If you were still in doubt of Cartier’s watchmaking ambitions after last year’s SIHH, then you will doubt no more after seeing this – the Cartier ID One Concept Watch.  Cartier revealed this amazing new “concept watch” to tell the world that is quite serious about being more than just another “fashion” brand in the world of high watchmaking, and at first glance it looks like its effort will be a convincing one.  Boy does she look sweet!  Check it out:

The watch is set in a 46mm “Ballon Bleu”-style case – except in a very high tech and undoubtedly awesome material called “Niobium-Titanium” (more on Nb-Ti below). The basic concept behind the Cartier ID One is to create a watch which does not require regulation or adjustment either during assembly or indeed at any time during the life of the watch.  Presently, there are several basic points at which every mechanical watch has to be adjusted during the assembly process, most notably the hairspring, the balance, and the pallet fork.  Cartier has come up with innovations that it believes address each of these challenges.  I’ll touch briefly upon each, but first, how about a couple more pics of this amazing watch:

Now, back to the numerous innovations in this watch.  First is what Cartier calls a “Zerodur hairspring”.  Zerodur is the name of a proprietary ceramic/glass material that is completely unaffected by magnetic fields and is also highly dimensionally and elastically stable across a wide range of temperatures.  Next, Cartier has introduced a balance wheel, escape wheel and lever in “Carbon Crystal”.  Carbon Crystal is an extremely hard, diamond-like material which effectively enables the escapement to be oil free.  Third, the ID One Concept Watch has a shock resistant escapement cage.  This allows the escapement cage to shift both laterally and vertically to absorb force, thus protecting the entire escapement from shock.  Finally, the watch has a “Niobium-Titanium” case.  Niobium-titanium is a highly wear resistant (and hypoallergenic) alloy that has its own unique shock absorption properties that give it an advantage over a material such as steel.  Not to mention it probably looks pretty darn cool!

The rotor of the Cartier ID One Concept Watch

I should make clear that the ID One is a concept watch and as such is not intended nor are there any current plans to offer it for sale commercially.  Like concept automobiles, this concept watch is all about Cartier asserting itself as a real player in the world of haute horlogerie.  You can almost hear Cartier now – “We’ve got good looking watches and the technological capabilities and skills to back it up.  Recognize!”  Yup, can’t argue with them on that.

Ultimately, the test for Cartier will be to do something with this concept.  It will be very interesting to see if, when and where some of these innovations make it into commercially available watches.  Stay tuned!

In what is sure to be one of the highlights of 2010, First In Watches is pleased to tell you all that it is now official:  Jaeger-Lecoultre is bringing back the Memovox.  For those of you not familiar with the original Memovox, it has the distinct and privileged honor of being the first wristwatch with an automatic movement with alarm function (enabled by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 815), achieved in 1956.  Prior to this achievement, Memovox first made its debut in 1950 (with a Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 489, sans alarm) and the model was maintained in production until 1968.  Since this time, production of the Memovox has been, well, dormant – but make no mistake it’s possession is today highly prized!

I’ll leave the rest of the history of this watch to those more knowledgeable than I – instead let me fast forward to 2010 and what the world will soon behold!  The 2010 Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Memovox is powered by a Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 956 (first introduced in 2008), a descendant of the Caliber 815, and delivering 45 hours power reserve.  Available in stainless steel or rose gold case – with a very well chosen case size of 40mm – this watch will fit nicely on the wrist.  The silver dial of the Memovox is punctuated by numerals marking the 6, 9 and 12 hours, while the 3 o’clock position gives way to the date.  Note the inner disk of the Memovox – the signature of the watch – marked with an arrow symbol to indicate the alarm time.

The 2010 Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Memovox

Limited to 750 pieces in Stainless Steel and 250 pieces in Rose Gold (pictured)

Greeting Watch Friends!

Just a quick note to wish all our readers a very Happy Thanksgiving, particularly those in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere who are celebrating this wonderful holiday today.   Thank you for reading and commenting on this blog – whether through Facebook, Twitter or if you are one of the many who subscribe to us via email.  We are thankful for each and every opportunity to connect with you and all other watch owners, collectors & enthusiasts around the world on a daily basis!

May your day be filled with family, friends and lots of good food!

As you probably know, the watch world will be getting very busy, very soon as the annual SIHH and Baselworld shows – as well as the inaugural “Geneva Time Exhibition” – are right around the corner in 2010!

