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PATEK PHIL MCI (P) 032/10/2022 IPPE WATCH ART GRAND EXHIBITION TOKYO

THE EPIC NEW LOUIS VUITTON TAMBOUR

A FINAL INTERVIEW WITH FRANÇOIS-HENRY BENNAHMIAS

COLLECTING 101: FP JOURNE'S TOURBILLON SOUVERAINE

BULGARI OCTO FINISSIMO CARBONGOLD

CELEBRATING THE MACHINE WITH A HEARTBEAT

ASIA ISSUE 77 FALL 2023

TAMBOUR

ASIA 77

CONTENTS

ON THE

COVER

A LINE OF FINESSE

Building upon all the tenets of great

Italian design, Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo

is the ideal canvas for the manufacture’s

most innovative exploits

84

Launched in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms is the first

modern diver’s watch. Created by a diver and

chosen by pioneers, it played a vital role in the

development of scuba diving. It is the catalyst

of our commitment to ocean conservation.

“Creation”

Wildlife Photographer

of the Year 2021

Grand Title winner

© Laurent Ballesta

A Fifty Fathoms is for eternity.

SPLIT SECONDS

20 Rolex's Daytona and the 24H of Le Mans

24 Bell & Ross BR05 GMT Sky Blue

30 IWC's new Top Gun Lake Tahoe

34 Zenith Skyline Ice Blue

36 Chopard for the 2023 Mille Miglia

40 Blancpain x Oceana

42 Habring2

Chrono-Felix Top-Second

46 Longines Spirit Zulu Time

48 Unraveling the World's Thinnest Watch

54 Richard Mille RM72-01 For Le Mans

58 Panerai Radiomir Origine

60 Seiko Prospex Speedtimer

62 The New Face of Franck Muller

Curvex CX

64 Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition Tokyo

74 The Dynamic Relationship between

Rolex and Tudor

80 Nomos Glashütte Orion Neomatik

CONTENTS

24

42

30

80

PRIME TIME

98 Grand Seiko Masterpiece Collection

104 Hervé Schlüchter L'Essentiel

110 The new Cartier Baignoire

116 The Jacob & Co. Godfather

122 Nomos x Revolution Tangente Neomatik 41

Update 'Resilience'

132 Massena Lab x Revolution Uni-Racer 1949

142 Grail Watch 9: Moritz Grossmann

152 Grail Watch 10: Ludovic Ballouard et Fils

Upside Down 'Series Gaga'

FEATURE

164 Inside the Patek Philippe Manufacture PP6

176 Fight or Flight: The new Breguet Type XX

188 Andrea Furlan's Secular Perpetual Calendar

194 The Shared History of Heuer and Porsche

204 Interview: François-Henry Bennahmias on

cultural relevance in the watch industry

216 Deep-Dive: FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain

226 A Retrospective of the Ulysse Nardin Freak

THE FINAL WORD

240 AIS Collective

176

226

CONTENTS

104 142

“ONCE I DREAMED TO BECOME THE FASTEST DRIVER.

TODAY, I AM A DRIVER OF CHANGE.”

LEWIS HAMILTON, 7 TIME FORMULA 1 TM WORLD CHAMPION

IW3894

THE REFERENCE.

Maximum performance and versatility: when it comes to chronographs,

we have been setting ourselves the highest standards for more than four

decades. Like with the 69000 caliber family, which we developed with an

uncompromising focus on robustness and durability. Because only those

who keep surpassing themselves can become the reference for others.

PILOT’S CHRONOGRAPH

I

n the words of the immortal Bernie Mac,

“I ain’t scared of you mother***kers.” And

just so there’s no confusion, just so my point

is unequivocally made, I’ll say it again, “I ain’t

scared of you mother***kers.” If you’re some

keyboard warrior, sitting in your torn underwear

in your mother’s basement, whacked out of your

gourd on the endorphin rush induced by spreading

social media hate on a subject matter you’ve made

zero critical analysis of, giggling to yourself in selfcongratulation about the snide, venomous, asinine

comments you’ve made, replete with vomit face

and turd emojis representing the full scope of

your self-expressive capabilities, while still never

having read the article produced by yours truly — a

person that, let’s just be frank, has forgotten more

about watches than you will ever be able to stuff

into the limited capacity of the space within your

undersized cranium within your underwhelming

and already too long lifetime — then as I’ve said

before, “I ain’t scared of you mother***kers.” In

the tradition of Socratic dialogue, any time you

would like to share your misguided opinion with

me face to face, I will happily elucidate where you

went wrong, potentially over a Negroni if you want

to keep the tone friendly.

I’m referring, of course, to those individuals

that commented on my article about why the

Audemars Piguet and Marvel collaboration works,

without actually having read my interview with

outgoing Audemars Piguet CEO, François-Henry

Bennahmias. While the AP × Marvel collab has

been the subject of much online and Instagram

comment section bashing, the rationale behind it

is actually incredibly smart. Here’s why. In 2015,

Apple dropped the Apple Watch. That year, at the

Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH)

and the now-defunct Baselworld watch fair, the

world’s journalists, retailers and collectors were all

running around like Chicken Little prophesizing

the impending doom of the mechanical watch.

Said Bennahmias in our interview, “You may

remember in 2015 when you came to see us at the

SIHH when the Apple Watch came out, many of

the world’s journalists kept asking us, ‘You guys

realize you’re dead, right?’ [They were] suggesting

that the Apple Watch could wipe out the luxury

mechanical watch business. The prevailing belief

was that the new generation would be totally

uninterested in conventional horology, that

young people would only wear either no watch or

exclusively smartwatches. But guess what? Exactly

the opposite happened. To me, engaging the young

is fundamental. Unlike some other brands, we find

that young AP lovers are preaching the choir for

AP to their parents and this is amazing.

“When I was growing up, there were only three

ways to learn. Teachers, parents and books. Today,

many parents are learning from their kids because

kids have access to limitless information through

the web and social media. So, the equation has

reversed. We saw an entire new generation arrive

and absolutely fall in love with the craftsmanship

and artistry of mechanical watches, and [they]

preached the value of watchmaking back to their

parents. And one of the reasons behind this is the

connection between watches and hip-hop, sports,

entertainment, movies and, yes, Marvel. AP played

a huge role there because it entered these fields

before anyone else.”

FOUNDERˊS

NOTE

extend your international limited warranty

for up to 8 years on panerai.com

Singapore - ION Orchard, #01-18, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, B1-93/94 - Tel: +65 3158 3496

The point about what makes the AP × Marvel

collaboration work is that it is the mission of the

luxury watch industry to continuously expand

its audience and engage with the next generation

to ensure its survival, because survival is not

guaranteed. Even though most of us are too young

to have experienced it firsthand, the Swiss watch

industry almost went belly up during the Quartz

Crisis, when cheap, ultra precise, battery operated

watches almost decimated the entire culture of

mechanical watchmaking. Just as the phrase, “Never

again,” refers to the vast injustices suffered by the

Jews that motivated the formation of the State

of Israel, the top leadership of the Swiss watch

industry are similarly united in their motivation

to ensure the future survival of their very culture.

This is the reason every one of the top Swiss watch

brands is constantly engaged in battle to win over

new hearts and minds, and to spread the gospel of

watchmaking to an ever-expanding audience. This

is the reason Patek Philippe undertakes to bring its

Grand Exhibition, at a personal cost in the millions

to the Stern family, to every major capital city of

the world. Said Thierry Stern, “To showcase our

artisan crafts, Patek’s extraordinary role in the

history of watch culture, and to spread this passion

to the next generation well before they might be

our clients, is one of the most valuable initiatives

we undertake.” This is why Rolex dominates every

single sporting event on the planet, so that the

very ethos of human achievement is inseparable

from the brand. This is the reason Richard Mille

watches are found on the wrists of so many elite

athletes, in particular Rafael Nadal, and why the

brand collaborated with hip-hop icon and now

Louis Vuitton creative director, Pharrell Williams.

This is the reason Audemars Piguet, under the

guidance of the great François Bennahmias, was

the first luxury watch brand to partner with “Rap

God” Jay-Z, NBA legend LeBron James and actor

Arnold Schwarzenegger.

For those individuals that consider themselves

too cerebral to appreciate the collaboration

between AP and Marvel, your inability to

understand that initiatives like this are key

to the ongoing survival of Swiss watchmaking

demonstrates an ironic lack of cerebral capacity.

One of the negative by-products of social media

is the democratization of comments; anyone from

a learned individual capable of critical thought

to an absolute buffoon has the same right to post

their thoughts up. However, I also reserve the

right to call mother***kers out when they are too

lazy to make the effort to try to understand the

underlying rationale for a project like the AP ×

Marvel collaboration — among others — and pile

on the negativity because it’s an easy target. That’s

not commenting. That’s bullying. And the Internet

is one big echo chamber. That’s why, for me, it’s

more important than ever to try and read, listen

and understand before commenting, so we can all

coexist in peace and a more friendly and respectful

environment. Peace out, homies.

Wei Koh, Founder

 wei_koh_revolution

“THE MISSION OF

THE LUXURY WATCH

INDUSTRY IS TO

CONTINUOUSLY

EXPAND ITS AUDIENCE

AND ENGAGE WITH THE

NEXT GENERATION.”

EDITOR’S

NOTE

Celine Yap, Group Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]

There was this funny little meme I came across the

other day about the definition of time, where

Sir Isaac Newton says that time is absolute, and

Albert Einstein says that time is relative, and

then Karl Marx ups and goes, time was invented by clock

companies to sell more clocks. If you don’t find this funny,

then chances are you’re not from the watch industry —

or haven’t poured enough money into watches to see the

humor. Well, jokes aside, for me as an individual who’s spent

17 years observing and writing about luxury watches and

the industry at large, I think time is basically memories,

and beautifully-crafted timepieces are the companions with

which you make those memories.

For this reason alone, the ensuing argument then is that

there is no such thing as a bad watch. No one sets out to

make a bad watch. A watch would either appeal to you, or it

wouldn’t. And I’ll level with you here, it did take me a while

to see things from this perspective. Because like all of you selfprofessed watch nerds out there, my journey with timepieces

started from the mainstream brands, understanding more

deeply the craftsmanship and legitimacy behind some of the

best names in the business. Then I went into the niche brands

who create equally amazing stuff, and next came independent

watchmaking with its eclectic mix of horological wizardry

— and don’t get me started on vintage watches which is this

massive rabbit hole I’m still trying to crawl out of.

And herein lies the rub: What is the ultimate goal of

every watch collector? Is it to ascend to the top of the

horological pyramid? Alright, assuming it is, then when you

have gotten to the top, what next? Do you stop with watches

and move on to something else entirely? Clearly not. So I

think the ultimate goal is something a bit more intrinsic

within ourselves, such that with each timepiece we acquire

and the more we interact with timepieces, the better we

understand the subject matter. These valuable insights will

duly be reflected in our next NWA.

Think about your first real watch. Not the ones you

got as a gift, but the one you bought with your own hardearned money, after bouts of serious consideration and much

information gathering. Now compare it with the most recent

one you got, or perhaps with the one that’s next on your

list, and tell me you haven’t grown as a watch collector.

Realistically, that’s not possible unless in your free time

you’re diving into an entire room fill to the brim with gold

coins à la Scrooge McDuck, who incidentally ranks number

1 on The Forbes Fictional 15, making him pretty much the

Elon Musk of the cartoon universe. Interesting tidbit, but

let’s not digress.

The notion of value matters to everyone, even hip-hop

billionaire Jay-Z, who has moved on from blinged-out madmoney watches to serious connoisseur stuff like super-rare

grail watches and grand complications. Lately as well, Brad

Pitt showed some serious watch game with his Vacheron

Constantin Ref. 222 in gold and another one in steel. Lots

more celebrities have also gotten into luxury watches now.

It may be true that anyone with a lot of money can buy a

lot of nice watches. But at some point, even the wealthiest

individuals will begin to ask themselves, “What do I get from

buying this watch?” And the answer might not be absolute,

although it could be relative, but it sure as hell would spur

you to keep buying watches.

Enjoy the issue.

EDITORIAL

GROUP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Celine Yap [email protected]

EDITORS-AT-LARGE

Cheryl Chia [email protected]

Eleonor Picciotto [email protected]

SUB-EDITOR

Catherine Koh [email protected]

NEWS EDITOR

Katherine Arteche [email protected]

DIGITAL EDITOR

Felix Scholz [email protected]

DIGITAL WRITER

Sheng Lee [email protected]

CONTENT & COMMUNITY MANAGER

Constant Kwong [email protected]

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Eumund Tan [email protected]

EDITORIAL COORDINATORS

Punam Nikki Rai [email protected]

Catherine Chang [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS

AUSTRALIA Felix Scholz

ITALY Maurizio Favot

MEXICO Israel Ortega

LATIN AMERICA Israel Ortega

USA Bhanu Chopra

VISUAL

ART DIRECTOR

Jerald Ang [email protected]

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Wynne Calista [email protected]

Siti Maisarah Nasir [email protected]

HEAD OF STUDIO

KH Koh

HEAD OF VIDEOGRAPHY

Sylvest Low

PHOTOGRAPHER

Derek Kwee

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Munster [email protected]

JUNIOR VIDEO EDITORS

Muhammad Hafiz Bin Abdul Aziz

David Wang

Editorial enquiries should be directed to the Editor.

While every reasonable care will be undertaken by the

Editor, unsolicited materials will not be returned unless

accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and sufficient

return postage.

MANAGEMENT

FOUNDER & CEO

Wei  Koh @wei_koh_revolution

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

David Ong [email protected]

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Maria Lim [email protected]

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Joyceline Tully [email protected]

FINANCE MANAGER

Maggie Cai [email protected]

SALES & ADMIN

DIRECTOR, ECOMMERCE & OPERATIONS

David Sum [email protected]

ASSISTANT MANAGER, ECOMMERCE & OPERATIONS

Shazlina Binte Abdul Shakor [email protected]

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER

Yvonne Koh [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC COORDINATOR

Christina Koh [email protected]

REVHLUTION is published quarterly by

Revolution Media Pte Ltd.

All rights reserved. © 2022 by Revolution Media Pte Ltd.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission

is prohibited.

Opinions expressed in REVHLUTION are solely those of the

writers and are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher

and its editors.

Prices are indicated in USD, CHF, Euro or SGD and may vary

due to government taxes and exchange rate fluctuations.

Please consult your preferred retailer

if in doubt.

For other enquiries, contact:

[email protected]

For circulation and distribution, contact:

[email protected]

PPS 1609/06/2013 (025530) MCI (P) 037/12/2018 ISSN 1793-463x

USA circulation, marketing and operations: Frank Ruiz and Carlos Garcia,

CircSense Marketing & Publishing Solutions

REVHLUTION USA Pte Ltd South Miami FL 33143 USA,

Tel: 305 608 1460. REVOLUTION (ISSN # 1793-463x) 2021, USA Issue

14. REVOLUTION is published by Revolution Media Private Limited, The

Mill, 5 Jalan Kilang #04-01 Singapore 159405. Agent for this publication is

CircSense Publishing Solutions, LLC, 16245

SW 81st Terr., Miami, FL 33193. Periodicals postage paid at Miami, FL and

at additional mailing offices.

Troy Barmore

Troy Barmore is

a watch, luxury

and heritage goods

specialist and writer

based in New York

City. Growing up

in the mountains

of Colorado, Troy

has had a passion

for subtlety

and detail since

childhood. Whether

it be denim,

leather, eyewear

or watches, he has

made the study

of quality goods

a lifelong focus.

Cheryl Chia

Cheryl Chia is a

watch writer with a

deep interest

in independent

watchmaking,

movement

engineering and

decoration.

Contrary to popular

sentiment, she

believes that watches

can be assessed

objectively in terms

of complexity,

quality and finishing.

Felix Scholz

Felix Scholz has

spent the last

decade writing

professionally about

watches, yet he

still struggles with

international time

zones. He is a firm

believer that less is

more (except when

it is not) in watch

design. He has

written for Hodinkee,

GQ, A Collected Man

and more. These

days, he spends his

time looking after

Revolution Australia

and co-hosting

OT: The Podcast.

Constant Kwong

Formerly a vintage

watch dealer,

Constant Kwong is

deeply passionate

about rare timepieces

and specializes in

vintage Rolex. He is

the co-founder of

The Octo Club,

which celebrates

the Bvlgari Octo

Finissimo series,

and is also the

administrator of The

Watch Club of Asia,

a community of

watch lovers in

Southeast Asia.

In his new role

as Content and

Community Manager

at Revolution,

he aims to grow

the #watchfam

through engaging

video content.

Rob Nudds

Rob Nudds trained

as a watchmaker,

qualifying from

the British School

of Watchmaking

with the highestever score in the

horological theory

exam. He's worked

as a watchmaker

and retail account

manager before

going into watch

journalism career

in 2015. In 2022,

Rob set up his

own watchmaking

consultancy

and hosts own

watchmaking

podcast, The Real

Time Show, with his

friend and former

colleague, Alon

Ben Joseph.

CONTRIBUTORS

Close up of a Patek Philippe

cloisonné enamel and

hand-engraved dial

RUNNING ON

A HUNDRED

The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual

Cosmograph Daytona celebrates

100 years of Le Mans in style.

WORDS FELIX SCHOLZ

Engraved Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph

Daytona presented to the winners of the

Centenary Edition of the 24 Hours Of Le

Mans 2023. © Rolex/JVA Studios

At the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,

the No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse achieved glory in

front of 325,000 spectators at the historic Circuit

de la Sarthe. The monumental win earned the

champions a significant place in motorsport history, being

the first victory for the Italian team since 1965. As tradition

would have it, the winning drivers were presented with a

specially engraved Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona,

in addition to their celebration of the centenary trophy.

This year was already shaping up to be an excellent year

for the Rolex Daytona, which was a hero of their Watches

& Wonders release slate. For the 60th anniversary of the

prestigious model, the lineup comprised an updated case

profile and reworked dials with smaller hour markers and

narrower registers, lending the watch a more vintage air.

These changes are relatively subtle, but the updates made to

honor the French endurance race are a little more striking.

VICTORY IN 24 HOURS

First held in 1923, the world’s most prestigious endurance race

has tested human and technical performance to its limits.

As the Official Timepiece of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since

2001, Rolex champions the commitment around the clock

which has made this race and its conquerors legends of motor

sport. To mark the 100th anniversary of Le Mans, Rolex

presents an original version of its legendary chronograph:

The Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona “Le Mans” Ref.

126529LN. Presented in 18 ct white gold and fitted with a

Cerachrom bezel in black ceramic, the watch is designed

with a subtle tribute, where the number ‘100’ in red ceramic

on the tachymetric scale evokes the race’s centenary. But

more importantly, it’s a likely nod to a famous figure in both

Cars in action at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023. © Rolex/Stephan Cooper; Cars set off at Circuit de la Sarthe. © Rolex/Stephan Cooper

22 SPLIT SECONDS

the history of Le Mans and Rolex — the one and only Paul

Newman. American actor, film director, philanthropist and

entrepreneur who raced in the 1979 Le Mans.

This is the first time in the current catalog that Rolex had

produced the aforementioned bezel and reverse panda dial

combination, the latter whose configuration is a clear nod

to coveted vintage pieces. The stark white counters on this

homage edition display the elapsed time in hours and minutes,

while the third counter at 9 o’clock tracks up to 24 hours,

instead of the usual 12. This thematic update uses a variation

of the new caliber 4131, aptly called the 4132. This movement,

visible through the exhibition caseback, incorporates the

Chronergy escapement, Paraflex shock absorbers, and

bridges decorated with Rolex Côtes de Genève. And as all

Rolex watches go, this special version of the Cosmograph

Daytona carries the Superlative Chronometer certification,

which ensures excellent performance on the wrist.

Rolex has a long-standing tradition of rewarding motor

sport champions with a special timepiece in honor of

their exceptional contributions and achievements. Of the

occasion, record nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and

Rolex Testimonee Tom Kristensen said in a statement, “We

carry a victory at Le Mans with pride for the rest of our lives

and winning a Rolex Daytona in the centenary year will be

an incredibly proud moment. It will forever tell the story of

the race and seeing Le Mans engraved on the watch gives it

even more meaning. This year, a driver will not just be a Le

Mans winner, but a centenary Le Mans winner, which is a

once-in-a-lifetime achievement.”

Clockwise from left: Calibre 4132 is exclusive to the version of the

Cosmograph Daytona created to celebrate the 24 Hours of Le Mans

centenary. ©Rolex/Ulysse Fréchelin; Overall winning drivers of the 24 Hours

of Le Mans 2023 (L-R): Alessandro Pier Guidi (Ita) Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita)

And James Calado (Gbr) With #51, Ferrari AF Corse, Ferrari 499P (Hypercar).

© Rolex/Stephan Cooper; Rolex Testimonee Tom Kristensen at the 24 Hours

of Le Mans 2023. © Rolex/Stuart Wallace

SPLIT SECONDS 23

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BLUE

Bell & Ross is best known for its square watches inspired by cockpit instruments.

The BR 05 series is an evolution of that concept. More elegant and refined, the

new BR 05 GMT comes in a summery shade of blue and immediately becomes

a contender for the most versatile watch of 2023.

WORDS ROB NUDDS

When Bell & Ross was founded 30 years ago, the

watches produced by the company looked

very little like the watches we most associate

the brand with today. If you stripped the

dial of the iconic ampersand-focused wordmark, you’d be

left with something that looked like it rolled straight off

of the Sinn production line. Why? Because, quite frankly,

it did...

Although this curious fact has been somewhat forgotten

in recent years, it was none other than the legendary Helmut

Sinn (who sadly left us in 2018 at the ripe old age of 101) that

breathed life into the vision of Bruno Belamich and Carlos

A. Rosillo. Sinn believed in the B&R project and agreed to

manufacture the brand’s early watches. This relationship

persisted until 2002, ceasing soon after Chanel became a

minority shareholder in the brand.

I was fortunate to interview Carlo Rosillo recently and

the fondness with which he spoke of Herr Sinn was truly

moving. He asserted that he and Bruno had been blessed

with Sinn’s assistance in their early days and were very

fortunate to have been trusted by a series of benefactors

that enabled them to get the brand off the ground. Now,

with the expansion of the BR 05 line, Belamich and Rosillo

are forging ahead into a new, more debonair era of Bell &

Ross watches.

A TOOL FOR LIFE

When one thinks of Bell & Ross watches, one thinks

primarily of aviation tools. Yes, Bell & Ross dive watches

exist. The catalog also features round watches. There are

watches plastered with skull motifs and some highly

complicated pieces you’d probably rather admire from a

safe distance than wear while pulling a 4G loop.

But the brand is moving in an interesting and, I must

say, intriguing direction with the development of the

BR 05 family. Tracking the brand from its early days to

now shows a patient and organic exploration of how Bell

& Ross’ calling cards can be shifted ever so slightly to fit

comfortably with new goals.

The earliest models were tool watches without the

kind of flair that would make them wearable in more

formal situations. Had the brand jumped directly from

its original offering to producing more versatile “beach

to boardroom” fare, it would have resulted in no little

head-scratching. By embracing the “second wave concept”

of square aviation instruments, the brand did something

that was perhaps cleverer than we realized at the time: it

retained its foundational character but fused it seamlessly

with an aesthetic that was unlike everything else in the

industry. From that platform, a jump into a classier realm

was possible. The resulting challenge faced by the brand was

one of timing and execution. The BR 05 collection dropped

at exactly the right time and the new interpretation

of the square concept was executed both confidently

and comprehensively.

What the BR 05 line skillfully offers are watches that

not only fit with what has gone before, but that can also be

turned to a different application without missing a step.

The finishes on the cases, dials and bracelets make for a

stylistically continuous yet characterfully distinct offering.

We may not have expected this kind of progression from the

brand, but now it’s here, it feels like it was always on its way.

THE BR 05 COLLECTION

DROPPED AT EXACTLY

THE RIGHT TIME... AND

WAS EXECUTED BOTH

CONFIDENTLY AND

COMPREHENSIVELY

26 SPLIT SECONDS

That, from a brand building and product diversification

perspective, is a home run, in my opinion.

THE SPECIFICATIONS

The BR 05 has a 41mm square stainless steel case and is

water resistant to 100 meters. It shows the time and date

(at three o’clock in a generously sized date wheel, which sits

comfortably alongside the lighter colorway of this piece).

The second time zone is read by way of a bicolor rehaut ring,

which is subtle enough to not encroach on the legibility.

Additionally, the second hour hand is sympathetically

colored, with two-thirds of its stem painted in sky blue so

that it flies under the radar until needed. A broad, lumed,

triangular tip indicates the second time zone. This GMT

hand can be set in the second crown position by turning

the crown in a clockwise direction, while the date can be

quick-adjusted in the same crown position by turning the

winder counterclockwise. In the first crown position, the

watch can be wound manually, and the time can be set in

the third position.

Ticking away inside this handsome housing is the

automatic BR-CAL.325, which is based on the Sellita

SW330 GMT. The movement has a darker surface treatment

than standard and provides a novel caseback view thanks

to the use of a 360-degree rotor weight with a futuristic

“web” design.

SPLIT SECONDS 27

I’m a big fan of both peripheral and 360-degree

oscillating masses, especially when deployed on otherwise

standard movement architectures. While the movement in

this watch is not particularly exceptional, the advantage of

it (and anything from a major supplier like Sellita, ETA,

STP or La Joux-Perret, for example) is that it is easily

serviceable. An aesthetic quirk like an eye-catching 360

rotor that doesn’t negatively impact servicing potential is,

therefore, a happy medium for me.

HOW TO WEAR THIS WATCH

Perhaps the biggest choice for would-be buyers of the Bell

& Ross GMT Sky Blue comes down to the bracelet or strap

conundrum. When worn on the integrated bracelet, the

watch has a strong, professional mien, and, for my money,

would look very much at home with business attire. On the

color-matched rubber strap, it has an altogether sportier

vibe — something that appeals to me personally.

The extent to which the watch’s character shifts from

a casual weekend watch on the rubber to a commanding

weekday warrior on the bracelet is a triumph of design. I’m

very impressed with the growth of the BR 05 collection and

am looking forward to it becoming a cornerstone of Bell &

Ross’s next phase.

Already, with the slightly advanced BR-X5 series, we’ve

seen the versatility of the design and how by employing

different colorways, more interesting materials in the case

construction, and more exciting calibers from Kenissi,

the basic silhouette can turn its hand to all manner of

applications. If Bell & Ross pursues this development

further and brings in even more adventurous calibers to

the collection, we could soon be looking at one of the better

value and design propositions under five figures that the

industry has to offer.

BELL & ROSS

BR 05 GMT SKY BLUE

REF BR05G-PB-ST/SST (stainless steel bracelet); BR05G-PBST/SRB (blue rubber strap)

MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber BR-CAL.325; 42-hour

power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT and date

CASE 41mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 100m

DIAL Sunray brushed sky blue; white Super-LumiNova filled

Arabic numerals and indexes

STRAP Integrated stainless steel bracelet or sky blue rubber;

stainless steel folding clasp

PRICE USD 5,500 on bracelet; USD 5,000 on rubber strap

ON TAHOE TIME

At 46.5mm wide, you might think the IWC Big Pilot’s Perpetual Calendar

TOP GUN “Lake Tahoe” qualifies as oversized, but its white ceramic housing

does a wonderful job of reducing its visual impact on the wrist.

WORDS ROB NUDDS

I

n reality, the naming of watches matters very little, but

the nomenclature that IWC seems to have backed itself

into with the Big Pilot’s Perpetual Calendar line is fast

becoming a source of light-hearted amusement.

It’s a mouthful but perhaps that’s the goal of a watch

that is, in itself, an eyeful. It’s a Mach 10 kind of name

that somehow suits this 46.5mm by 15.6mm wrist-mounted

iceberg, capable of tracking the time, day, date, month and

leap year from now until 2100 without adjustment.

A PERPETUAL PRESENCE

The famous IWC perpetual calendar movement was developed

in the mid-1980s by the equally iconic Kurt Klaus, a popular

figure in the industry, frequently spotted at events well into

his octogenarian years, with a wry smile of satisfaction on his

face, and a glass of single malt in hand. It is no wonder he looks

back on arguably his finest contribution with contentment.

His work became legend and has persisted now for almost 40

years, transcending trends and generations with apparent ease.

30 SPLIT SECONDS

Case in point: The new white ceramic IWC Big Pilot’s

Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN “Lake Tahoe” has

already been snapped on the wrist of seven-time Formula 1

world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, who is an ambassador of

the brand, but, to his credit, a knowledgeable and genuinely

passionate one. Hamilton is a well-known collector and a fine

role model for the next generation of watch hoarders, so his

personal appreciation of IWC is something with which I am

sure the brand is thrilled.

SIZING UP

This model has exactly the same dimensions as the TOP GUN

“Mojave Desert” edition, also in ceramic. Interestingly, both

models are a shade bigger than the TOP GUN “Ceratanium”

edition, which comes in at 46.2mm wide and 15.4mm thick,

sharing its dimensions with the stainless steel model. The

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton and one of his many IWC watches

other major difference between the two TOP GUN editions

and the Ceratanium model is the very obvious stainless steel

crown they share, while the Ceratanium model uses the same

material for the winder as it does for the case. Presumably,

the reason for this comes down to securing a consistentwater

resistance, which stands at an unusual 60 meters for all

models (the stainless steel perpetual calendar included).

The resulting aesthetic will no doubt divide opinion, but

I find myself surprisingly charmed by the black and white

colorway of the TOP GUN “Lake Tahoe.” Normally, such a

stark and isolated contrast would have annoyed me, but here,

perhaps because of the “non-standard” case coloration, I feel

it deserves much more than a passing reference. Something

about seeing just a little bit of steel reassures me that this

is not just a whimsical toy, but actually a very serious

machine indeed.

THE FAMOUS IWC PERPETUAL CALENDAR

MOVEMENT WAS DEVELOPED IN THE MID-80S BY

THE ICONIC MASTER WATCHMAKER, KURT KLAUS

SPLIT SECONDS 31

REFINED AND READY FOR ACTION

And what a machine it is. From the back, viewed through

a sapphire display window set into the caseback (the only

other stainless steel component visible on the exterior of

the watch), the IWC-manufactured caliber 52615 is a sight

to behold. Rhodium-plated bridges with a subtle Geneva

wave pattern, polished red rubies, heat-blued screws,

golden-colored elements including the balance wheel and

a medallion set into the oscillating mass, and even a black

ceramic automatic winding wheel make for an unusually

vibrant movement.

Its specifications are also impressive. An extremely

precise “reductionist gear train” means the watch’s

moonphase calendar will only deviate by one day after 577.5

years — assuming the watch runs continuously throughout

that period, which, I guess, would set a pretty healthy world

record for servicing intervals if it did.

That would take us all the way to Christmas 2600. And

while the moonphase would remain accurate without human

intervention between now and then, the date would have

needed adjusting four times: once each in 2200, 2300, 2500,

and 2600. But why?

One slightly odd quirk of the Gregorian calendar is

that in order to compensate for accumulated discrepancies,

century years, despite themselves being divisible by four

(the normal rule for deciding a leap year) are not normally

leap years. This only happens when the century year is

exactly divisible by 400. That means all of us that lived through

the year 2000 witnessed the rare occurrence of a “century leap

year,” which our descendants won’t see again until 2400.

This specific white ceramic color was developed by IWC and Pantone to reflect white uniforms

and the winter landscape around Lake Tahoe

32 SPLIT SECONDS

And so, when we next run into a “common”

century year in 2100, the watch will need tweaking

so it doesn’t add that extra day in February as its

horological brain will instruct it to.

LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE

One customer-friendly aspect of this watch should

not be ignored: while it comes with a standard

two-year international warranty, that warranty

can be extended a further six years for free when

registered with the IWC care program. That’s the

kind of savvy customer service uptick of which

more brands should be aware.

In very recent times, we’ve seen more and more

brands massively increasing the guarantee period

offered with their watches. This is what it looks

like when a competitive market actually benefits

the end consumer. Longer guarantee periods don’t

just provide peace of mind for the customer, they

actively push brands to improve their products, so

they are less likely to receive them back in the mail

for service. As all brands know, there are few ways

to lose money faster than unnecessary aftersales

care, and so IWC’s announcement should be seen

as a double bonus to buyers.

WHY I’D WEAR IT

Practically speaking, the IWC caliber 52615 has a

very robust seven-day power reserve, which, for

all the bells and whistles of the perpetual calendar

complication, is something I would probably find

myself appreciating more regularly, given my

preference for rotating watches throughout the

week. And to be frank, the “Lake Tahoe” edition

with its bright white exterior is certainly a very

special watch and one I’d probably like to keep

fresh for similarly special occasions.

And it is a watch I would enjoy wearing.

Although my 16.5cm wrist might groan at the size,

the white case and white rubber strap are about as

visually lightweight as a 46.5mm by 15.6mm watch

can be. The ceramic, of course, aids the wearability

of this piece, which is, like previous TOP GUN

models made from the same material, a surprisingly

comfortable watch on the wrist. Best of all, I’m not

sure I’d ever get tired of the information-laden but

aesthetically serene dial layout, topped at the 12

o’clock position by the brand’s patented doublemoon indication that identifies the IWC Perpetual

Calendar series and has a lot to do with it having

become the classic it is today.

IWC

BIG PILOT'S PERPETUAL CALENDAR TOP GUN “LAKE TAHOE”

MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 52615; 168-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds and perpetual calendar

with moonphase

CASE 46.5mm; white ceramic with stainless steel crown; water

resistant to 60m

DIAL Matte black; Super-LumiNova filled Arabic numerals

STRAP White textured rubber; stainless steel folding clasp

PRICE USD 40,900

This black-and-white aesthetic has already made it onto Lewis Hamilton's wrist

SPLIT SECONDS 33

ICE BLUE YONDER

Zenith expands the Defy Skyline with three new

boutique-exclusive editions in cool Ice Blue dials.

