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THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon Vincent Wulveryck@Cartier 2011 Tank Anglaise 52 WatchTime April 2012 THE BIGGEST news at Cartier was a new type of Tank watch, the Tank Anglaise. It differs from existing Tank models — the Française, Americaine, Louis Cartier, et al — in that its crown is integrated into the case. Cartier used a similar crown design in its Ballon Bleu of 2007. The Tank Anglaise comes in three sizes. The smallest has a quartz movement and the larger two, automatic ones. The movement of the very largest, shown here, was made in house, and is called Caliber 1904 MC. The watch measures 36.2 mm by 47 mm and is made of rhodium-plated white gold ($41,600). All three sizes are available in yellow and rose gold and in diamond versions. Cartier also added several complicated models to its Fine Watchmaking Collection. They include Cartier’s first in-house annual calendar, the Rotonde de Cartier Annual Calendar ($37,500 in rose gold). The watch contains the manufacture automatic 9908 MC cal- Rotonde de Cartier Annual Calendar iber, consisting of the 1904 MC with a calendar module. Day, date (shown in a big-date display at 12 o’clock) and month are set through the crown. The day and month are indicated by two center-mounted hands with curved red segments at the ends. The company introduced another first: its first in-house minute repeater, the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon. To make the gongs chime as loudly as possible, it made the case very large (45 mm) and very light (it’s made of titanium, although there’s also a rose-gold version). The gongs are connected to the plate and the plate to the case at four junctions. A rotating mechanism called an “inertia and friction governor” controls the speed at which the repeater spring is wound. This governor can be seen in the tourbillon aperture at 12 o’clock. The watch contains the inhouse 9402 MC caliber, which bears the Geneva Seal. Price: $314,500. Laziz Hamani@Cartier 2011 Photo 2000@Cartier 2011 Cartier THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Back and front of Caliber L082.1 54 WatchTime April 2012 THE LANGE 1 collection, famous for its off-center time display and big date, has a new member, its most complicated yet: the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. The layout of the Lange 1 dial, with its relatively small time display, left lots of room for the perpetual calendar indications, all of which are placed outside of the time dial. The month is shown on a rotating ring on the periphery of the dial, the first such month ring ever used on a wristwatch, Lange says. The ring, along with the retrograde day indicator, date, moon-phase display and leap-year indicator (at the bottom of the dial), all switch instantaneously. The moon-phase will run true for 122 years, after which it will need to be adjusted by one day. The calendar is adjusted by means of recessed push-pieces that allow the indications to be advanced individually or collectively. There is a day/night indication at 6 o’clock in the off-center time dial. In order to give the dial indications the maximum amount of space, the watch’s designers placed the aperture for viewing the tourbillon not on the front of the watch but on the back. The word “tourbillon” appears under the “XII” in the time dial. The watch has a patented stop-seconds device, extremely unusual in a tourbillon watch, so that the wearer can set the time to a time signal. The watch contains the new, in-house L082.1 automatic caliber, made of 624 components. The balance spring was also made in house and has a frequency of 21,600 vph. The winding rotor has a middle segment made of 21k gold. Its peripheral section is made of platinum, whose heft gives the rotor added momentum and thus helps it wind the mainspring with relatively little motion from the wearer’s arm. The power reserve is 50 hours. The watch has a 41.9-mm case. The model shown here is platinum (a limited series of 100 pieces, $341,900). There will also be a rose-gold version. THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Montblanc THE FONDATION Minerva, the ultra-high-complications branch of Montblanc, has come out with a watch called the TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1,000. Its distinguishing feature — and it is quite a distinction — is that it measures elapsed time to the 1/1,000-second. It does so by means of a 360,000-vph balance, which can measure time to the 1/100-second, working in conjunction with a special “1/1,000s wheel” in the gear train. The balance, which is visible at the 10:30 position, sets the pace for providing impulses to this wheel, which rotates on its own axis 10 times per second. It thus provides the resolution with which 1/100s of a second can be subdivided into sets of 10 increments. The chronograph seconds and minutes (up to 15) are shown in a subdial at 6 o’clock by, respectively, a long, red-tipped hand and a short, all-red hand. The 1/100s of a second are shown by a center-mounted hand rotating once per