Editor’s note: updated now to reflect price, below

Water resistant to 3,300 feet (1,000 meters), the big and bold Breitling Avenger Seawolf Chrono Blacksteel is definitely a watch that will turn some heads.  The case is 45mm in diameter and very tough looking with a lot of depth to it as well.  The movement is Breitling’s Caliber 73, a Breitling “SuperQuartz” certified chronometer movement.  Also worth noting is that the watch utilizes a Breitling patented “magnetic pushpiece” system which enables the chronograph functions to be fully functional even at 3,300 feet deep (most chronographs can not be used at meaningful depths because it can compromise the watertight-ness of the watch.  As part of a total production run of 2,000 pieces, this watch can also be had on Breitling’s Ocean Racer strap and will be coming soon to a Breitling dealer near you)….and the price (per Breitling) will be $5,015 on the diver pro strap, $5,460 on the ocean racer.

This watch is not to be confused with the Breitling Super Avenger Avenger Skyland Blacksteel (thanks to our astute readers for the correction) which was announced in 2008.  While this watch was the first “Blacksteel” model from Breitling and it did capture a lot of attention for its bold look, the watch was only water resistant to 300 meters.  So this is a big step up for the hard-core dive watch fans (of which I am not one) who like the Breitling Blacksteel look.

OK here’s the deal – you must choose one or the other.  No “I’d rather have this alternative or that alternative.”  There are two choices at hand here.

So….which one would you choose?  Why?

The 2010 Leica M7 Hermès Edition Camera

Price:  about $13,000

Limited Edition of 200

Nod to Luxury Insider and many others for the camera scoop.

The 2010 Hermès Clipper Chronograph Titanium Watch

Price:  between $5,000 and $10,000

Me?  I’d take the watch.  Why? No real reason except that I’m a watch guy!

Oris With Another Jazzy Tribute

Like many of you, when I think of Oris, I tend to think of dive watches, and not being a die hard fan of the brand that’s about all I thought.  But I was doing a bit of research for this article, and wouldn’t you know it seems that Oris is the King of Jazz Watches!  First let me confess that I am far from an expert on Jazz musicians, but I do enjoy my fair share of John Coltrane and other tunes by some of the fellas noted below….so indulge me, will you? 

In 2010, it will be the Oscar Peterson watch from Oris.  Among other nicknames, Oscar Peterson is known as the “Maharaja of the Keyboard” – that’s a piano, for all you musical neophytes out there. Of the many “jazzy” tribute watches Oris has done, the Oscar Peterson watch is probably the best looking one yet.  Note the subtle but tastefully incorporated “piano key” designed hour markers.  Not quite as bold (or pricey) as something like the Audemars Piguet Quincy Jones piano-inspired watch, but still a nice take on the piano theme.  The plated Roman numeral “VIII” is a nod to Peterson’s eight well deserved Grammy awards.  And although I’m not sure it is intentional, the center of the dial looks to me a lot like an old vinyl record – and not just any record but one that would play some good ragtime or big band:

cool, caseback, too – the Lion being a symbol representing the king of the keyboard

But did you know this is just the tip of the iceberg for Oris and jazz?   2010 will in fact be the 10th Jazz tribute watch in a long history that dates back to 1996 when Oris first sponsored the London Jazz Fair and rolled out the Andy Sheppard tribute watch!  Here’s a quick look at history:

1996 – Andy Sheppard 1997 – McCoy Tyner

1998 – John McLaughlin 1999 – Lionel Hampton

2000 – Louis Armstrong 2001 – Miles Davis

2002 -Duke Ellington 2003 – Charlie Parker

2007 – Dizzy Gillespie

(Note:  In 2004 it was Frank Sinatra and 2007 Bob Dylan – neither are really known as Jazz artists, so I did not include them on the list.)

So there you have it!  I encourage you to read more about each of these watches here, on the Oris website – you might learn a thing or two about jazz music!

As I write from Perpetuelle.com Headquarters (East Coast USA) – underneath about 32 inches of snow…and still snowing…

Switching it up a bit from the many Baselworld 2010 pre-releases we are covering here, I wanted to show you a very special unique piece (or “piece unique” as the French may prefer to call it) that was recently unveiled by high-end and very talented watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier (commonly known as Parmigiani).  Of course those of you who saw Parmigiani at SIHH 2010 in Geneva already know of this watch   It is the Tecnica Crystallisation watch.  While I’m not exactly sure what the inspiration for this watch – “mineral crystallisation” – is all about, I do know that this is a pretty incredible watch.  Aside from its obvious visual appeal, the watch has some neat elements – a skeletonized dial, a tourbillon, and a minute repeater with “cathedral” chimes (which I would like to hear!).  I am hoping to get some more background information on this watch and I will let you know if/when I do.

