastian Vivas

A vintage model of

the chronograph

that the [Re]

master01 is based

on. Watchmakers

in Le Brassus look

like time travelers

working within

the confines of

the modernized

facility. A vintage

model of the

chronograph that

the [Re]master01

is based on.

due to ivas’ timely discovery of company archives in a

storage next to the railway station.

“My predecessor, Martin Wehrli, had a fantastic

memory. He spent four years in the company and

he told me, ‘If you go to these storages next to the

railway station, you may find something.’ He gave

me the key and left the company,” says ivas. “We

went and found these boxes filled with papers with

descriptions, numbers. What were they o clue.”

Step by step, the team found out that every watch

ever made by the company from as early as 110 to

the 150s were documented in these papers. Because

there were no model numbers at that time, every

watch was described to minute detail, with parts that

are glued on, added to show the transformations

and repairs that the watches went through. With

the completion of the book, Audemars Piguet now

had a really clear picture of its own history with the

chronograph. intage Audemars Piguet chronograph

wristwatches are among the rarest in the world — only

0 were made between the 10s through the 150s.

And so, to celebrate the opening of its Musée

Atelier, Audemars Piguet, the brand that calls the

octagonal oyal Oak its bread and butter, did what no

one expected them to do. It created a new take on its

rare chronographs from 1.

THE [RE]MASTER01

A vintage, classic chronograph with an

unconventional name, the emaster01 is a selfwinding

yback chronograph that speaks to the

company’s storied past, evoking all the design

attributes of the original timepiece.

The watch features a round stainless steel cased

with teardrop lugs that are enhanced by a 1 pink

gold beel, crown and pushers. The dial is goldtoned,

with pink gold hour and minute hands. The

chronograph hands and the tachometer scale are

in blue. In keeping with its vintage inspiration, the

emaster01 features the logo “Audemars Piguet

& Co enve” on the dial. In the past, “enve”

appeared on the dial because Audemars Piguet

operated a workshop in the city to cater towards

end-clients and distribution beyond Switerland.

intage on the outside, not so on the inside.

Within the watch beats the self-winding manufacture

calibre 0, part of the family of in-house

integrated chronograph movements that Audemars

Piguet launched earlier last year in the COE

11.5 collection. Paired with a light brown calfskin

leather strap and an additional brown alligator

strap, the watch is limited to only 500 pieces.

Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is set to open its

doors to the public from 5 une 00. isits will be

by appointment only.

98 BUSINESS

BUSINESS 99

The [Re]master01

Chronograph by

Audemars Piguet,

acontemporary

timepiece based

on Ref. 1533, a

1943 two-tone

chronograph owned

by the manufacture.

100 BUSINESS

CEO of Jaeger-

LeCoultre since

2018, Catherine

Rénier takes a

moment to reflect.

Since the beginning, the expression of sound has played

its part in the history of aeger-LeCoultre. Countless

patents have expressed these innovations, from early

1th century landmarks, through the spectacular Master

rande Complication Minute epeater released this year. ow

comes a pair of Memovox timepieces, chiming watches based

on archival pieces that sound their alarms beautifully. aeger-

LeCoultre CEO Catherine enier knows a hit when she hears

one, be it lyrical minute repeater or alarm-watch banger for the

wrist. She oined Revolution to discuss

Sound, Vision

Catherine Renier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre,

on the Maison’s 187-year-old history, and how

the past informs its promising future.


Jaeger-LeCoultre is known for incredible movements and

very particular aesthetics. When developing new timepieces,

which is more important?

It’s difficult. For the everso, the aesthetic and the functional

design came first. The idea behind it was to protect the watch,

to ip it, and protect the dial. ow today, I can say that a lot

of input comes from the technical side. That means we have a

portfolio of calibers and an ability to create a new story for our

watches. We work in very close collaboration between our large

research team and our design team. This allows perhaps a new

movement or additional complication to become something

wearable. Something that aesthetically brings an elegant touch

to the complexity of the watch. We are trying to merge those

concepts at the beginning.

BUSINESS 101

New products like this year’s Master

Grande Tradition Grande Complication

reveal Jaeger-LeCoultre’s DNA

while pushing the company into more

contemporary design. What are the core

elements of Jaeger-LeCoultre that must

appear in every product?

The first word that comes to mind is

elegance. We strive to balance technique

and design. To create something

wearable that is elegant and understated.

Something complex that, to the naked

eye, has simple lines. When you look

deeper at this watch, it reveals all the

details, the fine structure, the orbital

tourbillon. The complexity of it comes

to life. It’s understated, elegant, and

balanced in its expression.

It’s also essential for a watch to

be wearable. And I think this piece

remains very wearable, very thin. The

yrotourbillon sie last year, I don’t

know if you got it in your hands, but it’s

impressively thin for the complexity

of the piece, something you can wear

without showing off. It’s simple, elegant,

yet incredibly complex.

What is the ratio at Jaeger-LeCoultre of

mens to ladies’ watches? Do you see this

changing in the future?

It’s genuinely about halfhalf. The

everso, for instance, is a very balanced

unisex piece. The Maison, from the

beginning of its history, thought about

ladies’ watches. The best example is

the 101 movement, one of the smallest

movements adorning ewelry watches

made in the thirties. It was beloved by

ladies who wanted to wear a watch but

couldn’t be seen wearing one because

it wasn’t proper at the time. Back then,

aeger-LeCoultre was thinking about the

need for ladies’ watches. I think from the

beginning it came very naturally for us.

Does helming a brand with longevity

like Jaeger-LeCoultre make you reflect

on what is happening now?

aeger-LeCoultre is a Maison of care,

a Maison of togetherness and passion,

so we’ve very much made our decisions

according to these values. We are

reaching out to our partners, protecting

our teams, creating a strong community

despite the distance. We are connected

through the various digital platforms

within our Maison. Communicating,

keeping the discussion going. I think

community and togetherness are very,

very important at aeger-LeCoultre.

People can understand the context.

They need to talk about things. I believe

we have the resilience and the values

and the products to go through this

challenging and unexpected time.

obody saw it coming.

I think for me, it’s vital to know who

we are, and by which values you want to

navigate difficult times. What we want is

to protect our creativity. This element is

why we decided to continue to reveal our

novelties because creativity is essential

within aeger-LeCoultre. With our teams

supporting our partners, we’re keeping

communication open with our clients

and fans. This shows we’ve been creating

and thinking about the next steps for

aeger. This creativity remains one of our

key elements of pride and identity. It’s

something that we didn’t want to slow. Of

course, we slowed down to some extent

on the creation side, but we won’t stop.

Do you think consumers will return to

the same types of spending after these

last few months of living and shopping

so differently?

Probably. I think the convenience of

e-commerce, of browsing on platforms

like Watches & Wonders gives quality

access to novelties and products. I think

it’s always going to be like walking on two

feet you need this digital component,

even more, when you are not sure you

have a choice. Today, you have to be

digital. But, our brick and mortar stores

will remain extremely important as

well, because at some point, when you

have a choice, you might still want to

try on watches. I think it’s essential for

the luxury industry. Shoppers should

have that choice. What is difficult at the

moment is not having an option, to have

to do it online no matter what.

For me, I believe our clients are

looking online, trying the watch. Maybe

they buy online. Perhaps they buy

elsewhere. It’s very dynamic with our

clients. At the moment, the brick and

mortar stores are mostly closed, so thank

od we have the digital activity. But I

think you need the whole ecosystem to

be the most efficient and have the best

service to the clients.

You’ve lived around the world and

currently hold a position that requires

global travel year-round. How has it felt

to be in one place for a while?

102 BUSINESS

Founded by Antoine LeCoultre in 1833,

the Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture in

Le Sentier, Switzerland.

A collection of legendary

Atmos clocks on display at

theLeSentiermanufacture.

BUSINESS 103

The Master Control Memovox Timer, a limited

edition of 250 pieces. The Jaeger-LeCoultre

Captions Dolorumq uiateni

automatic alarm movement, Calibre 956.

mollestia dellese nim aut

Below, the Master Control Memovox. The

faceptur acea pratium aut

glowing SuperLuminova indices of the Master

volesti scideliquia pro vel

Control Memovox Timer

104 BUSINESS

I lived in Hong ong. So I’m used to

seeing masks.

I mean, as long as it’s not for

forever, it’s okay. If we had used oom

a few months ago, maybe we wouldn’t

have enoyed it as much as we do now,

knowing this is our only way. So, I think

travel will come back. I’m missing a

direct connection with people. It’s not

so much the quality of the exchange, as I

believe you do get the message through

to your teams or your partners, but it’s

the chatter before and after the meeting I

miss, you know Small talk. The personal

connection that you have, which makes

things very tough sometimes, or a little

dry. Once the discussion is over, you end

it, and that’s it now.

What are some of your favorite places?

What do you miss most?

I love nature, so even though I’ve lived in

vast cities for most of my life, what comes

to mind now is the most spectacular

natural scenery. It can be a mountain,

village, countryside, or beach. I like

visiting the allée de oux for that. I love

the drive to the manufacture along the

Alps and the lake. It’s beautiful. That’s

what I’m missing the most, even more

than the restaurants.

The watch world is changing fast

these days. Where will the Maison be

a year from now? Any predictions?

Where would you like to see the industry

go from here?

I don’t know. It’s interesting. I believe the

Watches & Wonders online platform was

fantastic, at least from my perspective and

aeger-LeCoultre’s. For us, it was a great

way to kick off the year, to tell our message.

We see this platform as a continuous way

to share our different chapters throughout

the year. I like the fact that it remains

open, that we can bring chapter two

and chapter three. We have a lot more

to reveal.. This online development is

notable because it’s not a one-shot. It’s a

way to keep the connection going in a very

dynamic movement and dynamic rhythm.

On the other hand, olex is moving to

digital, and then you think, ‘okay’. That’s

important to a brick and mortar show for

next year. Like the stores, I think you will

see trade shows serve different purposes.

I think the show can become, more than

ever, a significant reveal of identity.

There is nothing like experiencing the

way the Maisons express themselves. The

site of their products is the booth. Then

the online platform will lead connectivity

throughout the year. But, honestly,

who knows We still have a full year to

make all of this happen. I don’t think

one replaces the other. If anybody has a

chance to do Watches & Wonders next

year, we’d be happy to see you.

The digital Watches and Wonders

worked well from an editorial point of

view. How will this impact the trade

shows of the future?

I think they’ll return to a new normal.

I hope we have a fair, maybe with

new standards, new rules. Perhaps a

combined digital and physical reveal.

I think we’ll be traveling, but I hope

differently. I think for a while we will

remember what happened. But then

people tend to forget. I mean to think

about the pace the world has taken in

terms of traveling and pollution and

sustainability. It’s probably something

we should try to remember that anything

can be accomplished when you have no

other option. We can find alternatives.

Ihopewetakealittleofthatwithusifwe

can from this challenging time.

I’m a big fan of the Atmos Clock. Would

there be any interest in having someone

like Marc Newson design a new watch

for Jaeger-LeCoultre?

To be frank, I don’t know. We don’t have

a proactive approach for this now. We

feel that the creativity in-house has been

super, super, super productive. We’ve

got a full plan for the next three years

at all levels, for men, for women, for

ende-ous, for everso, for rande

Complications. So we’re not in need, to

put it one way. We also really wanted to

rework our basics with Master Control.

There was a lot to do, and we first needed

to look at ourselves and try to put our

plan in order. In the future, why not

But we also reworked Atmos.

There will be a fantastic reveal in the

next year or so, so we have a lot to come.

Atmos, as you said, is also very dear

to me, and there is a lot more that we

want to show the public for this unique

signature of the Maison.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control

Memovox Timer, Ref.Q410848J, stainless

steel with alligator strap, a limited edition of

250 pieces, $15,600; jaeger-lecoultre.com

Jaeger-LeCoulter Master Control Memovox,

Ref. Q4118420, stainless steel with leather

strap, $11,600; jaeger-lecoultre.com

BUSINESS 105

AllRoadsLeadto

the Dancefloor

Even in lockdown, DJ and Zenith Ambassador Carl Cox

brings his message and music to the masses.


Arecent collaboration between enith and

world-famous Carl Cox had all the

trappings of a massive marketing blit. et set

crowds, late nights, exclusive sets, global nightclubs

packed in celebration of the EF El Primero 1 Carl

Cox launch. Covid-1 changed all that. The enith

manufacture is on hold, and disco balls worldwide

have spun to a halt. egardless, Carl Cox has been

rethinking his future, while his EF El Primero

chronograph has taken on a hopeful significance.

World-renowned

DJ, and producer

Carl Cox is wearing

his namesake

special edition

ZenithDefy21.

This year has been surreal, bringing about radical

change to what you do for a living. As someone that

endlessly travels around the world for gigs, how have

you been doing?

I’ve been coping quite well. My career has taken a

slight turn based on the fact that I’ve been playing for

people for 0 years, professionally around years.

I was ying around the world to do what I do at the

highest level. And at the moment coronavirus has put

an end to that.

Being at home has made me realie how important

it is to look after yourself, and that’s what I’ve been

doing. I’ve been exercising in a home gym. I’ve been

making more smoothies than I can shake a stick at and

trying to eat as healthily as possible. For my mind, I’ve

been doing a lot of work in my recording studio and

making some new music, working on remixesI’ve been

putting off, and doing my streaming shows, which is

reaching out to millions of people worldwide.

So with that, keeping in contact with my family and

friends through FaceTime and oom has been brilliant.

With that, it’s been good to connect with a lot of old

friends I see on Facebook. It’s been a very interesting

time for me, but that’s how I’ve been coping.

106 BUSINESS

BUSINESS 107

“Everything that I do when I play is about timing:

beats per minute, where I drop the records in off the breaks,

where the vocals should come in, where the record should start

as an intro. All of these things need perfect timing.”

–CarlCox

Alimitededition

of 200 pieces, the

1/100th of a second

chronograph features

a unique glow in the

dark carbon fiber

bezel and topstitched

strap details.

108 BUSINESS

DJ Carl Cox is one of

the most influential

personalities in the

world of electronic

music, with a mission of

bringing people together

all over the world.

I see you’ve been reinventing yourself online

with streaming sets. Any other new projects are

you working on?

One of the shows I’ve been working on is called

“Cabin Fever.” The show is based on me playing

my 150,000-piece vinyl collection, which I

collected from 1 to 00. At the moment, as

you know, we’re on lockdown with Stage Three in

place. We’re not able to go out and perform in any

way, shape, or form. With Cabin Fever, you can

see the show on Twitch, as well as Mixcloud and

Facebook. With my new record label Awesome

Soundwave, we’ve been doing some streaming

shows with a company called Beatport. They’ve

allowed us to ump onto their platform to reach

out to thousands of people worldwide.

Together with my record label Awesome

Soundwave, and partner and electronic artist

Christopher Coe, we’ve been putting together a

collection of all of our artists that we’ve signed. They

all play live electronica music, which has ust been

brilliant, from Poland, London, Ireland, to America.

Wherever the artists have ended up is where we’re

able to collate. Then we broadcast them to our

streaming platform for about eight to 10 hours. Also,

I’ve been working on new music, heading down into

the studio to create as much music as I possibly can.

How did the relationship with Zenith come about?

It was a chance meeting. I know some people that

are really into watches, who know the enith camp,

and they felt that I’d be a perfect advocate for their

watches. But to cement the relationship, we created

a Carl Cox watch together. I feel very honored and

proud to be involved in a proect like that. I’ve always

been into watches for many years. I’ve always had a

timepiece on my arm. But to do this, though, enith

was an absolute pleasure to be involved with.

Tell Revolution about the watch you’ve developed.

My favorite aspect of the watch is the color because

we based the watch on my motosport team. The team’s

colors are red, white, and black. And because I’m a

, we developed a watch which was also -friendly.

There was a sense these two worlds could collide,

motorsports and the music. My favorite part of the

watch is the strap, which is Carl Cox red. But in the

strap, there is the stitching ust along the edge, which

illuminates under black light. It glows in the dark.

The watch case itself is made of carbon fiber

composite. There illuminated particles in that

composite that also light up in the dark. The sub-dial

on the left is this little tiny vinyl record which they’ve

created a small record with grooves and the Carl Cox

logo. It’s incredible what they’ve done.

BUSINESS 109

DJing is all about style, vibe, and timing. Does your

Zenith watch tie all these elements together?

It all goes well together. Everything that I do when I

play is about timing beats per minute, where I drop

the records in off the breaks, where the vocals should

come in, where the record should start as an intro.

All of these things need perfect timing. And like I said

before, I’ve always had a timepiece on my arm, so

when I put my hands in the air, you see the watch. It

feels good to be able to have something which I can be

proud of taking part in.

The passage of time has taken on a surreal

new meaning to 2020. How has slowing down

and staying home changed your personal

relationship with time?

That’s a great question, really, my relationship with

time. They say, “time waits for no man or no woman.”

We have to make the best of the time that we have

now. It’s been incredible to slow down, planning for

our future to go back out there and to treat time very

differently. ow for me, I am getting to a point where

I want to wake up, smell the roses, or smell the coffee.

I want to be able to enoy life as much as humanly

possible without pushing myself so hard that I miss an

element of my life.

This time has given me an excellent opportunity to

re-evaluate what I do next, reset what I do, adapt, and

to ust be happy in the moment.

For the home D.J., do you have a favorite go-to

track that always gets the party started?

There’s plenty of great tracks out there, but there is

one from Alison Limerick called “Where Love Lives.”

It’s ust a beautiful song you can sing from the rafters.

As soon as you hear the piano start at the beginning of

the track, it’s a classic. Everyone kind of knows that

piano line and the way Alison Limerick delivered that

song is absolutely beautiful.

What is the perfect artist or song for right now, and a

song that defines how you feel or want to feel?

The perfect artist or song right now are songs about

love, or togetherness, or being as one, and what

happens in our future. There are so many records out

there that can define all of those things. I love this

record by iana oss called “Love Hangover.” It’s

perfect, beautifully constructed, the strings, and ust

how she delivers the song. The song is 11 minutes long.

If you can find this record, it’s amaing how the song

takes you on a ourney from musicality to the dance

oor. There are not many records that do that. We

feel the music more than anything else in our lives

right now.

The Defy 21

Carl Cox houses

the El Primero

9004 Automatic

movement with

a frequency of

36,000 VpH and

50-hour power

reserve. The running

seconds indicator

at 9 o’clock

cleverly resembles

a spinning vinyl

record featuring

Cox’s label.

110 BUSINESS

Unexpected downtime has

provided Carl Cox with rare

sparetimetoworkonnew

projects from producing

music to streaming live sets.

What is your absolute favorite place to DJ?

Anywhere, really. Anywhere that’s got people who are

really into what I play or what I do. I love that. At the end

of the day, it’s all about where you are and who you’re

with, and that’s what makes the perfect place to be.

Will current events impact the types of music that I

want to play, and people want to hear?

There are no events at the moment. Everything is

going to change once we get back out there. I think you

ust have to be yourself as a . ou have to play what

you feel. on’t follow any fashion or anybody. It’s all

about who you are. ou’re out there to play the music

that connects with people now and in the future. In

the last 0 years, we’ve had such an abundance of

music, so much of everything, that right now, people

should do what they want to do.

The news is changing so quickly. What do you see as

the future of the club scene?

eah, the scene is going to change. It’s hard to say

what’s going to happen in the short-term. But people

still want to interact, and for sure, the clubs and

clubbers will adapt. Because they still want to go out,

they still want to connect, but things will be different.

It won’t be the Summer of Love as we know it, but I

like to think that at the end of the day, together we can

get through this, and to get back to what we enoy, and

that’s enoying the music on the dance oor.

Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Carl Cox

Ref.10.9001.9004/99.R941, El Primero 9004 automatic

movement, carbon case with black rubber strap with red

“cordura effect” rubber with SuperLuminova stitching,

$19,100; zenith-watches.com.

BUSINESS 111

Silence in the Water

Ulysse Nardin and OCEARCH

partnertosaveHollywood’smost

misunderstood villain.

Words Revolution

112 BUSINESS

OCEARCH Founding

Chairman and expedition

leader Chris Fischer

aboard the M/V

OCEARCH, which serves

as an at-sea laboratory.

Just the title of 15’s aws likely quickens

your pulse. ou can hear the strings hit now

BUUUUUH NUH, BUUUUUUH NUH, BUUUUUUH

NUH, as a wall of teeth closes in. aws’s infamous

theme underscores most Americans’ relationships

with sharks. The film cast its villain as an agent of

dispassionate chaos, selling tickets under the tagline,

“ou’ll never go in the water again.” That wasn’t

true, of course. But I’ll bet that theme has lingered

somewhere in the back of your mind before every

ocean dip.

“The shark in an updated version of Jaws could

not be the villain,” Peter Benchley, author of Jaws,

later wrote. “It would have to be written as the victim

for, worldwide, sharks are much more the oppressed

than the oppressors.” Following Jaws’s breakout

success and film adaptation, Benchley expressed deep

regret over the fear his novel spread. Benchley worked

tirelessly to rehabilitate sharks’ image, and fought for

their conservation, until his death in 00.

Benchley was right, of course. Sharks are

misunderstood. For 50 million years, they’ve ruled

the earth’s oceans, noble and beautiful, keystones

to complex food chains and habitats. But that eraspanning

run is closing. Fast. Overfishing and

environmental risks threaten shark populations

globally. ow, more than ever, Hollywood’s

much-maligned villains need our compassion and

understanding. And our help.

“One of my ambitions with lysse ardin in

the .S. was to align the brand with a nonprofit

organiation that is taking immediate action in the

field of ocean life conservation and shark research,

specifically,” says Franois-avier Hotier, .S.

president of lysse ardin since 01.

On his quest for partnership, Hotier quickly

discovered OCEACH through their social media

channels and Shark Tracker app. “I have always been

fascinated with the science of sharks and am blown

away by the impact OCEACH has had in the field. I

see the marine scientists aboard their ships as modern

heroes of the sea,” he says.

OCEACH was one of the first research groups

to safely catch and release live sharks using new and

innovative methods for scientific studies. Hotier felt

OCEACH was the right partner for lysse ardin,

so he reached out to Chris Fischer, OCEACH’s

founder.

The two finally met over dinner. An instant bond

was formed. The men discussed their mutual love

for the ocean, the urgent need for the research that

Fischer’s team is leading, and the ways scientific data

might impact ocean life conservation. Over the course

of the evening, the partnership took root.

Revolution caught up with Franois-avier (F)

Hotier and Chris Fischer in a conversation about their

partnership, communal goals, and the work they’re

doing to protect one of our planet’s most valuable and

beautiful creatures.

Revolution: How did this partnership come about

Hotier: In early 01, it was my mission to engage

lysse ardin in efforts to protect the oceans,

especially sharks. At lysse ardin, we regularly

launch timepieces inspired by a species of sharks and

we are heavily involved in preserving them through

our partnerships. I was already following OCEACH

on social media and was fascinated by their work.

Then last year I read Emperors of the Deep by William

Mceever. The book’s first chapter begins with

OCEACH’s mission — it was fate. I finished the

book and contacted Chris. We met in Fort Lauderdale

during a fundraising dinner we organied for One

More Wave. It was trust at first sight.

Revolution: What was it about OCEACH’s mission

that resonated with lysse ardin

Hotier: At lysse ardin, our heritage is rich in

manufacturing navigation instruments, particularly

for ships. So we love to say that the sea is “our

territory.” In that spirit, we’re very engaged in

sustainability programs that leave the planet better

than we found it. Our favorite initiatives have been

with shark research programs that really resonate with

the brand, like OCEACH.

Revolution: And, Chris, how did OCEACH start

Fischer: We started with a fishing show on ESP

Outdoors. It was about getting the whole family out

exploring the ocean with fishing, free diving, and

food. uring that time, we began taking scientists out

with us when we were working on the water. In about

00, the scientists we were assisting started telling

us about the global shark problem. They said we were

down to about nine percent of our large sharks around

the world primarily due to shark fin soup. We were

losing 0–100 million sharks a year. I replied with a

question, “What does that mean for the ocean” I had

no idea. They said, “If we lose the sharks, we lose the

ocean.”

Revolution: OCEACH is a research organiation.

Was that a deciding factor for lysse ardin to work

with them

Hotier: es. uring their expeditions, OCEACH

conducts groundbreaking research and facilitates

collaboration between marine scientists and

educators. Their work provides vital knowledge into

shark physiology. People must understand, sharks

keep the balance of the food chain in the ocean they

are vital to the ocean’s ecosystem. For lysse ardin,

it’s a matter of corporate social responsibility to

contribute to healthier oceans now and for future

generations.

Fischer: Awareness is everything. If we can’t get

global scale around the issues the ocean is facing,

how are we going to deliver a planet we are proud of

to our grandchildren Studies show 0 percent of our

oxygen, percent of our water, and food for billions

of people come from the ocean. It was clear, if we lose

the ocean, we lose the planet.

Revolution: F, did you always have a fascination for

sharks

Hotier: es As a child, I was watching acques-

ves Cousteau every weekend with my parents. In

college, I studied natural and anthropic risks. I know

how important shark science is for bacteriology,

developing new medicine, etc. It is a relatively new

research which provides an untapped source of

discovery. There is still so much we can learn from

sharks. That’s why I am so excited by OCEACH’s

mission and the opportunity to work with them

Revolution: Was Cousteau inuential for you, too,

Chris

Fischer: After graduating college and some selfreecting,

I thought of Cousteau. As a kid I was

fascinated by his work on the ocean, and over my

life ourney, my love of being on the water had

transitioned to a love for the ocean. It appeared

many had lost their connection to the ocean, because

Cousteau’s time on our planet had ended, and there

was no group pouring the world’s oceans into every

person’s life at global scale.

I was young and dumb enough to set a noble goal at

the time and it was, “To pour the world’s oceans into

people’s lives at a scale unseen since Cousteau.”

Revolution: So then what is OCEACH’s position

in the context of the current health crisis How does

it relate to battles you are already fighting against

pollution, endangered sea species, etc.

Fischer: With the health of our oceans beginning

to spiral downward, it was clear that the current

outdated system of ocean research needed disruption.

The system requires researchers to compete against

each other for grants and this led to very little

collaboration. Each researcher was operating in their

own silo trying to get ahead of one another, publishing

114 BUSINESS

Allowing for quick

and ecient study,

sharksarecaughtusing

handlines and guided

by hand on and o the

M/V OCEARCH lift

minimizing stress and

risk for the animals.

Following protocols set

up by the Institutional

Animal Care and Use

Committees (IACUC) and

participating institutions

allows the science team

to collect samples and

attach tracking tags for

further study.

BUSINESS 115

The M/V OCEARCH vessel

o Hay Island, Nova Scotia, in

2019. Expedition Nova Scotia

supported 18 individual research

projects, empowering 32

scientists from 22 institutions.

papers in an effort to win the grant game.

And these researchers had no resources to

conduct the science. o boats, no access, no money

and they really did not understand how to operate

outside on the water. ow we have 0 researchers,

from 0 different institutions, conducting 0

research proects on every great white shark we touch.

This has radically increased the rate of learning

and published peer-reviewed papers to ultimately

inuence policy.

Can you imagine if all the talent across the

globe working on COI-1 collaborated on their

learnings in real time, rather than organiations

competing to be the first in an effort to monetie the

answer We all have to understand that there is ust

us. The individual orientation of the past must be left

behind to shape our future planet. The money will

work out. oing good is good business.

Revolution: Is that urgency why it’s so important to

partner with nonprofit organiations

Hotier: Personally, I think that a luxury brand must

actively contribute to its communities. That’s why

in the SA we have been partnering with the Medal

of Honor Society and the .S. avy, with One More

Wave, a nonprofit created by .S. avy SEALS that

provides disabled veterans with surf therapy. ow we

are proud to contribute to OCEACH’s mission. Each

organiation has very different goals in how they give

back and we are very proud to stand with each one.

Revolution: Chris, we see you’re wearing a

chronograph how does timekeeping mesh with your

work

Fischer: Timekeeping is central to understanding

the conditions of each animal we capture, study, and

release. The moment we engage an animal, time is

captured. Sharks enter a specialied lift on the side of

the ship, and then the science team has ust 15 minutes

to conduct 0 research proects.

It’s like a pit crew in auto racing movements are

synchronied on the lift so that each proect can be

quickly completed before the animal is safely released.

Time also becomes another scientific data point that

is integrated into the research and evaluation of each

animal. Time is the baseline in our process.

116 BUSINESS

It was natural then, with the brand’s close connection to the world’s

oceans, that lysse ardin would spawn shark-inspired timepieces in

the wake of its partnership with OCEACH. Throughout the years, the

brand has created several timepieces paying homage to different species.

These latest entries are two limited editions the iver Chronograph

Hammerhead Shark and the Lady iver reat White.

ULYSSE NARDIN DIVER CHRONOGRAPH

44MM HAMMERHEAD SHARK LIMITED EDITION

amed for the distinctive structure of their heads,

hammerhead sharks are consummate predators, using

their hammer-shaped heads to scan for prey. This limited

edition of ust 00 pieces features a hammerhead shark

engraved on its caseback.

A special grid pattern engraved behind the shark’s

wide-open mouth reinforces the strength and power

of the animal. The shark is shown frontally for a bold,

assertive look. Touches of red are everywhere, from the

beel oint, to the chronograph seconds hand, and the

startstopreset pushers. And finally, in the rubber strap

with a red hammerhead shark sculpted into the rubber at

the 1 o’clock position. The watch’s unique side plate is

also engraved with red numbers. This new chronograph is

powered by the -150 automatic manufacture movement

with a silicium escapement and hours power reserve.

iver Chronograph mm Hammerhead Shark Limited

Edition, ref. 150-10LE--HAMME, titanium case

with blue rubber strap, S 11,00 ulysse-nardin.com

ULYSSE NARDIN LADY DIVER 39MM

GREAT WHITE LIMITED EDITION

With more than a touch of elegance and limited to

ust 00 pieces, the Lady iver reat White is the

counterpart to the men’s iver reat White. As with

its masculine counterpart, the Lady iver has a domed

crystal, and a concave unidirectional beel. The unique

dial is designed to look like the granular skin of a great

white shark.

The reat White’s diamond hour markers recall

the sparkling surface of the sea. For those who want a

brighter shine, the new Lady iver comes with the option

of a 0-diamond beel, each stone a generous 1.mm in

diameter (0. carats).

The caseback bears the stamp of a female apnea diver.

A fully integrated rubber bracelet is textured to represent

ocean waves or mermaid’s scales.

Thankfully, the watch won’t play the Jaws theme, but it

is a beautiful reminder of the maestic creatures so vital to

the health of our planet.

Lady iver mm reat White Limited Edition, ref.

1-1LE-11-W, stainless-steel case with white

rubber strap, S ,00 ulysse-nardin.com.

BUSINESS 117

The Complete Guide to

Patek Philippe Vintage Chronographs

In the first of our collaborative articles with Alexandre Ghotbi, Head of Watches,

Continental Europe and Middle East at Phillips Watches, Revolution demystifies the rarefied world

of Patek Philippe chronographs made before the 1980s.

Words Wei Koh, in association with Alexandre Ghotbi of Phillips Watches

Images Patek Philippe Steel Watches reproduced by kind permission of John Goldberger

120 VINTAGE

122 VINTAGE

This spread, clockwise

from left

Auro Montanari; his

pink gold Ref. 1463

with papers and on his

wrist; the Ref. 1463

in yellow gold with a

detailed look at the

Tasti Tondi pushers.

(Image courtesy of

Onlyvintage)

Whether you want to call it a miracle, or a genetic

alignment of cosmic fortitude so inspiring that it

provides irrefutable evidence of a greater Creator,

there are certain women that are so beautiful that they transcend

description. And it goes beyond their sheer physical beauty. It

has to do with poise, elegance, an unexpected huskiness of voice,

a forthright intellect and a barely self-contained passion.

To me, the most beautiful woman of all time is French actress

ominique Sanda, or “la Sanda” as she was called, winner of

the 1 Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actress, a night

of France’s Legion of Honor, and Officer in its Order of Arts

and Letters. Her 0-second biography goes like this.

After modelling for Vogue, she was hand-picked by French

director obert Bresson to appear in his film The Gentle Woman

(Une femme douce), which led Bernardo Bertolucci to cast her in

The Conformist (Il conformista), which inspired ittorio di Sica to

cast her in The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (Il giardino dei Finzi-

Contini), which compelled her appearance as if through an act of

cinematic destiny as Ada in Bertolucci’s 1900. If you’ve never seen

her introduction in this film, where she performs the seemingly

common act of towel-drying her hair while smoking a cigarette

and elevates the banal into the theater of the gods, gird your

hearts, gentlemen and ladies, for you will never be the same.

In the world of chronographs, there is similarly one watch

that from the moment you see it to the moment you die, will leave

your mind, body and soul irrefutably altered and transmuted

— and that is the Patek Philippe reference 1, otherwise

known in Italian collector speak as the “Tasti Tondi” for its

large, some would say, concupiscent, dome-shaped pushers.

A watch that is so hallucinatory in its beauty that if you were

able to bring back the ghosts of érald enta, Michelangelo,

Leonardo da inci and Phidias, and lock them in a room for

one hundred years, they would not have been able to design a

chronograph that could surpass the beauty of the 1. But what

I love most about the Tasti Tondi is that as Patek Philippe’s one

and only water-resistant vintage chronograph, it was a symbol of

modernity and adventure in the context of the 10s and ’50s.

And before we get started on its history and perhaps ust as

importantly, its long-lasting impact on watch design, I would like to

disclose that I do not own a Tasti Tondi. But the dream that I might one

day, this constant longing for unrequited and unfulfilled love, is fuel

to work harder and dream bigger. For me the 1, in yellow gold but

with the rare Breguet numeral dial (no, I dare not dream of the steel

model in the same configuration) on matching gold brick bracelet, is

the green light shining across the water from atsby. es, like atsby,

I too believe that if I run faster, stretch out my arms further one day.

VINTAGE 123

1950 Patek Philippe chronograph ref. 1463 in steel with Breguet numerals with close-up dial details

(Image: phillipswatches.com)

And so it was that while in isolation, locked down in my home,

I decided to put together an in-depth article on the Tasti Tondi

— its enduring appeal to me and its long-lasting inuence on

watch design. But as I set down this path, I realied that it would

be impossible to tell the story of ust the reference 1. In order

to do it ustice, I would have to contextualie it not ust within the

history of Patek Philippe and its unrivalled history in the creation of

the world’s most elegant chronograph wristwatches, but also within

the framework of the world events of the 0th century and perhaps

most importantly, the leadership of the marvellous Stern family

that has presided over Patek Phillipe now for four generations.

For the sake of this article, I have limited the range of

chronographs to those preceding the use of the Lemania 10-based

Patek Philippe caliber CH , which was first introduced to us

with Philippe Stern’s creation of the reference 0 in 1 in the

form of a perpetual calendar chronograph, and later in 1 in the

reference 500, which took the form of a traditional chronograph.

Interestingly, the 500 was only the second-ever water-resistant

chronograph in Patek Philippe’s history, which means that for the

better part of the 0th century, the reference 1’s decidedly

sporty allure set it apart from the rest. Finally, as my friend Aurel

Bacs of Phillips has explained to me, “The 1 or Tasti Tondi has

in some ways not ascended in price at the same pace as the rest of

the vintage Patek market and to me, still represents a good value.

A yellow-gold one in good condition can be easily found at prices

ust north of 100 thousand S dollars”, making it something of

an interesting proposition from an investment perspective.

This article marks the first collaboration between myself and

Alexandre (Alex) hotbi, who ably heads up the Continental Europe

and Middle East markets for Phillips Watches. I have invited him

to comment on each model, provide details of precise years of

manufacturing and accurate details of numbers of examples and

which metals they were made in — information which I find extremely

important in these types of reference stories. So with no further

ado, let’s dive down the rabbit hole. Sit back, light your Hoyo de

Monterrey or take that first sip of your egroni. I hope you enoy

reading this as much as we’ve enoyed putting it together for you.

HISTORY OF PATEK PHILLIPE VINTAGE CHRONOGRAPHS

What is a chronograph It is that most magical of mechanical devices

that is able to capture and freee a moment of eternity. Invented by

Louis Moinet, it was popularied for civil life by icolas Mathieu

ieussec, at the behest of ing Louis III of France, for the purpose

of calculating elapsed times in the gentlemanly pursuit of horse

racing. His chronographs were actually “time-writing” devices with

small pens that traced elapsed time by writing it on two rotating dials.

124 VINTAGE

it could aid in the calculation of average speed over a fixed distance,

reveal a person’s heart rate and provide the distance from an event

based on how sound travelled. Strapping on a chronograph provided a

sense of roguish allure.

ou were the epitome of elegant bad-assitude. ou were a man

that could ump into your Bentley Blower and race to the gentrifying

South of France amid a whirlwind romance, timing not ust the

duration of your trip to best your personal record, but also the

elevated heart rate of that demoiselle with green eyes upon seeing you

step through the door.

The following day, it was the watch you would use to time your horse

running at oyal Ascot while you were impeccably clad in a bespoke

morning suit with yet another ravishing companion on your arm.

Patek Philippe produced its first chronograph pocket watches

from 15. With the additional space provided by the pocket watch’s

larger case, Patek would often combine the chronograph function

with additional complications, such as a minute repeater and a

perpetual calendar.

The world’s first chronograph, called a “Compteur de Tierces,” was invented

by Louis Moinet in 1815 and completed in 1816, as attested by The Guinness

World Records.

The historically important cylinder inking chronograph made by Nicolas Mathieu

Rieussec for the horse races, circa 1823 (Image: sothebys.com).

The chronograph had its surge in popularity thanks to the

seismic changes in the 0th century. Throughout both World Wars,

it was used as a pilot’s watch, to calculate troop movement times

and even artillery fire. It was also a ravishingly modern symbol of

the new era ushered in by motorsport and commercial aviation.

It was even invaluable at letting you know when to put a coin in the

pay telephone which was required every three minutes on overseas

calls. With a fixed scale such a tachymeter, pulsometer or telemeter,

VINTAGE 125

1927 Patek Philippe ref. 130

steel single button chronograph

wristwatch with vertical registers,

sector dial and pulsometer-scale



single-button chronograph

wristwatch with black dial

and tachometer scale


The first Patek Philippe standard chronograph wristwatch

dates back to 1 and was an officer’s case watch with totaliers

unconventionally arrayed at 1 and six o’clock. However, prior to

that, in 1, Patek had already completed and sold a split-seconds

chronograph, likely a prototype, with an independent seconds

hand which can be stopped to provide an interval reading and then

released to catch up with the continuously running chronograph

seconds hand. This yellow-gold watch, which was proudly on display

in Patek Philippe’s exhibition on its historical chronographs, had a

monopusher configuration with the chronograph function controlled

via the button on the band for start, stop and reset to ero, and the

split-seconds hand function controlled via the winding crown. It used

a 1-ligne ébauche by ictorin Piguet, which Patek has continued

to utilise in its modern-day watches such as the reference 55.

However, a split-seconds chronograph is a very rare, expensive

and relatively niche complication and it was clear that Patek wanted

to introduce a watch that could be a more popular timepiece.

