I blogged earlier about the Montblanc Metamorphosis watch, but here is another good video as produced by Montblanc – except in this video we get to see a good review of each watch it presented at SIHH 2010. If you want to see pictures of these watches, click HERE.
Enjoy the video!

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Watch Videos Done Right

This post is less about the watch and more about its presentation.  Last week I showed you the “sneak preview” video of what turned out to be Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Master Compressor Extreme Lab 2 watch.  And this week JLC introduced a second short video to highlight the official unveiling of this new watch.  Actually I am going to post both videos below – and I do this because I really like these videos.  The music is very cool – kinda pumps me up, motivational kinda music.  But more importantly because this is an excellent example of how to make a video that highlights a watch.  Most/many brands simply produce a video of the watch in isolation – usually we see watch parts spinning around until they become a whole watch or we go through an intricate tour inside the case of the watch.  But the disappointing thing with most of these videos is that they lack context, and make me think “If you have seen one, you have seen them all.”

In contrast, what I like most about these JLC videos is that they are the near perfect example of how to present a watch in the context of its intended use.  And I just love how the watch is seamlessly interwoven into the mountaineering scenes and we understand what this watch is about.  One of the better watch videos I have seen in awhile.   So what do you think – do you like this style video or do you have another one that comes to mind?

Video 1 – Jaeger-LeCoultre Pre-SIHH 2010 “Sneak Preview” Teaser Video (watch identity unknown)

Video 2 – Jaeger-LeCoultre SIHH 2010 Video Highlighting the New Master

And here’s a shot of the watch itself:

If you want to look at some more pics of this watch – or its rose gold brother, click here for our SIHH 2010 Jaeger-Lecoultre thread.

First In Watches Ticks Into 2010 with a Review of the Paul Picot Technicum (Reference number P7018G20.771 BM)

Happy 2010 watch fans – it is time to start off the year on the right foot (wrist?) with a watch review! As regular readers know, here on First In Watches my “takes” are almost exclusively on the best and most unique watches money can buy, and my review today – that of the Paul Picot Technicum – is no exception.  Let’s go right to the video where I cover most of what needs to be said and give you a good look at this very nice watch.  Below the jump I’ll share some pictures and a few parting thoughts.  Enjoy:

Before I get into some follow up thoughts, let me first thank my friends at Grenon’s of Newport for providing the watch you just got an inside tour of.  They know how to stock ‘em up there in Newport!  Get on Grenon’s email list (sign up at the website) and you’ll see what I mean.  Second – just a small reminder that I am not compensated in any way by the AD or the brand for this nor any other review I post on this blog – my reviews are solely my own.  Independent, opinionated and forthright is what you get here at First In Watches.  Now, back to the watch…

To me, the best elements of this particular Paul Picot Technicum are its blue “Breguet style” hour and minute hands, its lovely guilloche patterned solid silver dial, and last but not least its rattrapante (or “split second”) function.  The rattrapante is one of my favorite complications, and although it does not have a whole lot of practical application in this digital era, it sure is a heck of a lot of fun to play around with and it makes for some great photo opps!

What else?  Actually, after seeing how splendid this watch is on the video you might be surprised to know that my first impression of it was a bit “ho-hum.”  This is because the watch actually has a rather unassuming presence (in contrast to, say, the Armin Strom Blue Chip Automatic Skeleton, another watch I recently reviewed).  It is relatively small – about 39mm case size – and also (as noted in the review) the watch does not have a bezel.  For these 2 reasons I did not find the watch to have a very signficant “wrist presence”.   Is this good or bad?  Neither, really!  While this will turn many of you away, keep in mind that there are 2 sides to every coin, my friends.  Yes, this watch is likely to be perfect for those of you who have the “big money” and prefer the finest things in life – but at the same time (sometimes or all the time) you prefer not to flaunt your wealth, maintain a relatively low profile, and take great satisfaction in knowing that you are wearing a highly complicated, $18,000 mechanical watch on your wrist and the guy standing next to you at the crosswalk hasn’t a clue.  Is this you?  You know who you are   and if so, I highly recommend this watch to you.

Are you still wondering who Paul Picot is?

