WatchTime Magazine
WatchTime Magazine
WatchTime Magazine
TESTS &
REVIEWS
BREMONT
CODEBREAKER
CARTIER
CALIBRE DIVER
MONTBLANC
MEISTERSTCK
PERPETUAL
CALENDAR
3 PILOTS
WATCHES
IWC
ZENITH
BELL & ROSS
SOME RELIEF
ON PRICES?
ww w.w atc htime.com
August 20 14
TAG HEUER
VS
TUDOR
A COMPARATIVE TEST
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NEW BR 03-92 CERAMIC Automatic 42 mm Bell & Ross Inc. +1.888.307.7887 information@bellross.com e-Boutique: www.bellross.com
Download the BR SCAN app to reveal exclusive content
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EDITORS
Letter
H
A single little second is
causing an international
brouhaha among
timekeeping experts.
10
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WEEKLY
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WATCHTIME.COM
Each weeks top news
and features
The best WatchTime
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and quizzes
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CONTENTS
WatchTime, July-August, 2014
106
98
COVER STORY
98
114
FLYING SAUCERS
By Martina Richter | These three pilots watches all
have humongous cases, like those of the earliest watches
for flyers. We take a close look at the distinctive features
of all three: the IWC Pilots Watch Top Gun Miramar,
the Bell & Ross BR 03-51 GMT and the Zenith Pilot
Montre DAronef Type 20 GMT.
122
WRITE ON TIME
By Martina Richter | Montblanc Montre launched the
Meisterstck Heritage Collection to mark the 90th
birthday of its well-known Meisterstck pen. We test
the collections perpetual calendar model.
128
TWO TIMERS
By Alexander Krupp | One sporty chrono, the TAG
Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 Jack Heuer Edition,
meets another, the Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue, in
our comparative test.
14
TEST CASE
By Mike Disher | Is Cartiers new dive watch, the
Calibre Diver, more than just a pretty face? We
find out.
A DATAB
ASE
WITH OV
ER
VISIT
WaTchTIme.com
22,000
WATch
eS!
An exciting design
Outstanding features
A digital archive of all issues
of WatchTime
Videos, reviews, comments
and breaking news
A weekly newsletter
WatchTime.com - Your No. 1
watch site in the U.S.
CONTENTS
August 2014
50
46
128
SPECIAL REPORT: BASELWORLD 2014
46
50
83
84
16
86
94
96
CONTENTS
August 2014
122
32
114
DEPARTMENTS
& COLUMNS
10
EDITORS LETTER
The brewing storm over leap seconds
20
ON WATCHTIME.COM
A glimpse at whats on our site to keep you up to date
on the latest watch news
26
WORLD OF WATCHTIME
See the global reach of WatchTime and its partners
28
READERS FORUM
WatchTime readers protest a recent watch-test score,
debunk tourbillons, point out anachronistic watches in
movies, and more
32
WATCHTALK
New CEOs at Rolex, Zenith, and Raymond Weil;
Jaquet Drozs newest writing mechanism; Thierry Stern
plans a party; the biggest U.S. watch advertisers for
2013; Viscontis see-through watch; and more
44
WATCH QUIZ
A commemorative quiz on Patek Philippe,
which turns 175 this year
136
FACETIME
A photo mlange of readers and their watches
138
LAST MINUTE
Richemont, retail giant
ON WATCHTIME.COM
Visit our website for more information about the
world of fine watches. To read the stories shown
here, go to watchtime.com/on-watchtime.
GETTING TO KNOW NOMOS
Nomos watches are well known
in their native Germany but not
in this country. As the brand
makes a push for broader
recognition here, we offer a
sampling of six of the brands
models.
10 MILESTONES FROM
10 YEARS OF GREUBEL FORSEY
A look back at the rst decade of
Greubel Forsey, the ultra-high-end
watch brand specializing in watches
with multiple tourbillons.
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Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher
Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Technical Editor
Associate Editor
Digital Media Editor
Art Direction/Design
Contributing Writers
Translations
Photographers
Joe Thompson
Norma Buchanan
Dara Hinshaw
Mike Disher
Jay Deshpande
Mark Bernardo
Publishers Factory, Munich
Gwendolyn Benda
Gisbert L. Brunner
Rdiger Bucher
Maria-Bettina Eich
Jens Koch
Alexander Krupp
Alexander Linz
Martina Richter
Gerhard Seelen
Thomas Wanka
Neha S. Bajpai
Aishwarya Sati
Howard Fine
Magdalena Grau
Joanne Weinzierl
Robert Atkinson
Nina Bauer
Marcus Krger
Nicolas Lieber
OK-Photography
Eveline Perroud
Maik Richter
Nik Schlzel
Zuckerfabrik Fotodesign
WatchTime (ISSN 1531-5290) is published bimonthly for $49.97 per year by Ebner Publishing International, Inc., 274 Madison Avenue, Suite 804, New York, NY 10016.
Copyright Ebner Publishing International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. July/August 2014 issue, Volume 16, Number 4. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WatchTime,
WatchTime Subscription Service, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834-3000, Tel. 1-888-289-0038. Publications mail agreement no. 40676078: Return undeliverable
Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 4R6.
www.watchtime.com
Dominik Grau
Sara M. Orlando
Minda Larsen
Steve Brown
Ayzha Wolf
Martha Samuel
Terry King
Steve Capasso
Ralph Perricelli
Irwin Billman
Sherry Kurth
Executive Board
Production Director
Head of Digital Development
Head of IT
Digital & Mobile
Gerrit Klein
Florian Ebner
Eberhard Ebner
Michael Kessler
Paul-Henry Schmidt
Jordan Hellstern
Jens Koeppe
WatchTime, watchtime.com, Inside Basel.Geneva and IBG are protected through trademark registration
in the United States and in the foreign countries where WatchTime magazine circulates.
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THE WORLD OF
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(USA, India, Middle East) and Chronos (Europe, Asia). Ebner also owns the 'Inside Basel.Geneva' event brand.
Events
READERS
Forum
', (
(''
#*
TESTS
A. LANGE & SHNE
JAEGER-LECOULTRE
ORIS
ARNOLD & SON
MHLE-GLASHTTE
VS. MEISTERSINGER
BAUME & MERCIER
LONGINES
H. MOSER
REMADE
BABIES
GOT
BACK
The Classique
Chronomtrie 7727
BREGUET
ROYAL GOOF
I was rereading the letters in the April 2014
issue and decided to pen/type this quick note to
you, but only after acknowledging that: 1. this
is not a criticism of you and/or the mag; and 2.
I figure you have already received many notes
on this. With that said, I am still going to chime
in regarding the Kings English comment in
your response to Paul Cheseks letter [about
profanity in Joe Thompsons article on the
Shinola watch brand in the December 2013
issue]. You arent returning to the Kings English, but rather the Queens, as England is still
ruled by a queen, at least as I write this note,
and the sitting monarch is the one who gets the
nod. When there is a power succession in Great
Britain, if the throne passes to one of the
boys and they get a king, then English gets
one too!
David Abrams
Via e-mail
Joe Thompson replies:
Yours is in fact the only letter we have received
about our mistake. Thanks for pointing it out
and our apologies to Her Majesty.
28
ALL SIZZLE?
I have been a reader of WatchTime for quite a
few years and I have to say the latest crop of
new stuff in your April 2014 issue was the
most interesting in quite a while. The push
seems to be in the direction of thinner movements especially when it comes to complications. For instance Jaegers new Ultra Thin Perpetual and Hybris 11 Repeater-Tourbillon are
both amazing in terms of packaging density to
achieve slim cases.
I also note that there are dozens of Swiss
tourbillons proliferating on the market recently.
Even the least expensive of these is still several
tens of thousands of dollars. The Arnold & Son
model you reviewed in that same issue was
mentioned as a virtual bargain in comparison at
only $59K or so, (roughly the cost of a
decked-out Audi, BMW or Mercedes), though
the Arnold would not be my choice due to the
very small dial in relation to its large case, (a pet
peeve of mine why do so many watch companies do that?)
I understand exactly how a tourbillon
works, and its actually not as difficult to implement as the watch companies would like us to
believe. The only real difference between that
and a simple, ordinary running train is the stationary fourth wheel and a small gear on the
escape wheel to orbit the balance-wheel cage
around it. To me, its much, much simpler than
the many extra gears and levers and column
wheel to implement a chronograph, for
instance. Thus, it does not need to be an
immensely costly feature.
To prove this hypothesis, I recently purchased a brand-new watch with a flying tourbillon, coaxially mounted, which keeps perfect
time. The movement has ctes de Genve finishing; it claims to be made in Switzerland; it
has a deployant buckle and it even has a meteorite dial, and all for only several hundred dollars! Admittedly the case is only gold-plated,
but it really looks the part.
I also know a fair bit about the history of
watchmaking in Switzerland and I know that in
the old days of farmer-ateliers assembling
watches, the watch companies used to pay
twice as much for a minute-repeater caliber as
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citizen-signature.com
READERS
Forum
30
SETTLING A SCORE
I know its subjective, but dont you think you
(or Mike) were a bit tough on the score for the
Arnold UTTE [The Thinner Spinner by
Mike Disher, April 2014]? If you block out
the scores you awarded, and read the nine sections of the score card, avidly mad WIS students of WT, as I am, would absolutely be forgiven for thinking Here is an 88-90. Near
perfect timekeeping in the real world for such
a complicated timepiece should surely outweigh a perceived tiny difference in the finishing, which, by the way, is not at all evident in
the excellent enlarged illustrations of the
movement. [Editors note: Disher gave the
watch an 85.]
David G. L. Worland
Sutton, Australia
Mike Disher replies:
Though there is a potential for overlap, in fact
each category in the WatchTime scoring system rates different things, and a score in one
category does not necessarily influence the
score in a different category. For example, legibility and design are related, as are comfort
and strap/clasp, but good legibility does not
automatically translate to a high design score,
TIME-WARP WATCHES
Just saw American Hustle. Great movie. But I
have to say Bradley Cooper should have left his
yellow gold IWC Da Vinci with brown strap
home. (I doubt that watch was available during the 1970s!) Also, his boss wore a gold
Rolex Sub with ceramic bezel (also not a 1970s
watch). I just thought Id let you know.
Mo Sadrpour
Via e-mail
WATCHtalk
The Crowned
Heads of Rolex
A century-plus of CEOs
Jean-Frdric Dufour
32
Hans Wilsdorf
1905 to 1960
Andr Heiniger
1960 to 1992
Patrick Heiniger
1992 to 2008
Bruno Meier
2009 to 2011
Gian Riccardo
Marini
2011 to 2014
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WATCHtalk
Gerd-Rdiger Lang presents Michael Kobold (second from right) with a 200-year-old polishing tool to
celebrate the opening of the new facility. Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Jack Roseman, a professor at Carnegie
Mellon, are on the far left and right, respectively.
Correction:
The watch quiz on page 46 of the
June issue gave an incorrect answer
for one of the questions. Gary
Player is sponsored by Rolex, not
Audemars Piguet.
