Posts filed under Badollet

Baselworld 2014: Badollet Stellaire Pièce Exceptionnelle. A Tourbillon with 1,600 Diamonds and a Very Exclusive Presentation Box. Live Pictures and Pricing.

You guys know that we are not big on diamonds and we typically stay away from flashy bling watches; however, because Badollet is the name behind this timepiece, we felt it was worth talking about it here. Not only the diamond encrusting work is just out of this world, but the mechanical movement inside this timepiece is a perfect example of 'haute horlogerie'. The new Badollet Stellaire Pièce Exceptionnelle Tourbillon is fitted with a 44 mm 18K white gold palladium coated case encrusted with 1,600 VVS1 diamonds, weighing close to 13 carats, blued hands and a very elegant black alligator strap with deployant buckle. As you will be able to see in these pictures, the diamond setting on the case, dial, case lugs, crown and even on the tourbillon itself, is literally pure perfection.

The beating heart inside this timepiece is the Badollet manual-wound calibre BAD1630 with tourbillon, baseplate out of meteorite and aluminum and lithium bridges representing galactic circles. The movement includes 27 jewels, a power reserve indicator visible only on the back and the tourbillon visible on the dial side at 6 o'clock. The movement —fully visible via the display case back— is entirely hand-engraved and it provides a power-reserve of five days when fully wound.

While we typically won't feature the presentation boxes of the watches, unless we are doing a feature all the way from the unboxing, the presentation box accompanying this watch is definitely worth talking. When you pay close to half a million dollars for a timepiece, you want to make sure that the box is up to par with the timepiece. In this case, we can attest that it is. The watch is presented in a wooden and glass exhibition display box fitted with a natural grain leather cover —by the way, very Hermès looking. The wooden and glass display is approximately 25 inches tall and is fitted with three drawers. Two drawers that serve as valets for cufflinks, rings, money clips, or extra straps and the third one to hold the elegant leather travel case that comes with it. A set of keys is also provided to keep the timepiece safe while left unattended. Frankly, we have never seen any other presentation case like this before.

If you like bling watches a.k.a iced out timepieces, this is the way to go. While we are not into iced out watches ourselves, we can appreciate the work and passion behind creating a timepiece like this. Now remember, this is not your average run-of-the-mill diamond encrusted watch that recording artists are wearing left and right. If you want diamonds and can afford a tourbillon with 1,600 of them, then this timepiece is made just for you.

Sticker Price 420,000 CHF ex VAT —approximately $462,000 USD. For more info on Badollet click here.

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Editor & Publisher and filed under Baselworld, Badollet and tagged Badollet Stellaire Piece Exceptionnelle.

Insider: Badollet Crystalball Tiger. Because Green is the Color of Money.

As we told you a few months ago, Badollet is an independent brand with a strong pedigree that because of its exclusivity and high price range, is only accessible for the ultra elite watchlifestylers. Since they say that "green is the color of money" why not publish a review of one of our favorite Badollet timepieces that comes with plenty of green in it and also with a very green price tag.

The Crystalball Tiger is a timepiece featuring a tourbillon and fitted with a tripartite case in 18K rose gold and malachite measuring 44m in diameter. The dial is also made of malachite. Malachite is present in several historical landmarks around the world such as the 'Malachite Room' in Mexico City's Castle of Chapultepec, 'The Tazza' vase —gifted by the Tzar Nicholas II— at the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City and the over-sized neoclassical vase at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, just to name a few.

The malachite dial features a hand engraved 18K rose gold tiger surrounded by bamboo sticks on relief that almost seems to be floating on top of the surface of the dial which happens to be part of the middle case. The tourbillon cage is located at 7 o'clock and the blued hands provide perfect balance to this work of art. The level of detail on the tiger and the bamboo is almost unfathomable and a real treat for the eyes.

The crown is very nicely crafted and properly signed with the Badollet griffin. The hollow angular horns on the case are extremely unique and as beautiful as it gets. All the rose gold elements used in the construction of this watch, provide the perfect amount of contrast to the beautiful dark malachite middle case and dial.