second. The 1/1,000s of a second are shown on an arcing scale at 12 o’clock that is divided into 10 segments. When the chronograph is stopped, by means of the single pusher between the upper lugs, the wearer can read the elapsed minutes, seconds, and 1/100s of a second, adding to that total the “leftover” 1/1,000s of a second as shown on the curved scale. The watch has a second balance for straight timekeeping. This balance has a frequency of 18,000 vph and is visible at 7 o’clock. Regular hours and minutes are shown at the center of the dial and running seconds are indicated by an immobile triangle at 9 o’clock. The watch was developed by the Spanish-Swiss watchmaker Bartomeu Gomila (he was the first citizen of Spain to graduate from WOSTEP). The watch will be made in a limited series of 36 pieces, with the first pieces available in October. Each will be priced at $305,900. Montblanc’s other new watches included the Rieussec Chronograph Open Hometime, which contains the new Caliber MB R210. The watch combines the features of the existing Rieussec chronograph, most notably, the rotating seconds and minutes dials at the bottom of the dial, with a new function: a second time zone, indicated by a rotating ring inside the regular time display. There is a day/night display at 9 o’clock. The case is rose gold. Price: $36,400. 56 WatchTime April 2012 Rieussec Chronograph Open Hometime TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1000 THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Girard-Perregaux THE SIMPLY styled 1966 collection has been expanded with a high-complication model: the 1966 Minute Repeater. The watch’s designers took several steps to give the two gongs as loud and clear a tone as possible. They made the caseback convex in order to increase the volume of air between the movement and case, thereby enhancing the sound. They diamond-polished the lower part of the caseback, which, the company says, reduces acoustic interference. And they saw that the ideal amount of space exists between movement and interior of case to produce the maximum resonance. The movement, the E09-0001, 5.36 mm thick, is hand-wound and has a frequency of 21,600 vph. It has a power reserve of 4 days. The case is rose gold and has a sapphire caseback. Through it, you can see the balance cock, which has the same arrow shape as the bridges on Girard-Perregaux’s famous Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges models. The case is 42 mm wide. Price: $270,000. The company also introduced a variation on its tourbillon-with-three-bridges design: a version of the Laureato in which the bridges are made not of gold but of spinel. The watch contains the 96000004 movement, an automatic with a platinum microrotor co-axial to the barrel. The seconds hand is on the tourbillon. The bracelet and case (42.60 mm in diameter) are titanium and the bezel is platinum. The watch is being manufactured in a limited series of 10 pieces: $215,000. The 1966 Minute Repeater and its movement The Laureato Tourbillon with Three Bridges THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Patrimony Traditionnelle 14-Day Tourbillon Malte Tourbillon Malte Small Seconds Vacheron Constantin THE MALTE COLLECTION has been redesigned and given a new shape: the tonneau. Among the new Malte watches is a model called the Malte Small Seconds, with the in-house caliber 4400 AS, a manualwind movement with a power reserve of 65 hours. It is only 2.80 mm thick. The case measures 36.70 mm by 47.61 mm and is made of rose gold. Price: $24,600. There’s also a tourbillon in the new Malte collection. The Malte Tourbillon has a shaped, manualwind movement, the in-house Caliber 2795, which has a frequency of 18,000 vph. The seconds hand is on the tourbillon cage. The watch is rose gold. Price: $183,900. Vacheron also introduced a new tourbillon in its round Patrimony Traditionnelle collection. Called the Patrimony Traditionnelle Tourbillon 14-Days, the watch has, as its name suggests, a remarkably long power reserve of 14 days, the longest of any tourbillon watch on the market. The movement has four barrels, mounted in coupled pairs. It contains the new, in-house, manual-wind Caliber 2260. The seconds hand is on the tourbillon carriage. The watch is 42 mm in diameter, 12.20 mm thick, and made of rose gold. Price: $279,800. All these watches bear the Geneva Seal. 60 WatchTime April 2012 THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Gouverneur chronograph Gouverneur automatic Gouverneur tourbillon Piaget THE HEADLINE introduction for Piaget was a new collection of dress watches called Gouverneur. Their distinguishing feature is the shape of their cases and bezels: all have a round case and an oval dial opening. Each dial, in turn, has a circular chapter ring, creating a round, oval, round pattern from the dial to the outside of the case. There are three versions available: an automatic, an automatic chronograph and a tourbillon with moon-phase display. All have in-house movements (the chronograph and tourbillon calibers are new this year) and in-house cases (43 mm in diameter) as