REVOLUTION_International_Vol 59
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CELEBRATING THE MACHINE WITH A HEARTBEAT<br />
INTERNATIONAL VOL. <strong>59</strong><br />
USA ISSUE 12 SUMMER 2021<br />
CELEBRATING THE<br />
BEST OF INDEPENDENT<br />
WATCHMAKING<br />
CARTIER'S VISION FOR<br />
THE FUTURE<br />
FIRST LOOK AT<br />
L.U.C 1860 FLYING T,<br />
SPECIAL <strong>REVOLUTION</strong><br />
IWC BIG PILOT 43 TAKES TO THE SKIES<br />
USA 12<br />
IWC<br />
BIG PILOT 43<br />
Takes to the Skies<br />
HIGHLIGHTS<br />
FROM WATCHES<br />
& WONDERS 2021<br />
THE ULTIMATE<br />
GUIDE TO PIAGET<br />
ALTIPLANO<br />
ULTIMATE CONCEPT<br />
SUMMER 2021 US$14.95<br />
<strong>REVOLUTION</strong>WATCH.COM
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CONTENTS<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
72<br />
THE EXEMPLARY PILOT:<br />
IWC BIG PILOT WATCH 43 IS<br />
HOMAGE TO IWC'S BIG PILOT<br />
WATCH REF. 5002 LAUNCHED<br />
IN 2002<br />
SPLIT SECONDS<br />
18 Dive Into Summer: The Freshest Dive Watches Now<br />
22 Bronze Beauty: Omega Seamaster 300 Bronze Gold<br />
24 The Shining Beacon: Bell & Ross BR V2-04 Full Lum<br />
26 Joe’s Cool: Introducing the Bamford x Revolution GMT Joe Cool<br />
28 The Tie-Breaker: Franck Muller 'Race to 61' Limited Edition<br />
30 Watches&Wonders 2021... & More<br />
42 Octo Redux: Bvlgari's New Octo Finissimo Perpetual<br />
Calendar and Tadao Ando Limited Edition<br />
46 The Final Year Of The Patek Philippe Ref. 5711<br />
50 Panerai-mic Views: Panerai Bronzo Blu Abisso<br />
52 At Face Value: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris<br />
Mechanica Caliber 185 'Quadriptyque'<br />
58 Par Excellence: Vacheron Constantin's 2021 Novelties<br />
62 Racing Into The Future: Tag Heuer Aquaracer<br />
68 The Black Bay’s Makeover: Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight<br />
925 & 18K
CALIBER RM 72-01<br />
RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES<br />
ASPEN BAL HARBOUR BEVERLY HILLS BOSTON BUENOS AIRES<br />
CHICAGO LAS VEGAS MIAMI NEW YORK ST. BARTH VANCOUVER<br />
www.richardmille.com
76 88<br />
204<br />
PRIME TIME<br />
76 The Weekender: The Sporty Bvlgari Aluminium Collection<br />
82 Captain Of Industry: Rado's Captain Cook<br />
Automatic Collection<br />
88 Small is Beautiful: Chopard L.U.C 1860 Flying T, Special Revolution<br />
94 The Ultimate Guide to Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept<br />
104 Time For Change: Cartier's President and CEO Cyrille<br />
Vigneron Shares His Vision<br />
114 Summer Soiree: Ladies' Watches in the Spotlight<br />
120 Ralph Lauren For The Rake "Barefoot Negroni Bear" Watch<br />
126 The Rake & Revolution Boutiques at Patina Maldives<br />
COLLECTORS<br />
200 Women Watch Collectors: Jessica<br />
Owens, New York, USA<br />
204 Retail Therapy: A Virtual Interview with<br />
Lisa Bridge, CEO of Ben Bridge Jeweler<br />
208 Pandemic-Proof Luxury: Online<br />
Watch Auctions are Booming<br />
214 Good Reads<br />
216 Saving Lives: Nomos Glashütte honors<br />
50 years of Doctors Without Borders<br />
with special Tangente 38 edition
Metro neomatik 41 Update. The unique NOMOS ring date in neon orange is patented and easy to set—in both directions. This is made possible<br />
by the in-house automatic caliber DUW 6101 within, which is highly precise and also features a patented date mechanism. Available at select<br />
retailers, such as Bhindi, Borsheims, Brinker’s, Brown & Co., CH Premier, Chatel, Diamond Cellar, Feldmar, Fox's, Hamilton, Henne, Hyde Park Jewelers,<br />
JB Hudson, L. Majors, Lewis, London Jewelers, Long’s Jewelers, Oster Jewelers, Reis-Nichols, Schwarzschild, Shreve & Co., Shreve, Crump & Low,<br />
Swiss Fine Timing, Timeless Luxury Watches, Tiny Jewel Box, Tourneau, Wempe, and Windsor Jewelers. As well as here: nomos-glashuette.com
140<br />
168<br />
184<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS<br />
136 Meet The OGs<br />
140The OGs: Origins of Independent Watchmaking and<br />
The English Pioneers<br />
148 The Early Visionaries: L’Académie Horlogère des<br />
Créateurs Indépendants<br />
156 Meet The Rockstars<br />
160 My Four Favorite Independent Watch Brands &The<br />
Human Beings Behind Them: Richard Mille, MB&F,<br />
Urwerk and De Bethune<br />
168 The Human Story Behind MB&F's Legacy Machines<br />
176 Meet The New Breed<br />
180 The Rise of Microbrands: Five Independent Boutique<br />
Brands to Watch<br />
184 Trailblazers: German Independent Watchmakers<br />
190 Meet The Constructors<br />
192 Independent Watchmaking: Collector’s Edition<br />
148
CALIBER RM 037<br />
RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES<br />
ASPEN BAL HARBOUR BEVERLY HILLS BOSTON BUENOS AIRES<br />
CHICAGO LAS VEGAS MIAMI NEW YORK ST. BARTH VANCOUVER<br />
www.richardmille.com
FOUNDER’S<br />
NOTE<br />
One surprising takeaway from<br />
the last year and a half is<br />
that people have been buying<br />
watches like crazy. Seriously, like they<br />
were going out of style. So, of course,<br />
the question is, why?<br />
Part of it is that people have<br />
gotten it in their heads that watches<br />
are probably the best appreciable<br />
assets around. I’m not arguing.<br />
With interest rates at an all-time<br />
low, putting your money in the<br />
bank the way our parents did is not<br />
going to even keep up with the rate<br />
of inflation. Sure, there are other<br />
categories of fun appreciable assets.<br />
Your vertical of Coche-Dury Corton<br />
Charlemagne is only fun if you drink<br />
it. Same for whiskeys; ditto pre-<br />
Castro cigars. Cars have been on a<br />
rampaging rise in value. But cars are<br />
seriously high maintenance. Think<br />
Instagram influencer girlfriend that<br />
likes to post bikini pictures in Tulum<br />
while quoting the Dalai Lama kind<br />
of maintenance. I have a friend who<br />
owns a white Ferrari Testarossa.<br />
He bought it because it was Sonny<br />
Crockett’s car. I get this, because<br />
this is also my dream car. But it’s in<br />
storage most of the time. And each<br />
time he drives it, it costs him two thousand euros because<br />
something always needs recharging or replacing. I have<br />
four vintage motorcycles — a 1967 Triumph TR6C, a 1972<br />
Norton Commando, a 1978 Harley XLCR and an old BMW<br />
— in my friend’s garage in London which I haven’t ridden<br />
in a year and a half. But I constantly need to maintain<br />
them, and I need to pay for that maintenance. You get what<br />
I’m saying: vehicles are kind of a pain in the ass. Plus, you<br />
can’t bring your car to dinner to show people.<br />
Art? Sure, art is sexy. But the really dope art, Basquiat<br />
Dustheads once owned by Leonardo DiCaprio dope, is so<br />
prohibitively expensive that you need to be a Jho Low level<br />
of international con man to afford it. Though I’m sure Jho<br />
Low tried. Again, you can’t bring it to dinner with you.<br />
Plus, honestly, unless you are inside an inner circle that<br />
basically makes the art market — like my friend who sits<br />
on the board of the Guggenheim Museum and was one of<br />
the people responsible for the escalation of Basquiat prices<br />
— if you purchase a painting at one of those cool shopping<br />
mall art galleries, it is the equivalent of buying a stock from<br />
a telemarketer after everyone in the food chain has already<br />
extracted their profit from it.<br />
But then there are watches. They are with you constantly,<br />
as faithful and eager to please as your Labrador. Unlike<br />
magnums of Armand Rousseau or boxes of Behikes, you can<br />
enjoy them to your fullest capacity — and when you wake<br />
up, they still retain their value. Unlike cars or art, they are<br />
incredibly transportable. Perhaps most of all, pretty much<br />
all the mystery regarding which watches will rise in value<br />
has been taken out of the once-nebulous equation. Today,<br />
even the most bumbling neophyte self-appointed watch
pundit knows that any Rolex sports model, any Audemars<br />
Piguet with an octagonal bezel, any steel and most of the<br />
complicated Patek Philippes, and pretty much any Richard<br />
Mille, is going to rise in value big time. You could probably<br />
add to this any Omega featuring a certain beagle and any<br />
Cartier Crash or Tank Cintrée.<br />
But that doesn’t explain how, in 2020, independent<br />
watchmaking suddenly found itself amid a massive<br />
resurgence in popularity. Anytime I rang any of these<br />
watchmakers from fall last year onwards, they all said the<br />
same thing: “We are seriously struggling with capacity<br />
issues.” Which is music to my ears.<br />
To me, it’s the result of people having time to sit in<br />
front of the computer or pick up magazines and books<br />
and actually learn. I find it interesting that the watch<br />
industry has found a whole new demographic of nerded<br />
out customers that were previously sneaker and streetwear<br />
collectors. As they moved from their 20s to their 30s,<br />
these hypebeasts suddenly discovered their penchant for<br />
watches. Why? Well, first of all, just like sneakers and<br />
streetwear, watches are a knowledge-based hobby. Second,<br />
this generation was used to having all their net worth<br />
invested in their personal belongings, which they view<br />
as appreciable assets. Third, they discovered that unlike<br />
sneakers or streetwear that lose value when they are no<br />
longer box fresh, watches can be worn and enjoyed and<br />
still resold later, oftentimes for a profit if purchased with<br />
foresight and intelligence.<br />
But back to independent watches. I think it’s<br />
because in a period of social distancing and isolation, we<br />
collectively long for human contact. And there is nothing<br />
more individual, unique and innately human than the<br />
voices found in independent watchmaking. Thanks to<br />
social media, even new independent watchmakers are<br />
able to transmit their message at an unprecedented rate.<br />
Collectors are able to share, reshare and form a global<br />
consensus over watchmakers. What I like about this is that<br />
when someone buys an independent watch, they are not<br />
looking at the timepiece as an appreciable asset anymore.<br />
Because, quite honestly, no one knows the secondary<br />
values for these watches. Instead, to me, these purchases<br />
are made for the sheer joy and love of horology. As<br />
opposed to the financial investment and social recognition<br />
represented by the first category of watches I mentioned,<br />
independent watches are purchased from a pure and<br />
personal place. And I love this.<br />
Accordingly, this issue of Revolution is dedicated to<br />
independent watchmaking and its place in our culture.<br />
It is also dedicated to Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars<br />
Piguet and Richard Mille, which, yes, I know, are all kings<br />
of the investment-grade, high social recognition watch<br />
brands. But all of them are also independent companies<br />
and not part of large conglomerates. Indeed, three of<br />
these brands are essentially family-run companies, and<br />
perhaps it is this independence that has enabled them to<br />
ascend to the heights of success they now enjoy. Finally, it<br />
should be said that without Patek and Rolex, there would<br />
be no real watch culture at all from which independent<br />
watchmaking could take root and flourish.<br />
Wei Koh, Founder<br />
wei_koh_revolution
EDITOR’S<br />
NOTE<br />
Casual conversation with watchmaking OG, Philippe Dufour, during Baselworld 2019<br />
Summer in Austin can be very hot and sticky. But this<br />
year, after experiencing Snowmageddon, I am ready<br />
to welcome a long and hot summer. I promise that<br />
after the last 12 months, I will not complain about 16-hour<br />
flights, long summers, an invitation to any party, even if it<br />
seems like Groundhog Day. I fantasize about a warm sunny<br />
day, hanging out with friends and family, and enjoying some<br />
smoked brisket with a pint of Zwickelbier.<br />
Speaking about fantasy, as a true WIS (Watch Idiot<br />
Savant), I often daydream about the watches I would buy<br />
if I had invested a thousand dollars in Bitcoin when it was<br />
29 cents. My fantasy lineup starts with the usual powerhouses<br />
— Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and A. Lange & Söhne.<br />
But after the fourth or fifth pick, I immediately gravitate<br />
towards the independent brands. I start with true OGs,<br />
Urwerk, MB&F, Vianney Halter, F.P. Journe, and then<br />
continue with the new independent watchmakers like<br />
Rexhep Rexhepi, Kudoke and Hajime Asaoka.<br />
Indeed, despite a pandemic, independent watchmakers<br />
are having their moment in the sun in 2021. As such, we<br />
thought it would be only appropriate to provide you an<br />
introduction to independent watchmakers and their notable<br />
watches in this issue. We also ask seasoned watch collectors<br />
for their insight into collecting independent brands.<br />
Elsewhere in the following pages, our team of global<br />
editors bring you highlights from Watches & Wonders, the<br />
largest watch industry event that now takes place in the<br />
month of April. Barbara Palumbo introduces a new column<br />
focusing on women watch collectors and enthusiasts<br />
from around the globe. Neha Bajpai provides an in-depth<br />
analysis of collectible watches based on the results from<br />
top auction houses. I sit down for an interview with Lisa<br />
Bridge, the first female CEO of Ben Bridge Jewelers to<br />
oversee the 75-retail-store chain.<br />
Beyond print, Revolution has a content-rich digital<br />
presence with videos, podcasts, weekly live events and a<br />
growing e-commerce platform. In this issue, we are also<br />
exploring the use of QR codes on selected stories to provide<br />
you with instant access to complementary online content.<br />
As augmented reality comes to fruition, we foresee a<br />
convergence of offline and online media. I look forward to<br />
your feedback for improving this feature in the next issue.<br />
Bhanu Chopra, Editor-in-Chief<br />
bhanu@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
analogdisplay
BELL &ROSS<br />
BELLYTANKER CHRONOGRAPH<br />
#SPRITZOCLOCK<br />
for Revolution<br />
An expression of hope for all there is to come in<br />
the year 2021, as the world emerges from an unprecedented year.<br />
Based on Bell & Ross’ beloved Bellytanker Chronograph, the 41mm stainless<br />
steel watch is priced at USD 4,500 and produced in just 50 pieces.<br />
Available on<br />
For enquiries, please email shop@revolutionmagazines.com
EDITORIAL<br />
FOUNDER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR<br />
Wei Koh @wei_koh_revolution<br />
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, USA<br />
Bhanu Chopra bhanu@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
GLOBAL CONTENT EDITOR<br />
Joyceline Tully joytully@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
EDITOR-AT-LARGE<br />
Adam Craniotes adam@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
EDITORIAL HEAD, ASIA / ONLINE<br />
Sumit Nag sumit@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
MANAGING EDITOR, ONLINE / E-COMMERCE<br />
& EDITOR-AT-LARGE<br />
Neha S Bajpai neha@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
SUB-EDITORS<br />
Catherine Koh & Eileen Sim<br />
LIFESTYLE EDITOR<br />
Yong Wei Jian weijian@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR<br />
Punam Nikki Rai nikki@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER<br />
Walter Tommasino walter@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
MANAGING DIRECTOR<br />
Maria Lim maria@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
SENIOR PUBLISHER (USA, MEXICO, LATIN AMERICA)<br />
Nathalie Naintre nathalie@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
GROUP FINANCIAL CONTROLLER<br />
LauGinPoh ginpoh@therakemagazine.com<br />
MANAGER, E-COMMERCE SALES & OPERATIONS<br />
Nicholas Yap nicholas@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC COORDINATOR<br />
Christina Koh christina@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER<br />
Yvonne Koh yvonne@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
ACCOUNTANT<br />
Low Sze Wei szewei@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
FINANCE EXECUTIVE<br />
Sandy Tan finance@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS<br />
ASIA Wei Koh<br />
AUSTRALIA Felix Scholz<br />
ITALY Maurizio Favot<br />
MEXICO Israel Ortega<br />
LATIN AMERICA Israel Ortega<br />
UAE Jola Chudy<br />
UK Ross Povey<br />
VISUAL<br />
CREATIVE DIRECTOR<br />
Darius Lee darius@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
ART DIRECTOR<br />
Stephanie Lim stephanielim@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
GRAPHIC DESIGNER<br />
Wynne Calista wynne@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE<br />
Munster munster@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
REVHLUTION is published quarterly by<br />
Revolution Media Pte Ltd.<br />
All rights reserved. © 2021 by Revolution Media<br />
Pte Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without<br />
permission is prohibited.<br />
Opinions expressed in REVHLUTION are solely those<br />
of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by the<br />
publisher and its editors.<br />
Editorial enquiries should be directed to the Editor.<br />
While every reasonable care will be undertaken by<br />
the Editor, unsolicited materials will not be returned<br />
unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and<br />
sufficient return postage.<br />
For other enquiries, contact:<br />
info@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
For circulation and distribution, contact:<br />
circulation@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
DIGITAL IMAGING ARTIST<br />
KH Koh<br />
PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Toh Si Jia<br />
VIDEOGRAPHER<br />
Don Torres<br />
DIGITAL ARTIST TRAINEE<br />
Tomas Go<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
IWC<br />
Big Pilot’s Watch 43<br />
in 43mm, blue dial, stainless steel case and<br />
stainless steel bracelet (Ref. IW329304)<br />
PPS 1609/06/2013 (025530) MCI (P) 037/12/2018 ISSN 1793-463x<br />
USA circulation, marketing and operations: Frank Ruiz and Carlos<br />
Garcia, CircSense Marketing & Publishing Solutions<br />
REVHLUTION USA Pte Ltd South Miami FL 33143 USA, Tel: 305 608<br />
1460. <strong>REVOLUTION</strong> (ISSN # 1793-463x) Summer 2021, USA Issue<br />
12. <strong>REVOLUTION</strong> is published quarterly by Revolution Media Private<br />
Limited, The Mill, 5 Jalan Kilang #04-01 Singapore 1<strong>59</strong>405. Agent for<br />
this publication is CircSense Publishing Solutions, LLC, 16245<br />
SW 81st Terr., Miami, FL 33193. Periodicals postage paid at Miami,<br />
FL and at additional mailing offices.
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
The founder of<br />
TudorCollector.com,<br />
Ross Povey is regarded<br />
as the world’s leading<br />
expert on vintage<br />
Tudor watches. He is<br />
currently Editor-in-<br />
Chief of Revolution<br />
A watch and jewelry<br />
writer, Barbara<br />
Palumbo is also<br />
the mastermind<br />
behind the insightful<br />
and humorous<br />
web publications<br />
Adornmentality and<br />
Cheryl Chia is a<br />
watch writer with<br />
a deep interest<br />
in independent<br />
watchmaking,<br />
movement<br />
engineering and<br />
decoration.<br />
Neha is a journalist<br />
based out of<br />
Hong Kong and<br />
currently works with<br />
Revolution as Editorat-Large<br />
(Asia) and<br />
Managing Editor<br />
(Online).<br />
In addition to<br />
contributing to<br />
Revolution, New York<br />
City-based Adam<br />
Craniotes is the<br />
founder and president<br />
of RedBar Group,<br />
the world’s largest<br />
Ross Povey Barbara Palumbo Cheryl Chia Neha Bajpai Adam Craniotes<br />
magazine in the UK.<br />
He has contributed to<br />
influential horological<br />
publications including<br />
The Telegraph, The Rake,<br />
Watchonista and<br />
Hodinkee, and is the<br />
co-author of the book<br />
Daytona Perpetual,<br />
a celebration of the<br />
automatic Rolex<br />
Daytona released<br />
through Pucci Papaleo<br />
Editore. Ross is also an<br />
international speaker<br />
and regularly hosts<br />
watch events in the<br />
UK and Europe.<br />
What’s On Her Wrist.<br />
Barbara is also a<br />
speaker, podcaster,<br />
and regularly<br />
moderates panels<br />
within the trade. She’s<br />
vocal about watches,<br />
gems, politics, all of<br />
which come in large<br />
doses of truth and<br />
none of the bullshit.<br />
Contrary to popular<br />
sentiment, she<br />
believes that watches<br />
can be assessed<br />
objectively in terms<br />
of complexity, quality<br />
and finishing.<br />
She has been writing<br />
on luxury and lifestyle<br />
for 15 years and on<br />
watches for 12 years.<br />
She launched the<br />
Indian edition of<br />
WatchTime in 2012,<br />
where she worked as<br />
the founding editor<br />
and led the company’s<br />
foray into the digital<br />
space. A compulsive<br />
wanderer, Neha loves<br />
globetrotting, reading<br />
and watching romcoms<br />
in her downtime.<br />
collective of watch<br />
enthusiasts, with<br />
chapters in over 60<br />
cities across the globe.<br />
He is a lifelong watch<br />
collector and harbors<br />
an almost irrational<br />
love for G-Shock.
SPLIT SECONDS
DIVE INTO SUMMER<br />
The freshest dive watches for your beach or<br />
desk-diving adventures.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA
With cases made to withstand pressure<br />
underwater and mechanicals resistant to shock,<br />
dive watches are the perfect choice for an active<br />
summer. The rigors of professional diving have driven the<br />
watch industry to create robust, accurate timepieces that<br />
are great for all types of outdoor adventures. When you<br />
don’t have to worry about keeping your watch out of the<br />
water, the possibilities are limitless.<br />
LONGINES LEGEND DIVER IN BLUE AND BROWN<br />
Longines has been making dive watches since 1958, and<br />
as part of an “immersion in heritage” campaign, they’ve<br />
revisited some of their flagship pieces. The Longines<br />
Legend Diver was originally released in 2007 in homage to<br />
the “compressor” dive watches from the 1960s. The latest<br />
version updates the classic dive watch with two colorful<br />
new options in blue and brown.<br />
The vintage-inspired features of the watch include a<br />
highly domed sapphire glass, two screw-in crowns with<br />
a grid pattern and a screw-down caseback for water<br />
resistance to 300 meters. The new models feature a<br />
proprietary silicon spring balance as part of the caliber<br />
L888.5 automatic movement (based on the ETA A31.L11).<br />
The lacquered dial is a royal blue or a chocolate brown<br />
at the center with a graduation to black along the sloping<br />
bezel. The Legend Diver has unique numerals and printed<br />
markers that extend up the internally rotating 60-minute<br />
scale bezel for an interesting elongated sunburst effect. For<br />
low-light conditions, the hands are rhodium-plated with<br />
Super-LumiNova while the indexes and numerals include<br />
squares and rectangles of Super-LumiNova coating.<br />
The blue dial is paired with a structured blue leather<br />
strap and the brown with a brown leather strap.<br />
LONGINES<br />
LEGEND DIVER IN BLUE AND BROWN<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber L888.5<br />
(base ETA A31.L11); 64-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds and date<br />
CASE 42mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 300m<br />
STRAP Brown leather or blue structured leather,<br />
both with steel pin buckle<br />
PRICE USD 2,300<br />
ULYSSE NARDIN DIVER X SKELETON<br />
Celebrating their 175th birthday, Ulysse Nardin is adding<br />
a new model that sits in between the worlds of diver and<br />
executive skeleton. The aptly named Diver X Skeleton has<br />
all the technical benefits of a dive watch with 200 meters<br />
of water resistance, a unidirectional rotating bezel that<br />
is concave and inverted to protect the sapphire against<br />
impact, and Super-LumiNova coating on the hours, minutes<br />
and seconds hands for low-light visibility.<br />
Ulysse Nardin has enhanced these sport watch aspects<br />
with the technical beauty and depth of a skeletonized<br />
floating “X” dial and a Carbonium bezel that keeps the<br />
piece lightweight despite its 44mm diameter size. The<br />
manufacturing process for Carbonium has been designed<br />
to use waste materials, which means a 40 percent lower<br />
environmental impact over other carbon processing. Each<br />
watch will have a unique pattern on the bezel due to the<br />
tiny 7μm diameter fibers that are heat and pressure treated<br />
to form the robust material.<br />
The Diver X Skeleton can be paired with an “ocean<br />
blue” rubber strap for a cohesive, integrated look or with<br />
the “supercharged orange” rubber strap for a sporty high<br />
contrast vibe.<br />
ULYSSE NARDIN<br />
DIVER X SKELETON LIMITED EDITION<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber UN-372; 96-hour power<br />
reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and seconds<br />
CASE 44m; titanium with blue PVD coating and Carbonium<br />
bezel; water resistant to 200m<br />
STRAP Ocean blue or supercharged orange rubber<br />
PRICE USD 22,200<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited to 175 pieces<br />
SPLIT SECONDS 19
TUTIMA M2 SEVEN SEAS IN BRIGHT YELLOW<br />
Tutima adds a fresh new model to the M2 Seven Seas titanium<br />
collection with a brilliant yellow dial for an eye-catching new option<br />
in a familiar diver’s watch signal color.<br />
At 44mm, the Tutima M2 Seven Seas Yellow is a large watch<br />
with a wide titanium rotating bezel. However, it wears small due<br />
to integrated lugs and is comfortable with lightweight titanium.<br />
Hands, indexes, and the bezel mark point are generously coated<br />
with Super-LumiNova for low-light conditions.<br />
The screw-in crown, threaded back and 3mm-thick sapphire<br />
crystal work together to withstand pressures of up to 500 meters.<br />
TUTIMA<br />
M2 SEVEN SEAS IN BRIGHT YELLOW<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 330 (base ETA 2836-2); 38-hour<br />
power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds and day-date<br />
CASE 44mm; titanium; water resistant to 500m<br />
STRAP Kevlar fabric with rubber underside and color-coordinated<br />
stitching, or titanium bracelet<br />
PRICE USD 1,900 on strap; USD 2,300 on bracelet<br />
The movement is Tutima’s automatic caliber 330<br />
with a 38-hour power reserve and features the<br />
brand’s gold seal on the rotor.<br />
In line with other M2 Seven Seas watches, the<br />
piece is paired with a pure titanium bracelet, but<br />
there is an optional strap offered of rubber and<br />
Kevlar in black and coordinating bright yellow.<br />
ORIS WHALE SHARK LIMITED EDITION<br />
The Whale Shark Limited Edition follows the lead<br />
of many Oris dive watches by being a beautiful<br />
watch with a mission to save the world’s oceans.<br />
This watch was created for the largest fish alive<br />
today called the whale shark, which also happens to<br />
be severely endangered as their numbers dwindle.<br />
The limited edition number of 2,016 is a tie-in to<br />
the year the <strong>International</strong> Union for Conservation<br />
of Nature (IUCN) announced their findings that<br />
the whale shark population is only half that of<br />
their recorded population 75 years before.<br />
The dial is the show of the piece with a shark<br />
skin design on gorgeous turquoise blue that<br />
gradually darkens to the deep black of the ocean<br />
20 SPLIT SECONDS
depths as it nears the bi-directional rotating bezel. The<br />
hands and indexes are coated with Super-LumiNova for<br />
low-light legibility, and the triangle-tip pointer serves the<br />
GMT function. The screw-in crown and screwed caseback<br />
allows for a 300-meter water resistance.<br />
The Whale Shark Limited Edition is paired with a<br />
stainless steel metal bracelet of alternating central and<br />
bilateral links and a security folding clasp with an extension.<br />
ORIS<br />
WHALE SHARK LIMITED EDITION<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 798 (base Sellita SW330-1);<br />
42-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds, date and second time zone<br />
CASE 43.5mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 300m<br />
STRAP Stainless steel bracelet<br />
PRICE USD 3,200<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited to 2,016 pieces<br />
GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL SEAQ IN REED GREEN<br />
The SeaQ is inspired by Glashütte Original’s historical diver’s<br />
watch from 1969, manufactured by the then state-owned<br />
entity VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB). The Spezimatic<br />
Type RP TS 200 was one of the many innovations of the<br />
Glashütte watchmaking industry, and Glashütte Original<br />
takes inspiration from the original design, but upgrades the<br />
functionality with modern materials.<br />
The dial in German is known as Schilfgrün, which<br />
translates to reed green. It is a rich green lacquered dial<br />
with silver applied numerals, Super-LumiNova inlaid<br />
indexes and hands, and a matching date aperture at three<br />
o’clock. The rotating bezel is fitted with green ceramic<br />
inlay that continues the color scheme and is scratch<br />
resistant for durability.<br />
Engraved with the trident maritime symbol, the<br />
Glashütte Original double-G and 20 waves to represent<br />
the water resistance to 20 bar (200 meters), the caseback is<br />
aligned and secured via a threaded bottom ring. The SeaQ<br />
is equipped with the automatic caliber 39-11, which boasts<br />
elaborate finishing — a skeletonized rotor with heavy metal<br />
oscillation weight, beveled edges, Glashütte stripe finish and<br />
swan-neck fine adjustment.<br />
The SeaQ in Reed Green is available with three straps:<br />
black rubber with a relief pattern, gray synthetic textile<br />
and a stainless steel bracelet.<br />
GLASHÜTTE<br />
ORIGINAL SEAQ IN REED GREEN<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 39-11; 40-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds and date<br />
CASE 39.5mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 200m<br />
STRAP Black rubber, gray synthetic textile or stainless<br />
steel bracelet<br />
PRICE From USD 9,000 on synthetic textile/rubber strap;<br />
USD 10,200 on bracelet<br />
SPLIT SECONDS 21
BRONZE BEAUTY<br />
Omega introduces its new proprietary Bronze Gold alloy with an<br />
all-new Seamaster 300.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
The Seamaster 300 in Bronze Gold is made from Omega’s new patent-pending alloy that features 50 percent copper<br />
and 37.5-percent gold. Omega also uses palladium to enhance the hue of the material to make it much more luminous<br />
22 SPLIT SECONDS
W<br />
hile bronze is a material that is very<br />
trendy in the watch industry, until<br />
recently, Omega had not yet made<br />
a bronze watch. “This was a demonstration of<br />
Omega’s integrity because we felt the material was<br />
compromised,” explained Jean-Claude Monachon,<br />
Omega’s vice president.<br />
Gregory Kissling, Omega’s head of product<br />
management, says, “It's simple. Bronze is not<br />
totally hypoallergenic, and as such, if it touches<br />
your skin, it discolors it. That is why every single<br />
bronze watch on the market had a caseback and<br />
a buckle in a different material, such as steel or<br />
titanium. This was often PVD-coated to look<br />
bronze — but it was not bronze. This was not<br />
good enough for Omega. So when we looked into<br />
bronze, the first objective was to create an alloy<br />
that was hypoallergenic, so that the entire watch<br />
— including the caseback and the buckle — could<br />
all be made of the same material.”<br />
Following the precious metal material<br />
innovation expressed by Sedna Gold and<br />
Moonshine Gold, Omega has seriously elevated the<br />
status of traditional bronze. Its new proprietary<br />
alloy is composed of 50 percent copper and a<br />
whopping 37.5 percent gold. Kissling says, “Strictly<br />
speaking, this is classified as 9K gold. We also added<br />
palladium to enhance the hue of the material to<br />
make it much more luminous, as well as gallium<br />
and silver.” The result is Bronze Gold, which looks<br />
strikingly beautiful and sits between Sedna Gold<br />
and Moonshine Gold in terms of color.<br />
The first use of this material is in an all-new<br />
Seamaster 300 that takes its design codes from<br />
the 1962 Seamaster 300. Raynald Aeschlimann,<br />
president and CEO of Omega, says, “We have<br />
taken some design inspiration from the past, but<br />
at the same time this is an altogether new design<br />
that is a contemporary watch. I sometimes feel<br />
that there is an over-reliance on vintage codes in<br />
our industry, and while it is important to connect<br />
to your heritage, you must continue to innovate<br />
technically and in terms of design.” Omega is<br />
very good at this, as demonstrated by the new<br />
Speedmaster Moonwatch that dropped in the<br />
beginning of this year. These watches certainly<br />
invoke certain classic codes — the stepped dial,<br />
the dot-over-90 bezel, the flat-link bracelet — but<br />
they are massively elevated in quality in comparison to the previous<br />
generation of Speedies, and definitely over the vintage watches.<br />
Take, for example, the dials. These are laser engraved to create<br />
much deeper voids so that the luminous material can be many times<br />
brighter as well as last longer.<br />
The new Seamaster features a sandwich construction dial. The<br />
dial starts as a raw German silver disk that is laser engraved with<br />
the minute markers and signature Arabic hour indexes. These are<br />
filled with colored Super-LumiNova. One of my favorite details is<br />
that the cover plate, which creates an enhanced sense of depth, is<br />
made of traditional bronze that has been intentionally oxidized to<br />
develop a dark brown color. This is a subtle but important detail.<br />
Why? When Omega launched the Speedmaster ref. BA 145.022-69<br />
to celebrate the Moon landing, it did so with a yellow gold watch<br />
featuring a solid yellow gold dial. When Omega, under Aeschlimann,<br />
launched the 50th Anniversary Apollo 11 watch, it did so with the<br />
proprietary Moonshine Gold used for both the case and dial. When<br />
Omega launched the grail-status Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy” 50th<br />
Anniversary watch, it featured a solid silver dial. Therefore, for<br />
Omega, using dials that match the cases is an important tradition.<br />
Kissling says, “What is nice is that as a result of the dial color coming<br />
from oxidation, each dial is unique.”<br />
OMEGA SEAMASTER 300<br />
BRONZE GOLD<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding Omega Master Chronometer caliber 8912;<br />
60-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and seconds<br />
CASE 41mm; bronze gold with brown ceramic bezel insert;<br />
water resistant to 300m<br />
STRAP Brown leather<br />
PRICE USD 11,600<br />
SPLIT SECONDS 23
Night view of BR V2-94 FULL LUM with 30-minute chronograph counter in fluorescent blue<br />
24 SPLIT SECONDS
THE SHINING BEACON<br />
BR V2-94 FULL LUM limited edition from Bell & Ross is the first intersection between the<br />
brand’s 2017 LUM line and 1992 Vintage line for an all-luminous dial new timepiece.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
When longtime friends<br />
Bruno Belamich (Bell)<br />
and Carlos Rosillo (Ross)<br />
were university mates in 1992, they<br />
got together to launch the French<br />
luxury watch brand, Bell & Ross. They<br />
quickly won over the aeronautical<br />
world with their iconic circlein-square<br />
case designs and Swiss<br />
horological chops. Since 1992, they’ve<br />
supplied pilot’s watches to the French<br />
Air Force and are the official watch<br />
supplier to the French space program.<br />
As a professional pilot’s watch,<br />
the Bell & Ross models had to<br />
deliver on some very important<br />
functionalities. Their distinct skill<br />
with dial legibility is the result of<br />
paying close attention to the needs<br />
of a military pilot performing<br />
synchronized maneuvers and relying<br />
on a quick glance for time-keeping<br />
and calculations. The LUM line<br />
was introduced in 2017 with fully<br />
luminescent dial for low-light and<br />
night situations.<br />
The FULL LUM nomenclature<br />
means that the entire dial is<br />
luminescent. Bell & Ross created<br />
the paint for their dial from two<br />
different Super-LumiNova colors<br />
from a full spectrum of available<br />
colors. A pale green Super-LumiNova<br />
C5 is used to coat the entire metal<br />
dial for maximum illumination,<br />
while the counter subdial, numerals,<br />
hands and indexes are a pale<br />
yellow Super-LumiNova C3.<br />
The pale green as seen in daylight<br />
transitions to a brilliant fluorescent<br />
green in the dark. The 30-minute<br />
counter and chronograph seconds<br />
hands have their own color scheme<br />
of fluorescent blue to enhance ata-glance<br />
legibility for measuring<br />
elapsed time. Each element has a<br />
border with black paint for easy<br />
readability day or night.<br />
The dial was designed for a<br />
quick recharge with a sturdy<br />
brightness charge and discharge<br />
cycle to ensure long life without<br />
loss of luminescent qualities.<br />
The BR V2-94 FULL LUM has a<br />
41mm satin-finished and polished<br />
steel case that provides a contrast<br />
with the black anodized aluminum<br />
bezel. The 60-minute fixed scale<br />
in silver ties the case and bezel<br />
together for a great contrast with the<br />
luminescent surface of the dial. The<br />
sapphire crystal has an anti-reflective<br />
coating and an ultra domed shape for<br />
staying true to the vintage vibes of the<br />
BR V2-94 series.<br />
Bell & Ross brings the features<br />
of their LUM line technology<br />
with a 30-minute chronograph<br />
complication, central chronograph<br />
seconds and a date display. The<br />
chronograph pushers are screwed<br />
down to avoid accidental activation<br />
and have an industrial aesthetic<br />
that adds personality to the piece.<br />
The black rubber strap is a basket<br />
weave known as “tropic” for resilient<br />
comfort under any conditions. It<br />
gives this contemporary timepiece its<br />
vintage flair while tying in the black<br />
color of the bezel and detail on the dial.<br />
The retro-inspired Bell & Ross BR<br />
V2-04 FULL LUM will be limited to<br />
only 250 pieces. It’s a great professional<br />
watch and a must-have for those who<br />
depend on easy legibility in any day or<br />
night environment.<br />
BELL & ROSS<br />
BR V2-04 FULL LUM<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber<br />
BR-CAL.301 (ETA 2894-2 base);<br />
42-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes,<br />
small seconds and chronograph<br />
CASE 41 mm; satin-finished and polished<br />
steel; water resistant to 100m<br />
STRAP Weave black rubber with pin<br />
buckle in satin-finished and polished steel<br />
PRICE USD 5,100<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited to 250 pieces<br />
SPLIT SECONDS 25
JOE’S COOL<br />
Introducing the Bamford ×<br />
Revolution GMT Joe Cool.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
On my Mount Rushmore of Cool, no, wait, make<br />
that seated in my Halls of Valhalla of Cool,<br />
presided over by the unassailable king, one<br />
Terrence Stephen McQueen, would be, in no particular<br />
order, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, James Byron Dean, Bob<br />
Marley, Bob Mitchum, Bruce Lee and a beagle that so<br />
embodies the ineffable quality that unites the cinematic<br />
legends and musical giants that, from time to time, they<br />
would whisper amongst themselves, “Goddamn, that dog<br />
is just so cool.” I speak, of course, of Snoopy in his alter ego<br />
Joe Cool. One of the most fascinating dimensions to<br />
Snoopy has always been his multiple personalities, which<br />
he embodies so completely that he would make a Stella<br />
Adler master class in method acting stand and applaud.<br />
Of these alter egos, his most notable are the World War I<br />
Flying Ace, the World Famous Author and, of course, the<br />
irrefutable master of laconic élan, Joe Cool.<br />
Joe Cool first made his debut in the Peanuts comic strip<br />
in 1971 and was ostensibly styled after jazz-crazy beatnik<br />
college students. In order to transform into Joe Cool,<br />
Snoopy dons a pair of dark sunglasses, slips on his red<br />
sweater emblazoned with the words “Joe Cool” and adopts<br />
a pose of ultimate equanimity by leaning against the wall.<br />
And just like that, he is transformed. Because Joe Cool is<br />
cool, I mean, really cool. Like Fonzie jumping the shark on<br />
water skis wearing his leather jacket kind of cool.<br />
So when the opportunity arose to collaborate with<br />
one of my favorite people in the watch industry, George<br />
Bamford, and we started brainstorming over ideas for a<br />
watch, it dawned on both of us that we already knew what<br />
we wanted. We had to make a watch featuring Joe Cool.<br />
Since he came out with it in 2019, George’s Bamford GMT<br />
watch has been one of my favorite timepieces because<br />
it is the perfect essential, accessibly priced execution<br />
26 SPLIT SECONDS
of this complication. Says George, “I was traveling very<br />
consistently and, like everyone who does, started to<br />
have a kind of fog over the time zones I was in. I thought<br />
to myself, what would be the perfect GMT watch to<br />
accompany me on my trips? I wanted to incorporate all<br />
my favorite design elements into a watch that was also<br />
incredibly easy to read and use.... I want the watch to be<br />
totally intuitive. So the first thing I decided on was to<br />
modify an element that I have always loved in dive watches<br />
— the internal rotating bezel that is controlled with a<br />
crown at the left of the watch. It had to be bi-directional,<br />
so you could rapidly adjust to GMT plus or minus. For<br />
the dial, I wanted a real purity of form with rectangular<br />
indexes, and also unusual but extremely legible rectangular<br />
hands. To add a touch of excitement, I created a sort of<br />
racing track seconds markers which were inspired by some<br />
of my favorite vintage stopwatches from the ’60s and ’70s.”<br />
Combined with a pleasing, ergonomic cushion case,<br />
the Bamford GMT became a favorite watch especially for<br />
those of us who enjoy a charming, beautifully designed,<br />
easy-to-use watch that doesn’t come with the baggage of<br />
an expensive brand name on your wrist. That, to me, is<br />
actually very practical when traveling through Europe<br />
where watch theft has become a real issue. Because George<br />
is a watch collector and watch lover, he got every detail<br />
right. The size of the watch at 40mm with a height of<br />
11.7mm fits everyone’s wrist. The Sellita SW330-1 inside<br />
with 42 hours of power reserve is reliable. You read the<br />
second time zone off the centrally mounted GMT hand,<br />
and if you want to set another time in another zone, you<br />
simply turn the crown at 10 o’clock.<br />
But something crazy happened when George<br />
incorporated the legendary Peanuts character, Snoopy,<br />
into his GMT watch. Basically it caused the Internet<br />
to explode. He explains, “I started putting Snoopy into<br />
the GMT because I wanted to make a watch that made<br />
people smile each time they looked at it. Snoopy was<br />
such a beloved character that was very much a part of my<br />
childhood. When I put Snoopy on the dial, it made people<br />
reconnect with their childhoods and all the happiness this<br />
represented. So far we’ve done three Snoopy watches.... As<br />
soon as the first images were posted on social media, we<br />
got deluged by orders, which was really cool. The success of<br />
the watch was very meaningful, of course, but what really<br />
resonated with me was that people felt uplifted by Snoopy<br />
in the same way I felt uplifted by him.”<br />
Coming out of 2020 and shifting gears into 2021, it<br />
was clear that George and I wanted to create a watch that<br />
had an edifying effect. He explains, “Especially now with<br />
this growing sense of cautious optimism that we will once<br />
again be able to see our friends and our loved ones, we<br />
need symbols of hope and happiness, and I can’t think of a<br />
better moment to have Snoopy on our watch.” Given the<br />
opportunity to select a specific Snoopy image, or in this case,<br />
alter ego, George and I immediately knew which one we<br />
wanted. Says George, “It was clear that we needed Joe Cool.<br />
On top of that, we needed to make him glow in the dark!”<br />
Over the last year, George and I have been discussing<br />
luminous light signatures for watches because, to be fair,<br />
most watches end up spending a good part of their lives<br />
in the dark. Says George, “In the same way that cars now<br />
have LED signatures so you can tell exactly what car it is<br />
even at night, watches are starting to have that element as<br />
well. This was something that was clearly expressed by the<br />
Bvlgari × Revolution Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT<br />
from last year and I loved that. So I wanted to have Joe<br />
Cool look like he was just part of an all-white dial in direct<br />
light, but as soon as you go into ambient light or darkness,<br />
you realize that he is completely incandescent.” This also<br />
resonated with us because the character Joe Cool prowls<br />
jazz clubs at night with his trademark sunglasses on even in<br />
the dark, and we thought it a delightful visual riff to have<br />
him be fully luminous.<br />
In terms of the design of the Bamford × Revolution<br />
GMT Joe Cool, we wanted the watch to be an expression<br />
of chromatic purity. So we imagined an all-white “albino”<br />
style watch like some of our favorite timepieces. Says<br />
George, “In Asian cultures, white is a symbol of purity<br />
and renewal. In Japan, for example, everyone always wears<br />
white on the first day of the new year. I thought that this<br />
watch should be a symbol of purity and renewal of the light<br />
and hope we all feel coming out of the dark times last year.<br />
Accordingly, we offer two strap options. Choose either<br />
white or black, but to me, it really comes alive on the white<br />
textile strap.”<br />
George, being the genius that he is, took it a step further<br />
and said, “Let’s make Snoopy’s dog house luminous as<br />
well! I want there to be maximum light emitting from this<br />
project because that’s what we all need right now — more<br />
light and love in our lives.” I laughed because I LOVED this<br />
and explained that I foresee myself having trouble sleeping<br />
because the watch itself is glowing so brightly. He chuckled<br />
and replied, “My friend, you may just have to wear your<br />
sunglasses in the dark just like Joe Cool!”<br />
BAMFORD × <strong>REVOLUTION</strong> GMT JOE COOL<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding Sellita SW330-2; 42-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds, date and GMT<br />
CASE Stainless steel with luminous internal rotating bezel;<br />
water resistant to 100m<br />
STRAP White or black cordura<br />
PRICE USD 1,850<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 100 pieces,<br />
exclusively available on RevolutionWatch.com<br />
SPLIT SECONDS 27
THE TIE-BREAKER<br />
Franck Muller honors auto-racing champion Bill Auberlen, the<br />
holder of the most IMSA victories in history.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
28 SPLIT SECONDS
Following his 60th <strong>International</strong> Motor Sports<br />
Association (IMSA) victory — on his 51st birthday,<br />
no less — motorsport champion Bill Auberlen<br />
began the “Race to 61” to break the tie for most wins<br />
in the history of IMSA that he shared with Scott<br />
Pruett. Auberlen has a longtime association with BMW<br />
motorsports. In fact, it was his No. 96 Turner Motorsport<br />
BMW M6 GT3 that charioted him to numerous victories.<br />
The trademark BMW blue-purple-red livery brings<br />
inspiration to the colorway of the Franck Muller timepiece<br />
created in collaboration with him.<br />
“When I was approached with the idea to partner with<br />
Franck Muller on a limited edition watch, I was all in,” said<br />
Auberlen. “I am honored by the fact that they are as excited<br />
as I am about my ‘Race to 61.’ Aesthetically, like a great<br />
racing car, the watches we have designed are beautifully<br />
aggressive. I began testing for the 2020 IMSA season with a<br />
Franck Muller watch on my wrist and it is a perfect fit.”<br />
The Franck Muller Limited Edition Bill Auberlen “Race<br />
to 61” timepiece is based on the Vanguard Racing Skeleton<br />
model. The Vanguard collection reminded the industry at<br />
large that Franck Muller was one of the first watchmakers<br />
to place the tourbillon on the watch dial, rather than<br />
keep it at the back of the movement as with traditional<br />
watchmaking. In many ways, his work introduced an era of<br />
dynamic high watchmaking to be shown off on the dial.<br />
At the heart of the Bill Auberlen “Race to 61” timepiece<br />
is the FM 2800-DT movement, a three-hand caliber that’s<br />
a foundation movement used previously in other Vanguard<br />
Racing models. The movement is fully skeletonized this<br />
time around and visible through the front of the watch,<br />
which has a secondary see-through crystal showing<br />
the central seconds display and the gear train that lies<br />
underneath. A central seconds ring, which supports the<br />
seconds display and under which a skeletonized date<br />
display rests, is attached to the case via the hour markers,<br />
which alternate between angled bars and cut-out Arabic<br />
numerals. The movement sits below this layer, with four<br />
bridges that support and protect it against shock.<br />
A segmented railroad minute track on the flange ties<br />
in the BMW blue, purple and red colorway with vibrant<br />
corner-to-corner striping reminiscent of racing stripes.<br />
The three-color livery continues in the seconds hand with<br />
a color block effect. The inner seconds track, styled like the<br />
tachometer of a car, is upside-down and inverted so that the<br />
elongated seconds hand is balanced by a white tipped tail<br />
pointing to precise seconds readings.<br />
The case is black forged carbon with an integrated<br />
strap for a technical sport finish. Red stitching along the<br />
strap livens up the heavy black with a pop of color. The<br />
self-winding mechanical movement is visible beneath a<br />
rear sapphire engraved with commemorative details. The<br />
hand applied Côtes de Genève along the bridges and on the<br />
center of the winding rotor add an elegance to the overall<br />
finish of the movement.<br />
The timepiece is limited to 61 pieces, and each one is<br />
numbered. This will be a true collector’s piece, especially<br />
since the confident Auberlen is already the record holder<br />
for the most IMSA wins and is gearing up for his next<br />
milestone victory.<br />
FRANCK MULLER<br />
'RACE TO 61' LIMITED EDITION<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber FM 2800-DT;<br />
42-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds and date<br />
CASE 53.7mm × 44mm × 12.7mm; black forged carbon;<br />
water resistant to 30m<br />
STRAP Hand-sewn black suede with red stitching and<br />
rubberized back<br />
PRICE USD 25,500<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited to 61 numbered pieces<br />
SPLIT SECONDS 29
WATCHES & WONDERS 2021...<br />
& MORE<br />
The virtual edition of the watch fair in April, along with other recent launches,<br />
saw elegant and uplifting timepieces that showed a new sensitivity to the<br />
desires and concerns of today’s collectors.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
Twenty Twenty, the greatest global pandemic we’ve<br />
collectively experienced in our lifetimes has, in the<br />
words of Cartier’s CEO Cyrille Vigneron, been “the<br />
great revelator” — a seismic event that has separated the<br />
wheat from the chaff. Strong brands whose trajectories<br />
were already meteoric only got stronger, in particular as<br />
they had already embraced social media in all its myriad<br />
forms from Instagram to Clubhouse. But what was crucial<br />
was that the brands were making pure, unadulterated<br />
and focused expressions of what they do best. Vigneron<br />
explains, “Some brands that have been true to themselves<br />
and that have focused on iconic designs have done well.<br />
Others that have strayed too far away from who they are<br />
have done less well.” It also means that the brands that<br />
succeeded listened to the buying public and made precisely<br />
those types of watches they wanted. Because in moments of<br />
crisis, we instinctively gravitate to objects that are familiar,<br />
that have timeless appeal and perennial value, and that are,<br />
as Vigneron says, “durable.”<br />
Clearly, this lesson was not lost on the vast majority<br />
of the watch world because for the first time in years,<br />
almost all the brands are absolutely killing it. The<br />
one huge lesson from 2020 was: you either get your<br />
brand right or you perish. What is wonderful to see is<br />
that on a global level, the resulting digital Watches &<br />
Wonders 2021 has yielded some of the best collective<br />
new launches I’ve witnessed in many years. Gone are<br />
the overabundance of mediocre watches that had many<br />
of us scratching our heads in befuddlement, replaced<br />
by a far more streamlined and highly focused approach.<br />
