Calibre Magazine May-July 2020

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M AY - J U LY 2 0 2 0 I

IS S N 1 908- 4 994

VOLUME 15 ISSUE 128

The new Montblanc 1858 embraces the glory days of explorations

BLUE MOUNTAIN

FEATURES TAG Heuer Monaco Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Limited Edition A. Lange & Sรถhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater M o nt bl a nc 1 85 8 Sp l i t Se c ond C h ro no grap h L i mi te d E di t i o n

Omega Speedmaster 38mm Full Gold

Parallel Passion

DESIRABLE DIVERSION

Putting on a beautifully designed suit elevates my spirit, extols my sense of self, and helps define me as a man to whom details matter.

- Gay Talese, auThor ww w.ca libr ema g a zi n e. c om

Minutes May-July 2020

Editor's words

S

o we are mid-year in 2020. This year will certainly go down in history.

We have been spending a lot of time on the phone and online with different friends, fans, and enthusiasts. This time largely at home has given us the chance for some great conversations with people, touching base all over the world.

What we have decided to do more of is bring those conversations further out. We started having zoom chats with people that are always great to speak with, but we could only ever share them with you in text and perhaps photo. Now, we are trying to do this through the zoom meeting format. Which is fun, but different.

We met with the head of the IWC museum, for example.

His backdrop was their excellent facility but he was actually at home. We said hi to his kids. And if you look up the chat online, please be kind. That was the first one we did like that. But as an enthusiast, it was great fun. Guests at our events always tell us that they enjoy just listening to what we talk about in our unstructured way before we all have to go into our roles and such as host or guest or speaker. We are trying to bring that fun but rambling feel out to more people while we still cannot host our events.

It does have its own charm. Plus, we can ask people to

send photos of what we talked about, which is basically like them taking their phone and showing us stuff that way.

So this can just be an extension of the whole “hanging out with friends” thing.

And what have we been talking about? The fact that there are some nice new watches coming out. The new Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight in Navy Blue was a big deal, especially since they coordinated a global launch that had the watches on our wrists within hours of release. And yes, we are getting reports that there are some deals to be had for certain watches, but we are also hearing that prices of the highdemand pieces are actually going up. There are new releases, and the right ones are sold out amazingly quickly.

While we really don’t know what the future holds, it is always uplifting to hear the voices and see the messages of those who share our passions. When our days are in danger of dragging on, these conversations lift our spirits. When I was speaking with a professional host on how they were moving more online, she said that she has a routine that puts her in the right frame of mind. Even if it's not something that would ever be seen onscreen, it helps. You know where we are going with this, right? Wear your watches, even if you still mostly stay in one place or two. It will make you feel better, and it may well strike up fun conversations.

Carl S. Cunanan Editor-in-chief

carsandcalibres

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May-July 2020

Contents Cover Watch

C OV E R WAT C H MONTBLANC

1858 COLLECTION

28

Montblanc

Yearns for the wild and the blue

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May-July 2020

Contents Cover Watch

Montblanc embraces the “Spirit of Mountain Exploration�

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May-July 2020

Contents Features

40

A. Lange & SĂśhne

Strikes it rich with the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater

44

Audemars Piguet Remastering one of the Manufacture’s rare pieces.

48

Greubel Forsey

Showing us that mechanical watchmaking is still evolving.

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May-July 2020

Contents Features

50

Panerai

Luminosity to a whole new level

54

Piaget

Draws a new line in the sand

58

GlashĂźtte Original Majestic and commanding

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May-July 2020

Contents Features

62

Speake-Marin

Gives us more reasons to love the tourbillon

66

Roger Dubuis

Breaking their rules on this one-off piece

70

Vacheron Constantin

Brings their Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar back from the edge

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May-July 2020

Contents Features

74

Hermès

Finds the moon in a different cosmic dimension

78

Zenith

A tri-color blue comes to light

82

Chopard

Races to the wild blue yonder

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May-July 2020

Contents Features

86

Omega

Fan favorite in all-gold

90

TAG Heuer

A Monaco for Monaco

96

Oris

It's all about patina

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May-July 2020

Contents Features

100 Seiko

Welcome to the jungle

104 Edox

Cements its role in the World RX

108

MB&F x H. Moser

Comes together to create works of art

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May-July 2020

Contents Regulars

02

Minutes

Carl S. Cunanan

16

Tempus Incognitum JP C. Calimbas

18

The Time Machine Hernan C. Mapua

20

Vintage Explorer Jose Martin V. UrsĂşa

22

The Wind-Up

Snippets of what's going on in and around the Calibre World

112

Timeframe

Pictures in time as we travel the world

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Editor-In-Chief

Carl S. Cunanan Joseph Peter C. Calimbas

Executive Editor Senior Editor

Hernan C. Mapua Jason S. Ang

Collections Editor

Kit O. Payumo

Associate Editor

Alberto E. Casal

Senior Staff Writer Multimedia Editor

Bryan Martin B. Zialcita

Design Director

Charie L. Biaden

Senior Designer

Mark David A. See

Junior Designer

Mary Ann E. Marcelo

Designer

Pamela Karla S. Biado

Contributing Writers

Katherine S. Cunanan, Jose Martin V. Ursúa, Leonard Vincent L. Ho, Edrich Santos & Dominique O. Cerqueda Contributing Photographer

Keith Sundiang

C! Publishing and Media Group, Inc. Units 2104 , 88 Corporate Center, 141 Valero corner Sedeño St.,

Vice President for Advertising Sales

Salcedo Village, Makati City 1227 Philippines

Mayette L. Asis

Tel: (+632) 7728.3720 to 21 Fax: (+632) 8844.2599 URL: www.c-magazine.com / www.calibremagazine.com

Advertising Manager

Leslie G. Maxilom

Advertising Traffic Manager

Mary Jane O. Salazar

Special Projects & Events Specialist

Telephone

(+632) 7751 8992

Distributed by: Alphastream Marketing Inc. #5 Everite St., Calumpang, Marikina City

Ria A. Fernandez Fax

Tel: (+632) 7945-5089

(+632) 8844 2599

Publisher

C! Publishing and Media Group, Inc. Managing Director Directors

Carl S. Cunanan

Carl S. Cunanan, Kevin C. Limjoco,

Copyright © 2020 The editors and publishers of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in part or in whole without written permission of the publisher.

Michael L. Lhuiller & Paolo M. Puyat-Martel Sherwin M. Miñon

Circulation Manager Senior Accountant

Merline B. Urdas

Credit and Collection Officer Accounting Assistant Executive Secretary Legal Counsel

FOLLOW AND VISIT OUR PAGES!

Mary Ann M. Benito

Susana D. Cutamora Elsie A. Teofilo

www.calibremagazine.com

Paredes Garcia & Golez Law Office

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Calibre 128

Tempus Incognitum May-July 2020

One Hundred Days of Summer

W

hile Manila and the rest of the country is still reeling from the chaos created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the government continues to ease quarantine restrictions to get the economy back on its feet. It may seem a dangerous gamble to get people back on the streets to eke out a living despite not having any semblance of a plan to control the spread of the contagion but it has to be done. Savings are depleted, bills are piling up, and people are going hungry. With proper care, the risk of contracting the coronavirus can be mitigated; the economy cannot survive being idle anymore.

And so, we find ourselves here. We too have to honor our commitments to deliver hard copies of Calibre in the timeliest manner possible. Luckily for most of us, we are able to do most of the work in the safety of our own homes with the internet serving as our digital office. In fact, we found

out that we could actually function as a publication even working remotely from different locations. This set-up actually works rather well especially for getting features out on our digital platforms. Honestly, if it were up to me I would focus more on digital since moving forward, I still think it's the way to go. Something that I have spoken about a long time ago if I might add.

That being said, it’s good to return to some semblance of normalcy.

Being a creature of habit, the routine of planning for, putting together and generating content for a print version of the magazine brings back some sort of structure into an otherwise rapidly changing environment. For the writers, the advertising people and even for our layout department, going back to what they were doing (yes, including forwarding unread emails) seems to soothe frayed nerves.

As for me, I am just thankful to have made it through a hundred days with a couple of things to grateful for.

See, a few days prior to the lockdown,

JP C. Calimbas Executive editor

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my daughter made the right choice of leaving her dorm and coming over with school being cancelled fortuitously before movement was restricted. I also spent the better part of an afternoon at a hospital testing facility waiting to get a PCR test which made me appreciate the tireless effort of medical frontliners and putting true meaning into “We Stay Here for You, You Stay Home for Us.�

While we look forward to the day when we can come together face to face to put together this magazine like we used to, we know we have to adapt and find alternatives to pursue our passion for writing, designing, and publishing Calibre. It brings us joy every time a new issue comes out knowing it will bring the same to our loyal readers.

Til the next issue, keep safe always!

Calibre 128

The Time Machine May-July 2020

In the Year 2020

A

Feng Shui master predicted, at the beginning of the year, that 2020 would be a wonderful year. It would be good for career advances and luck, he said. On the 12th day of January, his luck for predicting good fortune ran out.

JANUARY 12, SUNDAY Nothing could have been more normal. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

At about 2:30 pm, my phone rings: “Do you know Taal volcano is erupting right now?”

Unknown to me, Taal Volcano started spewing ash that afternoon. “Wait, I’ll go outside and have a look,” I said. My next words were, “WOOOOW!” The ash cloud was clearly visible from the garden, 25 Km. from Taal Volcano. The cloud just hung there, but I knew what was coming.

That ash was going to come down. “Stay where you are, you won’t be able to make it home tonight,” I said, “I don’t want you to be trapped by the ashfall. I’ll send you a picture of the ash cloud.”

Phivolcs declared the ash column had reached a height of one kilometer and that lava fountains reached 800 meters high. In addition, new cracks on the ground were spotted in some Batangas municipalities. My wife Gina drove home the next day, passing though clouds of ash along SLEX and Silang.

Fortunately, the DPWH had already cleared Aguinaldo Highway. We bought enough face masks to prevent breathing in fine ash.

The wind blew most of the ash northeast, sparing the farm, and preventing any flights

from China from landing in the country.

January 30 — We were already aware of a deadly flu ravaging parts of China, but this was official: The Philippine government confirmed the country's first case of the disease on January 30, 2020, when the virus was detected in a Chinese national who traveled from Wuhan, China and Hong Kong.

FEBRUARY February 2 — We had a wonderful time celebrating both my younger sister and my brother’s birthdays with the whole family. My brother was complaining of pains in his neck, and was thinking of getting an operation, which I was not in favor of, because it seemed unnecessary. In the succeeding week, he had the operation, and was recovering at home.

February 21 — He was back in the hospital, complaining of abdominal pain, in the ICU. I went to see him immediately. The medication he had taken for his neck operation had caused a complication in his intestines, and requiring an immediate operation. He seemed cheerful when we got to the hospital, but his condition deteriorated.

February 22 — The call came at two o’clock in the morning. He had passed away.

MARCH March 16 — Quarantine! President Duterte imposed an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon, effectively a total lockdown, restricting the movement of the population except for necessity, work, and health circumstances, in response to the growing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.

Medical practice for this disease was still in its early stages, and some of the medical procedures to treat it were almost as deadly as the disease itself. There was no sure method of curing this disease. Panic, driven by misinformation, was widespread. We had

Hernan C. Mapua Senior Editor

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enough face masks left over from January, which was a small comfort, as supplies for face masks ran out.

APRIL The ECQ was set to last until April 12, but President Duterte accepted the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATFEID) to extend it until April 30.

MAY Our foreman reported that our local government unit (LGU) would not issue me or my wife a quarantine pass because we were senior citizens. Senior citizens are more susceptible to the coronavirus; hence they must stay home for their protection (even if they starve to death). The local government unit soon found out the absurdity of this rule, and allowed us to go and shop at the nearest grocery, but we still needed our foreman’s quarantine pass. Seniors will not get a quarantine pass.

May 10 — A 5.5 magnitude earthquake jolts the Philippines. What now? But it passes.

JUNE The quarantine has been extended yet again, although relaxed enough to allow certain businesses to function, but seniors are not allowed to cross provincial boundaries.

So far this year, we have experienced a natural disaster and a pandemic, causing much loss of life and economic distress.

What next? Don’t ask! 2020 isn’t over yet!

Calibre 128

Vintage Explorer May-July 2020

Terrible Isolation

S

een any good shows lately? Available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Terror is a ten-episode thriller based on the ill-fated Franklin Arctic expedition. It is a gripping hypothetical reconstruction of events based on the available evidence, combined with elements of supernatural horror. For the most part, it is grounded in reality and focuses on the psychology of the crew as it deteriorates under extremely adverse conditions. The Terror boasts an excellent British cast (led by Ciaran Hinds, Jared Harris, and Tobias Menzies) and top-notch production values. Although filmed on a sound stage full of green screens, a keen eye for detail and judicious use of CGI impart the desperate desolation the crew must have felt within the creaking oak hulls of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, as they were trapped on the Arctic ice.

A quick background for those unfamiliar with the Franklin expedition, which left England in 1845: It was one of many voyages launched by the Royal Navy in search of the Northwest Passage — a sea route that would connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. In the mid-1800s, that journey meant traveling to the tip of South America and rounding the treacherous Cape Horn. Construction of the Panama Canal would not begin until 1881 (and would take a further 33 years to complete) so a northern shortcut would be tremendously valuable to the British

Empire. I’ve been fascinated by this story since I was young, mostly thanks to a National Geographic article that included haunting photos of three mummified crewmen. They had died early in the expedition, and were buried on an island in northern Canada. These marked graves were rediscovered in 1976, and exhumed by anthropologists in 1984.

There were many possible reasons for the expedition’s failure, but the shifting ice and lower-than-normal temperatures were the most immediate culprits. Navigating the ice-clogged channels would be difficult and further complicated by magnetic drift, which rendered compasses unreliable. With one wrong turn, both ships would be imprisoned on the ice sheet, immobile until the next spring thaw.

Many historians blame the expedition’s stores of tinned food (a recent invention), suggesting that lead solder was poisoning the crew, or that spoilage was caused by improper canning. Regardless of the cause, the decision was made in the spring of 1848 to abandon both ships.

The surviving crew would drag lifeboats bearing provisions on a long southward march to the Canadian mainland. Their precise fate remains a mystery, but skeletal remains (bearing evidence of possible cannibalism) and assorted artifacts have been found, while Inuit natives have spoken of contemporaneous encounters with white men.

There is also one horological mystery connected to the Franklin Expedition.

Jose Martin V. Ursúa Contributing writer

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A marine chronometer by the English watchmaker John Arnold was one of several issued to HMS Erebus. Naturally, it was marked “Lost” by the Royal Observatory after what had transpired.

However, it was rediscovered in the early 1980s, encased in a carriage clock and with the Arnold name obliterated from the dial. How “Arnold 294” returned to London, and whether it was ever actually in the Arctic, is the subject of much debate and speculation.

While watching the show, there was one point at which I wished I knew less about watches. The crew is having a group picture taken, and the man under the hood is timing the daguerreotype process with a stopwatch. The camera focuses on this timepiece, and already the blocky numerals and crisply printed markings look off. And there it is in Cyrillic: “Sdelano v USSR.” They had used a Soviet stopwatch from the 1980s!

Not since Narcos showed a flatbed fax machine in “Medellin, 1981” have I been so thoroughly taken out of the story by an anachronistic prop. But despite that grievous error, The Terror still remains my favorite show in these recent months, and I cannot recommend it enough.