WATCHtalk
Signature Piece
aquet Droz has brought out a new
miniaturized mechanical device: a
machine that can duplicate its owners signature. Dubbed the Signing
Machine, it follows in the tradition of
Jaquet Droz automata.
Designed to be comparable in size to a
smartphone its five inches long and
three inches wide the Signing Machine
at first looks like a nondescript black and
gray cassette. Unlock it with a four-digit
security code and wind it via a lever on its
side, though, and the mechanism comes
to life. When you press the button on top
of the case two times, a hinged arm and a
small black stylus slide out. Fit the pen
into the arm and press the button once
more, and the machines complex gear
train will execute your signature. And
while your John Hancock is taking shape,
you can watch the mechanism at work
through a window on the case.
The Signing Machine has 327 components. It is made mostly of titanium to
reduce its weight, and it also has brass and
stainless-steel elements. It is 0.6 inches thick.
36
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WATCHtalk
38
500
450
400
Brand
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Rolex
Breitling
Cartier
Omega
TAG Heuer
Citizen
Movado
Chanel
Longines
Seiko
Breguet
Tudor
Patek Philippe
Hublot
Audemars Piguet
Bell & Ross
Dior
Swatch
Montblanc
Ball Watch
Armitron
Chopard
Rado
Baume & Mercier
Shinola
Amount
($ millions)
61.48
43.85
24.58
22.96
22.00
20.72
19.83
17.87
16.02
11.15
9.58
8.24
7.66
7.59
7.39
7.11
6.05
6.05
5.64
5.37
5.35
5.20
4.95
4.92
4.66
350
300
250
200
08
09
10
11
12
13
WATCHtalk
long and 15.2 mm high) is made of polished sapphire. The front and back of the
watch are covered with a flat sapphire
glass. The result is that you can see into
the watch from every angle. One version
of the Crystal Demo has a bezel and
crown protector made of 18k rose gold.
This is limited to 38 pieces priced at
$38,500. Another version comes with a
bezel and crown protector made of grade
5 titanium; this is limited to 88 pieces
priced at $25,000. The bracelet on the
watches is made of nine sapphire links
and stainless steel with either gold or titanium elements.
WATCHtalk
hour and minutes hands have an exclusive Visconti design, with tips reminiscent
of fountain pen nibs.
Visconti has serious watch ambitions,
Del Vecchio told WatchTime. Growth in
the luxury-pen business has slowed in
recent years, he says. Florence has a tradition of watchmaking. (Panerai, for one,
was born there.) His goal is to revive luxury watchmaking there and create a new
business opportunity for Visconti. He has
created a luxury-watch manufacturing
area within the historic Medici villa
where Visconti pens are produced.
In addition to the Crystal Demo
watch, Visconti introduced at Baselworld
its first chronograph watch, in the Bridge
Over Time series, with limited-edition
pieces (250 each) in titanium, bronze,
black PVD, and stainless steel. The
watches contain an ETA 2892A2 base
movement with a Dubois Dpraz chronograph module and are priced at $6,950 to
$7,250.
The company also introduced its first
professional divers watch, the Scuba
Abyssus 3000M. It comes in titanium,
bronze and steel versions (399 pieces
each). Its monobloc case measures
54.4 mm (at the crown) by 57.9 mm and
is 17.5 mm thick. The watch is water
resistant to 3,000 meters. The watches
are powered by a Soprod movement and
cost $8,350 to $8,950.
JOE THOMPSON
WATCHquiz
quizs
Patek.
Past and
Present
44
BASELWORLD 2014
The Scene
FINALLY,
some
$EN$IBLE
PRICING
Swiss brands are adjusting to the
post-China-boom landscape.
BY JOE THOMPSON
T
46
in the June 2014 issue) did not materialize in the first quarter. China, meanwhile,
continued to limp along. It should soon
move out of the red, the FH noted, a
statement that would have been unthinkable two years ago.
The mood at Baselworld, like business generally, was fine, although there
were few surprises on the product front.
There was, however, one notable new
development. For the first time since the
global financial crisis of 2009, some
watch brands are making efforts to introduce new products at lower prices. With
the bloom off the China rose, luxurywatch demand has fallen and pressure on
watch prices has eased. The Swiss
Exhibitors Committee, in a show-recap
press release, cited a trend among prestige brands to include affordable styles in
their collections that will appeal to
emerging markets fast-growing middle
and upper classes.
This year the show is dominated by
presentations of lower-priced product.
Thats what Im seeing, Swatch Group
CEO Nick Hayek Jr. told WatchTime.
Everybody tries to go into the price segAugust 2014 WatchTime 47
MIXED PICTURE
Market
1. Hong Kong
2. U.S.
3. China
4. Japan
5. U.A.E.
6. Germany
7. Singapore
8. Italy
9. France
10. U.K.
Value
968.6
537.2
322.8
304.9
281.5
270.5
243.1
239.1
229.9
188.4
% Change
+6.5
+3.2
-0.2
+30.8
+18.5
-5.9
-4.5
-3.3
-3.0
+2.6
BASELWORLD 2014
Rolex
WHEN ROLEX launched the Sea-Dweller
Deepsea in 2008, it deep-sixed the Reference 16600 Sea-Dweller a well-known
watch with a dedicated following. Sure,
the Deepsea offered 3,900-meter water
resistance and a beefy 44-mm case, but to
traditionalists, the Deepsea launch was
Rolexs New Coke moment. This year at
Baselworld, Rolex launched its Coke
Classic, and its called the Sea-Dweller
4000. It combines a time-honored look
with a range of improvements.
The case measures a traditional 40
mm in diameter, and it features a helium
escape valve at 9 oclock. The bezel is
Rolexs patented, in-house Cerachrom, a
high-tech material that is scratch resistant
and does not fade. The hour markers and
hands are illuminated with Chromalight,
another Rolex exclusive that glows bright
blue for excellent legibility in the dark
and under water.
The new Oyster case is water resistant
to 1,220 meters, or 4,000 feet, hence the
4000 in the watchs name. The patented
Triplock crown contributes to this rating.
The case is machined from a block of
904L steel, which is harder and more corrosion resistant than the 316L steel that is
used by many watch brands.
The case protects the Rolex Caliber
3135. This automatic movement is produced entirely in house and certified as a
chronometer by COSC. The movement
features Rolexs exclusive Parachrom balance spring, which Rolex says offers
50
extended by up to 20 mm in 2-mm
increments for a comfortable fit, and the
Fliplock diver extension link, which adds
26 mm to the overall length, allowing the
watch to fit over a wetsuit. The SeaDweller 4000 is priced at $10,400.
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BASELWORLD 2014
GirardPerregaux
COMING ON THE HEELS of last years
technically innovative Constant Escapement, Girard-Perregaux followed up this
year with another watch designed to
demonstrate the companys watchmaking prowess: the Tri-Axial Tourbillon.
Unlike a traditional, single-plane tourbillon, the Tri-Axial rotates in three cages,
on three planes, at three different speeds:
30, 60 and 180 seconds. The entire mechanism is 13.78 mm in diameter and
weighs only 1.24 grams. The cage and
drive systems are steel while the support
pillars are titanium. The balance wheel
has 16 gold micro-adjustment screws and
beats at 21,600 vph (3 Hz). The mechanical ballet is visible through a dial aperture at 9 oclock. A dome in the sapphire
crystal allows sufficient space for the
tourbillon to rotate.
The manual-winding Caliber GP09300
measures 36.10 mm in diameter and
16.83 mm in height. It contains 317
pieces and offers a 52-hour power
reserve, which can be tracked via a
curved display on the dial. The move-
52
features a clous de Paris motif with rosegold numerals and indexes. The minutes
are indicated on a separate ring with white
numerals against a black background.
The Girard-Perregaux Tri-Axial Tourbillon will be limited to 10 pieces, each
priced at $510,900.
BASELWORLD 2014
Patek Philippe
PATEK PHILIPPE expanded its collection of complicated Nautilus models with
the launch of the new Ref. 5990/1A Travel
Time Chronograph in steel. This model
replaces the Nautilus chronograph, Ref.
5980/1A, which was first presented in
2006 to mark the 30th anniversary of the
Nautilus collection.
The new Nautilus displays two time
zones with two hour hands on the same
axis. The lower, home-time hand is skeletonized, and the upper, local-time hand
matches the minutes hand. When youre
home, the two hands are superposed.
When youre on the move, you can adjust
the local-time hour hand in one-hour
steps with the plus and minus correctors
on the left side of the case. Each hour
54
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devices
capable
of
measurement
accuracy
to
within
hundredths
or
even
thousandths
of
millimetres.
In order to read these values precisely, the millimetres were displayed by a small macro dial gauge, and the
large micro dial gauge made the fractions of the measuring unit visible.
invokes this design and reinvents it in the language of timepieces by Nautische Instrumente Mhle-Glashtte.
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58
BASELWORLD 2014
TAG Heuer
WHEN TAG HEUER launched the
Monaco V4 as a non-functioning concept
watch in 2004, many were skeptical that
the watchs revolutionary belt-drive
movement could be made to run reliably.
Indeed it took the company five years to
bring the watch to market. (See Pilot
Projects in WatchTimes August 2012
issue.) As it turns out, perfecting the original V4 was only a training exercise for
projects yet to come.
At Baselworld this year, TAG Heuer
launched the Monaco V4 Tourbillon.
The brands fighter-pilot-turned-physicist
60
BASELWORLD 2014
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BASELWORLD 2014
Omega
THIS YEAR OMEGA brought out an
updated version of its 57-year-old divers
watch, the Seamaster 300. The new model
is very close in appearance to the 50s
model: it has a thin black bezel, a large
arrow on the hour hand, and pointed
hour indexes. Even the coloring is nearly
the same, giving the new watch a vintage
appearance. But underneath the dial, the
Seamaster 300 is entirely fresh, with a
new manufacture caliber that draws
upon Omegas most recent technological
advances.
The Seamaster 300s dial reads Master Co-Axial. As Omega fans know, the
Co-Axial in the label refers to the
watchs co-axial escapement, invented by
the great British watchmaker George
Daniels and a mainstay of the Omega
brand. Master, however, is a new designation and refers to the watchs antimagnetic properties. The movement, Caliber 8400, incorporates the same antimagnetic technology that the brand
introduced last year with its Seamaster
Aqua Terra. It is based on the use of antimagnetic materials for various movement
components, including the balance
spring, which is silicon. Most antimag-
The new
Seamaster 300
64
netic watches, by contrast, rely on a protective Faraday cage to shield the movement from magnetism. Omega says its
system makes the Seamaster resistant to
up to 15,000 gauss (1.5 tesla), the highest
level of antimagnetism on the watch market today. Because the watch has no
opaque inner case, Omega was able to fit
the Seamaster with a transparent caseback. From now on, Omega will use
Master on all its watches with this
antimagnetic feature (and has added the
word to the Aqua Terras dial).
Caliber 8400 is a COSC-certified
chronometer and is water resistant to 300
meters (the 300 in the watchs name). It
runs in 38 jewels and has a power reserve
of 60 hours. Its frequency is 25,200 vph.
The black dial of the Seamaster 300
has been sandblasted, and its triangular
hour markers are recessed into the dial.