Basically, it seems that every watch CEO is highly<br />
aware that if you don’t think your watch is going to<br />
smash it, then for the love of God, please don’t launch<br />
it. Accordingly, it seems like each and every brand is<br />
trying to knock it out of the park with a few perfectly<br />
designed models that are extremely pure expressions of<br />
who they are. This is now combined by a sense of energy,<br />
vitality and, in the context of conservative Switzerland,<br />
even a chromatic daringness that clearly understands<br />
that the post-COVID world is looking for edification<br />
in the form of uplifting colors and engaging design.<br />
On my Clubhouse with IWC CEO Chris Grainger,<br />
we laughed about the staggering abundance of greenhued<br />
sunray finished, graduated dial watches. I asked,<br />
“Did everyone meet up a year beforehand and decide<br />
on the prevailing color theme?” Grainger, who has<br />
launched both the green and blue sunray finished Pilot’s<br />
Chronographs 41mm and a new Big Pilot 43mm in blue,<br />
said, “The truth is the green and blue Pilot’s Chronographs<br />
were designed several years ago. But what is interesting<br />
is that all these colored dials have the result of giving<br />
the industry a very uplifting and optimistic feeling, and<br />
it couldn’t come at a better time. For countries that<br />
were open, we saw really strong results and everyone<br />
is expecting the rebound to continue this year. So it is<br />
more important than ever to have the right watches<br />
that are simultaneously iconic and reassuring, but fun<br />
and uplifting. That’s what I like about the new 43mm<br />
Big Pilot. It’s a size anyone can wear so it’s new, but<br />
at the same time you know it and it feels timeless.”<br />
30 WATCHES & WONDERS
THE UNMISSABLE GREEN<br />
So, in a year that seems dedicated to the chromatic<br />
magnificence of Kermit the Frog, which are the brands<br />
that have come out with a green dial?<br />
Let’s go down the list of my favorites. Patek Philippe’s<br />
end-of-series ref. 5711 watches feature olive green sunray<br />
dials. Audemars Piguet’s AP House special edition ref.<br />
15202 in platinum features a non-tapisserie green dial,<br />
also with sunray finish. Audemars Piguet also launched a<br />
stunning green dial flying tourbillon in titanium with an<br />
emerald bezel, which is the most ravishing watch of 2021<br />
so far that I know I can’t afford. They also dropped a green<br />
dial Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph — this watch<br />
features the caliber 2385, which will likely be replaced<br />
eventually by the brand’s in-house caliber 4401 movement<br />
that powers the new brown and blue dial versions of the<br />
same watch.<br />
Rolex stands out in the green parade with the Oyster Datejust<br />
36mm featuring a green palm leaf motif dial<br />
Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled a damnably beautiful<br />
green sunray dial Reverso Tribute Small Seconds<br />
watch. Breitling offered its handsome 40mm Premier<br />
Chronograph in a pistachio green dial. Cartier’s delightful<br />
Tank Must comes in a green dial variation that is<br />
apparently as popular as the highly sought after signature<br />
red dial version. Panerai’s new eSteel Luminor Marina,<br />
which boasts a recycled steel case, comes in a green<br />
dial (the PAM 1356) that will be sold exclusively at the<br />
boutiques. Rolex offered its new Oyster Datejust 36mm<br />
in a green palm motif dial, which I have decided to dub<br />
the “Snoop Dogg.” Tudor’s new fully brushed yellow gold<br />
Black Bay Fifty-Eight offers you a see-through caseback as<br />
well as a green dial and bezel. TAG Heuer’s very cool new<br />
Aquaracer comes in a kickass sandblasted grade 2 titanium<br />
version with a green luminous ceramic bezel inset and<br />
dial. Piaget’s latest Altiplano Ultimate Concept “Tribute<br />
to La Côte-aux-Fées” features green elements, and even<br />
Speake-Marin’s Openworked Dual Time was looking fresh<br />
in mint green livery.<br />
Bringing a different take on the prevailing green<br />
theme was Montblanc’s genuinely cool 1858 Split Seconds<br />
Chronograph Limited Edition 18 “Lime Gold.” The case<br />
is made from a proprietary alloy composed of gold, silver<br />
and iron, which gives it an unmistakable jade hue that is<br />
complemented by lime green cathedral hands and indexes.<br />
The movement, of course, is the venerable MB M16.31 split<br />
seconds chronograph, which is one of the most beautifully<br />
designed rattrapante calibers in the world.<br />
So, why green? Honestly, who the hell knows? I like<br />
to think that a few years ago the collective designers met<br />
in a bar and discussed their concerns about sustainability<br />
and the need to protect the planet, and they decided<br />
to subtly express it with this color. But that is clearly<br />
reading into it far too much. I think Thierry Stern says<br />
it best, “I wanted to make the final versions of the 5711<br />
special, and I thought of an olive green dial. This dial<br />
is very trendy at the moment, but I thought it looked<br />
really nice in the case of the 5711. Most importantly,<br />
even though it is fashionable now, I know it will endure.<br />
I know that in 20 years’ time or even 50 years’ time,<br />
the watch will still be beautiful and very much Patek<br />
Philippe. What I don’t like is when brands go too much<br />
into gimmick; that, to me, is not high watchmaking.”<br />
32 WATCHES & WONDERS
From top to bottom, left to right: In the green scheme of things — Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept “Tribute to La Côte-aux-Fées”; Panerai<br />
Luminor Marina eSteel Verde Smeraldo; Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds; Montblanc 1858 Split Seconds Chronograph<br />
Lime Gold; Speake-Marin One&Two Openworked Dual Time Mint; Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra Thin<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 33
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther” Flying Tourbillon is a homage to the milestone 2018 Marvel film. Although the initial launch<br />
resulted in much heated commentary, the watch nevertheless demonstrates the high level of artisanship that Audemars Piguet is capable of<br />
THE AUDEMARS PIGUET “BLACK PANTHER”<br />
While Stern was clearly making a global statement<br />
with his last sentence and not referencing anyone<br />
specific, it allows us to segue into our discussion of<br />
Audemars Piguet’s maiden mash-up with Marvel, the<br />
Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther” Flying Tourbillon<br />
— a watch that was, suffice it to say, the subject of<br />
much heated commentary following its launch.<br />
Says Audemars Piguet ambassador Austen Chu, “Look,<br />
would I buy it? Probably not, but there is already a crazy<br />
waiting list because the comments you see on social media<br />
do not reflect Audemars Piguet’s client base. To me, all the<br />
commentary was a pity, because it distracted from the fact<br />
that this is the first Royal Oak Concept case that is 42mm<br />
in diameter and fits the wrist perfectly. It distracts from<br />
the insane level of artisanship in the micro engraving of the<br />
black panther figure. Do I think the watch could have used<br />
the Black Panther theme in a less obvious way? Sure, but<br />
on a craft and watchmaking level, I have huge respect for<br />
everything that went into the watch.”<br />
How do I feel about this watch? To me, it’s a<br />
little facile and could have better expressed the<br />
massive cultural impact of the 2018 film and its<br />
uplifting effect on the world. Do I find it funny that<br />
at 6:30 p.m. the Black Panther gets a little, ahem,<br />
anatomical? You know I do, as I’m very childish.<br />
But my inclination is to agree with Chu, as the social<br />
media bashing also distracted from the fact that<br />
Audemars Piguet has had one of the most stellar years<br />
in terms of new watch launches, with a whole<br />
new Offshore family with incredible ergonomics<br />
and a quick-change strap as well as the green dial<br />
watches I mentioned earlier, which were absolutely<br />
stunning. It does, however, show that today’s<br />
social media can turn incendiary very fast.<br />
Perhaps it was the young Pierre Biver who showed<br />
true wisdom beyond his years when he took to his<br />
Instagram to tell everyone to take a collective frickin’<br />
chill pill, as it was after all, “just a watch,” meaning if you<br />
don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it. Well done, Pierre.<br />
34 WATCHES & WONDERS
From top: The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar in white gold case with<br />
pink gold dial; The Omega Seamaster Diver 300 “Black Black” uses laser ablation<br />
to create a unique effect on the watch's surface; Vacheron Constantin Overseas<br />
Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin Skeleton in 18k white gold<br />
BREITLING, A. LANGE & SÖHNE, VACHERON CONSTANTIN<br />
AND OMEGA<br />
What were the other brands that impressed me? I<br />
liked Georges Kern and Fred Mandelbaum’s Breitling<br />
Premier Chronographs, as they brought a whole new<br />
dimension of style and elegance to a brand that people<br />
sometimes associate with being kind of “bro-like” in its<br />
tool watch focus. In particular, the green pistachio dial<br />
Premier Chronograph 40mm and the salmon dial Datora<br />
Chronograph 42mm with full calendar are truly beautiful.<br />
Does the second watch feel slightly reminiscent of Patek<br />
Philippe’s 5270 in platinum with applied Arabic indexes and<br />
a salmon dial? Fred says no and I say, “Maybe, kind of,” but<br />
to be honest, it’s two totally different audiences with the<br />
Breitling also costing one-tenth of the Patek. And, honestly,<br />
any time anyone compares you to Patek, that’s a very good<br />
thing. The takeaway here is that I like the fact that Kern is<br />
significantly broadening the audience of Breitling.<br />
A. Lange & Söhne has had a great year so far with<br />
a stunning white gold case Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar<br />
with pink gold dial — previously this complication was<br />
only available with a tourbillon. It also charmed with the<br />
Little Lange 1 Moon Phase featuring a “Gold Flux” dial and<br />
impressed with a Triple Split in pink gold with blue dial.<br />
Vacheron Constantin has somehow become one of<br />
the dead sexiest brands on the market. This year, it had<br />
four absolutely stunning watches with the two white<br />
gold versions of the absolutely blisteringly epic Overseas<br />
Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin in skeleton and solid blue<br />
dial configurations. I love these two watches. Vacheron also<br />
charmed with its phenomenal Excellence Platine version of<br />
the Historiques American 1921, and the Excellence Platine<br />
Split Seconds Chronograph Ultra Thin, which features the<br />
world’s thinnest automatic split seconds chrono caliber,<br />
was totally on point.<br />
My friends in Bienne at Omega dropped a fantastic<br />
Seamaster Diver 300 “Black Black.” Sure, all-black watches have<br />
become de rigueur today, but this one is different in that it uses<br />
different finishing techniques and, in particular, laser ablation<br />
to create a pure ceramic watch that possesses incredible<br />
legibility. Even an old guy with failing eyesight like me could<br />
read every marker engraved into the ceramic bezel and make<br />
out every wave decorating the ceramic dial perfectly. Says<br />
Omega’s CEO Raynald Aeschlimann, “This is Omega’s way to<br />
do things with real authenticity by using innovation such as<br />
this laser ablation technique to create a beautiful visual effect<br />
on an all-black watch but with amazing legibility. Similarly, we<br />
know bronze is a trendy material but we never wanted to make<br />
a bronze watch if the caseback and buckle had to be a different<br />
material because it was not hypoallergenic.” Accordingly,<br />
Omega created a new Seamaster 300, based on a 1962 design, in<br />
its new alloy called Bronze Gold, which is actually 9K gold and<br />
as such, can be used for all parts of the watch.<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 35
JAEGER-LECOULTRE, BELL & ROSS, IWC AND PIAGET<br />
Jaeger-LeCoultre takes the prize as the brand<br />
demonstrating that incredible high watchmaking<br />
creativity and technical innovation are still alive and well<br />
with its 1.3 million-dollar Reverso Hybris Mechanica<br />
Caliber 185 “Quadryptique,” which features four different<br />
faces and 11 complications. Hermès brought a joyful and<br />
fun all-new cushion shaped watch named H08 that can<br />
also be fitted onto an integrated titanium bracelet. Bell<br />
& Ross created one of the most entertaining timepieces<br />
of the year with the BR V2-94 FULL LUM watch; it gives<br />
me a tremendously uplifting effect to see the completely<br />
luminescent dial glowing away at full blast. IWC got us<br />
very excited with their homage to the legendary 1994<br />
ref. 3705, this time made with Ceratanium instead of<br />
ceramic, and followed up with the colored dial 41mm<br />
Pilot’s Chronograph and 43mm Big Pilot.<br />
Over at Piaget, CEO Chabi Nouri and her team<br />
extended the Piaget Polo Skeleton range with gold<br />
versions. If you haven’t tried this watch on yet and you<br />
like integrated bracelet sports chic watches, I urge you<br />
to, because it’s really good. The architecture of the caliber<br />
1200S is fantastic with its micro-rotor at nine o’clock,<br />
balance at six o’clock and barrel at 12, and it affords endless<br />
visual and technical entertainment and wears beautifully<br />
on the wrist.<br />
Above: The Piaget Polo Skeleton in gold Below: IWC paid homage to<br />
the legendary 1994 ref. 3705 with this watch made of Ceratanium, a<br />
material that combines the advantages of titanium and ceramic<br />
36 WATCHES & WONDERS
From top to bottom, left to right: The Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Felipe Pantone Limited Edition; The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-<br />
Eight crafted from 925 sterling silver; Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Carpe Diem, a quadruple jacquemart watch with jumping<br />
hour, retrograde minute and a minute repeater; The Zenith Defy 21 Spectrum is made from stainless steel with its skeleton<br />
dial revealing full chronometer certified chronograph subdials; The Hublot Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire<br />
HUBLOT, ZENITH, TUDOR, LOUIS VUITTON AND<br />
ULYSEE NARDIN<br />
Hublot genuinely blew us away with the world’s first fully<br />
sapphire watch with an integrated sapphire bracelet. They<br />
also offered up a Big Bang for the first time in yellow<br />
ceramic, and I have to say, it is actually incredibly striking.<br />
On the subject of striking, Zenith’s El Primero 21 limited<br />
edition designed in collaboration with Argentinian-<br />
Spanish artist Felipe Pantone in a Watches & Wonders<br />
pre-launch has to win the contest for the coolest and<br />
best executed mash-up of the fair, period. Launched<br />
exclusively online in the same way that the IWC 3705 was<br />
launched through their e-commerce website, collectors<br />
blew through the 100 pieces of this close to USD 30,000<br />
watch in a matter of hours. Along with Breitling’s Top<br />
Time collaboration with Deus ex Machina, these watches<br />
demonstrate that the Swiss maisons now have leadership<br />
savvy enough to identify truly cool new partners and create<br />
designs that are genuinely compelling. Zenith also offered<br />
up a beefed-up version of the Defy Extreme and made some<br />
stunning steel gem-set versions of the El Primero 21 under<br />
the name Spectrum.<br />
Tudor extended its BB58 family with a lovely silver<br />
cased version replete with a taupe dial as well as a facelifted<br />
Black Bay Chronograph, which is both handsome<br />
and one of the best values around. Louis Vuitton<br />
actually brought some of the highest watchmaking<br />
heat around with their badass Tambour Carpe Diem,<br />
a quadruple jacquemart watch with jumping hour,<br />
retrograde minute and a minute repeater made in<br />
collaboration with the LVMH-owned La Fabrique<br />
du Temps. As if that was not enough, the enamel<br />
work is all done by the legendary Anita Porchet.<br />
While Ulysse Nardin was one of the first modern<br />
watch brands to reintroduce the world to the hour striking<br />
complication, this year with the Blast Hourstriker, the<br />
brand’s objective was to give the world a far more modern<br />
interpretation of the complication. On the acoustic<br />
side, Ulysse Nardin has worked with audio technology<br />
firm Devialet (co-founded by one of the Nardin family’s<br />
descendants) to create an ultra thin membrane sound<br />
amplification device. Accordingly, the watch’s looks are<br />
vibrantly modern with openworked larger-than-life styling<br />
replete with a flying tourbillon.<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 37
From left: The Chopard L.U.C Time Traveler One Black in ceramised titanium; The elegant sector dial L.U.C QF Jubilee Limited Edition; Panerai’s Submersible<br />
eLAB-ID, which is almost 100-percent made of recycled based materials; The Tank Must SolarBeat, the first luxury watch with a solar powered movement<br />
LEADERS OF THE ETHICAL EVOLUTION — CARTIER, BVLGARI,<br />
CHOPARD AND PANERAI<br />
For me, the most significant evolution in our industry relates<br />
to how the underlying ethics of any luxury watch brand has<br />
come under enhanced scrutiny for millennial and Generation<br />
Z customers. The most dynamic leaders in the watch industry,<br />
Cyrille Vigneron of Cartier, Jean-Christophe Babin of Bvlgari,<br />
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele of Chopard and Jean-Marc Pontroué<br />
of Panerai, have already made sustainability and social<br />
responsibility instrumental to their brands.<br />
For Vigneron, this is best expressed by his amazing<br />
Tank Must collection which features, for the first time in a<br />
luxury watch, a solar-powered movement called SolarBeat<br />
that requires no service for a full 16 years. Says Vigneron,<br />
“This watch is very Cartier in that it features a design that is<br />
almost 100 years old, that of the Tank Louis Cartier, but uses<br />
solar energy to enhance its usefulness and sustainability for<br />
today.” Cartier also uses 95 percent recycled gold.<br />
Bvlgari was one of the fastest to respond to the COVID<br />
pandemic last year by first donating a hi-tech microscope<br />
for Rome’s Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute; second,<br />
transforming one of its fragrance factories into a sanitizer<br />
factory; and third, creating a virus eradication fund that<br />
helped make the AstraZeneca vaccine developed at Oxford<br />
University (this vaccine has now been broadly rolled out in<br />
the UK with 20 million doses administered as of end March<br />
2021). Karl-Friedrich Scheufele ensured that his maison<br />
Chopard was the first to use only ethically sourced gold<br />
and the first watch brand to create a family of timepieces<br />
made exclusively from recycled steel.<br />
Finally, Jean-Marc Pontroué not only introduced<br />
his eSteel watches which feature cases and dials made<br />
exclusively from recycled steel, but also created the<br />
world’s most highly recycled watch, the Submersible<br />
eLab-ID, with a case, dial and baseplate from recycled<br />
EcoTitanium, with recycled Super-LumiNova for its<br />
indexes and hands, and recycled silicon for its escapement.<br />
I was pleased to see that all four of these brands<br />
had tremendous offers at Watches & Wonders this<br />
year. Apart from the incredible Tank Must collection,<br />
38 WATCHES & WONDERS
From left: The MB&F LMX is cased in polished grade 5 titanium with green CVD treatment on the plates and bridge. It features<br />
the brand’s signature inclined subdials and marks the 10th anniversary of the MB&F Legacy Machine collection; The Oris<br />
Divers Sixty-Five “Cotton Candy” offers the quirky combination of a bronze case with a pastel sky blue dial<br />
Cartier also impressed with the fantastic new Pasha<br />
Chronograph which features a very cool hidden<br />
luminous signature. Bvlgari continued to set new records<br />
with a seriously jaw-droppingly epic watch, the Octo<br />
Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, the world’s thinnest<br />
automatic perpetual calendar which features a double<br />
retrograde indication. Chopard L.U.C kicked off the<br />
very beginning of its 25th anniversary celebrations<br />
with the final series of Qualité Fleurier watches in steel<br />
with a sector dial, the fantastic Time Traveler worldtime<br />
watch in black titanium, and the lovely polished<br />
titanium Perpetual Chrono. Panerai dropped several<br />
new models: the Luminor Chronographs, the Luminor<br />
Marina eSteel watches as previously mentioned, and<br />
also one of the best sports watches of the year — the<br />
42mm Submersible Bronzo Blu Abisso (PAM 1074).<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS<br />
What about the noteworthy outliers? Well, I thought<br />
the Arnold & Son Luna Magna with the world’s largest<br />
three-dimensional moon phase indicator was intriguing.<br />
For whatever reason, I loved the Chronoswiss Flying<br />
Regulator Open Gear Pink Panther. To me, one of the<br />
best launches this year was the Oris Divers Sixty-Five in<br />
bronze with the wonderful “Cotton Candy” dials. As far<br />
as independent watch brands were concerned, URWERK<br />
with their UR-100V “Blue Planet,” Max Büsser with his<br />
LMX and H. Moser & Cie. with their stone dial Endeavor<br />
Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye all took top marks. It<br />
makes me happy that the world is once again in the throes<br />
of its love affair with independent watchmaking and I am<br />
also delighted to see a new generation coming to the fore<br />
including Kudoke, Sartory Billard and Pascal Coyon. As<br />
always, I have nothing but the greatest respect for Richard<br />
and Maria Habring and Naoya Hida.<br />
But to me, the greatest horological treasure in the<br />
pantheon of independents is the amazing De Bethune, which<br />
I feel is genuinely on a steep rise. Their double-sided Kind<br />
of Two watch represents the staggering level of horological<br />
ambition expressed in each and every one of their timepieces.<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 39
THE KINGS — ROLEX AND PATEK PHILIPPE<br />
We can’t discuss the 2021 watch year without delving<br />
into the novelties launched by the two juggernauts of<br />
watchmaking, Rolex and Patek Philippe. The big news<br />
with the Explorer I is that it has gone back to its original<br />
size, down from 39mm to 36mm, and it is absolutely<br />
perfect. I love that the watch now features a subtle but<br />
very useful enhanced Chromalight display and actually<br />
like the two-tone version of the watch as well. Do I think<br />
Rolex could have been a bit more daring when it came to<br />
the 50th anniversary of the Explorer II? Well, like a lot of<br />
fans, I would have loved to see a 1655-inspired new watch<br />
at 39mm or 40mm; instead, the change to this model<br />
was subtle. It stayed at 42mm but with a subtly sleeker<br />
case now featuring the enhanced Chronergy escapement<br />
caliber 3285 inside it.<br />
But the bigger news for me was the stunning array<br />
of Daytonas that included three of the most ravishing<br />
watches, each with a meteorite dial, in Everose and yellow<br />
gold with matching metal bracelets, and in white gold on<br />
an Oysterflex strap. It perhaps says something that even<br />
on the limited budget of a watch journalist, if given the<br />
opportunity, I would find some way to own this watch.<br />
The other Daytona which I lusted after was the new<br />
Everose gold watch with a sundust dial set with baguette<br />
diamond indexes. This dial is a stunning dusty washed<br />
pink that is different from the matching Everose gold dial<br />
that appeared on this watch previously.<br />
Finally, I love that Patek Philippe has basically<br />
claimed its rightful place as the opening and closing<br />
acts of Watches & Wonders 2021 by first dropping the<br />
end-of-series ref. 5711 Nautilus watches, along with a<br />
stunning rose gold, blue sunray dial ref. <strong>59</strong>90, on us at<br />
the virtual fair’s opening on April 7th, then towards<br />
its close on April 12th, unveiling the true majesty of<br />
its novelties with the incandescent ref. 5236. This is<br />
From left: The new Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in 18K yellow gold with meteorite dial; The Cosmograph<br />
Daytona in 18K Everose gold, with a sundust, diamond-set dial (©Revolution)<br />
40 WATCHES & WONDERS
From left: The Patek Philippe ref. 5236 is the world’s first single-aperture perpetual calendar with an inline display of day, date and month (©Revolution);<br />
The Patek Annual Calendar ref. 4947 was created for women but appeals to all with its steel case and stunning blue shantung dial<br />
the world’s first single-aperture perpetual calendar<br />
with an inline display of day, date and month.<br />
Patek Philippe also demonstrated its full mastery of<br />
simple watches with the Calatrava ref. 6119 featuring a<br />
hobnail bezel. This watch is, in my opinion, the single<br />
most beautiful, simple time-only watch in existence. It<br />
also now comes with a full sized 31mm wide by 2.55mm in<br />
height movement that perfectly complements its 39mm<br />
diameter. The movement architecture of this new caliber<br />
30-255 PS is nothing less than ravishing. It contains two<br />
barrels simply because it has enough space to, and they<br />
run in parallel to improve the torque of the movement.<br />
Lastly, there is also the 38mm ref. 4947 annual calendar<br />
with a steel case and bracelet and a blue shantung dial.<br />
Even though it was created as a women’s watch, it is<br />
a great demonstration that watches today are largely<br />
genderless as I would leap at the opportunity to own<br />
this watch, such is its beauty. Placing it on my wrist, it is<br />
absolute perfection and, though the brand doesn’t bill it as<br />
such, since the annual calendar complication was invented<br />
in 1996 by Patek Philippe, the ref. 4947 is a fitting<br />
25th anniversary tribute to this amazing achievement.<br />
For our full<br />
coverage of<br />
Watches &<br />
Wonders 2021,<br />
scan here<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 41
OCTO REDUX<br />
Bvlgari captivates us with its new models for the<br />
Octo Finissimo — an ultra thin double retrograde Perpetual Calendar<br />
and the Tadao Ando Limited Edition in midnight blue.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
The new Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar will be available in two materials, Bvlgari’s signature sandblasted titanium on a<br />
matching bracelet and another one in platinum on a blue alligator strap<br />
42 WATCHES & WONDERS
From left: For the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, Bvlgari made their own micro-rotor driven movement, which is all of 2.75mm in thickness and which fits in a case that is an<br />
incredible 5.8mm thick; For its first double retrograde perpetual calendar in the Octo Finissimo line, Bvlgari has chosen a design language that is original and fun<br />
When I first set eyes on the Bvlgari Octo<br />
Finissimo back in 2014, I was blown away by<br />
the sheer audacity of this timepiece. While<br />
today it’s clear that the ultra thin integrated sports watch<br />
category is one of the most hotly contested, this wasn’t<br />
the case at the time. In fact, you could say that Bvlgari<br />
broke this category open and gave it a far greater sense of<br />
contemporary relevance. But to me, what was incredible<br />
was that the Octo Finissimo could only be the result of<br />
uniting case making, dial making, movement making, and<br />
later, bracelet making to create a watch that the world<br />
had never seen before. Future historians will therefore<br />
look back at 2014 as a parallel of 1972, when Gérald Genta<br />
introduced the world to the first integrated bracelet<br />
sports-chic watch, the Audemars Piguet ref. 5402.<br />
Now I understand the true scope of the vision initiated<br />
by Jean-Christophe Babin and Fabrizio Buonamassa<br />
those seven years ago. The Octo Finissimo has irrefutably<br />
established itself as a modern icon. Even more, it has two<br />
lines now: a “supercar” line in titanium, carbon, ceramic<br />
and precious metal for its more complicated watches, and a<br />
steel line replete with a screw-down crown for added water<br />
resistance extrapolated across the automatic and, as of this<br />
year, chronograph versions.<br />
THE OCTO FINISSIMO PERPETUAL CALENDAR<br />
If you thought that Bvlgari was going to rest on its<br />
laurels after dropping the world’s thinnest automatic<br />
tourbillon chronograph last year, think again. Because as of<br />
April 2021, it has pulled the covers off the stunning Octo<br />
Finissimo Perpetual Calendar. Why is this watch so cool?<br />
To begin, all of the other watches in this category,<br />
except for Patek Philippe’s ref. 5740, are using a movement<br />
that reaches back to 1967 to achieve their slimness. This<br />
means that the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual<br />
Calendar and the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual<br />
Calendar Ultra Thin are using modular perpetual calendars<br />
on top of their Jaeger-LeCoultre designed caliber 920<br />
— also known as the 2121 (in AP-speak) and the 1120 (in<br />
Vacheron terminology). Now, there is nothing wrong with<br />
this as both the Royal Oak and the Overseas are two of the<br />
most stunning watches in the world. But what’s great about<br />
Bvlgari is that recognizing the entrenched players, they<br />
decided to build their own micro-rotor driven movement,<br />
which is all of 2.75mm in thickness and which fits in a<br />
case that is an incredible 5.8mm thick. From a thinness<br />
perspective, this is absolutely amazing. This even smashes<br />
the Audemars Piguet RD2’s previous benchmark of 6.3mm,<br />
which I already thought was unbelievably thin.<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 43
Not content with mere technical achievement, the<br />
incredible team at Bvlgari — I should also give a shout-out<br />
to their excellent watch boss Antoine Pin — decided to<br />
drop double retrograde indications as a kind of ultimate mic<br />
drop moment. What you have on the upper part of the dial<br />
is a date retrograde indicator that fans out almost lovingly<br />
around the Bvlgari logo. The dial is balanced by two more<br />
subdials, one for the day of the week on the left and one<br />
for the month on the right. Finally, a small fan-shaped leap<br />
year indicator is tucked into the dial at six o’clock, barely<br />
kissing the edge of the bezel. On some level, I am sure there<br />
is a bit of a cheeky nod to the old Genta retrograde watches<br />
such as the Quattro Retro, but what I really like is that in<br />
creating the first double retrograde perpetual calendar in<br />
the Octo Finissimo line, Bvlgari has done so with a design<br />
language that is original and fun. It is one that references<br />
its roots but is also incredibly legible despite the exciting<br />
dial-side animation. The new Octo Finissimo Perpetual<br />
Calendar will be made available in two materials: Bvlgari’s<br />
signature sandblasted titanium on a matching bracelet and<br />
in platinum on a blue alligator strap.<br />
Says Bvlgari’s mighty CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, “One<br />
of our objectives was to make high complications more<br />
wearable, more sporty, more relevant to the new generation,<br />
and I think this new perceptual calendar is a wonderful<br />
demonstration of this.” I, for one, agree completely.<br />
THE OCTO FINISSIMO TADAO ANDO LIMITED EDITION<br />
For those of you who recall Bvlgari’s last foray with revered<br />
Japanese architect Tadao Ando, you will remember<br />
how images of this stunning watch, with a dial pattern<br />
that evoked a “black hole where time was born,” totally<br />
broke the Internet in 2019. The resulting feeding frenzy<br />
of collectors trying to get their hands on this Japan-only<br />
release demonstrated some rather extraordinary creativity.<br />
Says famed watch collector Ahmed “Shary” Rahman,<br />
“When I saw the first image of the Tadao Ando Octo<br />
Finissimo, I knew I had to have it. But when I learned it<br />
was a Japan-only release, I was compelled to start ringing<br />
everyone I knew in Japan.”<br />
Says Mark Cho, watch collector and co-founder of<br />
classic menswear store The Armory, “This was my first Octo<br />
Finissimo, but when I saw the sheer creativity and beauty<br />
of the watch, [it] spoke to me. Fortunately, I have a lot of<br />
business partners in Japan and I was able to secure a piece.”<br />
New for this year is Bvlgari’s third collaboration with<br />
Ando, this time with his signature dial turned blue and the<br />
addition of a yellow crescent moon. The moon is depicted<br />
as Mikazuki in its first stage of development and is meant to<br />
express the transitory nature of time. Time will indeed be<br />
fleeting when this watch is released, because every collector<br />
in the world inside and outside of Japan will be racing to<br />
get one of the rare 160 examples being made.<br />
BVLGARI<br />
OCTO FINISSIMO PERPETUAL CALENDAR<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber BVL 305; 60-hour<br />
power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, retrograde date, day, month and<br />
retrograde leap year<br />
CASE 40mm; sandblasted titanium or platinum;<br />
water resistant to 30m<br />
STRAP Sandblasted titanium bracelet with folding clasp, or blue<br />
alligator with platinum pin buckle<br />
PRICE USD<strong>59</strong>,000 (titanium); USD89,000 (platinum)<br />
BVLGARI<br />
OCTO FINISSIMO TADAO ANDO LIMITED EDITION<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber BVL 138; 60-hour<br />
power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and small seconds<br />
CASE 40mm; black sandblasted ceramic; water resistant to 30m<br />
STRAP Black ceramic bracelet with ceramic triple blade<br />
folding clasp<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited to 160 pieces<br />
PRICE USD18,100<br />
44 WATCHES & WONDERS
Bvlgari’s third watch with Japanese architect Tadao Ando depicts Mikazuki, a developing crescent moon, against the<br />
backdrop of a midnight blue dial, a design that is expressive of the transitory nature of time<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 45
THE FINAL YEAR OF THE<br />
PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5711<br />
Patek Philippe caps off a strong 15-year run for the steel ref. 5711 by launching the watch in a<br />
new olive green dial, alongside two complicated models for the Nautilus family.<br />
WORDS SUMIT NAG<br />
The Patek Philippe Nautilus is one of two iconic<br />
designs from Gérald Genta that defined the<br />
integrated bracelet sports chic luxury watch genre.<br />
From its conception in 1976 as the steel reference 3700<br />
through its various iterations, such as the 3800, the 3711,<br />
along with its more complicated variations, such as the<br />
3712, the timepiece has inspired generations of watch lovers<br />
from every corner of the globe. And without a doubt, the<br />
ref. 5711 that debuted in 2006 is its most emblematic and<br />
sought-after reference, with a rumored waiting list of eight<br />
years or more.<br />
Following the announcement that 2021 will be the last<br />
production year of the stainless steel ref. 5711/1A, the watch<br />
enthusiast community have been holding our collective<br />
breath for what Patek Philippe would announce to take up<br />
the empty space in the maison’s catalog books once 2021<br />
comes to an end. While Patek will keep us all in suspense<br />
as to whether they will replace the 5711 with something<br />
completely new, for the time being, and as an apt sendoff,<br />
they’ve presented four models to kickstart the digital<br />
edition of Watches & Wonders 2021, beginning with two<br />
swansong iterations of the 5711/1A.<br />
NAUTILUS — REF. 5711/1A-014 AND REF. 5711/1300A-001<br />
Keeping to the familiar form factor of this beloved<br />
timepiece, the end-of-series Nautilus ref. 5711/1A is 40mm<br />
in stainless steel but offers, for the first time in the family,<br />
a sunburst dial in olive green, albeit featuring the same<br />
horizontally embossed décor and luminescent white gold<br />
hands and hour markers.<br />
The new and handsome olive green dial puts to rest<br />
the notion that the ref. 5711/1A would not look good when<br />
rendered in any color except its signature blue. With this<br />
iteration, Patek Philippe has again shown us the versatility<br />
of Genta’s design and the maison’s depth of creativity in<br />
being able to work within set boundaries.<br />
Three things have to be said here. Firstly, the choice of<br />
olive green for the dial, no doubt, plays to the recent trend<br />
of green watch dials, but in a way that’s perfectly Patek<br />
Philippe. Secondly, altering the dial color of an iconic<br />
watch like the 5711 is no simple task. Offering a completely<br />
new dial color for an end-of-series watch is all the more a<br />
task that requires a pair in brass. Last but not least, given<br />
that a significant percentage of the world’s population are<br />
to be vaccinated by the end of this year and we can expect<br />
the return to a semblance of life as we know it pre-2020,<br />
the olive green sunburst dial model 5711/1A-014 is perfect<br />
for the uplifting season we all have our fingers crossed for.<br />
Alongside this model, Patek Philippe will also issue<br />
the ref. 5711/1300A-001, which presents the same olive<br />
green sunburst dial but with its bezel decorated with 32<br />
baguette-cut diamonds. Both watches are powered by the<br />
automatic caliber 26-330 S C and will surely only be made<br />
within the year 2021, by the end of which the 5711/1A will<br />
have come to its glorious end.<br />
PATEK PHILIPPE NAUTILUS<br />
REF. 5711/1A-014 AND REF. 5711/1300A-001<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 26-330 S C; maximum<br />
45-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, sweep seconds and date<br />
CASE 40mm; stainless steel with the option of a bezel set with<br />
32 baguette-cut diamonds (in the ref. 5711/1300A-001);<br />
water resistant to 120m<br />
STRAP Stainless steel bracelet with fold-over clasp<br />
PRICE USD 34,893 (ref. 5711/1A-014); USD 94,624<br />
(ref. 5711/1300A-001)<br />
46 WATCHES & WONDERS
WATCHES & WONDERS 47
NAUTILUS TRAVEL TIME CHRONOGRAPH — REF. <strong>59</strong>90/1R-001<br />
Apart from the ref. 5711, Patek Philippe has announced<br />
a new dual time zone model to the Nautilus family. The<br />
ref. <strong>59</strong>90/1R-001 Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph is<br />
cased in rose gold with a blue sunburst dial — an elevated<br />
version of the first <strong>59</strong>90 which was launched in 2014 in<br />
steel with a black gradated dial.<br />
Owing to Patek Philippe’s exclusive Travel Time system,<br />
the watch presents its wearer with two hour hands mounted<br />
on the center pinion. The overlying pierced hand is meant<br />
to indicate the hours of home time while the solid hand<br />
underneath is meant to show the hours of local time. What<br />
really makes the dual time zone indication on the Travel<br />
Time a no-brainer when reading off the dial are the pair<br />
of day/night indicators, clearly marked with inscriptions<br />
indicating local and home time. Therefore, the wearer can<br />
effortlessly determine a.m./p.m. hours, no matter where<br />
you are. Local time can be adjusted by one-hour increments<br />
forwards or backwards using the plus and minus pushers<br />
at nine o’clock. While adjusting, the home time pierced, or<br />
openworked, hand remains steady.<br />
Add to this the flyback chronograph mechanism, and<br />
immediately what you have on hand is one of the most<br />
desirable complicated Nautiluses offered by Patek Philippe.<br />
PATEK PHILIPPE NAUTILUS<br />
TRAVEL TIME CHRONOGRAPH REF. <strong>59</strong>90/1R-001<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber CH 28-520 C FUS; maximum<br />
55-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds, dual time zone,<br />
local date, two day/night indicators and flyback chronograph<br />
CASE 40.5mm; 18K rose gold; water resistant to 120m<br />
STRAP Rose gold bracelet with fold-over clasp<br />
PRICE USD 106,452<br />
48 WATCHES & WONDERS
NAUTILUS HAUTE JOAILLERIE — REF. 7118/1450R-001<br />
Rounding up the quartet of Nautiluses being launched is<br />
a 35.2mm rose gold high jewelry version, fully paved with<br />
2,553 brilliant-cut diamonds, of which 1,729 are on the<br />
bracelet alone. For this watch, the rare and challenging<br />
snow-setting technique is used, which involves the<br />
selection and setting of differently sized diamonds<br />
to minimize exposure of precious metal between the<br />
individual stones. While it may be festooned with<br />
diamonds, the watch dial remains highly legible with<br />
luminous hour and minute hands, luminous indexes and<br />
Arabic numerals at “12” and “6”, making this timepiece a<br />
veritable crown jewel for the Nautilus line.<br />
All in, Patek Philippe’s latest Nautilus watches are<br />
a positive harbinger of what is come from the maison<br />
in 2021, particularly in light of the discontinuation of<br />
ref. 5711/1A at the peak of its popularity, which signals<br />
Patek’s commitment to constant renewal of their most<br />
valuable and highly sought after collections.<br />
PATEK PHILIPPE NAUTILUS<br />
HAUTE JOAILLERIE REF. 7118/1450R-001<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 324 S; 45-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and sweep seconds<br />
CASE 35.2mm; 18K rose gold with full diamond pavé;<br />
water resistant to 30m<br />
STRAP Rose gold bracelet paved with diamonds and<br />
diamond-set fold-over clasp<br />
PRICE USD 366,667<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 49
PANERAI-MIC VIEWS<br />
For 2021, Panerai powers ahead with a stylish update on its iconic Bronzo.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
How is it that Panerai became<br />
the first brand to create a<br />
commercially available bronze<br />
sports watch? Its CEO Jean-Marc<br />
Pontroué says, “My predecessor, the<br />
legendary Angelo Bonati, was an avid<br />
sailor. One day he was on the deck<br />
of our boat Eilean and he observed<br />
that many of the fittings were made<br />
with bronze.” Indeed, bronze is one<br />
of the world’s most ancient materials,<br />
but also one of its most significant.<br />
By learning to mix tin with copper,<br />
mankind created the world’s first<br />
widespread metal alloy during the<br />
4th century BC, which represented<br />
a major technological leap forward.<br />
Bronze was used in everything<br />
from ceremonial vessels to jewelry,<br />
but was perhaps most widely used<br />
in weaponry. The famous shields,<br />
helmets, cuirasses and greaves that the<br />
300 Spartans wore defending the hot<br />
gates of Thermopylae against what<br />
Herodotus claimed was a force of<br />
2.6 million Persians, were all made of<br />
bronze. Bronze is also often used on<br />
maritime vessels because of its high<br />
corrosion resistance.<br />
And so in 2011, Panerai unveiled<br />
the famous “Bronzo” (PAM 382), a<br />
47mm in diameter beast made on<br />
the Submersible platform with a<br />
distinct green dial. That soon became<br />
one of the most collectible modern<br />
sports watches around. Images of this<br />
1,000-piece limited edition watch<br />
soon began appearing online. Notably,<br />
Laurent Picciotto, the owner of Paris’s<br />
Chronopassion, demonstrated how<br />
you could let the material oxidize and<br />
develop a wild-looking green deposit<br />
by exposing it to salt water. This layer<br />
of oxide has no adverse effect on<br />
the case and can be removed with a<br />
vinegar solution. Most owners allowed<br />
their Bronzo cases to naturally<br />
patinate, gaining dark spots and an<br />
appealing pattern that gave each<br />
watch a unique appearance. Panerai<br />
followed up on the Bronzo with the<br />
PAM 507 in 2013, this time with the<br />
addition of a power reserve indicator,<br />
also in the 47mm format with a green<br />
dial and in 1,000 pieces. In 2017, a<br />
third Bronzo (PAM 671) was released,<br />
this time with a stunning blue dial<br />
and also in a run of 1,000 pieces.<br />
In 2019, Panerai released a fourth<br />
Bronzo (PAM 968) with an appealing<br />
brown dial. This watch had the further<br />
refinement of a brown ceramic bezel<br />
insert, as well as a slightly slimmer<br />
case profile, thanks to the use of the<br />
6mm-high caliber P.9010. Also, for the<br />
first time Panerai announced that due<br />
to demand, this would not be a limited<br />
edition but limited in production.<br />
This is a tactic that many savvy brands<br />
have adopted in recent years — such as<br />
Omega with its “Silver Snoopy Award”<br />
50th Anniversary watch — and I, for<br />
one, applaud it. Because this means<br />
that a lot more people will be able<br />
to get their hands on this watch and<br />
don’t feel excluded. A check on the<br />
secondary market also shows that this<br />
strategy hasn’t hurt the resale prices of<br />
the Bronzo in the slightest.<br />
Cut to the present day. A full<br />
decade after its launch, I don’t think<br />
anyone would argue that the Bronzo<br />
has achieved iconic status. But it is<br />
also irrefutably massive. Responding<br />
to the demand for a downsized<br />
Bronzo, this year, Jean-Marc Pontroué<br />
and Panerai introduced a fantastic<br />
new Bronzo that utilizes the 42mm<br />
Submersible platform. If you haven’t<br />
tried on a 42mm Submersible yet,<br />
you should. While I am a Panerai<br />
purist in that I love a 44mm Luminor<br />
Marina, I have to admit that the 42mm<br />
Submersible has rapidly become<br />
one of my favorite Panerais. It still<br />
has amazing wrist presence, offers<br />
enhanced wearability, is extremely<br />
balanced, and the design looks just<br />
as good in these more comfortable<br />
dimensions. One of my favorite<br />
recent Panerai pieces is the 42mm<br />
Submersible Carbotech, so the<br />
creation of a 42mm Bronzo makes<br />
every bit of sense to me.<br />
The new PAM 1074 Bronzo Blu<br />
Abisso uses a blue dial with beigecolored<br />
luminous indexes, as well as a<br />
4.2mm-high caliber P.900, which allows<br />
for a watch that is 14.37mm thick. The<br />
bezel of this watch is the old-school,<br />
full bronze style. Between this new<br />
reference and the PAM 968, Pontroué<br />
explains that Panerai will limit the<br />
number of Bronzos made to no more<br />
than 1,000 a year, which should still<br />
make them relatively rare.<br />
PANERAI<br />
BRONZO BLU ABISSO (PAM 1074)<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber P.900;<br />
three-day power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small<br />
seconds and date<br />
CASE 42mm; bronze; water resistant<br />
to 300m<br />
STRAP Vintage blue suede with ecru<br />
stitching and bronze trapezoidal pin<br />
buckle; additional rubber strap in blue<br />
PRICE USD 15,900<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited production to<br />
1,000 units per year<br />
50 WATCHES & WONDERS
The new Bronzo Blue Abisso in 42 mm offers enhanced wearability and looks extremely balanced in the more comfortable dimensions. It is powered by self-winding mechanical<br />
calibre P.900 which delivers a power reserve of three days<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 51
AT FACE VALUE<br />
To celebrate the Reverso’s glorious nine-decade-long journey, Jaeger-LeCoultre has<br />
chosen the Hybris Mechanica collection to introduce its most complex Reverso, with 11<br />
complications displayed over four functioning faces and 12 patents to its credit.<br />
WORDS NEHA S. BAJPAI<br />
Much has been said about the indisputable elegance<br />
of the Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ageless icon<br />
that turns 90 this year. Indeed, in a world<br />
obsessed with stainless steel sports watches, the Reverso<br />
has etched its place amongst the horological pantheon with<br />
its versatile and deceptively simple swiveling case.<br />
The origins of the Reverso can be traced to a polo match<br />
in India in the 1920s, when some officers of the British<br />
colonial army challenged Swiss businessman César de<br />
Trey to create a watch robust enough to endure the<br />
rigors of a polo match. De Trey brought this up with<br />
Jacques-David LeCoultre and Edmond Jaeger, the masters of<br />
micromechanics, who had already established their proficiency<br />
in miniaturization with the Duoplan watch in 1925.<br />
A tough row to hoe, the task was finally accomplished<br />
with the help of French designer René-Alfred Chauvot, who<br />
created a perfect rectilinear case, which in the words of patent<br />
application No. 712868 filed at the French Ministry of Trade<br />
and Industry on March 4, 1931, “can be slid in its support and<br />
completely turned over.” With its Art Deco aesthetics alongside<br />
baton-shaped hands, dart-type indexes, Arabic numerals<br />
and the swiveling case with three decorative gadroons on top<br />
and bottom, the Reverso turned out to be a runaway hit.<br />
THE STORY OF THE SWIVELING CASE<br />
Buoyed by the stupendous success of the watch, LeCoultre<br />
developed a dedicated movement, caliber 410, for<br />
the Reverso just two years after its debut. Favored by<br />
tastemakers from all walks of life, the Reverso was offered in<br />
gold as well as the original Staybrite steel. With options to<br />
be worn as pendants, handbag clips and dainty wristwatches,<br />
the watch also adapted to suit the needs of women in those<br />
days. For those seeking even greater individuality, brightly<br />
colored lacquer dials could be made to order, and the reverse<br />
side of the case personalized with engraving and lacquer.<br />
De Trey, who made a good fortune selling gold and<br />
porcelain dentures in Switzerland, set up a watch distribution<br />
company called Spécialités Horlogères and bought the<br />
rights to the Reverso name. Between 1931 and 1933, de Trey<br />
and Jacques-David LeCoultre supplied the Reverso cases to<br />
brands like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Cartier.<br />
By the late 1930s, Jaeger-LeCoultre had created no less than 11<br />
different movements for the Reverso.<br />
However, the charm of all things Art Deco started to fade<br />
after World War II. The Reverso’s popularity also took a hit,<br />
and by the late 1960s, the production was completely ceased.<br />
The next two decades were dominated by the Japanese quartz<br />
watches, and it wasn’t until 1982 that the Reverso could be<br />
resuscitated with the quartz caliber 601 movement.<br />
Jaeger-LeCoultre was now making the Reverso cases inhouse.<br />
In 1985, the brand unveiled a new case designed by one<br />
of its engineers, Daniel Wild. Though there was no question<br />
of playing with the aesthetics of the case, the new batch used<br />
CNC technology for the first time. Composed of 55 parts<br />
From left: Edmond Jaeger; Jacques-David LeCoultre; A vintage advertisement for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch<br />
52 WATCHES & WONDERS
WATCHES & WONDERS 53
Leap year in red<br />
Hand guilloché<br />
Perpetual calendar<br />
Crystal gongs<br />
Minute repeater<br />
Jumping digital hour<br />
Minutes<br />
Flying tourbillon<br />
Grande date<br />
Trebuchet hammers<br />
FACE ONE<br />
FACE TWO<br />
instead of the 23 in the original, the new case was waterproof,<br />
dust-proof and equipped with a new flip-over mechanism.<br />
As the revival of mechanical watches started to gain<br />
momentum in the 1990s, Günter Blümlein took the helm<br />
of Jaeger-LeCoultre and brought back the glory days of<br />
the Reverso. Together with Henry-John Belmont, the<br />
then-CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, and French designer Janek<br />
Deleskiewicz, he re-energized the Reverso with a slew of<br />
complications for the watch’s 60th anniversary.<br />
Crafted out of pink gold, the Reverso 60ème with<br />
a power reserve and date hand was introduced in 1991.<br />
The anniversary special was soon followed by the brand’s<br />
first tourbillon wristwatch in 1993, first minute repeater<br />
in 1994, first retrograde chronograph in 1996 and first<br />
perpetual calendar in 2000 — all in a Reverso.<br />
Despite the added challenge that rectangular<br />
movements dictate an entirely different architecture<br />
from that of the round movements traditionally used<br />
for complications, Jaeger-LeCoultre has continued to<br />
enrich the Reverso with a variety of complications. The<br />
maison introduced the world’s first rectangular minuterepeater<br />
movement, caliber 943, in the Reverso Répétition<br />
Minutes unveiled in 1994. Then came the Reverso Grande<br />
Complication à Triptyque powered by caliber 175 — a<br />
single movement incorporating 18 different functions,<br />
including civil time, sidereal time and a perpetual<br />
calendar, displayed on three dials, with the third dial being<br />
set into the carrier plate of the watch.<br />
The Reverso has also housed Jaeger-LeCoultre’s<br />
unique bi-axial flying tourbillon, first seen in the Reverso<br />
Gyrotourbillon 2 of 2008 and then in the 2016 Reverso<br />
Tribute Gyrotourbillon.<br />
THE MOST COMPLICATED REVERSO:<br />
HYBRIS MECHANICA CALIBER 185 'QUADRIPTYQUE'<br />
To celebrate the Reverso’s glorious nine-decade-long<br />
