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).

34 Distinct One-of-Kind Pieces Estimated to Auction At $10,000 to as much as $735,000

Less than 24 hours from “hammer time” and we wanted to share with you the “suggested” prices for each of the 34 “Only Watch” watches in case you are thinking about putting in a bid.

But first, what a difference two years social media can make for a special event such as this! The watch blogosphere has been buzzing for months with excitement over the 34 unique pieces that will be auctioned in Monaco less than 24 hours from now in what is sure to be a spectacular event. In fact we learned just yesterday that the event will be live-Tweeted by watch journalist Beth Doerr – so put her in your Twit-Stream now (Twitter: @doerrelizabeth)!!

If you follow watches, it is highly unlikely that you haven’t come across a blog or forum post highlighting one or all of these watches – of course First In Watches was the first to kick things off back in early-June with our feature article giving you a first look at each of the 34 pieces (see: ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches), and since then we have gone more in-depth on some of our favorites including the following: MB&F’s Sage Vaughn HM-2, Bovet’s 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch, Tourneau’s Jump Hour, Piaget’s Emperador Coussin, Louis Vuitton’s Tambour, Chanel’s J12 Joallerie with pink sapphire, and Blancpain’s 500 Fathoms. Some of our watch-blogging friends have also written some good articles about their favorites, too. In particular we enjoyed this recent article from Hodinkee with some great pics of some of the more “unique” unique pieces including Cabestan’s Winch Tourbillon Vertical, Confrere Horlogere’s La Clef du Temps Tourbillon, and MB&F’s Sage Vaugh HM-2.

So what are the “odds” on what these watches will sell for? Due to their rarity and the fact that there is now reserve price, it really is hard to say! But here is where the bidding is likely to start, courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. who will be running the auction:

• Confrerie Horlogere $514,500 – $735,000
• Cabestan $411,600 – $514,500
• Patek Philippe $264,600 – $470,400
• Bovet $147,000 – $220,500
• Cartier $132,300 – $220,500
• Audemars Piguet $132,300 – $220,500
• De Bethune $132,300 – $205,800
• Breguet $117,600 – $176,400
• Tag Heuer $102,900 – $132,300
• MB&F $102,900 – $176,400
• Van Cleef & Arpels $102,900 – $132,300
• Ateliers deMonaco $88,200 – $132,300
• Louis Vuitton $88,200 – $132,300
• Ulysse Nardin $88,200 – $132,300
• Chanel $73,500 – $88,200
• Montblanc $66,150 – $88,200
• Piaget $51,450 – $73,500
• Franck Muller $51,450 – $73,500
• Bell & Ross $51,450 – $73,500
• Gerald Charles $51,450 – $73,500
• Omega $44,100 – $73,500
• Chaumet $36,750 – $51,450
• Vacheron Constantin$36,750 – $51,450
• Franc Vila $29,400 – $58,800
• Girard-Perregaux $29,400 – $44,100
• Hermes $29,400 – $44,100
• deLaCour $29,400 – $44,100
• Jaquet Droz $22,050 – $36,750
• Tourneau $22,050 – $36,750
• Blancpain $22,050 – $36,750
• Hublot $22,050 – $36,750
• Corum $17,640 – $29,400
• Frederique Constant $11,760 – $23,520
• Zenith $10,290 – $17,640

In closing, First In Watches will leave you with this cool “Only Watch preview” video produced by TheTimeTV, which is probably as close as most watch fans will ever come to these amazing watches:

Limited edition of 88 pieces with Meteorite Dial

Here is a new watch from ultra-exclusive Spanish watchmaker Franc Vila – the “FVa15 Column Regulator Automatique”.   I tend to find Franc Vila’s watches as interesting as his watch names.  As with many watchmakers who defy the conventional, Franc Vila’s watches do not win the hearts of every watch enthusiast.  But there is no denying the uniqueness of this watch and its reflection of the Franc Vila style, right down to his  signature “espirit unique” shaped watch case.  Also neat about this watch is the use of meteorite and sapphire glass in the dial – perhaps a reflection of Mr Vila’s education in chemistry and thus a unique perspective and understanding of materials such as these.

The timekeeper is equipped with the FRANC VILA FV15 automatic calibre, which features regulator function indicating hours, minutes and seconds, and the additional indication of date in a window in the dial.

Case:  Bezel in DieHard Extreme Steel. Carrure in titanium. Special “Esprit Unique” shape with elliptic and circular bezel. Crystal and caseback both in sapphire with double sided anti-glare treatment. Water resistant to 100 meters.

Movement:  High Grade Mechanical Self-Winding hand finished complicated movement Caliber FV15. FRANC VILA Exclusive “Gold Concept Rotor”. Power reserve of 42 hours.

Dial: Meteorite, brushed metal, and sapphire glass. Date indication at 3′.

Straps:  Rubber sport straps with DieHard Extreme Steel deployant buckle. Crocodile leather straps also included.

source: Franc Vila.