WORDS KATHERINE ARTECHE

Zenith introduced the Defy Skyline collection last

year, debuting three variations (white, black, and

dark blue) in 41mm sizes. At this year’s LVMH

Watch Week, where Singapore played host for

the first time, the Defy Skyline was pared down to 36mm

and showed off dials in vivacious colors of mint green

and pastel pink, in addition to the subtle dark blue. Good

things continue to come in threes, for in this year’s summer

release, the Skyline gets a new shade in the mix — one that’s

almost eponymous.

Available in 41mm and 36mm sizes and exclusively

offered on Zenith’s online boutique, the new Defy Skyline

introduces an ice blue shade. With a sunray-patterned,

metallic finish, the dial creates a stunning visual effect that

is both refreshing and captivating. The sky has always been

a key theme for Zenith, the name of the brand coming from

the highest point of the night sky and christened for this

reason by founder Georges-Favre Jacot who was a literal

star gazer. While the motif of the four-pointed star that’s

engraved across the dial’s surface emulates a shimmering

effect of stars, the light blue seems to suggest the opposite —

think vivid blue skies or crystal clear waters, both of which

are evocative of a bright and invigorating summer.

The 41mm version is equipped with the El Primero 3620

automatic high-frequency calibre, featuring a 1/10th of a

second indicator driven directly from the 5Hz escapement.

The smaller 36mm variant runs on the Elite 670 automatic

manufacture movement, offering precise timekeeping and

a power reserve of 50 hours. The mid-size editions also

offer diamond and non-diamond bezel options, catering to

different tastes and preferences.

The watch’s appeal lies in its strong references to

Zenith's earliest Defy models (cue full metal body and

angular architecture) and is well-dressed to the nines in the

satin-finished bracelet. But the watch does come with an

additional Ice Blue rubber strap, for those looking to keep

it casual yet stylish. As part of a new service that’s offered

on the Zenith online boutique, a selection of available straps

are now easily available, and will be rolled out in Europe,

North America, and Japan, in that order.

The Elite 670 automatic manufacture movement powers the main hours, central seconds, and date, while the sapphire

caseback exhibits the star-shaped oscillating weight.

34 SPLIT SECONDS

ZENITH

DEFY SKYLINE 41MM

MOVEMENT El Primero 3620 automatic

FUNCTION Hours and minutes; 1/10th of a second subdial

CASE 41mm

DIAL Ice blue-toned sunray-patterned

STRAP Stainless steel bracelet and additional ice blue rubber

with starry sky pattern; both with stainless steel folding clasp

PRICE SGD 13,200

AVAILABILITY Exclusively on the Zenith online boutique

ZENITH

DEFY SKYLINE 36MM

MOVEMENT Elite 670

FUNCTION Hours and minutes; central seconds; date

CASE 36mm

DIAL Ice blue-toned sunray-patterned

STRAP Stainless steel bracelet and additional ice blue rubber

with starry sky pattern; both with stainless steel folding clasp

PRICE SGD 12,500; SGD 17,800 for diamond-set version

AVAILABILITY Zenith online boutique

35 SPLIT SECONDS

Chopard, renowned for its exquisite

timepieces and strong ties to the automotive

world, introduces a new addition to its

iconic Mille Miglia collection: the Mille

Miglia Classic Chronograph in Lucent Steel. This

timepiece illustrates the spirit of competitive racing

and camaraderie, pushing the boundaries of design

and performance.

Since 1988, Chopard has been the official

timekeeper and world sponsor of Italy’s prestigious

1000 Miglia race, forging an enduring partnership

between watchmaking and motorsports. The race was

established in 1927 by two young Counts, Franceso

Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, rumored to be unhappy

when the Italian Grand Prix moved from their

hometown of Brescia to Monza. The format is an

open-road endurance race that stretched from Brescia

to Rome and back in a roughly 1500km course.

Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of

Chopard, has personally participated in the race

every year since 1989, accumulating over 30,000

miles of competition. This collaboration has resulted

in the creation of 35 remarkable watches, capturing

the essence of the world’s most beautiful race.

While presenting the 2023 Mille Miglia

collection, Mr. Scheufele stated, “This year’s watches

represent the 36th variation on the collection. Even

more than previous ones, they reflect the unique

atmosphere of the 1000 Miglia. One of the challenges

for this year’s event will be deciding whether to

choose a Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph model

that complements my car – or to choose a car that

complements my favourite version of the watch.”

The designers of the Mille Miglia Classic

Chronograph drew inspiration from the elegance

and dynamism of classic cars and their recognizable

design elements. The case, crafted from Chopard’s

exclusive Lucent Steel, showcases a diameter of

40.5 mm, perfectly aligning with the aesthetic of

historical racing cars. The reduced size not only

enhances its visual appeal but also ensures comfort

during both driving and as a daily wear watch.

GOING THE EXTRA MIGLIA

Racing through time with style and precision, Chopard’s 2023 Mille Miglia

Classic Chronograph models pay homage to classic cars.

WORDS BHANU CHOPRA

Mille Miglia is also known as the most beautiful race in the world

36 SPLIT SECONDS

Lucent Steel, the result of four years of meticulous

development, is an exclusive alloy that possesses a luminous

and subtly reflective appearance, reminiscent of automotive

bodywork. Lucent Steel is 50% harder than conventional

steel, providing exceptional durability to withstand the

rigors of competitive driving. It is also REACH-certified, an

acronym for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and

Restriction of Chemicals which is a regulation developed

in Europe to protect human health and the environment.

Further reflecting Chopard’s commitment to responsible

production, the timepiece is produced with 80 percent

recycled content and the steel has anti-allergenic properties

to make it skin friendly.

The Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph models feature

dials in a selection of vibrant colors, paying homage to the

paintwork and interiors of classic cars. The Lucent Steel

variants showcase Verde Chiaro (light green) and Rosso

Amarena (cherry red) dials, both with a circular satinbrushed finish, while the Nero Corsa (racing black) model

features an engine-turned finish. The bi-material version,

combining Lucent Steel and ethical 18-carat rose gold, boasts

a dial in circular satin-brushed Grigio-Blue (grey blue).

These exquisite dials incorporate white minutes tracks

and tachymeter scales for precise speed and distance

calculations. The hour and minute hands, as well as the dial

markings, are coated with white Grade XI Super-LumiNova,

Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph 2023 in colorful livery

SPLIT SECONDS 37

ensuring excellent legibility in low-light conditions. The

red-tipped central sweep-seconds hand adds a striking

touch, complementing the renowned red ‘1000 Miglia’ logo

adorning each dial.

The dial is protected by a glass-box sapphire crystal,

giving it a sense of depth and perspective and a stylish vintage

vibe. This crystal, secured by a slim bezel, allows light to enter

from various angles, creating captivating shimmering effects

and adding to the timepiece’s retro aesthetic.

Turning the watch over, a sapphire crystal case-back

reveals the mechanical self-winding chronograph movement.

Certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing

Institute, this movement ensures precise timekeeping and

a 54-hour power reserve. The knurled pushers, apart from

their practical functionality, enhance the visual appeal of

the watch.

Racers will appreciate the 4 Hz frequency of the

movement, facilitating accurate timing during the intense

competition. The layout of the sub-dials, featuring 12-hour,

30-minute, and small seconds counters, allows for efficient

time measurement. This timepiece caters to drivers seeking

to push their limits, inspired by Chopard’s legendary

ambassador and Le Mans champion, Jacques Bernard “Jacky”

Ickx. The Belgian former racing driver won the 24 Hours

of Le Mans six times and twice finished as championship

runner-up in Formula One in 1969 and 1970. Three Mille

Miglia limited edition watches were created in dedication

to him, and he collaborated on a fourth with Chopard.

CHOPARD

MILLE MIGLIA CLASSIC CHRONOGRAPH

REFERENCES 168619-3001 (Nero Corsa), 168619-3003

(Rosso Amarena), 168619-3004 (Verde Chiaro), 168619-

4001 (Grigio-Blue)

CASE 40.50mm x 12.8mm, Lucent Steel or Lucent steel and

rose gold, 50 meters

MOVEMENT Self-winding chronometer-certified (COSC),

28,800 vph (4 Hz), 54 hours power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph

DIAL Nero Corsa dial, or Rosso Amarena dial, or Verde Chiaro

dial, or Grigio-Blue dial

STRAP Rubber strap or brown calfskin leather strap

PRICE From USD 8,830

The Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph in

Lucent Steel captures the spirit of the iconic 1000 Miglia

race, combining automotive elegance with cutting-edge

watchmaking. Its Lucent Steel case, vibrant dial colors, and

meticulous attention to detail pay tribute to the world of

classic cars. With a blend of style, durability, and precision,

this timepiece is a testament to Chopard’s commitment

to excellence and its passion for motorsports. Whether

on the racetrack or at a formal event, the Mille Miglia

Classic Chronograph is a symbol of adventure, speed, and

timeless sophistication.

SPLIT SECONDS 39

OCEAN CONNECTION

For 70 years, since the launch of the Fifty Fathoms dive watch, Blancpain has

been associated with the sea. Partnering with Oceana and committing to clean

up the world’s waters, protect biodiversity and explore the briny deep, is a

logical continuation of that legacy.

WORDS ROB NUDDS

Back in October 2020, Blancpain and Oceana

announced their alliance, with Blancpain agreeing

to assist with Oceana’s efforts to restore vital

marine ecosystems as the non-profit’s official

watch partner. Andrew Sharpless, CEO of Oceana since

2003, stated, “We are grateful to Blancpain for the support.

Blancpain’s backing will help our campaign teams win

science-based management of our seas — including stopping

overfishing, plastic pollution, and loss of biodiversity —

and add to the hundreds of policy victories already won

and nearly four million square miles of ocean protected.

Together, we can save the oceans and feed the  world.”

Oceana is the largest international organization focusing

exclusively on ocean conservation, and, therefore, a sensible

pairing for the world’s oldest (continuously operational)

watch brand. Given Blancpain’s long and indelible links to

the sea, this blossoming partnership feels entirely natural

and remind us of Blancpain’s connection to the ocean.

Its previous activities in the field of ocean conservation

are well known. The Blancpain Ocean Commitment has

seen it co-finance 19 major scientific expeditions, contribute

to the doubling of protected ocean surface area (which

now stands at 4,200,000 square kilometers), and produce

a series of award-winning documentary films, underwater

photography exhibitions, and publications.

The coalition with Oceana is clearly a marriage blessed

from the top as Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of

Blancpain, a keen and experienced diver himself, explained:

“With the Blancpain Ocean Commitment, our aim is to

raise awareness of the importance of the oceans for human

life and to contribute to their protection. [We] have faith

in Oceana's strength in exploration, scientific research, and

advocacy to make a difference towards Mexico's biodiversity,

the local populations, and ultimately the world.”

In 2021, Oceana and Blancpain launched Project

Alacranes and set out together on a mission to explore the

deepest areas of the Gulf of Mexico, particularly the area

known as Arrecife Alacranes. Especially rich in marine

fauna and flora, it is rarely disturbed by surface dwellers.

As such, it can teach us a great deal about life beneath

the waves and offer indications of how we can improve

conditions elsewhere, reversing some of the damage done

to underwater habitats by invasive human  activity.

Renata Terrazas, Vice President of Oceana in Mexico,

says, “Despite being a Protected Area, the Scorpion Reef is

not exempt from pollution, illegal fishing, and potentially

destructive tourism, threats that must be fought. In the

case of Bajos del Norte, the risk is greater because it has no

legal protection.”

For 15 days, the expedition party will assess the state

of the reef’s biodiversity and explore these almost alien

landscapes that share our planet. Within this fascinating

region, there are at least 500 species of fish, 34 species of

coral, numerous species of dolphin, and “commercially

valuable marine animals”, including queen conch and

grouper. Interestingly, the biodiversity of Arrecife

Alacranes actually makes the area more resistant to

the effects of climate change. It is hoped that studying

seldom-visited regions like this will enable us to rethink

our interaction with the world above, implementing

positive and far-reaching changes that will protect against

the growing threat of increasing global temperatures and

evermore inhospitable ecosystems.

To achieve this, 10 scientists explored the area,

performing DNA analysis of the species present and

photomosaic modeling of the landscape. By digitally

rebuilding the reef, scientists are able to perform a census

of inhabitants and better ascertain which creatures pass

through the reef during their seasonal migrations. Having a

deeper understanding of how creatures in this area interact

with each other and their environment could be crucial in

replicating its thriving success elsewhere.

With a 70-year relationship with the sea in the books,

Blancpain forges ahead in this role, supporting Oceana

alongside its own initiatives. The brand brings the good

work of Oceana to a wider audience and proved its fundraising credentials by raising more than USD 1.2 million for

ocean conservation to kick off the collaboration.

40 SPLIT SECONDS

Blancpain and Oceana

embark on a dive expedition

to the Gulf of Mexico

SPLIT SECONDS 41

MAESTRO OF CLEVER

COMPLICATIONS

Richard and Maria Habring display their savvy vision of watchmaking with

the new Chrono-Felix Top-Second which features a unique seconds indicator.

WORDS BHANU CHOPRA

T

here have been a handful of master watchmakers

who have created some kickass cool complications,

either based on readily available movements or

with in-house base movements. Kurt Klaus used

a module on top of the Valjoux 7750 to create the IWC Da

Vinci perpetual calendar, with all the adjustments made

through the crown. Paul Gerber designed the movement

with alarm function for the world’s first automatic Fortis

chronograph, and later developed the triple rotor under

his own brand. Then there was Ludwig Oechslin’s calendar

complication based on the Valjoux 7750 for the MIH watch

(named for the Musée International d’Horlogerie that

Oechslin was both curator and director of). Also, not to

forget, the work of Jean-Marc Wiederrecht who created the

lateral, linear, jumping and retrograde hours based on the

ETA 2892 for Romain Jerome’s Spacecraft.

In present time, Habring² is the undeniable maestro

of clever and cool complications. Their COS chronograph

features start-stop-reset function that is controlled entirely

by the crown. Doppel 38 is a compact and slim, manual

winding split seconds chronograph (rattrapante). Erwin

is fitted with a jumping seconds complication where the

seconds hand “jumps” every second, similar to a quartz

movement. Foudroyante-Felix features a combination, or

in this case, a juxtaposition of slow jumping seconds and

continuously “flashing seconds” (foudroyante) that measures

one-eighth of a second. I will return to the flashing seconds

complication while discussing their latest Chrono-Felix

Top-Second. The Habrings have also added a five-minute

repeater that chimes the hours and five-minute intervals,

and a perpetual calendar to their well-rounded collection

of clever complications. The cleverness is not only in the

function of the complication, but in the design of it as well.

Before I delve into their latest complication, I want

to state that having known the Habrings for some time,

they are super down-to-earth and a caring couple. These

characteristics are reflected in their watchmaking as well.

They make an honest watch without high-end finishing,

but still deliver respectable finishing that can be admired

from the caseback. They offer the watches at a reasonable

price for the various complications, with the majority of

them being under 10,000 euros. Finally, the Habrings always

package their watches in a simple wooden box stating,

“made with love.”

A WINNING COMBO: HABRING² “TOP SECOND” AND

CHRONOGRAPH COMPLICATIONS

Chrono-Felix Top-Second is the latest clever complication

from Richard and Maria Habring. So, what exactly is the

“top second” complication? Swiss based Mondia Watches

developed the “top second” complication in the 1960s,

but both the complication and the watch company went

dormant (Mondia was acquired by Zenith), except for the

vintage pieces that can be had for a few hundred dollars. The

basic concept is a flashing dot revealed by a small aperture

on the dial, which alternates between a red and black color

to indicate that the watch is functional.

Technically, the solution is brilliantly simple. The

flashing red dot is created by a tiny spinning propeller

with two blades that completes one full rotation in two

SPLIT SECONDS 43

HABRING2 HAS INTEGRATED

THE FLASHING SECONDS

WITHIN THE DIGIT 9, THEREBY

MAKING IT A SEAMLESS PART

OF THE DIAL

seconds. When the red-painted blade passes under the

aperture, it generates a “flashing” effect every second. The

propeller gets its power from an additional wheel in the

train. From a wearer’s perspective, this is one of the most

entertaining complications.

In my opinion, Habring² has greatly enhanced the

“flashing” complication over Mondia in their Chrono-Felix

Top-Second. First, unlike Mondia, the propeller completes

the rotation every five seconds. This makes for a better

visual of a flashing red dot every 2.5 seconds, rather than

the dizzying speed of flashing every second. To translate this

into music tempo language, it is like going from a high-beat

Presto tempo to a more pleasant tempo of Allegro. But the

Habrings have their own take on this: “The exciting question

remains, what [can] the proud wearer of this model do in five

seconds (2 × 2.5 seconds) until the little propeller has turned

in each case? Of course, the new Felix model measures the

short time, as a chronograph should. But on top of that, the

five-second rhythm can help with time management.\"

At least that’s what motivational coach Mel Robbins

says when she recommends an inner countdown if you just

don’t feel like doing some unpleasant task. This is what does

the trick: For example, you decide to make an unpleasant

phone call that you’ve been putting off again and again. Then

you count backwards: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and dial the number on

your smartphone. Supposedly, the five-second countdown

activates the so-called prefrontal cortex. This brain region

is responsible for conscious decisions.

The other enhancement Habring² has made is

integrating the flashing seconds within the digit “9,” thereby

making it a seamless part of the dial rather than a separate

display as it was in the Mondia watches. Habring² has also

eliminated the traditional running seconds at nine o’clock

with this complication.

Now for the “Chrono-Felix” part of the complication;

Habring² has combined the “top second” complication

with a monopusher chronograph featuring a 30-minute

counter at three o’clock. The fact that these complications

were executed in a pilot’s watch dial really resonated with

me. I am a pilot’s watch enthusiast and I already admire

the Habring² Erwin pilot’s watch. To me, the two cool and

clever pilot’s watch complications were the equivalent

of a winning one-two punch combo. It is noteworthy to

mention that Habring² did implement the “top second”

complication in 2022 for a special 33-piece limited edition

created for CronotempVs collectors. The top second in that

case was implemented within a running seconds subdial,

along with a separate day/night indicator.

Movement-wise, it is their in-house developed and

manually wound caliber A11FC. It features an amagnetic

escapement with Carl Haas balance hairspring, and

chronometer quality with 48 hours of power reserve. The

movement finishing is very respectable with polished

bevels, decorative ribbing and perlage — all done by hand.

What I personally like about my Erwin pilot’s watch

is the restrained 38.5mm case and height of under 10mm.

Chrono-Felix Top-Second has the same 38.5mm diameter

and a case height of 11mm. That is impressive for this dual

complication piece.

It is refreshing to see how Richard and Maria Habring

think outside the box to keep us interested with their

clever complications. The Chrono-Felix Top-Second shows

us how they solve complicated problems in a simple way.

Meanwhile, a lot of prominence (both admiration and

value) is assigned to finishing techniques. I think there is

ample opportunity for appreciating the technical genius of

Habring² well into the future.

The Mondia Flashing Dot Top Second

44 SPLIT SECONDS

HABRING²

CHRONO-FELIX TOP-SECOND

MOVEMENT Manual winding caliber A11FC;

48-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, “top second” indication

and chronograph

CASE 38.5mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 30m

DIAL Black lacquered with grained texture; white

printed Arabic numerals, and dots on minute track

with luminescent coating

STRAP Khaki green NATO-style textile

PRICE EUR 8,050

RETRO SPIRIT

Longines introduces the Spirit Zulu Time in a smaller

39mm case, along with a new two-tone variant featuring

a luxurious color combination of gold and brown.

WORDS SHENG LEE

Having introduced the dual-time zone Spirit Zulu

Time in a 42mm case last year, we now get its

smaller counterpart, the Longines Spirit Zulu

Time 39mm. Similar to last year’s release, the

Zulu Time 39mm comes in three steel versions with accents

available in blue, black, or green. Additionally, a fourth

version has been unveiled, featuring an 18k yellow gold

bezel accompanied by a ceramic bezel insert in dark brown.

For those seeking a sporty and durable GMT watch, the

original Spirit Zulu Time 42mm offers excellent value for

the price. For the price, it provides a comprehensive package,

including a reliable GMT movement with three days of power

reserve, a beautifully finished case and dial, and a ceramic

bezel insert that enhances its overall look. These specifications

are highly desirable in a GMT watch, making the Spirit Zulu

Time unparalleled in terms of value within its category.

However, some watch enthusiasts, particularly those with

a retro taste, find the 42mm case size too large. In response,

they have unveiled a 39mm model that addresses this demand.

With its versatile size, the 39mm version of the Spirit Zulu

Time is perhaps the perfect fit for a variety of wrist sizes,

personal preferences, and occasion. The only downside in

terms of size is its thickness, which measures a substantial

13.5mm. However, this can be forgiven considering its nature

as a GMT watch and its sporty design with a rotating bezel.

Similar to its larger counterparts, the Spirit Zulu Time

39mm showcases a host of notable details, both inside and

outside the case. Starting with the dial, the watch features

an applied logo, star-shaped emblems, and hour markers

that add depth to its appearance. In fact, the dial subtly

consists of two levels, as seen in the sunken diamond-shaped

markers positioned at every five minutes, where the two

levels meet. These details contribute to its intricate design,

making it one of the more elaborate dials available at its

price point, though some may argue for a touch of restraint

regarding the level of details. Paired with the domed

sapphire crystal that allows light to easily shine through, the

result is an attractive dial with a brilliant, high-end look.

In addition to the original three color combinations

introduced last year—blue, black, and green—the Spirit

Zulu Time 39mm now also comes in a new two-tone

variation. This latest version offers a more upscale appeal,

featuring a solid 18k yellow gold bezel and crown, paired

with a distinctive dark brown ceramic bezel insert. The

result is a watch with a rich and warm appearance that

enhances the elegance of the sporty pilot’s design, making

it even more versatile for both formal and casual occasions.

Inside the watch is the brand’s L844.4 movement,

the same movement found in its larger counterparts.

That means it retains all the good features, including the

LONGINES

SPIRIT ZULU TIME 39MM

MOVEMENT L844.4; automatic; 72 hours power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT, and date

CASE 39 x 13.5 mm; steel; water resistant to 100 m

STRAP Leather strap, NATO strap (two-tone version only), or

steel bracelet

independently adjustable hour hand, silicon hairspring for

improved magnetism resistance, and a reassuring 72-hour

running time.

This updated Spirit Zulu Time offers an amiable package

that includes everything you would expect from a premium

GMT watch: a reliable workhorse movement, a beautifully

finished case and dial, and a sleek ceramic bezel insert.

What’s more, it now comes in a more wrist-friendly case

size of just 39 mm, all for just around USD 3,000, making it

hard to find a competitor in this price range.

The Longines Spirit

Zulu Time adapts

to formal and

casual occasions

SPLIT SECONDS 47

UNRAVELING

THE WORLD’S

THINNEST WATCH

A journey through some of the

milestones that shaped Richard Mille's

distinctive blend of technical engineering

and advanced case and movement

construction technology, leading to the

record-breaking UP-01 Ferrari.

WORDS CHERYL CHIA

Over the course of nearly a quarter century,

Richard Mille has achieved numerous

technical accomplishments. Although these

feats occasionally stand in the long shadow

cast by the watches’ appeal as status symbols for the

superrich, they underpin the distinctive appearance,

tactile experience, and exceptional performance of Richard

Mille watches, as well as the staggeringly high prices they

command. A tourbillon watch that can be hurled across

the room or survive being on the wrist of tennis phenom

Rafael Nadal simply didn’t exist before Richard Mille, and

the mere thought of it would have sent shockwaves through

the very core of Abraham-Louis Breguet, possibly leaving

him on the brink of a horological heartquake.

MATERIAL INNOVATION

The incredible combination of micro-engineering and case

and movement-suspension technology have resulted in the

most radical examples of shock resistance and lightness the

industry has ever seen. Mille was a pioneer in employing

materials only used in aerospace or Formula 1 technology

such as titanium and carbon fiber.

While titanium has become a staple in modern

watchmaking today, Mille was the first to take the

grade of titanium into account and became the first to

machine baseplates out of it with the 12th example of the

RM 001, significantly reducing its weight while increasing

its rigidity and impact resistance. Grade 5 titanium is

notably stronger compared to the more commonly used

48 SPLIT SECONDS

grade 2 titanium. Distinguished by its capacity for heat

treatment, grade 5 excels in a balanced amalgamation

of attributes encompassing strength, resistance to corrosion,

weldability, and the feasibility for intricate machining using

computer numerical control (CNC) methods. Its widespread

application within aerospace, automotive frameworks,

engine components, and even sectors like marine and

power generation attests to its exceptional robustness. And

Richard Mille championed its use in crafting watch cases,

movement plates, bridges and even screws.

The launch of the RM 006 Felipe Massa in 2004 saw

the introduction of a base plate crafted from carbon

nanofiber, a first in watchmaking. This pioneering approach

subsequently found its way to the V2 models of the

RM 002, RM 003, RM 004 and RM 008, setting them apart

from the earlier V1 counterparts that featured base plates

constructed from PVD-coated titanium. Carbon fiber and

carbon nanofiber differ in terms of scale, structure and

properties. While traditional carbon fiber is characterized

by precisely woven arrangements of carbon filaments that

are bound with a plastic polymer by heat or pressure to form

a composite, carbon nanofibers are produced as individual

nanoscale structures rather than being woven. They are

synthesized through chemical vapor deposition (CVD)

and are subsequently molded at high pressure and high

temperature to further enhance their structural integrity

and properties. Most notably, unlike carbon fiber which has

mechanical properties that can be significantly different

depending on the direction of force application due to

the alignment of the fibers, carbon nanofiber is isotropic,

meaning it exhibits relatively consistent characteristics in

all directions.

Richard Mille’s partnership with Rafael Nadal first

began with the RM 027 that debuted on the clay of

Roland-Garros in 2010 and was later followed by the

RM 27-01 in 2013. The watch featured a monobloc case

made of carbon nanotubes that were injected in a polymer

resin, resulting in a case that was both lightweight and

highly resistant. The movement plate and tourbillon cage

were made from titanium, while the bridges were crafted

from aluminum-lithium. The incorporation of lithium, an

exceedingly lightweight element, into the alloy composition

imparts remarkable strength while avoiding the inclusion of

unwarranted weight. The result was a tourbillon watch that

weighed under 19g including the strap.

Richard Mille was also the first to introduce Carbon TPT

by Swiss composite specialist North Thin Ply Technology

(NTPT) in 2013, in which carbon fibers are arranged in

thin layers that are stacked at varying angles to optimize

properties such as strength, stiffness and impact resistance,

and then impregnated with resin. This gives TPT its

Top to bottom: The brand's unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of

material innovation for enhanced lightness and shock-resistance were illustrated

from the get-go with RM 001, featuring the very first watch baseplate made

from titanium; the RM 002-V2 with the first carbon nanofiber base plate and

eventually, the now-iconic RM 27-01, which had its titanium base plate attached

to a carbon nanotubes case by four braided steel cables

SPLIT SECONDS 49

recognizable alternating light and dark bands, possessing a

unique marbled appearance while being superior in strength

when subjected to pressure from different directions as

compared to conventional carbon fiber.

EXTREME ENGINEERING

Apart from advancements in material science, the antishock systems employed to safeguard the movements in

Richard Mille watches are also in a league of their own.

The movements possess a unique quality of being at times

dramatically overworked yet being able to maintain

exceptional sturdiness and shock resistance — contrasting

traits that normally don’t coexist in the same watch. A more

substantial mainplate and bridge inherently lead to greater

stability and robustness. The brand achieved this by either

constructing the case body and baseplate as a single unit,

mounting the movements on elastomeric shock blocks, or

suspending them within the case by cables.

The RM 27-01 was the first watch to have its movement

suspended in the case by braided steel cables. These cables

are fixed to tensioners and secured to the case by threading

through pulleys, enabling the movement to withstand

accelerations of over 5,000g. Subsequently, drawing

inspiration from the unibody manufacturing approach used

in automobiles, where the car’s frame and body are crafted as

a single unit, the RM 27-02 in 2015 saw the introduction of

a case middle with an integrated baseplate machined from

Carbon TPT. Meanwhile, the caseback and bezel were made

from Quartz TPT, composed of thin sheets of quartz fibers

layered in a specific arrangement and impregnated with a

polymer matrix.

Richard Mille’s collaboration with the Spanish star

eventually culminated in the RM 27-04 to mark the 10th

anniversary of the partnership. Made of PVD titanium,

the dramatically skeletonized movement was suspended

on a grid of interwoven steel cables within a case made of

TitaCarb, a material made from carbon fiber-reinforced

polyamide. Taking inspiration from the technique

employed to string a tennis racket, the steel cable is

anchored to a turnbuckle at five o’clock. Subsequently,

the mesh structure is then created, wherein each of the

primary strings is threaded one after the other, followed by

the interlacing of the cross strings. With a pattern of going

over and under the main strings, the cable then traverses

the hollowed-out titanium flange a total of 38 times

before being anchored to the turnbuckle at 10 o’clock.

The movement is then secured to the mesh via five gold

PVD-coated titanium hooks. This unusual construction

enables the movement to endure shocks of up to 12,000g,

the greatest of any Richard Mille watch.

The RM 27-04 launched to the mark the 10th anniversary of Richard Mille’s partnership with Rafael Nadal featured a skeletonized movement suspended on a grid of

interwoven steel cables within a case made of TitaCarb. Additionally, the pivots of the tourbillon and mainspring barrel are fitted with red triangular shock-absorbers

visible on the front to help mitigate vibrations, enabling the movement to endure shocks of up to 12,000g, the greatest of any Richard Mille watch.

50 SPLIT SECONDS

ENTERING THE REALM OF ULTRA THIN WATCHMAKING

When a brand equipped with the most advanced anti-shock

technology in watchmaking today ventures into the realm of

ultra thin watchmaking, the outcome, naturally, was going to

be very different from previous endeavors and achievements

in slimming down a wristwatch to the very bare minimum.

The introduction of the RM UP-01 Ferrari in 2022 into a

sphere that had formerly been the dominion of Piaget and

Bulgari took the world by astonishment, not only because it

achieved a near-imperceptible height of 1.75mm, surpassing

the former record holder, the Octo Finissimo Ultra, by

0.5mm, but also because it did so with a classically solid

construction. In other words, it did not have to settle for the

bare minimum to steal the record. Instead, it incorporated

a full baseplate distinct from the case.

In fact, it is also this construction that enables it to

achieve a shock resistance of up to 5,000g. In contrast to the

textbook solution of milling the caseback to accommodate

all the moving parts and hollowing the dial such that it sits

flush with the movement, the RM UP-01 features a baseplate,

measuring 1.18mm thin, that is sandwiched between the

caseback and a full upper plate, all made of grade 5 titanium

for structural rigidity. They are held together by 13 spline

screws with the top plate firmly fastened flush against the

caseback. Given the wide, tonneau shape of the case that has

a length of 51mm and a width of 39mm, a screw is positioned

between the balance wheel and time display to secure the

case and plates together, ensuring solidity and preventing

Top to bottom: The RM UP-01 Ferrari achieves its

remarkable shock resistance by having its movement

built with a full titanium base plate that is mounted

into the case back and completely covered by an

upper titanium plate; The RM UP-01 on the wrist; A

view of the deconstructive movement architecture

with the balance wheel and gear train located on the

right of the barrel while the auxiliary train that drives

the time display is located on the left

SPLIT SECONDS 51

RICHARD MILLE

RM UP-01 FERRARI

MOVEMENT Manual winding caliber RM UP-01; 45-

hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours and minutes

CASE 39mm × 51mm; grade 5 titanium; water

resistant to 10m

DIAL Skeletonized movement plate in grade 5

titanium, with time display on black recessed counter

PRICE CHF 1.7 million

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 150 pieces

any deformation under pressure. While the caseback does

not double as the baseplate, it has been milled with extremely

shallow recesses to cradle the barrel and gear train.

At this very top level of ultra thin watchmaking,

all aspects of the watch, from the keyless works to the

mainspring barrel to the balance wheel, had to be critically

rethought. The upper plate displays the offset dial, the

balance wheel as well as a pair of apertures on the left. To

reduce the height of the watch, the winding stem, which

occupies a minimum height of 1.5mm, had to be eliminated.

As such, the watch does not have a conventional crown.

Instead, it features a function selector in the top left

aperture, allowing the user to switch between winding and

handsetting, while both of these functions are carried out via

a second port in the aperture on the bottom left. This makes

setting the time or winding the mainspring each time a twostep procedure, which can be manipulated with fingers or

operated by a special key. The selector and the “crown” are

integrated in the baseplate and ringed with black ceramic

inserts to ensure water resistance and protect the top covers

from any wear. Additionally, there is also a gasket of a

complex shape to provide waterproof protection to the case.

The pair of sapphire crystals, positioned above the time

indicator and the oscillator respectively, have likewise been

diminished to a thickness of 0.2mm while their diameters

were carefully calculated to ensure their durability.

The caliber makes the most of its generous dimensions.

All the components are spread out comfortably with

minimal overlap. A crucial height saving measure involves

offsetting the dial, where its motion works is driven by the

barrel via an auxiliary train, outside of the power flow of

the main going train.

To put things into perspective, a conventional central

seconds watch has its fourth and second wheels located on

the same axis with the motion works sitting above the latter,

carrying the hands one on top of the other. But to minimize

thickness caused by all the overlapping components, all

three gears have to be spread out on the horizontal plane,

with the barrel driving the motion works separately. In

turn, the hour and minute wheels drive a pair of disks —

a solid disk for the hours and a wheel with skeletonized

spokes to indicate the minutes. One notable detail is that

the skeletonized bridges for the winding wheels, gear train

and escape wheel do not add height but instead sit flush

within the recesses of the mainplate.