journey, Jaeger-LeCoultre has chosen the Hybris<br />
Mechanica collection to introduce its most complex<br />
iteration of the Reverso to date. Featuring 11 astonishing<br />
complications deftly displayed over the four faces of<br />
the watch, the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Caliber 185<br />
“Quadriptyque” is a mechanical wonder.<br />
Conceptualized and designed over six years, the watch<br />
represents Jaeger-LeCoultre’s biggest strengths — its<br />
impeccable design sensibilities and supreme technical<br />
prowess. Unlike most grand complications, the Quadriptyque<br />
doesn’t overwhelm you with a mind-bogglingly busy dial. It<br />
is the world’s first wristwatch with four functioning display<br />
faces, but all so cleverly packaged in a 51.2mm × 31mm ×<br />
15.15mm case that you’ll instantly want to play with it.<br />
Indeed, the Hybris Mechanica is a representation<br />
of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s soaring ambition to conquer new<br />
milestones in haute horlogerie. Over the last 18 years,<br />
the Hybris Mechanica family has showcased close to 20<br />
groundbreaking creations in a variety of models — from<br />
the Atmos Mystérieuse, which was the inaugural piece in<br />
the line launched in 2003, and the Master Gyrotourbillon 1<br />
from 2004, to the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater<br />
Flying Tourbillon in 2014 and the Master Grande Tradition<br />
Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel in 2019.<br />
54 WATCHES & WONDERS
Synodic lunar cycle<br />
Moon phase<br />
Southern Hemisphere<br />
Draconic lunar cycle<br />
Position of the Moon<br />
on the ecliptic plane<br />
Anomalistic lunar cycle<br />
Distances between<br />
the Moon and the Earth<br />
Gradient<br />
blue lacquer<br />
FACE THREE<br />
FACE FOUR<br />
On the Reverso’s 75th anniversary in 2006, Jaeger-<br />
LeCoultre introduced the Reverso Grande Complication<br />
à Triptyque, an ultra complicated timepiece made by 14<br />
specialists. The watch had three dials displaying mean,<br />
sidereal, and perpetual times in one grand complication.<br />
Its other features included display of moon phases,<br />
equation of time, zodiac calendar, astronomical chart,<br />
sunrise and sunset time, power reserve, day/night and leapyear<br />
indicators.<br />
To mark the 90th anniversary, the brand has again<br />
turned to the Hybris Mechanica line to present a watch<br />
that not only offers the usual perpetual calendar and<br />
minute repeater functions, but also predicts supermoons<br />
and eclipses.<br />
FOUR FACES: 11 COMPLICATIONS, 12 PATENTS<br />
For all their complexity, most grand complications<br />
fall short of creating a harmonious dial design. The<br />
Quadriptyque, however, scores full marks for its selective<br />
and clear display of the 11 complications across the four<br />
faces of the watch.<br />
Face One: The most striking feature on the main dial is the<br />
beautiful Clous de Paris guillochage interspersed with the<br />
clean day, date and month display disks. To accommodate<br />
the dimensions of the flying tourbillon at seven o’clock,<br />
Jaeger-LeCoultre created a new system of date display<br />
disks. The instantaneous perpetual calendar feature and<br />
day/night indications are also presented on this opening<br />
face of the watch.<br />
Face Two: With over 200 chiming watches to its credit, La<br />
Grande Maison du Sentier couldn’t have possibly skipped<br />
the minute repeater mechanism in its most complicated<br />
Reverso. Bringing together various crucial innovations from<br />
the revered world of chiming watches in this one piece,<br />
Jaeger-LeCoultre has equipped the Quadriptyque with the<br />
silent chime governor, patented by the manufacture in 1895<br />
to eliminate the buzzing noise created by the older anchor<br />
system. Then there is the more recent innovation of the use<br />
of crystal gongs attached directly to the sapphire crystal<br />
and the articulated trebuchet hammers (developed for the<br />
Hybris Mechanica Duomètre à Grande Sonnerie in 2009)<br />
that ensure the sound is loud and crystal clear.<br />
Debuting in the Quadriptyque is a completely novel<br />
engineering of the chiming components to create a seamless<br />
chime with no pauses in between the hours, quarters and<br />
minutes. A conventional minute repeater mechanism uses<br />
special pivoting racks that read the time off a series of cams,<br />
and then proceed to activate each group of chimed notes in<br />
Scan for videos<br />
and more on<br />
the Jaeger-<br />
LeCoultre<br />
Reverso Hybris<br />
Mechanica<br />
Caliber 185.<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 55
turn. This creates a gap in between chimed notes, especially<br />
when there are only hours and minutes to be struck, with<br />
no intervening quarters. Over the years, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s<br />
timepieces such as the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater<br />
Flying Tourbillon (2014) and the Master Grande Tradition<br />
Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel (2019) have sought<br />
to reduce these gaps in high complications. Thanks to a<br />
highly refined mechanical sequence, the maison has managed<br />
to completely eliminate these gaps in the Quadriptyque.<br />
The watch’s chiming mechanism can be activated with<br />
the slide of a lever located just above the crown. The hours<br />
are sounded off with a series of low notes; the quarter hours<br />
by an alternating couplet of high and low notes; and a<br />
succession of high notes indicates the number of minutes to<br />
be added to the elapsed quarters.<br />
The wearer can enjoy a captivating interplay of the<br />
striking time displayed through the hammers and gongs in<br />
motion alongside a secondary time display, presented in a<br />
jumping hours and peripheral minutes format.<br />
Face Three: The most spectacular complication on the<br />
Quadriptyque can be seen on the interior face of the watch<br />
cradle. This is the first time any watch brand has attempted<br />
a display of the synodic, draconic and the anomalistic<br />
cycles (the motion of the Moon in relation to the Earth<br />
and the Sun) in a wristwatch. To put it in simpler terms,<br />
the readings from these cycles help in predicting solar and<br />
lunar eclipses, and also supermoons.<br />
While the synodic cycle is captured in the top half of the<br />
dial through a massive representation of the moon phases as<br />
seen in the Northern Hemisphere, the draconic cycle (when<br />
the path of the Moon intersects with the orbit of the Earth<br />
around the Sun) is read through a counter just below this,<br />
represented by a three-dimensional micro-sculpted pink<br />
gold sun with a tiny hemispherical moon in orbit.<br />
An enamel-painted earth on the right side of the<br />
draconic cycle counter represents the anomalistic cycle,<br />
showing the varying distance between the Earth and Moon.<br />
When the full moon coincides with the Moon’s closest<br />
point of orbit in relation to the Earth, also known as<br />
perigee, we see the mesmerizing supermoon phenomenon<br />
unfold. As a result, the Moon can appear to be up to 14<br />
percent larger and brighter than usual.<br />
Face Four: Made at the Atelier des Métiers Rares, the<br />
last face of the Quadriptyque presents the phases of the<br />
moon as seen in the Southern Hemisphere. Engraved<br />
and lacquered in various hues of blue, the star-speckled<br />
backdrop is adorned with a gorgeous pink gold moon.<br />
THE MECHANISM<br />
Powered by caliber 185, the Quadriptyque works on a<br />
fabulous trick that was first seen in the Reverso Hybris<br />
Mechanica Grande Complication à Triptyque in 2006.<br />
Every night, as the watch strikes 12, a little pin extends out<br />
of the main case movement and activates the mechanical<br />
corrector in the cradle, which then advances the cradle<br />
displays. This ensures that the four display faces continue<br />
to function uninterrupted. The mechanism driving the<br />
cradle display is set directly into the cradle, so this keeps<br />
the watch ultra compact at 15.15mm.<br />
Limited to just 10 pieces, this exceptional timepiece comes<br />
in a special presentation box with a built-in mechanism<br />
that allows the wearer to intuitively set all the calendar and<br />
astronomical displays of the watch after a period of it being<br />
unworn. The box has a two-position crown that can be used<br />
to set the number of days for which the watch hasn’t been<br />
worn. Once this is set up, the crown can be pulled further to<br />
its second position and wound, to rapidly bring the watch to<br />
the current date for all calendar and astronomical indications.<br />
The best part about this magical box is that you don’t<br />
have to worry about damaging the movement while<br />
correcting the settings. The entire process is designed to be<br />
controlled by the box corrector mechanism in a way that<br />
no amount of overenthusiasm at your end can harm this<br />
pièce extraordinaire.<br />
JAEGER-LECOULTRE<br />
REVERSO HYBRIS MECHANICA CALIBER 185<br />
'QUADRIPTYQUE'<br />
MOVEMENT Manual-winding Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 185;<br />
50-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS<br />
Face One — Hours, minutes, small seconds, tourbillon and<br />
instantaneous perpetual calendar with grande date display<br />
Face Two — Jumping digital hours, minutes and minute repeater<br />
Face Three — Northern Hemisphere moon phases, draconic<br />
lunar cycle, anomalistic lunar cycle, month and year<br />
Face Four — Southern Hemisphere moon phases<br />
CASE 51.2mm × 31mm × 15.15mm; 18K white gold;<br />
water resistant to 30m<br />
STRAP Blue alligator<br />
PRICE USD 1.62 million<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 10 pieces<br />
56 WATCHES & WONDERS
WATCHES & WONDERS 57
PAR EXCELLENCE<br />
Right out of the gate, Vacheron Constantin has launched two of the very best watches of 2021.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
Above: Vacheron Constantin celebrates the 100th anniversary of its iconic watch with the stunning limited edition Historiques American 1921 — Collection Excellence Platine<br />
Opposite page: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 in white gold is available in dimensions of 36.5mm and 40mm<br />
58 WATCHES & WONDERS
Something is going on at Vacheron Constantin in terms<br />
of them hitting their stride with successive launches<br />
of damnably great watches each and every year. Case<br />
in point: right out of the gate, Vacheron Constantin has<br />
launched two of the very best watches of 2021.<br />
HISTORIQUES AMERICAN 1921 WHITE GOLD AND<br />
EXCELLENCE PLATINE<br />
The first is the new 100-piece Collection Excellence Platine<br />
version of its famous Historiques American 1921 driver’s<br />
watch with the dial canted 45 degrees clockwise. The<br />
second is a new white gold version of the already frickin’<br />
magnificent Overseas Perpetual Calendar. Both represent<br />
Vacheron Constantin at its very best by demonstrating a<br />
great dynamic tension between vintage and modern design,<br />
elegance and refinement in spades, and originality in form.<br />
The Historiques American 1921 has been one of<br />
Vacheron Constantin’s most iconic modern watches since it<br />
was relaunched back in 2005, based on a design conceived<br />
in the early part of the 20th century. The Roaring Twenties<br />
in the United States was a time of great cultural and<br />
artistic change. In particular, the automobile had created<br />
an unprecedented level of interconnectivity and freedom.<br />
Vacheron Constantin responded to a request for a watch<br />
that was easier to read when the driver’s hands were on the<br />
steering wheel, by taking a stunning cushion-shaped watch<br />
and tilting the dial and movement by 45 degrees.<br />
The original watches came with movements that<br />
were canted both clockwise as well as counterclockwise.<br />
The interesting thing was that the seconds subdial was<br />
always at six o’clock relative to the placement of the<br />
crown at 12 o’clock, as presumably the watches were using<br />
modified pocket watch calibers. In contrast, the modern<br />
interpretation has its subdial at six o’clock, relative to a<br />
crown placement at three o’clock, which is normal for a<br />
modern wristwatch using the VC caliber 4400. What is<br />
impressive is that the shift in placement of the subdial<br />
in the modern watch works perfectly, and the watch has<br />
become one of the most beloved in the Vacheron lexicon.<br />
But to say that the 100-piece limited edition created<br />
to celebrate the centenary of this icon is stunning doesn’t<br />
suffice to express its true mind-blowing awesomeness.<br />
The 1921 is the first Historiques watch that was given the<br />
Collection Excellence Platine treatment — meaning, a<br />
platinum case, platinum dial and even platinum thread in<br />
the bracelet all receiving different surface treatment and<br />
finishes to highlight the beauty of the material. The way<br />
this has been executed for the Historiques American 1921<br />
results in a watch of incredible beauty. The masterpiece<br />
here is the dial, which has been given a sandblasted<br />
treatment and then affixed with white gold applied Arabic<br />
numerals and Breguet hands. If Vacheron were to make<br />
just a simple watch in this configuration — say, from its<br />
40mm Patrimony collection — I have no doubt it would<br />
be a bestseller. The small seconds subdial is rendered with<br />
a circular guilloché finish and uses a flame blued seconds<br />
hand. The 40mm platinum case is, as expected, superbly<br />
polished and the blue alligator strap with platinum and<br />
silk top stitching complements it well.<br />
As part of the celebration for the 1921’s 100th birthday,<br />
Vacheron has also launched a white gold version of the watch<br />
in unlimited quantities. This model is offered in both sizes of<br />
the 1921: 40mm as well as 36.5mm in diameter. Increasingly,<br />
I find collectors re-embracing smaller-sized shaped watches<br />
and have found the 36.5mm version of the 1921 to be very<br />
well suited to my wrist. The overall feeling of the cooler<br />
material, complemented by the silver dial, is a sense of<br />
restrained elegance that I find very appealing and stylish.<br />
VACHERON CONSTANTIN<br />
HISTORIQUES AMERICAN 1921 —<br />
COLLECTION EXCELLENCE PLATINE<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 4400 AS;<br />
65-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and small seconds<br />
CASE 40mm × 40mm; 950 platinum; water resistant to 30m<br />
STRAP Dark blue alligator leather<br />
PRICE USD 51,000<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited to 100 pieces<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS <strong>59</strong>
The Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin Skeleton and the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin are powered by Calibre 1120<br />
OVERSEAS PERPETUAL CALENDAR ULTRA THIN WHITE GOLD<br />
AND OVERSEAS TOURBILLON<br />
On the subject of white gold, Vacheron Constantin has<br />
just taken what I consider to be possibly the most beautiful<br />
complicated integrated bracelet sports watch around — the<br />
Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin Skeleton — and<br />
given it an incredibly cool new look with the use of a white<br />
gold case complemented by the perfect touches of blue and<br />
small nuances of gold on the dial. When I opened the press<br />
kit and saw this watch, I basically shouted, “Oh f**k, that<br />
is just epic!” And it is.<br />
The skeleton dial gives the Overseas a more vibrant,<br />
technical and modern appearance. But flip the watch<br />
over and you can revel in the extraordinary hand<br />
skeletonization of this movement, which includes 16<br />
internal angles that can only be beveled by hand on just<br />
the rotor alone. I loved the rose gold version of this watch,<br />
which was launched last year, but appreciate the slightly<br />
more low key vibe of this new version. If I were asked to<br />
choose between the two, I would probably go with the<br />
white gold — well, at least till Vacheron comes up with<br />
a titanium version of this beauty. There are now a lot of<br />
integrated bracelet watches on the market, but the bracelet<br />
on this Overseas is one of the most beautifully designed<br />
The extraordinary hand-skeletonization of Caliber 1120 in this watch<br />
includes hand bevelling of 16 internal angles on just the rotor alone.<br />
VACHERON CONSTANTIN<br />
OVERSEAS PERPETUAL CALENDAR ULTRA THIN<br />
WHITE GOLD<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 1120 QP (blue dial);<br />
1120 QP SQ/1 (skeletonized); 40-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and perpetual calendar<br />
with moon phase<br />
CASE 41.5mm; 18K white gold; water resistant to 50m<br />
STRAP 18K white gold bracelet, dark blue<br />
rubber and dark blue alligator leather<br />
PRICE USD 97,000 (blue dial); USD 130,000 (skeletonized)<br />
60 WATCHES & WONDERS
with its overlapping and recurring Maltese cross shaped<br />
motif, which allows you to see the amazing finish such as<br />
the brushing and mirror polishing that Vacheron is capable<br />
of. Also cool is the fact that you can unclip the bracelet and<br />
fasten the blue rubber or alligator strap by yourself, thanks<br />
to a quick release system integrated into the end pieces.<br />
At the same time, the solid blue dial version of this<br />
watch, now also rendered in white gold, is also a stunner.<br />
According to Christian Selmoni, the brand’s heritage<br />
director, they spent a long time deciding on the shade of<br />
blue, which, I have to say, is absolutely breathtaking. I love<br />
that both of these watches are powered by the same caliber<br />
1120, which is based on the Jaeger-LeCoultre designed<br />
caliber 920 that appeared in the original Vacheron<br />
reference 222. And I am waiting with anticipation for the<br />
maison to relaunch this watch in its near-original form,<br />
in the same way Audemars Piguet did with its reference<br />
15202. We all know that the moment they do, they will have<br />
another staggering hit on their hands.<br />
This year, the Overseas also comes in an automatic<br />
tourbillon version with a pink gold case that measures<br />
10.39mm in thickness, which is actually really good for this<br />
kind of complication. In comparison, the lithe Perpetual<br />
Calendar measures 8.1mm in thickness.<br />
TRADITIONNELLE SPLIT SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH<br />
ULTRA THIN EXCELLENCE PLATINE<br />
Also new for this year is a Collection Excellence Platine<br />
split seconds chronograph from the Traditionnelle family.<br />
Beating inside this watch is the world’s thinnest automatic<br />
split seconds chronograph caliber, the VC 3500, which<br />
measures 5.2mm in height and superseded the Frédéric<br />
Piguet 1186 when it first appeared in the Harmony Ultra<br />
Thin Grande Complication Chronograph back in 2015. The<br />
new Traditionnelle Split Seconds Chronograph is 42.5mm<br />
in diameter and 10.72mm in thickness. It benefits from the<br />
Collection Excellence Platine’s sandblasted dial features and<br />
oversized monopusher, with the split function activated<br />
by a second pusher recessed into the crown. One curious<br />
detail is the use of a 60-minute chronograph counter at<br />
three o’clock, which creates a nice sense of symmetry<br />
relative to the seconds counter at nine o’clock. As with the<br />
Harmony Ultra Thin Grande Complication, Vacheron only<br />
uses the movement in very small quantities of very special<br />
timepieces. Accordingly, the Traditionnelle Split Seconds<br />
Chronograph will only be made in 15 examples.<br />
The Collection Excellence Platine split seconds<br />
chronograph from the Traditionnelle family<br />
VACHERON CONSTANTIN<br />
OVERSEAS TOURBILLON PINK GOLD<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 2160; 80-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds and tourbillon<br />
CASE 42.5mm; 18K pink gold; water resistant to 50m<br />
STRAP 18K pink gold bracelet, dark blue<br />
rubber and dark blue alligator leather<br />
PRICE Approximately USD 200,000<br />
VACHERON CONSTANTIN<br />
TRADITIONNELLE SPLIT SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH<br />
ULTRA THIN — COLLECTION EXCELLENCE PLATINE<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 3500; 48-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds and<br />
split seconds chronograph<br />
CASE 42.5mm; 950 platinum; water resistant to 30m<br />
STRAP Dark blue alligator leather<br />
PRICE USD 288,000<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited to 15 pieces<br />
Scan here<br />
for more on<br />
Vacheron<br />
Constantin's<br />
2021 novelties<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 61
RACING INTO THE FUTURE<br />
TAG Heuer’s new Aquaracer dive watch in a variety of colored dials puts us in<br />
the mood to enjoy our favorite water sports.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
62 WATCHES & WONDERS
From left: With streamlined aesthetics and pragmatic functions, the new Aquaracer dive watch is wonderfully rooted in the present; The caseback of the Aquaracer features an<br />
engraving of a scaphander diving helmet on a decoration of hexagons; The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Bamford Limited Edition from 2020<br />
Following 2020, the year in which we collectively<br />
experienced the greatest seismic upheaval to our<br />
lives, which everyone describes as generating five<br />
years of accelerated change in terms of digitization and<br />
e-commerce, what will be the prevailing themes of the<br />
post-COVID watch world?<br />
Already, we’ve seen some major chromatic edification<br />
with blue and green sunray effect fumé dials leading the<br />
way, as if to say there has never been a more important<br />
time to celebrate color and its capacity to uplift us. More<br />
importantly, many brands seem to be making a rapid shift<br />
towards re-examining the luxury watch supply chain to<br />
see how they can reduce the consumption represented by<br />
virgin material extraction. And this is simply fantastic.<br />
But if you ask me about the watch trend I know will<br />
be a success in the year 2021? Honestly, you don’t have to<br />
be Nostradamus to predict that it will be diving watches.<br />
Why? Because as soon as the majority of the population<br />
is vaccinated, as soon as safe international travel is once<br />
again a reality, as soon as we can finally embrace friends<br />
and joyfully gather with the ones we love, each and every<br />
one of us is going to want to jump into the water and feel<br />
the sun on our faces.<br />
This summer, plunging into the ocean, a lake, hell,<br />
even a swimming pool will be our baptism. It will be our<br />
act of renewal that will be repeated millions of times<br />
over by people around the planet. Through this, we will<br />
reconnect with the world we’ve missed so poignantly.<br />
From the Maldives to Mustique, from Lago di Como to<br />
Capri, from Bali to Boracay, we will, as humankind has<br />
always done when it is time to heal, make our way to the<br />
water to re-establish our deep immutable bond with this<br />
incredible planet that sustains us. And we will want to<br />
wear accessible, ergonomic, well-styled and fun diving<br />
watches on our wrists. It is my opinion that TAG Heuer<br />
has just designed one of the best ones around.<br />
A STREAMLINED LUXURY TOOL WATCH<br />
To be fair, I can’t really call the Aquaracer Professional 300<br />
a new watch as it has been around since 2004. In particular,<br />
the watch even pays tribute all the way back to the 1978<br />
Heuer ref. 844 dive watch. But what I like about it is this:<br />
The Aquaracer Professional 300 feels powerful in a totally<br />
essential way to me.<br />
Every single element of the watch has both an aesthetic<br />
and a functional purpose; it is devoid of any superfluous<br />
design details. On top of that, in a world where everyone<br />
seems determined to make facsimiles of vintage watches,<br />
there is a wonderfully modern and original sensibility to<br />
the watch. It is the first design in dive watches where I felt<br />
that the brand behind it was unafraid to come up with<br />
something totally new. And yes, even though there is an<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 63
From left: Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer; Guy Bove, creative director of TAG Heuer<br />
844-piece tribute limited edition with a retro-themed dial<br />
replete with patina-rich “old radium” Super-LumiNova,<br />
the other seven watches in the new Aquaracer family are<br />
wonderfully rooted in the present — in particular, the<br />
lovely all-matte grade 2 titanium version with a green<br />
ceramic luminous bezel.<br />
I also want to point out that at an entry price of<br />
USD 2,800, the TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300 represents<br />
one of the very last luxury dive watches that could also be<br />
considered a proper tool watch. Says TAG Heuer’s official<br />
customizer George Bamford, who collaborated with the<br />
brand on their Internet-breaking version of the outgoing<br />
Aquaracer model in grade 2 titanium with a black and<br />
orange dial, “This is the beauty of the Aquaracer. The reality<br />
is while dive watches from all the major Swiss brands had<br />
their start as tool watches, today their prices have risen so<br />
high that they can only really be considered luxury watches.<br />
"I consider them to be the equivalent of all the luxury<br />
SUVs in the world. Don’t get me wrong — an Aston Martin<br />
or Lamborghini SUV is a beautiful thing, but try going<br />
off-road in them. You’ll need a Land Rover Defender on<br />
standby to tow you all day. Similarly, there are all these very<br />
beautiful shiny, gold or carbon fiber dive watches in the<br />
world that cost the equivalent of cars. But would you really<br />
strap one on for a two-tank wreck dive? In contrast, the<br />
Aquaracer was meant to be the very best all-purpose dive<br />
watch that you can strap on and actually use, but still be an<br />
incredibly handsome and desirable watch on land. There is<br />
something about this authenticity, honesty and accessibility<br />
that makes me love the Aquaracer.”<br />
THE CREATIVITY OF TAG HEUER<br />
If you look at the watches TAG Heuer has launched over<br />
the last two years since Frédéric Arnault has taken charge<br />
of the brand, you can see a profound sensitivity to detail.<br />
It is evident in the Silver Carrera and Carrera “160 Years<br />
Montreal” limited editions from last year, and even in the<br />
Carrera Chronograph 42mm that won over the hearts of<br />
the most stalwart vintage collectors like Jeff Stein and<br />
Arno Haslinger.<br />
“There is a very strong creative spirit coming from TAG<br />
Heuer today,” says Haslinger. “One that truly appreciates<br />
and understands the vintage watches and their design<br />
codes, but that is not afraid to be modern and create the<br />
future of the brand.”<br />
Says famed journalist and author Nick Foulkes,<br />
“What I see articulated at TAG Heuer is a confidence and<br />
assuredness that comes from a genuine appreciation of<br />
the past, but without succumbing to simply replicating it.<br />
Instead, it seems Frédéric Arnault’s desire is to innovate,<br />
and he has done so with very strong results.”<br />
It is clear when approaching the creation of the new<br />
Aquaracer that Arnault had tasked his team and creative<br />
director Guy Bove to come up with a watch that would not<br />
only fill the luxury tool watch gap in the market currently<br />
only occupied by Tudor, but also reference the original<br />
Aquaracer and consider Heuer’s entire history with diving<br />
watches which began in 1978. In doing so, Arnault, Bove<br />
and TAG Heuer have made a watch that is genuinely<br />
original, damnably cool and still very TAG Heuer while<br />
being utterly modern.<br />
64 WATCHES & WONDERS
From left: The new Aquaracer collection has a date cyclops mounted under the sapphire crystal with the date<br />
window now at six o’clock; The Aquaracer Professional 300 measures 12.2mm in thickness<br />
Available in two sizes, 36mm and 43mm, the Aquaracer 300 is water resistant<br />
up to 300 meters. With the exception of the crown guards, every other design<br />
detail on the new 43mm models involves straight lines. The watches have<br />
straight angular bevels on short powerful lugs, a 12-sided bezel, 12-sided<br />
crown, eight-sided hour markers and straight lines racing across the dial<br />
INNOVATIVE DESIGN FOR THE SENSES<br />
What do I like best about the new Aquaracer? I love that<br />
there are straight lines in the entire design of the watch. It<br />
is precisely the opposite of every other dive watch in the<br />
world that is characterized by a round dial, round indexes,<br />
a round bezel, often a lollipop seconds hand and, of course,<br />
a round case.<br />
With the Aquaracer Professional 300, with the<br />
exception of the crown guards, every other line is straight.<br />
You have straight angular bevels on the short stout<br />
powerful lugs. You have a 12-sided bezel, 12-sided crown,<br />
eight-sided hour markers, straight lines racing across the<br />
dial, sword-shaped hands, and you have a 12-sided caseback<br />
with an engraving of a scaphander diving helmet with a<br />
12-sided faceplate that sits on a decoration of hexagons.<br />
Incidentally, this dive helmet is always oriented upright,<br />
thanks to a new two-part bayonet system for the caseback.<br />
But let’s go back to the front of the watch. What you get<br />
with all these straight lines is a sense of vibrancy and<br />
dynamism. These lines when contrasted by the curved<br />
crown guards create a wonderful dynamic tension.<br />
But looking at the watch from a distance, it is the<br />
faceted silhouette of the case and the 12-sided bezel that<br />
stands out so sharply. Says Bove, “When you talk about<br />
watch design, you talk about having a watch that people<br />
can identify from across the room, and that is alluring in<br />
a slightly different way — I think this is the effect that we<br />
have created with these strong geometric shapes.” While<br />
four of the seven watches measure 43mm in diameter, in<br />
reality, they wear incredibly well even on smaller wrists. “It<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 65
From left: While the hour hand and the indexes on the watch glow green, the minute hand, seconds hand and the inverted triangle on the<br />
bezel that represents the start of elapsed dive time glow blue; The Aquaracer Professional 300 is also offered in three 36mm steel versions<br />
including one with blue dial, blue bezel and diamond indexes (round stones that fit in the signature octagonal indexes)<br />
was important that this watch could be worn by different<br />
wrist sizes and that it was also incredibly comfortable.<br />
That’s why we kept the lugs on the short side and worked<br />
on the integration of the bracelet so it was very supple. I<br />
think too many dive watches are too thick and so, for us,<br />
it was important to keep the watch as slim and ergonomic<br />
as possible,” Bove explains. If you’re wondering, the<br />
Aquaracer Professional 300 measures 12.2mm in thickness.<br />
Regarding the epic-looking hyper aggressive bevel on<br />
the lugs, which had me thinking of the front air scoop on a<br />
Lamborghini, Bove says, “This is one of the most important<br />
elements of the watch as it really creates a dynamic<br />
separation between the top of the case and the side. But<br />
what is really interesting is that in the grade 2 titanium<br />
case that you have with the green dial and green ceramic<br />
bezel, we could not create a polished bevel because of the<br />
limitations of the material. Yet somehow it works really<br />
well even with an all-matte, sandblasted finish.”<br />
Want another demonstration of how well designed the<br />
new Aquaracer is? The lume on the watch appears white<br />
to the eye in sunlight. But place the watch in ambient<br />
light or darkness, and you’ll see that the minute hand,<br />
seconds hand and the inverted triangle on the bezel that<br />
represents the start of elapsed dive time glow blue, while<br />
all indications related to time (the hour hand and indexes)<br />
glow green. So why is it that the seconds hand glows blue?<br />
Because one of the most important indications in a dive<br />
watch is the running indicator, which shows that the watch<br />
is under power, i.e. the seconds hand. So when you are<br />
submerged, all the most crucial information glows blue —<br />
the elapsed minutes of the dive and the running indicator.<br />
The Aquaracer is water resistant to 300 meters, which<br />
is all that a modern dive tool watch needs, and that means<br />
the watch doesn’t need to mess about with devices such<br />
as helium release valves. I am personally of the opinion<br />
that not a single owner of any luxury watch featuring a<br />
helium release valve has ever had that function activated<br />
at any point in their lives. One pragmatic feature that is<br />
extremely useful, however, is a fine adjustment system that<br />
allows you to extend the buckle by a full 15mm.<br />
THE 2021 AQUARACER MODELS<br />
The Aquaracer Professional 300 will be made in two sizes:<br />
43mm and 36mm. The 43mm versions come in a steel case<br />
with a choice of a blue sunray dial with blue ceramic bezel<br />
insert, a black sunray dial with black ceramic bezel insert,<br />
and a silver sunray dial with black ceramic bezel insert.<br />
It will also be offered in a fantastic sandblasted grade 2<br />
66 WATCHES & WONDERS
From left: The Aquaracer Professional 300 "Tribute to Ref. 844" is offered in an 844-piece limited edition in polished grade 5 titanium case;<br />
The caseback is engraved with a scaphander diving helmet, which has been a signature of the Aquaracer series since 2004<br />
titanium case with a green sunray dial. Finally, it is offered<br />
in an 844-piece tribute limited edition in polished grade<br />
5 titanium on a rubber strap (with octagonal holes to<br />
keep the straight line theme) and a dial based on the 1978<br />
ref. 844 that features 24-hour indications in red. In the<br />
steel models, the watches have bezels where the inverted<br />
triangle glows blue in the dark. In the titanium watches,<br />
the inverted triangle as well as all the elapsed time indexes<br />
are Super-LumiNova filled and glow blue.<br />
The Aquaracer Professional 300 is also offered in three<br />
steel 36mm versions: one with a blue dial, blue bezel and<br />
diamond indexes (round stones that fit in the signature<br />
octagonal indexes) as well a silver dial and black bezel, and<br />
black dial and black bezel versions. Final details include a date<br />
cyclops that has been mounted under the sapphire crystal<br />
with all date windows now at six o’clock, as it was with the<br />
Carrera Chronograph. All watches, with the exception of the<br />
844-piece limited edition, will be available from June this year.<br />
Says George Bamford, “The Aquaracer really is the<br />
perfect diving watch for this summer. It’s beautiful, it<br />
functions perfectly and this new model is so well thought,<br />
attractive and just so cool. I can’t wait to get my hands on<br />
it to customize it, though, in truth, TAG Heuer has already<br />
come up with so many fantastic versions.”<br />
TAG HEUER<br />
AQUARACER PROFESSIONAL 300<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 5; 38-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds and date<br />
CASE 36mm or 43mm; stainless steel or grade 2 titanium;<br />
water resistant to 300m<br />
STRAP Stainless steel or titanium three-row bracelet with<br />
folding clasp featuring fine adjustment system<br />
PRICE Starting from USD 2,800 for stainless steel and<br />
USD 4,200 for the titanium model<br />
AVAILABILITY From June 2021<br />
TAG HEUER<br />
AQUARACER PROFESSIONAL 300 LIMITED EDITION<br />
“TRIBUTE TO REF. 844”<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 5; 38-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds, date and<br />
24-hour indication<br />
CASE 43mm; grade 5 titanium; water resistant to 300m<br />
STRAP Perforated black rubber with stainless steel folding clasp<br />
featuring fine adjustment system<br />
PRICE USD 4,350<br />
AVAILABILITY From September 2021; limited to 844 pieces<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 67
THE BLACK BAY’S MAKEOVER<br />
Tudor’s Black Bay Fifty-Eight shines in precious metals.<br />
WORDS ROSS POVEY<br />
The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 is made in 925 sterling silver and available with two strap options, taupe fabric with silver stripe or<br />
brown grain leather. The watch is powered by a new caliber, the MT5400, visible through the open display caseback<br />
With the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, it would<br />
appear that Tudor can do no wrong.<br />
The first iteration in black livery was<br />
one of the biggest hits in the brand’s considerable<br />
back catalog, a success that might have been slightly<br />
surpassed by 2020’s Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue.<br />
Quite possibly the best release of 2020 — a year that<br />
needed as much good news as it could get — the<br />
BB58 Navy Blue was a smash hit by any standard<br />
and actually saw the brand firmly in the waiting list<br />
club for its coveted vintage inspired diver. This year,<br />
those perfect proportions have been given a precious<br />
metal makeover with new models in solid silver and<br />
gold. And, of course, they look mint!<br />
TUDOR’S STERLING JOB<br />
Silver has been in use for watches since the dawn<br />
of time, or at least portable time. Pocket watches<br />
were often cased in silver and early wristwatches from the first half<br />
of the 20th century were also made in silver. In fact, it was quite<br />
common to see trench watches from the First World War made<br />
from silver and I’ve seen quite a few Rolex examples over the years.<br />
The practice is not common at all now, but Tudor has yet again<br />
surprised us all by making a watch in sterling silver.<br />
The number “925” refers to the standard for sterling silver, where<br />
to qualify as sterling, an alloy must have at least 925 thousandths of<br />
pure silver, or 92.5 percent. Much like the recipe for Coca-Cola or<br />
the center of Cadbury’s Creme Egg, the exact recipe of the alloy will<br />
forever be a secret.<br />
The Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 shares the case proportions of<br />
previous BB58s but is an entirely new beast. Completely satin<br />
finished, the watch also has an open display caseback. Again,<br />
this is a first for Tudor. To enable an unencumbered view of its<br />
manufacture movement, Tudor has developed a new caliber,<br />
MT5400, which is midsize but mounted on a full-size plate, so as to<br />
fit inside the 39mm case and allow the caseback to give the view of<br />
68 WATCHES & WONDERS
a full movement. This is very cool indeed. The movement<br />
is the usual high quality that one would expect from the<br />
brand. It is COSC-rated and boasts the house specialty of<br />
a 70-hour power reserve. But the COSC standard, with a<br />
tolerance of −4 to +6 seconds, isn’t good enough for Tudor.<br />
They test in-house to ensure that each movement performs<br />
at −2 to +4 seconds.<br />
The dial and bezel colors are also new with the 925.<br />
Taupe is the color of the day; with its emulsion of gray<br />
and brown, it sits well within the silver context and is<br />
also the theme for the woven strap. The woven straps have<br />
become a familiar sight on Tudor watches, since the brand<br />
was relaunched back in 2010 with the Heritage Chrono.<br />
To the casual observer, they might appear to look like a<br />
nylon NATO-style strap, but closer inspection reveals<br />
that these straps are anything but. They’re made by a<br />
150-year-old French family run business, Julien Faure, and<br />
are beautifully woven using old looms in the traditional<br />
jacquard weaving method. And for those who prefer a<br />
more elegant look on the wrist, there is also a brown<br />
leather strap with a 925 silver buckle.<br />
which with the matte case gives the watch a sporty vibe<br />
that would work in pretty much any situation. The leather<br />
strap is in a rich dark brown alligator with an 18K yellow<br />
gold buckle.<br />
TUDOR GOES FOR GOLD<br />
Tudor’s second precious offering is a Black Bay Fifty-Eight<br />
in 18K yellow gold. This is a watch I’ve always wanted to see.<br />
Whilst now it's not unusual to see sports watches in gold,<br />
if you stop and think about it, it’s utterly oxymoronic — a<br />
tool watch in a precious metal. But it’s always popular and<br />
a road down which Tudor has never ventured until now. I<br />
heard a rumor years ago, of a one-off gold Tudor Submariner<br />
that was delivered to Comex, but have never had any luck<br />
qualifying this tale. The BB58 18K is, like the 925, fully satin<br />
finished and also has the sapphire display caseback and the<br />
new caliber MT5400 manufacture movement.<br />
The dial on the 18K is green, which is also the hue for<br />
the bezel. In my mind, it’s a lovely shade of green that,<br />
together with the mellow matte gold of the case, is very<br />
tastefully done. The watch dial and hands are the familiar<br />
combination of applied hour markers in regular round and<br />
baton form, coupled with Tudor’s trademark “snowflake”<br />
hands. The metal work here is also in matte 18K gold.<br />
This is a new price point for Tudor and many will<br />
ask the question, is the brand leaving behind its purpose<br />
of providing the very best watches at an accessible price<br />
point? My feeling is that, in terms of context and other 18K<br />
gold dive watches, the watch is, if not accessible, certainly<br />
very good value for money for what it is — a premium<br />
sports watch in solid gold.<br />
The 18K comes with both fabric and leather straps.<br />
The former is in green with a gold stripe down its center,<br />
The Black Bay<br />
Fifty-Eight in 18K<br />
yellow gold is one of<br />
those rare Tudors in<br />
precious metal<br />
TUDOR BLACK BAY<br />
FIFTY-EIGHT 925<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber MT5400; 70-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and seconds<br />
CASE 39mm; 925 sterling silver; water resistant to 200m<br />
STRAP Brown grain leather or taupe fabric with silver stripe,<br />
both with silver buckle<br />
PRICE USD 4,300<br />
TUDOR BLACK BAY<br />
FIFTY-EIGHT 18K<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber MT5400; 70-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and seconds<br />
CASE 39mm; 18K yellow gold; water resistant to 200m<br />
STRAP Dark brown alligator leather and green fabric with gold<br />
stripe, both with 18K yellow gold buckle<br />
PRICE USD 16,800<br />
WATCHES & WONDERS 69
PRIME TIME
THE EXEMPLARY PILOT<br />
IWC Big Pilot Watch 43 is homage to the IWC Big Pilot’s watch<br />
Ref. 5002 launched in 2002.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
72 ON THE COVER
From left: IWC’s Pilot’s watch ref. 436 from 1936 and The Big Pilot Ref. 431 from 1940 (©Revolution); The IWC Mark XI powered by<br />
Calibre 89 was made for the Royal Air Force in 1951 (Image: fullywound.com)<br />
The World Wars brought dramatic change to the<br />
entire globe in many ways, but none more striking<br />
than in the transportation industries. The need to<br />
deliver goods and people quickly, efficiently and safely<br />
brought rapid evolution to the capabilities of air travel.<br />
With the longer distances and more technical navigational<br />
needs, this introduced the need for a new breed of<br />
timepiece: the pilot’s watch.<br />
The needs of the aviator during extended flights and<br />
under technically challenging conditions drove innovations<br />
in timepieces that define the pilot’s watches of today. The<br />
cases are traditionally oversized to make it wearable and<br />
easy to operate in tough conditions. A bold triangle at the<br />
12 o’clock position is there to give quick orientation in a<br />
glance. The watch makes use of luminescent material to<br />
allow for low light and night conditions.<br />
Most pilot’s watches feature an oversized crown design<br />
to allow easy manipulation while wearing thick, padded<br />
flight gloves. They will also have technical features like<br />
anti-magnetic shields to protect mechanical precision,<br />
hacking seconds to allow precision while synchronizing<br />
between squadron and headquarters, and anti-reflective<br />
coating on the crystal to reduce glare. The case and crystal<br />
are also engineered to be protected against shock and<br />
changes in air pressure.<br />
Complications began to appear later to give unique<br />
instrumental advantages, including chronographs for<br />
recording elapsed time for aero navigational calculations,<br />
GMT for cross-time-zone travel, and slide rule bezels for<br />
mathematical computations.<br />
IWC PILOT WATCH HISTORY<br />
IWC made their first pilot’s watch in 1936. It used<br />
their in-house Caliber 83, and had an antimagnetic<br />
escapement, shatterproof crystal and was highly resistant<br />
to the temperature fluctuations that were common in<br />
the non-air-conditioned metal planes of the time. The<br />
bezel also rotated to measure short periods of time<br />
and help pilot’s effectively register take-off times. It<br />
was well-received and a big success for the company.<br />
Shortly thereafter, during the WW II, the<br />
Reichluftfahrtsministerium (RLM), the "Ministry<br />
of Aviation” in Germany between 1933 to 1945,<br />
defined strict specifications pilot watches known as<br />
“Beobachtungsuhren” or “B-Uhren” (observation watches).<br />
The B-Uhren watches were used as a navigation instrument<br />
during the flight. The navigators on board could determine<br />
the precise position of the aircraft in combination with<br />
an octant (angle).<br />
B-Uhren appeared in two different types of dials: Type<br />
A (Baumuster A) from 1940 to January 1941. The Type<br />
A was a classic dial with numerals 1 to 11, and instead<br />
of a 12, a triangle with two dots. Second was the Type B<br />
(Baumuster B) starting in January 1941 to 1945. Type B dial<br />
had big minute numerals from 5 to 55 on the chapter ring,<br />
and a small sub-chapter ring with hour numerals.<br />
IWC was one of the five manufacturers along with<br />
A. Lange & Söhne, Wempe, Laco, and Stowa to supply<br />
the B-Uhren Type A watches to the German Luftwaffe.<br />
The watch movements were uniformly cased in 55mm<br />
diameter, gray varnished, brass or steel housings with snap<br />
ON THE COVER 73
on caseback. Printed on the inside of the caseback was the<br />
type, device and movement number, stock number and the<br />
manufacturer’s name.<br />
There were 1,200 Caliber 52 SC (officially "52T-19'''<br />
H6 S.C.") movements manufactured in 1940, and 1,000 of<br />
them went into the B-Uhren made by IWC. “SC” stands for<br />
“central seconds,” also known as the sweep seconds hand.<br />
The other 200 movements were sold in so-called “Deck<br />
watches” to the Royal Navy.<br />
Eleven years later, the iconic IWC Mark 11 Pilot’s<br />
watch, with its NATO strap and Calibre 89 movement,<br />
was supplied to the Royal Air Force. Today, pilot’s watches<br />
are still a cornerstone of the IWC catalog. They offer<br />
several models with a wide variety of complications, all<br />
with the classic IWC DNA at their core.<br />
THE BIG PILOT 43<br />
The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43 is a modern reinterpretation<br />
of the Big Pilot’s watch Ref. 5002. IWC wanted to bring in all<br />
facets of its tradition in Pilots watches to the watch that was<br />
called in the project stadium “Grosse Fliegeruhr, Projekt Mark<br />
XXI”. It featured an in-house movement with Pellaton selfwinding<br />
system and – inspired by the Mark 11 – the soft iron<br />
inner case. Looking at its 46mm case, it was obvious that the<br />
inspiration for the unitarian design came from the original<br />
WWII B-Uhren. Keeping the tradition of the Big Pilots watch,<br />
the 43mm version references its ancestry with a thoughtful<br />
rendition of the Big Pilot’s Watch of 1940. It features a clean<br />
dial that values legibility over instrumentation. In fact,<br />
the watch is a simple three-hand timepiece with no date<br />
complication, power reserve or sub-dials.<br />
Reintroduced in 2002 under the designation<br />
Grosse Fliegeruhr Ref. 5002, the Big Pilot’s Watch 43<br />
brings only marginal changes to this military-inspired<br />
observation watch.<br />
“The Big Pilot’s Watch perfectly embodies IWC’s extensive<br />
heritage and expertise in engineering rugged and reliable<br />
instruments tailored to meet the needs of elite aviators. It<br />
exemplifies how a purely functional design can transform<br />
into a cultural icon. Today, the Big Pilot’s Watch is not only<br />
one of the most recognized watch designs in the world, but<br />
also an expression of a certain character and mindset,” said<br />
Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.<br />
The Big Pilot’s Watch 43 does feature one big change<br />
from its WWII predecessor and the Ref. 5002 of 2002. The<br />
case is a more ergonomic and wearable 43mm in stainless<br />
steel. The screw-in crown is strikingly oversized with the<br />
signature conical shape and grooves of traditional pilot’s<br />
watches. The case has also been reworked to ensure a 10-<br />
bar water resistance for greater sport versatility. The dial<br />
design, meanwhile, takes inspiration from the historical<br />
watch, except for the IWC logo and text. Whereas the<br />
original was a sterile black dial without any markings, it is<br />
now available in either black or royal blue, both of which<br />
are high contrast backdrops to the large white numerals and<br />
outer minute track. A triangle with two dots accompany<br />
the IWC logo at the 12 o’clock position for fast orientation.<br />
The wide hour and minute hands and the slender seconds<br />
hand are rhodium-plated for high legibility against the<br />
dark dial. The glass is a convex sapphire with anti-reflective<br />
coating on both sides for clarity to the dial beneath and<br />
is secured against displacement, ensuring function and<br />
precision in the case of drops in cabin pressure.<br />
Beneath the rear sapphire glass back is the elaborately<br />
decorated in-house Caliber 82100. Where the focus of the<br />
dial was on fast and accurate timekeeping, the movement<br />
is focused on precision and reliability. The automatic<br />
winding system with a 60-hour power reserve used in the<br />
design was developed by Albert Pellaton, the technical<br />
director for IWC from 1944 to 1966.<br />
The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43 has improved on the<br />
design by introducing a highly technical zirconium oxide<br />
ceramic for the automatic wheel and the pawls that<br />
mesh with it. Manufacturing such small ceramic parts is<br />
a manufacturing feat that allows for virtually wear-free<br />
components that contribute to longer life and better<br />
serviceability for the timepiece.<br />
The Big Pilot’s Watch 43 is paired with a few strap<br />
options of calf leather, rubber and stainless steel bracelet<br />
for a well-rounded versatility in look and feel. The watch<br />
features a new user-friendly quick-change system that<br />
welcomes continual strap changes.<br />
IWC<br />
BIG PILOT 43<br />
Scan here<br />
for the<br />
augmented<br />
reality IWC<br />
app and<br />
explore the<br />
IWC Universe<br />
MOVEMENT Automatic 82100 caliber, Pellaton winding,<br />
60 hours power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hour, Minute, Central hacking Seconds<br />
CASE 43 mm x 13.6 mm, stainless steel, 100 meters<br />
water resistance<br />
STRAP Brown or blue leather strap or stainless steel bracelet<br />
PRICE USD 8,400, Ref. IW329301 (black dial, brown calf<br />
leather strap); USD 8,400, Ref. IW329303 (blue dial, blue calf<br />
leather strap); USD 9,350 Ref. IW329304: blue dial, stainless<br />
steel bracelet<br />
74 ON THE COVER
From top: The Big Pilot 43 is powered by caliber 82100, which uses zirconium oxide ceramic for the automatic wheel and the pawls that mesh with it; The watch’s wide hour<br />
and minute hands and the slender seconds hand are rhodium-plated for high legibility against the dark dial (© Revolution)<br />
ON THE COVER 75
Bvlgari Aluminum watch with gray dial and<br />
rubber bracelet (REF. 103382)<br />
76 PRIME TIME
THE<br />
WEEKENDER<br />
The sporty Bvlgari Aluminum collection revisits its<br />
first-generation models from 1998 with a few updates<br />
for a perfect weekend getaway timepiece.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
The Bvlgari Aluminum watch blends the world of<br />
sport chic with that of haut de gamme. The collection<br />
includes a three-hander with date in two finishes,<br />
one with a light warm gray dial and one with a black dial,<br />
and a chronograph with date. Each of the three pieces has<br />
a neutral colorway to pair perfectly with casual attire,<br />
whether it’s for brunch on the plaza or an afternoon by the<br />
pool.<br />
The collection earned its place among the most<br />
respected luxury sport watches with the first release in<br />
1998, bringing Bvlgari’s signature style and attention to<br />
detail to bear on the unconventional material choices of<br />
aluminum and rubber. Through superb execution of the<br />
unexpected vision, Bvlgari created a timepiece that took<br />
its place as the sport watch of its day for its quality and<br />
design. The new watch collection promises to continue this<br />
trajectory into the future.
