February 29, 2012, the “24 Ore Group” together with Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Belgrade will host a charity watch auction entitled, “24 Hours for Help Them” (nice grammar, by the way) in Milan.   All proceeds raised from this unique charity auction will be used to build schools for the children of Serbia, which is to be applauded.  While this auction certainly does not have the high profile of something like “Only Watch“, participation is broad with 25 leading brands contributing a watch to auction for charity, so hopefully they can raise some good money.  Participating brands include: Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Bell & Ross, Breitling, Cartier, Chronoswiss, Corum, De Grisogono, Eberhard, Erwin Sattler, Hamilton, Hermès, Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger LeCoultre, Longines, Louis Vuitton, Officine Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget, Porsche Design, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, TAG Heuer.  Browsing through the catalog I thought I would post a few of the pieces that caught my eye.  Thanks to Antiquorum, 24 Ore Group, and the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Belgrade for hosting the auction.  You can browse the full catalog HERE.

Bell & Ross BR 03 for Help Them Auction

Ref. BR 03-94-S-88888

Hamilton, “Jazzmaster Spirit of Liberty , Andrew Hamilton, Pennsylvania, Lancaster 1892”

Ref. H32.566.791. Made in a limited edition of 1892 examples in 2011

 Richard Mille “RM016”

Unique Piece Ref. RM016 AH WG/111

Corum Admiral’s Cup GMT 44

Ref. 01.005

]]> http://blog.perpetuelle.com/special-reports/antiquorum-help-them-onlus-charity-auction/feed/ 0 http://blog.perpetuelle.com/watches/oris-big-crown-date-stealth-watch/ http://blog.perpetuelle.com/watches/oris-big-crown-date-stealth-watch/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:44:29 +0000 Kyle Stults http://blog.perpetuelle.com/?p=12442 Baselworld 2012:  Looking at watches like this new Oris Big Crown Date, I can’t help but think that the monotone look has run its course, — and Oris is, by the way, late to the show.   If anything, this is surely a poor reflection on other all-black or all-grey watches of recent years that actually look good (Bell & Ross comes to mind).  Oris seems to have taken a perfectly reasonable watch and ruined it with a grey-PVD finish.  The style of the watch seems to me like that of a military Officer’s field watch — not some stealth commando.  And to top it all off they put it on a dark BROWN leather strap.  Awful.

Oris Big Crown Date “Stealth” Watch

44mm grey PVD coated steel case, automatic mechanical  movement (Sellita SW 200)

Click through and check out the new Patek Philippe Website:

Eterna Heritage Chronograph 1938

Limited edition 1938 pieces

45.5mm x 36mm steel case (13.1mm thick), automatic mechanical movement (ETA 2894-2), black leather with orange stitching and polished and brushed stainless steel folding clasp

closer look at the dial and case — note the contrasting polished and brushed steel surfaces

Reference Number 1938.41.45.1250

Girard Perregaux Tribute to José Froilán González and Ferrari

Limited edition 60 pieces

43mm steel case (13.7mm thick), automatic mechanical manufacture movement GP 33CO, rubber strap with folding clasp

Functions: hour, minute, chronograph with inverted push-pieces, internal rotating bezel, date, day/night indicator, small second

Reference: 49930-11-612AFK6A

Case-back is sapphire crystal, secured by 6 screws with the drawing of the Silverstone circuit:h

José Froilán González at tribute ceremony with watch

Italy and style are synonymous with one another and this is something which is certainly apparent when you consider some of the luxury watches that are designed, crafted and manufactured in one of the world’s most stylish and luxurious countries. There are many different Italian watches to choose from but which are the most sought after and highly regarded?

