In 2009, after extensive research on multiple regulators at Greubel Forsey’s EWT Laboratory—Experimental Watch Technology—, the inclined Double Balancier was introduced as a prototype at Baselworld. The two inclined regulating organs —then positioned on top of each other— now occupy distinct and separate three-dimensional spaces. Released for the first time at the SIHH 2016 in white gold, then in rose gold at the SIHH 2018, now comes this amazing Greubel Forsey Double Balancier in the most complex case material possible.
Posts tagged #Independents
From the Editor: MCT, Franc Vila, Badollet, Breva Genève, JeanRichard, Romain Jerome, Cabestan and HYT Watches are Long Gone. Who's Else is Still Alive?
I love independent watchmaking as much as I love watch manufactures that have been around for centuries. I have a soft spot for the independents because I admire their disruptive behavior, tenacity and the high impact creativity they bring to the watch industry. From brands like MB&F to Urwerk and everything in between, I have a little bit of love for each and every one of them for many reasons.
News: Introducing the Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force. The First Piece in the New System 78 Collection.
The Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force is the newest watch demonstrating an Armin Strom core principle: always be innovating. This watch takes the traditional mainspring barrel and turns it on its head by adding a stop-work declutch mechanism combined with automatic winding to create consistent power delivery to the balance. With a bold redesign of the movement, dial, and case, Gravity Equal Force marks the launch of the new System 78 Collection, highlighting innovative watchmaking at a competitive price. As a guiding principle, every watch that comes from the Armin Strom manufacture must include an innovation. The inspiration behind Gravity Equal Force was a desire to transmit equal force to the balance, thereby increasing the consistency of rate.
News: H. Moser & Cie. Presents the New Pioneer Perpetual Calendar MD with Dual Window Display
For the first time in its history, H. Moser & Cie. has created a perpetual calendar with two windows displaying the date and month. The aim of this development is to offer optimal legibility in the brand's sportiest line: Pioneer. The Pioneer Perpetual Calendar MD features a steel case water resistant to 120 meters, enabling it to display the time under any conditions, whether on land or underwater. A practical, wearable perpetual calendar for everyday heroes. In 2015, H. Moser & Cie. launched the Pioneer collection. This contemporary collection, imbued with a pioneering, adventurous spirit, was the obvious choice to accommodate the brand's new perpetual calendar with dual window display.
Eye Candy: Greubel Forsey Balancier Contemporain. The Smallest Case Size for the Brand in a 33-piece Limited Edition.
In creating the Balancier Contemporain, Greubel Forsey imagined providing a particularly compact showcase for its exclusive balance-wheel system. Creating such a moderately-sized new movement and dial imposed the challenge of maintaining well-balanced forms and pleasing proportions, along with clear legibility and cutting-edge performance. Available in a 33-piece limited edition in white gold, this highly original creation is distinguished by its 39.6 mm case diameter, a first from Greubel Forsey which generally makes much larger timepieces. The challenge here was not only to house the large balance wheel within a limited space, but above all to achieve optimal proportions and an attractive three-dimensional construction, as well as safeguarding the emblematic aesthetic codes of the timepieces built within the atelier.
News: Presenting the MB&F Legacy Machine No. 2 Red Gold Blue. Limited Edition of 12 Pieces.
Initially launched in 2013, the MB&F Legacy Machine No. 2 was only available in 18K white gold with dark grey dial, 18K rose gold with silver dial, a limited edition of 18 pieces in platinum with blue dial and in an 18-piece limited edition in titanium with its strikingly beautiful vivid blue greenish dial. Then, a fourth iteration of the MB&F LM2 was released last year 2018 in white gold with an unconventional purple dial. MB&F started using purple as far back as 2011 in their winding rotors on the HM3 Frog Zr, HM5 CarbonMacrolon and on the HM8 Only Watch. Today, six years later from its original launch and less than a year later after the release of the purple edition, MB&F presents the last edition ever of the Legacy Machine No. 2 in an 18K red gold case with a striking blue dial.
News: Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance. Celebrating 10 Years of its Fully Integrated Manufacture.
Continuing to up their game, Armin Strom presents the world’s first and only resonance chiming wristwatch. The new Masterpiece 2 Minute Repeater Resonance offers two incredible complications with its resonance capabilities and a minute repeater. Fitted with two vertically-stacked independent movements; two forms of resonance —oscillators and sound propagation; two independent mainsprings in one barrel; and two top development teams in Armin Strom and Le Cercle des Horlogers for the minute repeater part of things. Limited to only 10 pieces, the Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance celebrates the 10th anniversary of its fully integrated manufacture. Cased in grade 5 titanium, the Masterpiece 2 Minute Repeater Resonance gets its inspiration from Bern’s centuries old chiming tower clock.