On the back:  enameling work with a three dimensional effect

Model

Tecnica Chrono – unique piece

Theme

‘Crystallisation’ inspired by mineral crystallisation

Movement

PF353  Skeleton, Manual winding, power reserve 48 hours, frequency: 3 Hz – 21,600 Vib/h, 47 jewels, tourbillon, minute repeater with 2 “cathedral” chimes, rhodium-plated bridges with lengthwise hand-drawn strokes, bevelling and backing hand polished, steel circular-grained lengthwise

Functions

hour, minute, minute repeater and chronograph

Case / Exterior

round case: 44.0 mm, thickness: 16.00 mm

material: 950 platinum, polished finish

double knurled bezel

water resistance: 3 bar / 30 m

crown: 7.0 mm, cabochon in genuine blue sapphire

case-back with sapphire crystal

double case-back with hand-engraved hinge according to the theme

covered with translucent grey enamel

individual number No. 12995 and UNIQUE PIECE engraved on the case-back

Dial

sapphire base, sand-blasted areas; transferred black minute track, counters and logo; transferred blue ring; “Javelin” shaped hour and minute hands in blued steel, with superluminova; chronograph minute counter hand and central seconds hand in blued steel.

Strap

‘Hermes’ type blue alligator strap with knurled 750 white gold ardillon buckle, polished finish

Wish I could say that this new piece by Montres DeWitt has me itching to buy, but I can’t.  According to the brand, “the Twenty-8-Eight pays tribute to the 28 Floréal, the day on which the Senate of Republican France proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte – Jérôme DeWitt’s illustrious ancestor – as “Emperor of the French people”.”  OK sure whatever makes you happy.  And to think that it was not a coincidence that the Twenty-8-Eight was designed on … 28 August…I should love this watch even more?  For such an infamous day you think they would have at least taken time to make sure the event was on the August 28th’s Wikipedia page (yes, every day of the year has its own Wikipedia page, did you know?).  Long live 8-28!

Limited edition of 500.  The case is pink gold, 43mm diameter.  The inner dial has some sort of a black radiating velvety flambe pattern.  500 pieces will be made.  For the $15,000 or so this watch will probablycost, I can think of many, many more attractive and interesting timepieces, but hey, that’s just me!

Among the thousands of novelties that will make a debut at the BaselWorld fair this year several manufacturers are also introducing their latest in-house movement creations.  Over the past five years or so many firms in the Swiss watch industry has taken a turn towards creating their own movements from the ground up.  One would think that only large market firms, like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Tag Heuer, Panerai, and Breitling, (among several others) would have the capital available to produce completely in house watches; but we are also seeing smaller, independent brands with high customer loyalty ambitiously invest in the design and construction of some very special engines of their own.

So, come this March 18th in Basel visitors to the fair will be properly introduced to Armin Strom’s ARM09 (ArminReserveMarche09).  After a full 3 years of development, on November 17th, 2009 at the Armin Strom headquarters in Bienne and manufacturing facilities in Biel, a select group of international press agents were introduced to the ARM09 and were able to witness it being produced in its various stages; from milling the base plates to the final assembly and decorating all, of course, performed by hand.

As for the nuts and bolts of the ARM09;  it’s a 34 jewel hand-wound movement pulsing at 18,000 vib/h, comprised of only 146 components.  It features an 8-day power reserve (with a reserve indicator on the dial) and in a nod to fans of the artistry of mechanical movements the crown wheels are visible on the dial side which allows the owner to view them as they turn.  With a lot of manufacturers looking into silicon parts as the future of movement production; Armin Strom stood proudly alongside history and used traditional materials for its first in-house calibre.

The ARM09 will be featured in Armin Strom’s “One Week” collection that is to be unveiled at the upcoming Baselworld fair.  Armin Strom has done a fine job of keeping this new collection under wraps until its official debut, but rest assured Perpetuelle.com will bring you pics of the collection as more information is available.  Armin Strom CEO Serge Michel is very excited about what this potentially means for the future of Armin Strom claiming;  “Of course this step is the fulfilment of a dream for us, but it also ensures our independence in other areas.”

In a time when the world’s economy is slowly working its way out of a near collapse I’m encouraged to see so much industry fanfare, and new development being showcased in Basel this March.  It’s nice to hear that watch firms, big and small, are relying on innovation to keep their customer base loyal during a time when money could easily be spent elsewhere.  I welcome Armin Strom to the exclusive club of  “manufacture” and am excited to see what the future holds for them.

Editor’s Note:  Be sure to check out our hands-on review of the Armin Strom Blue Chip Skeleton here!

A bit delayed, but here’s a real beauty from leading Swiss watch manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre that was introduced a couple weeks ago at SIHH.  While the Master Memovox and Memovox International perhaps captured much of the spotlight this year for JLC, the Master Chronograph is  no less equal a watch in the brand’s classic collection.  Below is the pink gold version (Ref 153420), but the watch will also be produced in stainless steel (Ref 1538420).  The 40mm case size is just right, too.

