July 1, 2008
Coming to America
You may have never heard of the Badollet watch company, but the Geneva-based brand is more than 300 years old. It was maintained by one family until the 20th century, when Badollet dissolved in the 1920s. After decades of being dormant, it has been resurrected by a private investment group in Geneva headed by watch industry veteran Aldo Magada. It debuted this year in the United States with three new styles inspired by historic models and movements in a handful of high-end watch stores. The 18-karat gold Observatoire 1872 Minute Repeater, for instance, references one of Badollet’s pocket watch designs, but is updated with a flying tourbillon and minute repeater. When the mechanism is activated, the time is signaled by hammers striking different gongs to indicate the time. The watches start at $240,000 and go up to $350,000 for the Observatoire 1872 Minute Repeater. Still steeped in old-world watchmaking, only 80 models will be made this year, and each can be customized to a client’s specific requests. (www.badollet.com)
—Alexandra Foster
|
June 17, 2008
On Taffin’s Time
James de Givenchy for Taffin, the renowned jewelry designer who sells his one-of-a-kind creations exclusively from his by-appointment Fifth Avenue salon, unveiled a collection of signature men’s watches. “I really wanted to sport my own watch,” says de Givenchy, who spent four years developing a piece that reflected his personal style. The retro-styled timepiece is defined by its simplistic dial with bold numerals and classic proportions, but it houses a contemporary Swiss automatic movement. Only 200 editions will be made in each of the following metals: stainless steel for $6,000, or white, yellow, or rose gold for $18,000. The men’s model comes on the heels of his highly successful women’s gold Stella timepiece, named for his daughter. (212.421.6222)
―Jill Newman
|
June 3, 2008
Panerai and Ferrari Synthesize for Time
Two Italian style icons, automobile maker Ferrari and watchmaker Panerai have joined forces to create a collection bearing the distinctive elements that made both brands style makers in their respective fields. The Chronograph Pink Gold 45 mm timepiece is powered by a period movement visible through a sapphire crystal from Minerva that evokes images of the Ferrari’s first 12-cylinder engine. The crown is closed with a bayonet lock that keeps the Ferrari signature prancing horse vertical. Each detail is directly inspired by the Ferrari brand from the shape of the counters to the red hands. In addition, the $53,500 timepiece, of which 50 will be made, is sold with two wrist straps―a classic hand-sewn alligator and a more sporty rubber band with the Ferrari inscription. (310.228.1515, www.panerai.com) ―Alyson Gerber
|
May 20, 2008
Ernst Benz Debuts a Serious Diving Watch
Swiss watchmaker Ernst Benz unveiled its first diver’s watch with intention of appealing to serious divers. The ChronoDiver features a rotating bezel marked for 60 minutes to measure the length of a dive and a graduated scale for the first 15 minutes to make it easier for the diver to measure his descent. What makes this model visibly different from most diving watches is its exhibition sapphire crystal back allowing the wearer to observe the mechanical movement of the watch. Designed to be water resistant to 200 meters, the timepiece, available with a black or white dial and the company’s signature concentric dial, will retail starting at $4,900. For the launch of the watch, Ernst Benz will donate a portion of its sales to Stay-Focused, a nonprofit organization that enables teen and young adults with disabilities to become certified scuba divers. (248.203.2323, www.ernstbenz.com)
―Jill Newman
|
May 6, 2008
Blancpain’s Precision Diver
Blancpain first revealed the modern diver’s watch in 1953, and now the brand known for its understated elegance presents a new generation of timepieces, the Fifty Fathoms Automatique. Its sporty styling is paired with a complicated movement to appeal both to seasoned divers as well as connoisseurs of fine mechanisms. Designed with a sapphire crystal case back, this new model reveals the complexity of a 222-part self-winding caliber 1315 movement while maintaining water resistance up to 300 meters. In addition, this new genre of watches includes an oscillating weight shaped like a nautilus, five-day power reserve, and it exposes a fluorescent green color in the dark allowing divers to explore the depths of the ocean. (www.blancpain.com)
―Alyson Gerber
|
April 22, 2008
Girard-Perregaux’s VIRTUS I: a Symbol of Virtue
Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux’s new VIRTUS I Chronograph Perpetual Calendar is more than just a complicated, sleek new timepiece. The $52,000 watch is the result of collaboration between the 200-year-old watch company and American Nicaraguan Foundation (ANF), a philanthropic group dedicated to fighting extreme poverty in Nicaragua. Named for the Latin word that expresses virtue, valor, and character, the watch is a symbolic emblem for fighting poverty: Girard-Perregaux expects to donate $1 million to ANF through the sale of the 40 limited-edition timepieces. More than one year in development, the technical watch with a 46-hour power reserve features a pink gold case and alligator strap. The watch will be sold exclusively at Jose Roca Fine Jewelry Designs in Coral Gables, Florida. (305.448.2808)
―Jill Newman
|
April 1, 2008
Time for a Change
To mark its 100th anniversary, Concord, known for its classic watches, is revealing an edgy new image. With its C1 Chronograph, the Swiss watch brand unveiled a stylized, bold COSC-certified chronometer designed to withstand substantial impact. The 18-karat pink gold and black rubber case, 44 mm in diameter, is fitted with a sturdy black rubber-coated protective ring that fits over the case and is secured by eight decorative tabs and screws, and provides optimum protection from any scratches and bumps. The sleek timepiece with a black carbon fiber dial and black rubber straps has a self-winding movement that runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has 48 hours of power reserve. The $29,900 watch is being made in a limited-edition series of 200 models. (800.547.4073, www.concord.ch)
―Jill Newman
|
March 18, 2008
Enchanted Evening
At first glance, Zenith’s Black Tie Grande ChronoMaster XXT Tourbillon appears as an elegant platinum and diamond dress watch, but its skeleton back reveals a complicated mechanical movement. The platinum case houses Zenith’s signature El Primero 4005 movement and tourbillon, measuring time to tenths of a second and beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour. The men’s timepiece, $313,000, features a black mother-of-pearl dial encircled by more than 60 baguette diamonds, 18-karat white gold faceted hands, and straps of black lambskin with satin trim. Now all you need it the right tuxedo to match. (www.zenith-watches.com) ―Alexandra Foster
|
March 4, 2008
Stone Flooring
The most challenging aspect to creating Blancpain’s latest horological achievement was not its highly complicated movement, but it was constructing the diamond baguette dial. The $1.5 million 40mm Leman Tourbillon required the construction of a special case set with 242 matching baguette diamonds cut to fit together perfectly, and the dial is composed of 115 invisibly-set baguette diamonds. The dial’s parquet pattern required an incredibly complex system of rails to hold the stones from below, and an exacting order for mounting each of them—a demanding puzzle you may not fully appreciate for the sparkle it generates. (877.520.1735, www.blancpain.com)
―James D. Malcolmson
|
February 19, 2008
Cityscapes
While many people claim Paris and New York to be their favorite cities, the real test of such affection may be the purchase of one of Piaget’s special editions of its Tourbillon Relatif, part of the new Limelight Paris-New York collection. The Tourbillon Relatif houses Piaget’s most daring and complicated watch movement—a flying tourbillon with a regulating organ that is suspended above the dial and revolves with the minute hand once an hour around the center. But in this limited edition of just three watches (approximately $400,000) for each city, the mechanics are overshadowed by the decoration. Fields of blue-black Grand Feu enamel contrast with masterful engravings of city streets and monuments on the Paris version and New York’s distinctive skyline on its counterpart. The timepieces convey the charm and individuality of each city on a small-scale. (800.359.4538, www.piaget.com)
―James Malcolmson
|
February 5, 2008
Memorable Development
Maurice Lacroix’s new Memoire 1 may be the most ambitious new timepiece of the year, not only for its technical complexity, but because the company has never attempted an original horological innovation on this scale. The simple, three-hand display of the Memoire 1 (final price is not yet set) will be able to switch from showing the time conventionally to registering an elapsed time like a chronograph at the touch of a button. Digital watches have been able to change modes for years, but creating the same function mechanically is on the outer edges of current watchmaking techniques. To develop the timepiece, Maurice Lacroix enlisted some of Switzerland’s best movement engineers and designers, and it is reported they will be making last-minute adjustments up until the official release date in early April. But when complete, the 30-piece Memoire 1 will be one complicated watch collectors will not soon forget. (201.996.1800, |