I want to make a couple points here as I do not believe that Paul Picot the brand is well known to the average watch enthusiast, nor to perhaps even those who are bit closer to the trade (myself included).   According to the company website, Paul Picot S.A. was founded in the Jura region of Switzerland in 1976 by a Mr. Mario Boiocchi.  Is there an actual “Paul Picot” behind the brand?  I would guess ‘yes’, but I do not know for certain (do you?).  By standards of the watchmaking industry, being founded in “only” 1976 makes Paul Picot a relatively young brand.  The brand prides itself on making “exceptional timepieces” that are “of great precision and extreme technical complexity, equipped with high quality mechanical movements housed in elegant cases.”   The price range of the brand’s collections – entry level about $5,000 up to nearly $100,000 for certain tourbillon models – reinforce the brand’s dedication to the high-end of high-watchmaking.  I would say that the brand’s “sweet spot” as far as price is concerned seems to be in the $10,000 to $20,000 range.  Unfortunately, the website is sparse on any additional details about the brand (hint, hint).

Thanks for watching and reading and I hope you enjoyed the review!  I wish all the reader’s of the blog all the best for 2010!

Sure, sure – you’ve seen the pics (if not you can check them out HERE), but how about the video? First In Watches – we got ya covered, yuh!

Seeing the watch rotor in action reminds me of something out of a Batman movie!

The watch you will see here is one of the finest watches one could ever hope to own – or wear, if even for a few minutes.  If I think of what this watch tells me when it is on the wrist or under the loupe, I would say that the Armin Strom Blue Chip Automatic Skeleton exudes strength & power, individuality & intricacy – all at once.  With its massive 46.5mm diameter and 16mm thickness, the case of the Blue Chip Skeleton says unequivocally that it is built for a “power player”, and that it is a watch that will take a back seat to none of its equally sized peers.  But this is just the beginning, as this watch has far, far more to offer than just another hulk-sized case.  You see, it is full of incomparable vibrancy and depth – individuality, one might say.  With a fully skeletonized, engraved and finished movement inside the case, the Blue Chip Skeleton tells you that it was carefully, meticulously, and deliberately brought to life by the steady hands of a master.

With this introduction in mind, I invite you to now enjoy my video and photo review of the Armin Strom Blue Chip Automatic Skeleton (reference no. ST09-SA.75):

Photo Gallery:  Armin Strom Blue Chip Automatic (17 Images)

Learn More / Own This Watch

List Price: $17,600.

Want to learn more about Armin Strom?  Click here to visit the Armin Strom website.

Interested in owning this watch?  Inquire Totally Worth It for VIP response.

More about Armin Strom

ARMIN STROM SA – Tradition and Vision

Amongst watch aficionados, Armin Strom’s name is synonymous with the highest level of hand-made skeletons and watch engraving. An exclusive series of skeleton watches based on decades of tradition is now being created in Biel under the watchful eye of the Master. At the same time, a new collection is being launched as “Armin by Armin Strom”, geared towards modern tastes and with a technical orientation.

Armin Strom SA was founded in 2006 and is based in the watch-making center of Biel. The main investor is the well-known Burgdorf industrialist, Willy Michel. At work is a motivated crew whose average age is much lower than the norm for the industry. Targeted investment in state-of-the-art production facilities has allowed the young firm to be increasingly independent from suppliers. The aim is to exist as an actual manufacturer and to make watch movements entirely developed independently. The company’s plans are for the long term with an awareness and strategy to build up in several years a reputable brand, highly regarded for quality production and design.

The firm offers a watch collection under the “Armin Strom” brand whose movements are enhanced with various levels of hand-engraving or partial skeletons, up to a fully hand-made skeleton watch. Understatement is in demand nowadays which is why the skeleton movement is often only visible on the back. The watches are meticulously executed as Armin Strom has always been uncompromising when is comes to quality.

The newly launched label is called “Armin by Armin Strom”, with the emphasis on proprietary manufacture. However, it also represents the modern style of movement embellishment, without neglecting important traditional values. A young, superbly trained and highly motivated team creates new collections emphasizing a modern, technical image. Serge Michel, Managing Director of Armin Strom SA, explains: “We intentionally try to blend tradition with new innovative methods; provisions are being made to transfer the know-how as Armin Strom himself trains the junior watch-makers in-house.”

The first step on this path was taken in 2008, with introduction of the regulator in the Four Elements models, under the new “Armin by Armin Strom” label. Based on a standard movement, the complete construction of a regulator with an off-center arrangement of seconds, minutes and hours, as well as a retrograde date display, was developed and produced “in-house” for the line, all with a modern appearance, including a striking polished or brushed titanium case. The manual winding movements are beautifully engraved and can be admired through the glass back. This engraving is within the DNA standards of Armin Strom.