These indexes are partly filled with vintage Super-LumiNova, and their coloring is unlike what one finds on most contemporary dials. In the dark, these emit a
blue light. The luminous material on the
hour and seconds hands also shines blue,
while the minutes hand and the dot at 12
oclock on the bezel shine green.
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BASELWORLD 2014
Blancpain
LAST YEAR BLANCPAIN brought out
an updated version of its Fifty Fathoms
Bathyscaphe, which was introduced in
the late 1950s. This year the brand followed up with a flyback chronograph
version of the watch. It contains a new
in-house movement, which features automatic winding, a column-wheel chronograph mechanism, vertical clutch, and a
super-fast frequency of 36,000 vph.
The watch (including its chrono pushers, which, unlike those on many watches,
can be operated under water) is water
resistant to 300 meters. The balance
spring is made of silicon, which resists
magnetism. The rotor is made of 18k
gold, coated with the platinum alloy NAC.
The dial, like that of its 1950s predecessor,
is domed and indicates the hours by
means of simple lines and dots rather
Armin
Strom
BIENNE-BASED Armin Strom has
added a date display to its Gravity
watch, which has a micro-rotor visible
through the dial. The original Gravity
watch debuted at Baselworld last year.
The Gravity Date has Armin Stroms
characteristic off-center time display,
with the brand name along the right side
of the dial. The subdial for the small seconds at 9 oclock has two skeletonized
hands. The larger one points to the date,
marked in a ring inside the seconds ring.
The shorter one is a 24-hour hand and
aids in adjusting the date. The black and
white halves of the subdial signal day
and night. Caliber ADD14, including its
gold escape wheel and pallets and its microrotor at 5 oclock, is visible through the
66
than numerals. The date appears in a window at 4 oclock. The dial has a sunburst
finish while the subdials (chrono counters
and small seconds) have snailed finishes.
The rectangular hour and minutes hands
are also a nod to the original Bathyscaphe.
The unidirectional rotating divers
bezel is made of ceramic and has hour
markers filled with the patented LiquidMetal alloy, which enhances the bezels
scratch resistance. The hands and indexes
are coated with Super-LumiNova. The
case, fitted with a see-through back, is 43
mm in diameter and available in a
brushed black ceramic version with black
dial (shown here, $17,000) or in brushed
steel with a gray dial ($15,000). The
watches are fitted with either a NATO
fabric or sail-canvas strap; the steel version also comes on a metal bracelet.
Sinn
THE EZM 13 from Sinn is a divers watch designed to withstand rugged use. Its case, with a diameter of 41.5 mm, is
made of bead-blasted stainless steel. The watch is water
resistant to 500 meters and is certified based on the German
standard DIN 8310. (It is also certified for the German diving standard, DIN 8306.) The watch is protected from magnetic fields up to 80,000 A/m. Special oils lubricate its moving parts to ensure that it works properly from -45 degrees
to +80 degrees C (-49 to +176 degrees F). The EZM 13 uses
Sinns Ar-Dehumidifying Technology, which keeps the dial
from fogging up after rapid temperature changes. The
indexes and hands have a luminous coating. A date window
sits below 4 oclock. Small seconds are at 3 oclock. The
EZM 13 is powered by Sinns automatic SZ02 movement,
which is a modified version of the ETA 7750 with a 60minute counter instead of the usual 30 minutes. The movement has 25 jewels and runs at 28,800 vph. The watch has
a rotating bezel. The screw-down crown and pushers are on
the left side of the case so they wont restrict the motion of
the hand. As an additional protection that many divers
watches lack, the push-piece pins are mounted directly in a
case aperture so that the chronograph can be activated under
water without damaging the movement. Price: $2,900.
MeisterSinger
THE SIGNATURE of the German brand MeisterSinger is its
one-hand dials. In most of its watches, a single hand circles
the dial once every 12 hours; 5-minute increments are
marked between the hour indexes so the wearer can read
both hours and minutes from the same hand. The new
Salthora offers a different twist on that theme: it, too, has
just one hand, but that hand indicates minutes only. Hours
are shown in a jumping display at 12 oclock. The Salthora
is the first MeisterSinger model with a jumping-hour mechanism. The watch is powered by an automatic ETA 2824-2
caliber with an added module for the jumping hour. The
watch has a 38-hour power reserve. To prevent any unevenness of rate that the energy-intensive jumping-hour mechanism might cause, the tension for the switching arm of the
hour disk is provided over the course of the 60 minutes by a
screw attached to the minutes wheel. Power is therefore
siphoned from the barrel continuously rather than all at
once, and the rate is not affected much, MeisterSinger says.
The Salthora has a 40-mm stainless-steel case with an exhibition caseback. It is water resistant to 50 meters. An exact
U.S. price was not available at press time, but it was expected
to be about $3,300.
August 2014 WatchTime 67
Tudor
THE TUDOR HERITAGE RANGER
draws upon a military-style watch of the
same name that the brand introduced in
1967. The most distinctive feature of the
Ranger is its brown leather bund strap.
Like a NATO strap, it is a single piece of
material, running underneath the watch
case. It is especially tailored to the watch,
with a tapered oval to fit the shape of the
case. It has visible white stitching along
the sides; the thin edges are painted black.
Leather also runs around the crosspieces,
so the watch is fully embedded in its strap.
If the bund strap isnt your cup of tea,
Tudor also offers the Ranger with a steel
bracelet, or a darker brown strap in a
more traditional style. All these options
have a satin-finished folding clasp and
safety catch. All versions of the Ranger
also come with an additional fabric strap
in a distinctive woven camouflage pattern.
Casio
A NEW ADDITION to the Pro Trek family,
the PRW6000Y is a rugged outdoors
watch with a compass, barometer and
altimeter, among other functions. With
Casios Triple Sensor Version 3, the sensors for these functions are significantly
smaller than in older models with similar
functions: they take up only 5 percent of
the space they used to and consume 1/10
of the energy. The watch takes altitude
readings once per second at a resolution
accurate to one-meter increments. The
compass can take 60 seconds of continuous measurement.
The solar-powered watch is designed
to charge in low levels of sunlight or in
fluorescent light. It also has an automatic
backlight that adjusts to ambient conditions so that it gives the appropriate
amount of illumination. An atmospheric
pressure-trend alarm can alert you to
Tutima
THE HEADLINER for Tutima at Baselworld was the Saxon One Chronograph.
The watch has two unusual features. One
is the center-mounted minutes counter
that tallies elapsed minutes. The other is
the chronograph pushers, which follow
the curve of the case and are quite inconspicuous when the watch is viewed headon. There is a subdial at 12 oclock that
shows 24-hour time. Running seconds
are at 9 oclock and a 12-hour counter
sits at 6 oclock. The case is 44 mm in
diameter and 15.3 mm thick. The crystal
is made of sapphire and has a nonreflective coating on the inside. The brands
signature red stroke indicates the 12
oclock position on the bezel. Price:
$7,700 for the bracelet version and
$7,550 for the reptile-leather-strap one.
Citizen
THE MOST IMPORTANT new watch for Citizen this year was the
Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F100. The watch can receive time signals
from satellites orbiting the Earth and automatically adjust itself to
display the time in any of 40 time zones, indicated by a ring of city initials around the dial periphery. Citizen introduced its first satellitesignal watch in 2011 and last year brought out another with a more
sensitive antenna. The F100 is an improvement over these watches
because it can pick up the signal faster, in 3 seconds or less, shaving 1
second off the time required by the 2013 version. The watch is also
more precise, Citizen says, and will gain or lose no more than 5 seconds a month, compared to 15 seconds for the previous version. The
case, made of titanium, is 45 mm in diameter and 12.4 mm thick. The
bezel is coated with DLC. The watch is powered by Citizens EcoDrive system, which converts natural or artificial light into electricity
and stores it in a cell, eliminating the need for battery changes.
The Satellite Wave F100 (F100 is the name of the movement)
also has a perpetual calendar. There is a date window at 3 oclock;
a subdial between 7 and 8 oclock shows the day and also contains
an indicator showing how much light is entering the watch at any
given time. Three indications near the top of the dial give information about the satellite signal reception. RX means the watch is in
reception mode, OK means it has picked up a signal, and NO
means it has failed to pick one up. Price: $2,000.
August 2014 WatchTime 71
Rado
Clerc
THE MOTTLED EFFECT on the bezel of Clercs new
Hydroscaph 140 Carbon Limited Edition Chronograph
is due to the unusual material from which the watch is
made: NTPT (North Thin Ply Technology), a lightweight
carbon composite made of many layers of carbon fiber
no thicker than 30 microns. NTPT has many uses,
including for sails on Americas Cup yachts and for
Formula 1 racecars. Its advantages for use in watch
cases are that its extremely rigid, it is very easily
machined, and, thanks to the process used to make it, it
has a distinctive, wood-grain-like look.
As its name suggests, the Hydroscaph, water resistant
to 500 meters, is a divers watch. The case, 44.6 mm in
diameter (49.6 mm if you include the lateral protectors),
is composed of 103 components and is, the company
says, the most complex case on the market. (The 140
in the watchs name is a reference to the 140 years that
have passed since the original Clerc company was founded
in Paris.) The bezel, which the wearer rotates via the
crown at 10 oclock, can be locked into position by
means of a retractable flap on the middle section of the
case. The lugs are flexible and can be adjusted to fit over
a wetsuit. The caseback is transparent.
The movement, an automatic, is Caliber C608.
Elapsed minutes are indicated by a center-mounted hand
rather than on a subdial. A 24-hour display sits at 9
oclock. The indexes and hands are coated with gray
Super-LumiNova. The watch is being made in a limited
edition of 140 pieces. Price: $12,900.
THE CERAMIC TOUCH TECHNOLOGY that Rado introduced last year has now been added to the HyperChrome collection. The HyperChrome Ceramic Touch Dual Timer can
immediately be recognized as a touch-controlled watch, since it
has no crown. It has hour and minutes hands for two time
zones, displayed on the main dial and on a subdial at 6 oclock.
To set the main time, place your finger at 10 oclock on the
ceramic case. When the minutes hand moves and the watch
beeps, it is ready to be set. Sliding a finger along the left side of
the case will set the hour hand forward or back; the right side
changes the minutes. The minutes hand on the second-timezone subdial will also move to stay aligned with the local-time
minutes hand. To set the second time zone, place a finger at 8
oclock until the watch responds. Setting the hours works the
same way as with the larger time display; the minutes on the
subdial move in 15-minute
increments. This way, the
watch can be set to any time
zone, even ones that are a
quarter hour off from your
home time. To swap the time
on the two displays, touch
the case at 9 and 3
oclock simultaneously
and the hands will
switch places. The
watch comes in
gray, white or
black
ceramic
and on a leather
strap. The version shown here
is $3,000.
BASELWORLD 2014
Christophe
Claret
THIS YEAR CHRISTOPHE CLARETS
new models included the Maestoso. This
watch is doubly rare: it incorporates both
a cylindrical balance spring and a pivoted
detent escapement that took Claret seven
years to perfect. These components date
to the golden age of precision chronometry, when an accurate timekeeper on
board a ship meant the difference
between knowing your location and
being lost at sea. Detent escapements
trump even tourbillons for timekeeping
precision, yet they are almost never found
in wristwatches because they are
extremely sensitive to shocks.