…consider these three brands of men’s watches and you will see with your own two eyes just how immensely stylish these timepieces are and the craftsmanship associated with these watches truly is second to none.  Up first, we’ve got one of the oldest brands when it comes to luxury Italian watches, Bvlgari:

Bvlgari watches are flawlessly precise and stylish and this is due to their Italian design heritage and their Swiss construction. You really are getting the best of both world’s if you’ve got a Bvlgari strapped to your wrist because you will have a luxuriously designed Italian fashion accessory which has been crafted in the much fabled Swiss factories that are responsible for creating the most precise and enviable timepieces in the world. If you’re a fan of contemporary style mens watches, then Bvlgari may well be the ideal choice for you.

Up next, we’ve got one of the most highly regarded and desired luxury watches on the market – the brand in question…..Panerai:

Based in Florence and founded in 1860, Panerai watches certainly boast an impressive heritage and this is something that is clearly reflected in the quality designs of their various different collections of mens watches. Panerai are one of the most high-end timepieces on the market but it is one of those cases where they are reassuringly expensive – you know that you are getting unparalleled quality when you opt for Panerai watches. Just some of their more popular collections include the Radiomir, Luminor and Marina collections.

Last but by no means least, we have one of the world’s most recognisable luxury watch brands, U-Boat:

If it’s luxury watches with an interesting history that you’re after, then you really do need look no further than U Boat watches. Originally designed for use by the Italian navy during WWII, these oversized watches are now one of the most recognisable brands and have achieved an impressive status amongst fans of luxury timepieces all over the world. There are many different collections to consider when it comes to U-Boat watches but some of their most popular certainly include their U-42, Flightdeck and Classico collections.

So, there you have it – three of the most impressive and likely to be sought after Italian watches in 2012. There are, of course, so many fantastic brands to consider when it comes to high-end, luxury watches and Switzerland certainly rivals their Italian counterparts with the quality of their watch brands – with the likes of Breitling, Tag Heuer, Baume and Mercier and IWC all heralding from various Swiss regions.

We aim to revive Alpina back to its former glory by emphasizing Alpina’s historical pilot watches from the 1920’s. The relaunch of the Heritage Pilot is not just a watch, it is like telling a story.

Peter Stas, Alpina CEO

Early indications are that 2012 is looking to be a good year for Alpina.  Not only will we see a new dive watch collection from the brand this year, there will also be coming to market this rocking new aviator watch.  Inspired by original Alpina Pilot watch designs from the 1920’s and 30’s, this is definitely one of the best watches in recent memory from Alpina.   You may not know it, but Alpina’s original parent company was founded in 1883 (the Alpina name was first registered in 1901) and so a heritage piece such as this is very fitting.  Alpina did a great job with this watch — let’s dig into the details, shall we?

 Alpina Heritage Pilot Watch

limited edition of 1883 pieces

50mm brushed & polished steel case (hinged/”hunter” caseback), manual-wind mechanical movement (Unitas base), calfskin leather strap; delivered in a wooden and aluminium vintage gift box

The piece features leaf-shaped hours and minutes hands, as well as 11 luminous Arabic numerals that are accompanied by white railway-styled minute track.  This watch has a substantial 50mm case, but for a watch such as I think this is the right approach.  It is not 50mm just for the sake of having a large watch — there is important historical context here.  Pilot’s watches were actually designed for use by pilots, and thus “at a glance” legibility was crucial — and a bigger watch dial was more able to meet this need.   Of course the 37mm manual-wind Unitas-base movement also necessitates a large case.

note the hinged-caseback which reveals a sapphire crystal exposing the nice manual-wind movement

Speaking of which, don’t overlook the half “hunter” caseback on this watch.  If you are not familiar with hunter-cases, think of a pocket watch where the case is hinged and must be opened in order to reveal the movement — same thing here for the Alpina Heritage Pilot.  I really appreciate hunter-style casebacks — they are not often seen today which makes them all the more appealing, and think this is an excellent feature that Alpina built into this watch.

theme shot

More on this watch in an inside-interview with Alpina CEO Peter Stas, posted on the Alpina Blog.  Stay tuned for more to come from Alpina this year, including the launching of a new dive watch collection from the brand.

Did You Know?