May-July 2020

The Wind-Up

Snippets of what's going on in and around the Calibre world

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OMEGA

THE 14-SECOND BURN BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

W

atch companies have said it time and again, that their watch is the perfect tool for a specific activity. The Apollo 13 mission is probably the best example of this statement.

In July of 1969, the Apollo 11 successfully landed on the moon, forever immortalising astronaut Neil Armstrong as the first human to walk on earth’s satellite. Four months later, the Apollo 12 landed on the moon where Commander Charles Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean performed lunar surface activities before heading back home. So when Apollo 13 lifted off on April 11, 1970, no one was expecting the series of events that was about to take place.

The crew was commanded by veteran astronaut James Lovell, accompanied by Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise. All three were equipped with the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional chronograph as part of NASA’s official kit for all manned missions since 1965. “The watch was a critical backup,” said NASA engineer James Ragan. “If the astronauts ever lost the capability of talking to the ground, or the capability of their digital timers, the only thing they would have to rely on would be the watches on their wrists. It needed to be there for them if they had a problem.”

And the crew did encounter a problem, a big one.

An oxygen tank exploded and crippled the Service Module. When this happened, the mission to the moon was terminated.

Their main objective now was to get

back home. Safely. Houston directed the astronauts to move into the Lunar Module and make a course setting for earth. The Lunar Module, however, was not built to support the three men for such a long time.

To conserve energy, the crew had to shut down all non-essential systems, including their digital timers. They had to endure their return home in dark and freezing conditions.

Because the mission had drifted off course, the module’s re-entry would cause it to bounce off the atmosphere, back into space with no chance of recovery. They only had one shot at this. After calculations were

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made, the astronauts needed to burn fuel for exactly 14 seconds to bring them back on course. There was no room for error. Since their digital timer was down, Swigert used his OMEGA Speedmaster chronograph to time the burn as Lovell guided the craft using the Earth’s horizon as his guide. To the whole world’s relief, the manoeuvre worked perfectly. After 142 hours and 54 minutes since the launch, Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the South Pacific Ocean.

The OMEGA Speedmaster chronograph played its part, and performed exactly as intended.

The Wind-Up

PORSCHE

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION The Connection between an Iconic Lamp and Sportscar Explained

B

ack in 1990, Ulf Möller was a 21year old architecture and urban planning student who also held a part time job working for an architectural office. It’s also the setting where his love affair with Porsche began. One day, his boss handed him the keys to his brand-new Porsche and asked him to fill it up with gas. With the keys to a 964 in hand, he went off to do his boss’

bidding which he described as follows: “It felt like an odyssey at first. I drove through half the city without finding a gas station.

When I finally found one, the attendant was closing up and going home. It took some persuading to finally get some gas. But the sensation of driving it was marvelous.”

Since then, Möller had become an established designer and joined an architect’s office which he eventually would own. At the start of the new millennium, he was contacted by leading modern furniture maker Thonet for which he would become their architect of choice. One of his latest projects for the furniture maker is located at the firm’s production hall and that’s where we pick up Ulf Möller’s love affair with Porsche.

Today, Möller is a successful furniture designer aside from being a respected architect, having created the iconic Lum Light in 2010. He’s allowed himself to indulge in acquiring Porsches which seems to have influenced his designs since that fateful experience in 1990 thanks to the success of his lamp design. It would also explain why there is a white Porsche 964 Carrera 2 roadster in the middle of his furniture factory. He says that he bought the car with the money he got for his Lum Light as his reward. “Birds of the same feather

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May-July 2020

flock together” he quips as he points to where the Lum Lights are made, pointing to the factory hall just after where the special model 911 America Roadster sits.

“I think the 964 is one of the most beautiful 911s,” he says, and proceeds to praise the classic front with its characteristic upright headlights, the wide eighteen-inch tires, and the “strapping yet sinewy” overall impression. “I love sitting at the wheel and gazing into the rearview mirror — you’re looking at a lot of car.”

“It’s twenty-eight years old now but still feels almost as fresh and agile as a new car,” says Möller. He knows what he’s talking about, because he now has a fleet of Porsches. In his garage the rare Roadster stands next to a yellow Porsche Boxster Spyder (981 generation). “My extra dose of vitamin C,” he says with a smile. There’s also a somewhat more aggressively configured red Porsche Boxster Spyder (987 generation, built in 2011).

And his everyday Porsche, a black Macan.

The obvious question for this car-loving designer is what an automobile that he himself designed would look like. “I’d make an aerodynamically flawless station wagon,” he replies. It would be purist and technologically innovative, of course.”

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The Wind-Up

CARTIER

BIG PILOT’S WATCH Cartier endows their newest Santos with extra large enhancements

B

ack in the early 1900s, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont was already a man ahead of his time. Not only was he the first aviator to achieve powered flight before the Wright brothers, but the fashionable Santos-Dumont did it with a timeless fashion sense that would be considered chic even by today’s standards.

Which is why when Santos-Dumont commissioned a pocket watch (which he didn’t have to take out of his pocket to read) from his friend Louis Cartier, the Parisian watchmaker obliged by designing an appropriately fashionable “tool watch.” Best of all, not only did the Santos watch reflect the aviator’s timeless style, it reflected Cartier’s own everlasting sensibilities.

This made the Cartier Santos, which went into commercial production in 1911, the world’s first purposebuilt wristwatch. And that’s not all: since the timepiece was designed and built especially for an aviator way back in 1904 the Santos also happens to be the Great Grand Daddy of every single pilot’s watch in existence today.

Over the years, the world has been graced with many iterations of Alberto Santos-Dumont’s tool watch. But it wasn’t until 2018 that Cartier gave us a truly modern version of the Santos de Cartier. The embodiment of Louis Cartier’s concept of the idée mère (an original idea that perpetuates the rise of other ideas), the new Santos debuted refreshed in a sportier, and curvaceous guise that gave Santos-Dumont’s iconic tool watch a new lease in life as a sporty dress watch.

This renaissance was punctuated by the release of the Santos de Cartier Chronograph the following year. But it was the debut of the newest member of the Santos collection that brought the Cartier/Alberto Santos-Dumont story even further.

Continuing their mission to build on Louis Cartier’s original idea, Cartier launched the new Santos-Dumont watch with even more historical nods to Alberto SantosDumont’s original 1904 tool watch. Introduced in Large and Small versions, the new Santos-Dumont watch featured an un-adorned time only dial with Roman numerals and a railroad track; a beaded winding crown with that prominent and pointy blue cabochon; and a flatter, less voluminous, and even more refined case than the Santos de Cartier.

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Needless to say the Santos-Dumont watch was a big hit with stylish consumers and to the public in general.

Since then, Cartier has endeavored to expand that market even further and has turned their fashionable sights to include even the most die-hard of watch enthusiasts. Thus, making its debut just in time for the digital version of the 2020 Watches & Wonders is the new Santos-Dumont XL watch powered by a tried and true manually-wound mechanical movement. And, not only does it enhance the current crop of already outstanding Santos timepieces, but the new Santos-Dumont XL continues its homage to the iconic design of the Santos watch by doing it in an extralarge size.

Indeed, what a difference a change in scale makes. The new Santos-Dumont XL measures 46.6mm x 33.9mm with a thickness of 7.5mm. That’s just .2mm thicker than last year’s Large 43.5mm x 31.4mm x 7.3mm quartz version. And that all has to do with the 430 MC, a mechanical movement that has been extensively used not only in other Cartier models, but that has also been an efficient mainstay in the industry for over 20 years.

Aside from this, four engraved Large versions released in a limited series and powered by the same 430 MC mechanical movement also contributed to the growing family of the Santos collection. A collection that now includes the platinum “Le Brésil” Santos Dumont watch limited to 100 pieces; the limited to 300-piece “La Baladeuse” SantosDumont watch with a yellow gold case, a champagne dial, and a patinated green alligator leather strap; and the “n°14 bis” Santos-Dumont, a limited to 500-piece wristwatch, which features an engraving of “n°14 bis,” the aviator’s most famous heavier-than-air flying machine.

Last but not least is the Santos-Dumont “La Demoiselle” watch, a numbered limited edition of only 30 pieces created to pay homage to the aviator’s everlasting style, specifically, the panama hat that he was never seen without. Not only is it engraved with “La Demoiselle,” the most elegant of Santos’ flying machines, but it also features a Panama-weave design reflected on the strap, as well as on the central square of the dial.

As for the Santos-Dumont XL, three versions are immediately available: the first in a handsome all-stainless steel model matched with a color appropriate navy blue alligator strap; and a two-tone version with a stainless steel case and an 18K pink gold bezel, and matched with an elegant black alligator leather strap. But the most sophisticated of the lot is the third Santos-Dumont XL watch: a full 18-carat pink gold version that truly dwells in the upper echelons of fashionable society by being partnered with an extremely stylish grey leather strap.

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The Wind-Up

PATEK PHILIPPE

FIRMLY PLANTED

Patek Philippe Moves into their New Facility in Geneva and Unveils a new Calatrava

P

atek Philippe just announced that after five years, construction work on their new production facility at Plan-les-Ouates has been completed. The new Patek Philippe building, referred to as a repository of know-how under one roof is a 10-storey vision of tomorrow that stands where the company parking lot used to be. Measuring 189m X 67m and standing 34 meters above ground, the new facility was envisioned in 1996 by then president Philippe Stern to reunite under one roof, the brand’s business activities that had been located across many locations across the city and to secure the independence of the company in the long term.

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This new building and its modern architecture design accentuate the landscape of Plan-les-Ouates with its huge ocean liner silhouette and large-format glazing glass panels to allow abundant natural lighting to enter. This Haute Performance Energetiquecompliant building will allow for Patek Philippe’s growth for the next 20-30 years and are ideal prerequisites for securing the success of the family-owned manufacture and preserving its independence for the coming generations.

To commemorate the completion of the structure that reasserts Patek Philippe’s Genevan roots and its confidence in the future of watchmaking artistry, a commemorative watch has also been

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May-July 2020

unveiled. Referred to as the Ref. 6007 Calatrava in steel, this watch will be limited to 1000 pieces.

In keeping with Patek Philippe’s tradition of marking key events in its corporate history with the launch of a special timepiece, the brand created the new Reference 6007 Calatrava in stainless steel with a unique center dial design featuring a light-bending “carbon” texture. Another design element that stands out is its broad cambered bezel in polished steel, a material not often seen in Patek Philippe collections.

Complementing these features are the railway track scale of the hour circle with triangle markers, the pierced baton hands for the hours and minutes and applied Arabic numerals which all contribute to a vibrant dial architecture. Highlighting the personality of the dial further is the grayish blue hue accompanied by the subtle circular satin finish that contrasts against the white dial imprints as well as the applied numerals and the white-lacquered hands in white gold with luminous coatings. Lastly, a calfskin strap with decorative white seams and a delicately embossed structure reminiscent of textile fabrics are coordinated in terms of color and structure to match the center dial.

The 40mm Ref. 6007 Calatrava comes with a sapphire-crystal caseback specially marked with a Calatrava cross and the inscription “New Manufacture 2019” commemorating the year when the first work groups moved into the new building. Only 1,000 watches will be produced.

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C OV E R WAT C H MONTBLANC

1858 COLLECTION

Montblanc embraces the “Spirit of

MOUNTAIN

B

ack in 2006, the Swiss luxury goods group Richemont SA acquired the Fabrique d’Horlogerie Minerva SA and secured all of its 148-year old manufacture know-how.

For those not in the know Minerva SA was a storied Manufacture founded by brothers Charles and Hyppolite Robert way back in 1858 in Villeret, Switzerland, which in its over 140-year history created its share of some of the watch industry’s most notable calibres including the incredible 13.20 chronograph movement.

Following the acquisition, Richemont SA assigned its newly acquired “asset” to service one of its most prestigious luxury brands (which up until then was known primarily for its luxury writing instruments) with the purpose of revitalizing its horology department. Which is why since 2007, the Fabrique d’Horlogerie Minerva SA has been know as the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret, a watchmaker with the same passion for making ground-breaking calibres of the highest craftsmanship and performance as the original Villeret manufacture started by Charles and Hyppolite Robert. Best of all, over the last thirteen years, Montblanc has been

exploring Minerva’s long and storied heritage with collections that do justice to the former Manufacture’s legacy.

The Montblanc 1858 is one of those collections.

This is why large diameters, highly contrasting dials, and large cathedral hands have all been the hallmarks of the Montblanc 1858 Collection. A collection dedicated to continuing the journey that Charles and Hyppolite Robert started by reinterpreting the famous Minerva chronographs while including the brand’s own identity with the inclusion of the original Montblanc logo from the 1930s with its historical font and emblem of the Mont Blanc Mountain at its center.

For 2020, Montblanc is continuing its homage by zeroing in on the legendary professional Minerva watches from the 1920s and 30s, specifically those used by the military and its forays in exploration. This is why the 2020 editions of the 1858 line are presented for the first time in a new blue themed “capsule” of grade-5 titanium with contrasting blue and icy white dial details. These design codes are inspired by the colors of glaciers and snow capped mountains, and are, in fact, deeply rooted in the history of mountain exploration that those original Minerva military chronographs traversed during the 1920s and 30s.

Mountain Exploration”

RANGE

Word s b y

KIT O. PAYUMO

C OV E R WAT C H MONTBLANC

1858 COLLECTION

MONTBLANC 1858 SPLIT SECOND CHRONOGRAPH This is why the Richemont-owned brand’s main release for 2020 is another reinterpretation of a 44mm historical Minerva military monopusher chronograph. It was powered by the calibre 17/29 and it sported a very distinctive dial comprising a snail shaped tachymeter scale at its center, and a telemeter scale on its internal flange. And we say “another” because the Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph was already available last year, albeit in a seriously vintage-inspired bronze case matched with a black lacquer dial.

Then, a more contemporary looking 1858 Split Second Chronograph was created for Only Watch 2019. It was a unique piece, which sported a titanium case and featured a degraded blue Agate (natural stone) dial with red accents. More importantly, that handsome watch paved the way for this icy-blue 2020 edition, which, in its hypercool and thoroughly modern guise is a 100-piece limited edition in a 44mm fully satin-finished grade-5 titanium case, matched with a solid gold dial enhanced by vibrant blue grand feu enamel with orange accents.

As regular Calibre readers already know, grand feu enameling is the art of applying layers of colorful vitreous enamel paste to the surface of metal and firing it in a kiln. Indeed, it is one of the oldest and most precious crafts in watchmaking, which requires very specific skills mastered by only a handful of dial makers. Best of all, enameling imbues colors with hues as intense as the sun, and gives dials a magical depth that is as subtle as it is mesmerizing.

As if this weren’t enough, Montblanc added to the difficulty by adding gradation to the dial. This meant varying the heights of each layer of enamel before heating each one at very high temperatures.

This resulted in a rich glossy blue color with an uneven texture, a quality that only reflects the expertise of the artisan involved. Thus, the solid gold dial of the1858 Split Second Chronograph is of a striking blue color with orange and white elements that not only gives this vintage piece

a more contemporary vibe, but also provides excellent readability during both day and night.