well. The watches come in rose or white gold; the white-gold models are set with diamonds. All come on leather straps. The automatic contains Caliber 800P, which is just 4 mm thick. It has two barrels, which give it a 62 WatchTime April 2012 power reserve of 85 hours (rose-gold version: $26,000). The white-gold model has a black rotor; the rose-gold one a rose-gold-colored one. The chronograph, powered by the 882P caliber, 5.6 mm thick, has a flyback function. It, too, has two barrels. Its power reserve is 50 hours. The watch is unusual in that its two counters show not the elapsed minutes and running seconds, but the elapsed minutes and a second time zone (at 9 o’clock). There is only one seconds hand: the center-mounted chronograph hand (rose gold, $37,000). The tourbillon model contains Piaget’s 4.5-mmthick, manual-wind 642P caliber. The tourbillon is a “flying” tourbillon (meaning that it has no upper bridge) that makes one revolution per minute. Price upon request. THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche JaegerLeCoultre THE MOST talked-about new watch from Jaeger-LeCoultre was its Duomètre à Sphérotourbillon, the subject of WatchTime’s January-February 2012 cover story. That watch has a double-axis, inclined tourbillon and two independent barrels for powering the time indications and the escapement. Price: $262,000. Jaeger also introduced several new variations on existing models. To mark the 20th anniversary of its Master Control collection, the company launched larger versions of its Master Control and Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche watches. Both are now 39 mm in diameter. The Réserve de Marche model, shown here, has the same movement as before, the automatic Caliber 938. It is a mere 4.9 mm thick; the watch itself is 9.85 mm thick. The crown is used for winding and setting and the push-piece for adjusting the date. The watch comes in rose gold ($20,305) or steel ($9,825). Another new watch by Jaeger was inspired in some of its design elements by JLC’s Memovox Deep Sea of 1959. The new watch is the Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph. Containing Caliber 751G, which has a 65-hour power reserve, it shows elapsed hours at 9 o’clock and elapsed minutes at 3 o’clock. There is no running seconds hand, only a centermounted chronograph seconds hand. On the back of the watch is an engraving borrowed from the 1959 model: it shows a frogman surrounded by bubbles. The watch is made of steel and has a diameter of 40.5 mm. It is water-resistant to 100 meters. The crystal is made of Plexiglas. Price: $11,790. 64 WatchTime April 2012 The Duomètre á Sphérotourbillon Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Capeland with a newly redesigned steel bracelet A new, larger Capeland with 44-mm case Baume & Mercier Hampton models with new steel bracelets LAST YEAR Baume and Mercier underwent a relaunch, discontinuing most of its models and redesigning those that remained. Now the company is tweaking its lineup by adding a few new variations on existing models. Among them is a new, larger, 44-mm case for the Capeland chronograph. The company will continue to make the 42-mm size. The larger versions contain the La Joux-Perret 8120 or 8147-2; the 42-mm ones contain the ETA 7753. Baume has also redesigned the Capeland bracelet so that it has curved links and a new folding clasp. It has added new, blue dials and blue alligator straps to some models. The Capeland models shown here are $4,350 (top right) and $7,500 (top left). In the Hampton collection, the company has introduced a new steel-bracelet version. The large version of the Hampton (45 by 32.3 mm, $3,550) shown here contains the automatic ETA 2895. 66 WatchTime April 2012 THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Audemars Piguet THE ROYAL OAK, Audemars Piguet’s iconic luxury sports watch with the octagonal bezel inspired by a divers’ helmet, turns 40 this year. To mark the occasion, the brand is offering two limited-edition pieces in platinum cases. The Openworked Extra-Thin Royal Oak Limited Edition 40th Anniversary ($141,400) contains a manufacture movement, automatic Caliber 5122 (only 3.05 mm thick, the same as the movement in the first Royal Oak watches, Caliber 2121), which is not only ultra-slim but has been entirely skeletonized, including its hanging barrel. The finishing on the bridges and mainplate, which include satin-brushing, polishing and circular graining, have all been executed by hand and the galvanic treatment on the components gives them a sleek anthracite color. The rotor is made of gold and bears the raised inscription “AP Royal Oak 1972-2012” as well as the same “tapisserie” pattern that adorns the Royal Oak dial. The case has a diameter of 39 mm — identical to that of the original Royal Oak, which in its day was considered extravagantly large — and is water-resistant to 50 meters. The other limited-edition model is the similarly slim Openworked Extra-Thin Royal Oak Tourbillon ($353,600), which contains the new Audemars Piguet manufacture Caliber 2924, which, at only 4.46 mm, is one of