by Kyle Stults on March 17, 2010
Another mechanical marvel from the Maitre du Temps…
But boy is this watch BIG. 62mm x 59mm x 22mm. Seriously? Perhaps too big. The new Jean Dunand Palace, perhaps a “competitor” to this watch (if one were looking for a highly complicated, six-figure watch to purchase), is itself very substantial – but by comparison it is “only” 48mm x 49mm. Don’t get me wrong – this watch is by many measures one of the finest money can buy. I would highlight, for example – a world-first combination of complications: tourbillon, mono-pusher chronograph, retrograde date, retrograde GMT, and two rolling bars indicating the day of the week and phase of the moon. Even with all this, I would say that Claret and Speake-Marin did an excellent job to design the dial quite nicely and legibly.
Maîtres du Temps Chapter One Round (Red Gold)
Limited Edition of 11 pieces
Displays
Central hands indicating hours and minutes, Central chronograph counterpoised second hand, 60-minute counter at 12 o’clock, Retrograde date at 3 o’clock, Retrograde GMT at 9 o’clock, One-minute tourbillon at 6 o’clock, Day of the week indication on roller at 6 o’clock, Patented precise moon phase indication on roller at 12 o’clock
Functions
Two-position winding crown: pushed in to wind the watch; pulled out to set the time, Chronograph: start/stop/return-to-zero function activated by single pusher in the crown,
Correctors
Date corrector at 2 o’clock, Day of the week corrector at 4 o’clock, Moon phase corrector at 8 o’clock, GMT corrector at 10 o’clock
But…while I can appreciate the complexity and skill it takes to integrate all these major functions into one watch, my instinct tells me that this watch may be just too much. Too much, too big, I don’t know I can exactly put my finger on it. Maybe just a bad hunch. Maybe it is the awful and deceptive “straight on” picture of the watch that completely distorts the shape and dimensions of the watch case. I guess I’ll have to sleep on it.
Related posts:
