It happens at times, in the field of watch collecting, that a timepiece previously unknown to the market is discovered and upsets what is until then considered an unmovable tenet by market and scholars alike. It is of course an extremely rare occurrence, but when such a hidden treasure appears on the market it never fails to stir the hearts of collectors and to amaze scholars. For example the history of Patek Philippe minute repeaters was rewritten in 2011 when a previously unknown reference, 2419, was discovered. With this lot, Christie's is proud to rewrite the textbooks about Rolex Daytona as it introduces to the public the only example of reference 6263 with black non-oyster sotto Paul Newman dial.
Until yesterday, it was believed that black Paul Newman dials mounted on reference 6263 were all and necessarily distinguished by the different disposition of the designations: instead of reading, as in all other dials, Rolex/Oyster/Cosmograph, a correct black 6263 Paul Newman should read Rolex/Cosmograph/Oyster.
Christie’s historic Patek Philippe 175th Anniversary Sale was the most highly anticipated sale in the watch auction calendar for 2014. Today November 9, 2014, this unique Evening Sale provided collectors with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire rare and important timepieces from Patek Philippe. This thematic sale further solidified Patek Philippe’s historic breadth of production as true works of art. Each piece had been scrupulously vetted for this sale, and included only the rarest, most sought-after, beautiful timepieces representing Patek Philippe’s expert craftsmanship. The sale included only vintage watches spanning from the early years of the esteemed manufacturer’s production in the 19th century through to the 1980s. To memorialize this unique sale, a commemorative silver Patek Philippe coin was included with each of the 100 lots, engraved with the individual lot number.
Excellence, innovation and watchmaking expertise were duly rewarded today October 31st, 2014 at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, on the occasion of the 14th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève —GPHG— prize-giving ceremony. The international jury of this edition 2014 of the GPHG handed out 16 prizes, including the supreme “Aiguille d’Or”, distinction, awarded to Breguet for the Classic Chronométrie model. This prize was officially presented on-stage by the Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann, who praised the vitality of the Swiss watch industry. Jointly hosted by Melanie Winiger and Frédéric Beigbeder, the ceremony was attended by around 1,500 guests including influential figures from the world of watchmaking, finance and politics, who congregated in Geneva for this annual celebration of the 12th art.
In 2012, The Bird Repeater featured two blue tits and their young birds close to the heart of the company’s founder Pierre Jaquet-Droz. This remarkable model reaffirmed the virtuoso expertise of Jaquet Droz, passed down from the 18th century and realized here in miniature. The following year, The Charming Bird watch marked the brand’s 275th anniversary with a new interpretation of the bird in an ultra-modern decorative setting and this time singing.
Now, the story continues with a previously unseen version of The Bird Repeater in a more streamlined, contemporary-looking model that has nonetheless retained intact the animated features that made it a success: a duo of blue tit birds feeding their fledglings, the spreading wings, the tumbling waterfall and the hatching egg.
On October 9, 2014 Blancpain President & CEO Marc A. Hayek, unveiled a special Ocean Commitment limited edition which will be part of a series of limited editions. Each purchaser will join the Ocean Commitment Circle and will contribute and reinforce Blancpain's support for oceanic environmental causes through an additional donation which will be made for each watch. First of this series, the new Ocean Commitment Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback is limited to 250 pieces. Blancpain commits to donate 1'000 Euros of the revenues from the sales of this piece to various initiatives.
The Bathyscaphe is a legendary name at Blancpain. Three years after the 1953 debut of the original Fifty Fathoms, Blancpain introduced the Bathyscaphe as a smaller diameter diving watch alternative adapted to daily wear. Over the years, the Bathyscaphe evolved in parallel with the Fifty Fathoms and became a part of the Fifty Fathoms legend.
Always ahead of its time, Bell & Ross continues to innovate with the launch of the BR-X1 Skeleton Chronograph, a high-tech chronograph with a sporty design, which is as robust as it is sophisticated. Revolutionary in its design, the BR-X1 is the first watch of a new collection from Bell & Ross and the beginning of a whole new chapter in the saga of the brand. An extreme version of the BR-01, whose iconic square shape is directly inspired by aeronautical flight instruments, the BR-X1 is much more than a top-of-the-range contemporary sports watch.
Nearly ten years ago, Bell & Ross launched the BR-01, a distinctive, high-performance watch directly inspired by on-board flight instruments. It has become an iconic watch thanks to its square shape, its round dial with perfect legibility, its broad dimensions and the efficiency of its functional design. Since then, the BR-01 has continued to evolve without losing its original identity. As a guiding principle, from vintage pocket watches to the grand complication watches, each Bell & Ross signed model pays homage to a great era in military history.