Above: Bvlgari Aluminum with gray and black dial (ref. 103445)<br />
Opposite page: Both versions feature a 40mm aluminum case with integrated rubber and aluminum bracelet<br />
THE MAGIC OF BVLGARI<br />
If Bvlgari is known for anything, it is for breaking the rules<br />
and pushing the limits. The magic of Bvlgari is the brand’s<br />
ability to layer quality mechanical design beneath a bold,<br />
provocative artistic vision that defies the bounds of an<br />
industry that can be quite traditional and conservative. It’s<br />
not unusual to see unexpected materials and shapes in their<br />
collections. In fact, they stirred up the world of modern sport<br />
watches when they introduced the Octo Finissimo models<br />
featuring an integrated bracelet. It’s this mastery of the<br />
unconventional that makes Bvlgari timepieces speak to those<br />
who admire the confidence it takes to stand out in the crowd.<br />
Antoine Pin, the managing director of Bvlgari Watches,<br />
put it very well when he said, “Masterpieces impose<br />
themselves to the crowd from the moment of their birth and<br />
they never die. Bvlgari Aluminum is a masterpiece of design<br />
and a milestone in the history of the watch industry for<br />
its unique design and combination of industrial materials.<br />
After many years dedicated to grow the Octo collection,<br />
bringing Bvlgari Aluminum back under the spotlight is an<br />
immense source of pride and satisfaction for us.”<br />
Bvlgari’s irreverence toward traditional materials<br />
has often paid off for the maison, and the aluminum<br />
and rubber luxury sport models were a huge success. The<br />
rugged sport design can hold up to the rigors of travel<br />
and is suited to almost every situation, so the Bvlgari<br />
Aluminum became a must-have for the jet-set life. In fact,<br />
Alitalia incorporated the watch’s bold and clean design<br />
into the livery for the Alitalia 747 Jumbo Jet in 1998 as part<br />
of Bvlgari’s advertising campaign.<br />
Though Bvlgari has been working with aluminum and<br />
rubber since the late 1990s, it’s still an uncommon pairing<br />
in the industry. The heavy, matte black of the rubber bezel,<br />
with the iconic Bvlgari-Bvlgari logo proclaiming its fashion<br />
and horology cred, contrasts well with the shiny aluminum<br />
finish. The theme extends along the integrated rubber and<br />
aluminum bracelet.<br />
However, Bvlgari has switched gears from the quartz<br />
movement of the 1998 models, opting instead for a<br />
mechanical self-winding movement. They have also moved<br />
to a different aluminum alloy with higher resistance and<br />
improved rubber features.<br />
78 PRIME TIME
Bvlgari Aluminum Chronograph with gray dial and black rubber bracelet (REF. 103383)
PERFECTLY NEUTRAL<br />
The 40mm case is well designed for a gender-neutral<br />
timepiece that wears well on most wrists. The color palette<br />
for all three models is a versatile black and warm gray,<br />
making it a great choice for a quick getaway with a single<br />
watch. The first three-hand model is available in a warm<br />
gray dial with bold black hands and hour markers and an<br />
oversized 12 and 6 in Arabic numerals. The second threehand<br />
model inverts the dial with crisp, bold white text on<br />
black. The chronograph is a “panda” style watch with a warm<br />
gray dial and three black sub-counters in a tri-compax<br />
layout. All three watches feature just a touch of red on the<br />
seconds hand for a spot of color to balance the neutrality.<br />
The Bvlgari Aluminum collection features highly<br />
versatile models, which make for an easy weekender watch<br />
that upholds the brand’s high standards for luxury fashion<br />
while standing up well to whatever adventure awaits. Like<br />
the first model from 1998, the new models are poised to find<br />
their way to the forefront of luxury sport watches for those<br />
with a fashion-forward and active lifestyle.<br />
BVLGARI<br />
ALUMINUM<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber B77 (based on ETA 2892);<br />
42-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds and date<br />
CASE 40mm; aluminum with titanium caseback; water resistant<br />
to 100m<br />
STRAP Rubber with aluminum links and pin buckle<br />
PRICE USD 2,950<br />
BVLGARI<br />
ALUMINUM CHRONOGRAPH<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber B130 (based on ETA 2894);<br />
42-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph<br />
CASE 40mm; aluminum with titanium caseback; water resistant<br />
to 100m<br />
STRAP Rubber with aluminum links and pin buckle<br />
PRICE USD 4,250<br />
PRIME TIME 81
CAPTAIN<br />
INDUSTRY<br />
82 RADO
Rado is most often associated with ceramic watches, ultra durable<br />
and modern. The company carries that history in their DNA with a<br />
hundred years of bringing innovation to the world of timekeeping.<br />
RADO 83
In the 1960s, the world saw Jacques Cousteau conquer the depths of<br />
the oceans, his iconic videos inspiring a newfound love of underwater<br />
exploration. Rado wasn’t alone in introducing tool watches to the legion of<br />
divers, both professional and amateur. Their popular Captain Cook model was<br />
offered from 1962 to 1968.<br />
Rado surprised everyone when they reintroduced a vintage homage version<br />
of the Captain Cook in 2017. They were rewarded in turn by the popularity<br />
and success of the release. Several follow-up versions created an impressive<br />
catalog of watches that looked very different from their modern and fashionable<br />
ceramic lines. In 2020, they released the Captain Cook Bronze in a 42mm hightech<br />
bronze case that included a bezel with ceramic inlay. Now Rado has raised<br />
the bar further with a high-tech ceramic case with semi-transparent dial and the<br />
addition of a Nivachron hairspring with adjustjustment in five positions.<br />
The first noticeable change is the 43mm high-tech ceramic case with a<br />
monobloc construction. Rado did increase the case diameter marginally by 1mm<br />
RADO<br />
CAPTAIN COOK AUTOMATIC<br />
REFERECE 734.6127.3.015 / R32 127<br />
15 2<br />
MOVEMENT Automatic Rado R734<br />
with Nivachron hairspring; 80-hour<br />
power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes<br />
and seconds<br />
CASE 43mm; matt black high-tech<br />
ceramic case; stainless-steel bezel with<br />
polished black high-tech ceramic insert<br />
DIAL Black tinted sapphire crystal<br />
STRAP Ceramic bracelet<br />
PRICE CHF 3,600<br />
84 RADO
RADO<br />
CAPTAIN COOK AUTOMATIC<br />
REFERECE 734.6127.3.215 / R32 127 15 6<br />
MOVEMENT Automatic Rado R734 with Nivachron hairspring;<br />
80-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and seconds<br />
CASE 43mm; matt black high-tech ceramic case; hardened<br />
stainless-steel bezel with polished black high-tech ceramic insert<br />
DIAL Black tinted sapphire crystal<br />
STRAP Black rubber<br />
PRICE CHF 3,300<br />
from the more recent models. The height also increased<br />
from 12.5mm to 14.6mm, and the lug-to-lug width increased<br />
from 48.6mm to 49.8mm. The overall incremental changes<br />
give the timepiece a well-balanced appearance, like the<br />
recent adjustments made by Rolex for the Submariner.<br />
The case is protected by a complicated box-style<br />
sapphire crystal, maintaining a vintage-inspired depth to the<br />
aesthetic of the watch. The bezel remains high-tech ceramic<br />
with laser engraved metallized numbers and markers. Just<br />
inside the bezel is a satin flange with a minute track that<br />
circles the dial, adding an interesting texture to the façade.<br />
With the hardened screw-down crown and ceramic case, the<br />
water resistance has increased to 300 meters.<br />
The dial creates a sense of motion with the movement<br />
visible behind the black-tinted sapphire crystal. It’s an<br />
effective technique to showcase the inner workings of the<br />
mechanical movement that is rarely observed from the<br />
front. Rado does this effectively without sacrificing the<br />
legibility of the dial or ease of reading the time.<br />
The hands are uniquely vintage Rado with an oversized<br />
arrow for the hour, a sword for the minute and a stylized,<br />
pear-shaped arrow for the seconds. The hands and indices<br />
are coated with a white Super-LumiNova for night and low<br />
light, providing clear legibility, even in harsh conditions.<br />
The Captain Cook model name is printed in a distinct<br />
italicized font at six o’clock. It is balanced well by the<br />
rotating anchor above the white Rado logo at 12 o’clock.<br />
The ruby backdrop and rhodium-colored anchor in motion<br />
is a whimsical element reminding the wearer of the<br />
mechanical nature of the timepiece on their wrist.<br />
The Rado R734 automatic movement is based on ETA<br />
caliber C07.611, but now upgraded with a Nivachron<br />
hairspring. Nivachron is a new non-magnetic alloy<br />
based on titanium developed in a collaboration between<br />
Swatch Group and Audemars Piguet in 2018. The<br />
innovation is important for its shock resistance, reduced<br />
sensitivity to temperature variations and its paramagnetic<br />
characteristics — the ability to reduce problematic<br />
magnetization in the hairspring of a timepiece, which<br />
could negatively affect its timekeeping accuracy.<br />
The new balance spring technology can reduce the<br />
influence of magnetic fields found in many everyday<br />
electronics like vacuum cleaners, computers, stereo<br />
speakers and even smartphones.<br />
The new Captain Cook Automatic is available in four<br />
models. The first is a black-on-black color scheme. The<br />
case is matt black high-tech ceramic. The bezel is hardened<br />
stainless steel with a polished black ceramic insert and<br />
gray and black flange. The crown is polished stainless<br />
steel and the hands are rhodium colored. This model is<br />
available with a bracelet of matt black ceramic outer links<br />
and polished black interior ceramic links, and features a<br />
titanium three-fold clasp with ceramic opener. A variation<br />
of this model is available with a black rubber strap with a<br />
stainless-steel extendable folding clasp.<br />
RADO 85
The second is a black and gold model that adds a sense<br />
of contrast and panache. The case is matt black hightech<br />
ceramic. The bezel is rose gold colored, PVD-coated<br />
stainless steel with a polished black ceramic insert and<br />
rose-gold flange. The crown is a polished rose gold colored<br />
PVD-coated stainless steel and the hands are rose gold. The<br />
bracelet has matt-black ceramic outer links with polished<br />
ceramic inner links and a titanium three-fold clasp with<br />
black high-tech ceramic openers.<br />
The final is a blue and stainless steel model for a more<br />
classic dive-watch aesthetic. The case is matt plasma hightech<br />
ceramic. The bezel is hardened stainless steel with a<br />
polished blue ceramic insert and blue flange. The crown is<br />
hardened polished stainless steel and the hands are rhodium<br />
colored. The bracelet has matt plasma ceramic outer links<br />
and polished plasma ceramic inner links with a titanium<br />
three-fold clasp with “Ceramos” openers. Ceramos is Rado’s<br />
proprietary blend of high-tech ceramic and a metal alloy.<br />
The innovative use of materials and thoughtful design help<br />
Rado deliver a bona fide diver’s watch with a bold take on their<br />
1960s classic. The high-tech-ceramic case and tinted sapphirecrystal<br />
dial with the exposed movement is a refreshing new<br />
visual combination for the Captain Cook line.<br />
Scan here for more on<br />
Rado Captain Cook<br />
RADO<br />
CAPTAIN COOK AUTOMATIC<br />
REFERECE 734.6128.3.020 / R32 128 20 2<br />
MOVEMENT Automatic Rado R734 with Nivachron hairspring;<br />
80-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and seconds<br />
CASE 43mm; matt plasma high-tech ceramic case; hardened<br />
stainless-steel bezel with polished blue high-tech ceramic insert<br />
DIAL Black tinted sapphire crystal<br />
STRAP Ceramic bracelet<br />
PRICE CHF 3,800<br />
86 RADO
RADO 87
SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL<br />
The world's smallest automatic flying tourbillon takes center stage in the<br />
Chopard L.U.C 1860 Flying T, Special Revolution.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
While the title of this article could easily<br />
allude to my very public penchant for<br />
sausage dogs, it in fact references what I<br />
genuinely believe is one of the most important tourbillon<br />
wristwatches of all time. I speak, of course, of the new<br />
Chopard L.U.C Flying T Twin that is made in just five<br />
examples, in collaboration with Revolution — aka the<br />
Chopard L.U.C 1860 Flying T, Special Revolution.<br />
If that statement seems biased or self-serving, let me<br />
explain myself. For the most part, the Swiss watch industry<br />
has found itself caught slightly out of step when it comes to<br />
the size of their wristwatches. Conjure up your horological<br />
Valhalla of the most iconic and desirable timepieces ever<br />
created and who appears in those mythical halls? A steel<br />
Patek ref. 1518? Sure! The dial measures 35mm in diameter.<br />
The Patek first-generation ref. 2499 with its square pushers<br />
and tachymeter? Absolutely. The dial measures 37.5mm. A<br />
Philippe Dufour Simplicity? Damn right. Did you know its<br />
original size was 34mm? He only created the 37mm size at<br />
the behest of four Singaporean clients of The Hour Glass.<br />
Ask him, and he will tell you that he far prefers the smaller<br />
size that he’d originally designed. I think you get my point.<br />
So, why is it that almost all watch brands make<br />
complicated dress watches in sizes exceeding 40mm in<br />
diameter? The answer is simple. Maisons that invested in<br />
manufacturing these complications in-house, did so during<br />
the late ’90s and early 2000s — which was exactly the time<br />
when the trend for oversized watches emerged. I chose the<br />
word “trend” carefully, but with respect, I genuinely feel<br />
that these behemoths are the result of a two-decade-long<br />
trend rather than what is genuinely the perfect classic size.<br />
So, why is it that none of these brands has scaled down<br />
their watches to be in alignment with the aesthetic dictates<br />
that prevailed over the near 120-year history of the modern<br />
wristwatch? The answer to this is also simple. They can’t —<br />
or they won’t. Because that would involve a vast and costly<br />
complete re-engineering of their movements.<br />
This is, of course, with the one exception of Chopard<br />
L.U.C. Proof positive is the watch you see here, which is<br />
the world’s smallest automatic flying tourbillon. With<br />
a case diameter of 36.5mm, to me, this represents the<br />
precise cynosure of size and proportion for the perfect<br />
complicated classic dress watch. But hang on. Because it’s<br />
not that this timepiece is just magnificent and unique in its<br />
size; it is also the world’s only Geneva Seal flying tourbillon<br />
that is also COSC-certified as a chronometer. Personally,<br />
I feel any tourbillon that does not come with some<br />
credible form of a certification for its accuracy, is simply<br />
a visually amusing spinning device on your dial. Perhaps<br />
most importantly, it is a symbol of a quarter century<br />
of relentless groundbreaking technical innovation and<br />
dedication to both chronometry and excellence in finish<br />
that is Chopard L.U.C. Indeed, this watch is a celebration<br />
of the 25th anniversary of this remarkable brand, and a<br />
ticking testimony to the extraordinary commitment to<br />
authenticity and quality that forms the central ethos of its<br />
founder, the amazing Karl-Friedrich Scheufele.<br />
In every way, this amazing L.U.C Flying T Twin is a<br />
tribute to the very first watch launched by Scheufele, the<br />
L.U.C 1860 featuring the caliber 1.96. Incredibly enough, this<br />
automatic tourbillon is just 1mm thicker than the original<br />
watch, which measures 36.5mm in diameter and 7.2mm in<br />
height. At 8.2mm, it is incredibly slim and elegant for a timeand-date<br />
watch, let alone a complication of this stature.<br />
When the L.U.C 1860 was released in 1996, it was<br />
heralded as one of the best wristwatches ever created. A<br />
large part of this was due to its movement. The caliber<br />
1.96 was the first automatic micro-rotor equipped<br />
movement since Patek Philippe created its famous caliber<br />
240 in 1977. But the 1.96 was a totally different animal.<br />
Boasting bi-directional winding, it was also one of the<br />
first movements to use ceramic ball bearings to aid in<br />
winding efficiency. It ran at a blistering 4Hz, or 28,800<br />
vibrations per hour, featured an elegant swan-neck<br />
regulator, received the Geneva Seal as a testimony to its<br />
peerless finish, and COSC certification as a chronometer<br />
as irrefutable proof of its accuracy. Famed watch<br />
journalist Nick Foulkes says, “Since the beginning of<br />
PRIME TIME 89
Chopard L.U.C, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has insisted on these<br />
two certifications — one for beauty and one for chronometry<br />
— as a demonstration of the authenticity and quality of his<br />
watches. But this is because he is as authentic and qualitative a<br />
human being as I have ever known.”<br />
But what is sometimes overlooked about the L.U.C<br />
1860 is its status as a masterpiece of classic watch design.<br />
Foulkes says, “It is simply a superb watch with a perfectly<br />
delineated smooth case and one of the most stunning dials<br />
to ever grace any timepiece.” The dial Foulkes speaks of was<br />
created for Chopard by the most revered manufacturer<br />
in Switzerland — Metalem. The dial starts off as a disk<br />
of massive gold, and then receives a hand-application of<br />
stunning rose-motif guilloché emanating in waves from<br />
the center pinion. So exquisite and fine is the pattern on<br />
the dial that it creates a sense of luxuriant undulating<br />
momentum as light and shadow play sensually across its<br />
minute textures. This is perfectly complemented by an<br />
incredibly fine sunray brushing at the rehaut that is so<br />
lightly applied, it can really only be identified in strong<br />
light under a loupe. Affixed upon this stunning dial are<br />
mirror-polished arrowhead-shaped hour indexes. It gives<br />
me great pleasure that these striking indexes play a very<br />
large role in Chopard L.U.C’s 25th anniversary watches.<br />
The sunken seconds subdial receives a contrasting circular<br />
guilloché and is framed by a large, legible seconds track<br />
as befits a watch with chronometer-level performance. A<br />
date window is integrated at six o’clock and the date disk is<br />
matching in tone, but subtly frosted in finish to help with<br />
the spatial separation.<br />
In his excellent Hodinkee article on the L.U.C 1860,<br />
Louis Westphalen wrote about how this watch and Dufour’s<br />
Simplicity (which also features a Metalem dial) shared a<br />
deep spiritual kinship in design. He states, “Being compared<br />
to a Simplicity or a Patek is a pretty big deal, and it shows<br />
how right the Chopard design team got it.” My incredible<br />
affection for this watch was well chronicled in 2018 when<br />
we released a limited edition homage to the 1860 in white<br />
gold, with a stunning salmon-colored dial. To continue the<br />
story created by this first partnership, it was decided by<br />
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele that this new timepiece should<br />
feature exactly the same configuration of a white gold case<br />
and a salmon dial. However, the similarities end when<br />
your eyes land on the stunning COSC-certified, 4Hz flying<br />
tourbillon that dominates the lower half of the dial.<br />
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele says, “I particularly like how<br />
we have essentially replaced the seconds indicator of the<br />
first watch with a far more complicated seconds indicator<br />
60 notches<br />
around the rim<br />
of tourbillon<br />
aperture<br />
serving as a<br />
seconds scale<br />
Variable inertia<br />
balance wheel<br />
Balance spring<br />
with flat<br />
terminal curve<br />
White triangleshaped<br />
small<br />
seconds hand<br />
affixed to the<br />
flying tourbillon<br />
carriage crucial<br />
for COSC<br />
certification<br />
90 PRIME TIME
Bridges adorned with<br />
Côtes de Genève<br />
Chopard Twin<br />
Technology -<br />
65-hour power reserve<br />
Poinçon de Genève<br />
Escapement wheel<br />
pinion engaging<br />
the stationary<br />
fourth wheel of<br />
the tourbillon<br />
mechanism<br />
Fourth wheel<br />
pinion engaging<br />
the third wheel<br />
of the gear train<br />
Engraved 22-carat<br />
gold micro-rotor<br />
Self-winding Caliber<br />
L.U.C 96.24-L<br />
PRIME TIME 91
Solid gold coppercolored<br />
dial achieved<br />
by galvanic treatment<br />
Applied rhodium-plated<br />
hour markers<br />
Rhodium-plated<br />
Dauphine fusée<br />
type hour and<br />
minute hands<br />
60 notches around<br />
the rim of tourbillon<br />
aperture serving as a<br />
seconds scale<br />
Central medallion with<br />
hand-guilloché motif<br />
recalling the first L.U.C<br />
1860 watch<br />
White triangle-shaped<br />
small seconds hand affixed<br />
to the flying tourbillon<br />
carriage crucial for<br />
COSC certification<br />
in the form of our tourbillon. Because mounted on the cage<br />
is a discreet but highly visible seconds hand, which is what<br />
the COSC uses to measure our tourbillons’ performance.”<br />
But how did the idea of creating a flying tourbillon<br />
chronometer in precisely the same dimensions as the<br />
original L.U.C 1860 watch come about? It all started in<br />
2019 at a vineyard in Bergerac named Château Monestier<br />
La Tour. Purchased by Karl-Friedrich in an act that is<br />
demonstrative of his typical insistence on quality, he<br />
spent the first three years of his ownership converting the<br />
vineyard to meet biodynamic standards. We were there<br />
to help him celebrate this transformation in a wonderful<br />
event that involved the healthy consumption of his healing<br />
tonics. Accompanying the vinicultural resplendence was,<br />
of course, an array of new watches. Among these was a<br />
stunning automatic flying tourbillon named the Flying T<br />
Twin. A flying tourbillon is distinguished by having no<br />
upper bridge. Instead, all the weight of the cage, the balance<br />
and the escapement is supported by the pinion of the cage<br />
from behind. This is considered to be one of the greatest<br />
horological achievements and one of the masterworks<br />
of high complication beauty, as you are able to enjoy the<br />
view of what Abraham-Louis Breguet referred to as the<br />
“whirlwind” unobstructed by any impediment.<br />
I had always known Chopard to produce some of<br />
the world’s best tourbillons. In 2004, when the Chopard<br />
L.U.C manual winding tourbillon was first introduced, it<br />
became only the second tourbillon to ever receive COSC<br />
certification. Scheufele attributes a major part of achieving<br />
COSC certification for each and every one of his tourbillon<br />
watches to their 4Hz vibrational speed. He explains, “At the<br />
time, almost all the other tourbillons ran at 3Hz because<br />
that was the tourbillon escapement that was available from<br />
Nivarox. We wanted a tourbillon that ran at a modern<br />
speed and that had much greater autonomy from micro<br />
shocks, so we had to design and commission our own<br />
tourbillon escapement.” The 4Hz tourbillon watch featured<br />
Chopard’s four-barreled Quattro technology, but it also had<br />
an upper bridge. So when the Flying T Twin was presented<br />
to us, I was smitten. Then when it was explained that this<br />
flying tourbillon featured an automatic movement, I was<br />
even more deeply intrigued.<br />
92 PRIME TIME
Turning the watch over, I felt an electrifying sense<br />
of Proustian nostalgia wash over me. There before<br />
my eyes was the wonderfully familiar architecture<br />
of my beloved caliber 1.96, complete with its distinct<br />
micro-rotor. Karl-Friderich Scheufele must have<br />
noticed my rapture when he approached me and asked,<br />
“Do you see something familiar?” I replied, “It looks<br />
like the caliber 1.96 with the third wheel now powering<br />
the pinion of the tourbillon.” He laughed and explained,<br />
“Yes, we used the movement as the base caliber for this<br />
new flying tourbillon. In fact, remarkably enough, this<br />
new tourbillon caliber occupies essentially the same<br />
dimensions as our original movement.”<br />
Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed with an idea so<br />
tantalizing that I was almost afraid to articulate it in case<br />
it were not possible; I’d be crushed by the disappointment.<br />
While the new Flying T Twin was 40mm in diameter, it<br />
dawned on me that it might be possible to make a much<br />
smaller version of the watch. I asked Karl-Friedrich,<br />
“Does this mean that you could conceivably create a flying<br />
tourbillon watch in exactly the same dimensions as the<br />
original 1860 watch?” He looked at me and smiled, “Wei, I<br />
like this idea very much. And it should be designed so that<br />
it looks exactly like the original watch, but now with the<br />
addition of the flying tourbillon. Shall we do this together?”<br />
And that was the beginning of a three-year journey that has<br />
culminated in the single timepiece that I am most proud of.<br />
I admit it. I am biased. How could I not be?<br />
So here’s a breakdown of why I feel that the Chopard<br />
L.U.C 1860 Flying T, Special Revolution is such an<br />
extraordinary watch. First, the watch is a celebration of<br />
L.U.C’s incredible 25-year-long commitment to technical<br />
innovation and pure authentic watchmaking. Second, it is<br />
an aesthetic masterpiece that takes one of the most iconic<br />
modern watch designs and adds to it a stunning flying<br />
tourbillon. Third, it is the world’s smallest automatic flying<br />
tourbillon at 36.5mm in diameter and 8.2mm in height.<br />
It is to my mind the perfect size for a complicated classic<br />
dress watch. With a world in the throes of vintage watch<br />
fever, here is a modern timepiece that wears like a vintage<br />
one, but which has none of the disadvantages. Just to be<br />
cheeky, the thought did cross my mind that if Philippe<br />
Dufour ever made a tourbillon version of the Simplicity, it<br />
would probably end up looking a lot like this. Fourth, it is<br />
the only automatic flying tourbillon that has received both<br />
the Geneva Seal as well as COSC certification. Last but not<br />
least, thanks to Chopard L.U.C’s understanding, we have<br />
been permitted to price this timepiece at what we consider<br />
a tremendous value proposition, CHF 120,750.<br />
CHOPARD<br />
L.U.C 1860 FLYING T, SPECIAL <strong>REVOLUTION</strong><br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding L.U.C caliber 96.24-L;<br />
65-hour power reserve<br />
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds, flying tourbillon<br />
CASE 36.5mm; 18K ethical white gold; water resistant to 30m<br />
STRAP Matte brown alligator leather with 18K ethical<br />
white gold pin buckle<br />
PRICE CHF 120,750<br />
AVAILABILITY Limited to five numbered pieces, available<br />
on RevolutionWatch.com<br />
Scan here for<br />
more on the<br />
Chopard L.U.C<br />
1860 Flying T,<br />
Special Revolution<br />
PRIME TIME 93
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE<br />
TO PIAGET ALTIPLANO<br />
ULTIMATE CONCEPT<br />
Piaget affirms its status as the creator of some of the most<br />
elegant ultra thin watches ever made.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
94 PRIME TIME
The world's thinnest mechanical watch — the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept<br />
From top: The 2mm manual wind caliber 9P from 1957;<br />
The 2.3mm micro-rotor equipped caliber 12P from 1960<br />
The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is the world’s<br />
thinnest mechanical watch, with a thickness of just<br />
2mm. (It is also, incidentally, one of the world’s<br />
lightest mechanical watches weighing just 23 grams with its<br />
strap fitted.) But just how thin is 2mm?<br />
When you behold the 41mm in diameter watch in the<br />
flesh, you’d think you are witnessing some optical illusion.<br />
It literally looks like someone has taken a picture of the<br />
watch, cut it out and placed it in front of you. That is how<br />
effectively two dimensional it feels. But look closer, and<br />
you realize that its very special balance wheel is oscillating.<br />
It’s only when you reach out and pick up the watch, that<br />
you get that it is very much real. This dynamic tension and<br />
shift in perspective — from what you thought to be two<br />
dimensional now becoming three dimensional — is what is<br />
initially so alluring about the watch.<br />
But more than that, the Ultimate Concept is one<br />
of the most technically ambitious watches of all time.<br />
In the process, it pays tribute to some of the most<br />
groundbreaking concepts in the history of watchmaking,<br />
created by geniuses such as royal watchmaker to the French<br />
court Jean-Antoine Lépine, Jean Lassale and the duo of<br />
André Beyner and Maurice Grimm, two watchmakers<br />
who created seminal works in the 1980s for the likes of<br />
Audemars Piguet. Above all, the watch is a celebration of<br />
Piaget, which is synonymous with the creation of some<br />
of the world’s most famous ultra thin calibers: the 2mm<br />
manual wind 9P from 1957 and the 2.3mm micro-rotor<br />
equipped 12P from 1960.<br />
The whole idea, as Piaget’s ultra dynamic CEO, Chabi<br />
Nouri, explains, was to celebrate the 60th anniversary<br />
of the 9P with an entire watch that was the same size as<br />
the groundbreaking 9P, and in so doing, affirm Piaget’s<br />
status as the creator of some of the most elegant ultra thin<br />
watches ever made.<br />
Personally I love Piaget’s design vibe, which I always<br />
associate with the seminal and ineffable Riviera chic of the<br />
1960s to ’80s, and which is now more relevant than ever.<br />
So the fact that Piaget combines that sense of élan with<br />
real horological credibility and ambition is a very winning<br />
combination for me.<br />
Finally, I should say that the Ultimate Concept could<br />
not have been made without a real understanding of<br />
watchmaking history, with an incredible sense of technical<br />
ingenuity and the one quality that I sometimes feel is most<br />
lacking in the watch industry today — courage. I would<br />
like to give a big shout-out to Chabi Nouri and the team<br />
at Piaget for the incredible fortitude expressed by this<br />
mind-blowing watch. They are the true expression of their<br />
company’s motto, “Always do better than necessary.”<br />
PRIME TIME 95
2014: THE ALTIPLANO 900P<br />
Before we get into the Ultimate Concept, let’s jump back<br />
in time to 2014 when Piaget made its first groundbreaking<br />
move in the creation of ultra thin watches with the<br />
Altiplano 900P. Previous to this, we always talked about<br />
thin watches first by the dimensions of their movements<br />
and then the dimensions of their cases. For example, a<br />
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic has a movement that is<br />
2.23mm in thickness but a case that is 5.15mm in thickness.<br />
With the Altiplano 900P, Piaget realized that no one really<br />
cares about the dimension of the movement.<br />
What people care about is the dimension of the final<br />
watch, which in this case is an incredible 3.65mm in<br />
thickness. Anyway, there is no separate measurement<br />
for the movement because Piaget utilized a really cool<br />
concept for the 900P, which was to merge the case and the<br />
movement into one.<br />
In a typical watch you have a midcase, a caseback<br />
and a bezel. In the 900P, Piaget merged the midcase and<br />
caseback into one monobloc unit. Now for the super cool<br />
part: Piaget then transformed the case into the baseplate<br />
of the watch.<br />
As you probably know, the baseplate is like the chassis<br />
of the movement, or the main structural element where<br />
you attach bridges, gears, pinions and rubies. Piaget<br />
normally makes its movements at its La Côte-aux-Fées<br />
workshop in the Val-de-Travers municipality of Neuchâtel,<br />
and its cases at its Plan-les-Ouates facility in Geneva. With<br />
this watch, they had to develop this movement at the same<br />
facility that made the cases because the components for the<br />
case and the movement are the same.<br />
The next thing to understand is that in the 900P, Piaget<br />
built everything to essentially be on the same plane to<br />
reduce volume. That means there is no dial on the watch.<br />
The hands are integrated into the movement. The gear<br />
wheels and upper bridges are all on the same level as the<br />
hands. This basically means that the watchmaker builds<br />
this watch directly onto the case, fitting each perfectly<br />
finished component including the totally visible gear<br />
train and upper bridges into the case from the front of the<br />
watch before sealing it completely with the bezel, which<br />
is secured by screws at the back of the watch. This is a<br />
super challenging process because in a normal watch you<br />
can construct the movement, adjust and regulate it before<br />
casing it up. Everything for the 900P has to be done on the<br />
watch itself, and the care you have to take not to scratch<br />
any surface while ensuring that clearances for gears run<br />
smoothly is extremely challenging.<br />
But that was just the beginning. Next, Piaget had to<br />
optimize the thinness of every part and also solve some<br />
fairly substantial hurdles. They basically looked through<br />
every one of the 145 parts that made up this watch to try to<br />
make it as slim as possible.<br />
That’s why gear wheels that are normally 0.2mm are<br />
now 0.12mm. Piaget also realized that one of the thickest<br />
components of the watch was the balance wheel and so, it<br />
ensured that the entire mechanism and hand fitting system<br />
would be contained within the thickness of the balance<br />
wheel.<br />
In order to reduce the dimensions of the barrel, Piaget<br />
used a technique called the “suspended barrel,” invented<br />
by watchmaker Jean-Antoine Lépine. This kind of barrel is<br />
only supported on one side, similar to a flying tourbillon,<br />
and requires a great deal of precision to mount effectively.<br />
Amusingly, this technical breakthrough was necessitated<br />
by the trend in men’s fashion. Lépine was the watchmaker<br />
to the French court in the mid-18th century. Around this<br />
time, men started to wear tighter and shorter waistcoats,<br />
which led to bulky pocket watches protruding from them<br />
in a vulgar way. So Lépine created a new, much slimmer<br />
caliber that featured a cylindrical escapement and a<br />
hanging barrel. This has been used in only a few wristwatch<br />
movements, also in pursuit of thinness, such as the Jaeger-<br />
LeCoultre designed automatic 2121 used in Audemars<br />
Piguet’s Royal Oak, which is 3.05mm thick with a date<br />
wheel added and 2.45mm without it.<br />
Finally, even the sapphire crystal of the watch was<br />
optimized by reducing it to a mere 0.2mm in thickness.<br />
One issue that resulted was a slight flex to the crystal when<br />
pressure was exerted on it. If the crystal flexed too much,<br />
it could press on the watch hands, causing the movement<br />
to stop. To avoid this, Piaget ensured that the hands are<br />
recessed below the height of the movement’s upper bridge,<br />
which acts as a kind of block to protect the watch. The<br />
resulting timepiece was a revelation in terms of design and<br />
technical ingenuity.<br />
96 PRIME TIME
From top: The 38mm Piaget Altiplano<br />
powered by the ultra thin hand<br />
wound 900P caliber, which forms<br />
the baseplate and case of the watch;<br />
The case, which also forms the<br />
baseplate of the watch movement,<br />
measures in at mere 3.65mm<br />
!<br />
The time<br />
display<br />
"<br />
The bridge that<br />
holds the primary<br />
gear train and<br />
escapement<br />
#<br />
The bridge that<br />
holds the barrel<br />
and hand winding<br />
mechanism<br />
$<br />
The<br />
suspended<br />
barrel<br />
%<br />
Baseplate of<br />
the 900P, which<br />
is also the case<br />
of the watch<br />
A blown-up diagram<br />
of the 900P showing<br />
how the gear train and<br />
other components<br />
of the timepiece are<br />
built into the caseback,<br />
which serves as the<br />
movement's baseplate<br />
&<br />
Notice that the position<br />
for the barrel has no<br />
mounting pinion on the<br />
baseplate<br />
PRIME TIME 97
Clockwise from top: The 41mm diameter Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P in rose gold measures in at a thickness of 4.30mm; The 1986 Jacqueline Dimier designed<br />
Audemars Piguet ultra thin automatic tourbillon had its crown on the back of the watch. Rubies for the gear train pinions are visible from the backcase (©Revolution); The 1986<br />
Jacqueline Dimier designed Audemars Piguet ultra thin automatic tourbillon timepiece<br />
98 PRIME TIME
Screws on the side of the<br />
caliber 910P equipped<br />
watch, where the bezel<br />
attaches to the caseback<br />
2017: THE ALTIPLANO ULTIMATE AUTOMATIC 910P<br />
In 2017, Piaget unveiled the next chapter in its pursuit<br />
of ultra thin innovation with the Altiplano Ultimate<br />
Automatic powered by the caliber 910P. Amusingly, Piaget<br />
seems to also have gotten a little bit more inventive with<br />
the naming of its family of watches, as they threw the name<br />
“Ultimate” in here. Which was actually pretty accurate.<br />
Back in 1960, Piaget followed on the amazing 9P with<br />
the pretty staggering 12P movement, an ultra thin caliber<br />
equipped with a micro-rotor that was just 2.3mm in<br />
thickness. Indeed, this record stood all the way until 2017<br />
when Bvlgari launched its automatic micro-rotor movement<br />
at 2.23mm. But that same year, Piaget once again set a new<br />
standard with a watch that was 4.05mm in thickness.<br />
Like the 900P, the 910P took advantage of Piaget’s<br />
signature integration of the case and movement into one<br />
monolithic unit. But the question was: how would they<br />
integrate an automatic winding system without adversely<br />
affecting the thickness of the watch?<br />
A centrally mounted rotor would have added too<br />
much height and a micro-rotor would have necessitated<br />
space, which the watch couldn’t afford. Piaget’s solution<br />
was a brilliant one, which was to use a peripheral rotor<br />
mounted at the perimeter of the movement just inside the<br />
watch’s bezel. This oscillating weight takes the form of a<br />
thin 22K gold ring treated with a black PVD coating. It is<br />
connected to the movement with a ceramic ball bearing<br />
system, visible at two o’clock. Because it occupies such a<br />
large diameter and has such good moment of inertia, this<br />
weight is incredibly efficient and winds the movement very<br />
quickly. It also brought additional visual pyrotechnics to<br />
the front of the watch.<br />
While the manual wind 900P watch is 38mm in diameter,<br />
the 910P equipped watch is 41mm in diameter to make space for<br />
the peripheral rotor and to offer a sportier look. As the bezel<br />
could not be screwed from the back of the watch (because these<br />
screws would pass through the space occupied by the rotor),<br />
the bezel is attached at the side in the 910P. The screws on the<br />
caseback of the 910P, meanwhile, are not used for fixing the<br />
bezel, but only to push it away from the case after unscrewing<br />
the screws on the case side. These are the little details that show<br />
you how much went into the creation of this watch.<br />
As for Piaget’s brilliant innovation in merging the case<br />
of the watch with the baseplate and making it one unit, it<br />
is not a totally new idea in watchmaking. But this is the<br />
first time it has been totally successful, and perhaps most<br />
importantly, made in a watch suited to modern needs, such<br />
as one that is waterproof to 20m.<br />
The idea of making a watch where the case, dial and<br />
movement are one unit was also undertaken back in 1986<br />
by Audemars Piguet with their Jacqueline Dimier designed<br />
ultra thin automatic tourbillon (often credited as the very<br />
first wristwatch tourbillon). However, this watch did<br />
not feature a regular crown, its mainspring could not be<br />
manually wound and the rubies for the gear train pinions<br />
were actually visible from the back case. The watch was<br />
more of a one-off experiment rather than one that was to<br />
be continuously produced.<br />
The groundbreaking Piaget 900P and 910P are the first<br />
watches that were able to make this integration so precise<br />
and robust that these watches could be serially produced.<br />
I think that’s quite an achievement. They both run at 3Hz<br />
and the manual wind watch has 48 hours of power reserve,<br />
while its automatic sibling has 50 hours.<br />
PRIME TIME 99
2018: THE ALTIPLANO ULTIMATE CONCEPT<br />
Now you can see that the amazing Geneva Grand Prix<br />
Aiguille d’Or winning Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept<br />
is a further extension of the innovations you find in both<br />
the 900P and 910P watches. Think of it this way: If the<br />
Altiplano 900P and 910P were GT cars, then the Ultimate<br />
Concept is an ultra rare concept car like the Pagani Huayra<br />
Imola or the Aston Martin Valkyrie, where the pursuit is<br />
the ultimate in design and performance with no limits. But<br />
what exactly is so special about the Altiplano Ultimate<br />
Concept? You get the fact that it is, in the words of Monty<br />
Python, “wafer thin.” But what else? Well, check this out.<br />
The watch is also the very first timepiece in the world to<br />
have a flying balance wheel combined with a flying barrel,<br />
combined with a flying gear train.<br />
What am I talking about? OK, you all know what a<br />
flying tourbillon is right? Basically, there is no upper bridge<br />
to the tourbillon, and it is supported entirely from the back<br />
by the pinion of the cage. The visual effect is that it looks<br />
like it is flying or suspended. On the Ultimate Concept, the<br />
balance wheel is floating in space. It is entirely supported<br />
from behind and instead of resting on a pinion between<br />
rubies, it is supported and oscillates between ceramic<br />
ball bearings. This is to minimize height, but ceramic ball<br />
bearings also have the advantage of offering very good<br />
shock absorption to the balance, allowing Piaget<br />
to dispense with an Incabloc or KIF style system.<br />
On the subject of the balance, this element is completely<br />
redesigned to be much thinner than on a normal watch<br />
and the way it is set up is with the hairspring under the<br />
balance. Also, as there is no more bridge for the balance,<br />
the hairspring is now attached to the mainplate, which is<br />
monobloc to the case. If you look at the tiny banana-shaped<br />
cut-out under the balance wheel to the left, you can see<br />
that Piaget had to invent this system, which allows them to<br />
change the effective length of the hairspring.<br />
Now look just to the right of the balance wheel and you<br />
will see the escapement wheel. This escapement wheel has<br />
its pinion fixed to a ruby in the figure-eight shaped bridge/<br />
chapter ring that frames the dial and the balance wheel.<br />
What you don’t see is the escapement, which interacts with<br />
this escape wheel and balance to lock and unlock power<br />
from the mainspring eight times a second, thanks to the<br />
watch’s impressive 4Hz vibrational speed. Note that the<br />
balance wheel is on ceramic ball bearings as well as three<br />
wheels and the barrel.<br />
Now look at the barrel at six o’clock. You can see that<br />
the barrel has been reconceptualized to be as minimalistic as<br />
possible. It is fully skeletonized so you have visibility into the<br />
mainspring’s state of wind. But importantly, there is no jewel<br />
or bridge retaining the barrel, it is also floating in space.<br />
Like the balance, it is supported on all sides by ceramic ball<br />
bearings that are clearly visible to the eye, which allows it<br />
to be much flatter. There are three more wheels in the gear<br />
train which you can see at three o’clock, that are also fixed<br />
only from behind and supported by ceramic ball bearings.<br />
This is what I mean by a flying or suspended gear train.<br />
Interestingly, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept is not<br />
the first watch or movement to attempt the suspended gear<br />
train. However, it is the first to get it to work perfectly.<br />
In 1976, Jean Lassale created a movement that was one<br />
of the most daring technical breakthroughs of all time.<br />
It was a manual wind caliber that was a mere 1.2mm in<br />
thickness and named the caliber 1200. In order to achieve<br />
this, the barrel of the movement and the gear train were<br />
suspended, meaning they were only supported from one<br />
point from the back rather than having an upper bridge.<br />
Because this meant they couldn’t be supported with<br />
traditional jeweled pinions, they were secured in place<br />
using — you guessed it — ball bearings. But the problem<br />
was in the context of the time, these tiny bearings couldn’t<br />
be made as uniformly as needed, which led to service<br />
100 PRIME TIME
Escapement<br />
Third wheel<br />
Barrel<br />
Center wheel<br />
Wheel (below, not visible) used to<br />
redirect the energy of the barrel<br />
From top: The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept's balance wheel has no bridge over it and is entirely supported from the back. Instead of resting on a pinion between rubies,<br />
it is supported by, and oscillates, between ceramic ball bearings; Components of the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept that are supported by ball bearings (©Revolution)<br />
PRIME TIME 101
From top: The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept comes with a motorized tool, which you can use for winding and even setting the watch; The 2mm-thick Piaget<br />
Altiplano Ultimate Concept's sapphire crystal is 0.2mm in thickness, which is five times thinner than a normal sapphire crystal. It is fitted directly to the case with aerospace<br />
glue as there is no bezel for the watch (©Revolution)<br />
102 PRIME TIME
issues. The mythology goes that these movements were so<br />
fragile that when a total service was required, the practice<br />
was simply to remove these movements and replace them<br />
with new ones. Not a cost-effective procedure.<br />
Eventually, Lassale’s technology was purchased by<br />
Lemania. In 1981, the group that owned Lemania decided<br />
to sell it to its own management team and the investors<br />
that backed them were led by the Piaget family. The new<br />
company was called Nouvelle Lemania and, as such, Piaget<br />
had the rights to use the Lassale calibers. This formed the<br />
base of the famous Piaget caliber 20P. Thus, Piaget’s history<br />
with the suspended gear train and barrel goes back more<br />
than 40 years, and there is no other brand in the world that<br />
has greater legitimacy to use this innovation than Piaget.<br />
What is amazing about the Ultimate Concept is that<br />
because the case and mainplate of the movement are one<br />
uniform piece crafted from an ultra rigid cobalt alloy (the<br />
technical name of the alloy is M64BC — sexy… I know),<br />
it offers the perfect stability to a suspended gear train.<br />
In addition, the use of computer numeric machining<br />
combined with ceramic ball bearings — which can be made<br />
with incredible precision and uniformity — require no<br />
lubrication and are not susceptible to magnetism, allowing<br />
the Ultimate Concept to be the perfect vehicle for the<br />
suspended gear train.<br />
Another major achievement of the Ultimate Concept<br />
relates to the crown and its time-setting operation.<br />
In many of the ultra thin concept watches, time is set<br />
using a key integrated into the backcase, as with the<br />
aforementioned Audemars Piguet ultra thin tourbillon.<br />
For Piaget, this wasn’t good enough.<br />
Chabi Nouri, the brand’s CEO, has stressed how the<br />
watch had to be a real functional, ergonomic, wearable<br />
and usable timepiece, and that meant having a real crown.<br />
The issue is that the time-setting in a normal crown uses<br />
a vertical wheel, which occupies a certain height. But this<br />
would not be possible in the Ultimate Concept. As such,<br />
Piaget spent five years developing an endless gear system<br />
which could accomplish the task. But as the crown is tiny<br />
and has been integrated into the case, Piaget also supplies<br />
you with a motorized tool that you can use for winding<br />
and even setting the watch.<br />
On the material front, the ultra rigid cobalt alloy<br />
used for the case of the Ultimate Concept is expensive<br />
to machine because of the wear it exerts on tools. It was<br />
necessary to use this material to ensure that the watch, at<br />
its 2mm thinness, would never bend even if you were to<br />
accidentally sit on it.<br />
The sapphire crystal is 0.2mm thick, which is five times<br />
thinner than a normal sapphire crystal, and it is fitted<br />
directly to the case with aerospace glue as there is no bezel<br />
for the watch. As with the supercars I mentioned, Piaget<br />
doesn’t produce many of these each year; the number I’ve<br />
been told is somewhere around five watches.<br />
So stressful is the process to construct one of these that<br />
after each watch, the master watchmaker is required to go<br />
to Hawaii and stare at the ocean for a month to regain his<br />
sanity. OK, I’m joking here but only just a bit.<br />
The crazy research and development that went into<br />
this watch is reflected in its CHF 410,000 asking price.<br />
However, as the Geneva Grand Prix has already affirmed,<br />
this is a super historically important watch. Last but not<br />
least, if you do have CHF 410,000 in the bank and are<br />
enamored with this watch, you can fully customize it to<br />
your taste. That means the color of the case, the plate, the<br />
chapter ring, the dial — just about everything is in your<br />
hands. In short, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept is not just<br />
one hell of a technical breakthrough and a demonstration<br />
of Piaget’s commitment to excelling and pushing<br />
boundaries, it is also a canvas for your self-expression.<br />
For videos and<br />
more on the<br />
Piaget Altiplano<br />
Ultimate Concept,<br />
scan here<br />
PRIME TIME 103
TIME FOR CHANGE<br />
Cyrille Vigneron, Cartier’s visionary president and CEO, tells us why adaptation<br />
and change are especially paramount in today’s luxury world.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
In the five years that he’s led<br />
Cartier, Cyrille Vigneron has<br />
not only brought his venerable<br />
maison to its all-time height of<br />
success, but he has also become<br />
one of the most inspirational and<br />
thought-provoking leaders in all<br />
of luxury.<br />
In his closing remarks that<br />
marked the finale of 2021’s digital<br />
version of Watches & Wonders, he<br />
gave what is, in my opinion, one of<br />
the most important speeches ever<br />
made by someone in his field. Here<br />
was the CEO of one of the world’s<br />
hugest luxury brands explaining<br />
to us that the future belonged to<br />
deconsumption, and that the only<br />
way for our sector to remain relevant was to create objects<br />
with singularity and perennial durability. He warned that<br />
the only thing we can predict was that the future would<br />
be unpredictable, and that the luxury industry needs to be<br />
far more reactive and to move with much greater velocity.<br />
Meaning that the existing long supply chains, or even<br />
worse, offshore supply chains used by some brands, were<br />
untenable for the future.<br />
Vigneron explained that the world we are experiencing<br />
belongs far more to the seeming unpredictability and<br />
randomness of quantum mechanics than the rational<br />
predictability of Newtonian physics. He further asserted<br />
that while the last era had been about stereotyping<br />
genders, the future belonged to the unstereotyping of<br />
genders, and that true luxury was about the revelation of<br />
character and not sex. He emphasized that transparency<br />
rules the day and while luxury used to be a unidirectional<br />
communication from brand to client, today it is very much<br />
a dialogue. That dialogue, he explained, must be carried<br />
out over every medium to the best of a brand’s ability with<br />
the understanding that the requirements of each form of<br />
social media is different.<br />
He had the courage to speak about ethics becoming<br />
one of the primary concerns for the luxury industry as<br />
they are already central to the decision-making process<br />
for any potential millennial<br />
or Generation Z customer. He<br />
explained that one of the best<br />
ways for our industry to express<br />
our ethics is to create watches that<br />
have durability, perennial value and<br />
enduring function. He discussed<br />
using technology, such as the luxury<br />
watch world’s first solar powered<br />
movement, as a response to ethical<br />
demands. He revealed that as an<br />
expression of its ethics, Cartier uses<br />
95 percent recycled gold and has<br />
fitted its SolarBeat photovoltaic<br />
movement Tank Must watches with<br />
non-animal straps made from apple<br />
wastes. He explained that each and<br />
every individual and company must<br />
take ownership of its own carbon footprint and that it was<br />
“time for change,” because if we do not collectively make<br />
this change happen now, the next generation will never<br />
forgive us.<br />
It gave me great pleasure to interview Vigneron<br />
during Watches & Wonders to understand his visionary<br />
leadership, which is proof positive that ethics and<br />
commercial success can not only coexist, but also actually<br />
empower us for the future.<br />
My friend Nick Foulkes likes to say, “Before he became<br />
CEO, I used to ask Cartier to bring back Collection Privée<br />
Cartier Paris (CPCP), but what Cyrille has done is even<br />
better — he has made the whole of Cartier CPCP, which is<br />
to say every watch is iconic.” How did you do this?<br />
Five years ago, we said, let’s bring Cartier back to what it<br />
was loved for — iconic products, beautiful design, a sense<br />
of proportion and elegance. When we deviated from this, it<br />
was when we began to lose our customers, so let’s get back<br />
to this and bring all these beautiful shapes back to light. I<br />
was asked if this means we don’t have creativity or that we<br />
lack imagination? I said no. To me, beauty matters more<br />
than novelty. That is not to say we do not have absolutely<br />
new designs. But especially in a world where customers are<br />
consuming less and are considering what they purchase<br />
104 PRIME TIME
This year, the Cloche de Cartier is the fifth iconic model to join the exclusive Cartier Privé collection that features numbered, limited edition watches.<br />
Pictured here are three Cloche de Cartier Skeleton Watches with the 9626 Cartier Manufacture movement<br />
PRIME TIME 105
more, it is even more important to have a durable quality, a<br />
singularity and a timelessness. When it comes to revisiting<br />
the past correctly, it actually takes great creativity because<br />
we must have respect for what is beautiful and what clients<br />
love the brand for. The more we do this, the more we see<br />
clients, journalists and collectors coming back to us and<br />
saying, “This is the Cartier we like.” Five years later, it seems<br />
obvious. But five years ago, it was not perceived this way.<br />
What were the greatest lessons of the pandemic?<br />
There are several lessons from the pandemic. The first is<br />
to be ready for the unexpected. In the last decade, we had<br />
the financial crisis in 2009; the crackdown on gifting in<br />
China in 2015; challenges related to Hong Kong in 2019;<br />
and we had a global pandemic in 2020. So it seems that<br />
change is constantly coming. You could say something<br />
significant changes every two to three years. In some ways,<br />
the unexpected is now the expected. As the author Nassim<br />
Taleb says [in his 2007 book], “Black Swans are coming.”<br />
So we must be ready, because even if something is not<br />
predictable, it can be anticipated. In this case, the fixed<br />
plan doesn’t work. We must be flexible.<br />
In the watch industry, the long supply chain doesn’t<br />
work because it doesn’t allow for the unpredictability that<br />
has become the new norm. We have to react quickly. Also,<br />
to have offshore suppliers is not ideal because it lengthens<br />
the time needed to make watches, so manufacturing for the<br />
entire industry must consolidate more in Switzerland. 2020<br />
was the perfect example of a perfect collapse followed by a<br />
fast rebound in the markets that were open.<br />
The second thing we learned from the pandemic is to<br />
recognize that we are much more in an era of quantum<br />
mechanics than we are in Newtonian physics. Meaning: we<br />
live in a time of uncertainty, randomness where there are<br />
things you can know, but many things you can’t know. So<br />
the idea of making a plan, drawing a fixed line, it doesn’t<br />
work anymore.<br />
The last thing I would say is, you must be true to who<br />
you are. This crisis has been a strong revelator. It has been<br />
a moment of truth. Aristotle’s philosophy, that can also<br />
be called [personified] by the Greek god Caerus, relates to<br />
what is timely and what is true. It is a moment where space<br />
and time gather to as truth. This crisis has been that kind<br />
of moment. So you can see that those brands that have<br />
been true to who they are have done well. But those who<br />
have tried many things to place themselves far from who<br />
they are, have been less and less convincing. In the end, I<br />
would say, we should embrace the Asian philosophy that<br />
life is impermanent and immaterial, and you must be true<br />
to who you are.<br />
Many are expecting a rebound to happen, one to be<br />
compared to the Roaring Twenties, once the majority<br />
of the world is vaccinated and the pandemic is truly<br />
over. Do you agree?<br />
I don’t know if you can compare it to the Roaring<br />
Twenties. But what we have seen in post-crisis behavior is<br />
that there is first an economic rebound. We don’t need to<br />
go back to the 1920s, but just to 2010, 2011 and 2013, when<br />
we had a massive economic rebound and governments and<br />
central banks put so much money back into the system<br />
to revitalize and support the economy after it had been<br />
disturbed and disrupted. This is usually a strong period<br />
of growth in general for the economy, and for luxury in<br />
particular. So we should probably expect to see this.<br />
That being said, we should not expect this across the<br />
board and all countries. Some sectors will rebound faster<br />
than ever; some countries and even some cities will do<br />
the same. Others will not. We must recognize that we are<br />
in a diverging world. Some will soar to euphoria while<br />
others will stay in crisis. Until the vaccine has been broadly<br />
distributed, which will take about a year from now [at<br />
time of writing, March 2021], we will have this divergence.<br />
After that, we will see a rebound, but then again probably<br />
differently depending on where you are. We will see<br />
a renewed interest in travel because we have all been<br />
deprived from traveling, and there will probably be a great<br />
desire to do this again. In conclusion, we will see economic<br />
boost, we will see a lot of traction for luxury, and we will<br />
see renewed interest in travel, but maybe more for cultural<br />
travel and more selective travel.<br />
Is the Tank Must intended as a bridge to the next<br />
generation — in the same way the Must de Cartier<br />
Tank of the ’70s was created for Cartier to reach an<br />
all-new audience?<br />
The interesting thing about this watch is that it really<br />
revisits the Tank Louis Cartier design. So in some ways,<br />
even though it is a modern watch and everyone is praising<br />
its modernity, it is one of our oldest designs. Into this<br />
vessel we place our most innovative technology, which is<br />
our SolarBeat photovoltaic movement, and added a nonanimal<br />
strap. But certainly the colored dials and the Deco<br />
dials, for instance, are a tribute to what we did in the 1970s.<br />
106 PRIME TIME
When you have a long family tree, there are many moments<br />
you can select to celebrate. What we find interesting is<br />
that customers are equally interested in the Tank Must<br />
Innovation as they are in the red dial Tank Must.<br />
In terms of being a bridge to the new generation, I<br />
think it is yes. Because the first thing it says is that there<br />
is no tension at all between heritage and innovation.<br />
We are about living heritage and living tradition. We<br />
must constantly revisit and innovate in terms of design,<br />
technicality, ergonomics and durability. So we took the<br />
oldest design like the Tank Louis Cartier and we put the<br />
most modern and technologically advanced movement,<br />
which derives its power from light, into it.<br />
I would say it is not just for the new generation but<br />
everyone that has much more respect for the environment<br />
and for sustainability. This means we must be focused<br />
on durability, transferability and repairability. This is<br />
going to be a long-term trend. We actually already raised<br />
this question five years ago when we launched the new<br />
Panthère. As part of that campaign, we asked customers<br />
with existing Panthères to bring their watches back to us,<br />
and we would repair them for free and provide a new twoyear<br />
warranty for the watches. We wanted to show we were<br />
committed to the sustainability of our watches. We had so<br />
From top: Some of the Tank Must models are fitted with the SolarBeat<br />
photovoltaic movement that boasts an average lifespan of 16 years,<br />
and non-animal straps made out of apple wastes; The Cartier Tank Must<br />
with monochrome colored dials are the epitome of timeless style<br />
PRIME TIME 107
many people bringing their watches in and in some ways<br />
rediscovering how timeless this icon is.<br />
You have made the luxury world’s first solar powered<br />
watch. Is this meant to be a statement of ethics or<br />
innovation, or both?<br />
People ask me,why don’t you do connected watches<br />
because the new generation really likes this kind of watch?<br />
I said no — because this technology is too perishable.<br />
At Cartier, we create designs that are timeless, that<br />
endure. If I put an electronic module into my watch that<br />
is obsolete in two years, what do I do with this beautiful<br />
design? Instead, I should use technology to enhance the<br />
longevity of my watches. That’s why we did the SolarBeat<br />
photovoltaic movement which can last for 16 years before<br />
it needs to be serviced.<br />
Technology is not everything. The iPhone did not exist<br />
20 years ago and probably will not exist in 20 years. But<br />
the Tank Louis Cartier, Panthère, Pasha and Santos will<br />
still be here because they are iconic. They can be passed<br />
on to generation and generation, because they don’t age.<br />
We need to make an effort to ensure that the movements<br />
are repairable so the watches are durable. One of the most<br />
ethical things we can do is make watches that last forever.<br />
From a design perspective, they will stay relevant. What is<br />
special about Cartier’s designs is that they are essential —<br />
if they hadn’t existed, we would have had to invent them.<br />
But we must also ensure the inner quality also enables our<br />
watches to endure indefinitely.<br />