the thinnest tourbillon movements on the market. The platinum case of this watch is 41 mm in diameter, and the skeletonized movement features a yellow-gold barrel, gear train and balance, which contrast with the anthracite- treated gray steel parts. The hours and minutes are displayed on the dial side, while the power reserve of 70 hours is indicated on the back of the movement. Both 40th anniversary models are limited to 40 pieces. Other new, non-limited models commemorating the Royal Oak’s birthday include the new Extra-Thin Royal Oak, which contains Caliber 2121 and is available in a 39-mm-diameter case in stainless steel ($22,500) or rose gold ($60,100); the Extra-Thin Royal Oak Tourbillon, with hand-wound Caliber 2924, in steel ($170,900) or rose gold ($229,800); and the Royal Oak Chronograph, which sports a new case diameter of 41 mm and a redesigned subdial design for enhanced legibility. The watch is available in steel ($23,900) or rose gold ($45,500 on strap, $70,800 on bracelet) and in various dial colors. Royal Oak Chronograph in rose gold Openworked ExtraThin Royal Oak Limited Edition Extra-Thin Royal Oak Tourbillon in rose gold 68 WatchTime April 2012 THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Spitfire Perpetual Digital Date-Month Big Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Miramar Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun IWC IN KEEPING WITH its recent tradition of spotlighting one of its collections each year, IWC is now focusing on its Big Pilot’s Watches, introducing six new models and increasing the case sizes of several others. Among the headliners in IWC’s year of the pilot are the new Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Miramar and Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Miramar, which help to establish the naval-aviation-inspired Top Gun collection, launched in 2007, as a subbrand within the Big Pilot’s Watch line. Named for the former site of the U.S. Navy’s Top Gun pilot training program south of San Diego, the watches sport a distinctly military-style design, with gray ceramic cases, matte anthracite dials with beige hands and green textile straps. Both feature IWC manufacture movements: the Big Pilot model, with its stately case diameter of 48 mm, contains the company’s largest automatic movement, which offers a 168hour power reserve. The chronograph watch contains IWC caliber 89365, which has a flyback function. The watches have titanium casebacks engraved 70 WatchTime April 2012 with the emblem of the U.S. Navy Top Gun Fighter Weapons School. Prices are $18,200 for the threehand version and $12,700 for the chronograph. The Top Gun collection has also expanded with the debut of the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun ($38,600), which includes a four-digit year display, moon-phase display and seven-day power reserve; the Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun ($18,200), which features a tiny, signal-red aircraft silhouette on the seconds hand to create contrast with the stark black-and-white dial; and the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun ($12,700), which contains an IWC in-house movement with a flyback function. The Spitfire sub-brand of the Pilot’s Watch collection now boasts a perpetual calendar, the Spitfire Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month ($55,900), the first IWC Pilot’s Watch that displays the date and month in large digits; and a new Spitfire Chronograph ($10,700-$27,400), which contains IWC’s manufacture Caliber 89365 and a dial design influenced by a cockpit altimeter. THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Ceramica “Tuttonero” Radiomir California 3 Days Radiomir S.L.C. 3 Days 72 WatchTime April 2012 PANERAI EMBRACES the dark with its new Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Ceramica, nicknamed Tuttonero (Italian for “all black”). The watch’s case and bracelet are made entirely of a matte black ceramic, based on zirconium oxide powder, which is finished in a complex process that renders it harder than stainless steel and makes it extra resistant to scratches, corrosion, and high temperatures. The only non-ceramic element in the bracelet, the steel buckle, also has a brushed black PVD coating. The matte black color scheme even extends to the movement, manufacture Caliber P.9001/B, visible through a sapphire caseback, which has also been treated with a blackening process. The watch, whose 44-mm case is water-resistant to 100 meters, has a black “sandwich-style” dial with luminous Arabic numerals and hands, a date window at 3 o’clock and a second-time-zone subdial at 9 o’clock. Its power reserve of three days is displayed on the movement. The price is $17,400. In its Radiomir collection, Panerai introduced two new vintage-inspired models, the Radiomir California 3 Days and Radiomir S.L.C. 3 Days (both $9,400). Both watches feature historical design elements from the original Radiomir prototype created in 1936 for Italian Navy divers, including the 47-mm cushionshaped case and conical crown, but each is made distinct by its