Yves Piaget Discusses Fashion, Watches, Jewelry And Roses

Piaget Mediterranean Garden earrings in 18K pink gold set with 5 pear-shaped emeralds (approx. 3.73 cts), 278 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 3.63 cts), 4 pear-shaped aquamarines (approx. 2.50 cts) and 2 pear-shaped green tourmalines (approx. 1.85 cts). You may recognize these earrings as the ones Scarlett Johansson wore on the Oscar's Red Carpet last month

Not everyone has a rose named after them. Yves Piaget does. He also has the surname of one of the world’s top luxury watch and jewelry brands.

Yves Piaget made a rare appearance in New York Thursday to promote the book about his family and company, Piaget, and for the New York unveiling of the Piaget’s new Mediterranean Garden high jewelry collection.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden necklace in 18K white gold set with 224 baguette-cut diamonds (approx. 44.82 cts), 45 marquise-cut diamonds (approx. 14.78 cts), 3 cushion-cut emeralds (approx. 7.66 cts), 3 cushion-cut green tourmalines (approx. 6.85 cts) and 2 marquise-cut emeralds (approx. 1.86 cts)

The 327-page coffee table book is the first definitive record of the brand in its 140-year history, in which Yves oversaw 50 of those years. He currently serves as chairman of Piaget, a brand now owned by the Richemont luxury holding company. The book was a two-year undertaking and the difficulty of putting such a book together was compounded because of the difficulty of finding early company records.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden Pinkb racelet in 18K pink gold set with 1 oval-cut black opal (approx. 14.82 cts), 8 marquise-cut blue tourmalines (approx. 2.88 cts), 6 marquise-cut emeralds (approx. 1.86 cts) and 12 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.73 ct)

The business was founded in 1874 in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées by Georges Piaget, a farmer who built pocket watches during the winter for extra money, according to Wikipedia. In 1911, Timothée Piaget, the son of Georges, took over the family firm and made the timepiece business a full-time endeavor. Its watches were built for other companies who placed their name on the timepiece. The founder’s grandsons, Gérald and Valentin Piaget, registered the Piaget brand as a trademark in 1943. Since then, the manufacture at La Côte-aux-Fées has produced its own creations and the family name became an international brand.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden brooch in 18K pink gold set with 1 cushion-cut yellow sapphire (approx. 20.61 cts), 16 marquise-cut yellow beryls (approx. 6.80 cts), 8 marquise-cut spessartites (approx. 3.84 cts), 8 marquise-cut diamonds (approx. 2.80 cts), 16 round spessartites (approx. 2.32 cts) and 16 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.97 cts)

“We had to go back to the archives that we didn’t find so easily, because my family was very, very modest, very simple, very authentic,” Yves says on the second floor of the Piaget’s New York boutique on Fifth Avenue. “Also my great-grandfather never signed one of his watches. The logo Piaget came in the late ’40s beginning of the ’50s for the first time. Up until that time they manufactured very sophisticated movements of watches of high quality but they didn’t put their name on a watch. So we had almost no archive.”

Yves had two stipulations for the book. He wanted the world to be aware that Piaget was a family name. In addition, he wanted the company’s craftspeople and mechanics to receive proper acknowledgment. Piaget currently employs more than 1,000 people worldwide, including approximately 400 artisans at its locations in La Côte-aux-Fées and Geneva, Yves says.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden ring in 18K pink gold set with 1 oval-cut bluish-green tourmaline (approx. 18.74 cts), 382 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 6.49 cts) and 7 pear-shaped green tourmalines (approx. 1.96 cts)

“I was so pleased by this book because it is the link between the past and the present but through human beings. I insisted on that and wanted the book to talk first about the human beings behind that brand until my generation. Piaget was the name of a family,” he says. “It means there are people behind it.”

He adds, “Behind the name of Piaget there are people and still today the most important people in the company are our workers: artisans, jewelers, watchmakers, designers, engineers … thanks to them we are able to present our watches and jewelry collections. The book illustrates very much that spirit, basically about human beings and then about the collections so the 140 years are really described by both human terms and the evolution of the collections. This is very important for me because it’s a proof a legitimacy that Piaget can show (to others) that lasted for four generations in watchmaking and jewelry.”

Piaget Mediterranean Garden necklace in 18K white gold set with 1 pear-shaped blue sapphire (approx. 21.71 cts), 357 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 20.86 cts) and 4 pear-shaped blue sapphires (approx. 15.23 cts)

In the late 1950s, the company began making watches known for being thin. In fact, over the years, including this year, the company has created some of the thinnest watches in the world, particularly with its Altiplano line. Yves says the thin watches were first borne out of solving a common problem with timepieces then later became a fashion statement.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden watch; 18K pink gold. Case set with 668 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 8.68 cts). Silvered dial. Piaget 56P quartz movement. Bracelet set with 12 pear-shaped green tourmalines (approx.9.43 cts) and 488 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 6.92 cts)

“In the ’40s, watches were very small and it was very difficult to see the time so we developed a larger face and larger movement and also made it thinner in able to make it more fashionable,” he says. “It really crated the fashion of that time, beginning in the early ’50s. It was very ingenious to make this movement very thin and this movement was part of our identity and became our icon.”

