Unveiling poetic treatises to time

Unveiling poetic treatises to time

Personality watches are the ones that really spark up conversation. We feature some select models for the season painstakingly crafted with an eye for beauty, perfection and precision by the world’s leading luxury brands as poetic treatises to time’s odyssey…

Since 1735, Blancpain has contributed to the progress of mechanical watchmaking while conserving the traditional skills of its founder. In 2012, its Villeret collection welcomes its first model featuring a stamped flinqué lacquered opaline or black dial the Ultra-slim Retrograde Seconds crafted in 18k white gold. It houses a self-winding Calibre 7663  offering 65 hours of power reserve and water resistance of 3 Bar matched by an alligator strap.  

Italian luxury brand Bulgari’s new precious Serpenti watches epitomise history with   truly iconic stature. Its 18k gold bracelet features a diaphanous pink gold double wrap-around structure, with jet-black or eggshell-white scales set with brilliant diamonds. In its single-coil version, the scales are made of diamond-set pink gold. The case shaped like a snake’s head houses a Swiss quartz movement specifically personalised for Bulgari, with diamonds framing the black sapphire or white mother-of-pearl dial (depending on the version) with 12 diamond-set hour-markers.

World renowned Swiss watch brand HYSEK’s Kilada defines time dynamics! Its stylish casing integrates new materials such as rubber directly into its case middle. Launched in 1997, Kilada boasts architectural features with minimalistic curves and is available in three sizes and combinations such as rose gold and black DCL or steel and black DCL while expressing the essence of horological art through the best of complications such as the annual calendar and the chronograph and useful functions   such as the power reserve indicator.

Heir to 179 years of expertise, Jaeger Le-Coultre celebrates femininity on the 80^th anniversary of its iconic Reverso timepiece with a charming new model boasting unique style and savoir-faire. The two-tone version combines rose gold and steel and is presented on a totally new double tour strap bracelet created in partnership with VALEXTRA presented in three exciting colours inspired by the latest fashion trends.

There could hardly be a more appropriate title for renowned brand Kern’s superbly crafted Harmony timepiece. Its oval-shaped 41.20mm 18k white gold case is water resistant and set with 46 diamond tapers as well as 30 diamonds forming a sparkling frame around the sapphire crystal and dial. Black Roman numerals surround a mother-of-pearl dial set with 139 diamonds and it houses a Swiss quartz movement, and is matched by a hand-sewn Thai silk strap with intricate embroidery work and is offered in a limited edition of just 25   pieces. It also has an 18k white gold lock set with 40 diamonds.

Watches by pioneering brands such as Chanel make excellent conversation pieces just anywhere. One of its most attractive collections is the 38 mm J12 ceramic watch fashioned in white high tech ceramic with a self-winding mechanical movement. It has a  42-hour power reserve with functions such as hours, minutes, seconds, date, an unidirectional rotating bezel, a screw-down crown and is water- resistant to 200m. It is   matched by a steel triple-folding buckle and is also available in 42mm (self-winding) and 33 mm (quartz).

Reverred Swiss brand Breguet enriches its Heritage collection with its new Phases de   Lune Retrograde reference number 8660 equipped with one of the most romantic complications – the phases of the moon. It’s powered by the highly accurate Caliber 586L self-winding mechanical movement with a platinum winding rotor on the inside, and a moon phase indicator with hours and minutes on the engine-turned mother of pearl dial. It provides 40 hours of power reserve when fully wound. Its movement oscillates at 21,600 beats per hour.

The Longines Conquest is the expression of the brand’s sporting elegance blending steel with ceramic, to meet the demands of sports persons. It has a fixed bezel and a cabochon crown in black or grey ceramic. Some models come with black or grey ceramic links on the bracelet. It is water-resistant to 30 bars, with a screw-in crown case-back, lateral protection for the crown and triple folding safety clasp. The 41mm stainless steel case houses a choice of a self-winding, chronograph or three-hand movement and has a leather or rubber strap or a stainless steel bracelet.

Founded in 1888, the family owned Swiss brand Carl F. Bucherer presents the superlative Manero ChronoPerpetual offering correction-free display of the date at 12 o’clock it has the day of the week at 6 o’clock, the month and leap year at 9 o’clock and the moon phase at 3 o’clock. It houses a Manufacture movement from Vaucher with contemporary decoration in its signature style and scores a winner presented in 100 rose   gold pieces or 150 stainless steel pieces.

If it’s harder than ever to keep track of things, not to worry, Glashütte Original’s Senator Diary’s here. No other mechanical watch lets you set an alarm up to 30 days ahead of time. Presented in a white gold version with a grey Nubuk leather strap design it has two crowns directly opposite each other on the case, flanked by pushers. It has a ruthenium galvanized dial, white gold hour, minute and sweep second hands and houses the Glashütte Original Caliber 100-13, which combines with the extraordinary new diary appointment module with 600 components. Only a handful of these are designed, manufactured, finished and painstakingly assembled in the Glashütte Original   manufactory.