dial. The California 3 Days bears the so-called “California” dial, with alternating markers and Arabic and Roman numerals to indicate the hours, a date at 3 o’clock, and the Officine Panerai “OP” logo on the dial. The S.L.C. 3 Days has an even more minimalist dial, with alternating bar- and dotshaped hour indices. The dial also features a relief drawing of a slow-speed torpedo (in Italian, Siluro a Lento Corsa, from which the initials S.L.C. are derived), which Italian naval commandos would ride on underwater missions. Both watches contain the hand-wound manufacture Caliber P.3000, which offers a 3day power reserve, and both have steel cases water-resistant to 100 meters. THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Two new Ralph Lauren 867 Slim Classique models Safari RL67 Chronograph Ralph Lauren LAST YEAR, Ralph Lauren introduced its Art Deco-inspired Slim Classique model, whose slim silhouette was complemented by its very traditional (to some, downright retro) dimensions of 27.5 mm square. This year’s Slim Classique models, called Ralph Lauren 867 (named for Lauren’s flagship store at 867 Madison Ave. in New York City) add some sparkle to the picture. One has a single row of brilliant-cut diamonds (96 total) on the bezel and a glossy black frame; the other has two rows on the bezel plus more brilliant-cut diamonds set into the lugs and one rose-cut diamond set into the crown (for a to74 WatchTime April 2012 tal of 201). Like their non-diamond predecessor, these watches, both in white gold, are powered by the ultra-thin Caliber RL430, made exclusively for Ralph Lauren by the master of thin watch movements, Piaget. Both have a silver opaline dial with black Roman and Arabic numerals and Breguet hands. The watches have black alligator straps with white-gold pin buckles. Price: $18,900 for the model with one row of diamonds; $20,500 for the model with two rows. From the sportier end of the spectrum, the brand offers the new Safari RL67 Chronograph, one of several new additions to the Sport- ing Collection. The watch’s stainless-steel case (available in both 39-mm and 45-mm sizes) is a striking gunmetal gray, having undergone a special chemical and thermal treatment that blackens the surface and also makes it four times harder than the steel most often used in watch cases. Continuing the watch’s rugged, wilderness-explorer theme, the strap is made of weathered olive-green canvas. Like other Ralph Lauren Sporting chronographs, this one is powered by the automatic Caliber RL751/1, made exclusively for Ralph Lauren by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Price: $9,850. THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Roger Dubuis Pulsion Chronograph in rose gold Pulsion Skeleton Flying Tourbillon 76 WatchTime April 2012 AFTER ROLLING out its La Monegasque collection last year, Roger Dubuis put its focus on another entirely new line this year, called Pulsion. Watches in this new collection are characterized by their unusual case structure, in which the sapphire crystal is screwed directly onto the case, allowing the numerals to be engraved on the underside of the crystal and treated with luminescent material. The two Pulsion models that made their debut at SIHH are the Pulsion Skeleton Flying Tourbillon in titanium ($126,000) and the Pulsion Chronograph in black titanium ($38,400) or rose gold ($39,400). The Skeleton Flying Tourbillon has a 44mm-diameter round case and is powered by the manual-wind Caliber RD505SQ, developed at the Roger Dubuis manufacture in the Canton of Geneva. Made up of 165 parts, the movement bears an anthracite treatment that complements the gray of the titanium case. The openworked dial (another hallmark of the Pulsion line) shows off the differential tourbillon. The Pulsion Chronograph contains another manufacture movement, the automatic RD680, with micro-rotor winding, column-wheel chronograph, and 48-hour power reserve. The multi-level dial has counter subdials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, a decorative pattern on its black exterior surface, and the numerals “6” and “12” machined onto small circles and screwed into the dial. The 44-mm case is offered in blackDLC-coated titanium or rose gold. Both new models come on black rubber straps that are integrated into the case, with titanium folding buckles. Like all current Roger Dubuis watches, the Pulsion models meet the new, stricter requirements for the Geneva Seal, issued by the Canton of Geneva as a mark of quality watchmaking. Geneva Sealapproved Caliber RD620 Greubel Forsey KNOWN FOR ITS multiple-tourbillon watches, Greubel Forsey has created a new timepiece that combines an innovative GMT complication with the brand’s wellknown inclined 24-seconds tourbillon. Called simply The GMT, the watch has a novel three-dimensional method of indicating a second time zone: a rotating titanium globe at 8 o’clock, secured on an axis at its south pole, which completes one rotation every 24 hours and is synched up with a day-night indicator ring divided into a black half (for the nighttime hemisphere, or 