The dial is enhanced by a minute counter at three o'clock, as well as two chronograph hands: the main (lower) hand in beige, and the split (upper) hand in orange, both the start, stop, and reset of which are controlled via the monopusher set in the crown. The split pusher, on the other hand, is at 2 o’clock. The telemetric scale is set on the flange (a common feature on many Minerva chronographs), and allows for the measurement of distance, both visible and audible (the classic example being the time difference between a flash of lightning and the subsequent clap of thunder during a storm).

The “round” shape at the center of the dial, on the other hand, is the tachymeter (base 1000) this one in a colimaçon, or “snail” shape, which allows for the measurement of up to three minutes as opposed to the traditional 60-seconds of traditional tachymeters. This is read from the outside of the snail shape (as indicated by the arrow on the dial) going in and indicates the

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speed of a moving object, such as a car, over a measured and predetermined distance. The chronograph is activated as the moving car passes the starting-point of the measured course and stopped as the car passes the finishing-point. The number indicated by the hand on the tachymeter scale represents the speed in kilometers or miles per hour.

All these are made possible by the Manufacture monopusher chronograph calibre MB M16.31, which is an evolution of the MB M16.29, itself inspired by the original Minerva calibre 17.29 pocket watch movement developed in the 1930s.

The new movement features two column wheels, horizontal coupling, a power reserve of 50 hours, and is also equipped with a complex rattrapante, or split second complication developed by Montblanc that allows the measurement of intermediate times without interrupting the ongoing measurement of a longer elapsing time.

The calibre MB M16.31 is the direct heir of the 17.29, and, like its predecessor, is composed of the same iconic V-shape bridge (the design

of which was protected in 1912) and a large balance wheel with 18 screws beating at the traditional frequency of 2.5 Hz / 18,000 A/H. It also has the distinction of being made entirely in-house, and measures 16” (lignes) wide, or about 38.40mm, and is 8.13mm thick. Which is all good because all that extra real estate allowed for the highest level of hand finishing including Côtes de Genève, inner angles, circular graining and beveling, all of which were performed at the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret. The Split Second mechanism in the center even brings more light to the entire movement.

All of this makes the Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph unique in its own right. First of all, it is powered by a highly finished pocket watch movement, which already gives it instant historical credentials. Then, there’s the fact that this watch channels a very specific chapter in Minerva’s history, as well as focusing on a very specific timepiece.

This will only appeal to a very small group of connoisseurs, specifically those who understand the technical and historical significance of such a movement. Most especially those who understand that, once upon a time, it wasn’t a G-Shock, Garmin, or Suunto that one would take up to the Himalayas, but a timepiece such as this one.

Alas, given the delicate nature of the movement, its high $35,000 ++ price point, and the unfortunate fact that most (if not all) the enthusiasts who will ultimately purchase this watch are not the type to scale Mount Everest at a moments notice, and are most likely to purchase the Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph more for bragging rights rather than for any of the its actual abilities, it’ll probably be safe to say that this “tool watch” won’t be seeing too much outdoor adventuring any time soon (unless you consider looking for your BMW X5, which you lost somewhere in the outdoor mall parking lot “adventuring”).

Still, that doesn’t detract from the accomplishment Montblanc has achieved here.

The Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph is a highly accomplished rattrapante chronograph with a thoroughly modern pocket watch movement, is highly capable with double tachometer and tachymeter scales, features a drop dead gorgeous grand feu enamel dial, and comes with a highly technical case material. So not only does it offer copious amounts of historical value, it is practically begging for those glory days of mountaineering exploration and adventure.

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C OV E R WAT C H MONTBLANC

1858 COLLECTION

MONTBLANC 1858 GEOSPHERE The second entry in this year’s 1858 line up is a type of timepiece first invented in the 1930s by Louis Cottier. A typical modern day world timer displays all 24 time zones simultaneously, making it infinitely more complex than your typical GMT. Unfortunately, not all world timers are the same. And this usually boils down to the fact that most world timer dials are hopelessly cluttered and busy, a characteristic shared by most watches of this type. Kudos to Montblanc then for creating a distinctive and functional version that is unlike any other in the market.

And they did it by using an original inhouse solution: two separate globes at 12 and 6 o’clock to represent the northern and southern hemispheres, both of which are surrounded by a fixed scale with the 24 time zones that includes a day/night blue indicator that has been coated in rhodium. This not only pares down the clutter created by the traditional 24-time zone/city ring, but is also so functional that it imbues the watch with a unique character that separates it from others of its ilk.

And while we’ve seen the concept of the globe featured on other world timers before, here we get both sides of our planet, with the northern hemisphere rotating anti-clockwise, and the southern hemisphere rotating in the opposite direction. Further, the longitude reference meridian for both hemispheres is highlighted with a light blue line coated with SuperLumiNova, while a second time zone is located at nine o’clock with a date aperture located at its exact opposite.

The result is the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere, an overtly vintage watch introduced two years ago in 2018. Yes, with its original 1930s-style Montblanc logo, the typeface of the numerals, the railroad minute track and the cathedral-style handset, the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is a watch that oozes effortless vintage charisma, now made literally cooler in icy-blue

livery meant to evoke the colors of ice, glaciers, and all manner of snow-laden environments.

The 42mm case with polished and brushed slim, curved horns is now forged in grade-5 titanium, which aside from being light (for utmost comfort on the wrist) also has low thermal conductivity, which translates to a high resistance to temperature changes. Water resistance, on the other hand, is still rated to 100 meters despite the titanium crown still not being of the screweddown variety. And that’s not all.

As before, the 1858 Geosphere is dedicated to the world’s Seven Summit mountaineering challenge, the holy grail of mountaineering

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wherein the challenge is to ascend the highest peaks on every continent. Indeed, the Seven Summits challenge is considered one of the most difficult mountaineering quests and only around 500 athletes have achieved the mission to date.

On this year’s watch, the world’s seven highest peaks (as well as the Mont Blanc) are marked on the globes with blue dots. They are also engraved on the case back along with a unique drawing of the Mont Blanc, a compass, and two crossed ice pick-axes. The four cardinal directions are engraved in white on the stainless steel bezel with a blue ceramic insert, and to underscore its true tool watch nature, mountaineers can

use the bidirectional rotating compass bezel in conjunction with the Sun, and the hour hand to gauge true north.

Indeed, this year’s more modern leaning Montblanc 1858 Geosphere eschews the warmth and patina of previous models. The dial in particular features a pseudo-gradient effect called “smoky blue,” the color of which was chosen to evoke the millions of years of pressure that removes air bubbles from ice, causing light to reflect only the blue from the color spectrum.

Indeed, the overall dark blue color scheme provides a striking contrast to the white markings of the watch. In fact, every single detail on the Geosphere (including the continents in relief) is awash in Super LumiNova making this one of the coolest watches (pardon the pun) to look at in the dark. One caveat, though: due to the diminutive scale of longitude lines in the two globes, one might very well need a magnifying glass to consult the time in the different time zones. But that could just be us.

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is powered by the MB 29.25 calibre, a movement derived from the Sellita SW 300-1 with a Manufacture world time complication dropped on top of it. What not many are aware of is that this world time discs complication, developed at the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret, is the same complication featured in the much more expensive, much more complicated, and entirely hand-finished Villeret Tourbillon Cylindrique Geosphère Vasco de Gama model, a EUR275,000 wristwatch originally introduced in 2015. Fortunately, the complication has trickled down to the infinitely more accessible tool-watch that the 1858 Geosphere is today.

Both the Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph and the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere feature fluted crowns that recall those on period timepieces, and domed sapphire crystal glass boxes, increasing the robustness and the look of each watch. Both are completed with a choice of new blue Sfumato calf leather straps with white stitching, or with a new bi-material technical bracelet made of titanium and stainless steel. This new vintage design features a mix of shapes with central links in the form of grains of rice in polished stainless steel and satinfinished rectangular links made of titanium at the perimeter. Finally, a choice of handcrafted “NATO” straps are also available as an accessory and can be purchased from Montblanc boutiques or via the brand’s e-shop.

MONTBLANC 1858 AUTOMATIC 24H Aside from this year’s main ice-blue novelties, Montblanc is also presenting two other 1858 models that embrace Minerva’s historically vintage vibe, and the first only has one hand.

That’s right, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H is a single-handed wristwatch with a 24-hour display that takes its vintage inspired roots to another level. Indeed, single-hand timepieces are far and in between but Montblanc has literally created a retro-wrist instrument that never was.

Just look at it! Not only does it have a single red hand, but the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H looks like it just walked out of the pages of an old World Atlas, and seems to have been conceived to look like an old instrument watch that would have worked hand in hand with an old magnetic compass or some other pre-electronic navigational instrument.

This is due by and large by an exquisitely executed black dial with a map of the northern hemisphere made out of luminescent material with its 24 meridians laid out at its center. The SuperLumiNova-coated elements are subtly visible during the day, while at night the 24-hour numerals, indexes, and single hour hand take on a mysterious glow, making the timepiece truly stand out. These are all bolstered by a 42mm bicolor case made of stainless steel and a bezel made of a special alloy of bronze, which are designed to deliver a truly vintage aesthetic.

But what really makes the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H stand out is the unusual way it displays the time. As previously mentioned, a large red hand shaped like the needle of a compass (more on that later) is the lone indicator on the dial. It points to a beige-colored track on the outer edge of the dial with the Arabic numerals 2 to 24 on hand to indicate the hours in the day. Tiny markings on the chapter ring indicate the quarter hours, while the 4 main cardinal points in red (with “South” located at 12 o’clock) are also on hand to give the piece a true “tool watch” feel.

Interestingly, Montblanc opted to place the 24th hour at the bottom of the watch, and while we haven’t seen this watch in the flesh (so to speak) we suspect that any user using this watch for any prolonged period of time will eventually

C OV E R WAT C H MONTBLANC

1858 COLLECTION

get a better sense of where he is during the night and day and a more complete sense of the day as it unfolds during its 24-hour cycle.

Alas, if you really MUST know the PRECISE time of day, say 3:27 and 14 seconds in the afternoon, then this probably isn’t the timepiece for you and your cellular phone would probably suffice. A single-handed timepiece such as this one isn’t made for people who need to know the precise time but is instead made specifically for outdoor oriented people who only need to know the general time of day, especially if the watch also works as a compass.

That’s right, a compass. Since the Earth predictably rises in the East and sets in the West, simply set the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H at the correct time, and if you are in the Northern Hemisphere simply hold the watch horizontally to the ground at midday (that’s 12 Noon, by the way) and rotate it until the extremity of the hour hand is pointing towards the sun. At this point all the cardinal points on the dial will be correctly aligned. This means you are already facing

South with the hour hand pointing to 12H, and North is actually behind you at 24H. Naturally, the reverse applies if you are standing in the Southern Hemisphere.

Further, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H is water resistant to 100 meters, and is marked with a “Spirit of Mountain Exploration” engraving on the case back. While inside ticks the calibre MB 24.20, a 4Hz automatic movement certified for accuracy by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500, with 25 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve.

Ultimately, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H does not pay homage to any particular timepiece from history, and instead pays homage to a particular time in history, one that embraces the brand’s efforts to pay homage to a bygone but golden era of exploration. Just look at that vintage-looking map on the dial, it is meant to resemble an old aviation or navigational map.

And bolstered by that bronze bezel with that one red hour hand, and you have an eye-catching conversation piece in a fun and compact package that actually works!

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C OV E R WAT C H MONTBLANC

1858 COLLECTION

Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 1858 The homage continues with this last and final piece, but unlike the 1858 Automatic 24H, the Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 1858 does “reinterpret” another historical Minerva chronograph, one powered by the calibre 13.20, a classic handwound Minerva chronograph movement from the 1920s and 30s.

Putting their money where their mouth is, Montblanc ramps up this technical pillar by

making 3 versions of the 1858 Monopusher Chronograph available: the first is a real beauty in stainless steel, and comes with a cognaccolored calfskin leather strap; and a second also in stainless steel but with a stainless steel bracelet of the same vintage design with central links in the form of grains of rice, and rectangular links at the perimeter, as found on the two main 1858 novelties of the year. But it’s the third version that takes the vintage crown.

In the “Spirit of Mountain Exploration,” the third and final model of the 1858 Monopusher Chronograph is a limited edition of 1,858 pieces,

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and comes in a 42 mm case made of a special bronze alloy that evolves over time to form a patina unique to its owner. The timepiece is completed with a special “Spirit of Mountain Exploration” engraving on the case back, and is matched with a beige-colored NATO strap in a beige so yellow, it looks for all intents and purposes like it was made of gold.

All three 1858 Monopusher Chronograph models feature a vintage-inspired black dial with a beigecolored railway track, a telemeter scale; beigecolored SuperLumiNova Arabic numerals; and rose gold-coated, cathedral-shaped hands that are also highlighted with a touch of beige-colored SuperLumiNova for better visibility at night.

Driving the piece is the MB25.12 chronograph movement, which was derived from the Sellita SW500. The movement, which oscillates at 4Hz (or 28,800 A/h), features 27 rubies, and a 48-hour power reserve, features a central chronograph hand, a 30-minute counter at three o’clock, and the running seconds at nine o’clock.

And while we haven’t had the honor of having the Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 1858 on our wrists, it has been reported that it’s the kind of watch that anyone would want to strap on every single day. This is thanks in large part to the beautifully curved lugs, which allows the case to sit very low on the wrist.

More importantly, the feel of the chronograph is reportedly next-level amazing, with a monopusher that feels crisp, clean, and precise.

Typically, the two watches feature signature Minerva design cues such as satin-finished cases that feature horned edges polished to underline their shape, fluted crowns, and domed sapphire crystal glass boxes. While on the dial we find cathedral-shaped hands with a “cloisonné” design; Arabic numerals coated with SuperLumiNova; railway minute tracks; all of which are “augmented” by the original Montblanc logo from the 1930s with its historical font and emblem of the Mont Blanc Mountain.

Both the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H and the Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 1858 are equipped with NATO straps that are handcrafted in France at a traditional, 150-year-old weaving manufacture.

Thanks to this artisanal know-how, the NATO straps are refined, robust, durable and extremely comfortable on the wrist and come in either black or in an optional vintage beige color.

Features May-July 2020

Every issue, we try to bring the timepieces that we've seen at the shows and in different events we've attended both locally and overseas. These are the pieces that have caught our fancy and we hope they catch yours as well.

Feature

A. Lange & Sรถhne

Striking Gold

A. Lange & Sรถhne strikes it big Words b y

KIT O. PAYUMO

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Feature

A. Lange & Söhne

FIVE YEARS AGO, THE WATCHMAKING WORLD (AND THE WORLD IN GENERAL) WAS GRACED BY THE DEBUT OF THE ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER, the second model of the avant-garde watch family to be endowed with an acoustic time indication after the Zeitwerk Striking Time. For those unfamiliar with the ground breaking Teutonic watch family, the Zeitwerk collection posited a digital display in an all-mechanical timepiece. And before those of you who are just joining us recoil in horror, DIGITAL is admittedly an ugly word in the world of mechanical timepieces. Yet, that’s exactly what the original A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk watch was: a digital watch, albeit a mechanical one.

Originally the purview of the quartz watch industry, the Zeitwerk displayed the time as a set of numbers rather than with the more traditional

hands pointing at Arabic or Roman numerals.

With the Zeitwerk, the master watchmakers at A. Lange & Söhne incorporated a specially designed “Time Bridge” on the dial that offered a double “digital” display via windows on the left and the right of the bridge. On the left is a disc to display the hours, while on the right are two discs to display the tens and the minutes.