The barrel is extremely thin and is fitted with an

exceptionally fine mainspring, or hairspring at this point.

While it has essentially what is considered to be a “hanging”

construction —with no upper barrel bridge in order to save

precious micro-millimeters — it is supported by a system of

rollers around its periphery. It rotates faster than a regular

barrel, completing a revolution in six hours instead of the

standard 7.5 hours to reduce the likelihood of the mainspring

sticking together and maintain more consistent energy release.

Like the rest of the watch, the free-sprung balance is

made of titanium with six integrated slots for the adjustable

weights. It has a wide and completely flat rim to minimize air

resistance. The spokes of the balance feature a subtle notch

to accommodate the hairspring, enabling it to be positioned

in close proximity to the plane of the balance itself. The

hairspring is completely flat as there is simply no headroom

for overcoils at this level of ultra thin watchmaking. To

further reduce height, the stud holder is affixed to and sits

within the recesses of the mainplate on the same plane as the

bridge of the balance wheel.

But the most radical solution perhaps lies with the design

of the escapement. In a traditional Swiss lever escapement,

the parts that contribute the most height are the guard pin

and safety roller, both of which are designed to guide or

control the lever’s movement in the event that the watch

is subjected to a sudden shock, essentially preventing the

lever from overbanking. The guard pin typically protrudes

upwards between fork horns to meet the notch at the edge

of the safety roller on the balance. The escapement assembly

in the RM UP-01, however, eliminates these parts. It adopts

a sideways lever configuration with an elongated design and

its horns are modified to bank against the baseplate, which

has been notched to restrict its movement.

With the watch designed to endure significant shocks,

the movement’s beat rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour

is appreciable and higher than the standard frequency in

most ultra thin movements while still managing to eke out

a power reserve of 45 hours.

Over the years, there have been a multitude of ultra thin

timepieces and innovative methods for shaving off hundredths

of a millimeter. However, Richard Mille’s achievement in

prioritizing flatness to such an extraordinary degree while still

guaranteeing absolute robustness is a fresh and undeniable

feat. The brand has effectively thrown down a gauntlet that

might remain untouched for a considerable time.

AT THIS VERY TOP LEVEL OF ULTRA THIN WATCHMAKING,

ALL ASPECTS OF THE WATCH, FROM THE KEYLESS WORKS

TO THE MAINSPRING BARREL TO THE BALANCE WHEEL,

HAD TO BE CRITICALLY RETHOUGHT.

SPLIT SECONDS 53

COMMEMORATING

100 YEARS OF LE MANS

Richard Mille fetes the centenary of the greatest endurance race in the

world with the RM 72-01 Chronograph Le Mans Classic.

WORDS SHENG LEE

54 SPLIT SECONDS

Richard Mille's RM72-01 for

Le Mans is dressed in the

green and white livery of this

classic car endurance race

As expected, the new RM 72-01 showcases a captivating

two-tone case crafted from Richard Mille’s quintessential

Quartz TPT material, which combines carbon fiber sheets

with silica inlays for a vivid and organic visual effect. The

caseband is presented in a striking green while the bezel is

a pristine white, creating a powerful contrast. This color

palette extends to the dial, where an abundance of white

details, particularly on the chronograph registers, evokes

the imagery of vintage cars’ white wall tyres.

Although the RM 72-01 may appear lightyears ahead

of the vintage cars, there is an undeniable sense of mutual

respect — a shared appreciation for the spirit of teamwork,

efficiency and consistency that resonates with all enthusiasts

passionate about healthy competition and endurance racing.

Indeed, the RM 72-01, launched just over two years ago in

late 2020, represents a watch that embodies the values of

being even more efficient and consistent when compared

to its highly coveted predecessor, the RM 11-01.

T

he thunderous roar of a high-powered sports car’s

engine as it speeds around the track never fails to

ignite the racing spirit within the spectators. Their

hearts race alongside the car, and the exhilaration

they feel is akin to that of attending a thrilling concert or

witnessing an intense football match. But you know what

truly stirs the emotions? It’s when retired race cars from

decades, or even a century ago, resurface on the track,

rejuvenated as if they’ve just taken a refreshing shower

and dressed in their finest livery. There’s an indescribable

magic in witnessing classic cars racing, seamlessly blending

excitement and nostalgia. That’s precisely why a recordbreaking number of 235,000 spectators eagerly flocked to

this year’s Le Mans Classic event held between June 29 and

July 2, 2023.

Where do these classic cars come from, you may

wonder? It turns out that the Le Mans Classic event draws

its inspiration from the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the oldest

active endurance race car event in the world, which made

its debut exactly a century ago in 1923. Since 2002, the Le

Mans Classic event has been held biennially, with the aim

of reviving the glory of the past, allowing vintage sports cars

to take the spotlight once again.

This year, however, is particularly special as it marks the

100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, prompting

the Le Mans Classic organizers to make an exception and

hold the event in consecutive years (2022 and 2023), so as to

celebrate this significant milestone. In fact, this anniversary

carries such immense importance that it even compelled

Rolex to introduce a special edition that pays homage to

the early Daytona style.

Le Mans Classic 2023 ignited a tremendous sense

of excitement. The highly anticipated event saw the

participation of 800 racing cars, along with an additional

8,500 club cars on display in the general enclosure, and a

special exhibition featuring 86 historically significant cars

sourced from museums or private collections.

As a long-standing partner of the Le Mans Classic since

its inception, Richard Mille naturally brings forth its finest

racing watch and creates a limited edition specifically

for this event. Since 2008, the brand has been crafting

special editions for the Le Mans Classic, often featuring

a chronograph and designed in the race’s official colors of

green and white.

A SHARED ETHOS: RICHARD MILLE AND 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

This year’s limited edition holds particular significance

as it marks the first time the Le Mans Classic receives a

special edition in the form of the RM 72-01, Richard Mille’s

inaugural in-house chronograph boasting an impressive

range of features.

RM 72-01 is a

highly efficient and

consistent timekeeper

AS A LONG-STANDING

PARTNER OF THE LE MANS

CLASSIC, RICHARD MILLE

BRINGS FORTH ITS FINEST

RACING WATCH FOR THIS

YEAR'S EVENT

56 SPLIT SECONDS

RICHARD MILLE

RM 72-01 CHRONOGRAPH LE MANS CLASSIC

MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber CRMC1; 50-hour power

reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph

and date

CASE 38.4mm × 47.34mm; green and white Quartz TPT;

water resistant to 30m

DIAL Skeletonized with green and white outer flange and

subdials with orange accents

STRAP White rubber; titanium folding clasp

PRICE USD 335,000

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 150 pieces

The RM 72-01 distinguishes itself from the original RM 11

by incorporating a fully in-house movement, a notable

departure from the modular chronograph movement found

in its predecessor. What sets this in-house movement apart

is the inclusion of several important features, including the

flyback function, which allows for instantaneous restarting

of the chronograph without the need to stop and reset it first.

However, what really distinguishes the CRMC1 inside

the RM 72-01 is its innovative chronograph coupling

mechanism, specifically the incorporation of twin

oscillating pinions. These pinions efficiently transfer energy

from the gear train to the chronograph train, operating

similarly to a horizontal clutch but in a more compact form,

utilizing pinions instead of larger wheels. With dedicated

oscillating pinions for the seconds and minutes, a balanced

energy supply is ensured for both elapsed time functions.

Importantly, Richard Mille highlights that this

configuration preserves the power reserve of the base

movement, keeping it unaffected by the chronograph’s

operation. Furthermore, the RM 72-01 boasts an impressive

slimness with a height of just 11.68mm, making it even

thinner than its counterpart from Rolex, despite both being

automatic chronographs.

Richard Mille RM 72-01

incorporates an in-house

movement, Caliber CRMC1

SPLIT SECONDS 57

WORDS TROY BARMORE

FADE AWAY

The Panerai Radiomir Origine is a degrade dedication to the past.

I

nspired by their earliest and arguably most important

timepiece, the Radiomir Origine casts a playful eye to

the past with subtle yet stylish dégradé dials. Much like

the world which surrounded it, the watch industry was a

very different place in 1936 when the Panerai Radiomir was

first shipped. Though certainly aspirational, being made to a

high standard of accuracy and built for an intended purpose

previously requested by none other than the Italian Navy,

these watches were not the luxury status symbols which they

undeniably are today. They were tools.

Tools indeed, intended of course for the elite divers

known colloquially as frogmen, the commando component

of what would come to be known as the Decima Flottiglia

Motoscafi Armati Siluranti (MAS). Themselves an

organization which, through the terrors and tribulations of

the following decade, would come to be an example for other

elite aquatic military units the world over. The watches and

compasses which accompanied them upon their submerged

assignments were to be coveted by the likes of the American

UDT divers, a fact which only came to light by way of a

recently discovered French intelligence communiqué dating

to the 1950s.

THE ORIGINS OF THE ORIGINE

The Radiomir was so named for the presence of what can

only be described as a most liberal application of the highly

PANERAI

RADIOMIR TRE GIORNI

REFERENCES PAM 1334 (black dégradé); PAM 1335 (blue

dégradé)

MOVEMENT Manual winding caliber P.6000; three-day

power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours and minutes

CASE 45mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 100m

DIAL Dégradé black or blue; Arabic numerals and hour

markers with luminescent coating

STRAP Tan leather with beige stitching, or Scamosciato Blue

with ecru stitching

PRICE SGD 10,300

radioactive and brilliantly luminescent material, radium.

The first of its kind, carrying the moniker of reference

2533, was built to be a diver’s companion. It was reliable,

durable, water resistant to a reasonable depth for its day,

and most importantly, legible within the inky waters of

a nocturnal tide. Contained within the earliest examples

were movements produced by Rolex, itself little more than

a start-up in the historical context, the neologistic brand

having only been registered some 31 years prior.

The dials were constructed at first using two aluminum

plates sandwiched together, the lower coated heavily with

the aforementioned radioactive paint, which was shown

through cutouts in the upper layer and accompanied by a

handset similarly applied. Two primary examples, differing

slightly in their details, are known to exist. Later celebrated

with the likes of the limited edition PAM 425 and PAM 449,

the baton dial was the more minimalist and mid-century

of the two. The second featured cutout indexes and the

numbers 12, 3, 6, and 9. It is this dial for which the recently

released Radiomir Origine and Radiomir Bronzo were

created to celebrate and memorialize.

As with many great watches of a bygone era, the effects of

time and age tend to create certain idiosyncrasies which are

fascinating and desirable to the contemporary collector. In

the case of these early aluminum dial Radiomirs, a peculiar

fading of an ombré fashion would sometimes occur, no

doubt as a result of a distinct and unknown combination of

sunlight, moisture, and constant bombardment of decaying

particles. Fading from light at the center to dark along

the exterior, dials intentionally created with this specific

coloring are known as dégradé. The lume, though by no

means hazardous as it once was, has been styled to appear as

aged in its own right, a soft tan tone which brings a charming

warmth to the recessed numerals and indexes.

Two variations of the modern homage were created —

the first, receding from a soft stony gray to a dark charcoal,

and the second, a delicate faded denim moving to a deep,

dark navy. The crepuscular dials are encased in historically

appropriate stainless steel. Housed within the 100-meter

water resistant case is the old standby P.6000 hand wound

movement featuring a Glucydur balance (an alloy of

primarily beryllium and copper).

THE PLEASURE OF PATINA

By any measure, these are charming timepieces —

intentionally designed, understated in their visual impact (or

as understated as a 45mm watch can be), and intentionally

detailed in order to provide a nod to the past for those

paying close enough attention. But the very concept of

vintage inspired watches, their modern materials frozen in

time, ever resistant to the influences of patination (provided

their use is limited to reasonable activity) poses a bit of a

contradiction. So much of what is generally loved about

vintage watches and their matured aesthetics is that time

itself is visible within the contours of the metal and paint.

It begs the question — why are we drawn to such referential

aesthetics? Certainly there is no intention of deception — no

one is mistaking a modern watch for vintage.

Over the past several years, many a watch brand has

sought the council of the muse from within their own

histories. But beyond delving into the archives of these

historic ateliers, many have also sought inspiration from

the highly coveted and pleasantly senescent examples which

do yet still remain. On the surface, the rationale is quite

clear — vintage inspired watches sell. But perhaps the reason

why is more subtle and more enchanting.

Perhaps the reason why such aesthetics are so enticing

is because of what they represent — the history, the

stories, the lives which have been led, accompanied by

such relics. Gazing upon a timepiece which ticked away

amidst the decades, measuring and marking its own

journey through unknown adventures inspires us to dream

of our own adventures yet to come. It is in this romance

that commemoration finds its true purpose. The Radiomir

Origine exists not only to cast an eye to the past, but also

to gaze headlong into the future — to the adventures which

its wearers will, with any luck, embark upon.

SPLIT SECONDS 59

FLASH FORWARD

Seiko presents the Prospex Speedtimer 1/100th Second Solar

Chronograph, featuring an unconventional design with quadruple

sub-dials and just as many buttons and crowns.

WORDS SHENG LEE

Apioneer in mechanical chronographs and quartz

watches, Seiko has recently delved into its

extensive chronograph archives, bringing back

iconic models like the mechanical Speedtimer

chronograph. The Japanese giant has turned to quartz

options, adding the Prospex Speedtimer 1/100th Second

Solar Chronograph to its lineup. It impresses with an ultraprecise elapsed time recorder, measuring down to 1/100th of

a second, and captivates with its quirky quadruple sub-dial

design, all while being more budget-friendly compared to

its mechanical counterparts.

The Prospex Speedtimer stands out with two highlights:

its design and functionality. Let’s begin with the design,

which immediately catches the eye. This chronograph

features a quirky design, characterized by four sub-dials

and four crowns, offering a blend of futuristic and nostalgic

elements. The unusual layout is a nod to 1999’s Kinetic

Chronograph. The tonneau-shaped case and the wellflowing bracelet design further enhance its aesthetic appeal.

The functionality of the Prospex Speedtimer is

equally interesting. It boasts a highly precise elapsed time

measurement down to 1/100th of a second. In fact, the top

three sub-dials are dedicated to tracking elapsed seconds.

The sub-dial at 12 o’clock functions as a typical 60-second

counter, while the sub-dial at 10 o’clock measures intervals

of 1/10th of a second. Additionally, the sub-dial at 2 o’clock

has a lightning seconds hand that precisely records 1/100th

of a second.

Furthermore, the sub-dial at six o’clock serves a dual

purpose. It acts as both the regular hours and minutes

counter, and doubles as the elapsed minutes counter

when the chronograph is activated. This design, however,

does not compromise the readability of time while

the chronograph is running. By pressing the button at

seven o’clock, the mode of the sub-dial at six o’clock

can be toggled to display regular time, even during

chronograph operation.

Four variants have been introduced, including two

regular production versions and two limited editions.

The regular versions consist of an all-black dial option and

a white “panda” dial option. One of the limited edition

variants pays homage to a model from 1992, which was

the first-ever 1/100th second chronograph by Seiko.

It features gilt details on the dial and black center

links on the bracelet, recreating the aesthetic of the

vintage original. Lastly, there is a special all-black

limited edition, including the case and bracelet, designed

specifically to commemorate the World Athletics

Championships Budapest, where Seiko serves as the

official timekeeper.

The new Prospex offers something intriguing and

remarkably distinct from a typical Seiko timepiece,

primarily due to its unconventional, quirky, and daring

design. However, this design is not merely for aesthetic

appeal, as it also serves practical purposes by accurately

recording elapsed time down to 1/100th of a second.

Considering the combination of its design, features, and

solar-powered movement, the starting price of €890 seems

more reasonable, even though it is higher than the typical

quartz chronograph offered by the brand.

60 SPLIT SECONDS

SEIKO

PROSPEX SPEEDTIMER 1/100TH

SECOND SOLAR CHRONOGRAPH

MOVEMENT Cal. 8A50;

solar-powered quartz

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, and

chronograph

CASE 42 x 12.9mm; steel; water

resistant to 100m

STRAP Steel bracelet

AVAILABILITY Limited edition fo

4,000 pieces for SFJ005 and SFJ007

PRICE €890 (SFJ001, SFJ003),

€930 (SFJ005), €970 (SFJ007)

CURVES AHEAD

With the Curvex CX, Franck Muller reminds

us once more of the power of a beautiful case.

WORDS CELINE YAP

All the watch nerds know this. Every so often

you encounter a watch so beautiful that it just

completely takes your breath away. It’s not

always about multiple high complications in a

single movement — although that certainly has its merits.

And it’s not necessarily about the decorative arts and minute

details either. Sometimes a watch is at its indubitable best

when it’s been distilled down to its very essence. Which was

what Franck Muller had done with the Curvex CX and in

the process, created one of the most remarkable iterations

of the manufacture’s iconic Cintrée Curvex watch yet.

Gloriously curved on two axes, the Franck Muller

Cintrée Curvex was unlike any other tonneau shaped watch

of its time. At its launch in 1992, this timepiece instantly

shot to fame and has become synonymous with Franck

Muller to this day. Voluminous curves hug its flanks while

its elegantly cambered profile follows the curve of our wrists

so naturally it’s like a gift from God. In the new Franck

Muller Curvex CX, this distinctive silhouette has been

faithfully preserved even as modern finishes bring about

a refreshing touch. As it evokes a resolutely contemporary

spirit, the Curvex CX remains beautiful from all angles.

62 SPLIT SECONDS

Catch that soft glow of light bouncing off the sapphire

crystal, or the glint of gold when the case shimmers in

the sun. Most alluringly, that million-dollar view of

its hands and indexes as seen through the curvature

of the crystal is a view that never gets old.

So what has Franck Muller done differently now

with the Curvex CX? The manufacture has completely

rethought and redesigned the Curvex case, but you

might be hard-pressed to agree unless we tell you

where and how. Because the watch looks pretty much

just like the OG models — at first glance. On closer

inspection, you will notice subtle differences such

as the extended sapphire crystal which stretches the

entire length of the case, reaching the edges of the

straps. What this achieves is a more elegant aesthetic

that more emphatically highlights the curvature of the

case and dial. The watch also now has an inner bezel

echoing the shape of the crystal which allows Franck

Muller the opportunity to come up with exhilarating

two-tone treatments — something it has already been

doing with the Grand Central Tourbillon line.

The Curvex CX shares another feature with the

Grand Central Tourbillon, and that is the spiral

patterned Clous de Paris guilloché dial which puts

a new spin on an old classic. Clous de Paris is often

favored for its tiny three-dimensional pyramids

creating a beautiful reflection of light. Here it appears

to be radiating from the cannon pinion, spinning and

magnifying as the little pyramids reach towards the

edges. To create this new guilloche design, Franck

Muller would have you know that it had gone through

an extensive research and development process in

order to arrive at this perfectly calculated spiral

pattern. Which seems like a lot of work for “just” a

dial, but hey, precision is as precision does, and that

is all in a day’s work at Franck Muller Watchland.

FRANCK MULLER

CURVEX CX

MOVEMENT MVD FM 2536-SC self-winding

movement with bi-directional rotor system; 42-hour

power reserve

Functions Hours, minutes and seconds

CASE 36mm x 53.1mm x 10mm in hand-polished

white or rose gold; water resistant to 30m

DIAL Stamped Clous de Paris spiral with Zapon

varnish layer, and numerals painted by hand

STRAP Hand-sewn alligator leather with handpolished white or rose gold buckle

PRICE From SGD 30,500 in rose gold

AVAILABILITY At all Franck Muller boutiques

SPLIT SECONDS 63

Patek Philippe Ref.

5738/50G-025 Golden

Ellipse \"snow-covered

landscape\" for Tokyo

Watch Art Grand

Exhibition 2023

STILL AND FOREVER THE KING

OF HIGH WATCHMAKING

The history of high watchmaking is the story of Patek Philippe itself, certainly

throughout the 20th century and now in our new millennium.

WORDS WEI KOH

When people ask me why it is that Patek

Philippe, which already has staggering wait

lists for almost all its watches and certainly

its much sought-after complication, highcomplication, grand-complication and sport models, would

spend a staggering sum — easily in the millions — to showcase

their history and craft in their Grand Exhibitions, my threeword response is invariably: “Because they can.”

Which is not meant to be so much glib as factual. As a

wholly family-owned and -run company, Thierry and Philippe

Stern can decide how to deploy their capital. For them, the

objective has never been to sell more watches, but to tell

the world their story with the greatest authenticity. Because

when it comes to high watchmaking, the innovation of

game-changing complications and the creation of peerless

métiers d’art, there is only one king. And that king is

Patek  Philippe.

Even industry legend Jean-Claude Biver — a man who

has, in some ways, competed against Patek Philippe for

over 40 years since he revived Blancpain in 1982 — collects

almost exclusively Patek Philippe watches himself. Why? He

explains, “Because Patek is the best. It is as simple as that. No

brand has brought greater creativity, better quality and more

beautiful designs to watchmaking. No one.”

Today, all watch brands are engaged on a single-minded

mission to create broader awareness, greater desirability

and to reach the next generation of consumers. But each

one at the top does it in a different way. Audemars Piguet

has decided to engage with popular culture like hip hop and

Marvel Comics. Rolex today completely dominates the world

of sports, despite it very brilliantly shifting beyond the sports

market and into the high-luxury world with its watches.

But no one tells the story of the history of watchmaking

better than Patek Philippe. And when you attend the Grand

Exhibition in Tokyo’s Sumitomo Sankaku Hiroba as a new

watch fan, a young person still in his early formative stage in

terms of taste, there is one message you will leave with — the

one irrefutable and unassailable truth that will be imparted

upon you so that it bonds forever with your psyche — which

is that the history of high watchmaking is the story of Patek

Philippe itself, certainly throughout the 20th century and

now in our new millennium.

Nicholas Foulkes, President of the Geneva Grand Prix,

and the journalist extraordinaire who literally wrote the book

on Patek Philippe, says, “The motivation for Patek Philippe to

stage these extraordinary Grand Exhibitions is the same one

that inspired Philippe Stern to create the Patek Philippe salon

in Geneva. Because when you enter inside and walk through

the history of watchmaking, you realize that no brand has

had a greater influence on shaping high watchmaking than

Patek Philippe, thanks to the extraordinary leadership of

the Stern family.”

SPLIT SECONDS 65

Auro Montanari, one of the world’s foremost Patek

Philippe historians and the author of the amazing Patek

Philippe Steel Watches, says, “No one has achieved more to

shape the culture of high watchmaking than Patek Philippe.

Look at 1941, the world was at war, but Patek Philippe

made two of the most iconic watches of all time: Ref. 1518,

the world’s first serially produced perpetual calendar

chronograph; and Ref. 1526, the world’s first serially produced

perpetual calendar.”

Montanari’s point is extremely salient, because in

the annals of modern horology, there is no brand more

synergistically associated with the perpetual calendar

wristwatch. Patek Philippe was the very first to create a

perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1925, the first to create a

retrograde perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1937, as well as

the very first to produce a perpetual calendar wristwatch in

series in 1941 with the legendary Ref. 1526. The manufacture

was the first to create a sweep-seconds perpetual calendar

wristwatch in 1944 with the Ref. 1591, and the first to serially

produce this complication in 1951 with the Ref. 2497. It was

also the first to create a self-winding perpetual calendar

beginning in 1962 with the iconic Ref 3448 — in fact, it would

take a full 16 years before another Swiss watchmaker could

match this achievement.

In addition, as Montanari points out, Patek Philippe was

also the first to create a perpetual calendar chronograph in

1941 with the legendary Ref. 1518. And it holds the record

for the most expensive vintage perpetual calendar ever sold

at auction: the stainless steel Ref. 1518 perpetual calendar

chronograph which went under the hammer for just over

CHF 11 million at a Phillips Bacs & Russo auction in 2016.

Ahmed ‘Shary’ Rahman, modern Patek Philippe collector

and GPHG jury member, says, “More than shaping the

history of high watchmaking. Patek is high watchmaking.

And what I love is that when they launch new watches, it’s

never a gimmick; it’s never to create a social media sensation,

but to introduce new functional complications backed by

a tremendous amount of research and new functional

innovations.” The message is clear: amid a world where watch

brands are launching a constant dizzying array of newer,

better, splashier, crazier timepieces, Patek Philippe makes

real watches. What do I mean by this? Let’s take a look at two

timepieces introduced during the Tokyo Grand Exhibition

as examples of real watchmaking.

The Napoleon Room

replicates Patek Philippe's

flagship salon in Geneva

66 SPLIT SECONDS

Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition

tells the story of the manufacture while

sharing insights into the history of

watchmaking through the centuries

SPLIT SECONDS 67

Patek Philippe

Ref. 5308P-010 houses

a minute repeater,

perpetual calendar and

rattrapante chronograph

QUADRUPLE COMPLICATION LIMITED EDITION TOKYO 2023

REF. 5308P-010

You didn’t think that all this talk about Patek Philippe and

perpetual calendars was going to lead nowhere, did you? So

the predecessor to the Ref. 5308 was the Ref. 5208 launched in

2011. The latter featured an instantaneous perpetual calendar

shown in apertures, a minute repeater and a chronograph.

Famously at the time of the launch, there was only one other

instantaneous perpetual calendar shown in apertures, which

was made by Roger Dubuis; but as that brand abandoned this

model, Patek Philippe then became the only brand with this

function. Add to that the magnificent song of the world’s

best minute repeaters and you already have a heady and

alluring combination.

But then Patek Philippe also added a chronograph.

How? Patek Philippe’s Head of Watch Development, Philip

Barat — who’s also known as “Mr Plexi” for his capacity to

explain complex mechanisms using plexiglass models — says,

“Amusingly, this is the one and only time that Patek Philippe

had ever made a modular chronograph. The module in this

case sits between the perpetual calendar mechanism and

the minute repeater base caliber, but it is a highly efficient

chronograph mechanism, which doesn’t draw much power for

the underlying base caliber despite being laterally  coupled.”

What was super amusing at the Tokyo Grand Exhibition

was that the Ref. 5308, by all standards an utterly mindblowing game-changing timepiece, was simply put on display

in a vitrine in the Grand Complication room with a small

plaque that read “New Model”. But it was when you read

“Split Second Chronograph” in the watch’s description

that things got exciting. There is no brand more famous for

the split-seconds chronograph or “rattrapante” than Patek

Philippe. As proof of this, they even brought the legendary

“Duke Ellington” Ref. 1563, a simply incredible split-seconds

chronograph version of the famous Ref, 1463 Tasti Tondi,

with them to the Tokyo Exhibition.

Patek Philippe has also been an incredible innovator

in the world of split-seconds chronographs, designing an

isolator mechanism first for the Lemania 2310 — or CH27-

525 in Patek speak — found in the Ref. 5004, as well as an allnew isolator mechanism for the in-house CH29-535, which is

found in the Ref. 5204 and Ref. 5370. So, what is an isolator?

To understand this, you need to visualize how a split-seconds

chronograph works.

A BRIEF LOOK AT SPLIT-SECOND CHRONOGRAPHS

Basically, the split-seconds wheel is connected to the

chronograph seconds wheel by a spring-loaded arm that sits

against a heart cam found on the chronograph wheel. So

when the split-seconds brake stops the split-seconds wheel,

the chronograph can still continue to turn. But when it is

released thanks to this arm, the split-seconds wheel can catch

up immediately.

Now the problem is that the pressure of the arm against

the heart cam can sometimes cause either a huge drag on the

amplitude of the balance wheel, or it can cause the watch to

stop altogether, especially when power reserve or mainspring

torque is not high.

SPLIT SECONDS 69

A Patek Philippe

Gondolo-styled pocket

watch with 24-hour

enamel dial

A QUICK REFRESHER ON PATEK PHILIPPE WORLD TIMERS

What motivated Patek Philippe to create their first World

Timers? Well, let’s look at this in the context of Patek

Philippe’s history. The maison was acquired by the Stern

family and run by brothers Charles and Jean Stern in 1932.

This marked the start point of Patek Philippe’s truly glorious

era, which stretches across the 20th century to this day. And

it cannot be overstated how brilliantly creative Charles and

Jean Stern were.

Just nine years into their stewardship and in the throes

of the Second World War, they launched two of the most

important timepieces ever made — the Ref. 1518, the world’s

first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and

the Ref. 1526, the world’s first serially produced perpetual

calendar — and single-handedly introduced us to the era of

complicated wristwatches.

In 1937, Charles’s son, Henri Stern, brought Patek

Philippe to the United States. Henri was a global gadabout

like no other, fearlessly venturing to South America and

other far-flung destinations to spread the gospel of Patek

Philippe, now under the leadership of his father and uncle.

What was clear was that the Sterns discussed the type of

wristwatches the modern gentleman and, in particular, the

American would like to wear. Their answer was: a watch made

for the traveling man, a man of elegance who circumnavigates

the earth in style.

Around this time, Louis Cottier had approached all of

the major names in Geneva with his invention, the worldtime complication. The very first piece that he delivered

was one made for Baszanger, which had a dial made by the

Sterns. Serendipity would have Louis Cottier and the Sterns

set out on one of the most magical and mutually beneficial

collaborations that would bear fruit in their legendary World

Time and Travel Time complications.

On display at the Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition

in Tokyo, amid a magnificent array of both vintage and

contemporary timepieces, was a gem known as the Patek

Philippe Ref. 542 HU. The Ref. 542 HU is absolutely stunning

to look at with its small 28mm case, Cottier’s hour hand with

a bisected circle design, and unusually long lugs. Cased in

yellow gold, it is also special in that it is the very first Patek

Philippe World Time wristwatch where noon and midnight

are shown using a sun and a moon in the 24-hour ring. The

genius of the Ref. 542 HU relates to the use of a large rotating

bezel that bears the names of 31 locations for the earth’s 24

zones, meaning that you can easily switch the name of your

local city.

According to Sotheby’s, five examples are known to exist,

two of which were on display at the Tokyo exhibition. But it

was this white gold example that literally made my jaw drop

as I stared transfixed in front of it.

I cannot tell you how many super-high-end split-seconds

chronographs I know of that are guilty of this flaw because

they don’t have isolators, but let me just say there are a lot of

them. So, of course, when Patek Philippe was going to add a

split-seconds chronograph to the Ref. 5208 to create the Ref.

5308, they were going to do so accompanied by an isolator.

Philip Barat says, “We didn’t want to increase the thickness

of the movement, so we created an isolator mechanism that

is on the same level as the split-seconds train, in between

the split-seconds brake and the chronograph mechanism.”

But of course, typical of Patek Philippe, that’s not

all. Indeed this laterally-coupled chronograph features a

brilliant drive wheel made from nickel phosphorous using

the LIGA process, which allows for the creation of extremely

complex shapes down to a micron’s tolerance. A laterallycoupled chronograph means that the drive wheel and

chrono wheel engage on the perimeter of both wheels using

gear teeth.

The problem is that a lot of the time, as the clutch falls,

the teeth hit each other rather than falling back into place

in between each other. This causes backlash, meaning the

seconds hand jumps either backwards or sometimes forwards,

as the teeth struggle to find their place. Patek Philippe has

solved this by creating a drive wheel where the teeth are

flexible and each features its own leaf spring. As a result, the

instantaneous perpetual calendar works perfectly with jumps

of just 30 milliseconds even when the watch is down to just

10 hours of power reserve.

70 SPLIT SECONDS

Patek Philippe

Ref. 5330G-010 sports

a beautiful guilloché

dial in deep purple

limited-edition World Time Limited Edition Tokyo 2023 Ref.

5330G with date. This is the third time a modern world-timer

by Patek Philippe has featured an additional complication:

a chronograph version, Ref. 5930, was launched in 2016; and

a cloisonné enamel minute repeater version which strikes

local time, Ref. 5331, was made first in 2017 for the New York

Grand Exhibition depicting Manhattan’s skyline.

The Ref. 5330G is a magnificent white gold Patek Philippe

world-timer with a purple guilloche à main dial and the date

placed at the perimeter. “Thierry spent a lot of time deciding

where to place the date,” says Philip Barat. “At one point he

was thinking to place it between the city disc and the 24-

hour ring, but decided it was not visible enough.” Finally the

decision was taken to place it at the very edge of the dial — on

the rehaut that marks the transition to the bezel.

But then the question was, how to add a hand such that

it would not disrupt the reading of all the other crucial

world-time information? Barat explains, “We decided to use

a glass hand that was almost invisible to the eye with a red

hammer-shaped indicator. In order to do this, we had to

learn how to weld the glass to a small tube that is coaxial to

the cannon pinion.”

But that was far from the most complex technical feat

required by the Ref. 5330G. Barat continues, “We realized

we would have to deal with the International Date Line and

that you could end up in a destination where the date was

the day before when you travel east to west.” An example of

this is a flight from Singapore to New York. In this scenario,

you land the day before you departed. Amazingly, the Ref.

5330G understands this and compensates for it. But there is

one more problem.

Barat says, “There is one hour a day where every one of

the 24 zones is in the same date. So even when you cross the

International Date Line, the date doesn’t change. We created

a system with a differential mechanism to compensate for

this. Actually, this is the second system we created, because

in the first version we realized that the hand still wanted to

change and you could see a sort of backwards and forwards

tug of war on this hand during the one-hour period. Thierry

immediately stopped production and had us rework the

system to get it exactly right.”

This is a testament to how Patek Philippe never launches

anything but a fully resolved timepiece. Ref. 5330G is exactly

that and represents both transcendent beauty and, as always,

real, functional innovation.