Now, let's talk about our favorite part. The display case back allows for full view of the amazing Badollet manual-wound calibre BAD5600 with aluminum and lithium bridges entirely hand-engraved to resemble bamboo scaffolding. The plate and gears are made from blackened gold and the movement provides a power-reserve of five days when fully wound. The intricate work on each of the bridges shows the love for horology and the level of detail obtained by the watchmaker when engraving the bridges is just out of this world. As a side note, Badollet offers ad-hoc personalization where the bridges or other components of the movement can be engraved.

The Badollet Crystalball Tiger watch is fitted with an elegant black safari crocodile leather strap that is handmade, leather-lined, hand-creased, saddle-stitched and available in matte or glossy finish. The strap features an 18K rose gold double-deployant folding clasp. The strap wears very comfortable and requires no break-in period.

On the wrist, the watch feels like a dream. Even though the watch has a very particular look and its dial could be perceived by a few as kitsch, all we can say is that it is not the case. While we consider ourselves big fans of simplicity and discreet timepieces, all it takes to fall in love with this timepiece is to see one in person and strap it on to the wrist, after you've done that, is just game over.

This time we skipped the wrist shot as we wanted for you to use your imagination and visualize how this fascinating watch would look on your on wrist.

Sticker Price $385,000 USD. For more info on Badollet click here.

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Editor & Publisher and filed under Other Brands, Badollet and tagged Badollet Crystalball Tiger Malachite and Rose Gold Badollet Calibre BAD5600 Posts 2013.

Insider: Badollet Ivresse. One of the Most Beautiful Blue Dial Watches.

Here we are presenting another one of the watches we reviewed during our meeting with Philippe Dubois, CEO of Badollet a few weeks ago. The Badollet Ivresse was presented at Baselworld 2012 and is a timepiece with one of the most beautiful midnight blue dials we have ever seen in our watch collecting life.

This is a watch that is simple, clean and perfectly balanced. The dial features an applied satin-brushed chapter ring on top of its midnight blue vertical satin-brushed dial and a highly polished Badollet griffin at 12 o'clock that almost appears as if it was floating in the middle of the darkness.

If minimalist German architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe were still alive, he would've described this timepiece using his famous quote "less is more". This beautiful timepiece features a 'tonneau' platinum case that wraps around the wrist like a glove. The case measures 53.80mm in length, 30mm in width and 12.30 in thickness and is fitted with an elegant dark blue alligator strap with large scales, safari finished with rolled edges, tone-on-tone stitching and a pin buckle also in platinum.

Even though the rectangular 'tonneau' shape is frequently used in ladies watches, this is a unisex watch that is extremely masculine and top heavy. The beating heart inside this gorgeous timepiece is the Badollet manual-wound calibre 2012. This calibre is a domed movement with cone-shaped going train, flying tourbillon and hanging barrel. The movement provides a power reserve of 5 days when fully wound and is fully visible through the figure eight —infinity shaped— display opening on the solid case back. This calibre, just like all other Badollet calibres is a work of art and a treat to the eyes.

The crown is perfectly flushed against the side of the case in a way where it's almost hidden underneath the watch bezel. This is a clever touch in the design that makes this watch even more elegant and visually appealing.

The wrist presence of this watch is superb and the watch wears very comfortably. Opposed to what one would think, the watch doesn't wear high on the wrist because of its 'tonneau' shape that adapts to the curvature of the wrist. If you want to wear one of the most exclusive watches with a blue dial —since blue dials are so popular this year—, this is a watch that won't disappoint you, granted that you have enough money to buy one.

Sticker Price $220,000 USD. For more info on Badollet click here.

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Editor & Publisher and filed under Other Brands, Badollet and tagged Badollet Ivresse Philippe Dubois Badollet Badollet Griffin Badollet Calibre 2012 Posts 2013.

Insider: Badollet Crystalball Bamboo. An Exceptional and Very Exclusive Manufacture that Excels in Watchmaking.