Of course you can follow all of the action as it happens here at First In Watches – we now offer several ways you can follow us – just use any or all of the “Follow” icons on the upper right side of the page that work best for you:

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Thanks again, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Just in time for Christmas 2009, “ultra-exclusive” watchmaker Franc Vila will be introducing its first ladies watch, the FRANC VILA FVt28 Jumping Hours Automatique “Ivy Edition”, available in 2 variations (blue and white).  As I stated back July when I wrote about Franc Vila’s FVa15 Column Regulator Automatique with Meteorite and Sapphire Glass Dial , I tend to find Franc Vila’s watches as interesting (and as technical) as his watch names, and this watch is no exception.  Intimidating  names aside, this watch has great visual appeal – in addition to the diamond paved lugs and bezel, you can see the “ivy” motif incorporated into the beautiful blue or white mother-of-pearl dial.  I can only imagine how spectacular these watches must look in person! And as with all Franc Vila watches, the FRANC VILA FVt28 Jumping Hours Automatique “Ivy Edition” is based on Vila’s signature case shape that is highly identifiable and recognizable.

“Looks” aside (though this will is clearly the primary selling point of the watch), the watch is technically interesting as well because it has a a function (or “complication” in watch parlance) known as a “jumping hour.”  A “jumping hour” watch operates by means of display in which the hour, shown through an aperture (located at the 12 o-clock position in the photos above), instantly changes every 60 minutes.

Overall, this looks to be a nice first step into the world of “ladies watches” for Franc Vila – a beautiful combination of form and function from the Spanish master!  Price is  about $32,000 in Blue and $20,000 in White.

Full Specs:

Case – Blue Edition: DieHard Extreme Steel. 387 diamonds (2.45 cts, quality TW VVS pure): bezel fully paved with diamonds and lugs paved with diamonds. 2 blue sapphires in frontal part of bezel. Special “Esprit Unique” shape with elliptic and circular bezel. Crystal and caseback both in sapphire with double sided anti-glare treatment. Water resistant 100 meters.

White Edition: DieHard Extreme Steel. 91 diamonds (0.70 cts) in the internal part of the bezel. 2 diamonds in frontal part of bezel.

Movement – High Grade Mechanical Self-Winding hand finished complicated movement Caliber FV28. 27 rubies. FRANC VILA Exclusive “Gold Concept Rotor”. Power reserve of 42 hours.

Functions -Jumping hours, minutes and seconds.

Dial -Blue Edition: Blue mother-of-pearl with printed floral decoration. 8 indexes set with diamonds. Hours window at 12′. Small seconds at 6′.

White Edition: White mother-of-pearl with printed floral decoration. 8 indexes set diamonds. Hours window at 12′. Small seconds at 6′.

Strap -Genuine Alligator hand stitched strap. DieHard Extreme Steel buckle (not folding).

Here is a very interesting and visually appealing new watch from elite watchmaker F.P. Journe.  First let me say what a beautiful blue color this watch is (and merely a coincidence that it bears a similarly rich, deep blue-colored dial as the IWC Laureus that I featured here in First In Watches about a month ago).

More intriguing to me about this watch is its intended wearer – is this a Journe for Junior?  It seems so!  Journe presents his new CHRONOMÈTRE BLEU as “The First F.P. Journe Junior Creation with Chronometric Precision” while noting that “François-Paul Journe has found the answer to the demand for a precision watch by a clientele that, though still young (often his collectors’ children), is already fascinated by chronometry. ”  Really?!?  I can see it now:  children of F.P. Journe’s wealthy clientele are dirtying up their father’s pieces of haute horlogerie on the school jungle gym - François-Paul help!  OK, so I exaggerate a tiny bit perhaps.  But is  “Junior” capable of truly appreciating and caring for something as precious and exclusive as an F.P. Journe.?  Certainly he can not afford it!

Whimsical situations aside, this the new CHRONOMÈTRE BLEU from F.P. Journe is beautiful both in its color, its curves and its simplicity.  The watch has a 39 mm diameter case made of Tantalum, a rare dark grey metal with blue overtones. Tantalum is a hard and heavy metal that is highly resistant to corrosion and wear and is frequently used in surgery and aeronautics.

Something tells me that as much as this watch might be intended for “Junior”, it will probably end up getting most of its wrist time on Father!

The watch has a manual winding movement (Caliber 1304) made in 18K rose gold, like that of all F.P.Journe creations. Its twin barrels deliver a 56-hour indicated reserve.  The movement is signed with the label -Invenit et Fecit- (invented and made), each F.P.Journe exclusive movement guarantees a manufacture calibre, invented, constructed, and assembled entirely in Journe’s Geneva workshops, and is visible through the transparent case back.

The CHRONOMÈTRE BLEU will be available starting in November at all F.P.Journe Boutiques in New York, Beijing, Paris, Tokyo, Geneva, Hong Kong and Boca Raton, as well as through all authorized F.P.Journe retailers world-wide.  166 will be made.  comes with a leather strap.