I am really impressed with how accessibly priced the<br />
Tank Must collection is. How is it that Cartier is not<br />
only one of the hottest watch brands around, but also<br />
offers one of the best value propositions?<br />
Five years ago we said, let’s give back as much value as<br />
possible to customers. The point was not to make our<br />
watches as expensive as possible. For me, they had to be<br />
iconic and beautiful, but they also had to be good value for<br />
money. And they should be as easy to live with as possible.<br />
That is why our watches now all have interchangeable<br />
straps, and we can even retrofit these onto existing<br />
watches — to make watches constantly more beautiful,<br />
more durable, and with the best value possible. That is why<br />
when we created the Tank Must Innovation, we priced it<br />
the same as a normal [Cartier quartz] watch. I am sure we<br />
will reach a very broad audience who will find this watch<br />
beautiful, but also affordable.<br />
Cartier is one of the few brands that makes truly<br />
genderless watches. The Tank Must is the perfect<br />
example of this. What is the secret to appealing to<br />
everyone so universally?<br />
If you look at watches in the past, they were mostly<br />
The Cartier Tank Must — the small and large models come with either a quartz<br />
movement or Cartier's game-changing SolarBeat photovoltaic movement, while the<br />
extra large model is powered by the automatic in-house caliber 1847 MC<br />
108 PRIME TIME
With the new Tank Louis Cartier, the brand has taken a striking design from the past and elevated it with the in-house manual winding 1917 MC movement<br />
genderless. That is because during the majority of the 20th<br />
century, gender in terms of how each sex would dress was<br />
already so strictly defined: men with their suits and women<br />
with high heels and permed hair. This lasted until the<br />
1970s. But then we started to see some flexibility with the<br />
way you dress (women in Armani power suits in the ’80s),<br />
and some of these — jeans, for example — are genderless.<br />
So then, people needed other signifiers about their gender<br />
such as their accessories and in particular their watches. So<br />
it is really in the past 20 years where you have a stronger<br />
polarization between male and female watches, with men’s<br />
watches getting much larger, thicker and sportier, and<br />
women’s watches getting smaller and gem-set. But then,<br />
you have watches that are neither masculine nor feminine,<br />
and I would say that our icons are like this. The Crash,<br />
Santos, Tank and Baignoire are all genderless. They appeal<br />
to people with strong characters independent of their<br />
gender or their origin.<br />
The Cartier customer has always been someone with<br />
strong self-affirmation. Cartier’s products have aspects that<br />
are both masculine and feminine. The Pasha, for example,<br />
is both round and square. Probably there are some models<br />
like the Pasha Chronograph that might be perceived as<br />
more masculine and sporty. But that doesn’t mean it can’t<br />
be worn by a woman. Quite the opposite, it can look very<br />
beautiful on a woman with a strong character. For her,<br />
it could be a sign of power. Whereas you would consider<br />
the Pasha 30mm to be more feminine, but it can look very<br />
elegant on a man. So today everyone can use what he or she<br />
or they want to express their own identity.<br />
We have watches that have a strong sense of identity<br />
but are also genuinely genderless. The Tank Must can be<br />
suitable for all generations and all genders. In some ways,<br />
it is just the wonderful sense of beauty that is in there,<br />
and this appeals to everyone. What is clear today is that<br />
we should remove the stereotypes that dictate men should<br />
wear this and women should wear that. Rather, anyone<br />
can use any product from Cartier to express who they<br />
are. The past was about stereotyping the genders. What<br />
is happening today is we are becoming unstereotyped,<br />
where people have the latitude to wear whatever they feel<br />
expresses their identity. Don’t forget that no one needs a<br />
watch to tell time today. Your iPhone will automatically<br />
change time zone when you land in a new city. So watches<br />
have lost their raison d'être as timekeeping instruments,<br />
but gained an even more important role in society to<br />
tell people who you are. When it comes to telling people<br />
who you are, the design is far more important than the<br />
movement. A Cartier watch is, therefore, to tell people<br />
who you are, what design you like and who you have<br />
become. Watches today are the witness of who we are and<br />
who we have become.<br />
PRIME TIME 109
The Cartier Pasha Chronograph glows brightly in the dark because of the application of high emission white Super-LumiNova into the<br />
flange of the bezel. Even the indexes are coated with black luminous material for instant legibility in low-light conditions<br />
I really love the new Pasha Chronograph, especially in<br />
yellow gold. Tell us about the hidden light signature you<br />
included in this design. It is great and unexpected…<br />
When we wanted to relaunch the Pasha, I told you that we<br />
looked through every version of the watch that has ever<br />
been made, but ended up using the very original watch as<br />
our source of inspiration. During that process, we saw a lot<br />
of watches that had this wonderful flamboyance, such as<br />
the Pasha Golf and, of course, the Chronograph. We wanted<br />
to bring back this sense of style in the new chronograph<br />
version with its oversized pushers and larger-than-life<br />
styling. There were examples of this chronograph with<br />
luminescent markers, and we thought it would be wonderful<br />
to bring these back but in a subtly different way. We were<br />
thinking that after the pandemic, we could appeal to people<br />
with watches that were very subdued such as the Tank Must,<br />
but also, there will be people who will want to celebrate by<br />
wearing watches that have a real energy and flamboyance,<br />
and that is what we achieved with the chronograph. Why do<br />
we add this ring of Super-LumiNova inside the bezel that<br />
lights up the whole watch? To bring an additional sense of<br />
energy. I think in a year from now when the pandemic is<br />
finally over, we will want to say, “We are full of sun and light<br />
again,” and that is what this watch says to me.<br />
What is the balancing act between being faithful<br />
to an icon and evolving it for today?<br />
This is where the work of the archives and the design studio<br />
come together. The question we ask is always what best<br />
embodies the spirit of that icon today? When we decided to<br />
transition the Tank Solo into the Tank Must family, one of<br />
the key ideas was to soften the brancards and go back to the<br />
original Tank Louis Cartier design. Then we asked ourselves,<br />
what would be the sense of proportion that would make the<br />
watch right today? What would be the elements such as an<br />
interchangeable strap or a solar powered movement that<br />
would make the watch right for today? What you don’t see is<br />
how many different designs are made by the creative studio<br />
before we decide on the one that will be for today. Once<br />
we have the right design, we ask how many variants can be<br />
explored within it. With Cartier Privé, for example, when<br />
we look at the Tank Asymétrique or the Cloche, we see if<br />
we can do versions with skeleton movements. Can we try<br />
it with different case materials and dial colors? How does<br />
it look? If it looks beautiful, we will often say, let’s do it in<br />
order to offer our clients more choice.<br />
This is about the respect for the past, but also the<br />
creation of a new interpretation. It is like when you take<br />
classic music and reinterpret it and become re-inspired,<br />
or when classic becomes jazz — for example, when you<br />
have Édouard Ferlet reinterpreting Bach to give it a new<br />
relevance. This is what we do when we approach the revival<br />
of an icon. What we must first do is understand and<br />
appreciate the initial composition to see what made it so<br />
special before we can make the evolution to adapt it to the<br />
modern world. It is like looking at a chessboard. So many<br />
openings have to be made over time, but then a great chess<br />
player can invent new combinations.<br />
The first step is to find the point of origin for the<br />
rebirth, then we define the right proportions for today.<br />
Finally, we explore how much latitude we have to play with<br />
it and add things that make it truly relevant for today. It is<br />
110 PRIME TIME
made many associations between architecture and watch<br />
design. During the opening speech, he said that for many<br />
years watchmakers have tried to master time. But the human<br />
experience of time is much more biological because time for<br />
us is finite. We age and eventually, we perish. But there is<br />
one way to transcend time and that is through design.<br />
A beautiful design doesn’t age. This is the power of<br />
Cartier’s designs. They are ageless and they do not lose<br />
their relevance. For example, the Love bracelet has never<br />
been more popular, but many people don’t realize that<br />
it was created 60 years ago. Or the Tank Must… the new<br />
generation will see it and like it, and if they ask when it<br />
was first created, we tell them it was about 100 years ago.<br />
When we talk about things that are truly transcendental,<br />
we always arrive back at design and beauty, and following a<br />
global crisis, this is what we need more than ever to uplift<br />
us. This is the necessity of beauty. When watchmakers<br />
focus too much on function and not enough on design,<br />
they are in some ways missing what we are yearning for<br />
today. Beauty is the key to being timeless yet timely.<br />
a collective process, but I must say the design studio does<br />
an amazing job.<br />
Cartier watches across all time periods — vintage,<br />
Cartier London, CPCP, and brand new — are exploding<br />
in popularity, collectibility and value. How did you<br />
make this happen?<br />
As I mentioned before, this crisis has been a moment of<br />
truth and if you are true to who you are, then you find your<br />
audience. I would say this has been the outcome of five<br />
years’ worth of effort to, as what our friend Nick Foulkes<br />
says, “make Cartier entirely iconic.” I also think we are<br />
at a time when we need less novelties and more enduring<br />
icons, and at moments of crisis, people want those watches<br />
that are most familiar and most timeless. Finally, I think<br />
people arrived at the conclusion that Cartier watches are<br />
just beautiful, and that they want them now. There was<br />
this convergence where everything we’ve been trying to<br />
do paid off in this most crucial moment. It’s the kind of<br />
conjunction that you don’t plan; it just happens to be.<br />
You are the luxury watch world’s first proponent of<br />
deconsumption. In a world that is looking to consume less,<br />
describe the necessity of beauty.<br />
Beauty is more important than novelty. And when it comes<br />
to functionality, the truth is we need this less and less,<br />
especially when we are surrounded at every moment by so<br />
much technology. But why do you have an expensive watch<br />
if it is not so functional? Here you need to understand it is<br />
about a sense of beauty. Two years ago, we had an exhibition<br />
in London on the Santos, curated by Sir Norman Foster. He<br />
You are Switzerland’s third largest producer of watches.<br />
But you never talk about this. Why?<br />
Well, that is the statistic that has been reported by others,<br />
but why should we mention it? Anyway, I think with the<br />
current trend, we should get back to the number two<br />
position quite quickly. But to me, that number doesn’t<br />
matter. Beauty matters.<br />
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the amazing<br />
Tank Cintrée. Will there be any other celebration beyond<br />
the amazing tribute to the original that you stealthlaunched<br />
in January?<br />
For the Tank Cintrée that we launched earlier this year, the<br />
idea was really to create a very faithful celebration of the<br />
original with this very thin case, which is not waterproof<br />
because of the way it is constructed. Regarding this kind<br />
of design, the 150-piece special edition will be it. We will<br />
not make more of this kind of watch. Of course, the Tank<br />
Cintrée from 2018 was a different design which was water<br />
resistant, and we might always do something with this case<br />
in the future. But regarding the 100th Anniversary Edition<br />
of the Tank Cintrée, that is finished and I would not want<br />
to repeat it — even though there is enormous demand for<br />
this watch — out of respect to the clients who purchased it.<br />
We all speculate which icon you will revive each year<br />
with Cartier Privé. Many of us are waiting with great<br />
anticipation for a Tank à Guichet. Tell us why you<br />
selected the very beautiful Cloche this year.<br />
You are the second person that has mentioned the Tank à<br />
Guiche to me. What I will ask you is to send me your wish<br />
list for Cartier Privé. I have also requests for the Tortue<br />
PRIME TIME 111
Cloche de Cartier is named for the "cloche", or bell, shape which first appeared in Cartier watches in 1920<br />
Monopusher, but would be interested to hear from you and<br />
your friends the order you wish to see these icons reborn.<br />
Why the Cloche? It seemed like it was time after the<br />
Crash, Tank Cintrée and Tank Asymétrique. It was simply<br />
for this and no other reason. And it seemed the time was<br />
right as the reaction to the watch has been really positive<br />
— because we are, more than ever, in a period where<br />
people really want beauty. Of all our watches, this might<br />
be the one that is most challenging to read on the wrist,<br />
but then again I think that its primary objective is to be a<br />
masterwork of design, which it certainly is. What I really<br />
like is when you take it off and put it on the table, and it<br />
becomes a kind of small travel clock. It has this mysterious<br />
beauty, and I am very pleased it has been received so well.<br />
One of the questions I get asked often is how someone can<br />
enter the special order program at Cartier. What would<br />
you recommend?<br />
There is no great mystery as to how to enter the special order<br />
program. What you have to do is approach our boutiques<br />
and our sales associates. There is no specific restriction. It is<br />
more about what the occasion is and what is it that people<br />
would like to have. We cannot make a specific watch for<br />
everyone and it has to stay within the guidelines of what is<br />
Cartier. It is always best to stay within existing models with<br />
some adjustments in design, for example, to the dial.<br />
We also do watches to celebrate certain moments. Two<br />
years ago, there were two exhibitions on Cartier: in Beijing<br />
in the Forbidden City and in Tokyo. The one in Tokyo was<br />
curated by Hiroshi Sugimoto, the famous architect and<br />
photographer, and titled Crystallization of Time. He made<br />
a lot of things that related to time for the exhibition. He<br />
had placed stones throughout the exhibition that absorbed<br />
energy, and then returned the energy to you. It was about<br />
the crystallization of time; to say that after you spend 20<br />
minutes here you will become 20 minutes younger because<br />
of the return of energy from these stones. To express this,<br />
he had taken an old 1908 clock and remounted it so that<br />
it ran counterclockwise. This was placed at the entrance<br />
with two huge crystals that functioned as the pendulum.<br />
And so we made for him a very special watch — a platinum<br />
Tonneau that runs counterclockwise. There is only one and<br />
it is just for him because to him it is very meaningful. For<br />
us, many of the special orders are approved based on their<br />
meaning, the specific need and significance to you.<br />
We also love to work with the network of collectors and<br />
communities. If you say to us, for example, that your club<br />
loves the Tank Asymétrique and wants to make a special<br />
Asymétrique just for you as a celebration, then why not?<br />
We can do that for you too and it would be our pleasure.<br />
To me, the genius of Cartier Vintage is that it is proof<br />
positive that the watch you buy today can be a future<br />
collectible. Is this the objective?<br />
We have this collection called Cartier Tradition, When we<br />
find certain products on the market, we buy them back. This<br />
112 PRIME TIME
could be something like a mystery clock, jewelry or very<br />
old watches. We would buy them, refurbish them and then<br />
decide to either keep them in our permanent collection or<br />
to offer them to our clients. There has always been a strong<br />
demand for these objects. But what we realized recently was<br />
we had multiple ways of looking at the past and the message<br />
is always to express our timelessness. It means that it doesn’t<br />
matter if you bought something from Cartier 100 years ago,<br />
50 years ago, 20 years ago or even today; it is equally timeless.<br />
With Cartier Vintage, we decided with Pierre Rainero<br />
[Cartier’s Image, Style & Patrimony Director] to focus on<br />
watches made from the 1970s, which was when Cartier<br />
started to be offered at watch retailers, through to the<br />
early 2000s which marked the end of the CPCP project<br />
(1998–2008). These are watches that we had purchased on the<br />
market and refurbished to like-new condition, even making<br />
new parts when necessary. Some of these are watches we no<br />
longer make, or I should say, do not make at the moment.<br />
To me, this [Cartier Vintage] is highly complementary<br />
to vintage themed re-editions such as the 150-piece Tank<br />
Cintrée watch that celebrated this model’s 100th anniversary.<br />
It also complements Cartier Privé which is about revisiting<br />
our iconic shapes but with some new elements. Having<br />
them all sitting side by side with each other offers customers<br />
three choices. Actual vintage watches with Cartier Vintage,<br />
a revisitation of the past with a limited edition, or a<br />
reinvention of the past with Cartier Privé.<br />
The message is that today’s creations are tomorrow’s<br />
treasures, and that Cartier watches today are as beautiful<br />
as they were at the moment of their inception, because true<br />
beauty in design never fades.<br />
I think what we do today can only be fully understood<br />
in 20 or 30 years’ time. For example, the Tank Must was at<br />
one point not considered to be a serious watch by collectors<br />
because it was in a vermeil [gilt-silver] case. Today, this has<br />
become an object of great collectibility. In the 18th century,<br />
Telemann was much more accepted than Bach because<br />
he was far more mainstream and his music was easy to<br />
understand and appreciate; Bach was considered to be a bit<br />
weird with so many polyphonies. So when we look at the<br />
past with fresh eyes, it allows us to identify true beauty. But<br />
we need to look at everything we offer together with these<br />
collective eyes. It is like arriving at an old palazzo. The first<br />
thing you need to do is open the windows and let the fresh<br />
air come in, clean all the walls so you can see the beautiful<br />
frescoes, and be inspired by the beauty before making any<br />
transformations to the house.<br />
If you look at the other successful brands in the watch<br />
industry, many of their most desirable models are always<br />
out of stock. As you continue to grow, how will you manage<br />
the balance between supply and demand without upsetting<br />
customers as others have?<br />
To me, I feel that anyone that wants to buy one of our<br />
watches should have access to it. There are some watches<br />
that are produced in a limited edition because they are a<br />
celebration, and to me, they should be a bit rare. The Tank<br />
Cintrée this year is finished, and when it is finished, it is<br />
finished. Because we do what a celebration requires — which<br />
is to make it special. If you have a birthday every day, then<br />
it loses value. For some of our complicated watches like the<br />
Astrotourbillon, they are limited by how long they take<br />
to make. But in general, there should be no production<br />
limitations as long as things are done nicely, meaning<br />
executed at the highest level of beauty and quality, which<br />
makes them durable. We do not monitor scarcity in a way<br />
just to tease the market.<br />
Some watches will be limited because they celebrate<br />
something special, but others will not be limited because<br />
there is absolutely no reason to deprive people. The point for<br />
me is to be universal without being banal. If you oversupply,<br />
then this is wrong. If you try to push products onto the<br />
market or to customers that don’t want them, then you are<br />
wrong. Luxury is related to desire and if you oversupply, you<br />
kill the desire. At the same time, you should not deprive<br />
them of pleasure.<br />
For videos and<br />
more on Cartier<br />
and Wei's<br />
interview with<br />
Cyrille Vigneron,<br />
scan here<br />
From left: The Tank Cintrée was first created in 1921. Pictured here is an example<br />
from 1924; The now sold-out Tank Cintrée 100th Anniversary Limited Edition<br />
PRIME TIME 113
SUMMER<br />
SOIREE<br />
A timeless ritual for the summer, in the company of good friends.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
"Elegance is the only beauty that never fades."<br />
AUDREY HEPBURN<br />
Bvlgari Serpenti Spiga double-spiral watch, 35mm, 18K rose gold case and bracelet set with diamonds, USD 67,000<br />
114 STILL LIFE
"Elegance is good taste plus a dash of daring."<br />
CARMEL SNOW<br />
Piaget Altiplano watch, 38 mm, 18K rose gold case set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds, USD 32,300<br />
STILL LIFE 115
"Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."<br />
COCO CHANEL<br />
Cartier Santos de Cartier medium model, 18K white gold case set with diamonds, USD 38,600<br />
116 STILL LIFE
"Elegance is innate… individual… eternal… it stands the test of time!"<br />
AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN<br />
Breguet Marine High Jewelry Poseidonia, 35.8mm, 18K white gold case set with emeralds, tsavorites, colored sapphires and diamonds, USD 276,400<br />
STILL LIFE 117
"Fashion changes, but style endures."<br />
COCO CHANEL<br />
Patek Twenty~4 Automatic, 36 mm, steel case set with 160 diamonds, USD 27,800<br />
118 STILL LIFE
PHOTOGRAPHY MUNSTER<br />
STYLING YONG WEI JIAN<br />
DI ARTIST KH KOH<br />
"Individuality will always be one of the conditions of real elegance."<br />
CHRISTIAN DIOR<br />
Harry Winston Ocean Biretrograde Automatic, 36mm, 18K white gold case set with diamonds, USD 55,800<br />
STILL LIFE 119
RALPH LAUREN for THE RAKE<br />
‘BEARFOOT NEGRONI BEAR’ WATCH<br />
The Negroni Bear goes barefoot to the Maldives dressed<br />
in the epitome of tropical black-tie chic.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
Idescribed him in my last story with these words: “His<br />
countenance is known the world over. His visage has<br />
become an obsession for men and women alike. There<br />
are legions devoted to his ineffable style, his ability to<br />
move effortlessly between sublime sports chic, pitchperfect<br />
preppy-dom, and transcendent black tie. He says<br />
little, but his warm, fathomless brown eyes speak volumes<br />
of his extraordinary depth. And while he may be small in<br />
stature, he exudes a heroism and strength of character that<br />
is singular and inspirational. And the mere rumor of his<br />
appearance on a skateboard literally broke the Internet,<br />
with millions of fans vying for the chance to meet him.” I<br />
speak, of course, of the Ralph Lauren Polo Bear.<br />
But what his fans may not know is that this diminutive<br />
bear is also an international jet setter sans pareil.<br />
Throughout the year he can normally be found wintering<br />
in Telluride on his magnificent ranch, and summering<br />
in Montauk, where he resides in a home once owned<br />
by John Lennon, or at his residence in Round Hill near<br />
Montego Bay, once the abode of Babe and Bill Paley. Those<br />
of us following his seemingly innumerable miraculous<br />
appearances at the world’s most fabled destinations are<br />
awed by the relentless pace of his ursine globetrotting.<br />
One minute he’s at the Taormina film festival slurping<br />
up a plate of spaghetti ricci di mare in the company of<br />
Hollywood’s most luminous demoiselles, immaculate in his<br />
shantung dinner jacket. The next he’s in Shanghai or Capri<br />
or Mustique and always among the finest company, always<br />
resplendently turned out with sartorial élan.<br />
But, as for everyone else, 2020 was a year of quiet<br />
reflection for the Polo Bear. With scant opportunity<br />
to indulge his peripatetic passion for transcontinental<br />
exploration, he’s had time to ponder. So we asked him<br />
where he would like to travel once the world returns to<br />
normality, and he replied immediately: “The Maldives.”<br />
The Maldives is, of course, where The Rake has set up its<br />
first brick-and-mortar shop, ensconced on an ecosystem of<br />
four sister islands that host three hotels (the Ritz-Carlton,<br />
Capella and Patina), 280 villas, a world-class diving center,<br />
and extraordinary fine-dining restaurants and beach clubs.<br />
It is situated 50 minutes from the mainland and is the<br />
largest development in the region.<br />
When we were given the incredible opportunity to<br />
create a second Polo Bear watch with Ralph Lauren, we<br />
decided to design a timepiece that reminds us of the<br />
beauty of travel, of all the fabulous destinations and<br />
amazing friends that will be waiting for us during the<br />
second half of this year.<br />
What collectively we have been through has been<br />
seismic. It is something that will forever define the era we<br />
live in, and it is my sincere hope that everyone emerges<br />
from the COVID pandemic immensely grateful to be alive<br />
and to have great family and friends. Throughout this dark<br />
time there have been certain symbols of unity against the<br />
crippling thoughts and negative emotions that have welled<br />
up as a result of the spiritual isolation and existential<br />
malaise we’ve endured. The acclaimed film director and<br />
rake extraordinaire Paul Feig says: “Through social media<br />
120 PRIME TIME
Ralph Lauren for The Rake<br />
"Bearfoot Negroni Bear"
The inspiration: Ralph Lauren and Ricky Lauren at their Round Hill home in Jamaica (Photo by Richard Corman and courtesy of Ralph Lauren)<br />
122 PRIME TIME
JFK and his then-fiancée, Jacqueline Bouvier, at play at his family home in Cape Cod<br />
(Photo by Hy Peskin/Getty Images)<br />
we’ve tried to keep each other uplifted and hopeful. This<br />
was the reason I embarked on my Quarantine Cocktail<br />
Time, to bring good cheer to everyone stuck in lockdown.<br />
So the idea of the Polo Bear being a symbol of happiness<br />
and friendship really resonated with me.”<br />
For us at The Rake throughout this extraordinary period<br />
in human history, the world was more than ever in need of<br />
symbols that represent kindness, warmth and a childlike<br />
sense of joy, and to us there was none more perfect than<br />
the Polo Bear. Which motivated our creation of the first<br />
Rake Bear timepiece last year, featuring our ursine hero<br />
radiant in iconic black tie.<br />
Being a rakish bear, he came equipped with our signature<br />
beverage, the Negroni, which has become a symbol for<br />
camaraderie, elegance and a certain irrepressible attitude to<br />
life. So when it came to selecting a design for our traveling<br />
Negroni Bear, we imagined him in the Maldives. We asked,<br />
what stylistic masterstroke of bella figura would the Polo<br />
Bear accomplish?<br />
Well, such is the scope of his sartorial canon, we<br />
decided to go back to the Polo Bear and ask him what he<br />
thought his signature style in the Maldives should be. His<br />
beatific countenance grew sage and his brown eyes bright<br />
as he replied: “I should like to wear my white doublebreasted,<br />
peak-lapel dinner jacket with my blue braided<br />
evening trousers.” He paused and added: “But I should like<br />
to feel the sand beneath my feet — or, more accurately,<br />
my paws.” We immediately envisioned this ultimate act of<br />
tropical black tie. After all, it is a style that Ralph Lauren<br />
himself is often seen perpetuating at his Round Hill home<br />
in Jamaica — in his white dinner jacket or cream suit but<br />
with his feet bare. The Rake’s editor, Tom Chamberlin,<br />
says: “The idea of being barefoot is something innately<br />
American in its casual self-confidence and irrepressible<br />
style. It was something invented in America and then<br />
copied in Europe.”<br />
What are the roots of barefoot American style? In 1953<br />
a Life magazine reporter and photographer were dispatched<br />
to Hyannis Port to interview a charismatic young senator<br />
named John Fitzgerald Kennedy as he romanced his<br />
fiancée, Jacqueline Bouvier, at his family home in Cape<br />
Cod. The images captured were remarkable in that it was<br />
the first time a couple from America’s political and social<br />
aristocracy were captured so naturally at play. The photos<br />
were infectious in their charm, and the palpable love for<br />
one another resonated from the pages. Importantly, the<br />
couple was shown unposed and natural in a game of touchfootball,<br />
laughing, lounging in the sun and encapsulating<br />
all of the extraordinary, glorious optimism America<br />
represented at the time. Most remarkably, they were<br />
almost never wearing shoes, photographed barefoot, as<br />
you would imagine people living and playing by the beach<br />
would be. The name of this essay — “Senator Kennedy Goes<br />
a-Courting” — became one of the seminal moments in the<br />
history of American style. It was revolutionary in that no<br />
member of Europe’s aristocracy would deign to be seen<br />
without shoes. But in its pared-down, rumpled, untucked,<br />
Brooks Brothers-shirt, tousled-hair, barefoot style, it<br />
PRIME TIME 123
From left: Apart from the calf leather strap, the watch also comes with a navy blue nylon strap; A sketch of the<br />
Bearfoot Negroni Bear "day" that will be available on a limited edition set of swimwear and polos<br />
epitomized American cool and seemed so much more<br />
relevant and real than the contrived portraiture that had<br />
been the norm until then. “This is what makes the idea of<br />
the Polo Bear resplendent in tropical black tie but barefoot<br />
even more epic, because it is the perfect expression of<br />
everything that makes America cool,” Chamberlin says.<br />
Ralph Lauren and Polo have always been the ultimate<br />
expression of nonchalant American elegance. Part of the<br />
brand’s success is the understanding and elevation of casual<br />
cool. Lauren and his family are often seen barefoot and<br />
at play at his home in Montauk. Inspired by life by the<br />
beach in 2018, Lauren even went so far as to send all the<br />
models in a show down the runway beautifully dressed<br />
in his signature style and barefoot. “When it was time to<br />
imagine life this summer in the Maldives, or at any beach<br />
or seaside retreat that we are all longing to go to, you can<br />
almost feel the sand beneath your feet and the warmth of<br />
the sun on your skin,” Chamberlin says. “We thought the<br />
Polo Bear was very smart to propose an image of himself<br />
that connected us to this.”<br />
When I proposed the idea to Ralph Lauren, it brought<br />
a chuckle in response. He replied, “So you want a barefoot<br />
bear for your next watch?” My response was, “Mr. Lauren,<br />
somehow I can’t think of anything cooler. This is your<br />
style: an effortless American mixture of dressed up and<br />
laid-back. This is exactly how I imagine the Polo Bear to be<br />
dressed in the Maldives for a romantic dinner.”<br />
Lauren liked the idea of the image symbolizing a<br />
celebration of the renewal of travel and gave his kind assent.<br />
With that, the design for our Bearfoot Negroni Bear got<br />
underway. Chamberlin says: “One of the most challenging<br />
details was to select the color of the Polo Bear’s pants, as<br />
they would also inspire the hue of the strap. After some<br />
amount of back and forth, the Polo Bear sent us his bespoke<br />
formal trousers and dinner jacket, which helped to define<br />
the color scheme of the timepiece.” His ivory jacket was the<br />
motivation behind the choice of color of the dial, and his<br />
blue pants also allowed us to create a matching blue strap.<br />
The Bearfoot Negroni Bear, like his forebear, is holding<br />
our signature libation, the Negroni, a symbol of resistance<br />
against despair, with its distinct hue burning brightly<br />
against the darkness. The dial of the watch features the five<br />
o’clock index in distinct Negroni orange. Why the number<br />
five? Because it is always five o’clock somewhere.<br />
Like his brother who came before him last year, we hope<br />
The Rake’s Bearfoot Negroni Bear achieves his one defining<br />
mission in life: to put a huge smile on the face of each and<br />
every one of his owners this year as we celebrate all the<br />
warmth, beauty and promise 2021 has to offer and begin<br />
again to explore this amazing planet that is our home.<br />
The Ralph Lauren “Bearfoot Negroni Bear” watch is limited to<br />
200 pieces, USD 1,950.<br />
Scan here to purchase<br />
124 PRIME TIME
The Fari Islands resort in the Maldives<br />
PRIME TIME 125
THE RAKE AND <strong>REVOLUTION</strong><br />
BOUTIQUES AT PATINA MALDIVES<br />
Together with partner Pontiac Land Group, The Rake and Revolution<br />
usher in a new era of luxury resort retail.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
126 PRIME TIME
PRIME TIME 127
Guests can expect a tightly curated women's fashion collection of top female and minority-led brands that are focused on<br />
sustainability, alongside stunning ladies' watches from our watch and jewelry partners Bvlgari and Chopard<br />
This summer and for the rest of the year, we are going<br />
to want to remake our vital bonds with this planet.<br />
We’ve lived through an era of seismic change where<br />
we’ve been isolated, alienated, disconnected and alone.<br />
But now with the rapidly increasing number of vaccines<br />
that have been dispensed and international travel looking<br />
once again like a reality, it will not be long before we are<br />
able to reunite with the people we love and the friends<br />
we cherish. Of the various destinations amenable to this<br />
ebullient celebration of kinship, our favorite is the Patina<br />
resort in the Maldives, situated on the Fari Islands in<br />
an atoll 45 minutes away by boat from the mainland of<br />
Malé. This is the first of a four-island ecosystem created<br />
by the extraordinary Singaporean real estate development<br />
group, Pontiac Land, that will also include the Ritz-<br />
Carlton and Capella hotels. Each hotel will be situated<br />
on its own island with complimentary boat transfers in<br />
between. Patina Maldives, which opened May 18th, 2021,<br />
comprises 90 villas and 20 studios, and is located on the<br />
largest of these islands, which are also home to awardwinning<br />
restaurants, a world-class dive and recreational<br />
center, and The Rake’s new men’s and women’s boutiques,<br />
each housing a Revolution Watch and Jewelry Bar.<br />
Watch industry legend and senior adviser to<br />
Revolution and The Rake, Jean-Claude Biver, says of<br />
the new concept, “This is the future of travel retail,<br />
where couples and families can come to a glorious<br />
destination like the Maldives, but when they visit the<br />
hotel shop, they realize that it is one of the best curated<br />
retail establishments in the world. The shop becomes<br />
a window for discovery into all the artisan beauty<br />
the world possesses and that they would never find<br />
on, say, Fifth Avenue or Avenue de la Montaigne.”<br />
Says Evan Kwee, head of design and hospitality<br />
at Pontiac Land Group, “The idea of collaborating<br />
with The Rake and Revolution is to bring real curated<br />
taste to the resort shopping experience, but also an<br />
underlying sense of ethics in terms of the brands we<br />
support. In many hotels, the shop is an afterthought.<br />
At Patina, we wanted to create a men’s and women’s<br />
128 PRIME TIME
Revolution Watch Bar on the Fari Islands, Maldives, will showcase sought-after pieces such as MB&F's limited edition Horological Machine No. 7<br />
Aquapod RG Black and Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback<br />
shop that is world-class and that champions smaller<br />
artisans; that offers real style and elegance but also<br />
makes people feel good about what they purchased.”<br />
CONSCIENTIOUS, CURATED COLLECTIONS<br />
Elaborating on the ethos of the men’s boutique, The Rake’s<br />
CEO Alain Gafundi says, “Through The Rake, we are able<br />
to offer some of the most beautiful Italian family-owned<br />
heritage brands. But more than that, we are able to show<br />
the guests of the Fari Islands and Patina our vision of<br />
timeless tropical and resort chic. Many men are very<br />
comfortable in a work environment because their suit is<br />
their uniform. But when they go on vacation, they can be a<br />
bit uncertain of what to wear.<br />
“Our sales associates are style advisers and ambassadors<br />
for our taste. We love the idea of introducing men to<br />
our one-piece collar, handmade tropical print shirt, our<br />
deconstructed linen blazers, our tailored shorts and<br />
sportswear. Instead of selling flip-flops to men, we prefer<br />
to sell them handmade espadrilles. The ethos of The Rake<br />
is, ‘Small is beautiful.’ We love to champion small, familyowned<br />
brands with rich histories in tailoring, and we<br />
consider it a pleasure to give them a platform to gain a<br />
wider audience with Patina customers. The idea is that<br />
everything you acquire during your trip is part of a style<br />
that you continue to wear when you go home.”<br />
Of the women’s collection, Kwee elaborates, “When<br />
curating our women’s brands, it was very important for us<br />
to express the underlying ethics of our resort. Our power is<br />
harvested from the sun. We rescued and planted thousands<br />
of trees from neighboring islands that would otherwise be<br />
cleared. Our water is preserved, filtered and recycled, and<br />
we have educational programs about the coral that forms the<br />
reefs that sustain us. So, for our women’s brands, we wanted<br />
to curate the world’s best collection of female and minorityled<br />
brands that are focused on sustainability. Because each<br />
time a customer makes a purchase, we believe they are<br />
making a declaration of the world they want to live in.”<br />
Ismail Rafai, head of retail operations for The Rake and<br />
Revolution, explains, “The idea of a vacation has evolved.<br />
PRIME TIME 129
Pick out a Panerai Submersible Carbotech at the Revolution Watch Bar on the Fari Islands, Maldives, and 10 minutes later,<br />
you can be snorkelling or scuba diving in crystal clear water with the watch strapped to your wrist<br />
Of course, people come to enjoy themselves. But they<br />
also come to exercise, to meditate, to feel centered and<br />
share their positivity. As such when they walk into our<br />
women’s shops, we wanted to tell them the stories of the<br />
amazing individuals behind each brand, who are making<br />
incredible, positive change in the world. One example<br />
is lemlem, the brand created by the African supermodel<br />
Liya Kebede. In Ethiopian, ‘lemlem’ means to ‘flourish’ or<br />
‘bloom.’ Her brand uses ethically grown African cotton<br />
that is handwoven by artisan groups in Africa to create<br />
absolutely beautiful resort wear. She created this brand<br />
to empower these communities, allowing them a pathway<br />
to a greater livelihood while also exposing their amazing<br />
skill to the world.”<br />
TRANSFORMING BONDS AND RELATIONSHIPS<br />
Says Gafundi, “As part of our commitment to ethics, we<br />
also do not believe in the traditional markups that you<br />
experience in remote resort destinations like the Maldives.<br />
Today the world is far too interconnected, and with one<br />
Google search you can immediately see the actual pricing<br />
of any object. But more than that, we are not interested<br />
in opportunistic retail. Instead, we prefer to make an<br />
ethical profit to create goodwill and accrue long-term<br />
relationships with each and every customer.”<br />
With guests from around the world — from India,<br />
the Middle East, Russia, China and Europe — there is<br />
one common denominator and Jean-Claude Biver knows<br />
this well: “That commonality is love. Everyone comes to<br />
the Maldives to make or remake a bond. You come for a<br />
wedding or to celebrate an anniversary, to make a proposal<br />
or for your honeymoon. You come with your entire family<br />
to show them how much you love them.”<br />
Says Revolution’s CEO Walter Tommasino, “We believe<br />
that there is no better symbol of love than a beautiful watch.<br />
This will be something that a man or woman can purchase<br />
here, and it will always remind them of the incredible<br />
experiences they shared during this dream vacation.”<br />
THE <strong>REVOLUTION</strong> WATCH AND JEWELRY BARS<br />
“As we researched the Maldives, we were surprised to<br />
discover that there were few options for luxury watch<br />
purchases,” shares The Rake and Revolution’s founder, Wei<br />
Koh. “So we reached out to some of our favorite brands to<br />
become our partners at our Revolution Watch Bars. We<br />
have the incredible pleasure of announcing that our first<br />
partners will be Blancpain, Bvlgari, Chopard and Panerai.<br />
“Imagine as a guest you can purchase a Blancpain Fifty<br />
Fathoms Bathyscaphe or a Panerai Submersible Carbotech,<br />
and 10 minutes later, you can be scuba diving in crystal<br />
clear water with the watch strapped to your wrist. Bvlgari<br />
are the creators of my favorite modern icon, the Octo<br />
Finissimo, and they also have one of the most coveted<br />
jewelry watches in the world, the Serpenti. Chopard we<br />
love because of the Happy Sport, which we feel is one of<br />
the most joyous and uplifting watches in the world.<br />
“Because we love artisans, we also want to be a platform<br />
for educating guests about independent watchmaking,<br />
and so we are delighted to announce our partnership<br />
with De Bethune, who makes the world’s only dive watch<br />
130 PRIME TIME
132 PRIME TIME
Everything you acquire during your trip is part of a style that you continue to wear when you go home, including the DB28 GS Grand Bleu (above) and our limited edition<br />
Reservoir Hydrosphere Bronze × Revolution “The Maldives Edition” (opposite page)<br />
with a mechanically powered LED light, the DB28 Grand<br />
Sport. From Max Büsser & Friends, we have selected two<br />
extraordinary dive watches with flying tourbillons.”<br />
Tommasino adds, “Our shops are not retail-driven<br />
but education-driven. We feel that if our sales associates<br />
tell the stories of each of our brand partners well, then<br />
customers will make their own decision to invest in them.”<br />
“This is our new vision for retail, based on our own<br />
experiences as customers. It’s true we do not have a<br />
background in retail. But we see this as an asset and not<br />
a hindrance because we are not beholden to old ways<br />
of doing things. Instead, we have applied exactly what<br />
we would want as customers at every step of the retail<br />
journey,” Gafundi explains.<br />
Rafai affirms their retail approach: “There will never be<br />
a hard sell in our shops. We are there simply to educate and<br />
entertain you by unveiling the incredible stories of each<br />
partner we work with. We are proud to represent them and<br />
we feel that you will make up your own mind and take your<br />
own decision to commit to them. Instead, we welcome<br />
you with a glass of champagne or our house cocktail, the<br />
Negroni, and make you feel very much at home.”<br />
BESPOKE COURIER SERVICE<br />
There is, however, one service that the Revolution Watch<br />
Bar provides that is not available anywhere else in the<br />
world. Says Wei, “Wherever you are on the island or even<br />
the other resorts, if you decide to purchase a watch, all you<br />
need to do is select it on the handheld device supplied in<br />
every room, enter your location and we will bring it to you.<br />
Yes, that means you can be relaxing by the pool, in your<br />
villa, or even enjoying a romantic dinner. If you decide at<br />
that moment to transact on that watch or pair of watches,<br />
our sales associate will bring it to you within 30 minutes.<br />
If it is a watch with a bracelet, we will size this for you at<br />
your table, strap it onto your wrist and the champagne<br />
will be on us. My dream with e-commerce is always to<br />
be able to press a button, and somehow the object I have<br />
purchased would magically appear in my hand or on my<br />
wrist. Now at Patina Maldives, this can be the reality.”<br />
“This is the next logical evolution in retail,” says<br />
Gafundi. “Already e-commerce has given us the opportunity<br />
to shop when we feel like it, not just when stores are open.<br />
When do we feel like shopping? When we are at leisure,<br />
when we are relaxed, often on the sofa or even in bed.”<br />
Adds Wei, “When are people the most receptive to<br />
shopping? When they are on vacation. But they should not<br />
be limited to a traditional brick-and-mortar experience.<br />
Of course, we invite them to come be entertained and<br />
educated at our shops. But if they go back to their rooms<br />
and decide that they would like to go to sleep with a<br />
new watch on their wrist, then we will bring them their<br />
watch. So that they can wake up with these beautiful<br />
new timepieces.”<br />
Biver sums it up, “I have always said in my world there<br />
is a King, which is my customer, and a Queen, which is<br />
my watch. If I do my job correctly, then I must bring my<br />
Queen to wherever the King may be so they may fall in<br />
love. This is exactly what Wei and his team have done in<br />
the Maldives. I congratulate them on this.”<br />
PRIME TIME 133
THE INDEPENDENTS
THE OGS<br />
WORDS CHERYL CHIA<br />
GEORGE DANIELS<br />
Daniels was the first watchmaker who could conceive and craft a timepiece<br />
by hand, out of raw materials. In a time when the industry was on the cusp<br />
of being decimated by electronic and quartz watches, he dedicated his life to<br />
making his own timepieces and improving the chronometric performance of<br />
the escapement. His greatest contribution was the co-axial escapement, which<br />
has become fundamental to the mechanical identity of Omega today.<br />
The watch to own: His final watch that was incomplete at the time of his death<br />
and is to be finished by his protégé, Roger Smith. It represents the ultimate<br />
combination of mechanisms — a tourbillon, remontoir and the co-axial<br />
escapement — in his lifelong pursuit of precision.<br />
SVEND ANDERSEN<br />
Best known for co-founding the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs<br />
Indépendants (AHCI), along with his peer Vincent Calabrese in 1985, Andersen<br />
was one of the early independent watchmakers who has been specializing in<br />
custom and bespoke watches since he established Andersen Genève in 1979.<br />
Some of his most renowned complications are the world-time as well as the<br />
ultra rare perpetual secular calendar that accounts for three future secular years<br />
that are not divisible by 400 — the years 2100, 2200 and 2300.<br />
The watch to own: A bespoke Perpetual Secular Calendar<br />
ANTOINE PREZIUSO<br />
Preziuso was one of the forerunners of independent watchmaking who<br />
experimented heavily with tourbillons in the ’80s and ’90s when the<br />
complication was still a rare achievement. He is best known for the Harry<br />
Winston Opus 2, the second watch in the brand’s seminal series of timepieces<br />
by noted independent watchmakers, as well as his own Tourbillon of<br />
Tourbillons, in which he mounted three tourbillons on a revolving plate with<br />
a planetary differential.<br />
The watch to own: The Chronomètre Tourbillon of Tourbillons<br />
FRANCK MULLER<br />
A horological maverick, Muller is one of the most commercially successful<br />
independent watchmakers ever and is largely responsible for expanding the<br />
technical, aesthetic and conceptual boundaries of watchmaking in a time<br />
when many of his peers sought to emulate Breguet’s approach to horology.<br />
The watch to own: The Crazy Hours<br />
FRANÇOIS-PAUL JOURNE<br />
Journe is one of the few watchmakers with a consistently distinctive<br />
style of design and engineering. His calling card lies in his modern<br />
interpretations of 18th century mechanisms, ranging from the<br />
tourbillon to the resonance to the natural escapement.<br />
The watch to own: The redesigned Chronomètre à Résonance powered<br />
by the new caliber 1520<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 137
PHILIPPE DUFOUR<br />
Widely regarded as the greatest living watchmaker today, Dufour<br />
is renowned for his timepieces’ unrivaled mechanical elegance<br />
and fanatical standard of hand finishing. His Duality, which was<br />
the first wristwatch to incorporate a twin-oscillator setup with a<br />
differential, and his Simplicity, are often considered to be two of<br />
the finest time-only watches in modern watchmaking.<br />
The watch to own: The Duality<br />
VIANNEY HALTER<br />
Halter is the watchmaker responsible for opening new doors in<br />
conceptual design and construction in modern watchmaking. Be<br />
it his early steampunk watches, designed in collaboration with Jeff<br />
Barnes, or his later Star Trek-inspired Deep Space watches, Halter’s<br />
radical approach laid the foundations for the URWERKs, MB&Fs<br />
and De Bethunes to come.<br />
The watch to own: The Antiqua<br />
ANDREAS STREHLER<br />
An immensely creative and talented movement constructor,<br />
Strehler is best known for building the most precise moon phase<br />
indication in the world with a deviation of a day in over two<br />
million years, earning him an entry in the Guinness World Records.<br />
His company, UhrTeil, is responsible for some highly innovative<br />
movements on the market including H. Moser & Cie.’s ingenious<br />
instantaneous perpetual calendar that can be adjusted both<br />
forwards and backwards via a single crown.<br />
The watch to own: A custom Sauterelle à Lune Perpétuelle<br />
DEREK PRATT<br />
A watchmaker of immense technical knowledge and practical<br />
talent, Pratt made several innovative mechanisms and escapements<br />
during his lifetime that are little known and underappreciated,<br />
including the first tourbillon with a natural escapement as well as a<br />
tourbillon with a carriage-mounted remontoir.<br />
The watch to own: The DPW 01 by Derek Pratt Watches<br />
138 THE INDEPENDENTS
THE OGs<br />
The origins of independent watchmaking and its enduring significance<br />
through the work of the English pioneers.<br />
WORDS CHERYL CHIA<br />
Defining “independent watchmaking” is almost an<br />
impossible exercise. Ask any number of watch<br />
aficionados and the chances are you’ll probably get<br />
just as many differing answers. The reason for this is that<br />
the field today tends to be more of a spectrum that ends in<br />
two yin and yang like extremes of approach.<br />
The rarer and increasingly desirable category is<br />
distinguished by a one-man show, in which a solitary<br />
artisan conceives and crafts a single watch from start to<br />
finish, almost entirely by hand. The innovations of such<br />
independents are often the well from which have sprung<br />
solutions to perennial problems that have gnawed at the<br />
minds of watchmakers for centuries. The next category<br />
is characterized by an unbridled technical, aesthetic and<br />
conceptual creativity, which, when realized in its most<br />
extreme forms, alters the language of watchmaking.<br />
What both these categories of independent<br />
watchmakers have in common is complete autonomy<br />
— a vision unencumbered by the bottom lines and the<br />
marketing directives of a large corporate company. Instead,<br />
these independents work from an inner necessity and are<br />
almost strictly driven by intellectual and artistic pursuits,<br />
which oftentimes leave an impact on watchmaking that is<br />
directly inverse to their production numbers.<br />
Independent watchmaking will not be what it is today<br />
if not for a handful of forerunners who have fought a<br />
brave battle to preserve the craft, expand the boundaries<br />
of horology and establish the innovations that we so often<br />
take for granted in watchmaking.<br />
On that note, it is only apt to begin with a man whose<br />
contributions to horology have been so fundamental and<br />
multifaceted, yet for the most part, underappreciated<br />
during his lifetime.<br />
THE ENGLISH FORERUNNER<br />
Dr. George Daniels (1926–2011) was an English watchmaker<br />
whose work and legacy would reverberate through the<br />
ages, forming the bedrock of what is known today as<br />
independent watchmaking. His success in sustaining<br />
the craft of mechanical watchmaking in an era when<br />
electronics and quartz technology threatened its<br />
existence is equal in importance to the labors of those<br />
who maintained the commercial viability of mechanical<br />
watchmaking. However, it’s worth understanding the<br />
larger context from which he emerged.<br />
By the 20th century, English watchmaking was a fading<br />
trade, dominated by restorers and repairers. It was one<br />
of the first industries to suffer from the after-effects of<br />
the Industrial Revolution as the complexity and artisanal<br />
nature of English watchmaking and its heavy reliance<br />
on skilled artisans meant that it was fiercely resistant to<br />
modern modes of production. As a result, it was unable to<br />
compete in terms of lower costs and higher volume. While<br />
its growth had preceded and contributed to the Industrial<br />
Revolution, the start of its decline, ironically, resulted<br />
from the proliferation of mass production techniques that<br />
were a hallmark of industrialization.<br />
In the 1960s, enraged by the suggestion that electronics<br />
would be the future of watchmaking, Daniels decided to<br />
dedicate his life to making his own watches and improving<br />
the chronometric performance of the escapement.<br />
He was the first watchmaker who mastered 32 of the 34<br />
crafts considered necessary to build a watch and was able<br />
to create every component of his watches from scratch,<br />
including movement, dial and case, with the exception<br />
of springs and glass. In the midst of the Quartz Crisis, he<br />
wrote his seminal book, Watchmaking, that would become<br />
a guiding light for future generations of watchmakers who<br />
chose to follow in his path. During his lifetime, he made 27<br />
unique pocket and wristwatches from the ground up, using<br />
what is now known as “The Daniels Method.”<br />
But just as influential as his methodology was his<br />
language of mechanics. At the core of his inventions,<br />
complications and movement constructions was a<br />
marriage of elegance and practicality that was deeply<br />
reminiscent of Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), whose<br />
works he greatly admired and was intimately familiar<br />
with. His unrivaled experience in Breguet’s timepieces,<br />
having restored most of the surviving watches, led to the<br />
publication of his book, The Art of Breguet, in 1974. Daniels<br />
140 THE INDEPENDENTS
was such an expert on Breguet that he was invited to take<br />
over the company in 1967. But he declined, preferring<br />
instead to make watches under his own name.<br />
His inventions devoted to improving the most<br />
fundamental aspect of a mechanical watch — the escapement<br />
— remains a particularly fascinating study for those who<br />
would like a straight dive into the heart of watchmaking.<br />
In fact, his journey as a watchmaker can be demarcated<br />
into three stages by escapements: from his early pocket<br />
watches equipped with a self-starting detent escapement,<br />
to the double-wheel chronometer escapement inspired<br />
by Breguet’s échappement naturel as found in his Space<br />
Traveller watches, to his most important invention, the<br />
co-axial escapement, which has become central to the<br />
mechanical identity of Omega today.<br />
All of these alternative escapements were designed<br />
to minimize the shortcomings of the lever escapement —<br />
primarily its need for lubrication to facilitate the sliding<br />
motion of the pallet stones against the escape wheel. This<br />
had adverse effects on accuracy as lubrication degraded<br />
over time. Additionally, impulse from the escape wheel<br />
to balance wheel is indirect as force is transmitted via an<br />
intermediate pallet fork. The escapement also experiences<br />
some draw as the angled pallets force the escape wheel to<br />
recoil ever so slightly during unlocking.<br />
For these reasons, Daniels went in search for an oilfree<br />
escapement that could be used in a wristwatch. He<br />
embarked on what would become a 25-year journey, taking<br />
as his starting point the oil-free detent escapement, which<br />
was first invented by French clockmaker Pierre Le Roy in<br />
1748, and simultaneously refined by English watchmakers<br />
John Arnold and Thomas Earnshaw in 1782.<br />
Like the lever escapement, the detent escapement is a<br />
form of detached escapement that allows the balance wheel to<br />
swing freely for most of its cycle, except for the brief moment<br />
of impulse. But while the lever escapement gives two impulses<br />
per cycle, the detent escapement gives just one impulse<br />
per cycle, interfering with the balance as little as possible.<br />
Additionally, instead of a pallet fork, a pivoted detent blade is<br />
used to control the locking and unlocking of the escape wheel.<br />
Impulse is given directly from the escape wheel to a roller<br />
on the balance axis. Because contact is tangential and in one<br />
direction, the detent escapement operates virtually without<br />
friction, making it a superior solution to the lever escapement.<br />
However, the inherent shortcoming of the detent<br />
escapement is its inability to self-start. As the balance<br />
has to swing freely across a wide angle clockwise in order<br />
to unlock the detent in the counterclockwise direction,<br />
any shocks during this period might cause it to trip, thus<br />
stopping the watch. In the event that this occurs, it is<br />
unable to self-start as a large force is needed to restart the<br />
balance from an inert position.<br />
In his early pocket watches, George Daniels altered<br />
the geometry of the detent escapement to ensure that the<br />
escape wheel is always unlocked when the balance wheel is<br />
stationary, enabling it to be self-starting.<br />
From left: Dr. George Daniels; George Daniels' Space Traveller I (Image: The Hour Glass)<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 141
George Daniels' tourbillon pocket watch with a self-starting detent escapement (Image: Sotheby's)<br />
But it was his solution to Breguet’s abandoned<br />
escapement, the échappement naturel, that remains<br />
remarkably fascinating. In Breguet’s natural escapement,<br />
the idea was to double the escape wheels while keeping<br />
the detent in the middle so that a release occurs in each<br />
direction. This essentially combines the benefits of<br />
both the lever and detent escapement, while eliminating<br />
their shortcomings.<br />
The first escape wheel is driven by the fourth wheel of<br />
the movement while the second escape wheel is directly<br />
driven by the first. However, due to the technological<br />
limitations of Breguet’s time, primarily manufacturing<br />
tolerances that would result in play between the escape<br />
wheels, he eventually gave up the idea and focused his<br />
efforts on improving the lever escapement.<br />
To resolve the issue of play between the escape<br />
wheels, Daniels’ solution was to give each escape wheel<br />
its own gear train and power supply, enabling each of<br />
them to operate independently, without any direct<br />
connection. Oscillation of the balance is maintained by<br />
direct impulse in two directions, and the locking and<br />
unlocking of the escape wheels is facilitated by a secure<br />
detent system with a principle locking pallet and two<br />
secondary pallets.<br />
However, Daniels’ double wheel escapement was a<br />
rather impractical and costly solution for a wristwatch as<br />
it essentially required combining two movements in one.<br />
He made the most out of this construction by having each<br />
gear train drive a different indication, as was the case with<br />
his famous Space Traveller watches.<br />
Beyond its elaborate construction, the escapement<br />
also had another limitation, which seeing as how Charles<br />
Frodsham has successfully implemented Daniels’ solution of<br />
having two independent going trains in a wristwatch, appears<br />
to be the larger factor hampering its potential. Because each<br />
escape wheel was powered by its own gear train, it could not<br />
be implemented in a tourbillon watch. Thus, Daniels devoted<br />
his focus on perfecting what would become his magnum<br />
opus — the co-axial escapement. Like his escapements before,<br />
it was designed to combine the locking and unlocking of the<br />
Swiss lever and the direct impulse of the detent.<br />
Introduced in 1975, the co-axial escapement typically<br />
consists of four components: an intermediary wheel<br />
(because the co-axial escape wheel has less teeth and spins<br />
faster than a regular escape wheel), a double co-axial<br />
wheel consisting of an escape wheel and a pinion, a lever<br />
with three ruby pallet stones and a roller carrying a ruby<br />
impulse stone and a ruby impulse pin.<br />
The teeth of the escape wheel impulses the ruby<br />
impulse stone directly in a clockwise direction while the<br />
teeth of the escape pinion impulses the lever impulse stone<br />
in an anticlockwise direction. It pushes rather than slides,<br />
as each impulse is given in one direction on a different<br />
component. After each impulse, the escape wheel is locked,<br />
allowing the balance to complete its vibration.<br />
The road to bringing the escapement to commercial<br />
reality took almost two decades, with many setbacks in the<br />
making. Today, it remains the only alternative to the Swiss<br />
lever escapement that has been successfully realized on an<br />
industrial scale.<br />
142 THE INDEPENDENTS
Clockwise from top: George Daniels' Space Traveller and Grand Complication; A drawing of the co-axial escapement; The double-wheel chronometer escapement in<br />
which each escape wheel is driven by its own gear train and barrel (Image: The Hour Glass)<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 143
Escape wheel, driven by<br />
internal gear ring<br />
Fixed internal<br />
gear ring<br />
Fixed fourth wheel<br />
Escape wheel, driven<br />
by fourth wheel<br />
From left: Derek Pratt; His solution of a fixed internal gear ring remains the only conceivable way to implement<br />
a natural escapement in a tourbillon watch to date<br />
A HOROLOGICAL FRIEND AND EQUAL<br />
An underrated name in the context of 20th-century<br />
watchmaking is Daniels’ fellow English watchmaker<br />
Derek Pratt (1938–2009), who played an instrumental<br />
role in the development and commercialization of the<br />
co-axial escapement. A good friend of Daniels’, Pratt was<br />
