Baselworld 2013…

Master watchmaker to the stars-turned-independent Christophe Claret is unveilling his new Kantharos, a mono-pusher automatic chronograph with sonnerie/striking mechanism and constant force escapement.  A cathedral gong, visible at 10 o’clock, audibly chimes with each change of function (e.g. start, stop, reset), which I believe is a first.  The concept is entirely in line with Christophe Claret, who has repeatedly distinguished himself with innovative striking mechanisms featuring cathedral gongs.

The Kantharos constant-force escapement is visible on the dial side at the 6 o’clock position.   The chrono counters are reportedly inspired by the aviation altitude indicator, but for me they seem a bit overcomplicated.   This watch seems to exude the attitude that it is complicated for complicated’s sake; some may like this, many will not.

The case is 45mm x 15.83mm, available in a variety of metals:  Titanium, PVD Titanium, Pink Gold + PVD Ti, White Gold + PVD Ti.

The red lines are inspired by the touches of neon that illuminate the vehicles in the movie Tron: Legacy.

Hop on over to http://www.christopheclaret.com/en/collection-kantharos-c10.php for full technical details and discussion.

Ludovic Ballouard…

As you do every year, you were waiting for this one, and here it is:  Harry Winston Opus XIII.  And yes, it is as crazy as it looks.  The Opus XIII has only one thing in common with any other watch and that is its balance and escapement; the rest of the mechanism is the brainchild of independent watchmaker Ludovic Ballouard.  Honestly it is next to impossible to understand this watch just by looking at it — be sure to watch the video below to help you out.

Opus XIII once again defies the conventional rules of watchmaking. Fifty-nine pivoting minutes hands, eleven rotating triangles for the hours, and a sliding trapdoor perform a magic show where minutes and hours appear or vanish instantly — and, of course, tell the time.  Harry Winston believes nothing in watchmaking is beyond human ingenuity, and Opus XIII invariably proves it right.

Harry Winston Opus XIII

in collaboration with Ludovic Ballouard

Limited Edition 130 Pieces

44.25mm x 13.6mm white gold case.

Instantaneous hours and minutes; Cumulative display of minutes via a peripheral, jumping retrograde system with fifty-nine hands; Successive display of hours via a peripheral, jumping system with eleven hands; Sliding shutter revealing the “HW” logo every twelve hours

Minutes accumulate around a track, each five minutes in red, withdrawing in unison when they complete the circle of the hour. Silver triangles spring in turn from a faceted dome to show the hours, rotating back when their duty’s done. Every twelve hours, Harry Winston’s logo is revealed on the dial, only to vanish sixty minutes later.

The fifty-nine minutes hands pivot on a ring of as many steel shafts, each held between two ruby bearings, bringing the number of jewels in the timepiece to 242. No other timepiece ever made has as many functional jewels. The ruby ball bearings for the sliding shutter are so tiny that the package had to be opened in a non-static environment lest they fly off.

Beneath a smoked sapphire crystal you catch a glimpse of what looks like the fan of a jet engine. This is an extraordinary component, comprising fifty-nine jumper springs — one for each minutes hand — carved from a single piece of steel using LIGA technology (lithography, electroplating and molding).

How It Works

The display is produced by two separate power sources working as a team. One mainspring barrel drives the escapement through the going train and keeps the balance swinging at a steady 21’600 vibrations an hour. The other barrel provides the energy for the display of minutes, triggered every 60 seconds by the center wheel of the going train.

The key element is an outer minutes ring driven by the second barrel. Every minute, it jumps forward a step, released then locked by a rocking lever with two pallet stones, controlled by a cam working off the center wheel. A peg on the advancing ring flips each minutes hand forty degrees in turn, revealing them in succession around the dial. At the end of the 59th minute, a second outer ring comes into play, its crenelated rim simultaneously rotating the fifty-nine minutes hands back into their hiding places.

The mechanism for the hours is no less ingenious. Here again it relies on an outer ring that jumps forward every sixty minutes, turning the triangle of the old hour 180° so that it disappears beneath the faceted dome on the dial, and simultaneously turning up the next hour. At the heart of this mechanism is a snail cam that rotates once an hour. A lever drops off the edge of the cam, pulling a rack to turn a pinion that advances the hours ring. At the 12th hour, instead of turning up a triangular hour hand, the hours ring rotates a wheel attached to a connecting rod that pulls open a sliding shutter to reveal the Harry Winston logo in the center of the faceted dome.

Both mainspring barrels are wound by turning the crown back and forth. A rocking pinion engages the barrel for the going train when the crown is turned in one direction and shifts over to engage the other barrel when the crown is turned in the opposite direction. Similarly, when setting the time, the crown is pulled out and turned one way to advance the minutes and the other to advance the hours.

All of this packaged in a modest 44.25mm x 13.6mm white gold case, Harry Winston style.