REFERENCE 130 — THE ICON

To be fair when those magical seven syllables “Pa-tek Phi-lippe

chro-no-graph” are first uttered, the vintage watch that immediately

comes to mind is not the more robust and sportier Tasti Tondi but

its svelte, lithe predecessor, the reference 10. And if the 1

has all the voluptuous allure of a raven-haired, sun-tanned and

barefoot Claudia Cardinale, then the reference 10 is Catherine

eneuve, the epitome of slim, refined, aristocratic elegance.

By the 10s, it was clear that there was a demand for a gentleman’s

chronograph. What is important to understand is that the birth and

popularity of this timepiece was the result of the inspired leadership of

the Stern family, which had purchased Patek Philippe in 1.

Imagine then that ust a mere two years after taking the

maison’s reins, a young Charles and ean Stern decided to launch

what would become one of the most famous wristwatches in modern

horology, the reference 10, which was also the maison’s first

serially produced chronograph.

The watch took its name from the Patek Philippe calibre 1-10,

which renowned ournalist and collector Auro Montanari (otherwise

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX

Reference 130 is one of the most diverse chronograph models that

Patek Philippe ever produced. In production from 1936 until 1964, its

design evolved over time, first produced as a single pusher, and later

incorporating two pushers. The model was cased in predominantly

yellow gold. Fewer were cased in pink gold, steel, with steel and gold

combinations among the rarest case configurations. The dial variations

were numerous and displayed a range of styles, from sector designs to

pulsations scales.

I do not have the breakdown of production numbers by metal/dial

combinations but it is safe to say that a majority were made in yellow gold

followed in equal numbers by steel and pink gold. White gold and steel/

gold being the rarest. In fact, only 14 steel/pink gold models are known.

Interestingly the steel case models were slightly different to the gold

examples, with slightly thicker but shorter lugs and a slightly larger

diameter of 33.5mm giving the watch a decidedly modern appearance

and substantially more presence on the wrist.

Among the rarest variations are certainly those with black dials

including an über rare variant in steel with black dial and Breguet

numerals as well as two unique monopusher examples: one in steel

with large 35mm case and chronograph counters placed vertically on

the dial, the other in yellow gold with black dial (above).

Reference 130 is THE Patek Philippe chronograph par excellence. Its

design codes are the basis of the Calatrava style with long elongated lugs

and thin bezel and it shares a case design with two Patek Philippe icons

that were launched in the early 1940s: Reference 1526, the world’s first

perpetual calendar wrist watch made in series; and reference 1518, the

world’s first perpetual calendar chronograph wrist watch made in series.

As always with vintage one should first and foremost look for

quality, without looking at the unique pieces or those whose production

numbers can be counted on one hand. The most collectible versions in

my opinion, are the ones in steel and rose gold as well as the absolutely

breathtaking steel examples with sector dials.

known by his publishing nom de plume, ohn oldberger) explains

in his book, Patek Philippe Steel Watches, “was built on a aloux

ébauche but is heavily reworked and upgraded in compliance with

the Patek Philippe philosophy, which was to refine the movement to

a quality and beauty beyond anything else in existence.” That is still

the philosophy of Patek today. Anyone familiar with Patek Philippe’s

chronograph movement, the caliber CH , which is based on a 10

ébauche, knows the extreme lengths that the manufacture goes to, not

126 VINTAGE


steel chronograph with applied

Roman six and 12 on the dial

(Image: Sothebys.com)

1940 Patek Philippe

ref. 130 steel chronograph with

applied Breguet hour markers



yellow gold chronograph with

applied Breguet hour markers


Sans caseback we can see the cal. 13’’’ manual

winding movement powering the 1945 Patek Philippe

ref. 130 yellow gold chronograph with applied

Breguet hour markers (Image: Sothebys.com)

1941 Patek Philippe chronograph

ref. 130 in steel and gold with Arabic

numerals (Image: Sothebys.com)

1938 Patek Philippe chronograph

ref. 130 in yellow gold with Arabic

numerals (Image: Sothebys.com)


pink gold chronograph with applied

Roman six and 12 on a pink gold

dial (Image: Sothebys.com)

1941 Patek Philippe ref. 130 pink

gold chronograph with applied

Roman six and 12 on a black dial


ust in finishing and refinement, but even in bridge architecture and

functionality, as attested to by the inclusion of a free-sprung balance

wheel that utterly transforms the movement into a work of art.

The reference 10 was made in approximately 1,500 examples

between 1 to 1, and was an absolute marvel of design

architecture. Indeed, close your eyes and imagine the most

pure and beautiful expression of a gentleman’s chronograph

and you will have come pretty close to the reference 10.

The case, continuing with the Catherine eneuve analogy, is

patrician refinement bestowed with an achingly complex measure

of passion. Its slender attenuated lugs are reminiscent of the great

actress’s marvellously slim ankles. The beel achingly lean and

graceful, but subtly complex thanks to its slightly stepped and concave

form. et suddenly, a dynamic tension is generated by the appearance

of two almost deliciously contradicting aggressive square pushers with

subtly ared profiles. Every part of the case is there to complement

the beauty of the dial, which like eneuve’s visage simply takes your

breath away with its beauty.

On the subect of the dials, there was a sumptuous variety of

them created for the reference 10 which are today a treasure

trove of horological inspiration. The reference in general was

characteried by bold dauphine-styled hands (they could also be

cathedral or baton or more), with a blued chronograph seconds

hand mounted on the cannon pinion. On the right at three o’clock

you would find the 0-minute chronograph counter, and on

the left at nine o’clock you would find the continuous seconds

counter. After that, the reference 10 was a canvas on which

clients and dial designers could let their imaginations run free.

The dials of the ref. 10 came in four general varieties, as

indicated in the table above.There were also a few watches made

VINTAGE 127

TYPE 1

TYPE 5

A combination of Arabic numerals (12 and 6) and baton markers (long or short

and also pointed and flat tipped)

TYPE 2

A combination of Roman numerals (XII and VI) and baton or dot markers

TYPE 3

Full baton markers

TYPE 4

Ravishing Breguet numerals (full scale with the exception of 3 and 9)

TYPE 5

Truly amazing sector or scientific dials. These dials used a central chapter ring

divided into sectors, with emphasised chemin de fer minutes and seconds

tracks to enhance accurate timings. In addition, they featured enlarged scales

such as tachymeters, which calculated the average speed of an object over a

fixed distance (e.g. 1km) or pulsometers for calculating pulse rates within 30

beats or even a combination of both as shown

with different types of luminous dials. The reference 10 was

made in a variety of golds, with a small quantity in “Staybrite”

steel and an even smaller quantity in a combination of steel and

gold. Its sie at mm in diameter was well in keeping with the

prevailing fashion of the 10s. While it is somewhat on the

small side by today’s standards, its appeal still endures.

Thanks to our dear friend Auro Montanari, here are some of my

favourite reference 10 watches, all in the incredibly rare steel and

even rarer two-tone references.

Take the above pictured, incredible reference 10 (Type 5)

featuring a sector dial that incorporates two important scales, a

tachymeter and a pulsometer. Both are laid out for maximum visibility

and ease of reading. Compare this to a similar rare sector dial watch

(below) with ust a tachymeter and you’ll see the design sensitivity

with which the two scales are placed. This second watch is a double

signature watch and bears the name of the retailer “Hausmann & Co.”

TYPE 1

TYPE 2

TYPE 3

TYPE 4

128 VINTAGE

RARE PATEK PHILIPPE REFERENCE 130 VARIANTS

This interesting reference 130 has neither the reference’s square

pushers or its Valjoux-based movement. This is a very early

reference 130 but using a movement based on a Victorin Piguet

ébauche and in a monopusher configuration with a steel case but

still designated a reference 130. According to Auro Montanari,

these movements were only used very early in the series.

Possibly the coolest and wildest reference 130

(pictured below) we’ve ever seen. It features luminous syringeshaped

hands in blued steel with a black lacquered sector dial.

The chapter ring, which incorporates a Roman XII and VI with

baton markers, seems to be made in one piece and painted in

luminous paint. It is interesting to imagine the rogue adventurer

who might have commissioned this steel chronograph.

Patek Philippe ref. 130 steel chronograph with black

dial and luminous chapter ring; tachymeter scale.

Here we see a stunning steel reference 130 with

Roman XII and VI applied indexes combined with

dot markers. A tachymeter scale is present.

Early Patek Philippe ref. 130 steel

chronograph powered by a Victorin Piguet

ébauche and in a monopusher configuration,

instead of the Valjoux-based movement found

in the majority examples of 130.

Patek Philippe ref. 130 steel chronograph

with Roman numerals.

VINTAGE 129

Often considered the most beautiful

of the reference 130 dials is the

Breguet-numerals configuration.

Here we have a reference 130 with

Roman indexes combined with baton

markers. Making this watch even more

rare is its bi-metallic configuration

consisting of a steel case and pushers

and a gold bezel and crown.

A reference 130 with full baton markers

makes for a minimalistic and elegant

watch. However, this watch is made

even more intriguing because of its

sword-shaped luminous hands and

small luminous dots on the dial.

Patek Philippe ref. 130 steel

chronograph with Breguet numerals.

Patek Philippe ref. 130 steel and gold

chronograph with mix of Roman and

baton markets.

Patek Philippe ref. 130

steel chronograph with

baton markers.

Here we have a similar dial but with a

pulsometer. At the time clients could order

their watches with their preferred scales.

Often, pulsometers were ordered by doctors.

A magnificent steel reference 130 with a

salmon or pink dial using Arabic markers

of 12 and 6 combined with baton markers.

Another unicorn: a two-tone reference

with a gold dial. Note that this is a

combination of Roman and baton markers

but the batons here are much shorter.



pulsation scale.


chronograph with salmon/

pink dial.


and gold chronograph with

agolddialandamixof

Roman and baton markets.

130 VINTAGE

REFERENCE 530

For fans of vintage Patek Philippe chronographs, it would be a

dream to take a time machine back to 1 and sit in on a board

meeting with Charles and ean Stern, where they decided to create

what would be the equivalent of a massive oversied chronograph

by today’s standards. Which gives pause for one to wonder if

the brothers had recognied the need in the market perhaps for

gentlemen drivers that were after enhanced visibility while in the

heat of competition. But for whatever reason, two years after the

launch of the reference 10, Patek Philippe created the reference

50 chronograph. This — in the context of the era — was a

gargantuan sports watch which was a full .5mm larger in diameter,

making it in the context of today an extremely modern .5mm.

The reference 50 was made in a far lesser quantity compared to

the reference 10. There are, for example, ust 1 known examples

in rose gold and less than 10 known examples in stainless steel.

Prices of the reference 50 are staggering which is appropriate

to their rarity, a steel example sold for 1,000 Swiss francs at

the Phillips Start-Stop-eset Auction in 01. However, would

I say that it surpasses the beauty of the reference 10 Probably

not. There is something about the original watch that is simply

perfect in proportion at its mm case sie. This is something

important to understand regarding vintage Pateks. Oftentimes,

value is equated with rarity. In comparison, with 1,500 examples,

the reference 10 is a much more “common” watch, if you can

use that term, and as such prices are considerably lower than that

for a 50. However, I find the reference 10 more beautiful.

Available dials for the reference 50 followed those offered for

the reference 10, though there is one particularly cool luminous

sword-hand example in existence.

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX

Imagine that the design of the reference 530 is so relevant that Patek

Philippe decided to relaunch it as a modern reiteration as ref 5170.

Launched in 1937, Patek Philippe’s reference 530 takes its

design cues from its older sister, ref 130 but substantially increased

in size with a whopping 36.5mm diameter.

The reference 530 can be considered the ultimate in terms of

rarity, desirability, and aesthetic beauty. 28 examples are known

in yellow gold, 14 examples known in pink gold and 10 in steel,

interestingly, the stainless steel version was made in case variants

that differ most notably in terms of the distance between the lugs.

The first generation, predominantly made in the late 1930s

and always seen with the sector dial design, features a 19mm strap,

whereas the second version with the cases made by Georges Croisier

boasted a substantial bracelet width of 21.5mm giving the watch an

even more powerful look. Considering the extremely low numbers

produced I would say any version of the 530 is collectible but I have

a soft spot for the ones with Breguet numerals (which are unique).

VINTAGE 131

SOME FINE EXAMPLES OF THE REFERENCE 530

My personal favourite reference 530 is this amazing steel

watch with a combination of Arabic numerals 12 and

6, pointed baton markers and sword-shaped luminous

hands. This watch was delivered to Bologna, Italy, and

one wonders who the owner might have been.

The reference 530, which was a full 3.5mm larger in diameter than

the reference 130, was made in a far smaller quantity. While the

added expanse of the dial aids in legibility, I still prefer the classic

proportions of the reference 130. Dials followed the configurations

available for the reference 130. A lovely sector dial model is shown here.


with Arabic numerals.

A beautiful reference 530 with Roman XII and VI, baton markers

and a tachymeter, in a steel case with a steel “grains of rice”

bracelet by Gay Frères was sold to Serpico y Laino in Caracas,

Venezuela, in 1941. One theory is that these oversized watches

were created to meet a demand that existed in South America.


with sector dial.

A lovely Arabic 12 and 6 and short, pointed baton

marker dial with tachymeter graces this reference 530.

Patek Philippe ref. 530 steel chronograph with Roman numerals

and baton markers, fitted on a steel “grains of rice” bracelet by Gay

Frères, was sold Serpico y Laino in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1941.

Patek Philippe ref. 530 steel chronograph with Arabic

numerals and pointed baton markers.

132 VINTAGE

REFERENCE 533

The amusing thing about Patek Philippe

is once you dive down the rabbit hole,

you realie it keeps going and going. And

there are many smaller and more obscure

passageways. The reference 5 was

launched in 1. It was made in ust 150

examples. It is characteried by a Calatravastyle

case, at beel and square pushers with

very slim elongated lugs. Its case measures

mm in diameter. As the dials are essentially

the same as those offered on the reference

10, it is really the case with its thin at beel

and its long lean lugs that make the difference

here. The reference 5 was made from 1

to 15. However, even though it is more rare

than a reference 10, it is not necessarily

more collectable. Indeed, prices seem to

be generally lower than that of a ref. 10 in

the same configuration. The 5 is to me a

very beautiful watch, but I prefer the more

latent sexiness of the 10’s beel, to that of

the thicker and atter 5’s beel. But as the

saying goes, “ive la différence.”

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX

While reference 130 is arguable the best known vintage Patek Philippe chronograph, one of

its closest relatives is the reference 533. Differing from reference 130 only for the flat bezel,

the rest of the Vichet-made case is identical to its brethren. This subtle change dramatically

modifies the overall look of the piece, most notably making it appear larger and more angular.

Reference 533 was in production from 1937 to 1957, and was made in very restricted

numbers. It is estimated that the total production was about 350 pieces with a majority in yellow

gold and a small number cased in pink gold. Interestingly the models was never cased in steel.

Slightly under the radar, reference 533 offers collectors a rare watch fully integrating Patek

Phillipe’s design codes at relatively affordable prices.

The “pink on pink” (pink gold case and pink dial) are amongst the rarest and most coveted

examples. However, there are two unique reference 533 with very interesting backgrounds,

shown below: A probably unique example in white gold with Breguet numerals, and a most

probably unique yellow gold example with “cornes de vache” lugs, likely made on special request

and appeared on the market for the first time in 1989 in Antiquorum’s The Art of Patek Philippe

auction.

1941 Patek Philippe ref. 533 white gold

chronograph with Breguet numerals


1941 Patek Philippe ref. 533 yellow gold

chronograph with Roman numerals and “cornes

de vache” style lugs (Image: phillipswatches.com)


VINTAGE 133

SOME FINE EXAMPLES OF THE REFERENCE 533 (continued)

134 VINTAGE

REFERENCE 591

On the subect of the Patek Philippe rabbit

hole is the appearance of the “Fagiolino”, or

“little bean”, chronograph. This sobriquet

bestowed upon the reference 51 refers to its

decidedly stylied bean-shaped lugs soldered

to a sharp angular case, with a concave

beel that provided a strong contrast to the

prevailing smoothness of the references

10 and 5’s Calatrava-style cases. It is a

moderate performer at auction but a very

beautiful watch nonetheless.

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX

Patek Philippe first launched reference

591 in 1938. At the time of production, the

model was entirely different from anything

that the manufacture had ever produced.

The case, produced by Wenger, featured

“bean” shaped lugs, lovingly dubbed

“Fagiolino”, or “little bean” by Italian

collectors. The angular, and relatively

sharp lines starkly contrasted with the

smooth Calatrava design of reference 130

and 533. Reference 591 was also larger

than its chronograph siblings, boasting

a 34 millimeter case diameter, giving the

watch a modern aesthetic today.

Reference 591 was produced in

exceedingly small numbers. In fact, it is one

the rarest chronograph models that the firm

produced throughout the 1930s and 1950s.

19 examples in yellow gold are known and

27 in pink gold. None are in steel.

VINTAGE 135

REFERENCE 1579

In 1, Patek Philippe introduced an interesting and incredibly

daring new large-sied chronograph in the form of the highly stylied

reference 15 “spider lugs” chronograph. The context in which

the Stern family launched this extraordinary timepiece would not

be lost on us today. The world was going through tremendous social

and artistic upheaval. It was at the end of the Art eco era and the

beginning of the modernist movement. The Second World War

was still ongoing. And amidst this maelstrom of confusion, Patek

Philippe, at the behest of Charles and ean Stern, unveiled a watch

that suddenly silenced all the chatter, the sensory overload and the

peripheral voices. Because the 15 was so unique and so boldly

different, collectors had no choice but to stop and take notice. I’ve

used the following quote twice now in recent stories, such is my

belief in it. In the words of Toni Morrison, “This is the precisely the

time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place

for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we

write, we do language. That is how civilisations heal.” And I love the

15 because I feel that this was an attempt by the Stern brothers to

help the world around them heal, through the creation of beauty.

This mm watch was manufactured in an estimated total of

50 examples, primarily in yellow-gold cases, with ust known

examples in rose gold and seven known examples in stainless

steel. A mythical platinum version was also made in three known

examples, each with different dials and bearing consecutive case

numbers. One of these platinum Patek 15s was sold at Christie’s

in ovember 01 for the hammer price of 1,5,000 Swiss francs.

There are three known steel examples which are all shown

on the right. There was far less variety available in the dials of

the reference 15. ials could be enamel with a combination of

printed baton markers and applied Arabic numerals 1 and . Or

they could be silvered matte dials with applied Arabic 1 and as

well as square faceted shaped indexes. ote that this comprises

the only two variations in dial design that we are aware of.

But perhaps the most intriguing of the references 15 are these

two gold and steel two-tone versions of the watch. Both of these cases

were made by A & E Wenger in eneva and both watches were sold in

1. One watch is on an incredible steel and gold ay Frres “grains

of rice” bracelet (below).

Patek Philippe ref. 1579 gold and

steel chronograph with Arabic

numerals fitted on a Gay Frères

“grains of rice” bracelet.


gold and steel chronograph

with Arabic numerals



Arabic numerals.


chronograph with Arabic

numerals and square markers


chronograph with Arabic

numerals. Note that this watch

features a bold Gay Frères

bamboo bracelet.

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX

Introduced in 1943, Patek Philippe’s reference 1579 seductively lures

the aesthete with its unusual lugs, thick bezel and large opening to the

dial, making it elegantly unconventional and idiosyncratic.

Other than the reference 591 (and the unique ref 533 – see

above) reference 1579 is the only Patek Philippe chronograph that

featured stylized lugs. With the ref 1579 its fanciful lugs in the shape

of briolette diamonds gave the watch its nickname of “Spider Lugs”

chronograph. This unusual feature propelled this watch to one of the

most impressive case designs of the 1950s.

