Saturday, March 6, 2010

Corum- Golden Tourbillon Panoramique

Surely the most impressive Corum timepiece of the next several years will be this new Golden Tourbillon Panoramique Grey Sapphire watch. As a limited edition of just five pieces, the watch will embody a very high degree of complication from a manufacturing standpoint. It is also imbued with a significant level of luxury.
What is interesting here is the application of gray PVD on the sapphire giving it that special look. The movement is a manually wound tourbillon based movement with a long 90 hours of power reserve. As you can see, the movement mainplate and bridges are all in sapphire! Something truly remarkable from a practical and aesthetic standpoint. The rest of the watch case is in 18k white gold with 309 diamonds decorating most every surface. Plus, the watch case has four sapphire crystals to help appreciate the movement from any angle. It is really a nice combination of luxury indulgence and mechanical intrigue. Expect prices to make your skin as light as the gray sapphire of the watch.


Technical Data:
Case: White Gold Category: Complication/Fine watchmaking
Bracelet strap: Leather Size: -
Buckle: Folding Buckle Thickness: -
Setting: Yes , body , strap Waterproofness: 30 m
Movement: Manual-winding mechanical
Power reserve : 90 h
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Tourbillon
Reference: 382.879.69/0F01 0000 Collection: Golden Bridge
Year: 2009 Limited Edition to 5 Pieces



Corum- Golden Bridge

Independent watchmaker Vincent Calabrese may be working over at Blancpain now but the spirit of his early innovation at Corum lives on, thanks to the legendary Golden Bridge watch. Back in 1980, this watch was possibly the first non-skeleton wristwatch to put the movement front and center.

This unique timepiece features a manufacture movement CO-113, a mechanical baguette movement, hand-wound by a stem at 6 o'clock. It features a slipping spring mechanism and a variable adjustable inertia balance, adjustable by screws. The movement runs at a frequency: of 4Hz or 28'800 vph. The beautiful 18k red gold hand-engraved plates and bridge are visible through any of the four sapphire crystals. One on the front, one on the back and one on each side of the case. The case is tonneau-shaped and is made of titanium, with a nice mixture of polished and satin finished surfaces. It measures 34 mm x 51 mm and features a titanium crown, decorated with a CORUM key. The Golden Bridge displays hours and minutes with black skeleton hands and a very cool no-dial design.




Friday, March 5, 2010

Concord- C1 Pure

The Concord C1 Chronograph, destined for men who highly appreciate advanced technologies and innovations, has been enjoying tremendous success. Now, the brand has created a new variation of the timepiece - Concord C1 Pure in monochrome white. The watch with a new, powerful temperament is designed for active, decisive men and women who know how to control things and manage time and move one step ahead of it.

The distinctive shape, bold dimensions, and unmatched performance of the Concord C1 Pure reflect the energy of the modern lifestyle. The timepiece featuring a contemporary unisex silhouette is meant to become a trendsetter in the highly competitive field of new-century watch-designing.

The Concord C1 Pure, a COSC-certified chronometer, showcases a majestic case, 44 mm in diameter and 16.7 mm thick. Despite its considerable size, the watch is constructed to embrace the slimmest of wrists, as it has incorporated the unique attachment system that lacks case horns, ensuring that the timepiece fits perfectly the wrist shape. The white exterior enhances the model's drive and energy, accentuating new aspects of its construction. The diamonds sparkling on the bezel and case middle add a touch of elegance and luxury.

The 20-atmosphere water-resistant steel case of the C1 Pure is provided by a protective metal ring that is covered with white rubber, fitted on the middle of the case. The protective ring is attached by self-blocking side screws. It displays eight tabs extending over the bezel. The system is also responsible for protecting an impressive, 3.3-mm-thick anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The winding-crown, produced from steel, composite materials and rubber, comprises seven interlocking parts for extra strength.


The dial of the Concord C1 Pure fascinates the glance due to its daring workmanship and monochrome design. The timepiece is created to reflect the superior quality requirements and continuous quest for utmost performance. The structure of the watch's white garb reminds fiberglass. The layered construction plays smartly with light and relief, emphasizing its perspective and readability. The dial reveals the following details:
  • The luminescent hour and minute hands with taut, spirited lines display asymmetrical cutouts.
  • The running seconds sub-dial positioned at 9 o'clock, a constantly rotating disk, is based on the complex development research.
  • At 3 o'clock, the date gives an impression it is fading in and out of the semi-transparent dial aperture.
  • The 30-minute and 12-hour counters are found at 12 and 6 o'clock.
  • The sweep seconds hand in Concord blue nicely matches the points of the running seconds sub-dial.