News: Presenting the Ressence Type 1 ZZ. A Collaboration with Laurent Picciotto from Chronopassion Paris.
Ressence was founded in 2010, winners of the 2013 Horological Revelation Award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, Ressence takes a distinctive approach to the craft of contemporary fine watchmaking. Ressence is a Belgian brand based in Antwerp that combines Swiss made calibres with unmatched self-engineered innovation to reimagine how mechanical watches can function and interact with its user in the modern age. When Chronopassion was first founded in 1988, the aim was to gather the most exclusive items in the world of watchmaking under one roof; and today, that original motivation is just as strong as ever.
Eye Candy: De Bethune DB28 Yellow Tones. The Beauty of Gold in Titanium.
The beauty of gold, the brilliance of precious stones, and yet none of it in this watch. Upon closer inspection one could mistaken its case with an aged yellow gold, bronze or brass case. With complete mastery of the art of thermal oxidation of metals, De Bethune explores all the possible color shades resulting from the heat released by the chemical reactions of heat-treated steel and titanium. The De Bethune DB28 Yellow Tones brings a hue of yellow never seen before on a titanium case.
News: Presenting the Bremont Jaguar D-Type Limited Edition
Jaguar Classic recently re-started production of the iconic 1950s D-type race car in Coventry, 64 years after the first examples were built. In 1955 Jaguar planned to build 100 D-types but only 75 were completed; Jaguar Classic is now fulfilling the company’s original ambition by creating 25 all-new, period-correct sports cars. The triple Le Mans-winning D-type is the third continuation vehicle to come out of the Jaguar Classic workshops, following six missing Lightweight E-types completed in 2014-2015 and nine XKSSs built in 2017-2018.
Experience: Armin Strom Collectors' Evening in Dallas. Presenting the Resonance Collection.
You all know that here at Watch Collecting Lifestyle we are big fans of independent watchmakers and that Armin Strom is one of those brands we really like. A relatively young company led by an easygoing and approachable team that puts their hearts and souls into their watches, Armin Strom still preserves the DNA left by his founder Armin Strom himself as untouched as possible, while always moving as fast as the watch industry calls for. To present their Resonance collection and the Dual Time Resonance Sapphire watch for the very first time in the U.S., Claude Greisler —Co-Founder and Technical Director Armin Strom— and Jean-Marc Bories —Head of North America Armin Strom— came down to Dallas by way of L.A. after attending the Watch Time event in Cali.
Insider: Armin Strom Masterpiece 1 Dual Time Resonance Titanium and Sapphire. Two Masterpieces Like No Other.
The first Masterpiece 1 Dual Time Resonance by Armin Strom was released last year as the first watch in a new collection. A chef-d'œuvre combining the practicality of two completely independent time indications with the increased precision of two independent movements in resonance. The Dual Time Resonance launched the new flagship Masterpiece collection highlighting Armin Storm’s extraordinary technical and artistic abilities with an 8-piece limited edition in titanium. Putting the spotlight on the horological principle of Resonance with a distinctive oval case measuring 59 mm x 43.4 mm, two independent movements sit side-by-side with their regulators wedded by Armin Strom’s patented Resonance Clutch Spring.
Insider: HYT H0 'Time is Precious' Edition. A Strikingly Beautiful Multifaceted Reflective Mirror Dial.
After the huge success of the HYT H0 during Baselworld 2017, HYT presented the H0 'Feel the HYT' Edition during Watches & Wonders Miami 2018. Continuing with the saga of engraved casebands with exciting messages that enhance the primal curves of the pebble shaped case/crystal construction, the new HYT H0 ‘Time is Precious’ Edition is one of the latest pieces released by the Hydromechanical horologists during the SIHH 2019. Fitted with a multifaceted mirror dial that resembles a broken mirror and red fluidic hours, the HYT Time is Precious pays tribute to the phrase mastered by humanity for centuries regarding the priceless value of time.
SIHH 2019: Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB1 'Oeuvre d'Or'. Live Pictures & Pricing.