In Quest to Rebuild a Brand New TechnoMarine CEO gives first online interview

If you did not know, after first being a “trendy” brand for a few years watch brand TechnoMarine lost its way and stopped being cool.  “Trends” come and they go, as they say!  However – seeing potential in the brand, new and forward thinking TechnoMarine Chairman (since 2006) Christian Viros (former Tag Heuer CEO) cleaned house and brought in industry visionary Vincent Perriard (and his demonstrable track record) as CEO to shake things up a bit.  Steven Cohen (Movado Group Canada / Ebel) was also brought in to help steer the ship into new and uncharted waters.

So what a nice surprise it was to see this morning an excellent interview of TechnoMarine CEO Vincent Perriard by Lex who runs Oceanic Time dive watch blog.  Lex asks some great questions, and receives some great answers. In fact this is quite an OUTSTANDING and probing interview – very well done Lex!

Here are a couple initial thoughts I had after reading it:

First, in addition to wondering who initiated this interview, I think that the choice of “venue” (ie a dive watch blog) is perhaps quite revealing as to the future direction and positioning of TechnoMarine.  My thought here is further reinforced by some of the discussion in the interview.  Is TechnoMarine going to define the dive watch market in ways never before seen?  Mr. Perriard will admin nothing, but I think that signs are pointing to yes.

Second, I would like to share here one excerpt from the interview which really caught my attention:

Lex As you know the internet has become a powerful marketing tool for modern watch companies, with sophisticated and expensive websites and Facebook accounts. What will TechnoMarine be doing to market themselves in Cyberspace?

Vincent We are going to invest more than 3/4s of our marketing money in electronic platforms and channels of communication. The watch industry keeps thinking it understands this media… That’s not true. A few brands have understood it. We (my new team and I), we are part of these few brands and we will maximize our efforts, I can guarantee this.

Why did this pique my interest?  Because Vincent Perriard is 100% CORRECT in his analysis here, and it bodes well for the success of the brand re-launch – which is of course highly contingent upon a successful marketing & PR campaign.  As Perriard notes, the watch industry keeps on thinking it does understand online media – when in fact 90% of all brands have NO CLUE as to what they are doing online (witness, for one recent example, Tag Heuer’s recent online accessory boutique in which they offer 8gb flash memory cards for a ludicrous price of $360).  While I was not overly impressed with Concord’s use of online and social media under Vincent Perriard’s guidance, they proved particularly adept at building buzz for the C1 QuantumGravity, and the brand did demonstrate a deeper understanding of what matters “online” than the other 90% of brands out there.  So I am quite surprised, and impressed, and excited to hear that 75% of TechnoMarine’s marketing resources will be dedicated towards “electronic platforms and channels of communication.”  This will only mean good things for the brand relative to spending its marketing/PR budget elsewhere (ie static print ads).

Like it or not, online media is the future, and those who embrace this will prosper over the long run.  But more on this subject later!

Click here to read the full interview of TechnoMarine CEO Vincent Perriard by dive watch enthusiast Lex at Oceanic Time.  I highly recommend it!  Enjoy!

“You have got to be kidding me.”  These were my first words upon seeing a couple of the items in Tag Heuer’s new accessory e-boutique.  Are my eyes playing tricks on me?  Has TAG Heuer lost its mind?  Or is TAG Heuer just trying to insult our intelligence.  Let me list the absurdities:

• 8 GB usb storage keychain fob – $360!!!!!!
• 30 GB usb storage – “avant gard credit card size” – $700!!!!!!

And let me then add:

• The belief that your watch brand can sell anything at any price?  Priceless.

See for yourself at http://www.tagheuereboutique.com/.  No one in their right mind would pay such money for items like this that will a) be completed outdated in about 6 months (if you are lucky), and b) can be had for a fraction of the cost today – literally (see below).   

This is reall too bad, because there are actually some cool items in Tag’s eboutique – for example a nice Heur Monaco leather jacket, which oddly enough can be had for about the same price as the USB memory card ($700).  Too bad TAG Heuer has completely ruined the perception of value of all the good items in its store by pricing these “IT devices” like they are the last bits and bytes of memory on Earth.

I guess the bigger question is, why does Tag Heuer keep trying to extend its brand into areas that it obviously has NO CLUE as to what it is doing and what the key drivers of value are? 

8 gigabyte “Tag Heuer” branded USB stick

Yours for only $360.00!!

I’m sure it is soooo much more functional than this 8gb flash stick offered by Sandisk – $19:

30 gigabyte “Tag Heuer” branded USB card

Yours for $700.00 – what a steal!