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM) and white half (6:00 AM to 6:00 PM). At a glance, a wearer in New York, for example, can see that evening is falling over Geneva as he takes his midday lunch break. At 10 o’clock, a second-time-zone subdial can be set, by a dual-function pusher on the caseband, to indicate the time in a specific zone. The home-time hours and minutes are at 1 o’clock, small seconds at 2 o’clock, and the 72-hour power-reserve indicator at 3 o’clock. The 25º inclined tourbillon cage is positioned at 5 o’clock. On the watch’s caseback is a world-time disk with the names of 24 cities representing the world’s time zones, which the wearer aligns with the outer or inner (for daylight savings times) chapter ring to set the time on the dial-side globe. The watch has a 43.5-mm white-gold case and comes on a black alligator strap; price upon request. THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Lady Arpels Poetic Wish Van Cleef & Arpels WELL-KNOWN watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, founder of the complications specialists Agenhor, designed and made the movement used in two new VC&A watches, a men’s model (Midnight Poetic Wish) and a women’s model (Lady Arpels Poetic Wish). The movement is a 5-minute repeater that not only chimes the time on demand but displays it visually, also on demand, by means of three automata on the dial. When the wearer pushes the button at 2 o’clock, the human figure moves along the linear hour scale and stops at the correct hour. The cloud moves along the hour scale toward the figure. When these two automata meet, a third automaton, a star (on the men’s watch) or a kite (on the women’s model) ascends along an arced path to indicate the minutes. As the automata are moving, the repeater’s two chimes ring out the hours and five-minute increments. The dials are decorated with scenes from Paris, including the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Together, the watches are meant to depict two lovers pining for each other and sending messages, via the star and kite, over the Paris skyline. The repeater’s chimes represent the ringing bells of the cathedral. Midnight Poetic Wish 78 WatchTime April 2012 The back of the watch has two dials: one for hours and minutes and the other for seconds. The hammers and chimes are also visible through the back. This is Agenhor’s first repeating movement and its first complete movement. Prices: $49,500 for the women’s watch and $58,000 for the baguette-set men’s model shown here. VC&A also unveiled a new men’s watch inspired by a watch that Pierre Arpels, son of one of the company’s founders, designed in 1949. The watch is an elegant dress model containing the Piaget 830P caliber. It comes in 38- or 42mm sizes, in a rose-gold or white-gold case. The model shown here (42 mm) is $18,200. Pierre Arpels watch in rose gold JeanRichard THE DIVERSCOPE, JeanRichard’s divers’ watch in the cushionshaped case, offers a novel complication in its new model, the Diverscope LPR — a linear power-reserve indicator visible through the number “12” on the opaline black dial. The movement, automatic JR 1010, based on the brand’s in-house JR 1000, has a plate, covered with white luminous paint, which is linked to a cam via a conveyor support and connecting rod. When the movement is wound, the plate moves upward and fills the cut-out Arabic numerals at the 12 o’clock position with white. As the energy in the movement is depleted, the plate moves downward and the white area inside the 12 recedes, letting the wearer know that it’s time to wind the watch. (The “LPR” in the watch’s name stands for “Linear Power Reserve”; the watch holds about 48 hours of power.) In addition to the power-reserve function, the Diverscope has a date display at 7:30, and screw-locked crowns at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock controlling, respectively, the setting of the time and the movement of the inner, rotating divers’ bezel. The watch is water-resistant to 300 meters and comes with two straps, one made of rubber and one made of Kevlar, both fastened by a folding steel clasp with a doublepushbutton security system. The Diverscope LPR is the first Diverscope watch in a stainless-steel case — previous models were in titanium cases — and costs $9,500. THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Richard Mille NOWADAYS, a sapphire crystal is a standard feature on a luxury mechanical watch, and a sapphire window in the caseback to show off the movement has become common, as well. But a watch with a whole case made of sapphire is something special. Richard Mille’s Tourbillon Split Seconds Competition Chronograph RM 056 Felipe Masa Sapphire is the first timepiece to pull off this feat of engineering, with its front bezel, caseband, and back bezel all milled from solid blocks of sapphire in a complex, delicate machining process that required specially designed, diamond-tipped cutting tools (with a 9.0 Mohs rating, sapphire is one of the hardest and most scratch-resistant materials on Earth). According to the company, each case required more than 