One of the watch connoisseur’s delights of the year is definitely the new Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Open Grande Date Moon and Sunphase presented in either rose gold or stainless steel, in addition to the chronograph which measures 1/10^th of a second, its Calibre 4047 also indicates the hours, minutes, small seconds, large date as well as the moon and sunphases at 6 o’clock by means of two superimposed discs: a transparent upper disc with two polished metallic moons performs one rotation every 59 days while the lower day/night disc performs a rotation every 24 hours.

Referring respectively to the magic of
Paris in the 1930s, the modernism of the Bauhaus movement and the tremendous creativity of the Roaring Twenties, acclaimed Jaquet Droz’s three new ultra-sophisticated Petite Heure Minute models, revive Art Deco glory.  Made of red or white gold, with or without diamonds, a slim bezel and a mother-of-pearl dial, sculpted by means of the “Ramolayé” technique, used here for the first time in thin layers with an interplay of light and shade. Each of these exclusive models has been issued in a Numerus Clausus edition, limited to 88 pieces.

You don’t need an excuse to wear a Rolex as you’ll be in the company of several former
US Presidents, Eisenhower, Roosevelt, Kennedy and Ford all of whom sported Rolex on their wrists. Presented first in 1956 its Oyster Perpetual Day Date was a world first, indicating the day of the week spelt out in full. Housing a mechanical       self-winding movement it’s available world over in a wide choice of languages in platinum or 18k gold. We feature the 36mm platinum model with an ice blue dial and the President bracelet specifically designed for the collection.

Ulysse Nardin’s new Champions Diver Plushenko is named after the three-time world figure skating champion, Serbian-Russian Evgeni Plushenko. It has been developed on the basis of the UN-26 calibre used in the production of the Ulysse Nardin Marine   collection. Its self-winding movement features a 42 hour power reserve indicator, oversized small seconds display and a large date display. Its stainless steel case is treated with a sophisticated vulcanization process and it has a unidirectional rotating bezel, a screwed crown and an individually numbered case water resistant to 200m. Limited to 250 pieces, it has a ceramic clasp and a rubber strap.

A great classic from the Manufacture Patek Philippe, the ultra-thin automatic Perpetual Calendar 240 Q calibre is interpreted in a original manner in a retro-contemporary styled cushion-shaped case and a dial distinguished by its readability and perfect visual balance. Housing the ultra-thin automatic movement 240 Q calibre, with a maximum 48-hour power reserve offering the following functions - hours, minutes, perpetual calendar (day, date, month, leap year), moon-phase and 24-hour indication it’s a watch that’s sure to ‘up’ your status.

The ability of the Salvatore Ferragamo Timepieces collection to renew itself, keep contemporary and stay recognisable springs from the of a Maison’s priceless heritage to define fashion and style trends for over 80 years. Its 2012 collection features two novelties and numerous line extensions draw attention to its authentic originality and remarkably contemporary feel. Inspired by the gros-grain bow featured on the unmistakable Vara decollete shoe, a cult model created in 1978, its Renaissance collection is joined by two new variants with a total black or chocolate look. The IP black or IP brown surface treatment that covers the entire geometrical steel case and metal link bracelet attenuates the overall retro look to give them a stylish touch. Powered by a practical Swiss Made quartz movement, it is embellished by golden dial detailing in the logo, hands, indices and Roman numerals, confirming its hyper-feminine and stylish spirit.

Reverred Parisian luxury brand Cartier has extended it brilliance to its first minute repeater, with the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon. Five years in the making, this exquisite 45 mm piece is available in titanium or in pink gold, and enshrines the lightweight 9402 MC movement, bearing the Geneva Seal – impeccable quality of  craftsmanship. Titanium was used for the case because it offers the highest gong mass to case mass ratio, allowing for optimal resonance when the repeater is activated with a push-button (68 decibels in titanium and 63 in rose gold). It is water resistant to 30m and proposed in a numbered limited edition of 50 models in titanium and 50 models in pink gold, and a version set with baguette-cut diamonds.

Yet another definite conversation piece is Swiss luxury brand Chopard’s amazing Animal World Beetle watch featuring an exotic and jewelled Scarabeus beetle on the bracelet. The watch is set with white diamonds and black  diamonds on 18k white gold; the beetle is set with black diamonds (8cts), amethysts, emeralds, sapphires, garnets and lazulites on 18k white gold, the bracelet is set with yellow diamonds (16cts) and black diamonds on 18ct yellow gold.