So now you understand the motivation behind Patek

Philippe’s Grand Exhibition. As I pointed out earlier, this

undertaking is both Herculean and extremely costly, but

Patek Philippe clearly feels that it is worth everything — and

I, for one, agree. It’s funny because, of late, it has been very

fashionable to discuss the performance in terms of revenue

of the world’s top watch brands. And many online pundits

have discussed Patek Philippe’s ranking as the fifth biggest

Also on display was a stunning Patek Philippe Ref. 2523

World Timer with a cloisonné enamel map. This model

has created quite a stir as a rare yellow gold version with a

North American map of it was recently sold at auction for a

staggering USD 8.5 million. While the initial Patek Philippe

World Timers such as the Ref. 1415 featured engraved bezels

which were manually turned to any new local city, in 1953,

Cottier and Patek Philippe unveiled a stunning watch

featuring the all-new caliber 12-400 HU, with a second

smaller crown that turned an inner rotating city disk.

The watch this new complication came in was an absolute

masterwork of design and featured stunning faceted lugs that

were made for Patek Philippe by Gerlach.

Yet, strangely, despite its unique beauty, the Ref. 2523

didn’t sell particularly well and, as a result, were made in

very small quantities. The number of watches made is a topic

of debate, but the total for the Ref. 2523 and Ref. 2523/1,

according to Patek Philippe, can be placed at less than 40

in yellow gold, more than 10 in rose gold and just one in

white gold.

WORLD TIME LIMITED EDITION TOKYO 2023 REFERENCE

5330G-010

Now let’s shift gears to talk about a modern watch. Because at

the Tokyo Grand Exhibition, Patek Philippe launched what

is, in my opinion, one of the most brilliantly innovative and

enchantingly beautiful watches of all time: the 300-piece

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 World Timer with cloisonné enamel

72 SPLIT SECONDS

brand in the world at CHF 1.8 billion based on 68,000 units

sold in 2022.

But, first of all, you need to understand something. Patek

Philippe’s revenue is at the wholesale level. Patek Philippe

— like Rolex, as opposed to Audemars Piguet and Richard

Mille — believes in partnerships and always has. Could it

shift to the model espoused by the latter to keep all revenue

to itself and massively increase profit? Yes, easily. But Patek

Philippe doesn’t because it is a family-owned company and

thus makes decisions for the long term.

If you were to calculate Patek Philippe’s revenue at the

retail level, it would probably exceed that of Cartier’s 2.75

billion — making it the number one high-luxury watch brand

in the world. But Patek Philippe doesn’t need to, because it is

already the number one watch brand in terms of desirability

based on real authenticity and not marketing hype.

In many ways, even though they will never admit it,

there is always a competition among the industry’s top CEOs

to say that they make more revenue than the others. But

Patek Philippe doesn’t think this way. Imagine if you were

to go to a country where you don’t speak the language and

perhaps the cultural differences there make you feel lost

and confused.

Yet if you mention the name “Patek Philippe”, the vast

majority of people around you, certainly in affluent circles,

would immediately light up and want to talk to you. That is

the power of Patek Philippe: it transcends language, culture,

religion, and is the universal symbol for the very best when

it comes to watchmaking. It has been for the last 100 years,

and I am sure it will be so for the next 100.

So when people say, “Oh, but Patek Philippe doesn’t rank

as high as this brand or that brand in terms of revenue,” tell

them that it is because Patek Philippe is not playing this

game. They are not motivated by revenue. They are motivated

only by one thing: the preservation of their immortality as

the very best.

I will say one last thing as a sort of warning to the rest of

the industry. It is clear that with the completion of its new

manufacture, Patek Philippe, which was previously restrained

by the number of watches it could physically produce, is now

capable of expansion. While the official statement is that this

manufacture was created to “streamline production”, etc., the

very brilliant Stern family is not going to invest CHF 600

million without a great reason.

With an already insurmountable delta between demand

and supply, increasing production by, say, 30 percent, would

do nothing to damage the desirability of Patek Philippe. It

will, however, definitely take market share away from brands

and groups that have profited all the times when a Patek

Philippe was not available.

The date hand made of

glass has a red hammershaped indicator

SPLIT SECONDS 73

CASTLING THE KING

While Rolex ascends the luxury pyramid, Tudor reprises its role

as protector and creative lab of the group.

WORDS OLIVER R MÜLLER

Rolex’s tendency to keep its distance from the rest

of the watch industry is sometimes perceived as

arrogance by other brands, but it’s certainly part

of the brand’s DNA. The brand is an institution

and when its leadership is needed to foster an industry-wide

project, such as Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Rolex takes

a stance.

By far the number one in the Swiss watch industry with

estimated sales* of CHF 9.3B in 2022, which translates to

CHF 13.95B in retail value, Rolex is the reference for any

other watch brand. Despite being the untouched — and

maybe untouchable — market leader, Rolex is investing a lot

of money and energy to ensure its supremacy by establishing

standards of quality and precision. Product excellence was

one of the founding values of the Rolex brand by its founder

Hans Wilsdorf who was targeting the front stage of technical

innovation and precision in the Swiss watch industry.

TWO BRANDS WITH TWO DISTINCT MISSIONS TO FULFILL

Most of today’s buyers are too young to remember, but Rolex

was not a luxury brand from its inception. I, on the other

hand, am actually old enough to remember that when I was

5, my parents decided to move to Bienne — the small Swiss

town where Rolex is still manufacturing its movements, and

where its big rival, Omega, has its headquarters. We moved

into an apartment where we could see a huge factory with a

sign that says “Rolex”. Guess what? My parents didn’t know

what Rolex was. At the beginning of the 1970s, the brand had

a positioning like Longines today — mid-range or accessible

luxury, however you want to look at it.

With the Quartz Crisis (1970-1983) and the pressure put

on most Swiss watch brands, a unique opportunity arose for

Rolex to climb the ladder of the brand pyramid of the Swiss

watch industry. Even though Rolex also tried the quartz path,

that experiment was short-lived with an estimated 100,000

74 SPLIT SECONDS

Oysterquartz sold over the course of 25 years (1977-2003),

which is nothing compared with the brand’s overall sales (est.

1.2 million units in 2022 alone).

Yet Rolex was one of the very few Swiss watch brands

that never lost faith in mechanical movements. Even though

they did decide to experiment with quartz watches, they

never quit the path of “real watchmaking”. That said, Rolex

continues to keep its manufacturing capacities of ultraprecise quartz movements and, hypothetically, could at any

time launch a high-precision quartz Rolex, a Tudor or… a

dedicated third brand. If this happens, it could be another

strike from the empire on archrival Swatch Group and

Longines, which has a growing fanbase for its V.H.P. (Very

High Precision) quartz watches.

TUDOR IS HERE TO PROTECT ROLEX FROM BELOW

In 1946, Mr. Wilsdorf, who was a marketing wizard far ahead

of his time, decided to launch a sister brand with the purpose

of offering watches at a more affordable price than Rolex,

thus keeping its stringent quality standards. The second

purpose — and later the main mission of Tudor — was to

protect Rolex from rivals keen to challenge the champion.

Notably, Mr. Hayek — the legendary chairman of Swatch

Group — adopted the same strategy when he decided to

reconquer the watch market starting from the bottom with

Swatch, explaining in a Harvard Business Review interview

in 1993 that retreating from lower price segments would

allow competitors to move up “to the next layer of the cake”.

And that is exactly what Rolex is doing with Tudor

and increasingly so. A very smart move was achieving the

METAS Master Chronometer certification for the Black

Bay Ceramic in 2021, which was intended as a strong signal

for Rolex’s main rival Omega, that even its “B” brand can

compete at a level beyond the entry range. Rolex is keeping

its current double chronometer certification (the movements

being COSC certified and the watch head is then internally

certified), which lacks an official hallmark comparable with

the Master Chronometer — but as we said at the beginning:

Rolex plays in a league of its own.

On the other hand, Tudor has been driven by changing

strategies since its inception. For a time, it has gone away

from its useful purpose of offering an attractive entry into the

Rolex world, to being relegated to a sleeping beauty during

the decades after Mr. Wilsdorf’s death in 1960. For a time, the

people at Rolex were — to put it mildly — not very keen to

see Tudor next to their brand. This changed completely with

the arrival in 2009 of a new CEO — Philippe Peverelli — at

Tudor with the mission to revive and rejuvenate the brand.

Supported by Davide Cerrato as the product director, the

pair managed to quickly bring back a positive momentum

by launching vintage-inspired models such as the Black Bay

collection in 2012.

A LAB FOR NEW MATERIALS AND NEW WAYS

OF COMMUNICATION

Rolex’s brand equity is probably one of the strongest in the

luxury world and therefore needs to be kept safe. That is

where Tudor’s mission starts. Apart from shielding Rolex

from competitors trying to move up the cake (this was one of

the reasons why it has a logo in the form of a shield), it plays

an important role as the de facto testing lab for the group

to try new things out. For instance, the use of new materials

such as ceramic. Even though Rolex had used it before for its

bezel, branded as Cerachrom as far back as 2005, Tudor was

the one that made a full-ceramic timepiece.

Tudor is positioned as the more daring younger sibling

talking to a younger audience, and launched in 2021 the Black

Bay Ceramic, which can be seen both as an experiment with

new materials to be potentially used later on by the “A” brand,

and an answer to rival Omega’s Dark Side of the Moon.

Rolex is not a part of Only Watch but Tudor is, and this year it creates a piece

unique Big Block Chronograph in solid yellow gold

SPLIT SECONDS 75

It is the same with titanium. In 2012, Tudor launched its

Pelagos dive watch made of titanium, a material that was

only used for the first time in 2022 with the Rolex Oyster

Perpetual Deepsea challenge. More recently, the YachtMaster in RLX titanium brought a fresher look into this

product family.

Tudor is also building a younger and fresher image of

the brand with light and snazzy campaign videos that are

informative but also entertaining — a good way to appeal

to Gen Z’s who might hesitate to wear a Rolex because of its

institutional image.

REALIGNMENT OF BOTH ROLEX AND TUDOR

Despite what certain analysts think, Rolex is not resting

on its laurels and the pace of new product launches has

tremendously increased since the arrival of Jean-Frédéric

Dufour as the new CEO in 2014. Having worked for three

decades in various tenures at different watch brands, he

immediately identified the growth potential of both brands.

In the last decade, Rolex has probably launched more product

novelties than it has in the previous three. I remember a

time when Rolex aficionados were getting excited by the

new version of a Submariner with 1mm increase in case

diameter. And, until recently, Rolex hardly communicated

about product innovations, considering it part of its mission

to continue elevating the brand.

This has totally changed today with the brand

introducing whimsical, colorful dials with the “Celebration

Dial” Oyster Perpetual and the Day-Date Emoji Puzzle. Both

models were launched at Watches and Wonders in March

2023 and certainly prove Rolex’s ambitions to connect to a

younger clientele who venerates its product icons such as

the Daytona or the Submariner, but also want to see cooler,

trendier watches.

Apart from those “disruptive” designs, Rolex continues

improving on small details that make the whole difference.

Here are my observations so far.

FOCUSED PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

We are seeing at Rolex a very focused product strategy with

a very disciplined way of managing a product collection. The

total number of SKU’s is kept at a constant 450 references,

which is comparable with Omega, but Rolex’s sales are almost

four-fold those of its rival. For every new product launched,

there is at least one existing reference being discontinued.

This keeps — and even improves — the legibility of the overall

product collection.

INCREASED VALUE PROPOSITION

In the last few years, the Rolex product collection has been

enhanced with more Rolesium, precious-metal and gem-set

watches, which translates to an ever-increasing average retail

Tudor Black Bay in

black ceramic

76 SPLIT SECONDS

price which grew by 15 percent in five years* to CHF 11,600.

This trend will accelerate in the coming years because the

sales mix will be shifting toward higher-priced watches, as

indicated by the recent product launches, for example, a new

Daytona with a sapphire exhibition caseback — a first for

the Oyster Perpetual product line — and a platinum case to

highlight that product innovation is coming from the top.

The introduction of new Rolesor variations of the GMTMaster II is also a clear sign that the product offering is going

up the ladder.

LUXURY RATHER THAN SPORTS CHIC

Far from leaving sports watches behind, Rolex is elevating

the game by refining its base designs and offering highend versions of its bestselling watches. By trying to keep a

sound balance between the “bread-and-butter” steel-on-steel

watches and more refined variations, the brand avoids getting

caught in the dilemma of having to constantly increase the

volumes. Having sold an estimated 1.2 million watches

last year — which makes it by far the biggest luxury watch

brand and the number four Swiss watch exporter by volume,

behind entry- and mid-level brands such as Swatch, Tissot

and Longines — Rolex is still having a hard time coping

with demand.

The long waiting lists on the primary market (six years

for a Rolex Daytona) or hefty premiums — up to more than

100 percent vs. MSRP — for the fast track on the secondary

market, are the best indicators of this strong demand. Even

though the secondary market has cooled down substantially

since March 2022 (e.g. the price of a Daytona came down

from CHF 50,000 to CHF 28,000), the overdemand is still

tremendous (the Daytona retails for CHF 14,300).

Rolex is moving up the luxury pyramid with increased Rolesium, premium materials and gem-set watches

SPLIT SECONDS 77

The whole dynamic of moving the brand upward doesn’t

take the grip from Rolex and its sound business principles,

so you can sense that shifting the two brands up the brand

pyramid is done very cautiously. The space left by Rolex

when climbing the brand pyramid is immediately covered

by Tudor. This synchronization represents certainly a

permanent challenge and a threat for the challengers in

the first place. Omega, naturally, but also Breitling and

TAG Heuer. These brands must constantly adapt their own

strategy by launching counter product offensives.

Rolex the sleeping giant has regained a strong momentum

and taken back its role of product innovator — but not the

loud and disruptive ones — that stems from its DNA.

TUDOR REVIVING ICONS WITH VINTAGE-INSPIRED DESIGNS

Tudor has experienced a strong revival through vintageinspired timepieces such as the Black Bay, which made a big

splash with each new variation presented in the last few years.

It is very interesting to see that the recipes used by Rolex are

also applied to Tudor with a compelling logic, such as having

a product territory for each family. Diving for the Pelagos,

the Black Bay in cross sports, etc. Its structure is, however,

questionable with a rather mixed bag within the collection

apart from the aforementioned classics which rely strongly

on vintage design.

FAR FROM LEAVING SPORTS

WATCHES BEHIND, ROLEX

IS ELEVATING THE GAME

BY REFINING ITS BASE

DESIGNS AND OFFERING

HIGH-END VERSIONS OF ITS

BESTSELLING WATCHES

Why the Clair de Rose, which could go unnoticed

rebranded under another name? The same goes for the

Glamour product family. Apart from probably selling in

high quantities to Chinese consumers who have for a long

time represented its major market, they rather dilute the

collection’s legibility. The Black Bay 31, 36, 39 and 41mm

variations, too, look like intruders in its product family.

Once it had been decided to reboot Tudor, the brand’s

distribution was diversified and could still be viewed in some

markets as a new brand. In the US, the brand was relaunched

in 2013 after having quit that market in 1996.

The distribution strategy has now shifted to move as a

team — not twins, but siblings — and this requires that when

a new Rolex boutique opens, a Tudor boutique is also being

installed next to it (Rolex doesn’t operate any retail activity,

apart from one boutique in Geneva). This is a major shift

from its previous attitude of having the two brands clearly

separated through distinctive sales channels.

STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

On the whole, Tudor’s branding feels a little bit less inspired

than Rolex’s, with its conventional approach of using brand

ambassadors and a tagline “Born To Dare” which fulfills its

purpose of a cool hashtag on any social media, but lacks

coherence with the rest of the branding. One could make

the argument that a tagline like that doesn’t immediately

gel with products such as the vintage-inspired Black Bay.

From a brand consistency point of view, if we were to make

a comparison with Breitling’s brand pillars comprising

purpose-dedicated squads and their respective territories,

Tudor’s storytelling needs more coherence, which shouldn’t

be a big challenge. After all, the epitome of branding

coherence is Rolex! There, everything is perfectly aligned

and anyone looking at the brand doesn’t need a PhD in

marketing to immediately understand what the brand is

about: excellence in manufacturing, and hence precision.

Last but not least, when comparing the number of SKU’s

between the two, Tudor’s is around 500, while its sister brand

is making 16 times more sales with 450…. There is still room

to focus Tudor’s product offering on its strengths.

Jean-Frédéric Dufour took on the CEO role at Rolex in 2015

78 SPLIT SECONDS

A UNIQUE MARKET POSITIONING AND A BRIGHT FUTURE

Rolex has a unique competitive positioning with almost onethird market share (29 percent for Rolex and two percent for

Tudor*) of the whole Swiss watch industry. To appreciate

that figure, we could add that 96 percent of the worldwide

luxury watch market** (watches with a retail price tag above

CHF 1,200) is controlled by Swiss-made or Swiss-owned

brands. Even more compelling is the fact that Rolex owns

an estimated 40 percent market share in the USA, which is

the number one market for Swiss watches at the moment.

There is no other luxury brand in any other segments

of the luxury industry that is as dominant as Rolex in their

respective markets. Another comparison that we can draw

is with a multi-product brand such as Gucci achieving €10.4

billion, which is marginally more than Rolex’s CHF 9.3

billion, but less if we take into account the fact that Rolex is

retailing only through third parties (with the one exception

mentioned above). In fact, Morgan Stanley estimates* that

Rolex has created CHF 13.95 billion in retail value in 2022,

or put the other way round: It doesn’t yet capture a retail

margin of CHF 4,65B. Now let’s imagine that Rolex decides

to integrate their retail network entirely or partially. What

would it mean in terms of profitability and the consequences

on the worldwide retail structure?

At Tudor, the potential margin to capture would be CHF

256 million and that would easily justify going into brandowned retailing. Even though Rolex has decided — at least

for the time being — not to capture the retail margin, it is

quite easy to estimate that its profitability as a mono-product

brand must be staggering, and even more so when you take

into account the fact the production is almost fully integrated.

Rolex still has tremendous potential with a market

getting more and more polarized and premiumized. The

brand is increasingly applying the same rules as any other

luxury brand with regular price increases due to its pricing

power, and better brand visibility through a broad range of

sponsorships across sports and the arts. Rolex is also very

good at becoming the exclusive partner in one domain — for

example, Formula 1, tennis or golf — by sponsoring all the

main events worldwide.

Once the brand has established its superiority, the

sexiness, social status and foremost brand equity will keep

growing in a virtuous circle. Rolex is delivering a masterclass

in proving that a sports-grounded brand can be luxury. When

others struggle to establish a bond between their brand and

their sponsorship activities, Rolex has achieved just that

since the founding of the brand. Sports-chic and increasingly

luxurious Rolex will pursue its journey for glory.

*Estimates published in Morgan Stanley’s annual report on

the Swiss watch industry market shares “Sixth Annual Swiss

Watcher”, in collaboration with LuxeConsult

** Estimates by LuxeConsult in its exclusive report on “The

secondary watch market, pre-owned, pre-loved and gray

market timepieces”

The Rolex Daytona

in platinum is now

delivered with a seethrough case back

SPLIT SECONDS 79

WHEN OLD MEETS NEW

Three new Nomos Glashütte Orion Neomatik models celebrating the

175th anniversary of the de facto capital of German watchmaking.

WORDS ROB NUDDS

The year 1845 is a date of extreme significance

to anyone plying their trade in the German

watchmaking industry. After years of petitioning

the Saxon government for a generous loan that

would enable him to breathe new life into the flagging

industry of Glashütte, Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s long-held

wish was  granted.

It was his dream to revitalize a community with the

gift of watchmaking. For centuries, Glashütte and the

surrounding Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) had been famed

for rich silver deposits, bringing not only great wealth to

the area but also a host of associated artisanal abilities.

As a renowned center of fine handwork, Lange, who

served his apprenticeship in Dresden at the knee of master

watchmaker Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, believed

the people of Glashütte would be able to pick up the

necessary manual skills to make the sleepy Saxon settlement

a force to rival those of the English and Swiss at the time.

He found a town in need of a new direction and 178 years

later, that direction has never been clearer.

Perhaps it is no wonder, then, that Nomos Glashütte

continues to celebrate the milestone reached in 2020. After

all, this is a story much bigger than a single date; this is a

story in which Nomos Glashütte has played a starring role

for the past 33 years; this is a story that deserves to be told

over and over and over again because it really is that good.

The history of Glashütte and its watchmaking

companies is anything but simple, but it is endlessly

compelling. From the seismic impact of the industry’s

genesis to the assimilation of all its companies under one

umbrella (the G.U.B) during the GDR years to the rebirth

of independence following the fall of the Berlin Wall, this

tiny town has seen more than its fair share of history. These

three new Nomos watches, in 36, 39 (actually 38.5mm), and

41 (actually 40.5mm) stainless steel cases aim to honor that.

Each model is powered by one of Nomos Glashütte’s

in-house neomatik calibers. The neomatik series debuted

in 2015 with the release of the 3.2mm thick DUW 3001

movement, which was conceived as a foundational caliber,

upon which the brand’s future would be built. Three years

later, the first complication followed.

In 2018, we saw the debut of the DUW 6101, a larger

mechanism that retained the 3Hz (21,600vph) operating

frequency and the 42-hour power reserve of its forerunner

but added a “peripheral” date function to the mix. Simply,

the architecture of the date indication is built around the

SPLIT SECONDS 81

old 3001, which means the date window can (as you will see

from the 41mm model here) sit right on the edge of the dial

and be as big as possible to improve legibility.

The headline-grabbing design decision, however, is

surely the use of silver-plated dials in these three watches.

This metallic white plating may not be as warm as the

regular egg-shell shade of dial which we’re used to seeing

from Nomos, but it is certainly an eye-catching aesthetic.

Pleasingly, the date wheel background on the largest model

has been appropriately color coded to match, rather than

sticking out like a sore thumb as so many date windows

do. The most interesting thing about these three novelties,

however, must be the seconds sub-dial. Eagle-eyed Nomos

lovers will have noticed immediately: unlike normal Nomos

sub-dials, these are not recessed.

While that almost sounds like “anti-news”, the effect is,

firstly, very obvious and, secondly, an intentional call-back

to dial styles of old. The subtle dome of the dial gives this

Nomos an incredibly classic feel, dating it more around

the ‘50s or the ‘60s, many decades before the brand existed.

Is there such a thing as too many Nomos Glashütte

Orion pieces? While the Tangente is often regarded as

the brand’s flagship model, it is the Orion that, in my

opinion, really expresses what the brand is all about. Yes,

the Tangente is a Bauhaus icon, with its angular case and

iconic typeface calling back to models made by other

brands in Glashütte around the turn of the 20th century,

but the Orion is artful, graceful, and far more elegant than

its celebrated, if not quite so adored brother.

Since 1992 — the year Nomos released its first watches

— we’ve not known a single day without the Nomos

Glashütte Orion. Along with the Tangente, the Ludwig,

and the Tetra, it has been an ever-present model. It is as

much a part of the brand as the brand’s Germanity, and

these three novelties continue its story. They bring a fusion

of the old (domed dials) and the new (neomatik calibers)

together seamlessly. My personal favorite is the 36mm, as I

believe the smaller diameters benefit from the most natural

placement of the sub-seconds, but the larger 40.5mm model

is also quite charming thanks to the DUW 6101 movement

and that beautiful, oversized date. However, be warned:

even small Nomos Glashütte watches wear like dinner

plates, so unless your wrist is at least 17.5/18cm thick, be

wary of plumping for the biggest of this desirable bunch.

Monochromatic tones and discreet features define the

Nomos Glashütte Orion Neomatik

82 SPLIT SECONDS

NOMOS

GLASHÜTTE ORION NEOMATIK — 175 YEARS

WATCHMAKING GLASHÜTTE

REFERENCE 395.S1 (36mm), 345.S1 (39mm), and

365.S1 (41mm)

MOVEMENT DUW 3001 Automatic

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, and seconds — (the

largest model also has a date)

CASE 36mm x 8.5mm x 45mm, 38.5mm x 8.7mm

x 47.5m, 40.5mm x 9.4mm x 50.5mm. All are made

from stainless steel and water resistant to 50m

DIAL Silver-plated with blued hands and raised

indices in gold

STRAP Black Shell Cordovan Leather

PRICE USD 3,580 (36mm), USD 3,920 (39mm),

and USD 4,200 (41mm)

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 175 pieces

of each reference

Bulgari Octo Finissimo

CarbonGold explores a

bold new aesthetic

A LINE OF FINESSE

Building upon all the tenets of great Italian design, Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo

is the ideal canvas for the manufacture’s most innovative exploits.

WORDS CELINE YAP

less than 10 years. Yes, its introduction in 2014 feels almost

a lifetime ago, but within this short span of just nine years,

the Octo Finissimo has already scooped up not one, not two,

but an unbelievable eight world records in ultra thinness

from 2014 to 2022. That’s one for almost every year since

its birth.

Let’s do a quick recap of all their achievements here:

First was the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon with the thinnest

hand wound flying tourbillon movement in the world at just

1.95mm. Next came the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater

with a case thickness of 3.92mm. After that, Bulgari launched

the Octo Finissimo Automatic, which had a case thickness

of 5.15mm and movement thickness of 2.23mm. Then, in

2018, the manufacture revisited the tourbillon complication

with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic at 3.95mm

thick, followed by the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT

Automatic in 2019 with its 3.3mm thick movement.

Later on, Bulgari released an ultra thin grand

complication, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph

Skeleton Automatic, which has a 3.5mm thick movement

that’s just ridiculously beautiful. The Octo Finissimo

Perpetual Calendar at 5.8mm in total thickness arrived the

next year, with a 2.75mm thick caliber. And, most recently

in 2022, the brand released what has far and away been its

most audacious creation yet, the Octo Finissimo Ultra at

a mind-blowing 1.8mm in overall thickness — a watch for

which we have just two words: utter insanity.

When it comes to design, the Italians have

it down pat. From fashion to jewelry, to

furniture, and especially to automobiles,

Italian design dominates in a league of its

own. Doesn’t matter what product category you’re looking

at, it always feels like there’s something going on akin to

the Midas touch where even the simplest materials can

look drop-dead gorgeous, and the faintest lines appear as

masterful strokes of genius.

Indeed, great design is the simplest design, and

great designers always know where to draw the line —

literally — which brings to mind that famous adage that

Italians love to quote “la bellezza è lo splendore del vero,”

meaning beauty is the splendor of the truth. And this is

an overarching philosophy you will observe in all the best,

most quintessentially Italian designs. You see it in every

Italian sports car from Ferrari to Lamborghini, the gorgeous

superbikes of the Ducati motorcycle company, the famous

699 Superleggera Chair by Gio Ponti, the phenomenal

Proust Armchair by Alessandro Mendini, and within the

luxury watch industry, you definitely see it in the Bulgari

Octo Finissimo.

A de facto icon of the 21st century, Bulgari’s Octo

Finissimo has charted an incredible path to horological

superstardom. Its epic rise to the topmost echelons of

luxury watchmaking is made all the more amazing when

you consider the fact that this watch has been around for

COVER STORY 85

Fully mechanical and thin as a sheet, it all but disappears

the moment you turn it on its side. Such a magnificent series

of record-breaking ultra thin watches showcases Bulgari’s

unassailable horological finesse with the Octo Finissimo,

thereby erasing any and all doubt as to the Italian jeweler’s

legitimacy as a serious watchmaking maison.

A LEGACY BEGINS

The Octo Finissimo arrived at a time when Bulgari was

leveling up its watchmaking game, with the ambition to

eventually compete with all the top Swiss manufactures.

By that point, the classic watch pillars of Bulgari included

the Diagono, the Rettangolo, Assioma, Ergon, and the

highly enduring BVLGARI-BVLGARI watches which

are still in production today — not forgetting its women’s

icons such as the Serpenti and Tubogas. Bulgari’s product

development strategy at the beginning of the 21st century

showed how the manufacture was gradually transitioning

from highly popular but ultimately fashion-oriented

designs to becoming a creator of luxury timepieces with

true horological content.

This was accelerated even further after the Bulgari Group

acquired the Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth manufactures

in Le Sentier, which imbued Bulgari timepieces with all

the necessary haute horlogerie savoir faire. Thus equipped

with the ability to offer top-shelf complications such as

grande sonneries, carillon minute repeaters and tourbillons,

Bulgari was technically ready to compete in the big league.

Yet the company recognized very early on that it wasn’t

enough to simply replicate what had already been done by

the best Swiss watchmaking brands — all of which were

slaying it in the high complications arena. So, how should

Bulgari position itself among the likes of Rolex, Audemars

Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe?

For a start, Bulgari was well known as an Italian

jewelry company, and while it has always been extremely

successful in the high jewelry and fine jewelry segments,

along with bridal and wedding jewelry, there was much

room for the brand to grow in terms of men’s watches. That

said, production of its watches is completely Swiss, with

manufactures located around the Vallée de Joux. Its high

watchmaking factory is in Le Sentier. Its case and bracelets

are produced in Saignelégier. Its manufactures for dials as

well as hands are located in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which is

also where you’ll find its head office for timepieces.

All of these point unwaveringly to the fact that even

though Bulgari has an Italian heritage and identity, its

savoir faire and craftsmanship are consummately Swiss.

And this was how the company found its first point of

differentiation — combining the best of Italian design with

the unrivaled prowess of Swiss fine watchmaking.

In addition, Bulgari also considered its dual identity as a

jeweler and a watchmaker. During the 2010s, it significantly

reduced the number of watch product references so that

it could concentrate its efforts on a few key icons, and so

that customers could clearly understand what the Bulgari

identity is. Obviously, the Serpenti must remain, as it is so

utterly unique and practically synonymous with the Bulgari

name. The manufacture has also done very well to evolve the

Serpenti, giving it a bold new momentum with the Serpenti

Tubogas series forefronted by the diamond pavé models.

Within the men’s collection, the BVLGARI-BVLGARI

stayed the course, benefiting from minor refinements from

time to time. But to really convince the men’s segment

that Bulgari was serious about high watchmaking, the

manufacture needed something a little more hard-hitting.

Something to bridge the technical gap between the

BVLGARI-BVLGARI and the ultra high complications

it has consistently created for its top clientele; something

completely new, refreshingly modern, and that would

communicate a side of Bulgari that no one had ever seen.

This is where the Bulgari Octo Finissimo comes in.

86 COVER STORY

In less than a decade, the

Bulgari Octo Finissimo has

established itself as the last

word in ultra thin watchmaking

COVER STORY 87

SINCE ITS INDUCTION TO HAUTE

HORLOGERIE, THE OCTO FINISSIMO

HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED IN EVERY

MATERIAL CONCEIVABLE

88 COVER STORY

which straddle the line between high watchmaking and

contemporary art. Even the basic steel references showcase a

combination of vertical brushed and polished surfaces, with

extra effort paid to the bezel which echoes the sunburst

finish applied to the dial. Such minute features strike close

to the hearts of watch aficionados that appreciate the keen

attention to detail.

In addition, Bulgari collaborates actively with likeminded aesthetes from outside the watch industry to

create limited edition Octo Finissimos, including Japanese

designers and architects Tadao Ando, Kazuyo Sejima and

Sorayama, as well as London-based Italian tattoo artist

Mo Coppoletta, and more. Specifically, the collaboration

with Coppoletta was done exclusively for the French watch

retailer Chronopassion, and it was by no means the only

collaboration made with a retailer. Recently, Bulgari also

created a gorgeous limited edition Octo Finissimo with

a Tuscan Copper dial for the North American market,

and a stunning model featuring a bronze dial with its

satin-brushed finish set on a bias for the Italian retailer

Pisa Orologeria.

Meanwhile, the manufacture is simultaneously moving

on to more technically challenging materials, which,

although much more difficult to machine and finish, beget

a range of diverse and deeply satisfying results.

Simplicity and complexity

become one in the Bulgari

Octo Finissimo

With its distinctively recognizable case, the Octo

Finissimo symbolizes a new era of Bulgari fine watchmaking,

demonstrating how it has matured in ways not immediately

apparent to the casual observer. Through this very watch,

we can see that Bulgari’s Italian-Swiss identity has perfectly

fused in one. How else could anyone explain such a complex

case structure being rendered not just ultra thin, but the

thinnest in the world? And, if we may add, the casual

elegance of the Octo Finissimo appears to have been

achieved almost effortlessly, an act which recalls the Italian

phrase “sprezzatura” as coined by Baldassare Castiglione.

It is the art of making complex tasks look uncannily natural

and effortless.

Through the Octo Finissimo, we also learn more about

Bulgari’s immaculate jewelry crafting know-how, and its

vast expertise with a plethora of raw materials from the

precious to the technical. Because since its induction to

the haute horlogerie universe, the Octo Finissimo has been

constructed in every material conceivable.

Gold, platinum and, of course, stainless steel were

among the first to dress the Octo Finissimo. Bulgari swiftly

showed its keen eye for strong aesthetics by working with

these classic materials in extraordinary ways. Top examples

include the models in full satin-brushed gold evoking a

sun-kissed effect, and the full mirror-polished steel models

89 COVER STORY

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Ultra light and extra strong, titanium proved to be a

natural progression from stainless steel for the Bulgari

Octo Finissimo. Its popularity among the watch-loving

cognoscenti made a strong case for this material — literally

and figuratively — along with its high strength-to-weight

ratio and outstanding corrosion resistance. By constructing

the Octo Finissimo out of titanium, Bulgari has effectively

made a watch that is not only super thin, but also super

light and super strong. On top of that, titanium has a low

elasticity modulus, meaning it is highly rigid in structure,

which comes in very handy for an ultra thin watch with a

complex architecture, such as the Octo Finissimo Automatic

comprising approximately 130 individual components, all

of which are designed to be as thin as possible.

In other words, titanium makes the perfect choice

to ensure as much as possible that these parts maintain

their stability throughout their lifetime. This is especially

crucial for a watch of extreme ultra thinness such as the

Octo Finissimo Ultra. With an overall thickness of 1.8mm

and a comparatively wide diameter of 40mm, there is every

risk of its case flexing under pressure and pressing onto the

hands. Its sapphire crystal is a mere 0.3mm in thickness —

no more than three sheets of printing paper. Its integrated

bracelet is just as thin, which makes this watch all the more

impressive. For this reason alone, it makes perfect sense for

Bulgari to return to titanium over and over again to create

multiple variations of the Octo Finissimo.

Titanium was also the material chosen for the Octo

Finissimo Minute Repeater featuring caliber BVL 362,

the world’s thinnest repeater movement. Because of the

material’s low level of density, sound passes through with

minimal dampening, thus allowing the watch to achieve

the loudest possible chimes. Throughout this model and all

others crafted in titanium, all surfaces are decorated with

a matte satin finish that does an amazing job heightening

the technical spirit of the watches.

Along with titanium, ceramic has made numerous

appearances in the Octo Finissimo collection. Ceramic is

favored for its numerous advantages, including extreme

hardness which makes it completely scratchproof, high

corrosion resistance, hypoallergenic qualities and also

relative lightness which means it is also very comfortable

on the wrist, But another somewhat more superficial reason

watch enthusiasts love ceramic is the physical appearance

of this material, which is often richer, more intense in

color compared to PVD coating on brass or steel, lacquer

coating, or anodization on aluminum. This has to do with

the fact that color in ceramic components is homogeneous

throughout, and not just applied onto its surfaces. If you

think about it, it’s like the horological equivalent of being

naturally olive toned versus being spray tanned.

Ceramic is an extremely popular choice for specific

case components, where it is occasionally used for cosmetic

effect, and is becoming the go-to material for bezel inserts

especially in high-end luxury sports watches. While it is by

no means scarce in contemporary watchmaking, watches

made entirely (or nearly entirely) out of ceramic are few and

far between, and since we’re discussing it here, the Bulgari

Octo Finissimo is naturally one of those few. To date, the

manufacture has produced in series two full black ceramic

models, one a classic automatic time-only piece and the

other with a manual winding skeletonized movement.

Both watches are beautifully sandblasted, although a fully

polished model has been introduced a few years back

in 2020.

The Octo Finissimo’s complex structure lends itself

especially well to high-tech materials such as titanium

and ceramic. Long, straight planes and even, flat surfaces

juxtaposed with refined edges and elegant curves create

lots of opportunities to admire everything from the round

bezel and octagonal case, as well as the individual links of

the bracelet tapering gently from being widest at the lugs

and narrowest towards the clasp.

Such is the creative ingenuity behind the Octo

Finissimo, a watch that toes the line between complexity

Octo Finissimo in black ceramic

90 COVER STORY

BY CONSTRUCTING THE

OCTO FINISSIMO OUT OF

TITANIUM, BULGARI HAS

EFFECTIVELY MADE A WATCH

THAT IS NOT ONLY SUPER

THIN, BUT ALSO SUPER LIGHT,

AND SUPER STRONG

Eight word records in

one stunning timepiece

and simplicity with impeccable style. And if you really

look at it, if you really consider its essence, this is just

great Italian design all over again. The Italians often quote

“il coraggio della semplicità” or daring to simplify, as they

explain the mind and concept behind their creations. With

the Octo Finissimo, this mantra rings loud and clear as

the watch is reduced to its most essential form, and yet we

continue to be enthralled by its simplicity and discover its

subtle nuances.

ELEMENTAL BEAUTY

Machined and finished to perfection, the Bulgari Octo

Finissimo is a modern mechanical timepiece, and so

logically, we understand that its primary raison d’être must

be to tell the time. However, emotionally, it accomplishes

so much more. It is a means of artistic expression. It is a

vessel for creative indulgence. It is a bastion of technical

sophistication. It reflects our fundamental understanding

of beauty. And much like the sculptures of the old masters,

from Michelangelo’s David to The Veiled Virgin by Giovanni

Strazza, the Octo Finissimo’s timeless allure derives equally

from both its physical construct and its base material.

The beauty of Carrara marble ascends to new heights

under every skillful chisel of the sculptor’s graver. Form

and function are fused in one, just as the Bulgari Octo

Finissimo’s awe-inspiring structure highlights the elemental

beauty of high-performance materials.

After multiple triumphs with titanium and high-tech

ceramic as well as classic gold and stainless steel, the Octo

Finissimo moved to conquer another exotic material in

luxury watchmaking — carbon. Specifically in 2018, with

the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater in a full carbon

construct, Bulgari has created its most futuristic ultra

thin minute repeater complication yet. In this watch, the

manufacture combined thin-ply carbon with polyether

ether ketone (PEEK) carbon for the 40mm case as well as

the perforated dial and the bracelet. PEEK carbon is easily

recognized thanks to its distinctive layers, and here you

see it encircling the bezel and lining the watch’s profile

too. Meanwhile, the dial exudes a rather different aesthetic.

Instead of consistently parallel layers, it evokes a clouded

effect with various tones of grays and blacks from the grain

COVER STORY 91

BULGARI

OCTO FINISSIMO CARBONGOLD AUTOMATIC

REF 103779

MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber BVL 138; 60-hour

power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and small seconds

CASE 40mm; carbon, polished rose gold crown with black

ceramic insert; water resistant to 100m

DIAL Carbon; gold colored hour markers

STRAP Carbon bracelet with triple folding clasp

PRICE Upon request

BULGARI

OCTO FINISSIMO CARBONGOLD PERPETUAL CALENDAR

REF 103778

MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber BVL 305; 60-hour

power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and perpetual calendar

CASE 40mm; carbon, polished rose gold crown with black

ceramic insert; water resistant to 30m

DIAL Carbon; rose gold plated hour markers

STRAP Carbon bracelet with folding clasp in

DLC-coated steel

PRICE Upon request

COVER STORY 92

boundaries all coming together to resemble a really cool

camouflage pattern.

In 2023, Bulgari extends its dalliance with carbon

through two new additions to the Octo Finissimo family.

The Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic and Octo

Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar debut a bold

and audacious style that recalls Bulgari’s flair for making

surprising and original creative associations. Indeed, carbon

and gold cannot be more diametrically opposed. From a

chemical point of view, they do not make naturally good

matches, and yet the Octo Finissimo rendered in carbon and

gold looks more captivating than ever, thanks to Bulgari’s

artful approach to horological mechanics. The entire watch

— case, bezel, dial and bracelet — is uniformly covered in

grain lines.

Appearing as a result of the carbon forging process,

these naturally occurring streaks provide a dynamic

backdrop to luxurious touches of rose gold applied to the

crown, hands, indexes, numerals and also the solid gold

cartouche on the case middle, which sits completely flush

with the caseband, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but

wait till you turn the watch over and voila! Enjoy an

expansive view of the automatic calibers BVL 138 and

BVL 305 (for the perpetual calendar model) with Côtes

de Genève-decorated rose gold bridges and a micro-rotor

crafted in rose gold plated platinum — talk about making

a big statement.

On top of all that, the solid gold movements retain

their ultra thinness, with caliber BVL 305 cutting a mean

silhouette at just 2.75mm, which is just mind-blowing for

a perpetual calendar movement requiring no adjustment

until the year 2100. This entire sapphire crystal caseback

is held in place by eight solid gold screws like drops of

golden sunshine.

Luxury on the inside but high-tech on the outside, the

Octo Finissimo CarbonGold watches explore the creative

tension between matte-finished, anthracite-colored carbon

and glorious mirror-polished rose gold, revisiting a blend of

materials that has existed in Bulgari’s portfolio since as early

as 1993. In addition, the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar

is no stranger to state-of-the-art innovation. If you’d recall,

Bulgari’s entry for the 2021 Only Watch auction was an Octo

Finissimo Perpetual Calendar cased in extra hard and extra

tough but also extra sexy tantalum.

THE OCTO FINISSIMO RENDERED IN CARBON AND GOLD

LOOKS MORE CAPTIVATING THAN EVER, THANKS TO BULGARI’S

ARTFUL APPROACH TO HOROLOGICAL MECHANICS

COVER STORY 93

THE ONE AND ONLY

Incredibly difficult to machine, tantalum is extremely rare

and highly sought-after. A case in tantalum would take four

times longer to produce than one in gold. The manufacture

would have to account for the reprogramming of its

machines, prepare new instruments, adjusting rotational

speeds of milling tools… And Bulgari went through this

entire rigmarole for one watch and one watch only — all

for the sake of charity.

The Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar Tantalum for

Only Watch exhibits a stylish bluish-gray hue which is

quickly identified as a dead giveaway for this super dense

and super strong element. Listed by Christie’s for the

biennial event at an estimated CHF 80,000 to CHF 120,000,

this stellar pièce unique ultimately went under the hammer

for a cool CHF 220,000. While it is certainly an amazing

achievement for Bulgari, the manufacture looks set to smash

its own record at the 2023 Only Watch event with what is

— beyond any and all doubt — the most quintessentially

Bulgari timepiece of all time.

Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Marble is described by the

Only Watch committee as a true marvel of craftsmanship

and we couldn’t agree more. Entirely covered in Italian

marble sourced from the Aosta Valley, this insanely

beautiful creation is no longer merely a timepiece but a

sculpture worthy of its own lofty pedestal. Colored in a

lush green hue with generous veining in white, this material

is known as Verde di Alpi marble as it is mined from the

Swiss-Italian Alps — how apt! Recalling the serpentines

of alpine forests framed by snowy peaks, this material is

carefully overlaid on a base of DLC treated titanium.

Every nook and cranny, all 110 facets, have been

meticulously ensconced with a marble layer no thicker than

0.5mm, leaving just the crown which is made in gold and

topped off with a black ceramic insert. In total, Bulgari’s

watchmaking artisans spent over 800 hours producing

this unique timepiece and the result is nothing short of

breathtaking. And even with the additional layer of marble

over the titanium, the watch stays nice and slim, measuring

no more than 6.9mm in height, thanks in part to caliber

BVL 268, which is just 1.95mm thick.

Estimated to sell between CHF 150,000 and

CHF 250,000, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Marble is one

of the hottest lots of the 2023 Only Watch auction. And

as if scoring such a unique piece isn’t quite dope enough,

Bulgari is throwing in a night’s stay at its newest hotel

property in Rome plus lunch or dinner on the house, in the

company of a member from the brand’s top brass, rounded

off with a lovely visit of the famously private Villa Albani

Torlonia and its rich collection of marble sculptures and

oil paintings.

Through the Octo Finissimo, Bulgari has well and truly

proven its mettle whether in terms of technical excellence

or design acumen. This singular timepiece charts Bulgari’s

atypical path to haute horlogerie, one that compelled the

manufacture to examine its unique position in luxury

watchmaking over and over again. Is it an Italian or a Swiss

brand? Is it a jeweler or a watchmaker? Is it traditional or

progressive in identity? If the Octo Finissimo has achieved

anything at all since its birth in 2014, it is to prove that

the answer to these questions is, unequivocally, all of

the above.

Italian marble covers

this pièce unique

Octo Finissimo

Tourbillon for Only

Watch 2023

BULGARI

OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON MARBLE

FOR 2023 ONLY WATCH

REF 103660

MOVEMENT Manual winding caliber

BVL 268; 52-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and tourbillon

CASE 40mm; DLC-coated titanium with

Verde di Alpi marble overlay; water resistant

to 30m

DIAL Verde di Alpi marble; gold plated

hour markers

STRAP DLC-coated titanium bracelet with

Verde di Alpi marble overlay

PRICE CHF 150,000 to CHF 250,000

(estimated)

AVAILABILITY Pièce unique; open for

bidding at the Only Watch auction on

November 5, 2023

94 COVER STORY

The aventurine dial of Grail Watch

10: Ludovic Ballouard Et Fils

Upside Down “Series Gaga”

Nestled amidst the serene landscapes of Shiojiri,

within Japan’s scenic Shinshu region, lies an

enchanting haven for horology enthusiasts

seeking the epitome of luxury watchmaking. The

Grand Seiko Micro Artist Studio, an eminent atelier, has

been captivating discerning individuals with an exclusive

collection of Spring Drive timepieces that seamlessly merge

avant-garde horological technology with the immaculate

craftsmanship of yesteryears. Established in 2000, the studio’s

mission remains resolute: to unearth, dissect and master the

technologies and skills inherited from its predecessors, who

were dedicated to crafting exceptional luxury watches.

At the Micro Artist Studio, a collective of master

craftsmen and women breathe life into the essence of

fine watchmaking. Each artisan within the team possesses

unrivaled expertise in their respective domains, be it

movement design, assembly or movement finishing. Their

synergistic efforts converge in a symphony of meticulous

artistry and technical precision, yielding timepieces that

transcend the boundaries of mechanical excellence and

aesthetic allure.

Distinguished by the distinctive Spring Drive technology,

the Micro Artist Studio’s timepieces stand as exemplars of

ingenuity. The Spring Drive caliber, an audacious innovation

hailing from the renowned Seiko, amalgamates the accuracy

of quartz with the intricacies of mechanical watches. This feat

is achieved through an exquisite integration of a mechanical

watch’s intricate mechanism and an electronically regulated

quartz system, presenting a timekeeping experience that

harmoniously marries absolute precision, unwavering

reliability and an unruffled fluidity of motion.

However, it is the unwavering dedication of the

Micro Artist Studio to preserve the heritage and artistry

of traditional watchmaking that sets them apart. While

technology plays an instrumental role in their creations,

it is the human touch that imparts an ethereal essence to

their timepieces. Meticulously honed by the studio’s artisans,

every facet of the watch undergoes meticulous refinement,

from the intricacy of the movement components to the

painstakingly detailed dial designs and hand executed

finishing touches.

A testament to the Micro Artist Studio’s commitment

to excellence is embodied within each timepiece it

produces. Exuding an air of refinement and elegance that

characterizes Japanese craftsmanship, its watches transcend

their roles as functional instruments, becoming veritable

living masterpieces that defy the constraints of time.

Restricted production quantities ensure exclusivity, rarity

and an unwavering focus on intricate detailing, resulting in

timepieces that embody the very essence of true luxury.

Immersing oneself in the realm of the Micro Artist

Studio unveils a world where timepieces transcend

their mere utilitarian purpose. With each gaze upon the

delicately adorned dials, the seamless glide of the hands,

and the unmistakable precision of the movement, one

is enraptured by the marriage of timeless tradition and

technological innovation.

Whether one be a devout aficionado of horology, an

avid collector with an unyielding appreciation for refined

craftsmanship, or simply an admirer of unparalleled

beauty, the Micro Artist Studio’s luxury watches embody

the boundless possibilities that arise when tradition and

technology seamlessly converge in a symphony of horological

mastery. Step into this realm of ingenuity and craftsmanship

and you will be captivated by the eternal allure of these

extraordinary timepieces.

WORDS BHANU CHOPRA

IMMACULATE ORIGINALITY

From the Grand Seiko Micro Artist Studio comes two new Masterpiece

Collection timepieces inspired by the beauty and majesty of nature.

98 PRIME TIME

GRAND SEIKO SBGZ009: THE MAJESTY OF NATURE IN WINTER

Grand Seiko, renowned for its exceptional craftsmanship

and attention to detail, unveils a new manual winding Spring

Drive masterpiece that pays homage to the captivating white

birch forest in the height of winter. Handcrafted by skilled

artisans at the Micro Artist Studio, this limited edition

timepiece captures the essence of the forest and embodies

the unwavering commitment of Grand Seiko to create

exceptional masterpieces.

Nestled at the foot of the North Yatsugatake Mountains

in Shinshu’s eastern region lies a sprawling white birch

forest. In the nearby town of Shiojiri, talented craftsmen

and women dedicate themselves to the meticulous

production of handmade Grand Seiko watches, often

drawing inspiration from the local surroundings. The

latest creation to emerge from their skilled hands is a truly

exquisite platinum 950 watch, meticulously engraved to

reflect the serene beauty of the white birch forest during

the peak of winter.

Every detail of the timepiece, from the silver-colored

dial to the platinum 950 case, flawlessly captures the natural

allure of the forest. The Zaratsu method is employed to

polish the case, ensuring a mirror-like surface, before the

skilled engravers at the brand’s Shinshu Watch Studio

carefully carve long grooves into the case, mirroring

the patterns found on the dial. The result is a seamless

integration of design that faithfully brings to life the

breathtaking sea of white birch trees.

The dial of this masterpiece features the celebrated

Shinshu white birch pattern adored by Grand Seiko

enthusiasts. However, in this limited edition, the dial

possesses a unique tone and metallic texture, lending a

subtle and captivating shine when exposed to light. The

hour and minute hands, along with the hand applied

diamond-cut markers, are expertly crafted from 14K white

gold, ensuring a sharp and brilliant finish. The seconds

hand, in a harmonious shade of gray, glides smoothly across

the textured dial, mirroring the gentle passage of time.

At the heart of this timepiece lies the manual winding

Spring Drive caliber 9R02, which boasts an impressive 84-

hour power reserve. The Dual Spring Barrel and Torque

Return System work in unison to deliver exceptional

accuracy, with the watch ticking precisely to one second per

day. The painstakingly assembled Spring Drive movement

exemplifies the understated refinement and superior quality

that define Grand Seiko’s watchmaking.

Grand Seiko SBGZ009

captures the natural beauty

of a winter forest

100 PRIME TIME

The meticulous attention to detail extends to the

caliber 9R02’s design, with the barrel beautifully decorated

to resemble the bellflower, an emblematic symbol of

Shiojiri. The hand finished bridges boast high-polished

edges that create a striking contrast against their finely

hairline finished surfaces, showcasing the Micro Artist

Studio’s unrivaled craftsmanship. The lower bridge proudly

displays an engraved 18K gold plaque bearing the inscription

“Micro Artist,” a testament to the dedication of the skilled

artisans. For those seeking a personal touch, the plaque can

be customized upon request.

Limited to just 50 pieces, this remarkable watch

represents only the third fully engraved masterpiece

powered by a manual winding Spring Drive movement.

It will be exclusively available at Grand Seiko boutiques.

Each timepiece stands as a testament to the rich heritage

and artistic brilliance that defines Grand Seiko, offering a

unique opportunity to own a truly exceptional work of art

that beautifully captures the spirit of the majestic white

birch forest in winter.

GRAND SEIKO

MASTERPIECE COLLECTION SPRING DRIVE

REF SBGZ009

MOVEMENT Manual winding Spring Drive

caliber 9R02; 84-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and seconds

CASE 38.5mm; Zaratsu polished and hand

engraved platinum 950; water resistant to 30m

DIAL Textured with white birch inspired

pattern; applied diamond-cut indexes in 14K

white gold

STRAP Black crocodile leather; platinum and

white gold triple folding clasp

PRICE USD 79,000

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 50 pieces

PRIME TIME 101

GRAND SEIKO SBGD213: A JEWELRY WATCH INSPIRED BY

THE KING OF BEASTS

Grand Seiko, renowned for its exceptional timepieces,

unveils its latest creation — a jewelry watch masterpiece

inspired by the majestic white lion. Since its inception in

1960, Grand Seiko has embraced the powerful profile of the

lion as a symbol of strength and beauty. At the esteemed

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022, Grand Seiko introduced

a Spring Drive jewelry watch that paid homage to this

magnificent creature.

Now, the brand takes this inspiration to new heights

with the introduction of another extraordinary Spring Drive

masterpiece, adorned with exquisite blue sapphires, a nod to

Grand Seiko's signature color.

Combining the unparalleled precision of Spring Drive

technology, the meticulous placement of gemstones for

enhanced legibility, and the artistry of master craftsmen,

this remarkable creation epitomizes the ideals that define

Grand Seiko.

The heart of the timepiece features a captivating center

dial crafted from lustrous mother-of-pearl in Grand Seiko’s

iconic blue hue. Radiating elegance and allure, this dial sets

the stage for the brilliant display of diamonds and blue

sapphires that adorn the case and dial, meticulously set

by hand.

The lion’s strength and dominance are reflected in the

watch’s design, with its robust and angular lugs paying

tribute to this magnificent creature. The upper surfaces

of the case boast an impressive 112 diamonds, while an

additional 60 baguette-cut diamonds embellish the bezel.

The precise setting of these diamonds creates a seamless

and flat surface that mesmerizes the beholder. The seconds

hand, perfectly matched to the overall tone of the watch,

showcases a flawless gray color, and a single brilliant-cut

blue sapphire graces the crown as a crowning jewel.

The case, treated with a specialized form of Zaratsu

polishing exclusively developed for platinum 950, achieves a

mirror finish devoid of any distortions.

The dial itself is a testament to the highest levels of hand

craftsmanship. The blue sapphires and baguette diamonds

serve as hour and minute markers, delicately encircling the

tranquil mother-of-pearl center. These precious gems, set by

the skilled artisans of the Shinshu Watch Studio, located in

the Shiojiri facility in Nagano prefecture, are meticulously

THE CASE, TREATED WITH A SPECIALIZED FORM OF ZARATSU

POLISHING EXCLUSIVELY DEVELOPED FOR PLATINUM,

ACHIEVES A MIRROR FINISH DEVOID OF ANY DISTORTIONS

102 PRIME TIME

placed between thin 18K white gold rails. To heighten the

dial’s depth and beauty, an additional 48 diamonds and

12 blue sapphires are individually set around the markers,

creating a mesmerizing play of light and depth.

Powering this extraordinary timepiece is the Spring Drive

caliber 9R01, a creation of the esteemed watchmakers from

the Micro Artist Studio, housed within the Shiojiri facility.

This exceptional movement boasts a remarkable accuracy of

±10 seconds per month and offers an impressive power reserve

of eight days, or 192 hours, thanks to its three sequentially

arranged barrels.

Limited to a mere eight pieces, this captivating jewelry

masterpiece, which represents the harmonious fusion of

precise timekeeping and exquisite craftsmanship, will be

available exclusively at select Grand Seiko boutiques.

GRAND SEIKO

MASTERPIECE COLLECTION SPRING DRIVE 8-DAY

JEWELRY WATCH

REF SBGD213

MOVEMENT Manual winding Spring Drive caliber 9R01;

192-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and seconds

CASE 44.5mm; Zaratsu polished and diamond-set platinum

950; water resistant to 100m

DIAL Blue mother-of-pearl surrounded by blue sapphires

and diamonds

STRAP Blue crocodile leather; platinum triple folding clasp

PRICE USD 260,000

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of eight pieces

Spring Drive Caliber 9R01

boasts a remarkable accuracy of

±10 seconds per month

PRIME TIME 103

HERVÉ SCHLÜCHTER DEBUTS

HIS FIRST WATCH, L’ESSENTIEL

Movement finishing elevated to an art.

WORDS CHERYL CHIA

When it comes to fine watchmaking, there is

no other craft more vital or definitive of the

art than movement finishing, specifically

when done through traditional handfinishing techniques. But what sets the most beautiful

watches apart is how finishing is deeply seeded in the process

of designing the movement such that each serves to elevate

the other to the realm of art. Today, Hervé Schlüchter makes

his debut with a watch that exemplifies this synergy to an

almost obsessive degree.

Born in the Swiss Jura and received his education at

L’École des Métiers Techniques in Porrentruy, Schlüchter

spent a decade at Bovet, eventually rising up the ranks of

director of Dimier 1738, the manufacturing facility of Bovet.

Driven by the desire for autonomy after the loss of his father

and birth of his son, he departed the brand and established

his own creative laboratory, Hyade-S in 2017, specializing in

developing high-concept, mechanics-celebratory movements

which included projects for the experimental brand

The  Alchemists.

However, prior to embarking on the decisive journey

to create his own watches, Schlüchter sought to expand his

knowledge and expertise in classical watchmaking, finishing,

and decoration. To that end, he set his sights on learning from

none other than Philippe Dufour. Through the introduction

of a mutual friend, Schlüchter had the privilege of meeting

Dufour at his esteemed studio in the Vallée de Joux. “Philippe

Dufour’s techniques are really special, whether in terms of

methods or tools used such as gentian wood. Everything

is a succession of details to achieve this absolute level of

finish. Traditional tools and methods are simply magical,”

Schlüchter remarks.

104 PRIME TIME

The Hervé Schlüchter

L'Essentiel is a modern ode

to traditional hand finishing

In March 2022, Schlüchter opened his own workshop

at Villa Renfe in Biel/Bienne and recruited two other

watchmakers. L’Essentiel marks the first watch in a trilogy

of timepieces that revolves around a generational concept.

Each watch within the trilogy, offers a different perspective

on the passage of time, starting with the portrayal of time

through the eyes of a child, followed by that of a parent,

and concludes with the wisdom of a grandparent. L’Essentiel,

thus, offers a childlike perception of time with a distinctive

24-hour disc that doubles as a day and night indicator. What’s

impressive is that a majority of components are made inhouse with the exception of the case, buckle and minute parts

of the movement such as screws, mainspring, pins and jewels.

The watch has a diameter of 39mm and 10.37mm in

height. The case is in stainless steel with a contrasting finish;

the bezel, top surfaces of the lugs as well as case back ring

are highly polished while the flanks are brushed. Inspired by

a regulator made by Antide Janvier in the 18th century, the

watch is characterized by a regulator style dial with a small

seconds at six o’clock, a central minutes and a large semicircular aperture that displays a 24-hour disc. Immediately

apparent is the amount of effort that has been expended

on the dial work alone, which is itself made up of five

components excluding the hands. The central dial, which is

made of German silver, has been engine-turned by Schlüchter

himself using a traditional rose engine acquired from master

guillocheur Georges Brodbeck. The outer minute track as

well as the inlaid small seconds sub-dial are executed in

Grand Feu enamel. Their bases were produced by Schlüchter

while the enamelling was done by Sophie Cattin Morales, an

independent enameller located in Les Barrières. The massive

aperture for the 24-hour display is enclosed within a steel

frame that is fastened to the dial with screws. This frame

exhibits numerous outward and inward angles, the hallmark

of hand-applied anglage. The 24-hour disc is crafted from

aventurine with the sun and the moon metallized in gold

and silver, both pad-printed. The distinctive minute hand

is rounded, polished and flame-blued by hand. Each hand is

attached to its own hub that are bevelled and highly polished

as well.

The calibre HS-01, visible on the case back, is equally

elaborate, to put it mildly. In fact, it appears a lot more

dense and complex than a standard time-only movement

as the wheels of the going train were made larger and are

entirely exposed with each wheel held in place by its own

finger bridge. In addition, the exposed stop-seconds lever

and the unusual moustache lever escapement all contribute

to its visually intricate composition. At the same time, vital

components – the barrel and balance wheel – are maximized.

As is characteristic of such watches, the movement achieves

balance power with use of a massive balance wheel that has

a traditional beat rate of 18,000 bph, or 2.5Hz while offering

a power reserve of 60 hours on a single barrel.

The vivid contrast of textures also enhances its overall

visual complexity. The base plate and bridges for the barrel,

escape wheel and balance are made of German silver and

were given a frosted finish while the individual bridges that

support the gear train are made of steel and are fully rounded

and polished, with the bridge for the escape wheel sporting a

black polished steel cap. Seemingly, every square nanometre

of the movement has been reviewed, designed and brought

to the finest possible level of finish.

An anachronistic but highly appealing detail is the wolf’s

teeth on the crown wheel, visible under the barrel bridge,

which has been meticulously polished by hand. The barrel

bridge is beautifully shaped; it accommodates the shape of

the third wheel, rising to a pointed edge before dipping and

rising like a cresting wave and ultimately culminating in a

sharp inward angle.

Mechanically, the most unusual aspect of the watch

is the moustache lever escapement. It is a variation of the

lever escapement that originated in the 18th century and

was commonly used in pocket watches during that time to

provide greater balance to the pallet fork. The distinctive

shape of the pallet fork resembles a moustache, hence its

name. Schlüchter shares that this design offers greater

stability in terms of amplitude and the results have been

very promising. The balance wheel is free-sprung with

four adjustable, circular masses that are reminiscent of

the compensation weights found in marine chronometers,

along with a pair of smaller, turnable weights for smaller

adjustments. With the length of the hairspring being fixed,

the curved spring on the balance cock holds under tension a

polished top plate that is screwed into the stud support and

beat error can be adjusted by simply turning a screw on the

left side of the balance cock.

Due to the labour-intensive nature of constructing and

finishing a majority of components in-house, Schlüchter will

only be producing five watches a year while working on the

rest of the trilogy. L’Essentiel is limited to 25 pieces and at

the time of writing, all of which have already been allocated.

It remains uncertain if the L’Essentiel will ever be produced

in other metals in future but a collective persuasive effort

could tip the scales.

Caliber HS-01 is inspired by an 18th century Antide Janvier regulator

108 PRIME TIME

HERVÉ SCHLÜCHTER

L’ESSENTIEL

MOVEMENT HS-01; hand-wound;

power reserve of 60 hours; 18,000 vph

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, seconds;

hacking function

CASE 39mm x 10.37mm; stainless steel

DIAL German silver decorated with

guilloche; minute track and small

seconds sub-dial in Grand Feu enamel;

flame-blued hands

PRICE CHF 78,000

AVAILABILITY All sold

110 PRIME TIME

LESSONS IN STYLE

The early 20th century must have been some truly incredible

times for the maison Cartier. There was optimism in the

air especially during the post-war years, the Art Deco style

was quickly evolving from its nascency to a fully-fledged

aesthetic movement that would eventually dominate

the world, Paris was heady from the ripple effects of its

Exposition Universelle in 1900. Louis Cartier was at his

absolute best, his brothers Pierre and Jacques were in the

midst of expanding the company into London and New

York, it was the beginning of a new era and a period of

gainful creativity for Louis Cartier.

In relatively quick succession, he produced some of his

all-time greatest designs, many of them collaboratively

with his protégé Charles Jacqueau who would later become

creative director of the maison. According to The Cartiers

by Francesca Cartier Brickell, the pair had met entirely by

chance. While taking a stroll along the main thoroughfare

of the Boulevard Raspail, Louis Cartier noticed a beautiful

wrought-iron balcony being installed. Wanting to meet the

person responsible for its avant-garde geometric style and

sense of proportion, he inquired from the workmen who

then directed him to a young Charles Jacqueau.

Following a short and a little bumpy first introduction,

Jacqueau was inducted into the world of jewelry by Louis

Cartier who was 10 years his senior and could spot latent

talent from miles away, even if it was dressed in overalls

and perched up a dusty ladder.

Throughout his time, Louis Cartier constantly urged

his designers to go around the streets of Paris, and to

A STUDY IN CURVES

The Cartier Baignoire is back and more wearable than ever before.

WORDS CELINE YAP

Among the many timepieces created under the

gifted eye of Louis Cartier, the Baignoire may be

his most underappreciated one yet. Admittedly

for the Baignoire, it cannot be easy competing

with the likes of heavyweights such as the Santos de Cartier

— the maison’s de facto watch icon — and its debonair

cousin the Santos Dumont, as well as the inimitable Cartier

Tank across its infinite shapes, styles and sizes. Even the

Pasha has had its time in the sun in 2020 when the maison

revitalized it for the 21st century and made it the watch

of such contemporary luminaries as Rami Malek who

recently also repped the Tank Française in a Guy Ritchiedirected campaign co-starring legendary French actress

Catherine Deneuve.

But now it is the Baignoire’s turn to shine because when

you take a long hard look at each of these unique creations,

you will not miss the stroke of genius that is the vision

of Louis Cartier coursing through them a continuous red

thread. Just as it delineates the elegant silhouette of the

Santos — said to have been inspired by a square-shaped

pocket watch from the late 19th century — it traces

the Tank and its signature twin brancards which drew

inspiration from the caterpillar tracks of a military tank.

And in the Baignoire, you find it in the continuous loop

of its case which is little more than an oval if one were to

reduce it to simplest terms. But paradoxically, herein lies

the brilliance of Louis Cartier who had created something

so simple, so utterly devoid of frills and other obvious

symbolic features, and yet the watch remains immediately

distinctive and recognizable to this day.

PRIME TIME 111

The gold-on-gold geometric dials of the Tank Louis Cartier are as stunning as they are stylish

look up and around rather than into the windows of

other jewellers. He had no interest in the prevailing Art

Nouveau style, and even less in replicating what others

were doing; he wanted to create items that were timeless.

Observing details of historical architecture, the kind that

was all over Paris’ city center, appealed deeply to Louis

Cartier and would eventually inspire him to create the

signature Cartier guirlande jewelry style. Blessed with this

ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and to distil

beauty from everyday objects, Louis Cartier approached

watch design the same way he considered jewelry design.

He thought far out of the box and came up with designs

no one else could conceive, but made them so elegant that

they were instantly regarded as luxury.

Louis Cartier’s earliest watches were mainly crafted

for a specific customer or set of customers. The Santos of

1904 was born out of a collaboration with the Brazilian

aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont. The Tank of

1917 was designed expressly for General John J Pershing of

the American Expeditionary Force. On the jewelry front,

the iconic Trinity ring came about from a request by Jean

Cocteau. Comparatively, the Baignoire has a less glamorous

backstory. It is said that the watch was created as early as

in 1912, produced as gifts to top clients of the maison.

Then still unnamed, it was styled as an elongated

wristwatch and depicts Louis Cartier’s stubborn refusal

to conform to industry norms. Whether intended for the

pocket or the wrist, watches of the time were exclusively

round. So in retrospect, the first watches by Cartier already

broke with convention by making a strong style statement

and an innate desire to be different from everybody else.

In fact it would only be until the 1940s when the maison

finally made its first round watch, a waterproof timepiece

that would go on to inspire the Pasha de Cartier of 1985.

CONTINUOUS CURVES

By now all Cartier lovers and watch aficionados would have

heard the story of how the Baignoire got its name. How its

oval shape and plump voluminous curves are reminiscent

of a basin or bathtub. And this is perfectly congruous with

Louis Cartier’s approach to watch and jewelry design.

Seemingly random objects that couldn’t be further from

a jeweler’s mind and that most people – or even designers

– would conveniently bypass would strike him with their

innocuous beauty.

Case in point, wrought-iron balconies with their

decorative wreaths and delicate waves and whorls that

are all over Paris were no different from tiaras; they were

112 PRIME TIME

LOUIS CARTIER CAME UP

WITH DESIGNS NO ONE

ELSE COULD CONCEIVE, BUT

MADE THEM SO ELEGANT

THEY WERE INSTANTLY

REGARDED AS LUXURY

THE OVALE CINTRÉ

EMBODIED EVERYTHING

A MODERN INDEPENDENT

WOMAN SOUGHT IN A WATCH

just crafted on a different scale. The Tank as we know it

drew inspiration from Renault FT tanks rolling all over

Europe during the war. So for a bathtub to lend shape and

proportions to a Cartier timepiece is not only completely

on-brand for Louis Cartier, but also the plainest, most

simplified way to witness his creative ingenuity.

It would take the maison a good 45 years to revisit

the Baignoire in 1957 but the timing could not have been

more perfect. By then the world had already gone through

further major upheavals including the Great Depression

and WW2. The jet-set 1950’s were incredibly exuberant

times, for fashion as well as luxury. More importantly, there

was a transformation taking place particularly in Europe

and the United States. Women of the time were beginning

to envision a modern future for themselves, one which

they were able to control, having officially entered the

workforce and making their own money. Once the 1960s

was in full swing, women began to desire luxury objects

that reflected this newfound independence.

As such, jewelry and timepieces of that era were

designed for everyday wear. This marked a significant

shift from the over-the-top styles of the previous decade,

which in turn was very much a continuation of the

ostentatious tastes of the interwar years. Balancing luxury

with practicality, the prevailing aesthetic emphasized on

creativity with a touch of demure playfulness, so timepieces

during this period for both men and women were small.

Men’s pieces around 36mm or smaller and women’s pieces

never bigger than 22mm. So when Cartier released its Ovale

Cintré, it was warmly received by the public. Then when

leading movie stars such as Catherine Deneuve, Romy

Schneider and Jeanne Moreau began toting it on-set and

off-screen, the watch rose to superstardom.

And why wouldn’t it? The Cartier Ovale Cintré

embodied everything a modern independent woman

sought in a watch. It was chic, it was trendy, it was Cartier,

top-billed celebrities love it… to say nothing of how

comfortable the watch must have been on the wrist. Full

of curves no matter which way you look, the Ovale Cintré

had no hard edges, no sharp angles, and no straight lines.

With its cambered profile it glides over the curvature of

the wrist, its voluminous case resembling a pair of sensuous

bee-stung lips like those of silent film star Mae Murray. In

fact, jewelry aficionados might also be reminded of the

famous Hotlips rings by Solange Azagury-Partridge. Such

volumes, so wonderfully plump and luscious we cannot

help but marvel at Cartier’s goldsmithing mastery.

“As Cartier was a jeweller before being a watchmaker,

a Cartier watch blurs the boundaries between these two

founding crafts and makes it possible to capture the

best of both,” says Marie-Laure Cérède, the maison’s

Creative Director of Jewellery and Watchmaking. She

continues, “This combination has resulted in the sleek and

sophisticated design of the mini Baignoire.”

The Ovale Cintré became a classic pillar of the maison

in 1973 when Cartier officially christened it Baignoire.

Throughout the decades that followed it remains steadfast

to the timeless codes of Cartier, whether manifested as the

Maxi Ovale — a cult favorite among watch connoisseurs —

or stretched to the limits as seen in the Baignoire Allongée

series. Updated for the modern customer, it embraces the

most definitive element of the Baignoire: curves.

Indeed, Cartier has formerly produced a number of

Baignoire references featuring the same oval case shape

but with a flat, polished surface. While they do hark back

to the same origin story, they occupy a different raison

d’être as a Baignoire just isn’t a Baignoire without those

seductive curves. For 2023, Cérède and her team carefully

studied the Baignoire’s case, observing how it interacts

with the body and with light — as they do for every time

or jewelry collection they work on. This one-track mind

led them to create the year’s most unforgettable Cartier

design, the mini Baignoire bangle watch, where the bangle

appears almost fluid in form, like a single stream of gold

encircling the wrist. That, plus the fact that it got its shape

from the Baignoire’s case makes it all the more brilliant.

Over 11 new references, the Baignoire emphasizes

Cartier’s identity as a jeweller-watchmaker. The bangle

mini model is offered in yellow, rose and white gold, with

the latter fully iced out with diamonds. Two additional

versions delivered on black calfskin leather join the family,

in either yellow gold or white gold with diamonds. What is

especially worth nothing in these references is how well the

maison showcases its gem-setting know-how by observing

the rounded volumes of the case and bangle.

Then there is the Baignoire small model delivered

either on patent alligator leather or an elegant gadroonstyle monolink bracelet in matching material which

echoes the curves of the case. Gem-setting options range

from a single row of diamonds around the bezel for the

yellow and rose gold models on strap, as well as partial or

full pave for the white gold references on bracelet. Nongem-set variations only on yellow gold, but they all pair

gloriously with other Cartier icons such as Juste un Clou,

Love, Trinity and so on, as we would expect from the King

of Jewelers.

114 PRIME TIME

PRIME TIME 115

Although the Astronomia has helped Jacob &

Co. gain recognition in the world of high-end

watchmaking, the brand has been far from

complacent. In fact, Jacob & Co. has been

continuously expanding its line of high complication

timepieces, resulting in an impressive range of large, complex

watches that are truly one-of-a-kind in the market.

From a technical perspective, Jacob & Co. stands out by

infusing existing complications with a modern, creative twist,

resulting in watches that are immediately recognizable, even

to those who are not part of Jacob & Co.’s clientele. Exotic

and high-end watchmaking is all about mechanical mastery

and originality, and by these standards, the brand delivers

with flying colors.

One exemplary creation is the Opera Godfather Minute

Repeater, distinguished by its combination of a minute

repeater, tourbillon and music box. It is the sole watch in

the market to possess this set of complications. The Opera

Godfather 50th Anniversary, only takes things to another

level by allowing the entire dial to rotate around the center of

the watch. This lineup deserves a deep dive into its concepts,

unique features and quirks.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Opera Godfather Minute Repeater is a representation of

Jacob & Co.’s signature over-the-top styling, but admittedly

it’s a well-executed watch. The case design is open and airy,

with more sapphire than gold, allowing ample space for the

intricate architecture while maintaining an uncluttered look.

This case construction also enhances the volume of the music

box and repeater.

However, the Opera Godfather Minute Repeater boasts

more than just its eye-catching design. It also proffers two

notable technical features that distinguish it from traditional

haute horlogerie. The first is its music box complication, a

Swiss invention from the 18th century that’s rarely seen in

contemporary watchmaking. Although not as complex as a

minute repeater (which this watch also has) or a split seconds

chronograph, both of which are widely regarded as the most

challenging complications, the music box is even rarer in

modern watchmaking. Its scarcity adds to the appeal of the

timepiece, so kudos to Jacob & Co. for adopting this oldschool feature.

Another standout feature of the Opera Godfather

Minute Repeater is its playful and unconventional approach

to complications, which sets it apart from other high-end

watches. This is the only watch on the market that combines a

music box with a tourbillon and minute repeater, making it a

good choice for collectors looking for something distinctive.

Furthermore, its the music box is bold and prominent,

featuring twin gigantic cylinders against a grand piano. This

unusual design gives the watch a strong aesthetic that may

appeal to collectors seeking a touch of whimsy.

There is an audience that appreciates Jacob & Co. simply

because it makes impressive timepieces that reflect modern

progress rather than merely repeating traditional designs.

It’s worth keeping in mind that history tends to view things

more favorably over time. Therefore, unconventional designs

may become future strengths, as they capture the essence

of a particular era and have a unique story. Over time, such

watches may stand out from others and gain appreciation for

their distinctive qualities.

One important factor behind Jacob & Co.’s ability

to create such innovative watches is its approach to

movement development. Rather than adapting existing

base movements, the brand often collaborates with toptier specialists like Concepto and Le Cercle des Horlogers

to create movements from the ground up. This approach

allows the brand to fully execute its ideas without

compromise, resulting in mechanics that are tailored to

achieve the brand’s vision. For instance, in the Opera

Godfather Minute Repeater, all three complications

IT’S GOT A NICE RING TO IT

The Jacob & Co. Godfather: Honoring a classic Swiss invention in grand style.

WORDS SHENG LEE

116 PRIME TIME

XXXXXXXX

xxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The music box stands out as one of the rarest high

complications in haute horlogerie

have been thoughtfully placed on the dial for maximum

prominence and exposure. The time-telling mechanism

is presented in a tiny, skeletonized frame that appears to

levitate above the other complications, without detracting

from their presence.

A MELODIOUS BEGINNING

While the Jacob & Co. Opera Godfather Minute Repeater

features impressive complications such as a triple-axis

tourbillon and minute repeater, the music box is the

standout feature due to its rarity in modern watchmaking.

To understand the rarity of the music box in modern

watchmaking, it is worth exploring its history.

The key component of a music box is a cylinder with

pins that rotates against a bar of metal teeth or reeds to

produce sound. Each cylinder has a distinct set of pins to

create different musical tunes. The pinned cylinder concept

dates back to the 14th century when it first appeared in

a French tower carillon made up of bronze bells that are

struck with keys like a piano, with a single activation

producing a series of notes due to the programming. The

late 18th century saw several advancements in mechanical

music, leading to the invention of the music box as we

know it today. Swiss clockmaker Antoine Favre-Salomon

patented the first cylindrical musical box that used a metal

comb fixed with a set of tuned teeth to play a tune. This

configuration is still found in modern music boxes, including

the Opera Godfather Minute Repeater.

During the 1800s, a Swiss inventor revolutionized the

music box by replacing the traditional cylindrical drum

with a horizontal disk attached with pins that plucked teeth

arranged radially. This configuration became the mainstream

music box design by the end of the century.

In 1811, the first production of music boxes began in

Switzerland, and they quickly became both intriguing and

commonplace, remaining a fixture in households from the

early 19th century to the early 20th century.

However, the heyday of music boxes started to go

downhill as technology advanced, with the invention of

the phonograph by Thomas Edison in 1877, followed by

Emile Berliner’s gramophone. After the First World War,

JACOB & CO.

OPERA GODFATHER MINUTE REPEATER

REFERENCE OP500.40.AA.AA.ABALA

MOVEMENT Manual winding JCFM07; 44-hour power

reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, triple-axis tourbillon, minute

repeater, and musical box with two cylinders

CASE 49mm; 18K rose gold; water resistant to 30m

DIAL Skeletonized, rose gold plated with black DLC

STRAP Black alligator leather; 18K rose gold folding clasp

PRICE CHF 540,000

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 18 pieces

118 PRIME TIME

gramophone technology rendered music boxes obsolete,

leaving them as mechanical luxuries or objets d’art, much like

mechanical watches.

Today, only a handful of watchmakers continue to produce

watches with a music box. Among them, Breguet stands out

with its La Musicale 7800, boasting an elegant and low-profile

design where the entire mechanism is concealed under the

dial, giving it a touch of mystery. Other watchmakers that

produce music boxes include Boegli, Christophe Claret,

Ulysse Nardin and Jacob & Co.

JACOB & CO.’S MUSIC BOX

The Opera Godfather Minute Repeater reintroduces the

original music box setup of a pinned cylindrical drum

plucking a steel comb. But what sets it apart is that it has not

one, but two sets of cylinders. Just like a regular music box,

the drum is powered by its own barrel, which does not rely

on the main barrel for timekeeping and minute repeating

functions. This means that the music box can play tunes even

when the watch is not running.

To wind up the music box, one can crank the lever that is

shaped like a violin, cleverly tucked away on the right side of

the case, where the crown is usually found. This lever can be

pulled out only when necessary and also serves as the crown to

wind the timekeeping mainspring barrel. It can be wound in

both directions, with each direction powering up a different

barrel. However, the time cannot be set using the cranker and

instead requires a crown on the back.

Activating the music box is done via another button on

the left side of the case. On a full wind, the barrels have enough

power to play the Godfather’s theme song three times over.

But what sets the Opera Godfather Minute Repeater apart

is its presentation. The twin cylinders are so prominent that

they overpower the triple-axis tourbillon, which is usually the

first thing you notice in a watch. Additionally, the branding

is quite literal, featuring solid gold covers that are lacquered

in black and painted with Marlon Brando’s portrait and the

movie’s title. These elements are prominent and perhaps even

more obvious than the cylinders themselves.

While the branding of the Jacob & Co. Opera Godfather

Minute Repeater has received mixed reviews from collectors,

some finding it over-the-top and others finding it humorous,

ultimately the opinions on design are subjective and don’t

take away from the watch’s technical prowess. However,

upon seeing the 50th Anniversary watch, I couldn’t help but

chuckle. The branding may be even more excessive than the

original, but it’s executed in a good way that appeals to its

targeted audience even more effectively.

JACOB & CO.’S MINUTE REPEATER AND TOURBILLON

Jacob & Co. doesn’t stop at a music box; it adds two more

complications to make sure the watch is truly one-of-akind. As music box watches are already a rare niche, the

brand takes it a step further by combining it with a minute

repeater and tourbillon, making it unparalleled in terms of

complication combinations. This sets a new standard and

will please potential buyers who want something different

and impressive.

Notably, the minute repeater and tourbillon are not

executed in a run-of-the-mill way. They are well thought out

and executed, giving the watch an expensive and tactile feel.

For example, the tourbillon is not just any tourbillon, but

a triple-axis tourbillon. This means the balance spins around

three different axes, aiming to even out the negative effects

of gravity on the balance. In this case, the outermost cage

completes one revolution every 180 seconds, the middle cage

every 48 seconds, and the innermost cage every 24 seconds,

which is incredibly fast.

Although the tourbillon comprises several cages that

rotate at an impressively high speed, its motion is unlike that

of a typical tourbillon with a smooth, continual rotation.

Instead, the cage might appear to be jumping in minor steps

at times. This, however, is not a defect but an illustration of

how much energy it takes to drive this complicated cage. It’s

important to keep in mind that while a tourbillon can help

combat the effects of gravity on timekeeping, it does comprise

extra components and require additional energy, which means

that a less powerful power supply might actually defeat the

whole point of the tourbillon and lead to worse timekeeping.

In the Opera Godfather Minute Repeater, the energy

supply from the barrel has been maximized to drive the tripleaxis tourbillon. However, this means that the torque supply

might be too high. To address this issue, the brand has created

a torque declutching mechanism, which comprises a pair of

wheels linked by a spring. Whenever necessary, this pair of

wheels can divide the energy delivered to the balance in small

Two sets of cylinders play the Godfather theme song up to three times

on a fully wound barrel

PRIME TIME 119

portions and smooth out the torque supply. It resembles a

constant force mechanism, but not quite as complicated. The

result is reflected in the jerky motion of the cages.

Notably, the construction of the triple-axis tourbillon is

satisfyingly thoughtful, with attractive details found across

the cages and components within. For example, the outermost

cage has an orb-like architecture that’s rather elegant, with

each arm having a nuanced geometry that gently curves

towards the center like a tornado. If you look closer, you’ll

discover that the base of each arm is asymmetrical in their

curves, which makes it even more visually interesting. The

beautiful external cage is complemented by plenty of wheels

within that are skeletonized to create a pattern that echoes the

style of the external cage. These are achieved via LIGA, a hightech method for producing tiny components that requires

ultra high precision, such as skeletonizing a tiny wheel. This

allows Jacob & Co. to express its creativity while making the

wheels lighter to improve energy efficiency.

When it comes to decoration, the tourbillon is undoubtedly

the standout of the Opera Godfather Minute Repeater. The

external cage is polished entirely to accentuate the rounded

form of the arm, giving it a luxurious look that is enhanced

by the rose gold palette used both inside and outside the

tourbillon. The use of color is well planned, with a restrained

and focused two-tone combination of rose gold and dark gray

that adds to the tourbillon’s expensive appearance. The result is

an exceptional timepiece that sets itself apart from others in the

market (with the exception of the Twin Turbo, also produced by

specialist Le Cercle des Horlogers, which served as inspiration

for the Opera Godfather Minute Repeater’s tourbillon).

In addition, the gongs and hammers of the minute repeater

have been positioned prominently on the dial, creating

another captivating point of interest, particularly with

the fast-spinning governor visible just above the hammers.

Notably, the gongs have an atypical geometry that anchors

upwards to clear the music box mechanism, adding to the

already fascinating architecture visible through the sapphire

window on the case flank. The hammers are decorated with

high polish and bevels along their edges, just like those found

in other high-end minute repeater watches.

Flipping the watch over reveals a complex movement,

despite the numerous interesting components already

showcased on the front. Notably, the minute repeater

strikework, which includes a series of snails and racks that

mechanically “read” the time and enable precise chiming,

is presented in all its glory on the back. The decoration of

these components is clean, precise, and almost mechanical

in appearance, but as with many exotic watches, traditional

movement decoration is not the main focus. The outstanding

elements of this timepiece are its design, architecture and

complications, with the decoration serving to complement

these features.

In the 2022 release of the Opera Godfather 50th

Anniversary, the brand has taken the already extravagant

detailing of the dial to new heights by embossing quotes

from the movie onto the pinned cylinders of the music box,

instead of leaving it with a plain bronze finish. However,

the real showstopper is the addition of an out-of-theordinary function in the Opera Godfather, where the entire

dial rotates around the center of the watch, taking all its

components for a spin. This feature is incredibly rare, even

in the upper echelon of watchmaking.

JACOB THE HORLOGER

From its beginnings as “Jacob the Jeweler” in the 1990s,

Jacob & Co. has evolved into a serious watchmaker that

produces technically impressive timepieces with a range of

complications. These watches often incorporate features

that are found only at the highest end of watchmaking, but

even within that limited arena, Jacob & Co.’s creations stand

out for their originality, which can be excessive in style yet

undeniably clever in execution. It manages to be over-the-top

in a thoughtful manner.

As evinced by its Opera Godfather series, the brand has

carved a niche by combining a music box, minute repeater

and triple-axis tourbillon — an ensemble previously unheard

of in a watch — adding to the intrigue of the timepiece. It’s

also uncommon to come across a watch that can display

complications on the dial that rotate around the center.

While Jacob & Co.’s creations may not be to everyone’s

taste, that’s the goal rather than a shortcoming, as items made

for everyone won’t be able to stand out as strongly. From

its origins as a jeweler serving prominent music industry

stars, Jacob & Co. has always sought to be distinctive, and

this philosophy endures in its watchmaking, resulting in a

collection of timepieces that embody the spirit of this era.

JACOB & CO.'S CREATIONS STAND OUT FOR THEIR

ORIGINALITY, WHICH CAN BE EXCESSIVE IN STYLE YET

UNDENIABLY CLEVER IN EXECUTION

120 PRIME TIME

JACOB & CO.

OPERA GODFATHER 50TH ANNIVERSARY

REFERENCE OP110.30.AA.AA.ABALA

MOVEMENT Manual winding JCFM04;

50-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Subsidiary hours and minutes,

triple-axis tourbillon, and musical box with

two cylinders

CASE 49mm; 18K white gold; water resistant

to 30m

DIAL Matte black; pink gold applied indexes

STRAP Black alligator leather; 18K white

gold folding clasp

PRICE CHF 500,000

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 50 pieces

NOMOS × REVOLUTION TANGENTE NEOMATIK 41 UPDATE ‘RESILIENCE’

NOMOS × REVOLUTION

TANGENTE NEOMATIK

41 UPDATE ‘RESILIENCE’

NOMOS Glashütte and Revolution create a version of the Tangente neomatik

41 Update that is an ode to humanity’s ability to transcend the odds.

WORDS WEI KOH

Of all human qualities, the one I admire the most

is resilience — that is, the ability to withstand,

adapt and grow in the face of adversity or

trauma. In the history of the modern world, very

few cities are as synonymous with resilience as Berlin, the

creative home of German watch brand NOMOS Glashütte.

While today we consider Berlin one of the global epicenters

for art and culture, with the world’s greatest nightclubs and

an innovative epicurean scene embodied by chef Tim Raue’s

eponymous two Michelin starred restaurant, it wasn’t so long

ago that the capital city of Germany was in the international

spotlight for a very different reason: Between 1945 and 1990,

Berlin was a hotspot in the superpower rivalry known as

the Cold War.

Caught in the ideological conflict, the city was divided

into East and West Berlin; the former was run by the Sovietbacked Communist government of East Germany, while the

latter was deemed a territory of West Germany. The 96-milelong Berlin Wall, built in the 1960s by East Germany, was the

most notorious symbol of the conflict between the Eastern/

Communist bloc and the Western/Capitalist bloc. The Wall

divided families and friends and separated Germans from

their jobs, leading to anguish and generational trauma.

Yet, somehow encoded in the DNA of every Berliner, was

the determination to fight back against this oppression.

Nothing could crush the spirit of Berlin and its people. They

withstood. They adapted. They grew.

A SYMBOL FOR RESILIENCE

One day, sitting on the terrace of Berlin’s Soho House

with Martina Etti of NOMOS Glashütte and my friend

Amo Völker, the conversation found its way to the subject

of Berlin, Glashütte and resilience. At this point, Nomos and

Revolution had been discussing the idea of a collaborative

watch for some time, but we just couldn’t find the right idea.

Then, Amo paused for a second before stating, “Actually I

have an idea.”

Now before we get to the watch, let me describe my

friend Amo. She’s a model who has graced Revolution’s

cover and appeared in multiple photo spreads in The Rake

magazine. She’s also an art director and a great photographer.

We met during a job she did for The Rake when she was

shooting Savile Row’s next generation of rockstar female

tailors, and we became friends. I soon recognized in her the

quality of resilience that I find so admirable in others.

As an example, after a prolonged bout of COVID, she

decided she wanted to be of help to her city. So, she enrolled

in paramedic training and, after a grueling year of training

while battling her own long COVID symptoms, became

an officially licensed paramedic. During the years of the

pandemic, she would ride in the back of ambulances and

administer aid to those injured or in need. I used to joke

with her that people being resuscitated by her might be in

danger of thinking that they had passed away and ascended

to Valhalla. What is impressive is that two years after

PRIME TIME 123

the pandemic, she remains firmly committed to the cause,

dedicating a part of her week to working as a paramedic

in Berlin.

Amo explained, “I’ve been doing some research and

discovered that the symbol for resilience in nature is the

helix. Helix patterns form when pressure, adversity or

trauma is experienced by an entity in nature. When a root

finds a barrier, it forms a helix around it. It twists around

and conquers its former foe and transforms itself into a

symbol for stability. Nautiluses and seashells also form this

pattern when they experience pressure of any kind.”

At this point, Martina Etti and I were riveted by what

Amo was saying. She took a pause to sip her wine and light

one of her ever-present cigarettes, then continued, “So, at

first, I was thinking of a kind of helix symbol on the dial.

But that was until I realized that in mathematics, the double

helix is represented by the Fibonacci sequence. So, in fact,

the Fibonacci sequence is a symbol for resilience. Maybe you

could use the minute track of the dial to subtly integrate

the sequence to create a watch that expresses the idea

of resilience.”

Martina Etti immediately replied, “I love this idea. The

story of resilience is very important to the town of Glashütte

and to our brand Nomos.”

NOMOS × REVOLUTION TANGENTE NEOMATIK 41 UPDATE ‘RESILIENCE’

Model-photographer Amo Volker

in Berlin wearing the Nomos x

Revolution Tangente Neomatik 41

Update “Resilience”

124 PRIME TIME

Roland Schwertner,

founder of NOMOS

Glashütte

FROM THE BEGINNING

WHEN HE FOUNDED

NOMOS, SCHWERTNER’S

MISSION WAS CLEAR.

THE STORY OF NOMOS GLASHÜTTE

For those of you who don’t know the story, “Nomos” which

means “law” in ancient Greek, was founded in early 1990, just

a few months after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Brand founder

Roland Schwertner, a professional photographer with no

experience as a watchmaker, was remarkably prescient in

understanding the incredible savoir faire that existed in

Glashütte. He wanted to revive the watchmaking knowhow that had been almost buried when the watchmaking

factories in Glashütte were taken over and nationalized by

the Communist government of East Germany.

There is the well-known story of Walter Lange, his

father and uncles rebuilding the A. Lange & Söhne factory,

which had been bombed in one of the last air raids of World

War II in Europe (the Glashütte watchmaking companies

were likely targets of air raids because they had been used

to manufacture war equipment under the Nazi regime).

However, in 1948, the Lange family were informed that

their business would be nationalized as a so-called “People’s

Own Enterprise” or “Volkseigener Betrieb” (VEB). The Lange

company was absorbed into Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe

(GUB) and its role henceforth would be to produce reliable

watches for countries in the Eastern bloc as well as for

export to other countries. Walter Lange was given the option

to work for them or be sent to a uranium mine; he chose

instead to leave his hometown and escape to Pforzheim. Yet

one silver lining amidst all the Cold War restrictions was

that the Quartz Crisis never affected East Germany, which

continued through the GUB to produce millions of reliable

mechanical watches.

From the beginning when he founded Nomos,

Schwertner’s mission was clear. He wanted to tap into the

strengths of precision watchmaking in Glashütte to create

accessibly priced, great value, reliable and very handsome

Bauhaus inflected timepieces that showcased German

manufacturing and design. His first watches launched in

1992 were the round-cased Orion, Ludwig and Tangente, as

well as the square-cased Tetra.

All the watches were refreshingly bold and minimalist

in design. The round watches measured 35mm in diameter,

while the square-cased Tetra measured 29.5mm × 29.5mm.

From the beginning, quality was of paramount importance.

Movements were sourced from ETA and Peseux, but

Nomos modified, improved on and refined the ETA raw

movements or ébauches with stop seconds, the traditional

Glashütte click and other Glashütte features, such as a

three-quarter plate, sunburst on the ratchet and crown

wheels, and tempered blue screws. In addition, a separate

mainspring was used, and the movement was given a Triovis

fine adjustment; even then, it was finely regulated in six

positions. In this way, a more functional, more precise and

finely decorated NOMOS Glashütte caliber was created

from a reliable Swiss ébauche, which bore the designation

Nomos 1 TSP until 2005.

Early success gave way to an investment made by a

German retailer which Schwertner used to create his own

in-house movements. Says Martina, “From the beginning, it

was his [Schwertner’s] objective to create watches with the

greatest integrity, and for him that meant in-house calibers

that showcased the skill embedded in the town of Glashütte.”

Incredibly, in 2003, Schwertner bought the shares

back from the retailer and re-established the brand as a

fully independent entity. While he does not talk about it,

I imagine that this period must have been a challenge for

him on multiple fronts. The transition for Nomos that he

initiated, from a new brand to a full-fledged manufacture,

and then purchasing back the shares so that Nomos became

125 PRIME TIME

NOMOS × REVOLUTION TANGENTE NEOMATIK 41 UPDATE ‘RESILIENCE’

not only an independent brand again, but also a successful

one equipped with its own in-house movements, were an apt

demonstration of remarkable resilience as well as a brilliant

example of tactical leadership.

By 2005, Nomos unveiled its first in-house caliber, the

manual wind Nomos Alpha, and shortly afterwards, its first

automatic movement, the Epsilon. As more than 50 percent

of each Nomos watch was now created in Glashütte, it

officially joined the ranks of the town manufactures. In 2013,

Nomos created a new line of movements named Deutsche

Uhrenwerke Nomos Glashütte. And by 2014, incredibly,

Nomos began the production of its own escapement called

the Nomos swing system. In 2015, Nomos introduced the

DUW 3001, an incredible 3.2mm-thin automatic movement.

This movement which features a full traversing balance

bridge is 94.2 percent efficient, meaning that just 5.8 percent

of its energy is lost to the sliding friction of the escapement.

What you need to understand is that today Nomos is an

absolute juggernaut. It is the largest manufacture in terms of

number of timepieces made in Glashütte by a large margin.

Its manufactory is home to 300 employees and consists

of several buildings, with the administration and sales

departments located in the headquarters at the former train

station building of Glashütte village. The brand’s satellite

creative office, named Berlinerblau, is two hours away by

car in Berlin.

What is remarkable about Nomos’ growth is that it has

largely eschewed traditional advertising, relying instead

on partnerships, word of mouth and community building

through various platforms such as its own website and online

store, which, before the accelerated growth of e-commerce

brought on by the pandemic, was unusual for a luxury brand.

Throughout it all, Schwertner has remained an understated,

indeed mysteriously elusive figure, giving hardly any

interviews and preferring to let his timepieces speak for him.

In 2018, Nomos created a watch that definitely spoke

to me. It was the Tangente neomatik 41 Update featuring

the caliber DUW 6101. This is an evolution of the original

DUW 3001. The movement in this watch has a unique

complication — a double patented date mechanism with

ring display and quick adjustment in both directions with

significantly shortened locking time. To me, the resulting

watch represents Nomos’ Bauhaus inspired design code at

its creative best. The dial of the watch features the Tangente

NOMOS Glashütte started

off with these four model

families: (from top) the Orion,

Ludwig, Tangente and Tetra

WHAT YOU NEED TO

UNDERSTAND IS THAT

TODAY NOMOS IS AN

ABSOLUTE JUGGERNAUT.

126 PRIME TIME

signature iconography that dates back to 1992 and that is

deeply rooted in Walter Gropius’ philosophy of “form

follows function.” But at the perimeter of the dial is a full

date track abbreviated by small rectangular apertures in

between each marker. The correct date is marked by colored

indicators on either side that will jump instantaneously at

midnight. Nomos was able to integrate this complication by

adding just a mere 0.4mm to its in-house movement — an

impressive engineering feat.

The resulting watch is extremely handsome and, while

at 40.5 mm today, it can be considered large in light of the

current trend for smaller timepieces, I would point out

that the majority of François-Paul Journe watches are also

around this size for one simple reason: legibility. To make the

Tangente neomatik Update in a way that would compromise

the legibility of the date indication, in the eyes of a brand

with a slavish devotion to function, just wouldn’t fly.

From top: The Tangente

neomatik 41 Update;

Nomos’ original DUW

3001 caliber

PRIME TIME 127

NOMOS × REVOLUTION TANGENTE NEOMATIK 41 UPDATE ‘RESILIENCE’

FOR \"RESILIENCE,\"

NOMOS ULTIMATELY

TOOK AN ULTRA PURE

APPROACH ... FOR A

PARED BACK, ALMOST

ZEN REDUCTIONIST

MINIMALIST TIMEPIECE.

GRAIL WATCH 9: MORITZ GROSSMANN × KARI VOUTILAINEN BENU 37 ‘SILVER BULLET’

NOMOS × REVOLUTION

TANGENTE NEOMATIK

41 UPDATE “RESILIENCE”

MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber DUW

6101; 42-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds

and date

CASE 40.5mm; stainless steel; water

resistant to 50m

DIAL Midnight blue with rhodium plated

seconds subdial and patented date display

with Yves Klein blue indicator; white Arabic

numerals and hour markers

STRAP Dark gray woven textile strap

with stainless steel pin buckle; additional

white CTS rubber strap with stainless steel

deployant buckle

PRICE USD 4,100, excluding taxes

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of 55

numbered pieces

NOMOS × REVOLUTION TANGENTE NEOMATIK 41 UPDATE ‘RESILIENCE’

The limited edition Nomos x

Revolution Tangente neomatik 41

Update “Resilience” comes with

a grey woven textile strap and an

additional white Delugs rubber

strap (pictured here)

NOMOS × REVOLUTION TANGENTE NEOMATIK 41 UPDATE

“RESILIENCE”

At Nomos’ Berlin creative agency, Berlinerblau, we spent

an afternoon working on the design of our Tangente

neomatik 41 Update “Resilience.” The Fibonacci sequence,

mentioned in my earlier conversation with Martina Etti and

Amo Völker, is a set of numbers where the next digit is always

the value of the two previous numbers added together.

These numbers were described as early as 200 B.C. by

the Indian mathematician and poet Pingala as a way of

illustrating patterns in Sanskrit poetry. Today, they are

named after Leonardo di Pisa, otherwise known as Fibonacci,

who introduced the sequence to Western mathematics. These

numbers are the mathematical underpinning of the helix

shape, which is commonly found in natural structures, to

the extent that one could say nature orders its forms around

the Fibonacci sequence. As such, I felt that the sequence

is a powerful representation for the quality of resilience

that is so relevant to Nomos, my friend Amo and myself.

Martina Etti shared, “I checked with our founder and he

really likes this idea.”

To me, the quality of resilience also reflects Darwin’s

philosophy about evolution and his idea of the “survival

of the fittest.” It’s not necessarily the strongest, biggest or

fittest that survive, but rather the individuals that are most

capable of adapting. This was demonstrated during the

COVID pandemic when the best of us emerged stronger

than before. In the watch industry, I would argue that

the entire genre of independent watchmakers, including

Nomos, demonstrated extraordinary resilience throughout

the challenging period and emerged from it at an all-time

height of popularity.

Once we integrated the Fibonacci sequence into the

minute track, we began a lengthy back and forth related

to the design. In this case, I will admit I eventually

relinquished the design of the watch to Nomos’ Berlinerblau

office, as many of our more adventurous or graphically

bold ideas didn’t fall in alignment with the brand’s strict

design philosophy. Nomos ultimately took an ultra pure

approach with this watch, contrasting its midnight blue

dial with white indexes and hands, and an Yves Klein blue

date indicator for a pared back, almost Zen reductionist

minimalist timepiece that is a refreshingly understated and

beautiful watch. The appearance of the Fibonacci sequence

is very subtly integrated into the minute track so that unless

your eye is searching for it, it almost disappears. Yet, at the

same time, it is an ever-present reminder of how important

it is to always withstand, adapt and grow no matter what

we face in life.

I would like to thank Nomos and, in particular,

Martina Etti for this collaboration. The Nomos × Revolution

Tangente neomatik Update 41 “Resilience” is made in 55

pieces (a number from the Fibonacci sequence) and is priced

at USD 4,100, excluding taxes.

For enquiries, email [email protected].

131 PRIME TIME

The midnight blue dial is

contrasted with white indexes

and hands, while date is

indicated in Yves Klein blue.

As a nod to resilience, the

minute track subtly displays

the Fibonacci sequence

MASSENA LAB × REVOLUTION UNI-RACER 1949

MASSENA LAB × REVOLUTION UNI-RACER 1949

Presenting our first collaboration with Massena LAB, the Uni-Racer 1949,

a modern mechanical chronograph with an elegant mid-century aesthetic.

WORDS WEI KOH

I

t gives me great pleasure to announce our collaboration

with Massena LAB, a Massena LAB Uni-Racer inspired

by a legendary chronograph watch from 1949. It uses the

39mm Uni-Racer platform created by William Massena

and features a tribute to a Patek Philippe chronograph

with one of the most famous dials ever created — a black

lacquer model with a luminous Roman numeral sector

ring, and luminous syringe hands in blued steel surrounded

by a tachymeter. While the vintage watch is probably a

million-dollar unicorn, we wanted to create a contemporary

timepiece that channels the emotional expressiveness of this

unique design, with all the benefits of an excellent Swissmade mechanical sports chronograph.

The Massena LAB Uni-Racer 1949 will be made in just

120 examples and is priced at USD 3,750, excluding taxes.

MADE FOR GREATNESS

There is a picture of William Massena in 1978 when he

was seven years old, around the time he received his first

watch. What is extraordinary about this image is that you

can already tell that Massena was already in full possession

of a preternatural sensitivity to elegance. In the picture, his

hair is wind swept and coiffed like a miniature polo player

riding resplendently back after a victorious sixth chukka.

His scarf is slip knotted and canted at a debonair angle. The

fit of his navy cardigan and slacks is immaculate. And the

sage green Omega Seamaster 120 adorning his wrist is worn

with rakish élan.

Now, I have come across many people in the world who

think they have taste — individuals fully convicted that

their personal vision of style is the apotheosis of irrefutable

elegance. Most of them are wrong. Indeed, I can count on

one hand the number of human beings (Nick Foulkes and

Mark Cho amongst them) I know who are in full possession

of an aesthetic sensibility so refined that if style were a

martial art, they would have achieved a 10th-degree black

belt, though one invariably crafted from woven silk and

hand monogrammed by the Colban siblings of Charvet

fame. Massena is one of these individuals. Even Massena’s

manner of speech is so erudite, cosmopolitan and totally

unplaceable (he grew up between Switzerland and the South

of France) that I’ve always thought he would either make

the perfect gentleman spy, or perhaps the greatest Bond

villain of all time.

It is Massena’s intelligence, his fierce intellectual

curiosity, his encyclopedic knowledge of all things sartorial

and horological, his fearlessness in disagreeing with

others and his rapier sharp wit that makes him the center

of attention at any table. But it is his capacity to share

information and his love for discourse that saw Massena

becoming one of the seminal figures in shaping watch

knowledge in the 1990s.

An AltaVista search on “Rolex Sea-Dweller” brought

him to TimeZone in its nascent form, and there he became

a central figure in the very first online watch forum.

Before long, Massena found his attention turned toward

Patek Philippe.

One of his first acquisitions occurred in 1998 and it was

the (at the time) earth-shatteringly large Lemania 2310 based

chronograph and successor to the legendary 1463 — the

42mm Patek reference 5070. He was also an early champion

of A. Lange & Söhne and is the owner of a first-generation

Datograph on a highly coveted Wellendorff bracelet. He

owns one of François-Paul Journe’s earliest Tourbillon

Souverain watches, which he ordered after meeting the man

at lunch and falling in love with his watchmaking vision.

What is special about Massena is his capacity to

immediately identify greatness and fully commit to it with

complete confidence. Oftentimes, watch collectors wait

for a global consensus to form before ordering a watch or

deciding to support a watchmaker. Massena — and I mean

this in the best way possible — only listens to himself, to that

inner compass that invariably steers him toward to truth

and greatness.

PRIME TIME 133

WHAT IF … HE MADE A WATCH?

Massena has had many incarnations over his professional

life. He started off as a banker but his love for watches

eventually had him opening a vintage watch shop in Miami

and in New York. He went from moderating TimeZone to

becoming its managing director when it was purchased

by WatchNet. Eventually, the auction house Antiquorum

purchased TimeZone and made Massena an offer to become

its chief operating officer. But it was with the creation

of Massena LAB in 2018 that William Massena found his

true calling.

He describes Massena LAB not so much as the creator

of collaborative limited edition watches but more of a

“horological think tank.” He explains, “It is a place where we

can explore the question ‘What if?’ I remember as collectors

we would always ask each other, ‘What if a brand were to

make this or that version of their watch, or they were to

resurrect a past icon?’”

Massena then draws an analogy between Massena LAB

and an independent movie production house. He elaborates,

“It all starts with an idea. Either I pitch the idea to a watch

brand who acts like the movie director, or they pitch the

idea to me. If we like it, we agree on a budget and I finance

the movie and we put it into production. The watchmakers

are like actors who make it a reality and as the producer, I

distribute the movie.”

Of course, the rapid proliferation of social media and

e-commerce also means that Massena is able to reach

the client directly and they transact with his company.

Says Massena, “Yes, social media, in particular Instagram, is

a game changer. The fact that millions of people can see the

image of a watch the moment it is launched and shared is

incredibly powerful.”

In fact, the roots of Massena LAB reach back to 2015. Says

Massena, “It was TimeZone’s 20th anniversary and I wanted

to celebrate this by creating a limited edition of 20 watches.

One of my favorite watchmakers is Richard Habring, so I

approached him to create a monopusher chronograph. The

success of this collaboration motivated me to create a second

watch with Habring² in 2016, which was a 39mm deadbeat

seconds model which did very well. With both of these

watches, I loved the experience of letting my imagination

run free. I am very inspired by historical watches and love

adding a few references here and there that, if you know

vintage watches, you will see, are a kind of clin d’œil.”

What is irrefutable is that the watches and occasional

clocks created by Massena LAB have shaken up the watch

world, demonstrating the incredible expressive capacity of

Massena’s imagination and yielding some of the most coveted

timepieces around. They include multiple Unimatic watches

(you could argue that Massena LAB was a huge launching

pad for the brand), the phenomenal “Old School” watch in

collaboration with Luca Soprana, featuring a bespoke threequarter-plate German silver movement, several Habring²

watches including a sublime monopusher chronograph

perpetual calendar, partnerships with Louis Erard, MatheyTissot and independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès.

But it was in the creation of his own watch model, named

the Uni-Racer, a modern watch inspired by the Universal

Genève Compax chronographs, that Massena developed a

cult following all of his own, with the watch even forming

the platform for a collaboration with Romaric André,

otherwise known as seconde/seconde/.

The size of the Uni-Racer’s 316L steel case is perfect at

39mm in diameter and 9mm in thickness. It features an

acrylic crystal, produced by Kyburz et Cie in Switzerland,

replicating the look of a vintage unit. The movement within

is the Sellita SW510 M Elaboré with 58 hours of power reserve MASSENA LAB × REVOLUTION UNI-RACER 1949

For this super cool collaboration with Angelus, Massena used the legendary THA

designed oscillating pinion chronograph movement designed by FP Journe for

Cartier's Tortue Monopusher chronograph

William Massena, founder of Massena LAB

134 PRIME TIME

WE WANTED TO CREATE

A CONTEMPORARY

TIMEPIECE THAT CHANNELS

THE EMOTIONAL

EXPRESSIVENESS OF THIS

UNIQUE DESIGN, WITH

ALL THE BENEFITS OF AN

EXCELLENT SWISS-MADE

MECHANICAL SPORTS

CHRONOGRAPH

PRIME TIME 135

MASSENA LAB

TIME LINE

A chronology of unique

collaborations.

2023

Louis Erard × Massena

LAB, Le Chrono

Monopoussoir, Gold

2023

Louis Erard × Massena

LAB, Le Chrono

Monopoussoir, Rhodium

2020

MB&F × L'Epee ×

Massena LAB

T-Rex Bronze

MASSENA LAB × REVOLUTION UNI-RACER 1949

2021

Massena LAB

Archetype 0.0

2021

Massena LAB ×

Luca Soprana

Old School

2020

UNIMATIC ×

Massena LAB

U1-ML6

2022

Massena LAB

Geometer

2022

Massena LAB

Dato-Racer

2022

Louis Erard ×

Massena LAB Le

Régulateur, Rhodium

2022

Massena LAB and

Raúl Pagès

Magraph

2022

Louis Erard ×

Massena LAB

Le Régulateur, Gold

2023

Mathey-Tissot ×

Massena LAB

Mergulhador

2021

Habring² ×

Massena LAB

ERWIN LAB03

136 PRIME TIME

2022

UNIMATIC ×

Massena LAB

U4S-BRZ-ML

2022

UNIMATIC ×

Massena LAB

U4S-BRZ-MLL

2022

Mathey-Tissot ×

Massena LAB

Type XX Flyback

2022

Mathey-Tissot ×

Massena LAB

Type XX Tribute

2020

Massena LAB

Uni-Racer, White

2020

Massena LAB

Uni-Racer, Black

2020

UNIMATIC ×

Massena LAB

U1-MLM

2020

Habring² × Massena

LAB ERWIN LAB02

2022

Habring² ×

Massena LAB

LAB-CFP

2018

Habring² ×

Massena LAB

ERWIN LAB01

2021

UNIMATIC ×

Massena LAB

U1-MLB

2021

Massena LAB

Uni-Racer, Rally

2021

Massena LAB

Uni-Racer, Cruise

2021

Massena LAB

Uni-Racer, Safari

2023

Angelus × Massena

LAB Chronographe

Médical

PRIME TIME 137

and a 4Hz vibrational rate. The Uni-Racer is confirmation

that, in his own right, Massena is a brilliant watchmaker.

He says, “It was an intimidating move. To keep the movie

analogy, I went from being a producer to directing my first

film.” The success of the Uni-Racer demonstrated that if

Massena LAB was all about the “What if?” then William

Massena had just emphatically answered the question IF

he could create his very own watch. He could and it kicked

ass — just as his next watch, the Geometer launched in 2022,

would continue to do. I was so impressed with the Uni-Racer

that I eventually tracked Massena down to ask if he would

consider a collaboration with me.

MASSENA’S TAKE: THE UNI-RACER 1949

For this super cool chronograph, Massena used the

legendary THA-designed oscillating pinion chronograph

movement designed by F.P. Journe for Cartier’s Tortue

Monopusher Chronograph.

During our conversation, we realized that we both

were huge fans of vintage Patek Philippe history and the

extraordinary tome Patek Philippe Steel Watches created by

our mutual friend Auro Montanari, whose own nom de

plume is John Goldberger. The book is an extraordinary

chronicle of the ultimate unicorns. Why are steel Pateks

such an anomaly and rarity?

Says Montanari, “Before the advent of the Nautilus,

there were very few made simply because they cost almost

the same as a precious metal watch. You had to be a rakish

sportsman, rougish adventurer or remarkably cool maharaja

to order one of these timepieces from Patek.”

The array of steel horological finery, in particular focused

on the reference 130 and 1463 chronographs, to me represents

the most thrilling watches ever created. In particular, I was

captivated by one watch displayed in Montanari’s book. Said

Massena when I mentioned this, “Wait, I’m pulling up an

image of a watch I designed and that I think you will like.”

And with that, he showed me an image of a watch with a

dial that was an absolutely faithful tribute to the incredible

timepiece that I was totally enamored with.

It appears on page 220 of Montanari’s book. It is a

reference 130 chronograph featuring a Valjoux 23 ébauche

configured as the famous Patek caliber 13-130. The movement

was manufactured in 1940 and encased and sold in 1949. It

goes to show you how rarely chronographs were sold in that

era. It is fitted, of course, in the signature three-body circular

case of the reference 130 of the style launched in 1936. But

it is the dial of this watch that makes it truly transcendent.

Because the dial is configured as a black lacquer base

featuring a luminous sector track with Roman numerals —

the one and only time that Patek Philippe used this design.

This incredible timepiece is complemented by bold blued

steel luminous syringe hands.

MASSENA LAB × REVOLUTION UNI-RACER 1949

The Patek Philippe

reference 130 with a

three-body circular

case style that was

launched in 1936

A rare Patek Philippe

stainless steel 1463

chronograph

138 PRIME TIME

The striking black dial and

luminous Roman numerals of the

new Massena LAB × Revolution

Uni-Racer was inspired by

a Patek Philippe ref. 130

chronograph from 1949

“WHEN SOMEONE

PICKS UP THIS

UNI‑RACER, I WANT

THEM TO IMMEDIATELY

FEEL THE QUALITY AND

ATTENTION TO DETAIL.”

WILLIAM MASSENA

PRIME TIME 139

MASSENA LAB × REVOLUTION UNI-RACER 1949

MASSENA LAB × REVOLUTION

UNI-RACER 1949

MOVEMENT Manual winding Sellita

SW510 M Elaboré; 58-hour power

reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small

seconds and chronograph

CASE 39mm; stainless steel; water

resistant to 50m

DIAL Black sector display; Roman

numerals with luminescent coating

STRAP Deerskin leather with stainless

steel pin buckle

PRICE USD 3,750, excluding taxes

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of

120 pieces

“Oh my God, that’s the watch!” I exclaimed. This moment

should have been accompanied by Richard Strauss’ Thus

Spake Zarathustra as a soundtrack. Massena simply chuckled

knowingly. And with that, the question “What if we were to

collaborate?” was answered.

OK, bear in mind this was over two years ago. Since then,

my dear friend Andrea Furlan has totally independently

created one of his lovely mecha-quartz chronographs with a

dial in the same spirit. I recall the moment I saw this watch

and shared its image with Massena. He asked, “What do you

think? How shall we proceed?”

I replied, “I think Andrea is brilliant, but our watch is

different. It’s your Uni-Racer with the dial we love. And

it is a Swiss-made mechanical chronograph, while his

watch is a mecha-quartz.” We were both in agreement and

forged ahead.

The perfectionist that he is, Massena took multiple

passes at the prototype. The first watch, which I considered

to be almost perfect, caused him to shake his head in

disdain: “No, the lacquer of the dial is not right. It has to

be much more glossy as I imagine the original watch was

when it was delivered in 1949. Also, even though the lume is

color-matched to the vintage watch, it needs to be far

brighter at night.” With that, we embarked on prototype

number two, which set us back almost another year.

During this time, we saw that our friend, the brilliant

Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, had also been inspired

by the legendary 1949 reference 130 for his brand Vyntage,

but again it was a mecha-quartz version.

Said Massena, “Look, when someone picks up this

Uni-Racer, I want them to immediately feel the quality

and attention to detail. Yes, it’s a bit fun and quirky

to be inspired by a vintage reference 130, but we need

to create a timepiece that feels perfect on the wrist,

functions flawlessly and that has that sense of quality and

permanence that will have you wearing it for decades!” With

this statement, I can see the same fire in his eyes that you

see in the image taken when he was seven years old

wearing his first watch. It speaks of the relentless pursuit

of excellence.

THE ROAD TO REALIZING A DREAM

The push for excellence is something I’ve been thinking a

lot about recently. During my trip to the Maldives with

MB&F — incidentally, Massena LAB also collaborated with

them on an amazing clock — I met Wen Hsieh, a legend in

Silicon Valley and one of the managing partners of Kleiner

Perkins, a venture capital firm that backed Google, amongst

others. He said to me, “In life, there are missionaries and

mercenaries. The irony is that the mercenaries who are coindriven never make that much coin, because they are only

interested in the short term. Conversely, if you are driven

to achieve excellence and create real value for the world, the

coin will always come.”

It is clear to me that with Massena LAB, William

Massena is in it for the long term. He is a missionary, albeit

one clad in a bespoke Sabino suit and with years of

experience in the watch game under his woven silk Charvet

10th-degree black belt in elegance. He explained, “It

would have been easy to make as many Uni-Racers as the

market demanded, but I didn’t want that. I wanted each

person who got one to feel it was a special watch. And maybe

this is the most special of the editions we’ve made so far,

as it’s the most far-reaching dial. That’s why I preferred to

keep it limited to 120 pieces, so that owners know they have

something rare.”

With that, I give you our Massena LAB × Revolution

Uni-Racer 1949 — a Swiss-made mechanical chronograph

made in a limited edition of 120 pieces and priced at

USD 3,750, excluding taxes.

Massena LAB × Revolution Uni‑Racer 1949 is now sold out.

For other enquiries, please email [email protected].

Fun and quirky, yet

flawless in function

and perfect on the

wrist — the Massena

LAB × Revolution

Uni-Racer 1949 is

available in a limited

edition of 120 pieces

PRIME TIME 141

GRAIL WATCH 9: MORITZ GROSSMANN × KARI VOUTILAINEN BENU 37 ‘SILVER BULLET’

GRAIL WATCH 9

MORITZ GROSSMANN ×

KARI VOUTILAINEN

BENU 37 ‘SILVER BULLET’

Our latest collaboration with Moritz Grossmann is a limited edition of just

six pieces with a beautiful sterling silver guilloché à main Kari Voutilainen dial.

WORDS WEI KOH

Here are the broad strokes on our latest

collaboration with Moritz Grossmann. It’s a

37mm in diameter Benu timepiece, just like our

previous watch with the wonderful Glashütte

based brand, featuring the ravishing, hand-finished threefifths-plate caliber 102.1 with hand-engraved escape wheel

and balance cocks, and flame-purpled screws. It features a

sterling silver guilloché à main Kari Voutilainen dial, made

using a vintage engine-turning machine. This is paired with

an 18K white gold case and a kudu leather strap in gorgeous

anemone. As an extra step, we’ve also matched the watch

with one of the most stunning straps I’ve ever set eyes on

— a matte Himalayan alligator strap made by the very cool

Delugs company here in Singapore . The resulting timepiece

that I’ve nicknamed “Silver Bullet” is just epic.

Now here comes the hard part — we were only able to

make six examples of the watch.

Six watches is not a lot, particularly when the watch is

a stunning work in monochromatic nuance. So, instead of

getting straight into the details of the Benu 37 ‘Silver Bullet’,

I want to take this opportunity to explain why I love Moritz

Grossmann so much.

Each time I hold a Moritz Grossmann watch in my

hand, I am struck by the pure straightforward beauty of

the movement — the perfect expression of the brand’s

eponymous spiritual father who championed the creation

of “simple but mechanically perfect watches.” I am always

charmed by the brand’s quirky yet mechanically efficient

innovations such as the Hamatic automatic winding

mechanisms. I am consistently romanced by the movements’

innately Saxon hallmarks, from the flame-treated purple

screws to the gold chatons, to the Glashütte stripes on the

German silver two-third plate, the sumptuously engraved

balance and escape bridges and the choice of white sapphires

over traditional rubies. My sense of aesthetics is always

piqued by the charm of its “tremblage” dials, an ancient

hand engraving technique to decorate the German silver

dial using different tools. But perhaps most of all, I find

myself moved by the story of immense perseverance and

unrelenting resilience that is expressed by the extraordinary

woman behind the brand. To me, Moritz Grossmann’s

CEO Christine Hutter is one of the most innovative,

disruptive and courageous visionaries in modern horology,

who has ably resurrected — one could argue created — a

brand that is poised to absolutely skyrocket in awareness

and appreciation.

Born in Eichstätt, Germany, Hutter trained as a

watchmaker, then found her way into sales, marketing and

distribution, which would all help her become the wellrounded leader she is today. In 1996, she made her way

to the town of Glashütte, which is located in the former

German Democratic Republic (GDR). The transformation

there, in what was once a somnambulant tiny village

about 40 minutes’ drive from Dresden, was incredible. On

December 7, 1990, following the reunification of Germany,

the genius watch entrepreneur Günter Blümlein and

Walter Lange accomplished the seemingly impossible. They

resurrected the once perished A. Lange & Söhne. Suddenly,

PRIME TIME 143

Glashütte was awash in energy. Mechanical watches were

manufactured in Glashütte until the 1980s, even during

GDR times, when the Saxon watch manufactories were

nationalized. Thus, the culture of mechanical watchmaking

was kept alive and well in this region.

In 1994, Lange presented its first watches and the

statement was clear: Glashütte intended to contend with

the greatest entrenched heavyweights of Swiss watchmaking.

Hutter, like any young German watchmaker, was deeply

moved by the events she saw unfolding. By 1996, she

had decamped to Glashütte, her mind brimming with

positive ambition.

She said, “To be in Glashütte at this time was amazing.

We had the feeling that anything was possible. And we

took immense pride in bringing our vision of German high

watchmaking to the rest of the world. The prevailing feeling

was, we had to do our best, to tell the world who we are, and

to express the real value of Saxon horology, which we knew

to be so beautiful.”

THE GENESIS OF MORITZ GROSSMANN

During her time in Glashütte, Hutter often came across the

name Moritz Grossmann. When she went to museums, she

searched historical archives and spoke to older watchmakers,

and soon she began to understand one clear message:

Grossmann was one of the most influential watchmakers

in Glashütte’s history. Why? Because in 1878, he founded

the German School of Watchmaking in Glashütte. This

building is still standing today, but it has been converted to

the German Watch Museum.

In the 19th century, Grossmann helped to define the

core values of German watchmaking as well as formalize the

signature aesthetic and functional codes of Saxon horology

— the flame bluing of screws, the use of chatons to hold

rubies in place, the two-third plate, the micrometer screw,

the engraving of balance cocks. All of these values and codes

coalesced during his time.

Says Tim Mosso, media director at WatchBox and one

of the most knowledgeable watch collectors on the planet,

“You could say that Grossmann’s influence on German

watchmaking was fundamental. And that this was decisive

for the foundations and for the success of the today

internationally renowned Glashütte brands.”

Hutter’s passion and interest thus stoked, she decided

to become the world’s greatest living expert on Grossmann.

Then, she came across something rather remarkable. The

name Moritz Grossmann had become dormant. Without a

moment’s hesitation, she decided to purchase it, with a vision

to create a brand inspired by all his immense contributions

to German watchmaking, expressed through fun, modern

and mechanically perfect timepieces.

GRAIL WATCH 9: MORITZ GROSSMANN × KARI VOUTILAINEN BENU 37 ‘SILVER BULLET’

She laughs when she thinks back on the early days, “I

suppose it was similar to many young entrepreneurs with

limited capital. We started with a PO Box. I worked from my

kitchen table. Then we rented a store. Then an office. And

finally, we hired our first watchmaker to help me create our

first movement and set up our atelier.”

Beyond this, what Hutter really had to do was envision

a brand. She started with the names of Egyptian deities. But

when it came to naming her first watch, the decision was

clear. She explains, “I started with Benu (Bennu) because

this is the Egyptian deity linked with the Sun, creation, and

most importantly, rebirth — a bird that rises from the ashes

like a Phoenix. As I was embarking on the rebirth of the

most famous name in German watchmaking, I thought it

was perfect. But there was at the same time a lot of pressure,

because the watch had to be good.”

The Benu model was first launched in 2010, and collectors

with a discerning eye were immediately struck by the beauty

of the movements, the stunning snailing on the ratchet

wheels, the majesty of the decoration on the plate and

bridge, and the stunning detail of the hand engraved escape

wheel cock. Hutter had founded Grossmann Uhren GmbH

on November 11, 2008, but by 2010, she was embarking on

another incredibly daring and brilliant journey, and that was

to create one of the most complete in-house manufactures

in modern watchmaking.

Moritz Grossmann CEO Christine Hutter

144 PRIME TIME

The hands break from the

otherwise monochromatic dial

palette in vivid style, as they are

realized in Moritz Grossmann's

signature heat-treated purple

GRAIL WATCH 9: MORITZ GROSSMANN × KARI VOUTILAINEN BENU 37 ‘SILVER BULLET’

TODAY, MANY OF MORITZ

GROSSMANN'S WATCHES

ARE SOLD OUT AND

THE FACTORY IS AT FULL

CAPACITY WITH AN

ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF

LESS THAN 400 WATCHES.

Moritz Grossmann’s charming Hamatic allows for an open view

of the watch’s kinetic beauty

The first Moritz Grossmann Benu 41mm in 18K rose gold

Says Hutter, “That year was an incredible one, because

we presented the Benu in a 100-piece limited edition which

quickly sold out. But we also laid the first stone in the

creation of our manufacture.” Set on a hill overlooking the

town of Glashütte with a view of Lange below it, the creation

of the Moritz Grossmann headquarters and manufacture

took immense courage. “From the beginning, I wanted

to create the infrastructure that would allow us to build

movements to a capacity that would make us a significant

presence in modern watchmaking, and at a quality that

would be the best in the world.”

Today, many of Grossmann’s watches are sold out and the

factory is at full capacity with an annual production of less

than 400 watches. Hutter admits with a chuckle, “Now it is

really a bit of struggle to meet demand. We are effectively

sold out for two years. But we are trying to do our best. One

thing we will definitely not do is compromise on our quality.

This is everything to us.”

THE POWER OF FUNCTIONAL INNOVATION

It is important to point out now that while Grossmann is

reaching a truly impressive level of popularity (though it

is my opinion that we are still in the very early stages of

the brand’s ascent), both the brand and Hutter have gone

through a great deal of challenges and upheavals since it was

founded 15 years ago on November 11, 2008.

Over the last decade and a half, under Hutter’s

leadership, Grossmann has expressed a powerful sense of

functional innovation. Amongst her accomplishments is

the previously mentioned phenomenal automatic winding

watch named the Hamatic, which uses a pendulum or

hammer-type winding mass. This type of mass dates back

to Abraham-Louis Breguet who implemented this type

of system in 1780 and dubbed it the “Perpétuelle.” What

is wonderful about this system is that it allows you an

unencumbered view of how the motion of the mass is

transferred into winding energy by the movement’s two

click levers.

PRIME TIME 147

GRAIL WATCH 9: MORITZ GROSSMANN × KARI VOUTILAINEN BENU 37 ‘SILVER BULLET’

Says Jack Forster, editorial director for WatchBox

and former Revolution and Hodinkee editor-in-chief,

“The question here is not whether this is more or less efficient

than a rotor. What it shows is that Moritz Grossmann is

deeply rooted in the history of mechanical watchmaking

and is able to take a different pathway to automatic winding

that is uniquely charming.”

Grossmann and Hutter also created a stop seconds

tourbillon that provides one of the most esoterically

innovative solutions to arresting the balance wheel that

I’ve ever heard of. She explains, “In most stop seconds

tourbillons, a lever comes and stops the balance. But the

pillars of the tourbillon can block the lever. Our solution

was to create a miniature brush. When it contacts a pillar,

it splits apart and still contacts the balance to stop it. This

brush is made from human hair and can be customized with

hair from your loved one or yourself.”

OUR FIRST COLLABORATION

I started to become truly intrigued by Grossmann in 2018,

when Hutter launched the Benu 37, a 37mm in diameter

watch that I found to be truly marvelous. The size was

perfect. The heat-treated purple hands were intriguing.

And, in particular, the movement — the three-fifthsplate, hand-decorated German silver masterpiece named

the MG 102.1 — was magnificent. Our first collaboration

together was based on the Benu 37 but with a dial inspired

by a stunning pocket watch from the brand’s past.

In 2018, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brand,

Christine Hutter had curated an amazing collection

of vintage Moritz Grossmann watches that she paired

with timepieces from its modern day collection to be

auctioned off by Christie’s. Amongst the auction lots was

a very interesting and unique 37mm by 9.2mm slim Atum

Hommage wristwatch that was paired with a pocket watch

with movement number 6126 made by Moritz Grossmann

in 1872.

To me, this wristwatch featured one of the most stunning

dials ever. The elegance of the ultra slim Roman numerals

surrounded by the delicately printed chemin-de-fer minute

indicator, and contrasted by the four diamond-shaped

markers at the cardinal points, was wonderful. It was the

most perfect example of Zen reductionist tranquility we’d

seen in recent years. But this hand fired enamel dial watch

was only created in this one unique execution. Or so I

thought, until I had the opportunity to speak to Christine

Hutter on her visit to Singapore in 2019.

Inspired by a stunning 19th century pocket watch, Revolution’s first collaboration

with Moritz Grossmann was the sold-out Benu 37 Grand Feu Enamel Dial

The Moritz Grossmann Autum “Hommage” paired with an original 1872 Moritz

Grossmann pocket watch that was auctioned by Christie’s was the spark for our

first collaboration

PRIME TIME 148

Grail Watch 9 Moritz Grossmann

× Kari Voutilainen Benu 37

“Silver Bullet” is also paired with

a Kudu leather strap in anemone

GRAIL WATCH 9: MORITZ GROSSMANN × KARI VOUTILAINEN BENU 37 ‘SILVER BULLET’

GRAIL WATCH 9:

MORITZ GROSSMANN × KARI VOUTILAINEN

BENU 37 'SILVER BULLET'

MOVEMENT Manual winding caliber 102.1; 48-hour

power reserve

FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes and small seconds

CASE 37mm; 18K white gold

DIAL Guilloché à main sterling silver

STRAP Himalayan alligator leather by Delugs and Kudu

leather in anemone; 18K white gold pin buckle

PRICE EUR 42,000

AVAILABILITY Limited and numbered edition of

six pieces

GRAIL WATCH 9: MORITZ GROSSMANN × KARI VOUTILAINEN BENU 37 ‘SILVER BULLET’

Remarking on the majesty of this watch, she asked if we

might consider collaborating on a version of the timepiece

together. Of course, we were humbled and delighted to

acquiesce. She pointed out that the Benu Heritage 37mm

case, which was launched in April 2018, was exactly the same

shape and dimension and could offer us the perfect platform

to start.

We soon returned to her very original idea when she

founded Moritz Grossmann, which was to forge a link

between Saxon watchmaking’s past and future. From the

past, we selected a grand feu enamel dial similar to the pièce

unique auctioned by Christie’s. But instead of white, we

decided on an ivory-colored dial with black Roman indexes,

contrasted by a soft seductive deep purple chemin de fer,

which perfectly complemented the signature flamed purple

color on her lovely spade-shaped hands.

To perfectly express the idea of ultimate horological

tranquility, we decided to omit the seconds hand. This

would, after all, be the watch of a flaneur or a boulevardier,

an individual for whom time is a luxury, and it would simply

not do to allow the banal encroachment of a small seconds

indicator. Thus was born, in 2020, the Moritz Grossmann

Benu 37 Steel with Grand Feu Enamel Dial for Revolution

and The Rake.

THE CREATION OF THE “SILVER BULLET”

Our latest collaboration, Grail Watch 9: Moritz Grossmann

× Kari Voutilainen Benu 37 “Silver Bullet,” came about

during my trip to Grossmann’s manufacture in Glashütte.

There, inside a wonderfully sunlit room, I noticed a few pièce

unique watches made for clients featuring dials created by

Kari Voutilainen and his dial factory, Comblémine.

I’ve always loved guilloché à main or, as the English

call it, engine-turned dials. It is my opinion that the most

ravishing in the world are made by Kari at his factory

where he has one of the greatest collections of vintage rose

engine machines. When asked what our next Benu 37 could

look like, I proposed something that was as clean and Zen

reductionist as the previous collaboration, but using two

totally different materials.

For the dial, I loved the idea of sterling silver, which

has been stabilized so it will not oxidize. For the case, both

Hutter and I immediately thought of a white gold case. For

the nickname of the watch, I decided on “Silver Bullet.”

Why? Yes, the dial is crafted from a massive piece of sterling

silver. And well, of course, in folklore, a silver bullet was the

only thing that was capable of slaying a werewolf.

But I like the second meaning of the term, based on

the Oxford Dictionary definition, which is “a simple and

seemingly magical solution to a highly complicated problem.”

This has always reminded me of Moritz Grossmann’s

mission statement to make “simple but mechanically

perfect watches,” something that Christine Hutter continues

to make her life’s work today.

151 PRIME TIME

A Glashütte specialty,

the cocks for the balance

and escape wheels are

engraved by hand while

the bridge that supports

the pallet fork is snailed

GRAIL WATCH 10: LUDOVIC BALLOUARD ET FILS UPSIDE DOWN ‘SERIES GAGA’

GRAIL WATCH 10

LUDOVIC BALLOUARD ET FILS

UPSIDE DOWN ‘SERIES GAGA’

Ballouard’s first creation for Grail Watch, incorporating artwork by his young son,

is a symbol of all the love and blessings he has received in his life.

WORDS WEI KOH

You might think the term “gaga” here, which in

French is slang for “crazy,” refers to the way colors

are scrawled in a wild, seemingly abandoned way on

the markers of this platinum case, aventurine dial

Ballouard Upside Down watch. But you would be mistaken.

“Gaga” in this context is short for Gabriel, Ballouard’s son,

who designed the watch you are looking at. The meaning

behind this first partnership between the independent

watchmaking journeyman and his son goes much deeper

than that.

Looking at the dial, you might be charmed by the lovely

aventurine, and then intrigued by the seemingly primal

and vivid application of prime colors on the hour marker

disks and the small seconds indicator. You might ask,

is this some kind of Cy Twombly, Jean-Michel Basquiat-like

artistic scrawl? But this watch is something more than a

visually appealing act of design.

The hand coloring on the dial was created by his son

Gabriel when he was three years old and represents what

Ballouard hopes is the first of many collaborations between

father and son. But it is the story of Gabriel’s birth and how it

inspired the creation of this timepiece that I find so poignant

and that provides an understanding to Ballouard’s attitude to

life. Indeed, the story of this watch and the story of Gabriel

are so inextricably intertwined that I feel compelled to tell

his story even before delving into the details of the timepiece.

If this seems an unconventional way to launch a watch, please

bear with me. I think you will find this story worth reading.