Consistently cultivating a distinctive and special relationship with challenges, the brand with the guiding star has always accompanied human adventure at its most daring and creative. Witness this new Academy Christophe Colomb, which pays tributes to one of the great early 21st century explorers of human nature, a champion of surpassing personal limits. An experienced parachutist and base jumper, he achieved three feats in 2012 by jumping from a stratospheric capsule. A personality echoing the creative daring and the enterprising spirit of Zenith, expressed through one of the greatest horological discoveries of recent years equipping this spectacular model: the Gravity Control module.
The details of a special edition of strong vintage appeal recall the historic links between the Italian Navy and Officine Panerai. The story of the Radiomir 1940 is the story of the development of the design of Officine Panerai watches. Its essential lines recall the intermediate stage in the transformation of the cushion case of the first Panerai watches, created in 1936, to the more robust shape of the Luminor 1950. The new Radiomir 1940 Marina Militare presents the pure design of this case, combined with a series of historic details demonstrating the fidelity of the new model to those created for the Italian Navy. The case is 47 mm in diameter, the standard size for watches made for the commandos of the Navy, because they had to be worn over a wet suit. It is made of 316L stainless steel, an alloy particularly resistant to corrosion that is perfect for a watch water resistant to 100 meters.
The Radiomir 1940 is presented for the first time with an automatic movement and the brand new in-house Panerai calibre P.4000 calibre which was fully designed and assembled by Officine Panerai in Neuchâtel. The distinctive feature of the new calibre is it off-centered oscillating weight, winding in both directions, just like the distinctive micro-rotor inside many of the Patek Philippe automatic movements. With a diameter of 13¾ lignes and just 3.95 mm thick, it has been developed to integrate perfectly with the proportions of the Radiomir 1940 case. The new P.4000 calibre is the first Panerai automatic movement with an off-centered micro-rotor. This means that the rotor is smaller in diameter than the calibre itself: a sophisticated technical solution which enables the movement —and therefore the watch itself— to be much thinner.
Last night September 25th, 2014 at the opening of the new A. Lange & Söhne boutique in New York City, the brand presented the boutique edition Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' in 18K white gold with blued hands and blue hour markers. With its regulator style that expresses the ultimate in precision, the Richard Lange Tourbillon 'Pour le Mérite' is a complication that unites A. Lange & Söhne’s unique fusée-and-chain transmission and a one-minute tourbillon with a patented stop-seconds mechanism. This timepiece whose name pays tribute to what is probably the most inventive mind in the Lange watchmaking dynasty will only be available only at A. Lange & Söhne boutiques.
On the occasion of the 5th Anniversary of the launch of the Chapter Two Original, Maîtres du Temps - Atelier d’Horlogerie is proud to present the new Chapter Two Classique in red gold and white gold. This new model underlines even stronger the architectural aspect of the collection through its Art Deco inspired dial on which the bold indices majestically indicate the hours. The Chapter Two collection features an instantaneous triple calendar displayed in large format thanks to the innovative high precision cylinders that in fact makes it the most legible mechanical calendar wristwatch in the world. Its outstanding movement is imbedded in a shaped case that expresses the strength and character of this collection.
The Foundation of the GPHG —Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève has revealed the list of the 72 pre-selected watches in the running to win the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix or one of the 16 prizes that will salute 2014's finest watch creations. This edition of the GPHG 2014 has attracted record participation, with all the major watch groups represented, along with a number of independent companies. Small and large brands alike are confronting their creations in a competitive and unifying spirit, thereby contributing to promoting the renown of an art that consistently targets excellence and displays exceptional vitality. For your convenience, we have included all the 72 pre-selected watches on this post, as well as the links to the reviews we have published here for a vast majority of them.
It was in 1993 that Audemars Piguet launched the Royal Oak Offshore. A natural evolution of the Royal Oak launched in 1972, the supersized 'Offshore' was large, bold, rugged and highly functional. Genta’s original Royal Oak was the definitive source of reference and inspiration for the Royal Oak Offshore designed by a talented, young, second generation designer working for Audemars Piguet named Emmanuel Gueit. The new design diverged from the original in several significant ways that came to be the defining characteristics of the Royal Oak Offshore. The most pronounced shift was the dramatic case size of 42 mm. While this is standard fare in 2014, it was a shock when introduced in 1993 at Baselworld. By this time, the watch had already been nicknamed, ‘The Beast’ due to its staggering proportions.