a scholar and workman who could also conceive and craft<br />
every component of a watch from scratch. He had a deep<br />
understanding of escapements and developed several<br />
notable solutions of his own that are little known and<br />
underappreciated.<br />
Upon Pratt’s death, Daniels noted that “we have all lost<br />
an important mechanical horologist of great experience<br />
and great knowledge, who was above all generous and<br />
congenial in his dealings with others. I have simply lost a<br />
brilliant horological friend and companion.”<br />
While Daniels’ influence in watchmaking echoes far<br />
and wide, Pratt’s contributions are known primarily<br />
among collectors of the uppermost echelons as his work<br />
behind the scenes did little to trumpet his extensive<br />
resume. He spent most of his life creating watches in<br />
anonymity for others.<br />
However, there is no question that his work, especially<br />
in escapements, is deserving of great recognition.<br />
Pratt looked upon Daniels’ double wheel chronometer<br />
escapement with much favor and devised a twopronged<br />
solution that enabled it to be implemented in a<br />
tourbillon. First, instead of building separate trains for<br />
each escape wheel, the escapement relied on a single gear<br />
train. However, a second alteration was required for the<br />
escapement to work, as both escape wheels would rotate at<br />
the same time in the same direction in a tourbillon.<br />
To solve this, he integrated an additional fixed internal<br />
gear ring in the fourth wheel, allowing the first escape<br />
wheel to be driven by the outward teeth of the fourth<br />
wheel in an anticlockwise direction while the second was<br />
driven by the inward-facing teeth clockwise. This solution<br />
led to one of his most important timepieces, the Double<br />
Wheel Remontoir Tourbillon that was conceived to enter<br />
in the 1997 Prix Abraham-Louis Breguet, a tourbillon<br />
contest sponsored by the Breguet foundation to mark the<br />
250th anniversary of A.-L. Breguet’s birth.<br />
It was a pocket watch meant to achieve perfect<br />
chronometry in its heavy-hitting combination of<br />
144 THE INDEPENDENTS
From left: Tourbillon pocket watch with a carriage-mounted remontoir (Image: Christies); A close-up of the remontoir escapement controlled<br />
by a cam in the shape of a Reuleaux triangle; Tourbillon pocket watch with a natural escapement powered by a single gear train<br />
performance-led mechanisms — the remontoir (one for<br />
each escape wheel), the double wheel escapement and the<br />
tourbillon. Alas, it lost to Carole Forestier’s novel concept<br />
of the Ulysse Nardin Freak, which reinterpreted the idea of<br />
a tourbillon as a means to tell time. Pratt’s creation might<br />
not have received the recognition it deserved but its merit<br />
is indisputable. Till today, Pratt’s idea remains the only<br />
conceivable way to implement a natural escapement in a<br />
tourbillon watch.<br />
Some of Pratt’s most crucial work, however, bore the<br />
name Urban Jürgensen & Sønner, an 18th-century Danish-<br />
Swiss brand that was revived by his friend and watchmaker<br />
Peter Baumberger.<br />
One of Pratt’s most important contributions to<br />
the brand was a tourbillon pocket watch, which sold<br />
at Christie’s for CHF 315,000 in 2008. It was the first<br />
timepiece in which a remontoir escapement was integrated<br />
into the tourbillon carriage.<br />
In a traditional tourbillon, the escape wheel has a tiny<br />
pinion that allows it to revolve around a fixed gear in the<br />
movement. In Pratt’s version, the escape wheel does not<br />
have a pinion or a shaft at all. Instead, the lever escapement<br />
is installed co-axial to the remontoir escapement, with both<br />
the escape and three-tooth remontoir wheels stacked and<br />
linked by a spring that is charged and released every second.<br />
The action of the remontoir is controlled by a cam in<br />
the shape of a Reuleaux triangle, which was a subject of<br />
great fascination for Pratt. Characterized by three circular<br />
arcs, each one-sixth of a circle, the Reuleaux triangle is<br />
unique in its ability to offer constant width regardless of<br />
its orientation when it is rotated. This enables a constant<br />
flow of power from the mainspring to the balance from<br />
start to finish. While the Reuleaux remontoir is not a new<br />
concept, it was Pratt who brought it to the forefront of<br />
modern watchmaking. Towards the end of his life, Pratt<br />
had expressed a desire to implement the mechanism in<br />
a wristwatch. Today, it can be found in a wristwatch<br />
of Pratt’s own design, developed by a pair of American<br />
watchmakers, Stewart Lesemann and Ron DeCorte, under<br />
the Derek Pratt trademark.<br />
Another one of Pratt’s most important contributions<br />
to Urban Jürgensen was a detent escapement that could<br />
be used in a wristwatch. In 2003, he began working on<br />
a pivoted detent escapement in a Unitas movement.<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 145
The DPW 01 by Derek Pratt Watches (Image: Atelier 7h38)<br />
146 THE INDEPENDENTS
The DPW 01 wristwatch incorporates Pratt's signature Reuleaux remontoir (Image: Guy de Peslouan)<br />
It showed great promise, and Jean-François Mojon of<br />
Chronode, a movement specialist, refined the concept<br />
further for series production, along with Kari Voutilainen<br />
who was a prototypist for the project. In 2008, they were<br />
granted a patent for the pivoted detent escapement,<br />
which made its debut in the UJS caliber P8 in 2011,<br />
becoming the first wristwatch to incorporate a pivoted<br />
detent escapement.<br />
To prevent the escape wheel from tripping in the event<br />
of shocks, Pratt designed a special detent with a perfectly<br />
balanced counterweight to the pallet jewel at the other end<br />
of the lever and a safety plate limiting the movement of the<br />
detent in case of strong impacts.<br />
Pratt’s most monumental work, however, was probably<br />
the re-creation of John Harrison’s H4 Marine Chronometer.<br />
In contrast to the H1, H2 and H3 chronometers, which<br />
were massive clocks with grasshopper escapements, the H4<br />
was a large pocket watch with a specially designed verge<br />
escapement equipped with diamond pallets. Pratt began<br />
working on it in 2004 but passed away in 2009, and it was<br />
subsequently completed by Charles Frodsham in 2014.<br />
While much has been said about the extraordinary ability<br />
of these English forerunners to conceive and craft timepieces by<br />
hand from start to finish, what is perhaps most unique about<br />
their identity as watchmakers is their deep respect for history<br />
and their dedication to realizing the unfulfilled watchmaking<br />
ambitions of the past, primarily in terms of escapements.<br />
More broadly, Daniels’ accomplishments demonstrated<br />
that the path of independence was far more rewarding<br />
than laboring at a single division down an assembly line or<br />
building complications in contractual silence for the top<br />
watch companies. Their practical talent, independence of<br />
thought and the immensity of their impact continue to<br />
embolden generations of others to follow in their footsteps.<br />
Upon Daniels’ death in 2011, François-Paul Journe<br />
poignantly wrote in a letter to his mentor, “You have opened<br />
the main door of contemporary horology and showed us the<br />
path back to authentic watchmaking and innovative sense,<br />
in the respect of the grand horological tradition of our grand<br />
watch master [Abraham-Louis Breguet]. You opened the<br />
main door; I could only follow in opening others. But the<br />
most difficult to open was definitely the first.”<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 147
THE EARLY VISIONARIES<br />
In a cry for recognition, independent watchmakers found strength in unity<br />
through the formation of L’Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants.<br />
WORDS CHERYL CHIA<br />
148 THE INDEPENDENTS
From left: Franck Muller; The Evolution 3-1 featuring the world's first triple-axis tourbillon; The Aeternitas Mega 4 with a total of 36 complications including a<br />
minute repeater, split seconds chronograph, a secular perpetual calendar and equation of time<br />
Crucial to the development of independent<br />
watchmaking was the creation of a common front<br />
that celebrated the creativity and artisanal skills of<br />
like-minded individuals, who were increasingly embattled<br />
in a quartz world.<br />
In 1985, two watchmakers and long-term Swiss<br />
residents, Danish-born Svend Andersen and Naples-born<br />
Vincent Calabrese, founded L’Académie Horlogère des<br />
Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI). A modern-day guild, the<br />
AHCI united independent watchmakers and provided a<br />
promotional platform for their work, mounting exhibits<br />
at watch fairs and placing articles in watch publications.<br />
It became both the breeding ground and launching pad for<br />
some of the most successful watchmakers we know today,<br />
many of whom have become brand eponyms.<br />
FRANCK MULLER — THE ORIGINAL MAVERICK<br />
Chief amongst them was Franck Muller, one of the most<br />
commercially successful independent watchmakers of all<br />
time. Muller began his watchmaking career restoring Patek<br />
Philippe watches that now form the core of the Patek<br />
Philippe Museum. At the age of 28, he designed his first<br />
tourbillon wristwatch, a notable achievement back when<br />
the complication was still a rare accomplishment. In fact,<br />
he is largely responsible for spearheading the tourbillon<br />
boom that reached its height in the 1990s and 2000s.<br />
After almost a decade of making complicated<br />
watches privately, he founded his company in 1991 with<br />
the financial backing of Vartan Sirmakes, a watch case<br />
manufacturer whose clients included the likes of Patek<br />
Philippe and Daniel Roth. Muller certainly brought<br />
something new to the trade when many had stuck to the<br />
language and ideals set forth by Breguet.<br />
First presented in 1987 at an international watch<br />
exhibition in Italy, his Cintrée Curvex with its<br />
unconventional form — a large tonneau case that<br />
curved on three axes — and Art Deco numerals, hacked<br />
a path through the prevailing sea of watches that were<br />
considerably more sober in color and design. It became a<br />
runaway bestseller of the ’90s, turning Franck Muller into a<br />
brand with a nine-figure turnover by the new millennium.<br />
A maverick in more ways than one, Muller was the<br />
pioneering celebrity watchmaker whose path to global<br />
fame has since been emulated by the likes of Richard Mille.<br />
But more than that, Muller’s calling card was his clever,<br />
creative and often maximalist approach to traditional<br />
complications, from his triple time zone watch, the Master<br />
Banker, to the world’s first conceptual display of time, the<br />
Crazy Hours, to the world’s first triple-axis tourbillon,<br />
the Evolution 3-1, and the world’s most complicated<br />
wristwatch, still, with a total of 36 complications, the<br />
Aeternitas Mega 4. These watches set the tone for the<br />
decade and awakened other watchmakers to new technical,<br />
aesthetic and conceptual possibilities.<br />
FRANÇOIS-PAUL JOURNE —<br />
A HOROLOGICAL GENIUS OF OUR ERA<br />
One other notable watchmaker that emerged from the AHCI<br />
was François-Paul Journe, whose accomplishments and<br />
contributions have been perhaps the most comprehensive.<br />
Like many a great watchmaker, Journe spent his<br />
formative years restoring vintage clocks and watches.<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 149
Having been expelled from watchmaking school in<br />
Marseille, he took up an offer to work in his uncle’s<br />
restoration workshop in Paris and later resumed formal<br />
education at the L’Ecole d’Horlogerie de Paris. Upon<br />
graduation in 1976, he began working full-time for his<br />
uncle, during which he was exposed to the works of the<br />
great French watchmakers of the 18th century, including<br />
Le Roy, Janvier and Berthoud but most crucially Breguet,<br />
whose many inventions such as the tourbillon, the natural<br />
escapement and the principle of resonance would become<br />
paramount to understanding Journe’s later work.<br />
Almost inevitably, through his books, pocket<br />
watches and common areas of interests, George Daniels<br />
became a great inspiration and a mentor to Journe. Both<br />
watchmakers were descended from the same spiritual<br />
lineage that began with Breguet. Both were driven by<br />
mechanical chronometry and precision and strove to<br />
emulate Breguet’s elegance in engineering. However, while<br />
much of Daniels’ work was centered around escapements,<br />
Journe’s interests, much like Breguet’s, extends a little<br />
further into other mechanisms and complications. His<br />
work inimitably develops and builds upon these 18thcentury<br />
inventions for modern wristwatches.<br />
In 1989, Journe, together with Vianney Halter and<br />
Denis Flageollet, started Techniques Horlogères Appliquées<br />
(THA), a company that primarily created complications<br />
for major brands including Breguet, Audemars Piguet,<br />
Cartier and Jaquet-Droz. But it was not long before the trio<br />
branched off into their own separate endeavors.<br />
Journe began his brand in 1999 with a set of 20<br />
Souscription Tourbillons where each of his clients placed<br />
a deposit upfront, and from this, he gathered the capital<br />
to get his brand off the ground. The Tourbillon Souverain<br />
was the first serially produced wristwatch to feature a<br />
remontoir d' égalité. Today, this form of constant force<br />
mechanism can be found in many other watches on the<br />
market. But while most of them rely on a spiral spring<br />
located on the fourth wheel before the escapement, Journe<br />
utilizes a distinctive blade spring. This spring tensions<br />
a pivoting lever that releases the remontoir wheel, one<br />
tooth at a time, as the lever pivots. As soon as one tooth is<br />
released, the blade spring is simultaneously recharged by<br />
the gear train, and the process repeats itself, recharging<br />
and releasing once a second.<br />
The second serial production watch arrived just a year<br />
later. It was the revolutionary Chronomètre à Résonance,<br />
a watch inspired by Breguet's No. 3177, a resonance clock<br />
he encountered during his time as a restorer. However, the<br />
phenomenon of resonance was first discovered by Dutch<br />
scientist Christiaan Huygens who realized that two of his<br />
pendulum clocks, which were suspended from a common<br />
wooden beam, displayed a sympathetic motion. The concept<br />
was later researched and built upon by both Antide Janvier<br />
and Breguet, who were noted for having made clocks with<br />
double pendulum systems, each driven individually.<br />
In such a clock, any error in rate in one pendulum<br />
tended to be canceled out by the other, increasing<br />
precision. Breguet was one of the first watchmakers to have<br />
successfully achieved the phenomenon of resonance in a<br />
handful of his pocket watches, one of which was made for<br />
Britain’s King George IV (1762–1830), and one for France’s<br />
King Louis XVIII (1755–1824).<br />
From left: François-Paul Journe; The Souscription Tourbillon No. 10/20<br />
150 THE INDEPENDENTS
One of the most crucial discoveries and perhaps the key<br />
to understanding resonance in wristwatches today was that<br />
the phenomenon is not dependent on air-resistance. Having<br />
tested and seen that resonance could occur in a vacuum,<br />
Breguet realized that the effect instead relied on torsional<br />
resonance; the transfer of vibration to the shared mainplate.<br />
In a wristwatch, the goal of resonance remains the<br />
same; two oscillators in resonance will achieve a better<br />
rate stability than one beating in isolation. The problem,<br />
however, is that the coupling forces are weak, and there are<br />
numerous factors that can influence its synchronicity. The<br />
two balances, for instance, must be adjusted so that their<br />
rates are as close to each other as possible, otherwise they<br />
will not achieve resonance. George Daniels also noted in<br />
his book, The Art of Breguet, that the balance wheels had to<br />
be free-sprung, as having a regulator with two pins reduces<br />
the effect of the vibration transmitted from the hairspring<br />
to the cock and mainplate.<br />
The Chronomètre à Résonance was constructed based<br />
on these findings. Each balance wheel is free-sprung and<br />
driven by a separate gear train and barrel. To achieve a true<br />
resonance effect in a wristwatch this small is truly a feat of<br />
engineering. Each balance had to be adjusted to a variation<br />
in rate of no more than five seconds a day. Though a handful<br />
of other resonance watches have since been introduced<br />
on the market, most notably the Armin Strom Resonance<br />
which uses a clutch spring between the two balance wheels<br />
to enhance its coupling force, it is Journe’s that represents<br />
the closest interpretation of Breguet’s resonance.<br />
Like Daniels, Journe was also intrigued by the superior<br />
qualities of Breguet’s natural escapement and devised his<br />
version in 2012 in the Chronométre Optimum. In contrast<br />
to Breguet’s in which one escape wheel directly drives the<br />
other, the two escape wheels in Journe’s are attached to two<br />
respective intermediary wheels below that drive them. While<br />
Breguet struggled with play between the escape wheels due<br />
to the technology of his time, Journe’s intermediary wheels,<br />
of which the first drives the second, feature a cycloidal teeth<br />
profile for optimal power transmission, as is conventional<br />
today. This setup also allows the escape wheels to have a<br />
more conventional design for locking and releasing the<br />
detent; Breguet had to design the escape wheels with a set of<br />
additional vertical teeth to do this.<br />
More impressively, Journe also incorporates a remontoir<br />
d’égalité for the escapement. To date, the only other watch<br />
that combines a natural escapement with a constant force<br />
mechanism is the recent Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse<br />
Chronometer, but its construction differs starkly as it builds<br />
upon George Daniels’ and Charles Frodsham’s method of<br />
having two separate transmission systems. A remontoir<br />
d’égalité is an ideal mechanism for a natural escapement as<br />
it ensures that power from the mainspring is controlled,<br />
releasing a fixed amount of torque each time, which is<br />
greatly beneficial for a complex and delicate escapement.<br />
This in turn also minimizes backlash caused by play.<br />
Additionally, the detent as well as the double escape<br />
wheels were also designed for the lowest inertia; they<br />
are made of titanium to ensure that the wheels contact<br />
the balance roller quickly on each swing, ensuring more<br />
efficient power transmission to keep the balance oscillating.<br />
Journe’s technical genius is evident in many other<br />
aspects of the transmission system as well as other watches<br />
From left: Journe's most important watch to date, the Chronomètre à Résonance; Twin oscillators in the movement rely on the principle of resonance to achieve a single average rate<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 151
that are beyond the scope of this article. His distinctive<br />
style of design and engineering coupled with modern<br />
interpretations of these mechanisms of a bygone era<br />
have left a lasting mark on watchmaking and deservedly<br />
garnered him a cult-like following.<br />
VIANNEY HALTER — THE INDEPENDENT TRAILBLAZER<br />
Independent watchmaking would not enjoy the diversity<br />
and dynamism it does today if not for a handful of<br />
watchmakers who steered modern watchmaking towards<br />
new horizons of conceptual design and construction. The<br />
first of them was Vianney Halter, who is a member of<br />
AHCI and an alumnus of the THA.<br />
In 1994, Halter founded his own manufacture, named<br />
after the great Antide Janvier (1751–1835). Like THA, La<br />
Manufacture Janvier was a sub-contractor for various<br />
brands. While accumulating his know-how and experience<br />
in industrial production, Halter’s desire to create his own<br />
brand of watches only grew stronger.<br />
When the Asian Financial Crisis hit in the ’90s, Halter<br />
took the time to develop his first watch together with Jeff<br />
Barnes, an American designer, leading to the initial brand<br />
name Halter-Barnes. In 1998, he presented the Antiqua<br />
at the Baselworld fair. It was an instantaneous perpetual<br />
calendar wristwatch that was revolutionary in its reversetech,<br />
steampunk design with four subdials, each within its<br />
own porthole framed with riveted bezels. Its asymmetrical<br />
case had an exceedingly complex construction consisting<br />
of 130 parts, including 104 rivets.<br />
Beyond that, the Antiqua spared no expense in<br />
terms of its finishing, from the sharp, detailed hands to<br />
the white gold grained dial with hand engraved, lacquerfilled<br />
numerals to the contrasting brushed and polished<br />
surfaces of the case. The movement, on the other hand,<br />
was based on the twin-barrel Lemania 8810, heavily<br />
modified to incorporate a perpetual calendar module,<br />
two bridges that seamlessly hide its inner workings as<br />
well as an invisible rotor.<br />
Alas, the partnership between the creative talents<br />
went south, thus all subsequent models, except for the<br />
very first Antiquas, would bear Halter’s signage alone. In<br />
conception and execution, the Antiqua was a watch that<br />
made all others seem like an exercise in creating the best<br />
buggy whip, establishing the foundation for the Büssers,<br />
Baumgartners, Freis and Flageollets to come.<br />
In 2013, Halter unveiled the Deep Space Tourbillon, a<br />
watch that would take the idea of a multi-axis tourbillon to<br />
a new height. Till today, it remains one of the most visually<br />
impressive triple-axis tourbillon watches on the market.<br />
Under the dramatically domed crystal, the innermost cage<br />
of the tourbillon rotates on the first axis once a minute.<br />
This carriage sits in a transversal structure that completes<br />
one revolution every six minutes, and the entire structure<br />
is in turn suspended in a blued titanium cradle that relies<br />
on a vertically positioned outer gear to complete one<br />
revolution in 30 minutes.<br />
While the tourbillon may have been born of a<br />
mechanical necessity to average out errors in rate caused<br />
by gravity, and that might have been true for most of its<br />
history, as the identity of watches expanded beyond their<br />
function in the post-quartz era, tourbillons are installed<br />
primarily as a visual spectacle — a symbol of technical<br />
prowess more than anything. And the Deep Space<br />
Tourbillon represents the pinnacle of this cognitive change.<br />
DANIEL ROTH — THE STEADFAST HOROLOGIST<br />
Oftentimes, we tend to be presumptuous in thinking of<br />
the accomplishments and talents of great watchmakers in<br />
terms of their visibility and sustained success, not their<br />
tribulations — a great irony considering the nature of<br />
independent watchmaking. As a result, the horological<br />
achievements of some independents have seemingly been<br />
swept by the winds of history into exile. One watchmaker<br />
whose career has borne witness to the rise and fall of<br />
watch brands — revived, launched as well as forgotten — is<br />
Daniel Roth.<br />
Roth was amongst the earliest watchmakers to strike<br />
out on his own, establishing his eponymous brand in 1988,<br />
a decade earlier than many of his peers. But his golden<br />
years were spent reviving Breguet. Having worked briefly<br />
at Jaeger-LeCoultre and subsequently Audemars Piguet, he<br />
was hired by François Bodet, the then director of Breguet,<br />
who had been tasked by the new owners, Jacques and<br />
Pierre Chaumet, to restore the brand to its former glory.<br />
Roth’s work during the 14 years spent at Breguet<br />
beginning in 1973 would lay the groundwork for what<br />
modern Breguet is today. Much of it involved interpreting<br />
Breguet’s complications and design language in wristwatch<br />
form. From the engine-turned dials to the coin-edge case<br />
to the distinctive Breguet hands, these elements have<br />
become the hallmarks of the brand today.<br />
Some iconic models launched during his tenure<br />
included the automatic perpetual calendar reference 3130,<br />
which was directly inspired by the Breguet No. 5 pocket<br />
watch as well as the tourbillon ref. 3350, which, with the<br />
tourbillon exposed at six o’clock, established the ultimate<br />
layout of the complication.<br />
Following the Chaumets’ scandalous downfall —<br />
bankruptcy and fraud with a crushing debt of $300m<br />
— in 1987, Roth established his eponymous brand by<br />
entering into agreement with Siber Hegner, a Zurichbased<br />
international distribution and marketing group. He<br />
152 THE INDEPENDENTS
Clockwise from top left: A unique Time Machine Perpetual Antiqua (Image: Guy Lucas de Peslouan); Vianney Halter at work in his atelier, surrounded by his collection of tower clock<br />
mechanisms; A Daniel Roth Double Face Tourbillon Limited Edition in steel; Daniel Roth examining his Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon (Images: The Hour Glass)<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 153
From left: Philippe Dufour; A unique Philippe Dufour Grande Sonnerie in white gold with a clear sapphire dial showcasing the beautifully finished striking mechanism<br />
became one of the leading independent watchmakers in<br />
the ’90s, along with Philippe Dufour and Franck Muller.<br />
Like many watchmakers, Roth was heavily inspired by the<br />
work of Abraham-Louis Breguet in terms of aesthetics and<br />
complications. However, his timepieces were creatively<br />
executed with unconventional layouts, establishing a<br />
design language that was distinctly his own, from the<br />
double ellipse case to the pinstripe guilloché dials.<br />
One of his most iconic models was the Double Face<br />
Tourbillon, which features a triple-armed seconds hand,<br />
where three blued steel hands of varying lengths sweep<br />
over three different seconds scales as the tourbillon rotates.<br />
Many of his watches, including his chronograph, perpetual<br />
calendar, tourbillon and minute repeater, were based on<br />
movements made by Nouvelle Lemania, which supplied<br />
movements to Breguet through his time with the brand.<br />
But it wasn’t long after that Siber Hegner pulled the<br />
rug from under him, which led him to sell the majority of<br />
his shares to Singapore-based retailer The Hour Glass, who<br />
then sold them on to Bvlgari in 2000. This move led Roth<br />
to relinquish his remaining shares and bid goodbye to the<br />
company that bore his name a year later.<br />
Today, he makes watches under the name Jean Daniel<br />
Nicolas, a combination of the names of his son, Jean, his<br />
wife, Nicole, and his own. In 2003, he debuted an unusual<br />
two-minute tourbillon. Roth realized that the idea of<br />
using the cage of a one-minute tourbillon to indicate the<br />
seconds was not possible as only a 180-degree scale could<br />
be used on the dial. Previously, his solution in the Daniel<br />
Roth tourbillon was a three-armed seconds hand that<br />
would glide across three 120-degree scales, but this time, he<br />
had set his sights on a two-minute carriage, which is a lot<br />
more complex.<br />
A rather rare genre, slow tourbillons, unlike the<br />
standard one-minute tourbillon, requires a different gear<br />
ratio which results in having additional reduction gears<br />
installed in the tourbillon cage itself. Like the animated<br />
spectacle of a fast-rotating cage, the slow motion and<br />
intricacy of a two-minute tourbillon which houses a<br />
balance with an equally low frequency of 2.5Hz also make<br />
for a mesmerizing visual feast.<br />
The movement is designed, handmade and finished<br />
by Roth, demonstrating not just his technical prowess<br />
but also the traditional techniques and craftsmanship<br />
that are fast sinking into oblivion in the age of modern<br />
watchmaking. In fact, it is so labor-intensive that Roth<br />
produces no more than two or three pieces a year.<br />
PHILIPPE DUFOUR — THE MODERN MASTER OF FINISHING<br />
One independent watchmaker who singlehandedly boosted<br />
the benchmark of mechanical elegance and finishing was<br />
Philippe Dufour. Like Roth, Dufour was a child of the<br />
Vallée de Joux who came of age during the Quartz Crisis.<br />
Thus, the first decade of his career was spent working for<br />
brand after brand ranging from to Jaeger-LeCoultre to<br />
Gérald Genta to Audemars Piguet, before finally finding<br />
his feet as an independent watchmaker.<br />
In 1978 he set up his own workshop and began<br />
restoration work for five years before developing his first<br />
movement, a grande and petite sonnerie for a pocket<br />
154 THE INDEPENDENTS
From left: The Simplicity with a gray dial; The impeccably finished movement of the watch with sharp inward and outward angles<br />
watch, which he supplied to the brand he had just departed<br />
from. But Dufour grew increasingly frustrated with having<br />
his name being passed over in silence as well as the attitude<br />
of brands — a sentiment echoed by François-Paul Journe<br />
years later. (On his decision to become an independent<br />
watchmaker, Journe famously proclaimed that he was “fed<br />
up giving pearls to swine.”)<br />
In Dufour’s case, this would be rectified in what<br />
would become the world’s first grande and petite sonnerie<br />
wristwatch and also one of the most perfectly finished<br />
watches in the modern era. After three years in the making,<br />
the wristwatch bearing his name unveiled in 1992, the<br />
same year he joined the AHCI. This, along with a trip to<br />
Singapore where he found buyers through The Hour Glass,<br />
marked the launch of his eponymous brand.<br />
His first watch would soon be joined by the Duality,<br />
one of the finest time-only watches in the world. It was<br />
the first wristwatch with two balance wheels that were<br />
driven by a planetary differential on the fourth wheel.<br />
The differential splits the power from the mainspring and<br />
averages their errors to achieve a single averaged deviation<br />
for the time display. Thus, if one, for instance, beats at<br />
a rate of +3s and the other at −3s, the watch achieves a<br />
perfect 0. The two escapements in this approach are driven<br />
by a single gear train, which is not to be confused with<br />
a resonance watch in which two individual movements<br />
linked by a common mainplate achieves a single rate<br />
through the principle of resonance.<br />
While the end goal is the same, the underlying<br />
methods cannot be more dissimilar. While the resonance<br />
descended from a lineage that includes Breguet, Janvier<br />
and Christiaan Huygens, the differential setup used by<br />
Dufour is believed to have been pioneered by Ferdinand<br />
Berthoud (1727–1807). Dufour was inspired by a 1930s<br />
double regulator pocket watch produced by students at the<br />
watchmaking school in his hometown of Le Sentier.<br />
Ultimately, having a differential is a more readily<br />
dependable method of achieving an averaged output<br />
as torsional resonance is inherently weak and can be<br />
influenced by many factors.<br />
Beyond this performance-oriented mechanism, the<br />
Duality features a beautiful symmetrical construction that<br />
demonstrates an array of decorative techniques, including<br />
Geneva stripes, black polishing, hand-engraving and most<br />
of all, anglage. While the watch was initially planned for a<br />
series of 25 watches, Dufour only produced nine of them,<br />
and focused instead on the Simplicity.<br />
His most renowned timepiece, the Simplicity,<br />
was introduced in 2000. With the Simplicity, Dufour<br />
doubled down on inward angles; the sinuous curves of<br />
the movement’s bridges were designed to showcase his<br />
unmatched finishing prowess, making it one of the bestfinished<br />
watches the world over.<br />
His superlative standards of finishing have been a<br />
great influence on new generations of watchmakers,<br />
from Rexhep Rexhepi, a promising young Kosovo-born<br />
watchmaker who shot to prominence with his acclaimed<br />
Chronomètre Contemporain watch, to as far afield as the<br />
Micro Artist Studio of Seiko Japan, whose Credor Eichi<br />
and Eichi II were heavily inspired by Dufour.<br />
IMAGES: THE HOUR GLASS<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 155
THE ROCK STARS<br />
WORDS CHERYL CHIA<br />
ROBERT GREUBEL AND STEPHEN FORSEY (GREUBEL FORSEY)<br />
Greubel Forsey has, since the company was launched in 2004, pushed the limits<br />
of chronometry and craftsmanship to the extreme in a way few others have, while<br />
developing an inimitable three-dimensional style of movement engineering.<br />
The firm founded by Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey is best known for<br />
its inventive mechanisms devoted to achieving precision, including multi-axis<br />
tourbillons, double balances, remontoirs and differentials.<br />
The watch to own: Greubel Forsey Différentiel d’Égalité<br />
FELIX BAUMGARTNER AND MARTIN FREI (URWERK)<br />
The introduction of URWERK caused one of the greatest schisms in<br />
watchmaking, in that it divided time into the period before it was launched and<br />
the period after. The company started by Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei is<br />
known today for taking the concept of wandering hours on a remarkable journey<br />
of innovation and transformation. The watches represent the extreme of what is<br />
possible when the tenets of avant garde watchmaking — technical, conceptual<br />
and aesthetic creativity — are pushed to their fantastical limits.<br />
The watch to own: The URWERK UR-220 “Falcon Project”<br />
DENIS FLAGEOLLET (DE BETHUNE)<br />
Since its inception in 2002, De Bethune has established itself as independent<br />
watchmaking’s ne plus ultra. Apart from expanding the design language of<br />
horology, its watches are amongst the few on the market in which every aspect of<br />
the transmission system, from mainspring to hairspring, has been reimagined and<br />
optimized for greater performance. Its deep focus on engineering — technical,<br />
technological as well as ergonomic — along with its striking design, has made De<br />
Bethune watches some of the most holistically engaging timepieces on the market.<br />
The watch to own: De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius Chronomètre Tourbillon<br />
RICHARD MILLE<br />
Appearing at the dawn of the new millennium, Richard Mille watches brought<br />
forth a hard-edged modernity in the way watches are engineered and proved that<br />
an aesthetically constructed movement need not be achieved at the expense<br />
of performance. On the contrary, its no-holds-barred approach to material<br />
innovation culminated in watches of extreme performance, often<br />
dramatically demonstrated by the world’s sporting elite. Today, Mille’s<br />
watches represent some of the most wildly expensive yet culturally<br />
and commercially salient watches on the market.<br />
The watch to own: RM 009<br />
ROMAIN GAUTHIER<br />
Founded in 2005, Gauthier’s atelier produces some of the finest<br />
and most creatively engineered time-only watches on the market<br />
today. His movements are aesthetically constructed, with striking<br />
contours to display an abundance of inward anglage like no other in<br />
watchmaking. A good part of Gauthier’s business today also includes<br />
supplying components to other watch companies, including Chanel,<br />
which holds a significant minority stake in his brand.<br />
The watch to own: A custom Logical One<br />
156 THE INDEPENDENTS
EDOUARD MEYLAN (H. MOSER & CIE.)<br />
Since becoming the CEO of H. Moser & Cie. in 2013, a year after his family acquired the brand, Edouard<br />
Meylan has brought a surprising degree of commercial nous through his often wacky yet dead-on<br />
marketing campaigns and the development of a distinctive signature design that needs no signage. Moser<br />
today is one of the big “small” brands, an “industrial” independent that has introduced some of the most<br />
advanced systems and components in watchmaking, such as modular escapements and paramagnetic as<br />
well as double hairsprings.<br />
The watch to own: Any H. Moser & Cie. Perpetual Calendar<br />
KARI VOUTILAINEN<br />
Voutilainen is one of the modern masters of hand finishing. He spent a decade restoring watches<br />
at Michel Parmigiani’s workshop, where he encountered some of the world’s finest and rarest<br />
timepieces, including a Breguet pocket watch with a natural escapement, which he would later<br />
incorporate in his own watches. Today he is one of the most influential independents of our time,<br />
and runs a full-fledged, vertically integrated manufacture, which includes dial making.<br />
The watch to own: A custom Vingt-8 GMT<br />
MAXIMILIAN BÜSSER (MB&F)<br />
Through his seminal series of Opus watches at Harry Winston, Büsser<br />
was largely responsible for fostering and institutionalizing the idea of<br />
radical watchmaking. Since he established MB&F in 2005, he has<br />
challenged design conventions through a bewildering variety of forms<br />
and inspirations. Equally progressive was his business model, which<br />
was ingrained in the company’s name. Büsser was early in his<br />
recognition of the value of collaboration, embarking on<br />
many joint projects with fellow independent watchmakers<br />
and designers to create some of the most fantastical<br />
contraptions in watchmaking and beyond.<br />
The watch to own: MB&F Horological Machine No. 9<br />
ROGER W. SMITH<br />
The horological heir of George Daniels, Smith played<br />
an instrumental role in the production of Daniels’<br />
Millennium series equipped with Omega’s co-axial<br />
movements as well as Daniels’ Anniversary watch<br />
launched in 2010. Since 2001, he began making watches<br />
under his own name using “The Daniels Method.” Over<br />
the years, he has also made several improvements to his<br />
co-axial escapement, which is an interpretation of Daniels’.<br />
Particularly, he sought to reduce its inertia by changing its<br />
geometry and size so as to enhance its performance.<br />
The watch to own: A custom Series 2<br />
TIM AND BART GRÖNEFELD (GRÖNEFELD)<br />
Founded in 2008, Grönefeld is best known for its ingenious<br />
movement constructions as well as having a style of finishing that<br />
is distinctly their own — frosted steel bridges with a raised lip<br />
that is straight-grained on the surface and polished and beveled on<br />
the edges. In addition, the brand is discernibly driven by both the<br />
pursuit of chronometry as well as the display of chronometry through<br />
a well-conceived seconds indicator. This is most evident in the Parallax<br />
Tourbillon, the 1896 One Hertz as well as the 1941 Remontoire.<br />
The watch to own: A custom 1941 Remontoire<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 1<strong>59</strong>
MY FOUR FAVORITE<br />
INDEPENDENT WATCH BRANDS<br />
& THE HUMAN BEINGS<br />
BEHIND THEM<br />
Wei Koh's love of independent watchmaking sparked his friendships with<br />
some of the watch industry's kindest and most genuine individuals.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
When I first conceptualized this issue of<br />
Revolution, I imagined it to be an exhaustive,<br />
didactic and encyclopedic look into the world<br />
of independent watchmaking, from its OGs like Franck<br />
Muller all the way to its latest rock stars like Rexhep<br />
Rexhepi. But then it dawned on me that what I love about<br />
independent watchmaking, apart from the watches, are the<br />
friendships I’ve made with the human beings behind the<br />
brands. And so, rather than simply recite statistics related<br />
to innovative complications, I want to share my personal<br />
stories about each of these individuals and why I love them<br />
so much. I understand that this is an unusual pathway into<br />
understanding their unique vision for horology, but I’ve<br />
come to admire, in addition to their watchmaking knowhow,<br />
the way they live their lives which, in each instance, is<br />
with courage, ingenuity, kindness and a total unwillingness<br />
to compromise.<br />
RICHARD MILLE<br />
While his is the single greatest entrepreneurial success<br />
story in the modern history of watches, while he’s created<br />
a vision for timepieces that have so far transcended their<br />
genre that they have become cultural symbols in their<br />
own right, while based purely on his own imagination,<br />
he’s coalesced a vision for watchmaking that has been the<br />
single greatest influence on the contemporary horological<br />
landscape, none of these are the main reason I love Richard<br />
Mille. I love Richard Mille because he is one of the best and<br />
kindest human beings I know.<br />
He probably wouldn’t want me sharing this story<br />
because he doesn’t do nice things for recognition. But<br />
I’d like to share it anyway as it perfectly illustrates my<br />
point. At one point, many years ago, I found myself on the<br />
jury of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG)<br />
back when it was being overseen by the colorful Gabriel<br />
Tortella. That year, Richard was also on the jury having<br />
won in the previous year the Aiguille d’Or for his<br />
RM 012 Tourbillon, a watch that used a tubular steel<br />
trellis structure rather than a traditional baseplate. While<br />
I was pleased to have been invited to the jury, I quickly<br />
realized that due to the lack of transparency in the<br />
voting process (I assume that this has since changed), it<br />
really wasn’t the right environment for me. Further, the<br />
GPHG was scheduled the day after my birthday. In an<br />
amusing coincidence, the woman I was dating, who would<br />
eventually become my wife, was also born on November<br />
11th, meaning I was missing our mutual birthdays to<br />
take part in the GPHG. After a busy day of scrutinizing<br />
timepieces, Richard and I had ensconced ourselves at the<br />
Hotel des Bergues to eat cheeseburgers when he noticed<br />
that I seemed a bit dejected. I explained why. He paused<br />
for a moment, then took the prototype for his new watch,<br />
the Richard Mille RM 011, off his wrist and passed it to me.<br />
I looked at it as he said, “Happy Birthday.”<br />
OK, in order to understand this moment that was<br />
happening in 2008, we need to go back in time to when I<br />
first set eyes on a Richard Mille watch, which was around<br />
2004. To me, it was the most groundbreaking and visionary<br />
act of horological design I had ever set eyes on. And as<br />
a demonstration of how unique and extraordinary these<br />
watches were, if you look at any of Richard’s timepieces<br />
from his first 10 years, they are even more beautiful now<br />
than they were then. To me, they are the equivalent of<br />
the Ferrari 250 GTO and F40, which looked incredibly<br />
futuristic when they were born but later became design<br />
classics. Even more, when I learned about his iconoclastic<br />
work in shock resistance, ergonomics and lightness, I<br />
realized the amazing technical substance of his watches.<br />
But when I found out the price of his watches, I had to<br />
stop. At one point in Singapore, I almost spent my entire<br />
net worth on an RM 005 but stopped at the last minute,<br />
realizing that I would literally have less than zero dollars<br />
in my bank account. Basically I couldn’t afford one. So cut<br />
to four years later, when Richard suddenly offered me my<br />
160 THE INDEPENDENTS
Clockwise from top left: The Richard Mille RM 012 Tourbillon, winner of the Aiguille d'Or prize at the 2007 GPHG; The RM 65-01 Automatic Split Seconds Chronograph;<br />
The inimitable Richard Mille, protagonist of the single greatest entrepreneurial success story in the modern history of watches<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 161
dream watch, the moment was simply unbelievable. At<br />
some point I recall stammering, “I’m sorry, Richard, I can’t<br />
accept this.” To which he replied, “If you don’t take it, I will<br />
leave it here on the table for the waiter.” At which point,<br />
I strapped it on. It was one of those watches that you can’t<br />
actually believe you own.<br />
The point to all this is that there is no one who has<br />
created his own brand that is more successful than Richard<br />
Mille, and there probably will never be again. Perhaps the<br />
most extraordinary thing regarding Richard Mille watches<br />
is that they aren’t really watches any more than they are<br />
the membership symbols to the world’s elite community.<br />
Because they are prohibitively — OK, let’s just say it<br />
— staggeringly expensive, there is sometimes a stigma<br />
associated with them and an implication that their owners<br />
are all playboy billionaires. I’m not going to argue against<br />
that because as part of the Richard Mille family, I know<br />
this is partially true. But what I will say is that every single<br />
person I know who owns a Richard Mille is a nice person.<br />
I’ve never met anyone with an RM on that wasn’t up for a<br />
conversation or a drink or a joke, and I think that’s because<br />
they buy into this brand for the example set by its creator,<br />
who is not only the greatest visionary the modern watch<br />
world has ever seen, but also its nicest, kindest and clearly<br />
most generous human being who deserves all his success<br />
and more. Richard is proof positive in a sometimes cynical<br />
world that you can be a great human person while also<br />
being a great success.<br />
MAXIMILIAN BÜSSER<br />
To me, Max Büsser has been one of the most important<br />
figures in independent watchmaking. In fact, I would go so<br />
far as to say that without Max, independent watchmaking<br />
would not have soared to the heights of its popularity and<br />
become the subject of such widespread cultural awareness.<br />
This all goes back to Max’s role as the managing director<br />
of Harry Winston watches. Previous to this, Max had<br />
worked alongside Henry-John Belmont and the legendary<br />
Günter Blümlein at Jaeger-LeCoultre. He still likes to<br />
quote Blümlein’s witticisms that were imparted upon<br />
him on what seems like a very regular basis. During this<br />
critical phase of brand rebuilding throughout the ’90s, Max<br />
participated in what was essentially the relaunch of Jaeger-<br />
LeCoultre under the visionary leadership of Blümlein. In<br />
1998, Büsser was recruited to run Harry Winston’s watch<br />
division. Though to call it a division, Büsser recalls, was<br />
a bit of an overstatement. The watch revenue when he<br />
took over was a mere eight million dollars a year. Rather<br />
than try to play a volume game, it was Büsser’s preference<br />
to create high value, high concept, incredibly innovative<br />
watches that he knew would grab headlines and recast<br />
Harry Winston in a totally different light. There was<br />
just one problem. Harry Winston had zero watchmaking<br />
expertise or resources.<br />
Büsser recalls, “I was really scratching my head about<br />
this because I could see there was a renewed appetite for<br />
complicated, technically and aesthetically innovative<br />
From left: Max Büsser of MB&F; The MB&F Horological Machine No. 4 tops Wei's list of the most avant-garde watches in the modern era<br />
162 THE INDEPENDENTS
watches. But I just had no idea who I could approach<br />
to make them for us.” Then one day at Basel fair, Max<br />
famously found himself going up the escalator as François-<br />
Paul was coming down. Max had, of course, heard that<br />
Journe was poised to launch his eponymous brand, which<br />
he had funded through a series of souscription watches<br />
(watches where a deposit is paid before their creation to<br />
generate positive cash flow). He suggested that Journe<br />
make a few additional movements to be cased in Harry<br />
Winston’s watches. He pointed out that it would be a<br />
win-win as these timepieces would benefit from Harry<br />
Winston’s marketing and draw attention to Journe’s own<br />
watches, and of course it would be additional cash that was<br />
always useful for a start-up brand. This resulted in three<br />
different watches each featuring one of Journe’s signature<br />
complications. Büsser came up with the name for this<br />
project: Opus. And with that, he was off running.<br />
Soon he would transform Opus into one of the most<br />
exciting platforms for watchmaking innovation and,<br />
at the same time, turn the spotlight on independent<br />
watchmakers that though talented, had toiled in relative<br />
obscurity until now. Shortly after the launch of the<br />
amazing Opus 5 created in collaboration with URWERK,<br />
Büsser decided to leave Harry Winston and start his<br />
own brand. I recall him telling me this over breakfast<br />
at the Taormina Film Festival, and to be honest, I think<br />
we could all see it coming. He was too entrepreneurial<br />
to be part of a corporate structure for the long term.<br />
His brand was, of course, based on collaborations with<br />
independent watchmakers such as Peter Speake-Marin and<br />
Laurent Besse, and started off with the wildly futuristic<br />
Horological Machines. He soon gained a strong following,<br />
in part thanks to big support from Michael Tay and The<br />
Hour Glass, and became the go-to brand for wild, science<br />
fiction and manga inspired, childhood dream type high<br />
watchmaking which, from a design perspective, culminated<br />
in the HM4 that took the form of two rocket ships on your<br />
wrist. To this day, I consider this single timepiece to be the<br />
most avant-garde watch of our era.<br />
But in 2011, Büsser did something extraordinary —<br />
he went retro not to the 1950s but to the 19th and even<br />
18th century for his inspiration. He asked himself, what<br />
would his watches look like if he had lived in the era<br />
of Antide Janvier, Ferdinand Berthoud and Abraham-<br />
Louis Breguet? The result were his Legacy Machines that<br />
created a new retro modern design language the likes of<br />
which the watch world had never seen before and that<br />
I believe future historians will regard as seminal works.<br />
In particular, his LM Perpetual Calendar created with<br />
Stephen McDonnell is one of the most original and<br />
beautiful timepieces ever created and ranks up there<br />
with the Patek Philippe ref. 3448 as one of the icons in<br />
this category of complication. In 2021, he celebrated the<br />
10th anniversary of his Legacy Machine with the LMX, a<br />
watch that pays homage to his first Legacy Machines but<br />
features some of his most memorable design elements<br />
MB&F's Legacy Machines created a retro modern design language the likes of which the watch world had never seen before. In 2021, Max Büsser celebrates the 10th<br />
anniversary of the Legacy Machine with the LMX, featuring the most memorable design elements of his earlier LM models<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 163
Clockwise from top left: Martin Frei (left) and Felix Baumgartner of Urwerk; The UR-103 broke convention with its sculptural watch case design; The UR-210 (in titanium with<br />
red gold case) featured a complication that showed the watch's winding efficiency over the last two hours — a world's first; The movement of the AMC (Atomic Master Clock)<br />
was inspired by A.-L. Breguet's Sympathique clocks; The UR-220 "Falcon Project"<br />
164 THE INDEPENDENTS
from the past decade, such as the inclined dials driven by<br />
conical gears for the two time zones. Now, more than a<br />
decade and a half since he turned independent, it can be<br />
said without equivocation that Max has created one of the<br />
most important, creative and — considering the extreme<br />
modernism of his Horological Machines and the charming<br />
retro cool of his Legacy Machines — diverse brands in<br />
modern horology.<br />
What’s my favorite Max Büsser story? Well, Max and I<br />
have had our ups and downs and the occasional argument<br />
that results from two Asian guys with strong opinions, who<br />
both generally think they are right. But it is a history and<br />
relationship that I treasure. The moment I always think<br />
about with Max Büsser is when he basically saved me and<br />
my ex-business partner from getting robbed and beaten<br />
up by a group of thieves in Geneva. This is what happened.<br />
We were taking a walk into downtown Geneva. My former<br />
business partner had just acquired a rose gold RM 004<br />
which was a stunning watch, and he took great delight<br />
in displaying it to people in the way he liked to show up<br />
at events in an orange Lamborghini or white Bentley.<br />
Unfortunately, he inadvertently displayed it to a group of<br />
men that became determined to separate it from him. They<br />
started following us and soon, more and more of them<br />
were closing in on us from all directions. Panicking, we<br />
ducked inside a takeaway sushi shop as I desperately texted<br />
Max. He replied that he was on his way to meet us. After<br />
five daunting minutes or so, with the group of feral youths<br />
gathered outside the door, Max suddenly roared up in his<br />
Audi RS4 station wagon pulling onto the curb, scattering<br />
the assembled aggressors. We both jumped in and sped off<br />
with Max looking absolutely nonplussed, his hair perfect<br />
and with that Büsser dryness remarking, “Well, that was<br />
good timing.”<br />
FELIX BAUMGARTNER & MARTIN FREI OF URWERK<br />
I first met Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei at Michael<br />
Tay’s horological super show in Singapore, TEMPUS.<br />
Imagine a platform where Jean-Claude Biver, Philippe<br />
Dufour and the CEOs of almost every major brand were<br />
present in Singapore. This was what Tay put together in<br />
2004. Already I was impressed with the total originality of<br />
Urwerk’s watch, the UR-103 and its satellite indicator. But<br />
the moment that made me a true Urwerk fan was seeing<br />
Felix the following year at the Harry Winston booth with<br />
Max Büsser as they presented the revolutionary Opus 5<br />
with its three-dimensional hour indicators and massive<br />
retrograde minute hand. Even better was the fact that<br />
the watch worked and that it was ready to be delivered<br />
as Harry Winston had suffered some criticism regarding<br />
Vianney Halter’s Opus 3, which would eventually be<br />
delayed for close to a decade. But while viewing Opus 5,<br />
I couldn’t take my eyes of the UR-103.03 on Felix’s wrist,<br />
which was essentially a UR-103 with a glass top so you<br />
could see all the intricacies of the mechanism within. But<br />
it was really when I went out on a press trip to Geneva<br />
organized by Tay and The Hour Glass and saw Felix and<br />
Martin in their guerilla warfare-like bunker in a quasisocialist<br />
building that I realized why I loved them — they<br />
were the punk rockers of the watch world.<br />
At the time I was trying to identify precisely what<br />
it was that Revolution was all about, and after meeting<br />
Richard Mille and Max Büsser, I realized one of my<br />
primary missions was to give a platform to a new vision of<br />
watchmaking and Urwerk represented the most extreme<br />
part of this new voice. Theirs was a rupture from the<br />
prevailing form of watchmaking that was still influenced<br />
by classic pocket watches and 18th- and 19th-century<br />
complications. Says Baumgartner, “In order for us to truly<br />
contribute to the story of watchmaking, our generation,<br />
and in particular Urwerk, had to find our own voice,<br />
create our own kind of watchmaking. I do not want to<br />
repeat the past. I want to bring all the quality of traditional<br />
finish and use traditional haute horlogerie techniques to<br />
create the future.”<br />
Says Frei, “Looking back, we were intentionally trying<br />
to break from the past. It was like in cinema with the<br />
French New Wave that introduced hand held cameras<br />
to film or, as you say, like punk rock that took anger,<br />
emotion and dissonance and made them into a new music.<br />
The thing is the watchmaking of the past was related to<br />
precision. But today no one needs a watch to tell time. So it<br />
has to be an emotional object instead.”<br />
It’s funny but looking back now over the 17 years I’ve<br />
known them, Urwerk is still as dynamically modern and<br />
wonderfully original. Their early watches, like Richard<br />
Mille’s, have become modern classics and this speaks of the<br />
strength of their design and the power of their horological<br />
content. During this time they’ve done incredible things.<br />
They’ve created the EMC “Time Hunter,” the world’s first<br />
watch which electro-mechanically measures the amplitude<br />
of the movement and tells you to set it faster or slower.<br />
They’ve created the world’s coolest atomic clock with<br />
a sympathetic synchronization for a wristwatch in the<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 165
wildest riff on Breguet’s iconic Sympathique clock. But<br />
more than that, they’ve demonstrated year after year that<br />
their watches are some of the coolest, most desirable and<br />
utterly original timepieces on the planet. Amazingly,<br />
Ralph Lauren has two version of their seminal UR-210,<br />
one blacked out and one in titanium. Michael Jordan is<br />
an Urwerk fan. Today anyone that loves watches knows<br />
what an Urwerk is, and either has one or has the ambition<br />
to own one. That having been said, what I love about<br />
Baumgartner and Frei is they keep it irrefutably real.<br />
They have no ambition to make more than a few hundred<br />
watches a year. They have no ambition to sell their brand<br />
to a big group. They are probably the two most genuine<br />
and realest guys in the watchmaking game.<br />
Sometimes almost painfully too real, as I found out<br />
when I organized a meeting with them and their fan<br />
Ralph Lauren. The idea was to create a small series of<br />
UR-210 based watches but with cases inspired by Lauren’s<br />
incredible Bugatti Atlantic SC. The design Frei had<br />
come up with was simply amazing. The meeting had gone<br />
flawlessly and we were about to leave the office ecstatic<br />
when Felix took it upon himself to launch into a 10-minute<br />
none too positive critique on Ralph Lauren watches as<br />
Martin and I looked on in horror. To his immense credit,<br />
Lauren took the comments with extraordinary grace and<br />
affability but, suffice it to say, that project never came<br />
into fruition. From time to time, this story comes up and<br />
Felix will say, “But you know, people like it when you are<br />
real with them.” To which I, Martin and Urwerk’s head of<br />
communications, Yacine Sar, will shake our heads and say<br />
to him, “No, Felix, no one likes this.”<br />
What’s my favorite memory of Urwerk? Back when I<br />
visited their mad science lair, the first time they showed<br />
me the design of their UR-201, the predecessor to the 210<br />
with its three-dimensional hour indexes and a telescopic<br />
minute hand. It was simply the coolest thing I had ever seen.<br />
Amazingly, I got the opportunity to own the first rose gold<br />
piece of this watch made. To receive it, Felix organized a<br />
fondue on the roof of his apartment in Geneva and he had<br />
asked his mother to make the fondue. There, I shared an<br />
amazing meal with Felix and Martin and one that I look back<br />
at with immense fondness. Because what I love about the<br />
watch industry are not only the watches, but also the people<br />
that make them, like Felix and Martin, who are always kind,<br />
generous, authentic, damnably wonderful and very, very real.<br />
De Bethune CEO Pierre Jacques<br />
DENIS FLAGEOLLET & PIERRE JACQUES OF DE BETHUNE<br />
If I had to pick one person in independent watchmaking<br />
to assign the honorarium, it would be De Bethune’s cofounder<br />
Denis Flageollet. This is a man that in the 19 years<br />
of his brand’s existence has created nine different balance<br />
wheels; a proprietary hairspring with a unique terminal<br />
curve; a triple pare-chute shock absorption system; the<br />
first perpetual calendar with three-dimensional moon<br />
phase indicator; a 5Hz 30-second tourbillon with the<br />
lightest cage in the world at 0.18 grams; a dead seconds<br />
mechanism; an electro-mechanical LED lighting system<br />
for a diving watch; a watch with jumping hours, dragging<br />
minutes and an inline day, date and month display; a 10Hz<br />
30-second tourbillon chronograph; a 5Hz chronograph<br />
with three different types of clutches; a mobile lug system;<br />
a way to flame blue titanium. And, honestly, that’s just<br />
scratching the surface of Flageollet’s horological canon.<br />
What is particularly wonderful about Denis Flageollet,<br />
however, is that he is as genuine and humble a person as<br />
he is talented. Which is to say, immensely genuine and<br />
166 THE INDEPENDENTS
From left: De Bethune co-founder Denis Flageollet; Wei's Kind of Blue from De Bethune's iconic DB28 collection<br />
incredibly humble. While others may shout from rooftops<br />
and anoint themselves the modern era’s equivalent to<br />
A.-L. Breguet, Flageollet, who would undoubtedly be the<br />
man Breguet would admire most were he alive today, is<br />
self-effacing and discreet to a fault, preferring to let his<br />
creations do the talking. Because of his almost extreme<br />
humility, De Bethune has in the past not been the best<br />
at talking about itself. But finally, it seems the world has<br />
caught on to how truly wonderful the brand is. Collectors<br />
are now rallying around the brand, in particular its two<br />
signature models, the DB28, which represents the avantgardist<br />
side of De Bethune and the DB25, which perfectly<br />
embodies the modern classic dimension of the brand.<br />
Part of De Bethune’s current success, it must be said,<br />
is due to Pierre Jacques, who has been De Bethune’s CEO<br />
since 2011. I first met Pierre Jacques when he was plying his<br />
trade as a watch journalist, before joining the retailer Les<br />
Ambassadeurs and then becoming a shareholder and CEO<br />
at De Bethune. I’ve watch him navigate this journey with<br />
charm, humor, ethics, kindness and great leadership as De<br />
Bethune starts its long-awaited ascent to become one of<br />
the most talked about brands in watchmaking. And I can’t<br />
think of a better or more able person to lead the way. In<br />
fact, it was Jacques who realized that De Bethune’s range<br />
of watches was so vast that, to large degree, many potential<br />
clients were intimidated by the sheer magnitude of their<br />
offer. So he refocused the brand around a few iconic<br />
models like the DB28 and the DB25.<br />
My favorite memory about De Bethune relates to that<br />
fateful 2005 trip to Switzerland. The very last stop was<br />
L'Auberson in the Jura mountains to visit De Bethune’s<br />
manufacture. Even though it was just three years after the<br />
brand’s launch, already there were abundant examples of an<br />
almost unparalleled level of verticalization and self-reliance.<br />
We had retreated mid-day for lunch and a meal had been<br />
catered for the group of journalists. As this was one of my first<br />
trips to Switzerland, I requested to have instead a moitiémoitié<br />
fondue. After I said that, Flageollet quietly expressed<br />
that he would join me. When the waitress left, he explained,<br />
“In Switzerland, we don’t let our friends eat fondue alone.”<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 167
THE HUMAN STORIES<br />
BEHIND MB&F’S LEGACY MACHINES<br />
The amazing people who made MB&F's Legacy Machines, amazing.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
Echoing LM1 but in an entirely new execution, MB&F's LMX was launched in 2021, celebrating 10 years of Legacy Machines<br />