1,000 hours of machining, which included 430 hours of preforming the case parts and 350 hours of polishing. The bezel is treated with antiglare coating. The sapphire case allows a panoramic view of the skeletonized movement, Caliber RMCC1, a manualwinding tourbillon movement that includes a chronograph, split-seconds function, power-reserve display, and torque and function indicators. Based on Richard Mille’s existing RM008 movement, it is extremely lightweight (under 10 grams, and 20 percent lighter than the RM008), thanks in part to its grade 5 titanium baseplate. The watch comes in a limited edition of five pieces, priced at $1.65 million each. 80 WatchTime April 2012 Parmigiani PARMIGIANI adds to its Tonda collection this year with the new Tonda Retrograde Annual Calendar. The watch contains Caliber 339, which adds an in-house calendar module to Parmigiani’s PF 331 base caliber with automatic winding, making it the 17th movement developed at the brand’s workshops in Fleurier. Like other annual calendars, it requires only one manual date correction each year — from February to March — except in leap years, when February 29 will automatically move to March 1. The date indicator is a retrograde hand on the outer dial that points to a scale numbering 1 to 31. The day of the week is in a window is at 9 o’clock and the month in a window at 3 o’clock. The moon-phase display, located at 6 o’clock, has two indications, one each for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, and requires correction only after 120 years. The Tonda Retrograde Annual Calendar is available with either a charcoal gray or silver dial with a barley-grained pattern in the center surrounded by an opaline ring; it comes on an alligator strap made by Hermès, in either a rosegold or white-gold case; each costs $32,800. April 2012 WatchTime 81 THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Urwerk THE UR-100 Torpedo, introduced at last year’s SIHH, is now embellished with a suit of gold armor. With its 5N rose-gold bezel, the UR-110 RG continues the company’s tradition of telling time using a system of orbiting satellites. Time is shown on the right side of the watch, so it can be seen without raising one’s shirt cuff. As with the UR-100, the satellites follow a vertically arched line, using gradations from 0 to 60 minutes, to tell the time. The three hour-satellites and their arrow-shaped torpedoes (for which the original model is named) are mounted on planetary gears and take turns showing the time as they pass the 60-minute track. Just like the original, the UR-110 RG has a control panel on the dial that indicates day/night and “oil change” (time for service) as well as hours and minutes. Small seconds are shown on a subdial. The grade 5 titanium case is a generous 47 mm by 51 mm in diameter, with a large sapphire crystal. The titanium caseback covers the UR 9.01 automatic movement, which has a unidirectional rotor regulated by double turbines. Its single barrel has a power reserve of 39 hours. It sells for $130,000. The 801P Aircraft (left) and its movement (below) RGM THIS YEAR, the American watch brand RGM marks its 20th anniversary. The brand is closely associated with Pennsylvania watchmaking, and it is known for its pilots’ watches, which, until now, have been powered by movements produced in Switzerland.    To create something special for the anniversary, company founder Roland G. Murphy looked to clocks produced by the Hamilton and Elgin watch companies for use in World War II aircraft. One clock in particular provided the design inspiration for this new pilots’ watch — the first to house RGM’s inhouse manual-winding caliber 801 movement. Known as the 801P Aircraft, the watch has a polished stainless-steel case measuring 42 mm in diameter. Sapphire crystals in the front and back show off the eye-catching dial and the American-made movement inside. The 19-jewel caliber is available in rhodium or gold, finished with Geneva waves and perlage. Strap options include black or brown alligator and ostrich. A stainless-steel bracelet is also available. The price on a strap is $6,400, and on a bracelet, $7,150. De Bethune DE BETHUNE celebrates 2012 — a significant year in the Mayan Long Count calendar — with a series of 12 timepieces called the Ninth Mayan Underworld. These pieces celebrate Mayan culture by capturing the essence of Mayan stone carving. The solid gold dials have been hand-engraved by Michèle Rothen, and enhanced by 31 flame-blued steel inserts. The hour circle displays the numerals of the Mayan numbering system, while the inner ring presents the 20 glyphs of divinities, animals and sacred objects representing the various days of the calendar. The dial center features the baktun, a period glyph used specifically for calculating the “Long Count” and comprising 144,000 days. To highlight the dial, the hands are made in sapphire rimmed with blued steel using a procedure exclusive to De Bethune. The company says these pieces represent the brand’s unique celebration of the mystical and scientific Mayan genius, and the symbolic advent of a