Despite creating all of their watches and movements in house, Yves sees Piaget as first a fashion brand.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden ring in 18K white gold set with 1 cushion-cut rubellite (approx. 25.09 cts) and 345 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 3.56 cts)

“Piaget was always known for having a wide collection with many designs. We created the fashion of watches and we lead the fashion of watches having the ultra-thin movements in the ’50s and ’60s, having been the first to decorate our watches in semi-precious stones lapis lazuli, opal tiger’s eye, jade,” he says. “We were the first to use the thinnest quartz electronic movement. That’s really our identity. Our marketing is also influenced by this fashion of watches and I would say that we promoted our watches in a more flashy way than our colleagues … The last 15 years we (created) a number of new thin calibers and Piaget today can say it has a great and long-live legitimacy in mechanical watches.”

Piaget Mediterranean Garden necklace in 18K white gold set with 5 cushion-cut green tourmalines (approx. 35.90 cts), 4 oval-cut green tourmalines (approx. 21.08 cts), 6 oval-cut aquamarines (approx. 24.84 cts), 1 pear-shaped aquamarine (approx. 23.12 cts), 233 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 17.47 cts) and 1 cushion-cut aquamarine (approx. 5.65 cts)

The company began creating jewelry in the 1960s to complement its watches. Yves led this effort saying jewelry was a natural progression for the company because it already had the skills in house to produce jewels. The company dramatically increased its jewelry business in the past 15 to 20 years. Today, he says, high jewelry and other jewelry collections now account for more than a third of total sales for the company.

“It was a natural link as we are in high-end luxury watches. All of our watches are in gold and platinum. Most of our ladies watches are set with diamonds and precious stones. So my forbearers and my generation always considered a watch not as timepiece but as a piece of jewelry,” he says. “In the 1960s we started to develop the jewelry business because our company is vertically integrated. It means a Piaget watch always had been manufactured A to Z in our workshops. We have on one side, engineers, technical watchmakers who manufactur the movements and on the other side we had the jewelers who design the watch and the cases and bracelets and all the settings. We have lapidaries, gem cutters, gem setters all under the same roof. I think it was quite natural asking our designers not to design exclusively watches but to let their imagination go and design jewelry. It’s the same world, the same work to design jewelry. Now we can say that we are watchmakers and jewelers.”

Piaget Mediterranean Garden earrings in 18K white gold set with 84 baguette-cut diamonds (approx. 8.20 cts), 26 marquise-cut diamonds (approx. 5.55 cts), 2 marquise-cut emeralds (approx. 1.45 cts), 2 cushion-cut green tourmalines (approx. 2.83 cts), 2 cushion-cut emeralds (approx. 2.62 cts), 1 round green tourmaline (approx. 0.26 ct) and 1 round emerald (approx. 0.22 ct).

The Mediterranean Garden high jewelry collection is very much in the Piaget tradition focusing on watches and jewelry in roses and petals done in gold and platinum and set with a mix of diamonds and colored gems.

Yves says the collection is meant to replicate the carefree, casual lifestyle of the sun-drenched Mediterranean beaches.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden ring in 18K white gold set with 1 pear-shaped blue sapphire (approx. 8.48 cts) and 116 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 2.96 cts)

“Mediterranean Garden is a lifestyle,” he says. “It expresses joy and sunshine. It’s another spirit we can really express compared to the spirit of our (Swiss) mountains where we are more strict and discreet because of our nature. It expresses joy, pleasure, style and luck.”

The fact that the jewelry collection interprets roses, as many of the company’s collections do, is no coincidence. The namesake of Piaget also has an award winning rose named after him: Yves Piaget Rose. Yves has had a lifelong passion for roses and has been long-time advocate for the flowers.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden necklace in 18K white gold set with 19 fancy-shaped green tourmalines (approx. 23.44 cts), 89 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 9.62 cts), 10 pear-shaped diamonds (approx. 3.04 cts) and 9 round Paraiba tourmalines (approx. 0.92 ct)

“Yves Piaget rose was dedicated to me personally in 1982 because I have done for roses and for the rose world and because I am very close to the rose breeders and chaired a lot of international rose competitions,” he says. “In the Geneva competition the breeder of this particular rose spontaneously decided to name it Yves Piaget. It was a very emotional moment for me.”

While the company did venture into jewelry, Yves says it will never place its brand on other products and accessories it does not make. Even the Yves Piaget Rose will never become a perfume.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden earrings in 18K white gold set with 2 pear-shaped emeralds (approx. 8.56 cts), 2 cushion-cut emeralds (approx. 5.69 cts) and 150 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.37 cts).

“We have this expertise and this legitimacy of 140 years in watchmaking and nothing else. Piaget never will produce luggage or handbags or fragrances. We do what we know how to do,” he says. “Even with Piaget rose. I never had the idea to use the Piaget rose to make a fragrance out of it…. I think it’s another field.”

Out of the Gate, 10 Luxury Watches for 2015

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda 1950 Squelette Ladies Watch

The new year isn’t even a month old and the Swiss watch industry started issuing releases of its new watches. In fact, the parade of new 2015 products began before 2014 ended. 

Out of the many new releases, I am going to focus on some of the brands that will be exhibiting at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, better known as SIHH, being held January 19 till 23. It’s also known as the Richemont show because the majority of the luxury brands exhibiting are owned by Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company, Compagnie Financière Richemont. It is the first major watch tradeshow of the year and it is also considered by many to be the most exclusive and luxurious of them all. 