Four years after its launch by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, the co-president of Chopard and founder of Chopard's in-house manufacture L.U.C division, Ferdinand Berthoud not only has been awarded the highest prize in the watchmaking industry —Grand Prix “Aiguille d’Or” at the 16th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève—, but the brand doesn’t cease to impress with the release of incredible looking watches that are exquisitely finished. This time at the SIHH 2019, Ferdinand Berthoud brings a new collection called ‘Oeuvre d’Or’ in a new artistic interpretation of its original creation, the Chronomètre FB 1.
SIHH 2019: Urwerk UR-105 CT Maverick. Live Pictures & Pricing.
After the huge success of the UR-105 CT Streamliner and the UR-105 CT Kryptonite comes a new iteration of this iconic model this time with a bronze and titanium case construction under the name CT Maverick. A watch that could very well be shaped after the helmet of a Roman Centurion , the new Urwerk Maverick is a timepiece that would evolve acquiring the patina of the owner’s lifestyle. Constructed to withstand the daily abuse of its wearer, the UR-10 CT Maverick features Urwerk’s wandering satellite hours where the hours, minutes and seconds are indicated at the front thanks to the emblematic and instantly recognizable signature element of the brand for 18 years.
Pre-SIHH 2019: Armin Strom Masterpiece 1 Dual Time Resonance Sapphire. The First Sapphire Case for the Brand.
Just released back in October 2018, the Masterpiece 1 Dual Time Resonance by Armin Strom is a horological Masterpiece and the first watch in a new collection. Combining the practicality of two completely independent time indications with the increased precision of two independent movements in resonance, the Dual Time Resonance now is released with a sapphire crystal case which is a first for the brand. In a distinctive oval case, two independent movements sit side-by-side, their regulators wedded by Armin Strom’s patented Resonance Clutch Spring performing a continually horological two-step between the dual eye-catching counter-oscillating balances.
Pre-SIHH 2019: H. Moser Nature Watch. As Alive as Nature itself in a Mechanical Timepiece.
Following the crazy creations they unveil every year right before the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève, H. Moser & Cie. strikes again with an incredible timepiece like no other. They had a dream of an era where time is infinite. It passes quietly, in perfect peace. It is within everyone's reach. They’ve realized this in the form of a promise, a warning to future generations: the Moser Nature Watch, a mechanical watch that is 'green' and living but not eternal. Since we don't live in utopia, time —like the natural world impacted by our actions— is increasingly fragile and precious. Each of us must take the utmost care of it.
Eye Candy: MB&F Legacy Machine No. 1 Platinum. Avant-garde Design Combined with Traditional Watchmaking Principles.
After the successful launch of the Legacy Machine No. 1 in white gold and red gold came the LM1 platinum in a limited edition of 33 pieces more than four years ago. A wild, extreme, outrageous, unrestrained timepiece with a traditional and classical round shape. With its monumental central balance; completely independent dual time zones and unique vertical power reserve indicator the MB&F Legacy Machine No. 1 —LM1— is a watch that combines the most avant-garde design with the most traditional watchmaking principles and finishing. But above all, an authentic three-dimensional MB&F Machine like no other.
News: MB&F Legacy Machine No. 2 White Gold Purple. A Very Vibrant 12-Piece Limited Edition.
Initially launched in 2013, the MB&F Legacy Machine No. 2 was only available in 18K white gold with dark grey dial, 18K rose gold with silver dial, a limited edition of 18 pieces in platinum with blue dial and in an 18-piece limited edition in titanium with its strikingly beautiful vivid blue greenish dial. Today, we bring you the fourth iteration of the MB&F LM2 this time in white gold with an unconventional purple dial. MB&F started using purple as far back as 2011 in their winding rotors on the HM3 Frog Zr, HM5 CarbonMacrolon and on the HM8 Only Watch. More recently purple was utilized on the limited editions of the HMX Black Badger and the Legacy Machine Perpetual.
News: Presenting the Armin Strom Masterpiece 1 Dual Time Resonance. The First Watch in the New Masterpiece Collection.
The Masterpiece 1 Dual Time Resonance by Armin Strom is a horological Masterpiece and the first watch in a new collection. A chef-d'œuvre combining the practicality of two completely independent time indications with the increased precision of two independent movements in resonance. The Dual Time Resonance launches the new flagship Masterpiece collection, which highlights Armin Storm’s extraordinary technical and artistic abilities. The new Masterpiece 1 Dual Time Resonance shines a spotlight on the horological principle of Resonance.