Maybe due to the eccentric lugs Patek Philippe did not offer the

same dial variety as with its other references and over the course of its

production, Stern Frères produced two series of dials for the reference

1579 that can be differentiated by the shape of the indexes.

The first series dials (1943-1949) with Arabic numerals and

baton indexes and the seconds series dials (1950-1964) with Arabic

numerals and square indexes. 82 known in pink gold, 7 in steel, 3 in

platinum and 2 in steel/gold. I do not have exact production numbers

in yellow gold. Interestingly the ref 1579 is the only chronograph model

Patek made in platinum.

136 VINTAGE


Top Case side of the 1953 Patek Philippe ref. 1579 yellow gold chronograph

with silvered dial, applied gold faceted square and Arabic numerals, retailed by

Gübelin (Image: Sothebys.com) Above Gübelin stamp on the 1953 Patek Philippe

ref. 1579 yellow gold chronograph with silvered dial, applied gold faceted square

and Arabic numerals, retailed by Gübelin (Image: Sothebys.com).

VINTAGE 137

Top 1942 Patek Philippe ref. 1506 pink gold chronograph with Roman numerals

on pink dial (Image: PhillipsWatches.com) Above 1941 Patek Philippe ref. 1506

pink gold chronograph with silvered dial, applied gold Arabic and baton numerals

(Image: Sothebys.com).

REFERENCE 1506

The 150 is one those watches that is whispered about in

collectors’ circles, such is its mythical rarity. The watch is

characteried by its mm-diameter case and in particular, by

its long multi-faceted chronograph lugs that sit 0mm apart.

The 150 watch that was made in only six examples in the 10s,

three in rose gold and three in yellow gold. At Phillips’s eneva

Watch Auction in 015, a rose-gold version of this watch reached the

impressive hammer price of 5,000 Swiss francs. The collectability

of the 150 stems from both its extreme rarity and its wearability.

At mm, a diameter made to seem even larger by the very long and

beautifully faceted lugs, it is perfectly in keeping with modern tastes.

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX

The most elusive of Patek Philippe chronographs, few have heard

of this reference and even fewer have ever held one in their hands.

Made in the early 1940s with only 3 known examples in yellow

gold and 3 examples in pink gold this reference stands out with

its large 36mm diameter and large multi-facetted lugs. Few

have graced the auction market and those that have been sold

have reached impressive prices, one can easily understand why:

ref 1506 is not only extremely rare but it is achingly beautiful.

REFERENCE 1463 ‘TASTI TONDI’ —

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHRONOGRAPH EVER MADE

The 10s were an interesting time in the world. The second

half of the decade, in particular, was characteried by a postwar

ebullience where America, and specifically ew ork City,

would soon become the cultural, artistic and financial epicentre

of the world. eturning from the war, men were filled with

hope, promise and also a sense of adventure. At the turn of the

decade, machines in the form of sports cars, trains and the

burgeoning form of commercial air travel were offering neverseen-before

levels of interconnectivity and internationalism.

In the wealthiest strata of society, this begets what is called

the “international set” with names like ianni Agnelli, Porfirio

ubirosa and Aly han becoming the byword for style and rakish

élan. This nomadic elite tribe summers in the South of France or

Capri and winters in St. Morit and staad. And the thing uniting

them was passion for leisure and sport. Whether sailing, water

skiing, playing tennis or polo, or racing their cars, the ’0s was the

era of the gentleman playboy and it was with absolute logic that Patek

Philippe introduced a watch for this new breed of gentlemen.

In the context of the time, it must have been mind-boggling

that Patek created a stunning gentlemen’s dress watch that was also

water-resistant. Take a look at the Tasti Tondi and it feels fast ust

standing still. Its beel is steeply raked and stepped to create a sense

of velocity as it meets the case. And then there are those pushers,

the first round units to find their way onto a serially produced Patek

chronograph. But they were hardly the thin anaemic pushers found on

most chronographs. o, these were massive and even ridged on their

caps, as if they were to be operated wearing pilot’s gloves. There is no

doubt that uke Ellington, who owned a rare split-seconds version

of the 1 — the ref. 15 — took the same delight in operating

these pushers as he did those of his saxophone. The 1 was allmodern,

all-powerful, and vitality-focused into a 5mm round case.

When examining the differences that set the muscular and

sporty reference 1 apart from its refined brethren, let’s begin

at the back of the watch. Here you will see the all-important

screw-down caseback which makes the watch water resistant.

It is of note that the 1 is the only vintage chronograph

created by Patek Philippe with this highly pragmatic feature.

Let’s examine what water-resistant means in the context of the

era. oes this mean you could submerge to depth with your watch

on Absolutely not. But could you take a casual dip in the pool or

sea with your watch on your wrist es, and that’s the point. A man

of means could pay equal disregard to spontaneously umping into

a body of water as he would leaping into a willing temptress’s bed.

One of ianni Agnelli’s favourite ways of arriving at the Htel du

Cap-Eden-oc was to have his helicopter hover by the ocean, so that

he could ump in and swim to shore. How would you feel if you were

invited to accompany him, as many of his friends had been, but you

had to decline by saying, “ou see, my watch is not water resistant.”

p until this point, complicated watches had snap-on casebacks.

However, a snap-on caseback watch could allow water to enter the

watch even when one was performing a task as banal as washing

hands thoroughly or when caught in a torrential downpour. Indeed,

I’ve always thought the Tasti Tondi to share a philosophical

alignment with what is my all-time favourite Patek Philippe watch,

the steel pice unique 151 water-resistant perpetual calendar

138 VINTAGE

with luminous dial and hands made for an Indian maharaa in the

10s. I imagine the owner to be a man of supreme elegance who

wanted the added pragmatism of being able to take a swim or keep

his watch on during key cultural building activities, such as leaping

into fountains whilst clad in bespoke evening wear and drinking an

exceptional champagne. Accordingly, the case of the Tasti Tondi

was made by eneva’s Taubert Frres, who paid particular attention

to tolerances in order to assure the water resistance of the watch.

This must have been the revelation at Patek in the early ’0s as

the Stern family identified a new breed of gentlemen adventurers

who might at a moment’s notice set off to explore the ruins of

Machu Picchu or hurtle onto a transcontinental soourn in their

own plane like a young Howard Hughes or Charles Lindbergh.

For these men, the chronograph was their defining timepiece,

simultaneously a ewel of adornment and an invaluable tool. “We

must create a young, modern, robust, water-resistant chronograph

that is a symbol of this new world of adventure” — you could

almost imagine Charles Stern declaring to his son Henri. When I

look at a Patek 1, I see a watch that is redolent and shimmering

with the promise of living life to its very fullest measure.

So yes, in simple terms, the 1 is a chronograph with a large

5mm case, with a screw-down caseback. The crown is oversied

and bevelled. The legendary mythical pushers are massive, boasting

thick stems with distinct domed caps which are rivalled only by the

architectural masterpiece of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia in terms of

their capacity to evoke transcendence. These caps are decorated

with a modern and aggressive sunray engraving that radiates outward

from points in their centres. The beel is thicker than that of the

Made by Patek Philippe,

a steel pièce unique ref.

1591 water-resistant

perpetual calendar with

luminous dial and hands

made for an Indian

maharaja in the 1940s.

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX

It is safe to say that Patek Philippe’s

reference 1463 chronograph is

considered by collectors as one of the most

attractive and utterly bombastic vintage

chronographs of our times. The model

is even more favored than it was at the

time of production, due to its robust case

proportions and oversized chronograph

pushers. Along with the elusive reference

1563, it was the only vintage chronograph

model manufactured by Patek Philippe

that was fitted with a water-resistant

case and round chronograph pushers. The

model was a “sportier” alternative to the

less robust reference 130.

First launched in 1940, its production

continued for approximately 25 years

and despite low production numbers,

there were many variations. While each

featured a ten-sided screw back case and

playful rounded chronograph-pushers,

known as “Tasti Tondi” in Italian, there

were many dial variations one of the

rarest being the sublime versions in pink

gold with pink dial.

67 known in steel, 65 known in pink

gold I do not have the numbers in yellow

gold. The ref 1463 thanks to its screwed

caseback and pump pushers blocking

humidity and dust is often the chronograph

reference that can be found that is

maintained in the best condition.

reference 10 and far more aggressively stepped. But as a symbol of

the shift towards the future for an entire culture, the watch means

far more. The word I associate with the Tasti Tondi is virility, for

it is a timepiece that is synonymous with the time of the playboys

and adventurers, where men saw no limits to the lives they could

lead. Owners of 1s were invariably sportsmen, sailors, divers,

skiers and athletes that enoyed life to the very fullest measure and,

for me, that is what makes the Tasti Tondi so damnably cool.

O, let’s first identify the general categories in the dials of the

reference 1. The dials came in four general varieties

These dials used a central chapter ring divided into sectors, and

emphasied chemin de fer minutes and seconds tracks to enhance

accurate timings. In addition, they featured enlarged scales such as

tachymeters which calculated the average speed of an obect over a

fixed distance (e.g. 1km or 1 mile), or pulsometers for calculating

pulse rate within 0 or 15 pulsations, or even a combination of both as

shown below. There were also a few watches made with different types

of luminous dials.

Elegant minimalism at its finest is this Tasti Tondi featuring the

lovely understatement of a full baton marker dial.

VINTAGE 139

TYPE 1

TYPE 2

TYPE 3

TYPE 4 TYPE 5

REFERENCE 1463

TYPE 1

A combination of Arabic (12 and 6) and baton markers (long or short and also

pointed and flat-tipped)

TYPE 2

A combination of Roman (XII and VI) and baton or dot markers

TYPE 3

Full baton markers

TYPE 4

Ravishing Breguet numerals (full scale with the exception of 3 and 9)

TYPE 5

Truly amazing sector or scientific dials

REFERENCES 1436 AND 1563 —

THE SPLIT-SECONDS CHRONOGRAPHS

The 1 split-seconds chronograph, which is the rattrapante

version of the reference 10, particularly in steel, is probably one

of the Holy rails in vintage watch collecting, with a omannumerals

and baton-marker version achieving a staggering hammer

price of ,01,00 Swiss francs at a Phillips auction in 015. Steel

complications are the most sought-after Patek wristwatches

due to their rarity. As previously mentioned, there was ust one

steel 151 perpetual calendar made, there is ust one known steel

15 perpetual calendar, and four steel 151 perpetual calendar

chronographs. Incredibly, my dear friend Auro Montanari (aka ohn

oldberger) features all of these in his book, Patek Philippe Steel

Watches. He also features both of the only two known versions of the

1 in steel and as such, it is my immense pleasure to show them

both here with his permission.

140 VINTAGE

TASTI TONDI HIGHLIGHTS

A steel Tasti Tondi from 1941 with a stunning

three-tone sector dial and tachymeter fitted

on a Gay Frères “beads of rice” bracelet.

Another steel watch that has been incredibly

preserved. It also features the Arabic 12 and 6,

and the short, sharp baton markers, but has a

pulsometer instead of a tachymeter.

Patek Philippe ref. 1463 steel chronograph with sector dial.

Patek Philippe ref. 1463 steel chronograph with Roman numerals.

A steel Tasti Tondi from 1941 with a two-tone

dial and Roman XII and VI indexes and an

interesting combination of applied baton and

printed baton markers with a tachymeter.

A steel Tasti Tondi with Arabic

12 and 6 and short sharp-tipped

baton markers and tachymeter

An incredible steel Tasti Tondi with luminous

Arabic 12 and 6 and luminous round plots

and syringe-shaped hands. Interestingly,

this watch has no scale. It is possible that

the discolouration on the dial results from

the effects of the luminous material used.


chronograph with Roman numerals.


chronograph with Arabic numerals.

Patek Philippe ref. 1463 steel chronograph with

luminous Arabic numerals and syringe hands.

IMAGES: JOHN GOLDBERGER

VINTAGE 141

One of the most beautiful Tasti Tondis

is this steel watch with salmon dial,

Roman XII and VI and a pulsometer.

A Holy Grail combination of a steel

case, a full Breguet-numerals dial with

also a second signature of Tiffany & Co

stamped on top of the Patek Philippe

signature. This watch dates from 1949.

A magnificent and flawless example of a

steel Tasti Tondi with Breguet-numerals

dial considered to be the most beautiful

and most desirable of the 1463s.


chronograph with Roman numerals and

pulsation scale on a salmon dial.


Breguet numerals and Tiany stamped dial.


with Breguet numerals.

An intriguing scientific Tasti Tondi consisting of a

tachymeter, telemeter and a snail-shaped counter

at the centre of the dial. The watch dates to 1950.

Two steel Tasti Tondis on Gay Frères bracelets: the first is on a

link-model bracelet and the second is on a brick-style bracelet.

The second watch bears the signature of Freccero of Uruguay.


with black scientific dial.


luminous Arabic numerals and syringe hands.


chronograph with Roman numerals.

Owners of 1463s were invariably sportsmen, sailors, divers,

skiers and athletes that enjoyed life to the very fullest measure

and, for me, that is what makes the Tasti Tondi so damnably cool.

142 VINTAGE

One of the all-time coolest Tasti Tondi watches is this black dial

model featuring luminous syringe hands and Arabic markers. The

original owner was Cincinnati financier Briggs Swift Cunningham.

ote the additional markers in the minute counter at 5 and 10 minutes.

This was used for regattas as Cunningham was a well-known sailor

who successfully defended the America’s Cup in 15. This Tasti Tondi

truly epitomies the spirit of adventure that marked the new generation

of gentlemen athletes who naturally gravitated to the 1.

Above Briggs Swift Cunningham

was the was the first owner of a

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing in

the US, few years ago the car was

sold at a Pebble beach auction for a

record price; again you can see the

black dial 1463 on his wrist here.

Left Cincinnati financier Briggs Swift

Cunningham, the original owner

of the unique black dial 1463 with

luminous syringe hands and Arabic

markers, seen here on his wrist.

Far Left Patek Philippe ref. 1463

steel chronograph with luminous

syringe hands and Arabic markers.

Below Patek Philippe ref. 1463 steel

chronograph with baton markers.

This is the watch that achieved the price of . million Swiss

francs in 015.

ote that the movement for the 1 does not use the famous

ictorin Piguet ébauche. Instead, this watch uses the aloux ébauche

of the calibre 1-10 as its base.

The only other known steel 1 features an all-baton-marker

dial and a pulsometer.

Is there a watch that I would prefer to a Tasti Tondi Well, yes,

but no, we are rapidly moving reality into fantasy as the reference

15, the split-seconds version of the 1, was made in only three

known examples. The rattrapante or split-seconds chronograph is

my favourite complication. It is a chronograph that features a second

chrono seconds hand which can be stopped to read a lap time or

“split time” and then restarted so it catches up with the continuously

VINTAGE 143

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX

Whereas Patek Philippe’s perpetual calendar chronographs such

as references 1518 and 2499 are models that participated in placing

Patek Philippe within the top echelons of the horological Parthenon,

the split seconds reference 1436 remained for decades the most

complicated wristwatch made by the famed Geneva brand.

What may seem like a regular chronograph is placed

within the exclusive category of split seconds thanks to its

extra hand. Watchmakers and connoisseurs agree on the

fact that this type of chronograph is one of the most complex

mechanisms to master due to the very tight tolerances.

Reference 1436 is the first split seconds chronograph wristwatch

that Patek Philippe ever produced in a series, launched in 1938 it

shares the same case/dial design as the ref 130. Even though this

reference was made for a surprising 33 years, production ceasing

in 1971, only 140 examples are known to this day, predominantly

cased in yellow gold, there are 9 known in pink gold and two in

stainless steel made and completed in the 1940s. A third steel

example was made and completed in 1941 and sold to an Italian

retailer in September of 1942 where it remained unsold for

eight years, when it was subsequently re-cased in yellow gold,

meeting the taste of a once again blossoming post-war society.

In the first generation models, the split seconds

is triggered and reset by pushing the crown in. Later

models feature a co-axial pusher in the crown.

A split second is a grail for collectors and any version of the 1436

would have its place in a vintage collection but my favorite would

be the models with Breguet numerals or pink case with pink dials.

1946 Patek Philippe ref.

1436 yellow gold split

second chronograph with

Breguet numerals.

Case side of the 1946

Patek Philippe ref.



Breguet numerals.

Dial close up of the

Case side of the 1946

Patek Philippe ref.



Breguet numerals.




Tiany stamp.




silvered dial, applied

Arabic numerals and

baton indexes, feuille

hands.



second chronograph

with silvered matte dial,

applied Roman numerals

and baton indexes.

moving chronograph seconds hand. The split-seconds complication

is considered second only to the minute repeater in the complexity

of the movement and difficulty of setting it up. The challenge relates

to the pressure placed on a second heart cam by a return lever,

which features a roller ewel and a return spring. Too much pressure

and you get rattrapante drag, too little and the split-seconds hand

does not catch up in a sharp, clean and instantaneous way.

The movement used in the 15 is the same movement used in

the 1.

The single most beautiful 15 ever created is a transcendent

yellow-gold model with luminous Breguet numerals and hands. ust

imagine the incredible individual who ordered this watch. He wanted

a yellow gold chronograph but with a split-seconds function as well as

144 VINTAGE

PatekPhilipperef.1436steelsplit

second chronograph with Roman

numerals and baton markers.

The only other Patek Philippe ref. 1436

steel split second chronograph with

baton markers and pulsation scale.

The 1436 uses a Valjoux ébauche of the

calibre 13-130 as its base as opposed to the

better known Victorin Piguet ébauche.

THOUGHTS FROM ALEX - 1563

Whereas Patek Philippe’s perpetual calendar chronographs such

as references 1518 and 2499 are models that participated in placing

Patek Philippe within the top echelons of the horological Parthenon,

the split seconds reference 1436 remained for decades the most

complicated wristwatch made by the famed Geneva brand.

Above right 1947 Patek Philippe ref. 1563 gold split second chronograph with

luminous Breguet numerals dial (Image: Christies.com) Above The auction

house Phillips De Pury & Luxembourg auctioned o a rare Patek Philippe 1563

wristwatch that once belonged to musician Duke Ellington for $1,593,396

May 13, 2002 at the Hotel De Brgues in Geneva, Switzerland. Ellington purchased

the watch in Geneva in 1948. (Photo By Getty Images)

luminous indications. How cool is that This particular watch came

up for auction at Christie’s in 01 and achieved the hammer price of

1,55,000 Swiss francs.

Another famous 15 was the watch worn by uke

Ellington, which now resides at the Patek Philippe Museum.

ou can immediately tell the 15 from a “normal” 1

by its massive crown, which is considerably larger than

that of the 1’s. This is because the crown is also the

pusher used to activate the split-seconds function.

VINTAGE 145

FROM A COLLECTED MAN

The Story of Early Roger Dubuis

The first-born creations of the renowned watchmaker for his eponymous brand perhaps

best reflect his ideals in watch and movement designs.

Words A Collected Man

( first appeared online in April 2020 and reprinted with permission)

Preface Wei Koh

146 VINTAGE

From 15-00 oger ubuis

created some of the most beautiful

chronographs the world has ever

known under the Hommage family which also

included non-chronograph models. These

watches received the eneva Seal and were

certified as chronometers at the Observatory

in Besanon. Today they have become some

of the fastest rising collectable modern

vintage watches. Much of this has to do with

their design which, as the name “Hommage”

implies, was heavily inspired by the Patek

Philippe reference 10 as well as the

reference 1. As this issue of Revolution is

dedicated to these two Patek references I saw

wonderful synergy in including this excellent

article created by A Collected Man here so

that comparison could be made between the

Patek Philippe and oger ubuis watches.