A total of 16 brands will be exhibiting and out of that group are introductions from 10 of the companies. 

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia, Saxonia Automatic and Saxonia Dual Time
The German watch brand is introducing three new models to its popular Saxonia collection. The solid-gold applied hour markers have been moved toward the periphery of the dial and are executed as double baton appliqués at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock; along with slightly extended black graduations of the minute scale. For the Automatic and Dual Time models, the seconds subdial is marked by numerals every 10 seconds. The company said all modifications were made in the interest of improved legibility. The new design resulted in a slightly smaller case for the two models. The Saxonia is powered with the in-house manual wind caliber L941.1, the Automatic uses the in-house L086.1 caliber, and the Dual Time uses the in-house automatic L086.2 caliber.

Greubel Forsey Black GMT
The 43.5 mm case is made of titanium treated with vacuum deposited amorphous diamond-like carbon (ADLC), a black coating that displays some of the properties of diamond. It is harder than natural titanium. The movement's main plate and bridges also have a black finish. Greubel Forsey says this helps to bring out the contrast between the different textures and surface finishes of each component. The case houses a GF05 in house movement with a 24-second tourbillon inclined at a 25 degree angle GMT function, three-dimensional globe for day and night indication, a rotating disc with 24 different time zones, daylight savings indication and a 72 hour power reserve. The watch is limited to a production of 22.

IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar
Located at 12 o’clock on the dial, the annual calendar shows the month, date and day in three separate, semicircular windows. The switching mechanism automatically takes into account the differing lengths of individual months. However, unlike a perpetual calendar, the annual calendar cannot factor the differing lengths of the month of February or the leap years. So once a year, at the end of February, it requires manual adjustment with a built-in “corrector.” Its 44.2mm case, grooved bezel, classic railway-track-style chapter ring, slim feuille hands and Arabic numerals, the Portugieser Annual Calendar resembles the original Portugieser of 1939. The small seconds subdial is positioned at 9 o’clock. The subdial on the opposite side serves as the power reserve display. The automatic in-house 52850 caliber movement has a seven-day power reserve. 

Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum
The name Orbis Terrarum, is the Latin term for “globe,” “earth,” and “world.” The in-house complication of the MB29.20 automatic caliber displays 24 time zones in a practical and intuitive way. The dial, constructed in multi-layers, displays the continents and oceans as viewed from the North Pole. Under the main dial is a disc showing day and night, which rotates with the movement of the 24-hour mechanism on the outermost layer on the dial. The names of 24 cities circle the central image surrounded by their respective time zones on the 24-hour mechanism. The disc with the cities can rotate separately from the 24-hour disc with the aid of the pusher located at 8 o’clock. To adjust the time the desired home city needs to be positioned with its corresponding time at 6 o’clock. 

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda 1950 Squelette - Men
The bridge and main plate of the automatic PF705 caliber skeleton watch for men and ladies (ladies watch pictured in top photo) features a hand-crafted openwork display. The revealed skeleton movement compliments the extra-thin construction (7.8mm for me and 8.4mm for ladies). The platinum micro-rotor is visible on the surface of the watch. The pattern consists of the company’s iconic lugs. The dial is made of sapphire, giving it the impression of being invisible. Only the rim is metalized, which hides the points of attachment between the movement and the case. The dial on the men’s model is polished and transparent, while the ladies’ model features a subtly frosted dial that resembles a veil. 

Piaget Black Tie Vintage Inspiration

Piaget Black Tie Traditional Oval

Piaget Black Tie 'Vintage Inspiration' and ‘Traditional Oval’
The new models reflect the heritage of Piaget’s unusual-shaped watches. The cushion-shaped Black Tie Vintage Inspiration has a slimmer profile thanks to the automatic Piaget 534P movement. The white gold bezel creates a contrast with the intense blackness of the onyx dial for a contemporary masculine look. The Black Tie Traditional Oval for ladies features an oval case housing a silver dial with the bezel and bracelet in white gold or yellow gold. In addition, the bezel is topped with 24 brilliant cut diamonds. It’s powered by P56 quartz movement.

Ralph Lauren Automotive Chronograph
Inspired by the instrument panel of Ralph Lauren’s 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe, its curved case horns and chronograph pushers echo the lines of the automobile’s body. The handmade wooden dial element—crafted from loupe d’orme, or elm burl wood—reflects the interior trim of the Type 57 SC’s cockpit. In order to give the dial the same visual detail and impact as the automobile’s instrument panel, only veneers with the right concentration of knots and grains were chosen. Ralph Lauren partnered with Jaeger-LeCoultre to create the RL751A/1 automatic caliber, with a 65-hour power reserve. 

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon
The company has taken the skeleton theme beyond the movement, extending it to encompass the 45mm skeletonized titanium case, flange and hands to resemble a spider’s web. It has the signature features of Roger Dubuis skeleton watches, such as the star-shaped design, the tourbillon carriage shaped like a Celtic cross and the high-end finishes—including a circular-grained plate. It is powered by the mechanical hand-wound RD505SQ caliber, which features a flying tourbillon at 7:30 (one rotation per minute) and a 60-hour power-reserve.