new world. The price is $95,000. Louis Moinet LOUIS MOINET’S new Jules Verne Instrument III was inspired by the author’s novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The watch was envisioned as a high-precision instrument for the book’s protagonist, Captain Nemo, as he sails aboard his Nautilus submarine in search of adventure. The design of this chronograph follows the lines of the Nautilus. It is equipped with a subaquatic-looking monopusher and an original function indicator (patent pending) that was inspired by the famous Chadburn telegraph transmitters on historical ships. The dial is adorned with the signature Louis Moinet “côtes de Jura” pattern. The hands feature cut-out segments filled with white and blue luminescent material. The watch is fitted with a screw balance beating at 28,800 vph. The winding rotor is mounted on ball bearings and has an openworked section. The movement is engraved with a black-finish “côtes de Jura” motif and features blued steel screws. It has a power reserve of 48 hours. The lightweight 45.5-mm case is made of polished grade 5 titanium and is water resistant to 50 meters. The lower bezel is coated with black PVD, and the upper bezel is rose gold. The crown and pusher are a blend of rose gold and black PVD. The watch is also available in titanium and stainless steel. Each model is limited to 365 pieces. Price: $23,500 in rose gold and titanium; $18,900 in titanium and stainless steel. Both models come on a rubber strap. April 2012 WatchTime 83 THE GENEVA SHOWS The New Watches Here There Be Dragons If you needed more proof that the luxury watch industry is embracing the emerging markets of China and other Asian countries in a big way, look no further than the crop of timepieces introduced at SIHH that commemorate the Chinese Year of the Dragon in 2012. From Richard Mille, there is the Tourbillon RM 057 Dragon – Jackie Chan, a limited edition of 36 pieces developed with the input of the world-famous Chinese action star with whom Mille previously collaborated on the RMJC Tourbillon, a unique piece sold at auction for $860,000. The watch has a baseplate made of black onyx, which in Chinese mythology is considered a stone of inspiration and protection against negative thoughts. The dial has a golden engraving of a scaled dragon, which grasps the tourbillon bridge in one of its clawed talons. Chan’s round, engraved signature is set into the baseplate and rotates once every 60 seconds along with the tourbillon. The watch contains the manual-wind RM057 movement and has a 50 mm by 42.7 mm tonneau-shaped case made of rose gold. The dragon is entirely hand-engraved in white gold ($575,000) or rose gold ($565,000). Audemars Piguet has added a trio of dragon-themed models to its Jules Audemars collection, all of them with tourbil- The Dragon and the Pearl of Wisdom, a unique piece by Parmigiani 84 WatchTime April 2012 The Tourbillon RM 057 Dragon - Jackie Chan from Richard Mille lons. The Jules Audemars Dragon Tourbillon contains AP’s manual-wind manufacture Caliber 2906, which boasts a 72hour power reserve, and features a gold dragon on the dial, each one hand-engraved at the brand’s atelier in Le Brassus, Switzerland. There are two versions with a red enamel dial behind the dragon figure, one with the case, hands, and dragon figure in white gold ($214,200, limited to eight pieces); the other with the case, hands and dragon figure in rose gold ($203,900, limited to eight pieces). There is also a model without enamel, with a rose gold dial, hands and dragon, for $194,800 and limited to 18 pieces. Numerals with an 8, of course, are regarded as lucky in China. Because of the hand engraving, each watch is unique, and comes in a special presentation box. Parmigiani’s tribute to the Year of the Dragon is not a watch at all but a unique automaton clock that the company has named The Dragon and the Pearl of Wisdom. Designed by the brand’s founding watchmaker, Michel Parmigiani, the device features a striking sculptural figure of the Imperial Dragon from Chinese legend, which travels once per hour around the clock’s base in pursuit of the elusive, incandescent pearl of wisdom that forever evades its clutches: six times per hour, as the dragon approaches the pearl, the pearl moves forward, at which moment a gong sounds to alert the clock’s owner. The complex mechanism is inside the clock’s base, which is cut from a block of rock crystal. It is surrounded by a gilded silver ring divided into 12 hours by indices made of jade; one Chinese hour is equivalent to two traditional hours. The ring makes one turn around the base every 24 hours. Both the dragon and the pearl are adorned with precious stones, including diamonds, rubies, sapphires and several shades of jade. The entire clock, including the timekeeping mechanism, contains nearly 1,000 components and required more than 5,800 hours of work. The Year of the Dragon is said to bring luck, and one lucky collector can lay his hands on this for around $3.5 million. Audemars Piguet’s Jules Audemars Dragon Tourbillon, in white gold (left) and rose gold (below, left)