Claret solved the problem with a
mechanism in which an anti-pivot cam,
integral to the spring balance, works in
conjunction with a safety finger. The
ensemble pivots on a ball bearing that
distributes the load on the escapement. A
separate, flexible thrust bearing absorbs
excess energy. Sapphire bridges provide
an unobstructed view of the mechanism.
The movement is
also unusual in that
it runs at 2 Hz, or
14,400 vph. Twin
barrels housing four
mainsprings provide
the power. To guarantee stable energy
delivery throughout
the 80-hour power
reserve, Claret fitted
the movement with a
constant-force spring,
wound by the barrel.
A patented stopseconds mechanism
facilitates precision
time setting. All of this fits in a case measuring 44 mm in diameter.
The Maestoso is available in three
versions: 5N rose gold ($215,000),
anthracite PVD titanium with white gold
($209,500), and anthracite PVD titanium
with rose gold ($205,000).
Doxa
WE RECEIVED A BIG surprise at the
Doxa booth this year. How big? Fiftyseven millimeters big. This year marks
Doxas 125th anniversary, and to celebrate the occasion, the brand presented
the limited-edition (125 pieces, naturally)
57-mm-wide 8 Days Manufacture. Its
powered by a revived version of the eightdays movement the company patented in
1907 for use in a pocketwatch. Indeed,
Doxa claims to have been the first Swiss
company to have patented an eight-days
movement.
The 21-jewel movement features
Geneva-waves finishing, hand engraving
74
HYT
THE HYDRO-MECHANICAL horologists at HYT are back
with an expanded lineup of sophisticated water clocks for
the wrist. For those who are unfamiliar with this young
brand, it made a big splash in 2012 because of its innovative
time display, which indicates hours by means of colored liquid. Working first with Jean-Franois Mojon and Chronode
to create the original H1, then last year (and this year) with
Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi to create the H2, HYT
incorporated micro-mechanical technology from several
fields to create the movement. It uses twin bellows powered
by twin mainsprings to pump a combination of clear and
colored liquids through a thin, circular glass pipe. The line
where the two liquids meet (the meniscus) indicates the
hours. The minutes are indicated regulator-style via a traditional, center-mounted hand.
This year brings the introduction of several new models.
The H2 headliner comes in a black DLC and 5N-rose-gold
case that measures 48.8 mm by 17.9 mm. The screw-down
crown is sheathed in black rubber. The case is water resistant to 50 meters. The manual-wind movement runs at
21,600 vph in 28 jewels. The power reserve is eight days.
This new model will be produced in a limited series of 20
pieces and priced at $160,000.
MhleGlashtte
GERMANYS EQUIVALENT of the Navy SEALs are known
as the Kampfschwimmers, or combat swimmers. These
special operations forces train for deployment on land, sea
and air. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the elite units
founding, Mhle-Glashtte is launching the Kampfschwimmer watch. The sunburst dial is an attention-grabbing electric blue. The buzz-saw bezel is a nod to the commando
divers insignia, which prominently features a sawfish. The
complete insignia, with a special 50th-anniversary notation,
is engraved on the solid caseback. The case measures 44 mm
in diameter; the crystal is domed and 2.5 mm thick.
The movement begins life as a Sellita SW-200 automatic
caliber, which Mhle-Glashtte modifies by adding its own
oscillating weight and Glashtte ribbing decoration. The
company also adds its so-called woodpecker neck fine
adjustment system, which is similar in appearance and function to the better-known swan-neck system.
The Kampfschwimmer will arrive at Mhle-Glashttes
40 U.S. retailers in August or September, priced at about
$3,600.
August 2014 WatchTime 75
BASELWORLD 2014
Breva
Breguet
BREGUETS NEW CLASSIQUE Tourbillon Quantime
Perptuel is being offered in two references: 3797, with a partial
dial; 3795, a skeletonized version without a dial.
Breguet says it paid particular attention to legibility when
creating the design by raising the time display slightly above
everything else. The hours and minutes chapter ring is frosted
sapphire, and its position just above the other displays sets it
apart. This construction is striking and effective, though the
raised ring slightly obscures September and December on the
month display. If you can remember which month it is, this
wont be an issue. Just north of the time display, a blue-tipped
pointer marks the date on an arc that sweeps across the top of
the dial.
The one-minute tourbillon is located at 6 oclock, secured
from above by a bridge with a complex shape. A blued triplehand mounted above the tourbillon indicates the seconds. The
subdial for the days at 9 oclock is engine-turned in waves, and
a snail cam allows the days hand to jump instantaneously. At 3
oclock, a blued-steel hand points to the months on a dial
engine-turned in a sunburst pattern.
The skeletonized Reference 3795 omits the dial entirely to
reveal the movement. The bridges feature lace-like engraving.
Both references are available in rose gold or platinum. The
prices for Ref. 3795 are $240,600 and $254,900, respectively.
For Ref. 3797, theyre $164,900 and $179,200.
76
Longines
LONGINES REGISTERED the name
Conquest with the Swiss Federal Intellectual Property Office in May 1954. At
Baselworld, the brand launched a new
collection of limited-edition, commemorative watches to honor the 60th
anniversary of the patent filing, the new
Longines Conquest Heritage 1954-2014
collection.
Nomos
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT feature of the Metro, a new
watch from the Glashtte-based Nomos, is its in-house
movement. For the first time, Nomos has produced its
own escapement. The Swing System, as it is called, is
the result of seven years of research and development.
The Metro has a simple design, in keeping with
Nomoss characteristic minimalism. The dial is plain
white with red and mint green accents. Small seconds are below the center-mounted hour and minutes hands. A large date window is at 6 oclock. A
power-reserve-indicator wheel is just off center
between 12 and 1. The case is stainless steel, with a
diameter of 37 mm. The Metro is 7.65 mm thick and
has sapphire crystals on both sides. Through the caseback you can see Caliber DUW4401 at work. It is a manualwind movement with a 42-hour power reserve. Its tempered
blue balance spring is also visible through the back. The Metro
comes on a black Horween leather strap and is water resistant
to 30 meters. Price: $3,780.
August 2014 WatchTime 77
BASELWORLD 2014
Peter Speake-Marin
THIS YEAR AT BASELWORLD, independent watchmaker Peter SpeakeMarin launched his first chronograph.
Its part of his Spirit collection, whose
watches feature Speake-Marins signature, canister-shaped Piccadilly case and
an hour hand with the tip shaped like a
spade. The watch is called the Spirit
Seafire. The Seafire was Britains first
modern carrier-based airplane an
ocean-going version of the famed Spitfire. Indeed, the name is a contraction of
Sea and Spitfire.
The watch features central chronograph seconds, elapsed minutes at 12
oclock, and elapsed hours at 6 oclock.
The continuous seconds can be tracked
via a small, circular cut-out in a rotating
Laurent Ferrier
THIS INDEPENDENT WATCHMAKER,
known for his command of subtle details,
offers new interpretations of his Galet
Micro-Rotor with new dials. Ferriers
original dials feature applied slender
gold arrow hour markers, which give
the watches an elegant look. The new
dials are black and opaline silver, and
each features a traditional railroad
minutes track and straight reliefworked Arabic numerals. The new
dials, like the originals, are
fashioned from solid silver.
The black dial is housed in a
rose-gold case, and the
opaline silver dial is
offered in a white-gold
case. Each case measures
40 mm in diameter and is
11.1 mm thick.
The movement in the new
models is unchanged. Each Galet
Micro-Rotor movement features an
exclusive silicon escapement with
double direct impulse on the balance.
78
Harry Winston
THE SWATCH GROUP acquired Harry Winston last year,
and as you might expect, there have been a few changes,
some of which are evidenced in the latest Project Z watch,
the Z8. For the uninitiated, Project Z is a series of watches
produced over the past several years to showcase Harry
Winstons use of Zalium, a zirconium-based alloy that is
exclusive to the brand. Zalium is said to be lighter and harder
than titanium, and extremely resistant to corrosion.
The first bit of news is that the new Z8 features a movement supplied by Blancpain. The Z8s caliber is based on the
Blancpain automatic base Caliber 1150. As modified by
Blancpain for Harry Winston, the caliber is known as
HW3502. It features a flat silicon balance spring, a unique
openworked winding rotor, and a circular Geneva-waves
decoration that is exclusive to Harry Winston.
The Z8 is a GMT, or two-time-zone watch. The primary
hours and minutes are located in the upper right quadrant of
the dial. A day-night indicator appears in an aperture in the
hours and minutes chapter ring, and the date appears just
below the chapter ring. The second time zone is indicated by
a retrograde display that runs in an arc along the edge of the
dial from 6 oclock to 10 oclock. In an unusual move, the
retrograde display shows
local time. For convenience, the retrograde display can be set forward
and back. Most retrogrades can be set in
only one direction.
All adjustments on
the Z8 are made
via the crown.
In another bit
of news, the Z8 is
priced well below
past Z-series models, which have
typically come in at
between $30,000 and
$40,000. The Z8 is
priced at $20,300, and
it is a limited edition of
300 pieces.
Zenith
ZENITH PUT ITS signature chronograph movement on
a diet to create the new El Primero Lightweight. The
process of adding lightness began with the movement
plates, all five of which were machined from titanium.
The escapement (pallet lever and escape wheel) is silicon.
To save more weight and improve the view, the movement and the dial were skeletonized. Even the date disk
went under the knife. In a nod to tradition, the chronograph totalizers are light gray, blue and anthracite
emblematic of the 1969 El Primero chronograph. The El
Primero 400B caliber still beats at 36,000 vph, enabling
it to time events to the nearest 1/10-second. Zenith elected
not to add the Striking 10th complication, saving precious micrograms and reducing the retail price by about
$3,000. (That complication allows the central chronograph seconds hand to circle the dial every 10 seconds,
rather than every 60 seconds, making it easier to read
elapsed 1/10s of a second.)
The diet also extended to the 45-mm case, which is
fashioned from carbon fiber and aluminum, with titanium chronograph push-pieces and crown. Together, the
case and movement weigh a minuscule 45 grams. Add
the strap, and the tally is 72 grams, which is exceptionally
light: a small, three-hand dress watch in steel on a strap
will weigh 60 to 80 grams.
In the sports car world, the lightest versions often
cost much more than the regular models. Thats because
manufacturers have to recover the costs of creating specialized parts from exotic materials over a small production run. The same math applies here. The El Primero
Lightweight will be produced in a limited edition of 250
pieces, priced at $19,000.
August 2014 WatchTime 79
BASELWORLD 2014
Hamilton
Ulysse
Nardin
ULYSSE NARDIN plans to end its use of third-party
movements by 2017. To that end, the brand has been
introducing in-house movements more frequently than
before. Baselworld 2014 saw the introduction of the
brands sixth new manufacture caliber in two years.
Known as UN-334, the movement is made 100-percent
in house, including the silicon escapement and hairspring, and the patented balance wheel. The movement
appears in the new Dual Time Manufacture, a travel
watch that is extremely easy to use.