Richard Mille RM 33-01 Automatic
The skeletonized RMXP3 caliber that powers the RM 33-01 has an off-center platinum micro rotor. This architecture reveals the grade 5 titanium movement, which is wet sandblasted and electroplasmatreated, the surfaces microblasted, drawn and satin-finished with the anglage entirely worked by hand. The taut lines of the sport-inspired design combine the curvature of the brand’s tonneau cases with the construction characteristic of its round watches. The graphic style of the numerals with their outsized dimensions provides better readability. The tripartite case, with a diameter of 45.70 mm and a thickness of 9.20 mm, is mounted on a rubber strap secured with a folding clasp in grade 5 titanium. The result, according to Richard Mille, is a chic design with a sporty feel.

Van Cleef & Arpels Cadenas
The luxury house is reintroducing the Cadenas watch, first created in 1935, said to have been inspired by the zip necklace worn by the Duchess of Windsor. It’s known for its unashamedly modern design with large double hoop-shaped curves attached to a straight-lined watch case. The new collection consists of nine models, powered by a quartz movement. The Cadenas is available in unadorned yellow or white gold. The Cadenas Sertie, also in yellow or white gold, has touches of diamonds on the upper surface of the case and the alligator strap attachment. The Cadenas Pavée highlights the jewelry aspect of the watch with princess cut diamonds on the upper surface of the case and round diamonds on the case, clasp and dial; paired with a white-gold snake chain bracelet. The Cadenas Pavée is in pink gold with pink sapphires and diamonds. Diamonds and a gradation of pink sapphires adorn the case and the clasp of the Cadenas Pavée Saphirs Roses.

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Bespoke Titanium Patek Philippe’s Sky Moon Tourbillon Could Fetch $1.5 Million

Patek Philippe Ref 5001T Sky Moon Tourbillon

A unique collection of watches that includes five bespoke Patek Philippe references made in titanium will be part of Sotheby’s New York Important Watches auction on June 10. The collection of vintage and modern timepieces is led by the Patek Philippe Ref 5001T Sky Moon Tourbillon, a previously undocumented reference and the only known example of Patek Philippe’s Sky Moon Tourbillon in titanium. Its estimate is $1 - $1.5 million.

The double dialed wristwatch has 12 complications including tourbillon, perpetual calendar, retrograde date, sky chart, moon-phases, orbit display, sidereal time and minute repeating on cathedral gongs, made circa 2002. In addition to the lightweight metal, the watch is further distinguished by its basket weave motif, repeated on the bezel and the dial where the standard Sky Moon Tourbillon normally features the firm’s signature Calatrava crosses, as well as unabbreviated cardinal points on the star chart.

The Patek Philippe titanium timepieces are part of a private collection of 12 watches that includes additional references by Patek Philippe that have remained unknown to collectors, as well as unique pieces incorporating rare materials and designs beyond titanium. The timepieces have a total estimate of more than $3 million.

Patek Philippe Ref 5033T, titanium automatic annual calendar
minute repeating wristwatch.

In addition to the Ref 5001T, highlights of the previously unknown titanium wristwatches by Patek Philippe include: the Ref 5033T, a titanium automatic annual calendar minute repeating wristwatch made in 2003 (estimate est. $400,000 - $600,000); and the Ref 5102T Celestial, a titanium automatic astronomical wristwatch with sky chart, phases and position of the moon and time of Meridian passage of Sirius and the moon, made in 2003 (estimate. $200 $300,000).

Until this auction, there were only four known watches in titanium made by Patek Philippe.

“When first learning about this collection, it was almost impossible to conceive of so many important yet unknown pieces from Patek Philippe,” Daryn Schnipper, chairman of Sotheby’s Watch & Clock Department, said in a statement. “The five titanium watches are an absolute revelation. This group is a testament to the influence and ultimate connoisseurship of its collector, who had the foresight to customize these references in discreet yet significant ways.”

Patek Philippe 1923 Officier

Another star of the private collection is the Patek Philippe 1923 Officier, which Sotheby’s said is one of the most important wristwatches produced by the firm. The yellow gold single button split-seconds chronograph originally sold on October 13, 1923, making it the earliest known split-seconds chronograph produced by the firm. It is the only split-seconds chronograph by Patek Philippe to feature a white enamel dial. Its estimate is $800,000 - $1.2 million.

Patek Philippe Ref 5103P platinum automatic minute repeating semi-skeletonized perpetual calendar wristwatch with retrograde date, moon phases and leap year indication.

Another previously undocumented Patek Philippe is the Ref 5103P platinum automatic minute repeating semi-skeletonized perpetual calendar wristwatch with retrograde date, moon phases and leap year indication made in 2004. The watch has bespoke engraving on its movement plates as well as a unique teardrop pattern on its side. Its estimate is $500,000 - $700,000.

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Watches at SIHH Show Advancements in Design, Function and Application

Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph 100

When watch brands talk about case and bezel design, new uses for materials and minor additions to tradition timepieces you know that the Swiss watch industry has entered a cooling off period. Maybe that’s a good thing as the high-flying sales of recent years, primarily due to China’s phenomenal economic expansion, couldn’t possibly last forever.

The recently concluded Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva was a case in point as the industry may be preparing itself to a world economy with more stable growth through all regions. Don’t get me wrong, there were still plenty of innovative watches to be seen at this year’s event. I listed seven or my favorites among the 16 watch brands (12 of which are associated with luxury conglomerate Richemont) who display at what’s been called the world’s most luxurious and exclusive watch event. These timepieces stood out for their advancements in design, function and application.

Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph 100
At SIHH, the company introduced the TimeWalker Chronograph 100 (top photo), with a hand-made movement made by the Montblanc-owned Villeret manufacturer. This pushes the price of this popular watch to 50,000 euro ($68,000). Formerly known as Minerva, the Villeret watch company in the Swiss town of the same name is known for its hand-made watch movements, built in an old-world Swiss style. Montblanc bought the company in 2006, changed its named and used its watchmaking techniques and philosophy to produce high-end luxury timepieces under the Villeret name.

SIHH 2014 marked a turning point for Montblanc as it introduced several new branded products with high-performance Villeret movements, led by TimeWalker Chronograph 100. This change seemed to have happened overnight. The person most often credited for this is Jérôme Lambert, the former Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO who took the same position with Montblanc just six months ago.

The TimeWalker Chronograph with the MB M66.25 caliber can measure intervals to the nearest 100th-of-a-second, a feat that Villeret (as Minerva) pioneered in 1916. The watch has a large, red chronograph hand that completes a full 360-degree circuit on the main dial in one second. The manually wound movement uses one balance for the time indication and a separate balance for the chronograph. The watch display depicts hours and minutes from the center with a subdial for the seconds at 9 o’clock. Counters for 60 elapsed seconds and 15 elapsed minutes are at 6 o’clock. The watch is housed in a case made of a mix of titanium, stainless steel and carbon fiber. The watch, limited to 100 units, will be available in the fall.

Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium Poetic Complication
Leave it to the French luxury house to create a watch that is beautiful, efficient and teases the imagination. This new timepiece aspires for no less than the heavens above and returns to earth with the solar system that fits on a wrist.

The timepiece provides a miniature representation of the movement of six planets around the sun and their position at any given time—Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—which can all be seen from Earth with the naked eye. The movement of each planet is true to its length of orbit: it will take Saturn over 29 years to make a complete circuit of the dial, while Jupiter will take almost 12 years, Mars 687 days, Earth 365 days, Venus 224 days and Mercury 88 days.

The unnamed self-winding mechanical movement contains 396 separate parts and is equipped with an exclusive module developed in partnership with the Christiaan van der Klaauw, a Dutch brand known for its hand-made astronomical clocks and watches.

The watch displays the time using 24 hour indicators located at the outer edge of the dial. The hour markers are divided further into 15 minute intervals. A shooting star made of pink gold rotates around the clock marking the correct time. The story continues on the back of the watch, where the oscillating weight is engraved with a starry composition. The day, month and year are set using two push buttons and viewed through two apertures on the dial. In addition, a “lucky day” can be set by the owner using a rotating bezel. On a date set with a red triangle against a graduated calendar, the Earth will move to a position directly below the star engraved on the sapphire crystal. The brand says it’s a sign of good luck.

A selection of hard stones are used to depict the planets: turquoise for the Earth, serpentine for Mercury, chloromelanite for Venus, red jasper for Mars, blue agate for Jupiter and sugilite for Saturn. They are positioned around a sun in pink gold. Each of these elements, along with the shooting star, is fixed on its own aventurine disc. The deep blue dial is sprinkled with gold to depict stars.

Piaget Antiplano 38mm 900P
The luxury watch and jewelry brand is known for its thin watches. This year the company received a lot of attention through its introduction of the Antiplano 38mm 900P, the world’s thinnest mechanical watch at 3.65mm. The company manages this by merging the ultra-thin case with the ultra-thin movement. Specifically, the hand-wound movement, instead of being stacked as is typical, is spread across the bottom half of the dial.

The movement has a total of 145 parts, including some wheels that are a mere 0.12mm thin. The back of the case also serves as the mainplate. To save millimetres, the entire mechanism and the hand-fitting system are contained within the thickness of the balance-wheel itself, thus entailing an off-centered display of the hours and minutes as a subdial. Working within this confined space, Piaget devised a suspended barrel hanging from a single bridge on the dial side, contrary to classic barrels that are also fixed to the mainplate side. This unusual device doesn’t deter the performance of the mechanism, which has a power reserve of about 48 hours.

In addition, instead of fitting the hands above the bridges, Piaget has placed them underneath, thereby freeing up space between the cannon-pinion and the crystal. This eliminates any deformities to the hands of the watch due to the effects of unintended extra pressure.

Richard Mille RM 037
It’s difficult for me to imagine the man and the brand, Richard Mille, being behind on anything. However, his declaration of 2014 of being the year of woman is behind the same declaration I made a year earlier. Despite this, the company is arguably the most forward-thinking in the Swiss watch industry. It is known for using techniques and materials from the aeronautics and car racing industries to build timepieces that are groundbreaking in application, use and design. Mille is certainly forward-thinking enough to know that there are at least some women who want to wear exceptional mechanical timepieces.

The RM 037 collection pretty much mirrors what he has done for men’s watches in a smaller package. The skeleton movement baseplate with bridges is made of black PVD treated grade 5 titanium. There’s a large date at 12 o’clock created from two skeletonized, rotating discs, and a function selector that allows the wearer to choose between winding, neutral or hand-setting, without pulling the crown in different positions. Two pushers resembling drops of water are placed between 10 and 11 o’clock (date adjustment), and 4 and 5 o’clock (function selector). The action chosen appears in a small window (H-N-W) between 3 and 4 o’clock. The CRMA1 caliber movement combines satin finishes with chamfered, blasted, brushed and polished areas, including rare black polishing. The crown is impossible to dislodge, according to the company. The case is available in 18k red with scratch resistant ceramic bezels in white or black, or full cases in 18K red or white gold, accompanied by a stone setting and dial variants in precious and semi-precious materials such as diamond, onyx, pearl and jasper.