The transparent case-back allows true watch connoisseurs to admire a 25-jewel self-winding movement oscillating at 28, 8000 vibrations per hour. The movement guarantees a 48-hour power reserve. The rotor finished with rhodium displays the C1 logo and the ribbed Cotes de Geneve pattern.

The Concord C1 Pure goes on the finely matching white vulcanized rubber strap provided with a velvety matte finish and equipped with a double folding clasp.

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Bulgari- Diagono Tourbillon


Bulgari has enriched its sporty Diagono watch collection with one of the most prestigious complications in haute horlogerie. The Bulgari Diagono Tourbillon features a 42mm case crafted from platinum, a black sunburst guilloche dial with a contrasting metallic minute sector, and a strap in black alligator with a platinum folding clasp.  Like other models from the Diagono collection, this watch showcases the characteristic "Bulgari-Bulgari" engraved bezel and protective shoulders for the winding crown.
Visible beneath a sapphire crystal window in the caseback is a manually wound movement designated as the BVL 200.  Comprised of 200 individual components and 20 jewels, the BVL 200 caliber features a tourbillon that revolves on its axis once per minute, bearing a balance wheel with a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour.  Power reserve of the spring barrel is approximately 64 hours.  A rich array of decorative refinements adorn the bridges and other components, including Cotes de Geneve, guilloche, and satine soleil.  On the dial side, the steel bridge bearing the tourbillon scintillates with finely chamfered edges, and meticulously polished screws.  
The Bulgari Diagono Tourbillon is water resistant to 50 meters.

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Thursday, March 4, 2010

Audemars Piguet- Jules Audemars 30th Anniversary Perpetual Calendar


Jules Audemars 30th Anniversary Perpetual Calendar has such high precision in its that it is adjusted for months with 30 or 31 days. It is also controlled for leap-years for month of February every 4 years. There is totally no required correction for the dates until March 1st 2100.
It uses an ultra-thin self-winding caliber 2120/2802 that is 28mm in casing diameter and 4mm thick. It has 38 jewels with 355 parts in the movement. Its power reserve is up to 40 hours. The balance vibrates at 19,800 times per hour. All the movement parts are bevelled and engraved with the "cotes de Geneve" motif and circular grains.
The case is made of 950 platinum with a diameter of 41mm and a thickness of 9.15mm. It uses sapphire crystal for the front and caseback. Its water resistance is up to 20m. It has a Tuscany blue dial with white gold applied hour-markers. It has 4 calendar subdials that are polished decorated fillet. At 12, the subdial is the month with indication of 4 years of leap-year in the center. Positioned at 3 is the date subdial. At 6, is the moonphase and power reserve indicator. The day of the week is indicated within the subdial at 9.
It uses large square-scale hand-sewn alligator leather with platinum AP folding clasp

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Audemars Piguet- Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar


The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watch is an exquisite high luxury timepiece which is intimately tied to the long and illustrious history of Audemars Piguet as a manufacturer of exceptional and highly complicated haute horlogerie. This shining example of watchmaking art combines a celebrated, iconic watch design with one of the most cherished implementations in the repertoire of elite watchmaking--the perpetual calendar. This tricky complication provides indications for day of the week, date, month, leap year, and phases of the moon. The perpetual calendar's complex mechanism of cams and levers is mechanically programmed to make automatic adjustments in accord with the various lengths of the months, including February, which is affected by the cycle of leap years.