“We still have a few tricks up our sleeve,” says young watch-maker/constructor Claude Greisler who is responsible for designing new models. “Our own movement has reached a decisive stage, but it will be some time before we can achieve final introduction and subsequent mass production.”

Editors Note

This review and the opinions expressed in it are 100% independent.

(c) 2009 Perpetuelle.com, All rights reserved.

With its iconic watch collections such as the Tank and the Santos, Cartier has long been a brand whose watches tend to appeal to those more interested in high fashion and social status than to the true fans of fine mechanical watches and high watchmaking. However, at the 2009 SIHH Cartier introduced several exciting new models as well as its own in-house movements – all in an attempt to garner greater respect for itself in the world of “haute horlogerie“.

One of my favorites that Cartier introduced was the Cartier Rotonde Central Chronographe.  The distinguishing feature of this watch, as its name implies, is its innovative central chronograph function.  The clever design elements of this watch are subtle, but if you take a moment to understand them you will likely be impressed.

If you look closely at the dial you can see that the hours and minutes use blued hands which are invisible save for the tips.  This is unlike almost any “normal” watch in which the hands extend all the way to the center of the dial.  As for the chronograph function, a slim blued seconds hand begins to track the time when the push-piece is pressed, while the large counter in the form of an arc records each of its revolutions up to thirty minutes. The simple genius here being that the hands indicating the time never obscure those of the chronograph!

Perpetuelle.com partner TheTimeTV recently released a video which covers the 2009 Cartier Collection.  If you watch the video here you will get a “real world” look at the Cartier Rotonde Central Chronograph watch – among several neat watches that Cartier introduced this year!

I am excited to see what Cartier will offer at the 2010  SIHH (January 2010).

First In Watches reviews an all-black, Swiss-made mechanical watch with excellent luminosity

BALL Watch Co. is known for making sturdy, dependable and highly luminous watches, and the BALL Night Train is no exception. I enjoyed reviewing the Night Train (Reference NM1092C-L1B-BK), which happens to be part of BALL’s Fireman collection.  It is the first I have spent any time with a BALL Watch, and for a watch of this type I can say that overall I am impressed.  The video review pretty much covers everything, with the exception of a few parting thoughts, and several photos, which I share below.

One point I want to reiterate from the video is the excellent luminosity of this watch.  I was a bit disappointed that I was not able to more clearly capture this for you.  I’m not sure why, but it was very difficult to get a good shot on video or on my digital camera – perhaps it was the radioactive tritrium gas playing tricks on my equipment   But I can assure you – it is impressive and I would put my money on a BALL watch any day.  BALL is the “real deal” when it comes to serious lume – no gimmicks needed.

While the BALL Night Train does not suit my personal tastes, it is a nice Swiss-made timepiece that has a lot to offer, and at a reasonable price (~$1,900).  This is more or less an entry level watch for the mechanical automatic Swiss watch category, so if you are looking to start your collection, this would be a good place to start.  Or, if you are looking for watch that you can read in the dark – for hours days months years on end without ever fading and without needing a light source to “charge up” – this watch would be an excellent choice.  Finally, thanks again to Grenon’s of Newport for providing the watch – don’t hesitate to give Ray a call if you are interested in this watch – tell him I sent you and he will take good care of you.

In closing, here are a few pictures of the BALL Night Train DLC:

(note: serial #’s blurred out)

After its one-of-a-kind Quai de l’Ile sold for about $75,000 at the recent ONLY Watch 2009 charity event, Vacheron Constantin has decided to launch an exceptional series of 100 Quai de l’Ile watches to further its support of the fight against the currently incurable Muscular Dystropny.  Vacheron Constantin will donate 1,000 CHF per watch sold for a total donation of 100,000 Swiss francs to the Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophy.

Commenting on the new special collection, Vacerhon Constantin CEO Juan-Carlos Torres stated:

“Driven by a desire to transcend the gift we had made to the auction, we simply asked ourselves how we could open up a new and more lasting channel of funding on behalf of the Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophy over which Luc Pettavino presides in such a charismatic manner. We have therefore decided to launch the development and production of a special series of 100 numbered watches dedicated to the association, the sale of which will enable us to make a further direct contribution of 100,000 Swiss francs. We sincerely hope this initiative will pave the way for other ideas of a similar nature.”