Greubel Forsey QP à Équation
The “watch inventors” have come up with another highly complicated timepiece piece called the QP à Équation. The company says it has reinvented the perpetual calendar by integrating the “Equation of Time” as well as other practical functions and indications that improve clarity. The priority was to simplify the displays and make it easier to set the perpetual calendar by using a bi-directional winding crown. If the timepiece has stopped for several days, simply pull out the crown checking the selection indicator near 2 o'clock. Turn the crown back and forth to change the calendar and all the different indications change by themselves.

The Equation of Time is the difference between solar time and mean time, which can vary from a few seconds to as much as 16 minutes during the year. The Equation of Time is the conversion factor between solar and mean time. The solar time is located at the back subdial.

The most frequently sought information, namely the day, date and month, is displayed on the front dial. Information that is less often required is on the back of the timepiece. In addition to the Equation of Time, the seasons and the current year in four figures is on the back of the timepiece on two superimposed transparent discs. The first disc is driven by the date wheel and has a scale in minutes indicating the difference between solar and mean time. The second disc, which goes around once a year, has a figure shaped like a manta ray, and divided into four sections in red and blue to show whether the Equation of Time is positive or negative.

The watch is contained in a white gold case that measures 43.5mm in diameter and is 16mm high. It includes a 24-second tourbillon inclined at 25 degrees. It's not often a tourbillon function gets second billing.

Calibre de Cartier
The French luxury house introduced several brands at SIHH, but the one that attracted the most interest is its mechanical diver’s watch, which represents a return to the sports category of watches for the brand after a long absence.

The Calibre de Cartier is water resistant up to 300 meters. To prevent any accidental rotation or alteration of the dive-time indication, the bezel only turns in one direction. It can be adjusted to 30 seconds with a clear sound while turned. The markers signaling each 5 minute period are clearly indicated. The thickness of the watch was reduced to 11mm, without jeopardizing the integrity of its diver’s functions. The in-house 1904 MC movement is further enhanced with a fine regulating system and a stop-second mechanism.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées
The iconic brand has released several new models for SIHH 2014 that features its multi-layered skeleton process that the company refers to as “openwork.” In the case of the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées collection I’m focusing on, the openwork technique is combined with Grand Feu enameling.

Vacheron has been using its openworked process on its watches 1924. However, this collection represents the brand’s first openworked version of an iconic in-house movement, the caliber 4400. An artistic three-dimensional appearance is achieved by carving the caliber in curved lines, removing half the material and leaving interlocking pieces that looks like lace. The carving and finishing process takes about three days for each caliber. The Grand Feu enameling appears as a ring around the dial in either black, blue or grey.

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Jaquet Droz, Chopard And Vacheron Constantin Celebrate Year of the Horse

Jaquet Droz

January 31 marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the longest and most important celebration on the Chinese calendar. This upcoming year is the Year of the Horse. Those born in horse years are said to be cheerful, skillful with money, perceptive, witty, talented and good with their hands. If Jaquet Droz, Chopard and Vacheron Constantin, have their way, those born in horse years and all who celebrate the Chinese lunar calendar will also be attracted to their highly decorative and functional luxury watches made to commemorate this moment in time.

Jaquet Droz
The watch brand has a long association with China and it produces models annually commemorating the Chinese New Year. This year it created three watches in its Ateliers d'Art series that uses three complex techniques: engraving, painting and Grand Feu enamel.

The colorful dial of the Petite Heure Minute 39mm depicts a landscape with two hand-painted Arab thoroughbreds at full gallop on an ivory enamel dial.

A sculptured wild mustang appears on the dial of the Petite Heure Minute 43mm appearing in red gold and engraved in bas-relief on a black dial. The champlevé technique, used for the first time by Jaquet Droz, highlights the movement of the mane and the tail, both filled in with black Grand Feu enamel. On each of these models, a horse's head is also represented on the back of the white gold oscillating weight.

The dial of the Petite Heure Minute 41mm depicts an 18k red gold horse rearing up on its hind legs against a backdrop of the Great Wall of China, engraved and patinated by hand on a mother-of-pearl dial.

All of the watches come in red gold cases and each are available in a limited edition of 88 pieces.

Vacheron Constantin Legend of the Chinese Zodiac

Vacheron Constantin
The venerable luxury watch brand also has a long association with China and produces a series of watches called “The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac” as part of its Métiers d’Art collection.

For the Year of the Horse, Vacheron unveiled two watches crafted in a choice of pink gold or platinum and enhanced by enameling and engraving. For this year’s model, the company took its inspiration in the Chinese art of paper cutting known as Jianzhi. The leaf motif, stemming from classic Chinese iconography is directly engraved in the gold dial. The pattern remains semi-embedded and stands out from its gold base by a subtle stage-setting of variously accentuated reliefs. Raised bamboo stalks appear to be floating over the dial.

The engraved horse appears in pose on the center of the dial. Its mane and coat measures a fraction of a millimeter. Grand Feu enameling is then applied in layers.