TO LOVE AGAIN

If you’ve watched the 2022 film Making Time, executive

produced by Ian Skellern and Hind Seddiqi, you’ll know that

the first half of Ballouard’s life, while at times carefree, was

largely overshadowed by the worst tragedy that can befall a

human being. That was the loss of his wife Eveline to cancer.

Though Ludovic and Eveline battled courageously and

relentlessly against the onslaught of the disease, eventually,

Ballouard’s wife succumbed.

He recalls, “One of the last things my wife Eveline said

to me before she passed, was that she wished that I would

meet someone else and that I would have a child with

her. At the time, I didn’t believe her. I would have never

thought it possible.” And so after her passing, Ballouard

resigned himself to be, in the words of Thomas Wolfe,

“God’s Lonely Man.”

He threw himself fully into his new brand. But after

the day was done, after he cleared his bench, washed his

hands and turned off the lights, his world was touched

by a pervasive sense of melancholy. To pass the time,

he would go to Parc Bertrand in Champel,

a  neighborhood in Geneva city. The metronomic

regularity of his almost daily visits to the park offered

distraction, if not solace. Then, one day, Ludovic met Flavia.

She recalls, “I had just moved to Geneva and was

working for a Mediterranean shipping firm. I had a group

of colleagues and friends and, after work, we would

often go to Parc Bertrand. One day, I met Ludovic who

was acquainted with someone in the group. I found

him fascinating from the first moment, someone so easy to

talk to.”

Says Ludovic, “In my mind, I had convinced myself

that I would never meet anyone again, and so I just wasn’t

receptive to that. But somehow with Flavia, our conversation

was so natural. We soon became friends.”

PRIME TIME 153

A GIFT FROM THE UNIVERSE

Flavia shares how their relationship began. “We were always

together, we would go to the cinema or to meals and kept

each other company. Then, one day, he mentioned that he

was going to visit an art gallery with someone, a woman.

I was surprised to realize that I felt very jealous. And it

was then that I understood I was in love with Ludo. Soon

afterward, I told him. He looked at me and said, ‘OK, then

you need to come with me to Brittany [France] to meet my

family.’”

She laughs and adds, “He said that considering that

we were not young anymore, we shouldn’t waste our time.

We went back to his home in December. I remember

waking up on January 1, and thinking to myself, ‘This is

it. This will be my life. Then, by the end of the month,

everything changed again! I found out I was pregnant. I

told Ludo and he was so overjoyed.”

Ludo recalls with a laugh, “I couldn’t believe it. It

was wonderful.”

Says Flavia, “At first, I was cautious. I was older and I

knew that there could be complications. Also, I had so many

friends that had so much trouble getting pregnant, it just

didn’t seem likely. So I didn’t tell anyone at first. I needed to

see an obstetrician- gynecologist. But because I had moved

to Switzerland from the United States, I didn’t have a doctor.

A friend recommended one. But I was a bit frustrated. It was

the end of January and the first appointment we could get

was on March 13.”

It was at this moment that a series of coincidences

started to appear. Says Ballouard, “When she told me this

date, I stopped in my tracks. I said to her, ‘But this is the

exact date that Eveline passed away.’”

Flavia elaborates, “We got the name of the doctor. We

entered the name of the clinic into the GPS of our car and

we started driving. When we turned onto the road, Ludovic

stopped the car. He said, ‘This is the street where I used to

bring my wife for her chemotherapy.’ Then we continued to

the clinic. Ludovic couldn’t believe it — as we climbed up

the stairs, we realized that the oncologist who had treated

his wife had his clinic just across the hall facing the clinic

of our obstetrician-gynecologist. The coincidence was too

much to believe. We walked into the clinic shaking.”

Flavia’s doubts regarding her age were dispelled when

the doctor reported that her pregnancy was 100-percent

healthy, and their baby boy was absolutely normal in every

way. She recalls, “We walked out of the clinic and looked at

each other. I told Ludovic that the Universe was giving us

an incredible gift — that was our child, Gabriel.”

Says Ballouard, “Sometimes, people might say that

Gabriel came to us later in life. It’s true we are a bit older as

parents. But, to us, he came at the perfect time. For me, I was

really questioning why I was working so hard to establish my

GRAIL WATCH 10: LUDOVIC BALLOUARD ET FILS UPSIDE DOWN ‘SERIES GAGA’

brand if, in the end, my name and the work and sacrifice I

committed to its creation dies when I do. But when Gabriel

was born, it all suddenly made sense. I cannot tell you how

much it made sense. He and Flavia made my life complete.

My life is so beautiful. It is hard for me to even describe it …

I think that I am proof that everyone goes through hardship.

Everyone suffers. But if you make yourself receptive to the

beauty this world has to offer, then the Universe will reward

you, as it did with Flavia and myself with Gabriel.”

Grail Watch 10:

Ludovic Ballouard

et Fils Upside Down

‘Series Gaga’

154 PRIME TIME

A FIRST COLLABORATION BETWEEN FATHER AND SON

After hearing this story, I remember feeling somewhat

overwhelmed with emotion. I was staring at the glass of

wine in my hand as the late afternoon sunlight streamed

into their living room like in a Terrence Malick movie. On

Ludovic’s lap was their one-eyed, three-pawed dog named

Tosca, who seemed to be contentedly listening along with

me. Before I knew it, I said, “Flavia and Ludovic, would you

consider asking Gabriel to design the dial of our watch?”

Both of them paused for a moment and looked at each

other. Then Ballouard said with a grin, “Why not? If we like

the design, it would be nice to put Ballouard et fils [and

son] on the dial.”

A week later, I opened my phone to a message from

Ludovic. It was an image of an outline of his dial, which had

been colored in by Gabriel. Instinctively, Gabriel had used

the colors to create a stunning visual effect. It was child-like,

yes, of course. Yet somehow it was expressive of the same

wonderful freedom of naïve expression that painters often

search for in their adulthood. Ballouard had already taken

the liberty to transpose the etching and crayon marks using

contact printing onto an aventurine dial. The result was, to

my mind, spectacular. From top: Ballouard,

Flavia and baby Gabriel;

Gabriel hard at work,

coloring in an outline of

his father’s dial

PRIME TIME 155

GRAIL WATCH 10: LUDOVIC BALLOUARD ET FILS UPSIDE DOWN ‘SERIES GAGA’

INSTINCTIVELY, HE HAD USED

THE COLORS TO CREATE A

STUNNING VISUAL EFFECT...

CHILD-LIKE, YET EXPRESSIVE OF

THE SAME WONDERFUL FEELING

OF NAÏVE EXPRESSION THAT

PAINTERS OFTEN SEARCH FOR IN

THEIR ADULTHOOD.

BALLOUARD THE WATCHMAKER

Now let’s talk about Ludovic Ballouard, the watchmaker.

From a young age, he was fascinated by mechanical devices,

disassembling and, often unsuccessfully — he recalls

humorously — reassembling household objects. Recognizing

his aptitude, his parents sent him to watchmaking school.

But when he graduated, he wasn’t ready to leave his idyllic

family home in Brittany. With no work there to be found

in watchmaking, he transformed himself into a specialist in

aviation instruments. Model airplanes have always been a

passion for him, and the transition was not difficult. Close

to a decade later, he realized that if he wanted to pursue his

horological dreams, it was now or never.

He first landed at Franck Muller. Ballouard recalls,

“I like the style of watches. My first job was in the aftersales

department. To test me, they gave me eight chronograph

movements to overhaul. At first, I struggled to remember

everything I learned in school, and it took two days for

the first movement. But then I finished the next seven

in a very short time as the memories came back quickly.”

He stayed three years and is rumored to have had

a major role in the creation of the “Crazy Hours.” He

saw Franck Muller grow from a star in independent

watchmaking to a juggernaut industrial powerhouse, and

decided to look for a smaller, more personal company. He

found himself at François-Paul Journe’s atelier in rue de la

Synagogue, Geneva.

Ballouard states, “I loved François-Paul’s philosophy that

a single watchmaker should oversee every aspect of a watch

from its function to its finishing and, on top of that, be

responsible for that watch in perpetuity. This means when

that watch comes back, it goes to the person that made it.

This sense of ownership over a creation is wonderful.”

Journe soon spotted Ballouard’s talent and handpicked

him to be the only person, besides himself, to work on his

most complicated watch, the Sonnerie Souveraine, his

revolutionary grande et petite sonnerie.

Says Ballouard, “François-Paul gave me an incredible

gift, the gift of friendships with some of the most incredible

collectors in the world. It was only me or François-Paul

who were allowed to present the Sonnerie Souveraine, so I

ended up traveling the world and meeting these wonderful

people who had ordered the watch. You could tell it was so

meaningful for them to meet the person who made their

watch from beginning to end.”

During these meetings, collectors would frequently take

Ballouard out to dinner and ask him about the watch he

would make if given the opportunity. He explains, “I wanted

to create a watch that reminds us to treasure the time we

are in. The Zen Buddhists believe our lives are often out

of balance, because we spend too much time reliving the

past or worrying about the future, rather than existing in

the present.”

With that in mind, Ballouard dreamed of a watch

where the rest of the numbers were inverted and therefore

meaningless, with only the current hour marker turned the

right side up. He says with a smile, “That was the beginning

of Upside Down.”

Above, from left: Ludovic Ballouard Upside Down Heures en Rose featuring pink marquetry and mother-of-pearl;

Upside Down Lapis Lazuli; Opposite page, from top: Upside Down Meteorite; The charming Ballouard caliber B01 GRAIL WATCH 10: LUDOVIC BALLOUARD ET FILS UPSIDE DOWN ‘SERIES GAGA’

158 PRIME TIME

LUDOVIC BALLOUARD UPSIDE DOWN

Look at the back of the Upside Down watch and the

stunning movement, and you’ll see one of the most original

conceptions in high watchmaking.

The complications uses 12 individual hour markers

fixed to mobile disks and attached to Maltese crosses. A

snail attached to a minute wheel is in contact with a large

finger similar to that used to read the time in a minute

repeater. Once an hour, the finger drops off the top of

the snail and releases a large driving ring to rotate 30

degrees. The ring is otherwise blocked from moving until

this moment. This ring, in turn, is programed to turn

the Maltese crosses in sequences. The micro-mechanical

dance of this unique mechanism is wonderfully charming

and utterly without comparison, which is also a way to

describe its creator. On the dial side, each time a Maltese

cross turns 180 degrees, a new hour flips right side up

while the previous one goes back upside down. Visually,

you can identify which hour is right side up, thanks to a

dot on the hour disk, which is otherwise hidden under

the watch’s rehaut when upside down.

Ballouard released the Upside Down watch in 2010

and has stayed faithful to the watch’s original design

iconography, playing with different dial materials. Most

notably, there was the launch of an Osmium model last

year. From a perspective of size, at 41mm in diameter and

11mm in height, it is very well balanced and wears a touch

smaller than these figures would suggest, thanks to nicely

curved lugs. The new “Series Gaga” represents the most

radical deviation thus far over the 13 years of the model’s

THE MICROMECHANICAL DANCE

OF THIS UNIQUE

MECHANISM IS

WONDERFULLY

CHARMING AND

UTTERLY WITHOUT

COMPARISON.

PRIME TIME 159

existence, and for a very compelling reason, as it represents

the first partnership between Gabriel (now four going on

five) and Ludovic.

When I asked Flavia if she had any lasting message to

the watch community about our project, she says smiling

at her husband and her son, “Only that life is truly

beautiful and that we are blessed. I hope everyone finds the

same happiness.”

Ballouard adds, “We’d like to think that this watch, this

Ludovic Ballouard et Fils Upside Down ‘Series Gaga’ is a

symbol of our happiness and our gratitude for what we’ve

been given. I think it is the most beautiful watch I’ve ever

made because it is my first collaboration with our son, who

is a gift from the Universe to Flavia and to me.”

His statement brings to mind a passage from one of

my favorite books, titled Gates of Fire, by Steven Pressfield,

about the 300 Spartans that marched to Thermopylae to

defend Greece against the Persian Army of two million

soldiers. Throughout the book, which details the martial

prowess of the Spartan army, you understand all men feel

fear. But the question it continuously asks is instead, \"what

is the opposite of fear?\" Is it courage, loyalty, strength?

The question is finally answered by Dienekes who says,

“The opposite of fear is love.”

I believe that Ballouard’s life is a testament to this, and

that his watch made with his son Gabriel, whom he considers

a gift from the Universe, is a symbol of the power of love to

resurrect, to heal and to set all things right.

GRAIL WATCH 10: LUDOVIC BALLOUARD ET FILS UPSIDE DOWN ‘SERIES GAGA’

From top: Up close with one of the

most original complications in high

watch making; The dial proudly bears

the phrase, “et Fils”, a nod to the

father and son collaboration

160 PRIME TIME

GRAIL WATCH 10:

LUDOVIC BALLOUARD ET FILS

UPSIDE DOWN “SERIES GAGA”

MOVEMENT Manual winding caliber B01;

40-hour power reserve

FUNCTIONS Jumping hours, minutes

CASE 41mm; platinum; water resistant

to 30m

DIAL Aventurine; Breguet or Chinese

numerals on jumping hour disks

STRAP Handstitched alligator leather;

platinum B-shaped pin buckle

PRICE CHF 108,000, excluding taxes

AVAILABILITY Limited edition of eight

pieces (four with Breguet numerals; four

with Chinese numerals)

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man

When one of the world’s most important

watch manufactures announced the

completion of its expansive new facility

in Plan-les-Ouates, the news naturally

sparked immense curiosity and anticipation. The magnitude

of this achievement left many wondering about the potential

it held for Patek Philippe’s future, particularly in terms of

production volume. A few months ago, Patek Philippe

opened the doors of its new PP6 manufacture to members

of the press, granting us the opportunity to witness the inner

workings of a uniquely vertically integrated production that

most other industrial luxury watch brands would give their

right arm to have.

Within the facility’s walls lies the embodiment of

Patek Philippe’s two distinct yet evenly matched strengths

WHERE INDUSTRIAL

PERFECTION MEETS

ARTISTIC MASTERY

A tour inside Patek Philippe’s no-expense-spared new facility brings some

eye-opening insights into what it means to be truly vertically integrated.

WORDS CHERYL CHIA

— an unceasing spirit of innovation and a remarkable

consistency in quality at scale and across price points. This

accomplishment is a result of effectively managing and

optimizing the synergy between advanced machinery and

human expertise. As emphasized by the brand, the primary

aim of the new PP6 facility is not to augment production

volume significantly, but rather to optimize manufacturing

processes under one roof while also enhancing production

capabilities for their complicated and Rare Handcrafts

watches. Last year, Patek Philippe produced a total of

approximately 66,000 watches, which is around 6% more

than the last reported annual production.

An industrial park at the periphery of Plan-Les-Ouates

has been the home of Patek Philippe since 1996. Patek

Philippe was the first to begin the process of consolidating

164 FEATURE

Xxxxx x x xx xxx x xx x

xxxx xx xx xx xx xx xx x xx

xx xxxxxxxxx

all its disparate workshops previously scattered across

Geneva into a single site. Its relentless pursuit of in-house

knowledge and expertise has prompted significant expansion

plans since their early establishment in Plan-Les-Ouates,

preceding the presence of Rolex and Vacheron Constantin.

Patek Philippe, however, continues to maintain

its presence in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the cradle of fine

watchmaking, where it united three workshops — case

making and polishing, including some bracelet components

(Calame), as well as gem setting (SHG) — under one roof

in 2008. Its horological empire also includes a dial-making

workshop (Cadran Flückiger) in Saint-Imier, a movement

casing workshop (Allaine) in Alle, a finishing workshop

(Betakron) in the Jura, as well as a production centre

encompassing haute horlogerie and repairs (Patek Philippe

La Vallée SA) in Le Brassus.

When stepping foot inside the colossal structure that is

PP6, its sheer dominance is resounding. Inaugurated in 2020,

it sits a stone’s throw from Patek Philippe’s headquarters,

its construction spanning five long years, followed by

several additional months to complete its outfitting. It was

so named as it represents the sixth wing within the entire

premises. The headquarters, situated in the main building,

is composed of four wings. The fifth wing, PP5, was built

in 2009 to accommodate the production of movement

parts. However, PP6 has now taken over from PP5 as the

company has fully utilized the maximum permissible plot of

land in Plan-les-Ouates. In other words, the functions once

accommodated in the single-floor PP5 have now been shifted

to PP6. Today, Patek Philippe’s Plan-les-Ouates manufacture

accommodates approximately 2,000 employees.

The building concept was envisioned by Frisk de

Marignac Pidoux, while the interior architecture was

designed by Frei & Stefani. PP6’s magnitude is easily grasped

through a few figures. Stretching 189 meters in length and

reaching 34 meters in height above ground, its total floor

area spans a staggering 133,650m². Bringing this project to

life required an investment of CHF 600 million — CHF

500 million for the construction of the edifice, while

the remaining funds were channeled into its interiors,

machinery and equipment.

The entire building stands at 10 stories tall, four of which

are underground — two for plant areas and two for parking.

There are four production floors in all, followed by a training

floor, as well as a large restaurant on the top floor.

The ground floor (level 0) is dedicated to the production

and finishing of mainplates and bridges. Wheels and pinions,

on the other hand, are made from scratch and finished on

the first floor. The second floor is where the production,

manual polishing, and assembly of cases, bracelets and other

external components are carried out. Patek Philippe’s case

and bracelet making department that was previously located

Lobby of PP6

FEATURE 165

in Perly has now been moved here. This floor also houses the

production of spare parts as well as gem setting.

The third floor is home to the research and design division,

including the Patek Philippe Advanced Research department.

Unfortunately, it was out of bounds during our day of visit.

The fourth floor, on the other hand, is dedicated to rare

handcrafts, where skilled artisans carry out crafts such as

engraving, enameling, and guilloché work.

MAINPLATE AND BRIDGE PRODUCTION

PP6 houses a fleet of over 400 state-of-the-art production

machines designed in accordance with the brand’s

requirements for small-series production. CNC (Computer

Numerical Control) machines are automated systems used to

control the movement of cutting tools with high precision and

efficiency. It moves the cutting tool along the X,Y and Z axes

according to the CAD design. The CNC software generates

G-codes, which are a series of numerical instructions that

dictate the speed, direction and distance of the movements,

ensuring precise and repeatable machining operations.

CNC machining is a topic that many watch enthusiasts

would rather avoid, but it is essential in producing large

batches of complex and precise parts around the clock. While

there is rising interest in artisanal independent watchmakers

today, some of whom continue to produce watches entirely by

hand, albeit at a rate of under three watches a year, the ability

to scale up production while maintaining a consistently high

degree of refinement is a challenging art and the reason why

Patek Philippe is the envy of the rest of the industry.

At the entrance of each production floor is a schematic

diagram that shows the numerous processes involved

at each step of the manufacturing journey. On the first

production floor where mainplates and bridges are made,

CNC lathes are used to process square plates made of brass.

The underside of each plate undergoes milling and drilling

using a large CNC milling machine with a huge feeding

wheel. The resulting brass disc features holes and recesses

to accommodate various parts.

Subsequently, the underside of the plate is machine

finished around the recesses before the thickness is checked.

Only then will the top side of the plate be machined. Then,

its contour is milled and rounded, forming a mainplate or a

bridge. Afterward, the bridge is mechanically engraved with

the Patek Philippe branding and then washed to remove any

residue of oil or other potential contaminants. The bridge is

then gilded. At this phase, red varnish is also applied in the

hollows of gilded numbers and logos to ensure that they will

remain gold even after rhodium plating.

166 FEATURE

PARTS AS ART

Next, any minute burrs or tiny scraps of material remaining

on the bridges from machining are removed using a scraper

with a narrow spearlike head and manually checked for

quality control. Once completed, they are then ready to

undergo hand finishing.

The mainplates or bridges are first decorated with

perlage, also known as circular graining. It involves creating

a pattern of small, overlapping circular shapes on the

surface using a rotating abrasive tool. The operator must

carefully push a lever downward to decorate the surface

with a circle, and repeat the process with uniform pressure

while ensuring that the rotating tool touches the plate at

the right location.

This decorative technique serves to eliminate machining

marks, giving the surface an attractive luster while

improving its resistance to corrosion. There are plans at

each station that indicate the size of the circular graining to

be executed. According to our guide, these plans were

provided by a major department known as “the method”,

responsible for translating construction plans into

production schemes.

The edges of the bridges are then beveled using a

handheld rotary tool, followed by straight graining on the

squared-off sides of the bridge using an abrasive pencil-like

tool. The craftsman gently strokes along the surface, creating

parallel lines that give the metal a velvety, matte texture.

The bridges are then decorated with Geneva stripes

also known as Côtes de Genève. This decorative pattern

consists of fine scratches that form parallel lines, creating a

distinctively visual illusion of waves. The specialist operates

a lathe equipped with a rotating abrasive tool head set at

a slight angle, skillfully guiding the tool head along the

mainplate or bridge’s length in a continuous and seamless

motion. It is crucial to maintain a consistent speed and

angle during this process to avoid creating an uneven and

irregular finish.

Finally, the bridges and mainplates are protected from

oxidizing with a fine layer of rhodium, which also imparts a

distinctive white appearance. The plate and jewels are then

loaded into a press fixture and assembled. After which, pins

and studs are installed. According to our guide, employees

in the finishing and assembly departments receive extensive

training focused on a single operation for several months or

even years. This requirement underscores the importance of

qualities like stability and composure to uphold a consistent

level of quality, given the rigorous final assessments that

include both visual and mechanical inspections.

Opposite page, clockwise from left: A CNC machine

with a large feeding wheel is used to process square

plates made of brass, forming a mainplate or a bridge;

A freshly machined mainplate; The mainplate after

being removed from the square plate

This page, left to right: Applying circular graining to a

bridge; Beveling using a handheld rotary tool

FEATURE 167

THE MOST EYE-OPENING ASPECT IS THE MULTITUDE

OF STEPS REQUIRED TO FINISH THESE PARTS.

A PINION SHAFT, FOR INSTANCE, MUST BE POLISHED

AT ITS TEETH USING A POLISHING WHEEL, AAT THE

EDGES OF ITS SHAFT, AND POLISHED AT THE FACE

OF THE LEAVES AS WELL AS PIVOT ENDS.

Clockwise from top left: Profile turning machines; On the left and right of the collet are cutting tools, with a milling tool in the foreground;

Polishing the teeth of a pinion; Pinions are temporarily assembled with brass wheel blanks and burnished at the pivots; Polishing the face

of the leaves; They are then loaded into a pivot polishing machine and polished; A spoked wheel undergoing chamfering where a press tool

is used for adding internal angles to the blanks; Recutting the center hole of the spoked wheel after cutting its teeth

168 FEATURE

PINIONS AND WHEELS

The tour was remarkably thorough, encompassing every aspect

of watch production, including the crafting of wheels, pinions

and arbors. While most brands that manufacture their own

movements do produce these components internally, observing

the process of creating these seemingly ordinary parts from

the very beginning was remarkably enlightening as we are so

rarely reminded of the complexity involved. Much focus has

been placed on the aesthetic finishing of movement parts, but

the functional finishing of these components is something

most of us don’t think that much about. The smallest pinions

and pivots must be cut and finished to perfection to achieve

maximum efficiency in energy transmission.

Pinions and pivots are made using an automated profile

turning machine. This machine contains long bars of brass

or steel within a hopper. A bar is fed into a collet, and a

combination of cutting tools from the side and a milling tool

from the front work to precisely carve the material into the

desired shape.

The most eye-opening aspect is the multitude of steps

required to finish these parts. A pinion shaft, for instance,

must be polished at its teeth using a polishing wheel,

burnished at its pivots, chamfered at the edges of its shaft, and

polished at the face of the leaves as well as pivot ends. Due to

its nano scale, it must be assembled with a brass wheel blank

to be worked on and inserted into a pivot polishing machine,

and then disassembled at the end.

Spoked wheels, on the other hand, begin life as a brass

strip that is stamped in batches using a press and pushed out

of the strip. Afterward, the center hole is drilled individually,

and the level of difficulty can vary significantly depending on

the size of the wheel. Subsequently, the spokes of the wheels

are then chamfered and angled using a press tool. They are

then finished with circular graining before their hubs are sunk.

Next, batches of wheel blanks are gathered on an arbor to

undergo teeth machining.

Following the teeth cutting process, the center hole is

recut to a slightly larger size and chamfered. Subsequently,

all of them are individually checked for quality. We were told

that each specialist is allowed to pursue a different operation

within their department, but generally do not switch over to

a different department. For instance, a pinion finisseur cannot

be moved to the spoked wheel department, highlighting the

high degree of specialization required and fostered.

Most of the wheels and pinions for grand complications

are also manufactured on this floor. There are as many as

400 different tooth profiles and a total of 17 special wheels,

including star wheels, wheel nuts and the distinctive “octopus”

wheel with serpentine spokes.

FEATURE 169

CASE AND BRACELET MAKING

The case and bracelet-making department, previously

located in Perly, as well as the gem-setting department

are now housed on the second floor of PP6. We had the

opportunity to observe several production processes of the

Nautilus bracelet.

Bracelet making starts off with long metal bars, which

arrive at the manufacture pre-shaped with a lengthwise recess

down the center. This is to limit the time spent on machining

the links into the shape of an “H”. These bars are loaded into a

bar-fed machining center and milled to form individual links.

These links then undergo several stages of measurement and

quality inspection, including manual control, gauge-based

control, video measurement control, and finally, threedimensional control, to ensure geometric accuracy.

There is perhaps no area of finishing more synonymous

with Patek Philippe than the finishing of its bracelets.

Few can match their devotion to the craft of the perfectly

finished bracelet. Following the machining process, it takes

no less than 55 steps to perform the finishing operations on

a Nautilus case and bracelet. The exterior H-shaped links

and center links are individually prepared, each undergoing

lapping on the underside and satin-brushing or mirrorpolishing on top. The bracelet is then assembled by fitting

the links together and installing the pins.

The underside and top surface are then buffed to create

a satin-brushed finish, followed by the chamfering of the

edges. Afterward, the H-shaped links are protected with

a masking tape, exposing only the center links that must

undergo polishing and buffing once again. Following that,

the clasp is assembled with its tension adjusted, and it is

fitted onto the bracelet with the cover being riveted. As

any mishap at this stage could result in parts having to be

refinished, a protective film is used to cover the surfaces of

the bracelet.

Case making, on the other hand, starts off by having the

form of the case stamped from a strip of metal using a press.

Then, a punch is used to force the piece into the cavities or

impressions on the die block. This repeated pressing allows

for gradual refinement of the case’s dimensions until the

final shape is achieved. After forging, the case undergoes

thermal treatment to homogenize the metal’s composition

and structure, ensuring consistent mechanical properties

to maintain the integrity and quality of the case. It then

undergoes further machining in a CNC lathe before it is ready

to receive surface treatments such as diamond polishing.

After undergoing the first round of finishing, the bracelet is assembled;

They are then rebuffed to create a full satin-brushed finish

170 FEATURE

One of the decorating techniques we got to witness was

the creation of the Clous de Paris hobnail pattern on the

caseband of watches such as the Calatrava Ref. 5531 as well

as the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300. The guillocheur uses

a hand-operated comb and plane lathe, where a comb tool

with a series of fine parallel teeth is wielded with utmost

control and precision to engrave the surface of the case while

turning it. The difficulty lies in the delicate balance between

applying just the right amount of pressure and ensuring

consistent movement to achieve the desired results.

In a particularly dim corner of the room, there is the

gem-setting department, which consists of skilled gemsetters dedicated to working on special Haute Joaillerie

pieces. One of them was working on the dial of an Aquanaut

where its checkerboard pattern had been replaced by

baguette-cut diamonds and emeralds using the invisible

setting technique. This technique provides a seamless

and smooth appearance by hiding the metal framework

that holds the stones. The result is a striking and visually

appealing design where the gemstones seemingly blend into

the surrounding precious metal.

A metal framework or setting is specially designed to

hold the stones. The metal bars or channels have notches

Above and below: The H-shaped links are protected with a masking tape, exposing only the center links that must undergo polishing and buffing once again;

Chamfering the edges; The various stages of machining, turning and finishing; Applying the Clous de Paris hobnail pattern using a comb and plane lathe

FEATURE 171

on their sides to securely hold the gemstones in place. Tiny

grooves, known as girdle grooves, are present on the sides

of the baguette-cut stones that interlock with the notches

in the metal framework, ensuring a secure and precise fit.

The gem-setter uses pressure to secure the stones gently and

precisely into the metal setting. The gems are fitted closely

together, with no visible gaps or metal prongs between

them, giving the illusion that they are floating or magically

held in place.

After the stones are set, the piece undergoes careful

inspection to ensure that each stone is perfectly aligned and

secured in place. The patience, steady hand and gimlet eye

that we take for granted in watchmaking, are just as crucial

for the maestros of the gem-setter’s craft. As a testament

to its complexity, watches featuring the invisible setting

technique often command a premium.

GRAND COMPLICATIONS

PP6 also houses the production and assembly of grand

complications, which is by far the most labor-intensive

aspect of their manufacture. The CNC machines used in

this department cater to small serial production. Our guide

explained that in the Grandmaster Chime, the mainplate

begins as a very thick plate of metal that requires four hours

of milling and drilling on the front and six hours of milling

on the back.

Skeletonized plates and other intricate small

components, such as levers, are manufactured with high

precision using an electro or wire erosion machine. In this

process, the machine submerges a series of metal plates in

deionized water and directs a thin, electrically charged wire

downward to cut the plates with exceptional accuracy. The

wire erosion technique allows for the creation of complex

and delicate shapes with very tight tolerances, ensuring the

precise and intricate construction of parts.

Unlike movement parts for the classic collections, parts

for grand complications can be extremely difficult to finish

by hand due to their complex shapes and sizes. While a

bench-style wooden grinding wheel or a handheld rotary

tool is used on the regular production floor, we saw more

THE PATIENCE, STEADY

HAND AND GIMLET EYE THAT

WE TAKE FOR GRANTED IN

WATCHMAKING ARE JUST AS

CRUCIAL FOR THE MAESTROS

OF THE GEM-SETTER’S CRAFT.

The dimly-lit environment of a gemsetter enhances their ability to assess

and set gemstones with precision;

Setting the dial of an Aquanaut with

baguette-cut diamonds and emeralds

using the invisible setting technique

172 FEATURE

Clockwise: Beveling the balance bridge of

the Grandmaster Chime using a metal file;

An overview of components with intricate

shapes and varying sizes present in grand

complications; Precision cutting using

electro-erosion; Applying circular graining

to the base plate of the Grandmaster Chime

FEATURE 173

Clockwise from top: The newly formed Rare Handcrafts department in PP6; An enameller showcasing the technique of champlevé enameling; Bottles of enamel powder;

Cloisonné enameling on the dial of the Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738/50G-025 “Snow-Covered Landscape” created for the Grand Art Exhibition in Tokyo this year;

The gold wire used to create compartments in cloisonné enameling; Engraver working on the Calatrava Ref. 5089G-124 launched during the same occasion

174 FEATURE

metal and wooden files being used in this department. A

manual file is more time-consuming, but it offers maximum

control on more delicate and hard-to-reach areas, as seen

on components like a tourbillon bridge or a centrifugal

governor. These various methods of anglage enable Patek

Philippe to maintain a high quality of finish.

RARE HANDCRAFTS

Continuing our journey to the fourth floor, we were treated

to a demonstration of champlevé enameling in the Rare

Handcrafts department. In champlevé enameling, a thick

dial plate is carefully hollowed out to create outlines of

cavities where enamel is painted into, before firing to affix

the colors. This method allows different colors of enamels to

be mixed freely within one compartment to create gradients

and shading without affecting the others. It is generally

simpler and quicker to execute compared to cloisonné,

which requires precise shaping and positioning of thin

metal wires, making it more suitable for serial production.

The demonstration was eventually hijacked by our group

and the artwork began deteriorating rapidly. We were told

that Patek Philippe fires the enamel after the application

of each layer, while some brands opt to fire at the end for

quicker production, limiting color and shading adjustments

if issues were to be discovered only at the end. Alas, the

artwork did not advance to the stage of firing; by the time

we were done, it was ready for the bin.

The team of enamelers based in PP6 are skilled in as

many as 12 types of enameling. There are also enamelers

based in Patek Philippe’s dial factory, Cadrans Flückiger in

St Imier. For certain special pieces, independent enamelers,

including Anita Porchet, are subcontracted.

By the end of the tour, it was impossible not to come away

with a profound respect and admiration for the completeness

and consistency that permeate every aspect of Patek Philippe,

be it in terms of watchmaking or manufacturing. These

qualities are emblematic of the fact that the manufacture

is nothing if not superlatively astute about its future, as it

has been since the dawn of the Stern era. The decision to

strengthen its complicated and Rare Handcrafts collections

is a move that will only reaffirm its position as the foremost

complication specialist and a steadfast guardian of Genevan

craftsmanship. In an era consumed by hype-y steel watches,

this is the light at the end of the tunnel.

THE

PATEK PHILIPPE

SEAL

Today all Patek Philippe watches bear the Patek Philippe

Seal, a certification and hallmark of quality, craftsmanship

and performance which was introduced in 2009 as a way

to establish their own comprehensive quality certification

that surpasses existing standards set by the Geneva Seal

and the COSC. The hallmark of quality not only applies to

movements, but also all external components including cases,

dials, hands, pushers, spring bars and even diamonds, while

also encompassing the aesthetic and functional attributes of

the finished watches.

Beyond that, the rate accuracy of a watch must meet strict

standards both before and after casing the movement. For

calibers with diameters of 20mm or larger, the rate accuracy

must lie within the range of -3 and +2 seconds a day, while

calibers with diameters of less than 20mm must lie within

the threshold of -5 and +4 seconds a day. Tourbillon watches,

on the other hand, are required to attain a rate accuracy of

within -2 and +1 seconds.