The central hour and minutes hands display local
time, while home time is displayed in a digital, 24-hour
format in the aperture at 9 oclock. As you travel across
the zones, the hour hand can be adjusted forward or
back via the pushers at 8 and 10 oclock. The hand can
be adjusted across midnight in either direction, and the
date automatically aligns with the displayed local time.
The pushers allow local time adjustment without your
having to take the watch off, and without affecting timekeeping, as can happen when you pull out a crown.
The Dual Time Manufacture is available in a
redesigned 42-mm case with a display back to show off
the new movement. Three versions are available: rose
gold on a strap ($26,500), stainless steel on a bracelet
($11,400) and stainless steel on a strap ($10,500).
80
Breitling
THE BREITLING CHRONOMAT pilots
watch turns 30 this year. To mark the
occasion, Breitling has launched a special
series that recalls the look of the original.
The Breitling Chronomat Airborne is
available in two case sizes (41 mm and 44
mm in diameter) and two dial colors
(black and silver).
The original Breitling Chronomat
was designed for the Italian Frecce Tricolori aerobatics team. The new Chronomats are distinguished by their satinbrushed rotating bezels, equipped with
four raised rider tabs. These tabs make
the bezels easier to rotate even when
youre wearing gloves. Other new fea-
Chopard
THE NEWEST Chopard Mille Miglia watch is the most
distinctly Italian timepiece in the Mille Miglia collection,
which is inspired by the Mille Miglia (1,000 Miles)
Brescia-to-Rome-and-back vintage car race.
Chopard has partnered with the race since 1998, producing special watches for it annually. This year, the
brand opted to focus on the races early years, when it
was dominated by Italian racing teams and automobiles
such as Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, by creating a watch that
echoes the colors of the Italian flag.
The Chopard Mille Miglia 2014 (like many previous
Mille Miglia watches, a chronograph) features a red
tachymeter scale and hands, and a white dial with green
minutes circle. Unlike previous Chopard Mille Miglia
watches, which have straps made of rubber with a 1960s
Dunlop racing-tire motif, the 2014 edition has one made
of overstitched Barenia calfskin leather reminiscent of
the bonnet straps on vintage racing cars.
The slender fonts on the dial are similar to those used
in the 1920s. The chronograph hours, chronograph minutes, and small seconds are displayed on subdials at 6, 9
and 3 oclock, respectively. The lugs on the 42-mm case
(in either steel or 18k rose gold; 12.3 mm in thickness)
are soldered rather than screwed in. The movement is
COSC certified. The watch is $5,520 in steel and
$19,110 in gold.
August 2014 WatchTime 81
BASELWORLD 2014
Herms
THE HERMS DRESSAGE LHeure
Masque (literally, the masked hour)
derives its name from the unconventional
motion of its two time-telling hands, in
which the hour hand remains hidden
behind the moving minutes hand until it
is summoned to its proper position with
the press of a push button integrated into
the crown. After you release the button,
the hour hand snaps back to its position
behind the minutes hand. The watch also
has a dual-time-zone function, in a window at 6 oclock. The hour remains hidden (under the letters GMT) until the
button is pressed, after which the hour
numeral of the chosen second time zone
pops into the window. The second time
zone is set by means of the push button at
9 oclock.
The watch contains Herms Caliber
1925, here modified with an exclusive,
patented mechanism that creates an interaction between the rack, pinion, and gear
trains to stimulate the hour cam into
pointing to the correct hour on
demand. The dual-time indication is driven directly by
the base caliber, an automatic movement with
28 jewels, a frequency of 28,800
vph,
and
a
45-hour power
reserve.
The watch
comes in steel
or 5N rose
gold. The caseback is transparent. The steel
version is limited to 1,000
pieces and priced
at $20,750; the
rose-gold version is
limited to 500 pieces and
priced at $43,750.
82
Glashtte
Original
THE GLASHTTE ORIGINAL SEVENTIES Chronograph
Panorama Date features an entirely new chronograph movement, Caliber 37-02, which was designed and manufactured
in house.
Glashtte Original Caliber 37-02 is an integrated automatic chronograph movement with a 70-hour power
reserve from a single spring barrel and a simplified columnwheel mechanism. It has a bidirectional rotor and four gold
screws on the balance rim for regulation.
The movement has a flyback mechanism. The small seconds display shares its subdial at 9 oclock with a black and
white power-reserve indicator, while the 30-minute chronograph counter occupies the position at 3 oclock. The 12hour counter, with Arabic numerals 1 through 12 on a
rotating disk, is in a semicircular window beneath the 12
oclock position; directly below it at 6 oclock is the big date
window.
The case is steel and measures 40 mm across. The caseback is transparent: through it you can see the skeletonized
21k-gold rotor with the brands double-G logo.
There are three versions of the watch, with dials in galvanized ruthenium, silver, and blue. Prices range from
$14,900 (for rubber or leather strap) to $16,400 (for
bracelet).
U.S. Market
BASELWORLD 2014
Ultra Complications go
Ultra Thin
84
Seiko
Caliber 581DR, just 3.0 mm thick, features Breguets first peripheral rotor.
because I like to see the movement. The problem with a traditional rotor, he says, is that you hide a little bit of the beauty.
That doesnt happen on the 5377. Instead one sees the tourbillon in a titanium carriage, the barrel (mounted on roller bearings), and traditional Breguet guilloch decoration on the
bridges and mainplate, barrel and the rotor itself. Dont be surprised if peripheral rotors show up in future Breguet movements. Seeing what possibilities it opens, Hayek says, maybe
it will not stay reserved for the tourbillon. We should probably
think about it the next time we do an automatic movement.
Reference 5377 incorporates seven Breguet patents. The
movement contains a silicon balance spring and an escapement
made of silicon and non-magnetic steel. It has a frequency of
28,800 vph, high for a tourbillon watch. It also has a 90-hour
power reserve. The watchs silvered gold dial includes four
engine-turned patterns. The tourbillon is off center, with the
small seconds on the tourbillon axis. The power-reserve indicator is at the 8:30 position.
Hayek points out that while the 5377 is the thinnest automatic tourbillon watch on the market today, it is not the
thinnest ever made. Previously, Audemars Piguet made a thinner
one in limited numbers, but it is no longer in production.
Breguets goal was not to set a world record, Hayek says. If you
want to break the record for the thinnest watch, you dont do a
guillochd gold dial. You dont build a movement with the possibility of this kind of decoration and engraving. Honestly, we
didnt aim to make a record. For Breguet, we dont need this. We
want as thin as possible and this beauty! If you miss the
thinnest by four tenths of a millimeter, its not important.
J.T.
The Classis
The Legacy
Baselworld Debut
The British marine-chronometer
maker made its maiden voyage
to the fair this year.
86
by temperature changes forces the balance into an oval shape. The company
says that this, coupled with an uncut rim,
makes centrifugal errors practically disappear. The movement runs in 17 jewels
at 14,400 vph.
The movement is as beautiful as it is
accurate, and it appears in two marine
chronometer models. The smaller-cased
version is known as the Legacy and
the larger-cased as the Classis. Each
allows the chronometer to be locked in
either the dial-up or the movement-up
position. Both models feature beautiful
wood cases. The Classis models tall case
has 12 sides, each of which presents key
information about one of the 12 most
significant ocean voyages in history.
Thomas Mercer makes only about 15
regular production pieces per year,
including 12 Legacy models, priced at
105,000 pounds, and three Classis models, priced at 260,000 pounds. Each
Classis requires about 1,500 hours to
complete. The company also produces a
small number of bespoke pieces each
year. Its CEO, Alessandro Quintavalle,
hinted at possible future products,
including table chronometers, mantel
clocks and pocketwatches.
MIKE DISHER
BASELWORLD 2014
Marvin
Gucci
THIS YEAR Gucci introduced the Handmaster collection of automatic watches
with rectangular cases and black dials.
There is a small seconds subdial at 9
oclock and a power-reserve display at 5
oclock. An angled date window sits in
the top right corner of the dial. The
Handmaster is powered by the Sowind
Manufactures
GP3300
movement
(GP stands for Girard-Perregaux),
which the brand also used in last years
Gucci Dive. (Gucci and Sowind, which is
the parent company of Girard-Perregaux,
are both owned by the Kering Group,
known until recently as PPR.) The watch
has a 46-hour power reserve. The inner
rectangle on the dial bears Guccis signature diamond pattern. The stainless-steel
case measures 32.5 mm across and 33
mm from top to bottom. Through the
exhibition caseback you can see a rotor
decorated with the same diamond pattern
as the dial. The watch is water resistant to
50 meters. It comes on a black crocodile
strap. The Handmaster is being produced
in a 50-piece limited edition. It costs
$8,600. A rose-gold version is also available for $18,400 in a limited edition of 25
pieces.
88
Milus
AMONG MILUSS offerings at Baselworld was a new version of the Tirion
TriRetrograde with rose-gold case
and carbon-fiber bezel and dial. The
Tirion TriRetrograde is an automatic
watch with hours, minutes and date.
Its most interesting feature is the three
retrograde displays grouped tightly at
the center of the dial. Each counts off
20 seconds. As each hand completes
Shinola
THE YEAR-OLD SHINOLA brand
brought out its first chronographs at
Baselworld as part of its Runwell collection. The chronographs use the
Argonite 5021 and 5030 movements,
Swiss quartz calibers by Ronda that
are assembled in Shinolas downtown
Detroit factory. The 5021 chronographs have a traditional two-subdial
layout with date window at 6 oclock.
The 5030 version places the date at 4
oclock and has a third subdial for
chronograph hours at 6 oclock. Runwell chronographs come in two sizes,
with diameters of 41 mm and 47 mm.
There are more than 10 color options
for the dial. Steel bracelets and leather
or rubber straps are available, as well
as a NATO-strap design. Cases come
in stainless steel or stainless steel with
PVD treatment. Runwell chronographs are priced from $750 to $975.
Luminox
A COMPANY that made its name on
watches designed for Navy SEALs,
Luminox has now turned to developing watches for commercial space
flight. The Space Expedition Corp.
(SXC) partnered with Luminox to
develop the new SXC Steel GMT
5120, a quartz GMT watch in stainless steel. The watchs GMT hand is
mounted at the center of the dial; the
bezel features 24-hour gradations to
correspond to this second-time-zone
hand. A date window is at 3 oclock.
All the watchs hands have tritium gas
tubes that glow in the dark. The
watch comes in black with red or blue
accents on the dial and strap. Several
more versions are available in lightweight carbon-reinforced polycarbonate. Price: $795.
Maurice
Lacroix
BASELWORLD 2014
Movado
88 Rue
du Rhone
IN HONOR of this years World Cup in
Brazil, 88 Rue du Rhone brought out a
watch called the Rio. This chronograph
has a 45-mm stainless-steel case with a
five-link bracelet. It is powered by a Ronda
quartz caliber. On the royal blue dial, displays are accented with the colors of
Brazils flag. The 30-minute counter at 9
oclock and the 10-hour counter at 3
oclock both have green hands and yellow and green markers. Overlapping
with the running-seconds display at 6
oclock is a two-digit big date display.