The Hommage was made in three

different sies the mm H, the mm

H and the 0mm H0. The H and

H took considerable inspiration from the

Sector of Scientific dial Patek eference

10s. ou can turn to page to see how

closely the oger ubuis watches resemble

these. But it is the reference H0 that I

consider to be oger ubuis’ true master

work of design. Because it is specifically

in the 0 mm H0 reference that you find

oger ubuis’ Breguet numeral dials which

are possibly the most beautiful modern

chronograph dials in recent memory.

Says Auro Montanari aka ohn

oldberger author of Patek Philippe Steel

Watches, “For modern chronograph design

the oger ubus with Breguet numerals is

one of the best.” These dials are strongly

inspired by the highly coveted Breguet

numerals dials found in the reference

10 and 1. Says Montanari, “Sure the

inspiration is clear. But ubuis didn’t ust

copy them he elevated the design language

of the dials with beautiful touches such as

applied dots for the minutes.” Also unique

is ubuis combination of applied Breguet

1, 5, and indexes with thick applied

pointed stick indexes. Says Montanari,

‘Also look at the fonts that he chose for the

tachymeter and the subdials, the twisting

guilloché and other patterns as well as the

highly stylied leaf hands everything had a

a slightly more Latin, expressive charm but

very importantly without being Baroque.”

It was as if Patek had introduced you

to a charismatic sexy cousin, which was

clearly ubuis’ intent. Says Montanari,

“The case of the Hommage also borrows

heavily from Patek’s design language in

particular the 1 or Tasti Tondi.” Indeed,

the Hommage chronographs feature pushers

that are almost identical to those found on

the Tasti Tondi right down to their uted

decoration and priapically domed shape.

The thick case with integrated lugs and

concave beel, and of course the screw down

caseback are all also extremely reminiscent

of the Tasti Tondi. For those with an eye

toward collecting these watches, it should

be noted that the Breguet umeral dials

only appear in the reference H0, which

is a pity because a mm case with a

Breguet dial would be a dream come true.

For me A Collected Man has become

the place to source one of these amaing

watches and I would also like to applaud them

for the wonderful work in documenting the

history of these wonderful timepieces. So

without further ado let’s get into this story

ROGER DUBUIS, FROM

WATCHMAKER TO BRAND

oger ubuis was, first and foremost, a

watchmaker. Having spent nine years at

Longines starting in the late 150s, he

worked in the after-sales department

where he repaired and cared for their

deeply respected chronographs.

Then moving on to Patek Philippe

where he stayed for the best part of two

decades, working alongside the likes of

Svend Andersen in the complications

department. Constructing the maison’s

finest and most complex watch movements,

specialiing in the construction of gongs,

Opposite page

ShotbyTomChng,his

personal H34 next to

Wei Koh’s H40.

Left

Roger spent a large part

of his career at Patek

Philippe. This would

create a fundamental

impression on him and

his work in later years.

VINTAGE 147

From left

One of Roger Dubuis’ first

technical achievements was

the creation of the world’s first

bi-retrograde perpetual calendar

in collaboration with Jean-Marc

Wiederrecht in 1989; a Roger

Dubuis Bi-Retrograde Calendar

Chronograph (ref. H40 560)

from the 2000s; close up of the

applied Breguet numerals on Wei

Koh’s H40 (credit: Tom Chng).

minute repeaters and perpetual calendars.

Building a reputation as one of the finest

watchmakers in eneva, if not the world.

He had such a passion for his ob that

when he had finished working a full day at

the atelier, he would go home and work on

fixing watches for private clients and some

of the shops around eneva who didn’t

possess the expertise that ubuis had, quite

literally, at his fingertips. In the 10s, he

left Patek Philippe to carry on this work

and set up his own workshop, extending

his client list to include auction houses and

watch brands. This is when he started to

develop his own modules and movements.

The first of which was a retrograde perpetual

calendar module that could sit atop a

Lemania movement, like so many Patek

Philippe watches he had help construct

and maintain over the past two decades.

ubuis developed this module with

ean-Marc Wiederrecht (founder of

retrospective complication specialist

Agenhor) for Harry Winston, who would

later announce their own version of a biretrograde

perpetual calendar at Baselworld

in 1. This was the first time the world

had seen this complication in a wristwatch,

one which Patek Philippe themselves, the

master of complicated watchmaking at the

time, had never put on the wrist. Perhaps

ubuis was now properly showing what

he could do, intentionally attempting

to one up the historic watch house. The

parallels with other notable independent

watchmakers, who started their careers

in restoration then complex movement

design, is not lost on us. A notable example

is of course Franois-Paul ourne, who

worked as a freelance movement designer

before setting up his own manufacture.

Shortly after, a chance encounter would

take place that would change ubuis’ life

for good when he first met Carlos ias

the enigmatic businessman and watch

designer who would team up with ubuis

to help him form his eponymous brand. As

many collectors know, when the company

first started producing watches in 15,

they were executed with aesthetic cues

and techniques that ubuis had mastered

over his years at Patek Philippe.

First producing two lines, the Hommage

and Sympathie series, each housing oger

ubuis’ in-house calibers with time only,

chronograph and perpetual calendars on

display. It’s these early models that we’re

choosing to focus on in this article, as

they have garnered most interest from the

collecting community to date. In particular,

his two-register chronographs have become

highly sought after in recent times. We also

believe that they truly demonstrate ubuis’

style and masterful technique to the full,

as some of early pieces would have been

built and regulated by the man himself.

Based on the legendary Lemania 10,

the oger ubuis chronograph calibers built

on a very strong foundation, as this is the

ébauche famously used in many notable Patek

Philippe calibers of the past. Integrating this

ébauche and finishing their movements to

an impressive level of finesse and accuracy,

every piece produced earned the Poinon

de enve, or the eneva Seal, as well as

148 VINTAGE

being certified by the Besanon Observatory.

Something that only Patek Philippe was

achieving at the time. We will go into more

detail on both of these certifications below.

We spoke with a cross section of people

who knew oger ubuis prior to his death

in 01, whether it was while he was working

at Patek Philippe or from when they ordered

some of his early models from him at SIHH

as a retailer. Crucially, they all agreed on

how humble, knowledgeable and fastidious

the man was, with an utmost respect for his

work and how he approached watch making.

A man who’s respect for oger

ubuis predates the brand is our recent

interviewee, r Helmut Crott, who knew

ubuis while he was at Patek Philippe

and sympathies with him when it came

to running a watch brand after his own

experiences with rban ürgensen. “I knew

it was a hard ob, but when they started it

in 15 that was really the best time to be

starting a new brand in my opinion.” And

r Crott was right, as the brand grew to an

impressive sie in the matter of a decade.

It’s hard to tell whether the young brand

was extremely popular when it started or ust

disorganied, as when Mikael Wallhagen,

now Head of the Watch epartment at

Sotheby’s in eneva, placed an order with

oger ubuis at SIHH in 1 for 5

watches that never appeared. “Six months

later we were back in the shop in Sweden

and hadn’t seen any watches arrive. We

chased them up and they said they didn’t

have our watches as they can’t make enough.

We never did get them in the end.”

And getting hold of them now can be

ust as tricky, “In the three years I’ve been at

Sotheby’s I don’t think we’ve had one come

through our doors. They are mainly changing

hands privately as there are ust so few on

the market.” Wallhagen even has friends

wanting to buy his Hommage Chronograph

right off his wrist, not to mention all of the

collectors and dealers who see him wearing it

at auctions and make him an offer right there

on the spot. There is a good reason why there

are so few on the market, because so few were

made. It is said that ubuis originally only

wanted to make of each variant but Carlos

ias stepped in and demanded that were

made, as that would market a lot better in

the Asian arena. Although it is also possible

that they produced as it was a variation

on 0, ubuis’ resignation number from

the cole d’Horlogerie de enve.

So, the most you will ever be able to

find of one type of early oger ubuis is

ust , although there are a few that were

made as unique pieces as well. As Wallhagen

found out when he took an early oger

ubuis he’d bought form a dealer in ew

ork to the manufacture and showed it

to ubuis himself, who remembered the

model exactly and told him they made it in

four different dials and four different cases

but there was only one example of each.

That wasn’t the only time that ubuis’

vast and extensive knowledge of his work

has been proven, as r Helmut Crott told us

about the time he bought what he thought was

a rare Patek Philippe in America, but having

no idea what he had exactly. This was before

the days of readily accessible source material

and biographies on the manufacture. So, he

took it ubuis while he was still working at

Patek Philippe, who announced “Helmut,

I remember very well that we only made

three of these.” This was about a decade

after the watches left the manufacture.

From left

The Besançon Observatory tested completed watches while the industry standard

COSC tested movements, a sure sign that Dubuis and Dias were trying to one up

their competition; the caliber RD56 on Tom Chng’s H34.

VINTAGE 149

From having a “hole in the wall” stand

at SIHH in 1, as Wallhagen described

it, to employing over 50 people generating

about CHF100M of revenue a year. The

brand’s expansion has been astronomical

since their early days and limited production

runs. But it seems that these low numbers

are now spurring on the second-hand

market. ason Singer, a well-renowned

collector of early bubblebacks, important

Patek Philippe’s and now early oger

ubuis echoes this sentiment, “I look for

them every day online but they’re becoming

really tricky to find. I often miss out on

them by a couple of hours, if that.”

However, while there is no lack of

demand for these watches in the market, we

feel like there is little reliable and trustworthy

information out there on these early oger

ubuis models. As such, we have pooled all of

our resources from our experience handling

oger ubuis pieces and information from

credible sellers such as auction houses to

create this reference point for some of the

most sought-after early oger ubuis pieces.

As we already know, ubuis learned the

fine arts of watchmaking at Patek Philippe

and on starting his own brand he intended

to pay tribute to the craft and in particular

the enve style so often associated with

historic manufacture. That’s why these

Hommage chronographs came with so

many dial variations, using guilloché,

applied Breguet numerals and lacquer to

great effect. Part of the allure of collecting

these watches is in discovering new dial

variations, with everything from salmon

dials to Pulsometer chronograph scales out

there for those who look hard enough.

THE HOMMAGE CHRONOGRAPH

oger ubuis launched in 15 with orders

from retailers being placed quickly after that.

This palladium chronograph is the earliest

example we could find, with paperwork

stamped nd ovember 1. Another

example we had pass through our hands

was stamped 11 ecember 1, coming to

us directly from the retailer who kept this

piece aside from the very first order they

placed with the brand. These early, often

untouched, examples offer a unique insight

into what ubuis wanted to do with these

watches. In fact, when you sit one next

to a Patek Philippe 10, the design codes

that the Hommage inherits are obvious.

H came in three configurations, two

with Sector dials and applied Arabic indexes

and one version with a Sector dial and painted

luminous Arabic numerals and hands.

H came in six versions, three with

Sector dials with Applied Arabic indexes,

with printed oman umerals and

two with luminious Arabic indexes.

H0 came in 1 dial versions, nine

with applied Breguet indexes and five with

applied Arabic indexes. one of these were

sector dials. This dial would eventually

become a playground for color and dial

decorations and represent some of the most

inventive dials in modern watchmaking.

The H34 and H37 came with Sectors or Scientific Dials clearly influenced by the Patek reference 130.

There is only one H37 reference from 1998 that does not use a Sector dial and has Roman numerals

and sword hands.

Collector and founder of the

Singapore Watch Club Tom Chng,

owns this beautiful and rare version of

the H34 with Sector dial and painted

luminous Arabic numerals and hands.

150 VINTAGE

Michael Tay’s white gold H40 with

Breguet numerals, skeleton feuille

hands and a salmon dial.

The rose gold H40 with Arabic

numerals, skeleton feuille hands and

an ultramarine blue lacquer dial with

perlage pattern belonging to collector

David Lim.

Never one to alienate anyone becauee of the size of their wrist Roger Dubuis made the Hommage chronograph in 3 dierent sizes 34mm, 37m and 40mm.

Note that there are specific dials used for specific cases. 34mm and 37mm (H34 and H37mm) respectively use Sector or Scientifc Dials influenced by the Patek

reference 130 in design.

Some fundamental rules one should

be aware of about these early Hommage

chronographs. The cases for these came in

0, and millimetres and were only ever

executed in precious metals, with examples

found in palladium, white gold, rose gold

and platinum. This is a rather traditional

approach, as ubuis erred away from

more common or industrial metals such as

stainless steel and titanium. ot to mention

the traditional siing with nothing over

0mm, which for some is still considered

on the larger side for a classic wristwatch.

There are also different pusher

configurations found throughout the

Hommage Chronographs, with a regular

(or two button) layout, monopusher at

two o’clock layout and a monopusher at

three o’clock (within the winding crown).

Hommage Chronographs with the pusher

integrated into the winding crown were

made in 0mm and mm cases, with the

monopusher at two o’clock only appearing

in a 0mm case. Interestingly, evidence

VINTAGE 151

The reference H40 was equally split between seven monopusher versions and seven two-pusher

references. Note that Roger Dubuis was the only brand creating a Lemania 2310-based monopusher

chronograph during this period. While the monopusher is perhaps more unique, because of its strong

association with the Patek 1463 Tasti Tondi, we love the two-pusher version.

suggests that variants of the H0 with the

monopusher at two o’clock were limited to 1

examples, instead of . Examples are known

in rose gold, white gold and palladium. They

also integrate a different caliber (cal. 50),

which appears to share the same movement

architecture as the Omega Caliber ..

Below is a table of every publicly

known configuration of oger ubuis

Hommage Chronograph which has come

to the market. For the purposes of reliable

information, this draws upon watches having

come up at A Collected Man and the three

maor watch auction houses (Sotheby’s,

Christie’s and Antiquorum), with duplicates

having been removed. We hope this acts

as a glimpse into the many interesting

and varied configurations in which the

Hommage Chronograph was executed.

H40 Chronographs

SOURCE TYPE CHRONOGRAPH TYPE METAL DIAL HANDS DATE

1 Christie’s Hommage Monopusher White gold White Feuile 1996

2 Antiquroum Hommage Monopusher Rose gold White; applied numerals and indices Feuile 1998

3 Christie’s Hommage Regular White gold Salmon; applied breguet Feuile 1998

4 ACM Hommage Monopusher Rose gold Cream; breguet numerals Feuile 1999

5 Christie’s Hommage Regular White gold White; applied breguet Feuile 1999

6 Christie’s Hommage Monopusher Rose gold Black; applied breguet Feuile 1999

7 Sotheby’s Hommage Monopusher White gold Salmon; guilloché; applied breguet Feuile 1999

8 ACM Hommage Monopusher White gold Black; applied breguet Feuile 2000

9 ACM Hommage Monopusher White gold Black; applied breguet Skeleton feuile 2000

10 ACM Hommage Regular White gold Black; applied arabic numerals Skeleton feuile 2001

11 ACM Hommage Regular White gold Black; guilloché; breguet numerals Skeleton feuile 2001

12 ACM Hommage Regular White gold Black; applied breguet Feuile N/A

13 ACM Hommage Regular Rose gold Black; perlage base layer Skeleton feuile N/A

14 ACM Hommage Regular Rose gold Blue; perlage base layer Skeleton feuile N/A

5

2 3 7

1

6

4

152 VINTAGE

9 11 13

8 10 12 14

H37 Chronographs


1 Antiquroum Hommage Regular Palladium Cream; sector layout Feuile 1997

2 ACM Hommage Regular Rose gold Cream; printed roman numerals Sword 1998

3 ACM Hommage Regular Grey gold Brushed silver; pulsometer; sector layout Skeleton feuile 1998

4 ACM Hommage Regular Rose gold Reverse panda; sector layout Lume feuile N/A

5 Antiquroum Hommage Regular White gold Reverse panda; sector layout Feuile N/A

6 ACM Hommage Regular White gold Silver and copper; pulsometer Feuile N/A

1 2

3 4 5 6

H34 Chronographs


1 ACM Hommage Regular Rose gold Cream; sector layout Feuile 1996

2 ACM Hommage Regular Palladium Cream; sector layout Feuile 1996

3 ACM Hommage Regular Rose gold Cream and copper; sector layout Lume feuile N/A

1 2 3

SPECIAL THANKS TO A COLLECTED MAN

VINTAGE 153

The Sympathie chornograph only came in two sizes, 34mm and 37mm, unlike the Hommage,

which also came in 40mm.

THE SYMPATHIE CHRONOGRAPH

While the Hommage could be seen as ubuis

playing by the rules of traditional Swiss

watchmaking, the Sympathie is where he

started to think outside the box and push

boundaries a little bit. With its angular square

case and elongated lugs this was a watch

with a unique silhouette to say the least.

nlike the Hommage, you’ll only find

the Sympathie chronograph in cases sied

and millimetres, with only white and

rose gold cases publicly known. With far

fewer dial variations to have appeared,

they were either produced in more limited

numbers or there have ust been fewer that

have come to market when compared with the

Hommage chronographs. Here is a rundown

of every publicly known configuration,

drawing upon the same sources as the

Hommage Chronographs discussed earlier.

Sympathie 37 Chronographs


1 Sotheby’s Sympathie Regular Rose gold Cream and copper; sector layout Feuile 1998

2 ACM Sympathie Regular White gold Black; applied breguet Skeleton feuile 1999

3 Christie’s Sympathie Regular White gold Reverse panda; sector layout Lume feuile 2000

4 Sotheby’s Sympathie Regular White gold Cream; applied breguet Feuile 2000

5 ACM Sympathie Regular White gold White; applied breguet Feuile N/A

6 ACM Sympathie Regular Rose gold Cream; applied breguet Feuile N/A

2 4 6

1

3 5

154 VINTAGE

Sympathie 34 Chronographs


1 Christie’s Sympathie Regular Rose gold White; applied breguet and indices Feuile 1997

2 ACM Sympathie Regular White gold White; applied breguet Feuile 1999

1

David Lim’s Sympathie 37 in white

gold with Breguet numerals.

THE MOVEMENT

These two register chronographs from

oger ubuis are powered by the Caliber

5 (for the regular version) or the

5 (for the monopusher version), both of

which are based off the venerable Lemania

ébauche 10. This was a chronograph

movement developed in 1 in a partnership

between Lemania and Omega. Omega

called their version of the movement the

Caliber 1, which you may know as the

movement that went to the Moon.

The 10 is a column wheel design with

a screwed balance that oscillates at 1,000

Ah. While today watch brands make a big

fuss about developing movements entirely

in-house, it was once thought of as best

practice to outsource a high-quality ébauche

that had been designed and created by highly

skilled and specialied movement makers.

If you only do one thing, you tend to end up

doing it quite well. In fact, a lot of collectors

will still look back with nostalgia on Patek

Philippe perpetual calendar chronographs

(the ewel of the brand’s catalog) that were

based on Lemania movements. As you

can see below, there is a stark similarity

between the Hommage’s movement and

that of the Patek Philippe 0, both of

which use a Lemania 10 ébauche.

This side-by-side comparison is ust

what ubuis was after with these watches.

It is as obvious in the choice of ébauche as

it is in the level, quality and style of finishing

that he put into these early models. He

employed the finishing techniques that made

Patek Philippe movements so desirable such

as Ctes de enve, mirror polishing and

Movement side of an H34 Chronograph (left) and a Patek Philippe 3970 (right).

anglage. All things that helped the movement

be awarded the Poinon de enve.