If I were TAG Heuer I would quickly drop a ‘0′ off the end of those prices and say that it was just a typo.

Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX fans will want to book a flight to Paris – and fast! Jaeger-LeCoultre announced today that it is releasing 24 AMVOX2 racing chronographs to be sold exclusively at its Paris boutique.  This exclusive edition features a black PVD-coated grade 5 titanium case (44mm diameter) with black and white dial, and black luminescent numerals. The dial decoration revealing the movement reproduces the characteristic gridwork motif of car radiator grills and is framed by a black flange. The movement (Calibre Jaeger-LeCoultre 751E) bridges and plates are coated with ruthenium, while the chronograph levers in orange eloxed aluminium appear through an opening between 4 and 8 o’clock.   Power reserve of 65 hours.  Price?  About $20,000 (13,500 EUR).

According to JLC, the AMVOX is still the only chronograph operating without push pieces thanks to its revolutionary patented vertical-trigger system (see our prior coverage of the AMVOX and the beautiful Aston Martin Rapide here).

Thanks to my friend at JLC for these excellent “in person” pictures – must be nice to get the first look at these in the metal!

I love one-of-a-kind watches.  Particularly those that get produced solely for a charitable cause.  Today I have something very special to share – actually 2 very special “somethings” – each a one-of-a-kind Patek Philippe cased in titanium, each produced in support of a single Swiss charitable organization named Children Action.  This year, the Geneva-based Children Action organization celebrates its 15th anniversary of helping “children not helped by life, because the most fundamental of all human rights is the right to a childhood . ”  Right on.

First, here is the unique piece that Patek has produced for the Children Action 2009 fundraising event to be held this coming Monday, November 23.   It is the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5180T.  It has a skeleton titanium case 39mm in diameter, and is powered by a Caliber 240 self-winding movement with 48 hours power reserve.  Set on a black alligator strap with matching titanium buckle.  WOW!

To many, this watch may be difficult to recognize as a Patek Philippe, but to me this is merely a testament to just how special this watch is.  I say this because this 5180T is a) cased in titanium, a metal rarely used by Patek, and b) the watch is extensively skeletonized, also not something seen often for Patek’s.  However, if you look closely, you will see the unmistakable sign of Patek – the Calatrava cross – as it is decorated into the dial (in the upper right quardant).

Now – as I alluded to in my opening paragraph – the 5180T is not the first time that Patek Philippe has supported Children Action.  Back in 2007, it produced this unique piece- also a titanium Calatrava, the Patek Philippe 5000T:

Movement No. 3510992, Ref. 6000T. Exclusively made for “Children Action 2007” in 2007.

It was first sold on May 2, 2007 at a price I do not know, but I can tell you that the following year it sold at an Antiquorum auction for 208,500 Swiss Francs (incl.  Buyer’s premium).  Here is how the watch was presented for auction in March 2008 – with fitted box, Certificate of Origin, push pin and booklets:

Although we are in a different economic environment and watch market than in 2007, I am quite confident that the Patek Philippe 5180T will go for a very high price that will further help Children Action to continue to help those who need it most.

If you want to see another unique piece that I admire because it was created for a charitable cause , check out this Audemars Piguet for Abruzzo.

Pictures: Antiquorum and Patek Philippe.

Right after the “Only Watch 2009″ charity auction in which Vacheron Constantin’s one-of-a-kind Quai de l’Ile sold for $75,000, Vacheron Constantin announced it was going a step further and would launch an exceptional series of 100 Quai de l’Ile watches to further its support of the fight against the currently incurable Muscular Dystrophy (you can check my original announcement of this here: Vacheron Constantin Goes From 1 to 100 for Charity). The cool thing about these watches was that the case was to be made of 2 very special metals that are rarely seen in watchmaking – tantalum and palladium.  Inside the special case would be a mechanical self-winding Vacheron Constantin 2460 movement bearing the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva, and each of the 100 pieces would be numbered and engraved on the back.

Well, just today it seems that Mr. Alex Ghotbi, the esteemed Moderator of Vacheron Constantin’s The Hour Lounge Discussion Forum, got his hands on both of the watches and had time to take several picture.  So I thought I would share a few of the pics that he took with you.  Mr. Ghotbi did a great job with the pictures!  Despite his own side note that the blueish tint of tantalum was difficult to capture in the photos -  I must say that the watches look pretty incredible!  Check it out:

The Vacheron Constantin Qua de l’Ile for “Only Watch” 2009 (unique piece)

Vacheron Constantin Quai de l’Ile Tantalum Palladium (limited to 100 pieces)

You can see several more photos of the tantalum/palladium Qua de l’Ile as well as join in the forum discussion over at the Hour Lounge by clicking here.