The central chronograph seconds hand is
yellow and has the brands signature
eight-shaped counterweight. A tachymeter scale runs around the edge of the dial.
The hour and minutes hands have a luminous coating. The Rio is water resistant
to 50 meters. One hundred pieces will be
available in the U.S. market. Price: $950.
90
Chanel
THIS YEAR CHANEL added to the
J12 Chromatic line a womens watch
in a new material: the brands patented
beige gold, an alloy of rose gold
formulated so that it doesnt tarnish
as much as standard rose-gold alloys.
Beige gold is combined with titanium
ceramic on the 38-mm case. The J12
Chromatic Beige Gold is powered by
an automatic movement with a 42hour power reserve. The watch has a
dark gray dial with a guilloch pattern
under its beige-gold hour indexes, and
a brushed pattern at the center. Luminous material is applied to the hour,
minutes and seconds hands. There is a
date window between 4 and 5
oclock. The rotating bezel, along
with the screw-down crown, is also
made of beige gold. The caseback and
triple-folding clasp are in steel. The
J12 Chromatic Beige Gold is water
resistant to 200 meters. Price:
$10,000.
Zannetti
RICCARDO Zannettis specialty is elaborately engraved and enameled dials, and
his large watches provide an excellent canvas for his craftsmanship. This year the
Zannetti brand added to its Professional
Diver collection with new marine-themed
designs. Among them is the Skeleton Piranha, which has a dial made of legal mam-
Linde
Werdelin
LINDE WERDELINS SpidoLite was
designed as a sports watch (especially for
skiing) that was lightweight but hardy.
This year the brand has taken the idea
further: the SpidoSpeed Green is more
extensively skeletonized, in both case and
movement, than previous watches in the
collection. It has a forged-carbon outer
Alexander
Shorokhoff
THE MOST EYE-CATCHING feature of
the Glocker from Alexander Shorokhoff
is the eight sectors on the dial, each in a
different shade of mother-of-pearl. Beginning with the darkest hue just before 6
oclock and gradually shifting to brighter
colors until after 9 oclock, these iridescent sectors are intended to represent the
way the sky lightens progressively in the
BASELWORLD 2014
Bulova
Carl F. Bucherer
FOCUSING ON WOMENS watches this
year, Carl F. Bucherer presented a highly
bejeweled piece for its Pathos collection,
the Pathos Diva Joaillerie. Its white-gold
case has 370 diamonds on it, while the
white-gold bracelet has 404 diamonds.
All told, they come to a total carat weight
of 12. The dial combines white gold with
Badollet
THIS NEW AUTOMATIC chronograph from Bulova is part of the companys Swiss-made Accu-Swiss line. It
belongs to the Murren collection,
which features styles inspired by mid20th-century design. Murren watches
have what Bulova calls marquis
bracelets and domed dials. The model
shown here, made of steel and fitted
with a sapphire crystal, is 41 mm in
diameter and 15 mm thick. Its powered by a Sellita SW500 and is water
resistant to 30 meters. The bracelet has
a two-button deployant clasp. Price:
$2,450.
92
Schaumburg
THE GERMAN WATCH company
Schaumburg has added this new model to
its Aquamatic collection of divers watches.
Its called the Aquamatic 4 Carbon AGrade, and it has a carbon-fiber dial and
Super-LumiNova on the hour indexes
and the three hands. The case is made of
stainless steel and is 45 mm in diameter
and 14.8 mm thick. The engraved bezel
has a luminous marker at 12 oclock,
composed of a mixture of Super-LumiNova and ceramic. At 3 oclock there is a
date display. The watch has an SW 20A
movement, based on a Sellita automatic.
The Aquamatic 4 is water resistant to
500 meters. Price: $1,900, or $2,050 for
a version with PVD treatment.
Dior
THIS YEAR, Dior adds a chronograph to its Chiffre Rouge collection.
The Chiffre Rouge A02 is a COSCcertified automatic chronograph in an
angular case of brushed stainless steel.
The case is distinguished by its uneven
lugs, guilloch-engraved crown and
the red reset pusher at 4 oclock. The
watchs dial has a black galvanic
treatment with luminous markings on
the hour and minutes hands. Three
subdials provide the running seconds,
chronograph hours and chronograph
minutes. A red-lettered date aperture
is found between 4 and 5 oclock. The
A02s movement is an ETA 2894,
which has a frequency of 28,800 vph
and a 42-hour power reserve. Underneath the black-tinted sapphire caseback, a rotor is visible with a Dior
Homme engraving. The watch
comes on a black alligator strap and is
water resistant to 50 meters. Price:
$6,550.
Deep
Blue
DIVE-WATCH SPECIALIST Deep Blue
has brought out a new watch with a highly
illuminated dial. The Daynight Recon T100 gets its name from the many tubes of
tritium gas that adorn the dial. There are
61 tubes that mark the minutes and hours
in yellow, green, and orange. The hour,
BASELWORLD 2014
Bulgari
Makeover
94
Perrelet
J.T.
BASELWORLD 2014
Operations
New this year: a leather factory
and a line of watches for Filson.
96
Eberhard
THIS YEAR EBERHARD added new
designs to its Chrono 4 collection.
The Chrono 4s dial lines up a great
deal of information in its four subdials. From left to right, it has a 30minute chronograph counter, a 12hour chronograph counter, a 24-hour
display and a running seconds subdial. A date aperture is at 12 oclock.
Around the edge of the dial is a
tachymeter scale. On the new version
with steel case and black dial, the
skeletonized hands have luminous
coating. The rims of the subdials are
silver in color and snailed. The 24hour display, like the central chronograph seconds hand, is red. The
Chrono 4 has a modified ETA 2894-2
automatic movement, and it runs in
53 jewels. The caseback is fixed with
eight screws; the watch is water resistant to 50 meters. On a rubber strap as
pictured here, it costs $6,500.
Tissot
Jaquet
Droz
JAQUET DROZ HAS added new
models to its Grande Seconde SW
line, which rethinks the distinctive
overlapping-dials design of the
Grande Seconde for a sportier
look. The new Grande Seconde
SW Steel comes in two diameter
sizes: 41 mm and 45 mm. The dial
has vertical Geneva waves interrupted by a cosmetic crosspiece.
As with all the Grande Seconde
watches, the dial for the hours and
minutes, with its Roman numeral
indexes, is smaller than the seconds dial. The bezel is ridged
around its outer edge. The Grande
Seconde SW Steel is available in
light gray, dark gray or blue. Each
has an alligator-leather strap to
match the dial. Through its exhibition caseback, you can see the
2663A-S automatic movement,
which has two barrels for a power
reserve of 68 hours. The watch
costs $14,700.
JeanRichard
JEANRICHARD HAS added this watch
to its Terrascope collection. The case is
made from polished and vertically satinfinished stainless steel. Its diameter is 44
mm and its thickness is 12.6 mm. The
watch has an engraved screw-down
caseback and is water resistant to 100
meters. Inside is an automatic JR60
TWO
TIMERS
One sporty chrono, the TAG Heuer Carrera
Calibre 1887 Jack Heuer Edition, meets
another, the Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue,
in our comparative test.
By AlexAnder Krupp
photos By niK schlzel
COMPARATIVE TEST
SPECS
TAGHEUERCARRERACALIBRE1887
JACKHEUEREDITION
Manufacturer: TAGHeuerSA,
RueLouis-JosephChevrolet6a,
CH-2300LaChaux-de-Fonds,Switzerland
Reference number: CAR2C11.FC6327
Functions: Hours,minutes,small
seconds,date;chronographwith
countersfor30elapsedminutesand
12elapsedhours
Movement: TAGHeuerCalibre1887,
automatic;28,800vph,39jewels,stopsecondsfunction,rapid-resetfunctionfor
thedatedisplay,neadjustmentvia
eccentricscrew,Incablocshock
absorption,columnwheel,rocking-pinion
coupling,Glucydurbalance,power
reserve=50hours,diameter=29.3mm,
height=7.1mm
Case: Stainlesssteelandtitanium,
partlycoatedwithtitaniumcarbide,
domedsapphirecrystalabovedialis
nonreectiveonbothsides,sapphire
windowincasebacksetinsideametal
ringheldinplacebyfourscrews,water
resistantto100m
Strap and clasp: Fullyremborded
alligator-leatherstrapwithmattecoating;
securedfoldingclaspmadeoftitanium
coatedwithtitaniumcarbide
Rate results:
Deviationsinsecondsper24hours
(Withchronographswitchedoff/on)
Dialup
+5/+1
Dialdown
+6/+3
Crownup
+5/+3
Crowndown
-3/-6
Crownleft
-1/-1
Crownright
+4/-4
Greatestdeviationofrate
Averagedeviation
9/9
+2.7/-0.7
Averageamplitude:
Flatpositions
318/269
Hangingpositions
291/244
Dimensions: Diameter=45mm,
height=16mm,weight=121g
Price: $7,800
COMPARATIVE TEST
SPECS
TUDORHERITAGECHRONOBLUE
If this case offers anything to complain about, its a susceptibility to moisture. The water resistance is listed as 100 meters.
However, our tester the watchmaker Martin Thom from
Depperich Jewelers in Reutlingen, Germany believes that a
chronograph like this without threading on its buttons isnt
really safe under water. Even if the wearer doesnt take this
watch into the water, the additional openings in the case and the
suction that accompanies the operation of the buttons increase
the risk of surface moisture penetrating the cases interior.
THE CASE OF THE Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue is simpler
than that of the TAG, but it does have many high-quality features. For starters, its pushers and crown are screwed, which
contributes toward making the case water resistant to 150
meters a claim that Thom confirmed in our test. Furthermore,
the edges, chamfers, knurling, polishes and satin-finishing are
very precisely crafted perhaps too precisely, considering the
sharp lower edges of the cases middle piece. Last but not least,
the time-zone bezel clicks into position without play or wiggle.
It is graduated in 48 increments: this number enables you to set
the bezel to time zones that differ from adjacent zones by half
an hour or 15 minutes, as is the situation, for example, in
Venezuela, India, Nepal, and parts of Australia.
While the screw-in crown and pushers improve security,
they make it more difficult to set and wind the watch. In addition, the bezel isnt as easy to operate as you would expect.
Although its easy to grasp, it has a downward slope, so your
fingers are liable to collide with the lugs, buttons and crown
when you try to turn it. Finally, the knurling on the outer edge
of the bezel has a pesky tendency to snag shirt cuffs and sweater
sleeves.
The TAG Heuer watch is powered by column-wheel Calibre
1887, which debuted in 2010. TAG Heuer developed this movement using Seikos automatic Caliber 6S78 as a base and manufactures it in Switzerland at facilities that the company built
expressly for this purpose. TAG Heuer altered the 6S78 by
enlarging its diameter, lessening its height, and completely
replacing its escapement. Changes were also made to the shapes
of the plate, bridges and rotor.
The company chose this base movement not only because it
offers high-quality chronograph control via a column wheel,
but also because its architecture includes a rocking pinion. This
type of chronograph coupling was invented by the brands
founder, Edouard Heuer, who patented it in 1887 whence the
calibers name. Seikos movement also appealed to TAG because
of its efficient click-winding system, which Seiko calls the
magic lever.