THE POINÇON DE GENÈVE

A certification that at the time was only

achieved by Patek Philippe watches, the

eneva Seal is unique in its accreditation as

it doesn’t give much credence to measuring

time correctly (that’s what the Besanon

Observatory certification is for) but

VINTAGE 155

rather the art of decorating a movement

with finesse and skill, which is something

that the brand oger ubuis has prided

itself on achieving since its foundation.

owadays, you will find it stamped on the

movements of brands such as Cartier,

Chopard and acheron Constantin, as

well as modern day oger ubuis. To

achieve the certification, it requires the

adherence to 1 criteria that are demanding

for even the most skilled watchmakers,

covering everything from the movement’s

conception to how it has been finished.

The technical requirements

of the seal are

ood workmanship on all parts of the

calibre. Steel parts must have polished

angles and their visible surfaces smoothed

down. Screw heads must be polished

with their slots and rims chamfered.

Jewelling

The entire movement must be ewelled

with ruby ewels set in polished holes

including the going train and escape wheel.

Regulating system

The hairspring should be pinned in a

grooved plate with a stud having rounded

collar and cap. Mobile studs are permitted.

Split or fitted indexes are allowed

with a holding system except in

extra-thin calibers where the

holding system is not required.

egulating systems with balance with

radius or variable gyration are allowed.

Wheels

The wheels of the going train must

be chamfered above and below

and have a polished sink. In wheels

0.15mm thick or less, a single chamfer

is allowed on the bridge side.

In wheel assemblies, the pivot

shanks and the faces of the pinion

leaves must be polished.

Escapement

The escape wheel has to be light,

not more than 0.1mm thick

in large calibers and 0.1mm in

calibers under 1mm, and its

locking-faces must be polished.

The angle traversed by the pallet

lever is to be limited by fixed banking

walls and not pins or studs.

Shock protections

Shock protected movements are accepted.

Winding mechanism

The ratchet and crown wheels

must be finished with accordance

with registered patters.

Springs

Wire springs are not allowed.

Ticking all of these boxes placed these

movements in a rather exclusive club in

15. It could be imagined that this level of

finishing was only possible because of their

small production numbers allowing them

to spend more time on each component.

THE SET

If you hang around a group of collectors

long enough, you’ll more than likely hear

one of them mention “The Set” or “The

Full Set” when it comes to their vintage

collection and it is something that those

who collect these early oger ubuis

pieces find extremely attractive when

looking to acquire an example. For those

looking to track down one of these early

oger ubuis watches, it can be helpful to

know what it should come with as well.

One notable element of “The Set” is the

additional closed caseback that was included

with all of oger ubuis early models. They

came fitted with a sapphire caseback but

if you didn’t want to see the finely finished

movement, you could get a watchmaker to

swap the backs for you. Although we are yet

to have handled any models which have had

this fitted to the watch when it arrived to

us. Then again, you can’t really blame the

previous owner, can you It’s worth noting

here that the only other brand to do this at

the time was Patek Philippe. Though it is

unconfirmed exactly why this was done, it

is thought that this was a nod to the great

The back of an Hommage

Chronograph (left) and its

pushers, reminiscent of a


‘Tasti Tondi’ (right).

156 VINTAGE

AfullsetRogerDubuis

Sympathie (credit: Watchclub).

A Roger Dubuis Certificate of Origin and Guarantee

from 2001 (top) and a very early Certificate of Origin

and Guarantee from 1998, with Roger Dubuis’

signature (bottom).

watches of the past, where the true beauty

of the movement was hidden away. Indeed,

there is a certain elegance to concealing

such finesse and craft, with satisfaction

coming purely from knowing it’s there.

Alongside the caseback, there was

an array of paperwork that came with the

original box. The main pieces of literature

that should be included are an Observatory

certificate from the Besanon Observatory,

a small Certificate of Origin that will show

the Poinon de enve and a slightly larger

Certificate of uarantee which will hold

all the information about your specific

piece. Including case number, movement

number (which should correspond to what

is stamped on the watch) and the original

date of sale alongside an image of the watch.

ou should also see a leather folio,

instruction booklet and a small blue booklet

with ubuis’ portrait on it providing some

information about the company. arely

kept, alongside the paperwork there should

be a metallic eneva Seal hang tag and a

small leather hang tag that might have a label

stuck to it indicating the model number. ou

should also hope to see either an original pin

buckle or folding clasp attached to the leather

strap even if the leather strap is no longer

original. This is what all of that looks like.

ou’ll notice that the Besanon

Observatory certificate is far larger than

any other piece of paperwork that is

included with the watch and that gives

some indication of how important and

hard to come by such accreditation was.

Setting far more exacting standards than

a COSC test, the Besanon Observatory

still demand the same standards as laid out

by ISO 15 that other chronometers had

to go through, but it also demands that all

watches arrive for testing fully cased and

in their final form. Then they undergo 1

days of consecutive testing in five different

positions at three different temperatures

ranging from C to C and finally C.

If, after all of that, the rate of time loss is

within - to seconds, it is stamped with

the observatory’s famous viper and can be

called an observatory chronometer. On the

certificate that comes with your watch you

will see the exact results your timepiece

produced while undergoing these tests

along with the date at which it passed.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

All of the data that we’ve presented here has

been collected by A Collected Man and in

no way do we want to proclaim that it is an

exhaustive list but we do hope that it serves

as a reference point for when you’re starting

or expanding your collection, or even ust

to understand the very beginnings of early

oger ubuis. We invite you to compare

the records with your own collection to see

if we have missed out anything. We would

like to thank Helmut Crott, Su iaxian,

ason Singer and Mikael Wallhagen for

their help in putting together this article.

VINTAGE 157

The Mido Multi-Centerchrono —

A Case of Similarities?

Revolution’s contributing watch editor makes a strong case for the

collectibility of this early tool watch.

Words Ross Povey

Photography Bulang & Sons

Ifeel like I often read about the similarities

between collecting watches and collecting cars.

The mindset, appreciation for heritage and

aesthetics combined with the enoyment of the pursuit

of a long sought-after piece for one’s collection,

are all commonalities between both arenas of

collecting. There are myriad parallels that we could

unpack, but today I want to draw a comparison

that is important for both disciplines — the use of

coachbuilders and casemakers. In the 10s, Italian

coachbuilder Battista “Pinin” Farina established his

own independent coachworks “Carroeria Pinin

Farina.” Pininfarina went on to become one of the

most celebrated car designers, creating designs and

body work for Ferrari, Alfa omeo, Fiat, Lancia, Ford

and Maserati to name a few. This meant there were

similarities between the different manufacturers’

cars, and indeed the house style of Pininfarina was

something the brands wanted. In watchmaking, a

similar situation existed with the manufacturing and

use of wristwatch cases.

A COLLECTIBLE CASE

Franois Borgel established his eponymous casemaking

company in 10. In 11, Borgel was awarded

a patent for a dust- and waterproof one-piece, screwin

watchcase. The company went on to become highly

regarded as casemakers, especially for their screwcases

that were, at the time, deemed to be waterproof,

or at least as waterproof as a wristwatch needed to

be for that era. In 11, Franois Borgel died and his

daughter Louisa took over the business for a short

time before selling the company to the Taubert family.

The Taubert family continued to use the Franois

Borgel name and also continued to file numerous

patents, including a screw-down caseback with 10

sides, known as the “decagonal” case. The waterproof

decagonal case that Taubert produced went on

to be used by a number of watch brands for their

chronographs, including Patek Philippe, acheron

Constantin and, the subect of this article, Mido.

The Mido Multi-Centerchrono is housed in a

steel case made under the name Franois Borgel, but

during the time of ownership of the Taubert family.

The decagonal case is easily identifiable due to the

10-sided caseback, which can be opened with a

spanner-esque tool with a 10-sided hole in it. These

cases are two things, waterproof and antimagnetic.

The waterproof qualities are made possible by the

fact that the 10-sided caseback screws into a onepiece

case and the winding stem and chrono pushers

have cork seals. The antimagnetic properties are

made possible by an inner “case” formed by the dial,

a ring around the movement and a dust cap between

the movement and the caseback. These watches are

actually pretty robust and would be suitable for a

range of professional applications.

o you recognie the pushers The so-called

sunburst pushers are actually the same as those that

appear on the Patek Philippe references 1 and

15 what collectors refer to as “Tasti Tondi,” from

the Italian for “round buttons.” The steel Patek 1

was, in fact, housed in a Borgel case and the Mido

Multi-Centerchrono shares the same winding crown

as the 1. In fact, the whole case of the Mido is

similar to the Patek 1, if maybe a little less uid

and refined to my eye. It is, however, still an incredibly

cool and classy-looking watch with its signature

Opposite page

The Mido Multi-

Centerchrono

comes in a

waterproof and antimagnetic

decagonal

case made by

François Borgel

that was also used

by Patek Philippe

and Vacheron

Constantin.

VINTAGE 159

Mido

The same pushers and

similar winding crown.

The decaganol

waterproof caseback.

Patek

Philippe

ref. 1

oversied round pushers and winding crown. In my

mind, these watches are the thinking man’s chrono

but with a price tag that is literally a hundredth of a

top-tier steel Patek Philippe 1.

A MULTI-TOOL PIONEER

The Multi-Centerchrono (MC) comes into its own

when we look at the overall aesthetics of the dial.

Where one would normally expect two sub-registers

on a watch like this, the MC is completely clean with

its radium Arabic hour markers and two-tone layout.

Mido’s original advertising slogan for this model

was, “Here is the only chronograph that looks like a

handsome watch,” which perfectly sums up the clean

look that a lack of sub-registers bestows upon a dial.

So how does it work Well, at first glance, you could

be forgiven for thinking that this watch is a splitseconds

watch, as per the Patek 15 chrono (also

a “Tasti Tondi”). In fact, the two center seconds

stopwatch hands are for reading seconds and

minutes. In the case of the illustrated example, the

blued steel hand measures seconds and the red hand

minutes. So, multi-central hands (hours, minutes,

chrono seconds and chrono minutes) on the Multi-

Centerchrono it does what it says on the tin

And this 5mm pocket rocket isn’t done yet.

Like the Patek 1, the dial has a tachymeter scale

for measuring speed. In the 10s and onwards,

motor racing became more popular and wristwatch

manufacturers began adapting their watches to

include scientific scales that enabled not only the time

of an event to be measured, but also average speeds

reached. The tachymeter allowed the wearer to

measure the elapsed time it took to cover the distance

of a mile or kilometer and know what the average

speed of that run was. The Mido also has a telemeter

Clockwise from top

The engine room —

the modified Valjoux

VZ caliber 1300

movement.

The story of

10 sides — the

decagonal caseback

made waterproof by

François Borgel.

The four hands

and dual scales of

the Mido Multi-

Centerchrono.

160 VINTAGE

Clockwise from top

The engine room — the

modified Valjoux VZ caliber

1300 movement.

The story of 10 sides — the

decagonal caseback made

waterproof by François Borgel.

The four hands and dual scales

of the Mido Multi-Centerchrono.

scale, which can be used to accurately assess the

distance of an incident by timing the ourney of its

sound. This was an essential tool in the First and

Second World Wars. A commanding officer could

start the chronograph when he saw a ash of artillery

and then stop it when he heard the sound of the

explosion. The reading on the telemeter would then

tell him how far away the explosion had taken place,

thus making it easier to plot enemy positions.

The example that I have used to inform and

illustrate this article was discovered and photographed

by my dear friend Bernhard Bulang. This is the second

such watch that he has found and he loves them He

says, “The case of these watches is ust so cool. The way

they sit on the wrist like a tool watch with an aesthetic

that is not overly refined. I have loved collecting and

selling these steel waterproof chronos for over 10 years

now and the purity of the steel and the height of the

case, due to that screw-down caseback, is perfect for

me. And then, uxtaposed with the steel case are the

detailed and refined pushers that you also see on the

Patek 1, that were also made by Borgel. O, the

Mido’s case isn’t quite as uid as the ‘Tasti Tondi,’ but

I love its own unique character and style. ”

And it’s not ust the case that Bulang loves

“On the wrist, the Mido always gives me that splitseconds,

four-hand feeling against the clean dial

without subdials. There really is a lot of watch in these

little gems”

A multi-tool watch that packs a lot into its classy

5mm case. Waterproof, antimagnetic, chronograph,

telemeter and tachymeter it really is a wrist-mounted

Swiss army knife. Whatever adventure you choose

MIDO

MULTI-CENTERCHRONO (1940S)

MOVEMENT Modified manual-winding Valjoux VZ caliber 1300; hours,

minutes and seconds; chronograph; tachymeter; telemeter

CASE 35mm; steel case by François Borgel; waterproof

PRICE Approx. USD 7,000–9,000

to undertake, with the Mido Multi-Centerchrono

on your wrist, you won’t go far wrong. Mido’s

advert for this watch sums it up perfectly “The

perfect timepiece for Aviators, octors, Engineers,

Chemists, Sportsmen, Physicists, Explorers.”

VINTAGE 161

A Historical and Technical Examination

of the Constant Force Device

And all the makers who excel at giving their own take on it.

Words Stephanie Ip, Kevin Cureau & Sumit Nag

Humankind has held a fascination for time measurement

since ancient times. It started with measurement of the

passage of time, to inventing the notion of isochronism,

but one universal problem arose with the arrival of the

mechanical clock precision. For the longest time, specialists

attempted to equalie the energy reaching the escapement in

order to measure time in a consistent manner, but that didn’t

happen until the balance spring was invented.

Clocks came with an hour hand only, as did pocket watches,

as the degree of imprecision in the movements meant that it was

impossible to get an accurate reading of the minutes. It wasn’t

until the end of the 1th century that watchmaker ost Bürgi

came up with the gravity remontoir mechanism that could ensure

constant force. It would become the first instance of a constantforce

mechanism. Later, in search for a solution to the longitude

problem in maritime navigation, ohn Harrison invented the

spring remontoir, or what we call remontoir d’égalité in French.

EXPLAINING THE REMONTOIR D’ÉGALITÉ

Contrary to what many might think, precision isn’t how much

a movement gains or loses over a period of time, but rather,

it’s about the stability and consistency of a movement. A

movement is precise if it gains or loses the same amount of time

consistently over a period — for example, gaining and losing

five seconds a day. A movement is not precise if the time it gains

or loses uctuates — for example, five seconds today, seven

seconds tomorrow.

In a traditional movement with a fixed escapement,

energy is loaded in the mainspring by winding the crown. As

the coil unwinds, it releases energy via the gear trains to the

164 TECHNICAL

escapement, which then meters out the energy into regulated

parts. The balance wheel then uses this regulated energy to

beat back and forth at a constant rate, driving the dial train to

advance the hands of the watch. When the mainspring is fully

wound, the power transmitted is strong. As it runs down, the

power coming from the mainspring diminishes, so balancewheel

amplitude diminishes and the timekeeping changes.

Precision is thus affected as the regulator has to function

with uctuating energy levels. Another thing that is affected

is chronometric rates, as it is difficult to regulate a watch to a

specific level of torque.

One of the first solutions to uctuating energy that

watchmakers came up with, was the going barrel. It kept

the mainspring in a certain shape and stopped it from

completely uncoiling. The mainspring was also coiled

in an S-curve, which also helped to maintain constant

force as it attened out the curve while the movement

lost torque as the mainspring unwinds. The going barrel,

coupled with the S-shape of the mainspring, allowed for

a period of relative constant force. Another solution that

was exemplified in F.P. ourne’s Chronomtre Souverain,

was to have two barrels with two mainsprings, where

both would combine to give the watch full power.

Over time, watchmakers have found a superlative solution

to this age-old problem. Like constant force, the remontoir

mechanism is used to stabilie the power fed to the balance to

improve timing performances. But the two mechanisms differ

and are not the same thing. We asked watchmaker Stephen

Forsey for an explanation and here’s what he said, “A constantforce

escapement has a regularly rewound secondary spring

mounted on or in the escapement to feed equal power to the

balance either directly, or via levers or detents. These can be

very complex and delicate mechanisms as the escapement has

to unlock the gear train to allow rewinding of the secondary

spring, so the potential advantages of timing performance and

stability might be compromised.

“A remontoir d’égalité also has a regularly rewound

secondary spring to feed equal power to the escapement, but

it’s in the gear train. They can be more robust systems, but in a

traditional one, the escapement still has to unlock the gear train

for rewinding the secondary spring.”

What the remontoir d’égalité essentially does is to regulate

constant force fed to the escapement. It’s a system designed to

provide unvarying power to the balance and escapement via a

small spring attached to a wheel, typically the fourth wheel. At

predetermined intervals — every minute, for example — the spring

is released and recharged by the mainspring at a constant rate.

In eorge aniels’s Watchmaking manual, he says this “The

use of the remontoir is by far the best method of smoothing

the power supply, but it is complex and costly to make. For

this reason, watches with remontoirs are very rare and this,

combined with their attractive action, gives them a special place

in the affections of the connoisseur of mechanics. The fact that

the mechanism is quite unnecessary merely adds to its charm.”

There are not a lot of companies brave enough to attempt

a remontoir, or any constant force device, but those who have

done so have created beautiful and charming watches that we’re

going to explore in this article.

THE CONSTANT FORCE MECHANISM

Twin mainspring barrel

Pretensioned remontoir spring

Fourth wheel

Balance spring

Pivoting lever

Escape wheel

TECHNICAL 165

John Harrison’s H4

timepiece with a verge

escapement remains a

historically important

timepiece today.

The prize-winning H4, completed

in 1759, finally solved the

problems posed by longitude

in maritime navigation. It

contained the spring remontoir,

Harrison’s invention, which

helped to prevent variations

to the mainspring’s power as it

wound down, thus improving the

accuracy of the timepiece.

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

We can’t really talk about the remontoir d’égalité without

mentioning its pioneers — the gravity remontoir found in clocks

is attributed to Swiss clockmaker ost Bürgi in 155 (more on him

later) but the inventor of the spring remontoir is widely thought

to be ohn Harrison, who is remembered in history as the one

who solved the problem of longitude, and whose H longitude

watch is a historically significant timepiece that has inspired

watchmakers everywhere.

It all began with the quandary of longitude in maritime

navigation, the biggest mind-boggler of the 1th century, where

any inaccuracies in timekeeping was a matter of life or death.

Finding the latitude was straightforward enough — it could be

calculated by careful observation of the position of the sun or

stars in the sky. But the longitude could not be calculated the

same way as the Earth is constantly rotating about its axis in the

east-west position. At sea, once navigators lose sight of land, they

steer to an accurate compass course set by dead reckoning. But

a wrong reading or, more often than not, a change in wind and

ocean currents, could throw them hundreds of miles astray with

dwindling provisions. What was needed was an accurate sea clock

to calculate the earth’s rotation (one degree of longitude for every

four minutes of elapsed time), but for centuries, it was impossible

to create a timepiece so precise.

Enter Harrison, a carpenter by trade who taught himself

watchmaking and made precise longcase clocks that were

accurate to one second a month, and who believed his inventions

stood a chance at the competition set out in the

Longitude Act, a competition that many, including

Isaac ewton, thought to be a futile challenge. The

Longitude Act, passed by the British Parliament

in 11, offered an incredible prie of 0,000

to “such Person or Persons as shall iscover the

Longitude at Sea”. The Board of Longitude dictated

that the timekeeping system must meet the criteria of

maintaining accuracy to within three seconds per day

during a voyage from Britain to the West Indies.

It was in the pursuit of a precise sea clock that

Harrison invented the spring remontoir, which

functioned to eliminate variations in the mainspring’s

power as it wound down over time. His first one

(christened H1 in later years by naval officer and

scholar upert ould), featured two interconnected

swinging balances and had no remontoir. And while it

successfully completed its sea trial from Portsmouth

to Lisbon on board HMS Centurion, it was a massive

timekeeper that stood at one square meter. With further

funding, Harrison was able to work on H and H. The

H, built between 1 and 1, was significant as it

gave birth to the first remontoir, which eliminated the

variation in the mainspring’s power as it wound down.