Powered by the mechanical self-winding caliber 2460 G4, the dial of the watch provides a hands-free display of time through four windows respectively revealing the hour, the minutes, the day and the date—each appearing through one of the four apertures arranged around the central dial motif.

Each model is limited to 12 pieces and sold exclusively through Vacheron Constantin boutiques.

Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Horse

Chopard
The Japanese art of Urushi is the inspiration of the L.U.C XP 2014 “Year of the Horse” special edition watch. Its hand-painted employs Japanese-inspired traditional artistic techniques. It depicts a noble prancing horse, adorned with lotus flowers—a plant symbolizing personal fulfillment.

Urushi is a long-established lacquering art. The varnish is derived from the sap of the Urushi tree, also called the “lacquer tree” or “Japanese varnish tree”, mainly found in Japan and China. Maki-e, a technique derived from the art of Urushi, consists of sprinkling the lacquered coating with metal powder – in this case gold – in order to accentuate its outlines. The gold dust is applied using bamboo tubes and small natural-hair brushes in order to trace extremely fine lines.

The ultra-thin timepiece measuring 39.5mm in diameter and 6.8mm thick has a mechanical self-winding movement equipped with two barrels ensuring a 65-hour power reserve.

The watch comes in a box decorated in Urushi techniques. Black on the outside and Maki-e gold on the inside, it is shaped like an octagon—the oriental symbol of gaiety, according to the company—and finished with a silk fastening cord.

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Large Independent Watch Brands at Baselworld 2013

Patek Philippe Ref. 5200 Gondolo 8 Days, Day & Date Indication

The sharks are circling this next group of watch brands that I saw at Baselworld 2013. By sharks I mean Swatch Group, LVMH, PPR/Kering and others like them who gobble up independent watch companies like Yellowfins with a never ending appetite. These companies (and a few others) are for the most part large and successful and have managed to keep their independence.

This independence is something they wear proudly and even use for their marketing. They all claim that they will remain free of the luxury conglomerates but others who have made the same vow have fallen to the seduction of these companies and their deep pockets as well as the new realities of a global watch business.

So here’s a chance to view the labor of independent companies before the sharks take another other bite out of these remaining few.

Patek Philippe Ref. 5200 Gondolo 8 Days, Day & Date Indication (top photo)
Arguably the most successful Swiss watch company in history, it's difficult to imagine this company being anything but independent.

For this model, Patek developed a new mechanical caliber with Silinvar components created at the “Patek Philippe Advanced Research” think tank. The result is a form movement with a genuine 8-day power-reserve display. The watch is housed in a curved Art Deco style case.

The rectangular caliber 28-20 REC 8J PS IRM C J was developed for the Ref. 5200 Gondolo. In twin in-line barrels it stores the power needed to guarantee that it will run non-stop for 192 hours. The winding mechanism requires 134 revolutions every eight days. The day and date indicators are located on the “sunshine blue” dial at 6 o’clock and the power reserve function is at 12 o’clock.

Patek says the movement’s eight-day staying power with the day and date apertures is due to the patented oscillator with a Spiromax balance spring and a Pulsomax escapement. It is the manufacture’s first 4-hertz movement with these patented elements. The watch is also available with a white dial.

Oris ProDiver Pointer Moon
Oris says this professional diver’s watch is the world's first mechanical timepiece to indicate both the lunar cycle and the tidal range.

The watch was inspired by its brand ambassador, commercial diver Roman Frischknecht. The dial design indicates the tidal range and lunar cycle at a glance, removing the need for divers to consult manuals. It incorporates Oris's patented Rotation Safety System, which allows the wearer to keep track of a certain time period using a rotating bezel that can be locked to prevent accidental adjustment, and an automatic helium escape valve.

The automatic movement, Oris Cal. 761, is based on a Sellita SW220 with pointer moon function and a date display at 5 o’clock. Its titanium case is water resistant to 1,000m. For ease of readability for divers, the sapphire crystal is domed on both sides and has an inner anti-reflective coating. It is available in northern and southern hemisphere tide range indication.

Corum Ti-Bridge Automatic Dual Winder
Corum’s latest addition to the Bridges collection has a “Dual Winder” system powered by the automatic CO 207 caliber. This movement derives its energy from two interconnected inline oscillating weights. The watch also boasts a patented winding system and a new titanium case.

The patented Corum Dual Winder system features two inline-mounted circular oscillating weights, interconnected by a transmission arbor that makes them move in parallel. The winding is efficient in both directions. A single barrel placed at 3 o’clock stores up the CO 207 caliber’s 72-hour power reserve. The CO 207 movement is held in the center of the case by four titanium cross-bars. The impression of a suspended mechanism is further accentuated by its transparency, framed by an anthracite grey dial. It is available in grade 5 titanium and in 5N 18k red gold.

Carl F. Bucherer Manero MoonPhase Limited Edition
This watch marks the 125-year anniversary when Carl Friedrich Bucherer founded the company. It provides the date, day of the week and the month with a moonphase.

The date is shown by a hand around the center of the dial. The day of the week indicator is positioned at 10 o’clock, and the month can be seen at 2 o’clock. The moonphase indication is positioned at 6 o’clock. The watch is powered by the automatic CFB 1966 caliber.

With a diameter of 38 mm, the bicolored case is made of 18k rose gold and stainless steel. In spite of the many indications, optimum legibility is enhanced by the wedge-shaped index marks and the tapering Super-Luminova-coated hours and minutes hands. The moonphase indication has a gold-colored moon shining out against a blue background. It is limited to 125 pieces.