The movement boasts a variety of decorative patterns and
the screws heads are finely polished. Although a few flat parts
have beveled edges, such details are invisible through the tinted
sapphire caseback.
Tudor, on the other hand, doesnt use its own movement.
Instead, the Heritage Chrono Blue has an ETA 2892 caliber
with chronograph module 2054 from Dubois Dpraz. The base
movement is ETAs high-quality Top version, which has an
102 WatchTime August 2014
Manufacturer: RolexSA,RueFranoisDussaud35,CH-1211Geneva26,
Switzerland
Reference number: 70330B
Functions: Hours,minutes,small
seconds,date;chronographwithcounter
for45elapsedminutes
Movement: ETA2892TopwithDubois
Dprazmodule2054,automatic;28,800
vph,55jewels,stop-secondsfunction,
rapid-resetfunctionforthedatedisplay,
Etachronindexwitheccentricscrew
forneadjustment,Incablocshock
absorption,camswitching,horizontal
coupling,Glucydurbalance,power
reserve=42hours,diameter=30mm,
height=6.9mm
Case: Stainlesssteel,bidirectional
rotatingbezelwithaluminumscale,at
sapphirecrystal,screwedcrownand
buttons,fullythreadedscrew-inback
madeofstainlesssteel,waterresistant
to150m
Strap and clasp: Textilestrapwith
prongedbuckle,additionalstainless-steel
braceletwithsecuredfoldingclasp
Rate results:
Deviationsinsecondsper24hours
(Withchronographswitchedoff/on)
Dialup
+4/+3
Dialdown
+8/+7
Crownup
+3/+2
Crowndown
+8/+8
Crownleft
+9/+8
Crownright
+1/0
Greatestdeviationofrate
Averagedeviation
8/8
+5.5/+4.7
Averageamplitude:
Flatpositions
300/289
Hangingpositions
270/253
Dimensions: Diameter=42mm,
height=13.4mm,weight=97g
Price: $4,425
Anachron balance spring and a Glucydur balance that is impervious to temperature variation. Decorative patterns cover all
visible surfaces except those directly under the balance.
The module, which is installed on the dial side of the movement, allows for a 45-minute counter like the one on the old
Montecarlo (although the minutes counter and the running seconds subdial, which were at 3 and 9 oclock, respectively, on the
Montecarlo, have traded places on the new watch). A classical
horizontal coupling switches the chronograph on and off. A
cam switch controls the chronographs functions. This construction is assembled from stamped parts and is less costly than
the milled column wheel in the TAG Heuer, but it requires
greater force to operate the chronograph buttons.
SCORES
TAGHEUERCARRERACALIBRE1887
JACKHEUEREDITION
Strap and clasp (max. 10 points):
Thealligator-leatherstrapwithmatte
coatingissewnwiththelabor-intensive,
fullyrembordedmethodandissecured
byahigh-qualityclaspwithasliding
mechanismtoadjustthestrapslength.9
Operation (5): Thecrowniseasily
graspedandthebuttonsrunsmoothly,
butyourngertipbumpsagainstthe
strapwhenyoupressthebuttons.
4
Case (10): Interestingconstructionand
goodcraftsmanship
9
Design (15): Thecase,strapandclasp
aresportierthanthedial.
12
Legibility (5): Reectionsandlow
contrastresultinpoorlegibilityforthe
ordinarytimeandtheelapsedtime.
3
Wearing comfort (10): Despiteitsthick
caseandstableclasp,thiswatchtswell
aroundthewristthankstothesliding
adjustmentofthestrap.
9
Movement (20): TAGHeueralteredand
industrializedtheSeiko6S78base
movementtomakeCalibre1887,whichis
wellconstructedandvisuallyappealing. 16
Rate results (10): Verylowaverage
deviationwiththechronographswitched
onandoff,butsignicantdifferences
amongtheseveralpositions
7
Overall value (15): Thequalityand
performancearegood,butthepriceis
high,asisthesurchargeabovetheprice
forthebasicmodelswithCalibre1887. 11
TOTAL:
80 POINTS
COMPARATIVE TEST
SCORES
TUDORHERITAGECHRONOBLUE
78 POINTS
WATCH_ppcoplcd 2497.1
6/11/14
12:41 PM
Page 1
AMERICAS
PREMIERE
WATCH
SHOW
Now in its 9th year, WatchTime Magazine and Jeff Kingston are excited
to present Inside Basel.Geneva 2014 the most luxurious gathering
of premiere watch brands!
www.watchtime.com/ibg
T H E W O R L D O F F I N E W AT C H E S
TEST
SPECS
CARTIERCALIBREDIVER
Manufacturer: CartierSA,Chemindes
Alisiers10,CH-2300,LaChaux-de-Fonds,
Switzerland
Reference number: W7100056
Functions: Hours,minutes,subsidiary
seconds,date
CARTIER
Movement: Automaticmanufacture
Caliber1904MC,186components,
decoratedwithGenevawaves,28,800
vph,27jewels,twinbarrels,Glucydur
balance,atNivaroxhairspring,Incabloc
shockabsorber,Etachronneregulation,
diameter=25.6mm,thickness=4mm,
powerreserve=48hours
Case: Stainlesssteelwithdomedsapphire
crystal,solidcasebacksecuredwitheight
screws,waterresistantto300m,
complieswithISO6425
Strap and clasp: Blackrubberstrapwith
stainless-steelpinbuckle
The luminous
material is not
blindingly
bright, but it
lasts more than
18 hours.
Rate results:
Deviationsinsecondsper24hours
(Fullywound/after24hours)
Dialup
Dialdown
Crownup
Crowndown
+9.4/+10.8
+9.9/+7.9
+4.9/+7.5
+7.3/+12.4
Crownleft
+4.8/+9.1
Crownright
+6.4/+7.8
Greatestdeviationofrate
Averagedeviation
5.1/4.9
+7.1/+9.2
Averageamplitude:
Flatpositions
304/276
Hangingpositions
272/252
Dimensions: Diameter=42mm,
height=11mm,weight=111g
Variations: Steelonbracelet($8,900);
rosegoldandsteelonstrap($10,600);
rosegoldandsteelonbracelet
($13,000);rosegoldonstrap($28,100)
Price: $8,200
Timing tests performed by Wempe
Jewelers, New York City
while the mainplate wears perlage, or circular graining. The smooth Glucydur balance wheel, flat Nivarox balance spring,
and Etachron fine adjustment system regulate the release of energy.
Given Cartiers goal for the twin
mainspring barrels, we tested the Calibre
Diver on the Witschi machine at full wind
and again after 24 hours, or halfway
through the power reserve. Our test
watch appears to have been regulated to
run consistently fast. Fully wound, the
Calibre Diver averaged +7.1 seconds per
day in six positions, with each position in
positive territory. After 24 hours, that figure increased to +9.2 seconds. The greatest deviation of rate at full wind was 5.1
seconds (+4.8 seconds crown left and
The rubber
strap is long,
strong and
comfortable.
TEST
CARTIER
SCORES
CARTIER
CARTIERCALIBREDIVER
Strap and clasp (max. 10 points):
Therubberstrapandpinbucklearewell
made,andtheypasstheISO6425
strengthtest.
8
Operation (5): Thepolished,seven-sided
crownisslightlyslippery.Theunidirectionalbezelispreciseandwellmade. 4
Case (10): Thein-housecaseisslimfora
divewatchanditpassestheISO6425
tests.
9
Design (15): TheCalibredeCartierlook
translateswelltotheworldofthedeep. 13
Legibility (5): Allindicationsareclear.
Theluminouscoatingcouldbeabitmore
powerful.
4
Wearing comfort (10): Thesoftrubber
strapiscomfortableandthewatchsits
wellonthewrist.
8
Movement (20): Anautomatic
manufacture caliberwithtwinbarrels
16
12
81 POINTS
procedure, the watch must pass a condensation test to ensure that no water has
penetrated the case.
In addition to the tests Cartier identified, ISO 6425 also requires these tests:
Salt water resistance: The watch spends
24 hours in a salt solution that closely
matches sea water, after which it is examined for oxidation. The watch is then disassembled to make sure all components
function properly.
Underwater reliability: The watch spends
50 hours under water, after which it is examined for correct function.
COMPARATIVE REVIEW
By Martina richter
Photos By ZuckerfaBrik fotodesign
COMPARATIVE REVIEW
IWCs new Big Pilots Watch, introduced in 2002, was inspired by its historical predecessor, but rather than housing
a pocketwatch movement like its forebear, the new model was equipped with
modern manufacture Caliber 5000,
which has automatic winding and a
seven-day power reserve. The Top Gun
edition, which has been part of IWCs
family of pilots watches since 2007,
combines a 1940s instrument-style look
with modern technology and contemporary materials. Five new Top Gun models
were introduced in 2012; the Miramar in
our review is part of this group. It pays
homage to the California city that was
home to the first U.S. Navy Fighter
Weapons School, from 1969 to 1996,
known as the Top Gun flight-training
program.
116 WatchTime August 2014
20 watches were also equipped with special, easy-to-grasp crowns that pilots
could pull out and turn without having to
remove their gloves.