To top it all, both are jumping indications, meaning that when the hour or minutes changes, the next number instantly jumps into view as opposed to it gradually moving into place making for a display that is always precise and unambiguous. Under the “digital” displays and incorporated into the Time Bridge is a traditional analog subsidiary seconds dial, while above it all is a power reserve indicator. But the main

reason for owning a Zeitwerk was that despite the “digital” conceit, it was as mechanical as could ever be with nary a diode in sight. A calculator the Zeitwerk was not, and best of all it was made by A. Lange & Söhne.

It was in 2011 when the Teutonic masters first updated the Zeitwerk to incorporate a sonnerie complication. Called the Zeitwerk Striking Time, it was the world’s first mechanical wristwatch with jumping digital indications to incorporate a chiming mechanism, and it proved that such a disparate combination worked...even if the Zeitwerk Striking Time could only chime on the hour and every 15 minutes and not chime on demand.

Then in 2015, the watchmakers from Lange Uhren GmbH updated the Zeitwerk once again by adding a minute repeater to the collection. But not just any minute repeater, unlike the Zeitwerk Striking Time, which could not chime on demand, the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater could sound the time as indicated on the dial. So, if the repeater pusher at 10 o’clock was activated at 7:52, for instance, the gong hammer on the left would strike the lowpitched gong seven times, once for every elapsed hour. Then, five double tones will be struck for the elapsed ten-minute intervals, followed by the right-hand hammer with two high strikes, one for each elapsed minute.

More importantly, this meant that the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater only looked similar to the Zeitwerk Striking Time but was a different beast entirely, and this was due to an entirely new striking mechanism that combined the mechanical jumping numerical display with a decimal minute repeater for the very first time.

The Lange engineers did this by taking advantage of the Time Bridge mechanism already in place in the Zeitwerk. As previously mentioned, the time on this “bridge” is displayed by an hour ring and two minute discs. So, for the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater the watchmakers fashioned three snails to connect to these mechanical display elements, and thus, were able to separately sample the number of hours, ten-minute intervals, and minutes to be acoustically indicated by way of the three discs. At the same time, enlarged sampling surfaces enhanced the reliability of the striking mechanism. In other words, the master watchmakers at A. Lange & Söhne created a bespoke striking mechanism made especially for the Zeitwerk.

Further, because the power for the striking mechanism is delivered by the mainspring barrel, the Lange engineers were able to discard with the slide used by traditional minute repeaters, and instead provided a unique pusher mechanism to trigger the repeater. Without that large lateral

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opening to cause acoustic disruption, sound quality was improved tenfold. And since a pusher, unlike a slide, can be sealed, the ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER is water-resistant to as much as 3 bar.

In fact, the Lange sound engineers had to carefully reconcile all the relevant elements of the repeater to achieve the best sound quality possible. This means the case, gong hammers, gongs, and movement architecture had to be in sync with one another. Thus, the large case had to be tuned to deliver a reverberant, warm sound.

While the gongs, also patiently tuned by hand, generate pure, resonant tones in perfect harmony with the case.

But that’s not all. Countless hours and extensive fine-tuning was required to guarantee the smooth interaction and repetitive, long-term integrity of all the components that make up the whopping 771-part L043.5 manufacture calibre.

And in case of the inevitable unintended yet potentially damaging manipulations that these mechanisms seem to attract, the watch engineers incorporated their own set of useful safety features. Indeed, with all those parts, mechanical conflicts are bound to happen, cogs will get stuck, gears will misalign, and mechanicals will break

down, especially if the user makes the mistake of setting the time during a chiming sequence.

To prevent this, the watchmakers made sure that the crown cannot be pulled while the striking mechanism is active. When activated, the winding train is uncoupled from the ratchet wheel that powers it. This precaution prevents the winding wheel train including the crown from turning while the gongs are being struck. And since it takes a total of 20 seconds for the maximum succession of tones at 12:59, the switching of the numeral discs is halted until the chiming sequence ends. This assures that the acoustic time indication WILL ALWAYS correspond to the time displayed on the dial.

Additionally, the repeater can no longer be activated if the power reserve drops to less than twelve hours (which is indicated on the power reserve indicator by a red dot). This assures that the repeater sequence will always execute in full and not stop unexpectedly before the sequence is complete.

And to ensure the smooth delivery of that power, the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater also features a patented constant-force mechanism between the barrel and the balance. As many Calibre readers already know, these mechanisms

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act as pacemakers and are integral in the constantly smooth delivery of power to the complications no matter how much power is left in reserve.

The L043.5 manually wound manufacture calibre is, naturally, as lavishly decorated and hand-finished as every single A. Lange & SĂśhne manufacture calibre that has come before it.

Of the 93 jewels, three are set in screwed gold chatons. While the brand’s signature handengraved balance cock was given a design complement: an escape-wheel cock engraved with the same motif. Beneath this, the balance wheel with eccentric poising weights and a free-sprung balance spring crafted in-house breathes with a frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour.

Dressed in platinum for its debut in 2015, the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater marks 2020 with a 44.2-millimetre white-gold case with a matching deployant. Limited to only 30 watches, this new model comes with an enchanting deep-blue dial in solid silver, which contrasts beautifully against the rhodiumed German silver time bridge. As before, the polished gongs and the polished gong hammers are subtly integrated in the design of the dial, while a blue hand-stitched leather strap highlights the elegance of the timepiece.

Feature

Audemars Piguet

Making Things Better Presenting a newly crafted chronograph from the 1940s.

Wo rd s b y

BERT E. CASAL

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Feature

Audemars Piguet

AUDEMARS PIGUET’S VINTAGE CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCHES ARE AMONG THE RAREST IN THE WORLD WITH ONLY 307 UNITS MADE BETWEEN THE 1930S THROUGH THE 1950S. The Manufacture reinterprets one of their rare chronograph watches with today’s latest technology, and presents us with the [Re]master01 Self-winding Chronograph.

As the name suggests, this new timepiece is a remaster, not a reissue. The Cambridge dictionary defines “reissue” as having something produced again, much like having a document photocopied.

To remaster something is to recreate something but make it better than the original.

In the world of music, for instance, musical recordings on vinyl records were digitally remastered from vinyl records, eliminating the

scratching and crackling sounds created by the needle running through the grooves. The result is a cleaner, clearer sound. A reissue of a recording would simply be making more copies from the original without any improvement in quality.

The new [Re]master01 Self-winding Chronograph is a remaster of a watch first produced in 1943 during the tumultuous World War II era. This limited edition of 500 pieces evokes the highly distinct design attributes of the original chronograph (finished in a two-tone steel and pink gold case with a champagne dial) and uniting it with contemporary horological technology.

The Manufacture remains faithful to the original design cues of the pre-model 1533 with a round hand-polished case and lugs in stainless steel. It still carries the olive-shaped pushers

and chamfered crown in 18-carat pink gold. The teardrop lugs highlight the two-tone case’s curves, and the very thin bezel focuses the attention of the viewer to the satin-brushed gold-toned dial.

It is marked by black transferred hour markers, pink gold hour, minute, and seconds hands, blue chronograph hands and a blue transferred tachymetric scale. The dial design retains the original timepiece’s classic features and Art Decoinspired numerals. But its bigger 40 mm diameter case offers a better and more legible dial that is in tune with the times.

The chronograph counters have been rearranged for improved readability. The chronograph counters are on the same plane at 9 o’clock and at 3 o’clock. The small seconds (originally at the 9 o’clock position) is now

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located at the bottom of the dial. This new design also kept the original watch’s 4/5 indication above the 15 minutes mark inside the 30-minute counter to allow the wearer to record up to 45 minutes. This indication was requested by Audemars Piguet’s third-generation family founder Jacques-Louis Audemars (1910-2003) in honour of his favourite sport’s half-time: soccer.

With the original design features in place, Audemars Piguet brings the past into the present by equipping the [Re]master01 with the Manufacture’s newest generation of self-winding chronograph mechanisms. The self-winding Manufacture calibre 4409 is an integrated chronograph with column wheel and flyback function, allowing the user to stop a timing event and start a new one instantaneously. It also comes with a glare proof sapphire crystal case back to give an unobstructed view of the beautiful mechanism with its 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight that is satin-brushed and decorated with a “Clous de Paris” pattern, a traditional decoration technique used since the 1950s at Audemars Piguet.

As a final touch to the watch’s authenticity, the [Re]master01 features the signature “Audemars Piguet & Co Genève” on the dial. This is a tribute to the Manufacture when they had a workshop in Geneva, putting them closer to the clients and to better facilitate distribution, both for Europe and the rest of the world.

Chronograph wristwatches by Audemars Piguet are a rarity. This sports function started to equip their watches in the 1930s at a time when society started to measure the speed and performance of an event. During World War II, chronograph watches accounted for just under one-tenth of the company’s total watch production. Only three stainless steel and gold chronograph wristwatches with the present case design were sold in 1943. Though it only measured 36 mm in diameter, it was considered quite large for that era when most wristwatches measured between 31 and 34 mm.

“There were many inspiring watches within our Heritage collection that could have been the basis for this remastering project. The entire team unanimously decided on this chronograph wristwatch because of the specific aesthetic and emotional connections we all felt for this echo of the past,” said Michale Friedman, Audemars Piguet’s Head of Complications.

The [Re]master 01 comes in a light-brown hand-stitched calfskin strap. It also comes with an additional dark brown alligator strap.

“This is not a historic reissue.

This is a contemporary remastering of one of our past creations.”

— Michael Friedman,

Audemars Piguet's Head of Complications

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Feature

Greubel Forsey

Facets of Time Greubel Forsey presents its QP à Équation in a 5N red gold millesimal with a chocolate coloured gold dial.

Wo rds by

BERT E. CASAL

THIS REINVENTION OF THE PERPETUAL CALENDAR INTEGRATES THE EQUATION OF TIME INTO THE PERPETUAL CALENDAR, as well as bringing practical new functions and indications that improve clarity. The priority was to simplify a complete perpetual calendar display and make it much easier to set by simply using the bidirectional crown.

Greubel Forsey invented a sophisticated coding mechanism: the patented Mechanical Computer.

Instead of using electronic components, mechanical computers are made up of levers, gears, and such. In Greubel Forsey’s case, their Mechanical Computer is a stack of cams with movable fingers that shift the indications on the dial and case back of the timepiece, and the complete mechanism is fully integrated within the movement. The development of this device not only overturns the conventional way of setting the

indications, but also displays them simultaneously on both the dial and the case back.

Solar time is the calculation of the passage of time based on the position of the sun in the sky.

This is how sun dials tell the time. If the earth revolved around the sun in a perfect circle, and if the earth’s axis was not tilted, then the sun would appear in the sky at the very same spot on the very same hour. But that is not the case. The earth revolves in an eliptical pattern with the axis tilted at a 23.44° angle. This being so, there can be a 30-minute variation between the position of the sun and the time of day in a given year. The equation of time takes the two factors mentioned into consideration and can tell us how far ahead or behind the sun is relative to the stars.

Observing the dial in a clockwise direction, the first display is the 72-hour power reserve indicator. Just before the 3 o’clock marker is the crown pusher function selector. When “QP” is selected, it will adjust the perpetual calendar.

The “H/M” will adjust the hours and minutes of the time. Below the crown pusher function selector are the huge day, date, month windows.

At its 6 o’clock position is the leap year indicator.

The running seconds is located at the 8 o’clock position. Discreetly placed before the 8 o’clock marker is the 24 hours (Day/Night) window.

Directly above the seconds sub dial is the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, a unique fast rotational speed tourbillon with an inclined angle of 25° to solve the problem of critical positions of the oscillator in relation to gravity, offering an improved chronometric performance.

Flip the watch over to find the equation of time. There is a 0-16 minutes scale to measure the offset from the mean solar time. The arrow, aside from pointing to the month, has the colours blue and red to indicate when the sun is behind or ahead (respectively) of the solar mean time.

The months are color-coded to indicate the four seasons. The semi-circles show the equinoxes.

Also at the back is the year indicator.

“Greubel Forsey's patented Mechanical Computer calculates both solar time and mean time.”

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Feature Panerai

Panerai’s Luminor Marina Takes Luminosity to a Whole New Level

With its legendary luminous compound, Panerai takes the road no one has even seen before.

Wo rd s b y

BERT E. CASAL

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Feature Panerai

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PANERAI’S MOST EMBLEMATIC MODEL IS THE LUMINOR. Its clear-cut dial design and crown

guard makes it easily identifiable, distinct from other watches in the market. It got its name from the tritium-based luminous substance Luminor, introduce into the market 70 years ago.

This year, Panerai goes off the beaten track once more by creating a brilliant, innovative model with even greater luminosity, personified in the Luminor Marina - 44 mm (PAM01117).

With this latest edition of the Luminor Marina, Panerai goes out of the box (or in this case, the… watchcase) and extends the luminosity of the watch outside of the glass. They amplified and enhanced the use of Super-Luminova™X1, an innovative substance of the very latest generation.

The luminescence of the Luminor Marina - 44 mm goes beyond tradition by not only lighting up

the hands and indexes, but by bringing light to the flange, the bridge protecting the winding crown, and the stitches on the strap. So when this watch is subjected to darkness, these parts glow, giving the watch a more striking appearance. And to make it cooler, the emblem on the dial glows as well.

Weighing in at 100 grams light (including the strap), this watch is still extremely strong, mainly due to its titanium structure manufactured by the technology known as Direct Metal Laser Sintering, a process of futuristic 3D printing involving the sedimentation of titanium powder, sintered layer by layer by a high-powered optical fibre laser, 30 microns (0.03 mm) at a time.

The engine that drives the hands on the dial is the P.9010 calibre, a movement entirely conceived and developed by the Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel. This automatic movement is only

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6 mm thick and fitted with the a function for quickly setting the time and date. Its twin spring barrels provide 3 days of power reserve.

Conscious of the technical and mechanical reliability of its time-measuring instruments, Panerai raises the stakes by giving the Luminor Marina - 44 mm a 70-year warranty.

Throughout this period, Panerai will maintain the good working order of the client’s watch as necessary under the terms and conditions of the International warranty.

Water-resistant to 30 bar, the new Luminor Marina - 44 mm is fitted with a strap made of Panerai Sportech™, woven to give a waterproof rubberised effect. The blue strap is fitted with luminous stitching and a Velcro fastener. A second rubber strap, blue with titanium tongue buckle is also supplied.

Feature Piaget

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The Thin New Line Piaget transcends their ambitious experiment and pushes the boundaries of horological micro-engineering

Wo rd s b y

KIT O. PAYUMO

OVER THE DECADES, PIAGET HAS MADE A NAME FOR ITSELF AS THE PREMIER MAKER OF ULTRATHIN WATCHES. From the tiny workshop formed

by Georges Edouard Piaget in his family farm in La Côte-aux-Fées in 1874, to the time when Gérald and Valentin Piaget, the founder’s grandsons, legitimized the family business by officially registering the Piaget brand name in 1943, to the full-blown Maison with a second manufacture in Plan-les-Oates that it is today, Piaget has become synonymous with the term “ultra-thin.”