168 THE INDEPENDENTS
From left: Jean-François Mojon; Maximilian Büsser; Stephen McDonnell<br />
It’s been a decade since Max Büsser introduced us to<br />
his Legacy Machine watches that not only revealed a<br />
whole new dimension to his brand MB&F, but are also<br />
universally lauded by even the most discriminating watch<br />
collectors. To be fair, by 2011, Büsser had already indelibly<br />
inked his place in the canon of watchmaking’s greatest<br />
leaders. While the world today has reignited its passion for<br />
independent watchmaking, it was Büsser who was most<br />
critical in bringing attention to them.<br />
By now the legend of Büsser has become popular<br />
horological folklore. Finding himself a young CEO at the<br />
helm of Harry Winston's watch division amid a crazed<br />
resurgence in complicated watchmaking, but with zero<br />
in-house acumen of his own, he tapped his friends like<br />
François-Paul Journe, Vianney Halter, Felix Baumgartner<br />
and Martin Frei, offering them the chance of a lifetime<br />
— carte blanche to create the wildest, most innovative<br />
watches the world had ever seen. This project he christened<br />
“Opus” and thanks to the support of equally dynamic<br />
partners such as Michael Tay of The Hour Glass, the world<br />
suddenly realized the extraordinary beauty and singular<br />
creativity of independent watchmaking.<br />
Büsser’s next move was to create his own brand with<br />
the same creative ethos of collaboration that made Opus<br />
a success. Aptly named Maximilian Büsser & Friends,<br />
the brand’s initial focus was on Horological Machines,<br />
“time‐telling kinetic art forms,” as I put it when I first<br />
saw them, that gleaned their iconography from manga<br />
and science fiction. To me, attention to detail, refinement<br />
in finish and genuine originality of thought have always<br />
separated Max’s watches from those of other modernist<br />
creators. Shortly after he created HM4 in 2010, a watch<br />
that looked like two rocket ships sitting on your wrist, the<br />
question on everyone’s mind given the burgeoning shift in<br />
taste to vintage and classical watchmaking, was if Büsser’s<br />
hedonistically futuristic vision would still be relevant in<br />
the ensuing decade.<br />
Clearly, Büsser had in some way already recognized<br />
this and astutely understood that a more classic Max<br />
Büsser watch would gain him an entirely new audience.<br />
So in the first year of the second decade of the third<br />
millennium, Büsser unveiled the Legacy Machines that he<br />
would have created if he had lived in the time of Ferdinand<br />
Berthoud and Antide Janvier. These were watches that<br />
heralded a level of finish that could only be described as<br />
sublime while demonstrating emphatically that incredible<br />
creativity could coexist with classic values. They were<br />
watches that showed that MB&F was not a mono product<br />
brand and that Max Büsser’s imagination was limitless.<br />
Says Michael Tay, “While we were all big fans of the<br />
Horological Machines, Max’s Legacy Machines caught us all<br />
off guard. But that’s the thing about Max — he is one of the<br />
smartest people I know and is tapped into the horological<br />
zeitgeist in a way that few others are. This is what has always<br />
defined him as a trailblazer; he is aware of where the world<br />
is heading and what people want even before we are able<br />
to express it ourselves. The Legacy Machines demonstrate<br />
a depth of knowledge for classic watchmaking that was<br />
incredibly impressive. They are, to me, some of the most<br />
beautiful and collectible watches created in the last decade.”<br />
Speaking to Büsser on the 10-year anniversary of the<br />
Legacy Machine and the celebratory launch of the LMX, I<br />
became aware of the deeply human story that underlies this<br />
decade of watchmaking brilliance. So much so that I wanted<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 169
to tell the story of these amazing watches in Büsser’s own<br />
words — not in terms of the technical details behind each<br />
timepiece, but of his relationship with the human beings<br />
that helped him create them or that inspired him. Here<br />
are some of the incredible stories that made the Legacy<br />
Machine project such a success, as told by Büsser, abridged<br />
for print.<br />
LM1 WITH JEAN-FRANÇOIS MOJON AND KARI VOUTILAINEN<br />
The Legacy Machine happened, as with a lot of things<br />
in my life, by accident. I have always had a fetish for<br />
balance wheels. You can already see that in the Horological<br />
Machines, in particular with HM4, which has a window<br />
through which you can see the oscillator. But I was<br />
dreaming of a huge balance on the dial that was seemingly<br />
disconnected from everything else. So I started working<br />
on a design with my friend Eric Giroud. But the problem<br />
was that every design we made kept bringing us back to a<br />
shape with several columns connected to each other. This<br />
would have been fine, except for the fact that Vianney<br />
Halter had created a unique piece called the “Hidden<br />
Mickey” for a project with the leather brand Goldpfeil.<br />
No matter what we did, we couldn’t move away from that<br />
iconography and finally I said, “Alright, let’s just design a<br />
round case with the balance wheel in the center.” As soon<br />
as I said that, Eric, who is my best friend and was best man<br />
at my wedding, looked at me, cursed and stormed out of<br />
the room. Another member of my team spoke up and said,<br />
“Max, we didn’t start MB&F to make round watches.”<br />
We had just completed HM4 and the feeling was that<br />
we were these mavericks in the watch world. They felt I<br />
was becoming too conventional. But I asked myself, “What<br />
if I had been born one century earlier? What would be the<br />
watch that I would create, invoking all the codes of classic<br />
watchmaking and marine chronometers with incredible<br />
finish?” I became quite fascinated with this idea. Soon, I<br />
had the design for the dial but I needed a movement. That’s<br />
how I ended up with Jean-François Mojon.<br />
I met Jean-François through my friend Denis Giguet,<br />
who created a brand called Manufacture Contemporaine<br />
du Temps (MCT). I really liked Jean-François, and I was<br />
impressed with his ability to deliver both innovation and<br />
reliability. I brought my design to him, and he loved the<br />
idea. But he said, “If we really want to get this movement<br />
The Legacy Machine No. 1, launched in 2011, was made possible by the contributions of industry greats such as Eric Giroud, Jean-François Mojon and Kari Voutilainen<br />
170 THE INDEPENDENTS
ight in terms of the type of finish with the correct historical<br />
codes, then we should get Kari Voutilainen involved. He has<br />
restored so many of the original pieces.” Jean-François and<br />
Kari had previously collaborated on the detent escapement<br />
watch for Urban Jurgensen and were very good friends, and<br />
Jean-François had been blown away by Kari’s knowledge of<br />
classic watchmaking from the 18th and 19th centuries.<br />
So we made an appointment with Kari and drove over<br />
to Môtiers to meet him. For those of you who have never<br />
visited Kari, he really is a one-man show, and because<br />
he has an amazing following, he is always busy fulfilling<br />
orders. That day, he was in his atelier doing everything<br />
himself. Kari really liked the idea of the huge balance<br />
wheel, beating at a decidedly old-school 18,000 vibrations<br />
per hour. He looked at the configuration of the dial, and it<br />
was clear he could already visualize the movement for it —<br />
the shape and array of the bridges and the type of finishing,<br />
complete with references from Berthoud to Janvier.<br />
I was really excited and so, of course, I asked him to<br />
collaborate with us on this project. He shook his head and<br />
declined, but he kept looking at the image of the dial and<br />
at some point, he had designed the whole movement on a<br />
piece of paper. At which point I said, “Kari, I think you’ve<br />
already done a lot of the work.” He laughed and finally<br />
agreed to help out. That was how Kari Voutilainen ended<br />
up collaborating with myself and Jean-François on<br />
the LM1.<br />
One of my fondest memories: When the watch<br />
was finished, we set up shop in what used to be called<br />
“the Palace” at Basel watch fair, which is ironic as it was<br />
essentially a tent to the side of Messeplatz. Kari was also<br />
set up in the Palace and, being the nice person he is, he<br />
stopped by to take a look at the Legacy Machine 1 and<br />
proposed that we should trade.<br />
I was, of course, beyond flattered that one of<br />
horology’s greatest artisans and masters of watch<br />
finishing wanted one of my watches. With my Horological<br />
Machines, people would look at them more from the<br />
perspective of art or sculpture for the wrist even though<br />
they are finished to the very highest level. But with my<br />
Legacy Machine, everyone gets their loupes out and<br />
starts poring over every bevel of the movement. Maybe<br />
it is the effect of a round watch, but that’s the thing. I<br />
am excited when they do this because I know they will<br />
discover finishing at the very highest level imaginable<br />
— something that I attribute to Kari. I love the story<br />
of the Legacy Machine 1, and I love the relationship<br />
it created between Jean-François, Kari and myself.<br />
Clockwise from above left: An icon of the Legacy Machines, here on the LM1 is an oversized 14mm balance wheel with four traditional regulating screws<br />
above the movement and the independently set dials (©Revolution); Max Büsser (center) with Kari Voutilainen (L) and Jean-François Mojon (R),<br />
who ultimately made the Legacy Machine 1 a reality; Max Büsser, circa 2007, with one of his closest friends, the superbly talented watch designer Eric Giroud,<br />
who was instrumental in the design of a multitude of MB&F's timepieces including the LM1 (©MB&F)<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 171
Clockwise from above left: In creating the LM2, Max Büsser took inspiration from Philippe Dufour's Duality; Dufour's iconic Duality, launched in 1996,<br />
was the world’s first wristwatch incorporating a double escapement. Featuring two independent balance wheels compensated with a central differential gear, the mechanism<br />
improves accuracy while also countering the effects of gravity; The caseback of the Duality showcasing the double escapement on the watch's movement. Dufour initially<br />
planned to produce 25 examples, however, nine were officially accounted for, including the present watch with the extraordinary number ‘00’ — the very first Duality<br />
made by the master himself, this exact piece sold with Phillips in 2017 for USD 915,000 (Image: Phillips.com)<br />
LM2 WITH PHILIPPE DUFOUR<br />
One of my favorite timepieces was<br />
always Philippe Dufour’s Duality. I<br />
love the story of him being inspired<br />
by a pocket watch created by the<br />
famous Albert Gustave Piguet, who<br />
would go on to become the technical<br />
director of Lemania in the late 1930s<br />
and who created the famous 2310<br />
chronograph amongst others. It is a<br />
clear demonstration of his genius that<br />
Dufour created a pocket watch with<br />
two oscillators and with their results<br />
averaged by a differential mechanism<br />
for his watch school graduation project.<br />
Since the defining theme of my<br />
Legacy Machines is the balance wheel<br />
taking center stage on the dial, I<br />
thought, why not have a watch with<br />
two balance wheels with their results<br />
averaged through a differential? I was<br />
always curious about why Dufour<br />
only made nine watches for Duality. It<br />
seems funny in the context of Duality<br />
trading for nearly a million dollars<br />
at auction today. One day, I had the<br />
opportunity to speak to him about<br />
this and he replied, “At the time,<br />
nobody understood the watch and no<br />
one else wanted one. I made nine and<br />
there was no demand for a tenth.”<br />
He was, of course, being quite<br />
humble. He also confided that these<br />
watches were an absolute nightmare<br />
to regulate correctly. Basically, you<br />
have to set one balance so that it<br />
runs slightly slower and the other<br />
one so that it runs slightly faster, so<br />
that they compensate for each other<br />
in the event of shocks or positional<br />
variations. Anyway, I went ahead with<br />
this project as sort of an homage to<br />
the Duality. Interestingly, one of the<br />
challenges in designing the movement<br />
was to place the balance wheels far<br />
enough from each other so that they<br />
would not enter into resonance. In<br />
the end, Jean-François Mojon and I<br />
learned that regulating these watches<br />
really is no joke, but it was definitely<br />
something fun.<br />
172 THE INDEPENDENTS
From top: The LM2 has not just one but two bespoke 11mm balance wheels flying above the movement and dials; The planetary differential used for the LM2 presents a great<br />
advantage in that the two balances beat at their natural rates, with the differential supplying the average of the two completely independent frequencies. This results in a<br />
summed rate with fewer variations<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 173
The LM Perpetual is a 21st century take on the time-honored perpetual calendar complication but with several improvements to eliminate the drawbacks of conventional<br />
perpetual calendars. The 581-component, fully integrated and purpose-built movement of the Legacy Machine Perpetual has been designed for user-friendly and trouble-free<br />
use. Thanks to an innovative “mechanical processor,” there will be no more skipping of dates or jamming of gears, and the adjuster pushers automatically deactivate when the<br />
calendar changes, so no problems there either<br />
LM PERPETUAL WITH STEPHEN MCDONNELL<br />
When I started MB&F, I had a contract with a company<br />
called Swiss Time Technology (STT), a complication<br />
and movement specialist that was going to make all the<br />
components and assemble the movements for my first<br />
watch. One day, I received notice that STT had been sold<br />
and that I needed to see them regarding my movements.<br />
Amazingly, Peter Speake-Marin was with me. He was<br />
helping me on my first watch but normally he would not<br />
attend meetings with suppliers. Somehow, through divine<br />
providence, he was with me that day.<br />
The people at STT explained that they simply didn’t<br />
have enough capacity to work on my movements. They<br />
wanted me to take the unassembled parts and leave. I think<br />
you know that I am not a “groveler,” but this was the one<br />
instance in my life where I truly groveled. My entire life<br />
savings was in those parts; without anyone to assemble<br />
them, they were meaningless. I kept saying, “Please don’t do<br />
this. It will destroy my brand before it’s even started.” They<br />
politely but firmly declined. Suddenly I felt Peter’s hand on<br />
my arm. He looked at me and said in English, “We will sort<br />
it out.” Then he guided me out of the room.<br />
Moments later, we were in my car with these trays<br />
of watch components. Peter was furiously dialing every<br />
watchmaker he knew that might be able to assemble the<br />
movements. But they kept turning him down. To each<br />
person he simply but very directly said, “You owe me,” and<br />
then he hung up the phone. I cannot express how grateful I<br />
am to Peter Speake-Marin. If it were not for him, the story<br />
would have ended there. And yes, I am acutely aware I also<br />
“owe him big time.”<br />
The next day, Peter, Laurent Besse, who was working on<br />
the project from the start, and I were standing around the<br />
table with four watchmakers who had been crazy enough<br />
to answer Peter’s call. One of them said, “Wait, you want<br />
us to assemble these movements. But there are no plans.<br />
174 THE INDEPENDENTS
There are also components that are missing.” Again, Peter<br />
said, “We will sort it out.” They sighed collectively. One<br />
of these guys was Stephen McDonnell who was teaching<br />
at WOSTEP, which is Switzerland’s most famous watch<br />
school. But he had never had any formal training; he was a<br />
pure autodidact. Very quickly, he became the watchmaker<br />
in charge of the entire project. He would teach during<br />
the day and at night, he would work on my movements.<br />
If a part were missing or if he thought it could be made<br />
better, he would manufacture these components in his<br />
home workshop. I was really impressed with him. To say<br />
he was a huge part of making my first watch a reality is an<br />
understatement. We soon became friends, and I learned<br />
that he had been a theology student at Oxford University.<br />
I loved that he had a kind of introspection and sensitivity<br />
that to me are the mark of someone truly brilliant.<br />
Cut to several years later. I had launched the Legacy<br />
Machines and, to my surprise, they opened up a<br />
whole new client base and started a new adventure in my<br />
life. I was catching up with Peter Speake-Marin and we<br />
were reminiscing about the start of MB&F with the<br />
humor of people who had avoided a potential disaster.<br />
The subject turned to Stephen, and Peter said, “Well,<br />
it’s a real shame what happened to Stephen.” Stephen had<br />
signed a contract to create a movement for a brand, but<br />
they went out of business.<br />
A few days later, I got in touch with Stephen, who<br />
explained the situation to me. I felt bad for him, of course.<br />
Beyond the financial implications, I knew how brilliant he<br />
was, and it was a shame that his movement would never<br />
see the light of day. I asked him what else he had been<br />
working on, and he explained he was thinking about a<br />
perpetual calendar. He asked if this was something I could<br />
be interested in and I immediately said, “No.”<br />
From my experience, this complication is what I<br />
call a boomerang. It goes out to the client and then, for<br />
various reasons, because they are fragile and often because<br />
the client doesn’t read the instructions and operates<br />
the correctors in the wrong sequence or during a date<br />
changeover, the watch ends up coming back to you over<br />
and over again. “Yes, that’s because the design of the<br />
perpetual calendar is fundamentally flawed,” Stephen said.<br />
He explained that all perpetual calendars were calibrated<br />
to have 31 days in each month and then the movement<br />
compels a jump forward on days that have less than<br />
this, which is six times a year. For him, that is where the<br />
problem starts. Instead, he wanted to have each month<br />
at 28 days, then add three additional days in the months<br />
where applicable.<br />
Basically, his idea was to create the world’s most<br />
foolproof perpetual calendar. It would be a mechanism<br />
that could be advanced with all indications synchronized,<br />
but each indicator could also be adjusted individually<br />
using pushers. Finally, it would use a system of clutch<br />
correctors, which would simply be blocked or disengaged<br />
when the movement could be potentially damaged. This<br />
means you could hand the watch to anyone, and they<br />
would be able to adjust it without fear of damaging it.<br />
I asked if he had already designed this movement and<br />
he replied he had not but that he could see it in his mind.<br />
I thought about it and decided that I owed him a debt of<br />
gratitude. I would fund his project for one year; if we make<br />
progress, then great, and if not, then no harm done. But<br />
each time we met, I became more excited by the project.<br />
In the end, it took three and a half years to create the<br />
LM Perpetual, but that was how the project got started.<br />
People tell me they really love the design of the<br />
LM Perpetual but the irony is, this is the one watch where<br />
I had nothing to do with the design. It was all Stephen.<br />
People also ask me why I decided to launch an EVO<br />
version of this watch with a zirconium case and a rubber<br />
strap, and I reply that I made this watch for myself. I live<br />
in Dubai, so my wife and my daughters and I are frequently<br />
by the beach or swimming pool. I got tired of people asking<br />
me what I did and not being able to show them the watch<br />
on my wrist because everything I made was on a leather<br />
strap. That’s why the LM Perpetual EVO has a screw-down<br />
crown and is water resistant, so that I can show people<br />
what I do by the swimming pool.<br />
Scan here for videos<br />
and more on the Legacy<br />
Machine Thunderdome<br />
(Eric Coudray & Kari<br />
Voutilainen) and the<br />
Legacy Machine 101<br />
MB&F × H. Moser<br />
(Edouard Meylan)<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 175
THE NEW BREED<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
HAJIME ASAOKA<br />
A Japanese industrial designer who is a self-taught watchmaker,<br />
Hajime Asaoka began watch production in 2005 and released his first<br />
Tourbillon in 2009. He designs and fabricates majority of the watch<br />
parts in his workshop in Tokyo. In 2019, Hajime Asaoka founded<br />
a second brand named Kurono to offer affordable yet high quality<br />
mechanical watches that share the same Art Deco design elements<br />
that Asaoka-san utilizes in his eponymous brand.<br />
The watch to own: The Tsunami<br />
KONSTANTIN CHAYKIN<br />
A Russian master watchmaker who holds more than 60 patents for<br />
inventions in the field of watchmaking, Chaykin is the creator of<br />
the most complicated clock ever made in Russia with 26 different<br />
indicators for horological and astronomical values. But he is best<br />
known for his whimsical watches with high complications. His<br />
Joker watches, with an animated face, no hands, and moon phase,<br />
highlights his unique approach to watchmaking.<br />
The watch to own: The Joker<br />
RÉMI MAILLAT (KRAYON)<br />
A brilliant mathematician, watch designer, and<br />
watchmaker, Rémi Maillat won the Innovation<br />
Prize at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve<br />
(GPHG) for his “Everywhere Horizon” timepiece<br />
under his brand Krayon. This watch lets you<br />
display the time of sunset and sunrise at any point<br />
in the world. Maillat specializes in astronomical<br />
complications but presents them in a simple-tounderstand<br />
dial. His second watch, “Anywhere,”<br />
displays the duration of the day and night and the<br />
time of sunset and sunrise at any location on Earth.<br />
The watch to own: The “Everywhere Horizon”<br />
CHRISTIAN LASS<br />
A Danish master who started out working in Vianney Halter’s atelier,<br />
Christian subsequently spent eight years as master watchmaker for<br />
the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. Besides being active in the<br />
field of restoration, conservation and as an adviser to collectors and<br />
museums across the world, Christian also constructs his own watches.<br />
His 30CP timepiece, a time-only watch with a high grade finish, is<br />
modeled very much after Philippe Dufour’s Simplicity.<br />
The watch to own: The 30CP<br />
STEPAN SARPANEVA<br />
A Finnish master watchmaker who learned his craft in the famous<br />
Swiss WOSTEP program, Sarpaneva spent a decade working for<br />
Piaget, Parmigiani, Vianney Halter and Christophe Claret. In 2003,<br />
he founded the Sarpaneva brand and created a niche with nouveau<br />
Gothic designs featuring the “angry moon” complication. Stepan also<br />
created a sister brand, S.U.F Helsinki, that offers reasonably priced<br />
sports and pilot’s watches inspired by Finnish culture and history.<br />
The watch to own: The K3 Northern Stars<br />
ATELIER DE CHRONOMÉTRIE<br />
Founded by a core team of four horologists based in Barcelona,<br />
Atelier de Chronométrie honors traditional watchmaking with oldschool<br />
watchmaking techniques and artisanal tools. They debuted<br />
with an impressive sector dial watch, the Atelier de Chronométrie #1,<br />
certified by the Besançon Observatory. The movement is based on the<br />
Omega caliber 266 and the parts are manufactured without any CNC<br />
machining and feature various traditional hand finishing techniques.<br />
The watch to own: The AdC #5<br />
176 THE INDEPENDENTS
RÉMY COOLS<br />
Frenchman Rémy Cools became fascinated by watches at<br />
age 11 during a manufacture visit in La Vallée de Joux. In<br />
2012, he joined a renowned watchmaking school in Morteau,<br />
France. As a student, Rémy designed and produced by hand<br />
a tourbillon table clock which won the 2018 F.P. Journe-<br />
FHH Young Talent Competition. After his graduation,<br />
Rémy joined Greubel Forsey. In 2019, he became an<br />
independent watchmaker with his first offer being the<br />
Tourbillon Souscription with winding and time setting<br />
located on the back, making this a unique tourbillon.<br />
The watch to own: The Tourbillon Souscription<br />
MCGONIGLE BROTHERS<br />
Irish brothers John and Stephen McGonigle grew up in<br />
Athlone and attended the Irish/Swiss Institute of Horology.<br />
They gained valuable years of experience in prototyping and<br />
complications at the prestigious workshops of Audemars<br />
Piguet, Franck Muller and Breguet. In 2010, the McGonigles<br />
presented Tuscar — a watch with their in-house caliber<br />
and an unusual aesthetic of a balance cock in the shape of<br />
a pincer. McGonigle watches have top-notch all around<br />
finishing. In 2020, John McGonigle parted ways to operate<br />
under his own brand, Oileán, based in Switzerland.<br />
The watch to own: The Tuscar Bánú or the Oileán HB-1<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 177
KIKUCHI NAKAGAWA<br />
Two Japanese watchmakers, Yusuke Kikuchi and Tomonari Nakagawa, joined<br />
forces to create watches inspired by 1930s to 1950s designs, like the historical<br />
Patek Philippe Calatrava. Their Murakumo timepiece features a svelte 36.8mm<br />
case in stainless steel with a height of 8.5mm and lug width of 22mm. The steel<br />
case and spade hands have a mirror-like black polishing. The matte black dial<br />
features Breguet numerals and oversized sub-seconds.<br />
The watch to own: The Murakumo<br />
STEFAN KUDOKE<br />
A German watchmaker who started his career at a young age working for<br />
Glashütte Original, Stefan Kudoke continued his professional<br />
development in the service department for Breguet,<br />
Blancpain, and Omega in New York. He completed his<br />
Master Craftsman Certificate at the age of 22 and<br />
178 THE INDEPENDENTS
decided to open his own atelier. While Stefan is<br />
known for his exceptional skills in constructing<br />
skeletonized watches, in 2019, he went outside his<br />
comfort zone and presented the Kudoke 1 and 2<br />
watches. The latter won him the GPHG award in<br />
the Petite Aiguille category. These two watches<br />
offer simple and elegant dials, and the movement<br />
is inspired by English pocket watches.<br />
The watch to own: The Kudoke 2<br />
PETERMANN BÉDAT<br />
Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat met while<br />
training at the watchmaking school of Geneva in<br />
2007. Bédat then joined the esteemed watchmaking<br />
team at Harry Winston. He later reunited with Petermann at A. Lange<br />
& Söhne in Glashütte. In 2016, Petermann and Bédat set up shop<br />
together in Renens, Switzerland, and a year later decided to create their<br />
first movement. Conceived with the help of Dominique Renaud (of<br />
Renaud & Papi), their first watch, named “1967,” featured the deadbeat<br />
seconds complication and offered overall exceptional finishing.<br />
The watch to own: The 1967 Deadbeat Seconds<br />
SARTORY BILLARD<br />
A French industrial design professional and self-taught watchmaker,<br />
Armand Billard was the owner of a design consulting agency in Paris.<br />
In 2015, he sold his agency and began his journey in watchmaking.<br />
Sartory Billard offers affordable bespoke watches (starting around<br />
USD 3,000). There is no catalog to select from because every watch is<br />
a collaboration between the customer and Billard. The most popular<br />
dials are crafted from polished titanium in various colors and cased in<br />
either steel or titanium.<br />
The watch to own: The SB04 Blue with polished titanium dial<br />
THÉO AUFFRET<br />
A young Frenchman who started his training as watch restorer while<br />
studying at the university, Théo completed his apprenticeship in<br />
Paris with watchmakers Denis Corperchot and Jean-Baptiste Viot.<br />
During his apprenticeship, he won the F.P. Journe-FHH Young Talent<br />
Competition for his Tourbillon à Paris, an unfinished handmade<br />
tourbillon with regulator-style dial in a sterling silver case. His<br />
first watch as a professional was the refined Tourbillon à Paris<br />
Subscription, offered in various metals and finishes.<br />
The watch to own: The Tourbillon à Paris<br />
J.N. SHAPIRO<br />
An American watchmaker inspired by engine-turning techniques and<br />
George Daniels’ seminal book, Watchmaking, Shapiro began his career<br />
as a history school teacher. After learning watchmaking, guilloché<br />
techniques and machining, he set up his namesake watch brand.<br />
While producing watches, Shapiro has also managed to<br />
be a high school principal. His Infinity Series P.01 watch<br />
features a handmade guilloché dial that takes over 150<br />
hours to produce. Shapiro also hand finishes the case<br />
and movement to perfection.<br />
The watch to own: The Infinity Meteorite P.01<br />
REXHEP REXHEPI<br />
A Kosovan watchmaking genius who at the<br />
age of 15 was accepted for apprenticeship at<br />
Patek Philippe, Rexhepi spent three years there<br />
as an apprentice and two more as a watchmaker.<br />
He worked for F.P. Journe for three years before he<br />
decided to establish his own atelier, Akrivia, at the age<br />
of 25. His first watch was the Tourbillon Chronograph<br />
Monopoussoir. At age 31, he won the coveted Men’s Watch<br />
prize at the 2018 GPHG awards.<br />
The watch to own: The Chronomètre Contemporain<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 179
THE RISE OF MICROBRANDS<br />
Independent boutique brands are making watch lovers sit<br />
up and take notice. Here are the five to watch.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
The independent microbrands first began to appear<br />
in the early 2000s, thanks to the accessibility of<br />
direct-to-customer sales via online forums and<br />
e-commerce. Since then, the watch industry has seen a rise<br />
in these nimble, niche-centric companies that are driving<br />
a surprising amount of innovation and setting new trends<br />
that reverberate through the more well-known houses.<br />
Their non-traditional model allows these smaller watch<br />
brands an agility and freedom that can push boundaries<br />
and bring about some exceptional watches.<br />
If you think a pair of Air Jordans is hard to buy at<br />
retail, then consider this: for some of the independent<br />
microbrands like Kurono and MING, each new product<br />
drop is sold out within minutes! (But of course, you are<br />
welcome to pick them up from eBay or Chrono24 for<br />
double or triple the original price.)<br />
MING<br />
Ming Thein’s love of photography and affinity for<br />
beautiful watches led him to work with collectors<br />
to create interesting and personal photos of their<br />
collections. His unique eye brought him to the attention<br />
of brand principals and opened the door to photography<br />
collaborations with iconic watch brands like Jaeger-<br />
LeCoultre, Girard-Perregaux and Romain Gauthier. He<br />
was also a global ambassador for the legendary Hasselblad<br />
professional cameras.<br />
In 2016, Thein's training in mathematics (he graduated<br />
from University of Oxford in 2003 with a Master’s degree<br />
in physics at the age of 16) and his passion for horology<br />
intersected with the changes in accessibility to watch<br />
manufacturing and direct-to-customer sales, and he shifted<br />
gears to join a group of friends in co-founding MING.<br />
Later that year, they began in earnest to create their first<br />
watch, the 17.01.<br />
Today, MING has grown to a team of nine who work<br />
with industry partners to offer over 30 models. Awarded<br />
the Horological Revelation Prize in 2019 and reaching<br />
the finalist stages of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de<br />
Genève in both 2018 and 2020, the Kuala Lumpur-based<br />
Ming Thein expects his team to continue to innovate,<br />
develop and intrigue.<br />
The MING 17.01 and 19.01 series have experimented<br />
with various case materials, complications and movements.<br />
However, according to Ming Thein, there are certain key<br />
features that remain consistent in all MING watches —<br />
strong symmetry, flared lugs, curved strap ends, legibility,<br />
and distinct minute and hour hands; elements that beget<br />
visual layering so the watches can look very different<br />
under different lighting conditions; a distinctive luminous<br />
signature; crowns that are easy to interact with; and<br />
wearing balance and comfort.<br />
KURONO<br />
Hajime Asaoka has made his name by creating custom art<br />
timepieces, each one a collaboration between the artist<br />
and the client. The beauty, personality and horological<br />
excellence of his pieces have solidified him as a premier<br />
Japanese watchmaker. Like most things custom-made by<br />
a skilled artisan, the prices of his services and products<br />
reflect their quality and the time spent.<br />
In a move that surprised the industry and delighted<br />
his fans, Hajime Asaoka decided to create his first watch<br />
for mass production in 2019. Combining his years of<br />
experience in custom design work and watchmaking skills,<br />
as well as the affordability of a Miyota movement, Asaoka<br />
created the first Kurono in a limited run of 50 pieces<br />
over two dial variants at the very reasonable price of only<br />
USD 1,750. These were sold out within the blink of an eye.<br />
When asked why he decided to offer his highly soughtafter<br />
watches at such a reasonable price, his response was<br />
that he was only creating the “good, reliable and reasonably<br />
priced watch [he] can use as a daily wearer.” He laments the<br />
difficulty of finding such a watch these days, especially from<br />
an independent watchmaker and decided to fill the gap.<br />
Kurono watches take their cues from the 1960s Art<br />
Deco designs of vintage watches. Some of the features<br />
include cylinder dials with high-gloss and applied indexes,<br />
box sapphire crystal, 37mm to 38mm stainless steel cases,<br />
and the strikingly polished and stylized hands.<br />
180 THE INDEPENDENTS
From top: Ming Thein and his MING 27.02 with reworked Peseux 7001s movement; Hajime Asaoka and his Kurono Grand:Akane featuring urushi dial<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 181
From top: Miguel Morales Ribas and his Ophion 786 Vélos; Torsti Laine and his Laine G3 Signature movement;<br />
Armand Billard and his SB04 Blue with polished titanium dial<br />
182 THE INDEPENDENTS
OPHION<br />
Miguel Morales Ribas was still a kid when he first began<br />
to notice the intrigue of mechanical watches. His curiosity<br />
resulted in frustration as he learned that the watch<br />
industry tended to hold their secrets close to the vest. The<br />
lack of transparency in how things were done drove him to<br />
dig deeper and learn more.<br />
He went on to study architecture in Madrid and<br />
developed the skills of tridimensional design that would<br />
lend itself well to when he transitioned to making his own<br />
watches. A classmate from university Huberto Aldaz had<br />
been a fellow aficionado, and they often joked about turning<br />
Ribas’ passion for horology into a new watch brand.<br />
In 2014, the architecture industry faced an economic<br />
crisis that ended his first career. But it offered Ribas and<br />
Aldaz the perfect opportunity to realize their longtime<br />
dream. Ophion was created in Madrid that year. The<br />
brand’s goal and mission statement was to create high-end<br />
watches for a wider audience with competitive pricing.<br />
Their first model, the OPH 960, is a contemporary<br />
interpretation of the vintage watches of the ’60s with<br />
their dome dials, domed crystals and domed hands. That<br />
first watch was followed by the OPH 786, which drew<br />
inspiration from the pocket watches of the 1780s; and the<br />
OPH 786 Vélos, with roots in Art Deco design.<br />
LAINE WATCHES<br />
Torsti Laine studied computer science in Finland and<br />
began his career as a computer software programmer and<br />
teacher. Inspired by the popularity of Finnish watchmaking<br />
around the world, Laine found himself drawn into the<br />
world of horology. He switched gears and began to study at<br />
a respected watchmaking school near his home.<br />
Disappointed by the purely theoretical work, Laine<br />
took his education into his own hands and began to build<br />
his first clock from a set of plans. With the help of his<br />
teachers and the resources of the school, he completed his<br />
education — and his clock — in three years.<br />
In 2014, Laine was chosen to participate in an A. Lange<br />
& Söhne competition for students to complete the design<br />
for a moon phase complication. Inspired by the differences<br />
in how the moon appears around the globe, he worked<br />
to complete an innovative design that would win him a<br />
10,000-euro prize. He used it to buy tools to continue his<br />
work with watchmaking.<br />
He began to grow his skill with a chronograph<br />
complication after moving to Switzerland to begin his own<br />
watch company. Laine's early work with vintage Valjoux 22<br />
movements was followed by his Unitas 6498-based 1817, and<br />
the Gelidus — a Latin word meaning frosty and ice cold —<br />
with frosted surfaces in the movement and dial.<br />
Laine recently released the Gelidus 3 series, which<br />
brings his work with guilloché and frosting together<br />
in a wide variety of colors, as well as the compact V38<br />
movement, based on the Vaucher 5401 micro-rotor<br />
automatic movement.<br />
SARTORY BILLARD<br />
Armand Billard is a self-taught watchmaker, using his<br />
education as a designer and his experience working in Paris<br />
to define his sense of style and artistry for the bespoke<br />
watches he creates for his clients. Working alone in a small<br />
workshop, Billard doesn’t offer a catalog or a blueprint.<br />
Each watch is a custom project from the ground up.<br />
Using the design tools that he’s mastered over the years,<br />
he works closely with his clients to bring their sense of<br />
style and horological passions into the sketches for the<br />
timepiece. Each watch is a unique creation from the dial to<br />
the strap, and Billard is able to create six to eight watches<br />
each month in his personal workshop.<br />
According to Billard, the experience is exhilarating as<br />
a creator, and the time invested in the collaboration often<br />
turns customers into friends. A Sartory Billard watch will<br />
take about half a year from start to finish, and includes the<br />
kind of personal touches that can only be captured by such<br />
a close collaboration. Billard’s gallery of finished pieces on<br />
social media and his website really highlight the unique<br />
beauty and personality he’s able to capture for his clients.<br />
The customer has a choice between a stainless steel or<br />
titanium case, and prices start at around USD 3,000 for a<br />
custom timepiece. Dials are crafted from polished titanium<br />
and are offered in colors such as burgundy, blue and<br />
purple. Additionally, Comblémine Voutilainen produces<br />
special stone and guilloché dials for Sartory Billard.<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 183
TRAILBLAZERS:<br />
GERMAN INDEPENDENT<br />
WATCHMAKERS<br />
Marco Lang, Stefan Kudoke, Dirk Dornblüth and Jochen Benzinger<br />
are blazing a trail and earning the respect of their peers and admiration<br />
from watch collectors around the globe.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
There is no denying that independent watchmakers<br />
are popular right now. Looking at any major<br />
auction results or pre-owned market sales, you will<br />
see the jaw-dropping prices of F.P. Journe and Philippe<br />
Dufour watches. New projects announced by MB&F or<br />
Vianney Halter are sold out immediately. But while Swiss<br />
independent watchmakers are enjoying the spotlight,<br />
German indies, too, are experiencing a similar resurgence<br />
despite their lower profile.<br />
Your first visit to a German independent watchmaker<br />
is likely to be challenging. The car GPS might place you in<br />
proximity but not exactly at their atelier; in my case, this<br />
led to my mistakenly knocking on their neighbors’ door.<br />
Unlike their Swiss counterparts, German independents<br />
tend to reside in smaller villages, sometimes far from<br />
the city. Most of the time, the house they live in is their<br />
atelier. You will not only meet the watchmaker but also<br />
his family, who play an integral role in the family-owned<br />
business. Of the many I have met, I find them to be<br />
humble, very conscious of the value they are offering and<br />
uncompromising in their work.<br />
MARCO LANG<br />
A fifth generation watchmaker, Marco Lang learned from<br />
watching his father Rolf Lang restore clocks and scientific<br />
instruments in the Dresden Art Chamber in the late 1970s<br />
and early ’80s. After completing his apprenticeship in<br />
1989 as a precision mechanic, he went on a two-decadelong<br />
journey that included milestones such as working<br />
and learning with master watchmaker Ihno Flessner,<br />
partnering with Mirko Heyne to create the Lang & Heyne<br />
manufacture, and growing Uhren-Werke-Dresden into a<br />
recognized and respected independent movement supplier.<br />
Over the past 18 years, Lang has developed and<br />
constructed nine different movements and a collection of<br />
eight watch models and their variants. However, in 2019,<br />
he made the decision to pivot back to his first passion and<br />
love of haute horlogerie, rather than be a brand evangelist<br />
and travel constantly. He left Lang & Heyne to start a new<br />
atelier under his own name and worked meticulously to<br />
create his first watch, Zweigesicht-1. As the name indicates<br />
(it literally translates to “two face”), the timepiece is a duoface<br />
concept, giving the wearer the choice to display the<br />
traditional dial or the movement and time display with a<br />
simple change of the strap attachment.<br />
The first dial is a modern and minimalistic three-part<br />
layout with painted minute track and gold applique fiveminute<br />
markers in an outer ring, white silver-plated dial<br />
featuring painted Roman numeral hour indexes, and a<br />
recessed center of Clous de Paris guilloché with the rose<br />
gold applied Marco Lang logo. It is elegant, classic and true<br />
to traditional Saxon design.<br />
The second dial is quite a different story. Usually, the<br />
skeletonized movement is relegated to the rear of the case,<br />
keeping the intricate and ornate beauty of the mechanicals<br />
as a hidden treasure for the wearer. The Zweigesicht-1<br />
allows the exquisitely finished movement to be turned<br />
around via removable lugs and reversible strap. A second<br />
timekeeping dial has been integrated on top of the<br />
mechanicals with an openworked solid silver dial filled with<br />
blue grand feu enamel and blued steel cathedral hands. Here<br />
is where Lang’s incredible skill shines, with every handmade<br />
piece finished with deliberate attention to detail. The<br />
movement is an impressive piece of haute horlogerie with a<br />
thoughtful colorway of gold, blued steel and silver.<br />
Lang reflects on his solo venture, “I am a watchmaker<br />
so I want to leave something lasting, and I still have many<br />
ideas that I would like to implement. The interest of watch<br />
collectors in my work, which was surprising to me, proves<br />
me right. Just one day after the official presentation, the<br />
whole series was sold out. It now takes me four to five years<br />
to deliver all 18 watches.”<br />
184 THE INDEPENDENTS
Marco Lang and his Zweigesicht-1 with two reversible dials<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 185
From top: Jochen Benzinger and his 3/4 Skeleton Floral Black; Dirk Dornblüth and the Dornblüth & Sohn 99.6-M Mondphase<br />
186 THE INDEPENDENTS
JOCHEN BENZINGER<br />
Based in the Black Forest town of Pforzheim, Germany,<br />
Jochen Benzinger uses tools almost a century old that bring<br />
a sense of historical accuracy to his work, and produces<br />
custom, one-of-a-kind pieces for each client. Over the<br />
years, he has made a name for himself with his work in<br />
engraving and skeletonized timepieces that draw upon<br />
almost forgotten practices from long ago.<br />
Benzinger makes around 100 unique watches each year<br />
using his truly made-by-hand techniques. He specializes<br />
in engine-turned engraving. Benzinger explains, “Engine<br />
turning actually is a specific technique of engraving.<br />
The difference: when engine turning, it’s the workpiece<br />
that rotates; when engraving, it’s the engraver making<br />
the necessary movement. Unfortunately, this old craft<br />
no longer exists in Germany as a teaching profession<br />
since the 1960s. Gradually, it has been assigned to the<br />
job description of engravers and is only taught in a<br />
rudimentary way today — and just when a corresponding<br />
machine is available! This also has to do with the fact that,<br />
in the past, pieces of jewelry that are now simply out of<br />
fashion, often were guillochéd. In fact, this technique can<br />
today be found in the field of watches.”<br />
A visit to the Benzinger atelier is a trip into the<br />
past, replete with historical watchmaking equipment in<br />
full array. The only electric powered object is the light!<br />
The old engraving and tool-making machines are rarely<br />
manufactured nowadays since not many watchmakers know<br />
how to operate them anymore. Some of Benzinger’s machines<br />
are over 100 years old but are still used by him every day.<br />
Benzinger’s Regulator models feature three swooping,<br />
overlapping dials of hand-skeletonized sterling silver<br />
to display the hour, minute and seconds hands in three<br />
different sectors. This creates a visually interesting dial<br />
that comes in a variety of colorways and finishes. The<br />
rear of the case reveals a stunning view of the hand-winding<br />
caliber based on the ETA 6498. The movement is heavily<br />
skeletonized and guillochéd by hand for an intricate design.<br />
His Subscription models include hour and minute<br />
indexes that are offset on the dial and read separately from<br />
the seconds dial. The watches are available with a variety<br />
of colors and finishes, including a charming Art Decoinspired<br />
design that feels like something from another<br />
era. The hands are Breguet style and come in several colors<br />
and finishes, including polished steel and blued steel. The<br />
movement is again the redesigned ETA 6498 that has been<br />
guillochéd and skeletonized by hand.<br />
D. DORNBLÜTH & SOHN<br />
In 19<strong>59</strong>, Dieter Dornblüth was tasked with what looked<br />
like a lost cause — repairing an eccentric old pocket watch.<br />
It took some time, but he was able to get the timepiece<br />
back in working order. In the meantime, he realized that<br />
he’d fallen for the finicky watch. It was hard for Dornblüth<br />
to turn it over to the owner when the job was finished.<br />
He was so inspired by the pocket watch that he sketched<br />
out his own design based on it, but life called him to<br />
another path before he could make his movement. Forty<br />
years later, in 1999, his son, Dirk — a master watchmaker<br />
himself — presented Dieter with a steel wristwatch that<br />
he’d created himself for his father’s 60th birthday. This gift<br />
recalled the memory of his own long-lost design, and the<br />
two got to work creating the plans for a new timepiece<br />
based on the old design.<br />
Another two decades have passed since that<br />
momentous birthday, and Dornblüth & Sohn have come<br />
a long way in establishing their reputation in traditional<br />
German handmade watchmaking. In a remote workshop in<br />
the village of Kalbe, they use vintage and manual machines<br />
to craft dials, hands and movement parts by hand.<br />
Approximately 80 percent of the parts used to complete<br />
a Dornblüth timepiece are made in their workshop. The<br />
movements in the Quintus collection have 95 percent of<br />
the parts manufactured in-house.<br />
The outcome of having the work done in the workshop<br />
is their ability to create a highly customized watch for<br />
each customer. Their work with ceramic dials has earned<br />
a stellar reputation for their meticulous hand milling<br />
processes, the engraving and polishing work that is<br />
accomplished without a computerized machine in sight,<br />
and their ability to deliver ceramic dials in almost any<br />
color with a high color stability.<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 187
Dials are usually printed using a tampon or stamping<br />
process known as pad printing, whereby the dial’s<br />
markings are stamped by a hand-driven machine, resulting<br />
in a flat finish. In contrast, Dornblüth makes engraved<br />
dials that are hand-milled with a special cutting machine<br />
to create deeper, more defined impressions before they are<br />
finished and painted by hand.<br />
The Dornblüth collection offers several movement<br />
configurations including, but not limited to, oversized<br />
sub-seconds, central seconds, moon phase, second time<br />
zone and big date. For example, the 99.0 movement with<br />
oversized sub-seconds is a highly reworked version of the<br />
Unitas manual wind caliber. It features a rose gold plated<br />
three-quarter plate with yellow gold hand engraving, Côtes<br />
de Genève finish, retracting ratchet, double sunburst finish<br />
on the crown wheels and heat-blued screws. The movement<br />
is as lavish as the dial is simple and traditional.<br />
A masterwork of painstaking hand assembly and<br />
attention to horological detail, the Dornblüth timepiece<br />
brandishes an old-world charm that will pass its way<br />
through generations to come.<br />
STEFAN KUDOKE<br />
He doesn’t come from watchmaking pedigree, but Stefan<br />
Kudoke's passion and hard work have earned him a<br />
reputation as a skilled watchmaker from a young age,<br />
especially his next-level work in skeletonization. He began<br />
his career with Glashütte Original and then honed his<br />
prowess for mechanicals by servicing prestige brands like<br />
Breguet, Blancpain and Omega in a service center in New<br />
York. By the age of 22, he’d achieved the Master Craftsman<br />
Certificate and soon was exploring the path of independent<br />
design by creating his own watches under the Kudoke<br />
brand. Stefan and his wife, Ev Kudoke, live in the small<br />
town of Weifa, close to the Czech border and about an<br />
hour away from Dresden.<br />
In 2019, Stefan went outside his comfort zone of<br />
skeletonized watches to showcase two watches with<br />
simple, eloquent dials, each with a brilliantly constructed<br />
movement inspired by English pocket watches. That<br />
year, he became the first independent watchmaker from<br />
Germany to be awarded the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie<br />
de Genève (GPHG, otherwise known as the “Oscars” of<br />
watchmaking), in the Petite Aiguille category for the<br />
Kudoke 2 watch. Winning the award brought them instant<br />
recognition within the watch community. When I visited<br />
Stefan and Ev Kudoke in late 2019, they had just welcomed<br />
a Korean watchmaker to help Stefan with the fast-growing<br />
order book. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, they<br />
hired a second watchmaker, a young mother from their<br />
neighborhood, to help keep up with the demand.<br />
Kudoke’s Handwerk collection — the name means<br />
“handcraft” in German — begins with the Kaliber 1<br />
movement and includes two models. The Kudoke 1 is a<br />
marvel of simplicity. The dial is a frosted white two-layer<br />
design with Roman numerals and dots in a clean outer<br />
chapter and elegant blued steel hands with the infinity<br />
sign worked into the shape. A small seconds subdial with<br />
its own mimicking chapter ring is balanced beautifully by<br />
the substantial Kudoke logo plate. The aesthetic is minimal<br />
and crisp with a highly polished 39mm stainless steel case<br />
and onion crown. Turning it over, the Kaliber 1 movement<br />
is revealed in a rich gold and silver palette that features a<br />
hand engraved balance cock that reveals another infinity<br />
sign. The Kudoke 2 updates the Kaliber 1 movement by<br />
replacing the small seconds with a unique and beautiful 24-<br />
hour indication: a rotating domed sky disk hand engraved<br />
with a golden sun and silver moon and stars design.<br />
Kudoke’s Kunstwerk (or “Work of Art”) collection is<br />
for the more artistically inclined client. The imaginative<br />
timepieces in this line feature ornate and unique designs<br />
accomplished through Kudoke’s famed hand skeletonized<br />
artistry and highly engraved mechanicals. The movements<br />
glimpsed behind the artwork add to the complexity and<br />
beauty of the finished pieces. The watches found in this<br />
collection feature flights of fantasy with skulls, octopuses<br />
and flowers as well as more abstract and intricate designs.<br />
Ev Kudoke emphasizes the involvement of their<br />
client: “Kudoke is a unique piece developed in a creative<br />
process between the watchmaker and the client, so that<br />
every timepiece is an individual entity with the tastes,<br />
preferences and style of the customer at its heart.”<br />
188 THE INDEPENDENTS
Clockwise from top: Stefan and Ev Kudoke accepting the 2019 GPHG award for the Kudoke 2; The KudOktopus, where a lifelike octopus holds the wheels and screws of the<br />
movement; Kudoke 2 with the in-house constructed Kaliber 1 movement<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 189
THE CONSTRUCTORS<br />
WORDS CHERYL CHIA & BHANU CHOPRA<br />
DAVID CANDAUX<br />
Candaux is best known for his work at Jaeger-LeCoultre where he was<br />
responsible for the bulk of innovations related to the maison’s chiming watches,<br />
creating the Master Minute Repeater as well as the Hybris Mechanica à Grande<br />
Sonnerie. In 2011, Candaux left Jaeger-LeCoultre and established his own<br />
independent atelier in the Vallée de Joux. He continued designing movements<br />
for various brands such as MB&F and Van Cleef & Arpels before launching his<br />
personal brand, D. Candaux.<br />
The watch to own: D. Candaux 1740 Half Hunter<br />
ERIC COUDRAY<br />
Having spent two decades at Jaeger-LeCoultre before joining Cabestan in 2008,<br />
Coudray is responsible for creating some of the most definitive tourbillon<br />
movements of the early 2000s, including the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon<br />
and the Cabestan Winch Vertical Tourbillon. Today he runs complications<br />
workshop TEC Ebauches. His more recent breakthrough in multi-axis<br />
tourbillon design was the use of a 19th-century Potter escapement to increase<br />
its speed, which has been adapted in both the Purnell Spherion Tourbillon and<br />
the MB&F LM Thunderdome.<br />
The watch to own: MB&F LM Thunderdome<br />
JEAN-FRANÇOIS MOJON<br />
Following a decade-long stint at IWC, Jean-François Mojon founded<br />
complications specialist Chronode in 2005 and has been involved in the design<br />
and development of movements for a diverse range of brands, from Hermès<br />
to MB&F to Urban Jürgensen. Indeed, he was the man behind the acclaimed<br />
Hermès Arceau L’heure de la Lune as well as the Urban Jürgensen Chronometer<br />
P8, the first wristwatch to incorporate a pivoted detent escapement.<br />
The watch to own: Hermès Arceau L’heure de la Lune<br />
HABRING²<br />
In 2004, Richard and Maria Habring created their own brand, Habring², in<br />
Austria, after several years of designing complications for prestigious brands.<br />
Habring² is well-known for designing complex movements but presenting them<br />
in an unassuming display. Their complications include the patented Crown<br />
Operation System (COS), where the chronograph function is operable through<br />
the crown, without any pushers. The Doppel 2.0, a split seconds chronograph,<br />
was later followed by the Perpetual-Doppel, a perpetual calendar with a<br />
monopusher split seconds chronograph. Other Habring² complications include<br />
the Foudroyante or “flying seconds” and an in-house movement with a jumping<br />
seconds mechanism.<br />
The watch to own: The Perpetual-Doppel<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 191
INDEPENDENT WATCHMAKING<br />
— COLLECTOR’S EDITION<br />
Revolution caught up with watch collectors to get their take on<br />
their favorite independent watchmakers.<br />
INTERVIEW PUNAM NIKKI RAI<br />
Name a watch by an indie<br />
watchmaker you have a lovehate<br />
relationship with.<br />
The HM3 by MB&F… I love it<br />
on my friend's wrist yet I don't<br />
think I could pull it off.<br />
Complete the sentence:<br />
Independent watchmakers are…<br />
Rock stars in their own right.<br />
The holy grail of indie watches,<br />
according to you, is…<br />
A Kari Voutilainen with<br />
tourbillon. There's nothing<br />
prettier than a Kari dial.<br />
Name the most underrated indie<br />
watchmaker in your book.<br />
Grönefeld.<br />
The most overrated watchmaker is:<br />
Richard Mille.<br />
RAJ ASARPOTA<br />
Chief financial officer for a medical<br />
device company by day and passionate<br />
watch collector the rest of the time,<br />
Asarpota, otherwise known as<br />
@chicago_watch_lover on Instagram,<br />
started his watch collection over three<br />
decades ago and, to date, it mostly<br />
consists of pieces from marquee brands.<br />
“Watches tell time and stories; they<br />
create conversation and are beautiful<br />
objects, which is the reason I started my<br />
collecting journey some three decades<br />
ago,” he shares.<br />
If you were an indie watchmaker,<br />
who would you be?<br />
Max Büsser of MB&F. His ability to<br />
collaborate and create horology art<br />
for the wrist is absolutely amazing!<br />
Are we are seeing a renaissance<br />
of independent watchmaking?<br />
I believe watch collectors are fatigued<br />
by the hype of the modern pieces<br />
with a lopsided demand and supply<br />
equation. Therefore, true watch<br />
collectors who are discerning in<br />
their approach are gravitating to<br />
independent watchmakers that are<br />
producing unique movements, dials<br />
and innovation that make for more<br />
interesting timepiece collecting.<br />
Finally, the advent of social media<br />
has thrust independent watchmakers<br />
into the limelight through a<br />
platform that never existed before,<br />
providing them access to a larger<br />
community of watch collectors.<br />
192 THE INDEPENDENTS
GEOFFREY HESS<br />
A dedicated watch collector for decades,<br />
Geoffrey Hess has developed a broad<br />
knowledge across vintage and modern<br />
timepieces, especially vintage sports<br />
watches. His current engagement with<br />
Phillips auction house as an international<br />
specialist follows the completion of<br />
his tenure as CEO of Analog/Shift, a<br />
platform for vintage timepieces recently<br />
acquired by Watches of Switzerland.<br />
An active member of the watch<br />
community for many years, he<br />
has engaged with collectors and<br />
enthusiasts around the world and<br />
proudly founded and staged the<br />
acclaimed Rolliefest collector’s<br />
gathering in New York City in 2019.<br />
If you were stranded on a deserted<br />
island, which indie watchmaker<br />
do you hope to meet there?<br />
Trapped on a desert island, I would<br />
want to meet a revered legend.<br />
A “GOAT” [aka Greatest of All<br />
Time]. A craftsman who not only<br />
made masterpieces, but who paved<br />
the way for future independent<br />
watchmaking to blossom. I think<br />
most collectors would agree<br />
that icon is Philippe Dufour.<br />
Pet peeve about indie<br />
watchmakers/making, if any.<br />
If I had to articulate a pet peeve, it<br />
might be with respect to transparency.<br />
Transparency not only with respect to<br />
price and why a watch is retailed at a<br />
particular price point, but also with<br />
regard to materials and the source of<br />
the components of its movement.<br />
Who is the hottest indie watchmaker?<br />
I think the “hottest” indie watchmaker<br />
at this moment is Rexhep Rexhepi.<br />
Now in his mid-30s, he started<br />
at an incredibly young age with<br />
an apprenticeship at Patek at age<br />
15. With a relentless attention to<br />
detail, I think he’s understandably<br />
perceived as a future legend. I liken<br />
buying his watch to pulling a LeBron<br />
rookie card out of a pack in 2003.<br />
Name a watch by an indie<br />
watchmaker you are lusting after.<br />
A Dufour Duality. But I’m not<br />
alone. With its twin escapements,<br />
in my humble opinion, it’s amongst<br />
the most coveted time-only<br />
wristwatches ever made. From<br />
1996, there are nine in the world.<br />
The holy grail of indie watches,<br />
according to you, is…<br />
Identifying the holy grail of<br />
independent watchmaking for me<br />
is difficult, but I’d look to a Dufour<br />
Grande Sonnerie minute repeater.<br />
The groundbreaking original run<br />
in 1992 had only four and took<br />
almost three years to create.<br />
Who’s the most underrated indie<br />
watchmaker in your book?<br />
Habring² — because of the value<br />
proposition. Handmade quality,<br />
thoughtful presentations, truly<br />
limited collections, but with an<br />
unusually and genuinely affordable<br />
price point. Plus they also collaborate<br />
to make exciting watches, as they<br />
did with industry veteran and friend<br />
William Massena of Massena LAB.<br />
Describe your collection<br />
in three words.<br />
Under the radar.<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 193
JAMES LAMDIN<br />
James Lamdin is the founder of Analog/Shift and the director of<br />
vintage and pre-owned timepieces for the Watches of Switzerland<br />
Group. He is also a founding partner of the RedBar Group. His<br />
editorial work in watches has appeared in numerous industry<br />
and lifestyle publications, and he is regularly quoted in the New<br />
York Times, Wall Street Journal, GQ and Bloomberg. His<br />
other interests include peaty single-malt whisky, slow cars and<br />
witty bio captions.<br />
If you were an indie watchmaker, who would you be?<br />
It may be somewhat of a stretch, but I'd like to think<br />
I would be Laurent Ferrier. Not only does he have an<br />
incredible style and detail-oriented approach to horology,<br />
but he has a passion for motorsport and was a winning<br />
racing driver. Also, his first car was the same make, model,<br />
year and color as mine!<br />
Name a watch by an indie watchmaker you have a lovehate<br />
relationship with.<br />
MB&F HM2. Outstanding design and mechanical prowess,<br />
and also the first MB&F I ever had an opportunity to<br />
play with. Ultimately too big to wear and not terribly<br />
comfortable, but completely awesome. I hate that I love it<br />
so much.<br />
Independent watchmakers are…<br />
Carrying the torch of horological passion forward for a<br />
new generation.<br />
The holy grail of indie watches, according to you, is…<br />
Part of me would love to have a pièce unique, a Dufour<br />
or an Akrivia perhaps — but my heart skips a beat<br />
whenever I see a Ferrier Galet Square Double Spiral<br />
Tourbillon....<br />
The most underrated indie watchmaker in your book is...<br />
Back to Laurent Ferrier here. I think part of the<br />
common indie design language these days is ultra<br />