Alpina History

The story of Alpina starts at the end of the 19th Century when Gottlieb Hauser founded the Swiss Watchmakers Corporation with other independent watchmakers of the region. Initially it was to purchase watch components and making own calibers. Very soon Alpina was being sold internationally and at the height Alpina had nearly 2000 outlets all over the world, an exceptional figure for those days.  It is no exaggeration to say that Alpina was one of Europe’s leading watchmakers.

Part of the reason for this success, other than the rigorous dedication to design and quality, (values that still hold true today), was the introduction in 1938 of the Alpina 4. The number ‘4’ stood for the 4 core principles that each watch in the series had to have: anti-magnetism, water-resistance, anti-shock and in a stainless steel case.

These principles gave a theme to the watches and can be said to have pointed the way to the development of what was to be the continued success of the company up until the 1970s. It was the so-called ‘Quartz Crisis’ that either sounded the death knell for many companies or meant the creation of major groups. The emergence of cheap, mass-produced and, above-all, impersonal, watches also nearly meant the end for Alpina. However, despite everything, Alpina hang tough and was revitalized in 2002 and the comeback was on. Working round the clock, a new collection was made ready for the BaselWorld show in 2003. In 2006, Alpina made one more move in its journey towards the future when we moved to a new, purpose built manufacturing site in Geneva, Switzerland, one of the spiritual homes of watch making.

As with the original 1969 El Primero model, the 30-minute and 12-hour counters (at 3 and 6 o’clock respectively) feature the same colours as the original 1969 El Primero model.   This watch has a new El Primero movement in the form the Calibre 4061, beating at 36,000vph (higher frequency movement than many).  You can also see — and this is a Zenith “first” — a partially cut-away of the dial through the beating heart of the movement can be seen.  This open-heart construction reveals the work of Zenith movement design engineers and watchmakers who redesigned the movement’s escapement to sit at 10 o’clock.  The Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Chronograph comes presented on a rubber-lined alligator strap with either pin buckle or optional triple folding clasp.  A perfectly sized watch with an awesome dial — nicely done, Zenith.

Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Watch

42mm stainless steel case, (new) automatic mechanical manufacutre Zenith El Primero Caliber 4061, midnight blue or anthracite dial

Alligator leather strap with protective rubber lining black alligator leather
Ref.: 27.00.2118.496
Stainless steel buckles Stainless steel pin buckle
Ref.: 27.01.0018.008
Stainless steel triple folding clasp (optional)
Ref.: 27.03.0138.940

Tudor Heritage Black Bay (Ref. 79220R)

41mm steel case, “Big Crown”, gilt dial, “snowflake” hands, convex glass, automatic mechanical movement, on bracelet or leather strap with folding clasp, additional fabric strap with buckle (pictured)

A modest pre-Basel teaser from one of my favorite brands, “made in Germany” Glashütte Original.  I say modest because this is not a “new” model, per se, but rather a new dial color for the Senator Observer Julius Assmann 1911 (Roald Amundsen tribute) which I already reported on this past December.  In all fairness, though, both models are making their official debut at Baselworld 2012 and are nice looking watches — so let’s give them their due appreciation.  Now, in contrast to the silver-dialed Roald Amundsen tribute watch (click over and read the full story on this — it’s quite interesting), today’s model features a lacquered grey grained dial.  This effect (as you can see in the close-ups below), is built up slowly from three separate layers of lacquer, resulting in finely textured, grained surface.  Glashütte Original’s compelling panorama date — the only “big date” where both date wheels are on the same level — display features prominently at 6 o’clock.  Nicely attention to detail on the date window with the white numerals on black background, as my watch friend Frank @Monochrome pointed out earlier today.  Can’t wait to see what else is in the GO lineup for 2012!

Glashütte Original Senator Observer Julius Assmann 1911

44mm polished steel case, automatic mechanical manufacture Caliber 100-14, available on alligator strap or “vintage” brown calfskin (both shown below)

 definitely looks better on the gator strap (left)

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