In 2014, Piaget celebrated it’s 140th anniversary with the Calibre 900P, so named as a tribute to the legendary 9P movement, the world’s thinnest hand-wound movement at only 2 mm thick when it was launched by Piaget at the 1957 Basel Fair. The Calibre 900P was significant because it introduced an entirely novel form of construction developed by two Piaget Manufactures working as one: the one in La Côte-aux-Fées, which develops the movements;

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and the other in Plan-les-Oates, where the watch exteriors are designed. For a full three years, these watchmakers, case constructors and designers worked together at each stage of development, production, adjustment and finishing in order to achieve a new benchmark: the Altiplano 38 mm 900P, which featured a case that was also the movement’s mainplate.

Then came the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P, the Maison’s next stage in horological evolution from the 900P, and the record holder in 2018 for the thinnest self-winding mechanical watch at a staggering 4.30mm thick. Like the Altiplano 38 mm 900P the 910P calibre and case of the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic formed an inseparable whole, with the latter serving as a mainplate on which the 219 incredibly thin components were affixed. Both watches, looking very similar, were like father and son, with the son being the better, “improved” version of the father. And like any good “son,” the 910P topped the “father” because it had something that the

Feature Piaget

900P didn’t: a 22K gold peripheral rotor, thus explaining the 910P’s larger 41mm diameter compared to the 900P’s 38mm.

Well, there was no place to go but…down. Not content to sit on their laurels Piaget pushed the concept even further and filed no fewer than five patents in the process. This resulted in the new Altiplano Ultimate Concept, developed and produced entirely in-house by Piaget’s dedicated Research and Innovation division, and which stole the show at the 2018 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie but only as an experiment in horological micro engineering. In fact, no one in attendance ever expected a watch so thin to become commercially viable. It was just too thin!

Just strapping it on to the wrist made the case bend enough for the movement to stop.

That was two years ago. Working a grand total of six years from prototype to finished product, the master watchmakers at Piaget have finally delivered a working and commercially produced Altiplano Ultimate Concept, a watch just 2mm thick, making it as thin as a 1 Euro coin, thinner than most after dinner mints, and the same height of two credit cards stacked on top of each other!

Eschewing the classic method of construction which dictated the four-layer style of conventional watchmaking: bezel and crystal; dial, hands, and movement encapsulated in a case and case back, Piaget once again turned to the “fusion” concept, which the Maison has been the masters of since 2014. This meant that the case back was used as both part of the case and the movement mainplate.

The Altiplano Ultimate Concept, however, was too thin for the use of gold, thus, a new cobaltbased alloy that is highly resistant, and 2.3 times stronger than gold was selected (especially to address that bending issue). Unfortunately, this also meant that the alloy (in its extremely svelte profile) was much more difficult to machine, and only added to the level of difficulty faced by the watchmakers. This also meant, that the calibre 900P-UC is a manually wound movement with no 22K gold peripheral winding rotor like the 910P, despite the fact that the Altiplano Ultimate Concept also measures 41mm in diameter.

Indeed, many of the component parts had to be entirely re-engineered and re-sized.

The wheels, for example, went down from a

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conventional 0.20mm thick to 0.12mm, while the sapphire crystal, normally 1mm thick in a standard watch, was pared-down by 80 per cent to a scarcely believable 0.2mm.

The mainspring barrel was also redesigned with no cover or drum, and is instead mounted on a single, ceramic ball-bearing within the frame of the watch enabling the fully-wound movement to run for up to 40 hours. And did we mention the crown? It is no longer round and was also redesigned to take the form of a flat, telescopic system with its own, specially designed winding tool that fits flush with the case band. This meant that the conventional sliding pinion clutch and crown wheel made way for a single, “infinite” screw, a configuration that offers the advantage of protecting, not only the crown, but also the movement from unwanted shocks.

The Altiplano Ultimate Concept is so thin, in fact, that even conventional time telling had to be re-thought. First, like Piaget’s two previous record-breaking ultra-thin watches, the dial of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept had to be repositioned off-center. This meant a straight winding stem couldn’t be used, and instead utilizes a patented

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“The Altiplano Ultimate Concept is so thin... even conventional time telling had to be re-thought”

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“staggered” stem, which in order to function perfectly, uses a revolving indicator disc instead of a conventional hour hand, with the minute hand working in the conventional manner.

Further, when a watch is subjected to strong pressure its glass or crystal becomes slightly deformed, and given this Altiplano’s extremely confined space, the crystal is liable to press on the hands once deformed, thus causing the movement to stop. To avoid this, Piaget located the hands below the level of the bridges instead of fitting them above it, as is normally done, thereby freeing up space between the cannon-pinion and the crystal, a technical feature mastered by Piaget with the launch of the 900P in 2014.

But even if the Altiplano Ultimate Concept measures a mere 2mm thick, that didn’t stop the Piaget watchmakers from hand-decorating its 167 individual parts to the ultimate standards of haute horlogerie. Thus, rising to the challenge, Piaget’s artisans embellished the movement with sunburst and satin-brushed finishes, chamfered and polished bridges, and even enhanced the combined case/baseplate with a sophisticated PVD treatment.

And the quest for the ultimate slimness didn’t stop there. The watchmakers also looked at how their ultra-thin watch would be strapped to the wrist. Which is why, in the end, the Piaget watchmakers had to develop a special alligator strap, and a blue Baltimore technical textile strap, both of which feature velvet calfskin lining and an ultra-strong Kevlar insert to achieve a 1.5 mm, ultra-thin level of svelteness.

And as if the Altiplano Ultimate Concept wasn’t rare enough, Piaget has also deemed that it be included in the brand’s innovative “Style Selector” program making the watch extensively customizable to the requirements of individual owners. Thus, buyers can specify the bridge and dial color, the finish of the hands and the main plate, and select straps that match or contrast. In fact, an entire range of options are on hand that will allow more than 10,000 permutations of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, thus ensuring that few will be alike and most will be truly unique.

With the new Altiplano Ultimate Concept, Piaget has drawn a new thin line in the sand.

Feature

GlashĂźtte Original

Beautiful Sixties A new color palette and a chronograph make the annual editions sublime.

Wo rd s b y

KATHERINE S. CUNANAN

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Feature

Glashütte Original

WATCH BRANDS OFTEN REINVENT OR REFRESH FAVORITE COLLECTIONS WITH A NEW COLOR PALETTE, A NEW METAL, OR A NEW DIAL LAYOUT.

Loyalists love seeing a favored model in a new incarnation, and sometimes the refreshing approach makes others take a second look at the collection and even the brand as a whole.

Glashütte Original annual editions are always highly anticipated. Did they choose a recent favorite or did they go further back in their history? Did they just tweak a model or is it a complete re-do? For 2020, the wait has been worth it. Glashütte Original presents the Sixties and Sixties Chronographs in a fresh new color that is elegant and sublime.

In 2018, Glashütte Original decided to honor their past with the annual editions dedicated to the Sixties. The Saxon watchmaker chose the Sixties, a golden time, a time of luxury, a time of elegance. And every year since then, the watch

lovers have waited with bated breath to see what Glashütte would present. This year, as always, they did not disappoint.

Picture it — a crisp, clear day in the alpine mountains, the majestic glaciers just off in the distance. The scene is both calming and empowering. The adventure is yours for the taking — sit back and enjoy the view, or surge ahead and take on the challenge of the cool glacier. Thanks to Glashütte Original, you have a watch that can remind you of that perfect day. The Glashütte Original Sixties and Sixties Chronograph in a sublime color palette inspired by the mountains are the perfect choice.

The Glashütte Original Sixties and Sixties Chronograph have been brought to the modern

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day with a sublime color palette that suits the watch design quite well. The Sixties Chronograph is a welcome addition to this, well, edition.

Chronographs have the stopwatch feature built into them, making them all the more useful (and let’s face it, a heck of a lot of fun too).

The alpine glaciers provided the inspiration for the Glashütte Sixties and Sixties Chronograph watches — majestic, stately, and strong. The Glashütte Original watches continue with the 1960s signature design — domed sapphire crystals, elegantly curved hands, stylish Arabic numerals paired with classic hour markers. The dial itself is impressively done by the experts of the in-house dial manufactory. Each dial has a sunray finish topped with a dark blue lacquer to create the dégradé effect. The watchmakers add another layer of lacquer, in glacier blue, creating a depth that is unique to each watch. The dials are heated in an oven to burn in the precious colors.

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“The watchmakers add another layer of lacquer, in glacier blue, creating a depth that is unique to each watch.”

These Sixties are the classic three-hand version, powered by the Calibre 39-52 automatic movement, and come in at 39 mm. The Sixties Chronograph features the manufactory’s Calibre 39-34, and has a central stop-second and two auxiliary dials for the small second and 30-minute counter, nicely fitting in the 42 mm case. Both the Sixties and the Sixties Chronograph are in stainless steel cases and have 40-hours power reserve. The strap choice of browngrey nubuck calfskin continues with the color palette from the alpine mountains.

Glashütte Original Sixties and Sixties Chronographs in this annual edition are available for a limited time only from Glashütte Original Boutiques and selected authorized dealers across the globe. Whether the Glashütte Original Sixties and Sixties Chronographs serve as reminder of a past adventure or an inspiration for a future one, these watches are meant to be on your wrist.

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Feature

Speake-Marin

One & One Is Two Speake-Marin gives a new flying tourbillon the Openworked treatment Wo rd s b y

KIT O. PAYUMO

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Feature

Speake-Marin

PETER SPEAKE-MARIN’S LOVE FOR TOURBILLONS IS WELL KNOWN. Just take a look at the first ever

timepiece he created: the Foundation Watch, a beautiful hand-made pocket watch equipped with an equally beautiful tourbillon escapement. “The tourbillon is one of the things that I love most about watchmaking,” said Speake-Marin. “Not because of the precision it gives to the timekeeping, but because of the animation it gives to the dial. It shows time moving in a way that a minute-repeater or a grande sonnerie, for example can’t offer. It’s something which, for me, is quite profound, illustrating the passing of time.”

And even if founder and namesake, Peter Speake-Marin, has since left the company to pursue other projects, the brand Speake-Marin has adopted Peter’s love for the escapement, as well as his original take on classic Swiss watchmaking, which he infused with a touch of British eccentricity, the most recent example of which is the One&Two Openworked Flying Tourbillon.

Indeed, the 2016 introduction of the One&Two Openworked collection marked a new aesthetic direction for the brand, and its success ensured the collection’s continued expansion. Beginning with the launch of the time-only Openworked Hours & Minutes, this was soon followed by the Openworked Dual Time in 2017. Both timepieces featured 4Hz movements with the time-only

Hours and Minutes featuring the SMA01 calibre, a COSC-certified automatic movement with an integrated micro-rotor marked by the unusual location of the small seconds counter at 1:30.

Continuing its mission to “break away from traditional watchmaking codes,” Speake-Marin gives the flying tourbillon the “Openworked” treatment just in time for the 2020 digital edition of Watches & Wonders. And just like the original One&Two Openworked Hours & Minutes, the new One&Two Openworked Flying Tourbillon locates a flying tourbillon at the unusual location of 1:30.

Indeed, Speake-Marin is the only watchmaker (at least, as far as we know) that has positioned the escapement at such an unusual location, a configuration made much more complicated not only by the fact that the tourbillon cage had to go through the time setting module, but also by the fact that the cage is much larger in width and depth in comparison to a seconds counter.

Being an openworked watch, the dial of the One&Two Openworked Flying Tourbillon is, as before, practically non-existent, save for the chapter ring rehaut, and allows for the unobstructed view of the new in-house SMA05 self-winding movement. And aside from the three-dimensionality that this kind of dial-free set up obviously brings, the micro-blasted black

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finish of the main plate also brings a hefty amount of technical cred to the proceedings, all while retaining the classicism of the brand as represented by the iconic Speake-Marin rotor shape in black that covers the tourbillon cage.

Additionally, since this watch’s raison d’êtra is the eponymous escapement, and is not just a “regular” hour, minutes and seconds timepiece, the Speake-Marin watchmakers chose to develop a 3Hz movement (21,600 Vph) in the SMA05 Calibre. This was in order to see the movement alternations on the tourbillon more plainly, just as Peter Speake-Marin was so fond of doing.

And with a precision of +/- 4 second per day, the regulating organ is especially accurate, which is very good for a mechanical movement with a flying tourbillon.

The barrel positioned at 10 o’clock provides a power reserve of 72 hours (3 days), and is engraved with the model name, “One&Two Openworked Flying Tourbillon.” Best of all, the watch designers placed its power reserve indicator at the 7:30 position, and with the barrel at 10, the tourbillon at 1:30, the winding rotor at 5, and bolstered by those large bridges, the sharp edges of which counter balances the classical shape of the case, has created an aesthetic “balance” to the overall design, despite the fact that the dial is skewed towards the tourbillon. And speaking of the case…

The SMA05 self-winding movement is nestled in a new version of the brand’s signature Piccadilly case. Redesigned by Eric Giroud, the new case is more technical than the original allowing for various changes whilst maintaining the original Speake-Marin DNA. These include shorter lugs thereby bringing the straps closer to the case; a crown that was moved inward to soften overall aesthetics; and a bezel and caseback that slightly overlap the central case section, instantly “contemporizing” the overall look of the watch while maintaining the iconoclastic feel of SpeakeMarin. In addition, the glass traditionally set into the bezel has been altered to a box form, reducing the overall thickness of the case and (again) accentuating the technical aspect of the watch.

Indeed, all these aesthetic changes were made to “break away from traditional watchmaking codes,” and bring the collection up and beyond contemporary standards.

All this resulted in the anachronism that is the One&Two Openworked Flying Tourbillon, a timepiece that combines traditional Swiss watchmaking with contemporary tenets, and successfully brings Speake-Marin’s classic story well into the 21st century.

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Feature

Roger Dubuis

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Diabolically Enchanting Roger Dubuis breaks its own rules with the new Excalibur Diabolus in Machina.

Wo rd s b y

BERT E. CASAL

ROGER DUBUIS IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS SKELETON DIALS WITH A FIVE-POINT STAR JUST BELOW THE HANDS. It has become their “signature,” so to speak. But in creating this unique piece, Roger Dubuis violated their own code and came up with a design that looks like the star “imploded” on the dial. This is the design of the new Excalibur Diabolus in Machina.

The Excalibur Diabolus in Machina is fitted with two of the most sought-after complications in the watch world: the tourbillon and the minute repeater. The tourbillon, as we know, was created to combat the ill-effects of gravity on a pocketwatch when stored vertically on a gentleman’s vest pocket. The minute repeater chimes the time. At the press of a button, a low pitch will chime the hours, a high pitch for the minutes, and two tones for the quarter hours.

To further supplement the minute repeater, Roger Dubuis added a disc at 11 o’clock marked with the words “Hours,” “Quarters,” and “Minutes.” So when the minute repeater is activated, the words coincide with the banging of the gongs, adding a visual element to the experience. Now the wearer can enjoy the minute repeater with both his ears and his eyes.

Instead of creating two gongs to sound off the time, Roger Dubuis chose to give their minute repeater the sound of a tri-tone, giving it a complex melodic harmony. The gongs are tuned to

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Feature

Roger Dubuis

a C and G flat chord. The tones of these gongs are enhanced by the choice of materials used, offering listeners an enchantingly sensory experience.

The minute repeater’s push piece is fitted with a mechanism called “all or nothing.” This allows the minute repeater to be triggered only if the pusher has been fully and completely pressed.