Last week we had the opportunity to have breakfast with Philippe Dubois the CEO of Badollet. Not only did we have an amazing conversation with him about his brand but we also talked about the watch industry and where things are heading. Philippe, thank you for sharing such a fascinating morning and afternoon with us.

Badollet is an independent brand with a strong pedigree that, because of its exclusivity and high price range, is only accessible for the ultra elite watchlifestylers. While we were already familiar with the brand before meeting with Philippe, we have never perused a Badollet timepiece before. To be quite frank, it is one thing to see stock images of these watches and something very different to see one in person, peruse it and photograph it. This will be the beginning of a series of reviews of Badollet timepieces that we will be publishing here in the upcoming weeks.

The Badollet name is part of a dynasty of watchmakers initiated by Jean Badollet (1635-1718) a watchmaker that published in 1689 a work entitled "The Excellence of Watchmaking or Small Treatise Describing its Antiquity, its Fundamentals, its Necessity and its Curiosities". Jean Badollet passed on his passion for watchmaking to his six sons. Jean-Jacques Badollet (1756-1843) worked for Abraham-Louis Breguet by supplying him with movement-blanks, gear-trains and trade watches. Jean-Moïse Badollet (1811-1862), the son of Jean-Jacques, established the firm J.M. Badollet & Cie which quickly became renowned for the excellent quality of its chronometers winning the first prize at the Observatory Timing Contest of 1872, second prize in 1873, third prize in 1875 and the first class medal at the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 a.k.a. the Philadelphia World's Fair. After several descendants of Badollet managed the company for almost a century, in 1924 the company was sold to a third party and the long dynasty of Badollet master watchmakers came to an end. Despite this, the brand lived on and in 2006 Badollet was revived by Badollet International S.A.

Badollet timepieces —often called instruments of time by the company— are designed and developed with the buyer in mind and their production is limited to 50 timepieces a year. Their collection is composed of five lines: Crystalball Stellaire, Crystalball Bamboo, Crystalball Chronograph, Observatorie 1872 and Ivresse.

The Crystalball Bamboo is a rectangular watch fitted with a tripartite 18K white gold palladium-coated case measuring 40mm in width, 43mm in length and 14mm in thickness. The case is extremely well finished with alternating brushed and polished areas on the side of the case and even when the measurements really don't portray a large watch, this watch wears considerably larger than its actual size and sits high on the wrist with an amazing wrist presence. The attention to details is immaculate and the overall design of the watch is very masculine and quite timeless. The crown is delicately marked with Badollet's griffin. The lugs are hollow and welded into the case providing another interesting design component to this timepiece.

This timepiece features a skeletonized dial in 18K white gold with a blackened gold-coated brass base, leaf-shaped blued anodized steel hands and a mesmerizing tourbillon cage. The Crystalball Bamboo is powered by Badollet's manual-wound calibre BAD5600 with aluminum and lithium bridges entirely hand-engraved to resemble bamboo scaffolding. The plate and gears are made from blackened gold and the movement provides a power-reserve of five days when fully wound.

This movement is perhaps the most beautiful movement our eyes have ever seen. The intricate work on each of the bridges shows the love for horology and the level of detail obtained by the watchmaker when engraving the bridges is just out of this world. As a side note, Badollet offers ad-hoc personalization where the bridges or other components of the movement can be changed, engraved, replaced with ceramic, sapphire or even encrusted with jewels. All Badollet timepieces can be fully customized and even designed from scratch upon request. What a brilliant product offering for the few that can afford it.

The Crystalball Bamboo, just like all other Badollet timepieces, is fitted with a very elegant safari crocodile leather strap that is handmade, leather-lined, hand-creased, saddle-stitched and available in matte or glossy finish. The strap features an 18K white gold palladium-coated double-deployant folding clasp with a round buckle with the Badollet griffin engraved on it.

If you are ready to take that next step into collecting ultra premium 'haute horlogerie' timepieces then it's time to consider Badollet as one of your next purchases. Tradition, craftsmanship, innovation and exclusivity are some of the values that embody the essence of this manufacture from L'Orient in the Vallée de Joux.

Sticker Price $250,000 USD. For more info on Badollet click here.