Baselworld 2013…

Patek Philippe has also unveiled this year a new version of their iconic Calatrava Ref. 5227, but from the photo above you surely wouldn’t know it!  So what’s all the excitement about one of Patek’s most iconic models?  The new Calatrava Ref. 5227 now features a display back protected with a separate dust cover.   The special twist: The entire hinge is hidden on the inside of the cover.  Connoisseurs now have a discreet manner with which to admire the automatic mechanical Patek Caliber 324 S C.  AND, the new Calatrava case has another exclusive feature, which I’ll also show you below.
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Baselworld 2013…

Given the Caliber number I assume, but will confirm when I meet with Breguet, that this piece is mechanically similar to the Reveil Musical (Cal 900, circa 2010).  The centre of the dial rotates completely when the music is activated. On/off indicator for the sound in an aperture between 9 and 10 o’clock. Power-reserve indicator for the music in an aperture at 3 o’clock.  Stunningly beautiful engine turned dial pattern!  I’ll also find out what tune it plays!

48mm x 16.6mm rose gold case, caseband engraved with a musical score, Rotating dial is platinum plated and engine-turned, automatic mechanical Breguet Cal 901

Baselworld 2013…

An0ther thin piece from Breguet, this one 8mm, and 38mm diameter.  96 hour power reserve, too — Breguet notes that it has a patented high-energy barrel.

rose gold case with fluted caseband, dial silvered and engine-turned in a hobnail pattern. Hand-wound Breguet Cal. 515DR movement (4Hz) with small seconds and power reserve of 96 hours (dial indicator at 1:30)

Baselworld 2013…

A new, two-register central chronograph from Breguet, with manual wind caliber.

42.5mm rose gold with a finely fluted caseband (12.1mm thick), dial silvered and engine-turned in four different patterns; Small seconds at 9 o’clock and 30 minutes counter at 3 o’clock, tachometer scale around the hours chapter.

Hand-wound chronograph movement Breguet Cal. 533.3, (Power reserve of 48 hours, 3Hz)

Also available in a white-gold case: ref. 5287BB/12/9ZV.
Also available with a black dial in a white- or rose-gold case: refs 5287BR/92/9ZVand 5287BB/92/9ZV

Baselworld 2013…7mm thin

If I am not mistaken, this is now the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch at 7mm.  Just days ago Arnold & Son previewed their UTTE whose case is 8.34mm, and claimed world record status.  The caliber in that watch was 2.97mm thin.  However I have no word on the thickness of this caliber (although the case dimensions are certainly thinner).  Back with more soon…

Breguet Classique Grandes Complications 5377BR

42mm rose gold case (7mm thin) with a finely fluted caseband, gold dial, silvered and engine-turned in four different patterns, hours chapter with Roman numerals; Breguet open-tipped hands in polished steel; small seconds on the tourbillon. Power reserve (90 hours) indicator at 8:30.

automatic mechanical extra-thin tourbillon movement, Breguet Cal 581DR, Barrel on roller bearings. Lateral lever escapement in silicon and anti-magnetic steel. Silicon balance spring. 4Hz frequency.

Also available in a platinum case: reference 5377PT/12/9WU.

Baselworld 2013…

 Patek Philippe’s 5170J (yellow gold) was introduced in 2010.  With an in-house caliber (replacing the Ref 5070′s Lemania caliber), it was a worthy addition to the list of manually wound, two-register chronographs from Patek.  This year, Patek has rolled out the 5170 in white gold.  It is essentially the same as the 5170J, same movement and 39mm case size, though there has been a subtle dial revision.

Like the 5170J, the 5170 in white gold is powered by the hand-wound Caliber CH 29-535 PS, a double register column-wheel chronograph with 65 hours power reserve and bearing the PP seal of excellence.  The big change here is the dial.  It has a silvery-white dial with a full set of Breguet numerals (save for the where the chrono registers sit).  This is significant because the prior model had two roman numerals XII and VI and stick baton hour markers. See here:

I really like the revision, being a fan of Breguet style numerals.   What say you?

Pricing on the Patek Philippe 5170G will be $87,100.  Full specs at Patek.com>>>

Baselworld 2013…

Overall this year Patek does not have many “new new” models, instead it seems they have focused on offering existing models in new case metals, and some other smaller details, such as minor case changes and also dials.  Though some of these will be meaningful changes for Patek collectors — for example the Ref 5170 two-register chronograph is now offered in white gold with silvery-white dial and a full Breguet numeral layout.  This is significant because the prior model had two roman numerals XII and VI and stick baton hour markers.  Being a fan of Breguet numerals, I really like the new style of the 5170 — but I digress — more on this later.

Patek Philippe’s new Ref. 5200 Gondolo 8 Days, Day & Date is offered in sunburst blue and silvery white versions.  It is set in a contoured, rectangular Art Deco case with two tiered sides, and a newly developed, manually wound form movement with silicon components. Case dimensions are 37.4mm × 46.9mm x 10.4mm thick.
Click through for full det’s on the new Gondolo 8 Days

Baselworld 2013…

The new Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Regulator unites the classic regulator display (minute display at center, other indicators positioned as subsidiary) with an officially certified manual winding chronometer movement in manner that epitomizes German watchmaking, at least for me.  The lacquered silver-grainé dial goes perfectly with the blue hands.  That slender, shaped minute hand is particularly elegant.  On the central axis above and below the minute indicator are the subsidiary hour and seconds displays.  Power reserve and date panorama display round it out.  It will be offered in red and white gold, both pictured.
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