This safety feature prevents the mechanism from being set off accidentally, or having it give a partial indication of time if pressed half way.

Another feature of the watch is an indicator placed between 3 o’clock and 4 o’clock. This lever lets the wearer know whether the watch is in “manual winding” or in “time setting” mode.

This visual safety feature is extremely important when adjusting the watch, as setting the time while the minute repeater is playing can damage the movement.

And, of course, Roger Dubuis combines these features with its famous flying tourbillon. A flying tourbillon is basically the same as the traditional tourbillon invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet.

But instead of being mounted on two sides supported by a bridge or cock, a flying tourbillon is supported from only one side.

The Excalibur Diabolus in Machina comes in a 45 mm case of CarTech Micro-Melt BioDur CCMTM, a metal that starts as a powder and is then sintered into solid form. This material’s biggest advantage is that it is more wear resistant and stays shiny even when scratched and scuffed.

The case is water resistant to 30 meters. This timepiece is powered by the RD0107 movement that has 60 hours of power reserve. It has a total of 558 components with 54 jewels and beats at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vph).

“This new presentation from Roger Dubuis offers its wearers a passionate and exceptional experience.”

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Feature

Vacheron Constantin

Skeletons (not) In The Closet Vacheron Constantin enhances their Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar, and then some Wo rd s b y

KIT O. PAYUMO

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Feature

Vacheron Constantin

BACK IN OUR AUGUST 2019 ISSUE, WE DARED ASK THE QUESTION, “DOES MONEY EQUATE TO GOOD TASTE?” And we asked this in reference to the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar, which we loved when it made its bows in 2016. Back then this ultra-highend sports watch rocked a surprisingly utilitarian 11mm ultra thin stainless steel case that really matched up with its “sporty” vocation. Because of its success, however, it was just a matter of time before the watchmaker acquiesced to more “precious” metals. Which is exactly what happened in 2018 with the addition of 18K 5N rose gold to the Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar line up.

Last year, the 260-year old Manufacture went, for better or for worse, in two directions at once by offering two new options for the Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar. For better, because they upped the sporty factor by adding a sporty new dial color to the mix, but for worse because they also added an option that multiplied the piece’s inherent “bling” factor ten-fold. So much so that that we were forced to mutter, “There’s just no accounting for taste.”

That’s right, Vacheron Constantin took the 18K 5N pink gold case, and translucent silvertone dial of the Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar, and matched it with a bracelet also in 18K 5N pink gold. Indeed, this all-gold model with its 18K 5N pink gold bracelet, which was made up of half Maltese cross-shaped polished and satin-brushed links, practically screamed “Eastern European Oligarch Special,” which (for some people) made it the perfect complement for the whisper thin 41.5mm 18K 5M pink gold case, its signature semi-tonneau profile, and its signature six-sided bezel evoking Vacheron Constantin’s famous Maltese cross emblem.

Say what you will about all gold watches, however, because no matter what anyone says you can’t go wrong with one of the sweetest complications wrapped in one of the slimmest shimmering all-gold packages ever to come out of the Vacheron Constantin factory floors.

And we hate to admit it, but there’s something aesthetically seamless about the all-gold combination complementing an obviously ultrahigh-end complication.

Indeed, there is no doubt that the Overseas collection has been designed for the VERY-wellheeled traveler, and it doesn’t get any more verywell-heeled than the all-gold Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar. And now that the solid gold bracelet fastens down an even slimmer case just

8.1mm thick, well, it becomes a no brainer. Which is why, for 2020, Vacheron Constantin has gone the extra mile to deliver this same Overseas model in Squelette form. That’s right, the downright blingy Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar has been given the skeletonized treatment ratcheting its horological cred back up in one fell swoop.

And it all came down to the same in-house developed Caliber 1120 QP/1 (Quantième Perpétuel) used in the original stainless steel version. An ultra-thin mechanical self-winding movement that displays the time, day, date,

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month, leap year, and moon-phase indications, and which is more than “smart” enough that it doesn’t need to be manually corrected until the year 2100.

Indeed, skeletonization is regarded as a watchmaking complication in itself and consists of finely “removing” and “hollowing out” parts of the movement without ever compromising its integrity. This is obviously an extremely difficult and complex undertaking requiring skills mastered by very few watchmaking artisans.

Fortunately, Vacheron Constantin is one of the

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rare Manufactures capable of openworking calibres as complex as perpetual calendars and ultra-thin movements.

Thus, the 4.05mm ultra-thin mechanical selfwinding movement of the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton has been entirely openworked for all the world to revel in. Now designated the Calibre 1120 QPSQ, its skeletonized dial has become a showcase for the functional beauty of the mechanical movement with a design that ensures that the watch is perfectly legible as it reveals its mechanical intricacies with the help of applied 18K 5N pink gold hour-markers, the Maltese cross emblem, as well as day, date, and month counter rings.

From the stage of the sapphire crystal caseback, the gear trains and the NAC-treated oscillating weight with its segment in 22K gold and openworked for the first time in the Overseas collection to highlight its stylized Maltese cross design, also get starring roles. Indeed, all the open spaces allow the gaze to roam freely throughout the heart of the movement and admire all the specialized finishing entirely performed by hand.

This includes straight-graining the surfaces to achieve a satin-brushed finish; beveling straight lines and curves to create those elusive and much desired light effects; circular brushing, sunburst finishing, as well as circular-graining and polishing to ensure varied reliefs. And while the use of these ancestral craftsmanship techniques has served to highlight the beauty of the components, it’s the anthracite grey shade obtained by means of an NAC electrolytic treatment that enhances the mechanism and gives it a sharp, technical feel.

As mentioned before, the bracelet in 18K 5N pink gold with satin-brushed half Maltese crossshaped links still makes an appearance here but this is tempered by the technicity of the skeletonized Calibre 1120 QPSQ. And because of the brand’s proprietary strap changing system first introduced in the 2016 Overseas models, the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton also comes with two additional straps: the first in a hand-stitched blue Mississippiensis alligator leather with blue nubuck lining and a micro-perforated effect, as well as a third strap in blue rubber. The first two straps in gold and leather are no brainers, but it’s the third strap in rubber that may be the most interesting option. It offers an eccentric and off beat contrast to the precious metal encasing the preciously executed movement.

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Feature Hermès

THE HERMÈS SKY The French Maison invites us to lose ourselves within three more unique visions of our Earth’s closest celestial neighbor Words by

KIT O. PAYUMO

HERMÈS IS A MAISON KNOWN FOR CREATING “OBJECTS” THAT TRANSCEND THE MONOTONY OF EVERYDAY LIFE. They do this as only the French are capable of doing by creating objects that stem from uncompromising expertise, while still radiating “a lightness of the unexpected.” These objects are true companions for those who wear them, and while they are functional, they are not necessarily designed to be practical. Instead, Hermès goes out of its way to make everyday life its playground, imbuing each moment and each instant with a sense of whimsy and unexpected delight.

For Hermès, time is yet another venue for whimsy and delight. And rather than measuring, ordering, and controlling it, Hermès dares to explore other avenues of expressing it. Indeed, much like the rest of their “objects” Hermès time is designed to arouse emotions, and open up interludes to create “spaces of spontaneity and recreation.” Their latest timepiece, which is an examination of our constant nightly companion, is no exception.

Travelling as if “in another dimension, cosmic and dreamlike,” the wonderfully captivating Arceau L’heure de la lune by Hermès won the Calendar

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Feature Hermès

and Astronomy Watch prize at last year’s 19th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHP), beating out the likes of RJ, Ulysse Nardin, GirardPerregaux, Parmigiani Fleurier, and powerhouses IWC Schaffhausen, and Audemars Piguet in the process. The Arceau L’heure de la lune, indeed, not only brought the story of the moon phase even further, but also set a new standard in execution that other watchmakers are still playing catchup to. And they did it with a fixed dual display of the phases of the moon in both northern and southern hemispheres while two counters, the first showing the time and the second showing the date, revolved weightlessly around it.

That’s right: fixed. Indeed, the time-honored moon phase has, after all these years, become an almost “basic” complication. Not so in the hands of the French powerhouse. Which is why Hermès set out to put their own unique stamp on the traditional complication. Making its grand entrance at the 2019 edition of the SIHH last year, the Arceau L’heure de la lune is a moon phase watch like no other, one which immediately set new standards, both technically and aesthetically, upon its introduction.

Using the French Maison’s own in-house Hermès caliber H1837 movement as its base, the Arceau L’heure de la lune featured an exclusive complication called the “L’Heure De La Lune,” which essentially upends the usual hierarchy of displays on a watch dial by having the pair of moon phases made of mother-of-pearl fixed to the dial and having the time and date indications do the revolving. This module required over 100 components and measures 28mm across (the resulting span of the rotating time and date discs).

Indeed, the two lacquer dials “float” over the moon phases and rotate around the dial once every 59 days. And since the moon is always with us even when we cannot see it, Hermès displays that accordingly by allowing the two dials to cover up both moons upon its waning before commencing the new moon phase; thus, the Arceau L’heure de la lune effectively indicates the current moon phase in both the southern and northern hemispheres at once every 59 days. Best of all, the mobile time and date discs maintain their horizontal orientation, no matter where they are on the dial.

And that’s not all; this offbeat expression of the classic horological complication was far from done, as Hermès invited observers to further lose their bearings by swapping cardinal points. That’s right, with the Arceau L’heure de la lune up is down and down is up. Thus, the southern hemisphere

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(or “Sud”) occupies pride of place at 12 o’clock, while the northern hemisphere (or “Nord”) occupies the space below at 6 o’clock. And still, Hermès wasn’t done.

In a subtle nod to the brand’s own equine logo, “Sud” bears a barely discernible Pegasus motif, and is yet another way the brand achieved that near imperceptible quality of whimsy. Entitled Pleine Lune (Full Moon), this portrayal of the winged horse was designed by “dreamer-designer” Dimitri Rybaltchenko, and is so subtle as to be near imperceptible, and is instead meant to merely HINT at the passage where the two worlds of magic and reality converge. Indeed, so French, and so Hermès. The Northern hemisphere, at 6 o’clock, on the other hand, gets the no-nonsense treatment and is depicted realistically.

We were treated to two executions of the Arceau L’heure de la lune last year: one with a textured meteorite dial and graduated grey lacquered discs, and the other with a star-lit blue aventurine dial matched to white lacquered discs.

Both utilized the same 43 mm white gold Arceau case originally designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978 with each version limited to only 100 numbered pieces. And did we mention both versions garnered audible gasps from retailers and journalists alike over the course of their display at the SIHH? Indeed, there was something about meteorite, aventurine, and mother-ofpearl combined with such an idiosyncratic yet symmetrical dial that took the festival by a storm.

One year and so many…worldly events later, the year 2020 will go down in history as one of the most… memorable years in the history of man (and the hits still keep coming). Not to worry, no health crisis, no natural disaster, and no violent outburst of racism is enough to keep our favorite French powerhouse down. Thus, Hermès continues to find the whimsical in everyday life and for 2020 is giving us three more limited edition timepieces of the Arceau L’heure de la lune, each of which are flourished with different types of meteor rock.

The 43mm white gold case of the first 30-piece limited and numbered edition is enhanced by a Black Sahara meteorite dial, moons in white natural mother-of-pearl, crystal-effect silverlacquered mobile counters, blued hands, and black transferred Arabic numerals. This version of the Arceau L’heure de la lune is matched with a matte black alligator strap with a white gold folding clasp. And while this dark first model envisions the darkness before the new moon the second limited edition is an opposing study of warmth.

Thus, the 43mm white gold case of the 36-piece limited and numbered edition, finds a lunar meteorite dial for which the two moons in white natural mother-of-pearl to rest their heads on. These are watched over by the two mobile counters, this time in brown lacquer with a gradient crystal-effect, blued hands, and contrasting white Arabic numerals to give that much needed warmth to the cold white moons.

This version of the Arceau L’heure de la lune is finished with a matte Havana brown alligator strap, also with a white gold folding clasp.

Which brings us to the third and final limited edition of this year’s Arceau L’heure de la lune.

Limited to only 2 pieces, this 43mm version in platinum is obviously the most precious of all the Hermès moon watches so far, and features a green tinted meteorite dial from, believe it or not, Mars. Yes, already hedging their bets, Hermès figured meteorite watches are already “a dime a dozen” these days and elevated their game with a watch featuring a Lunar meteorite, which (as far

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as meteorites go) is already quite scarce, but when was the last time anyone has seen a meteorite from Mars featured on a watch? Whatever the case, this watch ought to get the blood of all those green-blooded Martians pumping with a green-themed Martian meteorite Arceau L’heure de la lune matched with a matte Veronese green alligator strap. White-lacquered mobile counters enhance all this green with black transferred Arabic numerals in that wonderfully playful Hermès font.

Just like last year, all this metal, rock, and lacquer conspire to create an unprecedented technical and aesthetic display in these new limited editions of the Arceau L’heure de la lune. As before, the Arceau case with its asymmetrical lugs has become a lunar crater made of meteorite stone, while the lacquered dials with its Arabic numerals and Hermès signature sloping font are the satellites in this instance, thereby upending tradition with their magical play and unprecedented portrayal of a traditionally classic complication.

Feature Zenith

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Uncovering

Treasure in the

Attic Zenith reveals a never-before-seen prototype dial.

Wo rd s b y

BERT E. CASAL

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Feature Zenith

TOWARDS THE END OF THE 1960S, WATCH MANUFACTURERS WERE DEVELOPING THE WORLD’S FIRST AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH MOVEMENT. In Japan, Seiko was working on its own automatic chronograph movement, the Calibre 6139 which was introduced to the Japanese market in March 1969. But Zenith and its partner Movado had managed to announce the development of an automatic chronograph movement and show a working prototype at a press conference in Geneva on January of that same year. They called it the “El Primero.”

The El Primero measured 13.5 lignes in diameter and was 6.5 mm tall. A dry lubricant based on molybdenum sulphate was used for the first time. This contributed to the high precision rate. The power reserve exceeded 48 hours, which was longer than contemporary movements. It had a frequency of 36,000 vph (5Hz) and was able to record elapsed intervals to the nearest 1/10 of a second, while others beat at 21,600 or fewer vibrations per hour. Two versions of the El Primero were manufactured from the start: Calibre 3019 PHC with a date display and Calibre 3019 PHF with a full calendar and moon phase display.

As the years went by, more versions of the El Primero were released. Three years ago, at Baselworld 2017, Zenith unveiled a watch that can measure elapsed time to the nearest 1/100 of a second. Normally, this feature was only available in quartz watches. But Zenith accomplished this with the creation of the Calibre El Primero 9004.

One of the watchmakers who worked on the original El Primero movement is Charles Vermot.

When the quartz revolution came up in the seventies, Zenith management decided to halt production of the El Primero. Vermot was outraged by this decision. He took it upon himself to protect the El Primero by gathering all the technical plans and tools necessary to produce the movement, and tucked them away in the attic of the Zenith manufacture. A decade later, Vermot’s actions helped in reviving the legendary movement.