These special Quai de l’Ile watches are constructed of a case made in tantalum and in palladium; equipped with the mechanical self-winding 2460 movement bearing the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva; numbered and engraved on the back; and specifically dedicated to this noble cause.   They will soon be available from the 100 Vacheron Constantin points of sale around the globe that already offer the exclusive Quai de l’Ile collection.

If you are not familiar with Vacheron’s Quai de l’Ile series, I also recommend you watch the excellent video I am including below.

Vacheron Constantin Quai de l’Ile -Special series dedicated to the Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophy

First In Watches Brings You Up Close and Personal With A Spectacular Watch

As you will see below, the limited edition Linde Werdelin SpidoLite skeleton dial with Svend Andersen movement (Ref# SPD.SA) is a truly amazing and unique watch.  Linde Werdelin is a brand I recently raved about for a number of good reasons (see “Related Posts” at the bottom of the post), and after spending some time with its marquee, “attention getting” watch, I am even more excited for the future of Linde Werdelin.

Now, if you don’t already know, the “watch review” philosophy here at First In Watches is that “photos are nice, but video is nicer” – and so I am also excited to bring you this exclusive review of the Linde Werdelin SpidoLite in full HD video!  One quick note before the show – one item discussed in the review is the magnificent “blue rotor” that comes with this watch, but unfortunately the particular watch you see in the video had not yet been fitted with one – so be sure to check out the photo gallery posted below the video for a look at this and other pics of the watch.

Pretty cool watch, eh?  In a nutshell, the SpidoLite SA is a limited edition watch (44 pieces) powered by an automatic movement that has been modified by highly respected watchmaker and AHCI co-founder Svend Anderson and that is packed into an ultra-light and stealthy-looking titanium case with 1,000 feet (300 meters) water resistance.  Oh yea!  There really is little, if anything, not to like about this watch.

Linde Werdelin SpidoLite Skelton Dial Photo Gallery

Photos:  K. Stults for First In Watches, except  “Blue Rotor” photo is courtesy of Linde Werdelin.

As for the brand, I would like to see them start making their own movements, but yes I know – this is easier said than done.  All in good time!  Either way, Linde Werdelin is making some spectacular watches right now that any watch enthusiast or collector should give a serious look.  And keep in mind that the SpidoLite Svend Andersen you see here is one of the most expensive watches LW offers (list price is about $12,000), but other collections/models can be yours for somewhere in the $4,300 – $9,700 range.  You can see them all at LindeWerdelin.com, or get in touch with North American distributor Totally Worth It, LLC – info@totallyworthit.com or +1 724 263 2286 / +1 212 828 7749 if you are interested in making a purchase.

In closing, if you want to leave feedback on this review or have any questions about the watch, you can click through to our YouTube channel and rate and comment on the video, or feel free to post a comment or query below.  You may also contact me at kyle [at] perpetuelle.com.  I hope you enjoyed the review.

Hayek-Knox Duo takes the podium at Silverstone; 4 races down, 2 to go

In what must be making for a spectacular thrill-filled summer for Blancpain President Mark A. Hayek and his team, Blancpain continues to “roll on” “roar on” through the 6-race Lamborghini Super Trofeo circuit as only a 570 horsepower decked out Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 can.  Have a look for yourself!

Hayek and team are turning out to be quite the brand ambassadors and are generating great publicity for the event not to mention the Blancpain brand – of course being the lead sponsor also helps  As well, Blancpain continues to get great “mileage” (bad pun? sorry) for its limited edition Blancpain Super Trofeo Chronograph watches, pictured below.  The exclusive Blancpain Super Trofeo Chronographs feature a DLC-treated steel case featuring a design inspired by the front profile of the Lamborghini Gallardo and is fitted with a strap made from alcantara – just like the Gallardo upholstery.  Pretty cool, eh?

As for the Silverstone race, says Hayek:

“I am particularly proud of competing on the historic Silverstone track. The world’s greatest champions have raced here, and the whole place is pervaded by a competitive spirit that extends well beyond the track itself! This challenge is all the more stimulating in that the race course is extremely fast and very demanding.”

So what’s next?  Well, given that the six event 2009 Lamborghini Super Trofeo is now 4 races down, we can all look forward to the season’s last two events which are to be held at Catalunya (Spain) on September 18th-20th, and on the Paul Ricard track (France) from October 2nd to 4th.

Stay Tuned – First In Watches will be bringing more of the action your way!