Rolex celebrates its partnership with James Cameron’s historic dive by launching a new version of the Rolex DeepSea Sea-Dweller. On the occasion of the release of National Geographic’s "DeepSea Challenge 3D" film about the expedition to the deepest reaches of the ocean by explorer and film-maker James Cameron —producer of Titanic and Avatar—, Rolex has introduced a new version of its Rolex DeepSea Sea-Dweller. This ultimate divers’ watch, resistant to extreme pressure, is equipped with a new “D-blue” dial representing the colors of the deep. The deep blue to pitch-black gradient dial is reminiscent of the ocean’s twilight zone where the last trickle of light from the surface disappears into the abyss, echoing James Cameron’s DeepSea Challenge expedition. As a tribute to the partnership between Rolex and Cameron, the “DEEPSEA” marking on the new dial adopts the color of the explorer’s green submersible as it is perceived underwater.
Last year around this time, a 3D printer experience facility opened its doors here in Chicago. The very same day we visited the facility, the first thought that came to mind was how 3D printing would impact the horological world by simplifying process with the development of watch prototypes, part prototypes or even with the creation of super-sized models of watch designs and functional parts to ease the research and development process as well as watchmaking training at the manufactures.
Today, less than a year later, we bring you this story about a man named Nicholas Manousos who has already made our dream come true with the launch of the first 3D printed horological model.
Bremont is honored to announce the unveiling of the Limited Edition Bremont Wright Flyer. This new timepiece will feature some of the original fabric used on the 1903 Wright Flyer aircraft. Just as significantly, it showcases Bremont’s first ever in-house movement, the automatic calibre BWC/01, designed and developed in Britain. Many of its constituent parts have also been crafted at the company’s workshops in Henleyon-Thames. The 25 jewel, 33.4mm movement features a 50+ hour power reserve, Glucydur balance and a hairspring adjusted via a micro-metric screw. Utterly reliable and extremely robust, the BWC/01 is elegant and beautifully finished, with a central hour and minute hand and a running seconds hand at 9 o’clock.
While the Zenith Pilot Type 20 requires no introduction, the Pilot Type 20 Annual Calendar Tribute to Russell Westbrook —designed in collaboration with the young basketball player— deserves a closer look. As its name implies, it is equipped with an annual calendar —an elegantly discreet complication that might almost go unnoticed if it were not mentioned on the dial. The annual calendar differs from the perpetual calendar in that it does not take into account the additional day that is added to the month of February in leap years —every four years.
This is a complication that calculates odd and even months and also factors in the 31st day of August. In a nutshell, it is a useful function that avoids the wearer having to adjust his watch every month. Visually speaking, the day of the week and the month are displayed on the blue dial at 3 o’clock in a rectangular aperture. Just above it are the name of Zenith’s new ambassador, Russell Westbrook, together with his silhouette in action on the court and his signature.
Continuing with their limited edition product strategy, this time Arnold & Son presents a trio of timepieces commemorating Charles Darwin’s voyage of discovery. The HMS Beagle Set is composed of eight limited edition sets of three timepieces each, honoring the HMS Beagle ship that was used by Charles Darwin to set foot at the Galapagos Island. While the HMS Beagle undertook three survey voyages in all, it was the second one, with naturalist Charles Darwin on board, that guaranteed its place in history. With this set of three watches, each featuring an exquisite hand-painted miniature of HMS Beagle, Arnold & Son pays tribute to one of the most celebrated ships in the history of exploration.
Christophe Claret is pleased to present X-TREM-1 Chocolate, featuring a red gold and grade 5 titanium case treated with chocolate-color PVD, plus an alligator-skin strap of the same brown hue. This timepiece is as visually striking as it is technically innovative. Christophe Claret has always focused on developing original timepieces incorporating the latest technological innovations. The brand is known for pushing the boundaries of mechanical watchmaking and straying away from the beaten horological path. First presented in 2012, X-TREM-1 is a testament to this endeavor and represents a totally new way of telling the time.
X-TREM-1 displays hour and minutes by means of two tiny hollowed steel spheres isolated within sapphire tubes on both sides of the caseband.
To Celebrate its 175th Anniversary, the renowned clock maker L’Epée 1839 —same company that collaborated with MB&F in the Starfleet Machine table clock reviewed here— celebrates this special year with a timepiece that will suggest many interrogations. The 'Two Hands Flying Tourbillon' table clock is limited to 2 unique pieces; one in massive Titanium Grade 5 and one in massive brass gold plated. These table clocks were developed in collaboration with renowned horologist Vincent Calabrese. This time, the manufacture established in 1839 comes back to its history and origins by redeveloping an extraordinary escapement; the tourbillon, the most noble escapement. A special tourbillon had to be made and what a better collaboration than with Vincent Calabrese, a well known figure of the Horology world.