THE NEW PILOT Montre dAronef
Type 20 in our review is the successor to
Zeniths first pilots watch. It is equipped
with a GMT function (GMT, for Greenwich Mean Time, is now known as Coordinated Universal Time and remains the
standard time system used by pilots). The
GMT function of yesteryear, which displayed Greenwich Mean Time alongside
the primary time, has evolved into a variable indicator for whichever second time
zone the user requires. Helicopter pilot
Kaufmann confirmed that pilots appreciate the functionality of a second-timezone display. On the Zenith watchs dial,
COMPARATIVE REVIEW
SPECS
IWC
BIGPILOTSWATCHTOPGUNMIRAMAR
Manufacturer: IWCSchaffhausen,
Baumgartenstrasse15,CH-8201
Schaffhausen,Switzerland
SPECS
BELL&ROSS
BR03-51GMT
Manufacturer: Bell&Ross,
8rueCopernic,75116,Paris,France
Reference number: BR03-51-S-88888
Functions: Hours,minutes,central
seconds,bigdate,secondtimezone
Movement: SoprodTT651,basedon
SoprodA10,automatic,28,800vph,
gold-platedbrassbalance,Incablocshock
absorption,25jewels,diameter=
25.6mm,height=5.1mm,40-hour
powerreserve
Functions: Hours,minutes,central
seconds,date,power-reservedisplay
Movement: IWC51111,basedonIWC
5000,automatic,21,600vph,Glucydur
balance,Incablocshockabsorption,
42jewels,diameter=37.8mm,height=
7.5mm,168-hour(7days)powerreserve
Case: Ceramic,titaniumback,curved
sapphirecrystalwithnonreectivecoating
onbothsides,waterresistantto60m
Strap and clasp: Textilestrapwith
prongedbuckle
Case: PVD-coatedstainlesssteel,sapphire
crystalwithnonreectivecoating,water
resistantto100m
Rate results:
Dialup
Rate results:
Deviationsinsecondsper24hours
(Fullywound/after24hours)
Dialup
+4.9/+3.9
Dialdown
+4.1/+1.2
Crownup
+6.7/-0.9
Crowndown
+5.3/+3.0
Crownleft
+8.7/+1.6
Greatestdeviationofrate
Averagedeviation
4.6/4.8
+5.9/+1.8
Averageamplitude:
Flatpositions
273/248
Hangingpositions
240/211
Dimensions: Diameter=42mm,
height=11.6mm,weight=158g
Variations: Titaniumcasewithcarbon
berdial,syntheticstrapwithfolding
clasp($5,500)
Price: $4,900
Deviationsinsecondsper24hours
(Fullywound/after24hours)
+7.9/+7.1
Dialdown
-0.1/+5.8
Crownup
+0.5/-3.9
Crowndown
+0.6/+5.1
Crownleft
+3.5/-3.6
Greatestdeviationofrate
8.0/11.0
Averagedeviation
+2.5/+2.1
Averageamplitude:
Flatpositions
338/280
Hangingpositions
287/249
Dimensions: Diameter=48.2mm,
height=15mm,weight=124g
Variations: Titaniumcasewithblack
dial,strapwithfoldingclasp
Price: $18,200
SPECS
ZENITH
PILOTMONTREDARONEFTYPE20GMT
Manufacturer: ZenithInternationalSA,
RuedesBillodes34-36,CH-2400,
LeLocle,Switzerland
Reference number:
03.2430.693/21.C723
Functions: Hours,minutes,small
seconds,secondtimezone
Movement: Elite693,automatic,28,800vph,
Glucydurbalance,Kifshockabsorption,
26jewels,diameter=25.6mm,height=
3.9mm,50-hourpowerreserve
Case: Stainlesssteel,curvedsapphire
crystalwithnonreectivecoatingon
bothsides,waterresistantto100m
Strap and clasp: Calfskinstrapwith
prongedbuckle
Rate results:
Deviationsinsecondsper24hours
(Fullywound/after24hours)
Dialup
+9.3/+4.5
Dialdown
+5.2/+2.5
Crownup
+1.6/-9.3
Crowndown
+1.0/+3.9
Crownleft
+3.4/-5.7
Greatestdeviationofrate
8.3/13.8
Averagedeviation
+4.1/-0.8
Averageamplitude:
Flatpositions
324/270
Hangingpositions
285/238
Dimensions: Diameter=48mm,
height=15.1mm,weight=158g
Variations: RedBaroneditionwithDLCcoatedtitaniumcase,limitedto500
pieces($8,600)
Price: $7,900
COMPARATIVE REVIEW
the minutes and seconds with great accuracy for navigational purposes, so many
pilots watches showed them on a separate ring so they would be easier to see.
The dial has a power-reserve display at 3
oclock and a relatively large date indicator at 6. This date display is the only element that departs from the militarily
inspired camouflage look: it has a whiteon-black color scheme and is highly legible. This watch remains easy to read in
the dark. Luminous material glows on all
the hands except the seconds hand; it also
coats the indexes at 3, 6 and 9, as well as
the orientation triangle above the 12.
By comparison, the dial of Zeniths
Pilot Montre dAronef Type 20 looks
like a fireworks display of luminous
numerals and hands. Twelve vintage-style
Arabic numerals are made entirely from
white Super-LumiNova, contrasting
sharply with the matte black dial and rising above it. They and the ruthenium
hands for the hours and minutes all glow
bright green in the dark. The little white
seconds hand above its subdial at 9
oclock and the steel hand with a red tip
for the second time zone are readily visible by day, but cannot be seen at night.
The Pilot Montre dAronef Type 20
inherited its dial design from Zeniths
WRITE
ON
TIME
Montblanc Montre launched the Meisterstck
Heritage Collection to mark the 90th birthday of
its well-known Meisterstck pen. We take a close
look at the collections perpetual calendar model.
By Martina richter
CLOSE-UP
The button at 4 oclock resets the moon-phase display; buttons on the other side of the case are used to adjust the day, date and month.
The base movement, a Sellita SW300-1, can be seen through the caseback.
CLOSE-UP
SPECS
MONTBLANCMEISTERSTCKHERITAGE
PERPETUALCALENDAR
Manufacturer: MontblancMontreS.A.,
ChemindesTourelles,CH-2400LeLocle,
Switzerland
Reference number: 110714
Functions: Hours,minutes,perpetual
calendarwithdate,day,month,leap
year,moon-phasedisplay
Movement: MB29.15,basedonSellita
SW300-1,automatic,28,800vph,goldplatedbrassbalance,Incablocshock
absorption,25jewels,diameter=25.5
mm,height=5.2mm,42-hourpower
reserve;perpetualcalendarmoduleby
DuboisDpraz
Case: 5Nrosegold,curvedsapphirecrystal
withnonreectivecoating,sapphire
windowincaseback,waterresistantto30m
Strap and clasp: Alligatorstrapwith5N
rose-goldprongedbuckle
Rate results:
The crown has a new design: the Montblanc star emblem is not a white inlay, as on
other Montblanc watches, but polished gold against a matte background.
Deviationsinsecondsper24hours
(Fullywound/after24hours)
Dialup
Dialdown
Crownup
wrist, but this could not be tested accurately due to the lack of a seconds hand.
Despite these faults, the perpetual
calendar from the new Meisterstck
Heritage collection has plenty going for it.
Its price alone is attractive, especially in
this era of super-expensive luxury watches.
And so is its styling, at once classical and
distinctive.
-0.2/-7.4
+4.3/-2.9
-5.0/-9.1
Crowndown
+1.3/-4.9
Crownleft
+1.8/-1.0
Greatestdeviationofrate
Averagedeviation
9.3/8.1
+0.4/-5.1
Averageamplitude:
Flatpositions
301/268
Hangingpositions
269/238
Dimensions: Diameter=39mm,
height=10.3mm,weight=79.5g
Variations: Stainlesssteel($12,800)
Price: $21,600
The dials of all the watches in the Meisterstck Heritage Collection have a sunburst finish,
dauphine hands and applied markers.
PPCO Placed_1754
4/9/14
8:45 AM
Page 1
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T H E W O R L D O F F I N E W AT C H E S
Deciphering the
Bremont Codebreaker
By Mike Disher
Photos By roBert Atkinson
TEST
Bremont Codebreaker
SPECS
BREMONTCODEBREAKER
Manufacturer: BremontWatchCo.,
P.O.Box4741,Henley-on-Thames,
Oxfordshire,RG99BZ,U.K.
Reference: CodebreakerSS
Functions: Hours,minutes,small
seconds,date,chronographwith
ybackfunctionand30-minutecounter,
secondtimezone
Movement: CaliberBE-83AR(ETA7750
base),157parts,automatic,28,800vph,
39jewels,Incablocshockabsorption,
Glucydurbalance,Nivarox1balance
spring,Etachronneadjustment,42-hour
powerreserve,diameter=29.9mm,
height=7.9mm
Case: Stainlesssteel,domedsapphire
crystalwithnonreectivecoatingon
bothsides,screw-downcasebackwith
domedsapphirecrystalwithout
nonreectivecoating,lugwidth=22mm,
waterresistantto100m
Strap and clasp: Paddedblack
crocodilestrapwithmachinedstainlesssteelpinbuckle.Alsosuppliedwitha
calfskinNATO-stylestrap
Rate results:
Deviationinsecondsper24hours
(Withchronographswitchedoff/on)
Dialup
Dialdown
+6/0
+6/+2
Crownup
Crowndown
+4/-2
+5/+2
Crownleft
+2/-2
Crownright
+2/-1
Greatestdeviationofrate
4/4
Averagedeviation
+4/0
Averageamplitude:
Flatpositions
302/274
Hangingpositions
273/264
Dimensions: Diameter=42.4mm,
height=17mm,weight=120g
Variations: Rosegold(limitededitionof
50pieces,ReferenceCodebreakerRG,
$33,995)
Price: $18,500
Limitededitionof240pieces
Timing tests performed by Wempe
Jewelers, New York City
The oversize
crown is set with
a piece of pine
wood from
Hut 6 at
Bletchley Park.
TEST
Bremont Codebreaker
SCORES
BREMONTCODEBREAKER
Strap and clasp (max. 10 points):
Thestandardtwo-piecestrapttedto
ourwatchisofgoodbutnotexcellent
quality,thoughthelengthisgenerous.
Somemightexpectmorethanapin
buckleonasteelwatchpricedat
$18,500,butthatislikelythemost
comfortableoption.
7
Operation (5): Thecrownandpushpiecesofferagoodfeelandprecise
functioning,thoughthechronograph
secondshandisnotentirelysmooth.
Theybackfunctionworkswell.
Astop-secondsfeaturesimplies
precisesetting.
76 POINTS
An original
Enigma
machine, used to
encode sensitive
German military
communications
The mansion at Bletchley Park. The site was chosen for its proximity to
train lines connecting Oxford, Cambridge and London.
TEST
Bremont Codebreaker
FACEtime
While Maxwell
Hodge (born
March 18) sleeps
on his fathers
chest, Adam
Hodge wears a
Shinola Runwell
Chronograph.
Covering Maxwell
from the sun is a
Panerai hat.
Lisa Chau at
the Breguet
boutique in
Manhattan,
wearing a
platinum
Breguet
Heritage
Tourbillon
Friends Dan Rickwalder (left, Rolex Pepsi GMT) and Troy McHenry
(Universal Genve Aero-Compax chronograph) pose in front of the Country
Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
Facetime
Galleries
To submit a photo, please
send your image to
photo@watchtime.com with
a short description identifying each person in the photo
and the watch each one is
wearing. Please give the rst
and last name of the wearer
and the brand and model of
the watch. If the photo was
taken at an event, please
specify when and where it
was held. Only clear images
in which the faces of both
watch and wearer are visible
will be considered for publication. Images must be in
JPEG format, no smaller than
1 MB. Only the best-quality
and most interesting photos
will be considered.
Members of the Central Band of the British Royal Air Force show off their watches during rehearsal at the Royal
Albert Hall in London. From left to right, Josh Hayward wears a Rolex Datejust; Adam Smith, an Omega
Speedmaster Professional; Jonathan Pippen, a Rolex Explorer II; Kim Lagos, a Rolex Milgauss; and Alexandra
Pippen, a TAG Heuer Aquaracer.
Facetime
SocialMedia
Michael Gelormini wears his new Montblanc
Star 4810 Chronograph Automatic while on a
cruise in the Caribbean.
Outside the
Colosseum in
Rome, Anna
Zakrepine sports
her Rolex
Datejust in
stainless steel
with jubilee
bracelet and
diamond bezel.
LASTminute
BY JOE THOMPSON
10
11
12
13
14
WATCH_ppcoplcd 2406.1
6/4/14
2:01 PM
Page 1
Perpetual Manufacture
Patented Perpetual Calendar with Dual Time function.
Manufacture movement. Self-winding.
18 ct rose gold case. Also available in platinum case.
Limited Edition of 250 pieces.
U LY S S E - N A R D I N . C O M