The first watch we are previewing for the September 2013 Only Watch event is this Patek Philippe Ref 5004T.  The Patek Philippe Ref 5004 is a split-seconds chronograph + perpetual calendar; it was produced for about six years, until being replaced by the Patek Ref 5204 in 2011.  The piece you see here is the first and likely only time that the Patek Ref 5004 will be created in a titanium case.  More broadly, however, is that this is the fourth Patek Philippe EVER to be cased in titanium, according to my research.   I revealed two of them here on Perpetuelle a couple years ago — the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref5180T and the Calatrava Ref 6000T (see Two Titanium Patek Philippe’s You Didn’t Know Existed); and my knowledgeable friends at Monochrome also pointed out that the Patek Nautilus, Ref 5712T, was also cased in titanium — made for Only Watch 2007, fittingly.

Patek trivia aside, let’s take a closer look at this 5004T. 
Click through for more looks and discussion

Hands On w/ Video…

Introduced in 2012 at SIHH, this exceptional Roger Dubuis Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon (Ref RDDBEX0364) timepiece has a “full black” titanium case with a 45 mm diameter.  The hand-wound mechanical skeleton movement (RD01SQ) has 319 parts including the double flying tourbillons, and a power reserve of 48 hours.

Limited to just 88 pieces, I recently happened upon one at the Roman Times watch boutique located @ The Forum shops in Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas.

Price?  A cool $252,000.  One hell of a watch, though!
More looks and some quick video of the double flying tourbillons, on the click

At Baselworld 2013, Blancpain introduced an intriguing watch which includes both a tourbillon and a carrousel.  What makes this interesting is that both complications play a similar role in a watch — that is, to average out the effects of gravity on the watch.  The tourbillon is of course the more famous and commonly seen complication of the two, but both complications require great expertise to create and as such you rarely see pieces with either complication for less than six figures.   Let alone seeing both in one watch – this is, as far as I know, the first time this has been done.
Click through for video of the Blancpain Tourbillon Carrousel

Since I first learned about Clerc a few years ago I’ve been a fan of the brand.  I’ve reviewed a couple of the Geneva-based brand’s watches over the years (Hydroscaph Titanium 1000m and one soon to be published), and I’ve always been impressed with their quality and strong identity code.  Last week I finally had a chance to meet the man behind the brand, the fourth generation family man carrying on the Clerc legacy, Mr. Gerald Clerc.  Team Clerc was most generous to sit down with me and discuss their 2013 pieces.  Being a small brand, Clerc does not release a lot of new models, maybe one per year.
Click through for more photos and video

At Baselworld 2013, Christophe Claret hosted me for a hands-on look at their new striking chronograph with constant force escapement, the Kantharos.   Christophe Claret (the man) is among watchmaking’s elite, behind many of the world’s most unique and complicated watches made in the last 25 years.  In 2010 he launched his brand under his own name.  Claret has a particular aptitude and passion for striking mechanisms and repeaters.  The Kantharos is his first watch to be offered at a price under 100,000 Swiss Francs.  As well as having a constant force escapement, it chimes upon each push of the chronograph (start/stop/reset). Very impressive.

Case is 45mm round x 15.83 thick, in various combinations:

1) titanium (rhodiumed dial with black PVD and red hands) (pictured), 2) black PVD titanium (anthracite rhodiumed dial with black PVD and blue hands), 3) pink gold and grey PVD titanium (pink dial  with black ceramic and grey PVD hands), 4) pink gold and grey PVD titanium (anthracite rhodiumed dial with black PVD and red hands), 5) white gold and grey PVD titanium (black PVD and red hands, anthracite rhodiumed dial)

The constant force escapement is visible beneath a sapphire bridge:

The caliber has an astounding 558 components.  It is automatic winding, with chiming chronograph and constant force escapement.

Dimensions: 31.6 x 10.56 mm (without gong) & 37.6 x 10.56 mm (with gong) Number of jewels: 75 Power reserve: 48 hours (approx.) Escapement: Swiss lever-type, 3 Hz (21,600 vib/h), constant force

Distinctive features: Anthracite rhodium-plated main plate and bridges, white or pink gold gears, depending on the version Sapphire bridge with gold chatons

The numerals, hand tips, and chrono counters are luminous (blue).

My earlier commentary on this watch can be found here.  More at http://www.christopheclaret.com/en/collection-kantharos-c10.php as well.

Views from Baselworld 2013…

First time “Mille Miglia” on the dial…and nicely placed with the date window…

(c) Perpetuelle

(c) Perpetuelle

(c) Perpetuelle

Baselworld 2013…

(c) Perpetuelle

Good looking piece.

This is not a Baselworld piece (RM presents at SIHH in Geneva), but a nice piece for the ladies that Mille recently unveiled.  Limited edition 30 pieces in each of red or white gold.  The watch is based on the RM26 tourbillon, first introduced in 2011.  I’d love to see one of these in the wild.  A real panda, that is.

Baselworld 2013…

Rolex GMT-Master II Blue Cerachome (c) Perpetuelle

OK, so my first reaction to the 2013 Rolex lineup was admittedly not a pleasant one.  And while I still hold the sentiments expressed earlier, I will be breaking down each of the new pieces on their own merits.  I’ve already taken a closer look at the platinum Daytona (why oh why couldn’t they have made something accessible to more Rolex fans?!), now let’s see the GMT-Master II with ceramic bezel.

The new Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II is presented in a 40mm 904L steel case, with a rotatable bezel featuring for the first time a two-colour ceramic Cerachrom bezel insert in blue and black representing day and night.  Price will be just under $9,000.

The ceramic bezel (Rolex’s trademarked term is Cerachrom) is certainly an achievement — the ceramic component with two distinct colors is actually produced as a single piece of ceramic.  So while it echoes the traditional two-colour bezel of the original  GMT-Master and GMT-Master II models, this is a very high-tech bezel.The Cerachrom insert was first introduced in 2005.  It is virtually scratchproof, highly corrosion resistant, and its color is unaffected by ultraviolet rays.   One thing I recently learned is that the engraved 24-hour graduations are coated with a thin layer of platinum via a PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) process.

And there you have it.  Rolex fans, rejoice.

Not a fan of diamond-decked watches, but must say this one goes well in a baguette-set.  There are even diamonds on the satellites.  Time on the UR-202 is displayed using telescopic minute hands operating through the middle of three orbiting and revolving hour satellites.   The UR-202 is also the first to feature an innovative new winding system regulated utilizing miniature, adjustable turbines which are coupled with the rotor to absorb shock and reduce wear.  Check ‘em out at http://www.urwerk.com/

Urwerk UR-202 Baguette

Piece Unique