Case Material     Platinum & Steel
Bracelet/Strap     Platinum & Steel Brushed & Polished
Clasp Type     Push Button Foldover Clasp
Movement     Automatic
Screw Down Crown     No
Bezel     Fixed
Crystal     Scratch Resistant Sapphire
Case Back     Transparent
Water Resistant     20m/60ft
Perpetual Calendar complication featuring:
          o Date sub-dial at the 3 o'clock position.
          o Day of the week sub-dial at the 9 o'clock position.
          o Month sub-dial at the 12 o'clock position with the center doubling & Leap Year indicator.
          o Moonphase sub-dial at the 6 o'clock position.
AP caliber 2120/2802 beats at 19,800 vph & contains 38 jewels with an approximate Power Reserve of 40 hours.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Arnold & Son- True Moon


Coming from the house of Arnold & Son is this new True Moon timepiece. It’s ideal for people who love gazing at the moon at nights. It is a substantial 46mm across the dial, and features the watchmaker’s A-1788 caliber with an added complication that displays the phases of the moon. The dial is protected with a sapphire crystal and the watch is water resistant up to 30 meters. You can opt from the two versions of Arnold & Son’s True Moon watch in either stainless steel or in rose gold.


This stunning new True Moon Timekeeper is powered by a world-first mechanism capable of keeping precise track of the true waxing and waning faces of the Moon. To achieve this unprecedented feat, it is calculated on the Moon’s exact synodic month of 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes.

Moonphase display (set through a pusher integrated in the case at 10 o’clock):
Evolves according to the true synodic period of the Moon (time between successive recurrences of the same phase period). This period of 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes, also called a synodic month, is depicted by 18 revolving discs.
Reveals
the true waning and waxing faces of the moon as visible in the sky seen from the Northern Hemisphere. Date and centre sweep second hand.

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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Arnold & Son- Grand Tourbillion Perpetual


When Arnold & Son decided to launch a new tourbillon model, connoisseurs and admirers can be sure this sophisticated complication will appear in good company. The Grand Tourbillon Perpetual is a striking embodiment of the wealth of horological expertise cultivated by a brand that remains true to the pioneering spirit of one of the great British Masters.

Originally designed over two centuries ago to compensate for the detrimental effects of gravity on watch movements, the tourbillon remains one of the most challenging horological accomplishments. Beautifully highlighted in this model through a generous opening in the lower part of the dial, the tourbillon carriage with its three-arm propeller-shaped hand is complemented by an impressive array of additional functions. Above it, on either side of the grid-patterned dial section underscoring the highly technical nature of this watch , the day of the week and month are displayed in neat apertures; while a dedicated arrow-type pointer sweeps over the elegant retrograde date display appearing on the top of the dial. The same hand-wound movement also drives moon-phase and leap-year indications visible through the open back. All the perpetual calendar displays can be independently set by means of two pushpieces at 2 and 10 o'clock and two recessed correctors at 4 and 8 o'clock, or else adjusted simultaneously by the corrector at 9 o'clock.

Further reinforcing this exceptional model's ties with the rhythms of the universe, the dial also features a perpetual equation of time window, protected by a sapphire crystal and permanently displaying the difference between the time in space (sidereal time) and the time on earth (civil time). And for those who prefer to keep track of the stars in a more symbolic way, a zodiac calendar may appear in the same position.

Representing a spectacular horological vision and a fascinating transposition of celestial reality with its immutable cycles, this distinguished model clearly destined for collectors is issued in three strictly limited series of 10 in white gold and 10 in red gold.
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Armand Nicolet- L07 Limited Edition Chronograph


The new Armand Nicolet L07 watch belongs to the exclusive world of chronographs. The L07 has been created in a limited edition of 140 pieces. The timepieces have incorporated elegant dials and straps featuring an array of different color combinations.

Twenty pieces of the L07 are equipped with the prominent VENUS 175 movement with column wheel, while the rest 120 pieces are powered with the VENUS 188 fitted with 'navettes' system.

The Armand Nicolet watch is housed in a special wooden case accompanied by the Certificate of Authenticity. The L07 series is aimed to greatly appeal to watch connoisseurs who value not only perfect mechanical execution, but also the investment ahead in time.

MovementManual-winding mechanical, polished and engraved plate and bridges, 32-hour power reserve, engraved and numbered
FunctionsHours, minutes, chronograph
CaseTwo-tone 316L steel and 18K pink gold bezel in a limited edition of 30, 43 mm
Anti-reflective sapphire crystal, screw-down transparent back
DialGrey, engine-turned, applied hour markers
Openwork hour counter at 9 o’clock with view of the movement, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and direct-drive centre seconds-hand
Bracelet/StrapGrey alligator leather, buckle
Other versionsSteel case, silvered or black dial, limited edition of 70
18K pink gold case, silvered or black dial, limited edition of 20
18K white gold case, blue or grey dial limited edition of 20



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