over-styled avant-garde stuff. I truly believe it is harder<br />
to do “simple” well than overly complex designs, but<br />
most of the popular indies are really busy and loud in<br />
their execution. Ferrier's work is subtle, precise and<br />
exceptional. Also, a big nod to Fiona Krüger who is an<br />
absolute genius and leading a charge to remind people<br />
that watches can be purely fun and artistic, and don't<br />
have to be taken so seriously.<br />
Describe your collection.<br />
Old and new, high and low. Lots of stories. Some of them<br />
even keep decent time.<br />
194 THE INDEPENDENTS
GARY GETZ<br />
Gary Getz is a lifelong timepiece<br />
enthusiast and established watch<br />
collector, photographer and author. In his<br />
professional life, he is CEO Emeritus of<br />
the innovation and breakthrough business<br />
strategy consulting firm, Strategos, and an<br />
extensively published business author. In<br />
the watch world, he is a regular columnist<br />
on watch website Quill & Pad, a member<br />
of the Academy and former jury member<br />
of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.<br />
In addition to owning a collection<br />
of select contemporary and vintage<br />
watches from major brands, he is<br />
particularly dedicated to supporting the<br />
work of today’s leading and emerging<br />
small independent watchmakers.<br />
If you were stranded on a deserted<br />
island, which indie watchmaker<br />
do you hope to meet there?<br />
Given the location, I’d have to say<br />
Stephen Forsey. There are many of<br />
the independents who are great to<br />
spend time with, but Stephen is at or<br />
near the top of the list; and as he lives<br />
largely off the grid in Switzerland,<br />
I think he’d be quite a handy guy to<br />
have around for survival purposes.<br />
Pet peeve about indie<br />
watchmakers/making, if any.<br />
The delays! A watch that our<br />
group commissioned several years<br />
ago with Kari Voutilainen was<br />
pushed back several times due<br />
to component sourcing issues. I<br />
waited 3.5 years for my Asaoka<br />
Tsunami, and it’s been over two<br />
years since my deposit went in on<br />
the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre<br />
Contemporain. That said, it’s great<br />
when the watches finally arrive!<br />
Why are people reconnecting with<br />
independent watchmaking right now?<br />
I think it’s a natural consequence of<br />
more enthusiasts becoming mature<br />
in their tastes and appreciating the<br />
work of these artisans; social media<br />
has certainly been a factor in making<br />
indies’ work more visible; and I think<br />
the deeply personal stories behind<br />
the independents’ creations and<br />
struggles resonate with many people<br />
in these times of enforced isolation.<br />
The holy grail of indie watches,<br />
according to you, is…<br />
That’s easy: the Grande et Petite<br />
Sonnerie by Philippe Dufour.<br />
Who is the hottest indie watchmaker?<br />
Right now I’d say Rexhep Rexhepi;<br />
while other young guns have emerged<br />
since Rexhep’s and Akrivia’s last<br />
new references, all eyes are on him<br />
for the introduction of his secondgeneration<br />
RRCC with the case<br />
made by Jean-Pierre Hagmann.<br />
Who’s the most underrated indie<br />
watchmaker in your book?<br />
Konstantin Chaykin. He’s become<br />
famous for his whimsical Wristmon<br />
pieces like the Joker, but he’s a<br />
serious innovator with mind-bending<br />
watches like the Cinema with its<br />
whirring miniature movie display and<br />
astounding clocks like his Computus<br />
Easter — the most complicated<br />
clock ever made in Russia,<br />
incorporating among many other<br />
indications a true computed display<br />
of the date of Orthodox Easter.<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 195
AURO MONTANARI<br />
Auro Montanari has been collecting and<br />
studying vintage watches for 40 years.<br />
He still spends many hours browsing<br />
through watch shops, old libraries,<br />
museums, flea markets and auctions. He<br />
is a true horological scholar and serious<br />
collector of the highest order. Montanari<br />
is perhaps best known to watch lovers<br />
by his pseudonym, John Goldberger,<br />
and as the author of 100 Superlative<br />
Rolex Watches, Patek Philippe<br />
Steel Watches, Longines Watches,<br />
Longines: Legendary Watches, A<br />
Journey into the Deep, Omega<br />
Watches, Time to Race, and Time<br />
to Wear. He is also a member of the<br />
Conseil Cultural Fondation de la Haute<br />
Horlogerie and adviser of Phillips.<br />
If you were an indie watchmaker,<br />
who would you be?<br />
I would like to be Philippe Dufour!<br />
He is a really great artist and artisan<br />
with an uncompromising approach<br />
to watchmaking; he created the<br />
most perfectly finished watches.<br />
Independent watchmakers are…<br />
Great artisans that brought<br />
a breath of fresh air in the<br />
watchmaking industry.<br />
Who’s the most underrated indie<br />
watchmaker in your book?<br />
Professor Thomas Engel, a German<br />
scientist who researched into<br />
plastics and polymers and obtained<br />
in his career some 120 patents in<br />
the field. But organic chemistry<br />
was not his only passion; he was<br />
also a Breguet collector and he<br />
published the book, A. L. Breguet:<br />
Watchmaker to Kings. In the mid-<br />
’70s, Engel started to produce great<br />
pocket watches with Breguet DNA;<br />
he was completely an autodidact!<br />
He passed away a few years ago.<br />
Who is the most overrated<br />
watchmaker?<br />
Nobody! Maybe not the watchmaker<br />
but his watches — the Simplicity<br />
by Philippe Dufour. The prices<br />
reached lately at the auctions are<br />
completely insane! Mr. Dufour is one<br />
of the few independent watchmakers<br />
whose creations sell for higher<br />
prices on the secondary market as<br />
compared to original retail price.<br />
The holy grail of indie watches,<br />
according to you, is…<br />
The white gold two-train minute<br />
repeating grande and petite sonnerie<br />
wristwatch with white enamel dial<br />
manufactured by Philippe Dufour<br />
in 1995 and the George Daniels<br />
Space Traveller pocket watches.<br />
Why do you think we are seeing<br />
a renaissance of independent<br />
watchmaking? Why are people<br />
reconnecting with independent<br />
watchmaking right now?<br />
The collectors are looking always<br />
for unique watches and lately they<br />
can find them in the independent<br />
watchmakers’ portfolios. For a<br />
collector, to meet and talk with<br />
the watchmaker that produced by<br />
hand your personal watch gives<br />
an “aura” that you just could not<br />
describe. For more customers, an<br />
independent manufacture visit is<br />
like a visit for a kid to a candy shop!<br />
Describe your collection in one line.<br />
A wide collection built with<br />
passion and knowledge.<br />
196 THE INDEPENDENTS
ARVID PREVO<br />
Arvid Prevo’s day job has him moving<br />
“people-filled metal tubes” through the air<br />
at high velocity, but he is happy to have<br />
his feet on the ground in the universally<br />
accepted nation of watchmaking:<br />
Switzerland. An organizing member<br />
of RedBar Switzerland, he is an active<br />
participant of several watch-related<br />
chat groups and watch forums. You<br />
may know him by his more famous<br />
moniker @opus_d on Instagram.<br />
If you were stranded on a deserted<br />
island, which indie watchmaker<br />
do you hope to meet there?<br />
Max Büsser would probably have<br />
the most interesting stories to tell<br />
and prevent us dying from boredom.<br />
However, I suppose that our best<br />
chance of finding our way back would<br />
be with Rémi Maillat, inventor of the<br />
Krayon Everywhere. And he better<br />
have one of his watches with him.<br />
Why are we seeing a renaissance<br />
of independent watchmaking?<br />
I think the main driver is social<br />
media, which has helped independents<br />
to get better exposure and engage<br />
more directly with collectors.<br />
Today there are more ways than<br />
ever before in which watchmakers<br />
and collectors can connect with each<br />
other. The interest in watches and<br />
the art of watchmaking in general<br />
have also drastically increased over<br />
past years, boosted by social media.<br />
Influencers and enablers such as<br />
Anish Bhatt, Wei Koh, Hassan Akhras<br />
and many others have contributed to<br />
elevating independent watchmaking.<br />
They have single-handedly brought<br />
these watches and their makers<br />
to the attention of collectors who<br />
previously would have had a hard<br />
time discovering them. They were<br />
instrumental in stimulating the<br />
awareness and desirability of niche<br />
products by illustrating the how, what<br />
and why that makes these watches so<br />
special in their own right.<br />
For a variety of reasons, young<br />
watchmakers start out independently<br />
quicker than before. Some feel<br />
that the road to independence<br />
via traditional channels, building<br />
up your experience working for<br />
established brands or watchmakers,<br />
takes too long. Some watchmakers<br />
feel that working for others prevents<br />
them from turning their dreams<br />
and visions into reality because<br />
their ideas and visions do not fit<br />
within the concept of the brand or<br />
watchmaker they are working for.<br />
Who is the hottest indie watchmaker?<br />
Rexhep Rexhepi. His is the name on<br />
everybody’s lips. The super hottest<br />
indie watchmaker on the planet right<br />
now, with an incredible story and<br />
plenty of experience under his belt.<br />
The holy grail of indie watches,<br />
according to you, is…<br />
I suppose the closest description,<br />
for both collectors and watchmakers<br />
alike, of what a holy grail of indie<br />
watch should be, is a watch that is<br />
100 percent created by a single artist<br />
from concept to finish, including all<br />
parts (except the strap, and preferably<br />
without the use of CNC techniques).<br />
Right now, I can only think of the<br />
Dufour Simplicity as my holy grail.<br />
Describe your collection<br />
in three words.<br />
Eclectic. Subjectively<br />
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.<br />
For the complete<br />
unabridged<br />
interviews and<br />
more , scan here<br />
THE INDEPENDENTS 197
Image: Phillips
COLLECTOR
WOMEN WATCH COLLECTORS:<br />
JESSICA OWENS OF NEW YORK<br />
Jessica “J.J.” Owens, who started collecting watches at the age of 14, shares with us her<br />
ethos and approach as well as her unwavering passion for vintage Rolex.<br />
WORDS BARBARA PALUMBO<br />
200 COLLECTOR
Despite the sudden media attention, the Clubhouseinspired<br />
chatter and the label of there being a<br />
“new movement” on the horizon, the truth remains<br />
that women have been interested in and have also (gasp!)<br />
collected watches for ages. The first known wristwatches<br />
were created for women, not for men, with a handful of<br />
those women being royals.<br />
In 1810, Caroline Murat, then Queen of Naples and<br />
sister to Napoleon I, commissioned Abraham-Louis<br />
Breguet to create for her a watch to be worn on a bracelet,<br />
adding to her already vast collection of 34 clocks and<br />
watches from Breguet. A few decades later in 1868,<br />
a wristwatch was created for Countess Koscowicz of<br />
Hungary by Polish watchmaking pioneer Antoni Patek<br />
(of Patek Philippe fame). It wasn’t until the late 19th<br />
century that men began wearing wristwatches, and at that<br />
time, only for reasons related to being in the military. Yet<br />
somewhere in the last 140 years, the tide shifted, and the<br />
focus on women in the watch collecting world started to<br />
wane, but that does not mean women enthusiasts went<br />
away; it simply means their recognition did.<br />
The goal with this and succeeding articles is to meet<br />
some of today’s women watch collectors and enthusiasts<br />
from around the globe. How the narrative gets changed<br />
is crucial to how the watch industry will move forward<br />
successfully, particularly as it pertains to marketing to<br />
women buyers. And as American actress Elizabeth Marvel<br />
so famously stated, “If you can see it, you can be it.”<br />
A NEW YORK MINUTE<br />
Jessica Owens, like many watch collectors, does not keep<br />
a high profile. Unlike many watch collectors, however,<br />
Jessica — or “J.J.” which is the name by which she tends<br />
to go — is 24 years of age and started collecting watches,<br />
astonishingly, at the age of 14. It is a passion, she tells us,<br />
that was originally introduced to her by her father.<br />
“My father always had an interest in watches,” J.J. says.<br />
“He frequently shares memories of the watches his father<br />
and grandfather wore, and he still has those watches to<br />
this day, making clear how special they are. I will inherit<br />
my grandpa’s and great-grandpa’s timepieces some day, and<br />
those will forever be my most cherished watches as they<br />
hold so much history, sentimental and otherwise.” When<br />
asked if she knew when her father fell in love with watches,<br />
J.J. explains that his first passion was automobiles, so for<br />
him, it all started with a Hollywood movie. “My dad’s first<br />
true timepiece memory was when he watched the film Le<br />
Mans, and seeing Steve McQueen wear a Heuer Monaco.<br />
Since then, he has had a love of watches.”<br />
J.J. — a proud member of the Horological Society<br />
of New York — is a big-city dweller with a degree in<br />
entrepreneurship and finance and a love of all things<br />
numbers related. “I could never see a day in which I do<br />
not live in a city,” she explains. “I don’t think my level of<br />
enthusiasm would fare well elsewhere.” Regarding her<br />
obsession with economics, J.J. feels that there could be a<br />
direct correlation between her interest in watches and her<br />
fondness of math. “I have and will always be a numbers girl.<br />
I am one of the few who loves math. Maybe that’s why I<br />
gravitated toward watches as much as I did, because when<br />
we think about it, they are a measurement of time.”<br />
OLD VS. NEW<br />
When it comes to her own collection (about which she<br />
jokingly pleads the Fifth when asked how many watches she<br />
currently owns), J.J. tends to lean more toward collecting<br />
vintage timepieces as opposed to newer releases. “I hundred<br />
percent prefer vintage watches, but every once in a while<br />
I get bitten by the modern watch bug and feel tempted to<br />
venture over to the dark side. I would say the ratio amongst<br />
my watches is about 80/20, vintage to modern, as I tend<br />
to gravitate toward Rolex watches from the ’60s and ’70s.<br />
Every time I consider purchasing another watch, I look to<br />
the vintage category first. For me, as a collector, I have such<br />
a connection to the provenance and the past life of a watch,<br />
so envisioning the person who had the timepiece before<br />
I did, and the life the watch lived, just makes me all the<br />
more excited. I look at my vintage watches and think, I am<br />
not the owner, but rather I am the custodian for this brief<br />
amount of time, and it is my job to learn about and care for<br />
these pieces out of respect to the watch, as well as to the<br />
former — and future — custodians of it.”<br />
In terms of price points of the watches in her<br />
collection, J.J. makes it very clear that to be a watch<br />
collector, one does not need to break the bank. “I was very<br />
fortunate at the beginning, as when I started collecting<br />
you could still find a watch for an amazing deal on eBay<br />
or at an obscure auction. I have some watches that I found<br />
for around USD200, and I wear those just as much as<br />
some of my more expensive timepieces. I think there is a<br />
fallacy in the watch world that you need to spend a lot to<br />
be welcomed. What you spend does not matter. The way I<br />
see it, the passion and desire to learn about timepieces far<br />
supersede a price tag.”<br />
When asked if she had always been made to feel<br />
welcomed within the watch community or if she feels that<br />
there is a hierarchy when it comes to watch collecting, J.J.<br />
explained that the collectors she has been fortunate enough<br />
COLLECTOR 201
to meet and call her friends are always open to talking<br />
watches, regardless of what a person wears on their wrist.<br />
“I think to new collectors or outsiders, there is an assumed<br />
barrier to entry into this world. There’s the feeling they<br />
may not be welcomed unless they have a Patek Philippe<br />
5711, a steel Rolex Daytona, or a blue dial Royal Oak, but in<br />
actuality that is not the case. There is nothing more boring<br />
than walking into a collector’s event where everyone has the<br />
same five watches, because that’s what they were told would<br />
appreciate in value or that everyone would recognize.”<br />
THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT<br />
J.J. has, as of late, been more and more vocal about women<br />
in the watch community, via posts on her Instagram page<br />
as well as through her appearances in Clubhouse group<br />
chats. And while she recognizes that the movement to<br />
embrace women in the watch world isn’t new, she believes<br />
that this time, the way that the movement is being<br />
highlighted is what is making all the difference.<br />
“I think the current movement has been approached in<br />
a very interesting way,” she says. “Meaning, it is much more<br />
welcoming to people newly interested in watches, which<br />
makes it seem more approachable in a way. At the end of<br />
the day, if this movement creates a more equitable space<br />
for women who have been in the industry as well as a more<br />
open space to women who want to collect, that is all that<br />
matters. When I first started collecting, I would have been<br />
deeply encouraged by this.”<br />
Vintage watch specialist and founder of Wind Vintage,<br />
Eric Wind, tends to agree, especially as it relates to vintage<br />
watches. “Social media, I would say, is helping to inspire<br />
women to buy vintage watches; plus, it’s clear women are<br />
self-reliant and fully capable of making their own decisions<br />
about how to spend their money.” When Wind started his<br />
company in 2017, only very few of his vintage watch clients<br />
were women, but that has changed for the better as of late,<br />
with women reaching out to him regularly to inquire about<br />
vintage timepieces.<br />
How and where a woman begins her watch collecting<br />
journey, however, can get a bit overwhelming, especially<br />
for someone who considers themselves to be a complete<br />
novice. But J.J. offers up some advice for those looking<br />
to head down the horological path. “First, go try watches<br />
on! Visit a boutique and just try on a varied selection of<br />
timepieces. Give all different metals and sizes a try as you<br />
might be surprised as to what you like. Second, don’t be<br />
afraid to reach out to a female enthusiast on Instagram<br />
to ask them their advice. I don’t mind helping a woman<br />
who may be interested, because even though I had my dad,<br />
I wish I had had a woman’s input, as it is always helpful<br />
when you don’t know where to begin. And lastly, as women<br />
tend to wear more accessories than just a watch, think<br />
about what kind of watch will complement your wardrobe<br />
and lifestyle. I love when I see a watch on a wrist and think<br />
‘wow that fits their personality so well.’ Finding a watch<br />
that complements what you already have will only make<br />
the piece a more integral part of your life.”<br />
THE DAY-TO-DAY AND THE DAYS TO COME<br />
The watch J.J. finds herself wearing the most these days is<br />
one she feels complements her personality while also being<br />
an easy one to wear regularly. “Right now, my go-to is my<br />
vintage gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with quartz<br />
movement. Due to it being quartz, it is a pretty effortless<br />
wear, and the watch is 26mm in diameter, so it’s not too<br />
outrageous for an everyday timepiece.”<br />
A couple of brands she feels are severely underrated<br />
now are Sinn (on the casual/tool/dive watch end of the<br />
spectrum) and DeWitt, particularly one specific version<br />
of the latter. “I came across the DeWitt Classic Moon<br />
Abstraction the other day, and its pure beauty mixed<br />
with the exhibition back is a dream. I rarely see a 41mm<br />
watch look so elegant but alas, this proved me wrong. I<br />
was immediately mesmerized by this piece. I have been<br />
exploring more independents lately and I have to say, it is<br />
definitely a new favorite.”<br />
Of course, like many collectors and enthusiasts, J.J. also<br />
thinks about what she’d like to obtain for her collection<br />
at some point in the future. “I think the watch I covet the<br />
most right now, with regard to timepieces that are modern,<br />
would have to be the Audemars Piguet collaboration with<br />
jewelry designer Carolina Bucci. I have always been a fan<br />
of her work, but the frosted gold Royal Oak she created<br />
in collaboration with the brand is exquisite and takes the<br />
cake. It is the perfect piece to add a bit of zest to any outfit,<br />
whether that be a T-shirt and jeans or a black-tie ensemble.”<br />
As for her “grail” watch, J.J. has her answer ready and<br />
gives it without hesitation. “I don’t see a time when my<br />
grail watch will not be the Rolex 6062 in gold. The first<br />
complication I was truly infatuated with was a moon<br />
phase on a 5039J that my uncle wore, so I will always have<br />
a sentimental connection to that. I think the ’50s era of<br />
Rolex is incredibly fascinating in terms of the range of<br />
watches they created, particularly from the 6542 to the<br />
6062. In my opinion, it was the golden era of Rolex.”<br />
This is the first of a regular column where we catch up with<br />
women watch collectors for fresh insights on horology.<br />
202 COLLECTOR
From top to bottom, left to right: A Rolex, ref. 6062 featuring a’ Stelline’ dial offered at Phillips in 2019; A Patek Philippe, ref. 4700 offered<br />
to J.J. for college graduation; A quartz pre-Tag Heuer featuring a tropical dial, found on eBay; Her mother’s Cartier Crash; A vintage<br />
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, one of J.J.'s most worn watches; All her favorite things — a Royal Oak and some mussels at Balthazar (NY)<br />
COLLECTOR 203
RETAIL THERAPY:<br />
BEN BRIDGE JEWELER<br />
A virtual interview with Lisa Bridge, CEO of Ben Bridge Jeweler.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
In 2019, Lisa Bridge became the first<br />
female in the family since 1912 to<br />
oversee the 75-retail-store chain.<br />
Ben Bridge operates stores in 10 states<br />
including Alaska, Arizona, California,<br />
Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada,<br />
Oregon, Texas, and Washington, as<br />
well as Canada. Besides carrying wellknown<br />
jewelry designers, Ben Bridge<br />
is an authorized dealer for Rolex,<br />
Patek Philippe, Cartier, IWC, Panerai,<br />
Grand Seiko, Tudor, and many other<br />
popular watch brands.<br />
Hello Lisa, could you please give us<br />
an overview of Ben Bridge and your<br />
business philosophy?<br />
Ben Bridge has been around since<br />
1912 and I’m fifth generation in the<br />
business. We have grown from a single<br />
store in downtown Seattle and we<br />
now have stores throughout the West<br />
Coast. We are in 10 western states and<br />
one province of Canada. And we really<br />
remain true to our roots — service,<br />
integrity, taking care of our customers<br />
for a lifetime. While we have evolved<br />
in how we do that, the philosophy<br />
has remained the same throughout<br />
the time with great focus on service<br />
and really building that long-term<br />
relationship with our customer. It<br />
is absolutely the core of who we are.<br />
Each store has its own personality<br />
and its own mix of merchandise. We<br />
strive to fit to the community. We<br />
want to be a part of each community<br />
that we are in, contributing to that<br />
community and being reflective of it,<br />
while serving our customers.<br />
Brick-and-mortar retail is tough right<br />
now, especially during the pandemic.<br />
What are your key priorities as we<br />
look towards the “new normal” —<br />
how do you see Ben Bridge operating<br />
post pandemic?<br />
It has been a wild ride over the<br />
last year. But what came out of the<br />
challenging chaos in 2020 was really<br />
a very clear focus on being our<br />
customer’s personal jeweler. That<br />
is who we are and where we want<br />
to go. So, when people talk about<br />
brick and mortar or online, or omni<br />
channel, our focus is really beyond<br />
that. It’s on our customer, and on<br />
serving our customer in as personal<br />
and meaningful a way as possible.<br />
The areas where we are investing<br />
are all focused on delivering on<br />
that promise, on that personal<br />
experience. We are creating a seamless<br />
experience for our customers through<br />
any touchpoint that we have. The<br />
merchandise that we have on offer<br />
is personalized to them, and we<br />
are really putting investment into<br />
delivering a unique and meaningful<br />
experience for each customer.<br />
Going forward, will retail shopping<br />
be appointment-based, or do you<br />
expect walk-ins, which is a big part of<br />
the brick and mortar?<br />
I think it’s both. Our team really<br />
shifted their thinking when they<br />
realized how appointments can<br />
work. We have one of our stores still<br />
operating on an appointment-only<br />
basis, but many stores were operating<br />
for some amount of time and to<br />
some degree that way since last year.<br />
We have really seen that what we<br />
are able to offer as an experience<br />
is wonderful on an appointment<br />
basis — we can really prepare the<br />
environment for each customer, make<br />
sure it is an exceptional experience.<br />
At the same time, we also like to<br />
have our doors open to somebody<br />
who is inspired in that moment. We<br />
selected our store locations to be<br />
in the highest traffic locations. We<br />
are in luxury malls and high traffic<br />
downtown stores, where there is<br />
great foot traffic. We want to bring<br />
in existing customers and bring them<br />
back, but also introduce new people<br />
to our experience and to our brands.<br />
Let’s talk about watches. What<br />
are the top trends you see across your<br />
retail locations?<br />
With the style of attire and our lifestyle<br />
today, we’re seeing a lot of interest in<br />
the more casual and sportier timepieces,<br />
and playful timepieces. One of the<br />
things that has been exciting over the<br />
last few months is to see the wonderful<br />
colors that have been introduced —<br />
colorful dials — there’s a lot of interest<br />
in that. Whether it’s from Rolex or<br />
Breitling, there is a joy that comes from<br />
the color and a personality that gets<br />
reflected. We’re seeing a lot of interest<br />
in that reflection on customers’ wrists.<br />
It might be that you are spending time<br />
sitting in front of a screen, but people<br />
still want a beautiful watch on their<br />
wrist while they do.<br />
204 COLLECTOR
A moment in time captured at the Ben Bridge store in 1927. The retail chain has grown to 75 stores in the West Coast as well as Canada<br />
Bright colors are indeed a very<br />
popular trend. Another observation<br />
is more of a gender-neutral timepiece<br />
philosophy. Ladies are rocking 40mm<br />
and larger watches, and guys are<br />
wearing bezels with stones on them.<br />
Absolutely! It is one trend we talk<br />
about when we are looking at our<br />
reporting, and when a watch brand<br />
comes to us and says, “Oh, here’s our<br />
ladies’ style, here’s our men’s style.”<br />
We say, look, you can just talk about<br />
the watch itself because that’s what’s<br />
selling. It’s what looks good on that<br />
wrist, because the style is much more<br />
flexible now in what looks good on<br />
somebody’s wrist. I like a nice-sized<br />
watch, but I have a tiny wrist and<br />
so [it’s about] making sure you have<br />
the right balance on the right wrist,<br />
whatever the gender.<br />
Let’s talk a little bit about<br />
e-commerce and the omni channel<br />
approach. Brands are taking an<br />
e-commerce approach because of the<br />
pandemic. How does this ecosystem<br />
balance out with retailers? Retailers<br />
ultimately are the ones who are<br />
directly connected to the consumers.<br />
That’s exactly right. One of the things<br />
that we’re able to offer by having both<br />
jewelry and watches and the selection<br />
therein is that we can move customers<br />
between them. Somebody who comes<br />
in for their engagement ring, and we<br />
can say — hey, you have your wedding<br />
coming up, let’s make sure that we have<br />
a beautiful watch on each of your wrists.<br />
We are thinking about the customer’s<br />
journey holistically and how we can<br />
bring them back by being a retailer<br />
who offers more than just one piece. I<br />
think that we build a relationship there,<br />
and we can grow with that customer<br />
over time. That’s important. We can<br />
serve that customer at all the different<br />
touchpoints — from coming back to<br />
have their watch serviced to looking at<br />
new pieces in the future.<br />
From a digital perspective, we’re<br />
doing a lot to invest in it. Over<br />
the next year, we’re going to do<br />
significantly more digitally to make<br />
sure you do experience that same<br />
Ben Bridge experience wherever you<br />
interact with our brand.<br />
COLLECTOR 205
Your presence is mainly in the<br />
West Coast. How do you cater to<br />
consumers from the rest of the U.S.?<br />
Our e-commerce is really growing,<br />
and our philosophy is different from<br />
other retailers because we want our<br />
online experience to mirror what<br />
is happening in our stores. When I<br />
think about e-commerce customer<br />
service, you typically reach a call<br />
center or website live chat with a bot.<br />
For us, we have true experts working<br />
on our e-commerce customer service<br />
team that have 20, 30 or 40-plus years<br />
of experience in the company. They<br />
have been former store managers and<br />
associates, who are able to care for<br />
each customer in a knowledgeable<br />
manner. We want to have the highest<br />
level of knowledge and expertise and<br />
a depth of connection whether instore<br />
or online.<br />
I have a few customers of my own<br />
who stretch across the country, and<br />
I know when I turn them over to<br />
someone on our e-commerce team,<br />
they are going to take incredible care<br />
of them. I love it when I’m talking to<br />
somebody after the holidays and they<br />
say, “Oh, I got my Benny Bear!” which<br />
is a Ben Bridge holiday tradition. And<br />
I say, I didn’t talk to you, and they say,<br />
“Oh, it’s fine. I talked to Laura. I got it<br />
taken care of.” That’s a win!<br />
It's fantastic that you offer concierge<br />
service through the e-commerce. Do<br />
you also educate customers through<br />
your website?<br />
Yes, we do. It’s also been a good<br />
challenge this last year to continue<br />
to have events and educational<br />
sessions when people weren’t coming<br />
into the stores. Through some really<br />
engaging virtual events, we not only<br />
connected our customers with our<br />
associates, but also our customers<br />
with each other to share their passion.<br />
At one of the watch events that we<br />
had, everyone was holding up their<br />
watch and saying, “Okay, this is<br />
what I chose to wear tonight.” We<br />
were able to provide that point of<br />
connection and sharing. Because this<br />
really is a community of people who<br />
are passionate about the same thing.<br />
Now for the tough question, since<br />
everybody is into the trend of<br />
Rolex and the stainless steel sports<br />
watches — when do you see supply<br />
catching up with demand for the<br />
trendy stainless steel sports watches?<br />
Exactly! It is so important to ask the<br />
follow-up question: “Gosh, that’s a<br />
beautiful choice. Why that one? Tell<br />
me what it is about that watch that<br />
excites you?” I had a friend of mine’s<br />
father text me last night and say, “Hey,<br />
I have a friend who’s looking for this<br />
watch. I don’t know, he says it’s hard<br />
to find.” He wanted a Daytona. “Yep,<br />
that’s a very special timepiece, and a<br />
hard one to come by. I’d be happy to<br />
take great care of him.”<br />
It’s a good challenge to have because<br />
it means that there’s great demand and<br />
a lot of interest. It’s a wonderful thing<br />
that we have something beautiful to<br />
offer and that it’s desirable.<br />
When is supply going to catch<br />
up with demand? That’s a question<br />
beyond my knowledge, but hopefully<br />
we’ll reach a point where we are<br />
taking care of customers and not<br />
creating frustration. We want to have<br />
desire; we want people to put that<br />
timepiece on their wrist. At some<br />
point, that reaches an equilibrium,<br />
but in the meantime it’s a good<br />
problem to have.<br />
How do you address the person who<br />
comes in for a specific hard-to-find<br />
watch, and that’s all they want?<br />
We’ll want to get to know that<br />
The Ben Bridge store in Austin, Texas. Ben Bridge is an authorized dealer for Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, IWC, Panerai and many other luxury watch brands<br />
206 COLLECTOR
customer. We have a philosophy in<br />
the company called “MAFFing” —<br />
which is Make a Friend First. Before<br />
you start talking about a specific<br />
product, we want to get to know that<br />
person. From there, we’re going to<br />
help them find that perfect watch<br />
for their wrist. We’ll do what we can<br />
to find that right one. Sometimes,<br />
that is waiting for the right one,<br />
and sometimes that is something<br />
else that we can show them. But<br />
it’s going to fit to each person.<br />
One of the experiences we all have<br />
as watch collectors is the after-sales<br />
service. Do you provide in-store<br />
service, do you send them off-site?<br />
We are proud of our watchmaking<br />
team. Our heritage is in watchmaking.<br />
I’ve mentioned that I’m fifth<br />
generation — my great, greatgrandfather<br />
was a watchmaker. He<br />
made it to Seattle after coming from<br />
Europe, landed for a brief time in<br />
Pennsylvania, and then journeyed<br />
across the country following the<br />
railroad. He set and maintained the<br />
pocket watches for train conductors<br />
along the way, and Seattle was the end<br />
of the train line, so Seattle was where<br />
he set up shop.<br />
Watchmaking is a big part of<br />
our heritage, and we are proud<br />
of our watchmakers. We have an<br />
impressive watchmaking facility<br />
in our headquarters in Seattle as<br />
well as watchmakers in quite a<br />
few of our stores. We take care of<br />
servicing watches in either of those<br />
locations or with the appropriate<br />
brand if that’s the way to take care<br />
of that timepiece. We try to serve<br />
our customer and service their<br />
timepiece to the best of our ability.<br />
How do we engage with the<br />
younger generations, with the<br />
millennials who don’t particularly<br />
care for mechanical watches?<br />
I’m not sure it’s going to be that<br />
different for our kids as it is for us. We<br />
already have phones and other ways<br />
of telling time. I think a watch goes<br />
so much beyond just the function. It’s<br />
part of the fascination with how things<br />
work and the craftsmanship and the<br />
heritage and its style — Timelessness.<br />
There’s something fascinating about<br />
a watch movement. I think about a<br />
session we put on a couple of years<br />
ago for our team. Some of our store<br />
managers were able to put a watch<br />
movement together and to see that first<br />
tick. That moment that it sprang to life,<br />
and there was this ah-ha moment of<br />
magic in seeing how it works — there is<br />
something far more inspiring about that<br />
than seeing your phone turn another<br />
minute. That is going to fascinate<br />
and inspire the next generation.<br />
It’s always a challenge to educate them<br />
about the mechanical watches. Our<br />
magazine faces the same challenge.<br />
Well, it’s about storytelling. As a<br />
publication, it’s right where you sit.<br />
In telling the story, the heritage, and<br />
the craftsmanship — those things<br />
are almost more fascinating to this<br />
generation because they don’t find that<br />
in other places. It’s not something they<br />
see in alot of things that they come<br />
into contact with every day. So, if we<br />
can tell them stories in dynamic and<br />
meaningful ways, all the better.<br />
Do have a special message you’d<br />
like to convey to our readers?<br />
We would love to see all your readers<br />
and to take great care of them. Come and<br />
visit our stores, get to know somebody<br />
wonderful — the tremendous team in<br />
each of our stores. We are excited to<br />
continue to grow and to evolve and<br />
ultimately to be their personal jeweler.<br />
From left: Ben Bridge offers in-store watch service with experienced watchmakers; Lisa Bridge, CEO of Ben Bridge<br />
COLLECTOR 207
PANDEMIC-PROOF LUXURY<br />
The year 2020 brought unexpectedly strong results for online watch auction sales,<br />
and this year, top auction houses are looking to continue the trend.<br />
WORDS NEHA S. BAJPAI<br />
208 COLLECTOR
Sweeping away years of skepticism around online<br />
sales, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the auction<br />
world into an incredible phase of experimentation<br />
last year. In a bid to find newer ways to connect with their<br />
clients amidst a global health crisis, luxury auction houses<br />
took a massive digital leap with record sales in 2020.<br />
According to Mercury Project, a Switzerland-based<br />
research firm, the five big auction houses — Antiquorum,<br />
Bonhams, Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips — clocked a<br />
revenue of CHF 316 million against all odds last year. “As<br />
the world started to shut down in March, we were not<br />
sure how the luxury watch market would respond to the<br />
pandemic, but we soon realized that our clients were still<br />
hungry for watches. They wanted to buy from the confines<br />
of their homes. So instead of having our usual auction in<br />
May, we organized our first [online] auction for 2020 in<br />
June,” says Alexandre Ghotbi, head of watches for Phillips<br />
in Continental Europe and the Middle East.<br />
THE DIGITAL BOOM<br />
A smashing success of sorts, this live online watch auction<br />
proved to be a game changer not just for Phillips, but also<br />
the overall industry, which had been talking of digital sales<br />
for over a decade but not with the same conviction as seen<br />
in 2020. “Our sales at this auction totaled over USD 31.7<br />
million. It was the first-ever non-thematic ‘white glove’<br />
auction. We had over 2,000 people bidding online and over<br />
phone calls — it was just so exciting,” says Ghotbi.<br />
Although the pandemic hit a pause button on an entire<br />
season for auctions in spring 2020, the world’s top five<br />
auctioneers organized 189 sales for luxury watches last year,<br />
up from 66 in the pre-pandemic world of 2019. According<br />
to the Mercury Project, there were 9,392 watches sold<br />
through auctions last year, down by just 10 percent as<br />
compared to 2019.<br />
In some ways, the pandemic has also changed the unsaid<br />
rules of the auction world. Until a few years ago, one could<br />
not imagine collectors picking up grail watches at an<br />
online auction. There was always a price ceiling for pieces<br />
going up on a digital stream, and achieving world records<br />
was a tough feat. Not anymore. In November, Phillips in<br />
Association with Bacs & Russo’s Geneva Auction XII sold<br />
a rare Patek Philippe World-Timer ref. 2523/1 for USD<br />
5.5 million. “This was one of the top five watches by value<br />
that we sold online last year. The watch is one of the only<br />
four models made in rose gold and one of only two to ever<br />
appear at an auction. The reference 2523 dates back to<br />
1953, and it was then equipped with the brand’s two-crown<br />
system, one for winding the watch and the other at nine<br />
o’clock to control the city disk,” explains Ghotbi.<br />
At Sotheby’s, which organized over 140 online sales<br />
worth USD 47.4 million (almost eight times the number of<br />
sales and five times the value for 2019), 2020 was a record<br />
year in terms of the average price of the timepieces sold<br />
online. “We saw huge gains in contemporary watches made<br />
from stainless steel watches by Patek Philippe, Rolex and<br />
early examples of Richard Mille and almost all F.P. Journes,<br />
discontinued and current production. Most collectors are<br />
now buying a great number of expensive watches online.<br />
The average price of our watches sold online was up by 50<br />
percent as compared to 2019,” says Sam Hines, worldwide<br />
head of Sotheby's Watches. Sotheby’s had a record year<br />
for its private sales as well, which quadrupled in value and<br />
doubled in volume compared to 2019.<br />
COME ONE, COME ALL<br />
Phillips’ summer auction flipped the switch for luxury<br />
watch sales across the spectrum, encouraging first-time<br />
buyers and millennials to explore the world of pre-owned<br />
watches like never before. While Sotheby’s overall footfall<br />
for online sales reported around 25 percent first-time<br />
bidders for each of its auctions, at Christie’s, 32 percent of<br />
the new online-only buyers were millennials.<br />
According to Justin Reis, global CEO and co-founder<br />
at WatchBox, the pandemic ushered in a shift in collecting<br />
behaviors. It encouraged people to be more researchdriven,<br />
which contributed to a growing appetite for high<br />
quality watch content. “Many collectors turned to the<br />
watch community as a welcomed outlet for entertainment,<br />
enjoyment and distraction. Overall, our clients were<br />
incredibly engaged throughout this period. They<br />
participated in webinars and IG Live sessions, watched<br />
special interviews, hands-on watch reviews and weekly<br />
reports on the state of the watch market,” he says.<br />
There was a great deal of uncertainty across the<br />
market during the first quarter of the year, but the second<br />
quarter proved to be incredible for most pre-owned watch<br />
businesses. “The consumer confidence was on the rise post<br />
the first quarter. While people weren’t going out, they<br />
spent time researching, trading and being more deliberate<br />
about the growth of their collections,” says Reis.<br />
The other big factor that led to this boom in online<br />
sales was the availability of sought-after pieces that made<br />
their way into the market, thanks to collectors who culled<br />
their collection with all that free time on hand. Right<br />
from vintage Patek Philippes and Audemars Piguets to<br />
Cartiers, old Roger Dubuis and Philippe Dufours, various<br />
high-ticket timepieces were bought online by a new<br />
breed of young watch collectors who fueled the market<br />
transformation last year.<br />
COLLECTOR 209
From left: Justin Reis, global CEO and co-founder of WatchBox; The indies brigade, in particular F.P. Journe, are expected to do well in the pre-owned market this year<br />
“The rise of online events, which went up from just<br />
22 in 2019 to 144 in 2020, favored the arrival of a younger<br />
audience — a new generation of collectors aspiring for<br />
good value bargains. They aren’t responsive to all price<br />
segments. Nevertheless, Patek Philippe and Rolex seem to<br />
be the most popular brands at these events. Despite the<br />
fact [that] the watch auction results declined 19 percent<br />
in 2020, they confirm the appeal of vintage pieces,” says<br />
Thierry Huron, founder of Mercury Project.<br />
For collector Wulf Schütz, who is also the founder of the<br />
vintage watch dealership Rare & Fine Vintage Watches, 2020<br />
brought in more clients to his business than ever before. “The<br />
lockdown brought me closer to clients in some way. I never<br />
had [until the lockdown] so much interaction and expressed<br />
interest with my existing clients and prospects. I would say<br />
I gained more new clients in the last 12 months than in any<br />
year before. The existing clients are loyal and keep buying,<br />
2021 is very strong so far,” says Schütz, who thinks the<br />
limited availability of great rare pieces was a big driver last<br />
year. “My clients were mostly looking for rare Rolex sports<br />
models, Daytona and Submariner, as well as rare Patek<br />
Philippes. And yes, a great Paul Newman still finds a buyer.<br />
The most valuable watches that I had the pleasure to find<br />
a new home last year have been a Rolex 6200, several Paul<br />
Newmans and some very rare Patek Philippes,” he says.<br />
THE BIGGEST SUCCESS STORIES<br />
It is not news that the two leading brands in the secondary<br />
market are Patek Philippe and Rolex. However, there was<br />
also surge in demand for brands like A. Lange & Söhne,<br />
Breguet, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille and Philippe<br />
Dufour. One brand that really outshined the indies brigade<br />
was F.P. Journe. The number of F.P. Journes available in the<br />
secondary market is really small, but the pieces command<br />
some of the top lots by value at most auctions. “While<br />
Patek Philippe and Rolex account for more than twothirds<br />
of the most rewarded lots, F.P. Journe was present<br />
in some very high value lots — five in the top 50 (including<br />
two millionaires lots). Same for Richard Mille (four lots in<br />
the top 50). The Heuer Monaco was a surprise in 2020, and<br />
I am not convinced such a deal will be repeated, due to the<br />
extreme rarity of this kind of offer,” says Huron.<br />
According to Mercury Project, Patek Philippe left<br />
Rolex far behind in the race to the top slots at various<br />
auction houses in 2020. It commanded 13 pieces out of the<br />
22 millionaires' lots (in CHF), whereas Rolex had just four<br />
millionaire pieces to its share.<br />
“If we extend the list to half-million lots (56 pieces in<br />
total, including millionaire lots), Patek Philippe has 29 lots,<br />
followed by Rolex with 14 lots. Both account for 73 percent<br />
of the lots and the remaining portion is shared by F.P. Journe,<br />
Breguet, Heuer and Philippe Dufour,” explains Huron.<br />
While Rolex and Patek Philippe have proved to<br />
be the most dependable brands in times of crisis and<br />
uncertainty, Ghotbi says, from an investment perspective,<br />
it is not to choose significant models from these brands.<br />
“It is interesting to see the rise of collectible modern<br />
watches, which didn’t have many takers until a decade ago.<br />
210 COLLECTOR
From left: The rare and attractive 1992 Cartier Crash exceeded expectations to sell for CHF 258,300 at Phillips’ Geneva Watch Auction XII last year; Alexandre Ghotbi,<br />
Phillips’ head of watches in Continental Europe and the Middle East<br />
Patek Philippe complications from the 2000s, the steel<br />
Nautiluses, the iconic sports or tool watches from Rolex<br />
have also been gaining popularity over the Bubblebacks,<br />
which were a rage 20 years ago,” he says.<br />
The other big brand that is making waves in the<br />
secondary watch market is Cartier. Hugely popular for<br />
its unique design sensibilities and the iconic Tank series,<br />
vintage Cartier models are really hot right now and<br />
experts feel the demand for these is only going to go up<br />
in the coming years. “I was always a fan of Cartier, but<br />
the market has been relatively soft for some years. What<br />
started in 2019 has continued in 2020, and vintage Cartier<br />
is experiencing a strong demand and increasing prices. I<br />
would say Cartier is the dark horse of the pandemic. Let’s<br />
see if it becomes a longer trend,” says Schütz.<br />
Talking of winners, the Phillips auction house overtook<br />
Christie’s in sales as the new market leader in 2020. As per<br />
Mercury Project, the sales at Phillips were up by 11 percent<br />
last year compared to 2019, and the average price paid for each<br />
watch sold by Phillips was CHF 105,000, up from CHF 88,601.<br />
According to Alexandre Bigler, vice president and head<br />
of watches for Christie's Asia Pacific, the auction house set<br />
11 records in 2020 and sold five watches priced over USD<br />
1 million. “There was a major conversion to online sales<br />
with a 211 percent increase in value offered online. We set a<br />
record for the most valuable watch sold at Christie’s online<br />
with the sale of Patek Philippe ref. 1463 in pink gold that<br />
went out for USD 600,000. The top five watches by value<br />
sold by Christie’s last year, were all hammered at our Hong<br />
Kong sale room, and they are all Patek Philippe timepieces<br />
from our Titanium and Ruby Collection,” he says.<br />
THE RISE AND RISE OF F.P. JOURNE<br />
Challenging the well-established players in the auction<br />
market, F.P. Journe has been increasingly hogging the top<br />
10 slots at most auctions over the last couple of years. In<br />
January, Antiquorum sold a platinum cased 2004 Octa<br />
Calendrier with a golden dial and brass movement for<br />
more than double its estimate to fetch EUR 188,500.<br />
With his diverse range of watches — time-only pieces,<br />
split seconds chronographs and highly complicated<br />
watches with chiming and astronomical complications —<br />
made in extremely limited numbers, F.P. Journe has turned<br />
out to be the new poster boy of the million-dollar club at<br />
auction houses across the globe.<br />
Though no one questions the worth of Journe’s unique<br />
design language and impeccable quality, there is a lot of<br />
curiosity around the recent rise in prices for his watches<br />
made between 1999 and 2004 — the “brass period” when<br />
F.P. Journe was manufacturing his movements in brass<br />
rather than gold. “Over the last few years, I have observed<br />
a general tendency, especially from ‘younger’ collectors, to<br />
look for something special and break out the uniformity<br />
we sometimes see with the big brands. That led to an<br />
increased interest in alternative brands — the so-called<br />
independents. F.P. Journe is probably one of the top three<br />
protagonists in that sector. Journe is managing his brand<br />
in a smart way by keeping the balance of a low production<br />
COLLECTOR 211
and control of the secondary market. Honestly, not<br />
every F.P. Journe needs to be 200K in an auction to be an<br />
interesting collectible,” says Schütz.<br />
According to William Massena, a noted Journe<br />
collector and former CEO of Antiquorum, this is a classic<br />
case of economics — offer vs demand. They are making less<br />
than 1,000 watches a year, but the demand is much more.<br />
“F.P. Journe watches are much an acquired taste. A collector<br />
needs a certain maturity and experience to appreciate them<br />
fully. More experienced collectors are attracted by the<br />
uniqueness of a Resonance or a Remontoir d' Égalité. These<br />
are watches that you can only find at F.P. Journe,” he says.<br />
Rare, limited and made by the hands of a<br />
genius, Journe’s watches are functional pieces of art.<br />
Knowledgeable collectors talk about his watches and are<br />
completely fascinated by them. Shawn Mehta, the founder<br />
of watch4moi.com and an expert on independent watch<br />
brands, feels the actual turning point for Journe was the<br />
Christie’s 2019 auction where a seasoned watch collector<br />
picked up an F.P. Journe Resonance for USD 255,<strong>59</strong>5. “The<br />
monumental result was an immediate turning point for<br />
the Journe market, and is one of the catalysts behind the<br />
newfound prices for his watches. It is important to assess<br />
the importance of Service Patrimoine, which was launched<br />
prior to Journe’s meteoric rise, as the brand felt compelled<br />
to buy back and service their old watches, in turn, offering<br />
the possibility of owning a discontinued F.P. Journe,<br />
backed by a three-year warranty,” he says.<br />
As new collectors enter the market and established<br />
collectors discover the work of F.P. Journe, the global<br />
demand for his watches continue to outweigh an already<br />
limited supply. One of the early proponents of the Journe<br />
phenomenon, WatchBox has over 30 pre-owned Journes<br />
priced between USD 19,950 and USD 189,500 on offer right<br />
now, but they didn’t expect the market to rise this far, this<br />
fast. “It takes time for people to research and understand<br />
what Journe represents — the legacy, craftsmanship, the<br />
story of this watchmaker. Historically, the only pieces<br />
that brought major dollars at auction were by Patek<br />
Philippe and Rolex. As collectors realized that significant<br />
Journe auction results were not just a one-time thing,<br />
both enthusiasm and demand multiplied. Along the way,<br />
we have done our best to continue introducing great<br />
products to our collector community, and to furthering<br />
the knowledge and respect for independent watchmaking,”<br />
says Reis. “We believe the repositioning of value set by<br />
the auction market is here to stay, as it marks consumers’<br />
recognition of how special and rare these timepieces are.<br />
It is important to note that it wasn’t just the market for<br />
Journe that was reset. Philippe Dufour’s Simplicity broke<br />
through the seven-figure price range, elevating the world’s<br />
perception of living independent watchmakers,” he says.<br />
OUTLOOK 2021<br />
While vintage watches from top auction players like<br />
Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and F.P. Journe<br />
will continue to garner collectors’ interest in the coming<br />
months, independent watchmakers such as Greubel Forsey,<br />
Rexhep Rexhepi, Roger Smith, Kari Voutilainen, Philippe<br />
Dufour and Petermann Bédat are also expected to do well<br />
in the pre-owned market.<br />
“We are quite optimistic about the performance of<br />
Patek Philippe and Rolex this year. Particularly for Patek<br />
Philippe, leading our Hong Kong live auction this May<br />
is Alan Banbery’s unique Patek Philippe reference 3448J<br />
‘no moon phase’ with prototype leap year indication, with<br />
an estimate of USD 3.1 million to USD 5 million. This<br />
work of art was presented by Henri and Philippe Stern to<br />
Alan Banbery in 1975. It is now one of the most legendary<br />
wristwatches associated with Patek Philippe, and is poised<br />
to set a world auction record for the reference,” says Bigler.<br />
Going by the auction calendar for 2021, it seems online<br />
auctions are here to stay and they will continue to thrive<br />
in the coming months. The Dubai-based team of experts<br />
at Christie’s curated close to 200 lots of rare and coveted<br />
timepieces including grand complications from Patek<br />
Philippe, Gérald Genta and F.P. Journe for an online<br />
auction in end March 2021 and the results were impressive.<br />
The Dubai Edit achieved a total of more than USD<br />
14 million with 89 percent sold by lot, 100 percent sold by<br />
value, and 131 percent hammering above low estimate.<br />
“This exceptional result doubles the previous record<br />
for Christie’s online watch auctions, which was set in<br />
December 2020 in New York at USD 7,743,37. Never in the<br />
history of watch auctions has a 100-percent online event<br />
offered timepieces of such quality, be they modern or<br />
vintage. There was global participation from 37 countries<br />
with a total of 558 registrants. This sale expanded its reach<br />
by welcoming participants from 13 new countries for the<br />
first time, including Norway, Darussalam and Uganda,”<br />
says Remy Julia, Christie's director and head of watches for<br />
the Middle East, India, Africa and Russia.<br />
212 COLLECTOR
Clockwise from top left: William Massena, noted F.P. Journe collector and former CEO of Antiquorum; The platinum 2004 F.P. Journe Octa Calendrier with golden<br />
dial and brass movement that was sold by Antiquorum in January for EUR 188,500, a price more than double its estimate; Alexandre Bigler, vice president and head<br />
of watches for Christie's Asia Pacific; The Rolex Day-Date ref. 1804 with eastern Arabic numerals offered at Christie’s Dubai Edit online auction, which sold above<br />
high estimate for USD 275,000; According to Mercury Project’s research, Patek Philippe left Rolex far behind in the race to the top slots at various auction houses<br />
in 2020; A full set of the Patek Philippe ref. 2499 (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th series) will go under the hammer at Phillips’ Geneva Watch Auction XIII this spring<br />
COLLECTOR 213
GOOD READS<br />
Two great books for relaxing summer reading: Daytona Perpetual and Reverso.<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
REVERSO<br />
The Author: Nicholas Foulkes<br />
Pairs well with: A whiskey Old<br />
Fashioned and Miles Davis’ Kind<br />
of Blue.<br />
You’ll love this book if: An exploration<br />
of how the age of Art Deco, the woes<br />
of gentlemen polo players and the<br />
fruits of the Industrial Revolution led<br />
to a new kind of wristwatch is right<br />
up your alley.<br />
The bottom-line: Reverso tells a story<br />
beyond watch mechanicals and<br />
engineering, giving us a captivating<br />
look at how the social, economic and<br />
cultural changes that rippled through<br />
the world after the World Wars<br />
changed the watch industry. Foulkes<br />
sets the scene well, bringing us to<br />
the moment when the first patent<br />
was filed in 1931 for the concept of<br />
the Reverso dial, and beyond as the<br />
iconic watch gained popularity and<br />
cemented itself as a perpetual favorite.<br />
The highlight of the book<br />
is a chapter entitled “Personal<br />
Stories” which explores the history,<br />
myths and legends behind some<br />
of the fascinating art that graced<br />
the rear side of the watch case.<br />
From elaborate lacquerwork to<br />
intricate engraving to handwritten<br />
notes, the stories highlight the<br />
personal connection owners have<br />
to these special timepieces.<br />
JLC<br />
REVERSO<br />
TOTAL PAGES 200 pages<br />
ILLUSTRATION 150 illustrations<br />
COVER Hardcover in a luxury slipcase<br />
PRICE USD 195<br />
214 COLLECTOR
DAYTONA PERPETUAL<br />
The Editor: Pucci Papaleo<br />
Pairs well with: An espresso on a<br />
rainy afternoon.<br />
You’ll love this book if: A<br />
comprehensive history of Rolex<br />
automatic sports chronographs from<br />
1988 to 2019 revs your engine.<br />
The bottom-line: Fabio Santinelli’s<br />
photographs are world class, and this<br />
high quality, large format book gives<br />
you an up close and personal view of<br />
the intricate craftsmanship that Rolex<br />
brings to every timepiece. Full-page<br />
macro shots highlight the art and skill<br />
of the watchmakers, from the elaborate<br />
beauty of jewel-encrusted dials to the<br />
quiet gravitas of the mechanicals.<br />
Co-authored by Revolution’s<br />
own Ross Povey, the almost 300-<br />
page book gives a thorough narrative<br />
of the development of the sports<br />
chronograph from the introduction in<br />
1988 through the most recent updates.<br />
The highlight of the book is waiting<br />
in the last few pages: a panoramic<br />
and chronological lineup of each<br />
Daytona from 1988 through 2019 for a<br />
fascinating visual journey through the<br />
last three decades.<br />
ROLEX<br />
DAYTONA PERPETUAL<br />
TOTAL PAGES 292 pages<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS 541 photographs<br />
COVER Hardcover in a luxury slipcase<br />
PRICE USD 389<br />
Scan here to purchase on<br />
RevolutionWatch.com.<br />
COLLECTOR 215
Christian Katzer, general director<br />
of the German section of Doctors<br />
Without Borders<br />
SAVING LIVES<br />
Nomos Glashütte honors 50 years of Doctors<br />
Without Borders in the current global<br />
pandemic with special Tangente 38 edition<br />
WORDS BHANU CHOPRA<br />
Doctors Without Borders is an English translation<br />
of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a nongovernmental<br />
organization (NGO), founded in 1971,<br />
in Paris. According to MSF records, in 2019, the group was<br />
active in 70 countries with over 35,000 personnel consisting<br />
of local doctors, nurses and other medical professionals and<br />
staff. About 90 percent of their funding comes from private<br />
donors, and the rest from corporate donations.<br />
MSF was founded by a small group of French doctors<br />
and journalists who sought to expand accessibility to<br />
medical care across national boundaries and irrespective of<br />
race, religion, creed or political affiliation. The organization<br />
emphasizes independence and impartiality from political,<br />
economic and religious factors in its decision making. For<br />
these reasons, it limits the amount of funding received from<br />
governments and government-affiliated organizations.<br />
This is the tenth year of cooperation between Doctors<br />
Without Borders and Nomos. The brand has produced<br />
over 10,000 watches in support of emergency aid in various<br />
models, all signified by the red numeral at 12 o'clock.<br />
Together with their retailers, Nomos donates 100 euros<br />
together for each watch sold towards the emergency aid.<br />
Now more than ever, acknowledging the heavy lifting<br />
done by global medical community is a must during these<br />
extraordinary pandemic circumstances.<br />
“There is no doubt: These watches help save lives,” states<br />
Christian Katzer, general director of the German section<br />
of Doctors Without Borders. “This year’s pandemic has<br />
made our operations, logistics, and travels more difficult<br />
and expensive. The funds we receive from the sales of these<br />
watches are needed more urgently than ever.”<br />
The Tangente 50 ans Médecins Sans Frontières edition<br />
is a svelte 37.5mm in stainless steel, with a height of 6.7mm.<br />
The solid case back features a limited edition engraving.<br />
The dial is galvanized and white silver-plated with the<br />
subtle red 12 and text at 6 o’clock “50 ans de Médecins Sans<br />
Frontières.” A dark grey textile strap compliments the<br />
black numbers and black oxidized hands.<br />
Tengente is powered by Nomos in-house manual<br />
winding Alpha caliber. Nomos had introduced the Alpha<br />
caliber in 2005 as their first movement built in-house. The<br />
gear train is similar to the classic Peseux 7001 caliber. The<br />
movement features Glashütte three-quarter plate design,<br />
Glashütte Stripes, Glashütte solar grinding, and hacking<br />
seconds. It is adjusted according to chronometer standards<br />
for this model. It is priced at USD2,030.<br />
216 COLLECTOR
Reservoir × Revolution Hydrosphere Bronze ‘Maldives Edition’<br />
The Reservoir Hydrosphere is the world’s only retrograde minute,<br />
jumping hours dive watch. Now, Reservoir has created a unique bronze edition of their<br />
Hydrosphere for The Rake & Revolution, dedicated to our first shop<br />
situated on the Fari Islands, in the Maldives, due to open in May 2021.<br />
The watch is priced at USD 4,400, measures 45mm in diameter<br />
and will be produced in just 100 examples.<br />
For enquiries, please email: shop@revolutionmagazines.com
Shizukuishi. A land of majestic white birch groves.<br />
A spring of constant inspiration for Grand Seiko.<br />
Here, light and shadow are in dynamic harmony.<br />
And Time is etched with intricate precision.<br />
Here, the TAKUMI infuse the essence of Nature into<br />
each and every timepiece, bringing its true beauty to life.<br />
Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture<br />
New York • Miami • Beverly Hills<br />
grand-seiko.com
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