Movement: Automatic movement, 277 parts, 28 800 vibrations per hour, 65-hour power-reserve.

Functions: Hour, minute, small second, date, chronograph (hour-counter, central second, 30-minute counter).

Case: New case with the Master Control logo stamped on the case-back,18-carat pink gold, stainless steel.

Size: Diameter 40 mm.

Water Resistance: 50 meters.

Strap/Bracelet: Alligator leather.

Materials Available: 18-carat pink gold, stainless steel.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre: JAEGER-LECOULTRE CALIBRE 751 A/1.

Ref. 1532420, 18-carat pink gold/alligator leather.
Ref. 1538420, stainless steel/alligator leather.

Paris-based high-fashion brand Hermes is introducing a new model in its “Clipper” collection this year at Baselworld 2010.  The Clipper is the brand’s dive watch/sailing-inspired line and although it has been heavily influenced by haute fashion some years in the past I would say that this year’s model – with a 44mm titanium case on a “Hermes orange” rubber strap – has a fairly functional, but attractive, look to it.  Now I’m not a big fan of the partially exposed date-windows (you can see not one but three days on the dial), but otherwise the dial is nicely legible and the and the “Hermes orange” seconds hand and other orange accents look good against the anthracite colored dial.  The watch will also come in palladium (silver-ish color) and brown-dial color versions.  Movement is the reliable but omnipresent ETA/Valjoux 7750. 

Price will be somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 – hey, what do you expect from Hermes!

It’s been known for some time that movement maker ETA is slated to stop selling ebauche movements ['blanks'] to any company outside of The Swatch Group by the end of this year. Since the announcement a few years ago we have heard that other Swiss movement manufacturers were aiming to fill in the giant hole that will be left open by the lack of ETA movements available. Names like Ronda and ISA have been kicked around for quartz movements, and Sellita has come up often regarding mechanical movements. Many brands that fall into the moderate to lower end level have already begun using movements from these two brands in anticipation of the cut off from ETA. The SW200, which is Sellita’s version of the ever popular 2824-2 has been popping up in watches quite a bit.

Everyone is expecting Sellita to pick up at least some of the slack from ETA, knowing this they have increased production, and appear ready to do what they can to take a strong foothold in the market. Sellita has a few popular 3-hand automatic mechanicals that are well known but the question always came up; what about a chronograph? The venerable 7750 has had such a strong presence in the market, and is in so many pieces that it’s almost impossible to imagine the use of anything else. Its versatility and ability to be easily modified has made it a favorite ebauche among many luxury brands.

Enter the Sellita SW500 automatic chronograph movement:

Stated to have the same level of quality and accuracy of the 7750 the SW500 will make its general public debut at this year’s BaselWorld fair. For those who question the ability of Sellita to just step up and make robust, quality movements it should be known that for years Sellita used to be sent movements directly from ETA themselves, for certain modifications requested by ETA buyers. The 25 jewel SW500 clocks in at 28,800 BPH [beats per hour] / 4Hz to give its sub second hand the same smooth sweep as the 7750. Like its distant cousin; the option for the day / date function is also available. From the initial looks of it, it appears that the the SW500 may be a direct drop in replacement to the 7750 [from what I can see their sizes appear to be identical; diameter of 30mm and a height of 7.90mm].  This is a benefit to watch producers who won’t want to spend the money to redesign their cases and dial configurations.  I would imagine that as the watch world becomes more familiar with the SW500 other variations will quickly become available.

Time will tell [literally] if the SW500 is destined become a favorite among luxury brands; but in a market that may be soon scrambling for automatic movements Sellita appears to be a viable option. There has been speculation among visitors of watch forums that The Swatch Group may either delay, or totally pull back on the decision to stop selling ebauches and movement parts when faced with industry uproar. Nicolas Hayek often claims that he made this decision to spur innovation in the watch industry. To his credit since the official announcement several firms began to produce their own in-house movements, and fellow movement manufacturers have started to step up. If ETA were to make the decision to continue to sell movements beyond 2010 one very positive result would be an increase of choice and varying prices…Which is never a bad thing.

I would guess that The Swatch Group will have to stop selling as the market has been adjusting to the announcement for years. If they were to continue there would surely be some shareholders that would be none too pleased.

At the time of this writing I am not aware of any brands that have opted to use the SW500 movement.

El Toro es En Fuego

Ulysse Nardin combined the Moonstruck case with the UN-32 COSC-certified perpetual calendar movement.  43mm red gold or platinum case.  Ceramic pushpieces and bezel.  An exclusive fast-action time-zone system, permanent indication of the original time, forward and backward adjustment of all the date indicators, and the synchronised adjustment of these elements using the hour hand.  Rubber or leather strap with titanium/ceramic folding clasp, or crocodile with red gold or platinum folding clasp.

What a cool watch.  Dare I wish that they had hidden the sub-dials for the date and days?  I should be so petulant.

Ulysse Nardin “El Toro”

Limited to 500 pieces