Every now and then, watchmakers take a peek back at their own history to see what classical and iconic design deserves a resurgence. It just so happened that in the attic of the Zenith manufacture, a small, unassuming, and unlabelled box was uncovered, hidden away since the quartz crisis. When it was opened, they found a number of watch dials: the signature El Primero tricolour dial of the A386 that became a design icon, and more remarkably, another version of the tricolour dials, using three different shades of blue. No

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records of this exist. It is presumed that these are prototype blue tricolour dials, bearing the same configuration it had when it was commercialised in 1969. It is unclear if Vermot intended these to be a different model or as an alternative to the A386. One thing was certain, though: its striking beauty and intriguing history compelled Zenith watchmakers to put it into production as a Revival piece.

The Zenith Chronomaster Revival “Manufacture Edition” measures 38 mm in stainless steel with pump-style pushers, an exact reproduction of the A386 from 1969. What makes this edition significant and even more unique is that the Chronomaster Revival Manufacture Edition is the final version of the A386 available with the original “Revival” case. Beating within it is the same movement it would have had if it was made in 1969, the El Primero high frequency automatic chronograph with column wheel.

As a Manufacture piece, this revival edition is intended to be an exclusive piece, available uniquely to visitors of the Zenith Manufacture.

Nonetheless, given the current situation, which does not allow to offer tours of the manufacture, Zenith is making the Manufacture Edition available on e-commerce, giving customers the opportunity to purchase the watch until the Manufacture reopens to the public for visits. The e-commerce site will be rolled out gradually across different markets, starting with Italy, France and Switzerland in May, followed by Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and then in United States. The watch comes in a special packaging, mimicking a book that can be displayed on a bookshelf and bearing a blueprint of the Zenith manufacture on its cover. It will also include a comic book about Charles Vermot by renowned Swiss cartoonist Cosey, as well as a reproduction of the vintage dial found in the attic.

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Feature Chopard

Chopard drives with electro glide on the‌

Blue Highway Words b y

KIT O. PAYUMO

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IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT TIME AGAIN FOR VINTAGE RACE CAR DRIVERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD TO REMOVE THE COVERS FROM THEIR VINTAGE RACE CARS and participate in the thirtyeighth edition of “la corsa più bella del mondo” or “the world’s most beautiful race” also known as the 1000 Mille Miglia. Indeed, in May of this year, over 400 teams were supposed to compete over the one thousand-mile distance of the legendary route from Brescia to Rome and back.

Front and center in the race is still the effervescent Karl-Friedrich Scheufele whose company Chopard took on the twin roles of partner and official timekeeper to the Mille Miglia. Initiated in 1988, these ties were born from Karl-Friedrich’s own passion for classic cars and under his watch (pardon the pun) Chopard became the main sponsor of the legendary Mille Miglia. This longstanding partnership has naturally given rise to another Mille Miglia

tradition: the Mille Miglia watch, which is released in conjunction with the Mille Miglia every year as a special limited edition series dedicated primarily to the fabled race.

Alas, the on-going health-crisis of the global pandemic all but ensured the cancellation of the race for 2020. Fortunately the 1000 Mille Miglia 2020 was merely postponed, and instead will be held from October 22 to 25 of this year. But that didn’t stop Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and Chopard from unveiling the newest watches made especially for the occasion.

Just like the previous annual incarnations, this year’s Mille Miglia collection has been inspired by the classic racecars that Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard, avid collector and active classic racecar driver holds dear. And while we’ve seen the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control, and Mille Miglia GTS Chronograph watches before, they have been “refreshed” by Chopard’s intrepid team

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of designers and now sport dials in eye-catching “Azzurro” (Italian for ‘blue’), a new cobalt hue carefully selected both for its aesthetic appeal and its similarity to the shades often used in the past on some of the world's great classic cars.

Indeed, the color both reflects “the mechanical nature of the Mille Miglia timepieces,” and offers “a versatile alternative to more conventional black or silver dials.” Not to mention, this more fashionable blue color gives the (let’s face it) “robustly” engineered (shorthand for big and obtrusive) Mille Miglia GTS models a more fashionable stance, and despite their tall cases and large “sporting” diameters both models now have the ability to blend in effortlessly whether worn for business, to a cocktail party, on the sports field — or, of course, beneath the cuff of a favorite driving jacket.

This is thanks in no small part to similar case designs, which feature narrow bezels, and slab case sides, with a slick automotive-inspired detail:

Feature Chopard

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a piston ring-style groove around the outside of the bezel that helps break up the profile of the tall cases. Both watch cases also feature broadshouldered masculine lugs, the smoothly sloping sides of which are reminiscent of the handcrafted coachwork; and an oversized winding crown that recalls the chunky cap of a race-style fuel filler.

The chronograph, on the other hand, feature “pump-style” pushpieces deeply engraved with a crosshatch pattern to augment grip.

The 2020 limited edition Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control, however, stands out with a 43mm two-tone case made primarily of stainless steel and with 18K rose gold detailing at the winding crown, bezel, hands, and hour markers. The automatic time-and-date watch’s more retro-influenced dial has been characteristic of the model since its debut in 2015, and features a varnished blue aluminium bezel insert marked in 12 increments of five to facilitate elapsed time recording. More distinctly, a power-reserve indicator reminiscent of a petrol gauge sits proudly at 9 o’clock on the dial, the design of which immediately sets it apart from “lesser” race inspired watches, while the bold punches of red from the seconds hand tip, the 9 o’clock power reserve indicator, and the Mille Miglia arrow emblem at 3 o’clock add a punch of contrast against the deep blue of the dial. And with oversized numerals echoing typical 1950s dashboards, the Mille Miglia 2015 Race Edition is a model truly dedicated to competitive racing and is indeed inspired by the speed machines that took part in the race from 1940 to 1957.

Driven by the Calibre 01.08-C entirely developed, designed, and assembled within the workshops of Fleurier Ebauches, its automatic transmission ensures essential ease of use, while its 60-hour gas reserves guarantees continuous and accurate operation even after long pit stops.

Further, its certification by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) testifies to the precision of its rating, a must-have attribute for Chopard watches in general and is a muchcoveted certification for racing drivers as reflected by the “Chronometer” designation appearing on the dial. And to further accelerate the exclusivity, the sapphire crystal caseback to view the in-house calibre is surrounded by a steel ring with the engraving “BRESCIA > ROMA > BRESCIA,” as well as the individual edition number of the 500 piece limited series.

The 44mm all-steel Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono, on the other hand, has been described as a “watch for gentleman drivers who make every second count.” And unlike the vintagecentric GTS Azzurro Power Control, the Mille

Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono is technically inspired in its classic mid-century graphic treatment that includes pointed sword hands, and large applied indices. Indeed, it’s Chopard’s carefully studied mix of technicity tempered with classic design that makes this chronograph truly stand out. Just look at those deeply snailed rings around the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock subdials, they add a visual depth and a vintage dashboard gauge quality that make them look larger than they actually are. Not to mention the soft, but crisp Arabic numerals of the subdials and the tachymeter bezel that cements the overall design in the warm 20thcentury Italian style of the Mille Miglia auto race.

Indeed, this triumph in design succeeds in the simple texturing and font treatment that Chopard chose to apply here.

Differentiating the two models even further are their power plants: the GTS Azzurro Power Control is driven by the in-house Calibre 01.08-C movement, while the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro

Chrono is driven by the tried and true chronometercertified Valjoux 7750 automatic movement, which features the characteristic 12-9-6 chronograph layout, and a 48-hour power reserve.

Still, both watches hark back to the glory days of vintage racing. Which is why both Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro models are matched with a deep blue perforated leather rally strap with a soft blue rubber lining that adds comfort and that helps to manage sweat. The fact that it is embellished with a tread pattern inspired by the treads of classic Dunlop racing tires only helps set it apart from the rest of the pack.

So, nothing new of note here (save for those deep blue dials), yet Chopard has somehow managed to come up with two very handsome models in the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control and the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono that successfully breathes new life into the Mille Miglia GTS collection yet again. We wonder what they’ll come up with next year.

Feature Omega

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Glorious Stunning in Gold Wo rd s b y

KATHERINE S. CUNANAN

Speedmaster 87 www.calibremagazine.com

Feature Omega

THE OMEGA SPEEDMASTER IS A SPECTACULAR WATCH, AND OMEGA BRINGS US NEW MODELS IN STUNNING ALL 18K-GOLD. The Speedmaster was introduced in 1957 as a sports and racing chronograph. The chronograph feature is basically having a stopwatch within the watch, so there is no need for an additional gadget or tool. And that is what the original Speedmaster was meant to be — a tool. This made the Speedmaster a preferred watch for engineers, technicians, athletes, and doctors.

But the watch has evolved, as all good things do, into more than what it was planned for.

It is still a fantastic tool watch thanks to the chronograph. The Speedmaster has since crossed into the realm of luxury and elegance. The Speedmaster, whether for the men or for the ladies, is an incredible watch. This year OMEGA combines the classic Moonwatch design with the refined elegance of a ladies watch and brings us the Speedmaster 38mm in all gold, with two color palettes to choose from. Each watch has three subdials plus the date window at the 6 o’clock.

The dial is something rather new in that it is just

one color, instead of the subdials having a separate color. The result is a simple and elegant look.

Each model has the classic oval subdials and gentle curves. The color choices enhance the elegance, though OMEGAs are already elegant to begin with. The first color choice is the 18K Sedna™ gold model. Sedna™ gold is a metal alloy developed by OMEGA using gold, copper, and palladium. The copper and palladium give

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the gold a gentle rose color. The silver dial goes well with the 18K Sedna™ gold hands and hour indexes. The 18K Sedna™ gold case is partnered with a taupe-brown leather strap that echoes the cappuccino tinge on the dial.

The second color choice is the 18K yellow gold case with a silvery dial and green leather strap.

The combination of the shades of green with the yellow gold make this watch more interesting to

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look at. The hands are a combination of yellow gold and green varnish, again adding a point of interest to an already-fascinating watch.

Each watch is powered by the OMEGA CoAxial Calibre 3330. You can choose the classic tachymeter scale on the aluminium bezel, or go for a model with some bling. OMEGA has the dual bezel option that is a combination of aluminium and 90 full-cut diamonds. The diamonds on the bezel increase the stunning factor of these watches, especially considering the Speedmaster was originally a tool watch.

And that is the beauty of excellent timepieces, they continue to serve their original purpose, but they also continue to evolve and improve. The OMEGA Speedmaster is here to stay.

Feature

THROUGH AND THROUGH

MONACO

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer and the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Words by

BRYAN MARTIN B. ZIALCITA

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Feature TAG Heuer

THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT PERFECT

its existence, and bearing the ‘Heuer’-only badge.

This year TAG Heuer bring its love affair with the country of Monaco to another level as it becomes the official timekeeper of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, in addition to its current designations as the Official Watch of the Monaco Grand Prix, and the Official Watch Partner of the Monaco Top Cars Collection Museum. TAG Heuer has truly become THE watch of Monaco as it unites this tiny principality’s premier racing events under its banner.

The Grand Prix de Monaco Historique is one of the most highly regarded events in the classic

PAIRINGS. THERE ARE SOME INSTANCES WHEN IT IS DIFFICULT TO THINK OF ONE THING WITHOUT THE OTHER — just like peanut butter and jelly, or maybe wine and cheese for some people. This holds true for partnerships in the watch world as well.

Since 1969, the Heuer Monaco has inexorably tied itself to the racing event it was named after — the Monaco Grand Prix. This partnership has flourished for more than 50 years as it marked its golden anniversary last year with a collection of 5 TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 Limited Editions — each model representing a decade of

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Feature TAG Heuer

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car racing calendar. Every 2 years, Monaco opens its doors to classic car lovers as they come together and pay homage to legends of Grands Prix past. During this jam-packed weekend, more than 200 grand prix classic cars (from 50 different car makers) vie for supremacy as they participate among the seven series held during this event for race cars made during the 1930s to 1970s. Each car has been selected for its originality and historical value, with drivers from more than 21 countries represented during the last Grand Prix de Monaco Historique in 2018.

Though this year’s race weekend (last May 8–10) was unfortunately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TAG Heuer nonetheless created a watch worthy of celebrating this new partnership with the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. And it is appropriately a Monaco.

At the heart of the new Monaco is the Calibre Heuer 02 Manufacture Movement which beats with a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, and has an 80-hour power reserve. Its dial bears the current ‘TAG Heuer’ logo since this release comes with a modern movement as mentioned earlier, and is symbolically the fruit of a new partnership rather than a reissue of an old one. The center of the dial and its indices are rhodium-plated, while its 2 sub-dials and the edges of the main dial are in brushed red sunray color with the small silver historic car logo of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique at the 1 o’clock position also located there. Similar to the previous iterations of the modern-day Monaco, its case is 39mm in size. However, its most notable difference from the Calibre 11 editions is its crown: it is situated at the right side of the case alongside the pushers similar to other conventional chronographs. Each case has also been engraved with ‘One of 1000’ signifying its limited production release, and the logo of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique printed at the inside of the sapphire glass of the Monaco’s display case back.

The other parts of this new Monaco do not disappoint. The Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Limited Edition comes with a beautiful black perforated leather strap appropriate to its racing heritage. Its red watch box has a checkered flag stamped on it, and is more than just a nod to the original Heuer Monaco’s box when it first came out in 1969.

TAG Heuer’s partnership with the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique does not break new grounds. It just reinforces a foundation already strengthened by more than 50 years of racing history with the Principality of Monaco.

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Feature Oris

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A PARTNERSHIP OF DENIM AND BRONZE Oris x Momotaro Collaboration Wo rd s b y

BRYAN MARTIN B. ZIALCITA

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Feature Oris

THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE A GOOD PAIR OF JEANS. FROM THE MOST DISCERNING FASHION ICONS TO EVERY DAY BLUE COLLAR WORKERS — HAVING A PAIR OF JEANS IS A MUST. Denim has been a part of everyone’s lives for more than a century, and is equally at home whether it is worn on the red carpet, or as an essential part of a uniform at a construction site. To true denimlovers, they see this underrated material as one of America’s greatest fashion exports.

Though now manufactured all over the world, no one takes denim as seriously Japan. It all started a few years after World War II when Japanese youth became fascinated with all things American — from its culture to even vintage clothing. What began with jeans being imported from the US would later grow into a full blown industry in Japan as it started making its own selvedge denim jeans in 1973.

While most countries took advantage of new technology to drive costs down and produce affordable denim, Japan chose a different path.

Old shuttle looms were sourced from around the world and brought back to life as the quest for the perfect pair of selvedge jeans brought Japanese denim to unheard of heights both in quality and in price.

In the 1990s, the luxury denim market took the world by storm and word was getting out about this previously well-kept secret. Japanese denim was making its way into the global stage. Different Japanese brands entered this small but thriving industry during this period.

In 2006, Japan Blue Group started Momotaro Jeans in Kojima, Okayama — the birth place of Japanese denim. Each pair of jeans is produced in an intentionally artisanal manner with traditional shuttle looms and vintage sewing machines. It is a place where fashion fades into something more

timeless; where craftsmanship takes precedence over volume and efficiency. And just like the mythical story of an elderly couple that regained their youth from a magical peach flowing down a stream (which Momotaro is named after), Momotaro Jeans is all about rejuvenation — going beyond the borders of Okayama and delivering real jeans to the rest of the world.

This year marks a new milestone for Momotaro as it partners with an equally independent and artisanal watch brand — Oris. Using the iconic Oris Divers 65 as its base, the new Oris x Momotaro collaboration brings together these two masters of their respective crafts to produce a singular work of art.