Nomos Glashütte Orion 38 Gray
This latest version of the Orion at 38mm is a bit wider than the usual Orion and has a touch of gray. the standard Nomos caliber (with the hand-wound Alpha movement ) is visible through the sapphire crystal back. The face is galvanized and rhodium-plated in silver-gray, which gives it a glazed appearance. The watch’s indices are embossed and diamond-coated. It is one of a series of four Orion 38 watches that were introduced at Baselworld. The company hails from Glashütte, the watchmaking capital of Germany.

Frédérique Constant Slimline Moonphase Manufacture
Five new models of the Slimline Moonphase Collection were introduced at Baselworld and all are driven by the FC-705 Manufacture caliber.

Each complication in the watch is accessed through a three-position single crown. “Position 0” is for winding the watch. At “Position 1,” the date can be adjusted by turning the crown clockwise. Turning the crown counter clockwise adjusts the moonphase. “Position 2” is used to adjust the hour and minute hands.

Other features include the slimline design and a case diameter of 42 mm. Each dial presents the date display and moonphase at the 6 o’clock position. A new technology known as “laser ablation” was used to create a detailed and precise image of the moon. Finally, each model comes with a 26-jewel movement, a 42-hour power reserve and a Circular Côtes de Genève decoration on the movement.

Alpina 130 Heritage Pilot Automatic Chronograph
This watch celebrates Alpina’s 130th anniversary. The “Bi-compax" chronograph was inspired by an Alpina pilot chronograph from the beginning of the 20th Century.

The Alpina 130 features a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating that guarantees perfect contrast between all elements of the dial, regardless of the angle of the light shining on the watch. The classic dial design, with telemeter and tachymeter scales provides a balance between technicality, elegance and readability. The transparent case back allows a view of the AL-860 automatic chronograph caliber with its fine fish scales decoration and blue screws.

The tachymeter scale gives the means to measure average speed of movement, while the telemeter scale provides the distance between the source of a specific sound effect and the position of the listener. These functions are important for pilots and drivers who rely on time, speed and distance variables.

Raymond Weil Freelancer 7730
The new additions to the watch brand’s Freelancer chronograph collection include a 42mm steel case watch with black galvanic dial punctuated with red colored notes. The steel-colored minute and hour hands are coated in a luminescent material providing night-time visibility. It has a seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and a three-day date and day window at 3 o’clock, adjusted by a push pin also at 3 o’clock. The chronograph start, stop and restart push-button is at 2 o’clock and a reset button at 4 o’clock. In addition, there’s a 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock and a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock.

Jacob & Co. Quenttin Tourbillion Baguette
The company known for its over-the-top flare and dramatic reinterpretations of timepieces released its latest version of the Quenttin Tourbillion, which in this case is covered in baguette-shaped diamonds. The curved case measures 56 x 47 x 21.55mm and is topped with 26.01 carats of diamonds. The satin-finished titanium and 18k rhodium-plated, polished white gold is set with 453 diamonds (23.81 carats). The tourbillon is visible through a side window.

The dial indicators are on revolving cylindrical drums with Super-luminova Arabic numerals, with the central hours cylinder and minutes cylinder to the right; and power reserve indication on the left cylinder. The movement is a manual-winding Jacob & Co. MHC-manufactured caliber 9031 with one-minute vertical tourbillon; frequency 21’600 vph, seven spring barrels and 31-day power reserve.

Black vulcanized rubber strap with 18k white gold deployment buckle is set with 40 baguette diamonds (2.20 carats). It is limited to six pieces.

Perrelet Turbine Chrono
The watch brand created a timepiece collection incorporating a chronograph into a Turbine powered by an in-house P-361 automatic movement. The chronograph measurements are provided by a central seconds chronograph hand and a 60-minute counter. The former runs over a large inner bezel surrounding the dial, while the latter is composed of two juxtaposed sapphire crystal elements. A graduated mobile disk turns in the center of a fixed ring marked with a red arrow bearing the inscription “min” and pointing to the recorded times. The transparency of the chronograph counter allows the signature rotor of the Turbine watch to remain visible.

Five chronographs make up the collection in 47 mm-diameter cases with tachometric bezels and applied rings. There are three variations in graded shades of black and white, one enhanced with 4N pink gold, and an All-Black model.

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Tag Heuer Carrera Watch Celebrates 50 Years with its Creator, Jack Heuer

Jack Heuer

The Carrera chronograph is one of the most successful watch lines ever released by Tag Heuer, which has produced more than its share of successful timepieces. The creator of the Carrera, Jack Heuer, was in New York Thursday to help the Swiss watch brand celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the iconic watch.

Jack Heuer, honorary chairman of Tag Heuer and the great grandson of founder Edouard Heuer, spoke for about 10 minutes discussing how the watch came about, the inspiration behind the name, the celebrity endorsements and what the Carrera has meant to his career and to Tag Heuer. His talk combined business and design strategy and personal reminiscing.

“I’ve been a product man all of my life. That’s the thing I love most. I made many, many products both in my watchmaking career and in my later career,” he said. “But here I stand a few weeks or months before I retire and I’m really a bit proud to have contributed to a product that has lasted 50 years.”

Below is Jack Heuer’s presentation at the Highline Stages.



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