While he was developing the H1, H and H,

Harrison commissioned ohn efferys to make a watch

with an idea he had for a radically new type of balance.

CREDIT © SCIENCE MUSEUM / SCIENCE & SOCIETY PICTURE LIBRARY -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

166 TECHNICAL

Figure 3 purports to

show the section of the

fusée on the first wheel

marked AA.

Figure 4 shows the

second wheel at AA, and

the third wheel at BB.

Figure 5 purports to

illustrate the escapement

mechanism with the

spring-barrel marked

as aa.

The success of the watch gave birth to the idea of H,

a “deck watch” that, at 1.5cm in diameter, looked

like an oversied pocket watch. H incorporated all

the features found in the efferys watch temperature

compensation, maintaining power, the new highfrequency

balance running at 1,000 beats per hour

and, additionally, featured a miniaturied remontoir.

H went on two official trials to the West Indies

and passed with ying colors. After some kerfufe

concerning payments which we won’t go into detail

here, Harrison was ultimately awarded the Longitude

prie, and hitherto became known as the forefather

of modern precision watches, and the inventor of the

spring remontoir.

Wound daily by key, the H had a power reserve of

0 hours stored in a steel spring inside a brass barrel.

There was a second spring in the fusée, which would

keep the watch running while the mainspring was being

rewound. The movement also featured a device that

tracked the position of the fusée, and put a brake on the

balance half an hour before the mainspring fully ran

out of power. This mechanism allowed the remontoir

to function constantly and was a key development of

the watch. If the watch stopped at sea, it would have

posed a challenge as the remontoir detent had to be

unlocked to restart the watch — something only a

watchmaker could do and not the easiest task at sea.

It is also pertinent to mention Ferdinand

Berthoud here, whose success with his marine

chronometer landed him a position as clockmaker

to the French navy, and later, horologist to the ing

of France. Berthoud’s high-precision invention

was important as he was able to produce them in

significant numbers. His arch-nemesis, Pierre Le

oy, was another historical figure, having invented the

detent escapement which subsequently became the

predominant system used in marine chronometers.

Ferdinand Berthoud’s fusée-and-chain system dates back to

1th century clockmaking, and functions similarly to the gears on

a bicycle. A cone-shaped pulley is linked to a chain that is coiled

around the barrel, and as the mainspring unwinds, the chain rolls

onto the barrel and off the fusée, its leverage compensating for

the decreasing torque.

Harrison’s spring remontoir inspired many a modern

watchmaker today in their pursuit of constant force, but it isn’t the

only remontoir mechanism. As mentioned in the beginning of the

article, the earliest type of remontoir was the gravity remontoir, by

ost Bürgi, as exhibited in his Experimental Clock o. 1.

It came after the invention of the mainspring, which, in the

1th century, enabled watchmakers to begin constructing table

clocks. Bürgi gave birth to the constant-force device when he

added an extra gear that was in itself an independent system

wound in short spurts by the mainspring. The escapement

ensured a more constant ow of energy and allowed the clock to

run autonomously for several months.

It was called a gravity remontoir because the system relied on

a small weight to drive the escapement indirectly, using gravity as

the constant force. In turret clocks, it served to separate the large

forces needed to drive the hands from the modest forces needed

to drive the escapement, which keeps the pendulum swinging.

Fast forward to today, when watchmakers who put a modern

constant-force device into their timepieces often find inspiration

in past works, but the final products are nothing like the

predecesors. The rnefeld brothers, inspired by the old clock

in their hometown of Oldenaal, The etherlands, based their

remontoir d’égalité complication on the church turret movement,

created in 11 by oyal Eisbouts.

reubel Forsey calls their constant

force the ifferentiél d’Egalité.

irard-Perregaux’s Constant Force

escapement might be the newest form

of the device, utiliing a silicon band as

the basis for the transfer of energy from

the mainspring to the escapement.

Perhaps F.P. ourne put it best

“What is fascinating in the principle

of the constant-force device is that

each watchmaker who has set out

to build one has his own personal

interpretation only the basic idea

remains the same.”

Maison’s like A.

Lange & Söhne has

adapted the 17th

century fusée-andchain

assembly into

their timepieces like

the Richard Lange

“Pour le Mérite.”

TECHNICAL 167

F.P. JOURNE’S REMONTOIR D’ÉGALITÉ —

DAWN OF A NEW ERA

ou could say that before Franois-Paul ourne debuted the

remontoir d’égalité in his Tourbillon Souverain back in 1, the

constant-force device had somewhat fallen out of fashion.

The gravity remontoir was invented by ost Bürgi in the

1th century, but fell out of popularity around the 1th century

when Christiaan Huygens invented the balance spring and the

pendulum. Both those innovations were huge breakthroughs for

precision timekeeping, and the minute hand, once impossible

to implement due to the degree of imprecision, was suddenly

widespread. The remontoir fell into oblivion for around a

century, until the need for even greater precision in the 1th

century in astronomical observations and longitude calculations

brought the remontoir back into force, with ohn Harrison

putting the first-ever remontoir d’égalité into his H sea clock.

But the remontoir was a complex, time-consuming and

costly device to produce, and thus, many abandoned it by the

0th century. There were only a few examples of the remontoir

in the 0th century, but ourne cites two which he believes were

superior one by English watchmaker eorge aniels, who

placed the constant-force device into his tourbillon pocket

watch, and Anthony andall, who built it into a table clock based

on the principle of ohn Harrison’s H.

And, of course, ourne himself, who incorporated a

remontoir d’égalité into three tourbillon pocket watches, a

so-called “sympathique” clock and of course, the Tourbillon

Souverain, which was his first debut in his eponymous brand, and

also the first-ever wristwatch tourbillon with a constantforce

mechanism.

The 1 Tourbillon Souverain was inspired by an earlier

tourbillon wristwatch that ourne created in 11, which was also

fitted with a remontoir d’égalité. It was signed F.P. ourne 111,

with a manually-wound movement that came with an 1 rosegold

gear train and decorated entirely by hand. The platinum case

extended to the back where the movement is hidden

by a closed caseback.

There are four generations of the Tourbillon

Souverain, each with its distinct characteristics. The

first 0 pieces are known as the subscription models

they are the pieces that ourne produced for his very

first clients and are each numbered at one o’clock.

The second generation had a rounded cock for the

remontoir, while the third generation had a at one.

The movement can be viewed on the caseback, but

there’s not much to show apart from the mainspring

and a sliver of an opening that allowed us a glimpse

of the blade spring of the remontoir. The spring is

rewound every second to keep the escapement under

constant tension.

The Tourbillon Souverain produced between

00 to 01 held a different movement, the caliber

10., which added a dead-beat seconds to the

remontoir. The dead-beat seconds or “seconde

morte” means that the seconds hand will remain

motionless until the second has elapsed, and it’s

positioned at the six o’clock position on the dial. In

terms of dial design everything is aesthetically similar

to the previous Tourbillon Souverains, with the same

168 TECHNICAL

classical case design, and a power-reserve indicator

at 1 o’clock.

But at the back, you will be able to clearly spot

the added function. In the diagram below, you would

be able to view the remontoir in full. The remontoir

satellite () coaxially pivoting with the tourbillon

cage (1) is controlled by the remontoir spring (),

This spread,

clockwise

FP Journe’s first

remontoir watch

from 1991; the

2020 update to

the Chronomètre à

Résonance with two

remontoir d’égalité;

the remontoir system

in the Tourbillon

Souverain; the blade

spring remontoir

seen on the back of a

Tourbillon Souverain

“Souscription” watch.

rewound every second by the mainspring (5). The straight

blade-like escapement now also features a monometallic fourarm

balance () beating at H, with timing weights () for

fastslow adustments.

And then, of course, the remontoir appears in ourne’s latest

timepiece — the Chronomtre ésonance, updated this year

to hold not ust one, but two remontoir devices. Inside the watch

is the caliber 150, in rose gold, which has only one single barrel

spring which provides power for the signature double balance

design. A differential is placed on the first wheel, which you

can see in the center of the dial, and it independently transmits

energy from the barrel spring to the two secondary gear trains.

Each secondary gear train is equipped with the constant-force

mechanism, or remontoir d’égalité, with a frequency of 1 second.

By using only one single barrel, ourne is able to eliminate any

inconsistencies posed by the double-barrel winding mechanism

in the original Chronomtre ésonance movement, the caliber

1. It’s important to remember that resonance works only if

the two escapements are kept very close in terms of oscillating

rate so that the resonant frequency is the same. If they drift too

far apart, then resonance does not happen.

In the original ésonance, ourne had to ensure that the

two balances on the Calibre 1 supported each other, with

a difference in frequency of no more than five seconds per day

cumulated in six positions. In the new movement, having a single

barrel, therefore, means that the same amount of energy is

distributed across the two going trains, eliminating any variations

that could sometimes be found in the original movement.

But the real star here was the remontoir in the two going

trains. In the original movement, although both balance wheels

oscillate at the same amplitude, that amplitude also dipped at

the same time as the power reserve of the watch winds down.

What the remontoir does is that it brings constant torque to the

escapement, and the balance wheels will oscillate at the same

constant amplitude as long as the remontoir is engaged.

What’s the conclusion of all this The remontoir might be

little more than a whimsical device in watchmaking, but trust

geniuses like ourne to find a place for it in our modern world.

TECHNICAL 169

170 TECHNICAL

GREUBEL FORSEY’S FIFTH INVENTION

The ifférentiel d’galité is a constant-force

device, and therefore, like any remontoir, its

function is to receive energy from the mainspring

barrel and release it in regular intervals, in

constant amounts, to the regulating organ, which

is the balance spring. The difference is that unlike

a typical remontoir d’égalite, the differential is

shaped like a sphere.

For obert reubel and Stephen Forsey,

precision chronometry lies in the very foundation

of their namesake company. In 00, they

launched with the groundbreaking new generation

of inclined tourbillons for the wristwatch in

what they would come to call their 1st invention

— the ouble Tourbillon 0, where they built

an optimied innovative gear train with two

unique fast-rotating barrels (one turn in .

hours) for smoother power transmission and

longer chronometric power reserve. The ouble

Tourbillon 0 was put through the Concours

Internationel de Chronometrie competition in

011, and emerged a clear winner with a daily rate between

0. and 0. seconds throughout the gruelling, independently

run competition.

The ifférentiel d’galité was reubel Forsey’s 5th

invention, making its debut in 00. It was obert and

Stephen’s take on the remontoir d’égalité, with some slight

modifications. A traditional remontoir takes energy from the

escapement to unlock the rewinding of the remontoir secondary

spring. But this can perturb the timekeeping. What obert and

Stephen did was to completely rethink the remontoir so that the

escapement does not lose energy when it unlocks the gear train

to rewind the secondary spring.

The ifférential d’galité uses a differential with an

integrated secondary spring within the gear train, giving two

separate branches of the gear train. One unlocks and rewinds

the secondary spring so the main branch can supply completely

undisturbed power to the escapement and ensure extremely

Opposite page

The Greubel Forsey Dierentiél d’ Égalité.

Clockwise

Hacking stop-seconds feature with zero reset;

the constant force system with an escapement

fixed at 30° and a spherical dierentiél

d’égalité.

stable balance-wheel amplitude and improved timekeeping.

The secondary spring is rewound every second for optimal

power feed to the escapement (and the large ump seconds

indication) this coupled with reubel Forsey’s 0 inclined

escapement gives an unparalleled stable balance amplitude

and timing performance for the collector on the wrist and also

particularly in stable (nighttime positions) over the entire 0

hours of chronometric power reserve. It is also equipped with

a stop balance at the end of the power reserve, a “hacking”

stop-seconds feature along with a simultaneous ero reset of

the large seconds hand.

The first ifferentiel d’galité out of the EWT Laboratory

featured a quadruple tourbillon and was built in 00 the

second with fixed escapement was built in 010 and then,

following development and extensive long-term testing, the

final ifférentiel d’Egalité was presented in 01.

eveloping the remontoir system with good performance

and power reserve took reubel Forsey

10 years — there is no doubt that this

was a costly venture that most larger

companies would not shoulder. It’s

a gruelling exercise, but the rewards

are manifold.

“emontoirs offer a fascinating

mechanism where watchmakers can

seek to improve timing stability and

performance with different systems,”

says Forsey. “The beauty and visibility of

the mechanism is also an added value for

the collector.”

Combining technical complexities

and excellent traditional hand-finishing

is undisputedly reubel Forsey’s forte,

and the ifferentiel d’Egalité one heck of

a unique remontoir timepiece.

TECHNICAL 171

significant force. But the large weights used to drive

the movement would prove too great for a conventional

escapement, therefore a remontoir mechanism was

implemented to control the power needed to drive

the hands. Fun fact the minute hand of the clock

was calibrated to ump every 0 seconds to break

any accumulated ice formed during cold weather,

preventing the clock hands from freeing.

“If you didn’t pay attention, the governor (speed

regulator) can even hit you on the head,” Bart

rnefeld told us. As a child, Bart and his brother Tim

often hung out with their father in the clock tower.

“Our father warned us every time we stepped into the

room with this impressive movement.”

This spread, clockwise

Bespoke 1941

Remontoire; Bart

Grönefeld; Tim Grönefeld;

sketch of the movement

with 8-second remontoir;

the finished movement.

THE REMONTOIR ACCORDING TO THE

GRÖNEFELD BROTHERS

When Bart and Tim rnefeld, who are also known

as the Horological Brothers, set out to create watches

under their own name in 00, it was backed by

years of training and experience in the Swiss watch

industry. As third-generation watchmakers, it was

also a pragmatic continuation of their work coming

from a family deeply rooted in watchmaking.

After presenting their MT-0 (minute repeater

with tourbillon), One Hert (umping seconds), and

Parallax (ying tourbillon), the brothers released

in 01 the rnefeld 11 emontoire, taking

the watch industry by storm and bringing home the

winning prie in the Best Men’s watch category at the

rand Prix d’Horlogerie de enve of the same year.

The timepiece takes inspiration from an old clock

situated in the Saint Plechelmus church in the town of

Oldenaal, etherlands, where the family hailed from,

and which the brother’s grandfather, ohan rnefeld,

was responsible for maintaining. The responsibility

then passed on to their father, Sef. The church clock

is equipped with a remontoir mechanism, and the

reason is because the clock’s display is positioned

much higher than the clock’s movement, necessitating

172 TECHNICAL

Bart and Tim’s approach and ambition for their

remontoir d’égalité complication was apparent from

the start there was no point in creating something

ordinary, and the brothers wanted to present

collectors with a watch that spoke directly to their

hearts, their upbringing and connoisseurship. The

sort of timepieces that would reward the many years

enthusiasts spend learning and researching the fine

art of watchmaking.

The brothers’ remontoir d’égalité features an

eight-second constant-force mechanism, ensuring

the force serving the balance wheel does not wane. The

remontoir’s time period is already quite a departure

from other remontoirs in the industry which are

usually built on a one-second release period. What

happens here in the rnefeld 11 emontoire is that the

winding energy stored in the mainspring barrel is not fed directly

through the escapement but, rather, through an eight-seconds

remontoir which then releases a constant amount of energy every

eight seconds to the escapement. The end result is that it smooths

out the changes in power delivery from the beginning to the end of

the 5-hour power reserve. On the dial side, the aperture at nine

o’clock houses the governor to regulate the speed of the remontoir

mechanism so as to mitigate shocks to the gear train from the

remontoir mechanism stopping.

In an educational diagram the Horological brothers shared

with us below, the remontoir mechanism demonstrates how

their system works. The force coming from the mainspring first

reaches the remontoir mechanism which features the remontoir

spring. Every eight seconds, a three-armed anchor releases

the gear train, allowing it to rewind the remontoir spring, and

during those eight seconds, the rest of the components power the

balance before being recharged.

The complex mechanism of the remontoir is what creates

the appeal of the timepiece, and the complication is prominently

featured on the movement. But what brings it home is the fine

craftsmanship and fantastic finishing of the movement. The steel

bridges are designed to look like “bell-gable” roofs of utch

houses, and are beveled by hand while the center is sandblasted

creating a deep contrast and adorned with relief engraving. Look

closer and take your time to explore the depth of the movement

and discover the many other finishing techniques used.

The utch might be well known for their windmills and

canals, but when it comes to watchmaking, the rnefeld

brothers are definitely representing their country well.

Main spring

Balance spring

Eight-second remontoir

Three arm anchor

TECHNICAL 173

Pretensioned remontoir spring

Fourth wheel

Triangular cam

Pivoting lever

THE CONSTANT-FORCE MECHANISM ACCORDING

TO A. LANGE & SÖHNE

A. Lange & Shne’s approach to the constant-force mechanism has four

distinct implementations with four distinct applications intended

The first instance concerns Lange’s timepieces with gargantuan

power reserves, such as in the Lange 1 and the ichard Lange Perpetual

Calendar “Terraluna”. Here Lange has used a patented constant-force

escapement that is integrated between the watch’s twin barrel and

escapement. For this, a pretensioned remontoir spring is mounted on the

fourth-wheel arbor with the fourth wheel above it and a triangular cam

beyond. A pivoting lever, paired with the triangular cam, is then placed

with a one-toothed escapement wheel within.

As the fourth wheel turns, every 10 seconds the triangular cam trips

the pivoting lever, which in turn releases the one-toothed escapement

wheel thereby transmitting energy into the escapement assembly.

We can, therefore, say that the remontoir spring re-arms every 10

seconds, causing the spring to re-tension by an angle of 0 degrees.

The 10-second interval and the 0-degree re-tension are engineered

to transmit the exact energy that the escapement assembly requires in

the 10-second intervals. A steady and constant emission of energy from

barrel springs to the escapement assembly is thus established.

For the second instance, we turn to the legendary eitwerk. The

eitwerk has the mammoth task of moving up to three discs (hour and

minute displays) for the instantaneous time change. This requires

immense torque, which Lange first addresses with a thicker barrel spring

than usual. ou’ll feel this girth simply when winding the watch.

174 TECHNICAL

Another step that Lange takes is that they’ve reversed how the barrel

spring is wound and unwound in the barrel. Typically, the barrel spring

winds from the inside and unwinds from the outside. The opposite

is implemented in the eitwerk to retain maximal torque. The spring

therefore winds from the outside and unwinds from the inside. The whole

purpose here is to use lower friction bearings, rather than traditional ones,

which end up consuming a measure of energy. But that’s ust step one.

Step two of ensuring steady ow of this massive amount of energy

is a secondary pawl system that holds a constant-force mechanism a

remontoir spring sandwiched between two third wheels that re-arms

every 0 seconds to dissipate the energy required to move the time

display disc(s). A -shaped lever is used to block the remontoir spring.

The lever slips free at end of every minute, allowing the energy from

the remontoir spring to dissipate and move the time disc(s). The lever

also blocks the remontoir spring from being wound further until the

time change is complete. This explosive discharge of energy has the

potential to cause harm to a movement over time. As such, there is yet a

third aspect to the constant-force mechanism. A free spinning y wheel

damper is placed at the end of the above-mentioned pawl, which uses

blades to initiate air drag and bring the mechanism to a controlled halt.

In the ichard Lange umping Seconds, the constant-force

mechanism fulfills a dual function on the one hand, it offsets the

waning power of the mainspring barrel, and on the other, it prevents a

loss of amplitude during the seconds ump. The mechanism utilies the

switching impulse of the umping seconds integrated in the wheel train

to deliver fresh energy to the remontoir spring of the constant-force

escapement, which is visible through an aperture in the train bridge. In a

separate wheel train between the mainspring barrel and the escapement,

the constant-force escapement compensates the dwindling torque of

the mainspring. The remontoir spring of the constant-force mechanism

delivers virtually constant torque to the escapement, so the amplitude of

the watch remains stable during the entire power-reserve period of up

to hours. In combination with the cam-poised balance, excellent rate

stability is guaranteed by a freesprung hairspring,

which, like the remontoir spring, is made in-house.