The Oris x Momotaro Edition comes in a 40mm stainless steel case with a bronze bezel that will show the passage of time as its patina develops. The date complication of the Oris Divers Sixty-Five has been removed for this special release, with its dial in a muted green

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color and faux patina lume applied to its hands and indices. However, its strap is what brings this watch to another level. Made of selvedge denim

by Momotaro with the brand’s signature white stripes logo stitched on it (and brown leather at the back of the strap), this is what makes this new release into a true collaboration between Oris and Momotaro. And of course, this special strap will also fade and evolve just like any true raw selvedge denim.

This unique collaboration also comes with a denim watch pouch/travel case with Momotaro’s

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double white stripes logo stitched in front, and the Oris logo printed on its inner flap. In addition to this, a denim card-holder is also included with Momotaro’s peach logo and branding printed on it.

This is new release by Oris and Momotaro brings two vastly different subcultures together: watch enthusiasts and denim-heads. And the great thing about this collaboration is that it does not compromise one for the other, and somehow also manages to welcome new converts to either passion.

Feature Seiko

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FROM THE SEAS TO THE STREETS Seiko Goes On An Urban Safari Wo rd s b y

BRYAN MARTIN B. ZIALCITA

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Feature Seiko

SEIKO HAS A VERY RICH HISTORY ENCOMPASSING MORE THAN A CENTURY OF JAPANESE WATCHMAKING. Since its humble beginnings in 1881, Seiko has always followed its own path and has always been consistent to its ethos of excellence, innovation, and exceptional quality at a reasonable price. This holds true even to this day.

This year, Seiko introduces to the watch world 4 new models from the Prospex Street Series.

Though these releases are new for 2020, they all draw inspiration from 2 of Seiko’s most revered models of decades past. The Seiko ‘Tuna’ and the ‘Arnie’ are both iconic watches in their own right. Today, Seiko re-imagines these 2 models under the backdrop of the urban jungle, while still retaining those distinctive characteristics that made each one legendary.

It was in 1975 when Seiko first introduced to the world the very first diver’s watch with a titanium case capable of going down to 600m underwater. The Professional Diver’s 600m was nicknamed the ‘Tuna’ due its metal shroud, and its shape that strongly resembled that of a tuna can.

The accordion-style strap was designed specifically for diving purposes as it would expand and contract depending on the diver’s current depth.

This quintessential ‘tool watch’ was awarded over 20 patents due to the groundbreaking innovation involved in its creation.

The ‘Arnie’ on the other hand, was produced over a period of 8 years — from 1982 to 1990.

This unusual model gained its notoriety by virtue of it being used in several films by none other than ‘Arnie’ himself: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

As one of the first hybrid display quartz watches in the world, this analog-digital timepiece has its own cult following. Aside from this, its metal shroud and case shape inevitably point to its lineage as a descendant of the iconic ‘Tuna.’

This year’s Prospex Street Series brings to life the ‘Tuna’ and the ‘Arnie’ in a more contemporary guise suitable for daily use. The SRPE29K1 and SRPE31K1 are both progenies of the ‘Tuna’ clothed in brown and gray respectively. Powered by Seiko’s entry level 4R36 movement, these models have the usual 41-hours power reserve, have a day-date complication and

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hacks and winds. Each watch comes with Seiko’s proprietary Hardlex Crystal, is water resistant up to 200m, and has silicone straps for casual wear and even diving.

The SNJ029P1 and the SNJ031P1 are the new ‘Arnies’ meant for city dwellers and divers alike.

Like the predecessor, both models come with the signature analog-digital display present in each ‘Arnie.’ However, each new model is powered by Seiko’s H851 Solar movement in contrast to the original quartz model. As legitimate dive watches with 200m water resistance, each modern ‘Arnie’ still has the classic ‘Tuna’ metal shroud and case shape. Instead of the utilitarian all-black design of the 1980s version, the two new model come in the more aesthetically pleasing colors of Black and Brown (SNJ029P1), and Gray (SNJ031P1).

The Prospex Street Series brings Seiko’s legendary divers back to shore. Instead of confining itself to the seas, it has found a new home deep in the concrete jungles of the city. And there is no better companion for an urban safari than a ‘Tuna’ or an ‘Arnie.’

“The Seiko ‘Tuna’ and the ‘Arnie’ are both iconic watches in their own right. Today, Seiko reimagines these 2 models under the backdrop of the urban jungle, while still retaining those distinctive characteristics that made each one legendary.”

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Feature Edox

Green Lightning Edox celebrates its role as timing partner of the FIA World Rallycross Championship Wo rds by

KIT O. PAYUMO

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Feature Edox

THE FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP (ALSO KNOWN AS WORLD RX) IS A RALLYCROSS SERIES ORGANIZED BY THE FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE L’AUTOMOBILE (FIA), an association founded way back in 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organizations and motor car users. To most motoring enthusiasts, the FIA is mostly known as the governing body for many auto racing events around the world, including Formula One, and the aforementioned World Rallycross Championship, which FIA organizes in conjunction with series promoters IMG Motorsport, a New York Citybased sports and talent management company.

Considered one of the toughest in the world, the FIA World Rallycross Championship currently

consists of 12 two-day events driven on closed circuits with a mixed surface (mostly asphalt and gravel), with each event consisting of 4 qualifying heats, 2 Semi-Finals, and the Final, which is contested by the 6 final cars over 6 laps including a “Joker lap,” a lap with a detour to spice up the competition. Obviously, the winner of the final is deemed the winner of the event, but is not necessarily the overall winner if the driver has not garnered enough championship points.

And as the saying goes, “When the going gets tough — the tough get going,” and nothing in the world of motorsport is tougher than rallycross, “where man and machine must work as one, against the clock, against their rivals and against

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the elements.” For those not in the know, rallycross is a form of sprint style automobile racing held on a closed mixed-surface racing circuit with modified production or specially built road cars. In the case of FIA World Rallycross Championship, these automobiles are built to the specifications set in 1977 by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. Indeed, these specifications only heightened the difficulty of the World Rallycross Championship, which is why only the best, and the most focused drivers win this particular rallycross.

But any rallycross is only as successful as its timing partner. Which is why since February 2019, Swiss watchmaker Edox has been the official timing partner of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

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And to celebrate, Edox has created a new Chronorally X-Treme Pilot Limited Edition, the perfect timekeeping accessory in a sport where split-second timing is critical to success.

“The right tool for the right job,” sounds like another motto the EDOX watch company should adopt. Indeed, Edox is on the forefront of some of the fastest and wildest forms of motor sport known on the planet today. From fast cars, to fast boats, Edox timepieces embody a world where most of us mere mortals would never dare tread.

And did we happen to mention they also LOOK GOOD? With intentions that were never in doubt, Edox watches are resolutely sporty and undeniably dynamic, and feature particularly robust designs

that specifically reflect their vocation.

And like the rallycross cars that are its inspiration, the new Chronorally X-Treme Pilot Limited Edition is a big, bold, and beautiful “machine” sporting a 48mm titanium case enhanced by grey PVD, and packed with an array of chronograph functions, all of which are controlled by the Calibre 38s movement.

Functioning like a well-oiled machine, the new Chronorally X-Treme Pilot Limited Edition weighs just 130 grams, and is water-resistant to 100 meters. Its iconic, oversized pushers at two and four o’clock allow the wearer (even with driving gloves) to measure lap times with exquisite precision. While the green-and-yellow dial, evoking the dashboard

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controls of a rally car and enhanced by SuperLumiNova, ensures razor sharp readability. This allows functions such as the tachymeter, the 1/10 chronograph, and the retrograde day and big date window to stand out with maximum visibility.

Limited to only 555 pieces worldwide, the Chronorally X-Treme Pilot Limited Edition continues Edox’s long association with the very best in motorsport, be it on asphalt, dirt, sand or the snow. And matched with a yellow-stitched leather strap, as well as car-wheel inspired case back, the Chronorally X-Treme Pilot Limited Edition is the perfect racing-oriented timepiece that seamlessly blends form and functionality infused with the DNA of motorsport.

Feature

MB&F x H. Moser & Cie.

PERFORMANCE

ART

MB&F and H. Moser & Cie. come together for an artistic endeavor Wo rd s b y

KIT O. PAYUMO

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NOT MANY ARE AWARE OF THIS BUT MB&F AND H. MOSER & CIE. HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS. Apparently, Precision Engineering AG, which is a sister company of H. Moser & Cie., has been supplying MB&F’s horological division with their balance springs for over a decade. Who knew (we certainly didn’t)? So it was just a matter of time that these two horological mavericks came together to collaborate on a project. Which is why it was no surprise that MB&F’s Max Büsser did eventually ask H. Moser’s Edouard Meylan to take part as a “friend” to help create what they call a “Performance Art Piece.”

“When I called Edouard to tell him that I wanted to collaborate on a creation, I mentioned that I really liked the double balance-spring, the Moser fumé dials and the Concept watch series,” said Max Büsser.

“Edouard immediately told me that he would let me borrow these features, but on condition that he could also reinterpret one of my machines. After an initial moment of surprise, I gave it some thought. Being 50% Indian and 50% Swiss, I am firmly convinced that mixing DNA creates interesting results, so why not try the experiment in watchmaking? I therefore agreed and suggested the FlyingT model, which is particularly dear to my heart.”

Thus, in the spirit of sharing and openness, H. Moser & Cie. and MB&F have come together to cultivate the concept of “strength in unity.”

This resulted in two “art pieces,” available in several versions with each issued in a 15-piece limited series. This number is a nod to the 15th anniversary of MB&F as well as the 15th anniversary of the re-launch of H. Moser & Cie. Thus, by pooling their strengths, these two competing yet philosophically similar brands have worked to harness the combined strengths of talented artisans, which (not coincidently) is entirely in keeping with the values of MB&F.

Maximilian Busser and Edouard Meylan

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Feature

MB&F x H. Moser & Cie.

LEGACY MACHINE 101 MB&F x H. Moser Harnessing their expertise, the two watchmakers blended their individual DNA to create the first of the two collaborative pieces: the Legacy Machine 101 MB&F x H. Moser, a further evolution of Büsser’s fascinating Legacy Machine.

First presented in 2014, the Legacy Machine 101 (LM101) was, itself, an evolution of its bigger brother, the Legacy Machine N°1, and accentuated what is essential in a wristwatch: the “flying” balance wheel, which is responsible for regulating precision; how much power remains in the mainspring, which indicates when it needs to be next wound; and of course, the time.

For those not familiar with any of the brand’s Legacy Machines, that “flying” balance wheel towers over everything, and is (naturally) the main focus of the dial. Indeed, it is suspended over every other element, which in the case of the LM101 is the small “main” time sub-dial to its right, and the power reserve counter below and under it. The result is a Legacy Machine that may have been the smallest, lightest, and mechanically

simplest in the collection, but one that is also the purest. An inherently classic timepiece, the “back to basics” LM101 lent itself perfectly to the inherent minimalism that H. Moser & Cie. is known for.

And to drive that “minimalist” message home, it was decided that H. Moser’s celebrated fumé dials should share center stage with MB&F’s “flying” balance wheel. Thus, harking back to the origins of horology, when only the movements were signed, Büsser not only opted to remove its logo from the dial, but also eschewed the floating domed subdials that displayed the hours and minutes, and the 45-hour power reserve.

Instead, Büsser decided to place the time and power reserve hands directly on the main dial, and combined with a refined bezel, resulted in a refreshingly clean LM101 that gives H. Moser’s fumé dials the space and attention it deserves.

Not to be outdone, MB&F’s “flying” balance wheel is still a sight to behold, and even if it had to be tempered down to highlight the beauty of the fumé dials, it still continues to lord over all proceedings. Indeed, for the Legacy Machine

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101 MB&F x H. Moser, it was fitted with a double balance spring produced by Precision Engineering AG. Thanks to this pair of matching balance springs, the displacement of the point of gravity, which each spring goes through as it expands, is corrected, while the friction effect normally encountered with a single balance spring is reduced. This significantly improves precision and results in optimized isochronism.

Through the caseback, the ‘engine’ originally co-designed and finished by Kari Voutilainen is revealed. This 221-piece manually wound movement has a frequency of 18,000bph (2.5Hz), boasts 23 jewels, has a power reserve of 45 hours, and for this version is finished with a subtle NAC treatment to enhance its contemporary beauty.

Four fumé dials were chosen for the LM101 MB&F x H. Moser: Red fumé, Cosmic Green fumé, a special edition with Aqua blue fumé for the retailer Ahmed Seddiqui & Sons, and, of course, the famous Funky Blue fumé. And for only the third time in the history of MB&F, the case is made of stainless steel, and topped with a domed sapphire crystal.

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ENDEAVOUR CYLINDRICAL TOURBILLON H. Moser x MB&F H. Moser & Cie. takes the lead for the group’s second collaborative effort and does so by “borrowing” from MB&F’s concept of threedimensional movements, a key element in the Geneva Maison’s identity. The result is the Endeavor Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser x MB&F, a new collaborative timepiece that incorporates and distills MB&F’s incredible Legacy Machine FlyingT for women by way of the Legacy Machine Thunderdome by watchmakers Eric Coudray and Kari Voutilainen. And its raison d’être is a cylindrical balance spring.

Invented in the 18th century, a cylindrical balance spring is reminiscent of a worm or corkscrew, rising perpendicularly around the upper rod of the balance staff. Commonly used in historical marine chronometers at the time, it offers the advantage of developing concentrically, and therefore geometrically, since it works perfectly along the axis of its pivots. This gives

it a significant advantage over the flat balance spring, the opposite ends of which tend to exert forces on the pivots, despite the Philips or Breguet terminal curves that were specifically developed to partially correct the non-concentric opening of the balance spring. Fitted with a Breguet overcoil at both attachment points, the cylindrical balance spring reduces pivot friction and greatly improves isochronism.

However, due to its specific shape, the cylindrical balance spring is far more difficult to produce and takes ten times longer to make than a traditional balance spring. This is where Precision Engineering AG comes in, which gladly equipped the Endeavor Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser x MB&F with a cylindrical balance spring, the same kind it developed, by the way, for MB&F’s own Legacy Machine Thunderdome.

Thus, the Endeavor Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser x MB&F features a one-minute flying tourbillon that rises through a ventricular opening appearing at 12 o’clock of the main fumé dial.

Protected by a large sapphire dome, the tourbillon

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is equipped with Precision Engineering AG’s cylindrical balance spring, while below it is H. Moser’s version of MB&F’s signature tilted dials.

This is tilted at 40° so only the owner is privileged to view the time and is mounted on a conical gear train to ensure optimal torque transmission from one plane to the other.

“We have “Moserized” the MB&F universe by developing a sapphire subdial, which melts into the background so as to highlight the beauty of our fumé dials,” said Edouard Meylan. “And to preserve the purity and elegance of this true work of horological art, we have inscribed our logo like a watermark on the sapphire subdial, thereby underlining the personal character and intimate relationship binding it to its owner.”

Available in five different versions, the Endeavor Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser x MB&F model comes in a 42mm stainless steel case with a height of 19.5mm. It is topped by Funky Blue, Cosmic Green, Burgundy, Off-White and Ice Blue dials, all of the fumé variety, and are all limited editions of only 15 pieces each.

Timeframe

Work from Home Location: The Kingdom of Bhutan Photo: Keith Sundiang

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