Instance four brings us to Lange’s take on the

fusée-and-chain constant-force mechanism. In

watches such as the ichard Lange “Pour le Mérite”

and Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite” we find

that the barrel is connected to a conical structure with

a helical groove cut into its lateral surface, and these

two are oined with a seemingly impossible chain.

To negate the extreme ends of the power

dissipation curve of a typical barrel spring, the fuséeand-chain

is used to arrest the barrel from becoming

fully wound and fully unwound, all while maintaining

a steady state of power transmission into the gear

train from the barrel as it unwinds. Simple as this

sounds, what we cannot leave you without mentioning

is that the chain in Lange’s fusée-and-chain is one

that consists of tiny pieces, all of which are hand

assembled and polished. Why Because Lange.

[F] ‘Y’ shaped lever

[E] Remontoir spring

[G] Free spinning flywheel

This spread,

clockwise from left

The Zeitwerk and

the constant force

mechanism inside it;

the Richard Lange

Perpetual Calendar

“Terraluna” and

the movement

breakdown; close up

of fusée-and-chain

constant force.

TECHNICAL 175

This page

Portugieser

Constant-Force

Tourbillon Double

Moon Platinum;

sketch of the

constant-force

tourbillon

Opposite page

The Girard

Perregaux Constant

Escapement

L.M.integrates a

thin silicon blade

right inside the

escapement, as

opposed to a

remontoir which is

on the outside.

IWC’S APPROACH TO CONSTANT FORCE

First debuting in 011 in the IWC Portugieser Sidérale Scafusia, the

Constant Force Tourbillon is the brand’s elegant approach to the

constant-force mechanism in which it is paired in this instance with a

tourbillon. The two mechanisms are used in watchmaking to counteract

two of the main aspects of timekeeping inaccuracies gravity and

decreasing torque from the mainspring.

The tourbillon compensates for the negative effect of gravity on a

watch’s oscillating system while the constant-force mechanism allows for

power to be evenly distributed to the escape wheel via regular impulses.

The two complications form together a complex mechanism aimed at

achieving a very high level of precision in the timepiece.

isually, and without any indication of what a person is actually

looking at, the complication looks very much like a normal tourbillon,

albeit larger than the ones we might be used to. Looking closer into the

aperture we can notice that the constant-force mechanism is integrated

inside the tourbillon cage.

The tiny spring of the constant force sits in between the escape wheel

and the fourth wheel, and every second the coiled spring of the constant

force receives power from the mainspring and serves as a temporary

energy storage, before releasing it to the balance. This allows for a

constant supply of power to the escapement. The balance then beats at

a constant amplitude, and because the tension in the spring is increased

once every second, this makes the tourbillon cage go forward in onesecond

umps, subsequently making it a dead-beat seconds.

This optimal rate of power distribution to the

balance from the constant-force mechanism is kept

for about half of the -hour power reserve that the

movement provides. After approximately two days,

the mechanism switches from constant-force mode

to normal mode, as indicated by the one-fifth-ofa-second

movements in the seconds hand. The

reasoning for the two modes is that the mainspring

needs to be sufficiently wound to provide adequate

energy to the constant-force structure and keep

the mechanism going at an optimal rate. Once the

movement switches to normal mode, the constant

force disengages and the tourbillon simply acts as a

standard one.

ou can imagine that driving the large, oversied

constant-force tourbillon mechanism requires lots

of power, and we have stated above that the caliber

provides around hours of power reserve to the

watch. To achieve this, the movement uses two barrels

to store the four days of power reserve in the watch.

IWC’s approach to the constant force

complication is an interesting one that rests on the

principle of space saving. The compact yet complex

package that the constant-force tourbillon offers

has allowed the manufacture to incorporate this

mechanism into many of their collections such as the

Ingenieur, Big Pilot and Portugieser. In contrast to

other brands developing constant-force mechanisms,

IWC has kept all the visual effect of the complication

visible directly from the dial side, allowing collectors

to appreciate it without taking their timepiece off of

their wrists.

176 TECHNICAL

[C] Three-toothed escapement wheel

[A] Bow like silicon structure

[D] Impulse lever

[B] 14 micron thick silicon blade

THE CONSTANT-FORCE MECHANISM ACCORDING TO

GIRARD-PERREGAUX

The story as it is told is that a gentleman by the name icolas

éhon, was on a train in Switerland with his train ticket in

his hand. While sat, he was buckling his ticket backwards and

forwards. At once creating a concave shape and then a convex one.

The revelation that came to him in that moment is that in

the bending and unbending of his train ticket, the geometry of

it was maintaining a steady rate of energy dissipation. ow, if

the same principle were to be applied to a mechanical watch

movement, you’d essentially have created yourself a constantforce

mechanism.

Where a fusée-and-chain mechanism addresses the

erosion of energy at the barrel itself and the remontoir spring

addresses this along the gear train itself, what éhon had

dreamt up would address the matter at the escapement itself

the world’s first-ever constant escapement. What éhon had

uncovered in his mind was one of the single most significant

breakthroughs 1st-century watchmaking, thus far.

The initial prototype that he devised was forged in metal

and was a secret proect conceived within the walls of the one

and only olex. ou’ll see that the prototype sought to mimic

the effect of éhon buckling his train ticket with a very thing

metal blade, which seems to be meant to provide impulse to the

balance wheel. The blade in this instance was made of ivarox,

which probably didn’t stand up to the tolerances necessary to

maintain the constant bending and unbending impulse.

éhon would have to wait until he was with irard-

Perragaux, where he would go on to develop his idea further

and discover that the answer to what his constant escapement’s

blade should be made of was silicon. It was only when the

maison was able to etch out the entire structure in silicon that

they were able to manage the tolerances that were consistent

enough and robust enough to have the mechanism produce in

series. This is the irard-Perragaux Constant Escapement.

What was produced for the irard-Perragaux Constant

Escapement is lovingly termed the “silicon buttery”,

unmistakable in iridescent purple. This bow-like structure had

a 1-micron-thick (0.01mm) blade, in silicon, all formed as a

single piece. The production

of this component was

managed with the help

of Centre Suisse

d’Electronique et

de Microtechnique

(CSEM) and a

technique called

deep reactive-ion

etching (IE).

Looking at the

complete assembly, you’ll

notice two three-tooth

escapement wheels in pure

nickel, which work at a rate

of H (1,00 vibrations

per hour). This is paired

with an impulse lever that

is, as well, in pure nickel.

As energy from the barrel reaches the fourth wheel, it

provides impulse to the two three-tooth escape wheels.

However, the escape wheels are prevented from moving using

impulse pins on the top end of the impulse lever, which lock

against the teeth of the escape wheels — one pin, one wheel

at a time.

A third impulse pin that sits on the balance-wheel arbor,

swings back and forth with the balance wheel to snap and

buckle the 1-micron silicon blade. This snapping, swings the

impulse lever back and forth to alternate releasing and locking

of the two escapement wheels, using their respective impulse

pins. Energy dissipation from the barrel down to the balance

spring is therefore kept steady and constant by the simple fact

that the same amount of energy is drawn by the mechanism

every time the silicon blade buckles.

And that was how éhon’s train ticket revelation gave us

one of the most groundbreaking leaps in mechanical watch

escapement know-how in recent times — one that has yet to be

fully understood by the masses, and one which the greatest of

minds in watchmaking today have yet to best.

TECHNICAL 177

Introducing the Hanhart x

The Rake & Revolution Limited Edition

Bronze 417 Chronograph

A vintage-styled version of a motorcycling watch worn by Hollywood’s consummate “King of Cool”.

Words Wei Koh

178 TECHNICAL

Dude, I want Steve Mcueen’s other watch” was

my exclamation upon meeting Hanhart’s comanaging

director Felix Wallner at the 01 Basel

Fair. He immediately chuckled in amusement and replied,

“Wei, everybody wants Steve Mcueen’s watch. We

have hundreds of requests each month to recreate the 1

Flieger Chronograph.”

O, ust in case you’re not sure what exact timepiece

Wallner and I were losing our collective minds about, let

me clarify. Steve Mcueen is correctly identified with

two other watches, in particular, the iconic TA Heuer

Monaco 11 B, which he and ack Heuer selected and

which he wore during his 11 film Le Mans in a partnership

that continues to be one of the most evocative even to

this day. Then there is the olex 551 Submariner, which

he was photographed with, most famously, by legendary

paparao on alella. This watch is prominently featured

on Mcueen’s wrist as he drinks a cup of coffee with a surly

expression aimed at the uninvited photographer, while

on location for Papillon. Apparently, his words to alella

upon seeing him arrive at principal photography in egril,

amaica were, “I’ll give you five minutes on the condition

you take the first boat out of here.”

Amaingly, before the watch-collecting world was

swept up in vintage fervor, Mcueen’s olex 551

would sell in 00 for what is today a laughably paltry

S,000, which at the time had Antiquorum CEO Evan

immerman patting himself on the back. Ah, to only have

a eLorean-shaped time machine But anyway, I digress.

Mcueen’s third most conspicuous watch — he also owned

a Cartier Tank and a aeger-LeCoultre Memovox — was

the one he wore engaged in his favorite activity beyond

being the unassailable “ing of Cool”, and that was while

riding his motorcycles. The watch that he religiously wore

when astride one of his bikes and very frequently off them,

was his Hanhart 1 ES Chronograph.

Above

The Hanhart x

The Rake and

Revolution Limited

Edition Bronze 417

Chronograph.

Opposite

Steve McQueen at

the International Six

Days Trial in 1964 in

East Germany, with

the Hanhart 417

ES Chronograph

heworeonand

o his bikes.

TECHNICAL 179

STOPWATCHES AND MILITARY CHRONOGRAPHS

Who’s Hanhart, you ask O, let’s go back in time to

1 when one ohann A. Hanhart set up his eponymous

brand in iessenhofen, Switerland. He relocated to

Schwenningen in south ermany near the idyllic Black

Forest in 10, and by 1, the Hanhart brand had gained

a reputation for making highly precise yet affordable

stopwatches. At the time this type of complication was only

available with a staggering price tag. Hanhart, seeing the

popularity of competitive sports, wanted to democratie

these timing devices, achieving great success as a result.

In 15, the company, helmed by ohann’s son,

Wilhelm ulius Hanhart, added to its achievements the

creation of a split-seconds stopwatch. In 1, Hanhart

launched its first modern chronograph powered by the

legendary Caliber 0. This was a monopusher movement

which was utilied to create watches for the erman

Luftwaffe and avy. By 1, officers in both these

branches would wear chronographs typified by a thin

uted rotating beel, and a large matte black dial with

luminous cathedral hands and large luminous markers.

Interestingly, from the beginning, these watches were made

in both stainless steel and chrome-coated brass. 11 saw

Top and opposite

page

Steve McQueen at

the International Six

Days Trial in 1964

with his Hanhart 417

ES Chronograph on

the wrist.

Left

The Hanhart 417

ES, made between

1956 and 1958.

Only 500 pieces

were made with the

designation ES for

stainless steel.

180 TECHNICAL

the introduction of the brand’s first two-button yback

chronograph movement, the Caliber 1, a column-wheelpowered

engineering masterpiece. Following the war,

Hanhart produced Type watches for the French military

under the name ixa.

In 15, Hanhart resumed production of its legendary

pilot’s watches, now with the updated Caliber . These

watches are quickly distinguished from the WWII-era

timepieces by having modern pencil-shaped hands.

By 15, however, Hanhart had ceased production of

pilot’s watches. uring the two-year period in which

the company manufactured the 1 Flieger or Pilot’s

Chronograph, it is believed that only 1,000 watches were

made 500 with the designation ES for stainless steel and

500 more with no additional designation, which were

brass watches that were chrome-plated. There was a

further minuscule number of these watches made with

white dials for medical professionals.

The 1 was one of the most handsome and most

pragmatically designed military chronographs ever

created. These watches eventually became sought after

by anyone interested in performance sports, thanks to

their reliable movements, high visibility due to the mm

case sie and clean dial design, and their shockproof and

antimagnetic status, which is proudly proclaimed on the

lower half of the dial.

TECHNICAL 181

MCQUEEN’S 417 CHRONOGRAPH

How Mcueen came to own his watch is something of a

mystery. Though what is clear is that he had exemplary

taste in everything, including motorcycles, Bud Ekinstuned

Triumphs and ortons in particular cars, the 15

Porsche 100 5 Super Speedster, Ferrari 5 TB and

aguar SS bespoke suits, as evinced by his collaboration

with ouglas Hayward in The Thomas Crown Affair

and women, acqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen and Ali

Macraw. So it is no surprise that he naturally gravitated

to the strikingly masculine and highly reliable Hanhart 1

(his watch is believed to be an ES), which he wore most

frequently on a Bund or “fat strap” style bracelet.

His affection for his Hanhart 1 was made conspicuous

when Mcueen went to East ermany in 1, along

with motorcycle racing specialists the Ekins brothers, to

represent the nited States at the International Six ays

Trial (IST). Often described as the Olympics of enduro

motorcycle racing, the IST was first established in Carlisle,

England and invited five-man teams from countries around

the world to a showdown in off-road motorcycle skills. It is

well known that Mcueen was at this time one of the nited

States’ most skilled motorcyclists. Clearly before the era

of massive insurance waivers, Mcueen even performed

the maority of his bike stunts in 1’s The Great Escape

himself. However, the famous ump over the wire fence was

made by his stuntman and IST teammate, Bud Ekins, on a

Triumph TC disguised as a WWII-era BMW. In the ’0s,

Ekins competed in seven ISTs and won four gold medals

and one silver. The 1 IST team including Mcueen

were dubbed the “California Boys” they were the first

American team to ever compete in the IST and Mcueen

had the honor of carrying the Star-Spangled Banner in the

opening ceremony.

ow think about it from this perspective. Mcueen

was notoriously obsessed with detail when it came to

competition. Prior to his 1 race, he had gone to pick

up his Triumph T Trophy SC at Comerfords London

where he proceeded to make all the modifications himself.

So he surely applied that same sense of high scrutiny to

the timepieces in his life. The mystery behind Mcueen’s

Hanhart 1 ES is that while the provenance of his Heuer

Monacos and his olex Submariners have been well

documented, the fate of his Hanhart is unknown.

THAT ’70S STYLE

Over the years, Hanhart has continued to manufacture

reliable and high value proposition sports chronographs

based on the iconography of its legendary Fliegers.

However, when it came to creating the homage to the

legendary 1 for 00, Hanhart started with a clean slate.

Says Felix Wallner, “The first thing that we wanted to do

was recreate the original proportions of the 1. That

means, first of all, a relatively thin case. This took a lot of

effort as we wanted to incorporate a more practical handwound

chronograph movement, the Sellita SW 510. The

next thing was to get back to the historic beel, which was

actually very thin and featured very fine uting. And then

we had to source the right domed sapphire to replicate the

look of the original watch. We went through many designs

working off original 1 watches so that when you place the

new watch and vintage one next to each other, they look

almost identical.”

When it came to Hanhart’s collaboration with The

Rake and Revolution, I had an idea. I actually really like the

appearance of the vintage brass 1 Chronographs, in

particular when the chrome coating has worn off and the

warm tone of the underlying material is laid bare. I find that

the hue of the appealing gold brass perfectly complements

that of the aged vintage lume. With that in mind, Hanhart,

The Rake and Revolution decided to embark on a vintagestyled

version of the iconic 1.

First, we selected brone as a case material. We had

the choice between brone CuSn, which tends to patina

quickly and which we had used in our collaboration with

IWC for a mm Mark I tribute watch versus the far

more stable aluminium brone CuAl10i5Fe, which we

had also used to good effect in our collaboration with Bell &

oss on the Bellytanker “El Mirage”. We decided to go with

the material that expresses patina faster as befits a rugged

motorcycle trail chronograph. ext, Wallner and our team

worked on ageing the dial ust the right amount to give it an

added sense of being unearthed from a drawer or locker

after decades, recreating the effect time would have had on

its natural patina. The result is stunning to behold. Finally,

we selected a Bund strap in complementary black roughout

material to make it the perfect chronograph to wear,

whether engaged in motorcycle endurance racing or ust

sitting around being the coolest guy in the room.

The Hanhart x The Rake & Revolution Brone 1

Chronograph will be made in a limited series of 150 pieces

with a price that is S 100, which is identical to that of

the normal production watch made in stainless steel.

HANHART X THE RAKE & REVOLUTION

LIMITED EDITION BRONZE 417 CHRONOGRAPH

MOVEMENT Manual-wound Sellita SW 510 chronograph movement,

hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock,

power reserve of 48 hours

CASE 42mm in diameter, 13mm thick, in CuSn 8 Bronze,

caseback in steel with special engraving, crown with Hanhart “h”,

water resistant to 100 meters

STRAP Leather strap with leather lower strap (bund strap) in black

PRICE USD 1,900

182 TECHNICAL

TECHNICAL 183

Stronger Together

H.Moser and MB&F present a collaboration greater

than the sum of its parts.


Photography Junichi Ito

11

years ago, I gave for the first time one of my MB&F

creations to a creator I admire, Alain Silberstein, and

told him he had free rein to modify it. That was the

beginning of a fantastic series of ‘Performance Art’ pieces.

It is very difficult as a creator to relinquish control,

to give one of your children away, but the outcome is so

incredibly rich. Exactly like in a family. I am lucky to be born

to a Swiss father and an Indian mother. I’m sure that mix,

which was very rare more than 50 years ago, enriched my life

and made it much more colorful.

When I approached Edouard (Meylan) and suggested

incorporating H. Moser design traits into our Legacy

Machine 101 – fumé dials, “concept” indications and

double hairspring – he not only accepted, but suggested

we redesign a Moser piece in return. That was truly a first

for me. It took a lot of courage on his side to do this. The

result, a world premiere two-way collaboration, was a true

endeavor.—Maximilian Büsser, Founder & CEO of MB&F

“This collaboration had many benefits for both brands

and the people behind them. It helped us get a different

perspective on many aspects of our business. The teams had

to learn new ways of working as our approaches to product

development are very different. It stimulated our creativity

and opened new perspectives for collaborating further with

MB&F and potentially with other independent brands.”—

Edouard Meylan, CEO H.Moser & Cie.

The Endeavor Cylindrical Tourbillon H.Moser X MB&F,

Reference 1810 in stainless steel with Funky Blue fumé dial,

Burgundy fumé dial, Cosmic Green fumé dial, Off-white fumé

dial, Ice Blue dial, alligator strap; $79,000; a limited edition

of 15 pieces per color. h-moser.com

LM101 MB&F X H.Moser, Reference LM101 in stainless steel with

Funky Blue fumé dial, Cosmic Green fumé, Red fumé, Aqua Blue

fumé dial, leather strap; $52,000; a limited edition of 15 pieces per

color. mbandf.com

184 FINAL THOUGHTS

Hanhart x The Rake & Revolution Limited Edition

Bronze 417 Chronograph

The Hanhart 417 Flieger Chronograph famously worn by Steve McQueen

is one of the most iconic pilots chronograph in history. We are proud to re-issue

this faithful homage rendered in quick-patinating bronze CuSn8, inspired by the

vintage brass watches as their chrome coating wore away.

The watch is priced at USD 1,900, measure 42 mm in diameter like the original

and will be made in just 250 examples.

Coming late 2020 to

SHOP.REVOLUTION.WATCH

For enquiries, please email: shop@revolutionmagazines.com

www.grand-seiko.com/us-en

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